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A computer simulation of the automatic control of continuous mining machines has been prepared, similar to previous simulations of longwall mining systems and coal thickness sensors. The simulation allows for programmed variation of the horizon detection method, the azimuthal guidance system, the type and configuration of the miner, varying hardness in the unmined face material (leading to varying error in the machine heading), and the miner's cutting cycle. It simulates control of the miner in three axes. Use of the simulator makes it possible to anticipate problems arising from the complex character of underground mining, which include unpredictable multi-pass coupling and unpredictable variation in geological conditions.

Jan 1, 1993

By Michael G. Nelson

A computer simulation of the automatic control of continuous mining machines has been prepared, similar to previous simulations of longwall mining systems and coal thickness sensors. The simulation allows for programmed variation of the horizon detection method, the azimuthal guidance system, the type and configuration of the miner, varying hardness in the unmined face material (leading to varying error in the machine heading), and the miner's cutting cycle. It simulates control of the miner in three axes. Use of the simulator makes it possible to anticipate problems arising from the complex character of underground mining, which include unpredictable multi-pass coupling and unpredictable variation in geological conditions.

Jan 1, 1993

By Paul G. Mahoney

The original Radum aggregate plant, built by Henry Kaiser in 1931, is the oldest of the nearly 200 individual operations established by the Kaiser companies. Since that time it has been producing aggregate products primarily for the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, and for many years, this plant has been listed as the Nation's No. One aggregate producer. Early this year a new $10,000,000 facility went on line replacing the old plant. Construction of the facilities was performed under the direction of Kaiser Engineers construction management teams. The existing plant continued to operate without interruption during the entire construction period.

Jan 1, 1970

By S Mundell, J Armstrong, M Evans

"Automation is a common goal within the coal industry for reasons such as efficiency, reliability and sustainability. However, it requires standards and frameworks so business systems can communicate effectively. Automation of sample analysis processes has been difficult to establish due to a lack of direct business system communication between commercial laboratories and mining companies. This has resulted in manual procedures that have contributed to problems relating to analysis instructions, sample identification, results formats and visibility of status.These problems result in loss of data and confidence in data validity, loss of process efficiency and inability to react to issues. An Australian Coal Association Research Program project (Evans, Armstrong and Arboleda, 2014) has addressed these issues through the Coal Quality Data Exchange methodology for direct business system communication between coalminers and commercial laboratories to optimise the transfer of coal quality data.The benefits to the coalminer of the framework are:increased clarity and auditability of what is being sent to the laboratory and what was requestedreduced potential for error introduced through manual transcription tasksincreased speed of loading of analytical results to the customer Geoscientific Information Management Systemimproved turnaround time for analytical resultsincreased knowledge about what took place in the laboratory with respect to the determination of the analytical resultsincreased visibility of the status of a ‘work order’. The benefits to the technology companies and commercial laboratories is a common framework on which to build a sustainable solution that gets away from the multitude of formats catered for today and time consuming manual processes. The common framework significantly advances the future possibilities for the automation of sampling and analysis processes in a production environment.CITATION:Armstrong, J, Mundell, S and Evans, M, 2014. Automating communications between laboratories and mines – a case from the coal industry, in Proceedings Ninth International Mining Geology Conference 2014 , pp 351–360 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Aug 18, 2014

By W. H. Schiffbauer

The U. S. Bureau of Mines has been investigating methods and technology that, when applied to existing continuous coal mining machines, may improve production and safety. Toward those goals, a microcomputer network has been designed that provides automated control and monitoring of all mining machine systems using a single twisted pair cable (two conductor stranded wire twisted together to provide a level of noise rejection). The network also provides -connections for intelligent sensors and systems for navigation and diagnostics. The flexibility of the network is demonstrated in that features can be added and removed without redesigning the whole system. A general description of the network's integration to a Joy' 16CM, Joy 14CM, Jeffrey 102, and a custom built auger machine is provided. The microcomputer networks for the Joy 16CM and the Jeffrey 102 have been installed onboard the mining machines and have been extensively tested at the Bureau of Mines test facility. The Jeffrey 102 system has also been tested in an actual highwall coal seam. Both systems have performed satisfactorily. The microcomputer networks for the Joy 14CM and the Auger Miner have been tested and await installation on the respective machines.

