MER Today - Winter 2023 Newsletter by CIM-ICM Publications

MER Today – Winter 2023

This Issue

(Volume 4 / Issue 4)

• CIM MER Society Executives, Major Responsibilities p. 2 • CIM MER Society Member’s Corner p. 3 -Introducing Paul Labbé • Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network p. 4 • CIM MEMO 2023 - Overall Comments and Highlights by Paul Labbé p. 5–7 • Hoist & Haul 2023 Conference - Highlights and Photos by Dick McIvor p. 8–9 • Calendar of CIM MER Events p. 10 • Stories of Interest to MER Society Members p. 11–14 - SCREEN TIME • CIM MER Society AWARDS p. 15 • CIM MER Society SCHOLARSHIPS p. 16 • CIM Journal & Paper Submissions p. 17 • MER Abstracts from Latest Articles p. 18 - “Development of a novel cartridge for expansive cement application to hard rock breakage” • MEMORIAL-Largo Albert p. 19 • CIM MER Executives & Newsletter Committee p. 20 • Some CIM MER Society Supporters & Patrons p. 20

1 | MER Today– Winter 2023

MER Today 

MER Today is our digital publication covering CIM MER Society news and improvements in Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability in mining.

CIM/ICM Strategic & Operational Goals, 2021-2023:    

World Class Knowledge, Personal and Professional Development Expert CIM Community Expand Awareness of the Essential Contribution Mining Makes to Society Best-in-Class CIM Operations

MAINTENANCE, ENGINEERING and RELIABILITY SOCIETY (MER)

Major Responsibilities: •

Organize the MEMO (Maintenance/ Engineering – Mine Operators) Conferences, in conjunction with other Societies, the hosting CIM Branch, and CIM National

•

Promote, chair, and solicit papers for Technical Sessions at the CIM Conference & Exhibition

•

Administer awards and scholarship programs

•

Provide peer review of technical papers for publication All of these activities, as well as keeping

abreast of a changing industry while trying to anticipate future needs of the Society, make for a full program within the executive.

2 | MER Today– Winter 2023

Introducing - MER Society New Executive and 2nd Vice Chair Current Role: MICA regional program lead for the Saskatchewan region

Successful career as a well-respected Senior Industry Leader and most recently as academic, research manager, and inventor with over 45 years of experience Alphonse Paul Labbé BIO* 

After starting his career in Thompson INCO (now Vale) nickel mines in 1973, he progressed to operations and then engineering roles at Potash Corp (now Nutrien), where he worked until moving to Domtar Gypsum by the end of the 1980s to build a greenfield gypsum mine and revolutionize it by introducing a highly modified large road header and extensible conveyor systems like those in Potash to the formerly Drill & Blast operations.



From there, he grew to global EPCM/EPC on projects to $4B plus where he excelled and rose to corporate executive leadership for top 10 global engineering firms like Worley Parsons.



He spent 22 years with these firms, building mountain-top gold mines in the Himalayas, bringing optical sorting to Canadian diamond exploration laboratories, and working on projects in Africa and Europe. He was involved in iron ore, titanium, nickel, phosphate, gold, and uranium in South America, the USA, and then Newfoundland and Quebec, and delivering study to construction and hand-over projects for potash, SOP, gold, uranium, base and precious metals, and salt in Saskatchewan.



He was VP of Canada's 4th largest refinery and was VP SRC and VP/SVP for significant manufacturers.



His formal education is in Mechanical Engineering Technology and General Business Management.



Paul has always been active in his profession, his work, his family, and his community, including holding past roles on the Saskatoon Chamber Board, Regional Economic Development Board, and corporate boards, chair of the Saskatchewan Advanced Manufacturers Association, the Regional Society of Manufacturers, the Saskatoon CIM Branch VP then Chair (they won the Mel Bartley Award in his term), and the Saskatchewan Engineering Technologies Accreditation Board.



He was also the MNAC CANMET advisor to the Federal Minister of Mines & Resources Canada, was named as inventor/co-inventor on various mining patents, and is published on numerous technical papers, journals, and publications, including being a speaker at the 9th International Salt Symposium in Beijing and others.



