The first digital mine is being created at the Uchalinsky GOK

2022: Introduction of an automated underground mining dispatching system

Uchalinsky GOK completed a pilot implementation of an automated underground mining dispatching system from VIST Group (part of Zyfra Group of Companies). The implemented system made it possible to organize operational control and effective management of production processes, production and transportation of rock mass. This was reported by the GC "Figure" on October 25, 2022. Digitalization of underground mining management processes will increase the productivity of the mining and transport complex. Based on the results of the pilot project, it was decided to scale it to the entire underground mining and transport complex in the amount of more than 20 pieces of equipment within one mine.

The implemented SDA SGR system allows the company's specialists not only to monitor the progress of work, but also to analyze the production process according to various parameters. In total, 8 units of mining equipment were involved in the pilot project: loading and delivery machines, mine dump trucks, drilling rigs. The system has a modular structure. Each module allows the enterprise to solve a certain range of tasks. The basic functionality module allows you to control the location of equipped equipment and its downtime, takes into account fuel consumption. The equipment operation control modules monitor the production indicators, form and issue replacement tasks on board, form final reports on the work for the specified period. The ore quality control module monitors the ore movement from the face to the ore delivery to the surface, taking into account intermediate warehouses/loads/ore passes, forms mimic diagrams of the ore flow movement, controls warehouses, and visualizes the state of ore passes. In addition, the system includes modules for monitoring the state of stationary equipment, road quality control, a module for MRO management, analytics, and monitoring the effectiveness of equipment and operators.

Thanks to the system, the dispatcher in real time monitors the operation of the entire fleet of equipment involved in the quarry, as well as each unit separately. The dispatcher can send a scheduled task to the operator's on-board computer and track its execution.

During the pilot project, mine trucks, loading machines and drilling rigs were equipped with sensors that inform the system about the weight of the transported cargo/rock mass in the bucket, downtime, mileage, help classify downtime, track cargo types, record places of work, loading, unloading, etc. The entire workflow is displayed on a 2D map that gives information about the movement of equipment and its operation parameters (loaded/empty, weight, in repair) in real time. The map also indicates the irregularities of the roadway. This makes it possible to significantly extend the service life of the tires. The use of Web interfaces and the designer of dashboards makes the underground dispatching system as convenient as possible for users.

With the introduction of ASU PGR, the company moved to another level of underground mining management: now it is possible to track the parameters of equipment operation online, analyze the production situation in the mine, and more quickly solve unscheduled technical issues. Real-time tracking of the volumes of transported rock mass, which allows you to approach the shift planning of mining operations. One of the key achievements of the project is to increase the utilization of equipment. This parameter is expected to increase by 6%. As a result of the project, it was decided to scale it in the contour of the entire mine, told the head of the digital transformation program of Uchalinsky GOK JSC, Konstantin Patrin.

The equipment and software of the system is as reliable and verified as possible in the most stringent operating conditions. The onboard software is designed in such a way that no information can be lost even in the temporary absence of communication with the server: the data is stored in the controller's memory and immediately after the restoration of communication is transmitted to the server. In many other systems, even in the short-term absence of radio coverage, data may disappear, which critically affects the operation of the enterprise, noted the general director of the Tsigna Group of Companies, Sergey Emelchenkov.