The Elios 2 was tested at a high altitude mine, nearly three miles above sea level in the Andes Mountains, and it exceeded the expectations of the mining team.

Key Benefits at a Glance

Mining at High Altitude

Volcan Compañía Minera SAA is a Peruvian mining company that has been operating since 1943. It manages multiple silver, zinc, copper, and lead mines, as well as hydroelectric power plants.

Many of Volcan’s operations are located deep in the Andes Mountains, where high altitudes pose unique challenges for equipment and personnel. Any new technology must be tested thoroughly in these extreme conditions.

The Andaychagua mine, one of the largest in the company, sits at nearly 3 miles above sea level (4,600 meters). This environment limits the use of standard robotics, requiring specialized solutions that can function efficiently in low-oxygen settings.

The mine has two access points, reaching depths of over 1,200 meters. Operations run continuously, with daily blasting followed by overnight ore extraction. During the day, workers inspect and prepare the site for the next round of blasts.

Daily output from the mine is around 2,500 tonnes of minerals—over 5.5 million pounds—highlighting the scale of operations in this remote location.

Flying a Drone in a High-Altitude Mine

The administrators at Andaychagua were always on the lookout for innovative tools to reduce costs and improve safety. When they heard about Flyability’s Elios 2, a drone designed for harsh internal environments, they decided to test its performance at their high-altitude mine.

The main focus of the test included evaluating the drone’s capabilities, visual data quality, lighting sufficiency, and 3D modeling potential under extreme conditions.

Surveying a High-Altitude Mine with the Elios 2

Despite the challenges of flying at such a high altitude, the test was a success. The Elios 2 operated smoothly, capturing high-quality visual data without any issues. The team was able to complete all planned inspections and found the drone to be highly effective.

A total of 40 flights were conducted, covering chimneys, ore passes, ventilation tunnels, and stopes. Visual data and 3D models were created using both Pix4D and Flyability’s Inspector 3.0 software.

Four detailed 3D models were made, which could help identify additional ore and support future planning. Sparse point cloud models were also generated quickly, taking only 20–30 minutes to process.

Best Practices for High-Altitude Drone Operations

Flyability’s team followed several best practices to ensure successful operation of the Elios 2 at high altitude:

• Flight time may decrease by up to 30% due to lower air density.
• Allow motors to cool between long flights to prevent overheating.
• Use a fishing line to lower the drone in tight spaces to reduce motor strain.
• Adapt the drone to temperature and humidity before flight.
• Be prepared to manually control the drone against wind in Altitude mode.

With the successful test, Volcan is now considering adopting the Elios 2 for routine inspections across their high-altitude mines in Peru. The results show that the drone is a reliable and valuable tool for mining operations in extreme environments.

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