Downloaded 127 times
Uploaded byAnglo American
Mining and innovation: a fresh approach
This document outlines a presentation by Donovan Waller on innovative approaches to mining, highlighting the need for radical transformation in the industry due to lagging R&D and productivity. It introduces the FuturesmartTM initiative, which aims to create sustainable mining practices through technology and collaborative efforts among stakeholders. The document also discusses open forums designed to integrate diverse perspectives, fostering innovation in mining, processing, and sustainability.
More Related Content
Similar to Mining and innovation: a fresh approach
Mining and innovation: a fresh approach
- 1. MINING AND INNOVATION A FRESH APPROACH Donovan Waller – Group Head of Technology Development 3DS – Las Vegas – 11th November, 2014
- 2. 2 A FRESHAPPROACH • Introduction • Video clip • What is FutureSmartTM? • Open Forums • We’ve been busy…
- 3. 3 Mining have traditionally been laggards in R&D Mining technology trends Decline in mining multifactor productivity Information technology has matured Robotics is maturing Look for inspiration from within and outside of the industry WHERE WE ARE COMING FROM • We need to do things differently • Require radical transformation
- 4.
- 5. 5 WHAT ISFUTURESMARTTM • It’s a response to the global drive for a more sustainable approach to mining – economically, socially and environmentally • It brings together a number of our value-creating initiatives that use innovation and/or technology as an enabler to deliver greater value from our broader mining activities • It positions Anglo American at the leading edge of technology development and innovation in mining • Holistic approach: how technology can benefit entire systems, not just parts of them • Open and collaborative approach to bring benefits to the mining industry • We are looking for sustainable, lasting change
- 6. 6 OPEN FORUMS • What are Open Forums? – Open Forums bring together stakeholders with different perspectives, to reframe grand challenges and deliver a vision and a roadmap – Create win-win relationships – The benefit to Anglo American is in integration and know-how • Why Open Forums? – Integrated thinking and broad collaborative partnerships can drive rapid progress from idea to application – Sharing of costs, risk & reward – Novel approach to IP management • Our 3 Open Forums: – Mining – Processing – Sustainability OPEN INNOVATION APPROACH TO SOLVING MINING’S GRAND CHALLENGES OEMs OTMs Specialists Peers Research Groups Partners Parallel Industries Gurus Open Innovation
- 7. 7 WE’VE BEENBUSY…
- 8. 8 3D INFORMATION Richer information sets make for better and faster decisions
- 9. 9 TRANSFORMING UNDERGROUNDMINING 1 1 Continuous mining machines devoid of blast cycles 1 1
- 10. 10 UNDERGROUND AUTOMATION Removing people from hazards Exploiting lost time Driving process stability
- 11. 11 A FRESHAPPROACH TO FLEET AUTOMATION • Breaking the paradigm – Retrofit to existing fleets – Multi-OEM capable – Modular – Robust
- 12. 12 … drivingthe game-changing innovation in mining TM
- 13.
- 14. 14 FIND THISPRESENTATION AND VIDEO… bit.ly/FutureSmart2
Editor's Notes
- #4 Decline in mining multi-factor productivity Scope and quality is declining Cost and energy per unit mined is increasing Skilled labour is stretched and must do more Demand for improved and sustained productivity Efficient use of assets Mining technology trends General to selective mining Direct mechanised to remote automated Batch to continuous Energy and water efficient Modeling, simulation & real-time optimization Intelligent machines Information Technology has matured Communications Big data – geospatial aware Smart devices & internet of things Robotics is maturing Autonomous vehicles gaining prominence UAVs are common-place Advances in mining robotics Look for inspiration from within and without the industry Manufacturing & process industries Oil & gas Military Agriculture We need to do things differently Mining have traditionally been laggards in R&D Require radical transformation
- #6 FutureSmart is a response to the global drive for a more sustainable approach to mining – economically, socially and environmentally. We are using innovation and technology to find safer, more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and more sustainable ways to unlock mineral value True to our DNA we explore the horizon from a 360 perspective. It brings together a number of different initiatives that use innovation and/or technology as an enabler to deliver greater value from our broader mining activities FutureSmart positions Anglo American at the leading edge of technology development and innovation in mining, thereby attracting people to the company and retaining the right people. Systems approach: how technology can benefit entire systems, not just parts of them FutureSmart demonstrates how Anglo American takes an open and collaborative approach to bring benefits to the mining industry. We are looking for sustainable, lasting change
