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Featured Article: Seeing Clearly

Published by , Editorial Assistant
Global Mining Review,


Heidi Schmidt, Opticom, USA, delves into how automation, in particular video monitoring, is meeting mining challenges.

When it comes to harsh environments and working conditions, there are few more challenging industries than mining. The first concern of every mine operator is the security and wellbeing of their employees. This is why operators aim for zero injuries and zero loss of life.

In an industry as heavily regulated as the mining one, any incident or accident, no matter how small, is heavily scrutinised and analysed. In turn, this inevitably leads to some or all of the mine’s operations being stopped indefinitely or until the investigation is finished.

If any regulation breaches are found, the mining company can lose their license to operate, which leads to even greater losses.

As the world’s appetite for high-value minerals is constantly increasing, these are just a few of the challenges that mine operators have to face. There are countless other reasons why mining operations can be halted temporarily: equipment failure, post-incident maintenance and repair, unscheduled repairs, and so on.

Today, technology can help mitigate some of these risks and challenges. For instance, with the advances in mining equipment, some mines can be run virtually autonomously or with a skeleton crew.

While it reduces injury risks and safety concerns, high-autonomy operations need to be constantly monitored so that any problems that may arise are identified and fixed immediately. Video monitoring plays a key role here. Whether a mine is run autonomously or with a full crew, video monitoring can mitigate risks, prevent accidents from happening, and help avoid costly downtime.

Using video monitoring to bypass poor visibility

Contrary to popular belief, not all mines are underground or made up of long, intricate, dark tunnels. However, poor visibility and dust are common characteristics of all mines – be they underground or aboveground.

In low-visibility areas, technologies designed to cope with low light or even pitch darkness can make a world of difference. Infrared cameras can pick up details that the human eye could never distinguish. They can provide high-resolution video streams in the most challenging lighting conditions.

This technology comes in handy in both heavily automated and human-led mining operations. Infrared cameras monitor and display heat signatures and help human operators notice even the slightest changes in temperature.

When the operator notices red blots in areas where there shouldn’t be any, they know it’s a sign of equipment malfunction or a sign of a miner in a restricted area. They know they need to raise the alarm.

Monitoring the feed of infrared cameras can be done on-site, near the site, or from a distance. Mining customers often choose wireless connectivity for onsite cameras that send video feeds to off-site monitors. This helps operators run machinery without the fear of damaged cables or losing video feed and also provides longer distances from camera to monitor. Once again, helping alleviate safety concerns of safety, operation uptime, and more.

Dealing with dust and mitigating the risk it poses

Dust is an inherent byproduct of mining. Mines move and process tonnes of dirt every day and the result of that can oftentimes be seen from a distance. Dust comes with its own challenges. On the one hand, it hampers visibility. It is hard to see through clouds of dust – both with the naked eye as well as with regular cameras.

Infrared cameras can help with visibility, but they come with another problem: very few cameras can withstand the amount of dust in a mine. This is why camera manufacturers like Opticom work on creating video monitoring solutions that are specifically designed for the mining industry.

Video components are sensitive and they need to be steady in order to capture the images mining operators need. They have to be encased in a virtually indestructible material (like a titanium alloy) that protects them from dust, moisture, extreme temperatures, and vibration. Mine video monitoring requires robust cameras that don’t need to be replaced when exposed to a little (or a lot of) dust.

Addressing the risks associated with mining machines through video monitoring

One of the biggest challenges of mining operations comes from the sheer size and weight of the machines used in this industry, which can weigh up to 11 000 t. Large, heavy equipment is used to transport dirt, minerals, and rocks around the mining site and, needless to say, these expensive pieces of machinery can pose significant risks to human lives when they malfunction.

In fact, the risks they pose are twofold: the lives of the employees come first, seconded by the risk of capital loss. An accident between a mining vehicle and machinery can cost up to a few million dollars, not to mention the added cost of mining disruptions.

This is where ruggedised onboard cameras come into play. They enhance the awareness of the machine operators and the drivers, as well as their safety. By being able to ‘see’ what the human eye cannot, cameras equipped with thermal imagery can prevent accidents, loss of life, and mining disruptions. If an accident does happen, these cameras can help with the investigation. The images they captured can be used for safety training.

Just like in the case of fixed cameras, they need to be fit for harsh mining environments. The ability to withstand noise, dust, high vibrations, and more is crucial if they are to meet their purpose of enhancing safety and streamlining operations.

More than safety: streamlining mining operations through video monitoring Safety is the number one concern of mine operators, and rightly so. However, video monitoring can have additional benefits for this industry.

A ruggedised camera manufacturer, Opticom, has noticed its customers use the rugged CC02 and CC04 cameras in two major areas: better security and enhanced operational efficiency.

The cost of the machinery mentioned above (in the million-dollar range for many of the pieces of equipment used in mines) is just the tip of the iceberg. Mining sites are also attractive because of precious minerals.

This comes with additional problems, uncommon in other industries: the economic loss is obvious. What is less obvious is the risk to the lives of the criminals. They are rarely trained in mining, so they can easily injure themselves during a robbery, leaving the mining operator liable in some cases.

Moreover, mining sites typically cover huge surface areas that are impossible to monitor by security agents. Thus, surveillance cameras are must-haves. A combination of rugged and thermal imaging cameras can enhance the security of the mining perimeter.

Rugged cameras on mining sites can identify perimeter breaches and reduce false alarms far better than security agents and at a fraction of the cost. Mining operators can also add an audio system to communicate with intruders and broadcast audio warnings.

Last but not least, video monitoring can help streamline mining operations and avoid costly disruptions. By spotting incidents and equipment malfunctions before they turn into a site-wide problem, video monitoring can save mining operators hundreds of thousands of dollars each week.

A classic example is related to conveyor belts, the one piece of equipment that keeps operations streamlined by removing minerals, rocks, and soil from the mining site. When a conveyor belt malfunctions or halts, everything has to stop.

Mine managers can mitigate this risk by placing cameras along critical points of the conveyor belts and tying them to load sensors. When a belt is overloaded, the operators are alerted automatically. They can get visual confirmation through the video stream and they can stop the conveyor belt before it tears.

Using the right cameras for mining operations

Off-the-shelf cameras will have a very short life on a mining site. In fact, any un-ruggedised piece of electronic equipment (even a phone) is bound to break down within a couple of days due to exposure to dust, heat, and vibration.

In mining, working with ruggedised cameras is about more than optimising costs. Of course, this is an added benefit – even if standard cameras are relatively cheap, the cost of replacing them weekly will add up quickly.

But the real benefit stems from having an uninterrupted stream that operators can rely on. Cameras from industrial providers like Opticom come with anti-vibration mounts and ruggedised housings, which ensure superior image quality and reliability.

Oftentimes, if the camera feed is interrupted, everything needs to be halted – especially in automated mining operations. A full day of halted activities is more expensive than any industrial video monitoring system. Thus, choosing the right cameras for the right place is about more than optimising costs. It’s about preventing loss.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/special-reports/17052023/featured-article-seeing-clearly/

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