When it comes to prioritizing digital transformation outcomes, operational efficiency tops the list of both short-term and long-term goals. In fact, some sources indicate that while worldwide mining productivity is starting to improve, gains have been modest – and levels are still below those of more than a decade ago. Mines must increase output while controlling capital costs and improving the efficiency of existing assets.
Given the extraordinary number of variables involved within a mining operation, pinpointing the sources of inefficiency – and improving productivity – is challenging. A typical mine does not have a lack of data. In fact, the number of collected variables from a haul truck alone can be in the thousands. Today’s mines recognize that through digital transformation, they can achieve better analysis of those variables – and uncover insights that optimize production schedules and maximize revenue.
Some of the largest mining companies in the world are already harnessing the power of connected operations to significantly transform their operations. They’re using connected devices and smart machines to capture real-time process information and make better business decisions. They’re gaining deeper insights into their equipment to improve asset productivity. They’re identifying and reducing variability across their processes, and they’re using greater connectivity to establish remote-operations centers and support autonomous material transportation.
Four Tips for Creating a Connected Mine
- Modernize and standardize control equipment and software for system interoperability across the entire mining enterprise and consistent performance measurement across sites.
- Use production intelligence software to obtain a cohesive view of seemingly disparate mining data. Such software can provide context for relationships among mining equipment, raw materials, ore and people to help optimize process control and maximize production. A modern distributed control system with integrated control and information-gathering capabilities provides the means for collecting the intelligence and acting on it.
- Use model predictive control (MPC) software to help operators push equipment to its limits. MPC software has been shown to successfully increase throughput by up to 8 percent in mining applications, as well as reduce variability by 45 percent and emissions by 35 percent.
- Deploy a defense-in-depth (DiD) security approach to mitigate potential risks. While the connected mine promises tremendous benefit, it also brings security concerns to the forefront. DiD is a recommended best security practice that uses multiple layers of protection through a combination of physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards.
A connected mine is transformative but it does not need to be a complete overhaul of a company’s existing infrastructure. Much of the data sought already exists within a company’s systems – it just lacks a means of being collected, analyzed, and shared. Taking the necessary steps to migrate control systems and pull together historically disparate systems will create the foundation to mine this data, reduce safety risks, and achieve a new level of operational intelligence to improve productivity and global competitiveness.
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Article Source: Rockwell Automation