Making the most of scarce assets
Advanced digital mine planning tools from Sandvik allow mining companies to maximize the recovery of metals and minerals in a sustainable way. Here’s how.
The shift to renewable energy sources and electric transportation are cornerstones in the global energy transition. The technologies behind the shift, however, rest on a handful of minerals and metals for which exploration and extraction need to increase rapidly. Consequently, new ore bodies must be discovered, while production in existing mines needs to become more efficient and sustainable given the declining ore grades of deposits that have been mined for decades.
Digital mining supports increased extraction of the metals required for the green transition and Sandvik offers a wide selection of digital tools that make exploration and mine planning more efficient.
Riku Pulli - President of Digital Mining Technologies“All ore bodies are unique and to make the most of each one you need a detailed plan for how to develop the mine and run the operation over a decade or more,” says Riku Pulli, President of Digital Mining Technologies at Sandvik. To this end, Deswik, a Sandvik company, has developed 3D mine design and planning tools that assist in creating a model of the mine and help decide exactly where tunnels and production areas should be located.
“Digital mining removes the lid of a mine to provide an overview in real time of what’s really going on down there, which was not possible before. You can react quicker and undertake process optimization,” adds Pulli.
“The objective of digital mine planning is to maximize the use of natural resources in the most efficient and sustainable manner,” says Elen Toodu, Business Development Director at Sandvik. “Digital mining enables mining of deposits that would not have been economically viable or even dangerous in the past. Digital input from the extraction process is used to continuously optimize mine planning.”
Sandvik tools help design the mines from the start to be as efficient and environmentally sustainable as possible. “In addition, digital tools enable autonomous equipment such as AutoMine®, which let you run mines more efficiently and minimize waste and machine downtime,” says Toodu. “You can be much more accurate in deciding where to mine, and adjust and optimize in real time.”
A safer workplace
Elen Toodu - Business Development DirectorDigital tools and autonomous mining also lead to a safer workplace. “They make it possible to go deeper and operate in hazardous environments without exposing humans,” says Toodu. Increased safety also comes from the ability to install collision avoidance systems. “One of the most common types of injuries in underground mining are actually related to traffic accidents,” says Pulli. “Miners can be fitted with technology warning them when they come too close to a vehicle and the equipment automatically slows down or stops when approaching a person.”
The payoff comes quickly
Digitalizing a mining operation is obviously easier with greenfield operations, but even mines that have been worked for over a century stand to gain from the introduction of new technology. “We recommend a gradual approach, since there is a lot of change management involved,” says Toodu. “Running a mine without any people underground is indeed a big shift.”
She reports that some miners claim to miss the sound of drilling in the beginning. “But once they learn to trust the automation and sensors doing their job, they get to appreciate working in a clean environment and getting a fresh cup of coffee whenever they feel like it.”
To the mining operators, the payoff from digital investments comes quickly. One Sandvik customer in Australia reports that installing new software to monitor and optimize fleet dispatching brought a 20 percent increase in productivity and a 70 percent increase in compliance to plan.
“That’s a lot, given that they produce 20 million tons a year,” says Pulli. “The gains in workplace safety alone, however, is reason enough for many customers.”
Digital digs deeper
Sandvik-owned Deswik is a leading provider of mine planning solutions, with a portfolio including software for computer-aided 3D mine design, scheduling, operations planning, mining data management and geological mapping. Deswik software is used by mining professionals, including mining engineers, geologists, surveyors and operational personnel for a range of tasks throughout the mine planning process.
“Our solutions free up our users’ time and give them the tools they need to create better plans, examine more scenarios, and consequently drive value,” says Calliope Lalousis, COO at Deswik.
Deswik’s integrated solution seamlessly links mine design and scheduling tasks. Data and workflows are streamlined across teams and systems, enabling management of design solids in the CAD platform. Any changes are dynamically reflected in their associated scheduling tasks in real-time. “Our software solutions aim to help mining operators improve their efficiency, minimize waste, and improve sustainability,” adds Lalousis.