MAY 2016
Lassonde News & Views Mining’s hardest workers are too small to see
IN THIS ISSUE: Mining’s
hardest workers are
too small to see
Lassonde
1
team wins mine
Canadian
design event at
1
Mining Games Lassonde start-up: Geomechanica Rock
2
fracture and
fragmentation with bibhu
2
mohanty
PhD
candidate
Richard Elliott
forges ahead with research on
2
manganese ores
Undergraduate
capstone
design showcase
3
Peek inside the Impact & Fracture Lab
3
Photos: alumni & PDAC 2016
4
friends at
……AND WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING The image that is conjured up when thinking about mining is a vast underground network of tunnels, big open pits, larger than life machinery or grease-covered workers with headlamps on. But the largest workforce out in any mining operation is the microbes that are working 24/7, constantly influencing the environment.
bacteria’s beneficial—and detrimental—processes. Effective biological tools, based on Warren’s research, are being developed for industry especially related to water quality management.
Warren works to determine the identities and roles of microbes in order to gain an understanding of the
industry. Fresh, clean water is a scarce resource and industry competes with many stakeholders for
Water is a necessary resource for municipalities, agriculture, manufacturing, power generation—and mining. According to a 2009 report by Statistics Canada, mining accounts for two per cent of water use in Canada. “Bacteria are present in every aspect of mining, but Mine operations need water we don’t fully understand the for mineral processing and metal recovery, but the impacts they can have on water quality,” says Professor discharge of water used Lesley Warren, an aqueous in these activities can have adverse effects on and microbial geochemist with the Lassonde Institute surrounding surface and groundwater systems. of Mining and University of Toronto’s Department of Civil Water availability is a major Engineering. concern for the mining
Acid mine drainage: a priority water pollution issue for the mining industry
access. The mining industry has made great strides to minimize its effect on water quality and waste. The industry uses environmental management strategies, monitors discharges, and recycles used water, but water pollution remains a significant concern. So minimizing water requirements, while increasing the yield of recoverable minerals, is environmentally, socially and economically responsible. Read the full article at lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca
Lassonde team wins mine design event at Canadian Mining Games The Lassonde Mineral Engineering team took first place in the Mine Design Event, the largest competition at the 26th annual Canadian Mining Games, which ran from February 18 to 21, 2016, at the University of British
Columbia in Vancouver. The University of Toronto has won the event twice in the past three years.
design mines,” said Peter Miszkiel (1T5 + PEY), the team’s co-captain.
The Mine-Design Event “It means a lot to us that our challenges team members to team won the main event design an underground mine that is really at the heart of in eight hours based on... what mining engineers do: cont’d pg 4
Lassonde News & Views
Page 2
Lassonde start-up: Geomechanica LASSONDE GRADUATES PURSUE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ROCK MECHANICS
Three Lassonde Institute of Mining PhD graduates— Andrea Lisjak (CivE PhD 2013), Omid Mahabadi (CivE PhD 2012), and Bryan Tatone (CivE PhD 2014) —have combined rock mechanics, computer science, and entrepreneurship in Geomechanica, a threepronged startup company that develops geomechanical
The research program on dynamic rock fracture and fragmentation at the Lassonde Institute of
Mining is unlike any other in the country. It aims to look at the subject in a truly comprehensive fashion, which includes all the elements in the rock fragmentation process.
—Bibhu Mohanty, professor emeritus, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Toronto
simulation software and provides rock-engineering consulting and rock mechanics laboratory testing services. Their software, Irazu, which launched commercially in December 2015, is a state-of-the art rock mechanics simulation tool that offers a fast, unique method to model mine operations.
also gives the impression of stability and reliability,” says Omid Mahabadi. Since graduation, the three co-founders have dedicated themselves to Irazu’s research and development, based on their work as Prof. Giovanni Grasselli’s doctoral students.
Read online when the Lassonde Institute asks Irazu takes its name from the Lisjak and Mahabadi about volcanic mountain in Costa their endeavours. Rica. “We wanted a name More at lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca that relates to rocks and
Rock fracture and fragmentation with Bibhu Mohanty Prof. Bibhu Mohanty, professor emeritus in the Dept. of Civil Engineering, spends his time focusing on dynamic rock fracture and fragmentation. Mohanty’s broad approach to understanding rock fracture and fragmentation has led to success in industrial applications. The results of his efforts are used at mine sites today.
“This work helps us to dynamic fracture process better predict blast results in rocks due to explosive & in terms of fragment size high-velocity impact action distribution, but also in • energy release improved dilution control characterization of and a better understanding commercial explosives in of the comminution process. intra-hole and inter-hole Which all help to improve conditions the Drilling Rate Index and • development of advanced Crushing Rate Index,” says instrumentation Mohanty. • analytical and numerical techniques to characterize His research includes: dynamic fracture in rocks • the characterization of
More at lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca
PhD candidate Richard Elliott forges ahead with research on manganese ores
Richard Elliott (right) and lab manager Dr. Karim Danaei
Richard Elliott, a firstyear PhD student with the Sustainable Materials Processing Research Group, is using the Continuous Reduced Iron Steel-making Process, recently patented by Hatch, to study how pellets containing manganese ore behave under a range of conditions, identify the
optimum conditions for producing high-manganese, direct reduced iron pellets, and study their smelting behaviour. “Manganese is added to steel to make it stronger,” explains Elliott. “Light, strong steel is desirable in the auto industry because
it improves fuel economy and reduces emissions while maintaining key material properties. The current method of creating this steel is very expensive, so we’re developing an alternative method of processing the ferromanganese.” More at lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca
Like what you’re reading? Find the full articles and more on our website. www.lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca @MiningUofT
Lassonde News & Views
Page 3
Undergraduate capstone design showcase Fourth-year Lassonde Mineral Engineering students presented their capstone mine design projects to faculty and industry on March 31, 2016, at the Goldcorp Innovation Suite in the Lassonde Mining Building.
