Innovations in Surface Mining

Dr G.K.Pradhan
Professor of Mining Engineering & Dean
Faculty of Engineering & Technology
AKS University, Satna

Economic development/GDP of any nation and in meeting the day to day needs of the population
is from the Mining sector only. Our planners and policy makers have had enough contributions
to make mining as an integral part of the Indian economics and development model. To support
this mission various regulations were also enacted and efforts were made all these years to
produce astronomical quantities of ores-minerals and waste material by surface mining.
Production of ores and minerals (coal and non-coal) safely adopting the new technologies
economically in a globally controlled pricing together with is primarily through harmony with
all the stakeholders for achieving the goal of sustainable development clubbed with ‘innovations
in this method of mining’. Even in the ‘National Mineral Policy 2019’ there has been clear
mention of the (Annexure 1)

Surface Mining

Surface Mining in India had been the main method of mining adopted for majority of coal,
lignite, iron ore, limestone, dolomite, bauxite, copper, lead and zinc and other minerals. To meet
the burgeoning demand of the various minerals, surface mining had contributed to meet the
volume. On the other hand till the late 80’s coal which was dominated by underground methods
of extraction, had to switchover to large scale development of surface mines.

In the coal and lignite sector, surface mine account for over 80% and 100% of the production
respectively. Similarly, in non-fuel sector the major production of iron ore, limestone, dolomite,
bauxite, barite only from surface mines and a small proportion of copper, chrome ore, lead and
zinc, manganese come from surface mines, leaving a small proportion from underground
operations.

The growing thrust on surface mining has been supported by –

- extensive exploration,
- detailed planning of the ore body, massive investment in the mining machineries and
extraction system,
- investment in research and development to extract higher percentage recovery safely,
- commissioning of state-of-the-art mineral processing system,
- plans and programs for maintaining ecological balance (owing to the mining causing
degradation/pollution of air, water and land),

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 - acceptable R&R policy for the population affected by mining activities, and
- developing infrastructure to handle the movement of the final products to the
consumer industries and/or the port facilities for exports.

Innovations in Mining

Surface Mining activities in India spread from hills to deep forest area to the sea shore
operations, over the years had undergone several transformation. This was supported by infusion
of investment into mining and processing of the ore, adoption of modern heavy earth moving
mining machineries, methods to design mines for disposal of waste and extraction of ore, safe
blasting methods, planning & designing of infra for safe movement of HEMM inside the mine
premises, adoption of safety gadgets and methods; installation of modern illumination, dust
control, slope monitoring, sound level monitoring, computer aided systems for movement of
dumpers, monitoring of production etc.

Today, in majority of mining operations Computers and IT had a greater and prominent
intervention so as to extract optimally and safely mineral from a mining system. The modern
instrumentation techniques also support in our quest for better mining environment all leading to
‘sustainable development’.

Mine Planning

Ore body evaluation, geo-statistical reserve estimate and modeling have played a vital role in the
overall economics of any mine assistance from a large number of computer packages are taken to
assist the mine planners and geoscientists in the areas of detailed and more accurate mine
planning (both short and long term). In India, we have adopted some of the latest softwares and
trained our users at the mine level taking into account the local site conditions at greater detail.

Infrastructure Planning

Optimum Infrastructure Planning by multiple operators in sharing of land and other recourses.
Feasibility of mining common barrier should be looked into. Infrastructure layout should be so
planned as it does not block any resource or cause hindrance to the exploitation of the same. The
infrastructure should be in line with the Master Planning of the entire area considering mines of
different mine operators.

Technology & Method of Work

For opencast mining, application of large capacity shovel-dumper system, surface miners need to
be examined. For shovel dumper system, the equipment configuration needs to be standardized
to 3 or 4 modules. The largest size of the dragline deployed in CIL has not changed in past two
decades. The prevalent size and technology available across the world should be considered
while planning.