Jan 1, 1990

By Egonk Arriagada, Brindel Barzola, Peter Leckie, Greg Zwolak, Gilmar Guzmán, Germán Chen

Newmont’s Yanacocha operation in Peru presented an especially challenging environment for reliable cyanide measurement and control, processing 3 semi-distinct complex ore types with feed Cu ranging from below 250ppm (as CuCN) to more than 5000ppm, and feed S ranging from low to 5%, resulting in cyanide consumption from as low as 1.5 kg/t to as high as 3.1 kg/t, and gold recovery ranging from approximately 57% to about 78 % (average plant performance based on the type of ore). A literature search by the authors to identify a method for accurate cyanide determination that was also suitable for automation settled on the work of Breuer et al (2011) as a basis. Early challenges in adapting the laboratory technique for the ‘real solutions’ and the range of variability experienced in the plant are discussed, as are other operational challenges due to the complex and changing solution chemistry.

Sep 30, 2022

By Shaun Booth

Automating Delay Reporting to Deliver Effective Maintenance Corporate Background: Technology Company: Matrikon Inc. Global software and service provider of Information Technology and Control Solutions that deliver Business Results. Case Study Facility: Bulga Coal Handling and Preparation Plant <CHPP> Australian site, part of Xstrata, an international Swiss natural resources group. Technology: ProcessMORe ? Missed Opportunity Reporting (Delay Reporting). Matrikon?s technology implemented at many facilities, to deliver effective maintenance Matrikon International Inc. Global software and service provider of Industrial Decision Support, maintenance and control solutions, with universal connectivity to existing systems and work processes. ? 1999 ? 100 employees ? 2003 ? 450 employees ? Our offices: 20 offices worldwide: ? Quebec, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Ft.McMurray, Vancouver ? U.S. ? Australia (formerly Hunter Controls)

May 1, 2003

By B Delaney

For worker safety, mining companies are required to stop production and inspect hoist ropes. Visual inspection is generally done daily and EM inspection occurs every three to four months. During visual inspection, rope speed is generally reduced so an inspector can look for problems. In EM testing the LMA and LF traces are printed on a paper strip chart and a skilled operator interprets these traces. Mining companies only find large defects during visual inspection and are sometimes concerned about the content of EM trace information. This paper will present research outcomes that show how muck can be hoisted while performing a complete visual rope inspection at full speed. Other research results will show that digital signal processing can increase the amount of information available to the EM rope inspector. The research was funded by Inco, C-CORE, three AMIRA International sponsors and six sponsors from the Canadian Deep Mining Research Consortium (DMRC). The research will be commercialised in 2005.

Jan 1, 2005

By S. Agarwal

The mining industry collects a significant amount of operational data. However, gleaning useful information from the terabytes of data is difficult, and not just because of the sheer volume of the data. Therefore, an automated tool was developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to go through data and apply very sophisticated statistical and neural network techniques, to identify the data streams that are important to a process. This paper presents results from the tool as applied to SAG mill data from a gold mine. The results were benched against commercial tool. Results indicate that there was little or no loss in performance by automating the very complicated process of neural network modeling. Therefore, the intent of the exercise, to examine if complicated modeling tasks can be automated, was realized.

Jan 1, 2011

By D. Papacharalampos

A combination of decision- theoretic and knowledge-based methods can be used to classify rock-types from satellite data both efficiently and accurately. An expert system utilizes knowledge-based rules, as a field geologist does, to produce results that make geological sense. Our expert system (GEMS), first processes background information from preexisting knowledge and develops a plan, then classifies individual pixels, and finally generalizes the results using geological rules and plots a map. The system is implemented on a microcomputer and is inexpensive enough to be a part of the standard equipment of any geologist who prepares reconnaissance maps.

Jan 1, 1986

By Smith P

The past 20 years have seen the replacement of hydraulic control of longwall mining systems by the neater. smaller and better controlled electronic units.Early problems of moisture and other effects on reliability were overcome to see electronically controlled supports chosen for Corrimal Colliery ten years ago. Lessons from Corrimal and elsewhere, with following improvements and sophistication led to wider use as exemplified by Meco and other electronically controlled supports used in more recent installations in New South Wales, Queensland, USA and Czechoslovakia of the total of over 80 electronically controlled support installations worldwide in the past decade. Present work is toward a fully "integrated face" of British Coal by 1993, incorporating the Meco automatic face straightening system already due for practical use in the UK later this year. However the manless face still appears to be some way off although the present minimum crews and close monitoring, including early warning, are promising stages.

