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Will Low Oil Prices Affect Metal Fabricators?

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Low Oil Prices Affect Metal FabricatorsWill Low Oil Prices Affect Metal Fabricators?

The Possible Effects of Low Oil Prices on Metal Fabricators

The drop in oil prices hasn’t yet touched metal fabricators, but over the long term, we know that lower prices for oil and gas will lessen production, which could affect the fabrication industry. How this will look is hard to say, but it is clear that a heavy dependence on the oil and gas sector could slow down demand for some businesses.

A Bright Future

It may seem counter-intuitive, but dropping oil prices could end up being good for manufacturers and fabricators. For one thing, the Canadian dollar is heavily tied to oil prices, and as it drops, state-of-the-art manufacturing could be in greater demand.

Another opportunity for metal fabrication is in ongoing projects, which continue to require replacement parts and ongoing development. A slower market for new projects will not necessarily mean less work, but reinvestment in older parts to get more ‘bang for the buck’ in the oil industry.

Furthermore, there could possibly be an increase in steel imports over time, taking advantage of cheaper prices for transport and materials. It’s worth noting that just as the strengthening Canadian dollar led to layoffs in the manufacturing sector in 2004, the reverse could happen today as the dollar drops.

The Unknown

As layoffs occur in the oil field, manufacturers are bracing for a downturn in the fabrication sector as well. But fabrication works on a different time scale than the oil field, and changes are slower to reach the sector. Because of the time needed to produce metal pieces for the oil field, companies are working on projects now for deliverables that are months down the line. Predicting production needs over the longer term is difficult, but ongoing projects still need to be produced.

Prices for hot rolled coil are down, as is demand for sheet steel and bars for seamless pipe. Steel is faring better than other metals, like copper and aluminum, which have seen great changes in commodity prices since the oil bubble burst. Over the long term, the down turn could be damaging, especially for fabricators whose most significant markets are in Western Canada, Texas, or North Dakota.

Diversity

Some US oil and gas producers believe steel demand from the oil sector could be down by as much as 50% in the next year, and that spells trouble for businesses that haven’t diversified.

Like the Canadian dollar, being tied to just one market could prove damaging for some businesses. For metal fabricators who have the ability to diversify their markets and interests, now is the time to explore a greater variety of business partners, thus mitigating the negative impact of low oil prices. One recommendation is to pursue or further existing relationships with automakers, as they make the most value-added steel.

Overall, the industry outlook is positive. While this could be a challenging time for some metal fabricators, it isn’t likely to cause serious harm to the industry as a whole.

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Arctic Subsea Technology

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arctic subsea technologyArctic Subsea Technology: Oil and Gas Drilling in the Arctic

Offshore drilling is a complicated and challenging process, and even more so in the Arctic. However, growing industry interest in offshore oil in the Canadian Arctic means oil companies need to prepare for subsea drilling in the far north.

As existing oil sources run their course, new regions and resources are gaining the interest of energy companies. Currently, it is estimated that about 30% of the world’s undiscovered natural gas and 13% of undiscovered oil is in the Arctic. Moreover, subsea drilling would cut out the pipeline middlemen, and producers could transport their oil on tankers directly to their clients.

Mobile Drilling Rigs

Out at sea, mobile drilling rigs are the common denominator. In the Arctic, rigs need to deal with dangerous sheets of floating ice. This takes a great deal of specialized oilfield support equipment. Rigs must be smaller and lighter than normal drill ships to avoid obstacles. It’s also important that they have built-in ice protection, so hulls are carefully reinforced.

In order to avoid ice, rigs have to be able to predict it. Ice monitoring centres throughout the arctic combine radar and satellite data to observe and predict sea ice in real time. With the help of scientists and meteorologists, it is possible to plan for the best ice-evading drilling plans.

Subsea Processing

A huge area for growth is in subsea processing. There is a lack of sufficient pressure to pump oil out from the deepest depths of the arctic, so contingencies need to be designed to work with the oil at the ocean floor. In the next few decades, the industry will work to increase oil recovery through full well-stream boosting and water flooding, to create incremental capacity through separation, and to improve the economics of gas production through compression.

