MINE MAINTENANCE
“ The GET Trakka acquisition is one example of a digital technology product that we are combining with our GET solutions to provide a smarter and more complete solution ,” CR ’ s Doug Wallis says
“ Competitors who offer machine-mounted systems using technologies such as vision that rely on line of sight cannot offer the same functionality as we can because they are limited to what they can see from the machine rather than having a live sensor that is feeding data back to the user ,” he explained . “ This means that we are able to offer a much broader solution including , for example , the ability to locate and recover lost GET once they fall off the machine .
“ Functionality such as this is essential for our customers to be able to easily recover GET and stop it from going into crushers .”
He added : “ CR is uniquely positioned in the market in that we already have a range of complementary digital solutions that are sold through our CR Digital business . This means we can offer an integrated solution with much broader and more reliable functionality than our competitors .”
GET Trakka allows GET to be tracked from the time it is fitted onto a machine through to the end of life .
“ Customers can , therefore , track when GET is fitted and removed , how long it lasts , how much material is moved , live status of GET ( such as temperature ) and where it is ,” Wallis explained . “ In other words , we are able to get real-time live operational data on various aspects of GET and buckets .”
The two areas where customers will see the biggest improvement are reduction or elimination of lost time due to GET in crusher events and improved awareness and management of GET on their site , according to Wallis .
“ For example , one of our customers was experiencing GET in crusher events as regularly as once a month until they installed GET Trakka ,” he said . “ With our system now in service on their site for several years , they have been able to effectively eliminate these events . GET failures still occur but they are now able to identify them and recover the GET from the dig face or truck before it gets into the crusher and causes any serious down time .”
This might not be the end of CR ’ s digital GET developments , with the company working on improving GET solutions and making them smarter and safer , Wallis said .
“ The GET Trakka acquisition is one example of a digital technology product that we are combining with our GET solutions to provide a smarter and more complete solution ,” he explained . “ This system will continue to be expanded to add more functionality and to integrate with some of our other digital and wear products .
“ Along with this work , we are also building a range of supporting tools and technology such as our recently released GripAssist that will help customers to manage and handle GET more safely and efficiently and , ultimately , reduce the amount of direct interaction that people need to have with our GET .”
Conveying the conditions
One of the more challenging pieces of equipment on a mine site to maintain are conveyor belts .
Conventional methods of advanced conveyor failure detection often prove unreliable , subjective , time consuming and labour intensive , with inspection of work rollers being one of the greatest maintenance burdens . Aura IQ is a conveyor health monitoring system that leverages real-time data to optimise production and on-site performance , enhance occupational health , hygiene and safety management , and introduce predictive maintenance and support capabilities to asset management , according to Future Fibre Technologies ( an Ava Risk Group Company ).
It uses the power of Ava ’ s fibre-optic technology ( FFT Aura Ai-2 ), combined with Mining3 ’ s advanced patented signal processing algorithms and data
analytics , to acoustically monitor and assess conveyor
health via cloud-based analysis , reporting and alerts . The core technology platform of Aura IQ utilises
Distributed Acoustic Sensing ( DAS ) – a photonic sensing technology – to convert fibre to a linear array of discrete vibration sensors , Andrew Hames , Group Head of Innovation at FFT , explained . This allows acoustic frequency strain signals to be detected over long distances and in harsh environments .
Aura IQ also provides users with their own customised cloud dashboard , while allowing data to be integrated into existing user maintenance management systems .
“ The flexible reporting provides a clear visual representation of the state of all roller bearings simultaneously ,” Hames says . This allows maintenance crews to be dispatched against a predetermined maintenance program , eradicating the problem of early or late change out of rollers .
“ In addition , the data collected can be used to optimise maintenance strategies ,” he said . “ With detailed heat maps and vibration analysis down to the individual line-stand level , deeper insights are provided to technicians and operators from every conveyor at every site .”
The application of Aura IQ , since commercial launch in September 2019 , has resulted in some compelling outcomes , according to Hames . This has seen the company identify rollout opportunities spread across six regions , 21 countries and five industry sectors , including mining .
Hames explained the route to market : “ Part of the commercialisation strategy was to speed up the adoption of the new technology through conducting very efficient and effective Proof of Value Trials ( POVT ) for each opportunity .”
A POVT takes approximately one week for installation , commissioning , fine tuning , and verification , according to Hames . The solution then goes live , integrating the solution into each site ’ s engineering and maintenance workflows across the course of three to four weeks .
“ In most instances , on completion , site teams want us to leave the Aura IQ system in place , which is an extremely positive sign ,” Hames said .
The main objectives of staging a POVT on the Aura IQ system is to test and appraise the effectiveness and value of Aura IQ as a preventative maintenance tool for a conveyor set at any given site , Hames added . The trial deliverables include : n Training for key on-site personnel on the system ’ s roller health condition monitoring abilities ; n A review of current monitoring practices at site ; n An evaluation of how Aura IQ can improve maintenance and belt utilisation ; n Verification of the performance of Aura IQ as a Conveyor Health Monitoring and Operational Intelligence Collection Platform ; n Calibration of the detection algorithms to identify site-specific false positives ; and n Value analysis of Aura IQ for extended use on the on-site conveyor set . “ Perhaps one of the most important objectives of a POVT at a site is to introduce and gain the cultural acceptance and reliance on new technology to a
52 International Mining | JANUARY 2021