Transforming mining operations: How COREbeat and energy analytics are powering smart maintenance at TERNA MAG
Transforming mining operations: How COREbeat and energy analytics are powering smart maintenance at TERNA MAG
Eleni Natsi, Senior Dissemination and Communication Coordinator
Konstantina Tsioli, R&I Unit Leader
Calculating...
What if a single piece of equipment could warn operators for an emerging problem with the insight needed to act before production stops?
In heavy raw materials processing and mining, where operations depend on continuous, high-volume workflows, equipment reliability is fundamental to productivity and sustainability. Within mining operations like TERNA MAG’s “Gerorema” beneficiation facility, even a single water circulation pump can become a critical asset for maintaining continuous plant operations. The pump continuously recirculates water from the thickener to the plant's washing units and optical ore sorting systems, ensuring uninterrupted beneficiation operations.
When such a critical asset suffers unexpected degradation or failure, the consequences can be immediate: production interruptions, costly downtime, and increased operational pressure. Beyond the risk of failure, inefficient pump operation can lead to excessive energy consumption and accelerated equipment wear. For modern industrial environments, reactive maintenance is no longer enough; the future lies in combining real-time data, predictive intelligence, and energy insights to make smarter operational decisions.
From data to action: Unlocking smarter asset performance
Within the MASTERMINE project, a pioneering European initiative designed to validate and demonstrate digital innovations across the mining sector, CORE Innovation Centre (CORE IC) deployed its COREbeat predictive maintenance platform on a critical water circulation pump at TERNA MAG, integrating it with an energy smart meter to provide continuous insights into both asset condition and energy performance. The combined solution monitors key parameters, including vibration, temperature, and electrical behaviour, allowing operators to identify early signs of degradation and take preventive action before failures occur.
This deployment demonstrates how the combination of predictive intelligence and energy analytics can enhance operational resilience, reduce unplanned downtime, and support more sustainable mining practices. COREbeat has also been implemented across several mining environments within the MASTERMINE project, including TERNA MAG in Greece, THARSIS in Spain, and the Sibanye-Stillwater DigiMine replication site in South Africa, contributing to the validation and scalability of digital solutions across diverse industrial contexts.
Installation of COREbeat at a critical water circulation pump
Complementing the COREbeat predictive maintenance solution, CORE IC also deployed a smart energy meter to continuously monitor the pump's electrical consumption. Through an intuitive dashboard, operators can visualise real-time and historical energy usage, identify consumption trends, and compare operational performance over time. By combining energy measurements with equipment health data, the solution provides a comprehensive understanding of the pump's operating condition, helping maintenance personnel detect abnormal energy behaviour that may indicate increased mechanical load, wear, or inefficient operation. Beyond supporting maintenance activities, the collected data establish the foundation for energy analytics and forecasting models that can assist TERNA MAG in identifying opportunities for improving operational efficiency across the beneficiation process.
Energy monitoring dashboard providing visualisation insights of pump energy consumption.
Going Beyond the Scope
True innovation requires human-centric adoption. Recognising this, the engineering team from CORE IC went beyond the initial technical requirements to conduct a hands-on training session with TERNA MAG's technical team. The team demonstrated the COREbeat platform, established best practices for equipment monitoring, and streamlined incident reporting and maintenance documentation. This ensured that the predictive maintenance model became a natural extension of daily operations, rather than just another idle digital tool.
Training TERNA MAG staff on COREbeat
The targeted milestones
With the physical installation and on-site training now successfully completed, the focus shifts to the long-term operational impact of the system. This deployment is set to unlock several highly anticipated efficiency and maintenance milestones for TERNA MAG's beneficiation plant at Gerorema:
A target of 10% energy savings: By continuously tracking operating hours and electrical metrics, the system is expected to drive a 10% reduction in pump energy consumption through targeted operational adjustments.
Identification of the Best Efficiency Point (BEP): Analysing the pump’s head and operating curves will allow operators to pinpoint its BEP, preventing energy-intensive overloading or oversizing.
Optimised energy-water balance: Adjusting the flow rate will ensure the plant's washing and sorting units receive the exact water supply needed with the absolute minimum energy draw.
Early prevention of costly failures: Continuous predictive monitoring is anticipated to catch early signs of component degradation, avoiding the high energy waste and sudden downtime associated with running a faulty pump.
Transition to a proactive maintenance culture: Utilising the deployed COREbeat platform will enable local technical personnel to transition fully from reactive firefighting to proactive, condition-based maintenance.