Paul is a problem solver and has earned various awards, recognitions, and patents throughout his career, reflecting his technical skill and leadership contributions. He currently serves as the MICA Regional Program Lead for the Saskatchewan region, which includes Saskatchewan, Manitoba & NWT, contributing his unique combination of wealth of knowledge, history, and experience to the role. [*Bio provided by Paul Labbé]

3 | MER Today– Winter 2023

(Alphonse Paul Labbé Affiliation)

Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network [Source: MICA Website] https://micanetwork.ca/

“The Mining Innovation Commercialization

Saskatchewan Polytechnic and MICA “Saskatchewan Polytechnic is proud to be the MICA representative for Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba.

Accelerator (MICA) Network was created on July 9,

Sask Polytech engages the minerals industry

2021 through an investment of $40 million from the

innovation ecosystem to deliver applied research

Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund.

projects with mining companies, suppliers, other

MICA is a $112.4 million pan-Canadian initiative

researchers and innovators. Our MICA focus for

bringing together stakeholders from a wide range of

training and applied research are:

fields to accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative technologies to make the mining sector more productive and sustainable.”

•

Digital transformation

•

Environmental science, solutions and sustainability

•

Reliability and maintenance—Internet of Things, automation and processes

•

Supply chain development and management

Sask Polytech works with companies on innovations that can be readily commercialized as part of the MICA Network.”

4 | MER Today– Winter 2023

CIM MEMO 2023 Sep 17—20, 2023, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan CONFERENCE CHAIRPERSONS Paul Labbé, Co-Chair Brian Fagan, Co-Chair CIM Contacts Marie Tota, Conference Planner 1-514-939-2710 ext. 1330 Nadia Bakka, Sales Manager, Exhibition & Sponsorship 1-514-939-2710 ext. 1360 Overall Comments of the Conference by Paul Labbé 

“Martin Provencher’s “Plenary speech was great and the delivery was powerful. It elevated the audience's understanding of ‘Digital Transformation’ and helped us better frame the following two days' worth of papers & presentations.”



“We're all very proud of the organizing efforts and we wish to thank the Organizing Committee, their subcommittees & leaders; The Saskatoon Branch Executive; Montreal CIM H.O. including our CEO/ President and organizing staff assigned to MeMO. (Carol (supv.), Marie (Overall Event Planner), Nadia (Tradeshow) “.

5 | MER Today– Winter 2023

CIM MEMO 2023 (Comments by Paul Labbé)

Stats & Highlights - “For the technical program  the final registered delegates count was 785;

 Within this group, we saw over 50% from Outside of Saskatchewan (or our region of Sask./Man./ NWT), mainly national visitors from across the country and a good percentage of international visitors from places like Brazil, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, Israel, South Africa/Africa, Chile, USA & more. More than half of the Sask folks were from outside of Saskatoon & many of those were also from outside of either Saskatoon or Regina. This delegate count is nearly 300 more than the previous record for MeMO and probably 350 more than our last Saskatoon MeMO in 2017  we believe over 1300 plus passed through the building for MeMO given the added folks visiting the

free tradeshow.  The presenters/presentations content was highly lauded by the delegates. The four parallel & highly

distinct themed rooms of parallel sessions were praised. Heard many comments like there are so many good papers I don't know which room to go to next ... “ “Topics & Themes like:

• Maintenance, reliability, asset condition monitoring engineering & Case studies; • Diversity/Indigenous Workforce Pre-Employed Introduction to Mining Orientation & Education; Social/HR/Women themed sessions in particular were being talked about as very strong, original & good to great learning & networking events, • with equal enthusiasm for the more traditional MeMO content and heavy science-based style of papers on rock mechanics, design & mechanics of equipment c/w specifics (i.e. continuous borers by Nutrien) + Energy/Alt. Energy and Decarbonization sessions also stood out.”

