From 8 Hours to 20 Minutes for Ore Pass Inspections with Drones

 BENEFITS IN A NUTSHELL

Ore passes are critical vertical or steeply inclined shafts found in underground mines, responsible for moving extracted material from upper mining levels down to crushers or haulage systems below. Because they handle constant impact from falling rock, ore passes wear down, can become blocked, or develop structural issues, making regular inspections critical for both safety and production.

At LKAB's Kiruna mine, one of the largest underground iron ore mines in the world, they regularly inspect all of their 40 ore passes to make sure they are not getting too much wear. Deformations might lead to collapses or clogs. These vertical shafts are critical for transporting ore, but due to their hazardous environment, manual entry is not possible. 

Traditional inspection methods, such as lowering 300kg wagons equipped with cameras and laser scanners, were slow and costly, taking up a team of 2 and an entire shift to complete a single ore pass inspection. In addition, they also provided incomplete data with shadowing and lower coverage.

Daniel Jatko from LKAB reviewing the live map created by the Elios 3 on the remote controller

Using Drones for Ore Pass Inspections

The introduction of Flyability's Elios 3 equipped with the powerful Surveying LiDAR has transformed ore pass inspections for LKAB. With the Elios 3, a single pilot can perform a full inspection in just 20 minutes, compared to the eight hours previously required. The drone captures both 4K visual and centimeter-accurate LiDAR data, generating detailed 3D point clouds that provide more accurate and comprehensive insights than earlier methods.

“Before we got the drone, it took about 8 hours to inspect one ore pass. With the Elios 3, a single pilot can do it in just 20 minutes.” - Daniel Jatko, LKAB

Impact of Drone Ore Pass Inspections 

Using the Elios 3 has drastically reduced inspection time, leading to significant cost savings while enhancing safety by removing the need to send personnel near hazardous areas. The compact size of the drone allows it to reach tight and complex spaces within the mine, and its reliability ensures consistent results. With the new high-capacity battery, LKAB can now inspect entire 300 to 350-meter ore passes in a single flight. This not only shortens the overall inspection time but also eliminates the need for post-flight data alignment, making analysis faster and more efficient.

Ore pass inspection data collected by a single Elios 3 flight

What Other Ways are LKAB Using the Elios 3? 

Beyond ore pass inspections, LKAB also deploys the Elios 3 for a range of mining applications, including checking crushers and large underground equipment that would otherwise require scaffolding, and carrying out inspections in areas previously inaccessible to personnel. Aboveground inspections have also been carried out in silos and other processing plant equipment. The Elios 3 has become a versatile tool that enables safer, faster, and more cost-effective operations across the mine.

“The Elios 3 has never really failed on us. We use it for ore passes, crushers, and other big equipment in the mine. [...] The data is much more accurate and much more detailed than what we had before.” - Daniel Jatko, LKAB

Check out the full interview with Daniel Jatko: 

Discover more about how the Elios 3 is used in underground mines around the world!