Engineering & Mining Journal

APR 2013

Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr

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H+L 2013 PREVIEW Inflation pressure is the single most important factor relating to tire performance. Tom Stephenson, HMS Tire Co., will present TireLink: New Tool Balances Tire Pressures between Dual Positions on a Haul Truck, which discusses the relationship between inflation pressure and load distribution in a dual pair of haul truck tires. The results of this initial study will show a distortion in load distribution between a dual pair of tires as high as 21 metric tons. In his presentation Innovative Tooling: A 797 Transmission Hoist, Mark Gream, global products manager, Hedweld USA, will demonstrate a new technique for safely and efficiently removing/installing the transmission on a Cat 797 haul truck without removing the dump body. This is performed by raising the dump body and placing the hoist on the truck chassis using a workshop overhead crane. Technology and Information Systems The final session on Wednesday morning, Technology & Information Systems, will lead off with a discussion on mine automation. In his presentation, Enabling Mine Automation through the Application of OPAL and 3DRi Technologies, Peter Wan, principal adviser mining, Teck Resources, will discuss improved LiDAR systems. Neptec has developed an obscurant-penetrating LiDAR (OPAL) sensor technology that overcomes the limitations faced by traditional LiDAR sensors when operating in dusty environments; as well as advanced 3-D real-time intelligence (3DRi) data processing algorithms that enable the real-time exploitation of 3-D data from sensors on moving vehicles. Leonardo Alves, senior mine engineer, LHOIST will present Improving Fleet Allocation over Sub-optimum Load and Haulage Systems Using Linear Programming. For a given haulage system comprised of a single loading tool and a fixed haulage profile, an ideal truck fleet size can be established that minimizes costs or maximizes output. Operating mines, however, often deviate from this ideal allocation, under-trucking or over-trucking depending on equipment and face availabilities. A linear programming solution to equipment allocation (i.e. cost reduction respecting fleet restrictions and meeting production targets) has been developed that employs a set of haulage systems, each one not necessarily optimal. The results are more realistic mine plans and improved decision-making, as illustrated with real case studies of mediumterm mine fleet planning. In Machine Telematics: Where are You on the Adoption Curve?, Ken Calvert, director of product support systems, Komatsu America Corp., will discuss the mining industry's adoption rate for telematics. Two case studies will be presented. The first is a summary of the "No Idle" Initiative and management's role in affecting change. The second is a production study of a metallurgical coal mine and again with management as a change agent. In his presentation, A New Constellation for Mining, Dave Goddard, portfolio manager, intelligent machine solutions, Leica Geosystems Mining, will discuss machine guidance systems. These systems require high precision GNSS positioning to provide robust 3-D positioning. Locata Corp. has invented a ground-breaking radio positioning system equivalent to a GNSS positioning constellation, but is ground-based instead of satellite-based. The Leica Jigsaw Positioning System (Jps) integrates these Locata signals into a high precision GNSS+Locata positioning device, delivering a new and previously unattainable level of positioning reliability in areas where GNSSonly positioning is unreliable. Eric Hsieh, product manager-technology, JoyGlobal Surface Mining, will present Using Proximity/Object Detection to Increase Shovel Productivity in the Open Pit Mine. Collision avoidance technologies provide situational awareness, but through the additional use of various sensory devices and an interactive control system, shovel operators can also monitor, anticipate and predict future dipper position. This serves to reduce the severity and frequency of impacts of the dipper and crawler shoes when digging in close proximity to the tracks—a major contributor to reduced crawler shoe life and structural cracking. Operator trainers describe how these technologies work to reinforce Best Practices to achieve the most productive fill factors and how they represent an important advancement on the path to autonomous loading. The technical program will conclude with Digability: A New Take on an Old Target. Stephen Lochner, manager-mining systems, MineWare will discuss recent advancements in technology that have allowed for accurate measurements of payload, energy, and cycle time in large mining equipment. This has allowed for a new look into digability with the benefits and limitations it offers mine sites. Expanding on the previous work covering digability, this presentation will discuss how the new developments came about and highlight how a mine site can benefit by analyzing digability for such areas as bucket/dipper performance, G.E.T. performance, and drill and blasting trends including some cost analysis estimates. Which is Better: The Hydraulic Excavator or Rope Shovel? For years operations and maintenance groups worldwide have debated, argued and fought over this question. The arguments have invariably been qualitative, anecdotal and more often than not application specific. The playing field is not level from either stance and apples do not equate to bananas! Well, here it is folks, in Battle of the Titans—Hydraulic Excavator vs. Rope Shovel Performance, two of the most respected bananas in the industry going head to head in a fact-based, live debate, both backed by field measurements and experiences on a level playing field. The total energy per ton excavated and weight versus stability arguments find equality of case, the outcome of which may surprise everyone. John Sammut and Tim Joseph will lay out food for thought as all of us continue to contemplate this now aging concern. This no holds barred event is a "once and for all grudge match" only at Haulage & Loading 2013. 84 E&MJ; • APRIL 2013 Tim Joseph (left), professor, University of Alberta, will defend the rope shovel, while John Sammut, Komatsu Mining Shovels, will advocate on behalf of the hydraulic excavator. www.e-mj.com

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