Global
network — essential in supporting the
latest autonomous features. “RCT Bridge
is the stepping-stone solution to bring a
mine site to full digitisation and is simply
integrated into the site’s existing system,”
says Cullen.
“RCT Bridge provides a cost-effective
upgrade path, enabling digital data to be
transmitted over the existing analogue
network and then integrating it with the
client’s backhaul,” he adds. In addition
to this, RCT’s Area Access Control
(AAC) units have also been deployed.
This relatively new system acts as an
extension of the Automation Control
Centre and interfaces between the
work areas and the machines. “These
lightweight, cost-effective, and portable
solutions are the ideal alternative to
installing a cabin on site,” says Cullen.
for all parties involved, who collaborated
to achieve successful delivery. “The
technology allows one operator to tram
one machine, while digging with another
to make the process more efficient,” says
RCT’s automation and control product
manager, Brendon Cullen.
Before the introduction of these
features, one operator would only be
able to concentrate on the activity of one
mobile machine. The new features allow
them to attend to multiple machines
safely and effectively thanks to Guidance
Automation, which will keep the machine
on the correct path, to avoid machine
damage and ensure faster tramming.
These latest automation features are
made possible by digitising the mine’s
work area with RCT Bridge, which is
the company’s own communication
Composite long section through the Sunrise Dam gold mine.
www.miningmirror.co.za
“AAC units patch into any Ethernet
backhaul to the surface and connect
to any network to provide analogue
to digital connection and location
awareness.”
Operators will not only have all these
innovative features at their fingertips,
but they will also be using them from
the comfort of an Automation Control
Centre on the surface of the mine,
which has been upgraded with operator
ergonomics in mind.
“The control centre was overhauled to
ensure improved functionality with a new
operating system that includes the MMC
and MMS features to make it more
comfortable for operators. These additions
are designed to help increase the mine’s
overall efficiency and to increase
productivity. This project is a great
example of RCT’s interoperability
capabilities, highlighting the company’s
ability to integrate with different brands
of machines and the site’s information
system,” says Cullen. The implementation
of RCT’s state-of-the-art features
is part of Sunrise Dam’s technology
transformation.
Sunrise Dam, wholly owned by
AngloGold Ashanti, is situated 220km
north-east of Kalgoorlie and 55km
south of Laverton. Gold production
commenced at Sunrise Dam in 1997.
Underground mining is now the
primary source of ore for the operation,
following the completion of mining the
crown pillar at the base of the 490m-deep
pit in 2014. The processing plant,
comprising conventional gravity and
carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuits, is owner-
managed.
FEBRUARY 2019 MINING MIRROR [9]