Mining in the Andes
Published by Jonathan Rowland,
Editor
World Coal,
RCT and Hexagon Mining have joined forces to provide safety and reliability solutions to Codelco’s Andina copper mine in Chile. Situated in the harsh and climate-sensitive Andes Mountains, the mine is faced with a number of challenges including poor visibility, high altitude (4 km about sea level), large cliff faces, steep drops, temperatures down to -25°C in winter, slippery icy surfaces and annual blizzards that close the mine until it’s safe for miners to return.
A risk assessment concluded that either autonomous or – at the very least – teleremote-controlled mining needed to implemented at the site with the mine’s owner, Codelco, turning to RCT and Hexagon Mining for a solution.
That solution included RCT’s ATX2200 teleremote-controlled system and Muirhead speed limiter combined with Hexagon Mining’s Jmineops Geogencing functionality and SAFEmine CAS and TrackingRadar object detection systems – all installed on a Komatsu WD600 wheel dozer.
The dozer can now be operated from a stationary, insulated cabin, as well as by a portable remote for line-of-sight operation.
“The simplicity of using the teleremote system has been highly praised,” RCT said in a press release. “The easy transition from actually physically driving the machine to operating it from a safe cabin, feeling safe at work and not having to endure the sometimes brutal Chilean weather, it priceless for the operators.”
Edited by Jonathan Rowland.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/09072015/rct-and-hexagon-help-solve-andean-mining-challenges-2533/
You might also like
EIA reduces its forecast for US coal exports following Port of Baltimore closure
The US EIA has decreased its forecast for US coal exports following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the resulting closure of the Port of Baltimore.