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o p e r at i n g i d e a s Addressing Safety with Automation BY KEN STAPYLTON To address the changing needs of its customers, Sandvik Mining recently launched an automation system for rotary drill rigs, known as AutoMine Rotary Drilling. The average American uses approximately 3.4 tons of coal and nearly 40,000 lb of newly mined materials each year, according to the National Mining Association. Industry leaders generally agree that the demand for raw materials, such as coal, will continue to increase worldwide as developing countries industrialize and populations grow. To satisfy current and future demand for coal and other minerals, mining companies have to search for new, innovative ways to attain this valuable source of energy. This often means exploring and operating in difficult terrain in more remote locations. Inevitably, this shift means new challenges for safety and efficiency. Safety is the top priority for mine operators. The coal industry continues to make great strides in the areas of safety, mine design and engineering, and processing technology. At the forefront of the new safety movement is a focus on automating mining processes like drilling, crushing and hauling. With deeper and more remote mines, an inherent next step is to remove as much human intervention in the mineral extraction process as possible. Automated systems allow humans to communicate with and control machinery remotely, without exposure to hazardous mining environments. It reduces health and safety risks, and makes for a more lucrative and attractive work place for miners. 52 www.coalage.com Increased Productivity Automation also leads to a significant surge in productivity and efficiency. With a shortage of trained operators in the industry and an increasing demand for coal, productivity becomes a decisive challenge for the industry. Automated equipment can be better utilized and operates in a more controlled and precise manner, resulting in significant efficiency improvements. In fact, the overall expected lifetime for automated mining equipment is longer than manually operated technology. Due to the steady and controlled use of the equipment, the wear and tear is manageable and the cost effect can also be controlled. Additionally, the utilization of the equipment is higher, as no time is used traveling to or from the production area. Autonomous operations are continuous and may operate 24 hours a day, further increasing productivity. The operator supervises the process and interacts only when disturbances occur. This continuous mining process is critical for cost-effective mining. Sandvik Mining's automated solutions include remote monitoring and diagnostic capabilities that enable real-time transfer of data (e.g., drilling times and penetration rates) between office and drill, leading to improved decision making. Mine managers can leverage the constant flow of health diagnostic data to plan for when a piece of equipment is due for a service or maintenance task tune-up, ultimately reducing downtime. Automated Drilling Autonomous technologies represent a class of innovations that are likely to change how minerals are mined and processed into the future. Examples of existing innovations range from specific pieces of equipment, such as remotecontrolled vehicles and drilling equipment, to entire mines that have been designed and built around automated Four HazCams detect objects in the drill's path. May 2013