underground mining surveying techniques instruments

Addressing the Critical Surveying Challenges in Underground Mining

Accurate and reliable survey data forms the backbone of safe and productive underground mining operations. Inaccurate or delayed survey information directly impacts your bottom line through misdirected development, reduced ore recovery, and significant rework costs. Consider these common operational challenges:

• Development Drift Deviation: A mere 1% grade error over a 1,000-meter drive can result in a 10-meter vertical misplacement, leading to costly re-excavation, missed ore intersections, and potential safety hazards.
• Stope Dilution and Ore Loss: Ineffective cavity monitoring translates to an inability to accurately define stop boundaries. Industry estimates indicate dilution rates of 15-20% are common, directly reducing mill head grade and increasing processing costs.
• Volumetric Measurement Delays: Manual survey methods for backfill volumes or stockpile inventories can take days, delaying critical decisions and halting production cycles.
• Survey Crew Safety and Access: Sending personnel into unstable stopes or recently blasted areas to collect manual measurements poses inherent risks and requires extensive setup time.

How can you ensure your development is on the right path, maximize ore recovery from every stope, and keep your survey team out of harm's way while obtaining precise data faster?

Product Overview: The Orion MPS (Mobile Profiling System) for Advanced Underground Surveying

The Orion MPS is a fully integrated, vehicle-mounted mobile scanning system designed specifically for the harsh conditions of underground mines. It combines a high-speed laser scanner with an inertial navigation system (INS) and GNSS-aided initialization to deliver rapid, accurate 3D surveys without the need for traditional control points inside the mine.

Operational Workflow:

1. System Initialization: The vehicle-mounted system initializes its position using GNSS at the portal or in an open area before entering the underground network.
2. Data Capture On-the-Move: As the vehicle traverses the mine's drifts, ramps, and stopes at normal speeds (up to 15 km/h), the system continuously collects millions of precise geo-referenced points.
3. Automated Processing: The onboard software automatically processes the raw scan and trajectory data in real-time.
4. Data Delivery: Survey-grade point clouds and processed deliverables are available immediately upon the vehicle returning to surface, integrating directly with your mine planning software.

Application Scope: Ideal for routine volumetric calculations (backfill, stockpiles), drift profiling for compliance checks, as-is stope surveying, and rapid infrastructure mapping.

Limitations: The system requires a clear vehicular path for data collection. For confined areas or specific targets inaccessible by vehicle, supplemental traditional survey methods are recommended.

Core Features: Engineering Precision for Operational Gains

• High-Frequency LiDAR | Technical Basis: Time-of-Flight laser measurement at 600,000 points/second | Operational Benefit: Captures comprehensive drift profiles and stope shapes in a single pass, eliminating data gaps | ROI Impact: Reduces survey time in development headings by up to 80% compared to manual methods.

• Integrated INS/GNSS | Technical Basis: Fused inertial navigation with tactical-grade IMU and GNSS positioning | Operational Benefit: Maintains positional accuracy throughout the underground traverse without requiring control stations | ROI Impact: Eliminates cost of installing and maintaining internal control points, saving hundreds of labor hours per year.

• Ruggedized Environmental Sealing | Technical Basis: IP67-rated enclosure and component hardening | Operational Benefit: Withstands exposure to water spray, dust, high humidity, and mechanical shock inherent in mining environments | ROI Impact: Minimizes downtime and repair costs due to environmental damage, ensuring >98% operational availability.

• Automated Point Cloud Classification | Technical Basis: Proprietary AI-driven algorithms trained on mining data sets | Operational Benefit: Software automatically identifies and classifies points into ground, walls, ceiling, infrastructure, and muck piles | ROI Impact: Cuts data processing time from hours to minutes per scan set, allowing surveyors to focus on analysis.

• Direct-to-BIM Integration | Technical Basis: Native plugin for major mine design packages (Deswik, Vulcan) | Operational Benefit: Exports clean point clouds directly into your planning software for immediate comparison against design models | ROI Impact: Accelerates design verification cycles by 50%, enabling faster decision-making for production sequencing.

