COLLISION AVOIDANCE the past year , its Business Development Director Gabino De Diego told IM that the biggest recent update for its collision avoidance system is that it now is capable of even higher precision thanks to an updated 3D LIDAR . “ Previously the system we used had 300,000 points – today we have close to 1,000,000 points meaning we can get a much more accurate 3D map of the surroundings . We have also increased the precision of the RTKbased GPS , so we are now down to ± 30 cm in real mining situations , but we achieved ± 5 cm in lab based tests . Overall the system looks similar to two or three years ago but the actual capability has increased quite significantly thanks to these factors . Not only that but the CAS has been combined with more powerful processors , and the electronics have also been improved to make them more robust .”
Are there any differentiators for Torsa ’ s CAS ? “ We use both GPS and LIDAR as we partly wanted a fail safe if one of the technologies was not functioning . We also have V2V communication and can additionally implement ultra wideband [ UWB ].” De Diego added that it has also been working to differentiate its mining market offering by being able to present a one stop shop – combining CAS with attributes from the rest of the Torsa suite of solutions . An example is from the logistic side of its business , where it uses a system called Borea that consists of data loggers to measure temperature and humidity , for example in warehouses . Now Torsa is working towards an integration of some of this capability with its CAS – for an integrated solution allowing you to make multiple measurements using the same hardware – ie a hub and antenna , all the data being real time within the same Torsa cloud platform . “ In mining you can for example connect a vibration sensor to the CAS so you get vibration data as well as CAS-based proximity data . You can also do this for temperature , for example . Being able to have a lot of sensors under one roof so to speak minimises integration headaches for mines . A proof of concept has already been tested at a foundry operation in Chile , combining CAS with temperature sensing .”
There is a lot of interest in having vibration monitoring for operators in mining – giving an indication of what they are exposed to , for example when a haul truck is being loaded . This can help prevent long term injury . Another option for addition to the CAS in mining is cab dust monitoring – providing dust ‘ heat maps ’ in real time , showing how dust is moving around the mine and from that optimise the amount of water sprinkling being carried out . This contributes to water conservation which is a key ESG goal of all mining companies today and especially those operating in arid regions .
Lastly some mines are also looking at opacity measurement – that is exhaust gas opacity to assess engine health and levels of particulate matter . This can be used as a form of preventative maintenance . Major equipment OEMs have fixed recommended filter change points at certain levels of operating hours . Using measurements like opacity can help extend changes if the vehicle has not been encountering dirty conditions leading to significant cost savings . Equally it can indicate if the filter actually needs changing sooner than the recommended point if the machine has been operating in very dirty conditions .
Back to CAS , where does Torsa stand with EMESRT Level 9 capability and how does it see demand for Level 9 versus 7 to 8 ? De Diego : “ Yes , the Torsa CAS is Level 9 capable and uses the ISO21815:2 standard . We have just completed tests at the University of Pretoria for compliance with the Minerals Council MOSH Test Specification . Following some software updates we expect to have that certification in late 2023 or early 2024 .” He added that it has also carried out tests with equipment OEMs on PDIM compatibility and with independent Vehicle Intervention Controller leader SK Nerospec .
He added that on the topic of Level 9 necessity versus Level 8 , that the Torsa system includes a pop up allowing the operator to override the vehicle intervention part of the system if they wish . “ At the end of the day , the operator much always feel that they are in control of the machine . They know very well their job but on occasion such as due to a blind spot the CAS may be of use to them – however – we give them the option to prevent direct action such as a slow down or stop . And if they do override it then this will always be automatically be recorded in the system anyway . Any close proximity events that do occur will be analysed and potentially used to prevent anything similar happening in the future through retraining or changes in mine traffic rules and procedures .”
De Diego added : “ We do see a lot of interest in Level 9 , in South Africa for obvious reasons after the mandate but also in South America . Will Level 9 have an industry wide implementation in regions where it is not mandated ? That remains to be seen . I think certain aspects of it such as the ability to bring machines to a crawl at difficult junctions such as during night operations where the operator has not seen another vehicle will be widely used . But I also think using it to fully stop trucks for example may have a detrimental effect on productivity . There has to be a trade off .”
Looking at specific clients , one of Torsa ’ s biggest CAS users in South America is the Antapaccay copper operation in Peru , operated by Glencore-owned Compania Minera Antapaccay . Antapaccay operates a mixed truck fleet with its 400 ton ultraclass units including
older Caterpillar 797F trucks along with a fleet of newer Komatsu 980E-5 trucks . These are loaded by Cat 7495 rope shovels . All of these machines are fitted with the Torsa CAS which has been running successfully for over a year now .
“ Then the mine had an issue where dozers were getting too close to the voids created by the feeders at the stockpiles . They wanted us to come up with a version of the CAS to suit this situation , which we did , including introducing additional sensors to give height perception . We developed the system together with the mine in only six months .
The project involved an analysis of the feeder locations and the interaction between various mining equipment and these elements . The solution provided a user-friendly interface that informed machinery operators about the risks in their work area . It offered visual and auditory alerts only in the presence of a genuine risk , making it an effective tool for enhancing safety in the work zone . All the dozers and feeders now have the system .
The reliability and effectiveness of the project also led to Antapaccay receiving recognition from the ISEM ( Institute of Mining Safety in Peru ) for the system . It also won the Excellence in Risk Prevention Award 2022 organised by RIMAC . This award was granted in the category of ‘ Best Business Initiative in Occupational Risk Prevention ’ thanks to the stockpile safety system .
Now , Torsa is also in the process of installing CAS on the light vehicle fleet at Antapaccay as well . This will make Antapaccay the first mine in the world to have Torsa ’ s CAS running across the entire fleet . Torsa also has its CAS deployed on most of the fleet at Marcobre ’ s Mina Justa which mainly includes Cat 793D units loaded by Hitachi EX5600 hydraulic excavators . The dozers there also have the system and the light vehicles will also be included . Torsa ’ s Peru office in Lima now has over 25 people . Other notable uses of Torsa CAS include part of the dozer fleet at the Colombian coal operation Drummond .
Newtrax ' s Cap Lamp 3.0 and CAS
Sandvik-owned Newtrax believes it is now at the top of its game with its latest Cap Lamp 3.0 , its third-generation cap lamp for tracking , proximity detection & lifeline applications . IM had the chance to catch up with the company ' s VP APAC , Simon Waghorn , at the IMARC event in Sydney to understand why this cap lamp represents a step change and how it fits in with the latest collision avoidance capabilities .
Waghorn stated : " Cap Lamp 3.0 is our latest generation Newtrax personal device . It is our most sophisticated personal safety device yet , incorporating an integrated and highly sophisticated tracking capability . It has both WiFi-based tracking and Bluetooth low energy-
JANUARY 2024 | International Mining