MINING SOFTWARE
skills shortage , but , more than that , there is an increase in the agency and mobility of professionals in the mining space ,” he explains .
The model of ‘ doing your time ’ across the mining value chain to reach mining engineer status no longer works in this resource-starved employee backdrop .
“ Now , you could accelerate to become a senior mining engineer within only a few years of coming into the industry ,” Hanrahan says . “ This is great for people accelerating their career , but it means there is less time for them to perfect the skills previously carried out shadowing experienced engineers in the past .”
Micromine aims to provide mining operations with improved confidence and efficiency in resource modelling , mine planning , mine scheduling and operations .
“ We support the evolving needs of customers by identifying and simplifying the analysis and automation needed at every part of the mining lifecycle ,” Hanrahan says . “ At a basic level , this means we don ’ t put an underground tool in front of an open-pit engineer ; we have specialised software dedicated to different commodities , mine approaches and lifecyle stages .
“ We also remove the ‘ noise ’ associated with decision making by ensuring our tools are both intelligible and comprehendible , thus , improving the reliability of the outputs .”
Such processes allow for optimisation across every part of the value chain , from drill hole to ROM pad .
This integration is best seen through the lens of Micromine ’ s recently launched Nexus platform .
Micromine Nexus is designed to connect and orchestrate workflow tools , while providing data security across the entire ecosystem .
Already available for geology customers with Micromine Origin , Micromine Nexus will soon be available with Micromine Geobank , Micromine Beyond and Micromine Alastri .
Micromine Nexus is key to providing the “ compliance to plan ” verification and analysis that allows continual process optimisation for clients , according to Hanrahan .
“ There are no longer any hardware restrictions , and cloud-based platforms are allowing us to reflect the realities of what goes on underground or in the open pit within seconds ,” he said .
“ When we then incorporate artificial intelligence ( AI ) into the mix , the improvement opportunities for clients are close to endless .”
This ability is letting mining companies model increasingly autonomous and electrified operations , providing emission benchmarking of haulage options , for instance .
Micromine Alastri ’ s Haul Infinity solution and Tactical Scheduler is being used for exactly this , with companies modelling haulage scenarios involving diesel-powered , battery-electric , hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle cycles , according to Hanrahan .
“ As long as we know the specifics behind how the energy is provided , we can include such vehicles in the modelling ,” he said . “ We can then provide an output to show the associated carbon footprint of each option alongside – for batteryelectric equipment – a chosen battery charging or swapping cycle .”
As the industry for renewable energy sources evolves , modelling will only get more powerful and accurate , helping mining companies achieve net-zero targets .
“ There are so many changes coming with the decarbonisation movement , which will present new market opportunities for Micromine ,” Hanrahan says . “ At this stage , we are giving clients the chance to ask questions through modelling scenarios that they can routinely run .
“ We are providing the tools for the change we all know the industry needs to make .”
Leveraging a Virtual Twin framework
The lifting of limiting technology factors mentioned by Hanrahan is opening a virtually limitless range of possibilities to enable leaps in productivity , according to Gustavo Pilger , WW GEOVIA R & D Strategy & Management Director , Dassault Systèmes , who compared the current innovation climate to that experienced during the first Industrial Revolution .
Pilger ’ s insights are of interest given that Dassault Systèmes has been developing digital solutions for 12 industries , including mining , for the last 40 years .
“ Our purpose has been to provide businesses and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations capable of harmonising product , nature and life ,” he told IM .
It is doing this through developing “ Virtual Twin Experiences ” that aim to break down silos to bring people , processes and technology together in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform .
He clarified : “ A ‘ digital ’ twin is typically a mere digital representation or copy of a given process or set of processes , while a ‘ virtual ’ twin goes beyond by providing a live virtual replication of the real world in which processes ( or systems ) are interlinked and associated with one another with the underlying data that informs and describes these processes .”
This distinction is important in the world of mining given operations are influenced by several external factors a static digital twin may struggle to comprehend . This virtual platform also allows Dassault Systèmes to , Pilger says , provide the path for clients to realise business transformation .
Pilger elaborated on this : “ We provide software tools that allow our clients to model and
simulate processes and how they interact with adjacent ( connected ) processes before anything is actually built , in early project development phases , or to correct the train of action on projects already in production in order to keep chasing value while operating .”
Since the underlying data used is federated , indexed , standardised and contextualised in a safe and secured single repository , and systems are connected with input and output associated through common data models , one can test multiple hypotheses or scenarios in this “ virtual world ” to then apply a given design or plan in the real world . This process , Pilger says , eliminates unnecessary waste , reducing risk , minimising material re-handling and maximising productivity .
Within a sustainability context , this allows mining companies to assess the impact of decisions from conceptual design models through to operation and disposal , or mine rehabilitation .
In practicality , this could allow mining companies to use a single platform with full value chain visibility and advanced energy control to : optimise , capture and re-use energy , while reducing overall operating costs .
“ So , the Virtual Twin can help with de-risking the electrification process too ,” Pilger said .
More than this , this platform acts as a sandbox for mining companies to test out scenarios related to extracting more metal , more efficiently and more sustainably , all while complying with environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) standards and associated targets , and with the ability to display such a model – that can include biodiversity , water , energy and emissions data and designs – to interested stakeholders .
“ It allows managing permit status , asset agreements , asset licences and associated cost analysis , ensuring that everything goes according to plan and schedule ,” Pilger said . “ It allows for creating digital continuity between the natural environment , claim boundaries and built infrastructure . It allows taking advantage of immersive visualisation with spatial contextualisation to gain a complete picture of data for actionable intelligence .”
This platform is continuing to expand in line with customer requirements , including the addition of the Strategic Mine Planner and Underground Mine Designer ‘ Roles ’ in the established portfolio of GEOVIA Roles within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform . In 2024 , Dassault Systèmes GEOVIA is not only introducing new Roles to the portfolio but also enhancing those established Roles released in prior years , Pilger says .
The Strategic Mine Planner Role allows the user to develop a comprehensive strategic plan by conducting an evaluation of critical input
34 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2024