6 | MER Today– Winter 2023

CIM MEMO 2023 (Comments by Paul Labbé) Topics & Themes Cont’d • “other well attended & strong themes around engineering, IOT, instrumentation & measurements, oil testing/analysis, friction, wear, materials, ore flow modeling in chutes & bins, AI, Funding innovation (i.e. MICA grant projects, Stantec CND budget funding Analysis) & cost estimation, variance, probabilities, risk analysis sessions filled the rooms as well. • The two key plenary sessions, one each, 1st thing in the two days were excellent framing and two-way conversations between an audience & speakers i) Critical Minerals 101 to the promise of Digital Transformation on day one & ii) the potash maint./reliability practices & opportunities from the mine face (Boring Machine) to the practicality & reality of moving the world's biggest producers from the 2010s data collection, use & analysis as management & decisionmaking practices towards the goals of a 2035-2050 vision for ERP/fully exercised digital transformation driven world.” Final Remarks “We recorded several new product introductions, like InterLub's new ECO-Friendly Lubricant line & others as well at both the technical program & tradeshow. This is a new record high in attendance - So Congrats to all involved in making this happen, Go TEAM. It was a high Energy outstanding National show. That number will no doubt be the target for other 2nd level medium to smaller-sized cities that MeMO frequents, going forward.”

7 | MER Today– Winter 2023

International Conference on Hoisting and Haulage August 13 – 16, 2023, Montreal, QC DoubleTree by Hilton Montreal 1255 Jeanne-Mance St, Montreal, Quebec H5B 1E5

CONFERENCE CHAIRPERSONS Dick McIvor, Conference Chair Jean Vavrek, Sponsorship Chair

CIM Contact Chantal Murphy, Convention Planner

[Conference Highlights & Photos provided by Dick McIvor] The Hoist and Haul 2023 International Hoisting Conference hosted by CIM at the Hilton Doubletree hotel from August 13-16, 2023, had 337 registered delegates from 15 countries. 28 technical papers were presented during the 3 days plus Dr. Roy Slack opened the conference on Monday with the keynote speaker presentation. The hotel facilities, meals and the Tuesday evening banquet and entertainment were excellent. 14 technical papers from the conference were selected for review for publishing in the CIM Journal. The conference delegates heard 4 presentations from Australia, Canada, Poland and South Africa at the close of the conference and the next Hoist and Haul conference will be held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2027.

Lynn McIvor, Dick McIvor, Elizabeth Huntly, Amy Jenkins, and Al Guse at the H&H 2023 Banquet in Montreal, Aug 2023

8 | MER Today– Winter 2023

David Phillips, Pat Smith, Jean and Carole Vavrek at the H&H 2023 Banquet in Montreal, Aug 2023

International Conference on Hoisting and Haulage

Panchaud Family Entertaining at H&H 2023 Banquet in Montreal, Aug 2023

[Photos provided by Dick McIvor] 9 | MER Today– Winter 2023

Calendar of CIM MER Events 

CIM Awards - Nominations need to be submitted by December 11th, 2023 23:59 EST



CIM CONNECT May 12-15, 2024 | Vancouver Conference Theme “Brand Canada - Our Critical Advantage” Call for abstracts is open until December 8, 2023



CIM Health and Safety Society Conference October 6-8, 2024, Toronto, Ontario

10 | MER Today– Winter 2023

Ryan Bergen, Editor-in-chief CIM Magazine

Screen time Efficiency, uptime and optimization is the focus of companies offering a wide range of screening technologies By Tijana Mitrovic | November 02, 2023 was looking to break into screening technology. Eddie McKerr, who worked for Ludowici until its acquisition and is now the global product line manager for screens at FLSmidth, explained that when the company shifted its focus from circular to linear motion screens, it helped increase screen sizes and capacities. “Linear motion screens were a fairly significant upgrade on circular motion in terms of their screening efficiency,” he said. “They could also FLSmidth’s screening technology product development focuses on linear motion screens. Courtesy of FLSmidth From processing to classification, screens and screening media are critical in ensuring the correct particle size for mineral processing, but they can also lower costs and downtime and improve capacity.

be applied to many more applications than the circular motion screens.” McKerr added that this is why linear motion screens have been a focus of FLSmidth’s product development over the years. “We’ve been able to bring them in to replace circular motion screens; for example, sometimes on the same size footprint of the

Today, manufacturers offer a wide range of screens

screen, it can—under the right conditions—double

and screening media solutions for the mining and

the throughput capacity because they’re just so much

mineral processing industries that can screen coarse

more powerful and efficient,” he noted.

or ultra-fine material, increase capacity and monitor performance.

