Coal Age

NOV 2014

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improved travel path planning and increased top speeds produced a signifi- cant reduction in cycle times. Refinements in the system and mine procedures also improved truck utilization by about 20% during the trial. Additionally, the company also devel- oped safe work procedures transferable to future autonomous truck operations. Cat moved even further ahead with its g o a l o f a u t o n o m o u s o p e r a t i o n s o n a c o m m e r c i a l l e v e l w i t h t h e d e l i v e r y , installation and support of a complete Cat MineStar system at Fortescue Metals Group's Solomon iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of western Australia. The project, announced last October, was ini- tially implemented for the first phase of Solomon, the 20 million-metric-ton-per- y e a r ( m t p y ) F i r e t a i l m a n n e d m i n e , i n October 2012. As part of an autonomous mining solu- tion for the second phase, the 40-million- mtpy Kings mine, eight Command for hauling Cat 793F CMD trucks were com- missioned and commenced operations in the second quarter of calendar year 2013. The overall mine plan calls for a progres- sive ramp up to 45 autonomous trucks over the next several years; in addition, other Cat MineStar System capability sets were used across the mine's mobile equip- ment fleet, support equipment and light vehicles. Working closely with the mining operator and its contractor Leighton Contractors, both Cat and WesTrac, the Cat dealer in Western Australia, worked to provide a full solution for managing, operating and sup- porting Cat MineStar System and Command for hauling. While the project was not in coal, it serves as an excellent example for the industry of a greenfield pro- ject that was able to achieve the successful collaboration of skilled teams from several involved players to deliver an efficient, cost effective autonomous mining solution. BHP also noted in its confirmation of the mine's startup in April that that positive results from the test could lead to the tech- nology's use in coal. At Jimblebar, six autonomous Caterpillar 793F trucks were used in the trial that began August 1, 2013, and begin- ning mid-year, the miner said it would expand the truck trial to include a second circuit. Also, an additional six trucks were set to operate at the neighboring Wheelarra 4 pits, enabling ore dumping by autonomous trucks into the newly tied-in Wheelarra crusher. "BHP Billiton is committed to pursuing mature and proven technology options that demonstrate value to the business," the company told Coal Age. "The use of autonomous haul trucks has the potential to introduce safety benefits by removing people from potentially hazardous environ- ments; increasing the predictability and productivity of haulage operations, provid- ing new employment and training opportu- nities for our people and reducing the labor intensity of future mining operations. "The purpose of the trial is to define and test the roles, processes and tech- n o l o g y r e q u i r e d t o s a f e l y o p e r a t e autonomous trucks in a production envi- ronment, and to understand the produc- tion benefits and safety implications of using the trucks. Depending on the suc- cess of the trial, the benefits of expand- ing the use of autonomous haul trucks may be investigated." So, the work is definitely being done to bring automation to a point of perfection for the domestic market — and many are eager to take it on. Humphrey stressed that mines should take several main points into consideration in the decision to make the move. "While the early days of autonomy were exciting and mining companies and man- ufacturers were eager to see it come to life in the real world, we learned that imple- menting a technology for technology's sake should never be a goal," he said, adding that a problem should be identi- fied along with the technological solutions to address it. "That technology may or not be autonomous haulage. In fact, there are more sites that aren't candidates for autonomy than there are sites that would benefit from the implementation of this technology," he said. Other factors to consider, according to Humphrey: • Safety: There are potential safety issues that could be alleviated with autonomy. • Utilization: There are significant delays such as shift changes, lunch breaks, meetings and training, etc., that would be eliminated if drivers were not oper- ating the trucks. • Productivity: There are efficiencies to be gained with a higher degree of con- sistent and reliable performance of trucks, in addition to deployment velocity. Autonomy eliminates driver- influenced inefficiencies such as truck bunching behind an overly cautious driver or dilution caused by loads going to unassigned locations. Additionally, it offers the ability to add or remove trucks to a circuit and is not dependent of the number of operators who showed up for work that day. • Remote Regions: The logistics of bring- ing workers to a location where they must be housed, fed, entertained, etc., presents a challenge and is a signifi- cant expense. Autonomy reduces the infrastructure requirements by reduc- ing the number of people required for operations. • People/Skilled Resources: It is often difficult to find skilled people who will be able and willing to handle the chal- lenges and rigor of a mining lifestyle. Autonomy helps reduce the number of people that must be hired. h a u l t r u c k s c o n t i n u e d November 2014 www.coalage.com 27 A truck controller's station in motion during the Navajo autonomous truck trial.

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