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Application of Reconfigurable System Thinking in Mining and Mineral Processing Environment: Toward Sustainable Mineral Beneficiation

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Sustainable Engineering

Part of the book series: Green Energy and Technology ((GREEN))

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Abstract

One of the most crucial elements of the mining operation is mineral processing. The majority of mined materials undergo some type of size reduction and/or other beneficiation process, from solid ores to fine minerals such as coal, granite, limestones, and other industrial minerals. Before the invention of large equipment, the operation of “spalling”—the breaking up of raw ore—involved the use of hammers held in the hands. Mechanical methods were soon discovered to do this. Numerous sectors have applied reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) thinking to produce modular, individualized, adaptable, and scalable products. Due to changes in mining equipment users’ needs, the dynamic and complex nature of the mining production environment of the available location, the nature of the mining operation, and the associated risks, RMS is frequently used to produce various product variants of mining equipment with low repair costs, high adaptability, and minimal maintenance costs to meet customer satisfaction. More specifically, the proposed book chapter investigates a variety of literature reviews related to the concepts of reconfigurable manufacturing systems, architectural design features, control capabilities, and its function in the mining machine manufacturing industries, as well as the possible long-term application of RMS in this sector. In addition, related maintenance solutions for proposed machines to functionally assess or predict the condition of machines to ensure the reliability, availability, and maintainability of these machines at any particular time when needed are presented and discussed.

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Abbreviations

Cc:

Convertibility associated with configuration

Cm:

Convertibility associated with machine

CH:

Convertibility associated with material handling

I:

Convertibility associated with configuration

R:

Convertibility associated with machine

X:

Convertibility associated with material handling

N:

Individual machines in the system

Q1:

Equipped with a screen panel replacement device

Q2:

Easily reprogrammed with flexible software

Q3:

The system is designed to allow addition and subtraction of modular components

Q4:

Flexible fixturing capability

Q5:

Large capacity magazine

t1:

The time necessary to place an order for the precise number of RVS machine subsystems

t2:

The amount of time needed to build exactly how many RVS machine subsystems the clients have ordered

t3:

The length of time needed to examine (to find defects) the precise number of RVS machine subsystems manufactured

t4:

The time needed to rework or repair the damaged RVS subsystems or spare part(s)

t5:

The time needed to transport the manufactured RVS subsystem(s) or spare part(s) (𝑄𝑖) to the users of the RVS machine

t6:

The time required to load and transport the RVS subsystem(s) or spare part(s) (𝑄𝑖) to the users

t7:

The amount of time needed to unload the RVS components or spare parts (Qi) off the truck and place them in the authorized storage space for the RVS machine operator

Lt − ord:

Lead time

Qi:

Total number of RVS spare parts or subsystems

Rt1:

Reconfiguration time

TPL:

Total production loss

PG:

Productivity gain

PC:

Productivity capacity

CD:

The current demand for mineral concentrates

OD:

The demand for old mineral concentrations

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Quality and Operations Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Makinde Olasumbo

  2. Department of Industrial Engineering, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa

    Khumbulani Mpofu

  3. Department of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Boitumelo Ramatsetse

Authors
  1. Makinde Olasumbo
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  2. Khumbulani Mpofu
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  3. Boitumelo Ramatsetse
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Makinde Olasumbo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Israel Sunday Dunmade

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Michael Olawale Daramola

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Samuel Ayodele Iwarere

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Olasumbo, M., Mpofu, K., Ramatsetse, B. (2024). Application of Reconfigurable System Thinking in Mining and Mineral Processing Environment: Toward Sustainable Mineral Beneficiation. In: Dunmade, I.S., Daramola, M.O., Iwarere, S.A. (eds) Sustainable Engineering. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47215-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47215-2_14

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