2012-13 ANNUAL report
TRANSFORMING RESOURCE EXTRACTION Research • develop • deliver
Optimising Resource Extraction
CRC ORE is working in close collaboration with the global minerals industry to develop an innovative system-based approach to improve productivity. This has resulted in an integrated operational solution built around the Grade Engineering® concept. Grade Engineering seeks to improve unit metal productivity as a means of delivering system-value to the life-of-mine. This involves a range of integrated technologies and operating protocols for improving effective feed grades through early rejection of gangue before energy intensive processing operations. The approach has significant implications for optimising resource extraction particularly of large, low-grade mining operations.
Inside Industry Focussed What is CRC ORE?...................................................................................................................................................3 Industry Challenges.................................................................................................................................................5 Research and Industry Partners............................................................................................................................11 Chair Report...........................................................................................................................................................13 CEO Report............................................................................................................................................................15
Research Develop Deliver Research Overview................................................................................................................................................21 Site Application Studies........................................................................................................................................27 Annual Assembly...................................................................................................................................................31 Knowledge Transfer: Understanding Mine to Mill..............................................................................................33 Training and Education ........................................................................................................................................35 OREco - Sustaining the Outcomes of CRC ORE ...............................................................................................39
Our Operations Governance............................................................................................................................................................43 Financial Report.....................................................................................................................................................45 CRC ORE Performance Review............................................................................................................................47 Our Board...............................................................................................................................................................49 Our People.............................................................................................................................................................53 Publications............................................................................................................................................................65 Glossary of Terms..................................................................................................................................................69
pgpg 1 1| Industry | Industry Focussed Focussed• •Our Our RESEARCH RESEARCH• •Our Our Operations Operations
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 2
What is CRC ORE? CRC ORE - The Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction CRC ORE is an international collaboration formed in 2010 to research, develop and deliver new technologies for the mining industry. The Centre is supported by the Commonwealth Government’s Cooperative Research Centre program, 3 high-profile tertiary institutions and 11 industry partners. Led by Professor Alan Bye, CRC ORE is the first large-scale Research and Development initiative to bring together orebody knowledge, mass mining, blast engineering, mineral processing, spatial modelling and resource economics.
With the support of Anglo Platinum, BHP Billiton, Newcrest Mining, Glencore Xstrata, The University of Queensland, AMIRA International, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Tasmania, CRC ORE was awarded $17.5m over five years in the 12th round of the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Program. Since then, JKTech, QG, CAE Mining, Orica, Minesense and Teck Resources have joined as participants of the Centre.
Mining
pg 3 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
”
APP N LICATION DRIVE
FOCUSSED Y R T US D IN
CRC ORE is the first large-scale Research and Development initiative with expert capability across orebody knowledge, mass mining, blast engineering, minerals processing, spatial modelling and resource economics
”
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 4
Industry Challenges
Declining Ore Grades
Increased Energy
Over the last 30 years, the average grade of Australian orebodies being mined has halved, while the waste removed to access the minerals has more than doubled. This trend is replicated worldwide and is driving a massive increase in the energy consumption of the mining sector.
Figure 1 shows the diminishing return from escalating energy consumption in the Australian mining industry. As the grade and quality of extracted resources decline, an ever increasing quantity of energy is required to maintain an equivalent amount of net output. The gradual reduction in ‘energy productivity’ for the mining industry, represented by value added per unit of energy consumed, can reveal the extent of resource depletion and provide a proxy for the quality of resources as an input to production. This estimation for resource quality was adopted by Syed, Grafton and Kalirajan (2013) in their recent examination of multifactor productivity in the Australian mining industry.
In the last decade, Australian mines incurred an 80 per cent rise in energy use and a 40 per cent decline in productivity. At the same time, mounting pressures to increase production and constraints imposed by energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and maintaining social licenses to operate have seen costs rise dramatically. Increasing production from large, low-yielding surface deposits is forcing the industry to endure lower grades, higher impurities and more complex mineralogies that require greater inputs per unit of output. This is encouraging the industry to examine deeper natural resources and increasingly remote locations that are more difficult to access and more costly to extract. The recent focus of research and development to reduce the cost of traditional processes has failed to yield sufficient productivity improvements to offset the decline in resource quality. In the near future, the industry will reach a tipping point where mass processing of low-grade deposits using conventional technology is no longer viable. These pressures threaten the economic viability of mineral extraction, and the situation is set to deteriorate further as social expectations and environmental legislations demand greater efficiency from the industry.
Figure 1: Index of mining value added, energy use, and energy productivity, 1986-2010 Value Added
Energy (petajoules)
Value Added/Energy
500 450 400 350
”
300 250 200 150 100
In the near future the industry will reach a tipping point where mass processing of low-grade deposits is no LONGER viable
pg 5 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
”
1985-86 =100
50 0 6 7 8 9 0 1 92 93 4 5 6 7 98 9 0 1 2 03 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 -8 -8 -8 -8 -9 -9 -9 -9 -9 -9 -9 -2 -0 -0 -0 -0 -0 -0 -0 -0 -1 85 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 000 001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 19 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Source: Bree (13.01, March 2013)
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 6
Multifactor Productivity A recent report published by the Australian Government’s Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) examined the declining multifactor productivity (MFP) of the Australian Mining industry. The report proposed that changes in multifactor productivity can typically be decomposed into three components: technological change, technical efficiency and scale effects. A key finding from the report is summarised as follows: “Australian mining experienced no statistically significant technological change over the study period. The decomposition also shows that both technical efficiency and scale effects contributed positively and significantly to Australian Mining MFP, after removing the effect of resource quality (depletion).” (Syed, Grafton and Kalirajan, 2013, p.2) The decline in multifactor productivity of the Australian mining industry is therefore indicating that the recent deterioration of resource quality has outweighed best efforts to improve operational efficiency.
composite index of the average mining yield as a proxy to estimate resource quality and the depletion effect on mining MFP. The study found the composite mining yield in Australia fell by 39 per cent over the period 1974-2007, equating to an average decline in resource quality of 1.5 per cent per year. After accounting for the observed depletion effect, the study concluded that growth in the MFP of the Australian mining industry was substantially higher than the conventional measurement of 0.01 per cent per year between 1974-2007 and instead grew at an average rate of 2.5 per cent per year over the same period. A study by Laughton (2011) used the cumulative extraction to total the available reserves ratio for individual commodities as an alternative estimate of natural resource depletion. The results also indicated a significant decline in the quality of natural resources extracted by the mining industry over the same period (Laughton, 2011). The trend of declining productivity in the mining industry is not confined to Australia. Table 1 and Figure 2 compare the productivity performance of the North American and Australian mining industries over an 18 year period. The results indicate that the impact of natural resource depletion on the productivity of the mining industry was much greater in the last decade compared to the 1990’s.
The results of the report support previous studies examining mining multifactor productivity and the depletion effect. A study by the Productivity Commission (Topp et al. 2008) used a
Within Australia, the recent decline of MFP in the mining industry is in sharp contrast to other economic sectors (Figure 3) with the exception of electricity, gas, water and waste services (EGW & WS).
Figure 3: Multifactor productivity growth in Australia: selected sectors, average annual growth.
1985-86 to 1989-90
1990-01 to 1999-00
2000-01 to 2009-10
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
-2%
-4%
1989-2000
2000-2007
1989-2000
2000-2007
Canada
5.96
-2.21
2.21
-0.28
1.92
-1.07
United States
2.96
0.66
-0.04
-2.25
0.55
-1.68
Australia
6.05
-4.02
-0.12
-1.41
1.71
-1.99
Source: Bree (13.01, March 2013)
Figure 2: Labour productivity, capital productivity and MFP growth in mining: Canada, the United States and Australia. average annual growth rates (%). United States
Ot he r
ce Fin an
m un
ica tio
ns
po rt Tr an s
&
Fo od
e
Ac co m
ta il T ra d Re
Tr ad e
io n
uc t
Co ns tr
Figure 4 depicts MFP growth rates before and after adjustments to account for natural resource depletion (labelled as output adjusted), and shows ‘only capital-lag adjusted’ (input adjusted) MFP growth rate of 0.54 per cent a year over 1985-86 to 2009-10.
Figure 4: MFP Growth with multiple adjustments, Australian mining. Unadjusted
Canada
S
EG W
&
ct ur an uf a
Source: Bree (13.01, March 2013)
Te lec om
2000-2007
W ho le s ale
1989-2000
W
g in
in g in
re
M
MFP growth
M
Labour productivity growth Capital productivity growth
-6%
Ag ri c ul tu
Table 1: Labour productivity, capital productivity and MFP growth in mining: Canada, the United States and Australia. Average annual growth rates (%).
