Mining Magazine July / August 2014 by Webmaster Aspermont Media

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1909

Remote operations

A look at the advantages and opportunities associated with running mines from integrated or remote locations

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MM examines the past, present and future of longwall technologies

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Learn how the use of specialist steels can enhance the life of your mining equipment

Narrow-vein mining

The latest techniques and technologies for selective extraction with updates on key projects

ISSN 0308-6631 CovIMM1408.indd 1

July / August 2014

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CONTENTS

Chain reaction

he end has come to the longest and most costly wage dispute in South African history. June 24 saw the world’s top three platinum producers, Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum and Lonmin, sign a three-year wage agreement with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) after five months of strike action by nearly 70,000 employees. To say that the negotiations that began on January 23 have harmed the sector is a gross understatement. The companies involved have totalled R24 billion (US$2.2 billion) in lost revenue, and employees have racked up R10.7 billion (US$1 billion) in lost earnings. South Africa holds 80% of the world’s known platinum reserves, so the stoppage affected around 45% of global supply and aided contraction of the South African economy in the first quarter. The industry had been leaning heavily on stockpiles when employees began returning to work on June 25. The three separate agreements came into effect retrospectively on July 1, and cover the period from October 1, 2013, to June 30, 2016. Those interested in reading the terms can do so by visiting www.platinumwagenegotiations.co.za Commenting on the signing, Lonmin CEO Ben Magara said: “Signing this agreement with our majority union is the only way forward in re-building our business. Sadly, there are no winners.” While the ordeal may seemingly be over, it’s a long road to recovery for the mining companies involved, and the negotiations may have wider-reaching effects. Magara said that Lonmin’s processing facilities were re-started in May, but that “there is much to be done to achieve a safe and efficient ramp-up across our operations”. Although Lonmin pipeline stocks have not been depleted to the same extent as during the six-week Marikana platinum strike in 2012, Magara acknowledged that refilling of the production pipeline is necessary. He also said that given the prolonged nature of the strike and low PGM prices, restructuring of the business had become inevitable. Workers began returning to Impala’s Rustenburg operation on June 25, although it will take three months for the mine to be fully operational. The company is making sure the underground areas, infrastructure and equipment are safe, as conditions deteriorated during the strike. It is also assessing and re-equipping parts of the mine that were vandalised and areas where copper cables were stolen. As for Anglo, less than a week after the deal was penned, the company announced it would divest some of its platinum operations. It has lined up South African investment bank RMB to run the auction, which will also include underperforming iron-ore and copper assets. Analysts have valued the mines at US$1.4 billion, and South African gold producer Sibanye Gold is rumoured to be interested. But what of the wider implications? While agreements with the AMCU prevent a repeat of action in the immediate future, there is no guarantee that strikes of a similar nature will not happen again, particularly now that the unions have seen they deliver results. Still reeling from the AMCU action, Impala saw a further 2,000 of its workers at the Marula mine walk out in early July demanding better wages. Although this was quickly nipped in the bud, it seems a precedent has been set. 220,000 National Metal Workers of South Africa staff also walked out on July 1, crippling the automotive sector and costing the industry an estimated R300million a day. The stoppage affected 12,000 employers, including mining players Bell Equipment and Murray & Roberts. There is also unrest at Eskom, the country’s biggest power provider. The National Union of Mineworkers, which represents 16,000 Eskom employees, warned that the company is “sitting on a time bomb” by preventing workers from striking. Industrial action at Eskom, which provides 95% of the power in South Africa, could force smelters, mines and factories to shut down. It would appear that the high-profile AMCU action has ignited tensions that have been bubbling beneath the surface for some time. It will be interesting to see how the situation pans out. One thing is for sure: the South African mining industry is currently highly vulnerable, and swift and decisive action is needed if it is not to be brought to its knees. CARLY LEONIDA, EDITOR carly.leonida@mining-magazine.com

Twitter: @MM_Ed_Carly

News Features Special report: Hexagon Mining

Special report: fire protection

Special report: voice/data communication

Special report: particulate filters

Special report: streamlining workshops

Mine of the month: Bissa

Comminution

Wear protection

Snapshot

Advertiser profiles supplement

after 58

Automation

Longwalls

Narrow-vein mining

Flashback & contacts

Classified advertising

Next month Shovels and loaders Process design and automation Tyres and tyre management Streamlining mining operations from pit to port Ore-grade control

COVER

With the implementation of a Remote Operations Center (ROC), a Joy Longwall System can have push-button control in full automation mode or manual override, all from a safer and cleaner environment away from the working equipment. The ROC interface consists of a Faceboss® control platform which monitors equipment performance while several advanced camera displays allow the operator to monitor the surrounding environment. At Joy Global, ongoing improvement in operator safety for mine operators is a priority. www.joyglobal.com

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NEWS GEMEX builds tension for Weir Weir Minerals has incorporated its GEMEX belt-tensioning system into updated versions of its WARMAN WBH centrifugal slurry pump and medium-duty WARMAN MU pump. These are Weir’s first new combined pump-and-tensioner packages since the one for the WARMAN AH pump in 2013. By adding a hydraulically adjustable and mechanically lockable motor platform onto the pumps’ bearing assemblies, the system removes the need to realign the motor each time the drive belt needs to be replaced, reducing the downtime from hours to minutes.

Turkish longwall deliveries for Cat In July Caterpillar delivered the first of two complete longwall mining systems to Demir Export and Fernas Insaat JV for the Eynez East mine in Turkey. Both systems are designed for longwall top-coal caving (LTCC) in a coal seam with an average thickness of 25m. The first longwall system will start production in the September quarter with a production capacity of 2.7Mt/y. The coal face has a length of 180m. The second longwall will be in operation six months later. Each of the two identical sets of equipment includes a Cat EL1000 shearer, two AFC PF4 face conveyors and a BSLPF4 beam stage loader including an SK111 crusher. Caterpillar will also supply

Cat longwall unit with coal caving shields the electrical and hydraulic power systems, cooling system and complete automation package. The roof supports will be provided by Caterpillar (Zhengzhou), a Chinese company acquired by Caterpillar in 2012. Each system includes 95 Zhengzhou roof supports with a shield centre of

1.7m and an extended height of 3.2m, transition and gate end shields, as well as roadway shields for tail and maingate. The roof supports will be equipped with PMC-R roof-support controls. The longwall-systems supply agreement also includes extended service provided by Borusan Makina Kazakhstan, the Caterpillar dealership for Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, plus two six-month contracts for supervision and support for installation, commissioning and operation. Caterpillar is a leading supplier for the Turkish coal industry, with four out of five longwall underground-mining systems in operation.

Blasting through barriers to change The 2014 CEEC Medal has been awarded to a paper on ultra high-intensity blasting by Geoff Brent, Peter Dare-Bryan, Stuart Hawke and Michael Rothery. The CEEC medal, which is awarded annually by the Coalition for Eco-Efficient Comminution (CEEC), celebrates and recognises the contribution of outstanding research and field work on beneficial strategies for eco-efficient comminution, in line with CEEC’s mission. The medal is awarded to the authors of the most outstanding published paper, article or case study profiling beneficial strategies for eco-efficient comminution. This year, the winning paper addressed comminution optimisation at the most essential level: fragmentation. The CEEC said that high-intensity blasting, a

new blasting method detailed in the paper, has the potential to deliver a step change in processing costs, particularly when used in combination with classification, advanced ore sorting and crushing. The technique allows the use of blast energies that are several times higher than those conventionally used. It involves dual blast layers within a single blast event that is initiated with electronic blasting systems. An upper blast layer comprising conventional powder factors is initiated first and the broken rock is allowed to fall to rest before initiation of the lower layer, which comprises ultra-high powder factors and hence considerably higher blast energy. The broken rock from the earlier-firing upper layer provides

an effective buffer to avoid flyrock, enabling powder factors in the range 2-5kg of explosives per cubic metre of rock to be achieved with control. The paper presents the concept along with modelling studies and the results of field trials that demonstrate the viability of ultra-high powder factors in open-cut metalliferous mining. Independent fragmentation and comminution modelling has also shown that such powder factors can produce much finer rock fragmentation and increase mill throughput by 20-40%. This new method offers the potential to increase mine production and profitability while reducing energy consumption and associated greenhouse-gas emissions.

Mine Location Intelligence finds its way onto market ABB has launched Mine Location Intelligence (MLI), powered by Mobilaris, a global provider of software solutions for mobile location-based services. MLI will provide location-based decision support for real-time positioning of vehicles, equipment and personnel in underground mines to maximise safety and productivity. MLI has a web-based user interface with a 3-D view showing

real-time locations of assets and personnel. It has features for spatial search, navigation support, advanced data mining and analysis, creation and management of geofences and is easy to access from everywhere. ABB stated that MLI will aid personal safety; it reduces time for evacuation by showing the closest rescue chamber and the best escape routes. It can also prevent

people from accessing dangerous areas by providing automated surveillance. Another new dimension is related to production efficiency by using location information for production control and mine automation. It can increase collaboration between personnel by integrating voice, message and CCTV services, available directly from the 3-D view.

First Quantum’s Kansanshi mine in Zambia

Taking First Quantum to the next level Level 3 Communications is providing First Quantum Minerals with a global communications network for its key mining sites. In 2011, First Quantum contracted Level 3 to consolidate a number of its legacy communication providers, using its Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network, linking offices and data centres in Europe, North America and Canada to operations in remote parts of Finland and Perth (Australia). Level 3 is now connecting its global MPLS to First Quantum’s mines in remote areas of Africa and South America. The company said the network supports the use of data-intensive applications and provides on-site staff with critical business applications, as well as high-bandwidth internet connectivity.

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For breaking news as happens, follow our editorial team on Twitter at @MM_Ed_Carly and @MM_AsstEdAilbhe it

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We’ve expanded into hard rock mining. Our recent acquisition has added proven hard rock products to our world-class portfolio, including hydraulic drills, loaders, trucks, utility vehicles and shaft sinking equipment. Joy Global’s hard rock consumables continue to set the standard for raise bore, blast hole and in-the-hole drilling tools, as well as ground-engaging buckets and lips. The result is a complete breakthrough for our customers with unparalleled service, technology, quality and safety expertise. To learn more, visit joyglobal.com.

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NEWS Komatsu launches iPhone app Komatsu has a new KOMTRAX app for Apple’s iOS iPhones. Available free of charge online, the app gives instant access to vital information on every KOMTRAX-equipped Komatsu machine in a user’s fleet. Todd Connolly, Komatsu Australia’s head of fleet management and ICT, commented: “Our new app gives customers the ability to monitor critical machine operating parameters, along with usage, performance and location, as well as overall fleet management. By providing customers with valuable information regarding

their Komatsu machines, it helps get a quick overview of what machines in their fleet have been up to via their iPhone.” Features of the app include: • Identification of machine location including driving directions; • Hours of use; • Identification of idle time; • Machine fuel consumption; • Overviews of any cautions triggered; • Significant movements of machines; and • Identification of machines that

have lost communication or not been used. All features can be customised so that users can view set time periods, from one day up to a month. Fleets can also be filtered by model, customer management number or serial number.

“By combining KOMTRAX with the latest smartphone technology, customers are now able to monitor, check and manage their Komatsu equipment at any time of the day or night, from anywhere in the world,” Connolly said. To download the app go to: www.komatsu.com.au/

Scooptram gains side-dump option An eBee RTK drone over a mine

eBee generates buzz with RTK

Swiss mini-drone manufacturer senseFly has announced the eBee real-time kinematic (RTK) mapping drone, available in the September quarter, which will offer surveying and engineering professionals a highly accurate and flexible mapping solution. senseFly said that the eBee RTK, which works alongside existing base stations and does not require any third-party software, is the only fully integrated, fully compatible survey-grade mapping system on the market. Jean-Christophe Zufferey, CEO of senseFly, said: “The eBee RTK offers surveying and engineering professionals the very highest positional accuracy, without the need for ground control points. It is compatible with customers’ existing base stations, and each mission’s entire workflow – including the transmission of GNSS corrections to the drone – is integrated within the system’s software.” The eBee RTK flies, acquires images and lands autonomously. In addition, the entire aircraft weighs just 0.7kg – minimising its power usage and optimising the drone’s flight time, allowing the drone to be hand-launched without accessories.

Atlas Copco has added an optional side-dump bucket for its Scooptram ST7, ST1030 and ST14 loaders, enabling them to be used in a wider range of applications including narrow drifts and rapid tunnel development in mining. Depending on the application, the side-dump bucket can also speed up the work cycle. Loaders equipped with a conventional bucket normally travel between 100-300m from loading point to dumping point. With a side-dump bucket, the time can be substantially

A Scooptram demonstrates its side-dump bucket reduced, meaning shorter cycle times between rounds. Ben Thompson, product manager at Atlas Copco, explained: “Filling the bucket in

the muck pile, reversing and positioning parallel to a truck, lifting the boom to prepare, and then dumping the material in a truck can all be done in one motion. “Furthermore, lowering of the bucket and boom as well as going forward to fill the next bucket-load can also be done in one go.” The new bucket also enables fewer loaders to serve multiple trucks and eliminates the need for loading bays or cut-outs. Both tyre wear and fuel consumption are also reduced.

GE and Suncor sign oil-sands deals GE and Suncor Energy have signed two agreements that provide the opportunity for an investment of up to US16.9 million. These deals, involving other members from Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), are expected to enable the development of new technologies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and water usage in the oil sands. One agreement relates to a water-treatment pilot project meant to reduce water use, energy consumption and emissions, while reducing capital and operating costs for oil-sands operators. An existing partnership between GE, Suncor and Alberta Innovates – Energy and Environment Solutions (AI-EES) has been extended into a joint industry project within the framework of COSIA. With new support from

Devon Canada Corp and ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp, the group remains committed to further testing water-treatment technologies in the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) method of extraction. In addition to this pilot project, six COSIA member companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue other joint industry projects with a potential investment of up to US$12.2 million. These are expected to develop technologies leading to even further environmental improvements, primarily in the areas of gas reductions and water-treatment technology. Elyse Allan, president and CEO of GE Canada, noted: “Today’s announcements are a step toward a new generation of environmental technologies.”

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A breath of fresh air City Technology, a Honeywell company, has unveiled the 4OxLL long-life oxygen sensor. The company said the 4OxLL, which incorporates a patented electrochemical cell, has excellent stability in challenging environmental conditions, minimised nuisance alarms and extended operational life (five years instead of the usual two years for such sensors) Most oxygen sensors struggle under mining conditions due to temperature/humidity changes, pressure shock or vibrational damage, which can cause nuisance alarms or sensor damage. Not only does this compromise life safety, but it can prove costly in terms of downtime, sensor replacement and maintenance.

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NEWS

In Brief ABB at Mt Milligan ABB has commissioned three variable-speed mill-drive systems at Thompson Creek Metals’ Mount Milligan copper/ gold mine in Canada. The delivery included one gearless mill-drive system for a 12.2m semi-autogenous mill and two low-speed dual-pinion ring-geared systems for two 26ft (7.9m) ball mills, making Mount Milligan’s grinding circuit one of the most advanced and powerful in North America.

MTG expands MTG plans to expand its plant in Monzón, Spain, which produces wear parts for mining and construction. US$18.4 million will be invested between 2014 and 2016 on new infrastructure and machinery to increase the plant’s production capacity from 5,000t/y to 14,000t/y. MTG expects to create 80 new jobs in Monzón during the expansion phase.

Fugro expands in Africa Fugro has acquired South Africa-based Earth Resources, a contractor carries out miningexploration drilling. The company has 18 rigs suitable to drill boreholes for gold, platinum and coal exploration to depths of several thousand metres, and operates in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique and other African countries. The company generated revenues of €5 million (US$6.8 million) in 2013 and employs 120 people.

SMD begins assembly of seafloor cutter for Nautilus Minerals Nautilus Minerals’ third and final seafloor production tool (SPT), the auxiliary cutter (AC), began assembly in June at the Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) facility at Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The assembled AC will weigh 250t. It will operate on tracks with spud assistance and has a boom-mounted cutting head. Nautilus has split the excavation and collection of mineralised material into three tasks, which will each be carried out by a different SPT. The AC is designed as the tool

to prepare the rugged seabed for the more powerful bulk cutter (BC). These two tools gather the excavated material; the third SPT, the collecting machine, will collect

Maptek improves I-Site Maptek has added new features to its I-Site Studio 5.0 laser-scan technology. 5.0 has a new Level of Detail tool, allowing a manageable amount of data to be loaded and viewed at once. The new Workflow Manager saves transactions, which are then shared within survey teams. This enables work processes to be implemented across an organisation – driving productivity, efficiency and accuracy. Maptek said tolerance ellipsoids and smart sampling deliver a more streamlined registration process. Multiple scans from the same location can be moved together as a group. It is now possible to

register two scans unlevelled, but constrained to a GPS point. The Combination surface tool allows a new surface to be outside the original surface, which is often the case when mining operations expand. The function will generate a new solid even without completely closed intersections between surfaces. Additions to the Geotechnical Module allow easier analysis of different failure modes and more intuitive display of results. Stereonet display improvements include type, grid style and scalable pole size. A 360º panoramic image captured with any digital device can now be draped over an I-Site point cloud and up to seven images can be rendered to a single surface. I-Site Studio 5.0’s Workflow Manager tool

LiuGong exchange LiuGong Dressta of China and Rzeszów University of Technology, Poland, have signed a co-operation agreement to establish a technical exchange programme. The deal is hailed as a new step in co-operation between Poland and China. Rzeszów will promote the development of LiuGong’s industrial and scientific research, and LiuGong Dressta will set up a modern R&D centre and build a high-quality workforce in Rzeszów.

Nautilus’ auxiliary cutter

the cut material by drawing it in as seawater slurry with internal pumps and pushing it through a flexible pipe to the subsea pump and on to the production-support vessel via the riser and lift system. Mike Johnston, CEO of Nautilus Minerals, commented: “We are pleased that the assembly of the AC, the third and final of the three SPTs, has now commenced. The next milestone for the SPTs will be the commencement of factory acceptance testing on the already assembled BC.”

KTI chills out at Phakisa gold mine KTI has installed an ice-cooling system at Harmony Gold’s Phakisa mine in South Africa. The mine had been using underground water chillers for bulk air cooling, as well as a 2,000t/d surface ice plant for cooling underground service water, and localised coolers closer to the working areas. However, Harmony needed more cooling capacity and chose KTI to supply a modular system of containerised ice makers.

Two KTI ice plants, with a capacity of 200t/d each, were pre-fabricated at the KTI factory in Balzheim, Germany, and shipped to Cape Town. The 400t/d ice factory was erected in just 10 days. The plants have been operating on a 24/7 basis since December 2013, exceeding the nominal performance by 10%. Each produces 220t of ice with a 27°C water in-feed and had a capital cost below US$840/kW.

The launch event for Micromine 2014 in Perth

Micromine 2014 gets release MICROMINE has issued Micromine 2014, the latest version of its exploration and mine-design solution. It was unveiled on May 19 to clients and industry at a launch event at the QV1 Function Centre in Perth, Western Australia. Micromine 2014 is the 15th version of the application that allows users to capture, manage and interpret critical data, and is relevant to all stages of the mineral-extraction process. Micromine is designed to provide explorers with an in-depth understanding of their project so that prospective regions can be targeted more effectively. Miners are provided with easy-to-use modelling, estimation and design tools to simplify day-to-day production tasks. Wally Borovac, managing director of MICROMINE, commented: “Over 310 new and enhanced features specific to both exploration and mining have been introduced within Micromine 2014 to satisfy all users, from GIS [geographic information systems] specialists and geologists through to mine engineers.”

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NEWS

the deck is stacked against miners and power generators Lee Buchsbaum reports on the introduction of new EPA legislation and its effects on the US coal sector In early June, the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new draft rules to reduce US carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to lessen the impacts of climate change. Though EPA administrator Gina McCarthy stressed that much of this reduction can happen through enhanced energy efficiencies, the impacts on coal miners and power producers is just one more blow against the beleaguered industry. Currently, power plants are the largest source for the nation’s CO2 emissions, accounting for 38%. Much of this stems from ageing, coal-fired power plants; the average age is over 42 years. While there are limits in place for the levels of arsenic, mercury, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particle pollution that power plants can emit, there are currently no national limits on carbon pollution levels. The EPA’s new Clean Power Plan builds “on trends already under way in states and the power sector to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, making them more efficient and less polluting”, stated the EPA in a press release. The proposal itself follows through on steps laid out in president Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan and the June 2013 Presidential Memorandum. At the end of June, the US Supreme Court, in an unrelated case, determined that the EPA had final authority over carbon and greenhouse-gas emissions as part of the agency’s mandate. This ruling cements the EPA’s regulatory powers and renders moot many of the coal industry’s challenges to the controversial agency.

ImplementIng change The EPA has tailored the Clean Power Plan to cut carbon emission from the power sector by 30% nationwide below 2005 levels by

A bulldozer moves coal at Foresight Energy’s Pond Creek longwall coal mine in Johnson City, Illinois 2030, which is equal to the emissions from powering half the homes in the US for one year. It will also cut particle pollution, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide by more than 25% as a co-benefit. In so doing, the EPA believes the cleaner air will help avoid up to 6,600 premature deaths, up to 150,000 asthma attacks in children, and up to 490,000 missed work or school days each year. Through their complex accounting, these changes will provide “up to US$93 billion in climate and public health benefits”, the agency said. As part of the plan, the EPA forecasts an 8% reduction in household and commercial electrical bills by increasing energy efficiency and reducing demand throughout the grid. “This is about protecting our health and our homes, and our local economies,” said McCarthy at the press conference announcing the plan. “We have a moral obligation to act on climate change.” The plan will be implemented through a state-federal partnership. Each state will identify a path forward using current or new electricity production and pollution control policies to meet the goals of the proposed programme. Through guidelines provided, each state will be required to

develop plans to meet state-specific goals to reduce carbon pollution. By allowing unique plans for each state, larger coal burners can design programmes that help mitigate impacts to their regional economies. According to the EPA, “states can choose the right mix of generation using diverse fuels, energy efficiency and demand-side management to meet the goals and their own needs”. This approach allows them to work alone to develop individual plans or together with other states to develop multi-state plans. The EPA has a flexible timeline for each state to submit its plans, with final proposals due by June 2016, with the option to use a two-step process for submission if more time is needed. States such as California that have already invested in energyefficiency programmes will be able to build on these initiatives during the compliance period to help make progress toward meeting their end goals. The EPA said it will set “achievable, enforceable state goals to reduce carbon pollution [by providing] a national framework for states to chart their own customised plan. Each state’s goal will be tailored to its own

circumstances to make it work best for them.”

WIde effects Using proven technologies only, the EPA plan is “part of the ongoing story on energy progress in the US”, according to McCarthy. However, many have pointed out that although the programme attacks carbon pollution in the form of CO2, it does little or nothing to address fugitive methane emissions from natural gas – coal’s chief fuel competitor. Indeed, with the nation in the midst of an oil-and-gas drilling boom driven by new fracking technologies, many power companies are switching fuels to keep up with new environmental rules. In states such as Kentucky, which uses coal to produce over 90% of its electricity, impacts are already being felt. Home to some of the steepest declines in coal production and employment throughout the nation’s established coal fields, some lawmakers believe that the new rules will not, by themselves, curtail coal use beyond the rules already announced. The state’s assistant secretary for climate policy, John Lyons, said the average carbon emissions of Kentucky’s coal-fired power plants should meet the new standard by 2020. However, this is because 11 coal units are scheduled to shut down by then because of other EPA air-quality regulations. Of greater concern is the EPA rule proposed last year that limits the carbon emissions of new coal-fired power plants. Lyons said many new coal plants will not be able to meet these very restrictive rules, and those in the pipeline will probably be switched to natural gas. He predicted that Kentucky would have no coal-fired power plants left by 2050. Though many in the industry counter that the new rules will only increase costs for producers and consumers, McCarty adamantly believes that, instead, the most costly approach would be doing nothing. “Energy bills won’t skyrocket. For decades power plants have met reliability while dealing with pollution controls; actually, the worsening weather is only increasing unreliability,” she said.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Hexagon reshapes tech landscape Richard Roberts, of Mining Journal, attended the HxGN Live 2014 event in Las Vegas in June. Here he reports on the event and the launch of new company Hexagon Mining Hexagon AB CEO Ola Rollén … Hexagon Mining story starts here

“Change management, culture change, education… are absolutely critical with all these technologies”

exagon Mining will look to be a key partner in the global mining industry’s drive to use technology more effectively, and be a central player in long-awaited technology convergence in the mobile equipment arena, as it bids to more than triple in size in the next five years. Already one of the world’s largest mining technology suppliers after the recent joining of Brazil’s Devex, Switzerland-based SAFEmine, and US-based Mintec with Leica Geosystems under the Hexagon Mining umbrella, the newly created mining vertical within publicly-owned Swedish tech-firm Hexagon was the big story at the group’s annual technical and customer event in Las Vegas, Nevada, in June. “Hexagon Mining… is the biggest, most important message this week,” senior Hexagon Mining executive Haydn Roberts said at the conference. The group’s charismatic chief executive, Ola Rollén, has backed an aggressive acquisition strategy over the past decade that has seen Hexagon’s annual sales surge past €2 billion (US$2.7 billion) and its business footprint extend to most parts of the globe. “Why mining makes sense right now is because mining is going through a trough,” Rollén said in Las Vegas. “And we’re not about volume, we are about making clever mines; improving productivity and cost. This is what the mining industry is looking for right now – for a solution to reduce OPEX, reduce production costs and maintain profitability.” Specifically, said new Hexagon Mining president Guilherme Bastos, the company is about delivering recognised market-leading mine-fleet management, planning software, vehicle collision avoidance and operator fatigue monitoring, surveying and machine guidance, and mine automation and supervisory products and systems to an expanding customer base – and creating a new suite of integrated solutions.

Harnessing potential Hexagon Mining has about 750 direct employees and offices in most of the world’s main mining regions. It has products carrying its brands in hundreds of mines across the globe. Ironically, according to Mintec president John

Davies, there might only be one or two sites where all the Hexagon products are being used. That is both a hint of the enormous opportunity in front of the new business, and confirmation that the technologies that could really transform mine fleet and resource management over the next decade are generally at an early stage of adoption across the industry. Every key supplier has its ‘champions’ in terms of implementing the core planning, mine-asset and people management technologies – all areas where potential benefits have been magnified by big computing power and better communications infrastructure – but the broader narrative is very much about the productivity and safety improvements still to come from more standardised implementation across the industry. “The ‘fixed-plant’ component of many mine sites – the grinding and mineral processing complexes – was generally ‘20 years ahead of us in the pit’ in the implementation and effective use of industrial automation and asset management technologies,” Teck Resources’ operational technologies director Peter Cunningham said at the Hexagon event. Cunningham described a “golden age of putting technology on everything that moves” in mining that created a need to integrate and streamline in-vehicle monitoring and control systems, and a greater need for transparency, “one source of the truth”, and smart analytics at the supervisory level. “What’s new for us is now we’ve got networking capacity and computing capacity where you can stream 600 vital signs from a haul truck into a database in the office and then figure out what to do with that data,” he said. “So now when we’re selecting our

technologies, we select them not only for meeting the requirements that operations need to address safety, asset management or optimisation, but we can also put into the mix that the technologies need to integrate – that things need to converge, and often there is no integrator that my team can turn to. We [Teck] are the integrator, and I think that other mining companies will be starting to do this more in the future. This is something that I think Hexagon is in an immediate position to seize.” Cunningham echoed the views of a number of Hexagon mining customer presenters at the event when he said that better change management was vital to effecting the cultural adjustment needed in the industry to speed technology adoption and success rates. “Change management, culture change, education… are absolutely critical with all these technologies, because otherwise I’m the guy who deals with all the cut wires, you would be surprised how much of that goes on in a mine where things have not been rolled out properly,” he said, referring to operator perceptions that some fatigue monitoring devices, for example, were too invasive. “The technology strategy must support an ecosystem of culture change and of education, and the workforce [and in some cases unions] really need to be bought into this,” he added. Baldomero Gutierrez, IT director at Fresnillo, said the Mexican precious metals producer saw significant benefits in technologies such as the Hexagon Devex SmartMine underground mine management and automation platform, deployed at one site so far, and in the implementation of a group technology strategy being devised with Hexagon. “The technology works,” he said. “The change management issue is the biggest challenge for us.”

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SPECIAL REPORT Machine guidance

“We’re not closing our solution to others. Our database is open. We are happy to be open with our competitors”

In Mongolia, where wet coal processing is considered ‘new technology’ at this stage, coking coal producer Mongolian Mining Corp (MMC) has spent about US$4 million on Hexagon fleet management, machine guidance and other systems that Australian chief operating officer Sam Bowles says is vital to unlocking productivity and cost gains. Improvements in processing and transport costs are being targeted in the tough environment for coal producers, but Bowles said cost reductions represented the “big prize” at the company’s Mongolian operations, given they represent half of the total unit cost per product tonne. He said that MMC’s Ukhaa Hudaag operations, like a lot of other sites, had just scratched the surface of realising gains from the application of high-precision machine guidance and fleet management system technologies. “Take high-precision machine guidance,” Bowles said. “It is far more widely and effectively used in the civil construction area, where margins are consistently a lot tighter.” Bowles acknowledged that the potential upside for miners, given the value in the ground being moved, and the scale of leverage on offer via better utilisation of such hugely capital-intensive fleets, was far greater than in other industries. “But in my experience we’re only using 10-15% of the potential of the technology,” he said. “Training and better people management is a real key to unlocking the rest. I think our company is at the start of a long journey in how to use this technology. Most mines are at the beginning of the curve in terms of utilising what’s available. This is just fantastic technology. As an engineer I love having access to the data and being able to definitively measure, record, report and show people the path you want to take.” Hexagon Mining’s Roberts said: “I think the poor use of machine guidance is due to the fact that the plans have not gone out into the field, and people in the office – the dispatchers – can’t actually see the plans [against] what the machines in the field are doing. “In the past, if you wanted to send out the switchback design for a ramp design it could go out on a piece of paper, and you’d look at in the foreman’s office, and someone would go out with pegs and peg it out. What you want to do though is send it out to that machine – the dozer or the front-end loader – and see in a visually rich way the 3D nature of what the operator is doing and see how the work is

progressing in relation to the plan, in real-time, whether that’s back in the office or in the foreman’s vehicle. That’s been missing from machine guidance, where you couldn’t get really good designs to the machine and then also monitor it. “That’s why the embedding of GeoMedia [Hexagon’s open GIS database software] into fleet management – this concept of putting terrain into the optimisation process along with time, tonnes and grade – is going to set machine guidance on fire. People are going to use it much more.”

Knowledge retention In terms of helping the mining industry overcome intermittent training and knowledge retention deficits, and improving technology deployment and effective operational use, Roberts said Hexagon’s focus on mobile fleet management technology integration and convergence, and new supervisory systems would introduce new levels of automation and simplify workflows. “That’s one step that we want to take,” he said.“The other is around big data analytics, where you want to get, as we say, actionable information out of it in a succinct way. So smart dashboards that can actually indicate where you’ve got a problem in the mine, and identify, for instance, a shovel operator who is in the lower performance quartile. Help people identify continuous improvement opportunities, and utilise that in an application where you don’t have to rely on your A-player foreman to do it, because I think that’s a problem the industry has. “If you get a good group of people together and they’re really motivated in a mine, you’ll sit down, work out how you’re to do things and put a process in place. But it’s ad-hoc and manual. When those guys leave or move on, it’s gone – the process evaporates. If we can institutionalise that learning in the software we offer and allow people to identify weak spots and opportunities, we can assist the industry with its knowledge retention and training issues. And of course, we can also automate workflows.” Davies added: “There is a lot more to the convergence side of this too. Today we have operators sitting with lots of panels in front of them in a truck trying to figure out what’s going on with each panel. Bringing together the technology into one platform and one display, you’ve solved a lot of training issues because now they’re training on one platform rather than 10. And it’s the same with software. We’ve seen [here] the great platforms being used in the construction areas; they’re using standard platforms,

and we look at these and go wow, if we can standardise on some of these platforms in our software processes. Not right away, but in the future. Then we’ll have a set of rich tools that everybody on the site – engineers, geologists, construction people – can all be using.”

open for business Bastos says technology convergence is central to the mobile-mining operations environment, harnessing the benefits of automation and data-driven proactive management seen in the mineral processing (and broader industrial process) arena over a considerable period. “We see a great opportunity to offer a more open platform where miners can use our technology to integrate and converge other solutions, to simplify things. It’s been happening in the processing plant for the last 30 years,” he said. “You have a supervisory system, a SCADA system, which is the backbone for automation. When you need to improve your productivity, for instance in flotation, you can have the best company in the world come in and plug their system into the SCADA system – no pain, no discussion, no big deal, or complex agreement between the first supplier that put in the backbone and the specialist in flotation. They use the supervisory system to get the data into the control room where they can optimise the process. There we see more standards – open standards, protocols to communicate, etc. “The mobile environment in mining is a bit different. But… we have the capability to approach this differently but with this mindset where the things have to be simple and integrate more seamlessly. People need to reduce the costs, improve the productivity and we see that it’s necessary to eliminate the gaps. Each [mining] company feels like it is special, with some specific problems that are difficult to solve if we don’t do something in a certain way or produce a tailor-made solution. That’s true, to a point, but we have to find a way to reduce the investments necessary to solve problems.” He adds: “We see the open platform as a very strong differentiation compared with other companies in the market. We’re not closing our solution to others. Our database is open. We are happy to be open with our competitors, we don’t care if they want to use a different mine planning, or different fleet-management system, because at the end of the day we believe that in the future if we fill the gaps and this is going to be our main advantage, not trying to keep the market by force [supplying capital equipment and technology].