Mine Excavation

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In the entire mining cycle, excavation of ore and waste play a major role and are the greatest
contributor to the safety, ecology and economics. While shovel dumper combination contributes
to be the major method of mining in India the efforts are on a sustained basis to introduce the
latest version of excavators and dumpers in the system. Our efforts to have large size shovels and
dumpers started from mines of NMDC, Tata Steel, SAIL, mines of ACC in the early 70’s. It got
a sudden jump when Kudremukh came into existence to have an annual excavation volume of
22.5 Million Tonnes in the late 70’s.Since then, we have fine tuned our shovel dumper system ,
by adopting –
- higher capacity of the bucket,
- higher hauling capacity of the dumpers,
- fuel efficient or energy efficient engine power,
- sturdy and leak proof hydraulic system enabling to maintain designed pressure,
- full proof braking system
- ergonomically designed operator’s cabin,
- modern safety features for making the operation area safe during loading, unloading,
hauling, etc.,
- maintenance methods incorporating reliability techniques,
- instrumentation to support operator friendly operation,
- softwares and communication system to make the entire operation flawless leading to
better availability and utilization
- significant improvement in haul road design, haul road stability, haul road lighting,
dust control
- improvements in

Drilling & Blasting

Any excavation operation to succeed has to have a well designed and planned drilling & blasting
system in place. Figure 1, explains the role an influence of blasting on surface mining cycle of
operation.

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 Figure 1 : Role of explosives/blasting in Mining

Majority of Indian mines have switched over to the use of Site Mixed Emulsion explosives and
ANFO. In the areas of ‘initiation’ mines are very much concerned for the various problems
associated with blast induced ground vibration, frequency of vibration on the stability of natural
and man made structures, flyrocks etc.The proximity of mining benches to human habitation,
public roads, historical monuments etc had necessitated use of electronic delay detonators, low
density explosives, effective use of stemming plugs and other non-explosive air decks to ensure
uniform explosive energy use, designing larger blasts and reduction in blasting frequency etc.

Use of computer aided blast design and explosive selection softwares and analysis of post blast
fragmentation benefitted miners to go for better ore recovery, design of smooth blasting
techniques to ensure stability of the highwall etc. Using softwares to analyse the blasted material
had also ensured better crusher output and reduction in energy consumption in the processing
plants. In the areas of blast monitoring and flyrock management Drones, are also helping in the
blast design team to a great extent.

Blast free Mining

Majority of limestone mines are facing the serious problem of blasting owing to the proximity of
active mining benches to structures. Chittorgarh Fort and Chittorgarh Mines of Birla Corporation
in Rajasthan, several captive mines of Cement plants close to state and national highways have
faced legal and local ire. To avoid drilling & blasting, efforts have been made to extend the use
of ‘mechanical cutting’ in place of blasting by rippers and surface miners are proposed. The
surface mines of Vindhyan limestone and Bauxite mines are now switching over to use surface

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miners to cut the hard rock mass in the range of 100 to 140 MPa. While Writgen surface miners
used in coal and softer limestone have proved their economic application, use of surface miners
in hard rock cutting is the subject of extensive rock mechanics study.

Use of surface miners of Vermeer make at the Panchpatmali Bauxite Mine of NALCO have been
successful. It not only meet the rate of production (as high as 450 to 480 tph), but also meet the
economics of overall excavation. In the green field mines where the crushing system is yet to be
installed, surface miners prove to be economical. Surface miners also improves the OMS,
reduces cost of fuel, generates quality ore in a sized manner in addition to various safety-security
and regulatory mechanism involved with the transport-storage and use of explosives. In one hard
rock limestone mine of Indonesia, surface miners are widely used to produce over 3 million
tonnes of sized ore (Figure 2).

Figure 2 : Use of Trencor Surface Miners (having Top Down Mechanical mechanism of
cutting) in a Limestone Mine of Indonesia having average 80 to 140 MPa UCS

Use of rippers and hydraulic rock breakers are also helping mines where blasting has been
banned by the regulators.

Thrust Areas for Improving Productivity through Innovation

Benchmarking of mining operations/ equipments, optimizing size and capacity of the mine, bigger sizes
of HEMM in surface mines, cutting down the idle time and breakdown time of machinery by
better maintenance and timely procurement of spares, correcting mismatch in excavation and
transport equipment capacity, training of workers for new technology, machinery, and
maintenance, large scale use simulators, standardization of equipment fleet at mine level,
Introduction of OITDS for all big mines, proper monitoring at every level, and modern
communication and reporting system.

