Fmdrc-Zambia Jan/Feb 2017

st

1 MINING Central Africa’s Premier Business To Business Mining magazine Jan-Feb 2017 > Issue 21 > Vol.8 #

DRC-ZAMBIA Randgold’s secret for Congo mining: Fly people in, gold bars out -10

Power Crisis and the Solar Energy Nexus in Zambia -14

ALSO...

Mine shafts become killing elds in syndicate turf wars -6

F MD R C - Z A MB I A

20

www.fmdrc-zambia.com

www.za.endress.com/primaries

www.za.endress.com info@za.endress.com susan.buitendag@za.endress.com

Contents MINES & MINERALS

13

Cape Lambert seals DRC JV, sets eyes on Zambia

HI TECH

20

FEATURED DEVELOPMENTS

Fatigue Risk management System

INNOVATION

05 Consolidated Nickel Mines wins top honours in Investment Battle eld Competition 12 KSB invests in Zambia 26 World’s largest acid mine drainage plant in SA to relieve water crisis 8 Governments urged to craft tting policies for mining industry 34 Collision Warning Systems in Mining

16 FMDZ |

De Beers unveils next generation diamond veri cation tech

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page03

FROM THE EDITOR

1st MINING Central Africa’s Premier Business To Business Mining magazine Jan-Feb 2017 > Issue 21 > Vol.8 #

e year is inching forward and I am not sure how many of us are still keeping their thumbs on their new year's resolution so far.

How many boxes can you think of with great satisfaction and pat yourself on the back and say, 'yes I have done it'?

Welcome to our rst 2017 edition of 1st Mining DRC- Zambia, hoping to still give you the freshest and informative news in the mining sector. We seek to provide in-depth coverage of the most important mining and exploration projects in Africa as well as information on technologies and developments in mining and processing equipment.

We look at the current power crisis in Zambia which presents a chance for solar energy. e power crisis in Zambia might be suited for introducing large-scale solar power to Zambia. Mines as the main power consumers might even nd interest to contribute to this development.

Our feature on technologies and equipment we talk about e De Beers International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR ) next generation diamond veri cation technology. Around ten times faster than its predecessor and with a substantially reduced referral rate, the AMS2 that has been recently unveiled by e De Beers International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR) has the ability to process smaller sizes and all shapes of polished diamonds will revolutionise the diamond industry.

On exploration projects, Australian company Cape Lambert has ventured into a joint venture with Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Paragon Mining to exploit the country's cobalt and copper. e JV is to develop the Kipushi cobalt-copper tailings project, the Kasombo copper-cobalt project and operate the Kipushi processing plant.

We also feature issues to do with workers health like fatigue, collision warning systems, and light in mines. For more stories and insights, visit our website www.fmdrc-zambia.com

DRC-ZAMBIA Randgold’s secret for Congo mining: Fly people in, gold bars out -10

Power Crisis and the Solar Energy Nexus in Zambia -14

ALSO...

Mine shafts become killing elds in syndicate turf wars -6

F MD R C - Z A MB I A

20

www.fmdrc-zambia.com

Cover Mine Headgear

Editor Bertha M. editor@fmdrc-zambia.com

Contributing Writers Anne Thomas, Mfuneko Jack, Lindani Mkhize and Caroline Thomas

Sales & Marketing Russou Billiard sales@fmdrc-zambia.com +27 11 044 8986

Bertha M. Editor

Graphic Design and Layout Que Gibson

Published By Mailing Times Media sales@fmdrc-zambia.com www.fmdrc-zambia.com

Circulation/Sales

Mailing Times Media (Pty) Ltd makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents of its publications, but no warranty is made as to such accuracy and no responsibility will be borne by the publisher for the consequences of actions based on information so published. Further, opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by Mailing Times Media (Pty) Ltd

info@fmdrc-zambia.com +27 11 044 8985

Page04

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

Consolidated Nickel Mines wins top honours in Investment Battle eld competition Zambia-focused Consolidated Nickel Mines (CNM) won the rst Investment Battle eld Competition for junior miners at this year's Investing in African Mining Indaba, with Sula Iron & Gold in second place.

CNM, a subsidiary of Consolidated Mining and Investments, is planning to restart the 4 500 t/y brown eld Munali nickel mine, 70 km south of Lusaka, where operations were stopped in November 2011, owing to low nickel prices and poor operational performance by its previous owners.

CNM CEO Simon Purkiss said that while the decision to compete in the Investment Battle eld was rather last minute, the results have been “fantastic”.

“Presenting, and then winning, has meant that there was a lot of discussion about the company and the project following the results, which has continued since the Mining Indaba. “e message we were presenting was that we were raising the funds to restart the mine and so the exposure came at just the right time. e feedback from the judges, not only to us but to the audience on the merits of the project, was very well received."

Sula Iron & Gold, meanwhile, is an Aim-listed company focused on the exploration for gold, iron-ore and coltan in Sierra Leone. e Mining Indaba introduced the Investment Battle eld platform to support Africa's new generation of emerging miners, giving 16 junior mining companies the opportunity to pitch their projects to a panel of expert investors, competing for prizes that will support the development of new projects.

www.axis.com/critical_infrastructure

“Identifying the best junior mining companies for investors and supporting the development of new projects is at the core of Mining Indaba, and will be a growing part of the Mining Indaba in the future,” said Mining Indaba MD Alex Grose.

Total prizes, valued at more than £15 000 include free attendance passes, an exhibition stand and hotel accommodation for the 2018 Investing in African Mining Indaba.

FMDZ |

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page05

MINING NEWS

Mine shas become killing elds in syndicate turf wars Turf wars between international crime

Benoni. e rest were found on Monday on the

arm themselves against gangs that wait for them

syndicates are behind the deaths of more than

banks of a nearby stream. ey are believed to

on the surface and have shopped out their

200 illegal miners murdered in the killing elds

have been killed elsewhere before they were

protection to hired guns.

of South Africa's mines over the past four years.

dumped.

is, say researchers, security companies and

e latest casualties are 14 illegal miners,

e UN institute's 2016 report says in 2011 the

monitoring groups, has increased the violence,

known as zama zamas, who were killed at the

world's illicit gold trade based in South Africa,

with shootouts oen occurring.

weekend on Gauteng's East Rand.

Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru

West Rand illegal miner Lenmore Mwarera

e area has become the epicentre of a global

accounted for US$2.3-billion.

said, “ere are people now that are self-

battle between gangs for control of tons of

Behind the violence are armies of heavily armed

appointed, who guard the entrance of all the

precious metal in disused mine shas.

thugs, allegedly including police, who help

places we go into. ey are there to make sure no

At the centre of the war are an estimated 30 000

syndicates wage a war for control of the highly

one goes down there with anything that can

illegal miners who, say the UN's inter-regional

lucrative underground turf.

harm another person (guns, knives, sticks),

crime and justice research institute and the

e majority of victims are Zimbabwean,

because there used to be a lot of crime before.

Mineral Resources Department, are used by

Mozambican and Lesotho nationals used by the

Frans van der Linde, whose company Blue

syndicates to steal about R7-billion worth of

syndicates for their mining skills and years of

Hawk Security works on several East Rand

gold a year from South Africa.

knowledge on the layout of disused mine shas

mines, believes in the past 18 months nearly 150

e 14 bodies were found on Sunday and

littering the Reef, the Free State and

people have been killed by gangs seeking

Monday, laid out in particular patterns. On

Mpumalanga.

control over mine shas.

Sunday six were found along a railway line in

Miners, fearing for their lives, have started to

“Month on month we nd these guys' bodies.”

Page06

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

MINING NEWS

worse. e police would wait for the guys and

in all sorts of crimes around illegal mining,

zama zamas as they emerged from the shas.

rob them and sell off their gold.”

including violence”.

Van der Linde claimed that, in December, as his

Mbangula believes that criminal gangs

“ese investigations are sensitive. ere are

He said they had witnessed police robbing the

officers tried to arrest 12 zama zamas, police

cottoned on to what the police were doing and

several major operations under way.”

opened re on them, allowing the miners to

began running their own extortion rackets.

In October Deputy Mineral Resources Minister

escape.

