Sensors Make Sense of Mine Conditions
Mapping physical details of mining sites is an expensive, time-consuming, potentially dangerous proposition. During his graduate studies, MGE alum Jingping He worked with hyperspectral sensors in a project led by MGE assistant professor Isabel Barton. The aim: Determine how useful the sensors could be in monitoring surface mineralogy, materials distribution and moisture conditions at mine operations.
It turned out that He was well suited for the project, having already analyzed some spectral data as an academic exercise. As a next educational step, he joined Barton’s project. By gathering data from the start at sites he would visit, he could make better conclusions by comparing results with what he knew was out in the field. His work with Barton and others resulted in a successful thesis for a master’s degree in mining engineering. He also provided mining companies with information on ground- and drone-based hyperspectral remote sensing.
The traditional method of mapping minerals at a mine is to send people out to chart exposed surfaces and gather mineral samples for testing. It’s a safety risk for the workers, as well as a laborious and expensive process. Deploying remote hyperspectral sensors that read the spectral signatures of minerals is a safer, more cost-effective process. The technology provides a far larger range of spectra—some 300 bands — compared to multispectral remote sensing with its six bands. Improved data processing vastly shortens the time it takes to get results.
He’s work suggested that hyperspectral remote sensing could map material distribution on leach pads, depending on how low the drone flew. The researchers used tripod- and drone-mounted sensors to scan the highwalls at ASARCO's open-pit Ray Mine near Kearny north of Tucson, where recent slope movement wasn’t traceable to faults, the usual culprits. He’s research revealed that the cause was mineralogical. A particular type of clay now exposed in the highwall had absorbed water and swollen, making some areas unstable.