Capital Adjusted
Only Output Adjusted
Output and Capital Adjusted
Australia
8%
2.5%
6%
2%
4%
1.5%
2%
1%
0%
0.5%
-2%
0%
-4%
-0.5%
-6% 1989-2000
2000-2007
Labour Productivity Growth
1989-2000
2000-2007
Capital Productivity Growth
Source: Bree (13.01, March 2013) pg 7 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
1989-2000
2000-2007
-1%
1985-86 to 2009-10
MFP Growth
Source: Bree (13.01, March 2013) 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 8
Figure 5 represents the relative growth within the sub-sectors of the Australian mining industry, and highlights a substantial increase in the relative share of the metal ore sector, from 25 per cent in 2001-02 to 40 per cent in 2009-10, and a considerable decline in the oil and gas sector, from 43 per cent to 26 per cent over the same period.
Figure 5: Relative growth in value-added share, mining sub-sectors.
Coal Mining
Oil and Gas Extraction
Metal Ore Mining Non-Metallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying (or other mining)
Exploration and Other Mining Support Services (or services to mining) 0.45 0.40 0.35 0.30 0.25 0.20 0.15 0.10
0.00
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
Source: Bree (13.01, March 2013)
It is evident that much of the decline in unadjusted MFP within the Australian mining sector over the past decade can be attributed to factors influencing natural resource depletion. “As Australian resources become progressively more difficult to mine, companies will need to continue to innovate to remain competitive.” (Syed, Grafton and Kalirajan, 2013, p.31) To reverse the trend, the industry is seeking to embrace new technologies to increase extraction efficiency. These technologies will need to increase the metal content of ore being processed, while reducing energy and water consumption during the extraction process.
pg 9 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
”
0.05
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
Harnessing ore variability will be a competitive advantage to mining, enabling them to respond to volatile markets
”
The CRC ORE Solution CRC ORE’s research targets inefficiency throughout the mining process, and aims to dramatically reduce the cost and environmental impact of mining operations. The design of a flexible mining operation that can selectively upgrade orebodies and harness ore variability will be a competitive advantage to mining companies and enable them to respond to volatile markets. The mining industry has recognised these challenges and is looking to implement significant change. CRC ORE is working with the industry to apply system-based analysis methods to increase unit metal productivity, resulting in an integrated operational solution and system-value approach built around Grade Engineering®. This concept looks at whether or not there is a more productive solution than scale and throughput and focusses on improving the quality and value of feed, thereby enhancing the productivity of operations. pg10 10 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report || pg
Research And Industry Partners
Research Participants The University of Queensland’s world-class capability of mining and minerals processing research extends back over 40 years through the activities of the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) and the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre (BRC). In 2001 these Centres were amalgamated with four others to form the Sustainable Minerals Institute and encompass all aspects of sustainable mining practice. Queensland University of Technology is well-established as a leader in business and mathematics, and brings knowledge from applications in other industries to provide a fresh look at mining practices with tremendous opportunity for step-change discoveries. The University of Tasmania is renowned as one of the premier international teaching and research centres in Earth Sciences and Economic Geology (CODES). Their extensive, state-of-theart geological laboratory facilities enable cutting edge testing across all fields of geology.
Industry Participants BHP Billiton, as one of the world’s largest mining companies, brings over 100 years’ experience in the industry with a portfolio of operations and projects which span every commodity and continent. Newcrest Mining is Australia’s leading gold mining company with operations in Australia, Indonesia, Ivory Coast and Papua New Guinea. Glencore Xstrata is one of the world’s largest global diversified natural resource companies, uniquely positioned to capture value at every stage of the supply chain, from sourcing materials deep underground to delivering products to an international customer base. Spanning 50 countries globally, Glencore has over 150 mining and metallurgical sites, offshore oil production assets, farms and agricultural facilities. Anglo American has a long history of supporting extensive Research and Development efforts, and sponsored the demonstration of a concept study which developed the simulator for Sustainability and Extraction Efficiency (SEE). The concepts developed through this project underpin the CRC ORE philosophy of mine-wide process optimisation with a focus on economic and environmental performance.
AMIRA International acts on behalf of over 40 sponsors of the P9 and P843A projects to bring a wealth of knowledge in minerals processing, geometallurgy and mining industry driven collaborative research which has been developed over four decades.
Industry Service Providers QG are premier providers of geological and mining consulting services, specialising in mining geostatistics, mine geology, mine planning, geometallurgy and quantitative financial risk analysis. The technical expertise, business acumen and high-level communication skills brought to CRC ORE by QG add particular value through contributions to the Resource Evaluation projects. CAE Mining draws on CAE’s position as a global leader in modelling and simulation technology and combines it with Datamine’s 30 years’ experience in mine planning and orebody modelling to deliver innovative technology and services to the mining industry across the entire mining value-chain. JKTech delivers world-class solutions to the mining industry by providing products and services in ore characterisation and process improvement within all areas of the life-of-mine cycle including geology, mining, mineral processing and sustainability. As the technology transfer company for the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) at The University of Queensland, JKTech has access to leading-edge technologies and methodologies. MineSense is a British Columbia based technology company focussed on enhancing the sustainability of mining by improving the ore recovery process. MineSense technologies provide a platform for the sensing and sorting of low-grade ore to enhance metal recovery, lower costs and improve resource conversion. Orica is the largest provider of commercial explosives and blasting systems to the mining and infrastructure markets, the global leader in the provision of ground support in mining and tunnelling, and the leading supplier of sodium cyanide for gold extraction. Orica are committed to developing tomorrow’s technologies and solving today’s challenges to focus on the technology transfer of differential blasting activities linked to Grade Engineering®.
Teck Metals is Canada’s largest diversified resources company. Their portfolio includes copper, steelmaking, zinc, energy and coal operations across North America, Peru and Chile.
Mining pg 11 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 12 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 12
Chair Report On behalf of the CRC ORE Board, I am pleased to present the 2012 – 2013 Annual Report, showcasing the successes and achievements of the Centre over the past year. Events within the resources industry over the past year have strongly validated the value of CRC ORE’s work. There has been industry-wide recognition that increasing capital and energy intensity is no longer yielding efficiency improvements in mining. On the contrary, there has been a marked decline in most productivity measures. The techniques being developed by CRC ORE, we believe, have the potential to yield greater metal units, with less capital, labour and energy input per unit. January 2013 marked the halfway point of CRC ORE’s term and a transition to activities with an even stronger focus on the implementation of CRC ORE’s research outcomes within industry.
”
We continue to see strong industry support for our work
”
Industry pg 13 | Industry Focussed Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our RESEARCH • Our Future • Our Operations • Our Operations 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report |
In April, CRC ORE completed its third-year review with the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Branch. The review involved an examination of the Centre’s governance, management and activities by a panel of experts over three days. CRC ORE received an extremely complimentary report on its achievements to date. The report confirmed that “CRC’s research is delivering outcomes which have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of mine site operations.” The reviewers also remarked on the extent of industry involvement in the CRC’s research programs, indicating significant commitment from the mining sector to improve environmental and business performance. The outlook for CRC ORE is full and challenging, with the Centre currently investigating and trialling options for a utilisation vehicle to provide for effective industry transfer of CRC ORE’s knowledge and to ensure that the research outcomes of CRC ORE continue past its term. I would like to thank the management team of CRC ORE which, under the leadership of Prof. Alan Bye, has very ably met the challenges of the past year. Particular acknowledgement
should be made of Chief Operating Officer, Dr Mark Neville, who recently completed a three-year term with CRC ORE and who was instrumental in the establishment and rapid progress of the Centre. During the year we also noted the retirement of Andrew Logan and Prof. Don McKee from the board, and I acknowledge their great contribution. We welcomed Geoff Oldroyd as a Director, bringing with him vast industry experience and expertise. I would also like to acknowledge the continuing active involvement of our research and industry participants who invest time and effort in support of CRC ORE’s activities. During the year we welcomed Orica and MineSense as new participants, and we continue to see strong industry support for our work. Knowledge transfer and skill development objectives underpin all of CRC ORE’s projects, and in the last year CRC ORE has seen two students move into full-time roles within the industry, along with six research higher degree students completing their studies. Congratulations to all of our students on their achievements. Looking forward, CRC ORE is focussed on realising the value of our research and ensuring the immense collaborative effort the Centre has seen over the past three-years is translated to real outcomes that truly make a difference to the mining industry.
Jon Loraine Chairman
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 14
CEO REPORT
Grade Engineering® approaches are specifically designed to address the decline in multifactor productivity
”
CRC ORE has now reached the three-year mark in its five-year term, and the focus of our activities has transitioned to validation and utilisation. This transition has been driven by significant collaborative activity on Greenfield (Pebble and Frieda River) and Brownfield (Escondida, Spence and Los Bronces) site application studies. A report by the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) titled ‘Productivity in the Australian Mining Sector’ (Syed. et al 2013), found that the transition to lower yielding resources was the most significant contributor to the decline in multifactor productivity (MFP) in the mining industry. CRC ORE’s Grade Engineering® activities are specifically designed to address this issue. Through large-scale site application studies and in collaboration with CRC ORE participants, significant progress has been made over the preceding year in developing Grade Engineering approaches.