“We are seeing this gangsterism. With this

Godfrey Oliphant told parliament 80% of those

“ey ran to the police car, loaded their bags in

gangsterism, they started the killings.”

involve d in i l licit mining c ame f rom

the vehicle, and ran away,” he said. Van der

Gauteng police spokesman Colonel Lungelo

neighbouring countries.

Linde believes the latest killings could be linked

Dlamini failed to answer questions over

“A study estimates that about 10% (R7.3-billion

to a rival gang trying to claim control of the area.

allegations that police were involved.

for 2013) of gold production is stolen and

He said the strength, in terms of weapons the

“Police have tasked a team of detectives to

smuggled out of the country annually.

gangs carried, was not to be underestimated.

investigate the murders,” he said.

“Illegal mining is largely fuelled by highly

“We have engaged these guys in some serious

He said the motive for the killings was

organised, dangerous, well- nanced and

gun battles before.”

unknown and that none of the dead had been

complex local and international crime

Mining Affected Communities United in

identi ed.

syndicates which have up-to-date maps of

Action national co-ordinator Meshack

Dlamini said all investigations into illegal

mining operations.”

Mbangula, who works closely with zama zamas

mining were being conducted by the Hawks.

Wits University's illegal mining expert, Robert

and other small-scale miners throughout the

Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani

ornton, said a “smorgasbord of international

country, said the syndicates attacked the miners

Mulaudzi said they were running numerous

characters were involved in illicit mining,

as they emerged from the shas.

investigations into the operation of illegal

including Israelis, Chinese, Indians and

“ese things didn't happen in the past, but

mining syndicates “looking at the involvement

Pakistanis”.

with the involvement of police it has become

of all sorts of people, including police officers,

FMDZ |

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page07

MINING NEWS

Governments urged to cra tting policies for mining industry Poorly thought-out mining policies are impacting Africa's mining sector, the annual mining jamboree Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa has heard.

Sharing the same sentiments, stakeholders said uncertainty and inconsistency are hampering the search for new mining investment on the continent.

In addition, the policies have cast a shadow over the continent's longer-term economic growth. e world's largest mining investment conference highlighted a subdued investor mood in mineral-rich South Africa, Africa's largest mining destination “Amid signs that the commodity cycle may be turning, South Africa will not be positioned to take advantage of the green shoots of spring, or the heat of summer, unless the environment for mining is conducive to private-sector investment.

And the [South African Mineral Resources] minister's bland speech was frighteningly short of any sign that he had understood investors' concerns about the regulatory environment for mining – or that he had intentions of doing anything about these

Page08

| Jan - Feb 2016

concerns,” noted Johannesburg nancial newspaper, Business Day, during the Mining Indaba. e publication further said there are other much easier and more attractive destinations for mining investment, by junior or senior miners, and international investors are increasingly passing South Africa by.

Meanwhile Botswana still shines as a model mining-investor destination by international standards.

However, the serious investor concerns are not limited to South Africa but virtually all African mining destinations – Zambia, Ghana, Guinea, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

To a large extent, these concerns stem from sudden and unexpected changes made by many mineral-dependent African countries to their mining regimes aer the 2008-09 global nancial crisis.

Hit by the twin hammers of lower revenue and rising debt, countries attempted to extract more money from their mining sectors at a time when they could least afford it.

“Many African countries made rash and unpredictable changes to their mining

| FMDZ

regimes, creating regulatory uncertainty and harming investor con dence,” said Peter Leon, a partner at the global legal practice Herbert Smith Freehills.

Ghana, for example, announced in 2012 that it would impose a 10% windfall tax on gold mining and review its scal stability agreements with foreign mining companies, but failed to follow through on these measures. en in 2014, Ghana amended its mining law to replace the xed 5% royalty with 'wide executive discretion' to prescribe new rates. e resulting regulatory uncertainty 'weighed on sentiment', and considerably affected Ghana's ranking in the authoritative Fraser Institute's annual review of the investor att rac t iveness of t he world's mining destinations.

“Ghana fell from its enviable 2011 ranking of 17th in the world to 38th in 2012, and then uctuated from 30th in 2013 to 44th in 2014 and 31st in 2015,” said Leon.

Another notable example is the DRC, Africa's largest copper producer, the world's largest cobalt producer and a major source of diamonds, gold, tantalum and tin. While the country's 2002 mining code “strikes a

MINING NEWS

relatively reasonable balance between the interests of the state and the private sector”, the industry was suddenly thrown into turmoil in 2012, when the government announced drastic reforms. ese included increasing the state's free carry from 5% to 30%, doubling royalties on copper, cobalt and gold to 6%, and imposing local bene ciation quotas.

“In the face of strong industry resistance, these reforms were never implemented, and at the 2016 Mining Indaba, the DRC's mines minister announced they had been formally abandoned,” says Leon. e prolonged investor uncertainty “hobbled investor con dence”, and saw the DRC plunge in the Fraser Institute rankings, from 54th place in 2011 to 75th in 2012 and 2013. It recovered to 67th in 2014 and 60th in 2015.

“Similar dynamics played out in Guinea, Tanzania, Zambia and, of course, South Africa, where amendments to the Mineral and

Petroleum Resources Development Act proposed in 2013 have entered the fourth year of legislative limbo…,” Leon said.

Leon's reference to Zambia relates to the numerous changes made to the country's mining legislative framework and mining-tax regime in the past decade. ese changes culminated in the ill-fated 20% Mineral Royalty Tax proposals of 2014/15, which nearly brought the Zambian mining industry to a standstill and threatened its very existence.

Leon argues that for African countries to get the best out of their mining industries, they should heed the guidelines of the Africa Mining Vision. is vision was adopted by the African Union heads of state in 2009 as a roadmap to “transparent, equitable and optimal exploitation of mineral resources to underpin broad-based sustainable growth and socio-economic development”.

www.cmscepcor.com

e African Mining Vision Guidebook recommends collaborating with the private sector and other stakeholders to develop “clear, transparent, predictable and efficient legal and regulatory frameworks”, which would require “adequate protection of property rights, an effective judicial system, and independent enforcement and oversight bodies”.

Following these guidelines would yield better results than the “hasty and haphazard adoption of bolt-on reforms with which many African governments have experimented in the past ve years”.

Leon further said: “If African governments begin to embrace the essential conditions for investment in the mining industry, and if mining companies accept the principle of mining-led sustainable development, there is no reason to think that mining cannot signi cantly transform the economies of Africa's key mineral producers.”

MINING NEWS

Randgold’s secret for Congo mining: Fly people in, gold bars out Randgold Resources had to haul heavy

scale deposits.

to the mine.

equipment more than 1 000 miles to build the

“ey've done this a long time and they know

One of the company's new mines will be in

roads and hydropower plants needed to

they need to re-shine the halo,” said Clive

Senegal, according to Randgold CEO Mark

construct its Kibali gold mine, the biggest in

Burstow, who helps manage about $475 million

Bristow, who has promised the company, which

Democratic Republic of Congo.

of natural-resource assets at London's Baring

is also exploring in Ivory Coast, will de ne three

e sprawling facility in a remote corner of a

Asset Management including Randgold shares.

new projects in the next ve years. Another may

country the size of Western Europe is a high-

“I certainly wouldn't bet against them nding

be in Congo, in an area next to Kibali: e

tech operation. In one tunnel deep

something, but don't forget it's getting harder to

Moku-Beverendi gold project, a joint venture

underground, a $1.3 million, 68-metric-ton

nd these big elephant-sized deposits they talk

with Moku Goldmines AG controlled by Israeli

remote-controlled digger heaves ore out of a

about.”

billionaire Dan Gertler.

Dinner Plates

million-ounce deposits,” Bristow said in Cape

cavernous blast hole. e ventilation system hums as 50-ton loads are slowly humped along

We are looking for “world class 10-plus-

the 3-kilometer track back to the surface.

e key to making Kibali work: e company

Town in February. “We think Moku has that

e best-performing gold miner of the past

and its partners built everything in sight,

potential.”

decade, Randgold has built its success on

including housing for more than 4 000 resettled

getting complicated projects like Kibali into

families and an international airport where

production on time and within budget. It's the

personnel y in and gold bars y out. At the

Moku is one of four joint ventures Randgold has

third major mine the company has brought on

high point of construction, Kibali received as

signed in Congo in the past 18 months as it

stream in ve years, and it has indeed been a

many as 400 40-foot containers a week across

looks to replicate Kibali's success.

