Automation of mine production system; trends In technology and ICT application

摘要

With increasing scales of automation, and integration of various mining equipment and unit operations to replace humans with machines at all levels in mining operation, the issue of effective operation and maintenance have become very critical for the economic viability and competitiveness of mining business. Today systems are expected to perform autonomously round the clock and the importance of availability, reliability, flexibility and controllability are of prime importance. A closer look at such systems today shows that data collection, analysis and information flow are essential prerequisites for the competitiveness of the industry. If these prerequisites are not optimal, it is almost impossible to make correct decisions under dynamic conditions. The paper presents some example from the industry and discusses possible implementation in the mining sector to meet the challenges involved in semiautonomous or autonomous operations.