Monthly Archives: April 2020

Corona Virus and Autonomous Mining

There will be a lot of consequences to the corona virus outbreak both in domestic and industrial life.

Could this be one of them?

Please follow the link to read the original article.

Autonomous Mining - The Syama gold mine in Mali is operated by Resolute Gold, and is the worlds first fully autonomous mine.

The Syama gold mine in Mali is operated by Resolute Gold, and is the worlds first fully autonomous mine. Image credit: Resolute Gold

Covid-19: Could the coronavirus pandemic accelerate autonomous mining?

https://www.mining-technology.com/features/coronavirus-autonomous-mining-projects/

By Matthew Hall

“Mining companies are seeing their operations disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with mine projects either closing down or severely reducing staff presence as measures to slow the spread of the virus. Mining Technology takes a look at some of the biggest players and projects in the automated mining space and breaks down some of the barriers to an entirely robotic workforce.

Pilbara, Western Australia
Uptake of automated mine solutions including self-driving haul trucks and remote operations centres has been slow but steady. One of the earliest moves into automation came with global mining giant Rio Tinto’s Mine of the Future initiative in 2008. From a remote operations centre in Perth, Western Australia, workers operate autonomous mining vehicles at mines more than 1,200km away in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Around a third of the haul truck fleet at Rio Tinto’s Pilbara mines are autonomous. These trucks can continuously track the locations, speeds and directions of other vehicles, meaning that material can be moved safely and efficiently – as well as more productively – without human presence.

Rio Tinto added a new facet to its automated operation in 2019 with the deployment of its AutoHaul system, which brought autonomous trains to the Pilbara project. The system is the largest autonomous railway in the world and can transport approximately a million tonnes of iron ore per day.

Pilbara is very much a hotspot of automation innovation, with commodity giant BHP also deploying several autonomous operations at their Pilbara mines as part of BHP’s Next Generation Mining programme. A GlobalData report found that mine operations in Australasia are some of the most technologically advanced in the world.

Syama Mine, Mali
The Syama underground gold mine, 80% owned by Resolute Gold with the Government of Mali holding the other 20% stake, became the world’s first fully-autonomous mine operation. Designed in partnership with Swedish engineering company Sandvik, the mine operates with fully automated trucks, loaders and drills.

The fully autonomous operation means that the mine can operate 24 hours a day, with all operations overseen from a remote operation centre. Resolute Gold says this keeps productivity high with relatively low costs, and the automated systems allow for consistent production output.

Sandvik provides two key product lines for mining companies looking to take a more hands-off approach. AutoMine covers all aspects of automation from individual pieces of equipment through larger machines to autonomous vehicle fleets. OptiMine, used at Syama and increasingly being adopted by other mining projects, seeks to improve efficiency in mining operations by providing a suite of analytics and process optimisation tools. Sandvik worked with IBM researchers to develop OptiMine, a system that has been adopted even in traditional, human-operated mines to improve analysis of production and processes.

Challenges ahead
Autonomous mining solutions appear attractive – they’re purported to improve efficiency, productivity and safety. Now that the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak has made the immediate future of several mining operations around the world uncertain, there may be an increased appeal and demand for solutions to reduce the human workforce at mine sites, if only to prevent future crises from having such a detrimental effect on mining companies.

But barriers to autonomous operations remain. Projects like Resolute Gold’s Syama are well suited to automation because of the methods and processes used for extraction. Syama’s ore body dimensions suit sub-level caving mining, a top-down mining method that allows for fairly standardised repetitive processes. This means autonomous vehicles can follow largely the same route as they travel through the mine, and each individual automated unit can be seen as a cog in a larger machine. That is not the case for every mining project, and there are concerns among critics of automation that a human element is a vital part of safe, effective operations.

Another element that attracts criticism is the replacement of human workers with robots. While this cuts costs for the company, largely in the form of salary expenditure, there does remain the question of where mineworkers go to if their job is made obsolete by new technology. The benefit to local communities and governments of job creation when a new mining project is proposed is also a key factor in those projects getting the go-ahead; an autonomous operation removes part or all of that benefit.

