Inside Mining January 2015 by 3S Media

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AFRIC AN UPDATES ON THE

GROUND AND UNDERGROUND

IN THE

SPOTLIGHT Reﬂex global product manager

Dave Lawie discusses drilling innovations

MINING

INDABA

An array of technologies AFRICA Prestigious projects

MINE RESCUE

E M B

Honouring the brave

WEST AFRICA Dealing with Ebola ISSN 1999-8872 • R50.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 8 • No. 1 • January 2015

Everyday we move mountains for our clients From pit to port, our materials handling solutions keep our clients in mining, ports and industry moving forward. We offer a complete end-to-end service from concept to commissioning based on our track record as a leader in Africa. If you are looking for materials handling solutions designed to your specific requirements that are both innovative and appropriate, give us the opportunity to re-define your business.

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CONTENTS AFRIC AN UPDATES ON THE

ENDORSED BY

JJanuary Ja a nu an ua uar ar 2015 ar

GROUND AND UNDERGROUND

EDITOR'S COMMENT ON THE COVER O

www.miningne.ws

AFRIC AN UPDATES ON THE

GROUND AND UNDERGROUND

IN THE

SPOTLIGHT Reﬂex global product manager

Dave Lawie discusses drilling innovations

MINING

INDABA

An array of technologies AFRICA Prestigious projects

MINE RESCUE Honouring the brave

WEST AFRICA

E M BEx EExpl xpl xpl p oos plo osiv ivee iv in nno nova vati tiions on n

Dealing with Ebola ISSN 1999-8872 • R50.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 8 • No. 1 • January 2015

3 The great indaba

For those who attended the 2014 BME Conference at the CSIR in Pretoria, the one impression sstamped indelibly on the mind is the professional, forwardtthinking and innovative approach of BME professionals to what is a o vvery dangerous business. This is eembodied in the healthy respect tthey have for their product – mining explosives.

COVER STORY

4 Explosive innovations AFRICA ROUND-UP

6 News from around the continent IN THE SPOTLIGHT

8 Intelligence on demand PRESTIGIOUS PROJECTS

10 Asanko Gold Mine, Ghana 14 Comprehensive solution 18 Kenya reclaims its mining future 22 Firstborn DRILLING & EXPLOSIVES

24 Mine to mill – Where is the real value? HEALTH & SAFETY

26 Mine rescue 28 The impact of Ebola in Sierra Leone 30 OneWay to zero harm 32 Understanding your health risks COUNTRY PROFILE

35 Botswana, the sparkle continues MINING INDABA

39 Fatigue alert 41 Island riches 42 Working at heights 43 Radio communications made simple 45 Size doesn’t matter 46 Critical stator rewind 49 Productivity, safety and cost reduction 50 The urgent need to mechanise 51 Heavy lifting 53 Rapid change and bottom-line impact 55 Local manufacturer’s export success 56 Too big, too small or just right 57 Pumping high-density mixtures 58 Mine management and reporting 59 Slope or high wall failure 61 Surface mining 63 Concern for the environment 65 Specifying the right mill liner 67 Superbelt 68 In-pit crushing and conveying 70 Weba Chutes to New Orleans 71 Condition monitoring 72 Academy-trained proficiency 73 Outsourcing science to save costs 75 From qualitative to quantitative 77 Tougher than tough 78 Make every drop count 81 Tough, tougher, toughest 85 Predictive maintenance 87 Life-saving device IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015

EDITOR'S COMMENT

Publisher Elizabeth Shorten Editor Tony Stone Editorial assistant Mpinane Senkhane Head of design Hayley Mendelow Designer Kirsty Galloway Chief sub-editor Tristan Snijders Sub-editor Beatrix Knopjes Contributors David Lawie, AJ Rorke, Duncan McNicol, AJC Paterson Production manager Antois-Leigh Botma Production coordinator Jacqueline Modise Marketing specialist Philip Rosenberg Marketing and digital manager Esther Louw Financial manager Andrew Lobban Administration Tonya Hebenton Distribution manager Nomsa Masina Distribution coordinator Asha Pursotham Printers United Litho Johannesburg Tel: +27 (0)11 402 0571 ___________________________________ Advertising Sales

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The great indaba

he past year was certainly not a good year for mining. Hopefully, as I write this comment, the mining industry is looking positively on 2015 and preparing for the great indaba in Cape Town. The one thing we learn from life and statistics is that what comes down goes up again. Those who see this, and prepare, will reap the rewards. Those who do not will be caught flat-footed. In this issue we cover a number of 30 or so forward-thinking companies who see the future, positively. One of the most fascinating facets of the human mind is its ability to innovate and improve existing technology. Just when you think nothing better can be done someone comes up with a new idea for a product or process. We see this with BME and their exploding innovation. Reflex too are quite innovative with their ‘intelligence on demand’, and in the most unlikely application – drilling. It’s all quite fascinating. Again, at this time of the year, we look at a few prestigious mine projects. Of note is the Kangala coal mine project, which, after three years of waiting for their water licence, has gone from bare farmland to full production in just over a year – much to Eskom’s relief. Perhaps the most moving and solemn moment in the closing weeks of 2014 was my attendance at the Mine Rescue Services annual dinner where the heros, miners who gave their lives to save others, were remembered. In tribute, we honour each and every one. With health and safety high on everyone’s agenda it is good to know that there are those organisations that go the extra mile. No, it is not a perfect world and mining is dangerous. Despite our ongoing efforts to reduce accidents, injury and death, these do happen. Mining is not for sissies. For those us who have been down at the rock face, we understand this. Even so, mining is opportunity. It creates jobs and builds wealth. As a new addition to the magazine, we introduce our INTRODUCING ‘Country Profile’, which looks at the mining industry, its environment and the opportunities in a given country. This month we kick off with Botswana. Given recent discoveries, the future will continue to sparkle. Finally, I take this opportunity to welcome my new online journalist and editorial assistant, Mpinane Senkhane, a bright young star and graduate of the University of Cape Town. She may look like a gentle lady but spiders, mud and dark tunnels hold no fear over her. She is as tough as nails yet makes gumboots look good.

Hopefully the mining industry is looking positively on 2015 and preparing for the great indaba in Cape Town

Inside Mining's new journalist and editorial assistant, Mpinane Senkhane

@mining_news www.facebook.com/ pages/Mining-News

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015

COVER STORY

Explosive

innovations

As much as mining explosives are highly technical, the safe and effective use of this tool is also an art, as is evident from the controlled passion that radiates from BME and client explosives experts.

OR THOSE WHO attended the 2014 BME Conference at the CSIR in Pretoria, the one impression stamped indelibly on the mind is the professional, forward thinking and innovative approach of BME professionals to what is a very dangerous business. This is embodied in the healthy respect they have for their product – mining explosives.

Core raw material To appreciate their commitment to innovation, and social responsibility, we take a look back to 2012 when Rod Humphris, managing director of the Omnia Group, of which BME is a subsidiary, opened the company’s new Nitric Acid Complex in Sasolburg, which comprises a nitric acid plant, an ammonium nitrate plant, a porous ammonium nitrate plant (PGAN),

INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

a fleet of 145 specialised ammonia rail tankers and other ancillary facilities. The nitric acid plant, capable of producing 1 000 tonnes per day, 40% more than their old plant, is state of the art. This ThyssenKrupp Uhde designed complex uses the designer’s internationally acclaimed technology, EnviNOx, which is more than 98% efficient, and which eliminates greenhouse gases to the extent that as many as 350 000 carbon credits can be generated annually in terms of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Nitric acid (HNO3) is a core raw material for both fertiliser and explosives manufacturing.

Explosive attributes Ammonium nitrate is an explosive base with a detonating temperature of 1 130oC. With the formulation 2NH4NO3

ABOVE View from blasting position using AXXIS wireless detonator system INSET AXXIS digital initiation system

→ 2N2 + 4H2O + O2 + 378 cal/g, it serves as a supplier of oxygen in addition to being an explosive when fuel oil is added and is known generically as ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil). ANFO detonates at a lower detonation velocity. This produces more gases from the reaction, which is of benefit in creating a ‘heave’ effect. This heave effect allows for easier digging because of the movement and throw of rock. ANFO comes in various forms – as a prill, or granule of ANFO, or it can be manufactured as an emulsion. For good blasting-grade, prill size distribution should be roughly between 6 and 20 mesh and be porous, which enables the prill to readily absorb and hold the correct amount of fuel oil (about 5.7%). Oil should distribute evenly throughout the prill particle, improving detonatability of the ANFO mixture. Prills, unfortunately, can deteriorate due to environmental influences and must be used in suitable applications.

COVER STORY

Emulsion explosives, on the other hand, are more water-resistant than water gel slurry or ANFO. An emulsion explosive is also much safer to handle, use and store, as it is relatively insensitive to detonation by friction, impact or fire. Therefore, it is safer and enhances the safety standards of mining. High velocity of detonation (VOD) can be obtained. VOD depends upon the oxidiser droplet size, which should be between 0.2 and 10 micron. The effect of emulsion explosives depends on droplet size and the sensitiser used. Because of the intimate mixture between oxidizer and fuel, emulsion explosives deliver energy to the rock very quickly. This means the toughest rock conditions can be tackled effectively, and efficiently, without compromising safety standards. And, since emulsion explosives are oxygen-balanced, the detonation generates a minimum amount of noxious fumes.

Transportation and application A further example of BME’s innovation is its in-house design and manufacture of mining-specific mobile mining units (MMUs), with the capability of producing over 50 units a year from its factory in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. The MMUs can deliver any formulation to site (pure emulsion explosives, doped emulsion, heavy ANFO and ANFO), providing the logistical backbone to the mine’s supply line of the required explosive blend. The two truck types, emulsion units and heavy ANFO units, are built to exacting design specifications accredited by the SABS. In addition, the SABS certifies each unit before it is commissioned. Using a standard cab chassis sourced from established truck makers, the company has been refining its MMU design and components to produce a highly efficient on-site solution for surface mining operations. Skills-sharing by BME experts also boosts the technical ability of on-site maintenance mechanics, which ensures units’ longevity across Africa. The high levels of local content in the units make it easier to source service parts. Logistics channels have been established to ensure replacement parts are readily available to site and, within Southern Africa, BME has put its own regular transport channels in place.

Detonation In developing its own electronic detonator technology, the AXXIS digital initiation system, BME has been able, through

TABLE 1: Specifications for ANFO and heavy ANFO

Variable

ANFO

Heavy ANFO

Ideal detonation velocity

4 850 m/s

6 384 m/s

Ideal detonation pressure

48 960 atm

115 890 atm

Ideal detonation temperature

2946 K

2388oK

Detonation velocity (125 mm cartridge)

4 000-42 00 m/s

4 300-4 500 m/s

Detonation energy

3.89 MJ/kg

3.2 MJ/kg

Density

0.78 – 0.80 g/cm3

1.26 – 1.27 g/cm3

Water resistance

None

Excellent

Source: Partha Das Sharma, http://miningandblasting.wordpress.com/

continuous improvement in safety, ease of use, robustness and accuracy, to build a system that allocates precise firing times to detonators, allowing engineers to design complex firing sequences to achieve predicable and repeatable blast results. The net result is the increasing recognition of the bottom-line value of high-precision blasting – a key advantage of electronic detonators. Flexibility in blasting is a key element of success, especially when a blast requires a complex sequence of hole-detonations. The AXXIS system allows each hole to be timed to the nearest millisecond. Safety is also a key feature of the AXXIS system; for example, the use of patented, intelligent connectors, which allow passive detonator logging. Another example is the use of dual capacitors in the detonators. Using a dual capacitor arrangement in each detonator enhances safety, as one capacitor is used to fire the detonator, and the other is used to energise the microprocessor, which governs the timing of the detonation. Most other systems have only one capacitor. So any communication with, or testing of, the detonator causes a partial charge of the sole capacitor, which is also there to fire the fuse-head. By having two capacitors, BME ensures that the only capacitor that is energised before a blast is the one that communicates with the microprocessor, which leaves the capacitor firing the fuse-head unaffected – enhancing stability and reliability.

Computer software Since it pioneered the use of electronic detonators in its blasting systems, BME has been developing its own computer programs to improve precision. BlastMap III, their current version, is the culmination of ongoing development. Easy to use, especially for those in the field, its core offering embodies the principles of blast design, defining the block outline, laying

In each issue, Inside Mining offers advertisers the opportunity to promote their company’s products and services to the appropriate audience by booking the prime position of the front cover which includes a two-page feature article. The magazine offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure the maximum exposure of their brand. Please call +27(0)11 465 5452 to secure your booking.

BME MMU truck getting ready to charge a blast

out the patterns of holes, editing hole positions and applying blast timing. Tinus Strauss, software engineer at BME, expands, “Used in conjunction with BME’s AXXIS digital initiation system, the BlastMap III software provides a powerful tool for getting the best blast results and making mining as efficient as possible. In addition to vibration control, the system can be effectively used to benefit finer fragmentation, dilution control in ore blasts, heave control to achieve desired muckpile shapes, and specialised blasting scenarios.” Another software application developed by BME is WallPro, which assists with controlled blasts close to a final pit wall – to help maintain the integrity of the wall by carefully controlling energy and vibration. This software application employs complex equations and useful graphics to help practitioners design the blast they need, providing a visual impression of how much energy is going into the final wall, where the holes need to be placed and how much charge should go into each hole. With their long history of innovation, tried, tested and proven technology, BME is a business partner miners can rely on for a safe, quality and timeous service.

www.bme.co.za

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015

AFRICA ROUND-UP

MINING NEWS

from around the conƟnent

During mine operations, the company said it would employ over 400 people at Karma.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Underground drilling BURKINA FASO

Karma Gold Project Canadian gold mining junior True Gold expects to pour gold at its Karma Gold Project in Burkino Faso by the end of 2015. The Toronto-listed miner said in mid-November that it is on schedule to produce 160 000 oz of gold in 2016 at its Karma heap-leach project. Thus far, the company has spent $51.5 million, or 39% of a $131.5 million capex budget. Construction continues at a strong pace with the mine now beginning to take shape, BELOW True Gold president and CEO Dwayne Melrose BOTTOM Map of Burkina Faso

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said True Gold president and CEO Dwayne Melrose in a statement. “We have an exceptional mine-building team in Burkina Faso, which includes more than 200 people from local communities,” commented Melrose. ” The capacity of this team to work efficiently and cost-effectively has increasingly become a competitive advantage for the company.” True Gold has $49 million in its treasury and will draw down on a $100 million in financing with Franco-Nevada and Sandstorm, royalty/ streaming companies to cover the rest of capital costs. Pre-stripping of the Rambo deposit, Karma’s highest-grade deposit and the first to be mined, was expected to begin in December 2014. To date, all aspects of the project are on time and on budget, said True Gold.

Ivanhoe Mines in November announced exceptionally high-grade Ivanhoe silver, zinc executive and copper chairman Robert drill inter- Friedland cepts at its underground diamond-drilling programme at the Kipushi copper-zinc-germanium-lead and precious-metals mine in Lubumbasi, DRC. This was the third batch of assay results from the company’s ongoing drilling programme at Kipushi – with the latest intercept correlating with the previously reported high-grade copper-zinc intercept in a nearby drilling zone that returned 31 metres grading 44.5% zinc, 6.1% copper, 144 g/t silver, 67 g/t germanium and 0.1 g/t gold. Ivanhoe executive chairman Robert Friedland said that R although Kipushi was one of a Africa’s richest copper and A zinc mines, the records from z its fi rst 68 years as a produci ing mine did not mention i the actual production of pret cious metals. c “Now, our discovery of highgrade copper-zinc-silver ming eralisation with significant e gold and germanium values g within the Big Zinc zone w confi rms our hypothesis that c copper zones, which also are c rich in precious metals, exist r within the deep, unmined w portions of the Kipushi mine. p These zones now present new and a compelling targets for our ongoing exploration,” Friedo land said in a statement. l Ivanhoe reported new intersections at Kipushi that show s

potential to expand the southern limit of the historical Big Zinc resource, Hole KPU042, on the southern margin of the Big Zinc resource. Historical drilling by stateowned mining company Gécamines intersected this zone up-plunge but it was not mined. “These latest assay results demonstrate the world-class grades and untapped potential of the Kipushi deposit,” noted Friedland. “Our continuing exploration drilling will continue to test for extensions to the Big Zinc and the newly discovered high-grade precious metals mineralisation.”’

MOZAMBIQUE

Ruby find British precious-stones miner Gemfields unearthed a 40.23 carat rough ruby at its Montepuez deposit in Mozambique. The company termed the find as one of the most important rubies unearthed in recent times. The coloured gemstone miner, Gemfields, which also owns the largest emerald mine in the world at Kagem in Zambia, said it expected the ruby to be sold at auction in Singapore next month – its second ruby auction of the year. Rubies are traditionally the most prized when they are a vivid crimson with a hint of blue. However, Mozambican rubies often are a rich pinkish-red colour due to the variation in deposits in the region. Earlier this month, an 8.62 carat Burmese ruby was sold at a Sotheby’s auction at a record price of about $8.57 million, or almost $1 million per carat. Gemfields owns a 75% stake in the Montepuez ruby deposit and in June generated $33.5 million from its first auction of rough ruby and corundum from the deposit. The discovery, which jewellery expert and historian Joanna Hardy described as in-

AFRICA ROUND-UP

The miner previously reported diamondiferous zones at the exploration site, and said its new sampling programme and grains are from two separate source areas in close proximity to the previously reported diamonds.

UGANDA

Iron ore discovery credibly rare, sent Gemfields’ shares up as much as 3.5% on Wednesday.

Investment in coal State-owned Indian mining firm International Coal Ventures (ICVL) will invest $500 million in its newly acquired Mozambique coal mines over the next two-to-three years. The investment will be directed towards creating logistical and infrastructure support at the recently acquired Benga coal mines in the country. ICVL purchased the Benga mine from Rio Tinto Coal Mozambique in a $50 million deal completed in September. The deal included other coal projects in the Tete province of Mozambique. ICVL is now also looking to appoint a full-time official with rich experience in coal mining to head the operation of the Mozambique mines to turn them into a profitable venture, according to reports.

ICVL chairman CS Verma

BOTSWANA

Sparkling future The discovery of the lower mantle-derived SWS 21 intrusion in the Mmadinare area of Botswana has created

Pangolin Diamonds chairman Dr Leon Daniels

much interest in the diamond industry. The area has been prospected for diamonds by at least two major companies in the past three decades with no success. In November, Toronto-listed diamond explorer Pangolan Diamonds announced the recovery of additional kimberlite indicator minerals at its Malatswae Project in Botswana. Pangolan said its completed, detailed surface-sampling programme at the Malatswae Project showed that all indicator minerals exhibit features consistent with a proximal host rock such as kimberlite. A total of 62 close-spaced soil samples from 31 sample sites were collected to further qualify the earlier discovery of three diamonds and kimberlite indicator minerals from within a 1 km2 area of the Malatswae Project. Pangolan said in a statement that thirteen indicator minerals from nine additional samples have primary features including friable reaction mantles and possible adhering kimberlite.

A recent airborne geophysical survey has resulted in the discovery of more than 260 million tonnes of iron ore in Uganda, East Africa. Senior geologist at the Department of Geological Survey and Mines in Uganda Francis Natukunda said the survey discovered bigger deposits of the steel-making ingredient than had previously been found during the colonial mappings. “Currently, we have over 200 million tonnes of reserves of hematite iron ore in south-western Uganda and 60 million tonnes of magnetite iron ore in the south-eastern part of the country and still have huge potential for exploration,” said Natukunda, speaking at a two-day South African trade and investment seminar in Kampala. According to Ugandan daily newspaper New Vision, the survey also revealed ‘potentially huge diamond deposits around areas of Lake Kyoga’ due to the discovery of bodies similar to kimberlite. Natukunda said if the iron ore is extracted, it would not be exported, but rather used domestically to fuel demand for steel in the construction industry. Uganda banned iron ore exports in 2012.

SIERRA LEONE

Capital shortage In December, iron ore mining company African Minerals (AML) announced it would temporarily shut down its

iron ore operation in Sierra Leone – the main focus of its business – because it does not have enough working capital. The miner is in a critical situation, battered by a 50% plunge in the iron ore price this year and the effects of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and said the shutdown was inevitable in light of these problems. Without a significant injection of working capital, the company said it was unable to initiate the cost reduction strategies that would return the operations to cash-flow-positive status even at recent low iron ore prices. “Initiating a temporary shutdown of operations towards care and maintenance in Sierra Leone, while extremely regrettable, is a necessity given the company’s financial status and uncertainty over the timing of the release of the restricted funds,” said AML CEO Alan Watling in a statement. AML has been operating at a loss despite an ‘impressive’ operating performance of the project during 2014, owing to the fall in iron ore prices and the operational challenges caused by the Ebola disease outbreak. AML’s London-listed shares have been suspended since 20 November due to uncertainty about its future. The company said that its subsidiaries have failed to make in full a loan repayment due at the end of November. AML executive chairman Frank Timis said the company has allocated all available funds to keeping the operating assets in a condition that operations can be quickly restarted, which is of fundamental interest to all stakeholders. “Local staff will continue to be employed on normal wages and will be allocated to care and maintenance activities,” said Timis following his recent visit to Sierra Leone.

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Intelligence on demand Given that you can’t effectively manage what you can’t measure, problems incurred during the drilling process, be these intentional or unintentional, are costly, in lost time and money. But, there is a solution. Reflex global product manager Dave Lawie explains.

hree things increase productivity and reduce costs, especially in mining. Two of these are knowledge and technology, both of which are enablers. The third element, effective application, is what makes it all happen. This being said, the secret to exponentiating the value of knowledge is to share it. In so doing, knowledge, as a resource, can be fully exploited to enable a team to work a lot smarter. Backed by intelligent technology, with capable people utilising this technology, and working together, you have a winning combination. It is this inbred philosophy that gives Reflex, a leading Australian technology company, the ability to punch above its weight class and deliver intelligence on demand. As always, it’s not the ‘what’, but the ‘how’ that matters. In Reflex’s case, this is the differentiator in product and service offering. What is more, it is also backed by a track record of introducing new and hardd innovative – yet reliable l bl – h d ware and software technologies that set the pace and drive change in the drilling industry. A

INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

by-product of this is an industry moving ever forward towards a de facto set of best practices while significantly improving operational efficiencies. Being the leading innovator they are, and an exceptional problem solver, the company has pioneered the development and introduction, to the global minerals market, of: • digital survey tools, both single- and multi-shot • digital core orientation technology • micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyro survey tools • inertial navigation system (INS) borehole survey systems • cloud-based operational and geological data collection and management systems. With 90% of operating diamond drills benefiting from Reflex’s instruments worldwide, these systems are now considered the de facto industry standard. The reason for this is simple. Reflex technology posses possesses all the factors inherent in the possesse exponential exponenttial relationship between technology ad advancement and quality of life, dv all built in. Th ese factors of availability, in accessibility, aff ordability, ease of use and accessibillity

immediately being able to access and survey data, equate to the total convenience factor (TC factor), which translates into a winning formula for everyone, especially the resource companies.