Contributions theGrades changes in mining AveragetoOre Over Time MFP. Total Change
Depletion
Capital Adjustment
Other Changes
10% 3 5% 2.5 0% 2
-10%
-15%
-20%
Upgrade Factor
-5%
1.5
1
0.5
-25% 0 -30%
Source: Bree (13.01, March 2013)
pg 15 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
pg16 16 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report || pg
SITE APPLICATION Studies: Realising the Value of Research During the preceding year, seven new site application studies were initiated, with greater than $1.4 million invested by mining companies. These collaborative projects involved cross discipline teams, including members from CRC ORE’s research and commercial partners. The collaborative site studies have enabled rapid progress on the Grade Engineering methodologies for both Greenfield and Brownfield operations. These site application studies have enabled the successful transition to the utilisation phase of CRC ORE activities, ensuring that the technologies are shaped and validated by operating mine sites and commercial providers in a way that directly addresses industry requirements. There are also ongoing site application studies being undertaken at BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam and Mt Whaleback sites.
Highlights 2012-2013 9 new industry site studies with more than $1.4 million invested by participants MineSense and Orica joined CRC ORE Successful Third-Year review : “The review panel was impressed by what it found and concluded that the CRC is delivering strong research outcomes and demonstrates a well-managed collaboration with a sharp focus on achieving outcomes within the five-year funding term”.
Major site application studies initiated in 2012-2013
Company
Site Studies
Project Description
Glencore Xstrata
Frieda River
Grade Engineering options for Feasibility study
BHPB
Escondida
Grade Engineering opportunities
BHPB
Spence
Grade Engineering opportunities
Anglo Platinum
UG2 Operations
Underground Grade Engineering
Anglo Platinum
Mogalakwena
Open-Pit Grade Engineering
Anglo American
Los Bronces
System-value opportunities for an Integrated Operations Centre
The Pebble Project
Pebble
”
Grade Engineering options for Feasibility study
CRC ORE Publications: 2 Journal Publications, 48 Conference Presentations/Papers, 25 Technical Reports
Additional Industry Funding Received (Accrued)
$1.4 million
Tied Industry Funding
129% - $2.2 million
In-Kind Contributions
197% - $9.7 million
Research and Development Expenditure
103% - $6.1 million
Additional Participants Funding and Industry Commitment
$3.0 million
*Includes actual and accrued figures *Percentage is against the CRC ORE Budget
Technologies are shaped and validated on operating mine sites
pg 17 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
RHD Milestone Achievements: 4 graduates (1 Masters and 3 PhDs awarded). 2 thesis submissions (1 PhD and 1 Masters).
”
Looking Ahead During the third-year of CRC ORE’s activities, there has been a consolidation of the research portfolio into four significant projects with better project management, site application studies and scale of funding. These research projects will have an increasing focus on mine site validation, leading to the release of industry applicable products and services. There is currently significant focus on scale-up, piloting and validating the Grade Engineering concepts at operating mine sites with the aim of a fully operational Grade Engineering circuit as a reference site for CRC ORE’s activities.
During 2013-2014 there will be the development of a CRC ORE II bid to be submitted in June 2014, ensuring that there is a legacy for the Centre’s work.
Prof Alan Bye CEO
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 18
Research Develop Deliver
pg 19 |
| pg 20
To date, outcomes of the Environmental Indicators project include a series of new testing procedures and a provisional patent application for ARD waste characterisation. The project team increasingly engages with industry through targeted site application studies that focus on predictive waste classification using novel field and advanced laboratory techniques. The Resource Evaluation program aims to deliver innovative new methods for resource evaluation that can replace or supplement traditional methods. The approach recognises that there is multi-dimensional complexity in decision making and valuation that requires more effective methodologies and tools. Projects within the Resource Evaluation program include advanced scheduling methodologies, multi-parameter valuation methods and integrated evaluation. BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam and Mt Whaleback operations are important site application studies within the program. The trend towards declining grades and lower cut-offs reflects the nature of bulk tonnage base and precious metal mining operations with extended mine-life. While continuous improvement in technology and high commodity prices facilitates profitable extraction of bulk low-grade ores, overall productivity and return on investment have shown marked declines which are exacerbated by falling commodity prices. Increased material movement and processing throughput have been the main responses to maintain revenue. Grade Engineering recognises that there are other operational responses and technologies which can be used to avoid over reliance on throughput maximisation at the expense of grade. The ultimate aim of a Grade Engineering solution is to improve unit metal productivity as a life-of-mine system-value. This involves a range of integrated technologies for improving effective feed grades based around early rejection of gangue before energy intensive processing operations. Key rock-based drivers include exploitation of in-situ grade variability below minimum mining unit through differential blasting and screening; use of preferential grade by size deportment responses to increase grade in specific size fractions; and use of sensor-based sorting either
Previous site application studies in CRC ORE Phase One, such as Telfer and Mogalakwena have clearly demonstrated the transformational potential of emerging Grade Engineering concepts where orebody characteristics are favourable. However, understanding the operational implications and whole-of-chain economic benefits of implementing a Grade Engineering solution for a specific operation requires an understanding of resulting change in overall system-value. The development of the Integrated Extraction Simulator (IES) software in CRC ORE Phase Two represents an important step towards establishing system metrics and ‘size of the prize’ benefits. IES represents an innovative new platform that allows existing process simulation models for unit activities such as blasting, comminution or flotation, to interact and establish feedback loops for optimisation. Development of a Grade Engineering simulation module that can link into IES is underway.
AMIRA GeM
QG QISK
Dr Steve Walters RESEARCH DIRECTOR
pg 21 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Pebble
Frieda River
Spence
Escondida
Integrated Extraction Simulator (IES)
SEE Extraction Simulator
Others under development
SMI SEE
Multicomponent Processing Models
Grade Engineering
Los Bronces
AMIRA P9
Utillisation Projects
Mogalakwena
SMI BlastOre
Integrated Mine Planning and Evaluation Mount Whaleback
Olympic Dam
Cadia
Time
Main Rock-Based Levers for Grade Engineering Supporting Projects
Development Projects
Validation Projects
Utillisation Projects
LEVER
Differential blasting for grade
Preferential size by grade deportment
Sensor based sorting (streams)
Sensor based sorting (mass)
DRIVER
Spatial variability of grade at a range of mining unit scales
Size by grade response curves and mass yields
Grade response curves and mass yields for specific sensors
Reject/accept grade sensitivity at bucket/belt scale
The emergence of centralised Integrated Operations Centres (IOC) is a key technical and cultural development that will assist in the establishment of full system visibility and ultimately system-value. CRC ORE is involved with a number of site-based integration projects involving the development of IOC’s. The two site application studies highlighted in the Annual Report illustrate current emphasis on developing implementation strategies for Grade Engineering®. These range from validation projects designed to generate the fundamental new ore body knowledge that enables Grade Engineering®; to integrated utilisation projects that will deliver business case support for full implementation. This includes emerging development of system-value concepts ultimately linked to IOC’s as enablers for operational and cultural change. The unprecedented collaboration and access to whole-of-mine data and operational information without which these projects would not be possible is gratefully acknowledged.
Rock Mass Characterization
Mogalakwena
Process Indicators
SMI MMT
Validation Projects Environmental Indicators
Telfer
Program 1
Grade Engineering is envisaged as a specific unit operation between mining and mineral processing, responsible for generating a range of product streams with enhanced grade characteristics which are dynamically despatched to optimal process destinations. There are significant cultural challenges in understanding that, what in current practice can be a single resource block with a single allocated grade value and rock mass characteristic, can be transformed into multiple streams with different grades, particle size distributions and mass distributions through application of Grade Engineering techniques mainly based on integrated blasting, screening and sorting customised for specific ore attributes.
Development Projects
Telfer
This approach has driven increasing integration across the original Phase One programs themed around Characterisation, Extraction and Evaluation. While more fundamental development activities continue particularly in the areas of Environmental Indicators and Integrated Mine Planning and Evaluation, largescale site deployments have driven integration under the unifying theme of Grade Engineering®.
at particulate stream level following screening, or run-of-mine feed belt scale. Developing effective tools and methodologies to support Grade Engineering that exploit the inherent variability of base and precious metal deposits is a key objective for CRC ORE.
Program 2
The evolution of CRC ORE into Phase Two projects represents a transition from development to validation and utilisation activities that facilitate industry adoption. This involves a dynamic mix of foundation research activities and increasing large-scale sitebased validation and utilisation projects designed to integrate and transfer key outcomes in the form of methodologies and software. CRC ORE continues to undertake its activities in collaboration with small to medium enterprises (SME’s) to provide commercial delivery capabilities and industry-aware resources.
