Thorough Training

MINING MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2012

Modern mining companies have become well aware of the vital role that equipment simulators have to play in an efficient mine training programme, and uptake of the technology is constantly increasing.

Heavy equipment operators directly affect the safety, productivity and operating costs of any mine site, so having skilled and experienced operators goes a long way in attaining maximum safety and productivity. Introducing simulators into the training curriculum is a quick, safe and cost-effective way to significantly improve the skills and even the ‘experience’ of both new and veteran operators. This is done by providing operators with a safe, controlled environment in which to learn and practise equipment controls, instruments and correct operating procedures.

The benefits of simulators to the mining operator can be broken down into four categories, namely: safety; productivity; cost savings; and recruitment and skills development.

“The ultimate result of this training is an operator who is more aware of their surroundings and possible dangerous situations, meaning lower accident rates and accident severity.”

On the safety side, the training itself is executed in a safe, controlled environment without possible harm to colleagues. During training, operators can practise difficult procedures repeatedly without the possibility of vehicle damage or personal injury. On some simulator systems, such as the ThoroughTec CYBERMINE4, operators are also able to experience for themselves emergency situations such as brake failures and engine fires, again without risk to person or property, so that when these situations occur in reality, the operators know how to respond correctly.

In a similar vein, trainees are able to operate in all weather conditions and times of day, whatever the real-life conditions. The ultimate result of this training is an operator who is more aware of their surroundings and possible dangerous situations, meaning lower accident rates and accident severity.

Productivity
The most direct example of simulators improving productivity is that heavy equipment remains available to perform its primary role, rather than being taken out of the production cycle for training.

This benefit is emphasised when one considers the risk of damage to heavy equipment in the hands of unskilled trainee operators and the resultant unavailability of that equipment.

Productivity is also directly affected by having more proficient and efficient operators. Not only are they more efficient at performing their core tasks, but the lower incidences of accidents and therefore less downtime in the case of both personnel and machines means an increase in productivity. Wear and tear of the actual machinery is also reduced, while operating costs such as fuel are taken out of the equation. On top of this, there is zero risk of an inexperienced operator damaging real equipment, which eliminates repair costs and, once again, a vehicle being out of the production cycle for an extended period.

While simulators are expensive, technologically advanced pieces of capital equipment, there is no doubt that they produce significant cost savings if incorporated correctly into a training programme. Simulators are not are placement for training on the real equipment, but can produce better training at an accelerated rate and at reduced costs.

Gold Fields’ South Deep gold mine in South Africa has realised a significant decrease in the amount of time required to train an operator to full competence.

Since integrating CYBERMINE4 simulators into its training programme, South Deep has reduced the time spent training from more than three weeks on the actual machine to just one week of simulator training and only a few days of actual machine training. Gold Fields also found that operators who had completed simulator-based training outperformed those who had been through conventional training.

Recruitment
In the area of personnel recruitment, simulators have also been successfully used as an integral part of the screening process. Barrick Gold Corp used a CYBERMINE4 mining simulator to appraise many prospective employees to substantiate the claims made on their CVs. They found that just one session on the simulator was sufficient to distinguish the star employees from their inexperienced counterparts, eliminating the costly risk of employing a below-par machine operator.

Instructors on CYBERMINE4 simulators are able to set specific tasks for trainees, record their results in a central database, export these results or even print them directly, making the comparison of a number of potential employees a simple matter.

In the case of Rio Tinto’s Simandou mine site, which is currently being developed in Guinea, West Africa, management was faced with the challenge of recruiting operators from an area so remote that most were unfamiliar with cars, never mind driving them. As a result they were experiencing high incidences of light vehicle accidents onsite, in addition to the need to train operators for heavy equipment.

A further complication was the working language being French, which most simulator manufacturers were unwilling or unable to incorporate into their software. ThoroughTec had already developed a light vehicle training simulator for the South African Defence Force that featured African driving conditions, while translating software into French was no problem for ThoroughTec’s development pipeline.

Brushing Up
Obviously, the use of simulators is not limited to inexperienced operators or for testing. Even experienced operators need to learn new skills when new technology is released, to brush up on their existing skills, or to eliminate bad habits that have crept in over the years.

Anglo Platinum’s Bathopele mine in South Africa was able to realise savings of around US$90,000/y just from reduced equipment damage as a result of simulator training. Anglo experienced excessive wear and tear on its truck tyres, axles and differentials before the use of a CYBERMINE4 simulator, which identified and corrected the improper operating practices that contributed towards this expense.

