Mining
Tailings storage, water storages, groundwater, slopes, dust and blast vibration. Instrumenta reviews these networks, and delivers new or changed ones through monitoring system delivery.
Sources of monitoring requirements
| Source | Requirement | Service |
|---|---|---|
| Tailings standards and dam safety guidelines | What it asks forThe Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management and the ANCOLD guidelines require a monitoring and surveillance program and tested trigger action response plans. They also require periodic review of the facility and its monitoring. | ServiceMonitoring system review |
| Mines inspectorate audits | What it asks forState mines regulators audit tailings and water dams, including the instrumentation and the monitoring regime, on a recurring cycle. | ServiceMonitoring system review |
| Geotechnical hazard management plans | What it asks forMine safety law requires a principal hazard management plan for ground and slope stability, with monitoring, triggers and responses. | ServiceResponse exercises |
| Environmental licence conditions | What it asks forDust, water and groundwater monitoring under the site's approval and licence, with limits, methods and reporting the regulator checks. | ServiceMonitoring system review |
| An incident to explain | What it asks forA release, an exceedance or a missed alarm that must be reported to the regulator, the board or the insurer. | ServiceMonitoring system review |
Tailings storage facility monitoring
| Monitors | Pond level, piezometric pressure in the embankment, seepage flow, embankment movement and rainfall. |
| Decisions | Whether the facility is operating within its design, when to raise or lower the pond, and when to act on a change in the dam. |
SAFER stages
| SenseSecure | Each piezometer, seepage weir and survey prism measures what the dam engineer intends, in the stated units, and every change to them is controlled. |
| AssessAccessible | The dam engineer, the site team and the reviewer can reach the same readings, against the design limits and the triggers in the dam safety plan. |
| ForecastFunctional | The water balance and trigger levels show how forecast rain may affect pond level and pressure. |
| ExplainEfficient | Every reading is stated as what it means for the dam: which zone, how far from the trigger, and whether it is behaving as designed. |
| RespondReliable | The trigger action response plan names the role that acts, the action, and the time allowed, and each response is recorded and reviewed. |
Water storage and dam monitoring
| Monitors | Storage level, spillway flow, pump status and rainfall. |
| Decisions | When to transfer water, when to stop a release, and when a storage is at risk of spilling. |
SAFER stages
| SenseSecure | Level sensors read in metres against a known datum, verified against a staff gauge, with missing readings reported. |
| AssessAccessible | The level is shown against the normal range, the trigger and the spill level, to the people who start the pumps. |
| ForecastFunctional | The rain forecast and current storage level show when the trigger may be reached. |
| ExplainEfficient | The daily report states the level, the margin to spill and whether action is needed. |
| RespondReliable | A named role starts the pumps on the forecast, and the action is recorded. |
Groundwater and dewatering monitoring
| Monitors | Water levels and pressures in bores and piezometers, pumping rates and water quality. |
| Decisions | Whether dewatering is keeping pace, whether a pit wall is draining as designed, and whether licence conditions are met. |
SAFER stages
| SenseSecure | Each bore and piezometer is screened in the stated layer and read against a dip meter, with its purpose recorded. |
| AssessAccessible | Levels and pressures are shown against the design values and the licence limits, to the geotechnical engineer and the environmental advisor. |
| ForecastFunctional | Pumping rates and rainfall say when a level will reach a trigger. |
| ExplainEfficient | Each result explains what the measured level or pressure means for the pit wall or aquifer. |
| RespondReliable | A trigger leads to a named action: change the pumping, stop the excavation, report to the regulator. |
Slope and waste dump monitoring
| Monitors | Displacement at the surface and at depth, from prisms, radar and inclinometers. |
| Decisions | Whether to keep operating below a slope, when to evacuate, and when a slope needs inspection. |
SAFER stages
| SenseSecure | Each instrument is verified against a manual survey, and changes to the radar or the inclinometer are controlled and recorded. |
| AssessAccessible | The geotechnical engineer and the shift supervisor see the same displacement profile against the design expectation and the trigger. |
| ForecastFunctional | The rate of movement says when a trigger will be reached, in hours or days. |
| ExplainEfficient | Movement is stated as what moved, where, how far and which way, and whether the slope is behaving as designed. |
| RespondReliable | The response plan names who orders an inspection or an evacuation, and every alarm and action is recorded. |
Dust and air quality monitoring
| Monitors | Particulate concentration at the boundary and in the town, wind speed and direction, and site activity. |
| Decisions | When to change haul routes, add water carts, delay a blast or stop work. |
SAFER stages
| SenseSecure | Each monitor is calibrated against a reference sampler, with its location and purpose recorded. |
| AssessAccessible | Concentrations are shown against the limit, with the wind, to the people who control haulage. |
| ForecastFunctional | The weather forecast shows whether the town will be downwind tomorrow. |
| ExplainEfficient | The result states the likely cause of the reading and what it means for the community. |
| RespondReliable | A named role moves hauling or adds water carts before the wind arrives, and the action is recorded. |
Blast vibration and noise monitoring
| Monitors | Peak particle velocity and air overpressure at the nearest structures. |
| Decisions | Whether a blast design meets the limits, and what to change if it does not. |
SAFER stages
| SenseSecure | Each geophone and microphone is calibrated and placed where the limit applies. |
| AssessAccessible | Results are shown against the limit for each structure, to the blast engineer. |
| ForecastFunctional | The blast design and the distance say what velocity to expect before the shot. |
| ExplainEfficient | Each result relates the measured vibration or overpressure at the nearest house to the limit. |
| RespondReliable | The blast engineer changes the design when a result approaches the limit, and the change is recorded. |
InstraData
One InstraData installation supports these monitoring systems. It takes readings from any field device, new or in place, and runs on the organisation's servers or in the cloud. About InstraData