Supporting Projects
Program 3
Research Overview
Schematic Representation of CRC ORE Projects
Preconcentration – screening into new feed streams
RESPONSE Hybrid circuit options – improved energy efficiency and unit metal productivity
VALUE
Define More Effective Operating Modes
New grade tonnage with uplift factors
Map and Implement Value Decisions
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 22
Focus on Coarse Liberation Circuit Project
• Differential blasting • Natural size-by-size deportment • Sensor-based stream sorting • Sensor-based mass sorting The project is facilitated by access to site-based samples and production relevant data sets from participant operations in both feasibility and expansion phases. Close collaboration between CLC project teams and supporting participant operations ensures that work programs and outcomes are designed with maximum context and site relevance. Testing and analysis programs within the CLC project include: • Bench scale blast-hole data to assess opportunity for differential blasting-by-grade design; • Drill core and bulk samples for testing preferential gradeby-size and sensor response; • Belt cut samples to evaluate potential production scale response.
Yield-response separation curves are generated from test work and are used to evaluate Grade Engineering potential. These response curves are typically a set of measured or predicted accept/reject grade responses by mass. Yield curves are a function of the inherent properties of the feed in relation to the separation method and device performance. The figure below depicts a coarse liberation separation event where the feed material is split into two streams; accept and reject. Key attributes for each stream are relative mass (yield) and relative change in quality (response). A key aspect of CLC is the ability to understand operational implications of defining and integrating variable responses related to testing outcomes for each of the main levers. Grade Engineering aims to identify the smallest number of separation technologies capable of generating maximum economic impact while maintaining acceptable levels of complexity. EvaluateORE is a value seeking software tool being developed within the CLC project that simulates interactions between a range of yield-response curves to identify and rank economic outcomes for a variety of operational combinations. EvaluateORE analysis can be undertaken at drill core, bench or domain scales with outcomes filtered based on user-defined constraints or targets such as mill performance, mining rate, metal production or circuit configuration. Highest value selected outcome configurations provide inputs into more detailed whole-of-system simulations that drive productivity improvement.
Predicted Grade Accept/Reject Curves by Mass Reject
Accept
1.00 0.90 0.80 0.70 Cumulative Grade
The Coarse Liberation Circuit project (CLC) is an important component supporting the development of Grade Engineering®. The project is designed to validate and promote the utilisation of physical testing and data analysis methods by assessing the impact of the four main rock-based ‘levers’ to obtain grade engineered material. These rock-based ‘levers’ include:
0.60 0.50 0.40 0.30 0.20 0.10 0.0 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Accept mass % [Reject = 100-X]
The extensive work programs conducted within the CLC project has resulted in improved data analysis software and laboratory testing methods which can be used to characterise and rank individual responses and data sets. A new laboratory facility to support sensor-based testing is currently being set up in collaboration with JKTech and MineSense.
pg 23 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 24
Environmental Indicators Prediction of environmental risks is an important aspect of mineral resource development. The Environmental Indicators (EI) project focusses on designing accurate tests that yield predictive information on the characteristics of mineral resources, which may potentially impact on the environmental performance of mining operations. The underlying aim of the EI team’s research is to gain information in order to support more effective mineral processing, better storage of waste and ultimately improved mine closure outcomes. Recent achievements for the EI project have included the validation of existing procedures and the development of novel laboratory tests. The development of the microwave assisted thermal energy (MATE) pH test for assessing leachate quality was completed, as well as the delivery of the Computed Acid Rock Drainage (CARD) risk grade assessment protocol. This novel methodology uses data collected from automated mineralogical instrumentations such as a mineral liberation analyser and processes it in a unique manner to extract textural data. These data are then used in conjunction with mineral parameters to calculate the risk of acid rock drainage (ARD).
The Environmental Indicators team recently completed two major literature reviews concerning mineral dust emissions from mining operations and bioaccessibility of metals as a predictive environmental indicator in mining, with major findings from these reports being utilised to establish two new research programs. These programs will focus on developing a methodology to improve geochemical and mineralogical characterisation of dust; and a new low-cost test to predict the bioaccessible form of environmentally significant elements which could elute from mine waste materials. Materials collected by the EI team during a field trip visiting mines in Queensland and Tasmania have been used to support this research. Three new case study projects were established by the EI team in 2013, focussing on predictive waste classification at a polymetallic mine using field and advanced laboratory techniques; characterisation of mineral dust properties, where state-of-the-art technologies for mineral characterisation (e.g. laser Raman spectroscopy) were employed; and the establishment of environmental geometallurgy indicators for predicting ARD by integrating geometallurgical tools and fieldbased techniques - the first study of its kind. To support these case studies, a new quantitative X-ray diffractometry facility was established, with funds contributed by CRC ORE, at the School of Earth Sciences/CODES, the University of Tasmania in January 2013.
pg 25 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
| pg 26
Site Application Studies
Pebble Partnership, The Pebble Project
Glencore Xstrata, Frieda River
Newcrest, Telfer BHP Billiton, Spence
BHP Billiton, Mount Whaleback
BHP Billiton, Escondida
Anglo American, Los Bronces
Phase 1 Development
Anglo American, Batopele
Anglo American, Mogalakwena
BHP Billiton, Olympic Dam Newcrest, Cadia
Phase 2 Validation and Utilisation Highlighted in current report pg 27 |
| pg 28
Los Bronces
Frieda River
Los Bronces is an open-pit copper and molybdenum mine located 65km from Santiago in Chile. The ore is crushed and ground onsite with slurry transported down a 56 kilometre long ore pipeline to the Las Tórtolas flotation plant where copper and molybdenum concentrates are produced. In 2011, Los Bronces produced 221,800 tonnes of fine copper, including high purity cathodes and copper concentrate (Cu). As part of the ongoing Los Bronces Development Project which commenced in 2007, commissioning of new comminution and flotation facilities designed to increase Cu production to an average of 400,000 tonnes per annum, makes Los Bronces the fifth largest copper mine in the world.
The Frieda River Project, located on the border of West Sepik (Sandaun) and East Sepik provinces, in Papua New Guinea, is one of the largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits in the Asia-Pacific region. Located approximately 200 kilometres from the northern coastline and 70 kilometres from the navigable Sepik River, the project is managed by Glencore Xstrata on behalf of a joint venture between its wholly-owned subsidiary Xstrata Frieda River Limited (81.82%) and Highlands Pacific Limited (18.18%).
In March 2012, a CRC ORE team of cross-discipline experts undertook an extensive system review of Los Bronces in collaboration with Anglo American personnel onsite and in Santiago. The aim was to support a range of ongoing Anglo American productivity and system-value initiatives including the implementation of an Integrated Operational Control Centre. Although Integrated Operations Centres are increasingly being adopted by the minerals industry as control solutions, the challenge remains to use new levels of system visibility, performance telemetry and potential control functions to generate improved efficiencies and productivity as a whole-of-operation system value. This requires a clear understanding of key system-value decisions and workflows. These workflows are adapted for different life-of-mine operating modes typically involving constraints on recovery, throughput or head grade during different periods of the life-of-mine.
Integrated Operations Centres offer the potential to influence and support the significant cultural changes required to promote whole-of-business collaboration and shared operational objectives. The CRC ORE review process identified a number of system-value initiatives to support and sustain these shared objectives. Implementation of system-value improvements would further enhance the underlying control functions of an Integrated Operations Centre and associated business case.
An important aspect of the study was that the analysis was not divided into ore and waste but rather how Grade Engineering for ore can be used beneficially for waste management and vice versa.
Xstrata Copper delivered a study in 2012 identifying a potential operation with an estimated capital cost of $5.6 billion and an estimated average annual production profile of 204,000 tonnes of copper and 305,000 ounces of gold, over a 20-year mine life. This was based on open pit mining of the Horse-Ivaal-Trukai (HIT) porphyry Cu-Au system with a resource of 2,090 million tonnes at 0.45 per cent copper and 0.22 grams per tonne gold using a 0.2 per cent copper cut-off. The potential operation was based on processing approximately 50Mtpa for 20 years and up to 65Mtpa during the first five years of operations. Concentrate would be piped 127km to a river port for thickening and filtering before being barged down the Sepik River to a silo-vessel.
These initiatives include definition of more effective life-ofmine operating modes and appropriate system response; mapping of system-value workflows and decisions; application of Grade Engineering® to increase effective feed grades; and use of Grade Engineered stream feeds to support throughput maximisation as an extension of Mine to Mill principles.
Based on the opportunities identified, a range of modifications to the existing processing circuit design were modelled involving new Grade Engineered feed streams. Impacts of these changes were evaluated against the existing mine plan and schedule using the OptimisORE tool developed within CRC ORE. The results indicated that significant value could be added to the project using integrated Grade Engineering principles at order of magnitude assessment scale.
CRC ORE has undertaken an Order of Magnitude study based on the Frieda River study outcomes, to determine if the application of Grade Engineering principles and system-value optimisation could improve project economics. This has included an extensive test program for grade-by-size response using archived assay residues. Outcomes of this test program have demonstrated how the variable response could be mapped into the resource model as a geometallurgical-type attribute.