Some of these technologies are already under development or application. For example, there is already a subsea compression station in Norway, addressing natural gas needs. This vastly increases the production capacity from the well, as the closer the compression is to the field, the better.

Moving off the Platform

Moving towards undersea production means cutting out expensive platforms and replacing them with underwater equipment. However, just like on land, subsea oil equipment needs care and maintenance, and that requires communication. Beyond pressure levels that human divers can attain, remote-operated vehicles carry out maintenance and operational tasks, attached to platforms by electrical cords. The next generation of remote operated vehicles need to be more independent, so that they can address problems without direct human interaction. Such a robot would be ideal for harsh environments such as the Arctic, where ice would sometimes prevent cord-communications.

Managing Information

The other key for autonomous undersea robots is for them to be able to interpret and use huge swaths of data. As the oil industry becomes more and more digitized, greater amounts of information are available to guide autonomous vehicles in all kinds of environments. But in the Arctic, robots must be truly autonomous, and won’t be able to rely on teams of experts to determine what is and is not important. Integrating data into a comprehensible form will be the key to developing effective subsea technologies.

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Utilizing the Smart Grid in Oil and Gas

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Smart Grid Networking in Oil and Gas Industrysmart grid in oil and gas

As upstream oil and gas companies are leaping into the digital oilfield revolution, the industry is enthusiastically implementing new technology formats that help deliver real-time intelligence and situational awareness in oilfield production. The implementation of smart grids has allowed oilfields to run a more efficient system that keep costs down and meet local government regulations.

Smart grid networking is, as its name suggests, technology for automating networks, monitoring and controlling the flow of two-way data from production to distribution. Essentially, using smart grid technology means that data is transferred efficiently and reliably across the network, through a high level of connectivity and low energy consumption.

With high levels of data being gathered in oilfields, new solutions for data management are becoming even more important. At the same time, ensuring that communications and electrical grids are not over-taxed requires the ability to forecast and respond to demand. Smart grid technology offers oilfields predictive and responsive capabilities by using communication tools integrated with existing systems to allow adjustments to be made in real time, resulting in maximum production and minimal waste.

Environmental Benefits

Like an electrical grid, smart grids network millions of communications and scanning devices. The technology monitors energy consumption and significant data fluctuations from field equipment so that any abnormalities can be taken care of immediately without requiring human input. By incorporating data into smart grids, companies can respond to changes in power availability from alternative power sources as well as traditional sources, in order to keep power costs low and consistent.

Increasing Production

Managing a large, sprawling oilfield network is challenging. Keeping track of pipelines, production equipment, employees, pressure gauges and other metrics can become overwhelming. But, with the digitization of oil production in the field, and implementing a smart grid to manage it, employees can get real-time field visibility and collaboration, reducing guesswork and preventing potential problems.

With smart grids adjusting energy sources to meet needs, it is possible to predict energy shortages on site and adjust workloads to respond to peak energy demands, thus making extraction and production less expensive overall.

In a study from the Energy Exchange, a quarter of respondents said that the key to smart field success is increasing the recovery of oil and gas production, but 90% of respondents noted that data management is a problem area. Smart field technologies that streamline data input are a vital support component to oilfield success.

Process Optimization

Managing an oil and gas field requires a tremendous amount of resources and is both asset and data intensive. A typical oil well usually has tens of thousands of sensors to reliably track parameters such as pressure, flow, pipeline corrosion, storage tank levels, perimeter security and more. These instruments could generate up to 1 terabyte of data per day, which need to be distributed to corporate IT systems to be processed, analyzed and archived.

Successful smart grid implementation relies on a team gaining an understanding of all performance areas and bringing them together. As all the data and events across the company are integrated, it produces a birds-eye view of operations, enabling decision-makers to optimize the entire production cycle from end-to-end.

