MINING 4.0 HOW DO WE GET THERE?
9
— Laying the foundations
According to Gresshoff, the next critical step is in enabling connectivity of all assets and data gathering. One of the key challenges that mining organisations face is a siloing of operations. In order to break down the silos, there needs to be collaboration between systems and a common way of communicating about assets. “Data integration through all the layers, from equipment and processes to engineering and business systems, is a core imperative,” explains Gresshoff. “As an example, the Gold Fields Granny Smith mine established their underground network of 4G LTE (long term evolution) first. This serves as the backbone of the digital data collection prior to analysis and decision making.”
To enable communication through the layers of a mine, and to facilitate data and systems integration, the adoption of global standards such as the American ISA-95 and the European EC-62264 is also key. The principle behind these standards stems from the PERDUE model and ABB’s interpretation of this model is the ABB ICS Secure Reference Architecture. “The purpose of these frameworks is to allow for the communication of common terms between equipment but also between site personnel – it is the critical alignment between human and machine,” says Gresshoff. “Data collected from various OEMs using these frameworks as a baseline is what effectively allows for interoperability.”
What is ISA-95 and why is it important? ISA-95 is the international standard for the integration of enterprise and control systems. It was developed by the International Society of Automation to provide consistent terminology and information models for supplier and manufacturer communications.
Clinton McKinnon, ABB Product Manager – Digital for Mining, explains the importance of this standard in the context of a mining operation.
“In mining, there is often a disconnect between departments and business levels, with each silo representing assets in very different ways, and sometimes the names of these different assets are not aligned with each other,” says Clinton. “Whereas, the ISA-95 standard provides a universal language and an understandable framework in which information can be exchanged. This seemingly simple requirement is the key to interoperability that will enable asset properties, functionality, and configurations to be shared across the industry.”
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