HORTA (mining)
Encyclopedia
HORTA is an underground geographic positioning technology utilized in the mining
industry and being considered for extraterrestrial
space mining applications. The technology utilizes a gyroscope
and an accelerometer
to aid in 3D-position determination.
It was developed by Canadian
mining company Inco
in the late 1990s based on an earlier technology that had been originally developed for the U.S. military. It provides an automated solution to the problem of positioning and location in underground mines.
The term is a backronym
for the Horta from Star Trek
.
As Inco uses the term, HORTA stands for Honeywell Ore Retrieval and Tunneling Aid.
A mining vehicle "with a HORTA mounted, can survey much faster and more accurately than manual surveys. It takes the truck 120 minutes to survey a 1.6-km-long drift, recording 1,500 points every 60 cm. This compares with a manual survey of the same distance that takes 180 hours, and records only five points every 6 m. Added benefits from such a detailed survey would be to allow engineers to design more effective ventilation systems
, or to regularly check ground stability."
HORTA units may be fitted onto all mobile underground equipment, including drills, so their position may be determined with acceptable engineering accuracy.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industry and being considered for extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
space mining applications. The technology utilizes a gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
and an accelerometer
Accelerometer
An accelerometer is a device that measures proper acceleration, also called the four-acceleration. This is not necessarily the same as the coordinate acceleration , but is rather the type of acceleration associated with the phenomenon of weight experienced by a test mass that resides in the frame...
to aid in 3D-position determination.
It was developed by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
mining company Inco
Inco
Vale Canada Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian mining company Vale. It is Vale's nickel mining and metals division and is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
in the late 1990s based on an earlier technology that had been originally developed for the U.S. military. It provides an automated solution to the problem of positioning and location in underground mines.
The term is a backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
for the Horta from Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
.
As Inco uses the term, HORTA stands for Honeywell Ore Retrieval and Tunneling Aid.
A mining vehicle "with a HORTA mounted, can survey much faster and more accurately than manual surveys. It takes the truck 120 minutes to survey a 1.6-km-long drift, recording 1,500 points every 60 cm. This compares with a manual survey of the same distance that takes 180 hours, and records only five points every 6 m. Added benefits from such a detailed survey would be to allow engineers to design more effective ventilation systems
Underground mine ventilation
Underground mine ventilation provides a flow of air to the underground workings of a mine of sufficient volume to dilute and remove noxious gases . The source of these gases are equipment that runs on diesel engines, blasting with explosives, and the orebody itself...
, or to regularly check ground stability."
HORTA units may be fitted onto all mobile underground equipment, including drills, so their position may be determined with acceptable engineering accuracy.
External links
- Telerobotic and automated lunar mining: interview with Dr. Greg Baiden, The Space ShowThe Space ShowThe Space Show is a biweekly radio talk show, presented by Dr. David Livingston, about space commerce and exploration that is also available archived online as a podcast....
, 2 Jan 2011.