Coal Age

FEB 2013

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mine design continued tage of opportunities offered by improvements in: ��� Sensor technology���providing a higher level of integration throughout a monitored system. ��� Processing power���allowing higher volumes of data collection in real- or near real-time. ��� Data storage���Massive datasets enable ���big data��� analysis benefits. ��� Connectivity���Migration to ���the cloud��� reduces computing-capacity demands on enterprises. ��� Visualization���Data-analysis presentation is moving away from traditional tables and charts, toward more refined and meaningful formats. The continued growth in volume and speed of data collection, concluded Berglund, will steadily redefine traditional methods of GNSS-based data usage in the future. But, for mine staffers who entered the industry at a point when data collection, analysis and visualization for a specific task often took days or even weeks to process���compared with today���s results in minutes or less���the future is already here. Boots on the Ground Characterizing an active surface mine as a ���constantly evolving construction site,��� with the mine model being updated as the operation���s economic variables change, Michael Maier, mining technology engineer at SITECH Southwest/Empire Southwest Caterpillar in Mesa, Ariz., noted in his Dimensions presentation that one of the more welcome aspects of higher tech in mining is that, even as the projects become more complex, the tools needed to design and measure them are becoming easier to use. The logical product of the evolving mine site, in the era of sophisticated machineguidance systems and high-speed data collection and analysis, is a mine plan that can be regarded as a living document, presenting changes and progress to the operations and management staff in near real time, said Maier. The expanding presence of incab data displays showing a constantly updated mining plan breaks down communication barriers among work groups and essentially turns equipment operators into ���mobile surveyors������which, in turn, allows traditional mine surveyors to focus more on design work, consult with operators about those designs and perform quality checks on other people���s work. Although a number of available technologies have been developed to minimize February 2013 Trimble���s xFill technology can provide highly accurate interim positioning information when normal GNSS corrections are blocked. the necessity of having surveyors walk the pit or scramble across rough terrain, occasions still arise that require conventional, on-the-ground survey techniques. The goal of Trimble, and others, is to provide tools for these tasks that are user-friendly, largely foolproof and sufficiently advanced to provide information that can easily be assimilated into modern data analysis and reporting software systems. For example, last October Trimble introduced its next-generation ultra-light R10 receiver, featuring a new HD-GNSS processing engine that is claimed to provide more accurate assessment of error estimates than traditional engines. Measurements collected with Trimble HDGNSS, according to the company, are precision-based and surveyors can collect data in challenging environments where they may have been unable to collect data before. Reduced convergence times and instantaneous point measurements allow surveyors to start measuring sooner and up to 60% faster. Supporting 440 channels, the R10���s technology is designed to enable consistent, reliable tracking of available satellite signals for both existing and future GNSS constellations. The new receiver also offers Trimble���s xFill technology, which employs a global network of Trimble GNSS reference stations to deliver position information via geostationary satellites. xFill, according to Trimble, seamlessly fills in for RTK or VRS corrections in the event of a temporary connection failure such as a radio dead spot. As of late 2012, Trimble xFill coverage included most of Europe, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Africa, Asia and Australasia, as well as most of North America and all of South and Central America. Trimble���s SurePoint technology constantly monitors pole tilt and prevents users from collecting erroneous information by only allowing data to be stored when the survey pole is plumb. Simultaneously, pole tilt angle values are stored for every point collected to ensure data traceability. New, easier-to-use tools such as this, combined with advanced data-logging software, create opportunities for other mine work groups to perform non-critical tasks that were traditionally assigned to the survey department, according to Maier. For example, personnel working on pipe installation and routing at a large Southwestern U.S. copper operation used the R10 receiver along with Trimble���s SCS900 Site Controller software to map infrastructure and piping without surveyor assistance. ���Who better to locate the pipes than the pipefitters?��� he asked. This is an example of one step in a process that begins with incorporating useful, precision survey-based civil engineering tools and techniques into the mine-design realm, and which eventually will lead to what Maier calls the ���3-D mine������a connected site that allows data from many sources to be universally shared to optimize mine performance. In the precisionsurveyed 3-D mine, for example, all terrain surfaces from the pit floor to the stockpiles will be designed to flow and control runoff. Road design characteristics such as turn radius and incline will be tailored to fit the capabilities of the haulage fleet���and in this fully ���connected��� mine, haulage equipment will achieve high availability because it���s running on surfaces designed for maxiwww.coalage.com 35

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