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special report

stay alert, stay alive It is vital that mine managers review and update their fire-protection provisions on a regular basis. The experts at fire-protection specialist Wormald give their top tips for keeping your workforce and equipment safe Training by Wormald covering confined spaces and breathing apparatus

he hazardous nature and typical remoteness of mining operations means it is vital that mine-site supervisors and operations managers practice extra vigilance in preventing and preparing for fires. Fire protection should be at the front of their minds. According to a Queensland University of Technology study, fire and explosions were one of the eight key causes of 85% of mining fatalities in Australia between 1990 and 2005. Garry Kwok, national technical manager at fire-protection specialist Wormald, reminds site managers and supervisors of the importance of a detailed fire protection plan and solution. “Adequate fire protection is not only a financial and regulatory necessity for mine sites, but an ethical one,” he says. “Fire protection for the mining industry requires detailed assessments, plans and execution to meet the unique requirements of a site.” Wormald offers the following advice to site supervisors and operations managers to help keep their mine sites fire safe.

“Adequate fire protection is not only a financial and a thorough regulatory 1. conduct risk assessment necessity A comprehensive assessment of fire for mine hazards is the first step in developing a fire-protection plan and mitigating the sites, but risk of fire fatalities and damage. an ethical one”

Wormald firesuppression system on mining vehicles

“Fire hazards differ for surface and underground mines, and vary according to a mine’s size, structure, materials, equipment and number of staff. Engaging a fire-protection expert to conduct a detailed risk assessment can reduce the chance of hazards being overlooked by accident,” says Kwok. Common fire hazards can include mobile equipment and mining vehicles; welding and cutting operations; and storing flammable and combustible liquids, including lubricating oil, grease, and diesel and hydraulic fuel. The mined resources such as coal, coal dust and methane, can also compound the risk of fire.

2. understand compliance and regulation requirements A breach of fire-safety regulations can incur significant costs and put staff at risk, so it is important for site supervisors to understand and comply with regulatory requirements. In Australia, mining in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria is regulated by general work health-and-safety legislation. New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia have separate legislation specifically to regulate health and safety in the mining sector.

3. select and install appropriate fire protection equipment “Site managers must ensure that appropriate fire-protection equipment is installed and that regulatory and ethical health-and-safety requirements are complied with,” explains Kwok. While requirements will vary from one mine to another, fire-protection equipment may include: fire sprinkler systems, water-spray deluge systems, water-mist systems, foam systems, breathing apparatus, gas-detection units, thermal imaging cameras, fire-suppression systems and portable fire equipment. At the Ravensworth underground mine in New South Wales, Wormald provided a range of life-safety products and systems. This included 250 self-contained breathing apparatus that

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.com 08/07/2014 12:21

special report

are stored in easily accessible, moveable storage pods at the mine sites. “Access is a critical consideration when installing fire-protection equipment. If a fire breaks out, staff will have to act fast, so it is important that they can access equipment quickly and easily,” adds Kwok. It’s also important that valuable heavy vehicles and equipment are protected from fire. Due to the size, fuel carrying capacity and cost of this machinery, it is essential that they are fitted with a fire-suppression solution that is best suited to their fire risk. In the event of a fire, the principal aim of these systems is to provide early detection and warning to allow extra time for the driver to safely evacuate, while at the same time quickly suppressing the fire to help minimise damage to the vehicle.

4.audit, inspect and maintain fire-protection equipment While appropriate fire-protection equipment is vital, it is rendered useless if not in proper working order. Fire-protection equipment should be

Wormald storage pods ready for deployment at Ravensworth mine in Australia

regularly inspected and replaced or repaired as necessary. Other equipment, such as hoses, pipes and machinery, should also be cleaned regularly, as a build-up of dust and dirt can increase the risk of malfunction and fire. “Site managers must keep on top of fire protection and ensure that all fire-protection equipment and systems are inspected and serviced regularly by a qualified fire-protection specialist,” says Kwok.

5. train your staff Training is a critical element of fire-safety planning and is particularly important in high-risk industries such as mining. Training helps organisations develop effective plans and procedures

that can be readily executed if there is a fire. Knowing how to use the correct fire-protection equipment means that staff can confidently manage an emergency situation. “Site managers should ask themselves: if a fire were to break out in the next 10 minutes, would staff be ready to respond correctly, quickly and confidently? An appropriate response to fire can save lives and reduce damage,” explains Kwok. As with the rest of a fire-protection plan, fire-safety training should be tailored to the unique requirements of a mine site and its staff. It is recommended that every mine site provides its staff with training in confined-space entry and use of breathing apparatus, fire extinguishers and lay-flat hoses.

“If a fire were to break out in the next 10 minutes, would staff be ready to respond correctly, quickly and confidently?”

See www.wormald.com.au

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special report

finding a new voice Brent Williams, solutions specialist at Tait Communications, makes the case for digital mobile radio (DMR) as the platform of choice for mining organisations seeking a multi-use SCADA investment

Advanced trunked networks can maintain voice communications alongside realtime monitoring of mining equipment data

raditionally, a common wide-area land mobile radio (LMR) networking scenario has been to deploy separate networks for voice and data, accepting the resulting duplication of infrastructure and operational costs. Unfortunately, when these combined voice and data networks were deployed, they struggled to deliver the quality of service (QoS) demanded for mission-critical voice and data services; system resources were often locked out by either voice or data to the detriment of the other service. This is unacceptable for real-time operation-critical applications. DMR Tier 3 trunked digital mobileradio is an all-digital standard that re-ignites the opportunity to rethink wide-area private mobile radio (PMR) voice and data solutions that deliver combined networks without those limitations. The catalyst for the rethink is the well-documented channel capacity doubling of DMR’s two-slot time division multiple access (TDMA) technology, and when combined with the resource-management facilities of trunking, DMR Tier 3 offers a fresh perspective on combined voice and data networking.

and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) over a common network, with each receiving its guaranteed quality of service. The trunked network operator has many options to define how the network behaves, such as: • The ability to prioritise network resources for voice or SCADA traffic; • Reserving traffic channel resource allocations for voice or SCADA so that dynamic network loading does not impact QoS; • Concatenated logical channels that can deliver higher data rates, especially if resources are idle; • Call pre-emption and queuing based on call priority and network loading; and • Efficient support for SCADA signalling via the control channel, for sites with low SCADA device counts, while still offering uninterrupted voice-call support.

“When these combined voice and data networks were deployed, about trunking they all The trunking capability of DMR Tier 3 struggled to offers call management and network Making a difference deliver the resource optimisation without any human intervention. Central infrastrucHow does this make a tangible quality of ture equipment redundancy and base difference for network providers and service stations that can support either control users? Let’s consider a mining operatraffic capabilities deliver mission-criti- tion’s wide-area communication demanded” or cal level service. challenge: dependable, mission-critical The centralised configuration of users means that operators can manage and monitor the network efficiently, supported by extensive status and capacity reporting. This in turn provides invaluable network visibility, making it simpler to optimise the network, easily adding or moving capacity as needs always change. DMR Tier 3’s greatest strength is its reliable delivery of mission-critical voice

voice and data communications across the entire network. Mobile field workers rely on voice-based, workgroup-centric, dispatch services for a safe and efficient work environment under all conditions. Over the same coverage area, remote devices such as conveyors and mine-infrastructure need to be monitored. These devices provide visibility and management to deliver required operational metrics.

A SCADA control room application polls for, and responds to, remote event notifications from the remote devices. SCADA protocols used by remote devices such as DNP3 or IEC 60870-510x provide robust communication over narrow-band PMR networks. However, while SCADA messaging is typically only 50-300 bytes in size, message timeouts and latency will generate retries and alarm conditions in 10 seconds, should they be delayed or fail. This is where trunked DMR’s flexible, centrally managed timeslot allocation becomes useful. One or more timeslots can be permanently allocated to regular, time-critical, SCADA polling activities, with the remaining site resources available on demand for voice and other data traffic. This effectively means you have two independent network services, deployed over common infrastructure, but realising the benefits of a single vendor, simpler return on investment, and a single network to design, deploy, maintain, harden and secure.

What is DMR Tier 3? DMR Tier 3 covers trunking operation in frequency bands 66-960MHz. The Tier 3 standard specifies two-slot time division multiple access (TDMA) in 12.5kHz channels. Tier 3 supports voice and short messaging with built-in 128 character status messaging and short messaging with up to 288 bits of data in a variety of formats. It also supports packet data service in a variety of formats.

See: www.taitradio.com

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special report

living life to the full Scanning electron microscopy image of used DPF

A team of researchers from Monash University in Melbourne has recently completed a project to extend the life of diesel exhaust particulate filters in Australian underground coal mines

“Researchers concluded that water carryover from the exhaust system was the primary cause of poor filter life, rather than DPM accumulation within the filter pores”

Used filters in operation at a mine site

esults from their investigation, funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), indicate that the filters could be reused up to five times without compromising filtration efficiency or filter medium integrity, with corresponding savings to mine operators. Diesel particulate matter (DPM) in the underground environment is a matter of considerable concern to miners and mine operators. In 2012, DPM was classified a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of the World Health Organization (WHO). Australian underground coal mines are generally regulated by an air-quality standard that restricts the amount of DPM present in the underground environment. Mine operators presently meet this regulation by restricting the number of vehicles operating underground and also by using diesel exhaust particulate filters (DPFs). The exhaust treatment system fitted to underground mine vehicles includes a water scrubber to reduce exhaust temperatures and eliminate sparks. When used with these exhaust systems, DPFs have generally shown poor service life and consequent high operating

costs. This has restricted the widespread adoption of DPFs across mine sites, leading to inefficient control of DPM. Filter service life is determined by the maximum backpressure in the exhaust system – this is specified by the vehicle OEM and is typically 8-10kPa. The multi-disciplinary research team at the Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, comprised experts from the Maintenance Technology Institute (MTI), Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace and Combustion (LTRAC) and Australian Pulp and Paper Institute (APPI). During the course of the investigation, the researchers concluded that water carry-over from the exhaust system was the primary cause of poor filter life, rather than DPM accumulation within the filter pores. The possibility of drying these filters for reuse was investigated over several cycles and found to be a safe and efficient method of extending the service life of the filters. These results were obtained through a combination of DPM filtration efficiency testing at the Monash Diesel Engine Facility (MDEF), filter medium characterisation at APPI, and detailed microscopic investigation of the filter fibres using electron microscopy at the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy (MCEM). In addition to these in-house investigations, site visits to a number of OEMs formed an important part of the project. Detailed site visits were made to Kestrel, Newlands and Mandalong mines, and OEMs GE-Industrea, Sandvik Mining and Construction, Valley Longwall International, and Freudenberg Filtration Technologies were consulted during the course of the project.

Project leader Daya Dayawansa explains: “DPF usage varies widely across different mine sites. While some mine sites use DPFs on all vehicles, some use them only for specific tasks, while some mine sites do not use filters at all. Mine sites that use filters widely report very large operating costs arising from filters discarded after one or two shifts; results from our investigation show that these discarded filters can be dried by artificial or natural means and reused several times without compromising safety. It is hoped that the outcomes of our work will result in more widespread use of DPFs, better control of DPM, and cost savings to mine operators.”

looking forward The Monash team is continuing to work in close collaboration with mine operators and OEMs to provide an economical and effective way to control DPM emissions in the underground environment. Dayawansa says: “In the short to medium term, extending filter life without reuse can be achieved through the use of filters that are less sensitive to water or through redesign of the exhaust-treatment system to reduce the amount of water carry-over. We have recently commenced another ACARP project (due for completion in 2015) to address these two approaches.” In the long term, the best approach is to remove diesel engines from the underground mine environment altogether and replace them with electric vehicles, says joint project leader, associate professor Damon Honnery. This challenge is also being addressed by the team at Monash University, in collaboration with groups from Swinburne University, GE-Industrea and Kestrel mine in an Australian Research Council (ARC)-funded project that is nearing completion. “Ultimately, our goal is to assist mine operators in improving the quality of air in the underground environment in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Our strategy is to offer a comprehensive roadmap to improve DPM management ranging from the interim solution offered in our recently concluded ACARP project, through to the second stage of improvements resulting from our current project, and eventually to the ultimate replacement of diesel engines with electric motors in underground coal mines,” says Honnery.

Authors, all from Monash University: Dr Daya Dayawansa and Paul Curcio, Maintenance Technology Institute, Dept of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Associate Prof Damon Honnery and Varun Rao, Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace and Combustion, Dept of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Scot Sharman and Prof Gil Garnier, Australian Pulp and Paper Institute, Dept of Chemical Engineering. A copy of the project report may be obtained at www.acarp.com.au/abstracts.aspx?repId=C21017

July / August 2014 SR_Living-full_MM1407.indd 18

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.com 07/07/2014 16:45

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SPECIAL REPORT

The new underground workshop at Nickel Rim South

“With about C$3 million worth of inventory underground, it was important Glencore’s Nickel Rim South mine became the first Caterpillar Certified 5-Star Contamination Control to keep the underground maintenance facility last year. Ailbhe Goodbody reports on the project place clean t is well known that underground in the 60km-long, oval-shaped formation • Quality and reliability, to extend the and neat” mining is a dirty business, and this known as the Sudbury basin, the lifespan of equipment, minimise the

Making a difference with maintenance

Filtering final-drive oil from a surface mining truck

means that maintenance and repair shops are often not held to the same standards as those in surface mines. Glencore’s (formerly Glencore Xstrata) Nickel Rim South mine earned the first Caterpillar Certified 5-Star Contamination Control designation for an underground maintenance facility in October 2013 following a three-year improvement project. The Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations consist of two mines, a mill and a smelter. The facilities are located

second-largest impact crater in the world, which is in the Sudbury area of northern Ontario, Canada. The two mines, Nickel Rim South and Fraser, are underground nickel-copper operations that also produce cobalt, gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Nickel Rim South is the larger of the two mines. Tim Hinds, maintenance general foreman at Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, gave a presentation at the Caterpillar Global Mining forum in Tucson, Arizona, in May, describing the process of planning and building a new underground shop over three years.

Vision In 2010, the team at the Nickel Rim South mine asked for C$11 million (US$10.3 million) to build a new shop on the site. The vision for the new shop included: • Safety, with an ergonomic design and larger workspace and storage areas to improve housekeeping;

Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations • Location – Sudbury, Ontario, Canada • Type – Underground • Metals – Mainly nickel-copper, but also cobalt, • •

gold, silver, platinum and palladium Employees – 1,200 Production data – Strathcona mill – 26,614t

•

nickel in concentrate, 57,812t copper in concentrate, 562t cobalt in concentrate Production data – Sudbury smelter – 72,525t nickel contained in matte, 20,516t copper contained in matte, 2,198 cobalt in matte (figures as of December 31, 2012)

•

cost per hour of the equipment fleet, and more space to enable a comprehensive component-replacement programme; Revenue opportunity, including a decrease in mean time to repair (MTTR) and breakdowns through improved maintenance practices, along with fleet reduction; Materials savings from proactive maintenance and planned component replacement, along with inventory management of parts and tools in a centralised facility; and Improved labour productivity, with active supervision and a centralised workforce to create synergies, and less contracting out of major work on equipment.

When planning the new shop, Caterpillar partnered up to help. Hinds attended the Caterpillar Mining Forum in 2010 and got some ideas, and then Caterpillar contamination-control expert Ron Meischner came up to Sudbury to collaborate on the plans for the new shop. They carried out gap analysis and set goals – for example, they decided that communication was an important part of the new facility, as was cleanliness. Glencore undertook the challenge to achieve Caterpillar 5-Star status; evaluation of the three shops that were running at the time gave them a score of 23%.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Design When designing the shop, the team spent a lot of time on ergonomic design to save space wherever possible. With about C$3 million worth of inventory underground, it was important to keep the place clean and neat, so the shop was designed without workbenches (which encourage clutter) and a one-way system of travel. There was also a particular focus on keeping things clean, with a wash bay set up so that equipment can be washed before it enters the shop. Hinds explained: “Contamination control is a good tool, and a great tool to help embrace change. Change is the hardest thing in an underground environment or any environment, especially with a bunch of miners. It’s a never-ending battle, so we knocked off the low-hanging fruits first.” These ‘low-hanging fruits’ were changes that were simple to implement but had big results. For example, the mine stopped using Floor Dry, an absorbent material that is used on spillages. Hinds commented: “It’s full of silica; when you throw it on the floor, it gets everywhere, people breathe it in, it gets kicked under things.” Instead, they started to use mops and pails to clean up spills and absorbent floor pads under work areas where fluids are likely to drip. The team also addressed fuel contamination by putting desiccant filters on barrels and bulk tanks and using kidney looping systems for oils and bulks. In addition, a worker suggested using plastic bags and zip ties to cover the end of hoses and prevent hose contamination; this was a simple and cheap solution, and the team found that it worked better than plugs as only one size is needed to fit a large range of hose sizes. They also built their own hose rack, as none of the pre-built racks available were ergonomic enough for the new shop. Ventilation flow was an important consideration; air is forced in and out of

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the shop area so that fans are not required, which saves a lot of money as electricity is expensive in northern Ontario. The air that comes into the warehouse is filtered and pressurised, which helps to keep dust out. A member of staff also volunteered to vacuum the area each day with a backpack vacuum cleaner; the vacuum cost C$125 and makes a huge difference to dust levels. Hinds explained: “Contamination control is pretty cheap. Kidney looping is the only thing that cost much money, the rest of it is just best practice, but it has paid off by far and it is working out great for us.” The team also used predictive maintenance, by monitoring 38 different parameters on their LHDs; catching potential equipment problems before they escalate saves a lot of money. For example, using a tyre-pressure monitoring system notifies if the

pressure is getting too low in a tyre, and allows this to be addressed before the tyre overheats and causes expensive damage. Tyre costs were also cut down by paying attention to the condition of the roadbeds. Hinds shared an example that he has seen used by a Goodyear dealer – he had a video of a scoop tyre, and a man in the video hit it with a

Components in storage protected from contamination

Contamination control Speaking at the Caterpillar Global Mining forum in May, Simon Bishop, senior maintenance specialist at Caterpillar, described contamination as the number-one enemy of fluid systems. He explained: “One of the greatest opportunities for increasing component life and lowering operating costs is to effectively manage fluid cleanliness in machine systems/components and storage.” Contamination includes anything in a fluid that does not belong there – it could be particulate, such as dirt, fluids or fibres; or it could be chemical, often associated with exposure to heat, water and air. Contaminated fluids can cause significant problems in bearings and fuel systems, and the culprits are smaller than the eye can see. “Fluid contamination is the silent thief,” noted Bishop. “You can’t see it, you can’t hear it; but it robs productivity, durability and profit.” Contamination control requires measurement – particles are measured using a laboratory, portable counter or patch test, and are quantified by size and amount. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has defined a method for coding the level of contamination by solid particles. Bishop stated that a formal contamination-control programme is essential, encompassing clean fluids as well as clean processes, parts and facilities. A robust contamination-con-

trol programme facilitates maximising fluid, filter and component life – reducing cost per tonne. Caterpillar has a comprehensive set of fluid-management guidelines, and its cleanliness targets are based on ISO 4406. The company provides training and materials to help customers. Sites are scored on their level of compliance and achieve star ratings for their performance. Some Caterpillar guidelines include: • All personnel must be trained, including classroom and on-the-job training; • An equipment wash is essential before any machines or components enter the shop, and the path to the shop should be kept free of dirt and debris; • Hoses and tubes require special care, and all ends should be capped/ plugged; • A preventative maintenance cart is recommended, with all items bagged and protected; • Oil, fuel and coolant spills should be cleaned up immediately with a vacuum cleaner or absorbent pads; • Parts must be kept clean until installation; • Provide protection during work in process, including open cavities, components and parts; and • Housekeeping and keeping the shop clean and organised make a huge difference.

“Fluid contamination is the silent thief. You can’t see it, you can’t hear it; but it robs productivity, durability and profit”

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SPECIAL REPORT

Hose ends are bagged to stop contaminants entering

Cover for oil drum to keep out contaminants

machete, which just bounced off the tyre. The man then poured water from a bottle onto the tyre, and hit it again – this time the full length of the machete blade sank into the tyre, which is a very visual way to show operators how water at the face enables tyre cutting. Hinds also stressed the importance of operator buy-in on the new strategy, and described how it helped the mine to achieve results: “We explained what contamination control was and how it could help the mining teams. We shared the results with the mining crews, told the miners what they could do to help, and acted on the ideas that they put forward.” The team quickly saw buy-in from the mining teams; for example, operators cleaned equipment before it came in for repairs. There was less equipment damage overall due to increased ownership of a clean and well-maintained fleet.

Results The original equipment lifecycle budgets for Nickel Rim South were estimated in 2008, and at that time major components had approximately 2,000 hours’ reduced lifetime – for example, engines only lasted 12,000 hours instead of the 14,000 hours suggested by the manufacturer. By 2011, components were lasting the expected lifetime; by 2014, an average of 2,000 hours had been added to the expected lifetime of components. Hinds estimated that this translates to over C$100,000 in savings. In 2009, 35% of man hours were

scheduled for preventative maintenance (PM). By 2013, this was increased to 73% of man hours. Unplanned maintenance hours were reduced by 80% in the same period. This is important because planned maintenance is about eight times cheaper than unplanned maintenance. In addition, mechanical availability of critical equipment has risen to about 93%. In October 2013, Meischner visited the mine again. An audit of the contamination-control practices gave a score of 96%, which was an increase of 73% in three years. As a result, Nickel Rim South earned the Caterpillar Certified 5-Star Contamination Control designation. In addition to the Caterpillar 5-star designation, the mine won an award in the category ‘Best Maintenance – Large Plant or Facility’ at the 2014 PEM Maintenance Awards. The awards, which are given by the Canadian Plant Engineering & Maintenance (PEM) magazine, recognise Canadian manufacturing facilities for their maintenance excellence and asset-management professionalism, and reward Canadian manufacturing facilities for unique initiatives in their maintenance and reliability practices. Hinds commented: “When you get an award for something like this, you have to take it down to the staff, because they’re the ones that make things happen – I’m just the enabler. Make sure you give credit to the guys that make it happen, as we couldn’t do it on our own.”

Preventative maintenance Also presenting at the forum, Susan Gaugush, senior underground-mining product support specialist at Caterpillar Global Mining, said that preventative maintenance (PM) is critical to the success of any maintenance and repair system and should be considered one of the focal points in the overall equipment-maintenance management strategy. It consists of high-frequency, fixed-interval, planned activities including well-defined service routines, proactive defect detection and repair execution that support the goals of equipment reliability and availability. The goals of PM are to maintain equipment in optimum operating condition, to reduce the risk of failure and subsequent unscheduled equipment repairs, and to optimise equipment owning and operating costs. It is also important that the maintenance plans are written down and communicated to all staff, so that everybody is on the same page.

Gaugush stated that PM is the most frequent and predictable of planned maintenance activities and presents a convenient ‘window of opportunity’ for corrective repairs to address problems identified through condition monitoring. She explained: “Adding this corrective quality to your PM process is crucial since it supports the goals of equipment reliability by ensuring that defects detected during condition monitoring can be planned, scheduled and executed on a before-failure basis.” According to Gaugush, a successful PM programme has three key elements: best practices; metrics management; and 30-60-90-day action planning. In addition, Caterpillar best practices fall into three categories: a written strategic plan; parts kits – by model and service interval; and a specialised PM bay with access platforms.

Five key performance indicators (KPIs) are used as metrics to measure success: • Service accuracy; • Schedule compliance; • Mean time between stoppages (MTBS); • Mean time to repair (MTTR); and • Backlogs >30 days. Gaugush recommends that mining companies set realistic, incremental goals so that they are not setting themselves up for failure – focusing on one or two key things they can change, and engaging the experience of their dealer or Caterpillar representative. In the mines that she has dealt with, Gaugush said that the biggest struggle is people saying that they cannot implement such maintenance strategies underground, so trying to change the mind-set can be a challenge. However, she concluded: “You cannot manage what you can’t measure.”

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MAKING A COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION Caterpillar is committed to exploring every innovation to help you keep people safe, better manage fleets, boost efficiency, track materials and manage the health of your machines. We’ll work with you to leverage technologies like ® Cat MineStar™, our comprehensive suite of scalable technology products for surface and underground applications — implementing individual offerings or combining different products to address your specific operational challenges. Get more information at

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new horizons Nadav Shemer visited Nord Gold’s Bissa mine in Burkina Faso 18 months after its first gold pour to find out how the operation is progressing and about its role within the local community

Nadav Shemer

“Construction of Bissa, Nord Gold’s first greenfield project, was completed in 15 months” Right: Bissa has two pits divided by a hill of religious significance

Below: a presentation ceremony for locals who took part in employment training supported by Nord Gold

f mining companies were judged by their degree of cosmopolitanism, Nord Gold would be up there with the best of them: Russian company, London-listed, Dutch-incorporated, West Africa-focused. Its Bissa gold mine, led by an Australian-dominated management team, has integrated smoothly into the Burkinabé landscape. I visited Bissa at a festive time. Work at two of the three active pits was halted for a day to allow locals to make their annual pilgrimage to the Sacred Hill, where they perform the sorts of indigenous rites most of their compatriots fuse with Sunni Islam or Roman Catholicism. Sacred Hill divides BH1 and BH2, two pits that would have been one if not for the hill’s communal significance. The larger Southwest pit, in operation since first gold was poured at Bissa in January 2013, has reached 400m in length and 60-70m in depth. Despite the stifling heat, a large puddle was visible in the centre of the pit when we toured, and if last year’s figures are any indication, gold production could plunge around 30% at the peak of the wet season in August.

second-largest producer, Iamgold Corp. “Easy digging” is one of the main factors for the mine’s profitability, according to chief geologist Donald Benard. “The powder factor that we’ve employed is only 0.4 [indicating low- to medium-strength rock, which does not require a large quantity of explosives],” he explains. “The throughput has been quite high, simply because there’s very little crushing or grinding required.” Total cash costs for 2013 were just US$467/oz. Clinton Bennett, the mine’s general manager, marked this down to an efficiency programme implemented at the 3.5Mt/y carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant, which includes reducing the cyanide consumption and caustic soda used in the elution process. He also spoke proudly about the involvement of workers in streamlining the operation,

saying there had been “really good feedback” in the ideas box stationed by the entrance to the main office. Bennett admitted that Nord Gold had been somewhat conservative in its guidance, but added that it would release a new forecast in the second half of the year once it has more information on Z52, a new pit being developed on the other side of the national highway. The company is busy diverting a 2km section of the N22, which passes by the mine about 100km from the capital Ouagadougou on its northward journey towards the border with Mali.

oPPoRtUnitieS ABRoAD Taparko made Nord Gold the first Russian gold producer to operate outside the former Soviet Union (FSU). The company still has five mines in Russia and one in Kazakhstan, but West Africa is a core part of its strategy: it also operates the Lefa mine in Guinea, which produced 163,000oz in 2013. Bissa contains 1.86Moz of proven and probable reserves at 1.74g/t, but Bennett said there were enough inferred resources to hit 5Moz eventually. Regional geology shows “a lot of

UP AnD RUnninG Construction of Bissa, Nord Gold’s first greenfield project, was completed in 15 months with a total investment of US$250 million. It produced 254,000oz of gold in its first full year, exceeding guidance of 200,000oz, and is on track to beat the same forecast in 2014 after producing 68,200oz of gold in the March quarter. Together with Taparko, which Nord Gold acquired in 2007, the company delivered 362,000oz of gold in Burkina Faso in 2013 – 30% more than the

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potential to expand,” he said, pointing to the Bouly deposit 10km away, which Nord Gold intends to bring online by 2016-17. A scoping study has revealed 1Moz of resources at 0.75g/t, but additional exploration and drilling should bring it to 2-3Moz at the same grade, Bennett said. More importantly, Nord Gold expects to run Bouly as a heap-leaching project – a sure-fire way to minimise production costs. Nord Gold’s “firm commitment” to not restrict itself to the FSU has seen it buy into an exploration joint venture in French Guiana, the overseas department of France that borders northern Brazil. And Bennett insists the company is “not averse” to expanding in Asia or the Americas, as it “aggressively looks to expand” – so long as the project is gold and suits the company’s other requirements. Regardless of the destination, Nord Gold will be hard-pressed to find a more favourable fiscal environment than Burkina Faso. The 2013 income tax rate in the ‘Land of Upright People’ (a rough translation of the country’s name from the widely spoken Moré and Djula dialects) was 17.5%, compared with 20%

Conveying and stockpiling at Nord Gold’s Bissa mine

in Russia and Kazakhstan, and 30% in Guinea. Bissa contributed approximately US$50 million in taxes, royalties and indirect taxes last year. Of course, the upside to doing business in a relatively stable autocracy is that the support of only one man – in this case Blaise Compaoré, president since 1987 – is needed to ensure favourable tax rates. The downside is that nobody knows for sure what his

potential ouster – elections are scheduled for 2015 but Compaoré is pushing for a constitutional referendum to allow him to run for another term – means for the mining industry. Forty-five thousand people reportedly attended a demonstration against the referendum at the end of May. Mining contributed 12.7% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2012, a figure expected to double by 2015. As gold prices fell, economic growth slowed from 9% to 6.9% in 2013, bringing GDP to just above US$700/ capita, a poor figure even by sub-Saharan Africa’s lowly standards and less than half that of southern neighbour Ghana – the first West African country to grasp the potential of its gold resources.

teAm PLAYeR If the average Burkinabé is still waiting to see tangible effects from the nation’s gold boom, those living in the immediate vicinity of the Bissa gold mine can count themselves more fortunate. Nord Gold employs more than 800 locals, all of them from the surrounding 14 villages, except for some highly skilled positions, and last year spent US$160,300 on social development programmes. Two billion Central African francs was spent on compensation for agricultural lands that gave way to a 100 million cubic metre-capacity water reservoir. Two villages – Bissa (which gave its name to the mine) and Imiougou, with a combined 300+ families – were relocated to allow for the dam’s construction. Nord Gold reconstructed both villages, building separate neighbourhoods and schools for the Christian and Muslim populations in accordance with the wishes of community leaders. As for the water, Nord Gold uses 4.5Mm3/y, leaving the rest for a

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“The upside to doing business in a relatively stable autocracy is that the support of only one man is needed to ensure favourable tax rates”

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mine of the month

Looking down into one of the pits at Bissa Far right: Nord Gold has sponsored a training centre where local women make soap, shampoo and handicrafts

“Nord Gold has contributed to the institution that most unites Burkinabés – the national football team”

local population that used to rely on rainfall for subsistence farming. I was taken on a tour of a number of social projects, including a slaughterhouse, and a training centre at which local women manufacture soap, shampoo and handicrafts. In each case, Nord Gold has committed to purchasing as much of the produce as it needs, leaving the rest to be sold on the market.

The most meaningful contribution has been in education, where Nord Gold has collaborated with the national employment agency. At a ceremony timed to coincide with our visit, local youth were presented with certificates for completing training to become electricians, plumbers, carpenters, auto mechanics, seamstresses and welders. In this respect, as in all of its social programmes, Nord Gold is acting both

philanthropically and pragmatically: it recognises the benefits of empowering the population from which it draws the majority of its employees. Following the example set by Gold Fields in Ghana, Nord Gold has also contributed to the institution that most unites Burkinabés – the national football team. Nord Gold’s green, yellow and blue logo emblazons team merchandise, although FIFA regulations on sponsorship prevented it from appearing on the Stallions’ mostly green kit when they lost the 2013 African Nations Cup final to Nigeria and the final qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup to Algeria. Perhaps the team was saving its best effort for the next Mundial in 2018, which will be held in Nord Gold’s home country: Russia?

Nadav Shemer is assistant editor at Mining Magazine’s sister publication, Mining Journal. This article is based on a version first published in Mining Journal’s June 6 issue.

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COMMINUTION

On trend Kurt O’Bryan, global product manager for screens, screen media and rock crushers at Weir Minerals, talks to MM about current industry trends and how they are influencing customer choices Kurt O’Bryan has been involved in the mineral processing industry for over three decades. He says that customer choices of comminution equipment depend on many variables, “efficiency, performance and maintenance are important in different ways,” he explains. “At Weir we research and develop several options to offer our customers the most cost efficient comminution flow sheet.” O’Bryan says that as ore grades decline, higher tonnages of competent ores require the most technologically advanced, efficient and reliable equipment to ensure a mine provides a good return on investment. “Lowest cost of ownership is a key design metric for Weir. How we design, manufacture and service our customers’ products is key to our success in building strong customer relationships.” Although semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills have been around for over 40 years, O’Bryan says that the demand to process more ore in less time is a key factor in where comminution trends are heading. “SAG mills have to be bigger to meet these demands. Some are up to 40-42’ (12.1-12.8m) in diameter in order to handle the higher tonnages, and the size of these mills makes them harder to install and operate efficiently. “Grinding balls can cause damage to the mills, and are an expensive consumer of wear metal and energy. Operators are constantly dealing with the difficulty of retaining the grinding balls inside the mills,” he adds.

Weir is seeing a rise in demand for larger cone crushers that are matched with large HPGRs for customers who want to replace SAG mills in order to increase efficiency. “By utilising cone crushers and HPGRs, ore is processed from 250mm to 50mm diameter in cone crushers, then reduced from 50mm to less than 6mm diameter in HPGRs for mill feed. The inter particle comminution inherent in the HPGR process is uniquely efficient relative to other forms of comminution in crushing (impact and compression breakage) or milling (impact and attrition breakage),” O’Bryan explains.

