New technologies and their innovative application to mining plant and equipment are enabling miners to optimise plant processes and increase reliability through enhanced condition monitoring and maintenance strategies.
Infrastructure, equipment and machine components in the mining industry are subject to heavy wear and tear due to the nature of mining and processing operations, and all require continuous monitoring to diagnose faults early and take action to prevent costly downtime and shutdowns.
This includes haulage equipment, site infrastructure (especially in the context of underground mines), as well as core plant equipment such as pumps, fans, electric motors, cooling ovens, rotary kilns, and heat exchangers.
Systematic monitoring of condition parameters enables the detection of problems and supports follow-up of any abnormal systems, as well as tracking trends of failure processes.
Common methods of condition monitoring include vibration analysis, which uses accelerometers to measure the vibration of the asset, and ultrasonic analysis, which is used to detect sound abnormalities in electrical and mechanical systems.
These preventive techniques help miners eliminate equipment and structure failures, extend the time between shutdowns, reduce the duration of planned shutdowns, and shift maintenance strategies towards a more condition-based approach.
It is estimated that shutdowns can account for up to 50 per cent of a site’s total annual maintenance budget. Better-managed shutdowns can enhance operational performance and reduce costs by up to 30 per cent.
More often than not, process plant machinery is in hazardous and difficult-to-access areas, highlighting the need for automated methods of condition monitoring and preventative maintenance.
As technology has advanced, the number and types of parameters monitored by operators have increased significantly.
Belt conveyors are the most common type used across the industry, designed for low-cost transportation of materials up and down inclines, around obstacles, and over long distances, such as overland conveyors that connect mining pits with processing plants.
They are integral to a mine’s operational infrastructure, as they enable the safe and efficient movement of rock ore and other materials with low environmental impact.
As a core component of an operation’s processes, conveyors and their parts must be regularly inspected and properly maintained to ensure profitability and prevent unplanned downtime or shutdowns due to critical failures.
Well-maintained and operable undercarriage parts on tracked mining machines are vital to a mining operation’s bottom line, with maintenance costs for undercarriages accounting for more than 50 per cent of a machine’s lifetime cost.
The cost of a complete engine rebuild for a large mining dozer is about the same – US$250,000 – as it is for an undercarriage replacement, but over a period of 20,000 working hours, the dozer will need an engine rebuild possibly once, while the undercarriage will be replaced about four times.
The integration of new technologies into conveyor systems has not only enhanced safety outcomes and aligned with decarbonisation initiatives, but it has also encouraged the adoption of preventive maintenance techniques and led to innovations that extend component life.
These tools work together to collect near- or real-time data of potential system problems through sensors placed on a conveyor system’s rollers or pulleys, enabling operators to anticipate maintenance, avoid unplanned downtime, and improve belt reliability.
Types of data that can be obtained include track speed, misalignment, damage, thickness and wear, slippage, and temperature of the conveyor belts.
Sensor-based inspection methods enable data-assisted remote monitoring of a conveyor system’s condition, detecting potential damage at an early stage before it affects production.
They can also be used in conjunction with cloud computing and the Internet of Things to receive real-time alerts and reports from conveyor assets located anywhere in the world.
Advancements in robotics and drone technology have also enabled operators to perform shutdown maintenance activities remotely, greatly improving worker safety.
These new technologies can also help reduce the costs associated with corrosion-related infrastructure failures, as well as enhance preventive maintenance when paired with artificial intelligence or big data.
Increased digitalisation can provide a greater harness over data and analytics, which is becoming crucial for accurate and efficient maintenance shutdowns.
Unmanned aerial systems are a viable option to acquire high-quality inspection data while minimising health and safety risks associated with conventional methods.
Drones, in particular, have significantly replaced traditional inspection methods, including operational assessments and surveys, especially for structures that are difficult and potentially hazardous for human inspections.
They can conduct general visual inspections, close visual inspections, thermal inspections, and data collection for generating three- and four-dimensional models.