Jan 1, 1991

By E. J. Krokroskia

Fletcher Mill is located in the southern part of the New Lead Belt in Southeastern Missouri, in the northwestern part of Reynolds County. Shaft sinking began in July, 1964. The mill went on stream in February, 1967, and reached the designed rate of 5,000 tons per day in July, 1968. The ore occurs approximately 1,000 feet below the surface as disseminated deposits of galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite. There is no oxidation within the ore body and dissemination is not fine enough to present liberation problems with a normal grind. Mining is by the room and pillar method with rubber-tired diesel- propelled drilling and loading equipment. The ore is dumped through a 27-inch square grizzly into a 5,000-ton pocket. The underground primary crusher is automatically fed by a vibrating feeder and discharges directly into skip measuring bins. Hoisting is automatic, in balance, with 8. 5-ton skips dumping into a 1,000-ton mill bin. MILL The concentrator is a 5, 000 tons-per-day single section plant equipped to produce lead, zinc and copper concentrates. Contained under 35, 347 square feet of roof, without fine ore storage or remote crushing, and with sufficient automation to be operated by one man, the plant is compact, unique, and efficient in operation. The design

Jan 1, 1970

By C. L. Sarff

[Automation has become a word that means many things. To management it is the end of the rainbow; you push a button and all your problems are solved. To the working man it is a horrible monster that is taking his livelihood away. To the maintenance man it is a complex that overwhelms him when he thinks of trying to find the trouble when the machine is not operating, properly. Automation has been with us in the coal nines for many years. Long before my time you were using float switches on mine sumps to control the level of the water. That?s automation in the truest sense of the word, but we call it automatic and think nothing of it. If we use the word automatic instead of automation your mine electrician and mechanic will take hold of the problems in stride.]

Jan 1, 1962

By Steve Kral

Not too many years ago, mining was in one of its cyclic down-sides. This forced mining companies into some innovative thinking to bring down the costs of production. And they have. Mining equipment and processing plants have become more efficient, mostly due to technological advances. The mining industry is now in a boom period, one that some analysts believe can sustain itself. But even with higher commodity prices, sky-rocketing energy costs and the costs associated with environmental and reclamation regulations have not allowed all mines to reach their full profitability potential.

Jan 1, 2006

By I Sherrell, R Jain, P Jansson

With the depleting iron reserves and difficult market conditions, precision in separation efficiency is of utmost importance. Classical local control options are predominant in the industry, but their inability to adjust to resolve application problems of interest has furthered the need of developing and implementing continuous control methodologies.This paper highlights the recent development in control of Outotec SLon&#174; vertically pulsating high gradient magnetic separator (VPHGMS) including programmable logic controllers (PLC) coupled with distributed control system (DCS), on-site human–machine interface (HMI) control panel, advanced process control, continuous online sampling using Courier&#174; 8 and additional modernisation packages including level control and cooling monitoring. These modern control options result in improved efficiencies, promote safer operation and at the same time reduce operational manpower needs.CITATION:Jain, R, Sherrell, I and Jansson, P, 2017. Automation for efficient separation with the Outotec SLon&#174; vertically pulsating high gradient magnetic separator, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 211–214 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By S. Bergquist

In this paper, it is investigated how different types of automation would affect the safety for workers in asphalt paving. The risk for the workers on road construction sites is consistently high in comparison to the average risk of the working population. Automation has been suggested as an alternative for improving the safety in roadside construction assuming that removing workers will inherently eliminate the risk of them being injured. In this paper, the potential for improving the safety using automation is analyzed in detail. By investigating accident statistics and understanding the type of accidents that appear, several different automated functions for increased safety are proposed and described. Based on available statistics, it is possible to estimate the safety benefit, as the reduction in fatalities, for several of the proposed functions. The highest safety benefit would be achieved by automating the road traffic driving through the work zones. This has the potential of reducing the total number of road worker fatalities with over 30 %. In addition, it would decrease the number of road traffic accidents in work zones. Automation of construction machinery and dump-trucks also has the potential to increase the safety.

