Advanced Weather Systems for Mining Operations
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The document discusses the critical impacts of weather on mining operations, highlighting areas such as production scheduling, maintenance, and safety. It details specific weather-related challenges, including flooding, evaporation rates, and lightning, which can adversely affect equipment, worker safety, and overall operations. The text emphasizes the need for integrated weather solutions to monitor and mitigate these impacts effectively.
Advanced Weather Systems for Mining Operations
- 1. Advanced Weather Systems for Mining Operations Jim Foerster Certified Consulting Meteorologist Senior Product Management Director, Environment Schneider Electric SME Annual Meeting and Exhibition 2013
- 2. Weather Impacts Mining Operations ●Weather conditions can impact several aspects of mining operations… Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 3. Weather Impacts Mining Production ●Weather can present a direct impact on the ability of production scheduling ● Site flooding - causes losses of equipment and infrastructure ● Regional flooding - limits road access for mining vehicles and personal mobility ● Evaporation rates – has direct impact for tailings and process as well as potable water management ● Wind and air pressure - can adversely affect blasting planning Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 4. Weather Impacts Mining Maintenance ●Weather can present a direct impact on the ability of production scheduling ● Machinery maintenance cycles ● Best selection of oils and lubricants ● Corrosion management strategies ● Ambient temperature - influence on tire pressure used in mine vehicles. Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 5. Weather Impacts Mining Safety ● Personal safety is critical for many reasons ●Enables monitoring of the movement and dispersion of dust and hazardous gases ●Dust control strategies ●Design and positioning of mine offices and dorms ●Stockpile positioning ●Ensuring that local communities are not negatively impacted by excessive or hazardous dust and gases from the mine site ●Noise pollution Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 6. Weather Impacts Mining Safety ●Worker safety and productivity impacts ● Temperature/Wet Bulb Globe ● UV radiation ● Radiant heat ● Relative humidity data ● Lightning safety hazards ● Worker safety ● Equipment strikes ● Premature detonation of explosives ● Equipment stoppages (winders) ● Methane explosions Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 7. “Lightning can penetrate a 600-ft-deep mine with enough energy to trigger methane explosions” ft Novak and Fisher (2000) Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How to Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012
- 8. Lightning Facts ● One of the most severe forms of weather that can adversely affect mining operations ● Lightning strikes 40–50 times a second worldwide, nearly 1.4 billion total flashes per year ● Only about 25% of these are ground strokes ● Where freezing level is lower, ground strokes increase ● Approx. 70% of lightning occurs on land in the tropics ● A typical cloud to ground lightning strike can be over 5 km (3 mi) long ● A typical thunderstorm may have three or more strikes per minute at its peak ● Lightning is most likely in Southeast US: 1.Florida – also has 10 of top 15 metro areas in US 2.Louisiana 3.Mississippi 4.Alabama 5.Oklahoma Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 9. World Map of Frequency of Lightning Strikes Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013 Source: Wikipedia
- 10. Weather Impacts Mining – Other Hazards MSHA warns mining industry conditions at underground and surface coal mines can change dramatically during the winter months MSHA annual "Winter MSHA annual "Winter Alert" campaign Alert" campaign “The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) says that low barometric pressure and low humidity, combined with the seasonal drying of many areas in underground coal mines, have been key factors in past mine explosions” Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 11. Weather Impacts Mining Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 12. Requires a Complete Weather Solution Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 13. Weather Support Ideal for Mining Operations Alerting for ● Weather Decision Tool Lightning and Historical and Future Severe Weather ● Accurate forecasts Radar Animation ● Alerting ● Relevant features and content for mining operations ● High Availability Service ● Internet and wireless ● Convenient access from anywhere ● Professional meteorologists available for consultations ● Configurable features ● User specific controls ● Custom configurations ● Custom alerting Location-Specific Accurate Forecasts Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013 Monitoring
- 14. Accurate Hourly and Daily Forecasts • All key weather parameters to support operations and planning • Forecasts must be tuned to reality • Need global coverage • Ability to deploy local weather station for increased Graphs accuracy Daily Hourly Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 15. Global Lightning Solution with Alerting Mobile Mobile Devices Devices Lightning alert GPS Lightning Detected position report Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 16. Real-time Lightning Display/Detection ● Real-time detection & display of each lightning strike ● Update frequency no more than 1 minute ● Alerts & displays on PC and remote devices ● Timely, clear, reliable notification ● See exactly where lightning is occurring and know when to resume safely Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 17. Alerting ● Location-based ● Customizable for your safety policy ● Accessible via PC, cell phone or tablets ● Early warning and all-clear alert ● Lightning countdown lets you know when it is safe to resume Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 18. Relevant Forecast Content ● Industry-specific graphics and forecasts ● Weather discussions created by professional meteorology staff Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 19. Wind Forecasting Hour by Hour Wind Forecasting Current Wind Information Receive Alerts via Text/Email when wind exceeds your threshold Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 20. Professional Meteorologist Consultation ● Should be able to consult with a professional meteorologist to aid in decision making process, gauge forecast confidence, and assess latest weather trends. ● Must be accessible from PC application as well as mobile extensions ● Prompt answers ● Clear and actionable guidance Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How to Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012
- 21. Mobile Apps Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 22. Global Capabilities Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 23. Long Range Outlooks for Planning Spring Outlook March-May 2013 Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 24. Weather Support for Mining Operations Schneider Electric – Advanced Weather Systems forto Manage Your Legacy Automation Equipment – 2012 Schneider Electric - Industry Business – How Mining Operations – SME 2013
- 25. Thank You! Schneider Electric – The Mine Central Control–Room: MiningConcept to Reality – AND ITSEquipment – 2012 Schneider Electric – - Industry CONTROL AND POWER TECHNOLOGIES2013 2013 Schneider Electric TRDS IN Business How to Manage Your Legacy Automation IMPACT FOR MINERAL RECOVERY RATES – SME 2013 Advanced Weather Systems for From Operations – SME SME
Editor's Notes
- #9: Tropics is also where most thunderstorms occur
- #10: In flashes per square kilometer per year
- #14: Weather support for mining operations should include professional meteorologists available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for consultations
- #23: Climate change example: Australia heavy rains heightens awareness