Mining and Industrial Overview.pdf - Ansys

ANSYS MINING & INDUSTRIAL DIVISIONOVERVIEWAnsys Limited is a JSE-altX listed, ISO9001 accredited, Black Empowered, CIDBlisted engineering, project management and software company whose strength, muchlike South Africa’s, lies in its diversity.Established in 1987, Ansys specialises in the design, development, manufacture,integration and support of advanced technology systems and products for the rail,mining (industrial), and defence environments.Ansys’ structure, highlighting the Ansys Mining Division and its product sets areshown in Figure 1 below.ANSYSLIMITEDANSYS RAILANSYS MINING &INDUSTRIALANSYS DEFENCETRAIN CONDITIONMONITORINGTRAINCOMMUNICATIONSAMMSOPTO-ELECTRONICSYARD SAFETYROPE TESTERSR & DAVIONICSYSTEMSDEVELOPMENTAND INTEGRATIONMOBILERTUCONTINUOUSCRMSLAND BASEDELECTRONIC SYSTEMSDEVELOPMENT ANDINTEGRATIONFigure 1: Ansys Product Breakdown Structure1. ROPE TESTINGAnsys Mining has been involved in the rope testing business since 2007. Work startedafter a request from Anglo Field Services (AFS) to provide technical support. Supportwas needed in the form of calibration and maintenance for the existing RAU mobile1

Technical supportNew mobile RTU electronics and digital displayCurrent clients include AFS, TAS, AngloGold-Ashanti.Old ElectronicsNew ElectronicsFigure 3: Comparing Old Electronics Performance with New Electronics1.2. Continuous Rope Monitoring (CRMS)With the experienced gained during the mobile RTU development, Ansys feltconfident in it's knowledge and understanding to develop a Continuous RopeMonitoring System (CRMS). The CRMS is a permanent installation, usually installedimmediately below the sheave wheel, where rope movement is limited, depending onthe type of winder employed. This means that as the rope moves, any section of ropethat passes the test head will have it's current health analysed and stored. Continuousmeasurement of rope health (speed, acceleration and load) during dynamicoperational conditions opens a new dimension in rope health monitoring. This has thepotential to improve mine safety as well as productivity. Continuous rope healthmonitoring will provide a tool to better understand the factors influencing ropedegradation (winder crossover points, winder layer crossover, corrosion, worngrooves, poor alignment of sheave wheels, large loads, etc.). This will enable the userto fully understand the influence of rope maintenance, and hence may extend ropeserviceable life.3

Figure 4: CRMS Major Components4

Figure 5: CRMS Area Test Data at 16m/s for a Ø54mm 6x33(15/12/6+3T)/F SWRAdvantages of using the CRMS :Increased safetyMay increase the loading/speed – Increase productivityMeasures condition during normal operations – reduced downtimerequired for Electromagnetic Inspection (EMI)Repeatability – No man in the loopProactive preventative maintenance – Increase life span of ropeAssists Mine Engineer during monthly rope inspections – point toproblem areasCorrelates rope condition from supplier after installation (Manufacturingdeficiencies)Build In Test – (BIT) Ensures system performance and functionalityRemote Condition Monitoring – Information over LAN / internetContinuously upgrading of condition indicatorsCorrelates dynamic stress with condition deteriorationImproved understanding of how a rope deteriorates / degrades and howone can extend the usable life of a SWR.Current legislation allows for an increase in load if continuous ropemonitoring is employed. The CRMS, which is still undergoing improvements,aimed at improving performance as well as reducing maintenance andlogistical support requirements, will enable clients to monitor steel wire ropesat operational speeds.Besides their obvious applications in the mining industry, the RTU and CRMSmay be invaluable to lift operators in high rise buildings and have potentialuse in construction sites, ropeways, metallurgy, power supply, oil, bridges,pressure piping, guy wires on free standing structures, etc.6

2. AUTOMATED MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (AMMS)In the wider industrial environment Ansys Mining & Industrial Division focuses onmanagement systems, including thermal and high performance imaging sensors andautomated maintenance management systems for critical infrastructures, for theoptimisation of business processes and maintenance management.8

2.1 The Ansys Maintenance Management Service (AMMS)Ansys Mining & Industrial Division provides a maintenance managementsolution to ensure structured and consistent maintenance processes onoperational infrastructures in order to improve return on investment.Ansys’ prime system for the industrial environment is an automatedmaintenance system known as the AMMS. The objective of the AMMS is tocombat the decay in infrastructure resulting from inefficient maintenancepractices. Making use largely of precisely configured hand held devicesconnected to a central data base, the AMMS enhances the efficiency andeffectiveness of maintenance staff together with the operational readiness ofindustrial infrastructure resulting in better productivity and improved profits.It is a preventive maintenance management software solution based on aPrimer Design Assistant (PDA) and web-based database design allowing themaintenance manager to access the progress of his/her maintenance staff andthe status of assets from basically anywhere.2.2 Process ImprovementAnsys Mining & Industrial Division also offers the following systems andproducts aimed at optimising business processes:o Process Monitoring and Control Systemso Health/Condition Monitoring Systemso Asset Control Systemso Electronic Identification Systemso Business Information Systemso Industrial Computerso Maintenance Managemento Intelligent Platformso Rail Trackside Measurement and Signaling3. RAIL SOLUTIONSBesides Ansys’ focus on rail technology for the transport sector of South Africa (seeAnsys Rail), it also applies this technology to maximising the operational efficiency9

of local rail networks operated by mining and other large industrial companies such asSasol.Ansys offers the following in this respect:Trackside measurementsHot bearing detectionWheel profile monitoringVehicle identificationLoad profile monitoringSignalling systems4. SECURITY APPLICATIONSWithin the industrial security field, Ansys Mining/Industrial has developed low cost,uncooled thermal imaging and observation technology as well as pan, zoom and tiltunits to enhance security operations. These security applications apply to the miningsector as well as to the broader industrial environment.5. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTCurrently focused on the mining industry, Ansys Mining & Industrial Division pridesitself on being able to take a specific technical operational problem that is beingexperienced by a company and finding a solution that works.An example of this is to be found in Ansys’ involvement in research and developmentto detect tramp metal in mine dumps prior to their rework. Tramp metals can accountfor tens of millions in lost productivity and direct equipment replacement costsannually and as such continues to be a constant annoyance.Whatever your technical operational problem, Ansys Mining &Industrial Division will find, develop and implement a solution thatworks for you.10