VR-based digital twin for remote monitoring of mining equipment:Architecture and a case study

Background Traditional methods for monitoring mining equipment rely primarily on visual inspections,which are time-consuming,inefficient,and hazardous.This article introduces a novel approach to monitoring mission-critical systems and services in the mining industry by integrating virtual reality(VR)and digital twin(DT)technologies.VR-based DTs enable remote equipment monitoring,advanced analysis of machine health,enhanced visualization,and improved decision making.Methods This article presents an architecture for VR-based DT development,including the developmental stages,activities,and stakeholders involved.A case study on the condition monitoring of a conveyor belt using real-time synthetic vibration sensor data was conducted using the proposed methodology.The study demonstrated the application of the methodology in remote monitoring and identified the need for further development for implementation in active mining operations.The article also discusses interdisciplinarity,choice of tools,computational resources,time and cost,human involvement,user acceptance,frequency of inspection,multiuser environment,potential risks,and applications beyond the mining industry.Results The findings of this study provide a foundation for future research in the domain of VR-based DTs for remote equipment monitoring and a novel application area for VR in mining.

Enhancing XRF sensor-based sorting of porphyritic copper ore using particle swarm optimization-support vector machine(PSO-SVM)algorithm

X-ray fluorescence(XRF)sensor-based ore sorting enables efficient beneficiation of heterogeneous ores,while intraparticle heterogeneity can cause significant grade detection errors,leading to misclassifications and hindering widespread technology adoption.Accurate classification models are crucial to determine if actual grade exceeds the sorting threshold using localized XRF signals.Previous studies mainly used linear regression(LR)algorithms including simple linear regression(SLR),multivariable linear regression(MLR),and multivariable linear regression with interaction(MLRI)but often fell short attaining satisfactory results.This study employed the particle swarm optimization support vector machine(PSO-SVM)algorithm for sorting porphyritic copper ore pebble.Lab-scale results showed PSO-SVM out-performed LR and raw data(RD)models and the significant interaction effects among input features was observed.Despite poor input data quality,PSO-SVM demonstrated exceptional capabilities.Lab-scale sorting achieved 93.0%accuracy,0.24%grade increase,84.94%recovery rate,57.02%discard rate,and a remarkable 39.62 yuan/t net smelter return(NSR)increase compared to no sorting.These improvements were achieved by the PSO-SVM model with optimized input combinations and highest data quality(T=10,T is XRF testing times).The unsuitability of LR methods for XRF sensor-based sorting of investigated sample is illustrated.Input element selection and mineral association analysis elucidate element importance and influence mechanisms.

Sustainability and Public Engagement in Mining： The Role of Engineers

Social issues are increasingly recognized as significant inhibitors to mineral development projects. Increasingly, social risk is being recognized as a key factor determining the success of a mineral investment. Groups opposed to a mine for social or political reasons otten use environmental impacts, real or perceived, to prevent mine development. These risk factors depend largely on cultural perceptions of mining activities and must be understood as such in order to be appropriately managed. A first step to addressing social issues is inclusive, transparent and meaningful engagement of stakeholders. This process allows stakeholders to understand what the other parties value in order to collectively establish a common currency for development and the creation of mutual value. Expanding the scope of benefits and values a mine can bring is of increasing importance to mining companies who typically consult outside specialists remote from the mine site and late in the development timeline for this purpose. Training technical staff, engineers and geologists, who make initial and ongoing contact with local interests, in a holistic approach to mine development is crucial to successful and economic mineral development projects. Further extending this conversation to the genera/ public, media governments and non-govemmental organizations is a necessary step in developing a meaningful discourse on the benefit of mining activities.