Automation & Application Of Information Technology

Automation is the key to high productivity, production and safety. The information revolution of the
country is gradually getting into mining industry and has a significant impact on mine operations.

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Information Technology (IT) is cited frequently as one of the most important tools for improving
productivity and decision making.

Application of IT Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - SAP

SAP-ERP has been implemented covering the business processes related to Purchase & Stores, Marketing
& Despatches, Quality Management, Human Capital management, Finance & Accounts and Costing.
Now it is planned to leverage usage of SAP under following categories: Enlarge scope by implementing
all the functionalities available in SAP and which are relevant to most surface mines.

Mining equipment are increasingly fitted with Global positioning systems, sensors and information-
processing capabilities to control and manage operations. As advanced equipment becomes more
widespread, communications and data networks will enable mine-wide process integration and control
capabilities to tie more operations at the mine site together. Ultimately, these networks will supply data to
a central control where it will be layered in to provide a range of services and support functions, such as
mine planning and equipment-maintenance solutions.

CO2 emission Reduction

Our global commitment to reduce CO2 emission in all forms of economic activities including
Mining, Processing and Handling of ores/minerals has been the firm commitment of the mining
companies. In this direction, efforts have been made to -

- Use of duel fuel (gaseous fuel) in HEMM engines in place of HSD,

- Use of blast free mining methods to avoid explosive use
- In mines adopting blasting, efforts are made to have effective use of explosive energy
in fragmentation. Following the ‘Energy Factor’ system greatly benefits the blasting
engineers to reduce the quantities of explosives.
- Switching over to long distance conveying system including pipe conveyors (JSW
Vijaynagar Steel Plant had laid second longest pipe conveyor system to transport all
the production from its mines in the Ballari district; JSPL Sharda Mines had also
adopted pipe conveyor), cable belt conveyors (ex: NALCO Mines, Baphlimali Utkal
Alumina bauxite Mines, Mines of NMDC at Bailadila and Donimali etc), slurry mode
of transport of ore to the consumer industry or port facilities (ex: Kudremukh-now
defunct, Kirandul to Vizag pipelines of Essar, iron ore fines transport from Barbil
sector to Paradip port) etc.
- Use of fuel additives and long life lube oil to reduce the use of HSD and Lube oil in
engines and hydraulic system
- Adopting energy audit at regular frequency to identify wastage of energy and
conservation of energy in HEMM, Crushing and Conveying system.

Figure 3, explains the emissions level in case of a surface coal mine having 7:1 stripping ratio. In
case of an iron ore or limestone or bauxite mines the level of electrical energy use is enormous
when the blasted ore is subjected to processing either in a dry or a wet processing unit. Today,
majority of mines are having longer hauling distance and deeper pits (lift) from the processing
plants, leading to use of higher HSD consumption vis-à-vis CO2 emission level.

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 Figure 3 : Example of a Coal Mine Energy and Emissions per Million Tonnes of coal
ex-pit for a 7:1 stripping ration dragline operation.

Reduce explosive use to reduce CO2 imprint

In the mines using explosives for rock fragmentation, any quantity of explosive saved through
scientific studies involving – optimization, explosive energy utilization etc, considerably reduces
in the average liberation of various gases into the atmosphere. As per one study of Maunsell Pty
Ltd, Australia, the quantity of gases liberated per tonne of explosives are : CO2 167.3 kg, CO-
16.3 kg, NO2 3.5 kg.

With the use of empty water bottles quantity of explosives primarily SME and ANFO could be
reduced after studying the explosive energy content and blast design parameters. The author had
introduced this concept in several mines.

Other areas

Apart from the above mentioned systems in surface mines, today all out effort is being made to
switch over to eco-friendly techniques. Most mines have identified the mined out area, old
dumps, vacant land area to install Solar Panel system to generate electricity.

