Emerging technologies are changing the way mining companies operate with automation and standardisation boosting safety and productivity.
QUT robotics researchers have alreadydeveloped technology that will equip underground mining vehiclesto navigate autonomously through dust, camera blur and bad lighting and will allow vehicle-mounted cameras to track the location of vehicles in underground tunnels within metres.
The Internet of Things – technology that networks devices, equipment and appliances through the internet – is connecting fleets, equipment and people using radio frequency identification devices and sensor technologies.
Now, innovators have turned their attention to one of the biggest challenges for remote mine sites – access to reliable power through efficient fuel storage.
For many miners, developing large-scale fuel farms on site is one way to ensure a secure supply of diesel to power operations.
现在，仅西澳大利亚州就有大约200个燃料农场，其中大约有一半的采矿领域。
An innovation that has paved the way for the rise of this storage options is the development of self-bunded tanks with integrated spill containment.
F.E.S.坦克技术总监克雷格Cygler, a specialist in remote fuel refuelling solutions, says using自筹的地上燃油储罐已经使散装燃料存储的构建和搬迁以满足采矿需求更简单，更安全的过程。
“With self-bunded tanks you avoid the need for construction work to build bunds around tank farms, and the associated valve maintenance and drainage issues to ensure contaminated rainwater doesn’t escape into the water table.
“In self-bunded tanks the dual wall protects the environment against leaks, protects you against fuel loss and saves on excavation and construction work.
“Another great benefit with our modern tanks is that they are fully modular systems, which makes site design simple. Everything, including connecting pipework, walkways and ladders, can now be prefabricated and put together on the site within 1-3 weeks, depending on the size of the farm.
“This is a huge advance – using old methods the process would have taken twice as long.
“这也意味着，经过三到四年的运营需求发生变化后，可以轻松将农场分开并搬迁到另一个地点。”
虽然可再生能源和电力矿石可能会在未来即将到来，但专家说，在可预见的未来，柴油可能仍然是主要电源。
考虑到这一点，通过降低燃油运输成本来解决高架，并在工作地点附近找到存储空间意味着可以在偏远地区迅速建造的油箱农场是一个合乎逻辑的举动。
What’s more, the farms are compatible with new automated refuelling technologies that are already being trialled by major players including Rio Tinto.
Robotic refuelling that removes the need for manual intervention is not only expected to make the refuelling process safer, but boosts the potential for fuel farms by making it even easier to build them closer to operations.
克雷格·赛格勒（Craig Cygler）表示，计划远程燃料存储农场的矿工的首次考虑是消费 - 正确的容量可以降低燃料交付的频率，这意味着在偏远地区节省了大量成本。
“The first consideration is what type of machinery will you be filling and how many vehicles, and that will give you an idea of the storage capacity you need and the required flow rate,” he says.
“For example if you’re only looking at 10 vehicles you might only need two to three tanks.
“大多数燃料农场可能有5-10升的坦克，使它们储存500,000至100万升。
“The dispensing equipment needs to deliver about 800 litres per minute, because it’s filling 3000-litre tanks and high-flow equipment means faster refuelling and cost and productivity savings. There’ll also need to be separate refuelling points for the lighter vehicles.”
Security is another key consideration – Cygler says while fully automated and robotic refuelling is probably still 5-10 years away for most sites, advanced fuel management systems have significantly streamlined the refuelling process and dramatically reduced losses.
Having access to real-time data and analytics allows for predictive maintenance processes that reduce vehicle down-time.
“ AVI加油或自动化车辆识别系统，识别每辆车并监视燃料使用情况。他们可以编译详细数据，包括谁在操作车辆和燃油消耗的变化。”他说。
“Fuel management systems provide an important basis for fuel management and are also an effective way to reduce theft and wastage.”
自动化似乎增加可能是采矿加油的未来方式。
QUT Professor Michael Milford says在农业中试用的自动加油技术可能会有采矿应用。
“Refuelling is obviously potentially quite hazardous,” he says, “so that’s an area which is under active research in terms of automating it.
“The big appeal of robots is in dull, dirty and dangerous conditions, and mine sites often fulfil two or three of those criteria simultaneously.”
