MINEXPO PREVIEW
ShovelSense in action on a hydraulic shovel at the Copper Mountain operation
ShovelSense XRF analysers on its entire ore and waste moving machinery fleet by the end of the year , but it is also due to trial BeltSense at two locations at its mine in the upcoming months .
BeltSense , which uses the same XRF-backed analyser and real-time data package as ShovelSense , will be trialled in front of the main ore stockpile at the operation , in addition to being fitted above a conveyor ahead of the SAG mill .
While the latter location will be used primarily for control of the flotation circuit , the installation at the former will see solutions from MineSense and Siemens come together .
The two companies signed an agreement back in 2018 to combine BeltSense with Siemens ’ Simine MAQ single material and quality management system to “ enable customers to significantly increase efficiency via a single view of quality across the whole conveying process ”. The Copper Mountain stockpile installation will represent the first time the two have worked together on a project .
This increased visibility – from the pit to the stockpile to the process plant – will enable Copper Mountain to carry out a full grade reconciliation process , More said .
“ We will see every tonne they touch and correlate that with what comes out of the mill through online analysers ,” he explained .
More and his team will also be coming to the show with an underground offering ready for testing .
Having agreed with New Gold to deploy its ShovelSense for underground on a Cat R1600G LHD at the New Afton gold-copper block cave operation in British Columbia , Canada , the company is now in the position to talk to other miners about setting up trials .
“ The core technology – all of the algorithms , software , hardware – is the same as
ShovelSense for open-pit mining ,” More said . “ It is the ‘ application package ’ – looking at how we can attach the unit to the machine and protect it in an underground environment – that is what we have to test out . The design for this is already complete ; it ’ s just a matter of trialling it .”
Still within the field of ‘ separation technology ’ Eriez plans to showcase its suspended electromagnets ( SEs ), wet drum separators and flotation technology for mineral processing applications at MINExpo .
Eriez says its suspended electromagnets , available in both manual and self-cleaning models , provide tramp metal collection from conveyed materials
SEs , available in both manual and self-cleaning models , provide tramp metal collection from conveyed materials . Wet drum separators feature the newest advances in magnetic circuitry design and offer continuous recovery of magnetite or ferrosilicon . The Eriez flotation product line , meanwhile , encompasses flotation cells , gas spargers , slurry distributors and flotation test equipment .
Hexagon plans to unveil its vision for mining ’ s autonomous future at MINExpo 2021 .
This represents the culmination of a journey that began at the last MINExpo in 2016 when Hexagon ’ s Mining division was barely a year old . With the company ’ s integration journey just
starting , Hexagon ’ s booth , back then , reflected the pieces of a puzzle : a collection of safety solutions , led by its collision avoidance system ( CAS ); a general mine planning portfolio tested in mines worldwide during the previous 46 years ; a fleet management suite ; and an underground task management solution .
“ Connecting the pieces of that puzzle was essential to fulfilling the vision of becoming the industry ’ s number-one smart technology partner for integrated life-of-mine solutions ,” Rob Daw , CTO of Hexagon ’ s Mining division , said . “ It ’ s the backbone of a mission to empower mines for the decades ahead with technology to balance safety , sustainability and productivity .”
Increased investment in research and development and key acquisitions have taken place in the five years since this MINExpo debut .
“ A uniquely holistic approach to drill and blast , a market-leading safety portfolio , and a data-driven focus to our entire smart mining technology stack are some of the outcomes of this strategy and will be centre-stage at in the Las Vegas Convention Center ,” Daw said .
With a theme for the show of “ The Power of One ”, Hexagon says it aims to show visitors that it is the one technology partner capable of helping mines successfully complete their journeys of digital transformation across the mining value chain .
In addition to displays , demonstrations and tech talks will be an “ immersive life-of-mine experience ”, through which attendees can navigate workflows and processes within the context of a “ smart mining portfolio ”.
Hexagon will also display some of its newest advancements in which sensor technology plays a key role . “ As mines become more automated , the ecosystems created will rely more on sensors to provide information and protect people ,” Daw explained . “ Continued integration means more autonomy and eventually fully autonomous solutions .”
Using data from multiple sensors and integrated solutions is increasingly leading towards simple and consolidated hardware architecture , or a Smart Device Ecosystem ( SDE ). Installed in vehicles , an SDE means one set of components to deliver multiple solutions , Hexagon explained .
“ For example , in the same antenna , computing box , perception sensors and display , a mine could deploy multiple solutions for fleet management , collision awareness and
38 International Mining | AUGUST 2021