DON’T FORGET SCREENS He also considers screening and screen media to be critical to the success of cone crushers, HPGRs and grinding systems. “Screening and screen media are one of the most important choices in any crushing or comminution plant. Choosing the proper screen machine size and media material will make a big difference in efficiency and performance. A poor selection will significantly degrade the success of an otherwise well designed comminution flow sheet. “For example, in order for cone crushers to run correctly, fines must be screened and removed before the material enters the crushing chamber. Otherwise packing

occurs, which causes a high level of stress on the crushing machine. The screen size and selected screen media must be properly specified to screen efficiently without plugging or blinding.” Besides Weir’s advanced Linatex rubber and urethane screening materials, the company has also developed Armor Wire, which offers a blend of woven wire screen encased in wear-resistant polyurethane. O’Bryan says the company is always working to improve its products through targeted R&D. “Weir has always put R&D and product innovation at the forefront of its goals. We have used the knowledge gained from our research with other products. For instance, the materials we researched and developed for our slurry pumps has been very beneficial in developing the lower-wear materials used in all of our comminution products. “We are conducting research on a variety of materials and technologies to develop new, innovative ways to engineer new products that will improve our mining customer’s productivity,” O’Bryan concludes.

“The demand to process more ore in less time is a key factor in where comminution trends are heading”

An Enduron cone crusher

Weir products Weir Minerals offers comminution equipment marketed under the Enduron brand. The line includes: high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs); cone crushers; horizontal linear motion screens; ‘banana’ multi-slope and dewatering screening equipment and feeders; punched and plasma cut screens; and wear liners, parts and accessories. In April 2013, Weir signed an exclusive agreement with KHD giving it control over the design, manufacture and distribution of HPGRs. The company now offers models from pilot size up to 3m diameter and 2m wide, with dual 5,700kW variable speed drives. These units can handle low tonnages to up to 4,500t/h capacity, and Weir also offers dry system HPGR’s for closed-circuit applications to produce products as fine as 80% at 15 microns.

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Vertical Xtra Performance FLSmidth explains how its VXPmill differs from standard vertical stirred mills for ultra-fine grinding and looks at new applications for the technology The VXPmill installed at Ergo in South Africa, and a sketch of the design

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The basic operation of the VXPmill provides efficient fine-particle breakage by agitating high-quality ceramic mediaâ&#x20AC;?

he VXPmill is the most recent addition to FLSmidthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of grinding equipment and is designed for a wide range of fine and ultrafine grinding applications. The basic operation of the VXPmill provides efficient fine-particle breakage by agitating high-quality ceramic media. Media motion is induced by an agitator that consists of a central shaft and series of grinding discs and spacers. Particles are broken as the slurry flows upwards through the media before discharging at atmospheric pressure through a media-retention screen. The VXPmill differs from other stirred-media mills in several ways. These differences offer the following benefits: Modular grinding assembly (agitator) The grinding assembly consists of a series of discs and spacers that can be removed from and rearranged on the central grinding shaft. This reduces maintenance time by limiting the number of worn parts that need to be handled during maintenance. Disc diameter can be optimised to increase the energy efficiency for different media sizes and types. Drive system design Each VXPmill is equipped with a variablefrequency drive (VFD) to provide a range of operating speeds. This allows the mill energy input to be varied with process conditions. The motor and VFD combination allows the VXPmill to span the full speed range between the traditional low-speed and high-speed stirred mills. The high torque motor allows the VXPmill to handle a wide range of grinding media types (density). Vertical orientation The vertical design allows the mill to operate at low speed because gravity maintains media-to-media contact in the mill. The mill is open to the atmosphere. This allows visual inspection of what is happening in the grinding chamber. Maintenance costs are reduced since all bearings and seals are kept out of contact with the minerals slurry. This design has a smaller installation footprint than a comparable-sized horizontal mill.

The combination of vertical design, variable speed control, and the ability to operate with a range of media types and sizes is an important differentiator for the VXPmill. It allows the mill to operate at low speed to create a gravity-influenced grinding environment or at high speed to fluidise the media charge and increase the energy density in the mill. This allows the power intensity to be varied dramatically in real time.

maintenance One consequence of agitating grinding media is that mill maintenance has the potential to affect productivity. The main problems associated with stirred mills are related to the ingress of fine particles through bearing seals in contact with slurry and the abrasive wear of mill components by the grinding media. The first of these problems, bearing failure, is reduced or eliminated by the orientation of the VXPmill. The vertical design allows the bearing assembly to be placed outside of the grinding zone. This eliminates problems with bearingseal leakage because the bearing is not in contact with the slurry. In contrast, abrasive wear caused by the grinding media is common to all stirred-media mills. This has led to a number of systems having to replace worn parts. For example, some manufacturers provide a split shell

design that allows access to the grinding assembly. Others provide a system where the entire mill shell is moved away from the stationary grinding assembly. These systems suffer from longer maintenance cycles due to higher labour requirements or require additional floor space for barrel removal. FLSmidth has approached the replacement of wear parts by developing a quick, safe maintenance procedure that accesses the grinding assembly from below the mill. This was done because most of the wear in a vertical mill occurs in the bottom third of the grinding chamber. The design of the VXPmill allows operators to quickly flush and drain the media out of the mill into a holding tank. Once the mill is emptied, the bottom flange of the mill is lowered to provide access to the grinding assembly. Worn discs and spacers can then be removed and replaced sequentially by lowering the disc/spacer stack to a maintenance platform. Once maintenance is completed, water is added to the drained media and the bead/water mixture is simply pumped back into the barrel chamber. This short maintenance cycle increases mill availability while ensuring operator safety. In addition, the ability to operate over a wide speed range with different mill configurations allows the VXPmill to

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be customised for different grinding applications. This flexibility is reflected in the growing number and types of installations globally. Recent projects such as Ergo in South Africa, the Valex Kashen project in Armenia, and the Randgold Tongon Expansion Project in Côte d’Ivoire, have all installed VXPmills for flotation concentrate regrind rather than their traditional use for tailings retreatment.

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comminution

the value of holistic design Metso’s product experts explain how the company’s integrated approach to design is driving improvement across its comminution product range

hen mining customers are looking for value in comminution equipment, energy efficiency, availability, reliability and operating costs are the key areas they look to. But where do these come from? In fact, this kind of value is created before a machine is ever built. It all starts with design. Metso takes a holistic approach to ensure there is genuine value in the equipment it designs and builds. This approach considers the entire system, as well as service. “Our goal is to have the best available technology for all elements of comminution,” says Andy Fritz, senior vice-president of comminution. “In order to maximise energy efficiency for the entire plant, we not only have to understand exactly what every piece of equipment does and what its limitations are, but we also have to understand all of the upstream and downstream processes around it.”

more with less According to Victoria Herman, Metso’s product manager for the HRC high-pressure grinding roll, equipment design is always evolving but the challenge remains the same. “We are consistently challenged to do more with less,” she says. “Rising energy costs are combined with lower ore grades and more complex orebodies – that means efficiency is more valuable than ever to our customers.” The phrase “doing more” means something a little different for every piece of comminution equipment that Metso creates. In Herman’s case, designing the HRC meant building on the basic operating principles of an already-efficient technology, the high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR), and taking it to the next level. In a traditional HPGR, two tyres (one fixed and one floating) counter-rotate and draw in a bed of material. Hydraulic cylinders apply force to the floating tyre, and the bed of material is then crushed using inter-particle comminution. Although this traditional design is highly energy-efficient, it often produces a problem called the ‘edge effect’, by which crushing performance

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efficiency, which is what really matters to our customers.” is reduced at the edges of the tyres (due to lower pressure in that area). The costly results include coarser product size, uneven wear and decreased energy efficiency. Metso’s solution, the HRC HPGR, reduces the edge effect by implementing the Arch-frame, one of the many patented (or patent-pending) concepts in the HRC design. With this anti-skewing frame design, flanges can replace the traditional spring-loaded cheek plates and help draw material into the crushing zone of the HRC. This maximises the amount of ore that is crushed and helps to distribute even crushing pressure. Each circuit benefits a little differently from the HRC, with operational improvements that include a finer product, lower circulating load, improved energy efficiency and increased life on the wear components. “The patented Arch-frame and flanges really are the heart of this machine,” says Herman. “These design elements deliver increased capacity, and that goes hand in hand with energy

huge returns As vice-president of grinding, King Lim oversees a wide range of comminution equipment, including Metso’s upright stirred mill, the VERTIMILL. Much like with the development of the HRC, the team responsible for the VERTIMILL understands what energy efficiency means to customers; the VERTIMILL can deliver up to a 40% saving in energy consumption, and while this number can certainly turns heads, Lim points out that even a single percentage point can make a big difference to the customer’s bottom line. Most tumbling-mill suppliers are able to deliver 93% or 94% availability, but what about 95%? “Getting there delivers a huge return,” Lim says. “A 1% increase in availability can equate to millions of dollars saved each year; the larger the plant, the greater the savings.” Lim believes that “exceptional design is what delivers on the promise of higher availability”, and it does so in two ways: first, it can improve it incrementally by increasing availability every day, every week, every year; and second, it can improve availability by helping to ensure that an operation avoids catastrophic failure. The VERTIMILL achieves a high level of availability through a robust design. “We understand the equipment and the mechanical load, of course,” Lim says. “But we also understand all the ancillary equipment and how it affects the mill.” Additionally, the Metso team is homed in on the right mill size to maximise efficiency. “If the mill design

Left: the HRC high-pressure grinding roll Above: Metso’s Megaliner being installed

“As the equipment gets larger, we have to make it simpler and safer for our customers”

Rendered model of Metso’s MP2500 cone crusher currently in production

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Bigger equipment allows for broader application and improves plant availability, and so the concept is not just limited to the VERTIMILL. Going bigger is a common theme among all of Metso’s comminution equipment. Kevin Graney, product development manager for cone crushers and primary gyratory crushers, sees no end in sight for this trend. “Since the very early days of the mining industry,” he says, “there has been a desire to process more and more material, and that A VERTIMILL is oversized,” he adds,” you have to run means developing bigger and bigger equipment.” screw at it using less than full power, which is Graney speaks from first-hand Metso’s mining- very inefficient. We have the expertise experience, as he leads the team that equipment to size mills appropriately, because has developed and is now in the manufacturing when the design is right from the start, process of delivering one of the world’s and service we never have to compensate.” largest cone crushers, the MP2500, a facility near machine that weighs 450t. He explains Montreal, Bigger and Better that sizing up does not come without Canada The Metso team continues to evolve challenges, as larger equipment the design of the VERTIMILL, as it presents significant hurdles in logistics, builds bigger and bigger machines to manufacturing and service. handle customer demand. Two “You have to get a little creative,” he VERTIMILL 4500 grinding mills, the says. “We look at the design and ask, largest model currently available, have ‘How is the customer going to handle already been sold, and a VERTIMILL 6000, with one-third more capacity than this massive component?’ That’s something we never leave up to the 4500 model, is currently in chance.” development. Mining World 1.2 pg 2012 22/5/12 15:21 Page 1

To address these kinds of challenges, Graney and his team are experimenting with new liner solutions for the MP2500. “We are exploring innovations for parts that have not been addressed before,” he says. “As the equipment gets larger, we have to make it simpler and safer for our customers.” Metso has also made strides in safety for servicing large mills with the development of an innovative mill liner concept that is available for autogenous (AG) and semi-autogenous (SAG) grinding mills, as well as large ball mills. The aptly named Megaliner, along with its patented Liner Positioning System, is a mill-lining solution that makes liner replacement virtually seamless and much safer. Enabling faster liner replacement, Megaliner can reduce installation time by 30-40%, as well as being easier to install thanks to having fewer attachment points (about half the number of conventional liners). Since winning the Mining Magazine Mineral Processing Award in 2012, the Megaliner, which was originally developed for AG mills, has been further developed to now work with SAG and ball mills as well. Tage Möller, vice-president for

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perspectives of a mining operation.” Recently, Graney and his team benefited from this approach, borrowing an HRC design concept to simplify maintenance operations for the MP2500 – proof that collaboration pays off for everyone – especially the customer.

commitment to value

Metso’s mill-lining solutions, explains how worker safety and demand for efficiency drove this development: “The worker safety improvements are huge,” he says. “The liners are bolted into position from the outside of the mill, so the crew does not have to work inside, where there are hazards. Plus, with our Liner Positioning System, the liner-handler operator can position the liner remotely using cameras. This is the only tool of its kind, and it gives the operator complete control.” Innovations such as the Megaliner

support Metso’s holistic approach to design, which it says brings together a wide range of teams and perspectives throughout all phases of the design process. Expectedly, the engineering and applications teams lead the way, but service, sales, supply chain – even the customer – are all involved. Graney explains the reasoning behind this: “We would never want to develop something our customer doesn’t want,” he says. “And collaboration makes sure that never happens. We are continuously sharing information to help improve the design from all

“There is more development going on in comminution than there has ever been before,” says Fritz. “We have a renewed focus across every product line, and the overwhelming driver behind all of it is creating value for the customer anywhere we can.” So, whether it is a seemingly small design modification that changes traditional technology; advancements that provide the customer with 1% higher availability; increasing the size of a machine to massive proportions to increase production; or even sharing an idea between product groups, Metso is doing whatever it can to deliver value through its equipment design. Fritz sums up Metso’s approach: “Everything we do has to create value. That’s our commitment. If we don’t do it, someone else will.”

Far left: the VERTIMILL is claimed to deliver large savings in energy consumption and mill availability Centre column: Megaliner improves the changing and maintenance of mill linings for large AG, SAG and ball mills

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FEaturE namE comminution

Properly tightened Mill liner manufacturer ME Elecmetal and bolt provider Valley Forge & Bolt Manufacturing Co have joined forces to provide a best practice guide for bolt tightening in mill-lining applications Mill-liner bolt and washers

“Up to 34% of unplanned downtime in an SAG mill is caused by loose or broken liner bolts”

ome studies estimate that up to 34% of unplanned downtime in a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill is caused by loose or broken liner bolts. This downtime can mean up to US$380,000 per hour in non-sales costs to a mining company. Loose or broken bolts can also lead to bigger issues such as grinding-mill damage and personnel injuries, so it is important to study the method used to tighten liner bolts in order to avoid undesired consequences. Properly tightened bolts provide the clamping force or load needed to keep mill liners from moving. In order for the bolts to do their job, the load applied to them must be greater than the opposing forces (gravity and the weight of the charge), which are trying to pull the liners off of the mill shell. For many years, torque applied to the bolts has been the primary focus of liner installation. Results have varied widely,

to bolts during liner installation is by using load-verification equipment. A liner bolt, sealing washer and hex nut, as shown in Figure 1, should be tested as an assembly in calibrated torque-to-tension ratio equipment (shown in Figures 2 and 3). Torque values required to achieve the proper clamp load can vary significantly based on many factors, which is why the calibration of installation tools and verification of the load being applied to the bolts are critical.

rEtiGHtEninG ScHEDuLE

with the use of bottom or top lock nuts, worn tools, mismatched nut and bolt threads, reuse of bolts or nuts, use of lubrication, lack of consistent plant air pressure, and varying amounts of rubber in the bolted joints. In many applications, relying on just torque has resulted in loose liners and bolt problems. The preferred method to ensure that the proper clamp load is being applied

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Bolts are ready for retightening with the first few operational mill revolutions. The reason that ME Elecmetal recommends bolt retightening is due to the embedment factor that affects all fastening systems. Embedment occurs with any slight mismatch between the bolt and nut threads, realignment or ‘settling’ of the bolt in the bolt seat, and the absorption of torque by other factors such as lubrication and forging-related features on some bolt heads. The result is the loss of clamp force, even after a few mill revolutions. Retightening should take place within eight hours of liner installation. With a change in mill direction on bi-directional mills, retightening should take place within eight hours or sooner. Prolonged retightening or uncalibrated torquing can be detrimental to liner bolts and cause bolt failure and/or liner failure.

BoLtinG ProGrammE Mill liners are not designed to be moving parts; long-term exposure to loose fasteners can be detrimental to both

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Cheminova is the largest manufacturer in the world of organophosphorous compounds Danafloat™ – High performance flotation reagents See NEW website for total product list on www.danafloat.com Contact us for further information: Cheminova A/S P.O. Box 9 DK-7620 Lemvig · Denmark Tel. +45 9690 9690 Fax. +45 9690 9691 www.danafloat.com info@danafloat.com

Fig 1 (above): the components of a bolt fastening Fig 2: (above right) Clarkester torquetension tester Fig 3 (right): Skidmore Model K tensioner

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mills and liners, and can result in unscheduled downtime. Inspections of wrenches, air systems and complete bolting programmes are designed to support grinding operations. Tightening tools and calibration equipment should be available for bolting problems as well as support for routine maintenance planning needs. It is not recommended to reuse bolts or nuts. The cost of bolt or nut refurbishment versus the potential problems or uncertainty in mill operations that reused nuts and bolts can cause does not normally outweigh the cost of a new fastener. Friction can, and usually does, increase between reused bolts and nuts, resulting in an improper load being applied to the bolt with the same given torque – resulting in undesirable performance of the fastening system.

• Bolt retightening is highly recom-

Mill-liner bolt kit

mended due to the embedment factor that affects all fastening systems; Mining companies should set up mill-liner bolting programmes for the early detection of bolt-related problems; and The cost of bolt or nut refurbishment does not outweigh the cost of a new fastener when considering the potential problems that reuse can cause.

loose liners and bolt problems;

“The cost of bolt or nut refur• bishment does not outweigh installation is by using load verification equipment; the cost Table 1: Recommended clamp loads for common bolt sizes of a new Required clamp load for ASTM A449/ Required clamp load for A193 B7 equiv/ fastener Bolt diameter grade 5 equiv/class 8.8 (lb) class 10.9 (lb) when 1in 50,100 64,000 considering 1¼in 69,000 85,000 the 1½in 108,000 141,000 1¾in 110,000 165,000 potential 2in 140,000 183,000 problems M24 50,000 64,000 that reuse M30 69,000 85,000 can cause” M36 108,000 141,000

the proper clamp load is being applied to bolts during liner

M42 M48–M52

Summary

• Relying on just torque has resulted in • The preferred method to ensure that

•

110,000 140,000

165,000 183,000

Authors: Jeff Washburn, director of western North American sales at ME Elecmetal, and Bret Halley, chief operating officer at Valley Forge & Bolt Manufacturing Co. See: www.me-elecmetal.com/en and www.vfbolts.com

MINING TECHNOLOGY WORLDWIDE BALL / ROD / SAG / AG MILLS DRYERS MIXERS SCRUBBERS PELLETIZERS Whether for grinding or beneficiation, CEMTEC provides the right solution for customers in the mining industry. Whether for wet or dry applications, CEMTEC will meet customers’ requirements regardless. Projects undertaken at CEMTEC range from single machines to turnkey plants, from engineering to commissioning and after-sales service. Competent employees and professional facilities, such as the workshop and the laboratory which enable appropriate product investigations and test runs, ensure successful fulfillment of the relevant assignment. Interested in hearing more about CEMTEC? Please contact us!

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a fresh approach to cone crushing ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions has developed a new style of crusher to offer more flexibility and better control over product size in open-circuit mineral applications Two views of the Thyssen Krupp HKB cone crusher

Figure 1 (near right): example of Type I cone crusher with head bearing

one crushers rank among the most important crushing machines for raw, brittle and hard mineral materials. They are used to reduce the size of particles between 350mm and 10mm diameter, and the continued trend of declining ore grades requires increasingly higher throughput rates. When looking at the secondary crushing stage, installed capacities of 600-1,200m³/h are not uncommon today. Cone crushers consist of cylindrical upper and bottom shells, accommodating a vertical main shaft with a conical crushing tool (mantle). Another crushing tool, the so-called ‘concave’, is mounted on the inside of the upper shell. During operation, a gyratory movement is imparted to the main shaft by a rotating eccentric bushing, so that the gap between the crushing tools changes periodically. The minimum gap at the crusher discharge is called the closed side setting (CSS), and the maximum gap is called the open side setting (OSS). The difference between the open and closed side settings is called the stroke. Material in the crushing chamber is alternately squeezed and loosened as it falls, and is discharged from the crushing chamber when the particle size is small enough. Besides being influenced by the geometrical dimensions of the crusher and the speed of the eccentric bushing, the capacity can be controlled at a defined gap by adjusting the stroke of

Graphic: ThyssenKrupp

Figure 2 (centre column): example of Type II cone crusher without head bearing Graphic: ThyssenKrupp

the eccentrically supported mantle. Today, two cone-crusher designs with completely different radial bearings for the main shaft are predominant in the mining industry: • Cone crushers with a head bearing, referred to here as ‘Type I’ (see figure 1). In these crushers, the main shaft is radially guided in the lower and upper main shaft bearing. • Cone crushers with an overhung head bearing, ‘Type II’ (see figure 2). Here, there is only one radial bearing at the bottom of the shaft, which involves a flatter mantle slope than with Type I in order to reduce the radial crushing forces. This design allows greater strokes than Type I, and thus higher capacities at similar dimensions.

Design Differences The different main shaft bearing concepts of Types I and II require a different gap control procedure. Controlling the gap by vertically moving the main shaft using a hydraulic cylinder is characteristic of Type I cone crushers,

while the design of Type II crushers utilises a main shaft that rests in the lower shell, and a gap-control system that allows adjustment by rotating the upper shell, including the concave, through a thread. Hydraulic gap adjustment has substantial benefits. The gap can be adjusted during operation in order to respond quickly to changing material properties. The crusher-control system monitors the power draw and pressure, and controls the gap setting in order to keep power draw and pressure within the pre-set value ranges. With Type II, gap adjustment can only be undertaken while the crusher is running at no load, which is why an additional overload protection system is provided. In the event of an overload, the upper shell is lifted for a short time using hydraulic cylinders and resets afterwards. When processing material with varying properties, a wider gap is generally selected to avoid frequent release of the overload protection system. More than 40 years ago, a patent application for a cone crusher without a head bearing, but with the capability for hydraulic main-shaft adjustment, was filed (Type III). Several suppliers, including ThyssenKrupp and IBAG, have sold this type of crusher in the past, but only for throughput rates below 500t/h. Considering the excellent control options and the potential to achieve high throughput rates, ThyssenKrupp decided to further develop an existing Type III cone crusher, which can now handle capacities up to 1,000m³/h.

HKB Design features A sectional view of the ThyssenKrupp HKB cone crusher is shown in Figure 4.

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Figure 3: Type III crusher (HKB)

Graphic: ThyssenKrupp

Figure 4: design of new HKB 2300 cone crusher 1

5 3 4 10

spherical cap for axial guidance of the overhung mantle (5). Radial support of the mantle is ensured by an eccentric bushing (4) mounted between the mantle and the main shaft. The eccentric bushing is rotated by a bevel gear so that a gyratory movement is imparted to the mantle. The upper shell (1) with the concave is firmly bolted to the lower shell. The gap is adjusted hydraulically by lifting and lowering the piston in the main shaft. This crusher model, called the HKB 1050, has proven itself in slag and aggregate applications and is used for crushing gravel (feed size F80~ 35mm, product size P80~ 12mm) at throughput rates of up to 200t/h. Based on the HKB 1050, ThyssenKrupp’s newest cone crusher, the HKB 2300, combines the benefits of an overhung bearing and hydraulic gap control. The design was completely revised and the weight optimised using finite-element analysis. With a machine weight of approximately 125t, capacities up to 1,000m³/h are achieved at a gap of 40mm owing to a large stroke of about 90mm. The power rating is 750kW.

Hydraulic gap control

Figure 5: plot of operational data for cone crusher with hydraulic main shaft

This comprises: a cylindrical bottom shell (10) to which the vertical main shaft (2) is fixed. The top section of the main shaft is of hollow design and accommodates a vertically adjustable piston (3) with a

The crusher-control system collects data including: power consumption, step-bearing pressure, fill level in the crushing chamber, gap, main-shaft position, oil temperature or oil flow rate, and allows a continuous gap control during operation. Power consumption and step-bearing pressure are measured by analogue sensors. The gap is altered by vertical adjustment of the main shaft position, i.e. lowering of the main shaft increases the gap, and lifting

of the main shaft reduces the gap. Figure 5 shows a typical time plot of values including power draw, pressure, main shaft travel and feed level. It shows how a slight adjustment of the main shaft level ensures a stable operation of the crusher even under high load (shaded areas). The gap-control system also allows automatic gap calibration. While the crusher is running at no load, the main shaft is lifted until the crushing tools touch each other and the value of the actual gap that has been stored in the control system is then reset to 0mm. After that, the main shaft is lowered until the desired gap is reached. This ensures that the pre-set gap and the product quality are kept constant over the entire service life of the crushing tool, even with abrasive feed materials.

Fields oF application When using cone crushers, downstream process stages mostly require limitation of the maximum feed size. The gap-control system allows operators to lower the crusher mantle slowly in an overload situation, so that (unlike with Type II crushers) the product size can be limited, even when overload occurs as a result of material compaction. Consequently, the Type III crusher can increasingly be used for open-circuit operations instead of just closed circuits. In particular, process lines that include high-pressure grinding rolls have strict limitations regarding maximum feed size, and therefore pre-crushing is almost exclusively effected in a closed circuit. For such applications, the new cone-crusher design offers a cost-effective flow sheet.

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Santa Rita ramps up efficiency Sanjeeva Latchireddi presents the operational and optimisation findings from his study at Mirabela’s Brazilian operation

Figure 1: monthly productivity of the Santa Rita grinding circuit

orizontal grinding mills have been used in the mining industry for more than a century, and due to their simple operation and maintenance they remain a widely used technology for various stages of comminution. The efficiency of horizontal grinding mills compared with other comminution equipment is often debated, and improving the energy efficiency of these mills is an area of attention for engineers. Mirabela Mineração’s Santa Rita nickel operation is the first greenfield operation where it has been demonstrated how the design optimisation of autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding (AG/SAG) mills using process modelling can help operations to achieve high grinding efficiency and reach design throughputs in days rather than months.

Why model? Process modelling at the design stage helps to optimise the design of grinding mills and maximise their energy efficiency and productivity. This requires the optimisation of three important aspects: material transport, charge motion and particle-breakage processes. The energy efficiency of a comminution device typically depends on how efficiently the energy is used to break new particles and how well the product-size particles are classified and taken out. The most energy-efficient breakage system would be where particles leave the energy field as soon as they become smaller than the required product size; for example, free-falling vertical (gravitational) material transport in crushers. The material transport in horizontal grinding mills is lateral, and therefore requires a suitable arrangement to remove the desired sized product. The grate and pulp lifter arrangement has been introduced in grinding mills to increase material transport by providing a high gradient across the grate. However, extensive research has proved that material transport across the grinding mill is not straightforward, but has several inherent drawbacks. The magnitude of the problems, for example flow-back and carry-over, depends on the design of the pulp lifters, grate and other operating parameters.

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Energy drawn from the mill motor is transferred through the charge to the particles. The design of the shell lifters plays a key role in how that energy is transferred by creating an appropriate charge motion that distributes the energy. Discrete-element method (DEM) simulation helps to study the charge motion and design the internal liners to ensure that the appropriate range of energy impacts are produced. Once the internal conditions inside the mill – charge motion and slurry hold-up – are optimised, then optimal operatingprocess parameters can be evaluated to maximise the breakage rate of particles.

The SanTa RiTa ciRcuiT Mirabela operates the Santa Rita project, one of the world’s largest open-pit nickel sulphide mines, in Bahia, Brazil. It has a conventional nickel sulphide concentrator. The grinding circuit consists of: • One 9m x 4.5m 8.5MW SAG mill fitted with Outotec-patented Turbo Pulp Lifters (TPL) in closed circuit with a HP400 short-head pebble crusher; and • One 6m x 8.6m 5.5MW ball mill in closed circuit with a Warman cyclone cluster (ten 66cm CAVEX cyclones). The grinding circuit, commissioned in October 2009, was designed as a typical semi-autogenous ball-milling-crushing (SABC) circuit to grind 4.6Mt/y (575t/h) with a P80 of 145µm and 10-12% ball charge in the SAG mill. The nameplate design capacity was achieved in a few days in an autogenousmill ball-mill-crusher (ABC) circuit without grinding media in the SAG mill. Throughput was gradually increased to +800t/h with relatively soft ore coming from the transition zone. In April 2012, throughput decreased to below 700t/h with harder pyroxenite ore coming from underground, resulting in a higher specific-energy requirement. The

consistently reduced throughput and continuous variations in the feed ore had a flow-on effect on the flotation performance and plant economics. In order to attain the plant‘s maximum design capacity – 900t/h – with a P80 of 125µm to ensure stable operation of the flotation circuit, grinding balls were added to move from AG to SAG mode. The grinding balls were added in three stages to reach 7.5% by volume. The monthly productivity of the grinding circuit (Figure 1) shows that the plant is now consistently operating well above 900t/h in SAG mode with 7.5% ball charge. The authors suggested that throughput could be further increased by using a ball charge of 15%.

Table 1: results from grinding survey Parameter Throughput, Mt/h Feed size, F80, mm Transfer size, T80, mm Product size, P80, micron JK Axb Bond Wi, kwh/mt SAG mill SAG mill size (dia x length), m Open area (PP-70mm), % Ball charge, % SAG power draw, kW SAG specific energy, kWh/Mt Pebble crusher Pebbles flowrate CSS Pebble-crusher specific energy, kWh/Mt Ball-mill circuit Ball-mill power draw, kW Ball-mill specific energy, kWh/Mt Recirculating load, % Operating cyclones Total specific energy, kWh/Mt

Design

Survey

575 120 0.8–2.0 145 41.3 21.8

650 141 0.342 146 50.2 18.4

9.15 x 5 12 12 6,359 11.06

9.15 x 5 12 0 6,667 10.26

25–40% 12 mm 0.37

20–35% 20 mm 0.47

5,376 9.35 270 8

5,085 7.82 115 3

20.78

18.55

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comminution • Minimising fines recirculation – this

Performance assessment The SAG mill at Santa Rita was designed to operate with 10-12% ball charge to grind 575t/h and produce a P80 of 145µm. However, it consistently operated in full AG mode and successfully processed up to 850t/h with a range of ore hardness (Axb from 46.2 to 72.1). Efficient energy utilisation is the main reason behind this success, thanks to the efficient material transport and good grinding conditions resulting from the TPL. To assess the effects of TPLs on grinding efficiency, a complete grinding survey was conducted in July 15, 2010. The results are summarised in Table 1 together with the design expectations. TPL technology has been proven to eliminate material transport problems such as flow-back and carry-over of slurry/ solids (inherent to conventional discharge designs) that lead to excessive mill loads due to slurry/solid pooling. Once the product-size particles pass through a grate, they are completely discharged into the trunnion by the TPL, thus ensuring effective utilisation of energy in breaking newer particles. Excess slurry has two drawbacks: • Minimising impact breakage due to damping; and • Smaller particles (usually <5mm) tend to slip into the slurry pool and escape the attrition-breakage action. However, with TPLs there is no way these smaller particles can escape, and hence they stay inside the voids or get nipped between the coarser particles. These factors suggest higher breakage rates with the TPL system than in mills with a conventional discharge system. In order to study this aspect, the following tests were carried out: • JKSimMet modelling to July 15, 2011, using grinding survey data; • Use of JK default breakage rates to simulate the performance with conventional discharge systems; and • Use of 12m Cadia SAG rates (provided by JK) to simulate the milling circuit. The AG/SAG mill breakage rates obtained from the above three situations for the same work are depicted in Figure 2 and the corresponding results are summarised in Table 2. Comparing the breakage rates of the TPL with JK default rates and Cadia breakage rates shows: • A 3-4 fold increase in breakage rates for 0.5-10mm particles with the TPL compared with the JK default rate and Cadia rates indicate that these particles

•

reduces the damping effect and overgrinding; and Reducing the circulating load – this increases the grinding efficiency and lowers the number of cyclones needed.

results

•

are kept in voids. They are nipped between the tumbling media and subjected to breakage without slipping into the excess slurry pool; Lower breakage rates at the finer end with the TPL indicate minimal or no over-grinding of <0.5mm particles, as they behave like fluid and discharge faster than the coarse particles. Finer particles cannot return through the grate, since the TPL eliminates flow-back and carry-over; and Results for the coarser end indicate self-breakage rather than impact breakage, as is typical of AG milling.

To achieve the AG mill’s throughput of 650t/h, the JK default rates require a 8.45% ball charge, whereas the Cadia rates require 4.52%. Lower rates for 0.5-10mm particles suggest improper fine-particle breakage, and higher rates for <0.5mm particles suggest over-grinding, possibly as a result of flow-back. Efficient material transport produces a steeper transfer-size distribution (Figure 3) and fewer ultra-fine particles in the cyclone overflow product (Figure 4) than in conventional AG/SAG mills. The steeper cyclone feed-size distribution improves the classification efficiency of cyclones and the performance of the ball-mill circuit by: • Improving the classification cyclone efficiency;

The successful operation of the Santa Rita milling circuit in fully autogenous mode instead of SABC shows the importance of design optimisation of grinding mills using rigorous process modelling rather than power modelling alone. The optimisation of: material transport (through grate and pulp lifters), charge motion (shell lifters) and particle breakage (process parameters) results in: • Rapid commissioning and ramp-up; • Increased mill throughput; • High energy efficiency; • Lower ball charge (keeps OPEX low); • Steeper transfer size (improves ball-mill circuit efficiency); • Reduced over-grinding (advantageous in flotation); • Mill responsiveness to instantaneous changes in mill load; and • Improved operator control of the grinding circuit.

Figure 2: comparison of milling circuit performance and SAG breakage rates (TPL, JK default and Cadia)

Figure 3: comparison of SAG transfer size

Figure 4: comparison of cyclone overflow product

Process modelling and design optimisation can be effectively used to bring out the hidden capacity of existing grinding circuits.