When customization is key

FLSmidth also works with mining companies to customize screens when necessary to make the product work for them. “Understanding what their plant layout looks like and tailoring our screen to

When FLSmidth acquired the Australian engineering

match means the client doesn’t have to modify their

and equipment supply company Ludowici in 2012, it

plant to install our screen,” McKerr explained.

11 | MER Today– Winter 2023

He noted that the company has custom-replaced well in excess of 100 of its competitors’ machines over the years. “We’ve had installations where the customer would be suffering significant breakdowns, downtime and loss of profit every couple of months, and we have been able to customize a screen for them [that] outperforms the replaced unit and has no breakdowns,” McKerr said. “It’s really about offering them a piece of equipment that’s going to keep working in a tough environment. We’ve got an understanding of all the screening processes so we can apply our screens correctly. We know which ones are right for which duty and how to design them so that they perform continuously and reliably.”

Derrick’s SuperStack features eight decks that operate in parallel. Courtesy of Derrick The eight decks operate in parallel, and the SuperStack’s Flo-Divider flow-distribution system equally distributes the material flow from the feed

Efficient screening in fewer units

source to each deck into its own feed box. At the

When Derrick wanted to come up with the “ideal

screen frame ensure that all eight decks vibrate, and

solution” for fine particle screening, efficiency was

an optional repulp spray system sprays water into

top of mind.

wash troughs to help undersize material pass through

same time, two vibrating motors over the upper

screen openings. The company’s SuperStack wet screening machine features eight decks and can add upwards of three

A significant component of the SuperStack is its front

times the screening capacity of its previous five-deck

-to-back tensioning system. This allows the machine

StackSizer machine. “When we designed the

to tension the panel in the direction of the flow rather

machine, we had to maintain a really high screening

than side-to-side, which increases capacity and

efficiency,” explained Baojie Zhang, director of

reduces the time required to change screen panels by

application engineering at Derrick. “With high

80 to 90 per cent when compared to side-to-side

efficiency and performance, we can increase the

tensioning. Zhang noted that when the tension system

recovery and improve the circuit capacities to give

moves parallel to the material flow, it ensures a more

the customer a good return on their investment.”

even distribution of the material across the entire screen surface. This helps reduce panel wear by avoiding concentrations of material in repeat areas.

12 | MER Today– Winter 2023

According to Derrick, because the SuperStack can operate with a fewer number of units for a specific application, it can lead to lower capex and opex, meaning mining companies can improve on their capacity, recovery and grade. Zhang said that this helps miners get a rapid return on investment within a few weeks to a few months. “Customers can also achieve a lower cost of ownership over the machine life: typically, our machines last for five to 10 years, if not 20 or 30 years. We have some customers who have been running our machine for 40 to 50 years.” Derrick recently worked with Kropz, a phosphate miner in South Africa, at its Elandsfontein rock phosphate project northwest of Cape Town; in January 2021, Derrick delivered four SuperStacks to Kropz for its milling circuit. According to Zhang, the machines, which have been running since 2022, have increased the milling circuit’s throughput, simplified

par. That is why Metso designed its Metrics monitoring system, which monitors mining processes to optimize performance, support maintenance planning and reduce downtime. Last year, the company launched its Metrics for screens monitoring system in partnership with Dynamox. Jan Wirth, a director of technology at Metso who heads the technology group for the company’s screening business line, said the product allows users to see what the screen is doing and how well it is doing it. The system is easy to connect and sends sensor data in real time to the Metrics system, which analyzes performance and monitors for potential issues. The system’s wireless sensors are strategically placed around the equipment to measure acceleration and temperature, explained Wirth, which then feeds the information into the cloud, where operators can review and make recommendations.