A partnership agreement between Los Bronces and CRC ORE is under negotiation involving collaborative specification and implementation of the work programs required to deliver the proposed initiatives. The aim Pebble Partnership, is to establish a joint project team based in Santiago The Pebble Project embedded on site.
Glencore Xstrata, Frieda River
Pebble Partnership, The Pebble Project
Glencore Xstrata, Frieda River
Newcrest, Telfer BHP Billiton, Spence
BHP Billiton, Mount Whaleback
BHP Billiton, Escondida Pebble Partnership, The Pebble Project
Anglo American, Los Bronces Glencore Xstrata, Frieda River
Anglo American, Batopele
Pebble Partnership, Anglo American, The Pebble Project Mogalakwena
Newcrest, Telfer
BHP Billiton, Olympic Dam BHP Billiton, Spence BHP Billiton, Escondida
BHP Billiton, Mount Whaleback
Glencore Xstrata, Frieda River
Newcrest, Cadia Anglo American, Batopele
Anglo American, Los Bronces
Newcrest, Telfer
Newcrest, Telfer BHP Billiton, Spence
BHP Billiton, Spence
BHP Billiton, Mount Whaleback
BHP Billiton, Escondida
Anglo American, Los Bronces
Anglo American, Batopele
Anglo American, Mogalakwena
BHP Billiton, Mount Whaleback
BHP Billiton, Escondida
Anglo American, Los Bronces
BHP Billiton, Olympic Dam Newcrest, Cadia
pg 29 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Anglo American, Mogalakwena
Anglo American, Batopele
Anglo American, Mogalakwena
BHP Billiton, Olympic Dam Newcrest, Cadia
BHP Billiton, Olympic Dam Newcrest, Cadia
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 30
Annual Assembly
CRC ORE Annual Assembly Program November 2012 The Shape of the Transformation Welcome and Introduction
Jon Loraine - CRC ORE Chairman
Keynote Speech
Professor Robin Batterham, President - Academy Technical Sciences & Engineering
CRC ORE Overview
Professor Alan Bye - CEO, CRC ORE
Grade Engineering
Dr Steve Walters - Research Director, CRC ORE
Integrated Extraction Simulator
Nick Beaton - Commercialisation Advisor, CRC ORE
Resource Evaluation “CRC ORE’s 2012 Annual Assembly featured the unveiling of the Centre’s innovative Grade Engineering® approach.” Since its inception in 2010, CRC ORE has held an Annual Assembly in order to showcase the achievements and work of the Centre and its researchers. The Assembly is open to CRC ORE participants, researchers, students and affiliates, previous years boasting over 100 delegates in attendance from research and industry. High profile speakers such as executive level representatives from industry partners, University Vice Chancellors and guest speakers such as Queensland Chief Scientist, Dr Geoff Garrett AO have participated in the event. CRC ORE’s 2012 Annual Assembly featured the unveiling of the Centre’s innovative Grade Engineering® approach and its role in the evolution of CRC ORE Phase II. Grade Engineering seeks to improve unit metal productivity as a life-of-mine systemvalue. This involves a range of integrated technologies for improving effective feed grades and early rejection of gangue before energy intensive processing operations. The approach has significant implications for sustaining the viability of large, low-grade mining operations. During the 2012 Assembly, Senior Research and Development personnel from CRC ORE industry partners Newcrest Mining and Anglo American spoke on the challenges the minerals industry faces, and recognised the importance of a whole-ofsystem perspective and techniques such as Grade Engineering to improve productivity and restrain costs. Former Australian Chief Scientist Professor Robin Batterham opened the Annual Assembly with an examination of the important role of innovation in the mining industry, and addressed the challenges of developing new technology from laboratory tests to field implementation.
BHP Billiton, Newcrest Mining, Anglo American and Glencore Xstrata. Site application studies with these organisations are driving significant advances in process simulation, improved unit metal productivity and more predictive orebody knowledge for environmental management. Scott Jackson and Dylan Webb presented the work of commercial partners Quantitative Group and CAE Mining in the field, discussing the role of integration in both existing and future resource planning systems. Dr Tim Kastelle of the UQ Business School tackled innovation from a different perspective, demonstrating three paths to ground-breaking innovation: new ideas, new business models, or a ten times improvement in performance. Chairman of CRC ORE Mr Jon Loraine closed proceedings by presenting awards for research excellence to Anita Parbhakar-Fox and the University of Tasmania’s Environmental Indicators project team; Michael Scott from the University of Queensland’s SMI WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre; and Yicai Wang and Richard Hartner of the JKMRC for their work on finite element analysis of rock breakage. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, and CRC ORE would like to thank all speakers and session chairmen for their contribution to the success of the event. The 2013 Annual Assembly will be held on the 14th November at QUT Gardens Point campus and will showcase CRC ORE’s technical project achievements, in addition to keynote presentations on the value of leveraging variability to optimise productivity in the current price cycle.
Researchers from The University of Queensland, University of Tasmania and Queensland University of Technology presented on their collaborations with mining industry partners including
pg 31 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Session Chair
Gavin Yeates - Head of Resource & Business Optimisation, BHP Billiton
Industry Keynote
Jeremy Mann - Head of Geosciences, Process & SD Technology Development, Anglo American
Integrated Evaluation
Professor Rodney Wolff - Professorial Chair in Geostatistics and Mine Planning, W.H. Bryan Research Centre
Information Rich Block Models
Scott Jackson - Director, Quantitative Group
The Economics of Mine Energy
Michael Scott - PhD Candidate, W.H. Bryan Research Centre
Cloud Powered Pit Optimisation
Dylan Webb - Director of Strategic Development, CAE Mining
Resource Extraction Session Chair
Don McKee - Independent Director, CRC ORE
Industry Keynote
Andrew Logan - EGM Strategy, Step Change & Technology, Newcrest
Flexible Circuits
Professor Malcolm Powell - Professorial Chair in Sustainable Comminution, JKMRC
Energy Efficiency of Beneficiation
Dr Grant Ballantyne - Research Fellow, JKMRC
The Environment of Innovation Session Chair
Professor Bruce Gemmell - Head of School of Earth Science, UTas
Predicting AMD
Dr Anita Parbhakar-Fox - Research Fellow, UTas
Skills Requirements for Low Carbon Mining
Professor Paul Lever - CEO, CRC Mining
Innovation Keynote
Dr Tim Kastelle - UQ Business School
Presentation of Awards & Close
Jon Loraine - CRC ORE Chairman
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 32
Knowledge Transfer: Understanding Mine to Mill
Mine to Mill is an operating strategy which links aspects of mining and minerals processing in order to optimise the combined stages of the mining value-chain and has been under development and used on mine sites for the last 20 years. Implemented effectively, numerous operations have experienced productivity gains from Mine to Mill in the range of 10-20 per cent. Despite the widespread application of Mine to Mill, there are aspects of the strategy which are not well understood and the range of applications is not fully appreciated. The lessons which have been learned over the years through practical applications provide valuable guidance to maximise the success of future Mine to Mill applications. Understanding Mine to Mill, written by Professor Don McKee was commissioned by CRC ORE to document and disseminate the knowledge gained over the years through the scientific development and practical implementation of the Mine to Mill strategy. Understanding Mine to Mill is presented in five parts and is supplemented with relevant literature published on aspects of Mine to Mill. • Part A: Setting the Scene outlines the chronology of Mine to Mill developments and provides brief descriptions of a very wide range of Mine to Mill applications that have been implemented over the last 15 years.
About the Author Professor Don McKee, an expert in applied research and technology transfer within the mining sector, brings over 40 years of knowledge and experience to the Understanding Mine to Mill publication. Professor McKee received a BE in metallurgical engineering from The University of Queensland in 1968 and a PhD in association with the Julius Kruttschnitt Minerals research Centre (JKMRC in 1972). He then worked mainly in the area of process control with Mount Isa Mines Ltd, Amax Inc (in Colorado) and Woodlawn Mines. He joined the staff of the JKMRC in 1981 with responsibility for mineral processing research and was largely responsible for establishing JKTech as the technology transfer arm of the JKMRC in 1986. In 1990 he was appointed Director of the JKMRC, a position he held until the end of 1996. Following his time at JKMRC, Professor McKee relocated to the St Lucia campus as Director of the Sir James Foots Institute of Mineral Resources and Head of the Department of Mining, Minerals and Materials Engineering. From 2001, Professor McKee was Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute until his retirement at the end of 2007. Professor McKee’s guidance was instrumental in the establishment of CRC ORE and he served as a non-executive Director on the Board of CRC ORE Ltd from 2010 to 2012.
