161 / 2021-10-26 12:56:13

Digitalization of the process of traction calculations for underground transport systems in the mines of PGG S.A.

mining transport,suspended monorail,software calculations

Maintaining the continuity of production, preparing new fronts requires transporting people, materials, machine parts and equipment through an extensive network of underground workings. Technological progress has resulted in means of transport capable of carrying heavy loads and crews as close as possible to the operational fronts. The technical specificity of the means of transport allows different variants to be configured, particularly in the case of overhead rail transport sets. The mine's transport services face the demanding task of configuring the transport sets and trains to make optimal use of the technical possibilities and to guarantee the safety of both the persons transported and those in the transport pits. In order to meet this challenge, PGG S.A. has implemented an IT system supporting traction calculations. It ensures standardisation of the calculation process, generating clear reports for the mining supervision. The way the programme functions is based on the method of determining extreme points in the transport system, in relation to which the maximum weight of the transported load is determined. The programme makes it possible to evaluate the proposed configuration and the obtained results against the applicable legal regulations, the user can see the calculation flow with successive mathematical formulas, the application is enriched with interactive charts, visualisation of the resultant data.

The development of assumptions and implementation of the programme have been performed by PGG S.A. itself. A team was established, which worked in accordance with the principles of agile project management. A group of industry experts from various mines developed and standard calculation model, as well as identified areas of greatest probability of errors. The core part of the work, i.e. developing the IT programme, was entrusted to specialists from the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ZIT).  During the creation of the application, the team cooperated with the supervisory unit in order to confirm the correctness of the applied calculation method.

It is worth mentioning that during the development of the software, underground measurements of forces acting on the casing arch from the movement of transport sets were conducted in order to build an accurate model reflecting the phenomena occurring.

A lot of attention was paid to the way training was carried out, which took place in small groups using modern techniques of knowledge transfer. The programme also serves as a knowledge base and a platform for the exchange of good practice between mines. In addition to routine calculations, the application makes it possible to assess the feasibility of introducing new means of transport not previously used at a given mine, and to carry out analyses of the use of means of transport within the company.

The development and implementation of the programme for traction calculations was carried out comprehensively in PGG S.A., which is proof of high competence in the area of new IT technologies, of which ZIT is an ambassador in the company, as well as an example of the ongoing transformation of the heavy industry, where IT systems accompany the daily engineering work.