MINE AUTOMATION
Scania has a significant market presence in the mining segment .
“ The transition from research and development to the launch of a commercial product is a major milestone for us and for autonomous heavy transport in general . This is the most advanced product Scania has put on the market so far ,” says Peter Hafmar , Vice President and Head of Autonomous Solutions at Scania .
Mines have long been seen as one of the most promising environments for autonomous vehicles , as they can contribute to safer working conditions and more efficient operations . Scania says its mining solutions with smaller , civil-class trucks also have overall potential advantages over the industry ’ s traditional heavy haulage trucks , both in terms of emissions and productivity . By utilising Scania ’ s autonomous mining trucks , the overall mining footprint including energy and infrastructure requirements can be reduced , meaning that capital and operating expenses may also be reduced at suitable sites .
Scania ’ s autonomous trucks can also be smoothly fitted into an existing operations set-up in a mine , thanks to their interoperability with other systems and vehicles .
“ Another benefit with our solution is that it allows mining companies to more quickly take the next step towards zero-emission operations . It ’ s easier to electrify operations with Scania ’ s autonomous trucks compared with traditional heavy haulage trucks ,” says Hafmar .
Over the past ten years , Scania has invested heavily in the development of self-driving vehicles . Innovations include applications for hub-to-hub transport on highways as well as autonomous vehicles for confined areas such as mines . Scania ’ s autonomous tipper truck has been developed in close cooperation between Scania ’ s R & D department and customers in the mining industry , with extensive testing in the harshest real-life conditions .
“ It ’ s probably the most ambitious research and development project we have done so far together with a customer , and I am very pleased about the result . Thanks to all the rigorous checks and numerous on-site tests we have been able to develop an optimal autonomous transport solution for mines ,” Hafmar concludes .
Specifically , Scania has tested and trialled the trucks extensively in Australia with Rio Tinto including initially at Dampier Salt and latterly at the Channar iron ore operation .
xtonomy coming of age at Sibelco Cornwood
Sibelco ’ s china-clay Cornwood quarry in Devon , UK , has already launched a fleet of autonomous ADTs designed to help future proof the effectiveness and competitiveness of extractive operations such as mining within the minerals and aggregates industry .
The development of autonomous driving capability opens the door to a range of operational efficiency , safety , environmental and employee benefits to underpin the sector going forward , according to the compaies involved . The UK-first project was initially conceptualised by Chepstow Plant International ( CPI ) and Bell Equipment following long-term trials between Bell Equipment and technology platform specialist , xtonomy .
CPI identified Sibelco , a long-term valued strategic customer , as the ideal partner to bring the project to reality in a live-working quarry environment . Collectively , the four stakeholders have collaborated to develop and launch a quarry transportation proposition that has its eyes on the future .
The system uses on-board hardware and software technologies , including radar sensors from indurad , high-precision GPS , multi-channel communication systems and on-board processing hardware . They have been incorporated by xtonomy into a fleet of standard B40E dump trucks to create an Autonomous-Ready drive by wire B40E solution .
As a result , the combination offers true and safe autonomy with a resilient navigation system that dynamically plans ADT paths and predictively controls the vehicle around the entire quarry site , the companies say .
Among the key objectives with this pilot scheme is to demonstrate the potential to reduce vehicular incidents and subsequent accidents as well as upskilling then the existing workforce to further support the future of quarry operations .
Operational efficiencies will be enhanced as the autonomous ADTs are able to operate for longer periods during the working day , deliver highly accurate tipping results and ensure that the existing quarry shift patterns can be tailored to improve productivity . Further benefits will be available thanks to improved component life and reduced wear and tear on the Bell B40E dump truck , leading to improved asset availability for the quarry , they say .
Environmental advantages will also be leveraged through the AI-enabled transformation . With enhanced driving accuracy and efficiency across the quarry , less fuel will be consumed , helping to ensure reductions in carbon emissions from a a quarry ’ s daily activities . To further
Sibelco ’ s china-clay Cornwood quarry in Devon , UK , has already launched a fleet of autonomous ADTs with xtonomy technology
enhance the autonomous ADTs impact on the environment , the Bell B40Es use HVO instead of diesel .
Ben Uphill , Director Operations – Kingsteignton Cluster at quarry-owner , Sibelco , says : “ We envisage many benefits from having access to this sector-first autonomous ADT solution . The minerals & aggregates sector must embrace technology as a way of continually delivering improvements across our daily operations and cost base . At Sibelco we strive for continuous improvement , with a focus on safety , and the environment through energy efficiency and CO 2 reduction . Automation is used in many parts of our operations and business to maximise efficiency and to also manage areas of skills shortage . This has been a fantastic example of collaborative ethos from all partners and has resulted in a safe and productive autonomous driving setup for a key part of our operations .”
Nic Grout , Managing Director at Bell Equipment , said : “ Bell Equipment is a leading supplier in the ADT market and as such is proud to be part of this exciting project . Its success can help transform the future of the quarrying sector and we are pleased that our evolutionary E-series and the B40E dump truck sits at the heart of this innovative project . The ability to transform our market leading vehicle through added technology functionality into a safe , robust , effective , and autonomous quarrying asset is welcome and sets the standard for future developments across our vehicle range .”
Christian Riedel , CEO at xtonomy , says : “ Supporting the quarrying sector through the appliance of result-orientated automation platform solutions is a key commitment for the business . Expectations and needs are changing as the industry looks to transition to a future where improved efficiency , better safety and targeted environmental considerations are key priorities . Our AI technology incorporated onto the already successful Bell B40E dump truck evolves it to a next generation payload transportation blueprint .”
IM
50 International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2024