A young engineer at Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines found a simple solution to a potentially critical issue: automation.
Stringent controls on the mine's Gidgi Roaster are required to maintain local air quality requirements. Recently, control room operators found themselves needing to continuously monitor throughput rates to the roaster to ensure it would not exceed roasting limits. Their constant attention to this issue prevented them from completing other important work and led to a stressful work environment.
Lars Christiansen suggested automating the process much like cruise control regulates the speed of a car. His idea led to the development of more consistent and accurate throughput controls. Not only has this maintained air emissions, it also has improved throughput productivity by 1 percent.