Kropz’s flowsheet by no longer requiring pumps and a hydrosizer, and helped it achieve a lower capex and opex. “They were very ready to place the purchase order with one of our competitors for 12 machines,” Zhang said. “But we could do the whole application with only four machines, which reduced their total installation cost by more than 50 per cent and provided much better metallurgical performance. Without hesitation, the customer decided to go with our solution.”

Monitoring performance Miners want to be sure that their equipment is up to

13 | MER Today– Winter 2023

Metso’s Metrics for screens monitoring system allows users to monitor their stationary screening equipment. Courtesy of Metso

Monitoring Performance Cont’d

“Monitoring and remote monitoring is a must,” Wirth stated. “We can help customers monitor their entire plants. We’re not specifically focused on just our screens—it can be [from] other suppliers [or] other

“Ultimately, the goal is to identify problems early, which then gives the operator time to react, to plan or prepare, and to increase the availability of the equipment,” Wirth said. There are two major elements he highlighted as key benefits of the Metrics system: it allows the company to work closely with the customer to support its digitalization journey and any operational challenges along the way, and increase sustainability by optimizing performance and reducing downtime. “Our aim is to be the best sustainable choice for value-driven screening solutions,” he said. “That’s where Metrics is a key enabler for us.” Since the system is always running, miners do not need to shut down operations to check equipment performance. “We can see things a lot earlier than in the past,” Wirth explained. “We had screens, for example, where some liners were lost. Typically, if the liner is lost, [the material] would wear into the screen structure, which can then lead to bigger problems. But [with Metrics], we identified it early before it caused any subsequent damage.” Beyond helping miners be more organized around mine planning and catching issues before they escalate, Wirth believes the system helps miners to improve in availability, sustainability and safety. When it comes to monitoring, being able to detect potential issues and keep a pulse on performance is a boon for miners.

14 | MER Today– Winter 2023

equipment.”

CIM MER Society AWARDS 

McParland Memorial Award

For Excellence in Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability 

CIM Distinguished Service Medal

For meritorious service to the Institute or the mineral industry 

CIM Distinguished Lecturers

For accomplishments in scientific, technical, management or educational activities related to the minerals industry 

CIM Fellowship

For outstanding continuous contributions to CIM and/or the mining, metallurgical and petroleum industries 

The CIM MER Graduate Student Research Excellence Award

The aim of the award is to provide a platform for the dissemination of innovative thinking of benefit to the mining industry from the Society’s brightest new minds, and to provide a means to allow such contributions to be recognised. McParland Memorial Award For excellence in maintenance engineering and reliability in the minerals industry Donald J. McParland was a founding member of the Mechanical-Electrical Division and its first Chairman. After a short and distinguished period with Noranda and Rio Algom, he joined the Brinco organization and eventually became its president and chief executive officer, primarily responsible for the design and construction of the giant Churchill Falls project. His brilliant career was tragically ended in 1969 at the age of forty in an airplane crash at Labrador City. Mr. McParland was engaged in a tour as a CIM Distinguished Lecturer at the time, concentrating his efforts on the small isolated Branches of the Institute. The MechanicalElectrical Division was established by Mr. McParland and his CIM associates in 1961 to provide a forum for the people and the technology in the field, which had become such a vital part of the mining industry, filling a recognized need. It seemed totally appropriate that a suitable award, under the auspices of the M-E Division, should be established, and that it should commemorate the memory of the founding Chairman and a most remarkable Canadian engineer. Approval for the award was given by the CIM Council in 1972 and sponsorship for the design and execution of the Medal was generously undertaken by Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation, for a period of 10 years. The fallen maple leaf in the design depicts a young Canadian abruptly severed from his life and country at the height of his career - a most fitting tribute. 15 | MER Today– Winter 2023

CIM MER Society SCHOLARSHIPS 1.