The Reflex Ez-Gyro This is a complete downhole surveying instrument capable of north-finding directional surveying in all environments, magnetic and non-magnetic. It has an azimuth of +/-1 degrees, dependent on latitude and inclination, and a dip of + / - 0.30 degrees in single- and multi-shot modes. With proven reliability and accuracy, it utilises a digital surface referenced micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyro. It is fitted with field-changeable lithium rechargeable batteries that have an operating time of ten hours or less, depending on environmental conditions. This instrument has been designed for operation by drillers. It can be used inside all types of drill rods or in magnetically

LEFT AND MIDDLE The Reflex EZ-Gyro RIGHT The Reflex XRF

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

disturbed ground, eliminating the need to use non-magnetic drill pipe configurations. It measures in all directions and is not affected by inclination, and can therefore be used in surface and underground operations and wireline or conventional drill rigs. Its intuitive interface is simple to use, and yet the instrument is equipped with highly sophisticated technology inside in order to deliver exceptionally accurate survey results. The intelligence of the tool within the tool, which reduces human errors related to processing and interpretation. Highly accurate survey data is obtained through a customised ‘anti-roll’ running gear and centralisers, ensuring the highest quality azimuth data, including in vertical surveying. It also provides fast and accurate orientation of bottom-hole assemblies without the need for costly non-magnetic alloys or risk from magnetic interference. It is well suited to the surface drilling environments of the mineral exploration industry and can be utilised in many surface programsme. It also has a universal running gear to ensure that it can be used in all standard RC and diamond coring applications. A large range of data types, including directional data (azimuth and dip), temperature, time and roll are recorded in the on-board memory. This survey data, once brought to the surface, can be transferred from the instrument’s onboard memory to a field PC, using the Windows 7 operating system, in CSV (comma separated values) file format via a highspeed Bluetooth connection, or built in Wi-Fi or USB connection. The full set of data readings can be processed using Reflex’s advanced, in-house developed software, where users can tabulate, plot and export data into various formats for enhanced decision-making. Using this technology, the same,

critical drill hole data can be transferred instantly anywhere in the world for fast decision-making. The big win is that the costly time delays so traditional of waiting for survey reports have been eliminated by the ‘now’ nature of the Reflex Ex-Gyro.

The Reflex XRF Traditionally, core samples are usually sent back to a laboratory for testing. That now changes. Instant assay results can be obtained quickly and easily using Reflex’s handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy instrument, which, non-destructively, determines the elemental composition of rock, ore, soil and ferrous and nonferrous metal samples. The advantage of this instrument, with simplified workflows and instant geochemical analysis results, is immediate time and cost savings. Geologists no longer need to wait up to three months for off-site assay results to determine their next move. Decisions can be made without delay, based on facts, to better manage drilling programmes and save costs. In addition, using the supporting Reflex Connect-XRF software application, the scanned results, data, can be transmitted directly from the field to the Reflex Hub in a robust and streamlined manner. This data is converted to interpretive products within Reflex Hub, in real time for effective, timely decision-making, logging, domain and classification. Geologists can access their aggregated data and monitor progress of the analytical

program from any location globally. Reflex Hub can be accessed simply through any web browser, whether on-site, in the office or travelling. It ensures all users have access to a single point of truth. As to the instrument itself, the excitation source is a 4 W Rh, Ag, Au or Ta anode (per application) 40 or 50 keV X-ray tube using a silicon drift detector. It has an environmental temperature range of -10˚C to 50˚C and an analytical range, geochemistry and soil mode, from Mg to U. Its processing electronics of 530 MHz CPU with integrated FPU all seated with 128 MB RAM and a proprietary count digital pulse processor (DPP ) gives a high count rate and reduced analysis time. Smart electronics include an accelerometer and a barometer for atmosphere pressure correction of light elements measurements. It is power rechargeable with Li-ion batteries and has a ‘hot-swap’ feature to maintain the analyser power during battery change. Its display is a 32-bit colour QVG A resolution, Blanview transmissive backlit touchscreen that is 57 mm x 73 mm in size. It has a gigabyte of micro SD data storage (storing 75 000 readings). Without a doubt, Reflex’s instruments are totally convenient, effective, save time and money and provide the required intelligence as needed when the demand arises.

www.reflexnow.com

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

GHANA

Asanko Gold Mine This key mining project in Ghana, the multimillion ounce Asanko Gold Mine (AGM), has a global resource base of 7.9 million ounces (Moz) of measured and indicated resources, including 4.8 Moz of proven and probable reserves. BY TONY STONE

sanko Gold has consolidated one of the largest concession packages in Ghana with the amalgamation of the Esaase and Obotan gold projects. This semi-contiguous package of concessions spans 50 km of the Asankrangwa Gold Belt. The AGM contains three former operating large-scale pits: Nkran, Adubiaso, and Abore pits, and three more recently discovered greenfields deposits: Esaase, Dynamite Hill, and Asuadai. All deposits are located within a 15 km radius. A number of small, historic, hard-rock and alluvial mines, which produced substantial amounts of gold from high-grade ore, are also found on the concessions.

Overall geology The Asankrangwa Gold Belt constitutes a 10 km to 20 km wide zone along the axis of the Kumasi Basin located OPPOSITE Mill foundations BELOW Map showing the location of the mine

10 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

equidistant between the better-known Sefwi Greenstone Belt to the west and the Ashanti Greenstone Belt to the east. The geology of the Asankrangwa belt is typified by Birimian sediments, minor granitic intrusions and mafic igneous rocks. The lithological units are cut by steeply north-west dipping primary and secondary structures. It is this structural and geological architecture that has been important in the localisation of gold mineralisation, and possesses the capacity for enhanced fluid flow forming major alteration-ore-bearing gold systems. These are similar controls of mineralisation to the gold deposits on the Sefwi and Ashanti Greenstone Belts. The major difference between the belts is the maturity of exploration. The Asankrangwa Gold Belt is underexplored but is gaining a reputation as an emerging gold belt as more gold deposits are discovered.

Phase 1 Phase 1 is developing the Obotan Gold Project, which was acquired during the takeover of PMI Gold Corporation in February 2014. The primary source of feed material for the carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant is the Nkran pit with satellite pits at Adubiaso, Abore, Dynamite Hill and Asuadai providing supplemental feed. As to its geology, the Nkran deposit is located within the Kumasi Basin on the Asankrangwa Gold Belt. The basin is bounded to the south by the Ashanti shear and the Bibiani shear to the north. The Asankrangwa Gold Belt expresses itself as a complex of

north-east-trending shear zones situated along the central axis of the Kumasi Basin. The Nkran deposit is located on a jog along the regional Nkran shear, which is a zone of about 15 km in width and may be traced on a north-east to south-west trend for a distance of some 150 km. This is one of several major north-east-trending shears/structures that bisect the Kumasi Basin/Asankrangwa Gold Belt. The regional/local (Kumasi Basin) geological setting is heavily faulted and consists of an isoclinally folded sequence of metasediments, dominated by turbiditic sequences of greywackes and shales, intercolated with rare andesites and volcanoclastics, previously described as greywackes, phyllites, argillites and shales. Construction commenced in Q3 2014. First gold is targeted in Q1 2016 and steady-state production of 190 000 oz/pa of gold anticipated in Q2 2016. The operation will consist of an open-pit contractor mining operation and a 3 Mtpa CIL processing plant. The capital cost for Phase 1 is estimated at $295 million, including contingency for estimating inaccuracy and owner’s contingency. The layout of the gold processing plant and mine facilities has been designed to be close to the main resource, the Nkran pit, as it comprises 85% of the ore reserves for Phase 1, and to be compact in order to minimise the impact on the environment. The pit was previously mined to a depth of approximately 120 metres and requires 21.7 million tonnes of waste to be pre-stripped prior to commencing ore mining operations in Q4 2015. Included in the pre-strip will be 423 000 tonnes of ore at a gold grade of

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

2.09Â g/t, which will be stockpiled ahead of plant commissioning.

Job creation During the construction of Phase 1, around 1Â 000 people will be employed. Some 660 people will be employed during the operational phase of the mine. This will include contractors. Permanent employees will be predominantly sourced from the local communities, and elsewhere in Ghana, which has a highly trained mining workforce due to the maturity of its gold mining industry. Of the total workforce during both construction and steady-state operation, 30% will be unskilled and semiskilled local youth, which is a great investment in the future of the area.

Construction update Project construction commenced in August with the mobilisation of the bulk earthworks contractors to site. Over the past two and a half months, construction has been advancing rapidly and is on schedule and within budget, with 12% of the overall project complete. Clearing and grubbing of the plant site has been completed. A portable crushing plant is in operation to produce engineered fill materials for civil works. The mill foundations have been excavated and 100% of the engineering fill has been placed. The concrete batch plant is operational and the first concrete was poured on schedule in October. Pouring the mill foundations is underway and will continue for several months into 2015, coinciding with the dry season in Ghana. Excavation work is continuing on the CIL circuit base, the thickener base and other plant areas.

TABLE 1 Asanko Gold Mine, Phase 1

Component

Capital estimate ($ million)

Process plant

85.48

Mining (pre-production costs)

70.59

Power infrastructure

18.18

Buildings, offices and accommodation

12.31

Tailing storage facility (TSF), waste rock dump (WRD), run-of- 23.08 mine (ROM) facility and the water supply facility (WSF), civil works Corporate social responsibility (CSR), owners team, governance and accountability (G&A)

47.37

Engineer, procure, construct and manage (EPCM)

15.51

Subtotal

272.52

Contingency and estimating inaccuracies

22.75

Total

295.27

TABLE 2 Project schedule and key milestones, Phase 1

Key milestones

Date

Status

Commence bulk earthworks

Q3 2014

Completed

Optimised mine plan for Phase 1 (definitive project plan)

Q4 2014

Completed

Mining pre-strip begins at Nkran

Q1 2015

Contractor selected

All earthworks complete

Q1 2015

Concrete civils

Q1 2015

Mills arrive on-site

Q2 2015

SAG and ball mill civils complete

Q3 2015

Piping, electrical and instrumentation

Q4 2015

Commissioning

Q1 2016

First gold pour

Q1 2016

Phase 1 steady-state production of 190 000 oz/pa

Q2 2016

The earthworks contractor for the tailings dam is currently mobilising to site and will begin work this month. Power for the project is being sourced from the national power grid and a 30 km long,

161 kV line will be run along the existing power corridor to provide the necessary power. The contract for the power line to site has been awarded and the company is working with the Ghanaian

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RIGHT Maps showing the details of the mine

power authorities to begin line construction. The company plans to utilise a mining contractor to undertake the pre-stripping as well as the first year of mining operations. The mining contract tender evaluation process is nearing completion and an award of the mining contract is imminent. Pre-stripping is expected to commence in January 2015. Mobilisation, clearing and grubbing will take place in November and December. There is approximately 6 million cubic metres of clean water in the Nkran pit that will be pumped out in parallel with pre-stripping operations. Pumping equipment is on-site and being installed and dewatering is expected to commence this month. Production will utilize a conventional truck and shovel method. This will assist in keeping the pre-stripping volumes low and delivering higher mill feed grades early in Phase 1. The production schedule has been designed to maintain a consistent stripping ratio through the life of the operation. The LOM average operating strip ratio is 4.7:1. The plant design is based on a typi-

Procurement Procurement is 47% complete and proceeding on schedule with approximately $85 million currently committed in orders and contracts. Equipment and materials deliveries, none of which are on the project critical path, remain on schedule. Importantly, with almost a third of the capital expenditures of the project now committed, the project is tracking very closely to the $295 million capital expenditure estimate. The company is fully funded to cash flow positive in Q2 2016 with $228 million in cash on hand as at September 30, 2014 and undrawn project debt facilities of $110 million plus a $20 million cost-overrun facility for total available funding of $358 million.

...the project is tracking very closely to the $295 million capital expenditure estimate cal single-stage crushing, semi-autogenous grinding, ball milling circuit and CIL flow sheet. This process flow sheet is well known in the industry, and is relatively low risk as it has historically been proven a successful processing route for the Nkran ores during the Resolute Mining operations, 1998 to 2002. The project will consume 18 MW of power, which will be sourced from the Ghanaian grid. Peter Breese, Asanko’s president and CEO, commented: “It is very satisfying for all of our employees and stakeholders to see the Asanko Gold Mine taking shape with construction activity proceeding on schedule and within budget.”

Partial relocation of the Nkran village

As required by law in Ghana, dwellings or structures within 500 metres of the final mining pit outlines must be relocated for noise, dust and vibration reasons. A portion of the Nkran village will be moved ahead of commencing ore mining operations, with 88 building structures to be replaced by the company. The Relocation Action Plan has been finalised and locations for the relocated dwellings are being selected by the Relocation Negotiation Committee for approvals by the Ghanaian Land Commission. Construction is expected to begin early in 2015 with the partial relocation due for completion in Q3 2015.

Health and safety There have been no lost-time accidents onsite with 168 days of construction activity and 135 143 man-hours completed on the project to date.

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa is being monitored closely by the company. There have been no reported cases of Ebola in Ghana to date and construction activity has not been impaired in any way. The company continues to monitor the situation closely and has implemented a number of preventative programmes to educate its staff, contractors and local village populations as well as monitor travel movements of all visitors and contractors. These will remain in place until the virus is deemed by health authorities to have been brought under control.

Phase 1 – a definitive project plan The Phase 1 optimised mine plan has been finalised based on the updated mineral resource estimate, which was released in September 2014. An updated reserve statement with associated operating costs and revised project economics is being compiled.

Phase 2 Phase 2 will mine the adjacent, largescale Esaase deposit, which is located only 30 km from the central processing plant. The deposit has a mineral resource of 4.4 Moz of at an average gold grade of 1.45 g/t and a mineral reserve of 2.4 Moz at an average gold grade of 1.41 g/t. Phase 2 has the potential to increase production up to 400 000 oz/yr. A study is underway to evaluate the optimal development scenario for Phase 2 and will be published during Q1 2015. It is anticipated that construction will commence on Phase 2 once Phase 1 has been commissioned and reached steady-state production. Christoff Badenhorst, senior project manager at DRA in Sunninghill, Johannesburg, has overall responsibility for the project. Even so, Asanko’s Nkran project looks like it is headed for success. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 13

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

SOUTH AFRICA

Comprehensive

solution T

After taking three years to get a wateruse licence, Kangala transformed from empty farmland to a bustling coal mine in just over a year. That is impressive, in anyone’s books. BY TONY STONE

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he one noticeable thing about Kangala Coal Mine’s management team, including outsource mining contractor Stefanutti Stocks Mining Services, is their foresight, determination, and passion for what they do. Rising to overcome the time pressures brought to bear by the Department of Water Affairs’ frustrating delays around the issuing of their water-use licence and Eskom’s demands for coal delivery of a different quality outside the original contract, because of the delay in commissioning the Kusile power station, Kangala now feeds a stream of trucks ferrying coal to Eskom’s nearby Kendall power station. Universal Coal, who owns 70.5% of Kangala, signed a coal supply agreement with Eskom to supply Kusile, which will burn around 17 Mtpa of coal once it is up and running, with approximately 2 million tonnes (Mt) of lower-grade coal per annum. But, because of the Kusile delay, a decision to supply a better quality, or washed coal, to Kendall power station

was taken by Eskom. This necessitated the urgent installation of a DMS coal washing plant, which was done in record time. Universal Coal also entered into a coal supply agreement with Exxaro to supply 100 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of export quality thermal coal. The Kangala mine, located a few kilometres south-east of Delmas, near the border between South Africa’s Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces, is a short 71 km east of Johannesburg. The mine falls within the Wolvenfontein, Middelbult and Delmas-Modderfontein coal field sub-region, which, in the greater scheme of things, is located within the greater Witbank coal field region. This region, a part of the Karoo basin coalfield stretching from Brakpan in the west to Belfast in the east, a distance of some 200 km, supplies more than 50% of South Africa’s saleable export and domestic coal. The coal seams, contained within the Vryheid Formation, are between 80 m and 200 m thick.

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Cash outflow was optimised during the delivery of the concurrent engineering deadlines

The initial pit at Kangala has an expected eight-and-a-half-year life-of-mine (LOM). It has the scope to further extend its LOM using adjacent resources. The mine’s estimated proven and probable thermal coal reserves are of the magnitude of 21.55 Mt. However, in taking a more optimistic view, the measured, indicated and inferred thermal coal resources are estimated at 124.92 Mt. Today, Kangala is producing at a rate of approximately 2.4 million tonnes per annum of run-of-mine thermal coal, and has an installed processing plant capacity of 4.25 million tonnes per annum. The initial engagement of Stefanutti as the contract miner resulted in a proposal for a full ‘fit for purpose’ model that suited Universal Coal’s requirements. Following all the necessary approvals, permits and the coal sales agreement with Eskom, two contracts were negotiated. The first covered the design and construction of the mine’s infrastructure and discard facility while the second

covered the contract mining and materials handling side of the mine’s business. Work commenced in the first week of May 2013 with Stefanutti providing a one-stop shop solution that covered roads, pipelines and mining services, and which met Kangala’s design, project management, infrastructure construction and operational management requirements. The mine’s initial and somewhat ambitious target was to supply coal to market by February 2014. However, with the challenge of getting all project elements developed at the same time, e.g. infrastructure, process plant, mining pit, pollution control dam and discard facility, this target was only achieved in April 2014, just under a year later. A commendable achievement nonetheless, and one made even more challenging by the need to configure the infrastructure scope of work in such a way that cash outflow was optimised during the delivery of the concurrent engineering deadlines – all with the parallelisation of

ABOVE The Kangala mine layout OPPOSITE MAIN A bird's-eye view of the coal processing plant and stockpiles OPPOSITE Blasting prior to excavation

tasks to reduce elapsed time in bringing the mine into production. The turnkey contract for the project management, detail design and construction included: • the optimisation of the Kangala Coal Mine development • mine security including perimeter fence and guardhouses • terraces for the process plant, office complex, workshops and other infrastructure • stormwater management system • co-disposal discard facility including decant and under-drainage system • pollution control dam with environmentally acceptable seepage control system • 3.5 km mine product haul road including a culvert at the river crossing and intersection upgrade • client office complex IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 15

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

• power distribution network from Eskom supplied to all infrastructure • water reticulation system for potable and processed water • weighbridge facility • sewerage network and sewage plant. “A big advantage of the turnkey solution is that site establishment could commence right away, with detail design, fabrication and on-site construction being carried out simultaneously, resulting in a fast-tracked programme,” said Lourens De Koning, Stefanutti Mine Services’ project engineer. Zooming in on the infrastructure components, where a number of specialised subcontractors formed part of the on-site team, the construction scope of works carried out under the infrastructure turnkey contract included: • ±9 km of mine security fence and two guardhouses • processing plant and other infrastructure terraces • 200 000 m3 storage capacity HDPE-lined pollution-control dam including compacted embankments, pump station and concrete-lined silt trap • ±25 ha discard co-disposal storage facility including compacted embankments, filter under-drainage system, decant penstock and catwalk • 3.5 km product haul road consisting of 2.6 km of double-seal black top and 900 m gravel road and intersection upgrade at the municipal road junction • barrel concrete culvert at the river crossing along the product haul road • sewerage and water system, including sewage collector network, modular sewage plant, potable water tank and potable and processed water reticulation network • power distribution system, consisting of overhead line network, substations, transformers and related equipment and cabling • client office complex including foundations, offices, boardrooms and ablution facilities • stormwater system consisting of trenches allowing separation of clean and dirty water • weighbridge facility including three weighbridges and control rooms . “Due to the turnkey nature of the project and the tight deadlines, the activity levels on-site were quite ferocious, with six or seven operations running at any given time,” Roads and Earthworks’ site agent Michael Majoor said. “Despite the bustling site, we remained on time and within budget while maintaining

an exemplary record in quality and safety standards.” In speaking of quality and safety standards, and because Stefanutti was to be the contract miner beyond the completion of the turnkey project, Universal Coal adopted Stefanutti‘s quality and safety standards, with a little tweaking of the quality management system, on-site safety procedures and codes of practice to suit the demands of the turnkey project and the specifics of production thereafter.

Contract mining “Turning the pages back a little to the point at which Universal Coal was looking ahead to mine production operations, Stefanutti played a key role in the planning of the mine. This obviously influenced and led to decisions regarding the construction of infrastructure on-site as well as management of the discard handling facility,” says contracts director Freddie Strydom. “Our teams worked hard, and we Tony Weber, CEO of Universal Coal, with Petrie Erasmus, GM of Kangala

The early beginnings of the open-pit mine

worked effectively, and efficiently, and this approach suited Universal Coal.” In securing the contract mining contract, Stefanutti has to move 450 000 m3 of overburden and an average of 210 000 tonnes of coal each month for the next eight years. So far, so good! “To ensure we deliver Universal Coal’s required mining production targets, we have chosen a Komatsu fleet for Kangala,” explains Strydom. “The brand has served us well in the past and we have confidence it will continue to do so.” The fleet includes: • 60 tonne RHD465 rigid dump trucks • 40 tonne HM400-3s ADTs • PC850 excavators • D275 track dozers • WD500 wheel dozer.

Materials handling The material handling side of operations includes hauling and processing an approximate volume of 3.8 million tonnes of coarse discard and managing approximately 270 000 tonnes of fines in the co-disposal dump. The 24/7 operations are based on all waste being handled from the mine’s wash plant.

In summary Universal Coal, with its Kangala mine, is a fine example of a junior mining operation that has overcome significant challenges and has won the day. It also speaks volumes about the leadership of the mine, in particular Tony Weber, whose vision and tenacity make him the entrepreneur he is. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 17

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

KENYA

Reclaiming its mining future The Kwale Mineral Sands project in Kenya has moved into production. At an estimated development cost of $298 million in total, it is expected to be one of the top producers of ilmenite and rutile in the world. BY TONY STONE

he Kwale Mineral Sands project, owned and operated by Australia’s Base Resources, is the largest mining investment in Kenya since 1911. Located approximately 40 km south of Mombasa and 10 km off the coast, construction began in the third quarter of 2011 following a definitive feasibility study. Production of ilmenite and rutile began in earnest in late December 2013, while production of zircon commenced in February 2014. Annual production is projected to be 330 000 tonnes of ilmenite, 80 000 tonnes of rutile and 40 000 tonnes of zircon. Expected to be one of the top producers of ilmenite and rutile in the world, Kwale will have ABOVE An aerial view of the Kwale Mineral Sands project LEFT Map showing the location of the Kwale Mineral Sands project

18 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

a production output the equivalent of nearly 10% and 14% of the global supply of these minerals respectively. Kwale is well positioned to leverage a sustained opportunity in the mineral sands market and is expected to generate $1 billion in revenues over its lifetime of 13 years. Building on the prediction that, from 2015, sulfate will reach $130/tonne, ilmenite $715/tonne and rutile and zircon $1 300/tonne, Kwale has a bright future, albeit for just more than a decade.

Geology and mineralisation The ilmenite and rutile deposit is hosted within the Pliocene Magarini Sands formation, a series of low hills that form a parallel belt to the coast. The formation lies with slight unconformity with the Shimba grits and Mazeras sandstone of the Upper Triassic Age that form part of the upper Duruma sandstone. The

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TABLE 1 Mineral resources summary for Kwale, 30 June 2014

HM assemblage

Deposit mineral resource category

Material

In situ HM

ILM

RUT

ZIR

(Mt)

(%)

Central measured

63.6

4.20

6.6

Indicated

15.6

0.42

2.7

Total

79.1

4.62

5.8

South measured

60.3

2.18

3.6

Indicated

13.3

0.45

3.4

Total

73.6

2.63

3.6

Total measured

123.9

6.38

5.2

Indicated

28.9

0.87

3.0

Grand total

152.7

7.25

4.7

Note: Mineral assemblage is reported as a percentage of in situ HM content. Mineral resources reported at a cut-off-grade of 1% HM. Rounding may generate differences in the last decimal place.