Table 2: AG/SAG mill breakage rates Parameter Throughput, Mt/h

TPL 650

JK default 650

Cadia 650

Feed size, F80, mm Product size, P80, microns JK Axb Bond Wi, kWh/Mt SAG mill

141 146 50.2 18.4

Total load, %

33.18

28.6

Ball charge, %

8.45

4.5

SAG power draw, kW

6,667

7,526

7,287

SAG specific energy, kWh/mt

10.26

11.58

11.21

342

1,561

1,777

Ball charge, %

27.5

Ball-mill power draw, kW

5,082

5,077

5,079

Ball-mill specific energy, kWh/Mt

7.82

7.81

Recirculating load, %

106

191

155

Transfer size, microns Ball-mill circuit

Operating Cyclones Total specific energy, kWh/Mt Extra energy required

18.08 –

19.39 7.3%

19.02 5.3%

Dr Sanjeeva Latchireddi is director of Energy Efficient Milling Solutions (EEMS) based in Salt Lake City, US. This article is based on a paper presented by Latchireddi and Evandro Faria (of Mirabela) at the Canadian Mineral Processors conference in 2013.

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Comminution_Santa-Rita-CEEC_MM1407.indd 41

July / August 2014 08/07/2014 12:30

Comminution

a true measure of efficiency GMSG is developing a business tool to aid mining professionals gauge energy efficiency. MM reports

I “Comminution acconts for roughly 3% of the energy consumption in the world”

Collaborative effort GMSG collaborates on common industry problems, needs and technology through standards, guidelines and best practices.

Photo: ABB

Crushers at the Mogalakwena mine in Limpopo province, South Africa

t is impossible to ignore the costs associated with comminution (size reduction, primarily through crushing and grinding). This has amplified the need to be able to quickly assess problems with comminution energy efficiency. The Global Mining and Standards and Guidelines Group (GMSG) has created a working group on industrial comminution efficiency. The group aims to standardise metrics and methodologies for benchmarking of industrial comminution efficiency for hard-rock mining. The group’s initial project, centred on the Bond Work Index, will deliver a working guideline that will help gauge efficiency. Two other projects were launched this June, one aiming to develop a guideline for determination of milling circuit energy efficiency relative to industrial grinding circuits using the Morrell Method, the other to develop guidelines for sampling and surveying for the purposes of benchmarking. The group intends to develop a database for the comparison of industrial grinding circuit efficencies relative to those of milling circuits. A fourth focus will look at measuring comminution efficiency. A number of participants within the group have discussed the need to share best practise and high-level benchmarking information to assist the industry in achieving improvements in efficiency.

When it comes to mineral processing, comminution is a major cost. According to the Coalition for Eco-Efficient Comminution (CEEC) it is responsible for 53% of energy usage at a mine site and represents 10% of site production costs. Furthermore, comminution acconts for 3% of world energy consumption. Placed against other contributing factors, such as lower ore grades and rising energy costs, the quest for innovative tools, solutions and support for miners to whittle down this cost is becoming increasingly important.

Under development In 2014, the Industrial Comminution Efficiency group, led by Barrick’s James Connolly, aims to establish the guidelines for use of the Bond metric and Morrell method to increase reliability in measuring and comparing comminution circuit efficiency. The guidelines will differ in the accepted methods of hardness testing and the industry accepted empirical calculations applied. Both methods of hardness testing are well accepted within the industry, but the universal adoption of a single method of testing is unlikely, hence the need for two guidelines.

valUe as a bUsiness tool The working group is focused on industry accepted methods as miners need to cut costs wherever they can. When looking for the potential for profitability, it makes sense to approach the greatest cost centre aggressively with a tool that is proven and proactive by nature. The first project for this group, ‘A Guideline for Measuring and Comparing Industrial Comminution Circuit Energy Efficiencies by the Bond Method’, is led by Metcom Technologies’ Robert McIvor, an expert in the design of industrial grinding circuits. The Bond standard circuit was chosen because it represents an average circuit performance, and is therefore useful as a “meter-stick for measurement” and will address overall circuit efficiency. Bond efficiency is not a suggestion on how to revolutionise the industry with new methodology or technology. The project is not research- or theory-based,

because the data already exists. The group intends to tweak and refine existing information and methodology to produce a guideline. McIvor says: “Bond efficiency has already been extensively used as a business tool. It has been used to benchmark a given circuit’s energy efficiency against that of other circuits. It is also used to quantify changes in circuit efficiency with steps aimed at efficiency improvement and for writing process performance warrantees for equipment supplied to projects, as well as to quantify energy savings required by energy efficiency regulations.” McIvor describes the Bond Work Index equation as a “process engineering tool for the ages.” The group intends to present its working guideline as a much-needed business tool, which will provide a reliable method of determining energy efficiency to assist them in becoming more cost-effective. McIvor states that the group will adopt the “90/10” business rule”, in a bid to make the project most effective. “The Bond method can be used to quantify the energy efficiency of over 90% of industrial comminution energy usage, from most primary grinding circuits to most separation circuit feed sizes, but excluding coarse crushing and very fine regrinding,” he adds. At a meeting held at the SME meeting in Salt Lake City (US) in February, the group laid the groundwork for its project to develop a guideline for the application of the Bond Work Index. The objective is to “formalise and disseminate use of the Bond method to provide industry with a means to measure and compare comminution circuit efficiencies, including a reference data base.”

diversity in global mining As with most technical professions, there are preferences in the methods and techniques applied within the modelling and simulation of comminution circuits. GMSG is open to all stakeholders and expects more guidelines projects will be brought forward to increase the standardisation of industrial comminution efficiency metrics and methods.

The Industrial Comminution Efficiency Group continues to grow and values participation and input from interested stakeholders. For more information, contact GMSG managing director Heather Ednie at hednie@cim.org or see www.globalminingstandards.org

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comminution

Stirring up excitement CITIC Heavy Industries is venturing into the stirred-media mill market

Schematic of a stirred-media mill showing how the casing opens for maintenance

high proportion of new basemetal resources are relatively fine-grained. These ultimately require grinding below 45 microns in order to feed downstream processes. As the ground material becomes finer, its surface area increases exponentially, as does the power required to grind it. Traditional tumbling mills have been

used for centuries for fine grinding. However, with the recent developed of stirred-media mills they have become inefficient in comparison, and so stirred-media mills have become the preferred option for regrind and fine-grinding applications in mining. There are only few manufacturers producing stirred-media mills and these are either vertical or horizontal in design. CITIC Heavy Industries has recently developed a line of six vertical stirred mills (see table) capable of handling a wide range of regrind and fine-grinding applications, which complement its conventional grinding mills range. All CSM models, with the exception of the CSM4000 are commercially available. The CSM4000 is currently going through the final design-optimisation stage and will soon be available.

CITIC range of stirred mills CSM800 CSM1000 CSM1200 CSM1600 CSM2500 CSM4000

(800kW) (1,000kW) (1,200kW) (1,600kW) (2,500kW) (4,000kW)

The CSM1200 was launched in September 2013. Three units each with 1,200kW of installed power are currently under manufacture for a copper project in South America where they will replace the mine’s existing conventional regrind mills. CITIC currently has R&D teams in Australia and China working on improving the technology and efficiency of the new models. The company will release further details on the new machines in the near future.

Design features of CITIC stirred mills • Two-stage planetary main gearbox

• • • •

Comminution_Citic_MM1407.indd 44

design, instead of two helical plus one planetary gearbox. The two-stage planetary gearbox offers 2% more efficiency; Better digging-shoe design for reduced scrap metal and easy replacement; Highly efficient soft start motor; Solid main screw shaft; Magnetic shell liners;

• Complete in-house finite-element • • • •

analysis undertaken on the drive screw and main body; Hydraulic jacks to crack the main door for opening; High availability with low maintenance; Assembly and removal of main drive without part dismantling; Optional control panel with PLC touch screen.

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comminution

The first HIGmill ready for shipment, showing the rotating shaft with discs (left) and the casing (right)

a very fine grind indeed Outotec has made significant progress with its HIGmill technology in the past 12 months. Here the company outlines some of the benefits and options now available

4 3 2

1 feed inlet; 2 rotating shaft; 3 rotating discs; 4 stationary discs; 5 high-intensity grinding zone (lower and outer parts of grinding chamber); 6 lower-intensity grinding zone (upper part of chamber and closer to shaft); 7 discharge

Mill structure and components Pilot HIGmill test container

he market has shown great interest in Outotec’s HIGmill technology since its introduction in 2012. Within the first two years, Outotec has established projects in the base metal and platinum group metal (PGM) industries. The first mill for a copper-concentrate regrind project was delivered earlier this year.

DemanDing oreboDies The demand for finer grinding in mineral processing has set new challenges in comminution technology. The major challenge has been to develop a method of grinding that involves lower energy consumption. Two years ago, Outotec introduced a unique but well proven milling concept for fine grinding applications – the HIGmill – a technology that was originally developed for the industrial minerals industry. The HIGmill provides operators with flexibility and maintains the target product size regardless of variations in upstream processes. This gives downstream processes the best possible conditions and helps maintain high and consistent recovery. The HIGmill provides several advantages including: a low specific grinding energy (SGE) value combined

with high power intensity, simple flow sheets with no recirculating loads, true flexibility in process variables and long maintenance intervals. More than 200 HIGmills have been installed across the globe since the technology was introduced. This includes nine mills with an installed power of 5MW each, making the HIGmill the world’s largest fine grinding unit in operation to date. The HIGmill is a vertical stirred-media grinding mill, which comes in various drum diameters. The mill height can be varied to optimise the throughput and power input for specific applications. Chamber volumes range from 400L to 27,500L with corresponding drives from 132kW to 5MW.

structure anD operation The HIGmill utilises a grinding chamber filled with small beads, and comminution takes place by attrition between these beads. The stirring effect is caused by rotating discs mounted on a shaft. There are also stationary discs on the mill body positioned in between each rotational disc. The mill feed is pumped to the grinding chamber via the feed inlet at the bottom of the mill. During continuous operation, the slurry flow transfers upwards and passes through the rotating discs with spokes and into the free space between the static counter discs and the wall lining. Depending on the application, the mill may be constructed with up to 30 sets of rotating and static discs. The ground product is discharged from the top of the mill by gravity as overflow. Space around every rotational disc can be regarded as a classification stage

where coarser particles move towards the chamber walls, while finer particles move faster upwards through the disc openings. Due to the vertical arrangement of the mill, classification is conducted simultaneously throughout the grinding process with larger particles remaining longer at the periphery, while smaller particles move upwards. Gravity keeps the grinding beads within the mill. However, for added insurance there is a hydro-classifier positioned at the top and attached to the mill cylinder to ensure that no beads are lost. The process is typically an open, single-pass process and there is no need for an external classifier.

grinDing control The flow from upstream processes can vary remarkably due to fluctuations in ore grade, quality and upstream process performance. With the HIGmill ‘process island’, Outotec has developed a new concept for online particle-size control in regrinding milling applications. The high-intensity fine-grinding concept provides the option to measure and control the product’s fineness through the use of online control systems and particle-size analyzers. A variable-speed drive is used to control the grinding-shaft speed, which in turn controls the SGE (kWh/t) input into the material. The tip speed can be used to control power draw over a wide range. Feed-rate fluctuations in upstream processes can occur very quickly; however, this concept is fast enough to respond to these fluctuations. A predetermined set point for SGE is used to achieve the target product

July / August 2014 Comminution_Outotec_MM1407.indd 46

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fineness, usually expressed as P80. Outotec’s Advanced Control Tools (ACT) system uses feed-forward and feedback control principles to maintain this at the optimum level. The feed-forward control principle works by measuring scalping cyclone feed quantity, determined by flow and density meters, and adjusts the mill shaft speed to reach the target SGE per total feed flow. This principle ensures that the target SGE is reached at all times, even with fluctuating feed rates. The feedback control principle measures the particle-size distribution (PSD) through online monitoring using Outotec PSI technology. Online particle-size measurement is used to control the particle size of the slurry flow to the downstream process. If the product size is out of the target range (coarser or finer), the upper level control (ACT) gives a new SGE set point. The grinding beads are fed continuously to the mill along with the slurry feed. If there is a permanent large-scale change in throughput or in the target PSD, the bead charge is increased or decreased to the new optimal level to ensure that online control with the tip speed can be fully utilised.

Comminution_Outotec_MM1407.indd 49

test work Outotec began an intensive testing campaign with two pilot HIGmills in Austria in 2012. A test programme was built to cover

the effect of the main parameter variations on energy efficiency and overall mill behaviour, especially under different flow-rate conditions. The two pilot mills were designed and manufactured in co-operation with Swiss Tower Mills Minerals. Today, Outotec has several test units available for laboratory and pilot-scale test work, including a mobile container unit. Numerous tests have been carried out on concentrate samples received from mining companies all over the world, and these have shown extremely promising SGE values combined with sharp particle-size distribution curves.

Benefits of HIGmill technology • All mills are controlled by variable• • • •

speed drives for maximum flexibility, energy efficiency and variable particle size; Shaft speed controls particle size; Shaft sealing not needed due to vertical construction; Grinding media and large particles are retained in the mill by gravity; Open circuit with multiple grinding stages (up to 30);

• Produces steep PSD without external classification;

• Small footprint due to vertical

design and high energy intensity;

• Grinding media (steel or ceramic) •

Outotec’s HIGmill process island

“Numerous tests... have shown extremely promising SGE values combined with sharp particle-size distribution curves”

according to application to improve downstream process performance; and Significant reduction of net carbon emissions compared with traditional milling circuits.

09/07/2014 13:11

wear protection

a steel constitution Carly Leonida explores the benefits that specialty steels can offer in wear parts for mining equipment Pouring alloy into molten metal at an ME Elecmetal plant

“Wear resistance is essential, but this must be balanced with ease of processing and good weldability”

ear parts in mining applications are subject to particularly testing conditions. The materials handled tend to be incredibly abrasive and the operating conditions can be hostile. For this reason, wear resistance in these products is essential, but this must be balanced with steel that provides ease of processing and good weldability – important factors when trying to fabricate complicated shapes. Specialty steels, which are stronger than non-wear-resistant alternatives, can be readily used in the fabrication shop of modern mining OEMs. These utilise a combination of alloys and sophisticated heat-treatment methods to develop microstructures that are specifically designed to provide maximum abrasion and impact resistance, and thus are good candidates for the construction of wear parts such as mill and crusher liners, truck liners and chutes. A specialty steel that can withstand more wear has an obvious benefit for the total cost of ownership of equipment. The improved durability and strength

Quench and tempered steel Tata’s Clydebridge quench and tempering facility

Chrome-carbide welded overlay plate is commonly referred to as quench and tempered (QT) steel. Producing it involves a complex process of hardening standard steel plate and the result typically comes in two levels of hardness: 450HB and 500HB. The welded chromium carbide overlay plate is a directional plate due to the weld bead format and is applied using a multi-head welding process with a typical hardness of 600HB. The welded overlay process has been the same for more than two decades. The thickness of the plate is managed by how many weld passes of overlay can be applied, which yields some metallurgical imperfections. There are also fused overlay plates available on the market, for example Arcoplate, which carries 650HB and is a non-directional application plate. The single-pass manufacturing process used to produce these types of steels allows a pure and dense carbide matrix, which improves the lifecycle cost.

offered means fewer part replacements, less maintenance and longer periods between services, all resulting in reduced downtime and lower operating costs.

Past & Present The quality of wear parts produced today by both OEMs and independent manufacturers is much higher than those of 20-30 years ago. Manufacturers have learned to fine-tune their production processes and quality-control procedures, and many have chosen to upgrade their processing equipment to newer, more efficient machines. Simulation and testing has also seen great strides technologically, and these have allowed companies to hone their designs and couple them more effectively with other product lines. Today’s wear products tend to be developed to fit a specific application, rather than promoted as universal wear solutions, and the introduction of quality checks at different points within the production process has enabled the continuous development of features. Part of this general improvement is down to the types of materials used for the fabrication of wear parts. Although specialty steels have been around for decades, metallurgical advances and improvements in process control, design and simulation tools, production equipment and monitoring and devices mean that the production of steels can now be controlled very accurately within set parameters. Quality variances are virtually eliminated, and most production processes are automatically monitored and controlled. Over the last 30 years, customer expectations have also become more demanding for the steel producer in terms of weldability, formability, cost, size availability and product presentation. The biggest challenge by far, though, is sustainability and green credentials, which are right at the top of the political agenda in the 21st century, even at OEM level where end-of-life recyclability plays a part in the value equation. Legislation and taxation is driving this change.

alternatives While regular steels or structural cast steels can be used in the manufacture of wear parts, they do not have the alloying

elements and are not subject to the heat-treating regimens needed to develop the necessary microstructures to withstand high-frequency and intense impacts, and highly abrasive or corrosive materials. Wear parts made from regular steel may be cheaper to produce and buy, but in the long run a specially developed steel, rubber, poly-metallic composite (rubber with metallic inserts), urethane or ceramic will yield a longer life, need fewer replacements, and ultimately create less downtime. Each specialty material has applications in the correct conditions. Rubber and urethane are more resistant to impact. For example, a truck body lined with rubber can be up to five times more wear-resistant compared with steel, but the purchasing price will vary depending on the type of rubber used and its thickness. Installation is faster and safer due to the significantly lower weight, and rubber lining in a truck box can lower the OPEX by up to 50% compared with a steel lining. However, the performance/cost trade-off is application- and operationspecific, and it is important not to just consider material costs when determining the best-performing materials. In large-diameter mills, for example, other variables need to be considered. The cost of maintenance and lost production due to downtime has a major effect on the total grinding cost, so mill liners must have a long service life and maintain an efficient profile. Regular steel is too soft, deforms easily and wears out very quickly. The wear life of rubber liners can match that of metal liners, but parts often need to be larger and this reduces mill volume and throughput. Special steels used in the right way can increase the wear life

July / August 2014 Wear-prot_MM1407.indd 50

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wear protection

of critical wear parts and enable change-out intervals to be optimally spaced. Chrome carbide clad steel tiles and ceramics are generally used for very high hardness applications or in areas experiencing a high degree of sliding abrasion. However, these products are usually limited by a small range of available sizes, and they tend to be restricted to bolt-on applications such as ore boxes and chutes. They have obvious limitations in terms of formability and are not readily weldable, but can offer results in the right applications.

Material selection The main function of a wear part is to protect structural, expensive and hard-to-repair parts of a machine from ongoing wear and tear. Steel selection is highly dependent on the application, and the degree of wear experienced in different parts of each machine will vary depending on the duty and specific operating parameters. Josu Piña, vice-president of special-steel sales at Ruukki Americas, a supplier of specialty steels to OEMs and service centres, explains: “First we find out from the customer the application and end-use of the steel. This enables us to ascertain what the material has to tolerate so that we can recommend the optimum grade of steel. For example, Raex 500 [one of Ruukki’s core products] is suitable for a certain part of a bucket and Raex 400 for another part of the same bucket. With dump bodies, some parts such as floor plates, which are exposed to heavy wear, can be made of Raex, whereas Optim high-strength steel is more suitable for the side walls.” Colin Mawdsley, customer technical services engineer at Tata Steel, one of the world’s biggest steel manufacturers,

www. Wear-prot_MM1407.indd 51

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points out that for a truck body, OEMs would be looking for a large-area plate product designed for optimum service life. This must be easy to fabricate in the assembly process, and easily cut to shape and welded. “For this type of application an OEM would generally look for our Abrazo 400 or 450 products, because these grades are very formable and weldable. Higher grades need specialised treatment and preheating when cutting/welding,” he adds. For independent wear-part producer ME Elecmetal, the steel-selection process revolves mainly around its sales engineers. Mike Haugen, senior product-development engineer, says: “It’s a continually interactive process between mining personnel and our manufacturing teams. The sales engineers have to understand the problem and concerns from the customer, see the application, interact with our own personnel and continually follow up.” He adds that, in general, ME Elecmetal suggests the use of chromemoly steel liners for large semi-autogenous grinding mills, and white iron alloy steel liners for ball mills. Poly-metallic liners also offer benefits in milling. “Utilising the unique properties of each material where it does the most good saves weight, makes installation and liner replacement easier/ safer and balances the wear life of the liners to fit the maintenance cycles,” says Tage Möller, VP of mill-lining solutions at processing-solutions giant Metso. “We study the process data for each individual mill and select the best material, and we also consider customer preferences. By selecting the right alloy or rubber compound the wear life can be significantly increased. Ceramic inserts are also used for high wear zones

on discharge systems and trunnion liners.” For mills, it is important to consider the material being processed and the way the mill is operated. Ore properties including composition, hardness, abrasiveness, maximum feed size and size distribution will directly affect the wear rate. Factors affecting the service life of the lining include: mill speed, charge level, size and percentage of grinding media present in the mill and percentage of solids in the slurry. Fluctuations in ore properties and operation must also be considered as well as future planned changes. “In a low-impact application with abrasive ore we can select a harder, more wear-resistant, but more brittle alloy,” explains Möller, “whereas in a high-impact application, we select the alloy more based on impact resistance.” Sandvik, an OEM of crushing, conveying and bulk handling equipment, has developed tools so that together with the customer, it can find out the correct information to provide the best solution. “Factors considered include everything that might affect the wear conditions, such as temperature, processed material, maximum lump size, drop height, impact angle and chemicals,” says Oskar Larsson, product manager, wear protection and screening media. “For instance, with the HX900 carbide chute liners, we are able to offer a solution with a long wear life and less thickness – we can reduce the weight due to the material’s superior performance.” Wear-resistant plate is more expensive than conventional steel grades, and it is only necessary in certain areas of equipment where abrasion levels are high. Tata Steel works with customers through its early vendor involvement (EVI) programme to advise them how best to use wear products to reduce the total cost of ownership. “We help our customers to save money by ensuring this product is only used where absolutely necessary,” says Mawdsley.

Metso steel products awaiting dispatch from the foundry

A dragline bucket with welded overlay liner from ASI

“Utilising the unique properties of each material where it does the most good saves weight”

Weight vs durability The weight/durability trade-off again is application-specific. For example, in heavy-impact applications, wear castings need to have thicker sections to maintain the structural integrity necessary to prevent catastrophic failure. “Our sales engineers are constantly at mine sites meeting with maintenance and operational personnel to review the application wear parts are subjected to,” says Haugen. “This information is then

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wear protection

shared with our metallurgists as well as design and manufacturing engineers to develop the proper section thickness and material properties for each wear part. The sales engineers continually follow up with the customer to monitor part performance and adjust the design, weight and material properties as necessary. It’s an ongoing process.” Alloy Steel International (ASI), which produces Arcoplate, a specialty 650BHN fused overlay plate for wear parts, uses computational fluid dynamics to simulate the conditions of service in the field. ASI is then able to change plate thickness to reduce mass weight and concentrate on high abrasion and impact areas for each specific application. It is also possible to use simulation to minimise the weight of certain parts; material in low-wear areas can be moved to high-wear areas where it is needed most. This helps to keep the overall weight to a minimum while at the same time maximising wear resistance.

Quality control While some OEMs and independent wear-part manufacturers prefer to purchase specialty steels from independent steel producers, others prefer to operate their own foundries and develop their own steel products in house. The overarching benefit of this is control; in sourcing raw materials, manufacturing processes and, ultimately, the quality of the wear parts produced. Metso is one OEM that has brought this capability in house. Osmo MäkiUuro, VP of crusher wear solutions, comments: “For Metso, our own manufacturing, supported by our own process knowledge and R&D, is key to developing the most efficient machinery. It is a strategic choice for Metso to own its production resources; this way we know in the smallest detail what means what in terms of product performance. “With own production, we can ensure the quality and availability of strategic items. On the other hand, it is also important to have flexibility, so we also have an established supply network conforming to our high standards.” For an OEM such as Sandvik, which produces wear parts to match its key product lines, constant improvements within production are also more easily achieved and administrated when the majority of production is in house. “This also facilitates keeping product quality at a consistently high level, and means we have routines in place for fast action and decision making when things need to be attended to,” explains Larrson. “R&D and production are

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closely linked and co-operation is helped by this set-up.” ME Elecmetal also sees the benefits of operating its own foundries. Haugen states: “The major benefit is control. ME Elecmetal operates five fully owned steel foundries worldwide. We also have a JV in Chile and one licensee foundry in Mexico. Even the licensee foundry is subject to stringent quality and process controls to ensure that it produces castings to our high standards.” Some of the world’s biggest steel manufacturers have gone one step further. These companies operate their own mining divisions, and the products generated are then used to produce specialty steels that are, in turn, utilised for wear protection at their own mines, and sold globally to OEMs, independent manufacturers and other miners. ArcelorMittal is among the five largest producers of iron ore and metallurgical coal, and the mining business is an increasingly essential part of the company’s growth strategy. Anthony Parrico, business development manager at ArcelorMittal Europe Flat Products, explains: “As the biggest steel supplier worldwide, our company expects to take full benefit of the special steels developed by the group. For example, our iron-ore mines in Canada and Brazil are the first ones to profit from the steel solutions offered by the group. “As we are also an end-user of mining equipment, our company clearly has an advantageous position; it gives us an accurate knowledge of end-users’ expectations and therefore a clear view on what could bring value to them. This position helps our R&D departments to continuously develop better products/ solutions,” Parrico adds.

Wear types Wear can be defined as the gradual decay or decomposition of metal. When a part becomes so deformed that it cannot perform adequately, it must be replaced or rebuilt. There are five main types of wear: abrasive, adhesive, corrosive, high/ low temperature and impact.

What’s available? As an introduction to the specialty steel market, MM asked seven different companies, including OEMs, wear-part manufacturers and independent steel producers about their product ranges and applications.

independent steel makers Wear-resistant truck liner from ASI

alloy steel international ASI is headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. It produces Arcoplate, a wear-resistant fused-alloy steel plate in standard sheet sizes of 1.2m x 3m (4ft x 10ft) and in two grades, 1600 and 8668. The 1600 high-abrasion and high-impact plate has a nominal hardness of 650HB and can be used in place of traditional welded chromium-carbide overlay plate. Arcoplate 8668 is resistant to high abrasion and medium impact, and is used for high temperature cycles of up to 700ºc with a nominal hardness of 585HB. Andrew Kostecki, president of Alloy Steel North America, explains: “Arcoplate’s patented process allows more than 55% carbide content all the way to the fusion line with less than 1% dilution from the base metal.” Arcoplate products are typically used for fixed and mobile equipment and can be rolled and bent to a minimum radius of 30cm. It can be cut to any size and shape using a plasma torch, and fastened using standard welding methods. Arcoplate products feature a high chrome and nickel content, which helps eliminate material carryback. The patented fused alloy process, created by the late Gene Kostecki in 1991, uses atomic nanotechnology. This allows the metallurgical make-up to be tailored to suit customers’ requirements. ASI has a continuous R&D programme. “Our technical research team led development of the new 20mm on 11mm single-pass fused alloy wear plate,” says Kostecki. “This consisted of building and engineering new production machines to develop our new 1.2m-wide plate.” ASI manufactures Arcoplate at its facilities in Perth, but has a worldwide distribution network, with locations in North America, South America and

“With our own production, we can ensure the quality and availability of strategic items”

Hot-rolled steel at Ruukki’s foundry in Raahe, Finland

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wear protection

Coiled hot steel at a Ruukki foundry

Europe. “Currently, there are no plans to manufacture our products outside of Australia, although we are expanding our fabrication facility to carry out orders and give fair pricing for the complete wear-solution package,” says Kostecki. Arcoplate users include: BHP Billiton in Australia, Caterpillar Global, Vale in Brazil, Fortescue Metals Group and McLanahan Corp.

our steel portfolio, especially on thin gauges and large-width abrasion steels. We also have a full qualification programme ongoing with ArcelorMittal Mines Canada to test our steel grades and develop new solutions.”

are constantly being developed in response to customer needs. Current areas of focus for Ruukki’s R&D are: construction efficiency, especially energy-efficient solutions; and special steel products and coated steels for the engineering and construction industries. In 2013 Ruukki’s total investment in R&D was €21 million (US$28.5 million). “Our special steels are used worldwide by mining OEMs in off-road truck bodies, mining loaders, excavators and conveyers,” says Piña. “We sell steel products to OEMs and steel service centres through our sales offices and partner network in some 30 countries. Ruukki also has its own steel service centres, where wear parts for the mining industry can be manufactured.” Ruukki’s steel mill is in Raahe, Finland.

ruukki

tata steel

Swedish steel giant Ruukki offers two types of wear-resistant steel for mining applications. Raex steels enable longer life for wear parts in abrasive applications, such as buckets and dump bodies. It is relatively lightweight, which makes it particularly suitable for dump-body structures, enabling fuel savings and higher payloads. Raex steels are available as cut-to-length sheets 2-8mm in thickness, and as heavy plates 6-80mm thick. Raex 400 is available also as a tube. High-strength and ultra-high-strength Optim steels are available as cut-tolength sheets 2-10mm thick and as heavy plates 6-60mm thick. Optim 700MH (100ksi/690MPa) and Optim 900QH (130ksi) are available in tubes. Ruukki is a forerunner in developing direct-quenching technology and has been using the method to produce steel since 2002. “Direct quenching is faster and more energy-efficient than traditional quenching, meaning that we can make deliveries of customised dimensions more flexibly,” explains Piña. “In addition, direct-quenched steels have excellent surface quality and flatness.” The Raex and Optim product families

Tata Steel’s Abrazo range of steels has been specifically designed for highimpact applications. Abrazo steels comes in hardness levels of 400, 450 and 500HB. These are supplied in plate from 8mm to 80mm thick dependant on grade. Mawdsley says that one of the big advantages of Abrazo steels is that they can be rolled up to 3.2m wide and 12m long, making them suitable for applications such as large dump bodies. “Using a single plate reduces the number of welds needed, increasing strength and stiffness in the structure and simplifying the manufacturing process,” he explains. Abrazo steels are produced using quench and tempering, resulting in steel 3-4 times harder than conventional S355-grade structural steel. The plates have a specially designed chemistry that includes chromium, molybdenum, manganese and boron, which guarantee hardness while maintaining weldability. Tata supplies its Abrazo product to underground-mining equipment producer Joy Global (Tianjin) for the production of AFCs at its Tianjin Economic Development Area site in China, and has recently received a supplier award for its work. The Tata Group spent US$2.43bn on R&D in the 2012-13 financial year. Tata Steel has four R&D centres. These are situated in Rotherham and Warwick (UK), Ijmuiden (Netherlands) and India. Its main UK manufacturing sites for plate are in Scunthorpe and Motherwell.

arcelormittal

“Abrazo steels are produced using quench and tempering, resulting in steel 3-4 times harder than conventional S355grade structural steel”

Examples of Tata Steel’s Abrazo abrasiveresistant plate

ArcelorMittal offers a full range of wear-resistant steels through its production sites in Europe and the US. The most extensive offering can be found through its specialty-plate division Industeel, which operates production facilities in France and Belgium. Besides its conventional low-alloyed martensitic steels of between 400 and 500 HB, which obtain their hardness through intense water quenching during plate manufacturing, Industeel also offers its patented range of Creusabro impactand abrasion-resistant steels. When in service and under the action of local plastic deformation caused by the impact of rocks or abrasive particles, these have a surface hardening effect of about +70HB. This is the result of plasticity phenomenon (also called the TRIP effect) transforming austenite, a constituent of the steel microstructure, into martensite. This property allows TRIP steels to have a high formability while retaining high strength, and it has been successfully applied in the automotive industry to reduce the weight of vehicle bodies while improving their crashworthiness. David Quidort, product & marketing manager at ArcelorMittal Europe Industeel, explains: “The Creusabro 8000 grade, with a mean hardness of 460HB when delivered, performs better than conventional 500HB steels in hard-rock mines. The steel is softer in its ‘as-delivered’ condition, which facilitates processing of complex parts in the workshop, without compromising on the wear resistance in service.” Creusabro plates have been used widely in buckets, dump trays, chutes, screens and crushers, and Industeel works closely with OEMs such as Caterpillar, Joy Global, Sandvik and Liebherr to further develop its specialty steels. Quidort says: “For excavator buckets, a 50-100% increase in service life over OEM parts is regularly reported by end-users who have adopted Creusabro as their preferred choice in the reconditioning of damaged equipment.” Parrico concludes: “Lots of R&D activity is going on in Europe to improve

Direct quenching In direct quenching, the hot-rolled steel is cooled quickly with water immediately after rolling, rather than the traditional method of leaving steel to air-cool at room temperature after hot rolling. Direct quenching means the re-heating stage can be omitted, which in turn makes steel production considerably more energy-efficient than traditional steelmaking technology.