Four Ventures

gold mine: It accounts for about a h of the

the border from Uganda.

A partnership between Randgold, AngloGold

company's production, which tripled between

Everything from the plates and cutlery in the

Ashanti Ltd. and state-owned Sokimo, Kibali

2010 and 2015 as revenue doubled to more than

large canteen to a plant that processes as much

shipped 642 720 ounces of gold worth more

$1 billion.

as 7 million tons of ore a year has been driven in

than $700 million in 2015. at helped increase

Now, with Kibali nearing full production and

across more than 1 120 miles of road from

production of the precious metal in the country

no new discoveries since 2011, the miner needs

either Mombasa, Kenya, or Dar es Salaam,

from almost nothing in 2011 to more than 25

to nd guaranteed output growth to impress

Tanzania. ree hydropower projects will

tons a year.

investors wary of the shrinking pool of large-

ultimately provide 42 megawatts of electricity

Production last year fell to 585 946 ounces aer

Page10

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

MINING NEWS

technical challenges in the rst six months, but

little, dare I say, sovereign state, far removed

miners have failed to overcome. “You can always talk, you can always negotiate.”

output is scheduled to peak at 750 000 ounces in

from regional issues.”

2018 as the underground operation reaches full

Randgold began due diligence on Kibali in

Gold prices hit $1 257 on 27 February, well

capacity, Randgold says.

2006, months aer historic elections brought a

below a record high of $1 921.17 an ounce in

Other miners have been less successful in

nal conclusion to a violent civil war that le

2011. Randgold, which says all of its mines

Congo. Randgold's partner, AngloGold,

millions of Congolese dead. It acquired the

make a pro t at a price of $1 000, has avoided

s u s p e n d e d op e r at i ons i n 2 0 1 3 at t h e

asset in 2009 through a purchase of Moto

the worst of the slump so far: It has returned

Mongbwalu project, also in northeastern

Goldmines Ltd.

more than 500% to shareholders in the past

Congo, saying that it couldn't make the

“Before Moto every major gold company in the

decade.

economics of the project work. In the past

world had this asset and did nothing,” Willem

at's more than double the second-best

decade, mining majors Rio Tinto Group, BHP

Jacobs, chief operating officer for central and

performer on the Bloomberg senior gold miner

Billiton Plc, Vale SA and De Beers have all held

east Africa, said at the site in November. “It is

index and one of only six out of the 16 biggest

and abandoned mining licenses in Congo for

very hard for big companies to do what we have

gold members to have given shareholders

different minerals without making headway.

done here.”

positive returns over the period. Competitors AngloGold Ashanti, Barrick Gold Corp.,

Doing business

Negotiation possible

Newmont Mining Corp. and Kinross Gold

Congo was ranked 184th out of 190 countries

A new project would bene t from the

Corp have all lost money for shareholders.

on the World Bank's ease-of-doing business

infrastructure Randgold has built and the

“For a long time they were realistically one of

survey in 2016, but Randgold was able to bring

lessons the company has learned since 2009,

the only invest-able gold names listed in

Kibali from feasibility in 2010 to rst gold less

making it easier to replicate Kibali's success,

London if you were a large-scale investor,” said

than four years later.

Jacobs said. “Every country has its own

Baring's Burstow. at's a title slowly coming

“It's been way more successful than most people

challenges, but the Congolese government is

under pressure from miners such as Acacia

thought,” said Hunter Hillcoat, an analyst at

enormously commercial,” he said of the

Mining Plc and Centamin Plc, Burstow says.

Investec in London. “ey operate their own

complicated operating environment that many

“People have con dence that they can deliver.

We just have to watch them carefully.”

FMDZ |

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page11

COMPANY NEWS

KSB invests in Zambia Global pump manufacturer, KSB Pumps and Valves, has established an independent operation in Zambia to ensure that its rapidly expanding customer base has full access to the company's world-class sales and support services.

Having previously been represented by a network of agencies and dealers throughout the country, the growing number of pumps in the eld, as well as burgeoning demand from the agricultural and mining sectors, has prompted the company to invest in more suitable infrastructure within the region.

According to KSB Pumps and Valves regional sales manager, David Jones, the formal establishment of KSB Zambia is aimed at taking the market to an entirely new level with improved stock holdings, shorter lead times for the procurement of pumps, improved price stability and onsite service and support for customers.

Zambian solutions “We rather elected to buy a controlling share in Kitwe-based pump company, Aqua Africa, that is well-established in the copperbelt and is a well-liked company in Zambia.

Page12

| Jan - Feb 2016

“Simultaneously we also established a branch in Lusaka that will cater largely for the agricultural market, as well as being well positioned to support water and i n f r ast r u c tu r a l re qu i re me nt s of t he residential and industrial markets. Now that the bricks and mortar are in we are planning to double our efforts and reach out to existing and new customers and we think the market is going to like what they see.,” says David.

KSB Z ambia managing director, Alf Jacobsen, says when KSB approached him it was an easy decision to make as it was a move in the right direction for his company, as well as for the Zambian pump market. “Right now agriculture is in a strong position and there is a lot of room for us to grow that part of the market. Similarly, mining will always be a strong focus here in the copperbelt and with full access to the entire range of KSB pumps and slurry pumps it bodes well for us to grow this sector in future.

Growing forward “We want to become a one-stop-shop for pump, valves and uid transfer requirements across all industries and will steadily build a

| FMDZ

stock holding of pumps and parts that is appropriate for the market. is has the potential to quadruple our footprint world class products and support locally, as well as from KSB South Africa and the global network of experts.

“From a customer point of view, it will be encouraging to know that they are now dealing directly with one of the world's major contenders in the pump market and that support and backup will be in line with world standards,” Alf says.

KSB dealer manager for sub-Saharan Africa, Andreas Gremels adds that the move into Zambia is the rst in a number of investments that the company plans to make within the sub-Saharan Africa region. “ ere is considerable investment going on in Africa in terms of both infrastructure and industry.

KSB S out h Af r ic a w i l l supp or t t his development with further investments into countries in East, Central, West and Southern Africa with a emphasis on countries that already have large KSB pump populations such as Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana and Tanzania, eventually covering all major countries in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Cape Lambert seals DRC JV sets eyes on Zambia Australian company Cape Lambert has

“Cape Lambert has built a successful record of

According to the company a feasibility study

ventured into a joint venture with Democratic

identifying commodities and projects at the

for Kasombo was scheduled within the next 18

Republic of Congo's (DRC) Paragon Mining to

right time. By applying our technical and

months, and mining activities within the next

exploit the country's cobalt and copper.

marketing support, we can add immediate

24 months. e partners will also work to

e JV is to develop the Kipushi cobalt-copper

value to these projects and return signi cant

identify and secure other copper, tin, zinc and

tailings project, the Kasombo copper-cobalt

value to the company, its shareholders and all

cobalt projects in the DRC and Zambia.

project and operate the Kipushi processing

stakeholders,” said Cape Lambert, Executive

At Kipushi, Cape Lambert will be responsible

plant.

Chairperson Tony Sage.

for providing all the necessary technical

In addition, operate the fully constructed and

Lambert is optimistic that cobalt, as a

resources to enable exploration and mining,

commissioned Kipushi processing plant to

commodity, has an extremely positive future.

and will fund 100% of the working capital and

process the Kipushi tailings and treat

“We believe we are well placed to bene t from

capital costs to start mining, while also sole

additional hard rock cobalt and copper

signi cant demand and price increases in this

funding any requirements to upgrade the

material.

commodity sector.”

processing plant.

Commissioned last year, the processing plant

e two companies will each hold a 50%

While at Kasombo, Cape Lambert will be

which was has a one-million-tonne-a-year

interest in the JV, and will aim to start mining

responsible for sole funding the costs of

otation plant designed to produce 4 000 t/y of

activities at Kipushi within the next six months,

exploration and feasibility studies to start

cobalt, 10 000 t/y of copper and 2 000 t/y of zinc

and to immediately start exploration activities

mining and, if necessary, upgrade the Kipushi

in concentrate from the tailings material.

at Kasombo.

processing plant to process ore from Kasombo.