Duruma sandstone series is one of three rock divisions dominating the regional geology of the project. The Magarini formation includes unconsolidated sediments that have originated from the Duruma sandstone series. Magarini Sands have been deposited as coastal dunes in an Aeolian environment during the Pliocene Age. The Kwale deposit is poorly stratified with the stratigraphic sequence comprising layers of brown, orange, reddish beige and pinkish sand. Brown sand is found at the surface, with orange, red, beige and pink coloured sand following at deeper depths in the same order. Weathered sandstone from the basal formation is found at the bottom of the deposit. White sand and clay are found at the base of several holes. The silt fraction of the deposit is in the range of about 15% to 30%. Heavy minerals including ilmenite, rutile and zircon are hosted regionally in abundance. The deposit area contains three mineralised zones, namely the central dune, south dune and the north dune. The central dune measures 2 km in length, 1 250 m in width and is on average 29 m thick in two horizons. The upper horizon typically has more than 5% THM grade, higher than the lower horizon where THM grades average between 1% and 5%. Grades in the northern part of the dune exceed 10%. The heavy mineral content is an average of 5.7% across the dune. The south dune is 4.5 km long, 600 m to 800 m wide and has an average thickness of 19 m. The heavy mineral content is 3.5%. The north dune extends two kilometres in length and has a width of 500 m to 1 000 m. The ore envelope

FIGURE 1 Schematic cross section of the Kwale central deposit showing geology and HM grade relationships between geological domains (5 x vertical axis)

FIGURE 2 Schematic cross section of the Kwale south deposit showing geology and HM grade relationships between geological domains (5 x vertical axis)

within the dune continues to a depth of 66 m. Within this area, the heavy mineral content averages 2.1% THM.

Estimated reserves The JORC-compliant measured and indicated resources are estimated to be 146.02 Mt containing 4.89% heavy mineral concentrate (HMC), 2.59% ilmenite, 0.65% rutile and 0.29% zircon.

Mining method A dozer trap mining unit (DMU) was selected as the optimum mining method.

The DMU is a simple cost-effective method of mining, best suited to free‐flowing, friable, incompetent material as is found at Kwale, and is preferred over the use of a large bucket wheel excavator as originally proposed by Vaaldiam.

Process plant description After assisting with the feasibility study, Ausenco was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract for the process plant and ancillary infrastructure. The plant was designed to recover three separate products, IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 19

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

ROAD CONSTRUCTION Wave International was appointed as the client engineer to oversee the design and construction of an 8 km sealed haul road required for the Kwale Mineral Sands project. The construction of the 8 km haul road had to be fast-tracked to ensure construction access was available for the movement of large prefabricated modules during the process plant construction stage and had to be scheduled in such a manner that the works could proceed without disruption during two annual wet seasons that occur on the east coast of Kenya.

FIGURE 3 The process route is depicted by this simplified block diagram

namely ilmenite, rutile and zircon, and to generate a number of reject streams. In simple terms, ore is received at the wet concentrator plant (WCP) from the DMU via a slurry pipeline. The WCP is designed to remove slimes, at a particle size less than 45 μm, concentrate the

valuable heavy metal (HM), the ilmenite, rutile and zircon, and reject most of the non‐valuable, lighter gangue minerals. The WCP contains a number of gravity separation steps, utilising spiral concentrators. The heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) will contain 90% HM.

DUST CONTROL ACTOM Air Pollution Control was appointed to fast-track a dust control upgrade contract for the Kwale Mineral Sands plant in Kenya. The reverse pulse bag filter systems, which handle flow rates from 0.5 m3/s to 100 m3/s and enable economical collection of dust at high filter rates with collection efficiencies >99.99 %, provided for Kwale, comprise one bag house for collection of ilmenite dust, operating at a pressure of -8 kPa, and another for collection of rutile and zircon dust, operating at a pressure of -10.5 kPa.

As part of the local content requirements, Wave was responsible for the management and review of a team of local consulting engineers during the design and construction phase of the project. Wave’s scope included the provision of technical guidance for the identification and selection of suitable material borrows pits, pavement design and geometric design review. Wave also did the hydrology and drainage design required for two large ephemeral flood crossings. In addition, Wave International was the EPCM contractor for the delivery of the Mukurumudzi Dam and Kwale’s tailings storage facility.

The road’s construction required a river crossing culvert

The dust-laden air enters the bottom hopper section, directly onto an inlet air diffuser plate. This diffuser plate changes the direction of flow and reduces the velocity of the particles. Lower velocities ensure primary drop-out of the heavier particles. The lighter particles move upward in the air stream and onto the external surfaces of the filter bags. As the dust accumulates on the outside of the filter bags, periodic cleaning is accomplished by introducing a short burst of compressed air delivered through a specially designed venturi mounted directly above each filter bag. The clean air flows through the bag media to the clean air chamber and out to atmosphere. Dust from the bags after a cleaning cycle falls in a ’dust cake’ form into the hopper from where it is discharged via a dust disposal system. Only a fraction of the filter bags are cleaned at one time, under continuous flow through the collector at rated capacities. The dust collector bags can be readily inspected, checked, maintained or replaced from the clean air plenum. “The two bag houses together have a total extraction capacity of 30 000 m3/ hr. Their outer walls are constructed of extra-thick steel to withstand these unusually high pressures. The bag houses, bag filters and ducting are also designed and manufactured to withstand the high abrasiveness of the products,” explained Martin Luyt, senior sales engineer responsible for the contract.

Actom’s air pollution reverse pulse bag filter system

20 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

He added that the high suction pressures in the bag houses are required due to high resistance through the process plant equipment and dirty air ducting.

The HMC will be processed in the mineral separation plant (MSP). The MSP will clean and separate the ilmenite, rutile and zircon minerals from one another and remove any remaining gangue. This is accomplished by a combination of attritioning, electrostatic separation, magnetic separation, classification and gravity separation. HMC from the stockpile is fed to the first section of a mineral separation plant. The HMC-recovered ilmenite is stored. The remaining minerals are upgraded by using HMC to separate the quartz and the gangue-heavy minerals. The non-magnetic concentrate, post drying, undergoes conventional magnetic and electrostatic separation processes

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PUMPS Australia’s Dynapumps was contracted to supply the fuel system pumps, agitation and dilution pump, process water settlement pond pump and the fire pump set. Both the agitation and dilution pump and the process water settlement pond pump are required to complete different stages in the wet concentrator plant part of the process. The agitation and dilution pump forms part of the desliming circuit, which is necessary to facilitate the separation of minerals.

LEFT The agitation and dilution pump being prepared for transport RIGHT The fire water pump during the testing process at Dynapumps’ inhouse testing facilities

that result in a rutile product and a small additional ilmenite stream. The remaining zircon-enriched sand is treated in a wet gravity separation plant to remove the gangue-heavy minerals. The zircon-rich concentrate is again dried and processed with electrostatic and dry magnetic equipment. The final product is transported 50 km via road tankers to the export facility close to Mombasa. Water required for the processing plant is sourced from the nearby Mukurumudzi Dam, which has a storage capacity of 8.5 gigalitres.

Upgraded minerals report In October 2014, Base Resources announced an upgrade in the mineral resources estimate as a result of new drilling, assaying and mineralogical test work, and bulk density test work. This follows on from 12 months of mining, which gives an overall increase of 5% for total material tonnes and 2% for heavy mineral tonnes for the combined central and south dune deposits, notwithstanding depletion by mining of the central deposit of approximately 0.36 Mt of heavy minerals. Excluding depletion by mining to 30 June 2014, this represents an overall increase in the total Kwale project mineral resources of 8% for material tonnes and 7% for heavy mineral tonnes on the previous report at the commencement of the project. In addition, there has been a significant increase in the confidence of the Kwale mineral resources with 81% of material tonnes and 88% of heavy mineral tonnes in the JORC measured category. In a nutshell, the Kwale Mineral Sands project looks to be a bigger success than previously estimated, and has reestablished Kenya’s mining future.

CESA ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD FINALIST WSP Africa was appointed to develop the export facility, providing EPCM services for the building of a new dedicated port facility for the mine at the Port of Mombasa. For its part in the overall project, WSP Africa qualified as a finalist for the 2014 Consulting Engineers Southern Africa Aon Engineering Excellence Awards. Mathieu Du Plooy, CEO of WSP Africa, said, “We provided project management, civil, structural, marine and electrical engineering services for the project – a substantial undertaking, but one where we were able to really showcase our Mathieu Du Plooy, multidisciplinary expertise. To be considered for this prestigCEO of WSP Africa ious award is testimony to the hard work and commitment from the entire team.” The facility comprises a large storage shed for the mineral sands, an access trestle, and load-out platform with breasting and mooring dolphins, as well as conveyors to transport material to a dedicated ship-loader. WSP provided a specialist consulting engineering team to ensure local representation complemented by specialist skills in the fields of storage, transport, and loading of mineral sands into the berthed bulk carrier. “Strict deadlines had to be adhered to with a significant amount of engineering that had to be completed in a very short space of time. For example, the design report and tender drawings had to be submitted to the client for review only two months from starting the design phase. This required assumptions on some design parameters, particularly geotechnical parameters, which subsequently had to be confirmed,” says Andre van Tonder, divisional director for WSP’s coastal engineering team in Stellenbosch. In addition, Van Tonder says, the site was quite restricted and only approximately 13 300 m2 in size. The marine facility and its operations were to be positioned between the existing ferry terminal, an emergency slipway and the shipping channel boundary. The onshore structures and its operations were to be positioned between the public road, residential area, and school on the landside boundary. The client also required WSP to ensure that local contractors would qualify for tendering. Consequently, designs were adapted to suite local capabilities. The designs of the administration building, maintenance workshop and guard house were also based on the use of local material. As such, the structures were built using locally available bricks made from coral rock. The 7 000 m2 storage shed has a roof structure supported on a combination of concrete and steel columns. Care was taken to utilise natural light and ventilation. The apex of the roof structure was designed with ventilation slots to dispose of dust and plant fumes. “This has been a great project to work on and one that WSP is proud to be associated with. The combination of skills from all our partners, both local and abroad, contributed to making it so successful,” concluded Du Plooy.

WSP won the South African Institute of Civil Engineering award for project management and construction

References Geologic setting and heavy mineral sands occurrence at the Kenyan coast and the effects of mining on the Kwale ecosystems, Ochola Kevin, University of Nairobi, June 2011.

The Mombasa mineral sands harbour loading facility

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 21

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

MPUMALANGA

Zibulo Colliery

In Zulu, zibulo means ‘firstborn’. This is an appropriate name for the Zibulo Colliery given that it is the first of Anglo American’s BEE mines. As a business, it is a success in more ways than one. BY TONY STONE

ibulo Colliery, which comprises a surface mine, about 2 km north-west of Ogies in Mpumalanga, and an underground mine, about 25 km south-east of Ogies, is the first of several Anglo Inyosi coal mines to come on stream. The colliery, which has a life expectancy of 20 years, forms part of the Witbank coalfields. It is a multi-product operation that delivers 8 million tonnes per annum. Its underground mine produces an annual 7 million tonnes of two, four and five seam coal while its open-pit operation produces 1 million tonnes per annum. Saleable production is approximately 6 million tonnes per annum, constituting both thermal export product and domestic product, each of approximately three million tonnes per annum. The export coal is railed to the Richards Bay coal terminal and the domestic coal is sold to the local market, mainly Eskom, with Kendal power station close by. Zibulo is also part of a 16 Mtpa ‘run of mine’ joint venture washing plant, known as the Phola coal processing plant. This is a

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50:50 joint venture between Anglo American’s Inyosi Coal and BHP Billiton’s Energy Coal South Africa. Coal is fed equally from Zibulo and BECSA’s Klipspruit colliery.

Nedbank Capital Sustainable Business Awards The lasting success and growth of any modern business hinges entirely on its ability to effectively balance economic profitability with truly sustainable business practices. This was the underlying theme of the 2014 Nedbank Capital Sustainable Business Awards. As announced at the awards ceremony, on 30 October 2014, Zibulo Colliery was the runner-up in the ‘Resources and Non-Renewable Energy’ category – in recognition of its corporate social investment and community development programme, and what it achieved through its Phola sanitation and waste management initiative. The significance of this award becomes all the more apparent when considering the recent history of the local Phola community, a township adjacent to the R545, just off the N12, and about 5 km from Ogies.

After two years of sporadic and at times intense community protests, between 2010 and 2012, about the lack of service delivery and the employment of locals in various projects, such as Eskom’s nearby Kusile power station construction project, the situation in Phola Township near Ogies in Mpumalanga eventually calmed down after a meeting between community leaders, Nkangala District Mayor Speedy Mashilo, senior officials from the Mineral Resources Department and local mines. Zibulo Colliery, which commenced production in March 2012 – shortly after peace was restored to the Phola Township – now employs 650 people from Phola in its mines. From the offset, Zibulo adopted the attitude that it was not just the welfare of employees that needed to be addressed, on an ongoing basis, but also their families and the communities in which they lived. The sewerage infrastructure project upgraded the Phola Township’s entire sewerage network and doubled its existing capacity in anticipation of the area’s future growth needs. The project

PRESTIGIOUS MINING PROJECTS

involved increasing the existing capacity of the Ogies outfall sewer line, the complete refurbishment of the pump station and treatment works, expansion of the treatment works to cater for an increase in wastewater flow, implementation of mechanisms to ensure the efficient operation and maintenance of the system, as well as provision of ongoing monitoring and evaluation. The refuse removal project began with the clearing of more than 20 informal dumping grounds, after which 32 refuse waste containers were placed at strategic sites across the township. To provide a sustainable solution to the eMalahleni Local Municipality’s transport constraints, the Zibulo team acquired two refuse collection trucks that will be transferred to local government once the transfer of skills is complete. The Phola sanitation and waste management initiative also involved capacity-building and employment creation, successfully creating nearly 40 jobs for fulltime project employees and ‘enviro teams’ to run refuse collection activities.

“As we are not in the business of managing waste, it was vital that a partnership-based approach be taken to initiate the project and to ensure that the municipality will ultimately be able to run these services independently, making use of the improved infrastructure and skills imparted through the venture,” says Themba Mkhwanazi, CEO at Anglo American Coal in South Africa. “We’re also committed to ensuring that both projects extend beyond the life of the operation and that community members continue to benefit from these essential services once operations have ceased. “We’re proud that this initiative has significantly enhanced the quality of life of the township’s 37 000 residents, who now benefit from a safe and efficient sewerage system and refuse collection services. The project also succeeded in strengthening the mine’s partnership with the municipality. “An exciting spin-off has emerged from the leadership role we assumed in identifying a range of challenges around municipal capacity, which has prompted other mining houses in the area to invest in

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Tsietsi Obed, Kayakazi Mvakwendlu, George Madileng and Mokhine Makgalemele. Kayakazi and Mokine (manager) are both with Anglo American’s Zibulo Community Development programme. Tsietsi and George run and manage the wastewater treatment works

similar institutional capacity projects.” Zibulo’s contribution to the Phola community is totally disproportionate to its responsibility – a magnanimous gesture and commitment. It is also the reason why Zibulo is so deserving of the accolades and recognition it received from the Nedbank Capital Sustainable Business Awards. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 23

DRILLING & EXPLOSIVES

MINE TO MILL

Where is the real value? Cutting costs is something every mine operator needs to do. But, some thought needs to be put into a cost-cutting programme as it may result in higher costs being incurred elsewhere. It’s a case of look before you leap. BY AJ RORKE, DIRECTOR: BLASTING TECHNOLOGY, BME

istorically, there has been a counter-productive budgeting system within mining operations where each division is responsible for keeping down operating costs without an overall view of the impact on the mine costs and profits. For example, a mine plant may be operating close to optimal efficiency, but the mining department, being encouraged to contain costs, may decide that the best way to do this is to lower powder factor. The mining department would thus achieve its budget costs, but resulting productivity losses in the plant would probably cost the mine significantly more than the savings in the mining department. In recent years, progressive mines have begun to see the benefit of increasing plant productivity by increasing powder factors and applying more expensive blasting products, such as accurate electronic-delay detonators, in their blasting. The older method of budgeting powder factors for blasting activities is giving way to operating with blast-result targets such as fragmentation outcome. This approach has been made possible by modern

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digital measurement methods such as fragmentation measurement, VOD measurement, face profiling, high-speed videography and powerful blast design software. BME provides all of these services, which have been documented in many papers presented at this and previous BME annual conferences. Mine-to-mill programmes are driven by three main factors. First, there is the need to cut overall mining costs and thus improve profitability. Second, additional value can be yielded by increased throughput as a direct result of higher mining and plant efficiencies. Finally, blasting can have a significant impact on losses caused by ore dilution and poor liberation of minerals in the plant processes. In summary, the goal is to increase mine profitability and reduce overall mining costs. With these three main goals in mind, we can list a number of specific goals in a typical mine-to-mill programme. In traditional terms, these are dig-ability for satisfactory digging rates; minimise oversize, hard toes, and fly rock; eliminate misfires; produce acceptable muck-pile shape and

displacement; and contain the cost of drilling and blasting within budget. With the modern understanding of blasting physics and the monitoring techniques and products described above, a more comprehensive and specific set of goals are possible, depending on the operation requirements (ISEE Blaster’s Handbook, 2011): • increase crusher and grinder throughput • decrease crusher energy and grinding energy consumption • improve mineral liberation if possible

ABOVE Simultaneous blasts in an openpit mine BELOW Warning signs should be respected at all times

DRILLING & EXPLOSIVES

fragmentation in the top of a blast • decrease the consumption of TABLE 1 Energy consumption for different processes and related costs (converted to rands after Eloranta, 1999) when hole diameter is slightly crushing and grinding wear items larger or hole depths deeper than • reduce the weight of truck boxes, kWh/tonne R/kWh R/tonne planned. Coarse fragmentation thereby increasing payload Blasting 0.43 3.04 1.31 leads to major production losses • control the production of fines Crushing 3.24 0.66 2.13 through the crusher system. in blasting Grinding 17.82 0.66 11.73 2. Poor planning causing complex • maximise digging rates block geometries that are difficult • decrease excavator energy to drill and time. Figures have been published by Eloranta consumption 3. Poor blast timing, either because com(1999) for energy per tonne for blasting • increase bucket payload by decreasing voids paratively inexpensive and inaccurate and downstream processes at an iron ore due to blocky, poorly fragmented muck. initiation systems are used or because mine in Minnesota. These are presented in blast personnel do not fully underTable 1. Although costs are much higher Processes relevant to mine-to-mill stand what they are doing or the imnow than they would have been in 1999, optimisation pact that their blast tie-ups have on clearly there is much greater potential for The processes that benefit from improved blast outcome. savings in the crushing and grinding problasting results are loading, crushing and 4. Poor drilling quality, caused mainly by cesses than in blasting. Looking at these milling operations. In quarrying operapoor planning information (depths, figures from another viewpoint, there is a tions, milling is not an issue. In strip minhole positions etc.), poor supervision or much higher risk of incurring heavy costs ing, dragline efficiencies, coal exposure inattentiveness/training of the drilling in crushing and grinding as a consequence rates and limiting coal fines are the main crews. Improving drilling quality has alof cutting back on blasting costs. processes that benefit. most no cost associated with it, but does In laying out block sequences for blastAn effective mine-to-mill programme achave large benefits. Poor drilling is very ing, the planning departments in mining tually needs to include operations before common in open-pit and underground operations usually are driven by grade blasting. Long- and short-term planning mines and has the most significant negconsiderations, production requirements play a critical role in blast quality. Even at ative impact on blast results and overall and drill and loader scheduling. Planning mine design stage, decisions about parammine efficiency. Focusing on the drilling for optimal blasting results is uncommon, eters that cannot easily be changed later operation can yield large improvements yet can ensure good blasting results and have a very significant impact on blasting in revenue for a mine. higher productivity. results and their downstream influence on 5. Lack of experience and knowledge in A mine-to-mill programme will only sucproductivity. Examples are choices of drillthe industry. This problem has resultceed if the blasting is well controlled, asing, loading and crushing equipment. Pit ed in people being promoted into posuming the planning has been done to opdesign, including mining sequences and sitions that are above their levels of timise blast results. There are large potenbench heights, have a major impact on competence. In blasting, the impact of tial savings in producing a fragmentation blasting costs, blast fragmentation, downincompetence may not be immediately size distribution that improves loading stream efficiencies and overall costs. Very obvious because blast results are not rates, crusher and mill throughput. Sofoften, a pit is designed without taking semeasured routinely and very often, tening of the rock fragments provides easrious cognisance of the impact on blasting. poor downstream productivity is not ier grinding and higher mill throughput. This paper examines these activities and linked back to blasting. Therefore, wrongful blasting can be very the factors that affect efficiency. This article has emphasised the potential costly to a mine. This is a problem that value in modifying blasting to achieve betafflicts most mines in South Africa, with Potential for improvement ter downstream productivity and lower the following factors that combine to proOne of the problems facing a mine is that overall mine costs. Modern monitoring duce a large decrease in productivity and drill and blast costs are easily measured techniques allow for much more effective overall savings. while increased downstream energy costs measurement of blast results. The two pri1. Blasting to a budgeted powder factor, caused by poor blasting results for loadmary quantification techniques are blast which is usually dictated by costs and ing, crushing and milling are much more fragmentation measurement using diginot blast design principles. Fixed powdifficult to pin down. So there is a tental imaging methods and monitoring of der factors cause operations to dictate dency to focus more on reducing drill and crusher throughput and current consumpa fixed charge mass per hole resultblast costs without realising the negative tion. Less obvious, but equally important ing in over-long stemming and coarse impact this has on other processes. for grinding in the mill or leaching, is rock fragment softening by blasting that is possible at higher energy factors and shorter inter-hole firing times. For an effective mine-to-mill project, a thorough understanding is needed of the downstream fragmentation requirements and a strong collaboration is important between blasting engineers, mine planners and metallurgists to achieve optimum productivity. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 25

HEALTH & SAFETY

Help me to save his life…

…before it’s too late

Mine Rescue Services in action

Mining is a really dangerous vocation. It’s a job for tough, strong-minded people. When disaster strikes, it’s the men of Mine Rescue Services, a very special breed of men, who volunteer their services – to save lives. BY TONY STONE

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s we look forward to the year ahead we also need to reflect on 2014 and the lessons learned, and to past years, remembering those mine rescue brigade members who made the ultimate sacrifice in saving the lives of fellow miners trapped far beneath the Earth’s surface in collapsed, burning and gas-filled mines. Their bravery, as with their fellow brigadesmen who continue this praiseworthy service, is exemplary. The title of this article is an excerpt taken from the Rescue Brigadesman’s Prayer,

HEALTH & SAFETY

The annual death rate has decreased due to a greater emphasis on mine safety a prayer that embodies the humility and courage of these men who so selflessly face imminent danger in order to bring the survivors of a mine disaster, and the dead, back to their families and loved ones. What is remarkable is that Mine Rescue Services and its volunteer members have been doing this for 90 years. In 1910, the annual death rate of miners killed in mine accidents was 4.40 for black workers and 3.49 for white workers. With a similar death rate continuing in the ensuing years, the Chamber of Mines was prompted to critically analyse the need for a mine rescue capability. In 1924, the first manager of the Mine Rescue Services (MRS), a James Graham, was appointed. Today, under its sixth manager, Christo de Klerk, the MRS continues its proud tradition and exemplary service. But, things have changed, fortunately for the better. The annual death rate has decreased due to a greater emphasis on mine safety. Even so, accidents and disasters do happen, as the 5 August 2014 Orkney 5.5 Richter scale magnitude earthquake reminded us. Just a few days later, on 13 August 2014, the MRS was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Mining Legotla. This award embodies the international recognition given to the MRS for its service and innovative mine rescue technology developments, such as the 3 100 m Mobile Rescue Winder. “Due to the depth of deep-level mines in South Africa, there is need to have the capacity to bring people to the surface from depths of 3 000 m underground. A portable mobile rescue winder, which is totally self-sufficient and capable of rescuing five persons simultaneously from a depth of 3 000 m underground, has been developed. The winder’s development was funded by the Chamber’s metalliferous mine members. MRS took delivery of the first unit during December 2012. Since then the operating procedure and risks assessment, for the safe operation of the unit, has undergone meticulous refinement after incidents requiring the winder,” De Klerk says.

