Following the significant success of SCOTT Automation in mining with its Robofuel autonomous refuelling system which is now in use at a number of sites, including working with an autonomous Komatsu 930E fleet in the Pilbara, there is a new company and design in the arena of robotic refuelling in mining in the form of Universal Field Robots (UFR) with a system it calls AutoFuel. The company has an R&D site near Brisbane airport and a test site near the Port of Brisbane.
The robot it says was designed to improve the safety of workplaces, and significantly increase productivity and accountability. The AutoFuel autonomous truck refuelling robot will be located next to the haul road where trucks will arrive. “The robot will be notified electronically that the truck is ready for fuel, it will then position itself and connect the nozzle to the truck. In around 5 minutes, the robot will transfer a full tank of fuel to the truck and disconnect, so the truck can continue hauling.”
UFR says the robot is self-contained and does not require any external services. It is able to be supervised at a remote work location using a GUI and can fully function without an operator to provide the refuelling. “This UFR product has a vision system that allows the robot to see people and inspect trucks in intricate detail. It has sensors to locate the fuel nozzle and a gripper to be able to remove the fuel cap. To add some perspective, it typically takes up to 30 minutes for operators to refill fuel tanks currently.
“With the use of our robot, no personnel are required to operate equipment at these fuelling stations. This directly impacts the workers as they would immediately have a significant decrease in exposure to hazards, impacting workplace safety meaningfully. Our robot will provide the mining industry with increased truck utilisation, giving the ability for mines to save a substantial amount each year. Along with this, the sensing systems of the robot will allow accurate and consistent data to be collected which will effectively manage fuel allocation – directly improving the accountability on the overall usage of fuel. Our autonomous truck refuelling robot provides workers with an innovative solution to effectively and safely refuel trucks to help keep the mines moving as efficiently as possible.”