Experimental study on dynamic mechanical property of cemented tailings backfill under SHPB impact loading

Cemented tailings backfill(CTB) have increasingly been used in recent years to improve the stability of mining stopes in deep underground mines. Deep mining processes are often associated with rock bursting and high-speed dynamic loading conditions. Therefore, it is important to investigate the characteristics and dynamic mechanical behavior of CTB. This paper presents the results of dynamic tests on CTB specimens with different cement and solid contents using a split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB). The results showed that some CTB specimens exhibited one to two lower stress peaks after reaching dynamic peak stress before they completely failed. The greater the cement-to-tailings ratio is, the more obvious the strain reaction. This property mainly manifested as follows. First,the dynamic peak stress increased with the increase of the cement-to-tailings ratio when the impact velocity was fixed. Second, the dynamic peak stress had a quadratic relationship with the average stress rate. Third, the cement-to-tailings ratio could enhance the increase rate of dynamic peak stress with strain rate. In addition, the dynamic strength enhancement factor K increased with the increase of strain rate, and its value was larger than that of the rock samples. The failure modes of CTB specimens under low-speed impact were tensile failure and X conjugate shear failure, where were nearly the same as those under static uniaxial and triaxial compression. The CTB specimens were crushed and broken under critical strain, a failure mode similar to that of low-strength concrete. The results of the experimental research can improve the understanding of the dynamic mechanical properties of CTB and guide the strength design of deep mining backfills.

Experimental study on the mechanical properties and consolidation mechanism of microbial grouted backfill

Backfill mining technology is the practice of returning waste materials underground for both disposal and geotechnical stability,however,a challenge with current technologies is that they commonly require cement-based binders which have a relatively high environmental impact.Finding alternatives to cement-based binders can improve environmental performance and this paper proposes microbial grouted backfill(MGB)as a potential solution.In this paper,the effects of the cementation solution concentration(CSC),volume ratio of bacterial solution to cementation solution(VRBC),particle sizes of the aggregates,and the number of grouting batches on the mechanical properties of MGB are studied.The experimental results show that MGB strength increased,up to a peak value,as CSC was increased,before decreasing as CSC was increased further.The results also show that MGB strength increased,up to a peak value,as VRBC decreased,before decreasing as the VRBC was decreased further.The peak strength was achieved at a CSC of 2 mol/L and a VRBC of 1:9.The strength of the MGB also increased as the number of grouting batches increased.Graded MGB samples showed the highest UCS,25.12 MPa,at particle sizes of 0.2 to 0.8 mm,while full(non-graded)MGB samples displayed mean UCS values ranging from1.56 MPa when the maximum particle size was 0.2 mm,up to 13 MPa when the maximum particle size was 1.2 mm.MGB samples are consolidated by the calcium carbonate that is precipitated during microbial metabolism,and the strength of MGB increases linearly as calcium carbonate content increases.The calcium carbonate minerals produced in MGB materials are primarily calcite,with secondary amounts of vaterite.

CFD simulation of single-phase flow in flotation cells:Effect of impeller blade shape,clearance,and Reynolds number

A series of numerical simulations of turbulent single-phase flows are performed to understand the flow and mixing characteristics in a laboratory scale flotation tank.Four impeller blade shapes covering a wide range of surface areas and lip lengths are considered to highlight and contrast the flow behavior predicted in the impeller stream.The mean flow close to the impeller is fully characterized by considering velocity components along the axial direction at different radial locations.Normalized results suggest the development of a comparatively stronger axial velocity component for a blade design with the smallest lip length,called big-tip impeller here.Normalized turbulent kinetic energy profiles close to the impeller reveal the existence of an asymmetric trailing vortex pair.The highest turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rates are observed close to the impeller blades and stator walls where the radial jet strikes the stator walls periodically.Furthermore,liquid phase mixing in the flotation cell is studied using transient scalar tracing simulations providing mixing time data.Finally,pumping capacity and efficiency of different impeller designs are calculated based on which the impeller blade design with a rectangular blade design is found to perform most efficiently.

Long-term mechanical behavior and characteristics of cemented tailings backfill through impact loading

Cemented tailings backfill(CTB)structures are important components of underground mine stopes.It is important to investigate the characteristics and dynamic behavior of CTB materials because they are susceptible to disturbance by dynamic loading,such as excavation and blasting.In this study,the authors present the results of a series of Split-Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)single and cyclic impact loading tests on CTB specimens to investigate the long-term dynamic mechanical properties of CTB.The stress-strain relationship,dynamic strength,and dynamic failure characteristics of CTB specimens are analyzed and discussed to provide valuable conclusions that will improve our knowledge of CTB long-term mechanical behavior and characteristics.For instance,the dynamic peak stress under cyclic impact loading is approximately twice that under single impact loading,and the CTB specimens are less prone to fracture when cyclically loaded.These findings and conclusions can provide a new set of references for the stability analysis of CTB materials and help guide mine designers in reducing the amount of binding agents and the associated mining cost.