Ultimately, the current issues around mine activities and closures in light of the Covid-19 pandemic are likely to have long-lasting effects on the global mining industry. Depending on how long this crisis lasts, the mining industry could see big moves into autonomous mining technologies in the not-too-distant future.”

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Dust Monitoring Equipment – providing equipment, services and training in dust fallout management to the mining industry.

 

Covid-19 and Mining SA

Covid-19: South Africa allows mining sector to operate at 50% capacity

Article Source (follow link above) – Mining Technology

“17 APRIL 2020 NEWS
Covid-19: South Africa allows mining sector to operate at 50% capacity

The Government of South Africa has agreed to allow the mining sector to operate at up to 50% of its production capacity during the nationwide lockdown.

The government amended the Disaster Management Act regulations to allow mining companies to ramp up operations to half of their capacities.

However, the government also advised the sector to implement all preventive measures and ensure safety of the workers.

Earlier, the government ordered most of the underground mines to be put on care and maintenance as the country entered a period of nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Coal mines, which are essential for power generation, were excluded from the order.

The lockdown, which began on 27 March, has now been extended to the end of this month.

In a news conference, South African Mines Minister Gwede Mantashe told that the decision was taken to avoid instability in some deep-level mines due to long-term closures.

The Government of South Africa has agreed to allow the mining sector to operate at up to 50% of its production capacity during the nationwide lockdown.

The government amended the Disaster Management Act regulations to allow mining companies to ramp up operations to half of their capacities.

However, the government also advised the sector to implement all preventive measures and ensure safety of the workers.

Earlier, the government ordered most of the underground mines to be put on care and maintenance as the country entered a period of nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Coal mines, which are essential for power generation, were excluded from the order.

The lockdown, which began on 27 March, has now been extended to the end of this month.

In a news conference, South African Mines Minister Gwede Mantashe told that the decision was taken to avoid instability in some deep-level mines due to long-term closures.

Mantashe was quoted by Reuters as saying: “In the amendment we are identifying a risk, particularly in deep mining, (that) if they are left alone for a long time the stability of the ground gets tampered with.”

The amendments were also welcomed by the industry body Minerals Council South Africa.

Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter said: “It is Minerals Council’s view that government has adopted a pragmatic and practical approach to fighting the pandemic and enabling the economy to survive the crisis.”

As of 17 April, more than 2,600 people in South Africa are infected by Covid-19. The death toll stands at 48.”

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Dust Monitoring Equipment – providing equipment, services and training in dust fallout management to the mining industry.

Dust Monitoring Equipment - providing equipment, services and training in dust fallout management to the mining industry.

Environmental Impact from Mining and Drilling

Mining of any sort always has an impact on the environment.  Here is a a good article looking at some of those impacts.

Please follow the link to read the full article.

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What Are the Environmental Impacts From Mining & Drilling?

https://sciencing.com/environmental-impacts-mining-drilling-19199.html

Updated July 25, 2018
By Max Roman Dilthey

“As global energy demands continue to rise, the finite reserves of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas become harder and harder to extract. Drilling and mining techniques are becoming more invasive across the globe, and the environmental impacts from fossil fuel pollution are rapidly increasing in regions that have the highest concentrations of fuels. There are multiple effects of mining fossil fuels. Drilling and mining practices take a substantial toll on local water sources, biologic life and natural resources through pollution, degradation and direct damage.

Acid Mine Drainage
Even careful mining practices can take a hefty environmental toll through secondary pollution effects like acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage, or AMD, occurs when sulfide-rich rocks that contain target ores like gold and copper are exposed to water and air. The sulfides form sulfuric acid, which dissolves surrounding rock, releasing harmful metalloids into the groundwater near the mine. This pollution can spread through streams and rivers to contaminate drinking water sources. AMD can also harm biologic life around the mine; the drainage from the Questa molybdenum mine in New Mexico has had a deleterious effect on 8 miles of the Red River.

Strip Mining and Surface Mining
When coal-rich veins are discovered near the surface of a body of rock, mining operations often occur above ground to reduce costs and improve extraction efficiency. Unfortunately, this strip or open-cast mining can have a significant impact on the ecosystem. When a strip mining operation occurs, the biologic life on the surface of the rock body is virtually eliminated. This loss of vegetation can cause soil erosion, especially in forested areas, since there’s no vegetation to stabilize the rock layer. The consequences of mining can be severe. An area that has been strip-mined can take decades to recover without remediation. Strip mining makes up 40 percent of coal mining operations worldwide.

