Underground mining and future expectations
Project Manager of Pars Olang Engineering and Consulting Company: The development of underground mining machinery as well as robots is remarkable and is constantly evolving. These systems have been piloted by designers and engineers for a long time and these machines have been used experimentally in some mines, but the acceptance of these systems by miners has had many problems in the beginning.
According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, there is written evidence that underground mining has been carried out in the region's mines since ancient Egypt, and the difficulty of work and, more importantly, the preservation of the environment have also been of concern to miners.
In 2018, studies conducted on mines have shown that the number of open pit mines in the world is among the highest, but indicators and forecasts confirm that sooner or later the extractable reserves of this type of mines will be depleted in the open, and given the growing demand for minerals, this should be Reserves should be extracted underground.
Due to the different and difficult conditions in underground mines and the unwillingness of human resources to work in closed and dangerous environments, the challenges of extraction have become very widespread and most experts believe that underground mines should be equipped with the most advanced remote control machines. How to install fortifications, blasting systems, loading and unloading outside the mine to be the most efficient using the minimum manpower in underground conditions.
The development of underground mining machinery as well as robots is remarkable and is constantly evolving. These systems have been piloted by designers and engineers for a long time and these machines have been used experimentally in some mines, but the acceptance of these systems by miners has had many problems in the beginning.
The first advanced underground mining machines were used in 1970, but for some reason their operation was not approved and they became a bit infamous. Some looked to their future with caution, while others bet on their progress and widespread use in the mines, believing that these technologies could not be strong enough to replace manpower in the underground mines.
A few years later, with a view to foresight, the Queensland University of Technology in Australia set a large budget for research and development in the field of machinery, and put on the agenda and strengthened the construction of remote-controlled mining machinery. The university team presented the results of their work in 2017 at the Behnam Automation and Robotics Conference in Australia.
One of the smart mining technologies is the Simba 7 Atlas Copco smart mineral drill, which has sophisticated sensors that quickly detects rock from tailings and applies it to the mineral. Another new system is the Davi Tonic underground system, which is an advanced system of underground mining operations and with a high level of safety and suitable technical features that are also accepted by miners, is a new generation of underground explosion system. By using this system, the operator can perform an ideal destruction that is very effective in mining efficiency and minimizes vibrations in the lower levels.
Changes in underground mining machines and the use of robots are spreading rapidly, and this is an important need for the future of mining and environmental protection.
To build a better mineral future, the world needs to pursue a productive and responsible way to extract deep, subsurface minerals. In the long run, the mineral world of the world will be one of those that can change methods and adapt to new conditions.
Bahram Farzad - Project Manager of Pars Olang Engineering and Consulting Company - Samat