FMDZ |

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page13

COUNTRY focus

Power crisis and the Solar Energy Nexus in Zambia Zambia is currently facing a severe power crisis. Traditionally, electricity was available in Zambia in abundance from am or t i z e d hy d ro - p ow e r p l ant s at extremely low prices. In the last years, droughts have dried out many damns, which has led to a severe restrictions of power generation capacity. e mining industry is consuming more than 50% of the electricity in Zambia.

In order to resolve the situation, Zambia begins rationing electricity supply to mines. At the same time, mining is the backbone of the Zambian economy. Many mines are facing additional challenges such as falling copper prices in the world market and changing tax policies in Z ambia. More and more mining companies public think about closing down their mines in Zambia.

Currently, mine production is affected by load shedding and power outages.

Sometimes the only remedy is the usage of

Page14

| Jan - Feb 2016

back-up diesel gensets for generating baseload power. is is extremely expensive. In addition, the power price for mining companies has almost double at the beginning at the year. e Zambian government has initiated emergency measures and buys expensive conventional energy from neighbouring countries and private suppliers.

At least short-term, the situation is expected to persist as the damns are not lling up signi cantly. New power infrastructure projects are being realized rather slowly while large investments in mining assets in recent years is expected to double the output capacity of the copper mines until 2020.

In 2014, Zambia had a total power consumption of 10,720.5GWh. Mining was with 54.8% by far the biggest consumer of electricity. Mining consumed more than twice as much electricity as all households together. Electricity prices

| FMDZ

used to be extremely low in Zambia.

Due to low water levels the hydro production has been extremely low in recent years. e country has to cope with load shedding and power outages. e mining industry is severely affected. To some extent production decreases of major Zambian mines are linked to missing electricity supply.

Solar energy for powering mines in Zambia e power crisis in Zambia might be suited for introducing large-scale solar power to Zambia. Mines as the main power consumers might even nd interest to contribute to this development. In light of the mining crisis it does not seem very probable that many mining companies want to invest their own money, however they might commit to long-term power purchase agreements (PPA) in order to secure their electricity supply. Solar power

country FOCUS

plants have the advantage that construction time is extremely short.

Solar energy can be very cost efficient in Zambia. e bid tariffs for two 50 MWp PV plants start at US¢6.02/kWh16 and are thus well below the power costs that the Zambian government had for emergency measures and below the new energy tariff for mines of 10.35US¢/kWh17 that is expected to constantly increase over the coming years. e solar power plants could be either built centralized and provide power through the grid or decentralized, i.e. in proximity of a mine with a direct power line to the mine.

In the second case, the solar power plant would be part of a microgrid. Back-up diesel gensets or stationary energy storage such as batteries could also be a part of the microgrid which is also called solar-diesel hybrid power plant. In recent years, the te chnic a l fe asibi lit y of ele c t r icit y generation for mines through solar powered microgrids has been proven as well in large scale applications.18 Connecting the mining microgrid to the

national power grid might be advisable as diesel genset usage can be reduced considerably.

In the microgrid, diesel gensets are very likely to be the generator with the highest dire c t costs and w it h t he big gest environmental impact. In the gridconnect microgrid scenario diesel generators provide only missing gap between the solar output and the load from the mine which is not available from the grid. is might be the case during loadshedding. e objective of the microgrid is to provide robust and stable power to the mine.

Energy storage solutions, e.g. in the form of batteries, can further stabilizes the microgrid by shaving peak loads and providing peakpower. Critical processes are oen secured with UPS-system already today. Some manufacturers aim using the UPS storage system for the microgrid. e combination of microgrid and national power grid might also have additional advantages in the future. If the solar power plant generates more electricity than the

FMDZ |

mine consumers, the energy might be fed back into the grid. e decentralized microgrid solution ensures that the grid is utilized less by the mine. e current power crisis in Zambia presents a chance for solar energy. Many mining companies see the risk that arises from power outages and load shedding in form of higher energy costs or production losses.

Electricity costs are expected to further raise in Zambia. Aer a long period of inexpensive energy from abundant hydro power the paradigms have changed in Zambia. Solar power can be installed extremely quickly and can contributed to save costs in comparison to power from e x p e ns ive b a c k - up d i e s e l ge ns e t s immediately.

Energy costs advantages can be an important differentiator in the very competitive copper market which be characterized by supply surplus due to falling copper demand from China. More and more mining companies have a strategic look at energy.

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page15

INNOVATION

De Beers unveils next generation diamond veri cation technology e De Beers International Institute of

PhosView.

maintaining trust in trade transactions.”

Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR)

“e AMS2 is the most technologically-

e IIDGR was established by the De Beers

unveiled its next generation automated melee

advanced, efficient and cost-effective melee

Group of Companies to provide a premium

screening instrument - the AMS2.

diamond veri cation instrument available. Its

service and proprietary equipment to the

e AMS2 diamond veri cation instrument

industry-leading low referral rate has

diamond industry.

will provide diamantaires with a more efficient

signi cant economic bene ts to users, greatly

Based in the UK, Belgium and India, and run

and cost-effective diamond veri cation

reducing the need for additional and costly

by the world's top diamond experts, the

technology solution for melee-sized

secondary testing," said IIDGR president

IIDGR offers a range of expert services and

diamonds, De Beers announced in a statment

Jonathan Kendall.

works only on diamonds that meet the

this week.

“Con dence is everything in the diamond

requirements of the United Nations' mandated

Around ten times faster than its predecessor

sector and the AMS2 will play a big part in

World Diamond Council Kimberley Process.

and with a substantially reduced referral rate, the AMS2 has the ability to process smaller sizes and all shapes of polished diamonds. It will cost $45 000, which is cheaper than the rst generation AMS. Available from June 2017, the new device will be unveiled the International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show in Hong Kong, taking place between 2 - 6 March. e AMS2 was developed by De Beers' inhouse research and development team, which also created the broader suite of diamond veri cation technology sold by IIDGR, including DiamondView, DiamondSure and

Page16

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

www.auscoproducts.com

HEALTH & safety

Protect your noggin and avoid falling objects says expert Falling objects can deliver a hey blow to the head, resulting in injury or even death warns a safety authority. is is why WorkSafe is cracking down on companies that fail to control the risk of falling objects, with a round of almost 1000 inspections throughout the next three weeks.

Top targets will be construction companies operating in the industrial, residential and commercial sectors.

According to WorkSafe statistics, more than 860 construction workers have been injured since 2010 by falling objects. Injuries are commonly caused by falling building materials such as bricks, tiles, concrete and timber.

WorkSafe says simple steps to avoid falling objects include securing loose building materials and tools at building sites, and could make the difference between life and death.

“Each year WorkSafe investigates serious injuries and countless near-misses involving falling objects at construction sites,” WorkSafe health and safety executive director Marnie Williams says.

“We know that even a small tool or a bolt

Page18

| Jan - Feb 2016

falling from a building site can cause lifethreatening injuries. at's why every builder must assess their site throughout the day and identify materials or objects that could fall in or outside of the site boundaries.”

Materials placed close to the edge of an incomplete upper level or le unsecured pose a very high risk.

“Materials that are blown from structures by

| FMDZ

wind or tools and equipment knocked or dropped from ledges not only pose a risk to workers but the general public in the streets below,” Williams says.

“Any object, no matter how small, can be deadly if it falls from a height so builders need to const ant ly ass ess t he work b eing undertaken to ensure these kinds of materials are secured.”

www.us-tech.co.za

HEALTH & safety

Fatigue is inevitable.

Incidents aren’t.

Most Comprehensive Fatigue Risk Management System

dragged on, operators were increasingly

inattentive and impaired. Some even dozed o

in the driver's seat.

