Modern Mining July 2024

Emerson’s AMS6500 online condition monitoring solution fetches important condition monitoring and frequency data that can identify developing issues.

“Emerson’s Tailings Monitoring system is a fully automated smart system. It consists of wireless sensors to measure water levels and pressures, and it provides real time data back to the control room to notify operators when conditions start to change so they can take timely action. The interconnecting slurry pipelines between dams are included. We monitor pressure and the slurry density for piping anomalies that might help avoid environmental harm due to spillage incidents,” he explains. Further, there are design-driven solutions, such as Emerson’s knife-gate valves designed for abrasive slurry service, that increase the time between maintenance downtime for tailing operations. Another example of a safety solution that is becoming a focus area is worker safety and gas breakthrough in deep mining activity. “Emerson’s solution combines smart wireless gas sensors with discrete measurement local alarms that can help to identify dangerous levels of gas concentrations quickly at the mining operation, and help to relay critical information to the control room, thereby ensuring worker and operational safety,” MS Prakash explains. Towards smarter and more efficient mining One of the most important operational metrics for operators across the mining industry is uptime of critical equipment, which relates directly to profit. Critical assets need the right monitoring and preventive maintenance programmes to maximise availability. “Emerson’s online condition monitoring solution (AMS6500) does away with traditional periodic data collection and fetches important condition monitoring and frequency data that can help to identify developing issues during normal operations. This assists operators to deploy a predictive maintenance strategy that complements traditional machinery protection systems,” he says. For other essential assets, Emerson’s machinery health analyser (AMS 2140) simplifies field collection

Emerson plays a big part in supporting forward-looking mining customers with innovative technologies to meet their ESG needs.

its contribution to carbon emissions. So safety, sustainability and ESG are being prioritised more than ever before. Emerson, he continues, plays a big part in supporting forward-looking mining customers with the innovative technologies to meet their own ESG needs as well as to refocus operations towards the world’s energy transition. “We have a full suite of technologies, right from sensors and valves all the way through to the control systems and mission critical industrial software that is helping transform mining sites into best in-class operations. Our automation technology and software are improving safety and reliability, operational efficiency and environmental performance simultaneously,” he says. Improving safety in mining From a safety perspective, he adds, there are unique challenges that mining customers see Emerson can support them with. Taking the example of tailings, he says, “As mining operations mature, existing tailing infrastructure reaches its design limitation. With mining companies looking to reprocess waste to extract residual value from declining ore grades, the risk of tailing-dam collapse is increased.

Design-driven solutions, such as Emerson’s knife-gate valves for abrasive slurry service, increase the time between maintenance downtime for tailing operations.

JULY 2024 | www.modernminingmagazine.co.za  MODERN MINING  13