With its advanced hoisting solutions, ABB holds the key to unlocking deeper deposits.
As the Australian mining industry responds to a decarbonising world’s increasing demand for more minerals, the sector is simultaneously facing new operational challenges.
Mines are getting deeper, which is necessitating novel thinking and new technologies to excavate minerals from deep beneath the surface.
Enter ABB.
The automation, electrification and digitalisation innovator is also a globally renowned hoisting manufacturer.
Hoisting – considered by ABB as the most sustainable solution for vertical ore haulage – is the process of raising and lowering conveyances within a mine shaft, transporting ore from the deepest underground depths to the surface.
As electrification drives the mining sector’s new frontier, where there are heightened stakeholder and shareholder obligations to drive down emissions, ABB is at the forefront of emission-free hoisting systems.
In fact, ABB deployed its first electric-powered hoist for a Swedish mine in 1891.
ABB’s global business line manager for hoisting Björn Jonsson said emission-free solutions such as ABB’s hoisting systems are going to be critical if the mining sector is to decarbonise.
“For us to be able to transition from fossil fuels to a future electrified society, we need a lot more metals and minerals,” he told Australian Mining.
“But mining is emitting four to seven per cent of the greenhouse gases on a global scale, so it needs to be electrified and this is top of mind for all our mining clients, just like safety and productivity and making sure you get return on investment.
“Hoisting is the most energy-efficient way to extract ore from great depths. A master study showed we can save 266,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the life of a mine by installing a hoisting solution instead of other alternatives.”
With more than 1000 hoisting solutions currently operating across the world, ABB’s technology has advanced to a point where automation, electrification and digitalisation infuse the design, installation and operation of every hoist.
The ABB Ability Smart Hoisting software uses powerful analytics to extract valuable data from operating hoists, then harnessing that data to provide actionable information against key performance indicators (KPIs).
This enables clients to make operational changes in real-time, boosting productivity and safety performance, while enabling miners to enhance maintenance scheduling.
As ABB continues to evolve its solutions, the company launched ABB Ability NGX Hoist Control in May 2022, providing mine hoist operators with a modernised control system.
Harnessing the latest human machine interface (HMI) insights, NGX Hoist Control provides an enhanced user experience, enabling operators to tap into ABB’s global technical support network whenever they need.
The beauty of NGX is that it is compatible and easy to integrate with any mine hoist, with large mining companies able to benefit from having access to a standardised platform across their global hoisting operations.
Any Australian client that partners with ABB also has access to the company’s expansive local service footprint, with supported from ABB throughout the entire product lifecycle.
“We installed our first Australian hoist in 1961, and since then we have built a very strong local team,” Jonsson said. “We have a very scalable service support set-up where we are physically supporting our customers on-site with inspections, upgrades, modernisations, retrofits and preventive maintenance.”
ABB’s Australian team can also remotely connect with its clients if preferred, or the company can go one step further and lean on its international team. With 105,000 employees worldwide, ABB can find a solution to any hoist-related quandary.
Jonsson is based in Sweden but was visiting ABB’s Australian team and clients he spoke with Australian Mining. He said clients were grateful for ABB’s ongoing support.
“I have heard throughout this week that our Australian customers really appreciate the support they are getting from our local service teams,” Jonsson said. “No matter where you are in the world, customers want local contacts, local connections and local flavour.
“In the hoisting business, the safety regulations are different from country to country, even from territory to territory within a country, so you need to know the local regulations, which is something we are focused on not only in Australia but in all jurisdictions we work in.”
The focus on safety standards and performance is embodied by ABB Ability Safety Plus – the world’s first fully SIL (safety integrity level) 3 certified product suite for hoists.
Safety Plus comprises three solutions: Safety Plus Hoist Monitor, Brake System and Hoist Protector. This sees each hoist fitted with monitors and drive systems to enable maximum availability, reliability and safety.
SIL 3 certification means ABB’s hoists have been rigorously examined and tested by an independent global body and strictly developed in accordance with international standard IEC 62061 for machinery safety.
One recent ABB partnership demonstrating Safety Plus in action has involved a miner installing a friction hoist at its operations in South Australia.
When the company wanted to simultaneously extend the mine life, reduce operational safety risks and costs, and lower the carbon intensity of its operation, it turned to ABB.
“We have been supporting this customer since the early phase, where they were looking at trade-offs and different solutions to extract ore before going down the hoisting route,” Jonsson said.
“Our technology selection made this project economically viable and saw us design one of the largest friction hoists in Australia.
“The hoist is installed with our most recent safety solutions – our Safety Plus suite – which means it is SIL 3 certified.”
The Koepe hoist has a 40-tonne payload and provides the miner access to mineral reserves outside the current mine plan, boosting the production profile from around 4.5 million tonnes to six million.
What’s more, if the client hadn’t installed an ABB hoist, the mine wouldn’t be able to meet its 2030 sustainability targets through its existing trucking operation.
Given the future of mining is deeper, with underground sites to play an increasingly important role in supplying minerals for a decarbonised society, hoisting solutions are going to be critical to the productivity, safety and sustainability of the sector’s next frontier.
And ABB, as the only fully integrated hoisting OEM in the mining industry, will be there to provide support every step of the way.
This feature appeared in the September 2023 issue of Australian Mining.