Tired, distracted machine operators are a

cause cannot be identi ed. Upon further

leading cause of accidents in the earth-moving

investigation, these same customers found the

world. e problem, rooted in human

scheduling demands of miners' 24/7

physiology, is insidious, cumulative and

operations were playing havoc with the sleep

complex. But the new fatigue and distraction

patterns of a small, but signi cant percentage

risk management solution from Caterpillar is

of their employees – including some of their

showing customers ways to mitigate the

most talented heavy equipment operators.

hazard – and proving that the company's

Many of those affected were having difficulty

commitment to innovation goes 'beyond the

synchronizing their internal clocks with job

iron.'

schedules that required them to work during

For years, some of our customers have been

the night and to sleep during the day. So they

puzzled over what they call “unexplained

weren't getting enough rest and were starting

incidents” — accidents where there is no

shis already fatigued. e effects were

apparent fault in the machine, and the root

Page20

| Jan - Feb 2016

insidious and cumulative, so as the work week

| FMDZ

“ese customers had tremendous risk that they didn't know how to address,” says David Edwards, Safety Technology Manager with Caterpillar Safety Services. “ey told us bluntly, 'We have operators falling asleep at the wheel in our big haul trucks.'”

Traditional OEMs probably would have redirected the conversation towards selling more iron, but Caterpillars Safety Services instead responded to this challenge with a solution that combines technology and cultural development to help customers see, mitigate and manage fatigue on the job site.

Because the underlying issue – the circadian rhythm – is hardwired into humans, the

health & SAFETY

problem of fatigue, particularly with night-

vulnerabilities and avoid them.

Fatigue Practice Manager. “It's a resource that

time work, cannot be eliminated entirely.

e Cat Driver Safety System (DSS) monitors

gives customers and their employees the facts

Caterpillar's fatigue solution, however, helps

second-by-second fatigue and distraction data

and data to make improvements to their

minimise its effects throughout jobsites.

using a non-intrusive in-cab camera with

processes.”

Bringing together the best anti-fatigue

patented eye and head tracking algorithms.

Caterpillar fatigue consultants and safety

technologies on the market with Caterpillar's

Able to detect operator fatigue and distraction

advisors work together to correlate data from

deep expertise in safety improvement and

in real-time, the DSS can immediately alert

the DSS, Smartband and FAST with machine

change management, the Fatigue Risk

an operator to signs of fatigue before an

telematics data, to produce a detailed

Management SystemTM gives customers a

incident occurs. e data is also viewed by

management report that clearly outlines the

comprehensive way to measure risk, mitigate

Caterpillar safety advisors in the 24/7 eet

scope of risk in operations. Armed with the

it and manage the hazard.

monitoring centre, who classify potential

details and facts the technologies provide,

fatigue events and will follow site speci c

Caterpillar consultants like Dawson work

e Fatigue Risk Management System:

incident response protocols, alerting job site

with customers to implement organisational

ree best-in-class technologies – brought

management if necessary.

changes needed to improve operators' tness

together in a unique suite by Caterpillar –

“To ensure a valid analysis and support the

for duty every time they climb into a cab.

form the front end of the Fatigue Risk

integrity of the process, each event is double-

We nd that the best results come from

Management System (FRMS).

classi ed, meaning it is reviewed by two safety

combining technology with people solutions.

e Cat® Smartband is a wrist-worn device

advisors before a call is made to the site,” says

So, along with on-site manager workshops

that tracks mental fatigue in real time and

Danielle Mackie, safety monitoring

that increase customers' awareness of fatigue

provides visibility to sleep quantity and

supervisor.

and distraction and help them build their

quality, on and off the jobsite.

e point is not to implicate operators, but to

overall safety culture, Caterpillar uses digital

e Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool

increase everyone's visibility of a naturally

analytics to pinpoint and quantify trouble

(FAST), helps organisations model different

occurring risk. “It's not a punitive tool,” says

areas. en, empowered with the data, we help

shi schedules to determine fatigue

Todd Dawson, A Caterpillar Safety Services

our customers see, mitigate and manage risk.

FMDZ |

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page21

tormac@tormacpumps.com

www.tormacpumps.com

HEALTH & safety

Collision Warning Systems in mining An average of 13 mine workers are killed each

Radar Systems

re ected energy.

year by being run over or pinned by mobile

Radar technology is one of the most

e technology is well suited to collision

mining equipment. At surface mines, these

established methods of obstacle detection.

avoidance applications because it is not

accidents commonly involve large dump

Many types of radar are used in collision

affected by rain, snow, dust, or even a

trucks that drive over a smaller vehicle or a

warning systems, including pulsed or

moderate buildup of mud on the antennas.

person that is in the dump truck's blind spot.

ultrawide-band, Doppler, and frequency-

Many collision warning systems are based on

A collision warning system consists of some

modulated continuous wave (FMCW).

radar technology. e systems consist of a

type of sensor that detects the presence of an

Some of the newer systems for highway

radar antenna(s), processing electronics, and

object, an interface that provides an audible

applications operate at even higher

an operator interface or alarm display.

and/or visual alarm to the equipment

frequencies. A radar system operates by

e radar unit is mounted on the vehicle and

operator, and wiring between the two.

emitting electromagnetic energy and

directed toward the area to be monitored. If

Potential sensor technologies include

detecting this energy when it is re ected from

an object of sufficient cross sectional area is

ultrasonic echo detection, infrared re ection,

an object or target. Information about the

within the beam pattern of the radar antenna,

radar (radio detection and ranging), video

target, such as range and direction of

the signal is re ected to the unit and is

cameras, and radio-frequency identi cation

movement, can be acquired by analysing this

processed. If certain criteria are met, an alarm

(RFID) systems.

Page24

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

health & SAFETY

is generated. e type of alarm varies with the

be provided as long as the detected object is

antennas. However, radio signals can be

type of display.

not immediately next to the antennas. Systems

affected by interference from multipath effects

e most common type of radar used in

using this type of radar can sense the presence

and other radio signal sources.

collision warning systems employs Doppler

of an object whether there is relative motion

ere are two types of tags: passive and active.

shi detection. ese systems only detect

or not.

For passive tags, the tag reader constantly

Radio-frequency Identi cation Systems

within range. e tag then answers with a

transmits a signal that activates a tag if it is

relative movement of objects by sensing a frequency shi in the re ected signal.

For the system to activate an alarm, either the object within the transmitted beam

Several companies have applied RFID systems

unique signal that is detected by the tag

to the collision avoidance problem. e

reader.

pattern must move toward the stationary

systems typically consist of a tag reader, tags,

e advantages of passive tags are that there is

vehicle, or the vehicle must move toward the

and an operator interface or alarm display.

no requirement for external power, they need

object. If both object and vehicle are not

e tag reader detects radio transmissions

little maintenance, and they are very

moving, no alarm is activated.

from a tag if the tag is within its reading

inexpensive. e disadvantage is that they

is has the advantage of providing alarms

range.

oen have a more limited reading range than

only when a vehicle is moving and a collision

e tag reader is mounted on the mine

active tags. With active tags, the reader can be

is imminent. However, it has the disadvantage

equipment, while tags are mounted on any

passive and just listen for the unique

of not providing an alarm that allows

item that is to be avoided. ese items can

transmissions from the tag.

sufficient time to stop if a stationary object is

include other vehicles, pedestrian workers,

e disadvantages include the need for

very close to a vehicle that starts moving.

power and utility poles, or even a building.

batteries and increased cost and size when

Other types of radar, such as FMCW, can be

e small cost and small size of most tags

compared to passive tags. If a reader detects a

con gured to operate in this manner also.

allows them to be mounted on hard hats,

tag within its reading range, signal processing

Pulsed radar is also used for collision warning

personnel belts, or anywhere on the exterior

soware analyses the signal to determine

systems. Because of the pulsed nature of the

of a vehicle. e nature of radio-frequency

signal strength and integrity. If the acquired

output signal, the average power output by the

signals makes this technology ideal for harsh

signal meets alarm criteria, then an audible

radar is extremely low (microwatts). Also,

environments because radio transmissions are

and/or visual alarm is indicated at the alarm

time of ight for the re ected signal is easily

not adversely affected by harsh weather, dust,

display. e alarm thus warns an operator that

measured, and accurate range information can

or moderate amounts of mud buildup on the

a tag is in proximity to the equipment.

FMDZ |

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page25

PROJECTS

World’s largest acid mine drainage plant in SA to relieve water crisis e Gauteng government is hoping to relieve

its kind in the world, with the capacity to clean

treated, it is released into nearby water sources‚

the province's water supply tensions with the

110 megalitres of a water a day, and send the

such as wetlands‚ streams and dams.

opening of a new acid mine drainage (AMD)

water back into the Vaal River system.

