FUTURE OF MINING
FIVE TOP TRENDS FOR MINING IN 2021 AND BEYOND ABB AUSTRALIA WEIGHS IN ON THE GROUND-BREAKING TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIONS THAT THE COMPANY EXPECTS WILL INFLUENCE THE MINING SECTOR THIS YEAR AND IN THE FUTURE.
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ecarbonisation, remote connectivity, predictive analytics, ventilation on demand and electrification are high on the agenda of the industry, while new technologies such as augmented reality for remote management are gradually implemented across the globe. Industry expert Stuart Cowie, head of ABB Australia’s Process Industries business, discusses how ABB is working with miners to stay ahead of the curve.
1. S ustainability and digitalisation
“Australia is in fact leading the charge on the sustainability front in mining, which is very exciting,” Cowie says. “We are seeing miners make strong commitments to the zero emissions target, including Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue) who have brought forward their net zero target by 10 years to achieve
this by 2030. This greatly impacts decision making around technology investment and modernisation.” Cowie stresses the importance of digitalisation when it comes to supporting sustainability initiatives in this sector. “Of course, this transition towards sustainability goes hand-in-hand with digitalisation,” Cowie says. “We have seen a great acceleration of digitally connected, ‘smart mines’ in recent years. We further attribute this acceleration to the global pandemic. People are focusing more on what really matters. “Data-driven decision making in areas of safety and efficiency, as well as carbon-efficient practices have now become the focus of industry leaders.” According to Cowie, most of the mining companies are focused on achieving a completely autonomous and CO2 free target by 2050 or even earlier, while at the same time increasing their productivity and efficiency. He highlights research from
McKinsey & Company which estimates that mine digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and the industrial internet
HEAD OF ABB AUSTRALIA’S PROCESS INDUSTRIES BUSINESS, STUART COWIE.
REMOTE MANAGEMENT IS AN EMERGING ASPECT OF DIGITISATION.
AUSTRALIANMINING
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SEPTEMBER 2021
of things (IoT) all have the potential to save the sector an estimated $373 billion by 2025 . Cowie further cites the example of the world’s first digitally connected mine – the Boliden mine in Sweden – as that of a ‘smart mine’ in action. In 2012, the Boliden mine was the first in the world to employ wireless network technology, with 100 per cent connectivity, reaching over 35 kilometres of the mineral-rich site. Today, this network still handles all communication for Boliden, while employing Industry 4.0 technology . To sum up on this point, Cowie emphasises the push in 2021 for companies to align their digital and net-zero targets with each other to amplify the benefits of smartmine technology. “The increase in automated machinery has ensured better production control and significant increases in productivity,” he says.
2. Remote connectivity
Cowie segues to the next trend at the forefront of the mining industry: remote connectivity. “Recently, ABB has begun to implement remote connectivity across Australia for its mining customers. This has helped to streamline production, prioritise safety, and develop longer term strategies,” Cowie explains. “At both the Newcrest Telfer and Gold Fields St Ives mines in Western Australia, we have large grinding and crushing applications called Gearless Mill Drives (GMDs). “If a GMD goes down, downstream processes and ultimately production stops; hence we have implemented a remote connectivity solution, called ABB Ability Predictive Maintenance for grinding. This means we can extract data continuously around the operation of GMDs.” Cowie also stresses the importance that this technology can bring to the end user in terms of data and analytics. “The data these machines generate can be analysed and compared to other GMD data from around the world. If certain
