Investigating Applications of Heavy-Lift Unmanned Helicopters in Oil Sands Mining

在过去的几年里，加拿大和全球的无人机系统（UAS）行业出现了前所未有的增长。UAS技术正在渗透到多个行业领域，并在采矿作业中具有巨大的集成潜力。UAS的使用可以帮助矿业公司进行更频繁的调查和其他类型的库存，并提供更高质量的数据，同时减少危险和重复性任务的数量，从而提高劳动力安全性，提高生产和管理效率。帝国石油公司的重油开采研究部门与SAIT的无人系统创新与研究中心（CIRUS）进行了接触，以开展一个项目，其总体目标是将UAS整合到位于阿尔伯塔北方阿萨巴斯卡地区的帝国Kobaska油砂工厂的持续运营中。拟议的研究建立在CIRUS目前在克赖斯特彻奇开展的工作基础上，其中包括实地调查和分析，用于矿床的三维建模和预测。拟议的NSERC资助的项目的总体目标是在Kendall设施中评估和整合远程重型UAS的各种研究和操作角色。计划在未来三年开展以下活动：1）开发大规模激光雷达和摄影测量数据收集技术和获取战略，以及使用大容量直升机无人机系统进行超视距测试;优化处理方法，并根据收集的数据开发创新数据和信息产品; 2）研究使用安装在采矿机上的传感器，包括一个高光谱成像仪和一个探地雷达，以探讨是否有可能提高矿石测绘和预测的准确性，3）将数据收集和分析扩大到多种活动，如野生动物监测、甲烷检测以及湿地和土地恢复工作的监测。无人机系统在采矿作业中的应用将提高安全性并减少对环境的影响。

The last few years have seen unprecedented growth in the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) industry, Canada and worldwide. UAS technology is penetrating multiple industry sectors and holds great potential for integration in mining operations. The use of UASs can help mining companies carry out more frequent surveys and other types of inventories and provide higher-quality data, while reducing the number of dangerous and repetitive tasks, thereby improving workforce safety and offering production and administrative efficiencies. The Centre for Innovation and Research in Unmanned Systems (CIRUS) at SAIT was approached by the Heavy Oil Mining Research division of Imperial Oil to work on a project with the overall goal to integrate UAS into ongoing operations at Imperial's Kearl oil sands facility located in the Athabasca region of northern Alberta. The proposed research builds off the current work being undertaken by CIRUS at Kearl, which involves fieldwork and analysis for 3D modeling and prediction of ore deposits. The proposed NSERC-funded project has the overarching goal of working towards evaluation and integration of a long-range, heavy-lift UAS in a variety of research and operational roles at the Kearl facility. The following activities are planned for the next three years: 1) Developing techniques and acquisition strategies for large-scale LiDAR and photogrammetric data collection and BVLOS testing using a heavy capacity helicopter UAS; optimizing processing methodologies and developing innovative data and informational products from data collected; 2) Investigating the use of helicopter-mounted sensors, including a hyperspectral imager and a GPR to explore whether it is possible to advance the accuracy of ore mapping and prediction, and to monitor tailings ponds; 3) Expanding data collection and analysis to multiple activities, such as wildlife monitoring, methane detection, and monitoring of restoration efforts for wetlands and lands. Applications of UAS in the mining operations will result in greater safety and reduce the environmental impact.