Gold Fields to Deploy ABB’s Ability Genix to Monitor Mine in Chile
Strategic Research Institute
Published on :
7 Sep, 2022, 5:30 am
ABB is installing its enterprise-grade digital platform ABB Ability Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite to enable Gold Fields' Salares Norte project in Chile to drive efficient, sustainable and remote operations. The mine operator will monitor the gold and silver mine in the Andes Mountains from their Santiago offices 1,300 kilometers away
The gold and silver mine is located in the Atacama Desert, among the highest peaks of the Andes mountain range with elevations of between 4,200 meters and 4,900 meters. It is 1,300 kilometers from the Chilean capital of Santiago where the ABB Ability Genix suite is located in a remote monitoring center for the mine. With the technology, Gold Fields will gain data insights that will help them to increase industrial productivity and operational excellence, while reducing costs. Remote connectivity will help reduce the number of people needed at the actual mine location, thus improving safety.
ABB Ability Genix combines the power of industrial analytics and artificial intelligence to integrate 25 engineering, operational and information technology systems across different functional areas, including the mine, processing, geology and exploration, asset management, finance, legal and human resources. Starting with data capture and integrating cross-functional data, ABB Ability Genix connects operational, business and engineering systems. It then collects, contextualizes and converts data through advanced analytics into meaningful information to unlock productivity improvements by driving smart business decisions.
ABB Ability Genix will help visualize and analyze all information required to support Gold Fields' reporting and drive its environmental commitments, helping the company to make a world of difference by achieving its vision of becoming the global leader in sustainable gold mining.
ABB has already deployed the ABB Ability MineOptimize solution to supply an integrated power and automation system at Salares Norte comprising six electrical rooms and a suite of process and power controls, all under ABB Ability System 800xA distributed control system. These include Power and Process Control Library and Camera Connect, the ABB video system embedded in the control platform for optimized process monitoring. ABB Ability Knowledge Manager is also used to manage information production through Plant Information Management Syste, alongside ABB Ability Asset Vista Condition Monitoring.
ABB's scope includes Dynamic Process Simulator, which reviews plant control logics, reducing commissioning times and allowing Gold Fields to train operators to acquire the skills required to achieve high-quality operations.
Salares Norte is expected to produce 3.7 million ounces of gold over an initial mine life of 11 years. The operation involves drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling methods for ore extraction and has an installed production capacity of two million tons per annum.