Mining Engineering

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Mining Engineering College Earth Mineral Sciences
Transtek Inc.
Intelligent Excavation Dr. Andrew P. Schissler
PE Penn State University Space Roundtable VI Nov.
2, 2004
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Research Process
Step-up Action Research STAR
Data / Design
Data / Design
Hypothesis
Other continuums Math education Sustainability
MINING
NASA
Conclusion / Response
Analysis / Testing
Analysis / Testing
Ground Truth
Lower readiness levels useful to mining, advances
technology for NASA
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2020 Mining Industry of the Future

• Themes
• Exploration resource characterization
• Mining
• Mineral processing
• Goals
• Low cost efficient production
• Superior exploration, resource characterization
• Safe and efficient extraction

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Roadmap Mining of the Future - 1998

• Process
• Identified vision of the future
• Identified barriers
• Identified technology options
• Specified technology requirements
• Set priorities
• Established research pathways
• Example Barriers (Roadmap, 1998)
• Remote Sensinglack of non-invasive technology to
  characterize mineral in-situ
• Imaging TechnologyLack of high resolution
  imaging while mining
• SafetySize, weight, and cost of machines
• Selected Results
• Advance products
• Positive partnership with the government
• Improved education

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Examples of Intelligent Excavation Pertaining to
Mine of the Future

• Roof drill automation via feedback control
• Sensitized bits, 3D tomography
• Microseismics to detect voids
• Microseismics to detect stress
• Electromagnetics to detect changes in
  mineralization, voids in leaching
• GPS drill excavator hauler location,
  geo-spatial advice, return update to geobase,
  emerging machine control
• Business Process Improvement

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Challenge
Prospecting gt Exploration gt Production gt
Processing gt Product Formation
Drill Shoot Load Haul or
(Classic unit operations)
Mechanical mining - Haul
gt gt gt gt Intelligent Excavation gt gt gt gt gt
Processing gt Production Formation
Manual Control to Sequential Automation to
Mineral Control and Intelligence
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Intelligent Excavation

• Dual robotic drill / excavators with commensurate
  sensors
• Mineral search and discern capacity
• Diameter for production threshold
• Duality
• Confirms (such as mineral hardness via sensitized
  bits)
• Adds Control
• Provides direct ray path (micro-seismics,
  electromagnetics) versus reflected raypath
• Advantageous stress orientation, mineralization,
  ground truth anisotropy and enabler of advanced
  geostatistics
• Provides geo-spatial reference
• Mine design advantages precise pillar width
  control, circular shape
• Follow mineralization
• Rescue stuck twin
• Through the rock wireless communication to each
  other and to mission control

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IE with Dual Drilbots

• Extraction subtracted from current block model
• Drilbots have immediate application
  mineralization for ground truth, sustainable
  development, NASA advance through readiness
  levels
• Pitching anthracite
• Deep reserves
• Gas hydrates The worldwide amounts of carbon
  bound in gas hydrates is conservatively estimated
  to total twice the amount of carbon to be found
  in all known fossil fuels on Earth. USGS.
  Drilbots exploring for frozen methaneresearch
  application to space exploration.

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