AUTOMATION
Part of the Rio Tinto ‘Mine of the Future’ control centre in Perth, Western Australia, controlling operations of its Pilbara iron-ore mines.
Photo: Rio Tinto.
Kiruna iron-ore mine in Sweden for many years. Seven 500-t-capacity electric shuttle trains are controlled from the 775m level to carry ore from ore passes to crusher stations. Te mine, which has eight production areas, also uses automated operation of load-haul-dump vehicles. A new main level at 1,365m depth, 320m deeper than existing levels, will also have a remote-control shuttle- train system but on wider, 1,435m gauge, track. It is scheduled for completion in 2017. Midroc Electro is contracted to provide the new train transportation with Bombardier Transportation as sub-contractor. Te latter will provide its fully automated driverless Interflo 150 train controls.
However overcoming the technical difficulties in remote-control and semi-automatic processes has produced many achievements for the industry, particularly for those mining companies that can afford the capital investment. Tese achievements include great improvements in efficiency and safety in their own right, coupled with the ability to integrate data collection and processing into mine management software to ensure accuracy and the most economical instructions issued to operators. Te push for automation includes a necessity for a reliable, high- capacity communications network that carries many benefits ancillary to automation in relation to data collection and transmission including
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