ENGLISH PROJECT

LHD SEMI-AUTOMATIC IN UNDERGROUND

MINING

Names and surnames:

 Sebastian Jara
 Diego Cabello

Teacher: Macarena Ortiz

Section: 674

Date of delivery: 31-05-2019

Introduction

Currently there are important challenges in mining, not only because of the estimated
investment figures, but also because of the need to incorporate new technologies,
generated based on the challenges posed by the increase in costs. The main new
challenges are derived from the characteristics of the primary rock, the low mineral
grade, the sustainability requirements and the greater concern to improve the safety
and occupational health standards of the operators.

For the future, highly automated processes, autonomous equipment and remote-
controlled operations are required, managed outside the mines in search of
operational continuity.

then as a solution to the problems of safety and quality of life of workers, as well as
to have a robust team able to face the demands that the primary mineral demands
to be extracted, one of the advantages that is expected to be obtained as a result, is
a longer operating time compared to manual equipment.

The analysis will be based on the use of LHD equipment (low profile loaders for the
task of extracting ore, which consists of loading, transporting and unloading the
mineralized rock), which have the technology that allows them to operate in an semi-
automatic condition , that is, without operator on board, controlled remotely by
operators located outside the mine in a control room distant kilometers from the
productive area.

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Development

Our project is mainly based on the safety and quality of life problems of workers who
operate this equipment mechanically in underground mining,

since workers have many risks when operating this equipment, for example, that
there is a collapse inside the mine.

Our solution is to incorporate a semi-autonomous and / or autonomous equipment

that allows security to the worker, so that he is not exposed to accidents when picking
up and moving the ore.

Sensors and systems for mining “Trolex Company”

Trolex offers sensors to measure flow, gas, level, pressure, proximity, temperature
and vibration, along with a wide range of control and visualization equipment,
sources intrinsically safe power supplies and rugged connectors.

 Detection of personal gas: To protect personnel against the dangers of

gas throughout the mine and control dangerous gases in small spaces.

 Integrated systems for the entire mine with SCADA: special control and
supervision systems for the entire mine that include the acquisition and

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 complete transmission of data with the SCADA interface. Trolex offers the full
service of design, installation, commissioning and support.

Trolex sensors and systems are used in mines around the world to detect gases,
control other key environmental factors and optimize machine performance.

Mining robot that detects toxic gases

Designed to be able to enter a sink and initiate an automatic mapping and

exploration of it in search of poisons that emanate toxic gases, with the main
objective of preventing fatal accidents.

It is designed as an all-terrain vehicle and has a laser mapping sensor, gas sensors
and communication. This prototype is part of the technological project "Prevention
of fatal risks due to toxic gases in mining environments through the collection and
analysis of data using autonomous robotic technology.

Multi-Gas (H2S, CO, O2)

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The GasAlertMicroClip offers visual compatibility at a glance with the blinking green
IntelliFlash. The simple operation with a single button reduces training time and
allows workers to focus on the work at hand. For simple and cost-effective
management of your records, calibration and performance tests.

Conclusion

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Because of our project we want to achieve the reduction of toxic and noxious gases
for people inside the mine, this will be carried out by means of an instrument capable
of measuring those gases and goes hand in hand with a software that optimizes the
time of the gases inside the mine. It gives us an immediate warning if the allowed
limit is exceeded and the fans start to work automatically and faster than normal.

This service allows us to maintain the health and environment of the workers in the
best conditions so that they can work without any risk.

Reflection

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In underground mining due to the structural conditions of its design, the toxic and
contaminating agents will always be present in one way or another in the mine, they
can not be eliminated in their entirety. But on the other hand, if they can be detected
with more pressure and efficiency, thanks to the technological service presented
previously in the report. As evaluated these services of detection of toxic agents and
contaminates, they will help us in:

- Optimization of time, since as they are technologies that measure toxic agents in
real time, it will be possible to prevent in advance the percentage of toxic agents in
the air and with this increase the effective time of work in the mine, eliminating the
agents in advance, without have to get people out of their jobs at different levels of
the mine. On the other hand, by optimizing time, operational losses decrease, which
means that the production plans implemented in the mine will be met efficiently.

- Decrease in the exposure of workers to toxic and contaminating agents, due to the
timely detection of high levels of toxic particles to health, this will improve the quality
of work in the short term and help to reduce the levels of occupational diseases in
the mine long term.

Glossary

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 1. Toxic gases: they are elements that are concentrated in large quantities in
the atmosphere generating risks and environmental problems and for living
beings.
2. Contamination: waste that affects the health of workers and the
environment.
3. Mining software: tool used to optimize mining resources.
4. Underground mine: exploitation through tunnels.
5. Effective time: time worked, no delays.
6. Measurement: quantification of toxic agents, through a technological device.
7. Mine levels: sectors that make up the mine, such as production level,
ventilation.
8. Toxic particles: toxic elements found in the air or atmosphere.
9. Short term: jobs that are carried out in a certain time, such as hours or days.
10. Long term: jobs that can be done in months or years.
11. Sensors: technological elements that detect the different harmful gases in
mining.
12. Mining robot: it is capable of measuring gases in very confined spaces that
are difficult to access.

Bibliography
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 http://www.hegasaesp.com/administrador/repositorio/file/trolex/trolex_mining
.pdf.
 https://elcomercio.pe/tecnologia/ciencias/presentan-robot-minero-detecta-
gases-toxicos-video-237626.
 http://improtek.cl/assets/gas-alert-microclip.pdf.