Page 60 - 25 Reasons

UNDERGROUND WI-FI
t Anglo American’s Goedehoop and
Zibulo Collieries in Mpumalanga, as well
Aas Dishaba platinum mine in Limpopo,
communication has been improved a
thousandfold thanks to the installation of Wi-Fi
infrastructure underground.
The coal mining sector previously had fixed
lines installed, and mine workers had to
travel long distances underground if
they needed to make contact with
the surface as telephones were
not portable. GAME
Adolph Nhlapo, engineering
manager at Goedehoop
Colliery, says: “Our people are ON
now able to communicate in a
manner that is effective and
efficient because they can
immediately contact the right
person for a specific query [instead of
going through an operator]. They can
now also attach pictures and videos of the
problem so that it can be solved faster because
the expert can see the problem in real time.
“We can also use Wi-Fi capabilities to track Drone operators performing mapping and surveys of all the mine pits at Kolomela mine,
where the equipment is and monitor it to reduce one of the innovations ensuring better safety
inefficiencies.”
R10 million, Nhlapo believes that, once rolled out DRONES
DRONES
The reason it has taken so long, he says, is
because the infrastructure was just not available
underground, and because of the cost and safety
issues of the equipment. Costing in the region of
to all of Anglo American’s operations, the cost will
come down.
This underground Wi-Fi technology was piloted & XBOXES
at Zibulo Colliery last year and has also been
recently launched at Anglo American Platinum’s
Amandelbult Complex’s Dishaba mine.
DRONES With technology, the mines of tomorrow are
already here, and they are safer and more efficient.
ranco Grobler, the engineer for survey
technology (AKA “head of drones”) at
FKumba Iron Ore’s Kolomela mine in the Whether it’s using drones to map pits or installing
Northern Cape, has been using drones for the underground Wi-Fi to make communication easier,
past two years for pit mapping to create “3-D
models to calculate how many tons we have Anglo American is at the forefront of technological
mined and what we still can mine, and for
making mosaics for planning purposes”. innovation, reports Muhammad Hussain
Grobler says drones are used for equipment
inspections and to prevent accidents as they can
be equipped with thermal cameras and image Kolomela is the control room. As you enter, you firing line and can operate equipment more
sensors to detect overheating and defects in hear the hum of computers working at high effectively”.
equipment. speed; there’s a huge monitor in front showing Du Plooy says the operators have very little to
Another use is to make sure blasting sites are the live feeds from the pits and another with a do; they adjust their coordinates and settings,
safe ahead of detonation and to record data for 2-D map of all the pits. and only use the Xbox controllers for minor
the analytics team to use in their reports to This is where the robotic drill operators sit adjustments.
management. and where all the mine’s operations are A big map in the centre of the control room
Grobler is confident drones will be managed from. tracks all haulers, trucks and equipment, while
commonplace in mines of the future, but is On each of the autonomous drillers’ desks sits also managing the routes and pit health to
sceptical about some of the virtual reality an Xbox controller, an access control box, three ensure operations run smoothly.
innovations for them. monitors, and a keyboard and mouse. From this “All our software is coded by third parties, but
“We can use virtual reality, but, currently we air-conditioned room, they can precisely drill tailored for us,” he says. “Artificial intelligence is
are still investigating feasible applications,” he double the number of holes than if they were used where possible, but still leaves vital
says, adding that they are constantly exploring actually on site, allowing for a faster, safer and processes in the hands of the people in the
what technology will or won’t work at a mine, more efficient process. control room.
and only use what will improve the mines’ Ludi du Plooy, one of the managers in “When technologies are released, we analyse
production efficiencies and human safety. the control room, says that “the most important it and, if it will improve our systems and
The most tech’ed out place on the mine in thing is that our people are taken out of the management, we deploy it as soon as possible.”
60 ANGLO AMERICAN 25 REASONS TO BELIEVE