Bosch mining apps improve productivity, data security
Bosch mining apps improve productivity, data security
The mining industry is slowly accepting the digitalization of mining processes. From sensors on equipment to higher levels of automation on machinery and the growing importance of the “Internet of Things,” mining companies are being encouraged to modernize their operations.
Apps on smart phones have become ubiquitous, especially for consumer-oriented functions, but are less prevalent in operations and controls within a business environment. They are useful for marketing and sales (for example, a car manufacturer sharing information on new models with customers), but when it comes to plant processes, that same OEM may have doubts about sharing information about the manufacturing line – likely restricting it to a limited number of employees. Data security is obviously a major concern.
In fact, Internet security experts say the fear of data breaches, and the requirement for data protection, is often a major obstacle that stops companies from using apps.
It’s important to recognize, however, that most of the data in an app resides on a server, which communicates with the app. The server must be provided with a web gateway, which collects data, in an industrial environment, from sensors and actuators. The firewall is the portal whereby information is passed between the server and the mobile device. Various means of data protection can be implemented by the end user.
Apps in mines
Why use an app in a mining process? In a word: productivity.
With a smaller workforce than ever, mines have empowered employees to make decisions more quickly and frequently. Enterprise and Digital Control Systems lack the ease of access to time-sensitive information that a mobile app system can deliver. In addition, enterprise and DCS interfaces often require a PC, leading to higher costs, less portability and inferior durability compared to a mobile phone or tablet.
A large-scale Digital Control System (DCS) is commonly used at mines. The DCS can be thought of as the command center of a mine, where data sent from Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) mounted on machines is received, and data from the DCS is exported to an enterprise system to manage finances, supply chain, inventory and more. The DCS measures critical parameters in the mining process, making it important for charting productivity.
Compare the DCS with an app, which is the application of software to a specific function. This gives it three advantages, according to Vincent Matthews, Director of Business Development for Mining and Minerals Technology, Bosch in North America.
The first is the app is smaller (i.e., more manageable) and doesn’t require connectivity to the DCS.
Second, apps can be built to support an individual function in the mine rather than being integral to the DCS.
Third, with an app, all of the heavy-duty processing is done by a server or cloud rather than a handheld device or PC.
“That allows us to put the interface device literally into the hands of the people in the mine, which empowers them and increases their productivity. Additionally, they don’t have to sit in front of a computer or go into the command center for information. They have information right in their hands.” Matthews said recently in an interview.
Other reasons that could persuade mines to select an app-based solution, expressed in the Bosch technical white paper, App-Based Solutions for Mining, written by Matthews, include:
- Quickly changing conditions that require rapid decision making
- Events or services required for non-standard or support operations
- Troubleshooting or monitoring a temporary condition
- Controlling the distribution of information to specific employees
- Time constraints that require quick development of a software solution
- Desire to outsource condition monitoring or another service to a third party
Bosch offers two mobile-based applications for the mining industry: a connected lockout system, and an app that prevents damage to overland conveyor systems.
Case Study 1:
Mines employ a rigorous lock-out/tag-out protocol for maintenance personnel who are servicing a mine’s electrical system.
Each member of the maintenance team is issued a lock and tag, which is applied to the disconnecting means, open in a safe position at both ends of service. All maintenance personnel must physically travel to each location to apply the lock and key. As mines often cover large areas, it is not uncommon for a disconnecting means to be located several kilometers from the maintenance site. This is a scenario often experienced with overland conveyors.
As part of Bosch’s Connected Mine™ portfolio, Bosch developed a connected Lock Out/Tag Out system that retains the traditional required features of a physical lock and key. The Connected Lock-Out interface is built directly into the locking control box, saving significant hours of maintenance downtime and costs by eliminating the need to physically transport a lock between service locations.
Instead, transportation is accomplished via electronic communication over various protocols such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi or satellite. There is a physical lock and key at all the service and disconnect locations, ensuring that this new system complies with traditional and existing mine-safety standards.
