PIPE-FAPESP (Pesquisa Inovativa em Pequenas Empresas)
Always focused on innovation, Dynamine works to develop new systems and tools to help companies operate more efficiently.
We were supported by PIPE-FAPESP, which focuses on supporting the execution of scientific and/or technological research in companies in the State of São Paulo.
The objectives of PIPE are:
1. Support science and technology research as an instrument to promote technological innovation, promote business development, and increase the competitiveness of small businesses.
2. Increase the contribution of research to economic and social development.
3. Induce increased private investment in technological research.
4. Enable companies to associate themselves with researchers from the academic environment in research projects aimed at technological innovation.
5. Contribute to the formation and development of technological development centers in companies and to the employment of researchers in the market.
We present the supported projects below.
Estudo de viabilidade de sensores de baixo custo e software supervisório para controle de produção em transportadores de correia (Processo 20/00979-0)
The mineral sector accounts for 4% of the National GDP. Despite this number, there's a lack of investments and innovation in this industry, specially in the aditives and aggregate materials for the building industry. The aggregates for the building industry, sand and gravel, are considered as low cost goods due to the characteristics of its processing, based on crushing and sifting. The extraction is spatially fragmented, 90% consisting of small and medium-sized quarries and sand ports. However, in Brazil the sand and gravel production are the positioned in second and third in terms of production volume of mineral goods, according to the data published by the National Department of Mineral Production. Due the low-cost characteristic, the aggregate producers are susceptible to market changes and cost pressure, constantly looking for cost reduction and process optmization. This is further enhanced by lack of innovation in small productions, which is focused in big players. Considering the context in which they are subordinated, this work objective is to present a study on the viability of a low-cost production control system for small and medium sand and gravel producers, enabling production monitoring and stockpile control, leading to prodution optimization and cost reduction for small companies. Therefore, the team intends to develop low-cost flow meters to collect data about the production and a supervisory software to manipulate and transmit, in real-time, production data to Operations room and smartphones across the mine. The impact of the proposed software on this kind of operation is hard to be measured, since these companies lean on everyday experience to control their production, thus no previous reliable information is available. As such, the introduction of this technology can already be considered as a game changer for the sector. Additionally, the real-time production control will allow idle time and down time verification, maintenance stop frequency, stockpile control and sales planning, just to cite some.
Sistema de controle de lavra, usina e manutenção para minerações de pequeno e médio porte (Processo 20/13593-3)
While large mining companies have financial and human capital to invest in cutting-edge technologies to monitor their production process, small and medium-sized companies, which represent the vast majority of companies in this sector (95% in Brazil) are left destitute. Although these smaller companies have the need to acquire new technologies, they have difficulties in financial and human investment in solutions of this type. This project aims to develop an accessible System for small and medium-sized mines, capable of providing real-time information on mining equipment (trucks, excavators, etc.), plant equipment (crushers, belt conveyors, etc.) and maintenance (consumables per km, etc.). The precision in the location of the sensor of the mining equipment will be compared with a high precision portable equipment of multiple GNSS (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) and with the real georeferenced position. Three situations will be tested. The first will be fixed in an open area, in good conditions for viewing the satellites. The second will be fixed in the lower part of a pit, where it presents the greatest challenge for collecting accurate information. The third will be on the move. The accuracy of the current sensor of the plant equipment will be compared with a high precision portable equipment and with the equipment current sensor. Ten situations will be tested. The first five will be with the equipment in good condition connected without material, with 25% of capacity, with 50% of capacity, with 75% of capacity and with 100% of capacity. The last five will be with the equipment in poor condition, for example, if it is tested on a belt conveyor, it will be with some locked rolls. The expected results at the end of PIPE Phase 1 are: 1 - That the mining equipment sensors collect their positions, send it to the server, which will identify whether the equipment is loading, unloading, transporting empty and loaded, in line and in maintenance; 2 - That the sensors of the plant equipment collect the current, send it to the server, which will identify the amount of material present in the equipment or the probability of failure. With this system, smaller mines, responsible for most of the construction materials, such as sand and gravel, will be able to make decisions based on information, reducing costs and increasing productivity. The system will improve mining performance, which will consequently provide products at a lower cost to society. In addition, with the lowest consumption of fuel and electricity, less ton of greenhouse gases should be emitted for each ton of ore produced and processed.