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Scanning Iron Ore and Coal Stockpiles

3D Scanning: Scanning Iron Ore and Coal Stockpiles

Professional Surveyor Magazine - June 2009
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by Michael Young and Scott Schiele We believe the future of surveying is laser scanning. But why the future, if the technology has been around for 20 years? The answer lies in the technology being applied in the right way, with the right tools, and in the right setting. With these, laser scanning can lower costs, improve workflow, increase output, improve accuracy, and generally make life easier for surveyors. The following examples of stockpile measurement reveal the way laser scanning can radically speed up reporting time compared to aerial techniques as well as the dramatic differences between laser scanning and GPS/total station methodologies.

Iron Ore Stockpiles

The BNSF Allouez taconite stockpile facility is located on the shores of Lake Superior in Wisconsin. It has been a loading facility for iron ore since the late 1800s when the harbor was first dredged. Once the largest such loading docks in the world, today the Allouez facility supports about eight million tons of Hibbing Taconite product, all of which needs to be measured to determine the volume for maintaining accurate inventory records. Previous methods Recently a surveyor used laser scanning, specifically Maptek's I-Site system, to survey the taconite stockpiles. In the past, due to the large area of the site and the sheer volume of the piles, surveys were typically carried out by aerial mapping supplemented with traditional methods, such as GPS combined with a total station. Teams of surveyors climbed up and down the piles, taking as many measurements as possible to get the best volumes they could. Typically this meant two or three two-man crews collecting hundreds of coordinates using GPS and total station to measure the points. Hiking up shifting piles of taconite and walking the entire toe and crest of each dip in the top of the pile to take measurements was a dangerous job. It also entailed a lot of work for survey crews. The loose footing of the piles meant the risk of falling was high, with concerns that someone would be seriously injured, as well as associated lost-time incidents and insurance issues. Aerial mapping methods appeared to be the solution to safety issues, but the three-week lag time was a huge concern for the accountants requesting inventory reports. Aerial photography also required some preparation work by the surveyors in setting up panel points, and if the weather was poor the survey had to be postponed causing scheduling issues. These methods were also costly. Hibbing Taconite began to evaluate laser scanning in a bid to save money and time on the project. Laser scanning method Hibbing Taconite approached Maptek to see if the I-Site 4400LR system could deliver their outcomes quickly and safely. It did. One surveyor was able to set up and operate the scanner to map the entire Allouez facility in 12 hours. This represented coverage of the site's 11 stockpiles, averaging about 700 feet by 200 feet, with 51 set up positions. The surveyor used GPS to register the scans into the coordinate system. He established four points around each stockpile with the scanner set up over the top of each point, creating about 35 GPS control points. The Allouez piles are stacked with a moving conveyor system. Acquiring detail on the resultant irregular top surface, which is essential for generating accurate volumes, was fairly difficult. Surveyors were able to use the I-Site scanner systems in particular because they're portable (weighing only 30 pounds including internal battery) and so are relatively easy to carry in a standard hiking backpack, leaving the surveyor's hands free for the tripod. The range and accuracy of the 3D scanner minimizes the number of trips to the peak of the pile, while still ensuring accurate measurements can be taken. The scans are registered to the coordinate system in seconds using the GPS coordinate file and the naming assigned in the field. Several scans without GPS control were brought into the coordinate system using the matching surface feature. This takes only a few minutes per scan, using common features in each scan to bring the non-registered scan into a good coordinate system. The points are then filtered and triangulated, and the triangulation is used to calculate the volume of the stockpiles. About eight hours of processing data on the computer brings the total job time to about 20 hours for one person, including the site scanning. The volume report was therefore delivered a very short time after the field work was completed.

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Coal Stockpiles

Scanning Iron Ore and Coal Stockpiles

An energy company in the northern hemisphere used multiple laser scanning systems across 12 mine sites, following an efficiency study that determined that their original scanner was in use 50 percent of the working week. Comparing that to the previous method of survey using GPS/total stations, they calculated a system would pay for itself in 10 months. Previous survey method

Prior to the adoption of laser scanning on site, the site's surveyors used GPS to capture stockpile toes and crests, with additional internal points for major breaks in each of the piles. This involved various set ups and a different process each time a survey was required. The goal was to conduct a grid-type survey of each pile. One stockpile was measured at 300,000 tons of material. To calculate the volume, the survey team recorded 300 to 400 GPS points, which took two surveyors three or four hours, depending on the shape and consistency of the pile. Two of the piles that feed their processing facilities have bottom draw conveyors. The site would not allow surveyors on the piles due to safety considerations. Their method of walking the base and using a reflectorless total station to capture peak positions resulted in less than optimal results. Processing the data took an additional 30 minutes to calculate a volume. Laser scanning method Using I-Site, the energy company was able to achieve a step-change improvement in efficiency, accuracy, and safety. The same 300,000-ton pile now takes one surveyor one hour to scan. Instead of capturing only 300 to 400 points, the total number of survey points has increased to between one and two million. Intelligent filtering of the data using results in detailed surfaces generated from the best 50 to 60,000 points, a tremendous improvement in accuracy. Safety issues were removed because the peaks are scanned accurately from the ground. To validate the accuracy of the technology, the site supervisor sent his team back out with GPS to verify some data in the first scans. The laser points did match up with the GPS readings, resulting in "a much better and accurate survey." Using laser scanning on the 300,000-ton pile, the energy company was able to save five to seven man-days and achieve a far more accurate result. These savings are magnified once you consider that they scan three stockpiles monthly. Laser scanning using the latest technology represents the future reality of stockpile survey. Cutting set up by 65 percent, reducing reporting time from days to hours, increasing detail from 300 to 60,000 points, and improving accuracy are measurable performance indicators. Creating a safer, more user-friendly working environment in what we know is a difficult and often backbreaking job is a strong case for acknowledging this technology as the future for survey best practice. Michael Young, section manager in mine engineering for Hibbing Taconite Company, has overseen the implementation of laser scanning data and systems at Hibbing Taconite since 2006. Scott Schiele, a surveyor involved with laser scanning for more than eight years, is senior technical consultant for Maptek's I-Site. For more information visit www.maptek.com. Back to our June 2009 Issue

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