• Part B: Selected Case Studies demonstrates the range of applications at sites and states productivity gains achieved. • Part C: The Building Blocks of Mine to Mill provides details of the tools required to implement a Mine to Mill strategy. • Part D: Lessons Learned documents the experiences of people who have been intimately involved in practical Mine to Mill implementation. • Part E: Delivering the Potential provides the keys to success. The publication has been very well-received by industry and academics alike. An electronic version of Understanding Mine to Mill is available on the CRC ORE website at: www.crcORE.org.au
pg 33 | Industry Focussed
• Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 34
Training and Education
Innovative approaches to resource evaluation and extraction require a strong skills base for effective implementation on mining operations. A core focus of CRC ORE is developing training and education activities aimed at providing the skills required to bring new technologies to reality in the minerals industry. CRC ORE provides industry training courses to transfer the results of years of research to end-users in the minerals industry, enabling them to harness these advances for implementation on their sites. In addition, discipline specialist staff deliver guest lectures within the undergraduate mining curriculum at Universities across Australia. CRC ORE collaborative projects investigate the challenges faced in minerals extraction from the perspective of a wholeof-value mining chain. As integral members of their project teams, our research higher degree (RHD) and undergraduate honours students gain site and operation experience, along with the opportunity to work with world-renowned discipline specialists and industry professionals. Through day-to-day interaction with colleagues from various backgrounds, students supported by CRC ORE develop an appreciation for the factors impacting on the mining value-chain and the effect their decisions have on other functions of the operation.
During the 2012 – 2013 period, CRC ORE were pleased to progress four RHD students through to graduation, two of which are now working within the industry. Education and training activities throughout 2012-13 have included: · The support of research higher degree students, postdoctoral fellows and research associates. · The development of training courses that offer new knowledge on cutting-edge technologies and emerging disciplines. CRC ORE and its participants ensure that these courses have a delivery pathway which offers the opportunity to gain credit within tertiary institutions and which may eventuate in attaining the award of postgraduate degrees. · The development of workshops to support skills and competency development. · Support of education and training initiatives within partner institutions. · Facilitation of industry internships to offer opportunities for operational experience and practical learning activities.
”
Technology transfers on two legs
”
pg 35 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 36
Education Highlights Congratulations CRC ORE congratulates the following students for the achievement of their candidature milestones.
Completion of Award Name
Award
Topic
Dr Richard Hartner
PhD
Integration and analysis of optical and MLA-based microscopy for optimisation of geometallurgical modelling and ore deposit characterisation
Dr Anita Parbhakar-Fox
PhD
Predictive environmental mineralogy and geochemical techniques: a new approach to integrated acid rock drainage characterisation
Dr Marcus Bueno
PhD
Development of a multi-component tumbling mill model
MSc
“Non-Gaussian type Gram-Charlier Asymptotic Expansions: the Modelling of Commodity Related Series” - The dynamic parameters and higher order moments of the generalised hyperbolic distribution within the context of risk and portfolio management applications
Dr Gerson Sandoval
PhD
Development of a Novel Strategy towards comprehensively estimating the Flotation Specific Rate Constants and their uncertainties
Dr Boris Albijanic
PhD
Flotability of multiphase particles in different chemical environments
Jason Scally
Submission of Thesis Name
Award
Topic
Cristian Carrasco
MSc
Control and predictive models for coarse gold beneficiation with sorting potential at Telfer mine, Newcrest, Western Australia
Will Hancock
PhD
Fundamentals of gravity flow in block caving based on large scale numerical simulations
Confirmation of Candidature Name
Award
Topic
Amin Mousavi Nogholi
PhD
Interactive Optimisation Approaches for Open-Pit Mine Design and Production Sequencing
Bianca Foggiatto
PhD
Novel Techniques in Ore Classification and Sorting
Nishani Mousafer
PhD
Optimal design for drill core sampling
Richelle Pascual
PhD
The characteristics and role of colloidal silica fluids in the formation of the Grieves Siding Peat prospect, Western Tasmania
CRC ORE Knowledge Transfer CRC ORE is committed to the effective transfer of technologies to industry and seeks to achieve this goal in multiple ways. The Centre’s team of specialists frequently travel to industry workplaces and mine sites to effectively transfer knowledge relevant to the operation. CRC ORE’s specialist team is comprised of the professionals most relevant to the requirements of each project. In the last reporting period, the specialist team has visited multiple sites such as Newcrest’s Telfer Mine in Western Australia; The Pebble Project and Teck Metals teams in Vancouver; Newcrest’s Cadia Valley in New South Wales; Anglo American’s Los Bronces Mine in Chile; BHP Billiton’s Escondida Mine in Antofagasta, Chile; and BHP Billiton’s Spence Mine in Northern Chile. Over the past year, CRC ORE researchers have presented their work at over twelve conferences. The Environmental Indicators’ team have worked closely with Tasmanian mine sites to validate their project outputs. pg 37 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
CRC ORE Researchers Showcased
Dr Parbhakar-Fox attributes her success in the CRCA competition to the CRC ORE Communicating Research with Confidence course held in 2012.
CRC ORE research fellow and competition finalist Dr Anita Parbhakar-Fox presented her innovative work on acid rock drainage (ARD) to a gathering of the Australian research community at the Cooperative Research Centres Association’s national conference in Melbourne in May 2013.
“Being able to condense four years of research into five minutes is not an easy task, and I was very pleased to have members of the audience tell me after my presentation that they had learned something about ARD and the mining industry,” she said.
Dr Parbhakar-Fox was selected from over fifty entries to be one of a handful of researchers to present their work as part of the CRC Association’s Early Career Researchers Showcase competition.
Mr Mitesh Chauhan and Dr Richard Hartner each also submitted a professionally filmed presentation for consideration in the awards after progressing through the first round of applications. Congratulations to all six students who took the time to present their research to the panel of experts from industry, research and communications in the first round.
Finalists were selected through the submission of a 30-second video demonstrating that they could convey the aim of their research clearly and effectively. Working with the University of Tasmania’s School of Earth Sciences, Dr Parbhakar-Fox gained the attention of ABC Radio in Hobart and was interviewed about her industry leading work predicting ARD formation. Her geochemistry-mineralogy-texture (GMT) protocol for determining the acid forming properties of ore bodies has been trialled at two mine sites and is now being rolled out to mining operations worldwide. “The GMT approach is an innovative and cost-effective methodology for predicting ARD formation, encouraging better sampling protocols at the start to better account for geological variability and followed up by the ‘mesotextural’ grouping of samples by mineralogy and texture,” she said.
RHD Students Related to CRC ORE Research Activities Student
Enrolling Program Topic Institution
Michael Scott
UQ
PhD
Modelling the financial impact of eco-efficiency parameters in the mining industry
Will Hancock
UQ
PhD
Fundamentals of gravity flow in block caving based on large scale numerical simulations
Ashleigh Collins
UQ
PhD
Modelling of multicomponent interactions in hydrocyclones
Hector Galvez
UQ
PhD
Investigation and quantification of blast induced fragment conditioning
Mitesh Chauhan
UQ
PhD
Development of small scale flotation test (Mineral Separability Index - MSI)
Bianca Newcombe
UQ
PhD
Developing a method of predicting plant performance of ores from mineral characterisation and laboratory tests
Bianca Foggiatto
UQ
PhD
Novel techniques in ore classification and sorting
Amin Mousavi Nogholi
QUT
PhD
Interactive optimisation approaches for open-pit mine design and production sequencing
Nishani Mousafer
QUT
PhD
Optimal design for drill core sampling
Richelle Pascual
UTas
PhD
The characteristics and role of colloidal silica fluids in the formation of the Grieves Siding Peat prospect, western Tasmania
Douglas Logan
UQ
PhD
Optimising economic outcomes of Grade Engineering
Kwasi Darkwa Ampofo
UQ
PhD
Mine Planning in the Face of Economic Uncertainties
CRC ORE is interested in speaking with research higher degree students looking to complete postgraduate studies in a topic related to CRC ORE research programs in order to continue the development of capacity across the scope of the CRC ORE portfolio. 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 38
2012-13 marked the mid-point of CRC ORE’s five-year term. One of CRC ORE’s stated objectives is to ensure that the impact of the Centre’s outcomes are sustained beyond the term of its existence so to maximise the realisation of benefits for the mining industry. CRC ORE has identified that a primary commercialisation entity in collaboration with CRC ORE’s participants is the current best approach to achieving this objective. OREco Pty Ltd has been registered as a wholly-owned subsidiary of CRC ORE to deliver research findings into the industry using consulting, software and ore upgrading techniques that have been established through the Centre. Over the next 18 months, OREco will be developed by CRC ORE and its participants to ensure commercial viability. It is envisaged that OREco will build commercially sustainable tools and services that facilitate the transition from current mine practice to the integrated “system-value” Grade Engineering approach of the future. It will also offer the market the ability to identify “ore upgrade” opportunities and then create, analyse and classify multiple mine planning scenarios to ensure robust optimisation in their deployment.
pg 39 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH
• Our Operations
”
OREco: Sustaining the Outcomes of CRC ORE
A Sustained Impact for CRC ORE
OREco will provide a platform to sustain CRC ORE’s research outcomes beyond the Centre’s initial term
”
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 40
Our Operations
pg 41 |
| pg 42
Governance
Structure of CRC ORE
Committees
CRC ORE has been established as a collaboration between CRC ORE Ltd and the various industry and research participants under the Commonwealth Government Cooperative Research Program, administered by the Department of Industry. CRC ORE Ltd signed the Commonwealth Agreement as a requirement of Commonwealth funding, while participants signed an additional Participants Agreement. The company is further bound by the requirements of the Company’s Constitution.