Techno-economic feasibility assessment of a diesel exhaust heat recovery system to preheat mine intake air in remote cold climate regions

Underground mines in Arctic and Subarctic regions require the preheating of mine intake air during winter.The cold fresh air of those remote areas can be as severe as
40℃ and commonly needs to be heated to around+3℃.This extensive amount of heating is usually provided by employing large-size air heaters,fueled by diesel,propane,natural gas,or heavy oil,leading to high energy costs and large carbon footprints.At the same time,the thermal energy content of a diesel generator sets(gen-sets)exhaust is known to be one-third of the total heating value of its combusted fuel.Exhaust heat recovery from diesel gen-sets is a growing technology that seeks to mitigate the energy costs by capturing and redirecting this commonly rejected exhaust heat to other applications such as space heating or pre-heating of the mine intake air.The present study investigated the possibility of employing a simple system based on off-theshelf heat exchanger technology,which can recover the waste heat from the exhaust of the power generation units(diesel gen-sets)in an off-grid,cold,remote mine in Canada for heating of the mine intake air.Data from a real mine was used for the analysis along with environmental data of three different location-scenarios with distinct climates.After developing a thermodynamic model,the heat savings were calculated,and an economic feasibility evaluation was performed.The proposed system was found highly viable with annual savings of up to C$6.7 million and capable enough to provide an average of around 75%of the heating demand for mine intake air,leading to a payback period of about eleven months or less for all scenarios.Deployment of seasonal thermal energy storage has also been recommended to mitigate the mismatch between supply and demand,mainly in summertime,possibly allowing the system to eliminate fuel costs for intake air heating.

Ultra-fine grinding and mechanical activation of mine waste rock using a high-speed stirred mill for mineral carbonation

CO2sequestration by mineral carbonation can permanently store CO2and mitigate climate change. However, the cost and reaction rate of mineral carbonation must be balanced to be viable for industrial applications. In this study, it was attempted to reduce the carbonation costs by using mine waste rock as a feed stock and to enhance the reaction rate using wet mechanical activation as a pre-treatment method. Slurry rheological properties, particle size distribution, specific surface area, crystallinity, and CO2 sequestration reaction efficiency of the initial and mechanically activated mine waste rock and olivine were characterized. The results show that serpentine acts as a catalyst, increasing the slurry yield stress, assisting new surface formation, and hindering the size reduction and structure amorphization. Mechanically activated mine waste rock exhibits a higher carbonation conversion than olivine with equal specific milling energy input. The use of a high-speed stirred mill may render the mineral carbonation suitable for mining industrial practice.

Diesel generator exhaust heat recovery fully-coupled with intake air heating for off-grid mining operations:An experimental,numerical,and analytical evaluation

The customarily discarded exhaust from the fossil fuel-based power plants of the off-grid mines holds the thermal potential to fulfill the heating requirement of the underground operation.This present research fills in an important research gap by investigating the coupling effect between a diesel exhaust heat recovery and an intake air heating system employed in a remote mine.An integrative approach comprising analytical,numerical,and experimental assessment has been adapted.The novel analytical model developed here establishes the reliability of the proposed mine heating system by providing comparative analysis between a coupled and a decoupled system.The effect of working fluid variation has been examined by the numerical analysis and the possible improvement has been identified.Experimental investigations present a demonstration of the successful lab-scale implementation of the concept and validate the numerical and analytical models developed.Successful deployment of the fully coupled mine heating system proposed here will assist the mining industry on its journey towards energy-efficient,and sustainable mining practices through nearly 70%reduction in fossil fuel consumption for heating intentions.

