Abstract
In the best of times, mining operations are under tremendous pressure to reduce costs, increase production, and above all operate safely. The current environment has further increased this pressure by adding in new challenges, such as greenhouse gas reduction targets, labour shortages, and reductions in the amount of on-site personnel to lessen the risks of COVID.
Technology solutions have risen to the forefront as the way to handle these challenges, none more so than fully autonomous haul trucks. However, full autonomy is not the right solutions for all mines as it requires significant capital investment and process change. But there is an alternative path – remote control of mining machines. Remotely operating equipment like dozers, loaders, and excavators enables mines to gain many of the same benefits with lower investment, faster execution time, and limited disruption to ongoing operations. Remote control adoption has been slow in Canada, but this presentation will endeavor to outline both the advantages and disadvantages, while explaining why this is a viable option for Canadian miners.
This presentation will share the results of interviews with several mine operations in jurisdictions outside of Canada to understand the benefits of remotely operated equipment. These include:
- Decreased idle time on dozers from 45% to 10%, leading to fuel savings, GHG reductions, and extended internals between preventative maintenance servicing
- Reduced number of operators required, as one operator can seamlessly control multiple machines at the same time
- Improved safety by removing operators from hazardous environments like tailings ponds, operating near a high wall, or pushing down a steep bench, while also eliminating risk of musculoskeletal injuries in normal operations
- Creating opportunities to employ people who wouldn’t normally be able to operate heavy equipment, due to factors such as disability or location
In addition, this presentation will speak to some of the challenges faced by these mine sites and how they were overcome. This will include challenges such as:
- Project management for implementing an entirely new technology
- Ensuring network reliability and system performance at a reasonable cost
- Training on the remote operator console and the worry about losing the feel of the machine
- Change management and the new way of working
The results of this presentation will provide an overview for mining companies to better understand the opportunities presented by remote control technology and demonstrate how it may provide benefits to miners within Canada.