SURFACE DRILLING
that will optimise safety and productivity through advanced automation at its greenfield Côté Gold operation in Ontario .
The order includes several Pit Viper 231 and SmartROC D65 drill rigs for the open-pit gold development , which is currently under construction and expected to start production in the second half of 2023 . The Pit Vipers will be fully autonomous , while the SmartROC D65 rigs are prepared for remote operation . The order is valued at approximately SEK130 million ($ 15.1 million ) and was booked in the September quarter of 2021 .
“ IAMGOLD , a returning Epiroc customer , is taking safety , sustainability and productivity extremely seriously ,” Epiroc ’ s President and CEO , Helena Hedblom , said . “ As IAMGOLD is preparing a new exciting mine project , we are proud to contribute to their success with our advanced machines and solutions for autonomous operation .”
IAMGOLD has previously employed different levels of autonomous drilling at its other operations using Epiroc Pit Vipers . It launched the first automated drill rig in West Africa with assistance from Epiroc back in February 2020 at its 90 % -owned Essakane mine in Burkina Faso . This followed a series of automation steps carried out on the company ’ s fleet of Epiroc PV235 blasthole drills , beginning with the ‘ Operator Assist ’ phase back in 2016 .
The Pit Viper 231 and SmartROC D65 surface drill rigs are built to face the toughest conditions while optimising productivity , safety and fuel efficiency , according to Epiroc . Advanced features include Epiroc ’ s telematics system , Certiq , which allows for automated and intelligent monitoring of productivity and machine performance .
Anglo American ’ s automation plans for its Quellaveco mine in Peru are starting to take shape , including with its drill fleet , and Epiroc automation-ready drills are on site ahead of first ore production later this year . By the end of this year , they should be fully integrated into its incountry remote operations centre . The rigs – six fully autonomous Epiroc Pit Viper 351s and three tele-remote SmartRoc D65s – will eventually be overseen from this remote operations centre .
Anglo had already had experience with Epiroc at Los Bronces , where the partners developed and implemented a new tele-remote drilling project . Tito Cacho , General Manager of Quellaveco told IM : “ One of the objectives of Anglo American has been building a modern and fully digital mine at Quellaveco , incorporating the latest technologies to make this an even safer , productive and sustainable mining operation . A team of Anglo American engineers that were involved in the Los Bronces implementation have assisted in some aspects of the project in Quellaveco , bringing the benefits from our experience gained in Chile .” He added on the upsides : “ Safety is the primary benefit , and , as you know , is our most important value at Anglo American . We can distance an operator from areas of risk and put them in an environment that is safer , with less exposure to dust , noise and vibration . The operator becomes an autonomous drilling controller and is more comfortable and in a better ergonomic position . In addition , we have been able to improve the use , efficiency and precision of the equipment , and the ability to control multiple machines per person are notable benefits over manual operation .”
Lastly , over in Chile , BHP is now in the process of rolling out autonomous drilling at Escondida and Spence – and at Spence officially began operating its first autonomous blasthole drill on December 1 , 2021 . Spence is a copper open pit operation located in Antofagasta Region , northern Chile , and BHP told IM that the plan envisages the commissioning of five autonomous drills , which will gradually be incorporated into the operation in the coming months . In the future , it is expected that 100 % of Spence ’ s drill fleet will be operate autonomously . The Spence autonomous drills are Pit Viper 351 models being monitored from a control room in Spence , 2 km from the open pit .
BHP stated : “ This implementation allows us to reduce the exposure of people to operational risks of health and safety , while the equipment ’ s availability is expected to increase by 1.7 % and utilisation will increase by 14.1 %. Autonomous drill operation marks the beginning of a journey towards broader autonomy that is underway in Spence . It is also expected for the operation and BHP to decide on the truck fleet ’ s autonomy during 2022 .”
The Spence drills are equipped with RCS 5 , the latest version of Epiroc ’ s Rig Control System . It provides a number of safety and interlock features , as well as a foundation to add new functionality / options later without a major rebuild of the machine . As an example , a new Drilling Data Screen in RCS 5 features real time depth monitoring and creates a penetration rate histogram so controllers can easily monitor what ’ s happening in the hole . Machines operating on the same pattern can share realtime updates of the progress each drill is making against the drill plan .
Hexagon partners with Phoenix Drill Control ; plus launches MineMeasure platform
Hexagon ’ s Mining division has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Phoenix Drill Control , a technology company specialised in implementing autonomous technology to the open-pit , blasthole drilling process .
Applying artificial intelligence ( AI ) and machine control to drill automation , Phoenix Drill Control ’ s autonomous drill technology overcomes the constraints typically associated with traditional drill automation platforms , such as removal or replacement of existing machine controls , extensive operator training and reliance on operator input , according to Hexagon ’ s Mining division .
AI algorithms monitor all input signals and take dynamic corrective action , without operator input and before catastrophic hole failure or a stuck drill bit occurs . Phoenix ’ s autonomous drilling platform has a proven production track record demonstrating that it outperforms the industry ’ s existing automated drills .
Optimised drill operations have the potential to significantly improve a mine ’ s bottom line by
Robit and the Rbit™
Crawler top hammer drills take on the bulk of surface drilling pit perimeter and presplit drilling in large open pits and can form the primary fleet machines in some mines . Finland ' s Robit is a key supplier of top hammer button bits , with its latest product line being Rbit™ which has been manufactured with recyclable 100 % Green Steel , while " consistent top quality is guaranteed by fully automated production lines ." Features include an optimised button layout configuration of the Flat Face , to ensure maximised rock contact and energy transmission plus a new transition face developed in both Flat Face and Drop Center bits to improve the transfer of percussion energy into the rock . The bits have an enhanced flushing design delivering even faster rate of penetration and redesigned wider retrac grooves , that allow more space delivering a better flow for the cuttings . Heavy Duty models are also available . Rbit™ drill bits have been designed with state of the art CFD simulation . " Moreover , field tests globally have demonstrated clear evidence of a superior drilling performance which our technical simulation had already guaranteed . Our partner drillers were happy with the excellent performance and noted better flushing and longer grinding intervals with the new Rbit™ drill bits ."
20 International Mining | APRIL 2022