TABLE 1 Brigade members who lost their lives during active rescue duty

Name

Employer

Date of accident

Mine of accident

Kay, GE

Rose Deep

11 August 1938

Nourse Mine

King, AEN

City Deep

18 November 1944

Van Dyk Cons

Vorster, Pi

Rose Deep

16 May 1949

Robinson Deep

Evans, WI

Hartebeesfontein

3 December 1956

Rand Leases

Griffiths, L

Simmer & Jack

1 January 1958

Geduld Prop

Gerber

West Rand Cons

6 June 1958

Venterspost

Rodgers, FH

Village Main

19 August 1962

Rand Leases

Du Plessis, KI

Durban Deep

30 October 1963

Durban Deep

Hunter, CG

Durban Deep

21 September 1967

Durban Deep

De Beer, MD

Durban Deep

21 September 1967

Durban Deep

Ferreira, CJ

Durban Deep

21 September 1967

Durban Deep

Swart, BP

Durban Deep

21 September 1967

Durban Deep

Purdy, DR

Durban Deep

21 September 1967

Durban Deep

Pieterse, WI

Durban Deep

21 September 1967

Durban Deep

Booth, WH

Venterspost

19 November 1967

Venterspost

Erasmus, BB

Harmony

26 June 1974

President Brand

De Beer, MHPB

Western Deep Levels

26 December 1974

Wester Deep Levels

Weise, HAEH

Western Holdings

12 March 1975

President Brand

Van Vuuren, OMJ

Boshoff

5 February 1976

Balmoral

Porter, JJ

WAGM

14 March 1976

WAGM

Vorster, JP

Stilfontein

6 June 1976

Western Deep Levels

Watts, VG

Stilfontein

6 June 1976

Western Deep Levels

Naber, SH

Stilfontein

6 June 1976

Western Deep Levels

Rider, WA

Stilfontein

6 June 1976

Western Deep Levels

Roux, PJJ

Stilfontein

6 June 1976

Western Deep Levels

Pretorius, KK

Western Deep Levels

25 December 1982

Western Deep Levels

De Waal, KM

Hartebeesfontein

4 January 1983

Hartebeesfontein

Opperman, Cl

Buffelsfontein

3 June 1988

Buffelsfontein

Kock, JGAD

Free State Geduld

11 April 1991

Western Holdings

Van Wyk, LA

Kloof

4 June 2002

Kloof

Hildebrandt, SG

Tshepong

24 June 2010

Phakisa

Bothma, B

Tshepong

24 June 2010

Phakisa

Prinsloo, FJ

Tshepong

24 June 2010

Phakisa

Randall, JR

Tshepong

24 June 2010

Phakisa

Bothma, JA

Tshepong

24 June 2010

Phakisa

Momber, WI

Twistdraai

29 September 2011

Evander Gold Mine

Steyn, PL

Twistdraai

29 September 2011

Evander Gold Mine

Saving illegal miners from a disused mine

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Ebola

The impact of in Sierra Leone

Duncan McNicol, country director for Kanu Equipment, is based in Sierra Leone. His first-hand experience of the effects of Ebola, particularly from a business point of view, is frightening. He shares his experiences.

result, there are food scarcities and pricmothballed. Import ships are not calling, bola is without doubt an exes of all goods and staples have rocketed. planes have stopped landing and goods tremely serious and economiAfter protracted civil wars (between are not coming across the borders. As a cally devastating contagion in 1991 and 2002 in Sierra Leone Sierra Leone. Unexpectedand two civil wars between 1989 ly, as an expatriate working here, you and 2003 in Liberia), the GDPs do not see it the way it is portrayed Ebola hotspots were were starting to rise significantly in global media, it isn’t ‘in your face’ mainly in the provinces, and there was a general mood of and you feel generally immune from optimism and hope that soon they it. Earlier this year, Ebola hotspots but it has recently spread would catch up with neighbouring were mainly in the provinces, but it to the city where it has countries Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and has recently spread to the city and Nigeria. It has been said that Ebothis is where it has taken on a new taken on a new dimension la has set these countries back by dimension due to the proximity of five years. the people and the hustle and bustle I arrived in Sierra Leone to set of daily life. up Kanu Equipment in early AuFrom an economic perspective, Sigust 2014, just as the regional erra Leone and Liberia have been and international carriers started devastated by this outbreak. Plantacancelling scheduled flights to the tions are unable to continue farming main epicentres of the outbreak in and have missed the planting season. Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Mining companies are going into reAt this time, the government also ceivership and workforces are being announced that all bars and ressignificantly reduced, and demoraltaurants were to be closed. There ised. A lot of companies have closed were to be no mass gatherings and altogether or at least have been

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HEALTH & SAFETY

RIGHT AND BELOW Heavy rains and muddy roads hamper access to Ebolainfected districts

travel within Sierra Leone was to be strictly controlled. In September, there was a complete lock-down of the country. Rightly so, this created a sense of foreboding, doom and gloom. In addition to this, companies employing significant expatriate management work forces sent them home, leaving inexperienced local management to run the companies. This gave a feeling that Sierra Leone’s shop was now ‘closed for business’ and it is not a good time for companies like Kanu Equipment, who sell and rent earth-moving equipment, to enter the market. However, there was a need to be upbeat and give a positive outlook to potential customers. Keeping up customer relations was very difficult. Key management may have travelled or resigned altogether, there are endless hand washes to be done, movement about the country is restricted so a car pass had to be obtained by somewhat devious means. Endless roadblocks, manned by both police and army personnel, where you must disembark each time, have your temperature checked and wash your hands. If you do eventually get to your destination, the site is either quarantined or access is restricted. Lastly, there is the inevitable moment of embarrassment where you try to gauge whether hand shaking is appreciated or completely taboo. I have devised a way of avoiding the embarrassment by always having my business card in hand as the first thing to offer forward. Once in front of the person we want to see, the mood changes. It becomes a fabulous opportunity to promote the company and show we are still creating a footprint throughout West Africa even in these difficult times – we are here to stay. The reaction has always been one of surprise at our determination, gratitude for taking the effort to establish contact and for demonstrating that we are not about to run away and abandon our customers. I recently visited a company in the diamond town of Koidu, on the eastern border close to Guinea. The journey took nine hours from Freetown to Koidu, there were 17 roadblocks en route. The last 70 km took four hours because the Chinese contractors who began the road rehabilitation before the rainy season had ripped off the old surface and then abandoned it during the outbreak. The

result is a road practically impassable and which is the only route into this very important town. Once reaching the mine site, there was an hour of negotiating to get in. Then after the meeting we searched Koidu for a guest house, however all had closed down as a precautionary measure. We did eventually find a roadside cafe, which offered one plate of chicken and rice between us (it was all they had left to offer). We were then told of a place where we could possibly find a bed. They were closed but allowed us to sleep in two rooms – no light, no water, and plenty of mosquitoes. The Koidu meeting lasted half an hour! It was very successful and well worth the effort. In my travels, as an expat, I had felt fairly removed from the seriousness of the situation, even complacent to a point. It is not until you witness some of the effects and disruption that you begin to appreciate the scale and reality of the situation. The ambulances flying by with fully protected staff inside, the hearses, the glimpse of a recovery team in a small village, the man in the queue

(one place ahead of you with a temperature of 39.7°C, suddenly taken to one side), the occasional unattended corpse in the street, the numerous treatment centres being erected, the stories of 50 people breaking out of a treatment centre because they were afraid, the videos of Ebola sufferers being turned away from hospitals due to lack of beds, the orphaned children... Provided we, as employees of Kanu International, act in a responsible way and display dignity toward those that have suffered and be aware of the simple measures that can be employed to prevent contamination, there is no reason why our business and indeed others could and should not remain in these countries and contribute towards the regrowth of West Africa. It must be remembered that Ebola will be contained and eradicated. Governments are already planning a post-Ebola recovery strategy. Sierra Leone needs the formal economy to continue as an integral part of its stability and longterm prosperity.

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 29

HEALTH & SAFETY

OneWay to zero harm In looking at the fatality and injury statistics on mines today, there has been a substantial drop over the last decade. The reason for this is the attention given to worker safety by mines and engineers.

neWay is WorleyParsons’ enterprise-wide integrity management framework. It consists of simple statements (expectations) that describe the way the company works across key areas of its business. In meeting these expectations, they align their business, and establish the foundation for achieving its vision of industry leadership in zero harm. The OneWay expectations set the minimum standard each and every person at WorleyParsons must meet. It aligns every individual, team, group, project, contract, location and region. The expectations link directly to the company’s business processes that control key areas of its business where it must operate with integrity to achieve its vision. These areas include leadership, risk management, health, safety and the environment, engineering, procurement, construction services and quality. By each of these functions delivering consistent high-quality outputs early in their delivery process, they set themselves up for success when they reach high-risk

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The OneWay expectations set the minimum standard each and every person at WorleyParsons must meet phases of their wo work, rk, k such as construction and commissioning. WorleyParsons applies the OneWay framework to assess its own business performance to determine what is working well and what needs extra focus. This process of continuous improvement enables WorleyParsons to work with its people to reinforce a culture to sustain the drive to be an industry leader in delivering zero harm, while at the same time delivering the highest quality services to customers. When they work with their customers and partners they also apply WorleyParsons’ own internal expectations to engage them in the same common goal of zero harm. The OneWay expectations serve as a frame of reference to identify the differences between their own expectations and their customers’ or partners’ expectations. When they identify any gaps, they use OneWay as the minimum standard by which to work. If the customer or partner has more stringent

expectations, then they use their cuss tomer’s standard. In this way, they always have a line of sight between their work delivery, their organisational integrity and zero-harm vision. The result of aligning their entire business and meeting these expectations means the company understands its customers’ needs and consistently provides them with high-quality services. It means people arrive home safely every day. It means they positively interact with the environments and communities they operate in. It means they have the integrity to do the right thing by their customers, partners and themselves. Simply put, OneWay and its goal of zero harm to people assets and zero environmental incidents is very important to WorleyParsons. It adds value to customers’ and partners’ businesses. It is a holistic long-term approach to delivering with integrity and is the basis of globally consistent performance.

Realising possibilities... ELEMENTS OF ONEWAY • Leadership and governance: We are fully committed to zero harm at all levels of our organisation. Our leaders put clear strategies in place that progress us towards this goal. Effort is prioritised based on compliance and risk exposure. • Risk management: We apply effective risk management principles, leverage opportunities and assist in reducing threats for all existing and planned activities. • Caring for our people and the environment: Our people are visibly and actively committed to healthy, safe and environmentally responsible workplaces and activities. We understand and manage our potential impacts on people’s health and safety as well as on the environment. • Selection and competency: We select and recognise people who demonstrate competence and a deep commitment to our vision of zero harm. • Working with our customers: We understand customers’ expectations, which we meet or exceed. We build strong customer relationships and utilise customers’ proven standards and processes where they are consistent with our expectations. • Engineering: Engineering develops solutions that meet our company’s requirements and are compliant with our

...from mine to market.

customers’ needs. Design and planning minimises risk in later phases. • Working with the supply chain: Goods and services provided to us or our customers meet required standards and reflect our corporate social responsibilities. • Field activities: We execute field activities using strategies, and methods are defined, risk assessed, understood and communicated to those involved, and deliver plant that meets design requirements.

Resource Evaluation

Mine Planning

Mining & Mine Development

Materials Handling

Environment & Approvals

Transport to Market

Non-Process Infrastructure

• Management of change: We manage change in our organisation, throughout projects and complete asset life cycles. Effective change management principles are used to identify, assess, approve and implement changes. • Critical incident avoidance, response and recovery: We prepare for and manage critical incidents. • Incident and behaviour analysis: We report and investigate hazards, at-risk behaviours, incidents and near misses to identify causes. We take steps to prevent their recurrence. • Assessment and improvement: We

Mineral Processing

Tailings & Waste Management

WorleyParsons adds value through our full scope of services from pit to port including studies, mine planning, impact assessments, permitting and approvals, project management, construction management and global procurement.

countries

166

regularly study and assess our performance, and take action to continuously improve where possible.

www.worleyparsons.com

I N S I D E M I N I N G 0 1 | 2 0 1 5 31

Smelting & Reﬁning

offices

37,500

people

HEALTH & SAFETY PROFILE

MINING IN AFRICA

Understanding your Whether involved with exploration, construction or mineral extraction, mining in Africa is fraught with challenges. Key among these is the lack of appropriate medical care in remote locations throughout this sprawling continent.

he promise of mineral riches must be offset against the risks of tropical disease, and the absence of a golden hour following major trauma. Through the delivery of comprehensive travel health risk management, iNHEMACO SA supports clients in identifying the health risks inherent in the territories in which they operate. Our consulting services provide mining executives with the information they require to evaluate a project health risk matrix, simultaneously offering risk-mitigating solutions. The recent and well-publicised outbreak of Ebola in West Africa epitomises the medical risk associated with mining on the African continent.

INHEMACO SA PROVIDES: • managed remote-site doctors/ nurses and paramedics • turnkey medical infrastructure solutions • cross-border medical support • medical risk consultancy • international pre-deployment medical screening and preparation • customised advanced medical kits.

32 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

iNHEMACO’s clients benefited from expertise in the distribution of accurate scientifically based information, the roll-out of improved hygiene practices and the implementation of scientifically founded screening protocols. While Ebola has proven to be a resilient and effective killer, organisations should take care not to narrow down their focus on Ebola. Losing sight of much more ubiquitous tropical diseases that co-inhabit these mineral-rich environments can prove to be disastrous. Malaria (seemingly forgotten amid the Ebola media frenzy) remains the most deadly disease on the continent, having killed almost 800 000 people in the same 12-month period during which Ebola killed only 8 000 people. When considering these statistics, it remains clear that malaria continues to occupy the top position on the list of deadliest tropical diseases posing a

major risk to non-immune expatriate personnel in particular, and to project sustainability in general. iNHEMACO SA assists clients in minimising their malaria exposure through international best practice interventions. Whether implementing spray programmes, distributing scientifically accurate information, or delivering malaria management kits to expatriate staff, iNHEMACO SA assures that clients maintain a firm hold on malaria management. Gastrointestinal and respiratory disease is much lower down the list of killer illnesses, but far more common. Some of these diseases are second cousins to Ebola, a few of which (e.g. Yellow Fever) are vaccine preventable while many others, such as Lassa Fever and Marburg Viral Haemorrhagic Fever, are not. Much more common but with a similar major impact are Rabies, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and B,

HEALTH & SAFETY PROFILE

health risks screened and prepared prior to deployment. Occupational health surveillance may form part of this process right from the start. Remote-site health-care risks include more than disease and illness. Whether drilling, excavating or processing, mining and construction require the use of heavy machinery operated by humans to produce time-sensitive results. These factors contribute to an elevated risk of major trauma. Through the placement and ongoing remote medical management of on-site doctors, paramedics and nurses, iNHEMACO SA provides peace of mind that any patient suffering major trauma will be stabilised and prepared for medical evacuation to appropriate facilities, by thoroughly vetted, trained and registered medical professionals. Our on-site colleagues are remotely supported and supervised by a team of dedicated and experienced medical professionals. Like mining professionals, medical professionals can only deliver a quality service when they have access to the right instruments ADVICE TO OUTBOUND and tools. iNHEMACO SA TRAVELLERS TO WEST AFRICA: has developed an extensive • While at this point governments do not prohibit remote-site-specific clinic travel to West Africa, travelling to any of the content list, complimented affected countries for work purposes should be by a protocol- and risk-speconsidered only if absolutely essential. cific pharmaceutical formu• Persons travelling to West Africa for work should take precautions to ensure that they lary. Through association do not get exposed to Ebola by avoiding with procurement partners, the consumption or handling of bush meat, iNHEMACO SA is enabled to avoiding public health-care facilities and deliver world-class medical funerals, and they must be sure to practice meticulous (hand) hygiene. equipment and supplies. Whether exploring, con• iNHEMACO SA emphasises that travellers should avoid getting sick, in particular with structing or mining, partner a febrile (feverish) illness such as malaria. with iNHEMACO SA to enMalaria can be avoided by avoiding mosquito sure your project health, to bites and taking appropriate malaria optimise your human capital, prophylaxis religiously. and to leverage your profit. • Ensure that all childhood and adult travel vaccines are up to date. Contact iNHEMACO SA for • Report any illness immediately to your company a tailored solution to mitigate medical provider, before seeking local medical your health-care needs.

Diphtheria, Pertussis and Polio. While not all diseases can be prevented through vaccination, a good dose of travel health information in combination with a few affordable vaccines could mean the difference between a successful expatriate deployment and hospitalisation in a foreign country. While paying attention to tropical diseases and their prevention is of paramount importance to ensure the health of a project’s population, iNHEMACO SA notes that poorly controlled chronic diseases tend to impact expatriates and the projects they are seconded to much more frequently. Organisations should avoid sending chronically ill expatriates to areas with limited medical infrastructure. iNHEMACO SA’s international pre-deployment medical screening options provide clients with the ability to drastically mitigate the risks posed by chronic illness, by making use of our network of international travel health specialists, through which expatriate travellers are medically

care in any of the affected countries.

PREVENTING THE INTRODUCTION AND SPREAD OF EBOLA: • create awareness of the disease, making sure to brief the entire project population. • take precautions when handling dead or ill wild animals. • no preparation or consumption of bush meat. • avoid direct contact with ill people and with the bodies of people who have died from Ebola or any unknown illness. • do not attend hospitals that are potentially treating Ebola cases. • bio-hazardous waste should be effectively managed through incineration. • avoid crowded areas. • hand hygiene – wash hands on a regular basis with antiseptic soap under hot running water. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer liberally if unable to wash hands. • all site personnel, expats and national hires, must report febrile illness to a knowledgeable health care provider immediately. • strictly adhering to malaria prevention and taking chemoprophylaxis will decrease the likelihood of contracting malaria and thus presenting with febrile illness that may be confused with a viral haemorrhagic fever such as Ebola. • Travellers and expats leaving an affected country who experience a rapid onset of fever and/or extreme malaise within 21 days after leaving the host country are to: - seek urgent medical care wherever they are; - be placed in isolation until the presence or absence of the disease has been confirmed; - immediately report the fact that they are ill to the site clinic and management telephonically.

iNHEMACO SA info@inhemaco.com +41 22 534 9646 Geneva, Switzerland

• Ensure that you have adequate travel health insurance in place and understand exactly what they will and will not cover should you fall ill or be injured. Be sensible and read the fine print.

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 33

Wealth Unearthed Our diverse range of robust electronic delay detonators are designed to cope with the most challenging mining environments

Advancing, constantly evolving and defining the future of electronic initiation technology in the global mining industry

AEL Mining Services Tel: +27 11 606 0000 Adress: 1 Platinum Drive, Longmeadow Business Estate North, Modderfontein, 1645 www.aelminingservices.com

COUNTRY PROFILE: BOTSWANA

BOTSWANA

A jewel in Africa This landlocked, Southern African country, a jewel in Africa, quietly gets on with life and business, belying the treasures obscured by its aeolian sands. For the environmentally responsible, opportunity abounds. BY TONY STONE

ome to the richest diamond mine in the world, Jwaneng, Botswana is richly endowed with a number of other mineral resources, which were formed during several geologic periods. These include base metals, such as copper and nickel, coal, diamonds, salt, sand and gravel, semiprecious gemstones and soda ash. The geology of most of the country is largely obscured by aeolian sands. However, most of the mapped mineral resources are found on the eastern side of the country, stretching from Francistown in the north to Lobatse in the south. But this is not all of Botswana’s resource wealth. The Kalahari copper belt in Botswana, which stretches from Maun in northern Botswana to Ghanzi in western Botswana, is emerging as Africa’s latest copper/silver mining province. Botswana also has extensive, and largely unexploited, coal resources which when developed will form part of the government’s effort to diversify the economy. Known coal resources in Botswana are of the order of 202 billion tonnes.

Exploration and mining Owing to the poorly exposed geologic settings, mineral exploration uses drilling and geophysics as its primary means of

discovery. All mineral rights in Botswana are vested in the state. The Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR) has the responsibility to ensure that the mineral resources of the country are explored and exploited in the most efficient, beneficial, and timely manner. Within the ministry, the Department of Geological Survey and the Department of Mines regulate mineral exploration and mining. The Department of Geological Survey’s role is to gather, collate, assess, and disseminate information related to the groundwater, rocks, and mineral resources of the country. The Department of Mines, in partnership with stakeholders, provides administrative services, sets policies, develops programmes, and drafts legislation for mineral exploitation, and works to prevent occupational diseases and injuries related to mining and to minimise degradation of the environment (Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, 2012). Exploration and mining permits granted by the

ABOVE Mapungubwe hill, an archaeological site: ruins of a settlement built in the Late Iron Age, the 9th to13th century AD

government allow mineral resources to be explored for and exploited. The government’s main objective for the mineral sector is to maximise economic benefit from the sector while enabling private investors to earn competitive returns. The government has maintained an equity position in most of the major mining companies;

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 35

COUNTRY PROFILE: BOTSWANA

however, the mineral industry operated mainly on a free-market basis.

Mining licence

f. outline of proposed employment level and training programme g. outline of proposed sources of goods and services h. details of expected infrastructure, e.g. access road, electricity and water supply i. clearance from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, if the area is within a game reserve or national park. The costs involved in obtaining a mining licence amounts to P100 per square kilometre applied for, or part thereof. Further information can be obtained by visiting the Department of Mines’ website at www.mines.gov.bw.

along the transport corridor, spanning all three countries. All border posts operate between 07:00 and 00:00. In total, Botswana has 888 km of narrow-gauge railway, mainly on the eastern side of the country running between Gaborone and Francistown where it branches off a short distance west to Sowa and east to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. South Africa’s railway line enters Botswana from the south-east via Mafikeng into Botswana via Lobatse to Gaborone. There is a railway line from Walvis Bay in Namibia to Gobias in Namibia, but Gobias is roughly 125 km from Botswana’s western border.