Smart grid technology allows the anticipation of problems and opportunities before they arise, leading to proactive decision-making. By seamlessly integrating real-time data streams from the field and running predictive analysis software, it allows oilfields to go beyond reacting to problems and into immediately identifying both opportunities and risks.

Smart grid technology is still fairly new, and there are many small companies in the field competing for market share. With so many available options, it is difficult to find the right vendor. A basic rule of thumb is that larger consultants offer more custom end-to-end solutions while smaller vendors offer turnkey, lower-cost solutions. However, as the industry matures, expect to see some exciting innovations coming down the line in the next few years.

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The Benefits of Mining Automation

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mining automationThe Benefits of Mining Automation

Making Mining Safer Through Automation

Human safety is one of the primary concerns in the mining industry today. Many industry players are now addressing safety issues by automating processes previously done by humans to help ensure the protection of workers.

Automation, or the use machines and other control systems to achieve tasks otherwise carried out by people, is becoming commonplace in mines around the world. Automation gives mines greater control over their production processes and, as a result, allows them to produce a higher quality finished product. Most importantly, automation is making mining safer for workers in a number of ways.

Safer Mining Through Better Oversight

Mines can be dangerous environments; poor air quality, confined spaces and lack of structural integrity are just a few examples of safety hazards faced by mine workers every day. However, there are a number of ways in which the use of automated processes can reduce or mitigate these dangers entirely.

Automating mining processes allows the mine environment as a whole to be more tightly monitored. In doing so, the previously mentioned hazards, such as air quality, can be assessed quickly and with a great degree of accuracy, if and when dangers to workers arise.

In addition, automation allows for the machines themselves to be monitored more closely for issues such as signs of wear and tear. These problems can then be diagnosed and resolved before they become potential safety hazards to human workers.

Environmentally Friendly Mining

The adverse effects of mines on their surrounding environments, such as water contamination and air pollution, are well documented and have been a contentious issue for the industry. However, the greater degree of control over the mining process offered by automation allows mines to assess their environmental impact more accurately.

By more closely controlling the production process, some environmental effects can be reduced or eliminated altogether. Limiting waste produced by the mining process and reducing emissions caused by the unneeded operation of equipment are just a few of the ways in which automated technology can help mines to become greener.

Fewer Hazards for Workers

When parts of the mining process are automated, fewer human workers are required. As a result, fewer workers are exposed to the potential hazards found in a mine. Automation also ensures that tasks are completed correctly and consistently every time. As a result, the “human error” factor caused by the incorrect operation of a machine or a lapse in attention can be eliminated.

In the past, single machines may have required multiple human operators, greatly increasing the chance of human error. However, by automating many of the same tasks, fewer operators are needed, the risk of injury is lessened and operation itself becomes much simpler.

Drones: A Versatile Safety Tool

Automated technology such as remote controlled drones and robots can be sent, in place of workers, into hazardous areas to assess safety hazards. Drones equipped with cameras can look for potential hazards such as cracks in rocks. Furthermore, these drones can be used to gain access to areas not easily accessible to humans, such as flooded or confined spaces.

Drones can also be used for emergency purposes. Robots can be used to find trapped workers in the case of tunnel collapses and in some cases, are designed to carry food and supplies to these people and even to transport casualties to safety.

Automated technology can serve the mining industry in many ways. Perhaps most importantly, automation allows mines to increase the safety of their employees. Whether by lessening a mine’s environmental impacts, simplifying the operation of machines or aiding in search and rescue operations, automation addresses the issue of worker safety in mines and helps to improve overall operations.

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Understanding the Digital Oilfield

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digital oilfieldUnderstanding the Digital Oilfield

It is inevitable that oilfields of the future will go digital. Already, we rely on the Internet and email for communication, drones for exploration, and automation to keep tasks safe. The question is, what will digitization mean for oilfield workers in the coming decade?

Plenty of oilfield support equipment can be digitized, providing oilfield workers real-time access to key hydrocarbon assets, field data, and trends.

Fiber optic pressure and temperature gauges enable sustained down-hole profiling with steady information flows. With a stream of 360-degree data from the field, a single well can generate more than 200 DVDs worth of data a day. Analyzing and harnessing that data is the work of digital petroleum engineers.