The Audit, Compliance and Risk Management Committee has been established to advise the Board to verify and safeguard the integrity of the CRC’s financial reporting and ensure that the CRC adequately manages its risk. It was established along with the Remuneration Committee by the Board and meets throughout the financial year.
The Board of CRC ORE is committed to upholding the principles of good governance recommended by the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) Corporate Governance Council, in a manner consistent with the broader corporate business community. With this in mind, the Centre’s governance entities have been structured to ensure a level of transparency and accountability in line with the ASX recommendations. CRC ORE Ltd has been endorsed as a charitable institution by the Australian Taxation Office and is entitled to a number of tax concessions.
The Remuneration Committee is a committee of the Board established to focus the Company on appropriate remuneration policies, to enhance corporate and individual performance and to ensure the company attracts and retains high quality Directors and senior executives. The IP Management and Commercialisation Committee has been established to provide the Board with advice on intellectual property and commercialisation issues including: ensuring integration of research, development, commercialisation and adoption processes and matters of risk management and corporate governance in the area of intellectual property, adoption/commercialisation activities. The Committee charter requires that the Committee meet as and when required.
Governance Arrangements Overview
The Board of CRC ORE Ltd defines business policies, provides strategic direction, considers commercial matters and oversees research activities. The Board met four times during the 2012 - 2013 financial year. The company has eight Directors including the Chair and CEO, with the appointment and term of Directors governed by the Company’s Constitution. The Constitution also requires that the Board as a collective possess skills in the following areas: • corporate governance • mining/resources industry knowledge • relevant research experience • commercial and financial expertise The Board has established the following committees: • Audit, Compliance and Risk Management Committee • Remuneration Committee • IP Management and Commercialisation Committee • Technical Advisory Panel Each of these Committees is governed by a charter approved by the Board.
pg 43 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 44
FINANCIAL REPORT
CRC ORE Ltd (CRC ORE) is a public company limited by guarantee. The principal activity of the Company during the course of the financial year was the administration of the Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction. In accordance with the Commonwealth and Participants Agreements, the Centre will receive funding over a five-year period (2010 - 2015) from its participants and the Australian government in the proportions outlined in the two pie graphs pictured. In addition, CRC ORE secured further revenues of approximately $6 million through new memberships and research agreements. The Centre continues to seek backing from external funding sources to expand its research portfolio. These cash and in-kind resources are used to finance industry driven research into innovative techniques for evaluating and extracting mineral deposits. The Centre’s activities are directed by the research outcomes articulated in the Commonwealth Agreement, and seek to develop and deliver commercial products and methodologies for use on industry participant mine sites. In-kind contribution covers non-cash support, primarily the provision of human and physical resources for CRC ORE research activities. This generally includes time spent providing support and mentoring, as well as the use of participants’ facilities for research and events.
pg 45 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
CRC ORE Finance overview Untied Funding
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
101% - $3.9 million
107% - $4.4 million
106%. - $5.2 million
$1.5 million
$1.4 million
Additional Industry Funding Received (Accrued) Tied Industry Funding
113% - $4.0 million
118% - $2.9 million
129% - $2.2 million
In-Kind Contribution
122% - $4.7 million
218% - $9.0 million
197% - $9.7 million
Research and Development Expenditure
114% - $5.7 million
95% - $6.3 million
103% - $6.1 million
Administration Costs
93% - $1.3 million
86% - $1.6 million
84% - $1.5 million
$1.0 million
$2.0 million
$3.0 million
Additional Participants and Industry Funding Commitment *Includes actual and accrued figures *Percentage is against the CRC ORE Budget
2012 – 2013 Financial Year In the 2012-13 financial year, CRC ORE received or accrued cash funding from participants totalling $4.99 million, exceeding the 2013 budget by 62 per cent. Additional contributions of $3 million were secured from Orica International, Glencore Xstrata, BHP Billiton, Newcrest and Anglo Platinum to support further research effort. The Centre has also received the government grant of $3.85 million funded by the Cooperative Research Program. Overall in-kind contributions from CRC ORE’s participants reached $9.7 million, well above the amount committed under the Commonwealth Agreement in the third year. This was primarily due to an increase in number of new members and the strong engagement of end user participants in site based case studies. 80 per cent of CRC ORE’s expenditure of $7.6 million (actual and accrued) was used to fund research activities. The remainder supported administrative functions including commercialisation, communications and corporate governance.
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 46
CRC ORE Performance Review CRC ORE completed its third-year review with the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Branch in April, receiving an extremely complimentary report on the Centre’s achievements to date. The Performance Review of the CRC ORE was undertaken by an independent review panel consisting of Dr Delyth Samuel (Chair), Mr Peter Laver AM, Professor Robin Batterham AO, Mr Christian Larsen and Dr Ted Bearman on 15-17 April 2013 in Brisbane. The review was also attended by Departmental attendees, Ms Jenni Philippa and Mr Patrick Keating of the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education acting as the secretariat. An excerpt from the report follows: “The review panel considered that the CRC has a strong governance structure and has a highly-skilled and capable management team which has driven the coordination of CRC activities efficiently and effectively, maintaining a sharp focus on achieving outcomes within the five-year term of the CRC. The CRC’s Intellectual Property (IP) is complex, with a number of industry partners bringing significant background IP to the collaboration. The Panel considered the CRC’s IP Management process and its strategy of implementing a phased approach to establishing and realigning its research activities to maximise results were exemplary.”
The panel recognised significant opportunities for CRC ORE to contribute positively to the productivity of the mining sector in coming years, and noted that the strength of collaborative research was particularly evident in the Centre’s portfolio of mine site case studies.
The CRC’s research is delivering outcomes which have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of mine site operations - CRC ORE Performance Review Panel Report
”
CRC ORE’s site application studies are currently implementing and validating research outputs at mining operations across the globe, providing a practical demonstration of value-adding opportunities for operations that consider the whole mining chain. The performance review report provided by the review panel stated that “the CRC’s research is delivering outcomes which have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and reduce the costs of mine site operations.” The reviewers also remarked on the extent of industry involvement in the CRC’s research programs, indicating significant interest from the mining sector to improve environmental and business performance. “The high levels of industry participation and support that the CRC has secured is evidence of the strong industry demand for solutions from the CRC’s research and is also testament to the capability of the management team. Industry values the ability of the CRC to tailor solutions to specific mine sites and perceives the CRC’s advice as objective and grounded in the rigour of University based research.” The third-year review proved an effective process for the Centre, enabling the management team to assess CRC ORE’s current progress along with future possibilities and strategies. CRC ORE would like to thank all researchers, students and industry partners for their involvement and significant effort during preparations.
pg 47 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
pg48 48 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report || pg
OUR board
Our Board Jon Loraine Chairman
Bill te Kloot Director
Jon Loraine has over 30 years of seniorlevel mining industry operational and commercial experience in Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Australasia. This has encompassed exploration management, project development and financing, and operational management across all sectors of the resources industry.
Bill te Kloot is a highly experienced executive with a broad background in all aspects of financial and administration management and corporate governance. This experience has been gained in a wide selection of industries (sugar, coal, retail, waste management, marine transport and technology) and in both public and private companies.
Professor Alan Bye
He is currently a Director of JKTech Pty Ltd and National President of Chartered Secretaries Australia.
Director
Professor Alan Bye is the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction. This high profile, multi-million dollar program aims to address some of the mining industries significant challenges in the areas of energy use and improved exploitation methods for mineral resources. In his prior post, Alan was director of the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (University of Queensland). The BRC’s research excellence is recognised in the fields of Mass Mining, blast engineering and Geology-Mine-Plant integration. Alan was previously involved with Anglo American for over ten years and has held a range of cross-discipline positions in the areas of geology, geotechnical engineering, mine to mill, blast engineering and mining manager.
Professor Chris Moran Director
Professor Chris Moran is the Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland. Chris started with a degree in agriculture and a PhD in soil science and digital image processing from the University of Sydney. He worked as a natural resource scientist doing spatial science in the CSIRO for 16 years. He has been involved in minerals industry water and sustainability research since 2004. He has published around 80 articles in scientific journals, technical reports and a significant number of commercial and government information papers and popular media reports.
