Revolutionising mining operations at TERNA MAG: Innovations enhancing efficiency and safety

By TERNA MAG

In the dynamic realm of mining, technological advancements are molding the industry's landscape. Within the MASTERMINE project, substantial progress and pioneering endeavors have been undertaken to optimise mining operations, bolster safety measures, and elevate overall efficiency at the mines owned by TERNA MAG, one of the end-users of the project. These groundbreaking initiatives encompass a range of areas, spanning from intelligent UAVs for remote supervision and innovative ore sorting systems to smart mine design utilising UAVs, cutting-edge sensor technology for predictive maintenance, and the seamless integration of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) connectivity.

Smart mine design

The first surface mapping of Bobakas mine has been completed, with the use of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). AuroraGeo Consulting will gather the initial data to process the topographic surface and discontinuities that will help create the future mine design.

Intelligent UAVs for mine remote supervision

UAV (Elios 2) has already been used for the 3D visualisation of small parts of the Nea Plakaria underground mine. In the future, it will also be used for the supervision of dangerous areas that are not approachable by the staff. Furthermore, Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) will use a UAV (Dji Matrice 3) for the 3D visualisation of the Bobakas open pit mine, but also for the supervision of the workforce mainly for safety reasons.

Smart predictive maintenance

After the meeting with CORE IC in TERNA MAG’s headquarters, it was decided that sensors will be installed on the pumps and the ventilation system in the Nea Plakaria underground mine. Pumps are mainly used for discharging water from underground working sites to a location outside the mine, allowing the staff to proceed with the rest working cycle. Moreover, the ventilation system which is consisted of fans and ducts, provides fresh air, and removes harmful gases and dust from the working sites, ensuring the health and safety of the staff. These sensors will monitor the voltage, current, power, flow, temperature of the pumps and the ventilation fans. As a result, real-time data will be available, which is crucial not only for taking immediate action in emergency situations but also for predictive maintenance.

Ore sorting system

In collaboration with ISenseGroup/ICCS a new sorting system will be developed, that will be consisted of a buffer, mechanical separators, a conveyor, an industrial camera, a hyperspectral camera, an X-Ray sensor, a pneumatic actuator used for the separation and a central processing unit. Furthermore, ML algorithms will be developed for the classification of the ore.

The main objective is to separate Magnesite from its impurities (Serpentinite, Peridotite, Sepiolite, Dolomite, Calcite). Up until now, there was only optical and magnetic separation, which depended on the colour and the magnetic properties of every rock. Dolomite, Calcite and Sepiolite have similar colour with Magnesite, so they cannot be separated efficiently. The hyperspectral camera and the X-Ray sensor will solve this issue because the ore will be separated according to their chemical composition.

IIoT Connectivity

ISenseGroup/ICCS will install access points for WiFi6 in both underground and open pit mines. With these access points the initial data that have been gathered from the UAV’s and the sensors, will be transferred to the cloud. As a result, a mesh network will be created over WiFi6 according to the topographic surface of both mines, providing accessible real-time data.