Sandvik, one of ThoroughTec’s long standing clients, was experiencing excessive breakdowns of its machines at a mine site and could not identify any mechanical fault. Sandvik suggested that the mine operators brush up their skills on Sandvik’s CYBERMINE simulator. They soon discovered that many operators were scoring high on the fault recorded as ‘used the accelerator and brake pedal simultaneously’. This was due to the operators resting their foot on the brake pedal instead of the foot rest, causing an increase in wear and tear. On completion of the simulator training course, the problem disappeared and the mine site enjoyed a considerable reduction in maintenance costs.

Realism versus Cost
Not all simulators on the market are created equal, and so not all are able to achieve the above benefits to the same degree. The true goal of simulation is integrity of training – training on a simulator must leave a trainee feeling comfortable and competent on the actual vehicle in a variety of standard and emergency conditions.

In a perfect world, and perhaps in a future one, this would be done through100% realism, but at the moment this is prevented by the high costs involved. The balance between realism and cost is a never-steepening curve, at the top of which any further improvement in realism comes at an exorbitant financial cost.

ThoroughTec has been able to achieve high levels of realism due to its extensive military background, and CYBERMINE4 is claimed to offer among the best realism for money in the industry. Military vehicles are incredibly complex, even more so than the most advanced mining equipment, and therefore the hardware and software that ThoroughTec has developed to simulate the battlefield is more than capable of simulating the mine site, not just now, but well into the foreseeable future.

All ThoroughTec simulator cabs use CYBERMINE4 technology to create the realistic sensation of driving the actual vehicle in an actual mine, with all the correct visual, auditory and tactile feedback. Instructors can configure training scenarios to specific training objectives – not just generic scenarios, but those specifically faced on their mine site.

All simulated vehicle behaviour dynamics are based on detailed mathematical models that use vehicle manufacturer specifications to provide accurate behavioural realism. As a result, using a haul truck as an example, full loading, hauling, reversing and dumping capability is included with each simulation.

Rob Letschert, Thorough-Tec’s CEO, comments: “Our new fourth-generation mine truck simulators have redefined the technology benchmark. We now provide an enhanced scoring system, a mission planner for simulating dispatch systems, simulated reversing aids and a replicated two-way radio.”

The world in which that simulated vehicle operates is just as vital to the quality of training. CYBERMINE4 simulated vehicles operate on a highly realistic 3-D virtual mine site populated with artificially intelligent vehicles with which to perform their roles. All of this is displayed on three screens for 270° (or optional 360°) fields of view to immerse the operator completely in a high-fidelity3-D virtual environment.

To take the realism to the next level, CYBERMINE4 mining simulators can be ordered with entirely customised mine worlds. For example, trainees at Anglo American’s Sishen mine in South Africa train on a virtual Sishen mine site, complete with accurate operating procedures and the correct equipment with which to interact.

When a trainee steps from the simulator into a real haul truck for the first time, they will feel as though they have done it all before.

Reliability
Simulators operate in the same harsh environment as all other mining equipment, and need to be robustly engineered to survive them. ThoroughTec considers the reliability of its simulators to be as important as that of primary mining vehicles, and engineers them accordingly. This is done in accordance with Thorough-Tec’s military Standards (MIL-STD) and ISO 9001 quality accreditation, and has resulted in an average of almost two years between unscheduled downtime and an availability of 97.8%.

The complete CYBERMINE4 mining simulation system is housed in a 6mhigh-cube shipping container, which is insulated, air-conditioned, heated and protected against dust ingress.

The interior is well appointed and has integrated power distribution and variable lighting to provide a comfortable and controlled learning environment.

Maintaining the structural integrity of the container during manufacture ensures that all CYBERMINE4 simulators are easily transported by rail, sea or road.

The interior space of the container has been effectively used, allowing it to be used as a mini-classroom. And if the group of learners is too large to fit into the container, external displays can be easily plugged into the simulator for a larger classroom session.

The containerised simulator performs the function of a base, onto which different cabs can be fitted to replicate amine’s operating fleet. While surface cabs and underground cabs ideally require different motion platforms (three-degree of freedom (3DOF) for underground and 6DOF for surface), CYBERMINE4 simulators offer a unique 3DOF motion platform and adaptor plate that allow one base to be used for both scenarios.

This allows a single simulator to replicate the entire working fleet of amine, reducing costs and maximising return on investment.