Visualization

Going digital means saying goodbye to hand-made charts and Excel spreadsheets. Instead, data sets from the field can be integrated with engineering models in order to show information clearly. With digital integration, tools that IT workers have had for years can be applied to understanding how the oil field is functioning and where problems might sprout (before anything goes wrong). Live visualizations work in up to 4 dimensions, that is, sharing 3-dimensional perspective as they change in time.

Real-Time Drilling Decision Making

Live data streams from drilling sites can be harnessed to make better real world decisions. Already, the Real-Time Drilling Optimization Center makes use of this principle to offer constant surveillance of drilling sites by engineering experts. On schedules matching crews on rigs, drilling experts offer oilfield support by identifying key problems, signs, and data trends to improve safety and efficiency in the field. Similar decision-making support centers for production, reservoirs, and various drilling and extraction processes are already in the works worldwide.

Production Surveillance

Digital oilfield technologies aren’t limited to data streams and decision making. Independent advanced alarm systems can also be a key tool for oilfield management. With production surveillance equipment, it becomes possible to optimize parts of the supply chain to prevent bottlenecks and road blocks. This helps optimize the entire production system.

Remote Communications

Remote communications through cellular and internet networks are already a standby of oilfield production. However, to fully maximize the potential of the digital oilfield, redundant communications networks are important. As the oilfield and decision-making data become more and more linked, it becomes more vital that no link in the communication chain is broken down. Wired networks can be protected with tools like Turbo Ring or Turbo Chain, while wireless networks should have two independent channels.

Integration for Greater Field Efficiency

The digital oilfield is a highly integrated decision making space. Integrated operations is the formal name for work processes in oilfield extraction and information technology working together. Effective integrated operations are the key to the success of a digital oilfield. The ability to work with a wide variety of individuals with varying areas of expertise is absolutely necessary for the success of new surveillance and decision making models.

For this reason, streamlining integrated operations is a key phase of building a digital oilfield environment. Decision making trees will likely need to be re-evaluated to reflect new streams of data and expertise. It’s a lot of work, but greater integration means greater efficiency in the field.

Relying Too Much on Technology

As technology becomes more integrated with oil field production and distribution – both upstream and downstream, that critical infrastructure becomes an easy target for threatening attacks. Oil companies must set up processes, people and policies that will prevent system-wide failures and defend against potential attacks. The best step for prevention is preparation and training. Having a team of trained professionals who can monitor and provide protection from any breach will be essential to maintain a smoothly running operation.

Although there may be risks to digitizing oilfield operations, the benefits are many, including increased ROI, improved decision-making, and the ability to enable optimal business results and value. As oilfield engineers have access to timely information, the executive teams can focus on generating business value.

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Smartphones Monitoring Mining Equipment

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smartphones monitoring mining equipmentUsing Smartphones to Monitor Vibrations in Mining Equipment

Mining is a massive, highly competitive industry with many operations running twenty-four hours, seven days a week. Such continuous operations are dependent on large, complex machines that are expensive to repair and expensive to replace. In this industry, an organization’s ability to minimize downtime can provide a substantial competitive advantage.

To decrease operational downtime many mining companies have scheduled preventative maintenance. Because preventing a malfunction is cheaper than repairing one, the impact of preventative measures to the bottom line is often substantial.

However, scheduled preventative maintenance also has its limits, with some studies suggesting that as much as 30% provide no benefit, and an additional 30% actually decrease performance. With such programs costing nearly 50% of an organization’s operating costs, even a relatively small improvement could provide a significant benefit to the bottom line.

Condition-based maintenance is the idea that machinery can be monitored—primarily but not exclusively for vibration—and once a baseline has been determined, variations highlighted for human investigation. Such programs attempt to replace parts after they have begun to hamper performance, but before an outright failure.

Condition-based maintenance programs are, however, expensive. Mining operations are seldom small, but neither are they entirely stationary. The sheer number of sensors is large, and the effort to continuously monitor them and adjust their locations every time the machinery is moved is significant.