An approved mining licence gives the rights to mine mineral(s) listed in the document on the defined area for a particular period mentioned in the document. To obtain a licence, one can visit the Department of Mines in Gaborone or Francistown, or send an email, or mail by post office or enquire by telephone. To apply for a licence, an application form (Form V) needs to be completed. If the application is submitted by a consultant, a letter from an applicant appointing the consultant needs to be submitted with the From exploration to application on behalf of the applicant, givcommercial operation Telecommunications infrastructure ing all relevant address, telephone and fax, Exploration and mining is one thing. Set- Besides the government-owned newspaper and email details. A certified copy of the ting up a viable, commercial operation is and national radio network, there is an accompany registration certificate or certifianother, which a mine has to be. To this tive, independent press (six weekly newscate of incorporation must accompany the end, understanding the demographics of papers). Foreign publications are sold withapplication as well as a prospecting report Botswana is critically important. With a out restriction in Botswana. Two privately approved by the Department of Geologipopulation of 2 155 784 people, 58.6% of owned radio stations began operations in cal Surveys, or a copy of the prospecting whom are of a working age (15 to 54 years), 1999. Botswana’s first national television waiver. If the area is within a prospecting, Botswana has the following attributes. station, the government-owned Botswaretention or mining licence, written conna Television (BTV), was launched in July sent of the holder should be submitted. 2000. The cellular phone providers Orange Transport infrastructure Surveyed coordinates with a sketch plan and MTN cover most of the country. The country has ten airports with paved and the total area being applying for, as runways. Of these, two have runways well as an archaeological clearance certifiover 3 047 m, one has between 2 438 m to Electricity cate from the Department of National Mu3 047 m, six have between 1 524 m to 2 437 Botswana’s electricity generation capacseum, Monuments and Art Gallery must m and one has between 914 m to 1 523 m. ity is mainly coal-fired, with some small also accompany the application. There is a 17 916 km road network diesel generators in rural areas. The bulk Further required is a detailed feasibility that includes 8 916 km of public high- of domestic electricity production is genreport containing, inter alia: way roads, of which 6 116 km are paved erated by the Morupule coal-fired station a. details of mineral deposit, including all and 2 800 km are unpaved, and 9 000 comprising four 33 MW air-cooled units. mineral resources and reserves (measkm of unpaved district council roads. The More than half of Botswana’s power reured, indicated, inferred, probable Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a paved highquirements are imported from South Afriand proven) and mining conditions way corridor that provides a direct route ca and Zambia. Increased urbanisation, in b. technical report on mining and treatfrom Walvis Bay and Windhoek in central the face of scarcity of resources to expand ment possibilities and the applicant’s Namibia, through Botswana, to Johannes- and maintain energy plants, has contribintention in relation thereto burg and Pretoria in Gauteng, South Afri- uted to the fact that only 22% of Botswac. proposed programme of mining operca. There are a number of new truck stops na’s population have access to electricity. ations, which should include estimated date by which apHealth infrastructure plicant intends to work for Home to the richest diamond mine There are 17 primary hospitals profit, initial position(s) of in Botswana as well as 17 district in the world, Jwaneng, Botswana quarry(ies) with coordinates hospitals. Patients with minor on the surface rights, estidiseases and problems are adis richly endowed with a number mated recovery rates, nature mitted to the primary hospitals of other mineral resources of product and envisaged while district hospitals are more marketing arrangements for for the first-line treatment of sale of mineral product(s) locals. Serious cases are transd. environmental impact asferred to referral hospitals such sessment study which must as Nyangabgwe Hospital in Franinclude an environmental cistown and Princess Marina in management programme Gaborone. These hospitals are e. forecast of capital investequipped with advanced equipment, cash flow and details of ment as well as internationally anticipated financial plan trained doctors.

36 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

COUNTRY PROFILE: BOTSWANA

RIGHT Botswana’s geology

Botswana carries a high degree of risk with food or waterborne diseases such as bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid fever, as well as malaria in its northern regions.

Political and economic risk Botwsana is politically very stable and real economic growth will remain robust, supported by a further recovery in domestic diamond production and greater value-added activity, while the fiscal and current account balances will remain in surplus.

In conclusion Botswana is a stable country with an operating democracy. It offers good investment opportunities that, over the longterm, will be secure. In a nutshell, it’s a safe bet politically and economically. This having been said, the success or failure of any mining operation here will be determined, in part, to international demand but mainly due to abilities and capabilities of the mining operation itself. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 37

5th Annual

ENVIROMINING

-Ensuring Environmental Compliance and Reporting In Mining Date: 18 & 19 March 2015 Venue: Gallagher Estate, Midrand REGULATORY UPDATE NOT-TO-BE MISSED

DEPARTMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES & DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS & DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

CONFIRMED SPEAKER ORGANISATIONS:

•RICHARDS BAY COAL TERMINAL •SASOL MINING •UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM •RICHARDS BAY MINERALS •COUNCIL FOR GEOSCIENCE

PRACTICAL WORKSHOP:

The importance of sustainable community development planning as part of your Mine Environmental Management Plan (EMPS) Faciltated by: UMSIZI SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL SOLUTIONS

• •DRDGOLD LIMITED (ERGO MINING OPERATIONS PTY LTD) •HOGAN LOVELLS •PILANESBERG PLATINUM MINES (PTY) LTD

SOME KEY STRATEGIES TO BE DISCUSSED: • • • • •

A look at mining and sustainable development within the industry of obtaining your Water Use Licensing Addressing the under the revised MPRDA Avoiding liability by making provision for future closure and Minimising toxic Acid Mine Drainage to avoid Exploring how the new Air Quality Emission Standards will impact the mining industry

For more information contact Therisha on 011 326 2501 or email bookings@intelligencetransferc.co.za or visit www.intelligencetransferc.co.za

MINING INDABA

Fatigue alert Working long shifts in hot conditions deep underground can and does cause fatigue. As underground supervisors, it is important to see the signs and take remedial action.

ining – already a dangerous occupation – is challenged by the human/machine interface, especially when the human element is fatigued. Fortunately, technology has come to the rescue and, based on scientific research done by the University of Zürich, smart fatigue-assessment algorithms can be used to estimate driver fatigue levels and to predict fatigue development based on the operator history. The cost benefit of this needs no explanation. SAFEmine recently launched FatigueMonitor, which helps to track surface and underground machine operators during mining operations. At the same time it provides management with driver fatigue alerts and traffic-related data from the mine. It does this by integrating data from four inputs: • attention-level detection • vehicle dynamic sensors • operator’s body clock • traffic behaviour. Individualised driver profiles are continuously compared with current data to estimate levels of potential risk. Even so, for management to be proactive, as the miners themselves need to be, it is advisable to pay attention to the following: • ensure an optimal shift schedule is in place, allowing adequate time for recovery sleep

A ABOVE Fatigue, with its lack of cconcentration, can impair judgement and be eextremely dangerous

• minimise IN INSET FatigueMonitor extended-duration t d d d ti shifts hift • for rotating shift schedules, forward roadditional equipment such as glasses or tation of shifts is preferable – from day caps. Its back end consists of a compreto afternoon to night hensive live web platform that provides • obtain at least seven hours of sleep per dispatchers in the control room real-time day over 24 hours fatigue analysis associated with the • after a night shift, avoid exposure entire fleet. In addition, reporting serto bright light (e.g. wear sunglasses, vices provide supervisors with updates stay indoors) via email or text messages. It brings to • avoid alcohol and caffeine prior to sleep, market a solution specially designed for as these can disrupt subsequent sleep the mining environment that integrates • keep the bedroom dark, quiet and cool physiological and traffic data (both reto facilitate sleep al-time and historical) to prevent vehicle • begin recovery sleep as soon as practicollisions and improve mine efficiency. cally possible after a night shift p y • take a 30-minute to twohour nap prior to night shift to supplement the main sleep period • use appropriate countermeasures to help maintain alertness such as a 20- to 30-minute nap and/or caffeine to help maintain alertness – particularly for high-risk tasks such as driving. FIGURE 1 Concept of the SAFEmine FatigueMonitor: dispatcher FatigueMonitor is operamonitors the operator's fatigue level and can react to alarms. The tor friendly and does not supervisor is informed of all events by text mesage and email require drivers to wear IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 39

MINING INDABA

Island riches New Caledonia is an archipelago of islands covering almost 20 000 km2, the largest being Grande Terre. It is located in the south-west Pacific (Melanesia) and has a population of 250 000, and it is nickel-rich.

he New Caledonian islands feature areas of high relief. Irrigated by strong and irregular rainfall, they are made up of valleys and mountains, fertile soil, abundant vegetation, and nickel. The islands hold 25% of the world’s reserves of the metal. The world’s fourth largest producer, it is also one of the leading suppliers of ferronickels used in the production of stainless steels. The abundant quantities of minerals in the soil make mining New Caledonia’s largest economic resource. Some 20 deposits now cross the island from north to south. The environment is rough: stony dirt tracks, steep slopes, sharp bends, fords, etc. The mines are located in the mountains and the minerals have to be carried by truck to the coast for shipping by sea. The Renault Kerax occupies an important place in these harsh operating conditions, with a fleet of over 500 vehicles on Grand Terre backed by the unflagging support of the Renault Trucks Sodauto dealership. Operating on the island since the 1970s, Sodauto provides on-site mobile assistance with a constant supply of spare parts. This is an important point, for the mining transport island economy is largely made up of owner-drivers, who depend on having their working tool operational at all times. Eddy Sautron, one of these owner-drivers, is very pointed. He says, “Vehicle reliability and efficiency in this job is critical.”

As an owner-driver, whose career exists along these dirt tracks loaded with several dozen tonnes of ore every day, his experience and insights are invaluable. Eddy, 46 years old, and a driver all his life, began working in mining in 1999 and subsequently started his own business in 2007. Every day, he carries ore extracted from the Tontouata mine in the south of New Caledonia to the sea some 35 km away. He makes six round trips a day, covering a total of 400 km between 05:00 and 17:00. Before setting up on his own business, Eddy drove a Renault Kerax 370 hp. This was followed by a Renault Kerax 400 hp during his first two years as an independent driver. He then acquired a Renault Kerax 8x4 DXi 440 in 2009 and has clocked up over 300 000 km in this truck. Throughout these years, his vehicle has proved to be reliable under all conditions and circumstances. He doesn’t give his vehicle an easy time. As his job demands, he never drives on tarred roads. Instead, he has to face potholed dirt tracks and negotiate streams and rivers caused by torrential rain, and mine workings ringed by razor-sharp stones. In all,

ABOVE Goro nickel project, New Caledonia, South Pacific BELOW The new Renault Kerax 8x4 DXi 440 used to transport nickel in New Caledonia

his truck, carrying almost 40 tonnes of ore per load, needs to be robust and, more specifically, have a good powertrain and highly efficient braking system to handle the steep mountain slopes. Even so, it’s under these driving conditions that the Renault Kerax’s electrical and hydraulic braking systems come into their own. With its unique design, the brake pedal is only used as a last resort – to save the brakes from wear. However, tyres are a different story! The rough terrain, the stony ground, the twists, turns and slopes of the mountain roads, and the numerous rivers and streams, all work to wear tyres down, which, for efficiency and safety, have to be changed every four or five months. Eddy’s job is simply that demanding, and his truck, which he services and maintains to the book, never lets him down. A father of four children, Eddy Sautron enjoys his work and has no plans for giving up. On the contrary, he is thinking of acquiring another Renault Kerax, possibly an XTREM version, while keeping his current vehicle. With another driver, he will be able to grow his business. For everyone, it’s a win-win solution. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 41

Working at heights A new climb-assist system to ensure the safety of workers who work at height elevations has been developed.

he Tractelift climb-assist system, with a long-lasting, reinforced synthetic belt, relieves the weight of workers, therein reducing effort and minimising injuries, thus increasing productivity, says Becker Mining South Africa, which sells a range of capital equipment to the mining industry, including lifting and safety and rope attachments. Becker Mining’s product manager, Charlotte Megannon, says the company’s new climbing aid increases safety, and minimises worker fatigue while ascending and descending a ladder during installation and maintenance procedures.

Tractelift features A continuous rope loop that enables many workers to use the climbing aid without having to reset the system is one of the features of Becker’s latest Tractelift climb-assist system. In addition, Tractelift has an automatic start facility that activates the system as ascent or descent commences, as well as an automatic-stop facility. An emergency-stop device is also available for increased safety, states Becker Mining.

Tractelift specifications The Tractelift I model provides traction relief in a pulling force up to 40 dekanewton (daN) (equivalent to 40 kg) that is preset on the sliding clutch. Becker Mining recently launched Tractelift II model, which is controlled by an individual user remote and this enables workers to choose their own levels of assist, by adjusting the pulling force on-site. This model has an adjustable pulling force of 75 daN (equivalent to 75 kg). The remote, with up to ten levels of pulling force to provide relief to the climber, has an illuminated LCD display with a low-battery indicator. An adjustable speed control matches the level of assistance with the rate of the climber’s speed. This smooth-running system, with soft stops and starts, alleviates the effort of climbing, states Becker Mining.

Safety and quality standards The Tractelift system meets stringent international safety and quality specifications.

42 IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

Radio

communications

made simple COLLISION WARNING SYSTEMS INTRINSICALLY SAFE SOLUTIONS INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING, TELEMETRY, MONITORING AND CONTROL SOLUTIONS ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORING INSTRUMENTS ASSET MANAGEMENT AND SOLUTIONS

Monitoring assets on a real-time basis via radio at a remotely located control room is not only effective, it is also highly efficient.

he Remcon radio system is primarily used to transport data arising from remote monitoring of areas such as boreholes, reservoirs, ventilation fans and pump stations, up to 20 km away. This advanced technology eliminates costly annual licence fees by making use of licence-free frequencies. The system is modular, making extension a simple procedure. The Remcon radio system operates through serial communications with an OEM fixed product range or it interfaces with other hardware via Ethernet, for example, in the case of existing PLCs. The control room system is able to use any industrial-type Scada software package, such as Adroit, iFix, Citect, InTouch and Wincc. All panels are supplied standard with battery backup, a feature considered critical in today’s mining environment where power supply is not always assured. Panels are IP55 rated, while the industrial enclosures are manufactured from mild steel, stainless steel or polycarbonate materials, depending on the application. Booyco Electronics is a single-source market leader that supplies quality specialised electronic safety equipment, including collision intervention systems. Its range of reliable accurate warning, locating and monitoring systems is engineered to operate in the harsh African conditions. I N S I D E M I N I N G 0 1 | 2 0 1 5 43

THE MINING INDUSTRY TRUSTS BOOYCO ELECTRONICS TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER! 0861 BOOYCO (0861 266926)

+2711 823 6842 • www.booyco-electronics.co.za

No more need for secondary blasting WE BREAK ANY ROCK BOULDER YOU COME ACROSS. INVENTORY IN SOUTH AFRICA.

www.fractum.co.za

MINING INDABA

Size doesn’t matter Blasting often results in massive boulders being dislodged. These boulders then require further demolition. Secondary blasting takes time and money, and is dangerous. Now there is a faster, simpler solution.

anish mining equipment manufacturer Fractum produces impact breakers that are utilised by surface mining and quarrying companies worldwide. These impact breakers eliminate the need for secondary blasting of oversized boulders, which can weigh anything from 150 tonnes – so size doesn’t matter. This makes the clearing process safer, less time-consuming and more cost-effective. Depending on the model, the impact breakers are developed to efficiently break and crush boulders of certain sizes. Obviously it’s a case of the bigger the better. Even so, Fractum’s breaking solutions

are able to fragment hard material such as bauxite, granite and basalt rocks in just a few strokes. The harder the rock, the easier it is for the breakers to do the job. This significantly improves productivity levels at open-pit mines and quarries. Fractum’s free-fall breaking technology enables the efficient, safe, and cost-effective processing of rocks and boulders and, being track-mounted, can be taken directly to where they are needed. This eradicates the need for secondary blasting. Other advantages of the impact breaker are user-friendliness and precise flexibility. However, the most important advantages are:

A Fractum impact breaker in action

• High productivity and capacity: Fractum breakers are characterised by high precision and high frequency, allowing for fast and efficient breakage and processing of materials. • Increased flexibility: Our impact breakers can be taken directly to where they are needed, thus to the material they have to break. You won’t have to invest in secondary equipment. • Cost-effectiveness: Low levels of wear and tear keep maintenance and repair costs to a minimum. Additionally, our breakers are able to do more tasks than traditional solutions on the market. You therefore won’t need to invest in heavy and expensive secondary equipment, saving you time and money. • Safety: Fractum breakers produce considerably less vibration and noise than other machines on the market. This contributes to a better and healthier working environment for the operators. Chisel-operated systems and drop balls often generate fly rock and flying debris (shelling). The energy contained in this is fatal and will kill if it hits someone and can damage other equipment. Fractum breakers work differently and as a result they hardly produce fly rock. Risk assessments show that our breakers have a 15 m safety zone for humans and a zero safety zone for other equipment. • Low wear and tear: Our technology keeps vibration levels and hydraulic effects to a minimum. The result is less wear and tear of the excavator, which translates to lower maintenance and repair costs and extended service life. Some of our clients’ excavators have done over 20 000 hours by using Fractum equipment.

Choosing the right impact breaker solution

TABLE 1 Product scheme

The models

Model 80

Energy level (J) Energy level (ft.lbs)

80 000 (59 000)

100 000 (73 757)

200 000 (147 514)

300 000 (221 271)

Weight (t) Weight (lbs)

5.5 (12 125)

5.9 (13 007)

12.0 (26 455)

13.5 (29 762)

Total strokes per minute

7 - 10

Min. supply pressure (bar) Min. supply pressure (psi)

290 (4 206)

270 (3 916)

300 (4 351)

Hydraulic flow (ℓ/m) Hydraulic flow (gal/m)

200 (52.9)

400 (105.8)

25 (55 116)

45 (99 208)

65 - 70 (143 300 - 154 323)

25 (55 116)

40 (88 185)

50 - 60 (110 213 - 132 277)

Min. carrier-stick mount (t) 23 - 27 Min. carrier-stick mount (lbs) (50 706 - 59 524)

Model 100 Model 200

Model 300

(demands extra counterweight)

Min. carrier-boom mount (t) 20 - 30 Min. carrier-boom mount (lbs) (44 092 - 50 706)

Like everything technical, choosing the right tool for the job is important. Fractum has four breaker models on offer, with energy levels ranging from 80 000 J to 300 000 J depending on the task. Choosing the right breaker is an elaborate process. Fractum specialists will help you, by carefully looking at your wishes, goals, and budget while analysing the nature, location, and conditions of your project. Contact them at thorkild@fractum.com. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 45

MINING INDABA

Critical stator rewind If one talks about slow, precision work demanding absolute accuracy, then the rewind of this stator is a good example.

ith its latest contract at the N’Zilo hydroelectric power station in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Marthinusen & Coutts, a division of Actom, is consolidating its role 1 as an integrated electrical and mechanical services provider for power generation and other industries in Africa. N’Zilo, operated by state electricity utility Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL), required the rewind of a 30 MVA 18-pole vertical AC synchronous stator generator. “This power plant forms a critical component of the power generation network, not only in Katanga province but in the entire DRC, where electricity supply in general 2 is under severe pressure,” divisional CEO Richard Botton says. Located on the Lualaba River, N’Zilo was commissioned in 1958 to provide power to copper mines in the nearby Kolwezi region, but has only been intermittently operational since then due to ageing infrastructure. While Units 2 and 4 were refurbished, Unit 3 recently experienced a stator failure that necessitated urgent repairs. “Power is in short supply in the DRC’s Katanga province, which is of criti3 cal concern to the mining industry in particular,” Botton said.

1 Marthinusen & Coutts armature winders Wynand Willemse (seated) and Sheperd Chigwa (standing) inserting coils in the stator 2 At the beginning of the rewind process, namely coil insertion 3 Pushing coils firmly into slots and inserting temporary wedges that retain the coils in the slot

46 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

“The rehabilitation of Unit 3 at N’Zilo became quite a critical element of the power projects within Katanga province.” Botton adds that while the average life of a stator is 25 to 30 years, those at N’Zilo

had been operational for 40 years. “Generators usually run under arduous conditions, with a high demand placed on the machines, but they cannot run forever. N’Zilo was faced with both ageing and stressed infrastructure that ultimately was unable to cope with the demands being placed on it.” Due to the fact that N’Zilo is 50 km from the nearest town (Kolwezi), in difficult terrain, and that the equipment is extremely big with the stator’s internal diameter being over 5 m, the best solution was for the company to carry out the repairs on-site “as the most logical solution,” according to Botton. “In addition, we have the necessary equipment and skills in place in the DRC in order to carry out such repairs effectively.” The scope of work was further complicated by the fact that it was a lap-wound stator as opposed to Roebel stator bars, requiring a high level of expertise. All this had to be accomplished in a very remote and isolated location. Another factor that had to be taken into account was the testing conditions. Due to the different style and manufacturing discipline of the equipment in question, different testing equipment was required. “We had to purchase state-of-the-art Baker and PJ impulse testers specifically for this job, with the understanding that this equipment would eventually be relocated to our centre of excellence in Cleveland, Johannesburg. Thus while the project entailed some serious decisions for us in terms of capital investment, it extends our overall capability and expertise, especially as we grow our business as an integrated

MINING INDABA

ABOVE Chigwa and Willemse with the completed stator

MARTHINUSEN AND COUTTS - LEADERS IN ELECTRIC MOTOR AND POWER GENERATION REPAIR, MAINTENANCE AND SPECIALISED MANUFACTURE.

Large AC / DC Motors Small AC / DC Motors Traction & Flameproof Motors Transformers Power Generation ON SITE SERVICES

CUSTOMISED ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL DESIGN Coralynne & Associates +27 11 422 1949

electrical and mechanical service provider for both power generation and motors,” says Botton. The project was fasttracked due to the critical nature of the power supply in Katanga. “We commenced with the work in March this year and essentially completed the rewinding within seven weeks, with commissioning taking place in October. We had to ensure a long cureoff time because the overhangs were essentially in a raw state, which meant we had to build special temporary ovens for the curing.” Botton ascribes Marthinusen & Coutts’ success with this project to its diligent planning and resources on the ground in the DRC. “We are well positioned to be able to carry out these types of critical projects, having access to all our resources in Johannesburg as well as our facility in Zambia.” He adds that upfront planning is essential to avoid later contingencies and manage costs. “We like to get everything organised, set a date and then carry out the project, whereupon we are able to mobilise rapidly in order to be able to tackle the next project.”

Marthinusen & Coutts Your Assets. Your Needs. Your Service Partner.

A division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 (0)11 607 170 0

www.mandc.co.za

commercial@mandc.co.za

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MINING INDABA

Productivity, safety and cost reduction

ncreased worker productivA rig that does it all Since the 2008/9 economic ity is a sure-fire way to reSome contractors need a drill that duce costs. And, the safety does it all. Configurable for both didownturn and the doldrums of workers is also a sure-fire amond core and reverse circulation the economy now finds itself in, way to reduce costs, albeit indirect drilling, Boart Longyear’s heavy-ducosts, which, if these occur, could mining companies have increased ty, multipurpose drilling equipment be substantial. has proven itself time and time again their focus on reducing costs and New innovations and technoin the most demanding conditions, creating efficiencies in order to logical developments in drilling all across the globe. At Investing in products and drilling services are African Mining Indaba, Boart Longdrive productivity, and safety. also seen as a way forward, and inyear will be promoting its range of creasingly so, in as much as direct multipurpose rigs. The LX11 is a and indirect costs are concerned. powerful medium‐sized exploration With this in mind, Boart Longyear multipurpose drill capable of both has developed several products to diamond coring and reverse circumeet its clients’ productivity and lation drilling. The LX11 is ideal for safety needs. The company’s drillall drilling contractors who need the ing services and products experts flexibility of a multipurpose machine will be on hand during Investing in their fleets. The LX11 is a drill that in African Mining Indaba to eduprovides increased safety, operationcate clients on a range of new solual flexibility with a low overall cost tions compatible for the African of ownership. mining market. Featured products will include: Innovative head assembly • rod handling solutions safe distance from moving parts, and the The Quick Descent Roller Latch head • Drill Control Interface (DCi) hydraulic hoses. The DCi provides drilling assembly continues to build on the • Quick Descent Roller Latch head assembly contractors a fully electronic interface company’s legacy of innovative drilling • hard-rock tooling to safely and efficiently operate undertechnology and offers precise compatibil• multipurpose rigs. ground drilling equipment, such as the ity with all Genuine Q wireline systems. LM series, via an independent control Benefits include: panel. Th e LM75, LM90 and the LM110 • Roller Latch detention into retracted Hand injuries reduced rigs are compatible with the DCi system. position to eliminate latch drag for inOne of the most common hazards to a When using a pulse width modulation creased tripping driller’s safety on-site is the risk of hand (PWM) rod handler, the DCi can control • redesigned fluid control valve provides injuries from handling drill rods. Boart both the rig and the rod handler via an dry hole valve functionality Longyear’s range of rod handlers, and rod integrated control panel. The DCi is a sub• ultra-reliable Roller Latch technology presenters, significantly reduces a drillstantial step for increasing safety on‐site eliminates low strength, play and jamer’s exposure to this risk by automating by moving the driller away from moving ming associated with traditional ‘swing‐ the rod tripping process. The latest, dediparts and hydraulic hoses. out’ latch mechanisms. cated rod presenting solution, the LF90D, Working hand‐in‐hand, the LM110 Also on hand at Investing in African will be launched during the second quarand the DCi provide a comprehensive Mining Indaba, the company’s profester of 2015. Paired with the LF90D coring underground diamond coring solution sional staff, with experience in the Afridrill rig, the new rod presenter provides with improved safety. The LM110 drill can market, will be available to answer the industry’s best solution for safe and rig is ideal for drilling deep holes and any questions about the company, its semi-automated handling of coring drill is the most powerful Boart Longyear range of drilling service capabilities rod on both short and long holes. The underground diamond coring drill rig and equipment. LF90D rod presenter will be available as a to date. Equipped with a 110 kW powCelebrating its 125th anniversary in production unit or as a retrofit option. It er pack and a 128 kN feed frame, the 2015, Boart Longyear is the world’s leadis extremely versatile and will fit all types LM110 provides high pullback force and ing provider of drilling services, drilling of footprint and drill site set-ups. a fast rod‐handling rate, for increased equipment, and performance tooling for The Drill Control Interface (DCi) enadrilling productivity. mining and drilling companies globally. bles drillers to operate equipment at a IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 49

MINING INDABA

The urgent need to mechanise If the labour unrest of 2014 taught us anything, it was that a striking workforce has the ability to cause tremendous losses for industry and the economy. BY MPINANE SENKHANE

he unpredictable nature of the South African labour force has cemented the opinion that mines need to find ways to mechanise in a bid to avoid potential production losses in the future. As a result, the mining sector is changing and with it comes an urgent need to establish cost-efficient mechanised solutions. By gradually shifting to greater mechanisation in mining, South African mines aim to limit the impact of the crippling strikes and labour unrest that have haunted the industry for many years. While South Africa has the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest gold and platinum reserves, its share of global output has steadily been declining because of high costs, regulatory uncertainty and labour problems.

