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July 2016
MODERN MINING
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MINING News
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Innovative technology solutions for the
struggling mining sector are the focus
of a new unit at Wits University, bringing
together various disciplines and headed by
former School of Mining Engineering head
Professor Fred Cawood.
The Wits Mining Institute (WMI) will
house the school’s Digital Mine project
– already well advanced in developing a
mock mine within the Chamber of Mines
building onWits University’s West Campus
– and a college network to develop 21st
century skills at artisan/technician level.
“The Institute’s mission is to make
mining safer and more sustainable by har-
nessing fast-developing technologies and
practices fromdifferent sectors – which are
sadly not always incorporated into mining
applications quickly enough to address the
industry’s many challenges,” said Professor
Cawood.
He said the breakthrough that the WMI
hadmade was to forge working links across
the university’s schools and research units,
so that mining issues could be addressed
in an integrated manner.
“It has taken some time to achieve
this, but the WMI now draws upon a for-
midable battery of expertise and insights
from disciplines like architecture, public
health, law, global change, population
migration, urban development, electron-
ics and computer science,” he said. “These
now augment the already substantial
work being done within the School of
Mining Engineering through its Centre
for Mechanised Mining Systems and the
Centre for Sustainability in Mining and
Industry.”
He said that South Africa’s deep level
orebodies posed particularly difficult chal-
lenges to mining operations, but argued
that encouraging progress was already
being made to show the path forward for
both established and new operations.
“Work on converting ‘indoor’ position-
ing systems to underground applications is
already underway, for instance, paving the
Disciplines unite at Wits to prepare mining for the 21st century
way to developing an automated tunnel
for mining at depths no longer viable or
safe for humans to operate,” said Professor
Cawood.
Cutting edge software, sensors and
related high-tech infrastructure were
allowing developments such as real time
underground airflow modelling, and
access systems that could automatically
exclude personnel restricted by health
issues or legal compliance requirements.
“This kind of intervention brings us
closer to the concept of the intelligent
mine, where the data required for good
decisions is available in real time – and
in many cases can inform automated
responses that removes the risk of human
error,” he said.
The major funders of the digital min-
ing infrastructure to date are Gold Fields,
Aveng Mining, the Minerals and Education
Trust Fund, Wits University, New Concept
Mining and Sibanye Gold, which is cur-
rently the largest sponsor.