Industrial drones changed the game for both underground and aboveground exploration and inspection. Enabling unprecedented access within no-go-zones. Mines are very hostile environments for humans and mining companies are turning to technology to be able to inspect and explore without exposing workers to hazards underground and in the riskiest operations.
And one industrial drone for these applications is the Elios 2 Inspection Drone. Elios 2 is about “Accessing the Inaccessible.” Using the Elios 2 drone and the data gathered, mining companies are able to increase productivity, have safer working environments, plan better, make the best decisions and more.
Elios 2 inspections for mining applications not only happen underground. In fact, over half of the applications for mining inspections happen above ground. Some examples of where we can take full advantage of the Elios 2 inspection capabilities:
Above Ground Inspections.
Crusher – Perform visual inspection of crushers using Elios 2 drone.
Conveyor Belt – Assess the integrity of the conveyor belts without disturbing the operation or interrupting production downstream.
Sag, Ball, and Grinding Mill – Get inside the sag, ball, and grinding mill to check integrity and detect blockage without stopping the entire muck circuit.
Heavy Equipment – Check heavy equipment, such as shovels, haul trucks, and loaders for damage or wear.
Stockpile Feeder – Collect visuals of feeders by flying through the stockpile hole to assess their integrity, plan for their maintenance without having to put humans at risk.
Other Above Ground inspections: Ore bins, Mills, Chute, Tanks & Storage, Stacks, Ore bins.
Underground Inspections.
Ore Passes/Drop Raise – Fly tens of meters up a dusty, wet and rocky drop raise in an underground mine to locate blockage or assess potential for rehabilitation areas.
Open Stope – Explore restricted areas such as excavated open stopes to support backfilling operations by detecting shadow areas, create photogrammetric models to map fractures in the rocks and other geo-features to understand if a fall or fail of ground will cause injuries, damage equipment, or dilute ore.
Other Underground Inspections – Shafts and raises, Ground support, Pass blockage, Crusher Inspection, Assess fill fence before backfilling.
*Some contents from Flyability.
