Digitalised Mining Can Allow For Deeper Mining

The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), in Johannesburg, will test its latest developments in digitalised mining technology in underground mining conditions in the next two months at the Sterkfontein caves, a World Heritage Site in Muldersdrift, near Krugersdorp.

- Marleny Arnold

The real-time safety technology, developed at Wits’ Mining Institute with vendor partner input, will be trialled at the Sterkfontein caves to develop mining applications further and motivate government to invest in research and development (R&D) initiatives to advance mining technologies.

Mining Institute director Professor Fred Cawood tells Mining Weekly that the institute sees this as the next step in driving the adoption of digitalised mining technology by South African mining operations.

He says the initial capital investment in digital mining technology is higher than that of conventional mining solutions, but, ultimately, operational costs will be lower, health and safety risks will be reduced and there is a definite possibility of facilitating deeper mining.

“However, deeper mining will remain on hold until government can provide an effective national support system for mines. A good start is the Mining Phakisa process, where the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is taking a leading role in an accelerated initiative aimed at prioritising the integration of solutions among research facilities, mines and government to support and improve mining methods and develop technologies collaboratively and continuously,” explains Cawood.

The research conducted at the Mining Institute is based on information generated by a smart mock mine with simulated mining conditions, which is digitally connected to an intelligent weather station, a visual system and a seismometer installed on the roof of the institute’s Chamber of Mines building at Wits, as well as communicative sensors rigged on some floors to generate data on simulated underground mining conditions.