Computer, Buses In Deepest Mine

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31001, 5 March 1966, Page 12

Computer, Buses In Deepest Mine

[Specially written for “The

Press” by

C. REX MONIGATTI]

AN ELECTRONIC computer system has just become fully operative in the world’s largest underground mine, at Kiruna, in northern Sweden. It is located at the lowest working level, 1360 feet down.

Most of the total production of the Swedish L.K.A.B. company’s underground ironore mine in Kiruna is to be transported at that level. Its transport capacity is estimated to reach about 17 million tons a year in 1968-69. The data processing unit has been combined with a conventional central traffic control system for supervising the moments of 18 trains, each consisting of 12 waggons and with a load of up to 300 tons.

The entire operation is automatic, including the addressing of trains to the loading and discharging stations, and it is supervised by only one man. Information on the position of the trains, the level of filling in shafts and pockets,train weights, ore analysis and so on is automatically fed into the data centre.

The Kiruna mine also has the latest in transport for the miners. No longer do they have to ride to the galleries and ore-face in trams and lifts.

Instead, they board dieseldriven buses, indicating the respective working levels, and ride comfortably down a large ramp, without any change to a lift

This new mode of mine transport has cut down travel time from the change-house buildings down to the lowest working level to a little more than five minutes.

Operations research based on military patterns and electronics was introduced by this big Swedish mining company after the setback of the war, and the progress in working techniques over the past 15 years has been such that practically no equipment from the beginning of the 1950 s is now left in the company’s mines and harbours. INCREASED OUTPUT The company has increased itse production by 50 per cent in the last few years, while the number of employees has been reduced by more than 1000. The fewer workers have nevertheless been able to cope with all the work connected with quality improvement in the ore.

L.K.A.B. recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, and the occasion was marked by the official opening of three new installations —the tangible results of a major programme of

investment These installations are a new ore-harbour at Lulen, in the Gulf of Bothnia, the new mine of Svappavaara, and a new concentrating plant In the village of Svappavaara, about 25 miles from Kiruna, copper ore was mined for some decades in the 17th century.

The villagers have had to wait for 300 years for the iron ore there to be exploited, but now a modern industry has made its appearance by the side of the village which is also getting its quota of modern buildings. FULL PRODUCTION This open-cast mine is scheduled to reach full production in 1967-68, by which time it will be the third largest iron ore mine in Sweden. The abundance of iron ore in the Kiruna area has opened up the natural beauties of that part of Lapland to many thousands of tourists, for without the ore there could hardly have been, a railway there. And the mining towns and big mines have themselves become major tourist attractions.

Special “tourist mines,” where visitors are given a clear suryey of the different phases in mining work, have been arranged in both Kiruna and Malmberget for about 35,000 visitors a year. In area, Kiruna can claim to be the largest town in the world. The 6900 ft peak of Kebnekajse, the highest moun-

tain in Sweden, lies within the “city limits.” The town’s centre is 1650 ft above sea level, in the birch region. It is 875 miles north of Stockholm and 87 miles inside the Arctic Circle, and so lies in the same latitude as the Arctic tundra regions of North America and Siberia and enjoys the midnight sun for six weeks from the beginning of June. NEAR NARVIK Malmberget, in spite of its remoteness, has Sweden’s finest provincial library as well as the northernmost sports hall in the world. Eighty miles beyond Kiruna is the harbour of Narvik, in northern Norway, from where most of the production of the Kiruna mines is shipped. Though badly damaged during the war, Narvik has become an unusually colourful and fine-looking town whose harbour activities are so lively that, on the continent, only Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg have a bigger annual tonnage. The Gulf Stream keeps the harbour free from ice all the year round.

The mining work has become progressively easier because of the efforts that

have been made to adapt machines to man’s physique, but this Swedish company has also provided excellent working and living conditions for its workers and their families. In light, pleasant diningrooms underground the miners eat lunch or dinner, the meals being made up in such a way as to ensure that the men get their daily 3000 calories. For the last seven years they have been served “Malmberget food,” which is prepared in catering kitchens, wrapped in plastic packing, kept at a suitable refrigerator temperature and quickly heated up before serving. In this way the food can be taken out ready to eat from underground storage and served direct after heating. WOMEN EMPLOYED At present about 7000 people are employed in the L.K.A.B. mines, and about a hundred occupations are represented in the enterprise. A good number of women are employed as technicians in the laboratories in the underground restaurants and as truck drivers.

Before engaging new employees the company invites likely applicants, and the wives of those who are married, to pay an “employment visit,” and this gives them an opportunity to study and familiarise themselves with the working and living conditions in a somewhat isolated mining community which has, of course, a very long winter. The company also provides production incentives and attaches great importance to keeping its employees well informed. The consideration that is shown for the welfare of employees must be an important factor in the efficiency of the enterprise and in the industrial peace that has prevailed at the mines of Lapla’nd for many years.