IM 2022 November/December 22 NovemberDecember22 | Page 45

CONTRACT MINING he said . “ This includes a condition monitoring system ( CMS ) to track the operating data of trackless mining machines ( TMMs ) in order to monitor their health .”
This widens the scope for more effective predictive maintenance and indicates patterns in operator behaviour that management can address and improve . With modern TMMs being fitted with a higher degree of electronic control units – all interconnected and feeding data back to the machines ’ control units – underground Wi-Fi now allows real-time data captured by the CMS data loggers to be sent to control rooms for instant analysis and action , according to the company . “ We are also applying production control systems – making use of heavy-duty ‘ plods ’ or tablets – in the cabin of machines ,” Wells said . “ Rather than using manual paper systems , operators can have digital pre-start checklists and can log the starting and stopping of various activities underground .”
These technologies provide valuable information to supervisors and managers in their allocation of people , machines and other
“ Progress in applying Wi-Fi technology to underground mines is allowing us to introduce a range of digitisation initiatives in our projects ,” Murray & Roberts Cementation ’ s Mike Wells says
services where they are required . In particular , the real-time transmission of data allows decisions to be taken quicker – leading to better results and greater efficiency in the application of resources .
Fixed installation monitoring is another important element of the benefits to be leveraged from a digital communication network , according to Wells . This relates mainly to static equipment like water pumps and ventilation
fans .
“ By linking these systems to the mine ’ s digital backbone , we are able to monitor their operation and , importantly , also start and stop them from a central control room ,” he said .
A key resource behind this strategic direction is intelligent solutions specialist Insig Technologies – recently acquired by group company Murray & Roberts – which is developing agnostic interfaces between the systems of various OEMs .
“ We are aiming for agnostic systems and data loggers that will ‘ talk to ’ machines from various TMM suppliers ,” Wells said . “ For instance , we want to be able to activate a ventilation-on-demand functionality from a remote location . This would allow an operator to divert ventilation capacity to a heading where a blast has just taken place , facilitating more rapid extraction of fumes and facilitating quicker re-entry .”
Murray & Roberts Cementation has already implemented many of these innovative strategies at B2Gold ’ s Otjikoto gold mine in Namibia and will also roll them out with a BEV mining fleet at Ivanhoe Mines ’ Platreef project in Limpopo province , South Africa , it says .
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