Enter the ubiquitous smartphone, in the form of smartphones monitoring mining equipment. Vibration monitoring via smartphone based systems offer the potential to dramatically reduce the costs of condition-based maintenance and provide the same cost saving measures.

In the ideal, a technician could take a single sensor on a predetermined route, attaching the sensor to places on the machinery that need to be monitored, then removing it and moving to another location, and another, and so on. Monitoring doesn’t have to take place twenty-four hours a day to be effective. The sensor would gather data and communicate it to a smartphone app via Bluetooth. The smartphone would then communicate with the Wi-Fi enabled cloud to compare the new data to the baseline for that location. If the new reading is not in line with the baseline, the technician could potentially perform any number of actions ranging from replacing the part immediately to notifying the appropriate department to order a replacement part.

The advantages over a full-scale condition-based maintenance program are many. Primarily, fewer sensors are required and parts aren’t replaced until their useful life is exhausted. If desired, the smartphone application could even be used to reduce technician training time and the likelihood of error, by displaying a video of how to replace any part in question.

The implementation of a program of this nature would not be cheap, but with the costs of maintenance being high, and the costs of downtime being higher, such a system would offer enormous savings potential, proving it’s worth.

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Robotic Welding

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robotic weldingThings to Know About Robotic Welding in Metal Fabrication Shops

Robotic welding tools have many advantages — they cut staffing costs, speed up production, and can be built to scale for your projects. By taking humans out of the equation, many welding projects see significant savings, but robots aren’t right for every workplace.

Welding cells are a lot less expensive than they were a decade ago, and they work better than they first did. Still, there remains much to consider in determining if a robotic welding system is right for you.

Potential Savings

Robotic welding costs less in energy and labour than traditional welding, and this helps the installations pay for themselves over time. The weld that a robot uses can be bought in bulk, and might save you even more money.

Robots aren’t prone to the same errors humans are, so they don’t tend to over weld. An 1/8th of an inch too much weld bead may not seem like much to a human welder, but it can double filler metal costs.

All these savings add up, and to calculate whether robotic welding is the right choice for you, it helps to calculate your long-term savings. If you don’t feel confident to do the calculations, go to a robotic welding integrator or an OEM for guidance.

Potential Challenges

If your business works with several different complex parts in your welding projects, robotic welding might not be the right choice for you, since humans can still handle these problems more accurately than robots. On the other hand, robotic welders work best with repeatable part designs, speeding up production significantly on high-volume products.

Depending on your needs, you can work to create consistent flow in your welding projects to make best use of robotic cells and keep your business moving.

Many first time users are also concerned that their robot will be difficult to program, but that is an unnecessary concern. Most robotic welding systems use simple visual interactive programs, making them easy to use for most knowledgeable workers.

Safety Concerns

Modern robotic welding cells are fully automated but still need human interaction to keep operations running smoothly.

In order to keep human operators safe, many robotic welding machines come equipped with an interlocked door, which the operator must open to access the machinery. While these are a great safety feature, opening doors takes time; so high-productivity cells might need an alternative safety solution.

The past few years have seen the introduction of new robotic standards in the U.S. that focus on maintaining safety (and productivity) in the workplace. For a full understanding, check in with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the American National Standards Institute, or the International Organization for Standardization, which all publish information for manufacturers.

These standards come with certain working advantages, including new safety regulations that allow programmable safety controls. That means designers can build smaller robotic cells, relying on safety controls for precaution rather than building cells that would cover any possible motion. The new standards also allow people to load and unload robots and work with the robot welders more closely.

As standards keep changing, the important thing is to keep up to date. Thankfully, many of these new standards are built to help you run your business more smoothly.

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The Sheet Metal Stamping Process: How Does it Work?

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sheet metal stamping processHow Does the Sheet Metal Stamping Process Work?

Sheet metal is one of the strongest materials that can still be easily shaped and cut. Plus, sheet metal is recyclable, which drives costs down.