“e problem of acid mine drainage cannot be

plant in Springs, outside of Johannesburg.

e polluted water is extracted from the mine

le unattended. It has persisted for centuries

Minister of Water and Sanitation, Nomvula

void in the region and sent to the three

and we have taken steps to address the

Mokonyane has opened the Eastern Basin Acid

treatment plants. Once the water has been

challenge‚” Mokonyane said.

Mine Drainage Treatment plant, which is the third high-density sludge treatment plant in the Province that will help secure water for the next 30 years.

“By producing fully treated water that will signi cantly increase water supply to the Vaal River System, the opening of the Springs AMD plant will respond to the pollution of freshwater, and stop polluted mine water from reaching a certain level below the surface‚ which affects the country's water sources.” said Mokonyane e two other operational plants are the Central Basin in Germiston‚ and the Western Basin in Krugersdorp, which have been operational for a few years. e pricey but lasting solutions are said to have cost the country an estimated R10 billion to R12 billion, as the province and country intensify their water saving efforts.

Mokonyane has said that e Eastern Basin is the largest of the three plants and the largest of

Page26

| Jan - Feb 2016

e minister of Water and Sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane, at the launch of the Eastern Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Plant in Springs

| FMDZ

www.copperzone-resources.com

csrome@copperzone-resources.com

PRODUCTS & services

More digitalised underground drilling rollout Working within budget and on time is the envy of every mine operator and Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology continues to facilitate such results with its technologies. e company recently upgraded its digitalized underground drilling to improve drilling accuracy, cycle times and reduce operation costs. e new system offers accurate visual information an improvement to the mining process.

With ten years on the market, Sandvik AutoMine has been used by numerous underground mines.

Now customers are able to signi cantly upgrade through the new intelligent rigs, led

by Sandvik DD422i development jumbo, which include long hole drills and bolters.

In addition, new 3D scanning technology makes drilling and bolting more efficient by bringing in new tools and methods for continuous quality control.

On the other hand blasting quality, overbreak and underbreak analyses together with continuous mine mapping increase overall drill and blast process efficiency signi cantly. e new equipment is supported by the Sandvik OptiMine information management platform which provides a powerful tool for creating a true transparency and integration of

Page28

| Jan - Feb 2016

underground mining operations.

Over the years, Sandvik has successfully delivered highly automated underground drilling systems for selected customers for many years. “e company is now busy nalising the commercialisation of these offerings into global markets. is will bring Sandvik AutoMine-type tele-remote capabilities into new underground mining applications, including long hole and development drilling.” e company assures customers of data driven productivity now that Sandvik underground drilling equipment is fully compatible with Sandvik OptiMine

| FMDZ

monitoring. “e connectivity comes standard for new equipment but retro t kits are also available for existing equipment out in the eld.”

Scalable Sandvik automation solutions allow customers to choose the level of automatisation they're ready for, starting with tele-remotely controlled operation through to full eet automated operation.

According Sandvik customers are assured that the equipment if used efficiently, the results meet the most demanding production requirements. As a result of wide range of automation options built into Sandvik drill rigs and bolters.

products & SERVICES

Volvo’s 55 tonne articulated hauler for off-road applications When it comes to hauling huge loads off-road in

and tested throughout the Volvo ADT range.

short orientation course will be needed,” says

mining and quarrying environments, the large

As the biggest articulated dump truck in the

David Vaughan director: Equipment, Babcock.

Volvo A60H articulated dump truck is a

world, the A60Hoffers stability, comfort and

Babcock will introduce the new articulated

popular solution.

high hauling speeds, despite its size. ese

dump truck into the Southern African market

It offers various features, including a lower cost-

features are underpinned by the matched

early in the new year.

per-tonne ratio, fuel efficiency, and increased

drivetrain, automatic drive combinations, all-

Vaughan adds that technicians who regularly

production.

terrain bogie system, hydro-mechanical

service other Volvo haulers will have knowledge

e A60H has a 55 tonne payload and is

steering, on board weighing system and active

of many of its elements.

equipped with a 33,6 m3 bin thereby increasing

suspension thus optimising production and

“Similar elements include a front grill that

production and lowering the cost per tonne

minimising operational costs.

swings down, opening up a service platform

ratio.

As the A60H shares similar features with the

with anti-slip steps, and an electric hood that

Although the A60H is a substantial step up

A40, no major operator training will be

opens to 90 degrees, allowing full and safe

regarding size when compared to the A40 it

necessary. “It will be an easy transition for

access to the engine compartment,” explains

shares a number of typical features already tried

operators familiar with the A40, and only a

Vaughan.

FMDZ |

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page29

PRODUCTS & services

Integrated Pump Rental responds to client’s emergency efficiently Integrated Pump Rental efficiently delivers a

eet covering all needs, with the requisite

units, for example, are ideal for dredging and

rental service around the clock to the standards

technical support for installing and

cleaning water capture areas where silt or slimes

that customers requires, says MD Lee Vine.

commissioning on site as a vital part of the

are encountered, while the SlurryBlaster hydro-

“Actually delivering a rental service all day,

service and support offering.

mining equipment offers optimum

every day, to the standards that the customer

Integrated Pump Rental provides turnkey

performance coupled with reliability.

needs, is the core of our business model,” Vine

pumping solutions for small, medium-sized

A recent addition to the rental range is the Sykes

notes. “When a customer is in dire need, with a

and large projects, ensuring that each project is

diesel-driven pump, suitable for all applications

dewatering problem for instance, they need a

carefully assessed to ensure the appropriate

where electrical power is not available; these

quick turnaround time with the right product

response.

reliable pumps are engineered to offer market

available. is is what we do."

“While we do have off-the-shelf options

leading efficiency and are extremely robust.

He says the reality is that customers are in

available for rent, our approach is to understand

Vine says that Integrated Pump Rental secured

operation 24/7 and there are not many rental

the customer's needs and then recommend a

the agency for Sykes for southern Africa and all

companies that can assist on this basis.

Vine cites a recent case of a surface coal mine

t-for-purpose solution,” says Vine. “It is not a

Sykes products are available for either sale or

case of one-pump- ts-all when it comes to the

rental. is includes diesel and electric driven

customer urgently needing to dewater a large

type of pumping environment in which we

self-priming units.

section of the pit.

operate.”

Pump and hose otation devices and custom

installation of nine diesel pumps with 2 000 m of

Pump eet at a glance

available for all pumping applications.

lay- at hose, including ttings,” he says. “e

Integrated Pump Rental's

eet includes

Industries across Africa served by Integrated

call came in at 2 pm on a Saturday; by the early

submersible drainage and dewatering pumps,

Pump Rental include mining, quarrying,

hours of Sunday morning, the installation had

slurry and sludge pumps, diesel-driven pumps,

construction, wastewater and energy.

“e requirement was for the supply and

engineered automation systems are also

been completed and our customer was more

dre dg ing units,

ot at ion de v ices and

“Our pumping solutions are engineered to deal

than satis ed.”

accessories. All pump rental solutions available

with the harsh operating conditions on the

He highlights the accessibility of equipment as

from Integrated Pump Rental are ISO 9001

continent and options include short-term,

key to the success of Integrated Pump Rental.

certi ed.

medium-term and long-term turnkey rentals,”

e company maintains a comprehensive rental

e locally manufactured SlurrySucker Dredge

says Vine.

Page30

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

products & SERVICES

New dust monitoring tool to reduce contaminant burden on communities A new tool for monitoring and analysing dust plumes – particularly those containing potentially harmful contaminants – will improve our understanding of, and help reduce, the impacts on affected communities.

Research con rming the effectiveness of the Coherent Doppler Lidar system has been published by the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE). e study, performed in collaboration with Curtin University, trialled the Lidar (short for Light Detection and Ranging; also known as 'laser radar') in Port Hedland, which has a history of high dust levels related to the loading of bulk commodities for export and mining activities.

