Drone technology proving to be a game changer in mining
In a first for the local mining industry, Anglo American subsidiary Kumba Iron Ore is now licensed to fly its own remotely piloted drones, according to Bongi Ntsoelengoe, technology manager at Kumba Iron Ore.
He says Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore has worked through two years of complex legal, governance and logistical challenges to earn an operating licence to fly its own Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS; also known as drones), and already the technology is proving a game changer at its Sishen mine.
“The drones have optimised surveying processes in terms of time and coverage, including being able to gain access to constricted areas,” says Ntsoelengoe. “Routine tasks historically carried out by surveyors, such as measuring the volume of waste dumps and stockpiles, are now being done by our drones. The drones collect digital imagery that is pieced together to perform volume calculations, giving us reliable data without having to put anyone at risk.
“Kumba has also recently demonstrated the use of drones to conduct engineering inspections for equipment that cannot be easily accessed, which dramatically eliminates the safety risk.”
Glen Mc Gavigan, executive head of technical and projects at Kumba Iron Ore, says drone technology has facilitated the collection, and subsequent processing, of more data than in the past, and this is pushing innovation mine-wide as data management processes are enhanced to ensure that other functional areas also benefit from the technology.
“Our drones have improved survey turnaround time on large dataset deliveries tremendously, and large datasets can now be acquired with much less time being spent in the field. We can inspect, monitor and survey large mining areas without impacting on operations. Using drones also eliminates employees’ exposure to potential dangers, especially when compared with the old conventional survey methods.”
Ntsoelengoe says drones can also be used to survey accident scenes and areas that could be unsafe for workers to enter.
Various subsidiaries of the Anglo American group have been using drones at their operations since late 2015, but have leased the units and been reliant on outside service providers. This licence to operate its own drones — with its own pilots and at heights of up to 1,000 feet above ground — is the result of diligent groundwork and millions of rands’ worth of investment.
ZIBULO COLLIERY HAS INTRODUCED WI-FI INFRASTRUCTURE AND SMARTPHONES TO REVOLUTIONISE COMMUNICATION
So far, five staff have been trained to pilot the drones, and they’re licensed by the SA Civil Aviation Authority.
Anglo American has also established new working practices, such as scheduling flights, flight navigation and craft maintenance. As skills-sets go, these are new to the Anglo American group, and the company is looking forward to developing further new skills as drone technology evolves.
In another innovative first for Anglo American in SA, its Zibulo colliery has introduced Wi-Fi infrastructure and smartphones to revolutionise communication underground. Says Zanne-Mari Meyer, business improvement manager for Anglo American’s Zibulo colliery: “This development has evolved with the introduction of a series of mobile apps that optimise productivity, speed up decision making and give employees the information they need, when and where they need it.
“This technology was first trialled in 2016 and the full implementation was concluded in June 2017. The fixed underground telephones used previously were unreliable and reaching them required a long walk. Employees would often need to return the surface to get a message to a colleague, report a problem or access production critical information.
“Smartphones have changed all this. They enable instant communication from underground to the surface, from the surface underground and from one underground location to the other, but — at their core — they are tools that can be used for so much more.”
Meyer says 200 frontline employees are equipped with devices that look and work the same way as an ordinary smartphone. However, they are intrinsically safe and designed to withstand harsh conditions.
Apart from being able to make voice calls via an app called CSIP Simple, employees can use Cisco Spark to send text messages and photographs. They can send and received documents such as policies, procedure and section plans.
“In the past, foremen would sometimes only get around to reporting a machine fault at the end of a shift — now they can get in touch with the responsible people on the spot,” says Meyer.
Work management has also been made more efficient with an app called Fewzion. Underground personnel can view all tasks scheduled for the day on the screen, tick them off once they have been completed and provide status updates on work in progress. At the same time, the supervisor on the surface has an accurate picture of how work is progressing.
Meyer says the app provides live data that could previously only be retrieved via the control room, which means that key personnel have round the clock access to critical information that can prevent or address unnecessary downtime.