The mining industry is experiencing growth on many fronts, from the demand for gold as a store of value in inflationary times to lithium for the batteries powering the growth in electrification.
Edge computing can greatly improve the efficiencies required for supply growth. A whitepaper, Edge Computing Unearths New Value for Mining and Metals Applications, explores how edge automation is foundational for applying digital transformation in these industries.
Mining, like many other industrial sectors, generates large volumes of data. Much of the initial IIoT discourse focused on cloud computing, which meant that large quantities of raw data would be dispatched to cloud-based data lakes, analyzed, and used in optimization algorithms to drive real-time decision-making.
The whitepaper highlights the changing automation architectures and emergence of edge computing.
Traditional programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have typically formed the front-line operational technology (OT) automation platform used throughout mining operations. These devices are commonly used for real-time control, but only more recently have been tapped for implementing higher level IIoT communications and analysis. This change is enabled by improved IT computing methods which are merging with OT platforms, resulting in capable edge-located IT/OT controllers. Data available at the operational edge is now easily accessible and able to be processed and transmitted, paving the way for analytics and optimization deployments.
These edge controllers combine:
…a real-time operating system (RTOS) with a general-purpose operating system (OS) like Linux…
The RTOS provides direct deterministic control and monitoring of field equipment, much like a PLC or RTU. In fact, edge controllers can be used just like PLCs, even if users do not immediately take advantage of additional features, providing a future-proof design.
The general-purpose guest OS enables capabilities such as advanced computing, analytics and data storage. In addition, the general-purpose OS offers much more capable communication options, even over the low-bandwidth connections commonly encountered with mining operations.
These controllers are built for the harsh environments found in mining operations. The built-in general purpose operating system provides:
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Security: Includes defenses suitable for prevalent IT-like issues like network storms and Denial of Services attacks.
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OT Connectivity: Natively supports OT-oriented communication protocols, including legacy versions such as PROFINET and Modbus/TCP, as well as newer versions with built-in security like OPC UA.
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IT Connectivity: Natively supports IT-oriented communication protocols with built-in security such as MQTT and secure sockets (HTTPS, SSL, FTPS), providing appropriately secure communications performance.
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Flexibility: Users can develop applications in IT-oriented languages like C, C++, Python, Java, and many more.
Download the whitepaper for more on key mining applications for edge-based controllers such as ore tracking, vibration data analysis, blending & stockyard optimization, and power optimization.
Visit the Mining, Minerals & Metals section on Emerson.com for more on the solutions to drive safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mining operations.