Project leader John Sutton, now with Aeolius Wind Systems, says that the Lidar system allows real-time monitoring of dust emissions and wind elds. “is information can be used to identify dust emission sources, track dust plumes, provide insight into the way wind transports

Page32

| Jan - Feb 2016

dust, and determine community exposure,” Mr Sutton said.

“In shor t, t he system a l lows b etter management of contaminant plumes, which in turn helps to reduce impacts on communities.” e technology can be used at ports and mine sites for routine monitoring, health risk and occupational safety studies, validation of modelling, and evaluation of dust mitigation strategies.

Mr Sutton says that the new system has numerous advantages over both modelling and traditional point monitoring.

“By allowing real-time measurement of contaminant plumes, Lidar gives us an idea of what's happening in the real world,” he said.

“It provides information about the source and shape of contaminant plumes, and the concentrations of contaminant particles – and therefore information on who is being or will be affected.”

M r S u t t o n s a y s t h at t h e r e a l - t i m e information helps environmental managers

| FMDZ

make better decisions, including identifying the location of a plume source and how best to dampen it, as well as the effectiveness of the dampening. is gives industry an objective idea of how well its abatement strategies are working. “is sort of capability simply isn't possible with traditional point monitoring, which may gather data from three or four monitoring points,” Mr Sutton said. “e Lidar system effectively measures thousands of points and, what's more, it works over a large area of up to 300 km2.”

According to CRC CARE Managing Director Professor Ravi Naidu, the Lidar system offers an excellent example of why the Commonwealth Government established the CRC Program – to develop better tools for industry. “is is a new, improved technology that provides unique capability for identifying industrial dust plumes,” Professor Naidu said.

“In turn, this shines a light on pathways for reducing impacts on local communities.”

www.tammermatic.com

www.tammermatic.com

Liing mechanisms in mines- Hoists Hoist by de nition means to haul or to raise

TYPES OF HOIST

an object to higher altitudes. Hoists are

e hoists can be classi ed based on the

mechanical or electromechanical devices used

liing medium, and the source of powering

industries.

3.

Pneumatic: e powering of these hoists is through pneumatic

to move an object from one point to another,

the hoist.

medium. Compressed air is used to

which would be otherwise physically

Liing medium:

run the motor or the engine to

challenging. e object can be raised, lowered

Manual: e load is hoisted using

deliver a liing torque. ese hoists

or moved depending on the necessity. e

1.

manual operation. It is the oldest

have an advantage of being lighter,

hoist work on the basic principle of balance of

type of hoist where humans, and

safer and use less energy to do the

forces where an equal and opposite force is

animals where used to haul the

same task.

applied on the load force. e applied force

loads. Such schemes where used

can be reduced by using a pulley system.

during ancient period for the

Powering source:

e hoist technology is believed to originate

construction of buildings.

Chain: Utilizes link or roller chain as its liing

from the lever system where a large force can

Nowadays these hoists are used to

medium.

be countered using small force by proper

li light loads.

Wire rope: Utilizes wire rope as the liing

placement of the fulcrum. e block and tackle pulley invented by Archimedes allowed

2.

Electric: Electric power is used to

medium

hoist the load. is technology

Strap: Utilizes polyester or nylon straps as the liing medium

sailors to move heavy objects with ease that

overtook the manual operation

would otherwise be very difficult. is

during the industrial development.

e hoist can be further classi ed into drum,

invention is considered as a precursor to the

Such hoists are faster and more

friction, and Blair multi-rope type.

modern hoist technology.

powerful and thus forms a huge percentage of the hoists used in the

Page34

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

Drum type:

In Drum type hoisting devices, the liing

Single drum hoists are found to be more

gears and pulleys. Developed by Frederick

medium is continuously wrapped around a

efficient than double drum hoists for most of

Koepe in 1877, the liing medium is not

drum. Unlike the friction type where the load

the applications.

wound on a drum, and hence multiple hoists

Friction (Koepe) type

require more routine maintenance than drum

can be used near to each other. Friction hoists

is directly hoisted from the top, in drum type hoist the pulling mechanism is connected to a drum, which is to the other side of load across

Unlike drum hoists, friction hoists are

hoists and are not suitable for hoisting from

the headframe and sheaves. e headframe

economic options for shallow shas. ey are

multiple loading pockets on different horizons

and sheaves are required to center the hoisting

mounted right above the mine sha or at the

within a sha.

medium in the sha compartment. Drum

top of headframe, thus requiring less space

hoists are the most common hoists used in

than drum hoists. e liing medium is

Blair multi-rope type

North America, South Africa and South

passed over a pulley with the load connected

e Blair multi-rope hoist system is used for

America. ey also require the least amount of

to the one end of the liing medium. e

accessing much deeper mines and can be

maintenance among all hoist types.

friction between the pulley and the liing

found in many of the world's deeper mines,

medium aids the hoisting. e friction

such as in South Africa. One of the mines that

Single drum: In a single drum hoist, a rope is

between the pulley and the liing medium

use this type is the Moab Khotsong Mine

attached to a drum and wound and is used to

prevents the load from sliding in the opposite

where it is used up to 3,150m. It has a capacity

hoist the load through an overhead pulley.

direction when the weight is pulled up using

to access a depth of up to 5,000m.

www.bmgworld.net

EMBRACING tech

Gas Sensing Technology Improves Mine Safety Gas in Mines: an Omnipresent Hazard An underground mine is an inhospitable place in which to work. Gas poisoning and explosion is a major hazard, with many different types of gas commonly present in mines. Black damp, a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, is formed as the result of corrosion in enclosed spaces so removing oxygen from the atmosphere and potentially causing suffocation. Fire damp mainly consists of methane, a highly ammable gas that explodes at concentrations between 5% and 15% or, if it does not explode, at 25% concentration it causes asphyxiation.

Methane ignition can trigger the much more dangerous coal dust explosions because the shock wave raises coal dust from the oor of the mine galleries to make an explosive mixture that is highly susceptible to spontaneous combustion. Stink damp, so called because of the rotten egg smell of the hydrogen sulphide gas, can explode and is also very toxic. Carbon monoxide, toxic even at low concentrations, is another major hazard.

Gas sensors are the critical operating

Page36

| Jan - Feb 2016

component of all gas detection instruments. ey transform a gaseous concentration, typically measured in ppm, into a change in electrical voltage or current that provides a reliable, stable and repeatable input for the detection instrument. With so many different gaseous hazards potentially present, effective gas detection is critical in protecting life and equipment underground.

Apart from gas-related hazards, underground mining dangers include suffocation, gas poisoning, roof collapse and gas explosions, while open cut hazards are principally mine wall failures and vehicle collisions. Most risks are greatly reduced in modern mines, and multiple fatality incidents are now rare in most parts of the developed world. However, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, mining remains the second most dangerous occupation in America, with 30 deaths in a typical year due to mine accidents. e Bene cial Impact of Modern Technology on Fatality Rates Modern technology employed in mines

| FMDZ

throughout the developed world, has dramatically improved safety. Improvements in mining methods such as automated longwall mining, effective hazardous gas monitoring, gas drainage, better electrical equipment and improved ventilation have reduced many of the risks of rock falls, explosions, and unhealthy air quality.

In less developed and developing countries, many more miners continue to die annually, either directly as the result of accidents in mines, or indirectly as the result of illnesses contracted from working under poor conditions.  e C h a l l e n g e s Fa c i n g G a s S e n s o r Manufacturers In deep coalmines, extreme temperature changes, rapid humidity variations and signi cant pressure changes are experienced as miners travel down from the surface. In both deep and open cast coal mines methane gas is an ever-present hazard. Speci c regional issues are a further complication, for example, in South African mines, hydrogen cross-

sensitivity is a particular concern.

Super cially, a gas sensor might appear to the untrained eye to be no more than a simple small cylinder, 20mm in diameter and 17mm high, with two or three electrodes. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Such an unremarkable looking component is the operating heart of all gas detection equipment, which saves countless lives and prevents damage to property worth billions of dollars.

Oxygen Sensors Gas sensors are in fact complex pieces of equipment: 4OXV, the new oxygen sensor, is constructed from more than 20 individual components, which are manufactured to exceedingly tight tolerances and assembled to create the nished product on an automated assembly and test line. As an example of the technology behind the design of gas sensors, consider the 4OXV oxygen sensor that is used in portable gas detectors in mines. Humidity changes are another signi cant cause of false alarms. 4OXV features an integrated moisture protection membrane to prevent the ingress of humid air into the chamber. e implications in the mining environment are self-evident.

