JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through the Mandela Mining Precinct's advanced orebody knowledge programme, has completed an underground proof-of-concept field test of an innovative acoustic rock-sounding application at Harmony Gold's Mponeng mine.
Mponeng is the deepest mine in the world.
The field trial was concluded in collaboration with the mine's rock engineering team. It is described as marking an important step towards the digitalisation of underground workplace examination and fall-of-ground (FoG) risk management practices.
"The Mponeng field test provided valuable real-world insight into how the acoustic rock-sounding application performs in an underground mining environment," CSIR project lead Heinrich Greeff reported in a release to Mining Weekly, in which he added that it confirmed the technical feasibility of the concept while also identifying the practical refinements required before operational deployment.
"Innovation plays a critical role in our drive towards safer mining. The successful field test at Mponeng demonstrates the potential of digital technologies to strengthen workplace examinations and support informed ground control decisions. We're pleased to collaborate with the CSIR and other technology partners in exploring practical solutions that can contribute to improved underground safety,” Harmony Gold added.