Unmanned slope monitoring systems, surveying by use of scanners, various fire detection
systems, using paste fill technology for mine reject disposal and storage, etc are gaining more
application in Indian mines. Working in 3-D - .University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and its
research partners, Downer’s Mineral Technologies and the Innovative Manufacturing CDC
(IMCRC), have reached an important milestone: one year of advancing their efforts to create a
bespoke 3-D printer for the production of mineral separation and mining equipment

Drones have been launched by Ministry of Mines and IBM in association with mining companies
(ex: Tata Steel at Sukinda and Noamundi). In the coming days, drones will help mine
management to prepare accurate plans and sections of the mine and neighbouring areas so as to

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understand the changes in the land use. Use of DGPS is another milestone achieved by the
regulators to ensure quick survey of the mine area, movement of ores and minerals etc.

Application of AI

Artificial Intelligence has been the buzz word of the modern times. In mining also it has made an
entry. In July 2019, Swedish mining and smelting company Boliden, which is already
introducing automation and electrification at its operations, has tested whether artificial
intelligence (AI) could optimise its processes. Similarly, Nvidia Drive Constellation – through
cloud-based hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform that is testing and validating self-driving
technology (autonomous vehicles) in various conditions with Volvo.

In another development, collaboration between Belaz and Zyfra is focussed on AI-based

technologies. The companies plan to conduct joint studies of customer needs and an analysis of
the global market for digital AI-based products in the mining industry, as a foundation for
creating and improving their own developments in this field. Their immediate plans include
working on a predictive analytics system for quarry equipment to help predict breakdowns by
analysing historical data and carry out predictive maintenance. In parallel, the two companies
have mapped out joint steps in the development of industrial safety solutions. In particular, they
are planning to test a driver fatigue tracking system using computer vision technologies.

In our country, Zyfra achieved $3 million in contracts with its Indian counterparts in 2018,
facilitating industrial manufacturers with AI and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based
solutions as well as autonomous vehicles. They have drawn plans to digitise all the value chain
of mining with the use of artificial intelligence in drilling and blasting, and intelligent mine with
unmanned vehicles, crushing and enriching minerals. Zyfra had indicated that, AI-based
intelligent mine solutions will allow integration of unmanned vehicles like dump trucks,
excavators dozers into a single digital control system for the mining and transport complex and
ensure that there are no people left behind in dangerous areas and situations. This will ensure
increasing of the utilisation of haul dumpers and excavators up to 20-25 per cent and of drilling
units by up to 35 per cent, as well as reduce costs for maintenance by 10-15 per cent a year.

Conclusion
Today, Indian surface mines are very sensitive and are committed to have innovations with
infusion of budget for research and development, energy efficient techniques and energy use etc.
Support from Government of India is essential, for some of the high value innovation like AI, as
has been done by Canada’s Ontario state. However, with individual association the author could
innovate explosive use by using empty plastic bottles in the blasting operations.

Acknowledgement

Thanks are due to the management of AKS University, Satna and organisers for giving an
opportunity to share my views.

Annexure I

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 Excerpts from National Mineral Policy 2019 : on R&D and Innovations

9. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 9.1 General Approach Research and development in the mineral
sector has to cover the entire gamut of activities from geological survey, exploration, mining,
beneficiation, concentration of minerals to development of materials. Efforts will be directed towards the
development of new technologies for conversion of existing mineral resources into viable economic
resources. Appropriate technologies shall be developed to enable indigenous industries to utilise the
mineral resources with which the country is abundantly endowed. R&D efforts shall be directed to find
new and alternative uses for minerals whose traditional demand is on the wane. Indigenous technology
has to be upgraded through research and appropriate absorption and adoption of technological
innovations. Research and development efforts shall be made to improve efficiency in process,
operations and also the recovery of byproducts and reduction in specification and consumption norms.
Efforts will also be directed to evolve low capital and energy saving processing systems.

9.2 Research in Mining Methods Mining methods determine the safety, economy, speed and the
percentage of extraction of the ore reserves from a mine. Research and development thrust shall be
directed specially in the areas of rock mechanics, ground control, mine design engineering, equipment
deployment and maintenance, energy conservation, environmental protection, safety of operations and
human engineering.