SLOPE STABILITY MONITORING
LoRaWAN technology and is capable of longrange transmission through physical obstructions , with sensors able to communicate with a Gateway at a distance as great as 15 km .
Landmark installed two types of Senceive wireless sensor nodes – combined Optical Displacement Sensor ( ODS ) and Triaxial Tilt Sensor nodes , and Crack Sensor Nodes , throughout the site . Despite the challenging nature of this large site , the installation proved to be quick and simple , both above and below ground . The Gateway was installed in a place where there was 4G coverage , several hundred meters away from all the sensors . Once installed , the system was operational within a few minutes , with data being collected from the sensors and sent to cloud-based visualisation software WebMonitor™ , via the Gateway .
The wireless system enabled automatic and continuous remote data gathering . High precision data is now continuously transmitted from the sensors to WebMonitor™ , where stakeholders can remotely check the ground and structural conditions of the site . The system was configured to send SMS and email alerts to stakeholders in the event of any movements outside pre-set threshold levels . The technology is reliable and robust and requires only minimal maintenance – which reduces the need for visual inspection checks , thus saving time and improving safety .
The system enables users to to set specific tolerances and time triggers suitable for each sensor and / or area . Another powerful advantage of the technology , in addition to its great flexibility , is its expandability . Additional sensors may be added to the network as required . This means that the monitoring system can be moved and expanded as the focus of activity moves around the mine site .
America . The K2fly Decipher Solution will allow integration of multiple data sources related to safe tailings management across Sibanye- Stillwater ’ s global operations into a single platform , to facilitate transparent disclosure and reporting , analytics , and performance visualisation .
As the fifth ICMM member to sign on to the K2fly solution , it demonstrates increasing demand for K2fly ’ s Tailings Solution and a runway towards additional sales with other mining companies . As more companies commit to the GISTM , K2fly sees potential for continued growth for this solution . All 28 members of the ICMM are committed to this standard which is not limited to ICMM members and is accessible to the whole industry . Nic Pollock , Chief Executive Officer of K2fly said : “ This is our first solution with Sibanye-Stillwater and we are very proud to be working with another precious metals producer and another ICMM member that take their ESG commitments very seriously . K2fly now works with five of the top ten gold producers globally . This is also our first joint deal with our new partners Descartes Labs ( DL ), a major validation of that partnership . We are very excited at the opportunity to deliver an end to end solution to Sibanye-Stillwater with our partner DL .”
More recently in March 2022 , K2fly announced the expansion of an existing contract with South32 Group Operations for K2fly ’ s Dams and Tailings Solution ( Decipher ), signing up for additional modules within the solution across six mine site operations in Australia and South America .
And while not slope stability per se , ground disturbance monitoring is increasingly important for mining companies . K2fly in May 2022 announced that BHP Iron Ore has signed an initial one-year contract for K2fly ’ s Ground Disturbance Solution to cover its entire iron ore operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia . BHP ’ s Western Australia Iron Ore ( WAIO ) is an integrated system of four processing hubs and five mines , connected by more than 1,000 km of rail infrastructure and port facilities in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia . It produces over 245 mt of iron ore annually making it one of the top five producers of iron ore globally .
Sitting within K2fly ’ s Natural Resource Governance area , K2fly ’ s Ground Disturbance solution is a cloud-based SaaS platform for applying , approving , tracking , reporting and submitting closure of permits and rehabilitation commitments surrounding ground disturbance activities . K2fly says its Ground Disturbance Solution is the only Commercial Off the Shelf ( COTS ) solution available in the market today , “ and is transforming the way resource and infrastructure landowners manage and govern their land assets , enabled by delivering spatial first visibility , speed and efficiency in understanding and decision making , and collaboration for the users across the spectrum of Land Management .”
Pollock said : “ We are delighted to be starting our relationship with BHP , which will join other Tier 1 global mining companies as a valued client of K2fly . Our Ground Disturbance Solution is the only system which helps provide better transparency and governance whilst avoiding damaging the environment or protecting cultural heritage and ensuring all stakeholder engagement and obligations are met . Because of recent events in the Pilbara , the world ’ s attention is very much focused on how mining companies ensure that they better protect the environment , cultural heritage sites and engage with communities .” IM
Tailings monitoring to ground disturbance
Software as a service ( SaaS ) major K2fly has been growing its influence in the tailings monitoring market in mining , following its acquisition of Decipher from Wesfarmers in 2021 . In September 2021 , K2fly announced that Sibanye-Stillwater had signed a five year contract for its Decipher Mining Tailings Management solution which the miner is rolling out globally in support of their commitment to the International Council on Metals and Mining ( ICMM ) to comply with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management ( GISTM ). Sibanye-Stillwater is a leading international precious metals mining company , with a diverse portfolio of platinum group metal ( PGM ) operations in the United States and Southern Africa , gold operations and projects in South Africa , and copper , gold and PGM exploration properties in North and South
K2fly has been making its presence felt in the tailings monitoring market since acquiring Decipher in 2021
AUGUST 2022 | International Mining 59