iStockpile
Crane, tripper car or portal scraper based linear inventory control solution
The iStockpile™ solution scans the entire stockpile with the highest precision allowing for multiple uses of the collected data for machine and inventory control functions.
Solution Packages
iStockpile PackageStockpile Volume
iStockpile Volume offers versatile inventory control information in the form of 3D visualizations of the stockpile, color-coded height maps, statistical and historical production data and the option to freely define special zones in the stockpile area that must be monitored individually (e.g. above feeders, deadstock or to distinguish between material qualities or grades inside the total stock).
iStockpile PackageScraper Reclaimer
Apart from the regular inventory iStockpile functions, iStockpile Scraper Reclaimer offers collision avoidance for the boom including cutting depth control as well as skew control for linear positioning.
iStockpile PackageBelt Volume
Based on our original iBelt solution, iStockpile Belt Volume provides information on belt volume flow, belt speed and belt misalignment. Unlike other technologies the Belt Volume sensors can be installed anywhere on any conveyor belt, including directly behind the scraper boom.
iStockpile PackageFeeder Control
iStockpile Feeder Control measures the stockpile's thickness directly over feeder areas. Based on these measurements and with PLC or SCADA integration, the whole material drawing process can be automated and made more effective.
iStockpile PackageTripper Car Long Travel
iStockpile Tripper Car Long Travel consistently tracks the position of tripper cars or similar machinery with millimeter precision. Slippage induced positioning inaccuracies are fully avoided. Can be extended to skew control for bigger machinery.
iStockpile PackageDozer Collision Avoidance
iRTT (indurad RadioTransponderTechnology) is a transponder-based solution to track the movements of dozers inside stockpile areas. iRTT warns dozer drivers when entering dangerous areas such as drawpoints and material discharge sections. Can also be extended to track persons and to locate equipment.
How does it work?
Solution Layout: Several radar sensors are mounted onto the tripper car, scraper portal, overhead gantry crane or in fixed positions in the stockpile infrastructure. These sensors scan the surface of the bulk material below.
The position of the tripper car is permanently tracked by the indurad LinearDynamicRadar (iLDR™) with the highest precision. Both types of information (bulk material profile and position) are then fused by the indurad RadarProcessingUnit (iRPU™) in order to create real-time volumetric information and permanently updated 3D images of the bulk material.
For dozer, personnel and tool tracking, all participants must be equipped with indurad RadioTransponderTechnology (iRTT™) tags.
Why is it an improvement?
Common Technologies are often inaccurate (e.g. 1D level probes), unreliable (like lasers or ultrasonic devices), or rarely up to date (for instance manual surveying results).
Lasers
- Have issues with dark materials, such as black coal
- Black color means no light is reflected, so consequently no laser is reflected either
- Are sensitive to dust
- Require permanent cleaning and maintenance
Computer Models
- Integration errors from summing inflow and outflow using belt scales accumulate over time
- Errors from the assumed angle of repose (changes with water content, particle size etc.) and from uncontrolled surfaces affected by the stacking/drawing process
- Manual manipulation of the stockpile with dozers or loaders
- Stockpile slump of steep slopes cut by a reclaimer
Manual Surveying
- Typically updated only once a month
- Surveyor needs to access potentially unsafe locations
- Requires specially skilled staff
- Large potential error chain from surveying, data conversion and human communication
- Downtime for measurement
1D Level Measurement Technologies
- Generally not applicable in this context
- Are restricted to single-point probes
- Suffer from high latency and low update rates