Competitive Advantages: Quantifying Performance

Performance Metric	Industry Standard (Total Station)	Orion MPS Solution	Advantage
Survey Time per km of Drift	4-6 hours (2-person crew)	< 30 minutes (vehicle traverse)	~90% Improvement
Point Cloud Data Density	Sparse (point-by-point measurement)	Dense (>5,000 pts/m²)	>10x More Data
Stope Volume Accuracy ±5-10% (Cavity Scanner) ±2% (verified by reconciliation) ~60% Higher Accuracy
Data-to-Desk Time Lag	8-24 hours < 1 hour ~95% Faster Delivery

Technical Specifications

• Laser Scanner:
  • Measurement Rate: 600,000 points/second
  • Range: Up to 150m on low albedo surfaces
  • Accuracy: ±3 mm at 50m
• Inertial Navigation System (INS):
  • Positional Accuracy (Drift): 0.05% of distance traveled (without GNSS)
  • Gyro Bias Stability: < 2°/hour
• Physical Specifications:
  • Dimensions (LxWxH): 450 x 350 x 250 mm
  • Weight: 18 kg
  • Mounting Standardized vehicle NMI mount
• Power & Environmental:
  • Power Requirements: Vehicle power supply; operates from a standard LHD battery via adapter cable.
    Operating Temperature -20°C to +50°C
    Ingress Protection IP67

Application Scenarios

#### Hard-Rock Metal Mine Stope Reconciliation

| Challenge A mid-tier gold operation struggled with high stope dilution exceeding 25%, leading to unpredictable mill feed grades. Traditional cavity surveys were slow and provided insufficient data density for accurate volume calculation.
| Solution The mine deployed the Orion MPS on their production LHDs. After each muck-out cycle but before backfilling; the LHD would perform a quick traverse in front of the stope; capturing a full 3D point cloud of the void.
| Results Within one quarter; dilution was reduced to under -12%. The precise volume data allowed for more accurate reconciliation; improving forecast reliability. The operation also eliminated all confined space entry for survey personnel in stopes.

#### Potash Mine Volumetric Control

| Challenge A potash producer required weekly volumetric surveys of its extensive backfill piles to manage material usage and ensure roof stability. Manual surveys using total stations were labor-intensive; taking a two-person crew two full shifts with associated traffic control delays.
| Solution The Orion MPS was installed on a service truck that already performed routine rounds through the mining panels. The driver's normal route was used to automatically capture all required volumetric data without any additional dedicated survey time.
Results Backfill volume reporting is now completed in less than one hour post-traverse; with accuracy improved from ±7% to ±2%. This freed up over -400 person-hours annually for higher-value tasks.

Commercial Considerations

The Orion MPS is offered under several tiers to match operational requirements:

1. Base System Purchase: Includes scanner; INS; mounting hardware; and basic processing software. Pricing typically ranges from $150;000 - $220;000 USD depending on configuration.

2
**Lease-to-Own Program A popular option that allows you to deploy the technology with lower upfront capital.; spreading payments over -36 or -48 months.; often with an option to upgrade at term end.

3
**Survey-as-a-Service Package For operations that prefer not to manage equipment or training.; we provide certified personnel to operate the system on a contracted basis.; delivering finalized data reports.

4
**Optional Features Advanced analytics modules for change-detection analysis over time are available as an annual license.; along with extended warranty service packages that guarantee -95% uptime including priority support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1 How does this system integrate with our existing mine design software?
The Orion MPS outputs industry-standard formats (.pts; .las; .e57) that are natively compatible with all major packages like Deswik; Vulcan; and MineSight via included direct plugins ensuring no disruption to your current workflow;

Q2 What is required from our team during implementation?
We provide comprehensive onsite training for both equipment operation (-days) )and data processing (-days). Your team needs only basic computer literacy.. The system is designed for operation by existing survey technicians or even trained equipment operators;

Q3 Can this instrument replace our total stations entirely?
While it excels at rapid bulk data capture it serves as a powerful complement.. Total stations may still be preferred for specific high-precision layout tasks like setting steel locations or bolt hole patterns.. Most clients find they can redeploy their total stations exclusively toward these critical tasks while using this solutionfor -80-%of their volume work;

Q4 What kind of accuracy degradation can we expect over long traverses?
Field performance data shows that positional accuracy is maintained within cm-level over traverses exceeding kilometers due t othe robust INS.. We provide site-specific performance modeling during th esales process t opredict expected accurac yfor your mine's layout;

Q5 Are there financing options available given current capital budget constraints?
Yes we offer several flexible commercial models including our Lease-to-Own program which treats payments as an operating expense as well as pay-per-survey service contracts which require no capital outlay;

Q6 How does th esystem perform i nhighly magnetic environments near electrical substations o rlarge machinery?
Th einertial navigationsystem i sdesigned wit hadvanced compensation algorithms form agnetic interference.. However fo roptimal performance w erecommend initializing outside such zones an dour technical team will conduct asite assessment t oidentify any potential mitigation requirements during implementation