Aug 1, 2013

By M. Shriwas, F. Calizaya

"Recirculation is prohibited in many coal mining countries because of the fear that the re-use of return air would allow the build-up of air contaminants at the workings. The incorrect design and location of a booster fan in any ventilation network can create unsafe condition due to recirculation. The current approach to investigating recirculation using simulation software requires manual effort which becomes tedious in a complex and a large network. An algorithm-based C++ program was designed to detect the recirculation in a booster fan ventilation networks. This program needed an input file prepared from output file generated by any ventilation simulator. This program created an output file for recirculation. This program demonstrated the strong capability to detect the recirculation in a sample network and a coal mine ventilation network. The outcomes of this program were documented in this paper. INTRODUCTION The proper design and location of booster fans eliminate the safety hazards associated with high main fan pressure. Conversely, the incorrect design of booster fans in any ventilation network can create unsafe conditions due to uncontrolled recirculation. The proper utilization of a booster fan derives benefits to reduce the main fan pressure, leakage, and consequently ventilation cost especially with high resistance network due to deep and extensive working area in a mine. However installation of booster fan may create uncontrolled recirculation, if it is not sized and located properly with respect to main fan. Recirculation is prohibited in many coal mining countries because of the fear that the reuse of return air would allow the build-up of air contaminants at the workings. Therefore, it is imperative to check the recirculation while designing and operating booster fan for a ventilation network. This paper deals with an algorithm based C++ program to detect the recirculation in a booster fan ventilation networks. This program was implemented to detect the recirculation in a sample network and a coal mine network. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The currently available ventilation simulation programs do not give much information about recirculation for the generated solution (fan pressures). The current approach to investigating recirculation using simulation software requires manual effort, i.e., traversing from node to node in the output network by the simulator while keeping tracks of all the nodes that form recirculation paths. This is an easy task in a simple ventilation network, but it becomes tedious and sometimes very confusing in a complex and large network. Moreover, the presence of multiple recirculation paths makes the manual effort more complex and difficult, especially in separating multiple loops that are connected together. Thus, there is a need for a more efficient program that will detect and quantify the recirculation efficiently, for the generated fan pressures. A program is developed to detect the recirculation(s) in a network."

Jan 1, 2015

By Stefan Mede

Automation in segment production doesn’t necessarily mean the use of robots. Several other aspects of automation in the process are available. Herrenknecht has collected many experiences in the automation process of carousel systems for segment production, implemented several robot systems and launched new artificial intelligence-based camera system supporting the production team in the quality control This paper is a follow up of the presentation on Automation in Segment Production held in 2021 at the RETC.

Dec 1, 2022

By Irwan Halim, Bhoshaga Mitrran Ravi Chandran, Kevin Huynh

Tunnel segmental lining design constitutes a significant iterative process where modeling and numerical analysis are factors in deciding the number of segments, their dimensions, gasket placements, as well as the locations of dowels and bolts. Consequently, these modifications lead to revisions in the final drawing details. However, the current tunnel engineering practices lack systematic solutions that effectively bridge the gap between the iterative design process and efficient visualization of completed drawings due to the time- consuming nature of redrawing. This paper presents a pioneering application of AI-driven solutions including using Autodesk's API, for the Northside Interceptor Tunnel (NSIT) Project. It showcases the automation of drawing design and the real-time visualization of modifications, thereby streamlining the drawing process.

Jun 23, 2024

By John McCaslin

ONE of the most common technical terms in the U. S. today is automation-a word not listed in the 1946 dictionary. The influence of automation on the national economy has been tremendous. It has even been the subject of congressional investigations. Automation, writes Aronson, substitutes mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, and electronic devices for human effort and decision? Automatic devices and instruments are used extensively in some industries, but many others have yet to take full advantage of these great discoveries. The petroleum industry has been a leader in using automatic controls-some refineries are almost completely controlled by automatic devices. The field of geophysics is entirely dependent on instruments and has progressed at almost exactly the same rate as improvements in instrumentation. In metallurgy and mineral dressing use of instrumentation is increasing very rapidly. Mining engineers throughout the country are beginning to think in terms of instruments and controls.

Jan 3, 1958