Technology developed by Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology is allowing unprecedented sharing of data across different information systems to allow fully integrated management of mines. This kind of interoperability between platforms allows mines to build a comprehensive digital twin of their operation with all the information needed to visualise and better manage all areas of their operations.
The Sandvik TH663i high productivity 63-tonne articulated underground truck features a wide range of intelligence integrated technology.
Niel McCoy, Business Line Manager Automation for Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology Southern Africa, says the potential of a complete mine operational management system, where all role-players’ solutions talk to each other, is almost limitless with significant benefits for mines which adopt the technology.
Sandvik released its Interoperability Policy in April 2018, outlining the principles by which Sandvik systems can communicate within a digital ecosystem including data accessibility, fleet data compatibility, data rights and control, and data privacy. To enable interoperability, Sandvik has introduced the AutoMine® Access API which provides standard, pre-defined interfaces for connecting third party loaders and trucks for control by Sandvik’s AutoMine® system.
Digital twin
The mining industry is trending towards high levels of digitalisation and Sandvik is leading the way regardless of mixed fleets and divergent information systems. The addition of AutoMine® into the interoperability realm is the next step for mines to achieve a high level of automated management of all kinds of mining systems.
“This means that a mine can have a complete digital twin where, for example, SCADA systems talk to production management systems with communication to and from operational task and scheduling tools,” says McCoy.
“Until now, there has not been a mine information management solution that could cover a mine from the front-to-back. Our system which focuses on underground process management allows you to communicate across platforms giving our customers the ability to integrate all their systems and manage the whole operation simultaneously. Similarly, the day-to-day management of a mine can be fully managed and controlled via OptiMine® and newly acquired Newtrax® which is not tethered to any specific brand of mining equipment or network.”
Evolving automation
Sandvik has been an automation leader since 2004 and has looked at simultaneously developing information management systems to digitalise mines, even those that cannot adopt full automation due to physical or design constraints.
“We started looking at developing process improvement tools such as OptiMine® Short Interval Control Modules which initially focused on basic telemetry on equipment, as well as productivity, alarm alert reports and task scheduling,” McCoy explains.
“This then evolved into how to mine better with scheduling and task management systems and the subsequent introduction of OptiMine® Scheduling and OptiMine® Task Management, which enable communication between people and equipment underground with a central control centre on the surface. This allows tasks and their progress to be managed in real time with decisions able to be made immediately should productivity targets not be met.
“Our next area of focus was to enable users to visualise operations and this led to the development of OptiMine® 3D Mine Visualiser, a powerful system that allows users to visually check that equipment is in the right area and facilitate traffic management. It also allows operators at the beginning of a shift to find the location of their equipment and do a thorough status check – rather than relying on information passed on from the previous shift.”
Further development
The next step says McCoy was to bring insights and predictions to market and allow proactive management of operations. “Our OptiMine® Analytics tool provides predictions, pre-warnings of potential equipment failures or production problems. The introduction of OptiMine® Analytics provides data analysis and predictive insights of equipment and Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE). OEE takes into account internal and external factors, such as how equipment and operators perform, engineering and mining delays, as well as how well the equipment is used vs original planned available time,” he explains.
To take this to the next level, interoperability is required to get information off several software systems for predictive insights. This includes computerised maintenance management systems, HR clocking systems, breakdown reporting systems, SCADA systems and OptiMine® Short Interval control modules among others.
“Interoperability of the Sandvik system means that information from these systems can then be drawn to the cloud for analysis and represented on appropriate dashboards for viewing. It allows customers to view shifts and make decisions based on available human and equipment resources for more productive shifts,” says McCoy.
Informed decisions
When one looks at the responsibilities of underground shift managers at present, it is easy to see how decisions can be clouded by having to retrospectively manage information and people and how information management systems can improve theirs and the mine’s performance. They are able to better manage performance on the basis of real time information and predictive insights to make educated decisions.
McCoy says this is the way of the future and that all mining houses have digitalisation on the agenda. Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology’s system has been built on real-life applications and comes to market as a tried and tested system. “There is a process to digitalisation and we assist clients with this process of defining their digital vision, defining a strategy for this vision and then develop a system to achieve it,” he states.
“Based on open architecture and through standard industry protocols like Rest API, we allow communication across digital platforms for the mutually beneficial purpose of enabling interaction and improved performance of the entire mining system.”
Gradual implementation
Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology typically provides mines with a stepped approach to implementation. This means that once the decision has been made to implement information systems, the next step is to manage change across the entire value chain from labour, unions, management, stakeholders and all parties that may be affected by digitalisation to ensure they are 100 % behind the process.
“The main idea is to move away from paper and spreadsheets to a digital dashboard that allows access to information for minute-to-minute, day-to-day or month-to-month operational management. Sandvik’s solution for this is OptiMine®,” says McCoy.
OptiMine® makes up one part of Sandvik’s digital offering which consists of three distinct areas. These are MySandvik®, which focuses on connected equipment and cloud-based applications and reporting; OptiMine®, which provides process optimisation and data analytics; and AutoMine® for autonomous mining. These give mine managers the tools they need to do proper analysis before embarking on process optimisation.
Automation is the final step in digitalisation. Results from customer sites around the world show that automation of a mine results in more consistent production flows. It also has the benefit of allowing production during so-called ‘dead hours’ to produce more even production on a 24/7 basis.
McCoy also notes that automation also results in the knock-on effect of reducing maintenance costs and improving the overall life of equipment on mines. “In South Africa, the life-of-equipment improvement can be as high as 30 % which represents a massive saving of capital as well as improving equipment availability,” he says.
AutoMine® is interoperative with all mining processes and equipment including draw control, ventilation-on-demand, and cave management systems, as well as production area systems such as rock breakers, crushers and water spraying systems.
McCoy concludes that mines are rapidly entering the connected world and the adoption of interoperable mine operational management systems has endless potential to change the way mining is done in Africa and across the globe. Sandvik’s ability to connect equipment from other OEMs to its OptiMine® system is a game changer in the way manpower is deployed, equipment resources are utilised, and ultimately how mines operate.
