Remote Operation of the Electro-Hydraulic charging Hopper inside the Mine

CONTEXT OF THE PROBLEM

The mining cycle involves transporting ore from inside the mine to the surface. We do not have winches. All ore is transported to the surface in dump trucks operated mostly by our personnel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM

Currently at the Minsur unit in San Rafael, the opening and closing operations of the hoppers to unload the ore inside the mine is carried out manually. This process is triggered by the dump truck's driver who collects all the ore that has been previously accumulated in the hopper, causing delays that affect the mining cycle because the driver must park the vehicle, then get off the vehicle, operate the hopper, unload the ore in the dump truck's hopper 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

It affects hugely the Mining operations. It affects the mining cyclem especially the ore transport. This could be improved by carrying out the mining plan completely and in an optimal way.

QUANTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM

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