A new research program to make oil sands mining safer and more efficient will involve more accurate measurement of the sizes of oil sands, real-time monitoring of mining equipment, and analytical modeling of mining activities.
Size analysis of oil sands will be conducted in three directions: Image analysis using mathematical morphology; ore size analysis algorithms using mathematical transformations; and sensor data fusion.
Equipment monitoring will include shovel toothlines, oil sand screens, and major metal structures.
For activity modeling, researchers will attempt to establish characteristics of mining equipment such as crushers and screens, in relation to operating conditions.
Most research will be performed in the Centre for Intelligent Mining Systems at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The research is supported by grants from Syncrude, Canada and Matrikon, both based in Edmonton.
