Cradle to grave
Prevention better than cure
M
ining operations that use
compressed air equipment
are confronted with hazards
daily, often resulting in injuries and in
some cases, fatalities. Although there
are many underlying causes of these
accidents, improperly maintained
air compressors are one of the most
common causes of equipment-related
injuries. Considering this, proactive
maintenance not only plays a significant
part in the safety of operations that
use compressors, but also a key role
in productivity and sustainability.
According to Craig Swart, fleet
manager at Rand-Air, air compressors
can only perform at optimum if regular
services and preventative maintenance
are carried out. “Therefore, Rand-Air
advises mining companies to rent
equipment as opposed to buying — this
ensures a preventative maintenance
approach and eliminates the stress
of reactively maintaining equipment
when the need arises,” says Swart.
One of the most significant
aspects of proactive maintenance
is that downtime can be scheduled
accordingly. “Addressing compressor
failures only when there is a need
has the potential to stop production
and can result in missed deadlines
and project incompletion. Calling
out a technician on such short
notice is a costly exercise and can
delay production even further if
emergency parts need to be ordered,”
says Swart. A rental partner that has
a full equipment solution package
ensures best practice in terms of
compressor maintenance that, in
the long run, can save money.
Planning for
block caving
P
[34] MINING MIRROR MARCH 2018
The new strategic panel caving product
developed by Maptek.
previewed the new tool at the
recent South America Users
Conference in Viña del Mar.
“CaveLogic incorporates operational
and geotechnical constraints and
takes dilution into account by
generating multiple scenarios for
assessment. Unlike other panel
caving systems, results are readily
visualised for determining sequencing
and are auditable for confident
decision support,” says Arancibia.
anel caving, also known as block
caving, is widely considered the
‘new frontier’ as mining operations
move towards underground methods.
Block (gravity) caving is a bulk
underground mining method, which
allows large low-grade deposits to
be mined underground. This method
involves undermining the ore body
to make it collapse under its own
weight into a series of chambers
from which the ore is extracted.
A new strategic panel caving product,
developed by software and hardware
developer Maptek, targets the most
cost-effective underground mining
method in a transparent, analytical
way while maximising productivity.
Maptek CaveLogic allows engineers
to more effectively plan and reduce
the financial risk associated with
this subsidence mining method
that involves massive volumes of
material and large investment.
The solution quickly and easily
simulates multiple scenarios for
identifying the best option,” says
Marcelo Arancibia, vice-president
of Maptek South America, who
Because the projected promised
economic value is associated with
realistic plans, operations will also
benefit from tighter integration between
planning and operational areas.
Arancibia says that the calculations
in CaveLogic are transparent. “The
planning engineer is in total control
of tracking all of the variables and
processes. This leads to better strategies
with direct implications for improving
business outcomes,” he adds.