50 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

South Africa was the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest gold producer until 2007, but its output has declined from 428 tonnes in 2000 to just 167 tonnes in 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the lowest output in more than a century. Keeping in mind the challenges at every stage of the mining process, the reliability of machinery is crucial to the productivity of mechanised mines. As such, reliable drive solutions are essential to this process. From the extraction stage, which is at the very centre of mining activities, there is a need for the provision of durable gear drives. Processing ore from a lode mine, be it a surface or subsurface mine, requires reliable gearboxes and drive systems. Transportation of mining commodities is highly specialised, and flexible

conveyors and industrial drive systems are vital. With state-of-the-art technology so important to mines in achieving production goals, Hansen Transmissions South Africa is able to meet this need given its excellent reputation in supplying large industrial drive technology. The Hansen P4, Hansen I4 (invertible gearbox), Hansen M4ACC (air-cooled condenser), single-stage gear units and rigid flange couplings have aimed to meet drive solutions across Southern African mining and other industries. Hansen offers these solutions by understanding that there is a fine balance between competitiveness and profitability. Regardless of where the mine is, Hansen can assist.

MINING INDABA

With years of experience in a multitude of industries and applications, Johnson Crane Hire has become a specialist in...

Heavy lifting

eavy lifts, by their very nature, are the source of numerous safety risks. The ability to execute a heavy lift in a safe, yet time-sensitive manner is achieved through a combination of procedural excellence, experience, expertise and top-quality resources. The successful execution of a safety-driven heavy lift is determined by careful, systematic planning. “A complete understanding of the nature of the lift, the risks involved, and any limitations, is critical to the success of a heavy lift. The planning process begins with a site inspection followed by a more intensive on-site visit by Johnson Crane

Hire’s technical heavy lift team. This allows the team to verify measurements and dimensions. Once the details are acquired, a CAD rigging study, in 2D or 3D, is undertaken,” Peter Yaman, general manager of Johnson Crane Hire, says. Johnson Crane Hire use LICCON software to simulate the lift. This software is specific to individual cranes and allows Johnson Crane Hire to confirm that they have specified the crane correctly for the lift. It confirms that the capacity is correct and verifies the counterweight needed. In addition, it will simulate the ground pressure that the crane generates in various scenarios.

Careful planning and execution is needed

The next step involves determination of the required load-bearing capacity. This information is relayed to the customer who can then ensure that the site is prepared to accommodate the high loadings generated by cranes. Once the rigging study is completed, a method statement and risk assessment is undertaken, followed by the safety-driven lift execution as per plan.

Coralynne & Associates +27 (011) 849 3142

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 51

We deliver a SMART lift! Tel: +27 11 455 9222 or 0860 CRANES | www.jch.co.za

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MINING INDABA

Rapid change

and bottom-line impact Sixty-seven years ago, Alexander Proudfoot started his business based on two principles, which still carry the business today.

environment. We believe mining is as much about people as commodities, so we strive to enhance workforces and cement operating cultures that embody continuous improvement. “Our results speak for themselves. An average of between 20% and 40% improvement in equipment productivity, 22% in plant throughput and up to 38% in yield. The operational changes we’ve implemented have reduced production costs by up to 40% and equipment downtime and capex requirements by up to 25% – without additional infrastructure, plant or employee cost. “Our engagements in Africa have met with similar success. By working directly

To meet today’s challenges, mining companies need to change quickly in line with the market

he first principle is that his company would sell a unique, proprietary product that would produce tangible results with benefits far exceeding cost. The second is that he would only accept assignments where he and the client partnered to install the programme and implement change. Today, the company continues to uphold the principles of its founder. “We don’t subscribe to the way other consultants operate – we don’t believe in simply telling our clients what to do. Instead, we partner with them to ensure accountability for the delivery of positive and sustainable change. “We work on the ground, where most of a company’s people and assets are deployed, addressing dependencies and the root causes of problems by changing behaviours, not just processes. Our solutions are focused on creating behaviour change – a fundamental shift in how operations are managed – through improving communications, creating understanding and aligning attitudes and efforts across the organisation.

“Our methodology has been proven across more than 17 000 projects in 35 countries. Execution-driven and tailored to meet the precise requirements of each client, our approach delivers measurable results without the need for further investment. “With our help, many of the world’s leading companies have accomplished in a few months what would have taken them years to achieve alone. “We have over 200 mining and mineral engagements globally, 70 of which are in Africa. Together, these engagements represent between 50% and 70% of our revenue at any one time, indicating not only our vested interest in the success of mining, but the trust placed in our skills and experience by the industry at large. “We have experience across all mine types as well as mining-specific business and operational challenges. Our people have unrivalled experience, the cultural understanding to achieve results at any location and the language capability to operate effectively in any local

with managers and supervisors to improve how operations are managed, we’ve reassured investors after throughput warnings at a gold mine, ultimately delivering a 22% throughput increase in eight months. We’ve increased the productivity of a client’s mine and rail transport operations in Gabon by 28%. We’ve resolved cultural issues at a leading diamond mining company to more effectively utilise resources and streamline work efforts, while at another diamond mine our holistic approach translated into $126 million in recurring annualised benefits in just 18 months. These benefits have been achieved alongside positive impacts on safety and accident frequencies.” The mining sector has always been competitive, and mining in Africa is no exception. To meet today’s challenges, mining companies need to change quickly in line with the market. Alexander Proudfoot’s expertise in driving rapid and effective execution of corporate strategy has allowed mining companies to exploit growth opportunities for over 60 years. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 53

MINING INDABA

Local manufacturer’s

export success Johannesburg-based manufacturer and OEM supplier Osborn Engineered Products SA has secured its first export order to Malaysia, for crushers and feeders to be deployed at a new ferroalloys smelter in the east Malaysian state of Sarawak.

his substantial order comprises two jaw crushers, an Osborn 914 mm x 584 mm Double Toggle Jaw Crusher and 1 219 mm x 304 mm Single Toggle Jaw Crusher, 66 Osborn Obex 650 mm x 1 300 mm vibrating pan feeders and 22 Osborn IFE 650 mm x 950 mm electromagnetic feeders. “Osborn’s reputation as a leading supplier of high-quality equipment, as well as its competitive pricing, contributed to the company winning this order on open tender,” area manager Douglas Mouton says. “In addition, Osborn was able to offer the client a package deal that included the electromagnetic feeders. These are being supplied by our principal in Austria, IFE Aufbereitungstechnik,” he adds. The jaw crusher and pan feeders are being manufactured at Osborn’s Elandsfontein facility and shipped to Malaysia’s Bintulu Port. Mouton explained that the Osborn equipment is ideally suited to the ferro-alloys industry. “The robust Osborn jaw crushers being supplied are standard units, while the Osborn pan feeders have been customised for the dusty operating environment. The modifications include special dust enclosures, thicker liners and a redesigned drive arrangement to suit the installation,” he expands. “This is a significant order to a new territory, and we are excited about future prospects for Osborn in Malaysia,” Mouton concludes. It doesn’t stop there; Osborn’s locally designed and built modular plant is to be shipped to Siberia. An R11 million export order for a full modular plant for

the Al Rosa iron ore facility in Russia was secured recently. Marketing director Martin Botha reveals that this order was secured by the firm’s Russian dealer, North West Leasing. The full modular plant ordered offers primary and secondary crushing and screening capabilities. It features an Osborn 3042 Jaw Crusher, 6 x 20 triple deck screen and an Osborn 44H Gyrasphere Cone Crusher. In addition to this, Osborn will supply a 5 x 14 screen to be employed at the Al Rosa plant, which is situated close to Vilyuyst in Russia’s Siberia region. The machines will be shipped from South Africa to the Siberian port of Magadan. Osborn’s robust equipment is ideally suited for the harsh operating environment in Siberia, where temperatures drop to -40˚C, Botha states. He says that this order is particularly significant as it is expected to drive further business for Osborn in Siberia as well as in neighbouring Mongolia. With an abundance of minerals and one of the world’s fastest growing economies, Mongolia has become a hotspot for

global mining firms, and has been dubbed the ‘Saudi Arabia of Central Asia’. Botha elaborates on the advantages: “Our modular plants are easy to build and are mounted on skids, so they are easier to set up. They are also easy to transport and re-erect on a new site. These plants are designed to fit into containers when they are dismantled, which makes transportation easier and cheaper. For customers seeking equipment that is easier to transport, Osborn modular plants offer an affordable solution that fits this bill. They are ideal for plant expansion,” he adds. “All that a customer needs to do is put down a concrete slab, unpack their new modular plant and their expansion is done. They immediately have the desired duty and capacity.” No doubt there will be more to come from Osborn. We will watch this space. ABOVE Osborn’s modular plant destined for Malaysia BELOW Osborn Obex vibrating pan feeders for Malaysia

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 55

MINING INDABA

Too big, too small or Oversized conveyor system drives will hardly ever cause technical problems, if at all. It will just be a waste of money. But, undersized conveyor system drives will always be problematic.

induction motors (WRIM) with an SRC on larger drives in some instances) • general motor safety factor. Although these additional resistances and de-rating factors are relatively small when considered individually, collectively, the Conveyor resistances: combined result is substantial and cannot • running resistances calculated to a recbe ignored. Careful considerations during ognised standard and using the recomthe design phase of the conveyor, commended friction coefficients bined with a good maintenance regime • inertial resistances during acceleration rdbel is ideally positioned to over the conveyor’s life, will help ensure • break-away resistances due to static design and implement largethe demand power of the conveyor is kept friction scale materials handling systo a minimum, eliminating sources of un• resistances due to full chutes tems for the bulk materials necessary energy losses. • appropriate allowance for surge. industry, from receipt of material from a This applies to: mining operation through to a final prod• run of mine (ROM): material handling De-rating factors: uct load onto a railway wagon or ship. The systems from the ROM tip feed bin to • gearbox efficiency company’s specialised capabilities include the plant feed conveyor head chute, spe• fluid coupling efficiency all conveying systems, pre-beneficiation cifically including a tip, crushing circuit, • electrical line losses (motor control plant stockpiling and reclamation sysstockyard and the ROM feed conveyor to to motor) tems, post-beneficiation plant discard and the beneficiation plant • load-sharing tolerance in the control product stockpiling, reclamation and load • final product: material handling system system out systems. downstream from the beneficiated prod• de-rating factors associated with the Mechanical engineer Luke Meakin, in uct discharge conveyor including storage drive control characteristics (these the Australian Bulk Handling Review, and product loading onto train or truck may be mitigated by using wound rotor says that undersizing a conveyor drive • port infrastructure: all assocican be avoided by analysing and ated material handling systems accounting for all conveyor resistonce the ore reaches a port inances and drive de-rating factors. Undersizing a conveyor cluding tipplers Incorrect analysis or application drive can be avoided by • waste handling: all waste and can result in either a failure to start or failure to run at the specanalysing and accounting for material handling systems downstream of the process ified throughput, especially if the all conveyor resistances and plant waste discharge conveyor motor size selected is very close to including the dump conveyor the calculated theoretical conveydrive de-rating factors and spreader. or demand power.

56 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

By taking the following resistances and de-rating factors into account, a designer can confidently predict correct drive motor sizing:

MINING INDABA

Pumping high-density mixtures BY AJC PATERSON, PATERSON & COOKE

t has taken many years for high-density mixtures (solids and liquids) pumping to reach the current level of development in the mining industry, and yet, in spite of this, there is still a slow acceptance in the mining industry for using high-density paste and thickened tailings for surface disposal. Many mistakes were made when designing overland pipelines to operate in laminar flow, most notably the Belovo-Novosibirsk Stab-flo coal pipeline, and the reasons for these failures are well documented. The success of pumping high-concentration paste backfills underground led many to believe that the same technology would easily be adaptable to surface disposal. However, the reasons for the success of paste backfill turned out to be the hurdles for surface pumping of the same material. Pumping viscous materials in small

diameters when energy and power is not a concern, as in a backfill operation, turned out to be very different when attempting to pump the same material in larger diameter pipelines at high pressures. Several pioneering projects proved that pumping high-density material for surface disposal can be done reliably, provided certain criteria are met to prevent laminar flow settling. Such projects paved the way for some of the large tonnage systems

The success of pumping high-concentration paste backfills underground led many to believe that the same technology would easily be adaptable to surface disposal

being planned, such as Esperanza and Chinalco mines, which will be the new proving grounds for high-volume pumping of viscous materials. As the demand to pump viscous materials increases, so the flow capacity of high-pressure positive displacement pumps has increased in tandem with the leading suppliers now capable of providing pumps with several megawatts of power each. This means fewer pumps are needed, enabling the further adoption of the technology. The issues associated with laminar flow settling are now better understood and by proper measurement of the flow properties in rotational viscometer and slurry pipe lest loops, it is possible to better estimate the required pipeline pressure gradients. Understanding such issues means that adequate system controls and procedures can be implemented to ensure successful pumping of thickened and paste tailings in long overland pipelines. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 57

WHEn SIZE

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MINING INDABA

Mine management and reporting Australian software company Micromine has announced the release of its Pitram2015 software – the latest version of the company’s mine management and reporting solution – which boasts new and enhanced features.

he singular purpose of the new and enhanced features is to provide further assistance to surface and underground mine operations, specifically to assist in cost reduction, increase productivity and improve safety. With a solid track record, Pitram2015 is an essential and proven system for mine

Micromine Africa regional manager Marc Ramsay

managers and process improvements on mine sites. This functional software application can be used to record, manage and process mine site data related to equipment, personnel, locations and materials, providing a comprehensive view of a mine’s activity and enabling fast and informed decision-making. Purpose-designed flexibility enables the software to be configured to the exact needs of any operation at any stage of the mining process. A variety of data capture and integration methods allow the solution to operate with or without a central control room. Commenting on the Pitram2015 release, Michael Layng, operations manager at Micromine, said: “Everyone at the company is incredibly proud of Pitram2015. We are confident that this version will be well received by the market. So far the feedback has been very positive. “In addition to the company’s ongoing R&D programme, the product and development teams worked closely alongside our clients to specify and implement the new and enhanced features available in the new version.

PITRAM2015 WAS DESIGNED TO: • reduce mining costs and increase mine production • achieve high face utilisation • improve mine safety • optimise mine development • comply with mining plans and performance targets • increase control over the mining operations.

“Due to the highly collaborative nature of this release, we know that Pitram2015 is effective and delivers many benefits within the mine environment. We’re also confident that this latest version continues Micromine’s tradition of producing software solutions that help users increase productivity and improve cost efficiency.”

New and enhanced features include: • new material movement and grade management capabilities • new drill and blast functionality • enhanced surface fleet management capabilities • enhanced 3D visualisation and tagging • integration with more third-party mining solutions.

58 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY BY 10% MANAGE YOUR MINE WITH PITRAM To manage your mine’s production costs and drive productivity, you need to know how your assets are performing. MICROMINE’s mine control and management reporting solution, Pitram, measures and reports on the performance of equipment, personnel, locations and materials. (YLHZ VM JVUZ[YHPU[ JHU IL PKLU[PÄLK HUK PTWYV]LTLU[ WSHUZ MVYT\SH[LK [V TVYL LќLJ[P]LS` THUHNL YLZV\YJLZ YLK\JL JVZ[Z HUK KYP]L `V\Y VWLYH[PVU»Z WYVK\J[P]P[` Manage your mine with Pitram.

www.micromine.com

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E: mmafrica@micromine.com

Australia • Brazil • Canada • Chile • China • Indonesia • Kazakhstan • Mongolia • Russia • South Africa • Sweden • Turkey • Ukraine • United Kingdom • USA

MINING INDABA

Slope or high wall failure In open-pit mining operations, people and equipment are constantly at the base of a steep, man-made slope (high wall or pit wall). Instances where the slope fails result in a rock or earth fall that can result in loss of life, injury and damage to or destruction of equipment.

t has been found that, over the last few hours preceding a slope failure, there is nearly always a small movement, or alteration in the movement pattern in the rock face of that section. Despite this knowledge, high wall failures in open-pit mines continue to occur, even with much-improved geotechnical logging and damage prevention blasting techniques. This results in a number of negative impacts for the mine, such as: • financial impacts on production • damage to equipment • injury or loss of lives • industrial action • impact on the environment • stakeholder resistance. The Model Maker System is intended to monitor mine slopes to detect this movement and generate a warning of impending slope stability failure, so that personnel and equipment may be removed prior to the failure. Stability is determined by the balance of shear stress and shear strength. A previously stable slope may be initially affected by preparatory factors, making the slope conditionally unstable. Triggering factors of a slope failure can be climatic events can then make a slope actively unstable, leading to mass movements. Mass movements can be caused by an increase in shear stress, such as loading, lateral pressure and transient forces. The radar element provides very accurate, real-time, all-weather slope movement measurements with sub-millimetre detection ability, and is able to provide an alarm if the detected movement reaches a predetermined level, thereby permitting

evacuation of the unstable area, and enhancing safety. All radar measurements are fully geo-referenced to an accuracy that allows easy integration with standard digital terrain mapping (DTM) tools. A second function of the movement and surveying radar is to determine the absolute range to the electromagnetic reflective centroid of an area on a body of material or geographical feature. This functionality, combined with the accurately surveyed position of the measurement origin of the movement and surveying radar and the positioning system’s angular measurement information, may be used to generate survey data of geographical features such as mine walls and rubble dumps. The survey data collected may be used for applications such as the calculation of material removal volumes.

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A movement and surveying radar combines simultaneously the execution of slope stability and surveying measurements, which, together with high-speed external data links, makes it a near real-time tool for mining safety, planning and productivity improvement.

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the hassles of blasting or hammering, Vermeer and our global dealer network will be right beside you. We know the conditions you face are demanding â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we make sure our equipment is up to the task. The Vermeer Terrain LevelerÂŽ surface excavation machine helps you get more value from the mine, while reducing the need for costly support equipment. So when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough going out there, look to Vermeer â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the trusted name for proven equipment and reliable support.

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Vermeer, the Vermeer logo and Equipped to Do More. are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. ÂŠ 2014 Vermeer Corporation and Equipment Suppliers (Pty) Ltd. Southern Africa. All Rights Reserved.

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MINING INDABA

Surface mining Privately owned Australian contractor UEA Mining & Civils, currently the largest operator of surface mining equipment in Australia, uses the Vermeer T1255 Surface Miner. We look at the company's experience.

hile the bulk of its work with Vermeer’s T1255 and T1655 surface miners has been in iron ore in Western Australia, UEA also has experience in bauxite and diamond mines, and it is also undertaking civil work at a bauxite deposit south of Perth. UEA also endorses applications in coal, uranium, copper and limestone, and is today an excellent source of information for increasing the understanding of surface mining and its applications. One of the applications supported is in providing a cost-effective means of getting a mine up and running quickly to generate early cash flow. It is no surprise to learn that the bulk of UEA’s discussions and studies have taken place with junior miners. However, UEA also sees application for established mines in ramping production up above the capacity of the primary crusher, and/or mining satellite deposits. Haul road maintenance and preparing flat pads for drilling or installation of fixed plant are other applications. While some may see surface mining as a stepping stone to having a conventional fleet and infrastructure in place, others may see surface mining as an economic long-term solution with lower capital demands and more flexibility of operation. UEA has been a pioneer in taking surface mining underground to develop deeper roadways on grade without the need for drill and blast, thus allowing existing infrastructure to remain in place. A surface miner can be a more productive and economical alternative to a road profiler in providing a level platform for building a tunnel roadway.

understanding of where they can be used economically, and what production and operating costs can be expected based on past performance. UEA pays great attention to maintaining detailed records of surface miner operation so that it can continue to refine predictability for future operations. This same data is also used to schedule maintenance and major rebuilds to maximise uptime and machine life. With experience of Vermeer’s T1255 and T1655 surface miners in the fleet, UEA Mining & Civils CEO Dominic Hallam is in a good position to compare the two. He sees both being used for selective mining of thin seams of ore, to minimise dilution, but also being very effective for removing bulk volumes where drill and blast is a risk, due to environmental or infrastructure constraints. It really comes down to the size of job: the T1255 works well in civil and small mining applications, but for large mining applications, the T1655 is the way to go. UEA also has experience of surface miners that integrate the mining and

loading, and again Hallam sees it as a matter of horses for courses. A study of the material being mined and the mine plan will often suggest that one style of machine will be more effective than the other, and Hallam cautions that if the machine is not properly matched to the application, productivity will suffer. While his experience is that the mining community is largely aware of surface mining technology and the benefits of using it, Hallam finds that uptake is limited by the lack of knowledge of how to integrate surface miners into an existing mine site, or to develop a mine plan to properly manage their use on a greenfield site. At present, he sees a shortage of people who understand how to implement and manage surface mining. Hallam concludes: “At least do the numbers on it. It won’t suit all mine sites, but if your ore body is thin, complex, environmentally sensitive to drill and blast, requires low capital start up or you’re looking at expansion beyond crusher capacities for bypass product, then it’s worth looking at.”

The benefit of experience With over 100 000 hours of operation with surface miners in a variety of ground conditions, UEA has built a good IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 61

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FROM TOP: NuWater’s ‘Modular & Mobile’ plant design for wastewater treatment and desalination. Aerial view of 20 MLD mine wastewater reclamation plant at Anglo American’s New Vaal Coliery. One of two NuWater rapidly deployable modular plants at Gold Fields, Ghana.

