Using a drone specialized in operating in underground mines, the team from the Interflow Project Unit of the El Teniente Division began the inspection of the main tunnel of the Teniente 8 Railway, which will allow them to collect images and a detailed 3D model of the site.

“This will give us a level of detail of the tunnel down to centimetres and millimetres, so that the installer knows the state of the sector to be worked on, giving him a level of planning that he has never had before in a project of this type,” explains Germán Tobar, head of the Interflow Project Unit.

Initially, the 7 kilometres of the main tunnel will be surveyed, followed by around 20 kilometres of tunnels inside the mine and other infrastructure.

Improvement enabler

The information collected by this drone will be an enabler for the assembly and installation of wireless communications for the improvement and modernization of the railway control system.

“This communications highway will transport all the data that will allow the control of the Teniente 8 Railway and also in Esmeralda, so we need detailed, exact planning, given that the main tunnel is a highly critical asset in the division and any interference can affect production, so we aim to mitigate all risks,” says Francisco Muñoz, Head of Process for the Interflow Project.

Technology that contributes to security

Interflow Project planner Adriana Osorio says that “the drone will help with planning and will provide us with security. We will have prior knowledge of the areas where we will be working and we will be able to anticipate the risks.”

Mine Manager Rodrigo Andrades adds: "The implementation of these new technologies allows us, first of all, to reduce people's exposure to the risks inherent to the mine and increase productivity, since they will know how the galleries are on site, without having to stop the tunnel activity. This is a breakthrough that can be applied not only to this activity, but also to inspections of risk areas."

Specialized device

Most drones are designed for outdoor use, which makes it difficult to use them in spaces such as the inside of a mine or in tunnels. This is why the equipment used in these tasks has special features that allow it to operate without problems in more complex conditions.

“This drone is designed for work inside mines and, in this case, it has a LiDar scanner, which generates a 3D survey of the tunnel, and a thermal imaging camera,” says Héctor Muñoz, an expert Interflow operator.

“The propellers are also positioned differently, they are tilted to manage dust, as are the LED lights, which turn on at angles to eliminate dust. It also has a carbon fiber protective cage that is resistant to crashes,” he adds.