ALEX LESTER The mining industry is facing the challenge of increasing productivity without compromising on safety
Having proven its ability in the Australian market over 12 years to greatly reduce the dangers of a hazardous mining environment, mining safety solutions provider Nautitech this year started introducing its range of safety products onto the South African market, trialling its products at some major operations.
“Nautitech products first became available in South Africa in January and, in a short time, we have experienced huge interest in our technology. Nautitech prides itself on its innovative nature and its focus on solutions that make a difference in safety, productivity and communications, helping solve related problems that mines have been contending with for a long time,” says Nautitech GM Alex Lester.
The company aims to introduce each product in its range to South Africa one at a time. The first product to be introduced was the Spitfire broadband power line modem (BPLM), which streams communications from underground mining operations to the surface using only a small portion of the modem’s 60 Mb/s to 90 Mb/s overall capacity. With the extra bandwidth available, more devices can, thus, be added to the BPLM. These technologies include the Nautitech thermal or high-definition (HD) colour camera, gas monitoring with real-time readings sent to surface and additional communication devices.
“This autonomous mining approach means that people can be taken out of potential danger zones and positioned in control rooms, located away from hazardous areas underground or on the surface, to monitor performance underground, communicate with employees and operate equipment,” says Lester.
He highlights that the Spitfire BPLM has had considerable success in Australia since its introduction four years ago, with Nautitech having acquired 100% of the shearer market and about 80% of the continuous miner market in the country’s underground coal mining sector. The BPLM is currently undergoing a particularly challenging trial at a platinum mine in South Africa, with ten drilling machines at different levels up to 4 km underground.
“All our products are International Electrotechnical Commission- and Mining and Surface Certification-approved. Safety is non-negotiable in underground mining and, at the moment, the challenge facing the industry is to increase productivity without compromising safety,” says Lester.
He highlights that safety is not the only benefit associated with Nautitech’s solutions, which can also help improve cost cutting and compliance with environmental regulations. If a mine has compromised communications from its underground workings to the surface, Lester notes, it is difficult to improve productivity and impossible to get timely information about the state of equipment and processes. The Spitfire BPLM improves the efficiency and productivity of machinery, allows for the improvement of a fleet’s efficiency and machine performance monitoring, and ensures that real-time data is sent to the surface.
Nautitech has also introduced its EX I methane system onto the South African market, which allows for continuous gas monitoring. The EX I is a standalone, or remotely mounted, vehicle system that tests the air to ensure that there is no methane present before starting the ignition of a vehicle. The technology eliminates the need for hand-held methane detection devices and is being trialled at a large mine in South Africa until November.
The company is also introducing thermal and HD cameras and displays in South Africa.
These products increase visibility underground for drivers of mining shuttle cars, loaders, shearers and continuous miners, whose view can otherwise be compromised by darkness, dust and steam. As the thermal camera needs no light source, infrastructure, such as cabling, and people can clearly be seen and avoided up to 60 m away. The thermal camera was the winner of the 2015 Innovation Award at the Queensland Mining Industry Health & Safety Conference.
Further, Nautitech is developing an alert system that is activated should its camera detect personnel within close proximity to danger or coal seams and is equipped with situation monitoring applications for stockpiles and conveyor belts.
“Despite the commodities downturn, we have found that miners are willing to continue to invest in our products. We try to listen to our customers and develop solutions that are really needed,” Lester says.
Nautitech is hoping to extend its supplier base in South Africa as demand for its products grows.