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wear protection

“Our Scunthorpe site produces the structural plate used in mining-machine body panels, and the sites at Dalzell and Clydebridge produce the quenched and tempered plate (including Abrazo) used in mining conveyors, chutes and armoured face conveyors [AFCs], as well as the roller-quench and tempered high-strength steel for powered roof supports used in mining. Trackshoe sections (for dozers) and cutting-edge sections (for buckets) are produced at our Skinningrove facility in North East England,” Mawdsley says. The company is pioneering the development of low-carbon steelmaking technology at its Hlsarna plant in the Netherlands, and looking for ways to optimise the recyclable steel content of customer products. “It is probably this area rather than any fundamental shift in steel product application that will influence designs in the next 20-30 years,” Mawdsley comments. “This is particularly important because conventional steel-making is very carbon-heavy. The steel-making process uses oxygen to drive carbon out of the iron, the bi-product being lots of CO2.” HIsarna is a direct-reduction process for iron ore that eliminates pelletising and other carbon-heavy intermediate processes. In addition, the CO2 produced is very pure and lends itself to carboncapture processes. Tata Steel is developing a prototype plant.

oems

metso Metso offers a range of wear products to suit mining equipment: austenite, martensitic low-alloy steels, chromium irons and poly-metallic compounds for crusher liners, and pearlitic chrome-moly alloys, as well as martensitic steel, white iron and abrasion-resistant steel plate for mill liners. These can be used on any brand of equipment. Metso operates six foundries globally located close to the main mining markets. Mäki-Uuro says: “Metso has also created partnerships for steel production to serve customer efficiently across the world markets. We have many examples where our steels have more than doubled the life of wear parts and at the same time

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improved energy efficiency and reduced load levels, thus extending overhaul periods of main components.” Metso has developed recycling processes that allow it to re-use old wear parts. “This supports our environmental policy and commitment to reduce the use of non-renewable natural resources,” says Mäki-Uuro. “We want to find even better ways to recycle products and raw materials while taking care of the highest end-product performance.”

sandvik Sandvik aims to be a total supplier throughout the mining process and says every material has its own range of usage. Larrson says: “For heavy-duty applications, we have HX900, a composite wear material combining the wear resistance of cemented carbide with the shock resistance and ductility of nodular iron. This combination gives a superior wear material with a performance of over 20 times longer than standard steels. For mid- and light-duty applications we have many other wear materials to choose from as well.” HX900 is manufactured through a special casting process developed by Sandvik. “We are constantly reviewing our product assortment and looking for ways to develop and improve our products,” explains Larrson. “For HX900 we are developing an improved casting matrix with improved strength and welding properties.” Sandvik has provided wear parts to customers including: Osisko Mining Corp in Canada, Kennecott Utah Copper in the US, and Boliden and LKAB in Sweden. Upcoming deliveries are scheduled for LKAB’s Leveäniemi project in (Sweden), the Shougang project (Peru) and various projects in Antofagasta (Chile). Sandvik wear protection is promoted with an end-user focus and problem-solving approach. “This means that it can be used in equipment other than Sandvik’s and sold to other OEMs as well,” says Larrson. “We also have dealers and distributors (other wear-part manufacturers) promoting our products.” Sandvik is adding production capacity in Sweden, Canada, France and Australia, and is looking to South America, India and China for future expansion.

Wear-parts vendor Pouring molten metal into moulds at an ME Elecmetal facility

me elecmetal ME Elecmetal offers a family of chrome-moly steel and white iron alloys, as well as several grades of austenitic manganese steels. Haugen says: “Our wear parts are made in modern foundries where molten metal is poured into sand moulds for each unique shape. “These facilities offer moulding centres that allow us to hold tight tolerances for critical dimensions. In addition, they offer oil and water quenching as part of the heat-treating process. Quenching is extremely important in developing the material microstructure necessary for wear parts in mining applications.” He adds: “Innovation in alloy development is a must. We are currently seeing an increase in SAG mill sizes. To address this requirement, we are developing and testing new alloys and liner designs to offer specific solutions for each liner inside the mill-feed head, shell, discharge end, grates, pulp lifters and so on,” Haugen continues. “For instance, our new family of steels, specifically for large-diameter SAG mills, has shown a 20% increase in wear life compared with traditional SAG mill liner alloys.” ME Elecmetal also has a new family of high-alloy steels for ball-mill liners, which have shown up to 40% increase in wear life over traditional alloys. Both new families are available to the market. A mine site in Africa recently ran an alloy test for ME Elecmetal that showed a 50% increase in liner life, and the company also saw good results testing a new alloy at a Chilean mine where feed head liner life increased by 25%. “In gyratory crushing our hardened alloy concaves typically out-wear manganese concaves by a factor of 2-3 times,” adds Haugen. ME Elecmetal produces 100,000t of steel castings per year from its facilities mentioned earlier in this article. “We recently started expanding our Rancagua, Chile foundry, with a goal of doubling its capacity,” says Haugen. “We expect to have this project completed by 2015.”

“Quenching is extremely important in developing the material microstructure necessary for wear parts in mining applications”

Metso mill liners at Boliden’s Aitik mine in Sweden

Sandvik’s HX900 combines the wear resistance of cemented carbide with the shock resistance and ductility of nodular iron

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SNAPSHOT

Happy campers This photo was taken at the North American Nickel exploration field camp in Maniitsoq, Greenland, in 2013. The camp provided housing, meals and other logistical support to the field and drill crews. Facilities included a core shack for geologists to make detailed observations of incoming drill core and to determine intervals of core to be cut for sample shipment. Fuel for supporting helicopters, drill rigs, power generation and communications equipment were also held at the camp. A similar camp is being employed for the subsequent field programme, which began in mid-April this year, with a ground geophysical survey over the area where high-grade nickel-copper-cobalt and platinum group metals were intersected in 2013. Photo: Malka Aujla

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SNAPSHOT

Love photography? Each month Snapshot will feature the best image sent to us by MMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s readers. For a chance to have your image featured, send your photo plus a 100-word caption to: carly.leonida@miningmagazine.com

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UPTIME

delivered day after day

With every turn of the wheel, every push of the controls, and every project completed, John Deere engines meet the mining industry needs. They faithfully do their jobs with performance that responds to each command, uptime delivered day after day, and low cost of operation proven year after year.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the John Deere experience.

JohnDeere.com

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ADVERTISER PROFILES

Equipment showcase Mining Magazine presents profiles from some key companies that supply goods and services to the mining industry globally

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ADVERTISER PROFILE

A rigorous inspection of components…

And of Aramine’s remanufactured machines

The L150D narrow-vein miniLoader®

Aramine: the underground mining specialist Aramine manufactures a complete range of narrow-vein mining equipment. It is the official distributor for Atlas Copco and Getman – in authorised countries only

ramine designs and manufactures a complete range of underground mining equipment dedicated to Narrow Vein application (drill, loader, service, equipment, etc).

DISTRIBUTION For more than 25 years, Aramine has been the official distributor for Atlas Copco (LHD and mine trucks) and Getman service vehicles in authorised countries only. These two complementary products, associated with the Aramine narrowvein range, allow the company to promote the widest range of underground solutions.

REMANUFACTURER OF MINING EQUIPMENT Aramine has an exclusive programme based on

strong organisation and long-term experience with the manufacturer’s technical support. Aramine’s remanufacturing programme is the only one that offers: • genuine spare parts. • exchange components with worldwide warranty. • remanufacturing process, including a final assembly based on new equipment methods. • accurate technical documentation and ISO vehicle marking. • tests and final controls on test tracks.

SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE Aramine technical and engineering teams provide complete training and services programmes for underground needs (machines, engines, Powertrain, etc).

UNDERGROUND MINING SPARE PARTS: ORIGINAL AND GENUINE With more than 40 years’ experience in the underground mining industry, Aramine has one of the largest ranges of spare parts for underground mining equipment in the world. The company stocks and supplies spare parts and components suitable for various types of drill rigs, loaders and utility equipment for underground mining. More than 650,000 manufacturers’ part numbers are available in Aramine’s facilities.

Mining accessories Aramine provides a wide range of mining accessories: • cap lamps • aluminium scaling bars • fire systems • hydraulic hose and protection • exhaust accessories (purifier, silencer) • crimping machine • bucket blades • mining belts and bags, etc.

FULL COMPONENT SERVICES • Aramine offers a full range of component services: new, standard exchange & remanufacture, expertise and repair. • For any kind of components: engines, converters, transmissions, differentials, brakes, rig drill. • Brands serviced include: Dana, Hurth, Axletech Rockwell, CHN Ford, Funk Deere, Deutz, etc.

Contact information Aramine Pôle d’Activités des Milles 158 Rue Henri Bessemer – BP 60205 13796 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 3 France Tel: +33 (0)4 42 53 53 00 E-mail: info@aramine.com

Aramine’s stock of more than 1,250,000 OEM references!

www.aramine.com

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ADVERTISER PROFILE

Baldor: ‘Our job is making yours easier’.

aldor Electric Company, headquartered in Fort Smith, Arkansas, is a leading marketer, designer and manufacturer of energy-saving industrial electric motors, drives and mechanical power transmission products. The company was founded in 1920 on the premise that a better motor is one that uses less electricity, and that belief holds true today.

Baldor products have exceptionally strong brand recognition for quality and value with its customers. In January 2011, Baldor was acquired by ABB and is now a proud member of the ABB Group.

PROVIDING A WEALTH OF SOLUTIONS AND SUPPORT

full range of ABB industrial drives. Customers can now create packaged solutions of Baldor and ABB industrial motors and drives for most industrial applications. Baldor is a leading producer of mechanical power transmission products, including Baldor•Dodge® engineered mounted bearings, enclosed gear products and power transmission components, as well as Baldor•Maska® pulleys and couplings. Baldor offers strong support and product solutions for the mining, food & beverage, oil & gas, paper & forest, aggregate & cement, unit & air handling, water and power generation industries. The company provides reliable, application-specific products and expert knowledge for each of these markets. Installed Base Evaluations are also available to aid end users in reducing energy consumption with the right mix of industrial motors, drives and gearing in a single application or throughout an entire facility.

DEFINING A SOLID VALUE FORMULA More than 30 years ago, Baldor carefully defined “Value” as it is perceived by our customers. Value is defined in terms of Quality and Service (both as perceived by the customer) in relation to Cost and Time (which are both measurable). The result is our “Value Formula,” which has become a part of our culture. It guides our thinking and directs our work every day.

Baldor is the largest motor and mechanical power transmission company in North America. Baldor•Reliance® motors range from 1/50th through 15,000 horsepower and have leading customer preference and market share. Baldor sells and supports the entire line of ABB IEC motors and mediumvoltage motors, along with the

Contact information Baldor Electric Company 5711 R.S. Boreham, Jr. St. Fort Smith, AR 72901 USA Tel: +1 479 646 4711

www.baldor.com

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Industry Tested

Above ground or below, Baldor offers the most extensive line of motors and mechanical power transmission products for the mining industry. And, with an Industry Solutions Group of specialists offering decades of mining industry application experience, machine designers and mining professionals across North and South America rely on Reliance motors for MSHA applications and ®

Baldor•Dodge mechanical power transmission products ®

to keep their equipment and their operations up and running. Tested in the field and proven to excel in the most brutal conditions, you can count on Baldor mining products to deliver the performance and reliability you expect…day in and day out. baldor.com

479-646-4711

ADVERTISER PROFILE

Bel-Ray sets the open-gear lubricant standard Bel-Ray products have a reputation for being best in class when it comes to quality, performance and innovative technology

he demands of current and next-generation mining equipment mandates superior lubricants formulated to ensure the best protection and performance. Bel-Ray’s top-tier open-gear lubricant, Molylube SF-100 Semi-Synthetic Open Gear Lubricant, is designed to meet and exceed the most demanding applications and OEM specifications. The value and performance of the product has been proven around the world in the most challenging and harshest environments. The confidence and strong following SF-100 has in the mining community comes down to the simple fact that it reduces wear, extends component life and reduces total cost of ownership. Molylube SF-100 is a top-tier grease-type open-gear lubricant. There are seven grades of SF-100 formulated for application temperature range between -50ºC and +50ºC. Regardless of the grade, the same performance qualities are present: excellent load carrying capability, reduce wear, reduces equipment operating temperatures and energy consumption.

CANADIAN CASE STUDY A very recent case study helps illustrate the benefits of converting to SF-100. A Canadian mining customer expressed interest in evaluating SF-100 on two P&H 4100XPC-AC rope shovels. The customer was experiencing rapid wear on the saddle block wear plates on these shovels. The goal of our project with this customer was to extend the service life of the saddle block wear plates by converting the customer to SF-100. We were confident that once we could

Modern mining equipment demands superior lubricants demonstrate the superior performance of the product on these two shovels the entire fleet of shovels would be converted. In order to conduct proper testing, new saddle block wear plates were installed and the rope shovels were properly converted. The conversion process included ensuring there were no compatibility issues with the existing open-gear lubricant, pre-lubing the components with SF-100, and introducing the SF-100 into the centralised lubrication system.

EXTENDED SERVICE LIFE Once the shovels were back in operation, SF-100 quickly established a heavy and durable lubricating film on all parts and assemblies to which it was being applied including the saddle block and dipper handle assemblies.

The shovels in question have far exceeded the upper limit of the operating-hour range at which the mine had been routinely changing the excessively worn wear plates. Wear rates of the wear plates has been significantly reduced. We invited the original equipment manufacturer out to inspect and provide their opinion on the performance of the SF-100 related to their rope shovel. The concluding comment of the OEM representative was that overall lube performance was excellent and wear rate is significantly improved after converting to the Bel-Ray product. This customer was previously changing out wear plates every 800-1,200 hours. Bel-Ray customers around the world have achieved wear plate change intervals of 8,000-12,000 hours. The test is ongoing. However, we are confident that we will see a massive increase in wear-plate life based on proven performance we have experienced in the field. It speaks volumes that just a few months into our testing, the customer converted their entire rope-shovel fleet to the Molylube SF-100 Semi-Synthetic Open Gear Lubricant based on the results and performance they had observed.

Contact information Bel-Ray Company PO Box 526, Farningdale, New Jersey 07727 USA Tel: +1 (732) 938 2421 E-mail: tsq@belray.com

www.belray.com

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ADVERTISER PROFILE

Eriez: advanced solutions for minerals sector

riez’ Mining Equipment includes separation, material handling and detection systems to concentrate magnetic ores, recover coal fines, remove tramp metals and convey or feed heavy materials.

WET DRum SEPARATORS Provides continuous recovery of magnetite or ferrosilicon in heavy media operations and/or concentration of ferrous and weakly magnetic ores.

COLumn FLOTATIOn CELLS EFD has designed, supplied and commissioned over 800 flotation column systems worldwide for cleaning, roughing and scavenging applications in metallic and non-metallic processing operations.

Vibratory Feeder

Suspended Magnet

STACkCELL™

feeders that can handle bulk materials in volumes to 2,250t/h.

Uses compact, stackable units – perfect for new installations or expanding capacity in an existing plant.

SuSPEnDED ELECTROmAgnETS Removes damaging tramp metals from conveyed material, and available in explosion-proof models.

ERIEz’ FIVE-STAR SERVICE 24/7 service hotline, original OEM parts, on-site field service, equipment remanufacturing and full “as new” warranties.

mETAL DETECTORS Detects tramp and non-magnetic metals as small as 0.5”. Metal detectors built to handle harsh environments.

HEAVy-DuTy FEEDERS Double Team-Remove Tramp Metals

Contact information ERIEZ 2200 Asbury Road Erie, PA 16506 USA Tel: +1 814 835 6000 Fax: +1 800 345 4946 E-mail: eriez@eriez.com

Low-horsepower, high-capacity mechanical

For more information, visit www.eriez.com

Advanced Separation Technologies Eriez Magnetics 1-814-835-6000 www.eriez.com

Eriez features low, medium and high intensity magnetic separators, to concentrate magnetic ores or remove metallic contaminants and industrial minerals. Products include: • Wet Drum Separators • Trunnion Magnets (LIMS & MIMS) • Suspended Magnets • WHIMS • Metal Detectors • Magnetic Mill Liners • Vibratory Feeders

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Eriez Flotation Division Formerly Canadian Process Technology

+604-952-2300 flotation.eriez.com

The Eriez Flotation Division provides specialty flotation equipment and expertise that has included over 800 flotation column systems installed worldwide for cleaning, roughing and scavenging applications in base metals, gold, industrial minerals, coal and oil sands, phosphate and potash. Systems include: • Flotation Column Systems • Mini-Pilot Plants & & Coarse Flotation Cells Flotation Test Equipment • Gas Sparging Systems • Slurry Distributors • Test-Work & Services

07/07/2014 12:30

Now you can read Mining Magazine wherever you are

Once you’ve downloaded the latest issue, you can read it anywhere – on the train… in the departure lounge… even underground. You won’t need an internet connection, and you won’t need to remember your print copy.

Mining Magazine’s new iPad edition means it’s now easier than ever to find exactly the content you’re interested in.

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Photos courtesy of Zoe C Photography

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ADVERTISER PROFILE

Choosing the right lubricants can help mining operators to enhance efficiency and improve fuel economy

ore than 50 countries around the world rely on the mining industry to drive their economies. No matter where they operate, whether it is the oil sands of Canada or the coal mines of Colombia, these companies strive to maximise productivity and embrace responsible, safe and sustainable practices. With machinery often subjected to extremely heavy loads and operating in stressful environments, mine operators can sometimes find it challenging to find the right solutions that will help enhance efficiency and increase productivity. ExxonMobil is very proud to offer a complete range of high-performance lubricants that can provide potential energy efficiency and fuel economy benefits for companies in the mining sector. These products are formulated to help mining companies achieve their safety, environmental care and productivity-related goals, and can deliver a range of performance benefits.

PRODUCTS ExxonMobil has worked closely with mining professionals to obtain the necessary insights required to formulate products to meet their unique needs. ExxonMobil has several industrial lubricants that not only deliver exceptional performance but also feature valuable, potential energy-efficiency benefits. These lubricants include: • Mobil SHC™ 600 Series: high-performance synthetic circulating and gear lubricants that can be used in a wide range of stationary equipment commonly found in mining applications. • Mobil SHC™ Gear Series: a family of superbperformance, fully synthetic, industrial gear oil qualified by major gear original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Developed through extensive research and testing with leading OEMs, these lubricants are expertly formulated to optimise the performance of equipment operating in extreme conditions. In laboratory testing using industrial gearboxes, these new Mobil SHC™ lubricants also demonstrated the ability to deliver potential energy efficiency benefits up to 3.6% compared with conventional Mobil-branded oils.*

is operating. Examining changes in the oil analysis data over time, also known as ‘trending,’ is necessary to assess the condition of a lubricant. By trending oil analysis data, it is possible to proactively address undesirable conditions before they become problems. For equipment maintenance professionals who want an effective oil-analysis programme, there is ExxonMobil’s proprietary online Signum programme. Signum oil analysis offers engineers immediate access and direct control of their lubricant-sampling programme. With a few keystrokes, users can manage their oil analysis needs, enabling them to: • update equipment registrations and select analysis options based on their equipment or maintenance needs; • direct actions based on analysis results; and • share critical results with colleagues in a secure, password-protected environment. SM

• Mobil DTE 10 Excel

•

™ Series: a range of high-performance anti-wear hydraulic oils that provide exceptional oxidation and thermal stability, allowing long oil life and minimised deposit formation in severe hydraulic systems and up to 6% better fuel consumption.** Mobil Delvac 1™ LE 5W-30: a low-viscosity heavy-duty diesel engine oil that combines advanced engine protection for modern low-emission vehicles with fuel-economy potential and other sustainability-related benefits.

Today, these lubricants are used by successful mining companies to help their mobile equipment even under extreme operating conditions, from the high temperatures of summers found in desert locations to freezing cold winters.

SERVICES In order to help maximise the productivity of machinery and reduce costs, ExxonMobil recommends that its customers incorporate an oil and equipment condition-monitoring programme alongside the use of high-quality lubricants. As part of routine maintenance, the ‘health’ of the lubricant and application itself should be regularly checked. Typically, it is advised that maintenance professionals perform quarterly oil analyses and annual system inspections. The oil analysis should include a measurement of fluid viscosity, water content, particle count and dissolved metals to determine how well the system

By combining the use of high-quality lubricants and an effective oil and equipment analysis programme, mining operators can look to achieve a competitive advantage in their operations, helping to maximise productivity and reduce the fuel-efficiency potential of their mining machinery and equipment. In addition, health-and-safety benefits may also be realised. By reducing scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, you eliminate the associated safety risks that engineers face when undertaking work. * Energy efficiency relates solely to the fluid performance when compared with conventional reference oils of the same viscosity grade in gear applications. The technology used allows up to 3.6% better efficiency compared with the reference when tested in a worm gearbox under controlled conditions. Efficiency improvements will vary based on operating conditions and application. ** Energy efficiency of Mobil DTE 10 Excel relates solely to the fluid performance when compared with ExxonMobil Lubricant and Specialities’ standard hydraulic fluids. The technology used allows up to 6% increase in hydraulic pump efficiency compared with Mobil DTE 20 series when tested in standard hydraulic applications under controlled conditions. The energy-efficiency claim for this product is based on test results on the use of the fluid conducted in accordance with all applicable industry standards and protocols © 2014 Exxon Mobil Corporation. All trademarks used herein are

MOBILE EQUIPMENT

trademarks or registered trademarks of the Exxon Mobil

And, while proper lubrication of process equipment is crucial, lubricating excavators, dump trucks and loaders involved in the transportation of mined goods is equally important. That is why, for mobile equipment, ExxonMobil offers a range of lubricants that deliver the combination of excellent performance as well as fuel economy and energy-efficiency potential that the manufacturer strives for, such as:

Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.

Contact information

mobilindustrial.com

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ADVERTISER PROFILE

JH Fletcher: enhancing safety via innovation JH Fletcher aims to make equipment for underground mining that boosts safety and production through innovation, quality control, experienced service and ownership stability.

educed commodity prices (particularly for gold) have taken their toll on producers, specifically companies that work highercost narrow-vein operations. Due to this struggle, Fletcher saw the necessity of developing machines to aid in relieving these operating burdens. Specifically, the need for narrow-vein deposit mining equipment to provide producers with a lower dilution rate. Fletcher’s main focus was to provide a piece of equipment that would improve productivity and reduce the physicality of hand drilling and mucking in tight spaces. Ben Hardman, J H Fletcher & Co Vice President of Sales, says: “Our aim is to get operators off the muck pile, and to mechanise the installation of roof support with a narrow-vein machine – to get rid of as much of the ‘grunt’ work as possible.” Hardman adds: “It’s a two-pronged approach: making working conditions safer for the mining workforce, and getting better productivity by using specialist machines.” The machine is designed with diesel tram and electric drilling, with inch tram from drill platform. The machine is supplied with rubber tyres, articulating carrier, and a single boom with a mounted lifting operator platform. The machine designed for use in headings from 2.4 m (8 ft) wide is now operating at a western United States mine. Similar machines are

Above: a 7ft-wide stope being used to install side support in narrow headings and stopes in steeply dipping formations. The drill unit can reach a maximum height of 4.4 m (14 ft 6 in), which eliminates the need for stope backfilling before roof support can be installed. This ability alone saves valuable time, as well as reducing exposure to additional slip and trip accidents associated with a muck pile or drilling pad. With an articulating chassis, the machine can negotiate turns with as little as 2.5 m (8 ft 3 in) inside radius. Basket swing allows parallel offset, and also aids in maneuvering around tight corners. Drilling, resin insertion and bolting can all be performed from the operator’s basket, which is mounted on a boom that lifts and swings to allow multiple installations. Canopies provide additional protection to the operator in both driving and basket-work positions.

The machine was designed to allow access to tram compartment and drill platform from both sides of machine, allowing the operator to position the machine as they see fit, due to the irregular characteristics of slope mining. If this machine would be useful in your application, or if your mine has unique conditions, please contact Ben Hardman or Billy Goad at J H Fletcher & Co (see contacts box).

Contact information J H Fletcher & Co 402 High St, Huntington WV 25705, United States Tel: +1 304 525 7811 Ben Hardman, VP of Domestic Sales Tel: +1 (304) 525 7811 Ext. 544 E-mail: bhardman@jhfletcher.com Billy Goad, Business Development Manager Tel: +1 (304) 525 7811 Ext. 227 E-mail: bgoad@jhfletcher.com

JH Fletcher’s aim is “to get operators off the muck pile, and to mechanise the installation of roof support with a narrow-vein machine – to get rid of as much of the ‘grunt’ work as possible”, according to Ben Hardman, Vice President of Sales

www.jhfletcher.com

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expanding global slurry solutions

SB’s production facilities in Grovetown and Thomson, Georgia (USA) are in the midst of a three-year multimillion-dollar expansion project to help provide customers with the best slurry solutions in the industry. The expansion is designed to increase the capacity for large flask sizes – up to 20 feet square. The new facility will more than double the foundry capacity in the short term and allow for greater expansion in the long term. When complete, these new facilities will provide customers with one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world.

rock solid solutions

the comPAny

One of the newest and most successful slurry pumps is the company’s Mill Duty Xtra Heavy (MDX). At the heart of your facility, mill pumps can reduce operating costs when pump operating cycle times match scheduled mill outages. The MDX series pumps are specifically designed for the hard rock mining industry – meaning fewer production disruptions and increased operational efficiency.

Slurry products have a new look as they unite under the corporate brand of KSB and GIW® Minerals. As a subsidiary of global pump and valve manufacturer, KSB AG of Germany, the company has the infrastructure to supply worldwide and over 125 years’ experience in pumps and hydraulics. This makes KSB your mining, minerals processing and slurry pumping solution.

PumPs Built on true APPlicAtion testing KSB knows that wear life is the most critical factor in the design of a slurry pump. With over 40 technical papers and over 30 years of research, its US subsidiary, GIW Industries, Inc. leads the world in wear modelling technology.

KSB Mining Expanding our global slurry solutions Contact information GIW Industries Inc., (A KSB Company) 5000 Wrightsboro Road Grovetown, GA 30813 United States Tel: +1 706 863 1011 Fax: +1 706 863 5637 E-mail: marketing@giwindustries.com

Your GIW slurry products have a new look as we unite under KSB. All slurry products have been relabeled under the umbrella of GIW® Minerals. What this means to you is well over a century’s worth of experience in pumps and hydrotransport. But the developments don’t stop here. We want to help you maximize your process efficiencies and meet those tough production goals. That’s why we are expanding our manufacturing and service facilities globally to better serve our customers all over the world. Our KSB mining team strives to be an innovative partner that provides you with the best and longest wearing slurry and process solutions. We are your partner, today and in the future. GIW Industries, Inc. (A KSB Company) · www.giwindustries.com

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Hard-Line, leading experts of remote controls

stablished in 1996, in Sudbury, Ontario, Hard-Line is a leading supplier of remote controls to the mining industry. Hard-Line develops its products from the ground up, utilising years of experience in mining, electronics, electrical design and mechanical design. Hard-Line has new and innovative products that save lives while increasing efficiency. No matter what type, make or model of machinery, Hard-Line can configure it to operate remotely. Hard-Line’s strength lies in the ability to customise products and services to each client’s needs. Hard-Line is a global company with offices in Canada, Chile and Peru, which are supported by a worldwide network of distributors.

EQUIPMENT Hard-Line’s Teleop™ Tele-remote Control Systems are used to remotely operate multiple machines of any size, make or type from any location. Common uses include: rock breakers, drills, load haul dumps, wheel loaders, excavators and dozers. One man can operate five or six machines from the surface. This means huge savings for a mine, because normally it would have somebody sitting at every single machine. Hard-Line’s Muckmaster™ Radio Remote Control Systems are used to operate machinery remotely while the machine is in view. Common uses include: load-haul dumps, drills, wheel loaders, excavators, dozers and locomotives. Hard-Line has an extensive mine-tested product line. Mines utilising Hard-Line products have boosted efficiency, enhanced safety and increased profit.

Contact information HLS Hard-Line Solutions Inc. 53 Main Street West, Dowling, ON Canada P0M 1R0 Tel: +1 705 855 1310 Fax: +1 705 855 9463 E-mail: sales@hard-line.com

PARTS AND SERVICE Hard-Line has distributed high-quality parts since its inception. It keeps a large inventory at each office location so that clients can quickly get the parts they need. Hard-Line technicians are qualified to carry out inspections, installations and repairs on site. They are highly experienced in remote controls and heavy machinery.

www.hard-line.com

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JennMAr leads the way in ground control

ENNMAR is a global, family-owned company that is leading the way in groundcontrol technology for the mining, tunnelling and civil construction industries. Since 1972 its mission has been focused on developing and manufacturing quality groundcontrol products. Today JENNMAR makes a broad range of reliable products, from bolts and beams, to channels and trusses, to resin and rebar. It is proud to make products that make the industries it serves safer and more efficient. And with more than 20 manufacturing plants around the world and a network of affiliates, JENNMAR is uniquely positioned to react to ground-control needs anywhere, anytime.

A Single-Source Provider JENNMAR’s network of affiliates includes engineering services, resin manufacturing, rolled-steel and drill-steel manufacturing, custom steel fabrication, chemical roof-support and sealing products, and even includes staffing

The images show JENNMAR products being manufactured and used in the field

solutions and its own trucking company. This ability to provide a complete range of complementary products and services ensures quality, efficiency and availability, resulting in reduced costs, reduced lead times and increased customer satisfaction. JENNMAR continues to grow, but its focus will

JENNMAR affiliates • J-LOK

•

J-LOK manufactures state-of-the-art resin anchorage systems that are designed to complement JENNMAR products and provide an optimum bolt and resin system. J-LOK equipment is among the most technologically advanced in the resin industry. JENNCHEM JENNCHEM designs and delivers chemical roof-support, rock-stabilisation and ventilation-sealing products to the mining and underground construction industries. JENNCHEM’s lab and test facility conducts meticulous and ongoing testing to ensure reliability and consistency of all products. KMS (Keystone Mining Services) KMS is JENNMAR’s engineering affiliate that provides advanced engineering services such as structural analysis, numerical and 3-D modeling, as well as conducting research and development of new products. JENNMAR Specialty Products JENNMAR Specialty Products is a full-scale steel fabricator specialising in roll-forming coil, sheet and structural beams to provide quality arch and corrugated products. In conjunction with KMS, it can also custom design and fabricate products for a variety of applications. JM Steel JM Steel’s ultra-modern 120,000 sq ft steel-processing facility is located on Nucor Steel’s industrial campus near Charleston,

•

South Carolina. JM Steel has the processing capability and extensive inventory to provide a variety of flat rolled-steel products including master coils, slit coils, blanks, beams, sheets, flat bars and panels. JENNMAR Civil JENNMAR Civil is dedicated to providing products and services to the civil construction and tunnelling industries. Products include various types of rock-support bolts, anchoring systems and resins to support tunnelling, geotechnical, foundation and earth retention projects. JENNMAR McSweeney JENNMAR McSweeney is a leading manufacturer of forged drill-steel products for the underground mining industry. It also offers a complete line of bolt wrenches, socket accessories, chicks, augers and other related products for the mining, railroad, construction and highway industries. CSA (Compliance Staffing Agency) CSA is an energy-industry staffing service that can provide trained, experienced, drug-screened personnel. CSA can supplement an existing workforce during peak work periods or act as a screening service for potential new hires. MARJENN Trucking MARJENN Trucking provides trucking services throughout the eastern and mid-western U.S. to transport raw materials, supplies and finished products between JENNMAR plants, suppliers and customers.

always be on the customer. The company feels it is essential to develop a close working relationship with every customer so that it can understand their unique challenges and ensure superior customer service. “JENNMAR’s commitment to the customer is guided by three words – safety, service and innovation – that form the foundation and identity of our business. It’s who we are,” says the company.

Contact information JENNMAR 258 Kappa Drive, PO Box 111253, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 USA Tel: +1 412-963-9071 E-mail: info@jennmar.com

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In addition to more than twenty strategically located manufacturing facilities, our network of affiliates includes engineering services, resin manufacturing, rolled-steel and drillsteel manufacturing, custom steel fabrication, chemical roof support and sealing products, and even includes staffing solutions and our own trucking company. • Coal and Hard Rock Mining • Tunneling • Civil Construction

This ability to provide a complete range of complementary products and services ensures quality, efficiency and availability resulting in reduced costs, reduced lead times and increased customer satisfaction!

J EN N M AR G LO BAL H E AD Q UARTERS

Pittsburgh, PA USA • (412) 963-9071 • www.jennmar.com

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Count on Hitachi for more efficiency, reliability and durability

ith a 40-year history of manufacturing haulers and shovels for the mining industry, it’s not surprising that a vast amount of mining shovels around the world are Hitachi. By focusing on haulers and shovels, the company can put more design, engineering and expertise into building them better. Every single component – from the smallest to the largest – is specifically designed for more efficient hauling and digging. “By specialising only on shovels and haulers, we are able to concentrate on producing highly efficient machinery,” said Craig Lamarque, division manager, Hitachi. “The new AC-drive technology advancements in our EH5000AC-3 hauler are perfect examples of the superior quality and performance of this approach.” The result? Cost-saving efficiency. Reliability. Durability. And a better bottom line.

HAUL TRUCKS Hitachi’s line of haulers – the EH1100-3, the soon-to-be-released EH1100-5, EH1700-3, EH3500ACII, EH4000ACII and EH5000AC-3 – are built to last. The smaller models are ideally suited for small- to mid-size quarry and mining operations. As mechanical-drive diesel haulers, they offer an excellent blend of economy and performance. Your support staff will also appreciate their outstanding serviceability, and the use of traditional diagnostics. Hitachi ACII Series Trucks are built to match the rugged, long-lived durability of Hitachi mining shovels and backhoes. That means a 60,000- to 100,000-hour life with good maintenance. Hitachi’s two newest haulers and largest rigid-frame hauler are the EH5000AC-3 and the EH1100-5. The

Right: the EX8000-6 is Hitachi’s largestever mining shovel, and it delivers incredible arm crowding, breakout force and horsepower

EH5000AC-3 combines time-proven hauler technology with Hitachi’s brand-new, high-efficiency Advanced IGBT AC-Drive system. It’s one of the most technologically advanced mining trucks on the market, and it helps raise profits by lowering fuel and maintenance costs. The latest version of the EH1100 includes improvements to the operator environment, increased machine serviceability, increased payload, more remote monitoring capability, to name a few, plus many additional features to satisfy our range of customer needs globally.

