Robot for exploring flooded underground mines will be tested in Urgeiriça
27th March 2019
The autonomous robotic platform for researching and mapping underground mines was developed under the European project UNEXMIN, which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, bringing together twelve organisations from seven countries, including Portugal.
UNEXMIN includes the development of three robots for 3D mapping, gathering geological data that cannot be obtained otherwise, without major costs or other associated risks (like using divers for the research). In Portugal, the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC) and the Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro (EDM) are partners on this project.
“In Europe, there are around 30 000 closed mines, many of which still have important mining resources that can be exploited. Many of these mines are now flooded, thus making their exploration and assessment a difficult process. At the moment, there is a lack of data and information on their current state due to the high monetary costs and danger that are associated to the current methods. For this reason, the solutions that we're developing under UNEXMIN can make the difference”, explains Alfredo Martins, researcher from INESC TEC’s Centre for Robotics and Autonomous Systems and Professor at the School of Engineering of Porto (ISEP).
The UNEXMIN technology represents a new era for the mining exploration: robots that can autonomously operate in these environments – the UX-1 robots are the first ones of this type. At the moment, the UNEXMIN platform has two robots and a third one is on the way. The first prototype and the technology itself were already tested in June 2018 in the mines of Kaatiala, Finland, and in September 2018 in Idrija, Slovenia, with good results: the robot was operational and the flooded mines were mapped.
The third test is currently being developed in the former Urgeiriça mine. The robots are being tested in groundwater of the former Urgeiriça uranium mine. The project aims to research and to map the flooded galleries and tunnels and to obtain data that intend to gain further geological knowledge about the region and to verify the operation of the platform in a mine with different features. The UNEXMIN technology won’t damage the mine in any way and its use is obliged to comply with Portuguese licenses and laws.
The development of the UNEXMIN platform will enable many scenarios to be opened for the exploration of minerals essential for the industry development. The UNEXMIN platform will contribute to make decisions on the reopening of mines, which used to be closed due to the high cost of the exploration compared to the amount of the existing minerals. The technology that is currently available can enable the low-cost reopening of some of these mines. With UNEXMIN, the strategic opportunity of reopening flooded mines in Europe is created. Most of these mines still have a considerable percentage of essential mineral raw materials that can be exploited, favouring the Portuguese and European economy.
The following entities are partners on this project:
- University of Miskolc, Hungary
- Geological Survey of Slovenia, Slovenia
- Tampere University, Finland
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- La Palma Research Centre, Spain
- Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science, Portugal
- Resources Computing International Ltd (4dcoders), the United Kingdom
- Ecton Mine Educational Trust, the United Kingdom
- European Federation of Geologists, France
- Geo-Montan, Hungary
- Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro, S.A., Portugal
- Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Centre, Slovenia
For more information: http://www.unexmin.eu/
For more information, please contact:
Joana Desport Coelho