Metal stamping is used to produce parts in many industries. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) most often make use of sheet metal stamping to make their parts where casting would be too expensive. It’s inexpensive and efficient, but it’s likely you don’t really know how it works.

First, the basics.

Some OEMs produce their own stamped sheet metal on site, while others outsource to Tier 1 suppliers. It is these suppliers that build the dies for stamping down the line.

Sheet metal itself is usually made of steel, but stamping can be done with all kinds of metals, including golds and advanced super-alloys.

Basically, sheet metal stamping involves a flat metal sheet, also known as a blank, being pressed between a die and a punch to get the desired shape.

  • Blank – the portion of the sheet metal which is punched through the die
  • Die – defines the outside shape of the part
  • Punch – defines the inside shape of the part
  • Ram – moving component which presses down on the metal with upper die pattern
  • Bolster Plate – stationary lower part of the die
  • Blank Holder – holds the blank for control during stamping

These parts form the press, the ultimate tool of stamping sheet metal.

Of these, the die is probably the most complicated, and are often designed with inserts to produce variations on standard presses. You’ve probably seen dies used to make novelty souvenir coins — dies can be used for all kinds of processes and materials.  They can be small enough to build microelectronics or large enough to cut out sides of busses.

Presses can be built as single stage or progressive blanking tools.

  • Single Stage Press – stamping operations are done before or after the blanking
  • Progressive Blanking Press Tools – stamping is done by the machine prior to blanking, so the complete component is punched out throughout the blanking die.

As blanks are punched out of the sheet metal, the come through the die, which is built with a slight angle so that blanks don’t get stuck inside the die. Accidental hold ups can damage the machine, so it’s important that the stamping and blanking process continues smoothly.

Sheet metal presses are powerful machines. It takes about 71 tonnes of pressure to cut a 10 inch circle out of .125 inch sheet metal. Modern presses range from 10 to 50,000 tonnes of force.

Several people are involved in the stamping process:

  • Machinist – cuts die components to correct dimensions
  • Diemaker – tests die for consistency and assembles stamping tool
  • Maintenance Technician – repairs and maintains stamping dies, correcting any problems.

After stamping, some parts require further work in a process known as deep drawing. In deep drawing, a flat blank is drawn slowly over a forming die to achieve its shape. Next, excess material must be cut from the deep drawn metal. Finally, the metal might need to be bent, flanged

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Keystone Pipeline Delay Not Affecting Canadian Oil Producers

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Seamless background of water pipeline

keystone pipeline delay

Keystone Pipeline Delay Not Affecting Canadian Oil Producers

“Keystone is kind of old news,” said Sandy Fielden, Director of Energy Analytics at Austin, Texas-based consulting company RBN Energy. “Producers have moved on and are looking for new capacity from other pipelines.” That’s a quote worth considering. With Keystone XL still years away from even potential completion, it might seem that hopes for Canadian oil exports are caught in limbo. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Despite six years of delays on the Keystone XL pipeline — which would mimic the existing pipeline between Hardisty, Alberta and Steele City, Nebraska in order to bring bitumen from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries efficiently — Canadian crude shipments are still projected to climb to more than 400,000 barrels a day next year. That figure is nearly double the current Canadian export rate.

Of course, Keystone’s capacity would provide an even greater increase to the present export rate, but the expanded pipeline would only be a strong addition to an already existing system that is operating successfully.

In fact, Canadian crude exports to Gulf refineries have gone up 83 per cent over the past four years, all while the Keystone XL pipeline has been waiting for the Obama administration’s approval in order to go ahead.

Pipeline Workarounds Abound

Canadian exports to the U.S. have never been higher than they have been in the past few weeks, and the slow progress on the approval of the Keystone XL is not proving to be a stopping block for the industry.

Other large pipelines have become strong alternative options, including the Trans Mountain expansion, Enbridge’s Northern Gateway and TransCanada’s EnergyEast — sometimes touted as Canada’s alternative to the Keystone XL. Additionally, some old Midwest pipelines have even been reversed to bring crude oil to Gulf refineries, rather than bringing refined oil to consumers as they used to.