Morphology Study of Particle Breakage Mechanisms in a Horizontal Stirred Mill: Automated and Manual Point Counting Approaches

High-speed stirred mills are utilized to grind particles below 10mm. Grinding sulphide minerals to as low as 10mm achieve adequate mineral liberation for successful downstream mineral processing operations, such as flotation and leaching. Particle breakage mechanism such as fracture or abrasion, determines the morphological surface features of the product particles. It is anticipated that particles, which break along grain boundaries (intergranular) produce rough surfaces, whereas particles that break across the grain boundaries (transgranular) possess smoother surfaces. In this study, particles are ground in a stirred mill and their morphological features were analyzed using automated and manual detection methods. Literature and conventional belief are that high-speed stirred mills break particles by attrition. This paper showed that fracture is also an important breakage mechanism along with attrition. Breakage mechanism is a factor of input stress intensity, in the form of the mill agitator speed, and type of mineral. It is observed that at higher agitator speed galena fractures along the grain boundaries, whereas quartz, abrade across the grain boundaries.

云南某铜矿SABC碎磨能耗分布规律及能量基准评价研究

提高碎磨能量利用效率是降低碳排放的重要途径,而碎磨能耗分布规律与能量基准评价是提高能量利用效率的前提和基础。某大型铜矿SABC碎磨流程能耗分布规律研究结果表明,碎磨全流程比能耗为19.59 kWh/t,半自磨机、球磨机、顽石破碎机的比能耗分别占全流程比能耗的36.76%、55.75%及0.83%;球磨机运行功率接近安装功率的93.40%,限制了碎磨系统产能的进一步提升。以原矿代表性样品单颗粒冲击破碎试验为基础,建立了矿石粉碎模型,通过能量基准评价方法计算出SABC碎磨全流程理论最低粉碎能耗为8.96 kWh/t,分别对SABC碎磨全流程、半自磨+振动筛+顽石破碎作业、球磨与分级作业进行了能量基准评价,得出能量效率因子(BEF值)分别为2.19、1.71和2.60,进一步明确了提升球磨分级作业能量利用效率的必要性。能量基准评价研究为碎磨能量利用效率提供了统一、定量的评价指标,为碎磨全流程产能提升与节能降耗指明了优化方向。

Acoustic emission characteristics of rock under impact loading

Acoustic emission tests were performed using a split Hopkinson pressure bar system(SHPB) on 50-mm-diameter bars of granite, limestone, sandstone and skarn. The results show that the amplitude distribution of hits is not well centralized around 50 d B, and that some hits with large amplitudes, usually larger than 70 d B, occur in the early stages of each test, which is different from the findings from static and low-loading-rate tests. Furthermore, the dominant frequency range of the recorded acoustic emission waveforms is between 300 k Hz and 500 k Hz, and frequency components higher than 500 k Hz are not significant. The hit with the largest values of amplitude, counts, signal strength, and absolute energy in each test, displays a waveform with similar frequency characteristics and greater correlation with the waveform obtained from the elastic input bar of the split Hopkinson pressure bar system compared with the waveforms of the other hits. This indicates that the hit with the largest values of amplitude, counts, signal strength, and absolute energy is generated by elastic wave propagation instead of fracture within the rock specimen.

Friction factor correlation for airflow through broken rocks and its applications in mine ventilation

The Atkinson equation along with its friction factor is commonly used to estimate pressure requirement in mine ventilation.However,friction factor correlation of flow through broken rock,typically found in blasted stope,gob,rock pit or block caving rock deposits,etc.,is currently unavailable.Also,it is impractical to conduct direct measurements of flow resistance in an inaccessible broken rock zone.This paper aims to develop a new friction factor correlation of flow through broken rock that can be used directly in Atkinson equation.The proposed correlation is valid for broken rocks with diameter between 0.04 and 1.2 m and porosity ranging from 0.23 to 0.7.

Processing of measurement while drilling data for rock mass characterization

The information extracted from monitoring of rotary blasthole drills helps to optimize the overall mining operation. Rock hardness, drillability, blastability and specific energy of drilling are examples of parameters that have been estimated in the past using measurement while drilling techniques. In order to be able to properly utilize measurement while drilling techniques, it is important to properly collect, analyze and interpret extracted data. This paper deals with processing of measurement while drilling data such as rate of penetration, rotary speed, rotary torque and pulldown force collected from rotary blasthole drills.Different methods are discussed to calculate a true rate of penetration which is the most important monitored drill variable for use in rock mass characterization. Then specific energy of drilling is defined and calculated based on electrical and mechanical inputs and the results are compared. The results show that specific energy of drilling can be estimated using the drill's primary drive systems' electrical responses with good accuracy when compared to values based on mechanical inputs.