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+27 21 531 0641

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MINING INDABA

Concern for the environment Water management is central to Anglo American’s environmental management objectives, and crucial to the quality of the Vaal River’s water.

he New Vaal Colliery, owned and operated by Anglo American Thermal Coal, a division of Anglo American, is situated immediately south of Vereeniging on the Free State bank of the Vaal River in South Africa. The mine was established in 1983 to supply coal to the 3 600 MW Eskom Lethabo power station. New Vaal is an open-pit strip mine producing fifteen million tonnes of thermal coal per year, all of which goes to the power station to satisfy its fuel demands. The mine is unique in that it is located close to major municipalities and near the Vaal River, a vital source of water for industry and agriculture, and supporting around twelve million consumers in and around Gauteng – the economic heartland of South Africa. The mine’s proximity to the Vaal River and its critical importance in power generation means that great attention is paid to environmental rehabilitation and control. Mine wastewater results from production processes and rainwater runoff (mine drainage). This wastewater is stored in a reservoir, which previously has relied on its large size and evaporation to avoid the need for wastewater treatment and reclamation. In 2010, I 2 010, it became 01 beecame clear, clear ar,, however, ar h we ho w ver, that this approach th hiss app p roach was

not sustainable and, in mid-2010, the mine invited tenders for a 15 MLD (million litres per day) wastewater treatment plant to be provided on a build, own and operate basis, with the mine paying a fixed total price for each cubic metre of water cleaned. Given NuWater’s demonstrable experience in delivering large-scale wastewater reclamation plants, their novel modular and mobile plant design, and their highly competitive pricing, NuWater was selected as the preferred bidder for this multi-year contract. The high-quality product water is now pumped to the power station to supplement cooling water requirements. This reuse of wastewater further enhances the environmental sustainability of the area and reflects the mine’s commitment to its environmental responsibilities. The NuWater plant is capable of producing up to 20 million litres of high-quality water per day and capacity can be increased further by simply adding modules (housed in trailer-mounted containers) and without impacting on current production. In fact, product water output has already been increased since initial commissioning with the addition of UF and RO modules, with minimal impact on existing output. BELOW NuWater’s plants consist of coupled trailer-mounted modules, making them easily scalable and able to meet almost any water cleaning requirement

MOVING REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO) FORWARD NuWater’s patented technology incorporates a 40 mm spiral-wound membrane, an integrated flow distributor, an electromagnetic field device, and an innovative, unique membrane element design. This combination of technologies allows NuWater plants to operate at sustainable flux rates 50% to 150% higher than conventional 20 mm RO systems. It also results in our plant footprints being up to 60% smaller than conventional RO plants, affording them to be modular and mobile for easy deployment. Plant capital costs are lower due to fewer fittings and there is significantly less piping than in conventional 20 mm plants, and operational costs are also reduced as fewer membrane elements mean less scaling and fouling. The result is competitive water cleaning prices, faster deployment, and greater plant flexibility for our customers.

This flexibility and responsiveness provides the mine with peace of mind that its water cleaning requirements are covered both now and in the future. NuWater is consolidating its position as a leading provider of water cleaning services to the mining industry with the addition of brine concentrator and zero liquid discharge modules.

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Tega offers value added consultancy services and solutions

in Mineral BeneďŹ ciation, Bulk Solids handling, Wear and Abrasion customised to suit speciďŹ c applications. With focus on core engineering applications in the Mining and Mineral Processing Industry, Steel plants, Power, Port and Cement Industries.

Tega Industries (South Africa) Pty Ltd P.O Box 17260, Benoni West, 1503, South Africa, Phone: (011) 421 - 9916/ 7, 421 - 6714, 421 - 6761, Fax: (011) 845 1472, Email: info@tegaindustries.co.za, www.tegaindustries.com

TOTAL : Solution

MINING INDABA

Specifying the right mill liner

Selection of the most suitable mill liner to suit different applications can be a tricky business, particularly when evaluating new materials against old ‘tried and tested’ liners that have been used on certain operations for decades.

ost commonly, engineers may be tempted to stick to what they know and use liners that have been used before as they have a track record whereby lifespan and performance can be measured. Yet, according to marketing and business development manager Vishal Gautam of Tega Industries, new liners are continuously being developed using ever-stronger and more efficient materials that can outperform and outlast older-generation liners. In certain instances, combinations of different liners may provide additional benefits as the best materials can be selected for each section of the milling process to combat wear, absorb impacts and increase flow rates.

Team of specialists “With such a wide range available nowadays it is best to have a specialist mill lining company come and assess the requirements and design a mill lining that is best suited to the operation’s requirements. In

these circumstances, it is usually better to consult with a supplier that is able to provide different types of liners rather than a single type, as these may feel the need to adapt the process to suit their product rather than provide the right solution for the application. Once Tega has the operating parameters of a mill, depending on requirement relating to throughput or sizing of materials, and type of material, then the design office springs into action,” says Vishal.

operations where similar criteria were required. This global experience means that the company can call on parameters from more than 500 Tega-lined mills around the world to compare and calculate requirements that will work best with the existing infrastructure. Many other factors also need to be taken into consideration, such as movement lengthwise through the mill, as well as greater or lesser retention time. Also, rotation needs to see that the balls are landing in the right place in the mill – height to angle, ball size, speed and charge volume play a role and need to be factored in. “If done correctly, the calculation will result in the required throughput or it will highlight any shortcomings, which can then be addressed separately,” says Vishal. “At this point, our team works closely with the client to ensure all the requirements are met and we use technical expertise to guide and assist clients in making the right decision for the best liner that fits their requirements and budget. “Our locally manufactured liners are made to international standards and are carefully installed to ensure trouble-free operation. To ensure it continues to work flawlessly, our after-sales-service team will continue to be actively involved with the client to ensure the maximum service life is achieved and that the process continues to operate as designed. “Our technical support includes monthly wear reports, highlighting high-wear areas and providing plans for maintenance and shutdown in future. They also work continuously to develop and improve the mill performance throughout the duration of their involvement,” says Vishal.

Better all-round performance Drawing from experience

He concludes that the importance of partnering with a technically adept and service-oriented company is of paramount importance to ensure that the mill runs efficiently and reliably for years to come. With New liners are continuously being the right type of liner in place, it is even possible developed using ever-stronger to dramatically increase and more efficient materials that throughputs while signifcan outperform and outlast older- icantly increasing times between maintenance generation liners and repairs. He explains that based on past experience worldwide, as well as experience gained in the field in Africa, Tega looks at similar

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 65

Optimal lifecycle solutions for installed equipment

Our comprehensive client support services provide total product lifecycle support to optimise equipment availability and performance and extend equipment life ■ Services tailored to needs of mining, bulk materials handling, environmental control and minerals beneficiation and processing sectors. ■ Regional offices close to our clients provide round-the-clock back up for onsite technical support, repairs, breakdowns and spares. ■ Equipment refurbished to original or upgraded capability at fraction of new unit cost. ■ Full suite of start-up and operational spares from a single source. ■ Maintenance and monitoring programmes ensure equipment continues operating optimally. 58 Emerald Parkway Road, Greenstone Hill Ext 21 Johannesburg 1609, South Africa P +27 11 201 2300

Regional offices Mpumalanga, South Africa P +27 13 246 8360 Northern Cape, South Africa +27 53 723 3044 Gaborone, Botswana P +27 3167 873 spares.TMM@tenova.com www.tenova.com TENOVA is a worldwide supplier of advanced technologies, products and engineering services for the metals and mining & minerals industries

MINING INDABA

Superbelt Dependable handling of bulk materials is a key factor to ensure the highest productivity in many industries.

t is hard for conventional conveyors to withstand high temperatures, heavy loads and abrasiveness or sharp edges of several bulk materials. Conventional conveyors often cause production losses, due to unforeseen failures, require excessive maintenance and are noisy and dusty like, for instance, chain conveyors or pan conveyors. Tenova TAKRAF Africa is the open-pit mining and materials handling specialist of the total technology solutions provider, Tenova Mining & Minerals. The company’s leading range of specialised handling equipment has been enhanced with the addition of the unique Magaldi Superbelt technology from Magaldi of Italy, a global supplier of industrial systems and plant for bulk material handling at high temperatures. During the last 40 years, hundreds of successful installations worldwide have confirmed that the Magaldi Superbelt conveyor (in its different configurations) is the dependable and eco-friendly solution for those problems.

The Magaldi Group supplies to different industrial fields a wide range of equipment based on the Magaldi Superbelt technology. All applications of the Magaldi Superbelt distinguish themselves from competing technologies by: • unchallenged dependability • high-temperature operating ability • impact resistance • low wear, long life • low operational and maintenance costs • safe and clean working environment • cost-effective retrofitting. The Magaldi Superbelt is made up of a steel mesh belt, which carries partially overlapping steel pans that form a virtually sealed belt conveyor. The patented method of connecting the pans to the belt leaves all elements free to thermally expand in any direction, without permanent deformation. As a result, the Magaldi Superbelt withstands temperatures higher than any other known competitive conveyor. The Magaldi Superbelt is the ideal conveying system for processes regarding cement clinker, lime, magnesium oxide, lead, zinc and manganese sinter, foundry sand, pellets, chips and many other bulk materials. This technology also offers numerous environmental advantages, including low noise levels and power usage, enclosed conveying to prevent dust emissions and spillage, as well as conveying up to a 35 degree inclination. The technology has a long life as there is no relative movement

ABOVE Magaldi Superbelt HD conveyor, for the heaviest applications, such as steel scraps transportation LEFT Magaldi Ecobelt, a dust-proof steel conveyor ideal for handling hot materials and aggressive chemicals, ensuring safe and environmentally friendly operations as a result of the completely enclosed steel casing

between the belt and handled material. The Magaldi Superbelt N-type conveyor is used for horizontal or inclined (up to 28 degrees) transportation of bulk materials. It is generally used in place of rubber belt conveyors, drag chain conveyors and vibrating conveyors. The Magaldi Superbelt E-type conveyor is provided with cross cleats for conveying bulk materials up to a 55 degree inclination. It is used in place of corrugated side wall rubber belt conveyors, bucket elevators and deep pan conveyors. The strong synergies between the Magaldi and Tenova TAKRAF Africa technologies offer both companies exciting new market opportunities. As the Magaldi Superbelt can withstand higher temperatures than any other technologies available, it is an ideal fit with Tenova TAKRAF Africa’s existing equipment range, enabling it to expand into hot bulk materials handling. For Magaldi, Tenova TAKRAF Africa offers access to the market in South Africa, through its well-entrenched reputation as a leader in the supply of niche technologies for specialised handling. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 67

MINING INDABA

In-pit crushing and With rising operating costs and declining commodity prices, most mines have been forced to look at various alternatives to cut costs in order to stay competitive.

aulage costs have been one area where costs have risen significantly with the increase of diesel prices, although we are experiencing a brief respite with the current low oil prices. One alternative to reduce haulage costs is to shorten the truck haul distance by bringing the truck dump point into the pit. By using an inpit movable crusher or crushers, and conveying the ore and/or waste out of the pit, haulage costs can be reduced. The first step when evaluating the potential installation of movable conveyors and crushers is to establish the geometric requirements of the installation being considered. Establishing how big, how long, how high and how wide will take at least a half a day to work out with a materials handling engineer, providing he has been briefed on the anticipated hourly tonnage rate and expected belt profiles. The mine planner with little background in conveyors will be surprised just how much room the crushers, conveyors and transfers occupy. Access to the belts and transfers must be assured for maintenance as well as for removal of the drive stations when the system is moved. Often a series of low tension belts will be used with minimal lift to deliver material from the in-pit crushers to high-tension slope belts for the lift out of the pit. The limitations of both types of installations must be well understood. Movable crushers and feeder installations are offered by a wide

range of manufacturers and engineering houses. Each has their strengths and weaknesses from a materials handling standpoint. The mine planning engineer must understand the geometry of the system and consider the flexibility of the installations for modification. Some installations require that the feeder be placed within the bench above the crusher; the crusher product is delivered to the conveyor one bench below the dumping elevation. Other crusher feeder systems are flexible in the feeding geometry such that the dumping elevation and the conveyor elevation can be the same, or separated by a bench. In either system, it is critical to know the range of horizontal angles that the feeder can deliver to the crusher and the range of angles that the conveyor can receive material from the crusher. Rotations as small as 10 to 30 degrees can often greatly simplify installation geometries and the material movement required for installation. The truck manoeuvring area at the dump pocket will depend on the dumping geometry of the specific feeder, the truck size, and manufacturer. For haul trucks up to 170 tonnes, an area of 75Â m x 75Â m must generally be maintained for turn, spot andÂ dump. One final item

should be settled with the materials handling specialist before starting to plan. The operating schedule of crushers and belts and the peak or surge capacity versus average capacity will be of necessity to him when detailing the system. Materials handling equipment by nature is most efficient with a constant material movement rate. Consequently, design specifications are generally given in tonnes/ hour. Mining equipment capacity is generally discussed in tonnes/day or tonnes/ shift. For example, substantial variations in shovel tonnage may occur on an hourly basis, yet the end of shift average can be very consistent from shift to shift. These fluctuations do occur with a mill site crusher. However, there is generally a course ore stockpile immediately downstream to smooth fluctuations in crusher output. The short exit belt from a permanent crusher can be designed to handle the surges from the crusher without much additional capital expense. Movable in-pit crushing systems generally deliver directly to a complete belt system and surges in crusher feed are transferred directly as surges in the entire conveyor system. A trade-off of design capacity in the conveyor system must be worked out between the miner and the materials handling engineer. As a starter, the mining engineer should estimate how many pieces of loading equipment will deliver to a given crusher followed by a calculation of maximum hourly production as if the shovels

A ThyssenKrupp mobile crusher in action in a coal mine

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MINING INDABA

conveying

A FEW POINTS OF EMPHASIS when setting out to evaluate in-pit crushing and conveying with movable or even stationary equipment: • Thoroughly understand the working geometry of the equipment to be utilised or evaluated. Work closely with your materials handling specialist. • Be sure to establish the operating schedule and the surge capacity of the materials handling system. • Try to incorporate the crush-convey equipment into the mine geometries with minimal custom earthwork. • Use time-sequenced mine plans in sufficient detail to quantify material movement and materials handling equipment moves. • Verify the proper interaction of all mining and materials handling equipment over the mine life. Assure proper access and operating room. • Be prepared for the additional stripping requirements to establish the system and consider all alternatives to maintain consistent material flow.

material movement is required to establish beltways and crusher pads. When evaluating or planning for a potential new system of this type, a series of phase or pushback drawings, which include beltways and crusher pads, are generally the first step. These drawings should include truck access to every bench, ample mining room, and the geometrically correct beltways, transfer stations, crusher pads and transfer access roads. The installation of the in-pit, crush-convey system can have a dramatic impact on the pit geometry, operating strip ration and mine access. The trade-off between lower operating costs versus the increased strip ratio, more complex mining geometries, less flexibility in mining, and the initial installation capital costs, must be evaluated. This requires detailed planning of conveyor

are truck-covered. It may not be cost-effective to build the conveyor system to handle the extreme peak, but knowing the fluctuations in mine throughput will help in setting the required operating range of the materials handling system. As a general rule, it is wise to plan on establishing conveyor beltways and crusher installations as part of the normal course of mining instead of requiring custom excavation or placement of material to establish conveyor routes and crusher stations. This is dictated by simple economics that a specific earth-moving construction project is a costly capital item and an additional expense outside of mining. The ideal situation is to establish the necessary access geometries (haul roads, crusher sites, beltways etc.) while mining at the planned rate. Other than grading, no additional

routes, crusher locations and the number of crusher moves, and ore availability. Acknowledgement: In-pit crushing and conveying mine planning and operations, Independent Mining Consultants, 1 June 1985 IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 69

6th ANNUAL

WOMEN IN MINING

-Moving From The IntegraƟon To The Development Of Women In Mining Date: 18, 19 & 20 February 2015

Venue: Gallagher Estate, Midrand

CONFIRMED SPEAKER ORGANISATIONS INCLUDE: • • • •

PLATREEF RESOURCES STATE DIAMOND TRADER ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI WOMEN IN MINING SOUTH AFRICA

• • •

LONMIN PLATINUM DE BEERS SIGHTHOLDER SALES SOUTH AFRICA (DBSSSA) SIBANYE GOLD

• • •

VILLAGE MAIN REEF MINE OPTIMUM COMPLEX PETRA DIAMONDS

THREE PRACTICAL WORKSHOPS FOR WOMEN IN MINING: HIGHLIGHTING TH EXPECTATIONS FOR EACH MINE IN TERMS OF THE HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT Facilitated by: HOGAN LOVELLS

ADDRESSING AMENDMENTS TO THE MINING CHARTER AND ITS PROVISIONS FOR WOMEN Facilitated by: HOGAN LOVELLS

WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM WOMEN IN MINING? Facilitated by: LONMIN PLATINUM

KEY STRATEGIES TO BE DISCUSSED: • •

women into

take? Undergoing women in mining at the top

– what does it to accommodate

• • •

WIMSA 2014 South African Survey in the of young women who are passionate about the mining industry Building your career within the mining sector

For more information contact Therisha on 011 326 2501 or email bookings@intelligencetransferc.co.za or visit www.sawomenmining.co.za

Feedback & Recommendations Will Be Forwarded To Key Authorities After The Conference

MINING INDABA

Weba Chutes to New Orleans

ne of the largest dry bulk terminals in the United States is found on the grand old Mississippi River south of New Orleans in Davant, Louisiana. The United Bulk Terminal recently put out a multimillion dollar tender to upgrade its dry bulk terminal, which – for the second time – South African company Weba Chute

Systems has successfully secured. Their first success was back in 2002. As Mark Baller, Weba Chute Systems managing director, recalls, “It was a successful installation and the client was very happy. In fact they are carrying out maintenance on it for the first time during the December shutdown this year, meaning that it has been operating maintenance-free for 12 years. On the back of this they are upgrading the terminal. We were obviously well positioned; we did compete against other players in the American market, but were successful in winning the tender. This is the first phase of the upgrade project, which will be followed by additional phases for which we envisage getting other work.” UBT is located on 460 hectares and is the first dry bulk terminal inbound on the Gulf, offering customers significant cost and time benefits by avoiding the logistical The Weba Transfer Chute System

challenges of navigating ocean-going vessels through the congested New Orleans area. It specialises in the handling of coal and petroleum coke and offers a full suite of ground-based service capabilities. Export product arrives via inland barge and is either transferred directly to an ocean vessel or put to storage on a soil cement pad. The ability to offload and store dry bulk commodities gives the flexibility to manage market timing and product blending requirements. Having significant ground storage availability allows vessels to be unloaded and reloaded quickly, minimising port time and maximising vessel turns. The current upgrade project focuses on environmental compliance and improved efficiency in handling multiple products. There are seven Weba Transfer Chute Systems involved in the project that are being designed and fabricated in South Africa, whereupon they will be containerised and shipped across to the United States.

70 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

Coralynne & Associates +27 (011) 849 3142

ABSOLUTE MATERIAL FLOW CONTROL

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MINING INDABA

Condition monitoring

he Wireless Machine Condition Sensor provides condition monitoring for mines, processing plants, and in hazardous or hard to reach locations. It uses the WirelessHART communication protocol; offering a simple, reliable and secure means of expanding condition-based maintenance into plant areas where the cost to install wired systems is prohibitive, making data available to existing process control and information systems. To overcome wireless communication obstacles, sensors can be configured to operate as router nodes, allowing them to relay data from other sensors. WirelessHART includes several features to provide built-in, 99.9% end-to-end reliability in all industrial environments, such as: • standard radio with channel hopping • coexistence with other wireless networks • self-healing network.

Able to communicate with each other, and with a wireless gateway, these sensors create a mesh network. This type of network and communication protocol is ideal for monitoring rotating machinery throughout mines, large plants, in hard to reach locations, or in areas where traditional WiFi communications will not work. With the new product, users can benefit from an improved maintenance programme, reduced maintenance costs, reduced installation costs, enhanced employee and machine safety, and compatibility with the complimentary SKF @ptitude Analyst software suite. Communication capabilities include relaying data from one node to another, relaying data back to the gateway, and receiving automated commands from the Wireless Sensor Device Manager software that initiate the measurement and processing circuits to transmit data back over the network. If a node is unable to receive

signals directly from the WirelessHART gateway, it will instead send and receive its data through a nearby node that can pass the data to and from the gateway – ultimately creating the mesh network. Once data is collected, the WirelessHART gateway communicates with the Wireless Sensor Device Manager, which automatically exports the data into SKF @ptitude Analyst, a comprehensive diagnostic and analytic software package, where a plant engineer can analyse the data and determine a course of action. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 71

SKF South Africa - Celebrating 100 Years of Innovative Solutions

Mining Industry Solutions Harsh operating and market conditions make the mining industry a tough customer. SKF’s advanced range of products and services in the SKF Life Cycle Management approach - SKF’s proven approach for reducing Total Cost of Ownership for machinery at every stage, from speciﬁcation and design to operation and maintenance, can help! SKF solutions assist with increased productivity and proﬁtability, improved worker safety, reduced environmental impact, cutting energy consumption and reducing unplanned downtime.

SKF South Africa is celebrating 100 years of innovative solutions during 2014. Drawing on ﬁve areas of competence and application-speciﬁc expertise (bearings and units, seals, lubrication systems, mechatronics and a wide range of services), SKF brings innovative solutions to OEMs and production facilities in every major industry worldwide.

The Power of Knowledge Engineering SKF South Africa (Pty) Limited Tel: +27 11 821 3500, Fax: +27 11 821 3501 Email: sales.za@skf.com, Web: www.skf.co.za

MINING INDABA

Academy-trained proficiency Dedicated training to optimise Cat machine performance and operator proficiency is crucial to increased productivity and, as a result, reduced costs.

ach year, Barloworld Equipment’s Operator Academy, based in Johannesburg, qualifies around 700 candidates, some of whom attend refresher training, while others are brand new to the industry. “We don’t take shortcuts and every operator trained by the academy will pass on measureable savings, both in terms of operating efficiencies and downstream maintenance costs,” says Willie Haasbroek, who heads up the Operator Academy. (Barloworld Equipment is the Cat dealer for Southern Africa.) In the following interview, Haasbroek responds to frequently asked questions on the services provided by the academy, as well as the legal requirements for operator certification, and recertification.

Q&A What is defined by the term ‘full training’? WH This is the successful completion of the NQF Level 2 Plant Operation course presented by Barloworld Equipment’s Operator Academy. The Plant Operation programme comprises a five-day theoretical component, which is classroom-based, together with an additional 15 days (on average) of practical in-field machine operator training. The practical component varies depending on the machine class, some being more complex than others to operate.

What is defined as a ‘machine handover’ in the sphere of operator training? No formal training takes place during a machine handover, as it is done in one day. The

“We don’t take shortcuts and every operator trained by the academy will pass on measureable savings, both in terms of operating efficiencies and downstream maintenance costs.” Willie Haasbroek

purpose of the handover is to familiarise operators with the machine’s features and benefits. This is why we don’t issue a certificate, as this would imply that competency training has taken place, which would in turn have legal implications for Barloworld Equipment as a training provider.

What is refresher training? Here we focus on upskilling experienced operators. We have also found that refresher training (or retraining) highlights and corrects bad habits that operators tend to pick up over the years. Retraining has resulted in immediate and measureable bottom-line improvements in key areas such as slot dozing, truck loading cycle times, utilisation, mechanical availability and lower diesel consumption figures. The training duration is typically three to five days, depending on the size of the group and customer requirements.

How long are competency certificates valid for? Two years. Thereafter, reassessment and recertification is required in terms of South African legislation for all earth-moving machine classes, irrespective of industry segment.

What happens if a competency certificate is not renewed? Operators without a valid competency certificate are legally non-compliant.

Can I get my operator trained faster, in days rather than weeks? There are two ways to do it: the short way, which takes into account recognition of prior learning (RPL), or the full training route for those who don’t qualify for the first option. Note that if the applying RPL candidate falls short of the academy’s minimum requirements on assessment, then full training will be required to obtain certification.

Why does the full training take approximately a month to complete? For each machine family, there is a unit standard that dictates how many hours of training need to be completed. The average is approximately 120 hours, which equates to three to four weeks of training (theoretical and practical).