“We’ve shown that Bosch’s connected Lock Out/Tag Out system can benefit a mine to the point of seven figures if the shutdown is extensive,” says Matthews, adding: “This is only made possible through the concept of connectivity and electronic communication between devices.”
Case Study 2:
Conveyors are commonly used for transporting ore across a mine’s operating footprint. These conveyors often extend for several kilometers, and in overland conveyor design, the conveyor belt usually moves on rollers. Roller construction consists of a metal cylinder that rotates via bearings; failure of these bearings causes the roller to stop, resulting in excessive friction between the stationary roller and the moving belt. The resulting high temperature can melt the belt or even start a fire. Either way, the potential interruption and damage to mining operations is significant.
The quantity of rollers can number into the thousands for long conveyors. Traditionally, the process of locating rollers with bearing issues has been to periodically scan rollers with an infrared thermometer. This method fails to provide continuous monitoring, and there is a high likelihood that a roller issue may be missed in the scanning process. While bearing-temperature monitoring has existed for decades, the technology has relied on a wired thermocouple. This may be practical for individual large motors, but it is not practical to interconnect the wiring for thousands of conveyor roller bearings.
As part of Bosch’s Connected Mine™ portfolio, Bosch developed a Connected Conveyor system that utilizes low-energy wireless transmitters to report roller-bearing temperatures to an app-based solution (heat is the most accurate determinant of when a bearing is likely to fail). This solution features a proprietary algorithm that can predict imminent roller-bearing failure, enabling proactive maintenance of the conveyor prior to damage.
What’s more, this solution can be added to a conveyor’s existing roller assembly. The Connected Conveyor system can be provided as a service or as an integrated solution that is owned, maintained and operated by the mine.
Matthews noted the belt is the most expensive part of the conveyor system, so when something goes wrong, it’s often an expensive and time-consuming repair. The Connected Conveyor system offers the mine an opportunity to do preventative conveyor belt maintenance, by identifying when a roller is likely to fail. It involves installing hundreds, or even thousands, of sensors on the conveyor.
With that many sensors for monitoring the conveyor, some mining companies may want to outsource maintenance of the system to a third-party company (usually on a monthly subscription basis), while others prefer to maintain it themselves. Says Matthews:
“For a mining company, the decision really has to be, “Do we want to own these sensors? Or do we want to have the sensors provided as a service and have a third-party operate and maintain them? There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but this really promotes a new way of thinking so that you can increase productivity by having that data available to you immediately.”
Saving downtime
The biggest advantage of mining apps, made clear in the two case studies run by Bosch, is a reduction in maintenance downtime, thereby increasing productivity.
“If you prevent downtime, productivity improves because your repair due to damage would take much longer and would probably be much more expensive than a preventive maintenance repair or replacement,” says Matthews.
Data security
But what about the safety of the data stored in apps being installed and used by employees on company cell phones or tablets? Normally, IT managers control who has access to the apps and put the usual security protocols in place. This means that each employee with access has a separate username and password.
The bigger concern, says Matthews, is whether to store the data on a company server, or in the cloud. Some companies prefer to have the data at the mine, while others don’t mind a cloud-based system.
“Increasingly, it’s actually more secure to put it in the cloud, but it becomes a question of ensuring trust in the cloud,” says Matthews, noting in either case, “there are a lot of measures that can be taken to ensure that it’s a very secure connection and that there is no confidential or strategic data that can be leaked.”
The future?
As for the future of app-based mining, Matthews said the challenge is not so much embracing new technology, but being the first company to try it, as well as developing trust in the data security aspects.
So far, Bosch has successfully tested its Connected Lockout System at a major copper mine in Chile. Sending a digital signal to the locking control box reduced the total locking and unlocking procedure down to 14 minutes from what used to take 40 to 100 minutes.
“They were thrilled by it,” says Matthews, “Anyone who can save that amount of time on maintenance and get their processing plant up and running is very happy. The payback period was less than a year, with just a single large shutdown. So for them, it was definitely a worthwhile investment and that’s why they’re looking to expand it to some of their other mines throughout the world.”