Analysis of particle dispersion and cavity formation during bulk particle water entry using fully coupled CFD-DEM-VOF approach

This paper presents the development and validation of a fully coupled computational fluid dynamics—discrete element method—volume of fluid(CFD-DEM-VOF)model to simulate the complex behavior of particle-laden flows with free surfaces.The coupling between the fluid and particle phases is established through the implemented continuity,momentum,and alpha transport equation.The coupled particle forces such as drag,pressure gradient,dense virtual mass,viscous,and interface forces are also integrated,with drag and dense virtual mass forces being dependent on local porosity.The integrated conservative alpha transport equation ensures phase volume conservation during interactions between particles and water.Additionally,we have implemented a trilinear interpolation method designed to operate on unstructured hexahedral meshes.This method has been tested for its ability to properly resolve the coupling effects in the numerical simulations,particularly in cases with a relatively low cell-size ratio.The model is validated through three distinct test cases:single particle water entry,dam break with particles,and water entry of a group of particles case.The experimental setup is built to study the dynamics of the water entry of a group of particles,where three key flow features are analyzed:the evolution of average particle velocity,cavity shape,and particle dispersion cloud profiles in water.The tests involve four different scenarios,including two different water levels(16.1 and 20.1 cm)and two different particle densities(2650 and 4000 kg/m3).High-speed videometry and particle tracking velocimetry(using ImageJ/TrackMate)methods are employed for experimental data acquisition.It is demonstrated that numerical results are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions and experimental data.The study highlights the significance of vortices in cavity shaping and particle dispersion.The validated CFD-DEM-VOF model constitutes a robust tool for simulating particle-laden flows,contributing valuable insights into the complex interplay between particles and fluids.

Rock fracture density characterization using measurement while drilling(MWD) techniques

Accurate determination of rock mass properties is a critical part of open-pit mine planning activities to enable more prescriptive blast designs to achieve improved loading and hauling and downstream process efficiency. Better and more accurate blast practice that delivers enhanced outcomes(better fragmentation, improved diggability, less dilution, etc.) is a critical and fundamental element of being able to achieve an effective Mine-Mill approach at a mining operation. Based on previous work, it has been demonstrated that an accurate representation of the rock mass properties can be obtained from the analysis of variations in blasthole drill performance as derived from measurement while drilling(MWD) systems when using tricone bits. This paper further investigates how monitored rate of penetration,pulldown force, rotary torque, rotary speed and bailing air pressure responses can be used to determine the presence of open and partially open fractures having varying dip angles. Based on a correlation of geophysically measured fracture logs and monitored drill performance variables in the same blastholes, the results show that the latter responses can accurately determine open versus closed fractures. The results also identified that variations in rate of penetration and rotary torque show the most sensitivity in the presence of open fractures that intersect a vertical blasthole at near orthogonal angles.

Guest editorial-special issue on advances in mine ventilation in 2019

Ventilation has always been an integral part of underground mining operations.As surface and shallow deposits are depleting,extracting ores from deeper underground levels is becoming more and more common,and is expected to grow in the future[1].Rising environmental awareness,energy cost and implementation of carbon tax in some countries have led the mining industry to look for cleaner alternatives[2].

How Should Mine Reclamation Design Effectively Respond to Climate Change? A Mini Review Opinion

Climate change is a growing concern with each of the last three decades being successively warmer than preceding decades. Mine wastes are mandatory required to be reclaimed after mine operation due to their high risks of contaminating environment and huge volumes occupying large useable land resources. However, most traditional mine reclamation plans are designed with an assumption of unchanged, consistent conditions of environment, climate and hydrology conditions, which may not work properly under the global climate change. This paper discussed the previously ignored problem that is how mine reclamation design should effectively respond to climate change. Through reviewing the current responding strategy to the climate change during mine reclamation and closure, this mini review was structured, and the opinion is concluded that the more active the designers consider the factors of climate change, the more manageable, predictable and sustainable the reclaimed ecosystem and landscape are. Nature-based solutions can act as the general guidelines when considering climate change with mine reclamation, and the six-step framework aims more specifically on mine reclamation. The two methods can work together to help designers and regulators to effectively respond to climate change when planning mine reclamation and closure.