EXCAVATORS & SHOVELS Hitachi mining excavators are designed, engineered and manufactured to provide outstanding productivity and the lowest competitive cost of operation. The EX-6 Series consists of the EX1200-6, EX1900-6, EX2600-6, EX3600-6, EX5600-6 and EX8000-6, and is based on the proven qualities of the UH Series of the 1970s. Many Hitachi shovels are still being efficiently operated past the 100,000-hour mark. And more than a few have outlasted the pit and sometimes even the mine they started to dig. It’s that legacy that has made the Hitachi mining excavators the leading brand year after year. To maintain Hitachi’s leadership position in the field of mining excavators, every component of each model is thoroughly engineered, tested, revised and tested again. Only then is the machine allowed to go into the field as a preproduction model for a minimum of one year while Hitachi engineers constantly monitor all components for correctness in design functionality. If all tests are passed, the

Hitachi’s EX3600-6 combines proven designs with the newest technological advances to provide you with high uptime and maximum productivity model is introduced for sale. The EX-6 Series is no different. To maintain the highest levels of efficiencies, Hitachi shovels feature cutting-edge technologies for reducing downtime and maintenance costs. For example, all models are equipped with a highly sophisticated monitoring system. Information is displayed on a 10.5in in-cab monitor for easy operator access. The monitor can also be used by technicians to quickly troubleshoot alarms and fault codes, with screening providing information and machine schematics. This gives technicians the ability to easily diagnose and repair the machine in order to get it back to work quickly and reduce downtime. Efficiency also comes from the length of time it takes to fill a truck. Hitachi mining shovels feature an exclusive auto-level crowd mechanism, allowing for easy one-lever crowding of the bucket into the material at a constant level, to keep a cleaner floor and increase bucket fill.

Contact information Hitachi For more information about Hitachi excavators and haulers, visit www.HitachiMining.com

The EH5000AC-3 is Hitachi’s largest rigid-frame hauler. It combines timeproven hauler technology with Hitachi’s brand new, high-efficiency Advanced IGBT AC-Drive system

www.HitachiMining.com

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ADVERTISER PROFILE

Köppern spearheading advances in HPGR and crusher technology Köppern is a specialist in engineering, manufacturing and technical services for roll presses and HPGRs worldwide

ounded in 1898 and headquartered with its main manufacturing facilities in Hattingen, Germany, Maschinenfabrik Köppern remains a family-run enterprise reflecting its traditional values of technology leadership, highly dependable manufacturing quality and a unique regard for the individual needs of its customers. Köppern’s worldwide network of subsidiaries, including manufacturing plants and engineering offices, provides customer-focused service on all continents. Köppern’s history is linked to the utilisation of roll presses for briquetting hard coal. Over the years, the briquetting process has been extended to the agglomeration process, which is relevant for a variety of materials including refractories, fertilisers, chemical products, metallurgical fines and direct reduced iron. Further progress came with the introduction of high-pressure comminution in the mid-1980s. This innovative application for the cement and minerals processing industries required a completely new approach to the question of wear protection systems for roll presses. To meet the new requirements, Köppern developed unique wear protection systems. Moving to a new production facility in 2002 has enabled Köppern to manufacture even the very largest roll presses required by the industry. These technological advances have resulted in a significant drop in machine time-outs caused by wear and repairs. For Köppern’s customers, the resulting increase in productivity, coupled with a parallel reduction in energy consumption, enables them to compete more successfully in their own market segments. If you feel that this can be of interest to your company, we would invite you to visit our booth in order to gain more insight into our specialist HPGR and Wear Protection solutions for the Cement Industry. The Management Team

Contact information Headquarters: Maschinenfabrik Köppern GmbH & Co. KG Königsteiner Str. 2, 45529 Hattingen, Germany Tel: +49 2324 207-0 Fax: +49 2324 207-207 E-mail: info@koeppern.de Comminution Sector: Köppern Aufbereitungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG Agricolastr. 24, 09599 Freiberg, Germany Tel: +49 3731 2018-0 Fax: +49 3731 2018-20 E-mail: info@koeppern-kat.de

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Comminuting your maintenance expenditure Köppern roller presses have been proven successful all over the world in plants for the energy-saving high pressure comminution of various ores and minerals like iron ore, copper, gold, molybdenum and diamonds, as well as cement clinker, limestone and blast furnace slag. For the comminution of abrasive materials a Köppernpatented wear protection of rollers is available. Köppern – Quality made in Germany. • • • •

State of the art technology Process technology know-how High plant availability Quick roller replacement

Pilot HPGR testing capabilities in Australia, Canada, Germany and South Africa For further information please contact sales@koeppern.de

www.koeppern.de

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ADVERTISER PROFILE

McLanahan: custom-engineering processes

cLanahan Corporation knows that today’s tough market place requires producers to do more than ever

before. With its complete line of wet and dry processing equipment, McLanahan is able to custom-engineer solutions that make customers more efficient, more productive and more profitable. Feeding, crushing, breaking, sizing, screening and sampling are just a few of the key dry

processes that McLanahan equipment can help you accomplish. Its wide range of crushing and breaking solutions includes jaw crushers, roll crushers, impact crushers, hammermill crushers, rockertooth crushers, rotary breakers, sizers and feeder-breakers. McLanahan is also a leader in engineering fines recovery and water management solutions for wet processing. Fines recovery is made possible through cyclones, dewatering screens, screw washers, scrubbers, conditioners, and thickeners.

The company is also known for its line of filter presses that allow producers to eliminate tailings ponds. McLanahan sales, engineering and customer service constantly work together to improve standard designs to help producers obtain longer wear life on replacement parts and to further return on investment. Based out of Pennsylvania, USA, McLanahan has additional locations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

Freedom Series 4450 Jaw A JAW CRUSHER TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING First introduced in 1906, the jaw crusher has remained pretty much the same over the last century. Until now. Collaborating with customers, McLanahan re-engineered the jaw to create a whole new crusher able to meet today’s challenges. The Freedom Series 4450 Jaw is designed to help liberate our customers from age-old problems at the primary and to empower the operator to get more efficiency and productivity from the primary crushing station than ever before.

For more information, please contact McLanahan at sales@mclanahan.com or visit www.mclanahan.com.

Safety lock pins and hydraulic assist for wear parts change out makes maintenance SAFER. Our engineers designed a SIMPLER way to adjust close-side settings and provide tramp iron relief. Hydraulic rams are isolated from crushing action, allowing longer life and full automation – while virtually eliminating toggle migration. The “attack angle” and crushing stroke pattern are engineered SMARTER to actually increase capacity up to 15% while minimizing wear on jaw dies.

Another innovation from McLanahan, helping customers Do More since 1835!

Contact information McLanahan Corporation Headquarters: 200 Wall Street, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 United States Tel: +1 (814) 695 9807 Fax: +1 (814) 695 6684 E-mail: sales@mclanahan.com

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MMD – The Complete Sizing Solution Application of MMD Sizers:

A privately owned company based in the UK with its head office on the Isle of Man, MMD was established to provide equipment for the then vibrant British coal mining industry, where it quickly established the reputation for providing efficient and innovative solutions, that led to its equipment being used for an ever increasing range of different minerals as well as in associated industries around the world.

Sizer

The MMD Twin Shaft Mineral Sizer patented by MMD in 1978 is the only really new mineral breaking technology developed in the 20th century. The Sizers unique capability of being able to handle both wet, sticky and hard material with equal facility, together with its low profile compact design, and minimal generation of external loads, in addition to it being the only breaker (crusher) specifically designed for mobile installation from the outset, led to its immediate acceptance as the ideal unit for mobile systems for both underground and open pit mining.

Feeders

To compliment its range of Heavy Duty Mineral Sizers MMD produces both Heavy Duty Apron Plate Feeders and chain feeders. The former renowned for the use of the more resilient and durable rolled plate flights rather than the commonly used cast or fabricated plate, a feature which makes them uniquely capable of being loaded when empty, whilst the closer tolerances made possible by rolling make the MMD feeder the ‘cleanest’ running feeder available by minimizing the inevitable leakage between plates.

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Production

In-pit Sizing systems

The Sizers proven ability to handle a range of materials encompassing the wet sticky bauxites of Brazil, the hard gold ores of Africa, copper ore in Chile, iron ore in Australia and even the granite of the Swiss tunnels has made MMD Sizers a byword for efficiency, reliability and productivity throughout the global mining and tunnelling industry.

This combination of the ideal breaking and feeding systems have allowed MMD to develop the world’s leading range size reduction equipment for IPSC installations.

MMD have designed and manufactured a wide range of both semi mobile and fully mobile units for this increasingly popular mining system. Over a period of more than 25 years MMD have developed an unmatched track record of consistent success, setting the standard for efficient and flexible equipment. MMD has designed and constructed the world’s highest capacity, and most technologically advanced fully mobile sizer for the Pingshuo open pit coal mine in China. Required to process 9,000tph of overburden, the rig entered into hot commissioning late last year and quickly averaged 8,000tph with peaks of 15,000tph.

Processing

The regular size and shape produced by the MMD Mineral Sizer makes them the ideal tool, for the processing of coal and other minerals whilst their minimal production of fines makes them the most environmentally friendly of all the breaking systems available today.

The unique attributes and flexibility of the MMD Mineral Sizer makes them ideal for use within a wide range of industries and they are currently to break over 75 different minerals in 60 countries around the world.

THE MMD GROUP OF COMPANIES

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ME Elecmetal: Products That Perform, Service That Adds Value ME Elecmetal is a globally competitive supplier, recognized by its delivery of integral solutions that add value to the mining process. PRODUCTS THAT PERFORM > Grinding Mill Liners ME Elecmetal knows mill liners. We are the world leader in designing and supplying highly engineered grinding mill liners for SAG, AG, Ball and Rod milling. We also know our job doesn`t stop after liners are shipped. Our sales engineers work closely with mineral processors, monitoring wear and customizing each liner. > Crusher Wear Parts We provide wear parts with designs and alloys specifically developed for each application and specific locations within each crusher. Our through-hardened alloy concaves significantly increase wear life, eliminate the need to scarf concave joints and require no “key” concave. We also supply cone crusher bowls and mantles as well as gyratory crusher mantles, spider caps and arm guards. > Grinding Media ME Elecmetal provides premium quality forged grinding balls in sizes from 22 mm to 165 mm (7/8“ to 6.5“). ME Super SAG® for SAG mills and ME Ultra Grind® for ball mills are made with “clean steel” and high end heat treatment technology, allowing them to keep their shape longer and provide more efficient grinding. > Ladles and Slag Pots We provide the smelting industry with ladles and slag pots which are available in various shapes and designs to minimize potential deformation and assure safer use throughout the products life cycle.

SERVICE THAT ADDS VALUE The job doesn`t start and stop with producing and shipping products. We offer a full array of services based on our VAES (Value Added Engineering Services) delivering tangible benefits to our customers. Engineering and Design: Using the latest in simulation software to maximize product design and the manufacturing process. Machine Shop: Repairing crushers, shovel buckets, smelter ladles and much more. Early Intelligent Alert: Evaluating and monitoring structural and functional integrity of mining equipment through the use of non-destructive methods. Global Presence: With manufacturing facilities on three continents, and sales offices strategically located in major mining areas throughout the world, ME Elecmetal offers mineral processors timely, personal solutions for their crushing and grinding circuits. ME FIT System: Integrating technology inside the mill by combining both mill liner and grinding media technology to work more effectively together. ME Elecmetal 3901 University Avenue NE Minneapolis, MN 55421 United States Telephone: +1 763 788 1651 www.me-elecmetal.com

> Large Specialty Castings We also provide large heavy industrial castings that are used for sophisticated mining equipment and as well as the cement, pulp, and hydro-electric industries.

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The world’s most productive mining operations count on MTU engines.

or over 100 years, customers have depended on MTU engines for exceptional power and performance. MTU is focused on off-highway diesel engines, and ready to help you meet your specific requirements. With a passion for performance and reliability, MTU offers firstclass service and a tradition of excellence to customers all over the world. MTU provides a complete product lineup to cover a wide power range (30 kW to 10,000 kW) for diverse applications such as construction and industrial, agriculture, mining, oil and gas, marine, rail and defence. Since its founding, MTU has set standards in technology, innovation and customised products and systems. MTU offers a full line of solutions for every need.

The robust Series 4000 is renowned as the industry’s best engine for high-horsepower applications. With exceptional fuel economy and power-to-weight ratio, it delivers reliable performance anywhere – from the icy mines of Siberia to extreme heat in Australia to altitudes up to 5,500m (18,000ft) Covering a power range of 760-4,023 bhp (567-3,000 kW), the redesigned MTU Series 2000 and Series 4000 diesel engines are ready for EPA Tier 4 interim standards today, and the same engine platforms will meet Tier 4 final standards beginning in 2015. These new engines feature improved fuel economy and compact and efficient designs. They join a complete lineup of Tier 4-ready engines from MTU.

engine overhauls, MTU offers full support through MTU ValueCare. These products and services are designed for peak performance and maximum uptime. MTU ValueCare is always nearby – available worldwide through the MTU service network. Learn more at mining.mtu-online.com.

MTU backs its products with exceptional service. From maintenance to spare parts to

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Good as new. Whether replacing a single component or an entire engine, high quality and affordable pricing are essential. That’s why MTU offers genuine ValueExchange remanufactured parts, engines and systems. Backed by MTU’s global service network, ValueExchange remanufactured products deliver the same high standards of performance, service life and quality as new products, along with identical warranty coverage— at a fraction of the cost. Contact your MTU distributor to learn more.

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Mincon AIM to help you succeed

incon Group plc is a manufacturer of world-class drilling consumables with a global reach and local support. Mincon has grown its global business substantially over the past 15 years by ensuring that its drilling tools consistently compete at the highest end of the market for performance, reliability and longevity. Mincon has strategically located sales and service centres staffed with high-calibre employees with a strong knowledge of local market needs and requirements. As the business and economic landscape changes, Mincon is very aware of the need to work closely with its customers to ensure their success. It is only through its customers’ success that Mincon is successful and this is at the heart of Mincon’s philosophy of making the customer the focal point of everything the company does. Today the major focus in mining is towards significantly reducing the cost of operations. When Mincon engages with a new customer, it focuses its A.I.M. on their operations. Mincon Assesses, Implements and Monitors. Mincon Assesses the current operations by performing a complete review of the drilling operations to understand their needs and take their unique circumstances into account. Mincon evaluates their existing drill machines, analyses the environment (altitude, temperature, relative humidity) they operate in and studies the current tooling wear patterns. Once completed, Mincon, together with the customer, decides on the best course of action. With a plan in hand Mincon Implements. The company uses Mincon Down the Hole (DTH) drilling products that have proven themselves all over the world with both large and small mining companies. Mincon offers the appropriate training where needed and employs industry best practices to maximise productivity, tool life and ensure a safe working environment. Once set up with Mincon products performing

at maximum efficiency, the company Monitors with world-class service and support and ensures it is there for all its customers’ needs. Mincon will periodically review the drilling operations to make sure they are still operating at maximum efficiency. Mincon would like to extend an invitation to A.I.M. our focus on your operations and demonstrate the benefits of a strategic partnership with Mincon and together we can maximise your success.

Contact information Mincon Group plc Smithstown Industrial Estate Shannon, Co. Clare, Ireland Tel/fax: +353 (0)61 361 099 / 808 E-mail: sales@mincon.com

PROVEN PERFORMANCE IN THE MOST EXTREME CONDITIONS. At MINCON, we understand that high quality products increase productivity. The New Mincon MQ Range of premium performance DTH hammers raises the bar once again for productivity, reliability and longevity in blast hole applications. Utilizing industry standard shanks without need for a foot valve the Mincon MQ Range delivers high performance and greatly reduces downtime. Visit mincon.com to find out how our superior products deliver savings, improve performance and reduce downtime.

www.mincon.com “The Driller’s Choice Worldwide”

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MineSight continues to impress clients

ineSight’s latest software breakthroughs continue to impress mining clients around the world. “Implicit Modeler was actually one of the best things that ever happened to us,” says Raza Parvez, Senior Geologist for Atrum Coal in British Columbia, Canada. Released last year, MineSight Implicit Modeler is a mathematical surface modelling tool, allowing geologists to rapidly build models and grade shells directly from drillholes. “Our project is unique in the sense that it’s a big area and its small seams that are close together and has partings in them,” says Parvez. “We are constantly updating our model, and the traditional way of doing footwalls and then doing sections and then creating surfaces would have taken so long. With the Implicit Modeler we just update those points and then get our drillhole database and get a new surface very quickly.” MineSight is comprehensive modelling and mine planning software designed to save time and money while increasing productivity. True to that aim is Atlas, a new resource-based, true-calendar approach to multiple-activity scheduling. ArcelorMittal is one of the first users of Atlas. Chief mining engineer Philippe Chabot believes the product will greatly benefit the company.

Left: an image from Implicit Modeler Right: Atlas dashboard of key metrics, with the bench shown in the background “We have a lot of trucks and loading units in conjunction with a lot of deposits and with Atlas we’re able to put it all together and we’re able to help the short-term planner make the right decision,” says Chabot. Atlas also allows true calendar-based scheduling of underground development activities, including stoping and backfilling. The product is part of MineSight’s broadening appeal to underground mines. MineSight Stope, for instance, makes life much easier for planners seeking flexibility and control in the design and conceptual-level scheduling of underground stope mining. It handles tasks such as block economic value computation, stope slicing, scheduling and reserve reporting. The new MineSight Sub-Blocking tool improves block model visualisation and accounting. And the new MineSight Room and Pillar tool is another great addition to MineSight’s suite of

underground engineering tools. It quickly generates room and pillar designs in regular patterns, by combining geotechnical considerations with geometric constraints to produce practical and stable mine layouts. “I think MineSight is definitely heading in the right direction as far as underground is going,” says Dayle Rusk of Trevali Mining Corporation. Tucson-based MineSight is now part of Hexagon AB, a global leader of design, measurement and visualization technologies.

Contact information MineSight 3544 East Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, AZ 85716 USA Tel: +1 520 795 3891

www.minesight.com www.hexagonmining.com

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A tale of two fixtures Six decades of Phoenix … from Sturdilite® to SturdiLED™ The Past: It was the early 1950s. A world-leading manufacturer of mining equipment based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin approached Phoenix—a local company with a strong reputation for doing metal spinning and custom fabrication. They were looking for a solution to an industry-wide dilemma. The heavy duty nature of mining was no match for the vulnerable lighting technology available at the time. The lamps and fixtures were subject to constant shock and vibration causing frequent failure or breakage. Maintenance and replacement costs were becoming a huge burden. Phoenix engineered a solution. A revolutionary fixture design allowed the fragile lamp to be isolated from the rigorous movement and protected with shock-absorbing technology. This fixture was later named the Sturdilite® and was a significant innovation for mining. The Present: Since that project, Phoenix has continued designing lights for the mining industry. The Sturdilite branched into countless other fixtures and accessories that stand up to the rigours of the mining industry.

In recent years, a new technology has emerged in the lighting industry—LED. Like the introduction of the Sturdilite over 60 years ago, this innovation brings invaluable benefits to mining equipment. Because LED lighting is solid-state technology, there are no fragile filaments or breakable glass. Along with the many other benefits associated with efficiency and improved light quality, LED brings durability to a new level. However, not all LED fixtures are created equally. “Choosing the right manufacturer for LED lighting is critical to protecting your investment,” explains Yazi Fletcher, Chief Technical Officer at Phoenix. “There are so many fixtures being put onto mining equipment that won’t live up to the 50,000+ rated life that most makers of LEDs promise.” He goes on to explain that the cause of the failures will have nothing to do with the light source. It will likely be a different component such as the driver, housing, lens or a poorly designed heat sink. For the first time in history, we have a light source that can outlast the

structure of many fixtures. If the company designing the lights doesn’t carefully consider the wear and tear it will undergo during the LEDs’ lifetime, the customer will be left with a fixture that didn’t hold up even if it still illuminates. The Future: Phoenix has introduced many new LED innovations in recent years. However, the introduction of the SturdiLED™, the newest design for the mining market, is a reflection of the light that started Phoenix on its journey to where it is today. It blends the best of both worlds – the long-lasting, efficient qualities of LED technology with the rugged durability that Phoenix has been known for since the beginning. Mines throughout the world are already enjoying the benefits of the SturdiLED Series in both AC and DC applications. Technology in the lighting industry continues to soar, and Phoenix is at the forefront constantly redefining the meaning of “durability”.

How much can Phoenix fixtures really handle? Phoenix has put them through some crazy tests! Visit our YouTube channel to see the footage!

www.phoenixlighting.com

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Trio: building solutions together

rioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest innovation for secondary and tertiary comminution circuits is the TC5, TC6 and TC8 series cone crushers. These high-performance cone crushers were specifically designed for the rigours of continuous mine duty operations. With the introduction of the robust 500 HP, 93,500 lb TC5 Crusher, Trio has evolved the TC Cone design platform to be more productive. This cone crusher series has increased capacity and a finer discharge gradation achieved by incorporating a steeper chamber angle, more aggressive stoke, moderate speed increase and the largest in class head diameter.

A truly unique element of Trio cone crushers is the SPC crushing chamber featuring a high choke point that assures maximum utilisation of the manganese wear surfaces. The geometry of this crushing chamber allows a much higher tolerance to material hardness, hydroscopic moisture and material elasticity than any other crusher in the industry, which makes it an ideal choice for tertiary mill preparation circuits. Simple user-friendly operating and safety features include: hydraulic clamping; clearing and tramp iron relief; and push-button hydraulic crusher setting adjustment. This mine duty series features TCCA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a fully Above: the 500 HP, 93,500 lb TC5 cone crusher. Left: the TCCA is a fully automated system controlling the crusher feed rate, discharge setting and cavity fill level

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automated system controlling the crusher feed rate, discharge setting and cavity fill level. The TCCA system can control single or multiple machines with real-time monitoring, control and trending of the main crusher functions. To maximise the application flexibility, these cone crushers incorporate a universal support bowl compatible for all liner configurations from the coarsest to the finest liners. With more than 6,000 hours of continuous mine service, these machines have proven to be rugged and reliable.

Contact information TRIO Engineered Products, Inc 12823 Schabarum Ave Irwindale CA 91706, USA Tel: +1 (626) 851 3966 Fax: +1 (626) 851 9526 E-mail: productinfo@trioproducts.com

Boost Efficiency, Maximize Setup Flexibility & Better Access to Material Resources.

TRIO builds wheel mounted as well as track mounted portable plant systems for feeders, crushers, screens, and washers, incorporating single machines or integrated into open or close circuit, total plant solutions. Portable plants can be highly customized into cost-effective solutions for complex applications. These plants can be delivered completely assembled and are also available in kit form for shipments to remote locations.

+1 626 851 3966 www.trioproducts.com productinfo@trioproducts.com

.com July / Aug 2014 10/07/2014 09:43

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Strata refuge chambers: where you need them, when you need them

efuge chambers are quickly gaining widespread popularity in underground operations around the world. Mandated for use in US coal mines since 2007, chambers are required to provide at least 96 hours of lifesustaining breathable air to miners trapped underground. Strata Worldwide introduced the inflatable Fresh Air Bay (FAB) to offer the industry a compact, low-profile alternative to standard chambers that would be significantly easier to manoeuvre in coal mining environments. With this product, Strata quickly gained majority market share in the US. The inflatable bay of the FAB is rolled up and housed in an explosion-resistant steel skid. This skid is built to withstand 15psi of overpressure, and has had proven success in surviving an underground explosion. In an emergency, miners locate the skid, roll out the bay and pull a labelled rip-cord to inflate the chamber much like one does with a life-raft. High-pressure air cylinders, always in ready-mode, immediately inflate the bay and fill it with clean air. Gas monitoring apparatus, food, water, a portable lavatory, flash-lights and a patented breathing air system are all accessible while in the chamber. The stand-alone, portable benefits of the Strata FAB are not limited to use in coal mines; they are available and adaptable for all types of underground operations. The natural properties of the fabric dissipate heat and help the internal

Strata segmented chamber environment remain comfortable without the need for additional cooling. Cooling is, however, available in extreme conditions. Most commonly used in hard- and soft-rock mining is the steel, walk-in refuge chamber such as the Strata ERC (Emergency Refuge Chamber).

Activating the Strata Fresh Air Bay

The Strata Emergency Refuge Chamber These engineered electric units offer LED lighting, cooling, cushioned seating and automatic atmospheric monitoring. While attached to the operation’s main air compressor and power sources, Strata ERCs provide indefinite refuge capabilities – food and water supplies scaleable. They also include at least 48 hours of stand-alone air and power supplies as an alternative. Upon entry into the chamber, occupants activate either the main air flow at the chamber’s air filtration system, or the on-board Strata ActiveAir™ system. Strata ActiveAir is a back-up air supply system that includes an electric CO2 scrubber, CO2 and O2 real-time sensoring, spill-proof soda lime cartridges and oxygen cylinders. In March 2013, refuge chambers designed by Strata engineers were used in an emergency situation where a truck caught on fire in an Australian gold mine and trapped 19 individuals underground. These miners followed their training procedures, retreating into the chambers and remaining there until cleared for evacuation.

They utilised the chamber’s built-in systems as designed and all were rescued unharmed. “During evacuation,” Gavin Hope from the Country Fire Authority stated, “all miners [were] accounted for and they [were] virtually leaving the mine as they would have on a normal day”. Strata ERCs are available in numerous standard sizes and can be custom-built and equipped according to their intended application. Chambers to suit tunnelling applications are narrower and often times shorter than standard units, but operate in exactly the same way. They are built to be mounted into tunnel boring machines (TBMs) or onto rails within tunnels. “Companies involved in tunneling projects, including contractors and TBM manufacturers are recognising the safety benefits of having refuge chambers on hand,” commented Ryan Fielden, corporate product and business manager of refuge alternatives. “If a fire breaks out in the tunnel, it may not be possible for the workers to evacuate so it’s vital that they have somewhere to seek temporary refuge.” Strata’s most recent introduction into its chamber line is the segmented chamber. Underground operations requiring or requesting a larger chamber may be limited by the size of their entry shaft. To overcome this obstacle, Strata has designed chambers that are divided into segments and can be assembled underground. The product quality and functionality are identical to standard units but have the added benefit of easier handling and transportation. To date, Strata has produced segmented units in both Australia and the US. The largest unit in Australia was a powerless coal mining chamber that included Strata’s patented air-powered scrubber. “The chamber was sold to a coal-mining operation to be assembled underground between two longwall panels,” explained Tony Farrugia, refuge chamber product manager for Strata Australia. “It was designed so that miners can enter the unit from either direction.” More recently, Strata has produced two electrically powered segmented chambers, complete with air-conditioning, atmospheric monitoring, wheels, a tow hitch and 96 hours of back-up air and power supplies to a silver mining operation in the US. With Strata’s global distribution and international manufacturing facilities, chambers can be quickly delivered to work-sites around the world. Please contact us to request more information.

Contact information Strata Worldwide US: +1-800-691-6601 AUS: +61-(0)2-4960-9705 RSA: +27-12-450-0960 GLOBAL: +1-770-321-2500 E-mail: info@strataproducts.com

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32 ADVERTISER ADVERTISERPROFILE PROFILE

Feature head – 36pt +/- 1

Superior’s TeleStacker conveyor has an internal stinger conveyor that maintains constant motion along a cell, distributing material evenly to achieve flattop piles

Feature standfirst – blue

Box info title • CMR-026222m grading 0.96g/t Au • CMR-040 240m grading 0.72g/t Au • CMR-057322m grading 0.63g/t Au • CMR-077124m grading 1.21g/t Au

It is common for drill intersections to include higher-grade (+1g/t Au) intervals over tens of metres.

Superior conveyors maximise heap-leach site mobility

conveyor runs perpendicular to both the HIC and the grasshopper conveyors. “It transfers material from the grasshopper conveyor to the HIC to maintain a consistent, steady material flow,” he says. Multiple grasshopper conveyors are combined consecutively to transfer material to the stacking caption conveyors. Domnick says that retreat stacking will move in increments of the grasshopper length by removing one at a time, while advance stacking requires the insertion of a grasshopper on moving forward.

or optimum performance, more and more heap-leach mining operations are utilising integrated conveyor systems, which can be custom-engineered for a specific leach-pad design. The speedy payback is measured in more tonnes per move, larger leach-pad footprints and increased profitability. Integrated heap-leach systems comprise a core group of conveyors, with the customisation of the system being applied with various belt lengths and widths, belt speeds and load areas; as well as hoppers, mobile tracks, control systems and electrical components. “This strategically selected system of attributes ensures smooth material transfer and greater efficiency over that of conventional methods,” says Bob Domnick, vice-president of engineering at conveyor manufacturer Superior Industries. Dominick explains that currently many heap-leach operations work in a manual radial-stacking mode. Operators move the radial stacker with a loader to a given location, leaving it to stack there while they perform other maintenance duties. Later, operators return to either fill in holes or move the stacker to the next location. “This typically results in saw-tooth pile tops, which are not ideal for irrigation,” Domnick says.

Contact information

GREATER STACKING VOLUME

ONE-SOURCE ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING The TeleStacker conveyor at work with an internal stinger conveyor that maintains constant motion along a cell, distributing material evenly to achieve flat-top piles, while also piling more material per move. “Its longer stinger conveyor allows for greater flexibility,” says Domnick. He explains that the conveyor is also equipped with an FD Series Axle assembly, a technology that allows a quick transition from radial to linear mode. Also, the unit features Superior’s patented FB® undercarriage support system, which is constructed of structure that prevents any twisting or shifting. Integrated with the telescoping radial stacker is a Horizontal Index Conveyor (HIC), a fully skirted unit with a frame that mounts to the stacker. “For greater heap-leach site mobility, the track drive on the unit is designed to move itself and the TeleStacker Conveyor along the cell centreline – and for maximum flexibility, the HIC can be fed at any point along the length of the conveyor,” says Domnick. “Ultimately, the combined mobility and flexibility of the HIC is key to building larger leach-pad footprints,” he says. Next, Domnick explains that a horizontal feed

Alternatively, Company name automated heap leach conveying systems Address are1 programmed to stack per desired lift specifications. Address 2 At the core of the system is Superior’s Tel: +1 xxxxx TeleStacker® conveyor, engineered Fax: +1 xxxxxx E-mail:feed xxxxxxxxxxxx Below: from Horizontal Index Conveyor to TeleStacker

“Today it’s common for manufacturers to sub-contract to others for both large and small components. At Superior, we manufacture all our components and conveyors, a§nd engineer our systems as a whole to ensure such things as smooth material movement at all transfer points, as well as the necessary electrical integrity required for the integration of multiple conveyors,” Domnick says. Lastly, he points to the fact that Superior Industries was founded and built on the premise of making conveyors mobile, and minimising the need for costly loader, dozer and haul-truck use. “So it is no surprise that we are drawn to the heap-leach mining market, as it has one of the highest requirements for mobility,” he says.

Contact information Superior Industries 315 E Highway 28 Morris, MN 56267 USA Tel: +1 (320) 589 2406 E-mail: info@superior-ind.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ superiorindustries

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mobile heap leach system

TELESTACKER CONVEYOR 速

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Cutting Edge Conveyor Technology Engineering and manufacturing capabilities. 50+ engineers and thirty patents confirms pursuit of innovation. 100% of welding technicians certified by AWS D1.1. Conveyor components manufacturing elevates bulk handling intelligence.

superiorindustries

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TerraSource Global – handling a world of materials

erraSource Global’s mission is to be the global partner today and tomorrow of industrial users of material handling and processing equipment by providing the best technology, quality and service for their specific project. TerraSource Global has a long history of providing a complete range of processing solutions to serve the power, mining, forest products, cement, steel, aluminum and industrial waste industries, to name a few. Headquartered in St Louis, Missouri, USA, TerraSource Global truly is a global company with sales, engineering and manufacturing offices strategically located in 10 cities within five countries. Plus, it has regional sales representatives stationed throughout the world in over 30 countries on six continents. As a result of its continually expanding global reach and on-the-ground field service experts, the company has become a trusted source of technical applications in a wide variety of situations and a reliable source of support for current and new customers. It has an extensive history of successful installations around the world, as well as a testing and applications laboratory in its Duncan, South Carolina, USA, facility to ensure that its equipment selections meet and exceed customers’ expectations.

WHY USE TERRASOURCE GLOBAL EQUIPMENT? TerraSource Global is the ultimate resource for material processing and handling equipment, uniting three market leaders – Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher – whose brands are recognised and trusted around the globe. The three brands’ equipment lines include size-reduction equipment, screening and processing equipment, material-handling equipment, pneumatic conveyors, feeders and storage and reclaim equipment, which is used throughout the material-reduction and feeding spectrum. TerraSource Global provides a single stop for material sizing and feeding expertise and knowledgeable assistance in selecting the exact fit for your application, as well as expert engineering services and application-matched auxiliary equipment support to fully integrate your process equipment needs. The company’s sales managers, representatives and engineers collaborate with its customers to understand their equipment and systems needs, project requirements, time

TerraSource Global unites three marketleading brands: Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher frames and budgets. They then create the best solution for achieving their customer’s goals.

parts-distribution warehouses and can meet your parts needs around the globe.

SERVICE

MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES

TerraSource Global’s highly trained service department is ready to assist its global customers with its Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader or Pennsylvania Crusher equipment. Whether you need a check-up or full field-service support, TerraSource Global’s service team is ready to assist you. Its staff understands that your equipment is critical to your operation and keeping your equipment operational is of utmost importance.

Every day more than 275 TerraSource Global employees are working hands-on in manufacturing and service locations worldwide to produce proprietary machines, as well as wear and spare parts to meet the individual customer requirements for TerraSource Global equipment and systems. TerraSource Global manufacturing focuses particularly on the production of key components critical to technology and quality. Other items of supply are provided from qualified suppliers who are subjected to regular quality checks and on-time performance monitoring. With this proven flexibility, the company can optimise its schedule of deliveries around the globe at competitive costs. To learn more about how TerraSource Global can solve your material handling and processing needs, please visit www.TerraSource.com or email info@TerraSource.com.

