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11 September 2019
VNIPIpromtechnologii Organized III International Seminar on Geological and Mathematical Modeling in Uranium Mining Enterprises
The seminar is a platform for discussing the issues of the industry digital transformation, finding effective methods for introducing new software products into production. «We are facing difficult tasks of digitalizing all uranium mining operations. The knowledge and experience exchange contribute to the successful implementation of what was planned,» said Alexey Shemetov, Director General, VNIPIpromtechnologii, JSC. Among the seminar participants there are representatives of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co., Uranium One, NRNU MEPhI, Kola Science Center RAS, SAS-institute, Dassault Systemes, NAK Kazatomprom. The key topic of the reports was the creation of uranium mining enterprise digital twin or virtual counterpart, which will allow to manage the main processes at all stages of the life cycle. Nowadays, smart systems are used at all enterprises of ARMZ Uranium Holding Co. For example, application efficiency of the Smart Mine digital technology for managing the uranium deposit development has been proved at Khiagda, JSC in the Bauntovsky-Evenki District of Buryatia. It was developed by the Mining Division experts in cooperation with the scientists from the Seversk Technological Institute of the NRNU MEPhI. The implementation of the project, which is a part of the unified digital strategy of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation and included in the package of the State Corporation digital products, allows to improve the productivity and economic efficiency of production. The software complexes help the enterprise to reliably assess the mining and geological situation on the developed sites of deposits, simulate development options, conduct accurate analysis of performed work, promptly make decisions in the analysis and forecast of deposit development, geological modeling and planning. Also, the Khiagdit system was developed for Khiagda, JSC, which, based on geological, process, financial databases, simulates processes and allows to see the whole picture of the enterprise operation.
The Smart Mine principle will be replicated at all uranium deposits developed using in-situ leaching technology, including Dalur, JSC, which produces uranium in the Kurgan region. An IT-system has been developed here, at the in-situ leaching site, it automatically reports problems, offers solutions, simulates optimal production options, reducing analysis period and operating costs.
At PIMCU, PJSC, digitization of uranium production by traditional mining method began in 2006, when Mineframe software was integrated into production process. The software product consolidates the enterprise production unit data: from geological surveying to processing services. In fact, it is a «digital twin» of underground uranium mines and an opencast coal mine, which allows to promptly solve complex mining problems online.
Seminar participants noted the need to switch to a new digital production management model and expressed their readiness to meet annually.
The seminar ended with a tour to the uranium geological sample repository located in the building of VNIIHT, JSC. The museum contains 8.5 thousand samples of uranium ores from 47 countries and records the history of global uranium mining industry raw materials sector development.
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