Engineering & Mining Journal

JUL 2014

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JULY 2014 • E&MJ; 81 www.e-mj.com O P E R AT I N G S T R AT E G I E S operators passed the reassessment, they were put back in the field. After one month, operators were assessed again to confirm retention of the new operating techniques. A comparison of fuel records between pre-simulation- and post-simulation-based training showed an improvement of 6.3% in one month. On-site fuel usage went down each month afterward, with the last report- ed usage showing a 6.9% overall reduction. The site is now operating 5.8% below the budgeted liters per hour fuel consumption. "Production time was not affected with these improvements and we believe, with a conservative estimate, we can save $500,000 per year through this training initiative," Perdana said. The haul fleet has a standard refueling schedule and with tanks containing more fuel at the specified refueling interval, a secondary improvement was gained as refueling now takes less time, thereby increasing production time. Immersive said the technology driving these fuel savings has now been embedded into SimControl, the software used in its range of Advanced Equipment Simulators. Software for Soft Rock ThoroughTec Simulation has been working on simulation for underground soft rock mining—developing and customizing tech- nology in accordance with specifications from client BHP Billiton. The South Africa- based company said adapting its proven software architecture for the soft rock underground environment has challenged the development team, despite extensive experience in simulating underground min- ing equipment and mining operations. The primary development will feature six different machine types making up the whole range of underground equipment used in the soft rock mining environment, including a Joy continuous miner and shut- tle car, a Fletcher bolter, a Sandvik LHD and two utility-type vehicles. "The BHP Billiton project has been a sig- nificant challenge, both in terms of complex- ity and scale," said ThoroughTec's executive vice president for R&D;, John Waltham. "Firstly, in developing the underground world and the artificially intelligent electric vehi- cles that operate in it, we had to model the electric cables that power them. They had to roll and unroll correctly, fall realistically, and also not get in the way of other vehicles. "The ventilation system used in under- ground soft rock mining was another ele- ment of this project that took some time to solve," Waltham said, "but the standout challenge was accurate modeling of the breakout of rock as the continuous miner, a hugely complex machine, cut away at the rock face. I can't reveal exactly how we accomplished this, but what we achieved is incredibly realistic replication of the con- tinuous mining process." "The CYBERMINE range of simulators has been extremely successful in realizing productivity gains and safety improvements in both the hard rock underground mining environment and in surface coal mining op - erations, so it was a rational progression for us to apply these proven training technolo- gies and techniques to the underground soft rock environment," said Waltham. Anticipating Autonomy With an eye toward the future, Immersive Technologies recently noted that the mining industry's accelerating trend toward adop- tion of automated brings new challenges. A major challenge in the adoption of automa- tion is people—specifically the re-shaping of a mining operation's workforce to thinking and working differently. This is a key obsta- cle in the path of successful deployment and operation of autonomous mining systems. At Codelco's Gabriela Mistral (Gaby) copper mine in Chile, Immersive is devel- oping and integrating what it describes as a world-first blended learning training cen- ter for autonomous haulage. At the center, personnel will undergo computer-based training, virtual classroom and simulator training to prepare them specifically for autonomous haulage operations. "For Codelco Gabriela Mistral, this requirement, developed in conjunction with Immersive Technologies, provides us a customized solution including the technol- ogy with which we operate in Gaby and allows us to obtain better safety standards and productivity," said Orlando Rubilar, Codelco Gabriela Mistral mine manager. The Gaby mine has operated Komatsu dri- verless trucks since 2008. "Mining operations adopting autono- mous systems need to train a large number of personnel in a relatively short period of time. We've heard an estimated 15% retention of knowledge among trainees and inconsistent field training while deploying autonomous systems. The integration of our solutions are proven to increase effec- tiveness, deliver consistent training and reduce human error," said Darrell Massie, autonomous mining product manager, Immersive Technologies. Codelco has selected Immersive Technologies to develop and integrate a blended learning training center to famil- iarize workers with the concepts of autonomous haulage. ThoroughTec is developing operator training simulators for underground soft rock mining equipment used by its client, BHP Billiton. EMJ_pg80-81_EMJ_pg80-81 7/1/14 2:50 PM Page 81

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