REBUILDS TerraSource Global can rebuild your Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher equipment to new condition, extending its useful life and return on investment. If your process or material has changed, your sales representative or an engineer will review those changes with you, and the machine will be updated accordingly.

OEM PARTS TerraSource Global has the parts you need to keep your Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher equipment operating and performing at optimum levels. All parts are manufactured to the highest industry standards and built to the original equipment design. Options on material of construction and designs are available to optimise your equipment as your needs change. The company has recently expanded its global

Contact information

TerraSource Global 100 N. Broadway, Suite 1600, St Louis, MO 63102, USA Tel: +1 (618) 233-7208 E-mail: info@TerraSource.com

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CRUSHERS, FEEDERS, SIZERS a brand of

Gundlach’s roll crushers deliver higher quality cubical product, minimal fines and consistently repeatable performance for sizing coal, coke, glass, fertilizer, potash, salts, lime, limestone, soft ores, friable materials and industrial minerals.

Gundlach Crushers Phone: +1 (618) 233-7208 n E-mail: BetterCrushers@GundlachCrushers.com a brand of

Jeffrey Rader vibratory feeders can process 1,800 TPH and are found in operation worldwide– primarily in mining and quarry operations, but also in aggregate, chemical and industrial processes. Additional feeder applications include coal, minerals and various blending materials.

Jeffrey Rader Phone: +1 (864) 476-7523 n E-mail: Sales@JeffreyRader.com a brand of

The Mountaineer™ Sizer is a rugged, high-capacity crusher that incorporates all the features needed to ensure accurate primary or secondary sizing of coals, industrial minerals and ores with minimum fines generation.

Pennsylvania Crusher Phone: +1 (610) 544-7200 n E-mail: Buster@PennCrusher.com

Handling a World of Materials The brands comprising TerraSource Global (Gundlach Crushers, Jeffrey Rader and Pennsylvania Crusher) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE: HI) © 2014 TerraSource Global. All Rights Reserved.

www.terrasource.com/mm

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Weir Minerals: Material Matters

For more than 140 years, innovation has been a tradition at Weir. Its Weir Minerals division is a leading supplier to the global mining industry that delivers end-to-end solutions for all mining, transportation, milling, processing and waste-water management activities

he basic premise of Weir Minerals’ Material Matters® initiative: you get more out of a Weir Minerals product because of the company’s relentless commitment to R&D, resulting in superior products, enhanced output and reliability, which improve financial outcomes. The cost of operating a mine has steadily increased over the last 20 years. According to recent reports, the cost of installing and operating a new coal mine has increased nearly three-fold in the last few years. As these pressures continue to build on the mining industry, mine operators are investing in products that are higher quality and last significantly longer. All while improving safety for employees and the surrounding environment. Weir Minerals is devoted to the newest and most advanced technologies, constantly striving to extend product performance and reduce cost. The mining industry relies on Weir Minerals for quality and innovative products and services. Weir Minerals’ commitment to the mining industry runs deep because it focuses on listening to its customers. Its personnel are in mining operations around the world on a daily basis, rolling up their sleeves and working on equipment, talking with mine operators and learning about the pressures they face. As a leading supplier to the global mining industry, Weir Minerals is committed to doing its part to understand the global economy and building products that improve mining efficiency, which ultimately improve the bottom line. For example, the Linatex® wear indicator system transmits and receives messages, providing a revolutionary early warning system to mine operators. This system is superior because it detects more than just a break in the wire; it measures a change in resistance for more accurate results. The system is designed to save time, money and potentially lives by notifying operators when a pipe needs to be replaced or fixed.

The development of ‘smart’ rubber linings is just one of the many technologies Weir Minerals has developed in order to improve mining profitability. You get a lot more out of a product from Weir Minerals. The reason is simple. Weir Minerals put a lot more into it. We’ve earned a strong industry leadership position in metallurgy, R&D, product testing and support services, and we work hard to keep it that way. Because in the long run, it all matters.

Linatex smart rubber

Above: the Warman WBH slurry pump from Weir Minerals

Contact information Weir Minerals Level 3, 1 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia E-mail: sales@weirminerals.com

Linatex wear-indicator system on hose

www.weirminerals.com

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ZEISS: automated mineralogy solutions Throughout the world, the name of ZEISS stands for the highest quality and reliability. ZEISS provides market-leading microscopy hardware and analytical software to the world’s natural resources industries

eadquartered in Jena, Germany, with offices across the globe, the Microscopy business group is part of the ZEISS group, a leading organisation of companies operating worldwide across the full spectrum of science and technology. ZEISS has been contributing to technological progress for centuries – with solutions for the natural resources, semiconductor, automotive and mechanical engineering industries, industrial QA/QC, biomedical research and medical technology, as well as eyeglass lenses, camera and ciné lenses, binoculars and planetariums.

CARL ZEISS MICROSCOPY Microscopy is a key enabling technology in both high-tech industries and life sciences research. With its unique portfolio, leading innovations and highly educated sales teams, ZEISS is uniquely positioned to play a major role in finding the answers to the most pressing questions of society. ZEISS has been the industry standard in optical microscopy for over 200 years, is now well established as the industry standard in X-ray microscopy, and offers the highest performance imaging solutions in the world with its scanning electron and helium ion microscope portfolios.

Mineral particle images of copper concentrate, sorted by feret max diameter Copper-gold ore; BSD image; mineral classification showing each mineral type by colour: hematite (orange) and magnetite (blue) Combining these technologies, ZEISS has pioneered the development of correlative microscopy workflows, which enable new insights into the micro and nano worlds. In the mining industry, ZEISS provides the full suite of imaging and analytical tools from polarised light microscopes through quantitative automated mineralogy and non-destructive 3-D mineral liberation solutions. Advanced software drives this unrivalled hardware to solve the world’s natural resources challenges. Left: mineral map of southern hemisphere coal mounted in carnuba wax showing variations in sulphur content using Mineralogic’s element ration rules mineral classification

AUTOMATED MINERALOGY Following significant investment in automated mineralogy, ZEISS now offers the world’s most advanced automated mineralogy system – Mineralogic Mining – delivering the highest-quality data for all mining applications.

MAXIMISING RESOURCES RECOVERY Mineralogic Mining is a geological investigation tool that uses automated mineral analysis to identify and quantify minerals in real time and correlate results with optical and X-ray techniques. Automated mineralogy solutions from ZEISS dramatically reduce time associated with process mineralogy whilst maximising resource recovery, increasing overall efficiency of mining operations.

Contact information Carl Zeiss Microscopy Ltd 509 Coldhams Lane Cambridge CB1 3JS United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1223 401500

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Remote possibilities Ailbhe Goodbody investigates the benefits of using remote and integrated operations centres to run mining operations

he terms ‘remote operations’ and ‘integrated operations’ are both commonly used in the mining industry, but they mean different things. Remote operations simply run a mine site/s from a different place; the benefits of this include improved safety by removing people from more hazardous work environments, which reduces the frequency of human interaction with heavy machinery on site and significantly reduces the possibility of injury. There is also a reduced impact of remote residential life or fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) on the workforce’s health and family, resulting in a more stable and productive workforce. In addition, in the ‘war for talent’, it may be an incentive to offer a work location that is not isolated or in a harsh environment. Reducing the footprint of the mine sites’ infrastructure and the size of the workforce employed on site also brings

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environmental benefits. For example, in Western Australia mine sites are often located in remote desert environments; reducing the workforce on site leads to reduced energy use and carbon emissions from operating a smaller camp, flying fewer people thousands of kilometres to the site, and reduces the need to transport food and supplies by road away from major distribution centres. It also reduces the need for clearing larger areas to build communities or mine camps. Integrated operations centralise decision making, planning, and end-to-end analytics functions for optimisation and process improvement at multiple mines or more complex operations. These hubs may be located remotely, or on site as a centralised control facility; this article will look at operations that are both remote and integrated.

Integration of operations has the benefit of improved planning capabilities. It provides the platform to perform mid-term and tactical planning/ scheduling and resource levelling from within one location, where the relevant disciplines are co-located. Having access to the same data/information, the team tasked with optimising the short-term plans can thus avoid or minimise decision-making about resource allocation on the day or morning of the shift. Improved asset utilisation, reduced re-work and more effective task assignment and execution and hence workforce utilisation are the result. From a mining engineering perspective, centralising some of the engineering functions can be valuable for knowledge-sharing. Mining engineers controlling different sites can now operate from a single location as opposed to being located hundreds of

Rio Tinto opened a remote operations centre in Perth for its Pilbara iron-ore operations in June 2010

“Integration of operations has the benefit of improved planning capabilities”

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BHP Billiton’s integrated remote operations centre in Perth, Western Australia, came into use in July 2013

“Remotely operated equipment requires a new safety protocol to be adopted as well as acceptance by local maintenance and operations staff”

kilometres apart; this centralisation supports opportunities for sharing knowledge, transferring skills and covering vacant positions. In addition, they can result in improved efficiency and productivity. The productivity of the entire business can be optimised through full integration of the key components – the final outcome is superior to the sum of the individual parts. Increased information availability can lead to better problem solving – for example, collecting operating data from multiple sites can improve maintenance practices and uptime at individual operations, and facilitates collective reporting and co-ordination. Neil Freeman, principal consultant – mining, minerals and metals, at automation specialist Honeywell Process Solutions, says: “The traditional approach to the supply chain, where the mine, plant, transport and port operate independently, creates silos of information, which is a barrier to communications. This makes it more difficult to make decisions that provide the best outcome for the entire value chain.” Centralisation of operations can help reduce these barriers because all parts of the value chain are co-located. The most well-known examples of such centres are in Western Australia, where Rio Tinto opened a remote operations centre in Perth for its Pilbara iron-ore operations in June 2010; while BHP Billiton opened its integrated remote operations centre in Perth in July 2013. Roy Hill Holdings also completed construction of its remote operations centre there in November 2013. However, there are other examples worldwide, such as some of Codelco’s operations in Chile.

CentRe development The time needed to develop an integrated or remote operations centre depends significantly on the scale of requirements and the organisation’s technical and operational readiness. The majority of infrastructure is related to communications and computing,

rather than the centre facility itself. The centre should be in a location where 24-hour access is easy; for this reason, centres are sometimes located near airports. Infrastructure requirements include fibre-optic broadband and a stable power supply with back-up power. Philippe Lebleu, principal consultant at AMC Consultants, says: “The physical infrastructure is often less time-consuming than developing the human confidence in relinquishing control to the automated, semi-automated or remotely controlled systems and remote-operation methodology.” It is important to establish a long-term vision for integrated remote operations, and then start building it in pieces. A company could start with remote monitoring of haul trucks, then move to remote dispatch and maintenance planning, before progressing to automated or remote-controlled haul trucks. The design phases are critically important to successful implementation; poorly designed systems just do not work. The main challenges of building an integrated remote operations centre are typically organisational change in terms of how the business operates. On a technical level, once this is understood, appropriate diligence can be undertaken

to engineer the systems and centre to support the business. Chris Inie, mining industry specialist at Toric Technologies, a joint venture between True North Automation (Canada) and Calibre Global’s Industrial Technology Division (Australia), notes: “There is no one-sizefits-all approach; there are common issues and requirements that need to be addressed where prior experience can be effective and efficient.” Change management is important, as workers may resist change, especially if it is not handled properly. The different expectations and organisational functions must be addressed to maximise the centre’s value, and this must be carefully handled through a change management process. Cam Harris, extractive metallurgy lead at management consulting company Accenture, says: “There are cultural and managerial issues to be addressed – remotely operated equipment requires a new safety protocol to be adopted as well as acceptance by local maintenance and operations staff. Managerially, the responsibility for production must be clearly defined as the operators are no longer on site and under the supervision of local management.” One of the key advantages of an integrated remote operations centre

Skills shortage The mining industry has historically not been seen by the broader population as an attractive industry. This is partly due to its nature, but also because of the remoteness of some mine sites, which means the workforce must live in remote communities or work on fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) rotations. In addition, the appetite of the younger generation to seek adventure by living in exotic and remote locations has dwindled in the last few decades, as younger people prefer the comforts of urban existence. The ability for mine workforces to work in urban centres will mean the pool of potential employees could be expanded and more skilled workers could be attracted to an operation. Peter Bryant, partner at strategy consulting firm Clareo, comments: “It is obvious in an era of impending skills shortages due to the retirement bulge that anything we can do to attract new and young talent to join mining instead of other competitive sectors such as oil and gas, aerospace, etc. must be grabbed and promoted.” There is also the opportunity to

attract experienced mining staff who no longer want to work in regional mines. Griebel of VCI says: “Recently I have noticed that mature professionals are simply bored by the work that occurs routinely in the mining companies, and integrated operations centres can provide the opportunity to attract individuals that cherish a variety of tasks.” For example, employees with young children are more likely to be attracted and retained to the mining industry if they are able to return home every day. This is a particular concern when workers have children that are reaching critical stages in education, or when considering spouses’ careers; these issues often arise when people are entering a very valuable/experienced stage of their career. Lebleu explains: “Moving most of the engineering and operations functions to city centres will make it more attractive to skilled workers, and transform the broader population mind-set, by showcasing the mining industry as a high-technology industry

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should be to help optimise the whole mining cycle, from mining at the face to processing and transportation of the ore to its final destination. At mine sites, these departments are commonly working in isolation. It is important that a remote operations centre is able to integrate all the functions benefiting from close collaboration. Making the whole mining process clearly visible makes it easier to understand and assess the impact of certain isolated decisions on the whole process, not just a specific function. It is therefore important that integrated remote operations centres are built to foster collaboration across multiple disciplines. A key element in addressing this is tackling the organisational structures between the site and the centre with this design challenge in mind – not just building it and assuming that everything will work as it did before. Another specific challenge is managing the disconnection between staff in the integrated remote operations centre and those on site, or between management’s communication from the centre and the direct translation into action on site. A primary driver to implement integrated remote operations is labour

employing highly skilled people rather than a ‘dirty, dark and dangerous’ industry.” Another advantage of an integrated operations centre is the ability for people to service and support multiple operations. Freeman explains: “This means that specific skill sets can be shared among operations – whereas, if site-based, this particular skill might only be utilised for a percentage of the time. In effect, this means that a skilled resource can be fully utilised, and not diluted doing other tasks as might be the case if dedicated to one site. “This in turn can lead to increased job satisfaction, which, with a city-based lifestyle, could lead to reduced turnover.” Fully utilising such skills should also have the effect that companies will keep employees through the mining cycles. There can be an issue, however, of some very valuable people not wanting a position in such a centre, given the lack of proximity/connection with mining operations.

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cost, so it should be noted that the benefit of making the expenditure is lessened in low-labour-cost regions. Justification for the investment must be made on the basis of improved operations performance, above and beyond what can be achieved locally.

data Integrated and remote operation necessitates the collection and manipulation of large amounts of data, which in turn opens opportunities to optimise the whole mining process. Increasingly, operations personnel are inundated with a plethora of information from different sources; this is exacerbated within an integrated remote operations centre. The challenge is to make sense of the data and effectively co-ordinate and collaborate with this information. Freeman says: “The Abnormal Situation Management (ASM) consortium is dedicated to making sense of this information to avoid incidents. This includes analysis of operator effectiveness, alarm management and operations visualisation. The research has resulted in a number of guidelines, which are being used by the major oil and gas companies, and increasingly by mining and metals companies.” Data capture, storage/accessibility and the capability to analyse the vast quantities of data are key to any integrated operations centre. Ernst Griebel, associate consultant at Virtual Consulting International (VCI), observes: “I don’t think that any of the existing integrated operations facilities are capturing this benefit – mainly because they have not managed to find the people that specialise in this – and turn the data into knowledge. Predictive

analytics for everything in the value chain will improve efficiencies by an order of magnitude.” Mining companies can use the collection of large production and telemetry data sets and the associated analytics of ‘big data’ to make better decisions, improve prediction of certain occurrences and streamline the business process. While these are not specific to integrated operations centres, they provide an organisation with a more natural focal point for the use of such systems to assist decision making and execution. Studying the data provided by operations can uncover indicators that would otherwise go unnoticed. The availability of this data eases such tasks as reporting, and makes key performance indicators (KPIs) available in near-real time. The ease of distribution and general availability of these KPIs will allow management to respond more quickly to changes, and to speed fine tuning to optimise operations. Through understanding the leading indicators, a company’s maintenance can move to being predictive (rather than preventative or reactive), which improves equipment availability and reduces costs. There is often a huge amount of data collected that is not fully used for predictive and preventative maintenance. However, often the challenge is to interpret the data and effectively focus on what is important. For instance, a haul truck collects hundreds of measurements daily which, if monitored remotely, can be used to reduce maintenance costs and also assist in training of personnel. Predictive maintenance can dramatically improve equipment reliability. Centralising information

Remote operations are facilitated by communications technology such as the Honeywell Experion Collaboration Station

“There is often a huge amount of data collected that is not fully used for predictive and preventative maintenance”

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gathering and analysis allows the team to develop algorithms that predict what leads to equipment failure – they can then fix the problem before it fully manifests, reducing the probability of a failure and increasing asset utilisation. Tracking and monitoring factors that in the past have led to equipment failures will deliver an understanding of when machinery will probably fail – therefore allowing for planning and action, such as anticipating maintenance and reducing the level of ‘back-up’ machinery and staff required to manage the variability. Greg Johnson, senior manager, operations optimization at Schneider Electric’s mining & metals center of excellence, explains: “There are pattern-recognition technologies that can recognise the lead-up signs to an asset failure, enabling more time to plan, schedule and carry out repairs in a predictive, proactive mode. This is potentially many times more costeffective than reactive maintenance, and even many preventive practices.” Jeff Loehr, strategy practice leader at global strategy and innovation consultancy CNARIO Consulting, says: “One operation that I visited was able to identify, through simple regression analysis, that an increase in exhaust temperature indicated that a specific engine component would soon need to be replaced. Before the analysis, this component would cause failures, but by identifying this leading indicator the mine could replace the engine component before it caused failure. This was part of increasing its availability from 65% to 85%.” However, David Andrew, lead consultant at VCI, cautions that despite the push for ‘big data’, the concept of collecting data for data’s sake is

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generating push-back across a variety of companies. He comments: “The feeling is that, as per other business initiatives, unless there is a solid business case then it is superfluous work. As the science of data increases towards more tangible gains, this will shift.”

Trends Currently, only large mining companies are using integrated remote operations centres. However, as the benefits of operating such centres are better understood and communicated across the mining industry, it is expected that smaller mining companies could consider their implementation as well. Darryl Hockey, general manager of external affairs at Roy Hill Holdings, says: “It will become more mainstream once the industry gets past the perception that it is all about technology, and instead grasps the significant benefit that can be delivered from an integrated single optimised business.” Of course, these centres will come in different forms and sizes based on companies’ needs. It is likely that at first there will be a significant increase in local automation and control, with big data collected at sites being used to better integrate and optimise mine and mill operations, and improved reporting being made available company-wide. Harris states: “As the local improvements are effected, gradual migration of local tasks to centralised or outsourced control centres will continue to increase.” Efficiency gains that the large companies are chasing will also become available for smaller companies, particularly considering that remote autonomous equipment will become standard over the next few years. Smaller mining companies will also

benefit from the lessons learned by the majors to lower the implementation cost and develop strategies for maximised return on investment. Johnson says: “Another trend will be increased collaboration and workflows to outside experts. While the largest miners may have much in-house expertise, we see linkages to services provided by experts in particular technologies, such as energy management or vibration monitoring, to be key.” The current model of bespoke design and development of these centres, and the associated processes and skills, is usually out of the reach of a small company due to the level of change and capital required. The future of such centres for smaller companies could come from the development of a standardised and open integrated operations centre platform that can be purchased ‘off the shelf’. Andrew suggests: “A standardised platform could be implemented across numerous companies, similar to a SAP system, providing the majority of the value for a fraction of the price. The necessary support services and processes ecosystem would have a chance to naturally develop due to the open nature of the system.” Another option is that smaller operations or single-mine operators could team up to establish an integrated/remote operations centre for a single geographical area that has multiple mines and operators to optimise the logistics – essentially it would become an outsourced provider of mine management across multiple mines in a single area.

The fuTure All current indicators suggest a continued trend toward increasing automation, connectivity and the ability to handle large amounts of data, and

Transferring control to a remote centre can enable better sharing of skills and knowledge

“The concept of collecting data for data’s sake is generating push-back across a variety of companies”

Centralised data monitoring can make it easier for companies to optimise their operations

Photo: Schneider Electric

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Photo: Honeywell

Operating large and complex machinery from a comfortable office brings benefits in safety, staff retention and efficiency

with this, the increasing ability to centralise operations control. Technical advances in equipmentmonitoring technology and the deployment of unmanned equipment such as driverless trains, haul trucks, drills and potentially survey drones, which require limited human activity on site, will further increase the appeal for

opening integrated/remote operations centres. As collaborative and video communication technology develops further, the available resource pool will be much wider and greater, and there will also be the capacity for international inputs. Harris says: “It is likely that local control will give way to regional control, which will in turn move to global control. The rate of implementation will depend on the degree of benefit the control is shown to deliver compared to the ever-decreasing cost of implementation.” Improvement in automation technologies, communications and the ability to access large amounts of live data across long distances will make it possible to open global integrated remote operations centres. Global operations centres also have the potential to minimise nightshift work, as the main operations can be handed over to time zones where the work day is starting. Highly mechanised and/or automated mines can ultimately be operated from anywhere. A global approach would be possible from a technical standpoint, provided

sufficient availability and capacity of communications is available. Inie explains: “A global approach needs to address cross-jurisdictional control and accountability. “In many instances, the legal/social licence to operate along with the benefits of local expertise, language, environmental and cultural awareness will mean that a global approach may not always be appropriate. We see the potential to federate/tier regional and product centres of excellence, with more common support functions across multinational organisations.” There will always, or at least for the foreseeable future, be some need for in-person interaction at the mine site, but that will diminish. Centralisation of expertise in hubs is going to continue as it increases the depth of specialisation. There will, however, be a need for ‘generalists’ in the field who can tap this global expertise and translate it into action. The future of operations could consist of brilliant generalists in the field who can learn quickly, supported by remote specialists (from any location) housed in an integrated remote operations centre.

convergence, and not only have a platform that is able to take anything new that appears, but really anything imaginable. It should be easy, and open.” OPCD, basically open connectivity in industrial automation, works outside the mine-mobile fleet operations space because interoperability is assured by non-proprietary open standards developed over many years. This high-level interoperability extends to mine processing plants and other fixed operational centres. The mobile environment and connected mine operations centre represent the ‘new frontier’ in mining for technology convergence and performance optimisation. Extreme is used to monitor and manage a mine’s systems, equipment (fixed, mobile, auxiliary and productive), mining fronts and even people and their activities: no activity performed in the mine needs to be without control and supervision. “We’re trying to bring the consolidated automation practices of general industries to the mining operation,” Marinho said. “This enables us to deal with many different sources of data to create information

for a better decision process. What we are bringing to the market is the concept of a mobile automation control system.” Marinho said Itabira had more than 30 ‘assistance systems’ (including fleet management), each with a specific role and aim, and from different suppliers. “Until recently it seemed impossible to integrate all these systems into one matrix,” he said. “We convinced [Vale] to pull apart their own initiative of creating a new supervisory system to get our platform to cover their needs. Extreme was selected as a solution for mobile process automation. “Vale now plans all the activities for auxiliary services in the mine, monitoring them in real time using a realistic 3-D environment. The project we started with them in 2011 has solved the management gaps of the fleet-management system in use, and the auxiliary equipment operators now have better KPIs, improving the productivity of the whole mine. “The maintenance people can now access the same information in the same way as the operational and planning people are. It makes a big difference in the end.”

Vale looks for Extreme edge

“The future of operations could consist of brilliant generalists in the field who can learn quickly, supported by remote specialists”

Hexagon Mining’s plan to deliver the mining industry’s first non-proprietary management information system (MIS) for open-pit operations control and dynamic optimisation – and a new information-rich supervisory platform – is moving closer to commercial realisation. Rodrigo Marinho, the COO of Hexagon subsidiary Devex Mining, says initial deployments at Vale’s Itabira iron-ore mine complex in Minas Gerais, and Norsk Hydro’s Paragominas bauxite operations in Pará, both in Brazil, are progressing well and should confirm Extreme’s readiness for broader market release later this year. “Extreme is the first mine asset-management system with an open and extensible architecture that allows clients or third-party suppliers to develop specific functionalities to expand control and performance,” Marinho said at Hexagon’s recent customer event in Las Vegas, US. “What we’re trying to do is the same as open-platform communications data access (OPCD) in general industrial automation, for the mine operation itself. The [mine] platform needs to be open – we need to not only think about, but achieve, technological

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Company president Ken Grimm explains: “Lyons is a relationship-based company. At a high level we value long-term relationships with vendor, contractor and customer to achieve success. TEC’s on-site technician service has helped us meet day-to-day results and bridge the relationship gaps that companies face when dealing with a systems integrator or supplier of service. “Today, organisations have become more transaction-based. We have taken a very different and successful relationship-based approach. TEC is important to our long-term strategy in the areas of control, automation and electrical systems.” Grimm adds: “We have made significant strides, but have a long way to go. Putting critical information in the hands of supervisors faster via handheld devices, integrating new technology and enhancing our electrical infrastructure will all play a critical role moving forward.”

The Lyons production skip hoist

at your service TEC Systems Group explains how it has helped to improve efficiency and production at a salt mine in Kansas, US

“To take its approach a step further, TEC offers an on-site electrical, instrumentation and automation technician service to customers such as Lyons Salt”

yons Salt Co is a mine located 1,000ft (300m) below ground in Lyons, Kansas (US). The mine is a result of salt deposits from the inland sea that covered the state millions of years ago. The company began its operations in 1917 during a time when mules were utilised to pull its cargo. Today, the mine is a leading producer of feed salt and road salt for de-icing cities across the Midwest. Production volumes are critical to maintain a competitive advantage, which challenges the company’s progressive management team to look for ways to improve efficiency and increase output. With this in mind, the management team introduced automation to the operation with the help of TEC Systems Group, a member of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA), headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. As part of the collaboration, TEC has focused on introducing automation solutions and increasing the electrical capacity at Lyons Salt. The company has

Lyons saLt’s chaLLenge:

made great strides, increasing efficiency by 35% and increasing production output by 32%; the partnership between Lyons Salt and TEC has so far been a successful one.

a different approach TEC is known in the industry for its technical performance in the area of plant automation. The company takes a customer intimacy approach by offering multiple services, ranging from large automation projects to plant automation, service, and support to a small number of customers in select industries. To take its approach a step further, TEC offers an on-site electrical, instrumentation and automation technician service to customers such as Lyons Salt to align with the customer’s business goals. The on-site approach provides a deeper understanding of the customer’s business processes, goals, mission and vision. This on-site service played a key role in efficiency gains and increased production output at Lyons Salt.

The company’s main objective is to serve its existing customers’ needs and grow the business by attracting new customers. This required Lyons Salt to increase its production tonnage, reduce the amount of downtime, and improve the overall visibility of its operations while providing a safe work environment to achieve its goals.

the soLutions

• TEC was instrumental in the design

and installation of upgraded electrical controls throughout the facility, in the mining and milling processes. This was accomplished through the use of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and human-machine interfaces (HMIs) that gave the ability to monitor and control critical systems. The upgrades and introduction of automation resulted in reduced time moving product from point to point, and the ability to adjust or control different functions in the process. Automation also provides Lyons Salt with the ability to introduce new product lines,

Right: the entrance to the mine

Far right: 300m below ground at Lyons Salt

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•

and the flexibility of offering a number of product lines to customers in order to maintain the company’s competitive advantage in the market. Power outages and diminished power capacity had adversely impacted Lyons Salt’s production capability. TEC increased underground power from 2,400V to 12,470V, which now powers 80% of the mine. The power increase gave Lyons the ability to push the mine faces out to greater distances. It also increased the available power, which allowed the team to operate heavy equipment that has increased power needs. The high-voltage electrical infrastructure upgrade project on the surface operations has improved the supply of voltage to existing installations, reduced voltage drops, improved reliability and provided capacity for future expansion projects. TEC’s continuous assessments of the mine’s electrical infrastructure provides critical information rapidly to the Lyons team, allowing them to make timely business decisions. TEC worked closely with the design team at Intermountain Electronics, a company based in Price, Utah, to design the electrical transformers, switchgear and face boxes required to meet the upgraded voltage needs. A high-resistance grounding system was also installed, which utilises a neutral-grounding resistor to limit the ground fault current to 25amps. This reduces the incidence of ARC flash hazards and eliminates transient over-voltages. The implementation improved electrical reliability and reduced electrical safety hazards at the mine. TEC also increased the efficiency of operations throughout the mine through the implementation of improved communication systems. The installation of fibre optics throughout the surface and underground mining areas has decreased the requirement for large amounts of copper wiring for controls, increased the availability of telephone

communications, and provided wireless access to mobile handheld computer tablets. The mobile tablets allow key staff to access HMIs and provide instant visibility of the mine’s operations. This visibility has given supervisors and operators the ability to quickly troubleshoot equipment problems, change processing locations, or change the functions of equipment immediately.

• Finally, automation of the screen

plant and mill has eliminated out-dated hardwired relay controls, which did not allow operators to troubleshoot in an efficient manner. The introduction of automation to the surface processing mill and the underground conveying-crushing circuit has reduced downtime and improved the mine’s materialhandling efficiencies.

“The partnership between Lyons Salt and TEC has so far been a successful one”

See: www.tecsystemsgroup.com

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automation

a complex migration Matrix Technologies outlines how it was able to upgrade PLCs and minimise downtime at an underground mine in the US

The old equipment that Matrix replaced: the SquareD PLC cabinet (centre column), wiring set-up (near left), and I/O racks (below)

n underground limestone-mine customer was faced with a difficult challenge: its SquareD programmable logic controllers (PLCs) were becoming outdated and obsolete, replacement parts were becoming harder to find, and the risk of downtime was becoming greater. Another challenge that the customer faced was that the systems involved were in frequent use, so a traditional ‘rip and replace’ style upgrade was not feasible. Matrix Technologies, a certified member of the Control System Integrators Association, was tasked with developing a migration strategy that would allow the PLC and human-machine interface (HMI) upgrade while minimising the time that the equipment was down. The existing system architecture involved a SquareD PLC with remote input/output (I/O) racks. The HMI was a Wonderware application communicating via the SquareD SyMax network using an industry standard architecture (ISA) PC card that put the three HMIs on the SyMax network. The interface cards were no longer available and not compatible with newer PCs. Therefore, the HMI had to be upgraded as part of this project.

Migration strategy

“Migrating a process from one control system to another without downtime can be challenging”

Matrix Technologies developed a migration strategy that allowed the existing system to remain operational while installing, testing and seamlessly migrating to the new Rockwell Automation ControlLogix system. Trying to develop such a strategy presents the following three challenges: Downtime Migrating a process from one control system to another without downtime can be challenging. Matrix Technologies had to find a way to install temporary I/O racks, shadow all the I/Os, test the new system against the old system to verify logic, commission the new system, and decommission the existing system, all without disruption to production. The migration plan solved this by meticulously planning these steps out and making sure that every step of the migration was considered and planned. Ease of use for operators In migrations similar to this, many times the operator has to hop back and forth

between two HMIs. Determining which HMI and which alarms they should be paying attention to can be trying and can lead to major operational problems. Matrix’s migration plan alleviated this problem by using a ‘shadow’ I/O. The term ‘shadow’ is used to indicate a stage of the migration when inputs are monitored by both the existing SquareD PLC and a ControlLogix PLC using hardwired inputs. The SquareD PLC retains control, and a subroutine compares the reaction of the ControlLogix outputs with those of the SquareD while monitoring via a network connection. The existing Wonderware HMI was upgraded to a newer version and additional temporary indirect tags were added to allow individual devices to be converted over one at a time. Matrix utilised Wonderware scripting to send any HMI commands to either the SquareD PLC, the new ControlLogix PLC, or to both. A new configuration screen allowed the start-up personnel to select which PLC the associated screen animation would be controlled from. Safety Developing a strategy to modify existing wiring while the electrical circuits were still energised, but still allowed the electricians to work safely, became a big challenge. While the Matrix approach still had the electricians working within electrically energised panels , it ensured that they never had to lift a wire that was energised, nor ever remove a wire that

disrupted another wire still being used in the circuit. The first step in the migration involved Matrix Technologies’ engineers doing extensive field wiring verification to determine that the current electrical schematics and panel layouts were accurate. Available panel and electrical room real estate was identified for possible installation of I/O racks and new electrical control panels. Once the existing wiring was verified and documented, and available real estate identified, a new control scheme was developed using a ‘temporary PLC to permanent PLC’ solution. The second step in the migration process involved designing, fabricating and installing a new electrical control panel, which included the ControlLogix PLC for the system. A new Ethernet network was designed to include the new ControlLogix PLC and a new Ethernet network for the ControlLogix I/O network. This was accomplished by installing a new fibre network, new

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automation

Cleaner wiring in the new installation, with the ControlLogix PLC mounted on the cabinet door (below)

Ethernet switches and network cabinets. A temporary ControlLogix I/O rack was mounted to the doors of the existing SquareD PLC enclosures. The new design involved utilising new ABB terminal blocks (P/N M 4/6.D2.S1R). These terminal blocks allow the control of outputs to be switched between the SquareD PLC and the new ControlLogix PLC. Once the temporary I/O racks were installed, Matrix engineers co-ordinated

with plant personnel to determine when specific equipment was not in use and was able to be safely wired. While the equipment was down, the associated digital inputs were wired to the ControlLogix input modules, the digital outputs were wired through the new ABB terminal blocks, and the analog inputs were wired to both devices using an analog signal splitter. After the I/O was wired to the temporary I/O, the device control was switched to the ControlLogix PLC and thoroughly tested using the Wonderware HMI.

