Digital platform improves zinc miner’s operations
MOUNTAINS OF DATA The Black Mountain Mining operation will now be able integrate relevant operational and maintenance data into one source
DATA MINING The OptiMine system enables mine management to have real-time and predictive insights into operations
NEIL MCCOY OptiMine enables operators to be communicated with instantly
Global engineering group Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology is commissioning a comprehensive data analytics and information management system called OptiMine for base metals miner Vedanta Zinc International’s Black Mountain Mining (BMM) operation, in the Northern Cape.
The OptiMine platform will assist BMM in accelerating its data-driven operation to achieve higher levels of safety, efficiency and productivity.
The original-equipment manufacturer independent suite of digital tools analyses and provides meaningful insights into production and processes. It integrates all relevant operational and maintenance data into one source, delivering real-time and predictive insights to assist production teams to improve operations. It is open and scalable, providing flexibility to expand as needed, and can incorporate other equipment, systems and networks.
“The OptiMine short interval control modules help acquire real-time telemetry and production information from the equipment, visualise locations of equipment and feedback on progress of production or any other tasks so that quick decisions can be made for the realignment of tasks if need be,” explains Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology Southern Africa business line manager: automation Neil McCoy.
He adds that the operators can be communicated with instantly, thereby negating the need to wait for the end of a shift before correcting or adjusting tasks.
The data analytics capabilities also provide predictive insights into machine health and other potential issues that may affect overall equipment efficiency. These insights are based on information gained from multiple sources including the state of equipment, maintenance efforts and operator behaviour.
“The OptiMine platform will help improve the overall efficiency of equipment by considering the entire mining cycle and all the factors that might impact on equipment efficiency. It provides a much more holistic view than is traditionally possible,” McCoy tells Mining Weekly.
The OptiMine platform includes equipment location tracking through Visualizer, planning and task management through Task Manager and Scheduler, telemetry and production reporting of equipment through Remote Monitoring – including truck, drills and loaders – and operations.
BMM’s operations comprise two underground shafts – Deeps and Swartberg – and a processing plant. Vedanta Zinc International has also developed the Gamsberg project, which was opened by State President Cyril Ramaphosa at the end of February this year.
The Deeps shaft produces copper, lead and zinc, with silver as a by-product. Production is about 52 000 t/y of metal-in-concentrate, and is currently scheduled to cease in 2023. The digitalisation project was initially focused on the load and haul fleet at Deeps. It was expanded to include the longhole drill rigs.
The Swartberg shaft produces primarily copper and lead, with silver as a by-product. Production is about 23 000 t/y of metal-in-concentrate. Plans are well advanced to deepen Swartberg, which will increase production to 1.6-million tonnes a year of copper and lead ore, and between 60 000 t/y and 70 000 t/y of metal-in-concentrate.
Further ramp-up is planned for the future, taking copper and lead ore production past two-million tonnes a year.
Vedanta Zinc International is one the largest private-sector employers in the Northern Cape, with about 1 500 people currently employed at BMM. Gamsberg Phase 1 employs around 850 people – and the planned Gamsberg Phase 2 and Smelter projects could see more than 3 500 jobs created during construction.
About 80% of BMM’s employees are from the Northern Cape, of whom 60% are from the Namaqua district, including the Khâi-Ma and Nama Khoi municipal areas.
Gamsberg’s project is a new zinc mine aimed at exploiting one of the largest known, undeveloped zinc orebodies in the world and comprises an openpit mine and a dedicated processing plant.
The project’s current resource is about 214-million tonnes, with a life-of-mine (LoM) estimated at 30 years.
In Phase 1, which has an LoM of 13 years, four-million tonnes a year of ore will be processed, producing 250 000 t/y of zinc-in-concentrate will be produced from its concentrator plant. First production began in mid-2018, and the project is now fully operational.
Amid Vedanta Zinc International’s expansions, it was important for BMM to minimise downtime and maximise resource allocation, hence the adoption of OptiMine, which enhances the profitability and cost effectiveness of all ongoing and new operations.
“The platform forms the basis of our digitalisation journey. Having visibility of real-time data allows for proactive decision-making at the right time and the right level of management throughout the value chain,” concludes BMM acting strategic business unit director Sean Jenniker.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation