Advantages and Disadvantages of Remote Controlled Mining - Essay Example

Potential Advantages and Disadvantages of Remote Controlled Mining Name Institution Professor Subject Date Introduction Mining involves the extraction of minerals. Minerals refers to that inorganic substance that forms part of the earth's crust; that is, any naturally occurring substance that is obtainable from any land by mining operations on or under the surface of the land (Hunt 2009, p. 1). Mining in this respect can be viewed as a capital and labour intensive business whose profitability depends on the maximum efficiency that can be used to achieve a safe production (Rubin 2010, p. 26). Every mining company normally has a target to meet; most of the aims being high production and profitability. In order to meet this target, there has been a need to have a better method of mining that can help realise this target. This propelled the invention of remote-controlled mining, which has also made mechanization to go high in the mining sites. This paper aims to focus on the advantages and disadvantages of remote controlled mining followed by an evaluation. Advantages in this case mean the benefits associated with remote-controlled mining while disadvantages are simply the negative side effects and shortcomings associated with automated mining. Evaluation in this respect means the act of determining the merit, worth and significance of remote-controlled mining: whether it is able to deliver what it is intended for. Before a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of remote controlled mining, looks at some of the technological innovations that have taken this age. Moreover, the paper presents some recommendations towards improving this technology. Background Information: Examples of Recent Innovations in the Mining Industry Not only has there been a need for safe production but also a need to produce more for less. This has been geared by the fact that the mining process is very expensive and therefore, mine operators have been on the struggle to maintain the line between profitability and loss (Kral 2005, p. 30). The pressure has not only on mining operators but also on suppliers of machines and equipment, who have been out to fit into the competitiveness of producing what their customers needs; machines that are productive and cost efficient (Kral 2010, p. 30). An example is Sandwick Mining and Construction Company, a worldwide equipment supplier which has been on the forefront in making efforts to supply cost effective equipment, which are technologically advanced (Kral 2005, p. 30). In their Tamboree event of 2005, the main point of discussion was on the latest innovations to their products and the future of the mining industry. It in this event that they discovered that the future of mining industry, which is being, lived now, as one that would need to succumb to the pressure of having quick productions as well as posting higher profit margins (Kral 2005, p. 30). This need has come to a realisation to date as machines have become more automated and mechanized in the mining industry. The push for such machines, as realised in the event, was due to the shortage of workers that would be experienced in future especially for companies located in remote areas and the need to have environmental friendly machines and rescue human beings from being trapped in the deep mining sites. Since then, remote controlled type of mining has been adopted by most mining companies. The invention of remote controlled machines has been aimed at ensuring that risks of loosing rescuers in mining sites is reduced whenever an emergency occurs. An example is the recent launch of a MSHA robot mine safety tool called V-2.It is fast enough to present information to the operators concerning the information on the conditions of the site. With it there has been bigger achievements reported in the mining industry with the idea of automation being made easier. The V-2, which costed $265,000 to build, was named after Virgil Brown who trains rescuers at the National Mine, Health and Safety Academy in Beckley (ProQuest Engineering Journals 2005, p. 14). In its operations, the robot has been designed to an extent that it can go into a mine during emergency and locate escape routes for those trapped as well as checking the safety of the mine (ProQuest Engineering Journals 2005, p. 14). The robot has the ability to speed up action during emergencies because unlike the rescue team, the machine can go 15,000 feet without stopping (ProQuest Engineering Journals 2005, p. 30). Mining as well needs good information mangement and this has led to the invention of a radio system with a higher bandwidth. In order to properly coordinate mining equipment and management systems, the miners use wireless radios. However, the developments discussed in the case study above are examples of those changes in the mining profiles that have called for an upgrading of the microwave radio system. Companies such as Newmont have been using Minestar software to dispatch equipment operators and use GPS to track every piece of equipment in operation (Rubin 2010, p. 26). Each of the pieces do have a radio on board, which helps connect a network backbone to carry information between the equipment and the mine's operation's centre (Rubin 2010, 26). At a later stage, Newmont had to upgrade this system in order to have a good management of information in the whole operation because it had started becoming sluggish and unreliable in some links (Rubin 2010, p. 26). The system had to be rectified by increasing the bandwidth while maintaining uptime on its network. This move would only then be possible for the company if it acquired bulletproof 24-hour reliable support at the mine and manage remotely to bring down the cost associated having to roll a truck to configure radio systems (Rubin 2010, p. 26). Another example of automation is the South african diamond industry which has received a major boost since it started using a world-class haulage system. The remote controlled mining started at Cullian (Casteel 2008, p. 50). The process of mechanization for the Crocodile River operation was to start at the beginning in1987 but the mine faced certain challenges that for several instances forced its closure (Casteel 2008, p. 50). The major problem was harsh market conditions. It was until 2007 that the new mine manager Albert Hartmann confirmed that increasing production in the existing mine section would proprel the mine to a sustainable level and give a good basis for its development and other projects (Casteel 2008, p. 50). This made the mine to establish a detailed perfomance reporting system which made the mine to see a steady production in mid 2007(Casteel, 2008. p. 50). Advantages of Remote Controlled Mining The above case studies have demonstrated that the new technological processes coming up have made work easier for miners especially with respect to safety and operator comfort (Kral 2005, p. 30). This has also been evidenced by the adoption of remote controlled machines by most mining companies. It is thus clear that automated machines have brought excavation to high levels. This is to mean that automation has made work easier for miners especially with respect to safety and operator comfort. An example has been seen in the MSHA robot mine safety tool called V-2 which shows that such a remote controlled machine has been aimed at ensuring that risks of loosing rescuers in mining sites is reduced whenever an emergency occurs. This is because it is fast enough to present information to the operators concerning the information on the conditions of the site. The robot has the ability to speed up action during emergencies because unlike the rescue team, the machine can go 15,000 feet without stopping (ProQuest Engineering Journals 2005, p. 14). Similarly, in the diamond industry in South Africa has a boost since track haulage connected to the conveyor has really improved the operating costs at Da Beers' Crocodile River mine (Casteel 2008, p. 50). Similarly, the advancements on the radio networks by Newmont company has demonstrated that Exalt radios have high performance and reliability because they feature internally redundant designs that eliminate downtime that may be due to single component failure (Rubin 2010, p. 26). With this, they have made communication faster and reliable between the mine's managers and the mining equipment thus reducing certain inefficiencies in the mining sites like the consumption of fuel as well as wearing and tearing of the equipment such as automated trucks that function at high speeds and take sharp breaks in a controlled setting (Hopewell, 2012, pr. 3). Another advantage that is associated with remote controlled mining is reduction of costs. Reduction of costs can be in terms of efficiency and safety (Casteel 2008, p. 51). For example, injuries will reduce and this will be associated with reduction of compensation associated with these injuries. Moreover, labour costs will reduce since few people will be required to accomplish the mining requirements. In other words, the introduction of remote controlled mining machines like remote-controlled trucks, extractors, loaders, diggers and shippers has made the cost of purchase, testing and installation of such machines cheaper. With the installation of such machines, improvements have been seen in staff turnovers and low environmental impacts of work sites, attracting even more women to the workforce in population-freindly sites (Hopewell, 2012). Disadvantages of Remote Controlled Mining Remote-controlled mining also has its negative side apart from the many advantages that has been discussed. Most of the disadvantages of automation are closely linked to the complexities that exist in the mining industry. The installation of such machines is very challenging because of the unique character of each mining operation (Hopewell, 2012, pr. 2).The way installation would be done in a gold site is different from that of platinum because the requirements are different according to the type of mine, testing and investment scale in equipments (Hopewell, 2012, pr. 3). They also vary in the types of communication technologies, signal processing and computing power (Hopewell, 2012, pr. 5). Another problem that can be seen when the automated machines are overloaded with tasks is over-reliance on automation which makes errors of monitoring to occu especially because at some point, the operator ignores warning signs (Hopewell, 2012, pr. 2). Such are human-oriented disadvantages. Lastly, although remote-controlled machines do protect the workers from many hazards, their presence sometimes can create other safety problems especially with the use of infrared rays (Onishchenko, Krichko and Ivashev, 1991, p. 76). Evaluation Considering the above discussion, one major fact that presents itself is that the mining industry is currently dominated by automation especially the use of remote-controlled machines. Such technological developments have been geared by the need to produce more in a cheap way. Another fact that presents itself is that this type of mining is more advantageous than the other methods, especially with regard to health and safety, production and profit margin. An evaluation of these mining companies shows that remote controlled mining has enhanced high productivity and increase in profits. In comparison, the disadvantages are those that more research can handle. The problem of over loading of the machines, the risk of infrared rays and the challenges faced during installation cannot still overweigh the advantages which remote controlled mining have presented. Once these disadvantages are taken care of, remote controlled mining will fully meet its merits. This is because with the coming of it, companies that were already down still got a chance to grow again especially in the area of gold mining (Scales 2010, p. 12). Conclusion Extracting minerals from the earth's crust has been made easy by technological advancements that have cropped the mining industry in the recent years. The aspect of automation has boosted production if not made mining more safe to workers. The practise of remote-controlled mining has enhanced communication network within the mining industry. It has enabled data to be easily transferred directly from drilling to production and maintenance control. This specifically means that the mining industry has found a new way to increase their productivity and enlarge their profit margins examples of beneficiaries are the gold mining industries, Newmont Company with radio networks and the Sandwick Mining and Construction Company, which now supplies automated equipment. The success witnessed because of the use of remote-controlled machines have shown that the invention of these machines have made most mining companies to achieve their major goals. Most of them can now produce more, avoid risks and coordinate the mining process easily without strain. However, there is need for the firms in the mining industry to work and ensure that the negative side effects associated with automation are taken care of to allow a lucrative business in the mining industry. The mine operators need to device a mechanism that will ensure that the machines reject any attempt to over work them. More research needs to be done in order to get machines that are universal and can be used for mining any kind of mineral so as to reduce problems during installation. If these are not taken care of, the inefficiencies in the mining operations will not reduce. References Casteel, Kyran (March, 2008).Crocodile River Mine's Long Haul to Sustainable Production. Engineering and Mining Journal, 209(2), 50. Gertsch, Richard & Bullock, Richard, (1998). Techniques in Underground Mining: Selections from Underground Mining Methods Handbook. London: SME, 443. Hopewell, Luke (Feb, 2012). Robotic Mining worth is High Cost. Web, February 12, 2012 accessed on 19th January, 2013. Hunt, M. W. (2009). Mining Law in Western Australia. Sydney: Federation Press, 1. Kral, Steve, (Nov, 2005). Sandwick's Tamboree 205 Emphasizes Automated Mining Equipment. Mining Engineering: ProQuest Engineering Journal, 57(11), 30. McDonald, Alan et. al. (1998). Global Energy Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 8. 'MSHA Robot Newest Mine safety Tool' (2009). The ProQuest Engineering Journal, 9(110), 14. National Research Council (U. S.). Towards Safer Underground Coal Mines. National Academies, 27. Onishchenko, A., Krichko, V., and Ivashev, A. (1991). Infrared technologies in mining operation control. Journal of Mining Science, 27(1), 75-77 Rubin, Charles, (April, 2010). Microwave links connect 24/7 Operations for NewMont Mining. Mining Engineering: ProQuest Engineering Journal 62(4), 26. Scales, Marilyn, (Sept, 2010). Gold mine Shines Again. Canadian Mining Journal, 131(7), 12 Tamrock Corp. Underground Drilling and Loading Handbook. London: Tamrock. Read More