MINING NETWORKS
Critical comms
The increasingly autonomous mine is posing more challenges to comms networks – Paul Moore spoke to two of the market leaders in 4G LTE / 5G solutions as well as the leading supplier of industrial wireless mesh in mining
When it comes to connectivity , mining has a very distinct set of challenges . Jaime Laguna , Head of Nokia ’ s Digital Industries for Vertical Oil & Gas and Mining told IM : “ These challenges are driving the need for mining digitalisation – or Mining 4.0 – to enable compelling use cases such as data-driven operations , predictive asset maintenance and autonomous drilling and haulage , among others . With the ability to send only machines into hazardous areas , workers are better protected , while productivity gains and costs savings are enabled by more predictable behaviour . But if autonomous equipment isn ’ t backed by reliable communications networks , issues can occur as they can disconnect from the network , halting productivity or even causing collisions .”
For this reason , many mining companies are turning to 4G / LTE and 5G private wireless networks based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project ( 3GPP ) cellular standards . “ With the capacity to support thousands of connections at the lowest latency , private wireless enables a constant heartbeat link with connected machines offering the reliability , predictability and performance that WiFi just can ’ t deliver .”
By deploying a private wireless network , mining operators can consolidate operations . Traditionally , in addition to WiFi , mines use twoway radio systems , like Terrestrial Trunked Radio ( TETRA ) and Project 25 ( P25 ), for mission-critical voice communications as well as other proprietary overlay networks . Laguna adds : “ Using private wireless , they can leverage the Internet of Things ( IoT ) connectivity of low-power sensors , support the demands of mission-critical operations and allow teams to communicate via mission-critical push-to-talk ( PTT ) and push-tovideo ( PTV ) as well as video , while also supporting broadband data and video streaming .
By converging operations onto a single private wireless solution , network maintenance activities can be reduced too .”
He adds that mining companies should first implement the Industry 4.0 capabilities that will have the biggest impact on their specific operational , safety and sustainability goals . “ Talking to operations teams will help make that decision . Start with capabilities such as predictive maintenance which uses data collection of operational technology ( OT ) from sensors , combined with machine learning and artificial intelligence ( AI ) to reduce downtime and costs , and to extend equipment life .”
Automation is another use case that will deliver significant gains from the outset . Because of the predictability of movement , reduced acceleration and braking activity , and the constant monitoring of vehicle data , such as tyre pressure , a well-maintained self-driving haulage fleet will contribute to sustainability goals and costs by reducing fuel consumption .
Operational accuracy is increased too for productivity gains . “ Hang time reduction is one example of this . The accuracy enabled by
Jaime Laguna , Head of Nokia ’ s Digital Industries for Vertical Oil & Gas and Mining
Autonomous Komatsu 980E being loaded at the Minera Centinela Esperanza Sur pit
autonomous operations means that a truck and shovel can be aligned perfectly the first time , reducing the time a shovel must hang idle waiting for a person to maneuver the truck into the correct position . Over time this delivers huge productivity boosts .”
Finally , mining operators need to take a holistic approach when adopting Industry 4.0 capabilities . For example , in the case of autonomous haulage , you need to provide the interoperability between the mining trucks , often built with legacy WiFi connectivity in mind , into the wireless network . “ This means working hand in hand with all ecosystem partners to rigorously validate solutions before they are deployed . By partnering with companies experienced in delivering end-to-end communications solutions for mines , they can implement new use cases faster .”
Swedish miner Boliden is one company already experiencing the benefits of private wireless at its Kevitsa open pit mine in Sodankylä , northern Finland . A Nokia 4.9G / LTE private wireless network provides seamless indoor and outdoor connectivity across its facilities at Kevitsa , supporting tele remote vehicles and drilling , which the company plans to transition to autonomous drilling . The network also supports remote environmental measurements and quality control activities , for example , triggering alerts to a driver if they are about to dump materials in the wrong location . By monitoring equipment remotely , the company has also been able to implement preventative maintenance capabilities . Nokia has also been highly successful of late in introducing private LTE networks in Latin American copper mines to facilitate autonomous haulage fleet trials & pilots ahead of full automation implementation – recent examples include at Antofagasta Minerals ’ Centinela mine plus at Codelco ’ s Radomiro Tomic and Minister Hales divisions .
Mine connectivity moving up a level
The mining industry is getting well advanced with the rollout of connectivity for automation of large haulage trucks . That really took off in surface mines four or five years ago with 4G LTE and this technology still dominates in terms of live deployments and it is now well established globally in all the major mining hubs including Latin America and Africa . As discussed with Ericsson ’ s Jeff Travers , Customer Success Lead - Dedicated Networks , what has changed is that there is now a big interest in taking the automation to the next level , and this is a dialogue firstly with the major equipment manufacturers . “ Mines are an ecosystem and the mine needs to put a number of things together to
46International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2022