Mining is an asset-intensive industry that’s quite hard on the equipment. Reliability is a critical concern in maintaining productive and efficient operations. Effective condition monitoring can help in avoiding unplanned downtime and equipment failure.
A 16-page ebook, Extract More from Your Operations, features the article, Improved Asset Management Increases Reliability. The article shares how data from asset monitoring systems can be analyzed to create insights for predictive maintenance, and certain assets can be upgraded to dramatically lower total cost of ownership.
The article highlights the financial benefits of effectively implementing online condition monitoring. It provides:
…substantial benefits, with production rates increased by five to eight percent, recovery rates increased by two to five percent, and energy use reduced by five to eight percent.
The article:
…focuses on three areas of particular interest to mining companies: rotating machinery, SAG mills, and valves used in tailings systems. Although the equipment used in these three areas varies widely, similar principles apply in all three areas, along with a common goal of improving reliability.
Rotating machinery in mining operations may include motors driving pumps, compressors, and other large machinery. Vibration monitoring and analyzing these assets can identify issues before they fail, enabling predictive and planned maintenance. Compared to other condition monitoring methods for rotating equipment, such as thermal measurement, vibration monitoring is typically less expensive and can be installed while an asset is running.
Wired or wireless vibration sensors, combined with software analytics at the edge using Emerson’s AMS Asset Monitor:
…provide local indication of issues, and they can consolidate data to create compact streams of essential information, which can then be buffered and sent to the cloud, regardless of connectivity reliability.
Download a copy of the interactive guide to read the entire article and discover additional steps you can take to improve reliability and overall operational performance. Also, visit the Mining, Minerals & Metals section on Emerson.com for technologies and solutions to help you advance sustainability, improve asset reliability, optimize production, and reduce operational risk.