- #7 What are Open Forums? Open innovation approach to solving mining’s grand challenges (explain the concept of grand challenges) Open Forums bring together stakeholders with different perspectives, to reframe grand challenges and deliver a vision and a roadmap to solutions guru Create win-win relationships, where the benefit to Anglo American is in integration and know-how. Here you can explore the concept of people participating in an Open Forum with different objectives and the solution will need to address all the different objectives. Why Open Forums? Integrated thinking and broad collaborative partnerships can drive rapid progress from idea to application Sharing of costs, risk & reward Benefit to Anglo American is in integration and know-how Novel approach to IP management Our 3 Open Forums Mining, Processing, Sustainability Each solving one Grand Challenge (can we mention at least one?) Focussed on systems not technologies where, Excellent business payback if successful, In areas of rapidly evolving technology opportunities, Where pathway to execute the new technology is clear and, There is potential for intangible benefits, Partners OEMs, OTMs, Research groups, Specialists, Peers, Parallel Industries
- #9 What? We are linking time and space coordinates to things that matter – resource, machines, product, quality (Geo-referenced data) and … … co-locating this information spacially Why? … to create richer information to make better and faster decisions. Simply put - extra dimensions provide useful information not easily noticed in 2 dimensions How? Link up our geospatial data sources and make them available in the format required to whoever needs them in our business (Multiple contributors & consumers) What are we addressing to get this right? A fresh approach to information management where architectures are integrated, data is managed and new risks created by the technology are mitigated 3D data management Architecture Data Management Integration Risk Management Visualisation
- #10 Gaining access to deep ores using conventional drill & blast operations is slow (2-10m per day) and has many hazards that must be continually and carefully managed to ensure safe operations. Why do we drill and blast? Rock is hard and traditional mine geometries require tight turns not available in current tunneling technologies. Once at the ore, depending on the ore type, the mine is usually hot and damp with constricted workspaces – a place better suited to machines. Traditional drill & blast methods dictate that areas are vacated prior to blasting and process of exit and re-entry limit the time available for production. What? With our partners we are developing continuous mining machines, oblivious to blast cycles, allowing for more effective production time and faster production rates (5x). How? By utilising both known, compression cutting, and novel new undercutting methods we transition from inefficient batch operations to more efficient and stable continuous operations. Machines are designed and configured to allow for flexibility of tunnel profiles and cutting operations. These new technologies are considered in systems and hence the machines are combined with new mining layouts and continuous haulage systems to match. Efficiency and productivity Continuous hard-rock development replaces drill & blast Continuous reef mining Continuous haulage Partnerships: Sandvik, Atlas Copco, Joy Mining
- #11 Knowing now that underground is dark, damp, cramped and dirty – the place is best left to machines and we should only have to visit when we have to. Hence the need for automation but there are challenges: No gps to position yourself Communications are difficult in an ever expanding web of small narrow tunnels No natural light Lots of obstacles Steep angles up to 25 degrees What? With our partner, CMU, we have developed a suite of underground automation technologies that will enable us to automate operations: We have had to invent the equivalent of underground GPS to know where we are We create accurate 3D maps to centimetre accuracy at a rate of x metres per hour with no mapping skills required of our remote robot handlers High fidelity imagery is geospatially referenced as described earlier allowing for detailed remote analysis of conditions Active collision avoidance ensures that machines don’t crash unnecessarily thus preserving our costly machines and ensuring that on the odd occasion when people are necessary underground that they remain safe around our machines Automation technologies allow for machines to navigate their work areas unaided and perform tasks with minimal supervision When? Our first commercial mapping unit will produced next year Enabling automate operations: Active collision avoidance systems Map-based, infrastructure independent localisation technology Rapid, high fidelity 3D mapping technology Automated tramming and task execution Solid state sensing
- #12 The challenge: In open cast mining automation is generally easier but the challenges are of a systems nature: We operate multi-OEM fleets but automation today is limited to single OEM solutions and on specific models only We could benefit from automation today but we have to buy new fleets that are automation enabled or new models that are automation ready OEMs are reluctant to relinquish control of automation systems and safety is always a concern Costs are astronomical as the supply market is small Breaking the paradigm: By working with our partners we were able to create automation kits that are retrofittable to multi-OEM fleets and as a result we have the first multi-OEM automation solution This means that we can reduce our capital spend and fit kits to existing fleets Extensive effort has been spent on developing enriched approaches to safety testing that brings new levels of operating confidence