Students present their projects to industry judges.
The poster session marked the culmination of MIN467 Mineral Project Design, a course focussing on the design of a mining project, co-instructed by Glen Ehasoo, principal mining engineer, and Ian Weir, senior mining engineer, both of Roscoe Postle Associates, and Dave Eden, senior manager of technical services at Kinross.
Equipped with geotechnical information and block model data on a given ore body, students assessed the feasibility of a lead and zinc mine in the Yukon or a gold mine in Tanzania. Students used industry-standard software to determine the size and slope of the openpit mine that would garner maximum profit while maintaining safe slope angles
“The course gives them practical experience with mine design and multidisciplinary mine project studies,” explained Eden. “It provides them with an overview of a common process in industry, and helps them to understand the economic drivers of open-pit mine design by integrating engineering analysis with risk assessment and social and environmental impacts.”
“This project is beneficial because we learn how to work effectively as a team,” said student Young Ko (MinE 1T6). “We see how all elements of the study affect each other, and how to complete tasks with limited resources under time constraints.”
This is real-world experience. These students will graduate with an overall understanding of a study from concept to operations—a skill that can take years to develop on the job.
—Larry Smith, principal consultant at Lawrence Devon Smith & Associates, one of the Capstone judges.
Members of industry judged the poster presentations on communication, visuals, design, and use of text and For the project, students documentation. Involving acted as independent industry in the grading consultants or an in-house process gives students technical services team insight into how projects are for a mining company by evaluated in the mineral and presenting an initial scoping resources industries. study to senior management.
Peek inside the Impact & Fracture Lab The Department of Civil Engineering houses the Impact and Fracture Laboratory headed by Prof. Kaiwen Xia. The lab specializes in helping companies to rapidly measure dynamic mechanical properties
of both existing and new materials and products. Xia’s research focuses on dynamic fracture mechanics, dynamic response of rock materials, earthquake physics, impact damage, and sensor technology.
the breadth of the dynamic loading and diagnostic facilities. The lab uses proven testing and research techniques, and provides a range of expertise in dynamic material testing and, research and development.
What sets the lab apart is
More at lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca
Photron SA1.1 camera used in the Impact & Fracture Lab, capable of taking up to 675,000 frames per second
Like what you’re reading? Find the full articles and more on our website. www.lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca @MiningUofT
Lassonde News & Views
Page 4 LASSONDE INSTITUTE OF MINING Department of Civil Engineering University of Toronto 35 St. George Street, Room 107 Toronto, ON M5S 1A4 Professor Brent Sleep Chair, Dept. of Civil Engineering Acting Director, Lassonde Institute of Mining FOR COMMUNICATIONS, EXTERNAL OUTREACH & GENERAL ENQUIRIES: Amy Stupavsky Lassonde Assistant 416-978-2924 ae.stupavsky@utoronto.ca FOR PARTNERSHIP ENQUIRIES: Gillian Sneddon Executive Director of Advancement 416-946-3449 gillian@ecf.utoronto.ca
Events SPRING REUNION LUNCH & TOUR
Con’t from Mining Games pg 1... a specific ore body and set of production, development and economic criteria. Students submit a 3D mine model and a report summarizing their mining method, production schedules, economic valuation and recommendations. “We had to select the mining method and develop the infrastructure that we thought would be necessary to effectively extract this resource,” said Miszkiel. Miszkiel attributes the team’s success to preparation and clear designation of tasks. “We met regularly before the competition to discuss the different scenarios that we may encounter,” he said. “We developed a disciplined plan on how we would approach the design and we followed it closely.” After deciding on the basics of the design, Miszkiel developed the mine’s production schedule and economic analysis; Justin Samardzic (1T6 + PEY) determined the mine shape, tonnages and ore grades; Seung Young Baek (IT5 + PEY) designed the 3D infrastructure; and Gaurav Acharya (1T5 + PEY) wrote the report, selected equipment, and worked on other auxiliary mine components. Stantec, the international engineering firm that judged the Mine Design Event, praised the Lassonde team for its overall design and ability to complete the project within the tight time limit. The Mine Design trophy, a small replica of a mine head frame, now has pride of place in the University of Toronto’s Civil Engineering Department offices. More at lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca
Photos: Alumni & Friends at PDAC 2016
On March 8, 2016, the University of Toronto’s Lassonde Institute of Mining and Department of Earth Sciences co-hosted an Alumni & Friends Reception to coincide with the PDAC. Alumni and industry reps gathered in the Library Room of the Fairmont Royal York to catch up and network.
Saturday, May 28, 2016 12:30-2:30 p.m. 170 College Street Lassonde Mining Building, 4th Floor Join fellow MinE and CivE alumni, as well as faculty and staff, for an informal lunch at the Goldcorp Mining Innovation Suite (4th floor) in the historic Lassonde Mining Building. After lunch, mingle with old and new friends, and join us for a tour of the department and other key facilities.
Like what you’re reading? Find the full articles and more on our website. www.lassondeinstitute.utoronto.ca @MiningUofT