AUSTRALIAN METS
Maptek ’ s roadmap for VisionV2X has a dual approach : n To increase the EMESRT Level of action taken from the safety observations from Level 7 to Level 8 to Level 9 in time – as guided by customers and their operational requirements . “ No Level 9 underground solution is presently satisfactory so there is work to do here by the industry as a whole ,” Coloma says ; and n Harness VisionV2X as the distributed data platform as part of a larger play into a mine management system that can handle : n Haul cycle detection and tracking , gated by control room dispatchers ; n Material movement analysis ; n Reconciliation with orebody knowledge for grade as well as tracking tonnage ; n Control room situation awareness and equipment tracking ; and n Control room decision support . Coloma added : “ V2X is a winning technology with 100 m vehicle-to-vehicle range and 60 m vehicle-to-pedestrian range detection , including beyond line-of-sight ability around corners in the underground mining environment , and it will keep working at this level of performance in the worst of heat , dust , mud , dark , vibration , etc .
“ Other systems that focus on higher resolution detection near to vehicles are solving the problem too late – and invariably use technologies that are either expensive or lack resilience .”
Auto MudMaster
Australia ’ s Phibion Pty Ltd used the backdrop of the World Mining Congress to launch the first of its fully autonomous MudMaster ® mine tailings management systems capable of , it says , delivering around-the-clock operations in the most challenging waste environments .
The solutions provider says it is delivering safer tailings dam management and faster mine rehabilitation through its proprietary Accelerated Mechanical Consolidation management and MudMaster amphibious technology in multiple operations in Australia , Jamaica , Chile and Brazil .
The MudMaster technology solution works to make tailings dams safer and smaller by rapidly dewatering and consolidating the material to create strength and free up volume for future deposition at a fraction of the cost of traditional capital-intensive alternative systems .
When fully deployed , the autonomous MudMaster removes human operators from the tailings dam while delivering greater efficiency and savings for mine operators , as well as improved safety and environmental outcomes for communities .
Phibion says the autonomous MudMaster can halve in-situ tailings volume , recover entrained tailings water for recycling while increasing the geotechnical strength and safety of a tailings storage facility .
The new autonomous MudMaster , Phibion says , will deliver even greater efficiencies . The autonomous machine can operate independently based on a remotely assigned operational plan , carried out in the most effective and efficient way before returning to a designated set-down area . This improves performance and delivers improved fuel efficiency .
Automated blast hole preparation
Another Australia-based company familiar with the automation of mining process is Universal Field Robots ( UFR ).
The company has been making inroads with major mining companies over the last half decade through a series of METS Ignited-funded initiatives and the latest project it is involved in is looking to create a robotic application for zeroentry work on underground production blast holes .
UFR HolePrep is a platform seeking to alleviate the serious safety issues associated with the cleaning and surveying of these holes in an underground mining scenario .
This manually-oriented process currently requires overhead work with the risk of dislodging material that can fall on operators . It is also dirty and noisy work that , UFR says , is best done by robotic machines .
UFR is working with resources industry partners such as Gold Fields to implement the new automated technology that comes under UFR HolePrep .
UFR Product Manager and Robotics Engineer , Jessie McVicar , explained : “ The goal of this project is to prepare underground production holes for charging as well as completing QA ( quality assurance ) on the holes , checking for length , continuity , voids and breakthroughs ; as well as potentially surveying them , getting a collar and toe position on the hole .”
The company is using its 3.5-t E35C robotic platform – adapted from its E20C , a 2-t robotic platform that operates UFR Autonomy and can be equipped with attachments to perform a variety of tasks – for this project .
McVicar added : “ The first thing it ( UFR HolePrep ) does is find its location underground in the mine . Then it uses the plan , downloaded onto the machine , to find the location of its first hole , plans a path there , finds where it should park and then aligns to a scanning position of the hole before aligning the end effector to the hole and pushing either a compressed air hose down the hole to prep it , or a survey tool to get data from the hole .”
The machine operates semi-autonomously with an operator in the loop for QA purposes , yet
most of the machine ’ s motion is completed autonomously .
“ The operator gets a heads up display of where the machine is in the mine , what its next task is and plenty of cameras to visualise everything going on around it ,” McVicar says . The machine uses a “ tele-up station ” to localise its position in the mine , several LiDARs for situational awareness and a high-density LiDAR for downhole scanning . It also operates in a cordoned off area of the mine that personnel cannot enter and is equipped with an emergency stop system .
McVicar concluded : “ UFR HolePrep saves personnel from being at the face , being blasted with dirt and debris . It can also return survey data to the drill and blast team to optimise your blasting pattern .”
FLSmidth embedded in APAC
FLSmidth has had a significant presence in Australia ’ s mineral processing market for many years ; a presence that has become even bigger with the acquisition of thyssenkrupp AG ’ s mining business in 2022 .
This presence has been felt recently with a significant order from Northern Star Resources Ltd .
The gold miner recently placed an order worth DKK515 million ($ 75.1 million ) for a wide range of FLSmidth mineral processing technologies for its Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines ( KCGM ) Operations ’ mill expansion project .
KCGM Operations are east-northeast of Perth in Western Australia , part of one of the richest goldfields in the world , the so-called Golden Mile close to the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder .
The equipment , to be delivered during 2024 , will help the operation expand from its current milling capacity of 13 Mt / y to 27 Mt / y .
Under the agreement , FLSmidth will supply a range of MissionZero products covering most of the flowsheet , including SAG mill , ball mill , primary crusher , pebble crushers , flotation cells and a pre-leach thickener . In addition to these technologies , the order also includes spare and wear parts . Upon installation , these technologies will substantially reduce the mine ’ s energy consumption .
The 20 MW grinding mills will be the highest power , gear-driven mills in the world and the ball mill will be the first gear driven 28 ft ( 8.5 m ) diameter ball mill , according to FLSmidth .
Jason Elks , Asia Pacific Regional President – Sales & Services at FLSmidth , told IM that this recent transaction is a testament to the dual strategy deployed by the company and being embedded throughout the APAC region .
“ In particular , working closer to our customer , engaging early and forecasting business demands 1-3 years out is paying significant
18 International Mining | AUGUST 2023