
Sunrise Dam Gold Mine, a deep open-pit gold mine located in Western Australia, has selected the MSR 200 radar system to improve operational safety and risk reduction in the open-pit mine.
The MSR (Movement and Surveying Radar) 200 is a South African radar system that scans the selected open-pit wall on a continuous basis to detect movement in the rock surface. The system will generate slope-stability alarms once a predetermined threshold in movement and/or acceleration is detected. The MSR provides real-time 100% coverage without the need to install any reflectors on the mine surface. All measurements are fully geo-referenced. The MSR 200 includes the latest radar technology available and has extremely high levels of reliability.
A further advantage of the MSR 200 is that it provides fully geo-referenced surveying information, allowing areas that are not normally accessible to be surveyed.
According to Jan de Beer, RRS Business Manager: Mining, RRS is proud to be contributing to the important aspect of safety and risk reduction at Sunrise Dam while also adding value to the productivity of the mine. The current system is the first system to be fully commissioned on Australian soil with additional systems on order.
“The introduction of real-time radar slope monitoring for open-pit operations in recent years has been a major advance in managing geotechnical risk. The MSR 200 complements the existing slope stability risk management system by giving us the ability to focus on specific areas of the pit walls in much more detail than is possible using any other method of monitoring. The mining team at Sunrise Dam is pleased to be working with RRS and Rock Engineering in the implementation of the MSR 200 in Australian mining operations”, says Peter Booth, Sunrise Dam Open-Pit Manager.
Sunrise Dam Gold Mine is owned and operated by AngloGold Ashanti and produces over 580,000 ounces of gold per annum.
RRS is a world-renowned radar company and has been involved in the mining industry for the past four years. MSR products are currently utilised in Africa, South America and now also in Australia.
The MSR 200 is distributed and maintained in Australasia by Rock Engineering (Aust.) Pty Ltd.