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AFRICA’S EXPLORATION LAB

Outsourcing science

saves costs Accurate laboratory testing is a vital component of the mining process. Outsourcing of these services is becoming a cost-effective solution.

40 years experience across Africa. Soil, rock, water and drill samples from over 20 countries.

BY MPINANE SENKHANE

rom the exploration phase of a mine right up to rehabilitation, an unerring laboratory is pivotal. Without reliable, efficient service from laboratories, mineral quantity and quality determination would be a challenge. The ideal laboratory service provider focuses on providing accurate and timely sample testing of minerals. With mining requirements far exceeding the typical fee-forservice testing, slowly but surely mines have been adopting outsourcing models because, at its core, laboratory outsourcing is aimed at productivity, speed, retaining proprietary knowledge and tapping into the broad technical and administrative expertise of contract lab services providers. This solution is becoming the desired alternative for mines as it has proved itself to be more economically efficient in today’s recession-afflicted global economy, as opposed to in-house laboratories which tend to be slow and costly. In swift-growing economies like South Africa, at times mining companies struggle to keep up with internal needs; therein lies the need to outsource. Outsourcing laboratory services is driven by the need to save costs internally (for the mines) or to transition from fixed costs to variable costs. Therefore, with outsourced laboratory services comes the expectation that there will be a reduction in capital expenditure and consumable costs, as well as adaptable and cost-effective services. Scientific Services, based in Cape Town, continuously updates its equipment and expertise to ensure accuracy at all times. It is through these commitments that Scientific Services has been able to ensure productivity is constantly maximised and time never wasted. By using internationally recognised standards to monitor analysis and performance, as well as ISO 9001 certification, Scientific Services has been able to deliver relevant and accurate results without the cost and management needed for such a task. The key to outsourcing laboratory service is adaptability and efficiency.

E XPERIENCED IN: • Base metals • Uranium • Gold BLEG’s • Heavy Minerals • Kimberlites • Rare Earths • Phosphates • Field Laboratory • Sampling

S PECIALISED IN: • Sample Preparation • ICP: OES • XRF (Major & Trace Elements) • AAS • Fire Assay • Magnetic Separation • HMS/ (Heavy Liquid Separations) • SG – pycnometer Scientific Services CC Geological Laboratory

From the exploration phase of a mine right up to rehabilitation, an unerring laboratory is pivotal I N S I D E M I N I N G 0 1 | 2 0 15 73

www.

ISO 9001:2008

scientificservices.co.za +27 21 531 7166

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MINING INDABA

From qualitative to quantitative The approach to risk management is on the cusp of a shift towards a more unified slant from the traditional process-driven and qualitative focus.

hile this looks good on paper, the reality ignored is the minefield that is human fallibility, which leads to an acceleration of potential risk incidents. The combination of qualitative and quantitative risk management allows for a less static process and a more continuous re-evaluation throughout. The rise of technology and automation, combined with the human condition, has brought with it certain significant challenges, says Volker von Widdern, MD of Marsh’s Risk Consulting Division. A small error in judgement is now often replicated quickly and spread across vast distances. Think of the phenomenon of the viral photo, post or tweet and its possible consequences. Certain human behaviours pose risks as well – such as a tendency to fall into blind routine, to avoid unpleasant truths, to use irrational measurements when choosing a course of action. It is the myriad of potential human or technological errors that challenge any business where the process of risk management faces a possible process failure. Quantification of risk is usually based on loss quantification, and only occasionally progresses to more structured consequence analysis and exposure scenario assessments. Thus with the introduction of a quantitative element, like money, insurance or loss, the risk management

process gains an additional function of quantitative risk management. The advantages of using this approach are that it provides clarity in terms of accountability and mitigates the effect of human biases while also integrating with strategic risk exposure assessment and their related key performance measurements.

The potential pitfalls, though, are that the thinking becomes narrow, assumptions may be inadequate and results are badly interpreted; it becomes a matter of garbage in/garbage out. Quantification does not cover all risks. It is not a substitute for alert and enquiring risk diagnostics, noting that risk quantification models cannot provide for ‘unknown unknowns’.

The rise of technology and automation, combined with the human condition, has brought with it certain significant challenges

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 75

MINING INDABA

Tougher than tough Rough conditions, remote locations and a harsh climate epitomise the mining sector in Africa. The demand is for hard-wearing, versatile materials, designed for optimum safety.

ABOVE Fibreglass grating installed at an African mine LEFT Steel handrails and floor grating installed at a mineral processing plant

n response to the mining industry’s needs for quality non-slip floor gratings, stair treads, expanded metals and safety handrailings in a range of materials, including galvanised steel, stainless steel and aluminium, Vital Engineering stepped up to the plate and delivered. Now the company has introduced moulded fibreglass gratings to the market and is finding the demand for this material growing, particularly within the mining and water treatment sectors. “The response to our fibreglass range has been very positive, and we are seeing many mining and mining contracting companies now specifying Vitaglass for their floor gratings,” notes Chris Spacey, export executive at Vital Engineering. The fibreglass gratings are manufactured with continuous glass fibre strands interwoven in both directions with thermosetting resins. As an alternative to steel and stainless steel, the benefits of fibreglass are many and varied, especially in a mining plant, or corrosive environment context, according to Spacey. “Advantages of Vitaglass gratings include the fact that the weight is half that

of steel gratings, which makes for much easier handling and installation. Fibreglass is also fire-retardant, non-conductive, non-slip, with a quartz grit top surface, and is virtually maintenance-free. “It is also anti-corrosive, making fibreglass a highly viable alternative to steel in the acid environment which often characterises many corrosive areas in diverse industries, including mining,” says Spacey. Vital Engineering has been servicing the South African industry since 1939, with an established reputation for service and the quality of its products, which are produced under the brand names of Vitagrid and Maclock. The company supplies the petrochemical, power generation and structural engineering industries; as well as a number of Australian and Canadian mining companies operating beyond our borders. These include projects and clients in Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Burkino Faso, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia and Botswana. “We are constantly developing new products for challenging environments, identifying the most cost-effective and practical solutions for our clients in

developing industrialised countries, with safety as our number one consideration. We have supplied in excess of 10 000 tonnes of product over the last five years alone to the African mining industry, including gold, coal, uranium, copper and cobalt,” says Spacey. “Another major advantage Vital Engineering brings to the market is our cost of installation philosophy, which is extremely economical and has little or no downtime on site. This is as a result of pre-trial layouts prior to shipping, no rework at high day-work costs, and firsttime fitment, apart from other additional value-adds,” notes Spacey. In addition, fibreglass – unlike steel – does not have any intrinsic after-market value and is therefore not subject to the risk of theft, according to Spacey. “Fibreglass, because it requires little or no maintenance and is unlikely to be stolen, offers industry a hard-working and lower-maintenance product, which reduces replacement and maintenance cycles considerably. “We are confident that our fibreglass range will enjoy continued uptake because it answers to all the demands and challenges of the exacting African mining environment,” he concludes. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 77

MINING INDABA

Make every drop count With mines looking to reduce costs, regenerating and reusing transformer oil is a smart idea. It also has another advantage. It is preventative and helps maintain a transformer’s performance at peak levels.

ransformers are theoretically designed to last 300 years. However, the reduction of a transformer’s lifespan is as a result of the deterioration of its insulation paper. Today, most transformers operate at an approximate 25% higher work load than is recommended. This leads to excess gas production and, as a result, faster deterioration of the transformer’s insulation paper. Oxidation, which occurs naturally within a transformer, decays oil. In this process, sludge is formed. Looking at the phenomenon a little more closely, the ageing transformer oil oxidises as the hydrocarbons in the oil react with oxygen dissolved in the oil. These decay products attack the solid insulation and the sludge affects the ability of the oil to act as a dielectric and transfer heat effectively. If the ageing is left unchecked, the oil’s ability to protect the cellulose insulation is also compromised, resulting in component failure. Sludge is one of the prime causes of transformer failure. Damage done to the solid insulation is permanent and shortens the life of the transformer. By doing a Furanic test on the oil, WearCheck can estimate the remaining reliable life of the transformer. Increases in load and temperature will accelerate the degradation process of the oil. Traditional oil purification processes do not remove the by-products of the degradation process, such as acids,

78 INS I DE MI NI NG 0 1 | 2 0 1 5

aldehydes and peroxides, which bind together to form sludge, from the ageing transformer oil. WearCheck’s oil regeneration process restores the old transformer oil by removing the sludge and by-products of the degradation process and other soluble oil decay products. When our oil regeneration process is complete, the regenerated transformer oil will have a lower acid content, improved tan delta and interfacial tension values. Our process of oil regeneration meets or exceeds the standards set out by SABS 555.

Transformer tests: • the tests monitor various aspects of the transformer • oil condition – moisture, acid content and dielectric strength • internal working – dissolved gas analysis (DGA) • paper condition – Furanic analysis • contaminants – PCB and corrosive sulfur.

Moisture analysis

• restores the oil to ‘like new’ condition • extends the life of the transformer • cost for regenerated oil is much lower than new oil • removal of suspended sludge, particles and acids • environmentally friendly as the old oil is reused • reducing the dependency on fossil fuels • oil exchange. Our oil exchange process can reduce your new transformer oil purchase. You can exchange your old oil for our regenerated transformer oil.

It is important to determine the moisture content in transformer oil: • to determine if there are any leaks in the transformer • increase in moisture accelerates insulating paper degradation • to determine if decrease in insulating strength is due to high water content in the transformer oil • increased moisture causes paper and oil degradation • total acid number (TAN). TAN is an indication of the acidity of the oil. High acidity will cause oil degradation, and sludge formation, which causes paper degradation, cooling problems and internal corrosion.

New oil for old oil

Dielectric strength

WearCheck’s SANS 17025 laboratory in Johannesburg offers a world-class transformer oil testing facility.

Dielectric strength is the voltage, at which the electric breakdown of the oil occurs. By analysing the voltage, the

Advantages of oil regeneration:

MINING INDABA

amount of contaminants and the insulating quality can be predicted.

Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) Dissolved gases in transformer oils are inherent gases and gases that form due to the breakdown of the paper, oil under stress or degradation, or mechanical faults. With regular DGA testing, the following problems can be detected months in advance: • overheating • loose connections • breakdown in insulation • arcing • partial discharge • corona • overloading • sparking • Furanics. Furanics are degradation by-products of the insulation paper found in transformers. Analysing Furanics is important in predicting the degradation of the insulating paper. The following will destroy insulation paper:

• moisture • oxygen • heat • oil oxidation.

normal operation even when failure is imminent. If corrosive sulfur oil is found, oil will need to be replaced.

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) analysis Corrosive sulfur Corrosive sulfur forms acidic conditions in transformers. This is a vital test as DGA, MAD and Furanic tests may indicate

PCBs were released in the 1970s during the oil crisis in order to bulk up transformer oil volume. Due to the high toxicity and environmental impact of PCBs, it has now been legislated to know the PCB content of your transformer oil.

Tan delta The tan delta value for new, clean and dry oil is very low. Tan delta is a useful test for evaluating the condition of transformer oil, because almost everything that negatively affects the insulating oil, e.g. moisture, oxidised oil, and the degradation of cellulose paper, as well as ageing of the oil, will cause the tan delta to increase.

Used oil (left) and regenerated oil (right)

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 79

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MINING INDABA

Tough, tougher, toughest “The newly launched C0520 debricking machine, designed mainly for cleaning in metallurgical and cement plants, is so diversely capable that it can also be utilised for other demolition challenges, typically in demolishing objects and structures on construction sites, ” says Leonette Bethell, director at TML.

he C0520 is ideal for ‘cold’ debricking, which, in the metallurgical field, equates to temperatures of between 0˚C to 300˚C, operating under the toughest of conditions. “The machine’s compact dimensions allow easy handling where on-site space is limited. The upper body, as well as the telescopic boom, both allow an endless rotation of 360 degrees, which means there is optimum reach and application flexibility,” says Bethell. Says Volker Bongardt, president: TML Services Germany: “The telescopic boom with a 2 000 mm stroke is completely closed off to protect the components inside the boom (such as the hydraulic cylinders and hoses) against the radiation of heat and any falling objects.” This ability and fexibility is particularly useful for work in the metallurgical

industry. With its capacity to handle addon tools such as a hydraulic hammer, bucket and rotary drum cutter, it offers many additional advantages for customers in the mining and construction fields. This machine has nine main component groups including the main hydraulic control, electro or diesel engines, a radio remote control with batteries, two rotary drives with ball bearings, telescopic rotary boom, an air filter with electrical connector, an intercooler hydraulic, final drives and outriggers. It handles ladle sizes from 10 tonnes up to more than 100 tonnes, furnaces and blast furnace runners. Its four outriggers ensure a high state of stability while working with the hydraulic hammer during upward operation in all directions (360 degrees), with its telescopic boom fully extended. When the boom is slewed over the rear engine compartment, the machine

is extremely compact so that space required for transportation is reduced to a minimum. The C0520’s remote control operating panel is designed for ease of use and TML SA offers free staff training for all its clients. The tools and attachments on the machine comprise ergonomic lightweight radio remote controls complete with carrier belt and logically designed controls. The machine is optimised for a hydraulic hammer with an operational weight of about 500 kg. Says Bethell: “With our continued commitment to offering our customers reliable, state-of-the-art quality products, we aim to provide real working solutions within current challenging conditions. We are confident that by adapting our products and services to provide flexibility in an ever-changing market, we can further support TML SA’s dedication to boosting productivity by minimising production downtimes.”

IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 81

WHEN CONDITIONS ARE REALLY CHALLENGING DISCOVER THE DIFFERENCE AT ENERGYST.COM

The Mining, Oil & Gas and Utility are of the most demanding sectors in industry. It requires safe and reliable power for a diverse range of equipment, deep underground and for essential and critical facilities on the surface. However, the remote location of many of these sectors puts them way beyond the reach of national power grids and a reliable supply. Energyst puts real energy into alleviating power challenges by providing high quality rental solutions with proven dependability. When it comes to power, a reliable partner is vital to the success of your operation. Because without power to these sectors means costly delays to the industry. Energyst has an outstanding track record with a 24/7 call-out facility and 24/7 remote and early warning systems. So even if your Operations is located in one of the most remote parts of Africa, you can trust Energyst to bring 100% reliable power within your reach. How can we bring more energy into your world? TO DISCOVER HOW ENERGYST PUTS REAL ENERGY INTO MINING VISIT ENERGYST.COM OR CALL +27 11 898 0000.

ENERGYST PROVIDES POWER RENTAL SOLUTION TO KIPOI MINE IN DRC Energyst Cat Rental Power has successfully supplied and commissioned a 12 MW power plant at the Kipoi copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Kipoi project is located 75 km northwest of Lubumbashi, the capital of Katanga Province, in the central part of the Katanga Copper Belt. The power plant includes 11 XQ2000 Cat generators, three 8 000 kVA transformers and two 400 000 litre fuel bladders. Energyst will also provide all operational staff for the duration of the contract.

Brendan Moseley, Stage 2 general manager of Société d’Exploitation de Kipoi, the operator of the mine, was impressed with the service provided by Energyst. “The adjudication process was rigorous and we selected a solution that was best for the mine and provided the high level of aftermarket support we require,” he said. “Despite the logistical challenges and inclement weather, Energyst has successfully delivered a world class power plant that has been designed around our current and future needs.’’

Energyst Cat Rental Power is one of the world’s leading providers of power and temperature control rental solutions. The company was formed as a joint venture between Caterpillar, the world’s leading manufacturer of diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and earthmoving equipment, and a number of its dealers.

Vinesh Surajlall, Energyst director for subSaharan Africa, adds that the solution came together through strong engagement with the client and that the normal start-up glitches were quickly and efﬁciently addressed.

HOW CAN WE BRING MORE ENERGY TO YOUR WORLD? TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ENERGYST’S DESIGN AND ENGINEERING EXPERTISE IN MINING APPLICATIONS, OR FOR ADVICE ON POWER, HEATING OR COOLING, CALL +27 11 898 0000, EMAIL IP.AFRICA@ENERGYST.COM OR GO TO WWW.ENERGYST.COM. WE WILL PUT ALL OUR ENERGY INTO HELPING YOU FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION.

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Energyst has operations in Europe, South America, Africa and the Mediterranean, offering mining solutions that include self-contained modules, multi-megawatt capabilities, transformers, switchgear, cables and fuel tanks for site development, continuous power supply or standby applications. In-house design and engineering expertise ensures a customised solution.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL US +27 11 898 0000 EMAIL US IP.AFRICA@ENERGYST.COM

MINING INDABA

Predictive maintenance Cutting costs makes good financial sense. But, like everything, there are extremes beyond which one should not venture. To do so is foolhardy. BY TONY STONE

outh Africans, unfortunately, are a typically reactionary bunch. Looking around at our national infrastructure e.g. roads, bridges, pumps, electrical substations and the like, a ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’ attitude prevails, much to everyone’s irritation. Despite our engineers speaking out and writing volumes about the escalation of costs in not maintaining infrastructure, the problem prevails. What exacerbates the problem is that 97% of South Africans, who have an external locus of control, follow. They don’t lead. They don’t use their initiative, for fear of reproach, and they do not understand the word proactive. In mining, with safety high on the agenda, preventative, or even better, predictive maintenance has got to be at the top of the agenda, given the law of cause and effect. A failure to properly maintain plant and equipment is a negative reflection on management, and a prime example of poor leadership, or greed. Predictive maintenance (PdM) techniques are designed to help determine the condition of in-service equipment in order to predict when maintenance should be performed. This approach promises cost

savings over routine or timebased preventive maintenance, because tasks are performed only when warranted. The main promise of PdM is to allow convenient scheduling of corrective maintenance, and to prevent unexpected equipment failures. The key is the right information in the right time. By knowing which equipment needs maintenance, maintenance work can be better planned (spare parts, people, etc.) and what would have been unplanned stops are transformed to shorter and fewer planned stops, thus increasing plant availability. Other potential advantages include increased equipment lifetime, increased plant safety, fewer accidents with negative impact on environment, and optimised spare parts handling. To evaluate equipment condition, PdM utilises non-destructive testing technologies such as infrared, acoustic (partial discharge and airborne ultrasonic), corona detection, vibration analysis, sound level measurements, oil analysis, and other specific online tests. New methods in predictive maintenance include utilising measurements on the actual u eequipment in combinattion with measurements of process performance, o which is measured by w other devices, to trigger o maintenance conditions. m One area that is overlooked is how to, in an lo effi cient way, transfer e the PdM data to a comth puterised maintenance p management system m (CMMS) system so that ( the equipment condith ttion data is sent to the rright equipment object in the CMMS system in

Rock drill components

order to trigger maintenance planning, execution and reporting. Unless this is achieved, the PdM solution is of limited value, at least if the PdM solution is implemented on a medium- to large-size plant with tens of thousands pieces of equipment. In 2010, the mining company Boliden, as a first, implemented a combined distributed control system and PdM solution integrated with the plant CMMS system on an object to object level, transferring equipment data using protocols like Highway Addressable Remote Transducer Protocol (HART), IEC61850 and OLE for process control. Lastly, to complete the circle, a quality-oriented staff of skilled engineers and artisans to ensure cost-effective precision engineering for the manufacture or refurbishment of all major manufacturer products is critical, as is the ability to design and manufacture special-purpose machinery and components to the mine’s specification, guaranteed equal to the highest international standards, is also critical. Weco is a medium-sized company operating in the engineering sector. The group specialises in the manufacture of component parts, to OEM specification, primarily focusing on rock drilling equipment. With over 35 years’ service and assistance to major mining houses throughout the world, and with the manufacture and repair of various types of rock drilling equipment and supply of spare parts for all types of mining machinery, the company provides a range of critical, costsaving services. IN SID E M IN IN G 0 1 | 2015 85

SHAPING UNIQUE

SOLUTIONS THAT SHINE

Emerald Risk Transfer is currently the largest Corporate Property and afﬁliated Engineering Underwriter in South Africa, and underwrites business throughout the African Continent. The solution orientated approach of the Emerald team to create sustainable, quality products is part of their culture. This ﬂexible approach, coupled with the support of their excellent Reinsurer panel, allows Emerald to be truly innovative.

For more information on how Emerald can assist your Corporate clients, visit our website or call us. T +27 11 658 8200 W www.emeraldsa.co.za E info@emeraldsa.co.za Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/emeraldrisktransfer Or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/emeraldrisk Emerald Risk Transfer (Pty) Ltd (Reg. No. 1998/025512/07) is an authorised ﬁnancial services provider (FSP No. 13893)

The aim of the company is not to be the cheapest by cutting corners, but rather to be the best by offering expertise and skill. Emerald Risk Transfer is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Santam group. Santam Limited is a level 3 BBBEE company, and has a Standard & Poor’s international rating of BBB+ and a national rating of AA+, with a stable outlook.

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MINING INDABA

Life-saving device Many an underground miner entrusts his or her safety and well-being to a self-contained selfrescuer (SCSR) device on a daily basis. Afrox has produced its 100 000th unit in just two years.

he AfroxPac 35i is designed to supply life-saving oxygen to a miner in the event of an irrespirable or toxic atmosphere developing underground. It is unique in that it is one of the few mining devices expected to be permanently attached to the body and carried by the miners throughout the duration of their shift. Designed for use in harsh hard-rock mines, the AfroxPac 35i and its predecessor, the AfroxPac 35, have shown remarkable durability. This self-rescuer can be carried for 15 000 to 20 000 hours during its lifespan, with units used cumulatively in over a million worker hours daily. According to Christo Wiid, head of Hardgoods Operations, Afrox has tripled its production throughput to reach this milestone, which is ultimately the result of an increase in demand. “Due to concerns for the safety and welfare of workers, and legislative requirements, mines – confident in the AfroxPac 35i – regularly place orders. Over the last two years we

tripled our throughput throughout the supply chain to ensure that we continue to meet demand.” Wiid explains that Afrox designs and assembles all components of the SANS 1737:2008 compliant AfroxPac 35i at its Benoni facility, with component manufacturing subcontracted to various small manufacturing businesses. “Some of the parts are so unique that entire businesses have had to be set up to produce them. A big thank you must go out to our staff, suppliers and customers – without these three essential elements coming together in synergy, this outstanding feat would never have been possible,” he says. Commenting on their milestone, Afrox managing director Brett Kimber says: “Being underground in confined space with excessive heat is very uncomfortable indeed. The production of 100 000 AfroxPac 35i self-rescuers is evidence that the device provides greater comfort and peace-ofmind with regards to the safety of miners.” Afrox’s self-rescuer has captured two-thirds

of the market in South Africa, and is a leader across Southern Africa. Wiid states that demand for the AfroxPac 35i continues to increase. “Local demand remains strong and we have new shipments ready for Zambia and Zimbabwe. Interest is being generated further afield, as far as Turkey, while a tunnelling project in Dubai has also expressed a keen interest.” In addition, the Afrox Self-Rescue Division provides full training on the AfroxPac 35i. Although basic use and care of the AfroxPac 35i is simple, Wiid stresses that it is essential for mine trainers to be fully trained themselves in the application of the product, to ensure that it maintains its life-saving features. “We provide on-site instruction to the trainers to ensure that they incorporate the skills into the mine’s training programme,” he concludes.

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JACARANDA CITY’S BRT

BROUGHT TO YOU BY WSP

As one of Africa’s largest engineering consultancies, WSP plays an important part in our continent’s sustainable development. We aim to future proof our projects while preserving our nation’s heritage. Everything we do is approached with passion and caring. This is manifest in our handling of Pretoria’s prize Jacaranda trees while working on the city’s new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. The BRT system in Pretoria is just one example, where we are bridging the gap for commuters. Rapid Transit means less congestion, less pollution, and shorter commutes. It was decided to preserve and relocate these trees, rather than destroy them.

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Learn more about this and other projects on www.wspgroup.co.za