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How is Digitalization Transforming the Face of Mining Industry?

Automotive | May, 2022

The mining sector has moved beyond the use of explosives and mechanized equipment introduced during the Industrial Revolution. Over time, mining techniques and technologies have evolved and improved, contributing to better practices and strong industrial growth. Currently, the mining industry is under pressure due to declining demand, price volatility, increased costs, undervalued product estimates, growing environmental threats, and rapidly aging mining facilities resulting in the extraction of low-grade ores. The global mining operations are 28% less productive than ten years ago. Hence, the mining industry is undergoing a major strategic transformation to improve productivity, enhance efficiency in operations, and increase profits.

Disrupting the initially established conservatism, digital tools and technologies, digital methods, systems, digitized data, and advanced analytics are being employed to varying degrees across all activities in the mining industry. Digitalization in the mining industry is unlocking new ways of managing variability and advancing the future of work. Adding equipment sensors and a unified network to transmit data, many mining companies have mechanized their operations to transition from physical to digital. Besides integrating data from on-field physical assets, the industry players can improve their ability to analyze real-time information and enhance remote support of work activities. Thanks to digitalization, many organizations are able to focus on driving system-level thinking and performance.

Modern technologies and digital tools changing the face of mining operations are as follows.


Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as Mine Scouts

Mining processes are highly labor-intensive and require continuous monitoring of assets. Manual inspections and surveying lead to many critical safety concerns that can result in injury or death within the mining industry while restricting the extent of endeavor. A mining block might stretch to hundreds of acres, for which the supervisors can take weeks or months to evaluate and take necessary action areas across the site. Besides, dangerous fumes and chemicals produced by waste generated from mining operations could create an inhospitable environment for supervisors during long inspection periods, making them susceptible to respiratory health conditions. Thus, drones seem like a viable solution for better and safer operations, reducing the health risks for those involved in scouting and management.

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with high-resolution visual and thermal cameras with multi-zoom capabilities have become an indispensable part of the modern mining industry. The supervisor is responsible for setting a flight plan covering the points of interest across the mining site and controlling the camera for a complete 360-degree view of each zone. Thus, drones reduce the time for scouting operations and increase the effectiveness and quality of inspections. The aerial vehicles can easily access hard-to-reach areas, maneuver through rough terrains and collect precious live surveillance data for immediately actionable insights. The use of drones enhances sustainability in the mining sector, reducing unregulated mining operations, often resulting in water contamination, air pollution, deforestation, and loss of human life.


Wireless Sensor Technologies for Efficient Operations

From changing environmental conditions to the explosion, mining operations involve a lot of potential hazards due to the cumbersome nature of machinery used. Hence, mining organizations have started leveraging wireless sensors to monitor various processes, keep personnel safe, and predict maintenance when required. One of the most common sensors used in mining sites is the gas sensor, which predicts the different fumes arising from the veins within the rocks during excavation. These odorless and colorless gases may contain hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride, carbon monoxide, and other hazardous chemicals, which can put miners' health at risk. Gas sensors measure the amount of gas released from the rocks and their effect on both personnel and machinery present at the mine site, which can help prevent accidents and loss of life. Mine workers need to do a lot of heavy lifting during mining, which reduces their concentration and makes them tired. Hence, they are now being fitted with tracking devices embedded with sensors to measure the level of tiredness so that they do not fall asleep or lose concentration.

Proximity sensors are being fitted on heavy machinery and vehicles used within the mine to alert the driver through visual or audible warnings and prevent any damage if they collide with other machinery or surroundings. Some sensors are also placed in pits, and underground mines where huge rock pieces and unstable rock faces/ceilings are present to prevent rock falls after operational measures. The sensors can be used to spot anomalous trends in data, which can potentially detect downtime in operations.