Tag Archives: mine monitoring

Terrafame leveraging Kelluu hydrogen-powered airship mine monitoring solution

Automation, Base metals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Mine surveying, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Terrafame, a responsible battery chemicals producer for electric vehicles, has selected Finland-based airship development company Kelluu to provide accurate and geo-referenced terrain data for continuous monitoring of its 60 sq.km industrial site.

The aerial monitoring has been done mainly using satellites or helicopters, battery-powered drones, or land-based surveys.

Kelluu develops long-distance, self-flying and hydrogen-powered airship concepts mounted with several spectral cameras, sensors and scanners that can gather real-time data on terrain, vegetation and infrastructure. It then processes the data to create an accurate 3D digital twin of the environment, enabling Terrafame in this instance to monitor and forecast dynamic changes at the industrial site and optimise its infrastructure maintenance and production processes, and further strengthen the environmental safety of the site, Kelluu says.

Aki Ullgren, Senior Geotechnical Engineer at Terrafame, said: “The combination of high-resolution RGB, multispectral and Flir images, combined with the same 3D mesh, is a fascinating tool, especially in heap leaching and open-pit slope stability modelling. We’re happy to welcome Kelluu to the group of monitoring services we use to promote safety and efficiency at our Terrafame site.”

Kelluu’s airships are highly efficient, emitting 99.5% less CO2 emissions than traditional aerial monitoring, and frequently cover mission times of over 12 hours, the company claims. The airships are effectively operational in sub-zero temperatures.

Kelluu says its facility in Finland is the only airship factory and product development laboratory in northern Europe.

Janne Hietala, CEO of Kelluu, said: “It is truly mesmerising to see the Kelluu’s airships in the air at Terrafame. We felt a strong connection with Terrafame’s commitment to positively impacting the world by reducing emissions of electromobility. What Terrafame does for mobility, we do it for aviation. Together, we provide increased safety using Kelluu’s breakthrough intelligent airship technology.”

Terrafame has one of the world’s largest production lines for chemicals used in electric car batteries on its industrial site in Finland. The plant can produce nickel sulphate for around 1 million electric cars per year, it claims. The carbon footprint of the nickel sulphate produced by Terrafame is among the smallest in the industry.

As Terraframe produces hydrogen onsite and the airships are powered by hydrogen, Kelluu has built a ground base for its airships on Terrafame’s industrial site. Kelluu will autonomously transfer its airship from its current base in Joensuu, Finland, to Terrafame’s base in Sotkamo.

In addition to Kelluu, Terrafame has multiple other partners helping to monitor its site and develop its operations and occupational and environmental safety.

ABB adds to Knowledge Manager following pilot trials

Automation, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining software, , ,

ABB has announced the newest version of its Knowledge Manager (KM) software, following direct customer feedback from several worldwide pilot installations of the technology.

ABB Ability™ Knowledge Manager 9.1 offers new features to improve usability and engineering capabilities for mining and cement customers, according to the company.

Eduardo Lima, Global Product Manager Digital Mining and Cement at ABB, said: “This version of ABB Ability Knowledge Manager is a great example for how we collaborate closely with our customers to design and improve the solutions they need for their operations.”

Older KM installations can be upgraded to this new version, which further builds upon the improvements started in its previous 9.0 version, and now includes visually improved dashboards. Outdated chart technologies are continuously being replaced with a variety of newer ones that are based on HTML5, providing more interactive functions and better performance.

The new version also supports engineering based on standard ISA-95 equipment model and provides engineering synchronisation with other ABB solutions, such as ABB Ability™ AssetVista, for easier integration. New data collection mechanisms using the OPC UA standard are now also available, enabling simpler and more secure integration with other systems and solutions.

ABB said: “Information management and transparency across operations is key for users at all plant levels. There is a particular need at companies with multiple plants to understand why these are operating at different performance levels. An integrated information management system, such as ABB Ability Knowledge Manager, allows sharing knowledge across sites in the organisation.”

KM provides analytical insight to identify best practices and improve overall operation at the plant and at corporate levels, according to the company. The system incorporates leading-edge digital capabilities and technology, providing mining and cement industry customers with the ability to view, analyse, and act upon critical data, ABB says.

Integrated with the ABB Ability™ System 800xA process control system and its extensive Minerals Library, Knowledge Manager includes an easy-to-use mobile interface, so operators can access process performance information at any time from any location. The new version also includes functions to create, view, and share reports, charts, and trend analysis, and improvements to navigation and information storage.

The company concluded: “Knowledge Manager simplifies production management by enabling performance monitoring, downtime management and maintenance support, as well as providing statistical production analysis tools. It provides solutions and advanced tools to facilitate the collection, consolidation and distribution of production, quality and energy information via web-based dashboards, reports, trends, and graphs.”