Bump testing for personal gas detection equipment, in which the instrument is exposed to its target gas to check for correct operation, would normally take place on the surface. Descending in high speed lis to the working levels will result in rapid increases in temperature and humidity, potentially causing the instrument to false alarm, with a consequent loss of time and con dence while the issue is sorted out. Instruments tted with 4OXV do not suffer from such issues, improving efficiency and reducing down time.

Carbon Monoxide Sensors “Speed is of the essence”. A truism applied to many different situations, but a statement that is arguably critical in mining life safety applications, where delay can literally prove to be fatal. Carbon monoxide, a colourless, odourless, tasteless, and initially nonirritating gas is very difficult for people to detect. Exposure to 100 ppm or greater can be dangerous to human health, and as the symptoms of mild exposure include lightheadedness and confusion, while larger exposures can lead to death, the provision of

an effective CO detector is an imperative for personnel who may encounter it during the course of their work. CO is commonly found in mines, so a fast and effective CO detector is an essential piece of equipment. e Future Without doubt, today's sophisticated gas detection technology has saved many lives in what is still one of the world's most dangerous industries. Gas detection instrument manufacturers typically rely on gas sensors from specialist manufacturers.

Ty pi c a l l y b a s e d on e l e c t ro c h e m i c a l technology, the characteristics of the gas sensor itself determine, to a great extent, the instrument's performance and reliability in use. To offer their users reduced lifetime cost of ownership, enhanced performance and features that improve the functionality, reliability and effectiveness of personal and xed gas detection, OEMs require the gas sensor manufacturers to innovate sensors that have better stability, greater resistance to cross-contamination, longer life and faster response.

Specialises in: *Schools & Institutionalised Catering * Industrial Catering *Mine Village Management * Club Canteen Management *Special Event Catering *Daily Delivered Traditional & Western Meals *Weddings * Premix Tea * Ofce Ingredients *Water Dispensers & Coffee Machines *Industrial & Commercial Food Service Equipment 38

Years

47 Plymouth Road, Southerton, Harare, Zimbabwe

Providing Cost-Effective Professional Catering Solutions

P.O Box HR10584, Harare, Zimbabwe Tel: (263-4) 620301-9 Fax: (263-4) 620300 Mobile: +263 772 565 823/824/825

E-mail: servcor@servcor.co.zw

Website: www.servcor.co.zw

FMDZ |

www.servcorshoppingcart.co.zw

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page37

Shredding light on the mine site Proper design of haul road lighting systems is essential to the efficient and safe operation of an open cut mine.

At a surface mine covering many square kilometres of land; where work is carried out round the clock; systematic arti cial lighting is necessary in order to provide a safe and efficient working environment.

Haul roads within the pit are one of the most critical areas for lighting at an open cut mine.

One of the most important issues is that haul road lighting installations are not permanent due to regular advancement of the working face.

Another major problem is dark surroundings and low surface re ectance. Due to these reasons it is very difficult to maintain lighting standards speci ed by various regulatory bodies. A good lighting system is one which can distribute an appropriate amount of light evenly with uniformity values from 0.25 to 0.40 and with a colour rendering index of at least 60. Good lighting will use energy efficient lamps in suitable luminaries.

Mine safety guidelines suggest a minimum

Page38

| Jan - Feb 2016

horizontal illuminance level of 0.5 lux in haul roads however in reality uniformity ratio is also essential in the design of illumination systems for uniform distribution of light and to provide sufficient illumination for visual tasks.

In these conditions, the use of compact uorescent lamps (CFL) with a stand-alone lighting system is perfectly acceptable. Standalone photovoltaic lighting systems provide exibility for changing the location of poles according to changes to surface mine haul roads. However CFL's electrical requirements are not easily met by hard-switched inverters due to higher switching losses at higher frequencies. e difficulty in meeting the complex electrical requirements, such as preheat and ignition voltage of CFL, results in lower efficiency. In order to make a successful photovoltaic lighting system, the rst step is to select a well-suited high-frequency inverter and a series interrupting type charge controller for producing good light while maintaining reliability.

| FMDZ

PRINCIPLES OF HAUL ROAD LIGHTING MOUNTING HEIGHT Luminaire mounting height depends on the lighting arrangement and effective road width. e effective width is the horizontal distance between the luminaire and the far curb. To achieve a good distribution of light across the roadway, mounting height in general is kept equal to the road width or around it.

SPACING Luminaire or pole spacing for a given lighting arrangement and luminaire light distribution is dependent on the mounting height and the longitudinal uniformity planned for the installation. e greater the mounting height, the larger can be the spacing for a given longitudinal uniformity.

Longitudinal uniformity is the ratio of minimum to maximum illuminance along a line parallel to the road axis through the observer's position. However, in practice, excellent illumination is considered to be

when pole spacing is not more than 8 times the mounting height.

OVERHANG Poles are generally installed somewhat off-set from the road edge (curb) to provide clearance to the vehicle. Luminaire is mounted on the ranging arm to adjust the distance between it and the curb. Sometimes, projection of the luminaire lies inside the road from the curb, which is known as overhang. e main purpose of overhang is to provide better uniformity of light across the road.

INCLINATION Inclining or tilting the luminaires up from the horizontal is done to increase light coverage across the road width at a given mounting height. However too much tilting will diffuse the light and reduce its distribution along the longitudinal direction of the road. It is recommended that the angle of tilt, with respect to the normal height of mounting, be

limited to an absolute maximum of 10°, a top limit of 5° being preferable. In general the angle varies from 10° to 15°.

UNIFORMITY e even and uniform distribution of light across the area being illuminated is known as uniformity. It is represented on lighting plans by the symbol UO and is a ratio of the minimum illuminance level to the average illuminance level. A UO value of 0.4 or 40% is recommended to ensure that lighting installations do not create dark patches next to lighter patches. e evenness of light distribution is almost always more important than the levels of illumination being achieved by the system.

COLOUR RENDERING Colour rendering indicates the extent to which a light source is capable of making objects appear their true colour. Colour rendering is determined by the spectral power

FMDZ |

distribution or spectrum of the light source. e colour rendering ability of lamps is measured on the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) or Ra scale. e scale varies from 0 to 100, where poor colour rendering lamps have lower values while good colour rendering lamps have high values. One hundred is as good as a black body radiator of the same colour temperature.

Conclusion Lamp selection should be made mainly based on efficacy and suitability to each situation. A series parallel resonant mode sine wave inverter is well suited for meeting a compact uorescent lamp's complex characteristics. To ensure uniform light output throughout the operating voltage range on input DC battery voltage variation from full charge voltage to lower charge limit voltage, inverter frequency will change automatically by voltage to frequency converter, towards the resonant frequency.

Jan - Feb 2017

|

Page39

Central Africa’s Premier Business To Business Mining magazine Book your space now! .....and put your message across - Mining & Industry news - Mining projects - Investment opportunities - Mining equipment and more....

Contact: sales@fmdrc-zambia.com Tel: +27 11 044 8985/6 www.fmdrc-zambia.com

Advertisers index 02 Endress+Hauser 05 AXIS 09 CMS Cepcor 13 KSB 17 Ausco 19 Spectrometer Tech 22 Tormac Pumps 27 Copper Zone Resources 31 Lamasat 33 Interclean 35 BMG 37 Servco 39 MMG 40 FMDRC-Zambia 41 Shamba Lodge 42 Western Global Page40

| Jan - Feb 2016

| FMDZ

www.shambalodge.com

FUELLING UPTIME DOUBLE BUNDED TANKS & STORAGE SOLUTIONS

www.western-global.co.za • • • • • •

Mine Refuelling Packages Modular Fuel Farms 5 Year Warranty Global Approvals & Certiications Local & International Support Tank capacities range from 475 Litres – 106,700 Litres

OUR INNOVATION

YOUR EFFICIENCY

South Africa P +27 11 626 3607 E enquiries@western-global.co.za UAE P +97152 6339 169 E enquiries@western-global.co.ae