Remote Operation of Electro-hydraulic Hoppers inside the Mine

CONTEXT OF THE PROBLEM

Part of the mining cycle involves transporting ore from inside the mine to the surface. There are no winches. All ore is transported to the surface in dump trucks operated mostly by the mine's own personnel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM

Currently, at MINSUR's San Rafael unit, the operation of opening and closing of all hoppers in order to unload the ore inside the mine is carried out manually. This process is executed by the dump truck driver, who collects the ore that has been previously accumulated in the hopper. This process generates delays affecting the mining cycle, since the driver must park the vehicle, get out of it, operate the hopper, unload the ore into the hopper of the dump truck and then return to his work.

FREQUENCY OF THE PROBLEM

This is an ongoing problem and we face it daily.

PARTIAL SOLUTIONS

There isn't a specific solution. We operate manually, so there is always an opportunity for improvement.

IMPACT OF THE PROBLEM

This problem has a high impact on the mine's operations, as it affects the mining cycle in terms of ore transport. If we solved this problem, we could comply with the Mine Plan in an optimal way.

QUANTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM

We estimate that the transportation process could be optimized by reducing 2 hours per day.

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