ADOPTION OF SPACE LASER BEAM ROCK ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY FOR TERRESTRIAL MINING APPLICATIONS WITH A FOCUS ON BLOCK CAVING MINING SYSTEMS: CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The block caving mining system is the most economical underground mining system known today, and its popularity in the mining industry continues to increase. The block caving mining system can be described as the preferred mining system of the future, as it lends itself to automation. One of the most laborious tasks in block caving operation management is monitoring dilution at drawpoints. This task is currently manually handled by a geologist. Monitoring dilution manually at drawpoints is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and depends on the experience of geologists. In 2011 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduced a laser beam rock analysis system via ChemCam on its Curiosity rover deployed on Mars. This device based on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) heats the rock to about 10 000°C by the infrared laser beam and then analyzes laser plasma created from the molten rock. The technology is currently enhanced and is deployed on Mars via SuperCam on the Perseverance rover which is landed on Mars on 18th February 2021. It is hypothesized that the LIBS can be adopted for terrestrial underground mining applications for dilution monitoring at drawpoints in block caving operations. This application will increase the precision of the measurements, remove the labor-intensive and time-consuming use of geologists at drawpoints, reduce the block caving mining system's costs and increase the safety of the operation. In this thesis, a conceptual model for the application of LIBS space technology for dilution monitoring via a mobile robot is developed.