Oil Spills
Extracting oil poses several serious environmental risks, but the most egregious environmental consequences occur from uncontrolled oil spills. Spills can occur during several stages of oil extraction, including drilling and transport. Bodies of water are especially susceptible to harm; the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 is one of the most notable examples of the impact of a large-scale oil spill, requiring billions of dollars in environmental remediation over thousands of miles of open ocean and coastline. “Scientific American” reports that over 4.9 million barrels of oil were leaked over a 3-month period, killing thousands of seabirds, marine mammals, fish and crustaceans that make up the Gulf’s ecosystem.

Secondary Impacts
Impacts from mining and drilling can be indirect and unintentional. The complicated nature of using drilling techniques in unstable areas means the impact can’t always be accurately predicted. Underneath a Louisiana bayou, the Napoleonville salt dome extends 30,000 feet beneath the surface of the Earth, with huge pillars of salt reaching upwards from the main dome. Texas Brine Company sank a well to extract salt in 1982, hollowing out a huge cavern which was capped in 2011. This cavern is now thought to be the culprit for the Bayou Corne Sinkhole, which was 325 feet across as of September 2013. This sinkhole has decimated the local community and continues to belch forth flammable methane gas.”

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Dust Monitoring Equipment – providing equipment, services and training in dust fallout management to the mining industry.

Environmental Impact from Mining and Drilling

Burning questions on COVID-19

This article has been edited.  For information please contact visit the WHO organisation website.

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Dust Monitoring Equipment – providing equipment, services and training in dust fallout management to the mining industry.

Detection of coal mine dust lung diseases

Lung disease is a very real threat to the health of miners.  Prevention of disease is always the best but it is useful to know what symptoms to look for so that any disease can be treated in it’s early stages.  Here is an interesting article relating to coal mine dust lung diseases.

Please follow the link provided to read the full article.

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Detection of coal mine dust lung diseases
https://www.dnrme.qld.gov.au/miners-health-matters/detection

“Coal mine dust lung diseases (CMDLD) like CWP can take up to 10 years or more to develop, and even longer to produce noticeable symptoms.

While prevention is the best defence, identifying the disease in its early stages can prevent it from progressing to a point where it has an impact on your quality of life.

To screen for abnormalities, doctors use a combination of chest X-ray and lung function test results.

Lung function test (spirometry)
Spirometry is a standard test used to diagnose conditions that affect your lung function, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. To take a spirometry test, you breathe forcefully into a small machine called a spirometer.

Chest X-ray
As most early cases of simple CWP show no symptoms, regular chest X-rays are absolutely crucial to identifying the disease before it progresses.

If all tests are normal, no further action is required.

If your spirometry result is lower but not significantly so, you may need to have another assessment in a year’s time or sooner, depending on the cause.

You will be referred to a specialist for further assessment if you have any of the following:

  • spirometry results with more substantial decline in lung function
    abnormal chest X-ray
    unexplained, significant respiratory symptoms.

A diagnosis of CWP or silicosis doesn’t mean the end of your career in mining. But it does mean the types of roles you can perform will change. It’s important to remember that with the right management and precautions, a case of simple CWP is not life-threatening.

There is no cure for CWP. Once respirable dust has been incorporated into the lung tissue, it can’t be removed. However, you can slow or stop the progress of the disease by limiting your exposure to respirable dust at work and at home.

After spending a large part of your working life in mines, it’s natural to be concerned that a CWP diagnosis could exclude you from the industry in which you’ve developed years of job-specific skills.

A CWP diagnosis does mean that you will no longer be able to perform roles in environments with high dust levels. However, there are many roles available within the mining industry that are suitable for miners with CWP, including roles involving:

  • surface mine operations
    underground mining operations with controlled dust exposure (e.g. as electricians)
    outbye tasks away from the coalface
    maintenance and infrastructure.”

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Dust Monitoring Equipment – providing equipment, services and training in dust fallout management to the mining industry.

Detection of coal mine dust lung diseases