A study of underground mine automation

Abstract

A review of automation, robotics and communications technology has established the need for the development of a communications infrastructure capable of supporting future underground hard rock mine automation systems. A series of underground experiments were undertaken at Copper Cliff North Mine to evaluate the design criteria and performance of several communications infrastructures. The work successfully demonstrated the capability of real-time operation of voice, data and stationary video communication as well as surface-to-underground tele-operation of a load-haul-dump machine. This was achieved with a communications system consisting of a broadband bus linked to leaky feeder coaxial cables by means of distributed antenna translators. The success of the trials permitted a strategy for mine automation to be devised. The economic benefits of mine automation were estimated by means of economic models developed for the mine. Projected benefits, evaluated in terms of mining cost reduction, throughput time and quality improvement, were concluded to be significant. As a result of the analysis, future research and development is concluded to be best targeted at improving ore grade, optimizing process productivity and maximizing machine utilization.