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.