Rock Breakage

Session 11
Rock Excavation and Mining Automation

Jian Zhao

Excavation and Mining Automation

Session Contents

• Mining Automation Benefit and Trend

• Automation Technology for Mine Excavation and
Mineral Processing

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 Mining Automation Benefit

What is Automation in Mining?

Replacement of human labour in the mining

process with the utilization of technology.

(Australasian Mine Safety Journal) (McKinsey)

Underground mining automation Role of technology in industry

Mining Automation Benefit

Main Drivers of Automation

Mineral criticality and operational efficiency will be

the main drivers for innovation in the mining
industry.

(Australian Venture Consultants)

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 Mining Automation Benefit

Social and Environmental Benefits of

Automation

Ranging from improved safety, better access to

resources, to reduced environmental impact.

(Australian Venture Consultants)

Mining Automation Benefit

Aspect Benefited the Most from Automation

Area Benefit
Perform • Improve Productivity and
-ance Efficiency
• Reduce operating costs
• Increase equipment life
Safety • Reduce number of operators
• Remove people from dangerous
environments
• Minimize operator fatigue
Labour • Reduce labour costs
• Reduce skilled staff
requirements in remote (Accenture)

locations

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 Mining Automation Benefit

Technology Shift and Mining Productivity

Decreasing
Productivity
$/ton increases

(Mother Earth News) (Caterpillar) (Atlas Copco) (Oresome Resources)

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Mining Automation Benefit

Technology Shift and Mining Automation

Increasing
integrated
automation
& digitization

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 Mining Automation Benefit

Projected Mining Automation Adoption Rate

Technologies to be
adopted by the
mining industry
worldwide by 2025

(Accenture)

Mining Automation Benefit

Automation in Underground Construction

European Vision of Underground Construction

2030:
No workers inside tunnel during construction
(totally automated remotely controlled tunnel construction
work, e.g., by tunnel boring machines).

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 Automation Technology

IT and OT

IT includes automation
software, data
transmission and (Siemens)

processing, production IT – Data Processing

INTEGRATION
process visualization and
OT – Remote Control
management.
OT includes remote
control, tele-operation,
driver assist, and full (Komatsu)

automation.
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Automation Technology

Automation in Mining Activity Stages

Mining Stage Example of Automation

Exploration Remote mapping, drilling, and

digitization
Mining Planning IT mining data management

Underground mining Remote control mass mining

Mining ventilation Air flow and air quality sensors

Open-pit mining Remote control operation cycle

Mineral Processing Automated quality control

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 Automation Technology

Automation in Mining
Exploration

Aerial mapping: autonomous

drones with 3D profiling.
(Mining Technology)

Subsurface geophysical
detection and drilling:
(CSIRO)

Electromagnetic detection,
drilling sensors monitoring.
Resource visualization:
resource modelling and
visualization (CSIRO)

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Automation Technology

Machine Learning in Mining Exploration

Exploration automation through machine learning

have been developed to improve success rate.

(Goldspot Discoveries)
Machine Learning in Gold Deposit Exploration 14

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 Automation Technology

Implementation of IT in Mining Planning

Information technology enables the connection

between various automation operations to be
analyzed as a whole system, to assist decision
making in mining planning.

OT

IT Decision Making
OT

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Automation Technology

Automation in Underground Excavation

Automated Automated
Drilling Charging

Autonomous
Scanner Blasting

Intelligent
Supporting
Remote
Controlled
Ventilation
Sensors and
Controller
Roof Scaling
with Scanner Automated
Loading/hauling
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 Automation Technology

Automation in Underground Mining

Bolting Drilling jumbo

machine
Charging vehicle

LHD

Control room

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Automation Technology

Automation in Extraction and Transportation

Automation control

LHD automation

Conveyor Chute Rock breaker

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 Automation Technology

Surface Mine Automation

Automated drilling

Real-time satellite and sensors Controlled

blasting

Control room

Shovel & haul

truck automation
Designated
unloading
Truck dispatching
automation

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Automation Technology

Mineral Processing Automation

Jaw crusher Cone crusher

Raw ore Feeder

Ball mill
Scheduling and communication

Ore concentrates
Spiral classifier

Processing automation Agitator

control and monitoring

Tailing
Dryer

Flotation
Ceramic filter Thickener 20

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 Automation Technology

Rock Excavation Automation Status

• Standard operation: high degree of automation

and remote control in independent operations.
• Integrated operation: in progress, integrated
management platform (similar to BIM) needed,
requires high level digitalisation.
• IT and Machine Learning: in progress, to improve
smart and intelligent machine operation.

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Automation Technology

Smart Drilling – Digitalisation – Mine

Information Management Platform

As an example, drilling machine and bits are sensed

to obtain information on rock type and others.
Digitalised drilling information are fed to a Mine
Information Management (MIM) platform, for mineral
evaluation, mine planning and design.
Digitalised mine production information are further
added to the MIM, for further development, safety
plan and rehabilitation design.
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 Excavation and Mining Automation

Session Summary

• Mining automation demand, benefit and trend

• Mining automation technology in surface and
underground excavation and mineral processing

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