The Chilean Santo Domingo Sur copper deposit is a good example of a mine discovered with the help of a gravity gradiometer. Since then they have been used successfully at a number of diamond mines including the Ekati diamond mine in Canada, Abner pipe in Australia, near the Finsch mine as well as a number of iron ore, gold and copper bearing multi-mineral deposits. The precision improvements offered by the new device are expected to further drive the success in exploration efforts by mining companies.Īirborne gravity gradiometers were developed way back in the 1980s by Bell Aerospace (now Lockheed Martin) and BHP Billiton, and were first used in mining by BHP Billiton which used it to explore for diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes in 1999. The device has undergone a series of flight tests and improvements since 2010. The VK1, operated from an aircraft, incorporates technology to measure subtle changes in the Earth’s gravity field and uses the data to produce a density map which can be used to identify ore bodies, which are otherwise hard to detect. Named after the University’s physicist Dr Frank Van Kann, who invented the technology, the device has been 30 years in the making. The University of Western Australia in collaboration with Rio Tinto has developed an advanced gradiometer known as VK1 airborne gravity gradiometer in an attempt to find a solution to exploration challenges. Networking companies such as Cisco are currently working with industry partners to deliver IoT-based solutions specifically meant for the mining industry.Īdvanced airborne gravity gradiometer technology for mineral explorationĮxploration for mineral bodies is time-consuming and expensive, making an unsuccessful attempt extremely costly. The IoT platform can not only improve traceability and visibility of the entire mining operation but also enable computers to observe, identify and understand different facets of mining operations without human intervention and to automate and improve the maintenance and operation of machines. The technology involves connecting machines, fleet and people with unique identifiers based on radio frequency identification device (RFID) and sensor technologies while allowing them to automatically transfer and receive data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Internet of Things, an emerging network technology based on the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and the Internet, can potentially transform the mining industry by creating new ways of maintaining mine safety and productivity. Although unsuccessful, as it became stuck after a few feet, the deployment nevertheless demonstrated the potential of using robots in areas where humans can’t even enter. The world’s first mine rescue robot ANDROS Wolverine, developed by Remotec for MSHA, was deployed during the Sago mine explosion in 2006. The use of robots in rescue operations also represents a promising technology. Samples, in the form of 80kg lots, arrive at volumes as high as 40 per minute. The robots, working in an enclosed environment, carry the samples quickly through the various devices used for determining the sample properties and quality. Rio Tinto also received two new robots from Germany in May 2013 for its iron ore sample station at Cape Lambert port, which will ensure the iron ore product meets the required specifications.
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