A Niobrara DEB+ 101 Modbus serial-to-Ethernet communication bridge was also installed to allow the upgraded Wonderware application to communicate with the new ControlLogix PLC, as well as with the older SquareD PLC on its SyMax network. This allowed the HMI to switch control from SquareD to the ControlLogix one device at a time. Once all of the devices were wired to the temporary I/O and controlled by the new ControlLogix PLC, the third step of the migration started with removing the existing SquareD PLC and the I/O racks. The new, permanent ControlLogix I/O racks were installed in the real estate once occupied by the SquareD equipment. Matrix Engineers once again worked with plant production staff to wire devices to the permanent I/O racks, one device at a time. Once the permanent I/O was installed completely, the temporary I/O racks were removed and the equipment re-used for future upgrade projects. In this case, Matrix Technologies and the customer worked together to minimise the impact of the upgrade of the control system.

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LONGWALLs

A long and winding road Carly Leonida looks at the history of longwall mining systems and the companies which make them, as well as new features under development

A Joy 7 1LS Shearer, 1976

ongwall mining is the dominant extraction method used in the global underground coal industry. The technique was first introduced in the UK in the 17th century and prior to this, drilling and blasting with hand-loading was the primary method used to extract coal. Wooden props were used to control the roof and the coal was undercut so that it could be blasted from the face using explosives. In the ensuing decades, longwallmining technology evolved, with powered undercutters and eventually to shearers to simultaneously cut and load the coal. Face conveying advanced from manual methods to an unsupported belt, and later to armoured face conveyors, (AFCs) which today serve as the foundation for shearer travel. Roof control also progressed dramatically, starting with timbers and planks, advancing to hand-operated hydraulic props, and then to chocks, with chocks evolving into the modern hydraulically powered roof support.

Joy introduced the first mechanical loader, the 4BU, to the US coal market in the early 1900s. Cutters and coal drills quickly followed and, in the 1930s, the first rubber-tyred shuttle cars were developed. This fleet of equipment allowed for the first fully mechanical conventional production sections. Automated loading evolved into ‘conventional mining’, which entailed a sequence of tasks carried out by machines (save for loading explosives and shooting the face): • undercut the coal face; • drill blastholes in the face; • load explosives and detonate; • load and haul the coal; and, • bolt the roof (or an alternative support). Conventional mining techniques remained the main production system in the US until continuous miners were introduced in the late 1940s. The continuous-mining machine supplanted the need for undercutting, drilling and blasting and, slowly, continuous miner

production overtook conventional mining. By the 1960s, the use of continuous miners was the predominate method of coal production in the US, and room-and-pillar mining continued to be the main method of coal mining until the 1970s, when longwall mining began to emerge. Continuous miners are used today as production units in room and pillar operations, and as development units creating the entries for setting up and operating longwall systems. Today, longwall mining accounts for just over 50% of underground coal production in the US, and is the predominant mining method in most other major global coal mining areas, including China, Australia, Eastern Europe and Russia, as well as parts of Turkey, India and Western Europe. As the technology has advanced, the number of people required to work underground has been reduced and production has increased tremendously. Statistics show that modern mines are

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LONGWALLs

much safer – both due to fewer people working underground and to inherently safer mining methods.

EArLy mOdELs Early longwall systems were crude and inefficient compared to the longwall systems of today, but they were still a vast improvement over hand labour. “The longwall-mining method using systems similar to those of today has been known since the early 1970s, when the first shield supports were introduced,” explains Uli Paschedag, global product manager of underground products for Caterpillar Global Mining. “Since then, all components of a longwall system have been upgraded in areas such as installed power, conveyor speed and capacity and structural integrity. Automation is the most recent addition to longwall systems, and it qualifies as a revolutionary change. Improving longwall systems has been, and remains, a continuous process.” Early shearers had a total installed

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power of about 220kW (300hp), while a modern shearer can have as much as 1,500kW (2,000hp) of installed power. “The first Joy shearers were designed to mine seams of about 1.5-2.0m in thickness, with the total machine weight being around 22t,” says Ed Niederriter, engineering director for longwall systems at Joy Global. “A modern shearer for similar seam thicknesses would weigh two to three times as much.” Early shearers also had no remote control or automation, and only a single traction drive. Prior to the 1980s, shearers were not hauled on racks on the AFC, but used a chain strung along the face and engaged by a sprocket on the side of the shearer. In the early 1970s, the capacity of AFCs began to increase, but the most commonly used AFC was equipped with only an 18mm chain (typically with the chains outboard) and had approximately 180kW of total installed power. In order to keep up with production demands, current AFCs use 50mm chains and typically have more than 3,000kW of installed power, with the largest AFCs having 4,800kW power. Roof supports have also evolved significantly. The first hydraulic roof supports had set props grouped together in a single unit with six legs, providing a load into the roof of around 100t. They operated at an extraction height of approximately 1.5m. Today, the largest powered roof support units are rated at 1,750t and operate at extraction heights in excess of 7m. Today’s typical powered roof-support unit is rated at 1,000t and is used in extraction heights of around 4m.

COsts The cost of a longwall system varies widely depending on the seam height, length of the face and customer preferences. The cost of purchasing and installing a longwall system includes: • Purchase of the equipment (powered roof support, longwall shearer, AFCs and beam stage loaders (BSLs) with crushers, high-capacity belt conveyor haulage system and electrical equipment); and, • Creating large-dimension longwall faces and crosscuts. These need to be made prior to system installation. In contrast, room-and-pillar mining machines are less costly to buy upfront – in some cases up to 80% cheaper – but longwall systems yield a lower cost per tonne and recover a much greater percentage of the orebody. The production rate in a longwall

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system is also superior to room and pillar. Cliffs Natural Resources’ Pinnacle coal mine in West Virginia, US, set a world record in April for daily low-seam coal production using a Cat automated longwall plow system. In a 24h period, the mine produced 32,411t from the Virginia Pocahontas No 3 seam, in a seam height of 1.4m along the 298m longwall face. Brian Thompson, director of marketing and application engineering at Joy Global, says: “Longwall mining is the most productive and cost-effective form of soft-rock mining, but it is capital-intensive. If a mining company can handle an initial investment of more than three times the initial investment required for a typical room and pillar mine, then it can expect its operational costs to be half as much, and its output to be 10 times more than that of a typical room and pillar mine.”

LOOkiNG fOrWArd Every company interviewed for this article flagged full-system automation as the next big step for longwall development. “Technology that enables autonomous longwall operation is the ultimate goal, because it removes people from the working area for enhanced safety, and drives efficiency and productivity,” explains Paschedag. “The individual building blocks for autonomous operation can benefit operational efficiency and safety – even before every subsystem is perfected for fully autonomous operation.” Many of the building blocks are already in place in the Cat automation system. Cat has developed a fully integrated approach with all subsystems linked via a high-speed network connected to a computer that has logging, analysis and visualisation capabilities. The company has also developed networking, control and monitoring tools that can be integrated into the system to give the operator a clear picture of current and past activity. The system identifies potential machine problems before serious damage occurs, and it provides data to optimise troubleshooting. Competitor Joy Global has taken a similar approach: all elements of the Joy longwall system are linked together and layered with advanced automation features. Thompson explains that other technologies such as proximity detection, visualisation, variable frequency drives and advanced control systems are helping to lay the foundation for remote operation and eventually remote supervision. “Joy Global recently released the Low Seam High Productivity Longwall System, which incorporates many of these technologies in a 1.3m package height,” he says.

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“Every company interviewed for this article flagged fullsystem automation as the next big step for longwall development”

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LONGWALLs History lesson There are four OEMs that produce full longwall systems for the global market: Caterpillar and Joy Global compete for the lion’s share, the former inherited the DBT underground product line when it acquired Bucyrus in 2011; Polish company Famur Group, based in Katowice and with offices across Europe and Asia; and KOPEX Group, which is also based in Katowice, Poland, and services the European, Asian and South American markets. Here we detail the histories of three of these companies and their R&D focuses.

Caterpillar In 1826, DBT’s predecessor formed the Westphalia organisation, which pioneered several longwall developments, driven initially by the difficult conditions at German coal mines. Westfalia Becorit was formed in 1991, and in late 1994, DBT was established by integrating Westfalia Becorit, Hemscheidt and Halbach & Braun. DBT acquired Long Airdox in 2001, and Bucyrus acquired DBT in 2007. In 2011, Caterpillar acquired Bucyrus. The Cat shearer line originated with Anderson Boyes & Co, formed in 1899. In 1890, the company introduced a coal cutter that was the forerunner of what became the Anderson Mavor AM500, the first high-voltage shearer, which was launched in 1975. Anderson Mavor was acquired by Long-Airdox in 1997. Caterpillar now offers a full range of longwall components and integrated systems, including: roof supports, AFCs, shearers, plow systems, stage loaders, crushers, drives and control systems. Cat shearers feature installed power up to 2,295kW for production rates up to 5,000t/h. Automation can be configured to meet individual control needs – from basic monitoring and protection to advanced automation and data transmission. The advanced automation package, invented by DBT, features state-based automation to increase the yield from any given seam section, improve haulage speeds, face management and increase equipment life. Cat roof supports are adapted to customer requirements for seams from 0.8-7.5m in height, and are available in widths of 1.5-2.0m. Bearing force for supports is as much as 1,750t. Since 2006, Caterpillar has also been designing and supplying special shields for the longwall top coal caving method (LTCC), where extremely thick seams are being mined. This method utilises a second AFC behind the shields to take

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the coal on top of the longwall outside of the face. Several of these systems have been supplied and are successfully working in Australia. In July, Caterpillar delivered the first of two complete longwall systems to the Soma Eynez East coal mine in Turkey for the Demir Export-Fernas Insaat joint venture. Both are designed for LTCC mining in a coal seam with an average thickness of 25m. Integrated with the Cat PMC-R roof-support control system is the Cat Detect Personnel system, which is built to recognise personnel in longwall faces through radio frequency identification. The system prevents contact between personnel and moving equipment by monitoring safety zones and access authorisation. Controlling face conveyor drives and plow chain drives by variable frequency at the motors allows more dynamic control, improving the effectiveness of the power installed and extending the lives of mechanical components. The new Cat VFD-A800/W800 Variable Frequency Drive for longwall systems is designed to work in conjunction with Cat overload protection UEL and Cat CST gearboxes to deliver variable speed of the AFC, accurate load sharing between gearboxes and efficiency when operating in weak power networks. “We design a complete, customised Cat conveyor system for each operation, from AFCs and main and tail drives, to chain and entry conveyor systems,” says Paschedag. In addition to shearers, Caterpillar offers longwall plows for seams under 1.8m height. The horizon control system minimises mining of adjacent strata and helps the plow traverse geological faults. Two Cat plow installations have set production records in the past two years. In addition to the Pinnacle longwall mentioned earlier, in 2012, Polish coal miner Lubelski Wegiel Bogdanka set the world record for daily production from a plow-equipped longwall, with an output of 24,400t from a single face in 24h. Bogdanka uses a Cat GH1600 automated plow system cutting 1.63m of coal. The mining company recently ordered its fourth Cat longwall system. The new Cat EL1000 low- and medium-seam shearer is a focus of development efforts. Preliminary specifications indicate that the new model will accommodate seam heights from 1.6-3.2m, deliver 2 x 500kW of cutting power and provide 2 x 100kW of haulage power. The EL1000 will feature a one-piece-mainframe, exchangeable modular components, advanced

automation and Ethernet communication. Commercial availability is slated for late 2015. Paschedag says: “Caterpillar also is developing a new automated plow system for very low seam heights. A modification of the Cat gliding plow system, the new plow will enhance productivity in minimum seam heights of less than 1m.”

Cat longwall with top coal caving shields, in shop

Joy Global Joy Global’s first all-electric shearer was introduced in the mid-1970s, along with powered roof supports and AFCs. These components were designed at Joy’s Franklin, Pennsylvania, facility and were largely focused on the US market. Niederriter tells MM: “After a few years, we began seeing more commercial success with the shearer than the powered roof supports and the AFCs, and by the mid-1980s we decided to focus primarily on longwall shearers. The shearer business was largely US-centric until the 1990s, at which point we began more actively pursuing global markets for longwall systems.” In 1995, Joy purchased Dobson Park Industries, the UK parent of Longwall International, which, through its Gullick Dobson and Dowty subsidiaries, had been producing roof supports since the 1950s. Longwall International supplied these, along with Mining Suppliesbranded AFCs to all major international longwall mining countries, and the addition of these products to Joy’s longwall shearer product line brought the major components of a longwall system under one roof. Joy Global now designs and manufactures complete longwall systems

“Kopex notes that competition pricing – especially in the Chinese market – is very demanding at present”

Measuring up The original Joy 1LS shearer (1976) had the following machine specifications: • Length: 23ft/7m (versus 45ft/13.7m for a comparable 7LS1D shearer today) • Installed power: 184kW (versus 1,352kW today) • Weight: 25t (versus 52t today)

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LONGWALLs

A MIKRUS longwall under construction at Kopex’s facility in Poland

that include powered roof supports, shearers and AFCs for coal seams ranging from 1.3-7m in height. Clive Hibbert, global product director for powered roof supports and AFCs, says: “These systems generally achieve production levels of around 5Mt/y, with some top mines reaching up to 10Mt/y. A major feature of Joy longwall systems is the high level of automation, which is dependent upon high levels of integration between the individual components.” Today, Joy Global’s shearer line consists of nine models varying in extraction height and installed power, but covering seams from 1,250mm-thick with a 7LS0 shearer to 8,000mm-thick with a 7LS8 shearer. Powered roof supports range from 1-7m in extraction height, and are available with ratings from 400-1,750t depending on the geologic requirements at the mine. Joy AFCs with up to 4,800kW of installed power are available, with the typical AFC having 3,000kW of power and using a 50mm chain. Joy Global’s main markets for longwall systems are the US, China, Russia, Europe and Australia. “We count the

Competition from the East As the Chinese coal market continues to grow, so does the influx of longwall products from domestic manufacturers. Most OEMs have noticed the increase in competition in local markets but feel confident that product quality and support is insufficient to challenge their market share at a global level at present. “There are many Chinese manufacturers of longwall equipment that compete mainly within China. We are now seeing these Chinese manufacturers begin to compete with western longwall equipment suppliers in the higher segment market within China,” says Niederriter. “To date, there have been few occurrences of Chinese longwall equipment manufacturers competing on the global stage. However, we do expect competition from Chinese longwall equipment manufacturers to increase in the future.” Kopex notes that competition pricing – especially in the Chinese market – is very demanding at present, and it expects the trend of greater competition among OEMs, both globally and on a regional scale to intensify even further, with more Chinese manufacturers competing in foreign markets.

world’s largest mining companies among our customers,” says Hibbert. Joy Global has seen particular success through a recent partnership with an Australian customer. Thompson says: “System performance metrics are based on cutting hours per week. Both Joy Global and our customer work to improve operational processes and equipment performance with the help of Smart Services from Joy Global. Programmes similar to the Australian scheme are now being extended to customer’s operations globally.” Joy Global is currently installing a completely integrated longwall system in the US, and is working on a low- to mid-seam longwall system that will be remotely operated from day one for a mine in Norway. China, with an annual production of greater than 3,000Mt/y, mainly from longwall mines, is the current focus for Joy Global’s longwall sales. The company also cites India, which produces around 650Mt/y as the next potential big area.

Kopex Group Kopex’s history dates from the 1960s when a state-owned enterprise called Kopex Overseas Mine Construction Co was established in Katowice, Poland. Ten years later, it was transformed into a foreign trade enterprise, exporting and importing mining machinery. In the 1990s, Kopex was privatised and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In 2006, longwall shearer manufacturer ZZM/Zabrze Mechanical Works Joint Stock Co, seeking new sales markets, became Kopex’s majority shareholder, and the company remains one of the Kopex Group’s subsidiaries today. ZZM began developing its shearers in 1993, and the result was the KGS 500 series. Production of the KSW 475 shearer started in 1996. This was designed to cut coal faces higher than 1.7m. That year also saw the introduction of the KSE 500, which had an electric haulage drive for better reliability and performance. Continued development of the product line resulted in a thin-seam KSW 460 N/ NZ shearer in 2000. Currently, five types of shearers with electric haulage drive are offered by Kopex: KSW 460, KSW 880, KSW 1140, KSW 1500 and KSW 2000, with a power range from 503-2,420kW and cutting drums from 1,250-3,000mm diameter. These are suitable for cutting seams 1.35-6m in height and can be optionally equipped with a loader and lump breaker. Conveyors range from 750-1,250mm in width, including AFCs such as the Rybnik 950, and BSLs such as the GROT

1100. Crushers can be mounted on both AFCs and BSLs on request, and installed power is adjusted to suit the operating conditions at each mine. Kopex supplies powered roof supports from 0.8-6.2m in height. These are equipped with prop and AFC anti-topple devices to allow for operation in longwall workings inclined by 30º, and up to 45º on request. Longwall systems can be supplied with complete electrical equipment (cables, transformers, power relay boxes, interlock and visualisation systems), high pressure pumps for emulsion supply to roof support hydraulic props, and for the cooling and spraying system. Kopex is primarily focusing on the R&D of longwall automation systems and new thin-seam mining methods, although it has also seen success with a high-seam longwall system installed recently at the mine in Poland. With regard to new models, the company has recently installed MIKRUS, an innovative thin-seam longwall system at the JSW Borynia-Zofiówka-Jastrzebie coal mine in Poland. MIKRUS is suitable for mining seams from 1.1-1.7m thick in difficult geological conditions. It is designed to plug the gap in the market between shearers and plows by combining the best features from both systems with the latest automation solutions. Kopex has high hopes for the system, which is able to follow faulted coal seams accurately. At the moment, Kopex’s main sales markets include Poland and Argentina (its biggest export market). China and Russia are also focuses, as well as countries in the Balkans (Serbia and Bosnia), the Czech Republic and Romania. The company is working to increase its sales into South Africa and Australia, and has flagged Russia and China, as well as India, Mongolia and the Ukraine as promising for the future. The company acknowledges that the coal market, particularly in Poland, is going through a very tough patch. Kopex is using this opportunity to drive cost optimisation and financial and capital restructuring internally, and also to strengthen its presence abroad. “We are striving for maximum independence from the domestic market fluctuations by increasing revenues from foreign markets,” a spokesperson for the company told MM. “However, we have high hopes for the recovery of the Polish market, and we are continuing preparations for the construction of our own coal mine in Przeciszów, near Kraków.”

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narrow-vein mining

narrowing down Ailbhe Goodbody looks at the latest technologies for narrow-vein mining, and provides an update on the new reef-boring technique

arrow-vein mining differs from larger-scale mining in a number of ways. It is labour-intensive but low-productivity mining, which uses narrow drifts that are challenging for mechanisation. In contrast to larger orebodies, which allow larger drifts and larger access areas to the mining face, narrow-vein mining requires highly selective extraction methods – typically shrinkage stoping, cut-and-fill and sublevel stoping mining methods, or variants. Mining OEMs have been developing increasingly large machines to mine bulk orebodies efficiently. However, narrow-vein mining requires higher equipment flexibility. Witold Hnat, sales director at Mine Master, says: “Narrowvein mining has always generated one basic question: is it better to use selective mining with dedicated narrow machines but with limited productivity per tonne, or to make the headings

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wider and cut the vein with extra waste rock but with higher productivity?” Some mines prefer to increase the size of the production heading and accept a higher waste-rock index in the name of higher productivity. Wider headings allow the use of standard drilling rigs, bigger LHDs and standard long-hole drilling equipment. However, higher waste content must be handled later in the production process, including hauling, milling and flotation. Other mines consider it wasteful to excavate a wide channel of waste rock, if the valuable reef band is only a few centimetres thick. In order for miners to fit into the stope in a classic drill-andblast environment, the channel needs to be 1.2-1.5m high. The benefit of such a method with an advance of 1.5-2m per blast is that the crew can flexibly react to any reef irregularities such as fault lines or undulations. Some suppliers have developed

low-profile machines for the purpose of narrow-vein mining. However, they are often then very long in order to fit in all components, and with reef inconsistencies, the flexibility of a machine needs to be able to accommodate such variations.

The Boart Longyear StopeMate rig with S36 rock drill

Challenges Selective mining follows the vein with cuts as tight as possible to minimise waste-rock content. These mining techniques are only used where required – a miner would not use narrow-vein techniques in a traditional underground mine. Ideally, the best possible solution will minimise dilution and still have high productivity. There are a number of challenges involved in these methods, with mobility and flexibility being two of the biggest. Narrow-vein mines have to consider back heights and ventilation as they are working in a compressed envelope; due to the tight constraints and narrow passageways, miners need safe, portable and compact equipment. Lars Bergqvist, global product portfolio manager at Atlas Copco, says: “In narrow veins, the trend tends to be to have the smallest possible equipment, but there are ways around this, such as selective mining. The design of drifts in

“Narrowvein mining requires highly selective extraction methods – typically shrinkage stoping, cut-and-fill and sublevel stoping”

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narrow-vein mining

Sandvik, says: “I rather see the narrow vein mining method as a complementary method to large-scale mining methods; as the orebody is distributed in small veins and at high grade content, a larger-scale extraction would not be meaningful due to too high dilution and the resulting high extraction cost. Therefore, the use of a selective narrow-vein mining method is a good way to extract ore economically when it is distributed in narrow veins typically less than 2-2.5m in width. As the orebody shows more massive distribution, larger-scale mining methods prevail.”

speCialised equipmenT

The Atlas Copco Boomer T1 D

“It’s difficult to automate narrow-vein mining. The miner, whether he is operating a machine or mining by hand, is following an ore vein, wherever it may lead”

the mine will set the standard for the full system throughout the life of the mine.” Other challenges include a low production rate due to low levels of mechanisation, health and safety risks related to intensive manual handling and high operating costs due to the labour-intensive nature. Roby Stancel, partner for innovation and Europe at Virtual Consulting International (VCI), adds: “At greater depths, closure creates the risk of machines getting stuck if insufficient space between the machine and the walls is excavated.” In addition, if the reef band is only few centimetres thick, and only a narrow channel is removed, it is easier to miss part of the reef. Narrow veins require good information about their location, or sensors tracking them to accommodate reef irregularities. Automation of narrow vein mining is also potentially difficult. John Nielson, global product manager at Boart Longyear, says: “It’s difficult to automate narrow-vein mining. The miner, whether he is operating a machine or mining by hand, is following an ore vein, wherever it may lead.” In contrast, production mining at mines with large, well-defined orebodies allows for increased automation because there are more consistent, repeatable actions required. Nevertheless, there are some advantages to selective narrow-vein mining. The key advantage is low dilution during the mining process, which allows for an improved head grade. Fewer tonnes entering the processing plants mean that smaller mills can be used, and the flotation

waste volume will be lower as well. In addition, by targeting areas of high-grade ore, narrow-vein mining allows for lower operating costs. As mines become deeper, stresses increase, but narrow-vein mining requires less ground control due to a smaller ‘active’ mining area. Mining the ore and nothing else also has minimal environmental impact, with a lower volume of waste to be disposed of.

Trends High ore grades are harder to come by than they were in the past, so there is a general trend towards deeper mining. As mines get deeper, mineral extraction costs increase due to the longer distance ore needs to be transported, and the subsequent higher expenditure on energy to hoist it up to the surface. In addition, it is harder to ventilate deep mines and expensive to bring fresh air down to the deepest areas for cooling and ventilation. Deeper mines also require a renewed focus on smaller headings for ground-control reasons, and consequently need smaller equipment. Joy Global predicts that over the next decade and beyond, underground mining will continue to migrate towards the ends of the mining method spectrum. At one end is a move towards block caving, as some of the world’s largest open pits move underground. On the other is the development of more highly selective methods, such as narrow-vein mining. Generally, it is the orebody that dictates the mining method. Damien Tang, product manager, mining jumbos and secondary breaking units at

There are a number of companies that produce drills and other equipment specifically for narrow-vein mining. Atlas Copco has a range of low-profile Boomer and Boltec machines for narrow room-and-pillar mining, and small-sized Boomer, Boltec and Simba machines for narrow vertical orebodies. Atlas Copco’s equipment has a range of features and benefits that can be discussed with customers on a case-by-case basis and adapted to the requirements. Bergqvist comments: “There are many opportunities to gain productivity and reduce cost by looking through the full mine design and doing trade-off studies to find the best and most efficient solution.” The company’s equipment has been used in a variety of narrow-vein mines, including in Mexico, Poland and South Africa. Boart Longyear’s narrow-vein drill rigs were developed as solutions for niche drilling applications. Nielson says: “We see the narrow-vein market remaining close to its current size with slow growth potential.” The company states that its StopeMate and StopeMaster rigs are ideal for the tight and narrow spaces typically seen in underground mining operations. The StopeMate is equipped with a pneumatic rock drill, while the StopeMaster relies on a hydraulic rock drill for production. Each is specifically designed for underground applications, allowing for excellent access, mobility, flexibility and productivity in tight access locations. Nielson states: “The StopeMate and StopeMaster rigs are equipped with heavy-duty hoses to protect the driller from hose rupture and guarding for protection from moving parts. Removing the operators from the

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narrow-vein mining

The Sandvik DD211 compact drilling rig

“The deeper the mine, the higher the load on the host rock, and the less favourable the ratio of support pillars to mineable areas”

immediate drilling area, the rigs can be controlled with a remote positioning system up to 25m away. The StopeMaster also comes equipped with an emergency stop circuit to cut the power to the drill if required.” Both the StopeMate and StopeMaster are equipped with 360° rotation for greater flexibility. The StopeMate, with a rotating/pivoting traverse, allows for versatile configurations and is better suited for drilling smaller holes. This configuration ensures precision drilling in both parallel and straight applications, and accurate operator control in drop-raise, cable-bolting, fan-drilling and parallel-drilling applications. These machines are designed for compact drilling applications in captive stopes. Designed for bulk mining applications, the StopeMaster is capable of drilling 35m holes measuring 64-106mm in diameter; while the smaller, more compact StopeMate can fit into a lift cage and drills holes 12-15m deep. The StopeMate was designed to be broken down into components for transport in tight, captive areas. Both rigs have the capability to disengage the final drive-wheel ends in order to facilitate towing where required. Joy Global closed the acquisition of underground-equipment manufacturer Mining Technologies International (MTI) in June, which added a number of underground hard-rock mining machines to its portfolio.

Joy Global now has a complete line of equipment to support narrow-vein mining methods and work within the tight envelopes needed to be productive in such conditions. Joy Global suggests that the Joy VR II vein runner drill, with a machine width of 1.42m, is a great fit for this type of mining. For haulage options, the Joy DT704 truck and various Joy LHDs provide productivity options for narrow-vein mining. The company says the ideal narrow-vein jumbo is one that is capable of horizontal development, bolting and even drilling some short production holes. Joy Global is currently working on a robust semi-automatic drilling system that will allow for precise hole location and control. It has also recently delivered a rubber-tyred VR II that incorporated a rail option. This enables the drill to be transported quickly in and out of long development drives, decreasing non-productive time and lowering the overall cost of operation. Mine Master is working on a new narrow-vein drilling rig, which it states will offer a much bigger variety of utilisation of the equipment. Hnat explains: “Due to limited space in production headings, the working unit has to be ready for face drilling as well as vertical long-hole drilling with quick reset of the feeder position. “The new machine is equipped with a heavy-duty two-axial rotary actuator, which makes changing the position from horizontal to vertical extremely easy in an area with limited space. An additional dump cylinder improves the fore-and-aft correction movement during vertical drilling, and matches the direction of vertical drilling in accordance with the ore deposit.” While the narrow dimensions of some machines may cause problems with stability during tramming and drilling, Mine Master has solved this problem with another design idea, which it says is proven on low-profile machines – a central oscillated vertical main pivot changes the tyre load distribution and increases stability during tramming on uneven roads and headings. The new machine will be launched by the end of September and tested by one of Mine Master’s Australian customers. Hnat states that more information will be presented within the next quarter. Sandvik offers a range of equipment suited to underground mining, including drills, LHDs, crushers and screens. Tang says: “Among the large offering of

Sandvik underground drills, the compact size of Sandvik 200-class underground drills match very well to narrow-vein mining.” The 200-series drills feature high drilling performance, enhanced product safety and excellent mobility, Tang says. He adds that they can be used in the development of access ramps and production drifts for cross-sections from 4m² to 26m², and long hole drilling in sublevel stoping areas. The Sandvik DD210 and DD211 are compact development drilling rigs with a width of 1.3m that are suitable for narrow-vein drift development. The DL210 and DL230 production drills, which have a width of 1.5m, are suitable for areas with a cross-section of 2m or larger. They can be used for production drilling, cable hole drilling and other service holes in underground narrowvein sublevel stoping mining methods. The Sandvik HLX5 delivers 20kW of percussive power output, for hole diameters ranging from 51mm to 76mm. In addition, the DL210 has a stable carrier and sturdy boom, and with 360° feed rotation it offers precise feed positioning and accurate drilling up to a 20m depth while allowing large fan and parallel drilling coverage. The company is currently investing in complete solutions for narrow-vein mining, including drilling and loading. Sandvik’s products are used worldwide, with a concentration of narrow-vein mining in Latin America, particularly Peru, where Sandvik equipment has a high utilisation rate.

Reef boRing The AngloGold Ashanti Technology Innovation Consortium (ATIC) was set up with the aim of developing safe and reliable technologies for gold extraction, including a technique called reef boring. Roby Stancel at VCI has been lead consultant on ATIC since the beginning and developed the strategy for this work. Stancel tells MM: “Working closely with AngloGold Ashanti, we developed the technology roadmap and identified the resulting projects and key collaboration partners needed to address very particular narrow-reef mining needs. In an open innovation platform, the multitude of topics to be considered led to the creation of the world’s largest mining-technology consortium, with 85 partners to date.” The machines used for reef boring are adapted from raise borers, boxhole borers and tunnel boring machines (TBMs), all of which are optimised to

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produce long, straight tunnels at high speed. What ATIC needed, however, was a machine that is flexible, small, mobile and can be backed out and relocated to other areas easily, and can be reused to drill parallel tunnels into the reef quickly. For development drives, the minimum diameters of TBMs are typically bigger than the requirements of deep narrow-vein mining; the bigger the tunnel diameters, the bigger the seismic effects, and the less optimal the dilution. As a result, design work to reduce the size of the machine was necessary. ATIC redesigned the TBM to accommodate these flexibility requirements, creating a type of machine that AngloGold Ashanti has coined the ‘haulage boring machine’ (HBM). In ATIC’s reef-boring method, reef borers stand in larger on-reef development drives, and do not enter the stoping area, but drill out the reef at just the right diameter to ‘safely mine all the gold, only the gold, all the time’. There are no people in the stope, which eliminates exposure to the main underground risk area – operators stay in the development drives. AngloGold Ashanti currently mines at 3,800m depth, and is planning on expanding to 5,000m. The deeper the mine, the higher the load on the host rock, and the less favourable the ratio of support pillars to mineable areas, until at some point, the pillars become so big that mining is not possible anymore, or that the mining is no longer commercially viable. To address this, AngloGold Ashanti has developed a proprietary ultra high-strength backfill (UHSBF), which has compressibility, modulus of elasticity and strength properties

www. Narrow-vein_MM1407.indd 85

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comparable to the host rock. With regular backfill in the region of a few MPa in unilateral compressive strength (UCS), this UHSBF has a UCS of 180-200MPa. Right after boring out the reef, the hole is immediately backfilled, before forces are equalised and rock stresses shift. No gold is left behind because of the elimination of the need for pillars. Stancel explains: “This allows for drilling right next to the backfilled hole within a few days once the backfill has cured, with a much reduced need for support pillars. Extensive analysis and tests have been conducted to confirm the theoretical models, and ‘to make the ground believe it has never been mined’.” The substantial reduction of seismic loads due to the UHSBF is a major safety improvement. The UHSBF is more costly than conventional backfill, but as very narrow channels are being mined, the volume to be backfilled is relatively small. The delivery system for the backfill utilises existing backfill infrastructure, with some additional

components pumped separately. “You cannot beat blasting as the lowest-cost method to break rock,” says Stancel. “Raise drilling is a more expensive rock-breaking method than conventional blasting if you only look at the process step of actually breaking the rock. “However, the complete system needs to be considered – the non-continuous process with its process-inherent disruptions, seismicity caused by blasting, the inconsistent particle size distribution that creates big pieces that are hard to transport, the blasted fines that result in a low mine call factor accounting for gold lost in the blasting process, etc. “Considering the end-to-end solution, reef boring has a much better gold grams-per-tonne cost due to the higher efficiencies of the total system.” AngloGold Ashanti is on its fourth iteration of reef-drilling machine, and while the first hole took 27 days to complete (with a focus on testing and debugging rather than speed and performance), several dozen holes have now been drilled, and the latest hole took about three days to complete. Stancel comments: “The rapid prototyping process we apply constantly iterates and improves the machines, and we are confident that the next iteration currently being delivered will allow us to reach our two days/hole target. We are working on machines for wider and narrower reef types, with which we plan to even double that target.” AngloGold Ashanti produced its first gold from the reef-boring technology at its Tau Tona gold mine, South Africa, in November 2013. In May, it announced that it had produced 1,600oz of gold using the technology during its prototype tests.

The machines used for reef boring are adapted from raise borers, boxhole borers and tunnel boring machines Photo: AngloGold Ashanti

“Considering the endto-end solution, reef boring has a much better gold grams-pertonne cost due to the higher efficiencies of the total system”

AngloGold Ashanti has developed a proprietary ultra high-strength backfill Photo: AngloGold Ashanti

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