Soft Rock Mining Simulators
CYBERMINE advanced simulator technology effectively trains operators of soft rock mining equipment such as continuous miners, shuttle cars, bolters, ploughs and shearers.
It is well known that mistakes made in the soft rock mining cycle have extensive cost implications. Effective operator training for longwall miners, continuous miners, shuttle cars and other ancillary equipment such as LHDs and bolters is critical to the effectiveness of these complex mining operations. The use of soft rock mining simulators is now widely accepted as an essential tool for optimising productivity, improving safety and minimising operating costs.
The CYBERMINE Soft Rock mining simulator range consists of continuous miner simulators, longwall miner simulators, shuttle car simulators and specialised bolter simulators. This range is augmented by LHD simulators which form part of the standard CYBERMINE underground mining simulator range. All CYBERMINE mining simulators have been developed in collaboration with original equipment manufacturers to provide for mine operator training, re-training and evaluation in realistic 3D simulated underground mine environments.
“We have seen a 30% decrease in loading times within the first week of continuous miner operators being put through simulator exercises.”
Accurate Vehicle Replication
The soft rock mining operator is immersed in a highly realistic, virtual, operating, 3D simulated mine world, projected on up to four wide screen displays located about the mine operator’s cab. CYBERMINE Soft Rock Mining Simulators feature fully functional instruments and controls, including steering wheel, switches, gauges, levers, pedals and joysticks, as provided in the actual vehicle being simulated. For remotely operated mining equipment such as the continuous miner, the operator controls the simulated mining equipment with a hand-held remote, accompanied by its testing and charging unit where applicable.
Continuous Miner Simulators
Continuous miners have been developed to meet the high productivity requirements of today’s underground soft rock mines. CYBERMINE Continuous Miner Simulators accurately simulate propelling, sumping, shearing, trimming and brow- and under-cutting, up to and including the loading of the simulated shuttle cars which transport the mined material to the operational feeder breaker. Operating a CYBERMINE Continuous Miner Simulator is identical to operating the actual equipment, but without the high costs and inherent risks.
Longwall Miner Simulators
CYBERMINE Longwall Miner Simulators accurately replicate shearer or plough longwall mining systems. The cutting and tramming action of the head drive along the coal face, together with haulage, is accurately simulated to provide the operators of these complex longwall mining systems with a safe and effective way to improve mine operator safety and productivity levels. An accurate replication of both the remote station and machine-mounted controls ensures that mine operators become fully accustomed to the longwall miner’s operations. Longwall operators may be exposed to a number of scenarios that they could encounter under real operating conditions, including emergencies such as inadequate ventilation and high methane levels.
Shuttle Car Simulators
Shuttle car operators are vital cogs in the soft rock mining cycle, ensuring that cut material is loaded and transported from the continuous miner to the feeder breaker. CYBERMINE Shuttle Car Simulators ensure mine operators learn how to accurately position the shuttle car vehicle and operate it in a safe and productive manner. This ensures continuity in the cutting phases of the continuous miner, resulting in higher ore extraction rates.
Loader Simulators
The CYBERMINE LHD Simulator or Loader Simulator’s behavioural dynamics are based on detailed mathematical models that use OEM specifications to provide accurate behavioural realism. Advanced soil and rock interaction models require the soft rock loader operator to exercise correct mucking techniques for the terrain type and slope in order to obtain efficient bucket fill factors. LHD simulator exercises may be configured to address various mine training requirements expected in underground mines, including operations in areas of differing slopes, dealing with other simulated mining equipment and personnel in the tunnels, sub-system failures and advanced emergency situations.
Soft Rock Bolter Simulators
Operating a soft rock bolter underground is not only a risky task for the operator, but can result in a potentially dangerous environment for the follow-up crews that need to work under the secured material. Inexperience in this role can pose a serious risk. CYBERMINE Bolter Simulators are designed to train mine operators in a virtual world where mistakes don’t endanger lives or affect productivity. Features such as mesh handling, mechanical or manual loading and various bolt anchoring methods are simulated and each may be tailored to customer-specific requirements.
Virtual Mining World
The 3D simulated underground mine world comes complete with typical tunnel geometry, rock faces of varying complexities (main face and box cuts) and other essential areas and features typically encountered in an underground soft rock mine. Artificially intelligent miners and mining equipment exist in the simulated mine world in support of the mine operator training and evaluation process.
Actual client underground 3D mine sites are accurately modelled on request, including own operating procedures, artificially intelligent client mining equipment, load and haul routes and other areas required to impart training objectives.
Training and Evaluation Tools
Exercises may be configured to address various training requirements such as main face cuts, box cuts, interactions with Artificially Intelligent vehicles and pedestrians and responses to methane alerts. Various equipment faults can be replicated such as a drill bit jam, water pressure failure and air pressure failure (bolter); defective battery charger port, low water pressure and coolant level and thermal overload (continuous miner); burst tyre, cable reel failure, brake failure, headlight failure and steering failure (shuttle car), to name but a few.
During the execution of an exercise, the soft rock operator’s responses are continually monitored and recorded, as are instrument states, controls interaction, adherence to safety procedures, correct equipment handling techniques and responses to emergency situations and failures.
The diligent integration of soft rock mining simulators within the mining organisation ensures that every mine operator is both safe and productive. The use of CYBERMINE Soft Rock Mining Simulators instills a safety conscious work ethic backed up by strong theoretical and practical experiential knowledge gained through highly effective simulator-based training and evaluation, ensuring that the mine operates at optimum efficiency levels.
Contact ThoroughTec for all soft rock mining simulator requirements including continuous miner simulators, longwall miner simulators, shearer simulators, roadheader simulators, plough simulators, shuttle car simulators, bolter simulators and LHD simulators, irrespective of manufacturer.
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