Canadian oil is being shipped by rail, with increased efficiency and safety as time goes on. In the first half of 2014, Canada was sending 54,000 barrels a day to the Gulf by rail. The main disadvantage to using the rail system, besides it being a slower way to get crude oil to the market, is that there is no systematic oversight or design strategy to guide its development. Keystone would provide a unified method for exporting oil, and providing protection for producers and consumers alike.

The Future of Keystone XL

The American Senate Democrats may have blocked a move to start construction on Keystone XL in mid November, but the pipeline is still in the plans.

When the bill comes up again in the new year, under a Republican-controlled Senate, there is a good chance the bill will pass. However, there remains the chance that President Obama might refuse the pipeline, as he did in 2012.

Even with the President’s historical opposition to the pipeline and other transport measures in place, Canadian oil producers haven’t given up on the project. According to a spokesperson from TransCanada, who owns the potential project, Keystone XL would still be the least expensive way to get Canadian oil down to the Gulf. TransCanada’s clients have maintained their contracts for the use of the pipeline, and the company remains devoted to its plan.

So while Canadian oil transport hasn’t been entirely limited by the long delays on the pipeline, it still remains a much-anticipated project.

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Drones in Mining

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drones in miningDrones in Mining: The Future of the Mining Industry?

The future is here, and the drones are driving.

In Australia, hundreds of driverless trucks haul iron ore from mines. At the same time, company headquarters use touch screens to monitor operations worldwide.

Drones are capable of exploring areas no human could safely reach. They come equipped with scanning and analysis technology, lower costs, and robotic accuracy. And they are transforming the mining industry.

In many cases, using drones keeps employees safer, by saving them from dangerous and sometimes mind-numbing tasks. By assigning monotonous work to robotic drones, companies can use their personnel resources for more important projects.

Drilling

In Canada, many companies use drones or robotized drilling rigs to blast ore free. Human workers are responsible for planning the dig, and loading instructions to the drilling rig. An operator stands by to make sure nothing goes wrong, but the drilling is all automated.

Long-hole drills take the place of rote work, drilling rod-to-rod without the need for human involvement. It saves an operator the dull business of loading a new rod over and over, with little break in their schedule.

Cleanup Operations

One of the earliest forays of automated robots into the mining industry was to help clean up the highly-irradiated Three Mile Island. To keep people away from the high levels of radiation, recovery teams sent in robots equipped with video feeds and the ability to bring back valuable information in the form of core samples. Other robots handled cleaning, tearing apart walls and scrubbing debris.

Shotcrete Sprayers

Not yet completely automated, shotcrete sprayers spray their reinforcing concrete without human interaction. A human operator is still needed to get the spray boom into mines, but from there, the sprayer works automatically to ensure an even coating on the mine walls. Where there are human limitations in terms of working angles and tough-to-reach spots, robotic sprayers have much greater flexibility.

Trucks

Driverless trucks take a boring job and automate it. Your average haul truck driver might work 12 hour days driving back and forth, and as they tire and get bored, they become more likely to be involved in an accident. Robots stay alert all day long, which can save lives.

So far, only a tiny fraction of hauling trucks worldwide are drone-operated, and Canadian and American mines have yet to try out driverless trucks.

One hesitation is due to the cost, as a new automated hauler is 3 to 5 million dollars to purchase. When the alternative is employees who have relatively cheap wages, the switch is hard to make. But in certain countries, like Australia, driverless trucks are replacing their human-driven counterparts quickly. Australian Rio Tinto’s driverless trucks have already moved 140 million tonnes of material.

Surveying

An obvious use for mining drones is in surveying; using lightweight unmanned aircraft to get the most out of land.

One reason drones are used in surveying is because they’re about 90% less expensive than using a manned helicopter. Another reason is their ability to map a variety of terrain by flying close to the ground and gathering more data than workers in helicopters are able to. Additionally, drones are capable of surveying even in cloudy conditions so no time is wasted waiting for particular weather conditions.