CENTENNIAL SCHOLARSHIP

KEN HILDEBRANT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

EDWARD MELVILLE (Ed) PATTON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

J.D. "PAT" PATTERSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

MER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

For description of all the CIM MER Scholarships click HERE to access CIM MER Website. J.D. "PAT" PATTERSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP The CIM Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Society J. D. “Pat” Patterson Memorial Scholarship was created in 1991 in memory of Mr. Pat Patterson, a past CIM MER Society chairman who was a well known individual in the Canadian mining industry. Name of Scholarship J.D. “Pat” Patterson Memorial Scholarship Type of Scholarship Post-secondary entrance, non-renewable Value of Scholarship $2500 payable in 2 equal portions in December and the following February of the academic year for which the award is made. In order to receive the second installment, the recipient must provide an official communication from their institution confirming successful completion of the fall semester. Eligibility This scholarship is open to any CIM National member (including student members), or the son, daughter or spouse of a CIM National member, who is currently enrolled, full time, in a post-secondary educational institution to study the MER disciplines with the intent of pursuing a career in the mining industry. The MER disciplines constitute engineering or technologist level studies in Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation, Chemical, Computer Sciences, Material Sciences, Manufacturing and related disciplines. Application Form Note: CIM National membership is open to students from a very broad range of degree disciplines, including those that extend well beyond science and engineering. Students, and prospective students can join the CIM online at: http://store.cim.org/en/cim-national-memberships

16 | MER Today– Winter 2023

CIM Journal

As of 2020, the CIM Journal is being published by Taylor & Francis. The editorial process remains the same. CIM National Members continue to have free access to the journal, but new papers are now hosted on the CIM Journal site at Taylor & Francis. Papers published prior to 2020 can be found on the CIM Technical Paper Library or on OneMine. Paper Submissions CIM Journal welcomes original papers in English or French. Submissions are assigned to a CIM Technical Society for double-blind peer review. Our authors and audience are international in scope. Topics covered in CIM Journal include geology, mining, processing,

environmental protection and The CIM Journal is a quarterly digital publication for maintenance, peer-reviewed technical papers available to all CIM reclamation, social responsibility, mineral economics, National Members for free and to non-members for a project management, health and safety, risk fee. Papers cover all facets of the mining and management, research and development, operations, minerals processing,

industry,

including

metallurgy,

mining, and regulatory practices and issues.

geology,

materials,

maintenance, Read the instructions for authors then create an

environmental protection and reclamation, social account at Taylor & Francis. responsibility, mineral economics, project management, health and safety, risk management, redevelopment, operations, and regulatory practices and issues. (Article updated by Janice Burke) We also publish periodic special-themed issues. The first issue of 2023 will be a Special Issue, Innovations in Underground Ventilation, containing invited papers from the North American Mine Ventilation Symposium (Editors A.P.

Sasmito,

McGill University and P. Tukkaraja, South Dakota Mines).

17 | MER Today– Winter 2023

Abstracts from Latest articles peer reviewed by MER & Published by Taylor & Fran-

MER Society of CIM Peer-Review Team Agus P. Sasmito, PhD, Peer-Review Chair, MER; Editor, CIM Journal (agus.sasmito@mcgill.ca) Janice M. Burke, MSc, Editorial Coordinator, CIM Journal Submit an article

Journal Homepage

MAINTENANCE, ENGINEERING & RELIABILITY

with EC was demonstrated in an underground mine

Development of a novel cartridge using PLA cartridges. This novel type of cartridge for expansive cement application could not only suit various applications beyond the scope of the current EC surface applications but also to hard rock breakage T. Chen, Y. Li, K. M. Habib, & H. S. Mitri Received 30 Jan 2023, Accepted 18 Jul 2023, Published online: 21 Sep 2023

significantly improve the rock fracturing efficiency of EC.

ABSTRACT Expansive cement (EC) is generally a slurry that it is poured into vertical holes for surface rock breakage applications. This paper describes the development of a novel cartridge for extending EC applications from gravity-filled vertical holes to horizontal, uptilted, and wet boreholes. Four cartridge prototypes were made from low-cost and readily available plastics using three-dimensional printers. The performance of each cartridge was investigated in unconfined rock slab tests. The polylactic acid (PLA) cartridge was found to be superior to the thermoplastic polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate glycol, and

CIM Journal

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene cartridges. Through