Dr Geoff Oldroyd Director
Professor Bruce Gemmell Director
pg 49 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Professor Bruce Gemmell is the Deputy Director of the world-leading Centre for Ore Deposits Research (CODES) and the Head of the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Tasmania. Following studies at the University of British Columbia and Dartmouth College, his early research was focused on the trace metal geochemistry of volcanic gases from active volcanoes in Central America. Bruce gained extensive experience across a wide range of ore deposit types, and more recently he and his students have conducted research on base and precious metal vein systems in Indonesia and South America. Bruce has supervised over 50 M.Sc. and PhD students and published over 60 refereed papers in international journals. He has also been a member of the editorial boards of both Mineralium Deposita and Economic Geology.
Dr Geoff Oldroyd is the Principal for G.C. Oldroyd and Associates, an advisory/ consulting firm specialising in providing strategic and technical advice to the international mining, minerals and energy industries. Geoff is a mining engineer with over 40 years of experience in the mining and minerals industry spanning research, mine and corporate management, consulting and company director work. He has consulted across a broad range of mineral resource mines/projects in Australasia, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Geoff is also the Chairman of CRC ORE’s Technical Advisory Panel and a Director of Coal & Allied Industries Ltd, Australia’s second largest thermal and semi-soft coking coal producer.
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 50
GAVIN YEATES
Lauren Stafford
Gavin is currently the Vice President of Mine Optimisation at BHP Billiton.
Lauren Stafford is the Business Manager at CRC ORE.
He has over 30 years of experience with BHP and BHP Billiton in mining and related fields at a variety of locations across a range of commodities. Gavin has also worked in the areas of operations, planning, and consulting, and more recently in management and executive roles with exposure to all aspects of the mining business.
In this role she is responsible for the effective administration of the Centre and oversees the financial, legal, governance, project management, operational and communication functions which support the core CRC ORE activities of research, utilisation and education. Lauren was previously the Business Manager for the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre at The University of Queensland where she played a key role in the establishment of CRC ORE.
Director
Company Secretary
Thank you to the following Individuals for their service to the Board of CRC ORE CRC ORE’s Board of Directors June 2013 Back row (left to right): Prof Chris Moran, Geoff Oldroyd, Jason Grace, Prof Alan Bye Front row (left to right): Lauren Stafford, Prof Bruce Gemmell, Jon Loraine, Bill te Kloot Inset: Gavin Yeates
Professor Don McKee Director
Andrew Logan Director
technical advisory panel The Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) is a Committee of the Board of CRC ORE that guides the research, education and technology transfer activities of the company. It also provides strategic advice and recommendations to the Board, covering new Centre project proposals, and monitoring the progress and results of ongoing projects. The TAP meets quarterly, and is comprised of research and end-user representatives and an independent Chair.
Jason Grace Director
Mark Neville
Company Secretary
PARticipants
Alternate
TAP Chairman
Geoff Oldroyd
n/a
TAP Secretary
Rosemary Swanborough
n/a
CRC ORE AMIRA
Alan Bye
Lauren Stafford
Joe Cucuzza
Ray Shaw
Anglo American
Jeremy Mann
Robert Schouwstra
BHPB
David Whittle
Peter Lilly
CAE Mining Glencore Xstrata
Dylan Webb Nathan Bullock
John Bailey Joe Pease
JKTech
Dan Alexander
John Jackson
Minesense
Andrew Csinger
Andrew Bamber
Newcrest
Jon Rutter
Andrew Logan
ORICA
Stephen Boyce
Geoff Brent
QG
Scott Jackson
Scott Dunham
QUT
Erhan Kozan
Chris Eves
Teck
Nikki McKay
Mark Richards
UQ
Wayne Stange
UTAS pg 51 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Member
Ron Berry
Malcolm Powell Bernd Lottermoser 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 52
Our People Professor Alan Bye
Dr Steve Walters
Professor Alan Bye is the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction. This high profile, multi-million dollar program aims to address some of the mining industries significant challenges in the areas of energy use and improved exploitation methods for mineral resources.
Dr Steve Walters is the Research Director for CRC ORE.
Chief Executive Officer
In his prior post, Alan was director of the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (University of Queensland). The BRC’s research excellence is recognised in the fields of Mass Mining, blast engineering and Geology-Mine-Plant integration. Alan was previously involved with Anglo American for over 10 years and has held a range of cross-discipline positions in the areas of geology, geotechnical engineering, mine to mill, blast engineering and mining manager.
Research Director
Steve has over 30 years of experience in the global minerals industry in the areas of exploration geology, mining geology, corporate research and geometallurgy. He previously played a key role in the establishment and subsequent management of the AMIRA P843 GeMIII project - the largest university based research project in the emerging field of geometallurgy. During this time he held a joint appointment between CODES - the ARC Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits at the University of Tasmania and the JKMRC at The University of Queensland. In addition to his current CRC ORE role, Steve is also a Research Consultant to JKMRC mainly involving support for technology transfer and validation case studies related to the ongoing AMIRA P843A project.
Lauren Stafford
Nick Beaton
Lauren Stafford is the Business Manager at CRC ORE.
Mr Nick Beaton has enjoyed a successful 30 year career in the development and commercialisation of technology for the global mining industry.
Business Manager
In this role she is responsible for the effective administration of the Centre and oversees the financial, legal, governance, project management, operational and communication functions which support the core CRC ORE activities of research, utilisation and education. Lauren was previously the Business Manager for the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre at The University of Queensland where she played a key role in the establishment of CRC ORE.
pg 53 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Commercialisation Advisor
His professional experience covers senior appointments with Datamine, Mincom, KPMG and CAE Mining, with postings to the UK, South Africa, Germany, the USA and Switzerland. In addition to his extensive mining industry experience Mr Beaton has also worked in management consultancy in Europe leading pan-European projects in business restructuring, technology development and enterprise system “roll-outs” for automotive, chemical and pharmaceutical clients.
pg54 54 2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report || pg
Professor Malcolm Powell
Program Leader, Resource Extraction Professor Malcolm Powell is the Chair in Sustainable Comminution at the JKMRC, and Technical Advisor for the CRC ORE Resource Extraction program. Trained in Physics then mineral processing at Mintek (South Africa), Malcolm completed a PhD in grinding media motion and linear wear. After forming the comminution group at the University of Cape Town he joined the JKMRC at the University of Queensland to take up the Chair in Sustainable Comminution in 2007. He continues to lead comminution research at JKMRC while overseeing CRC ORE’s resource extraction program. Malcolm specialises in linear design, charge motion and DEM modelling, as well as SAG mill modelling and control. He aims to link fundamental research with applied outputs through the development of practical and robust process models, enabled by cooperation with industry and researchers around the world. Malcolm’s current research areas include the Unified Comminution Model (UCM) and Flexible Circuits, utilising today’s equipment while enabling the uptake of tomorrows technology for energy efficient, lower impact minerals recovery.
Professor Rodney Wolff
Program Leader: Resource Evaluation
Professor Rodney Wolff is the Program Leader for Resource Evaluation with CRC ORE, and Chair in Geostatistics and Mine Planning at the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre. His research interests cover topics including applied statistics, data analysis, econometrics, experiment design, gambling, mathematics, probability, risk, surveys and time series. He received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 1990. Prior to joining Queensland University of Technology he was a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College in Oxford.
Greg Shapland
Rosemary Swanborough Project Management Officer
Administration Assistant
Greg Shapland is the Implementation Specialist for CRC ORE. Greg’s role is to structure and execute utilisation projects that apply research outcomes of CRC ORE. Grade Engineering projects often require input from a broad range of disciplines working together in a coordinated manner to deliver commercially focussed outcomes.
Rosemary Swanborough is the Project Management Officer for CRC ORE and her role involves the project management activities for the Centre’s research and industry projects. Rosemary is also the Secretariat for the CRC ORE Technical Advisory Panel.
Kate Cooper is the Centre’s Administration Assistant, responsible for providing administration support to the CRC ORE team. Kate has a Bachelor of Business Management from the University of Queensland and brings Human Resources and Administration experience from the private sector to the role.
Implementation Specialist
Greg has over 20 years’ experience of managing and implementing systems and process improvements using mining technologies and IT systems. Greg holds a B.E. Civil (Hons), an M.B.A. in Strategy and Marketing and is an accredited Project Management Professional with PMI.
Rosemary joins the Centre from the Queensland Government Department of Main Roads and Transport, where she held a number of project management roles and was the Secretariat for two National Committees, the Rail Safety Regulators Panel and the Rail Safety Co-Regulation Group.
Jana Baranovic
Kirsty Paynter
Finance Manager (CPA)
Jana Baranovic is the Finance Manager at CRC ORE. In this role she is responsible for the financial management, tax and other compliance processes and management, government and statutory reporting. Jana is a CPA qualified accountant (Flinders University of South Australia), and also holds a Law degree from Czechoslovakia. She has also completed a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance. Jana has extensive experience in financial management in a number of industries in both the public and private sectors, including the Business Manager role with ACID CRC.
Kirsty Paynter is the Administration Officer (Strategy and Governance) for CRC ORE. In this role she is responsible for providing administrative support for the CRC ORE Board and relevant sub-committees, maintaining Governance protocols and also providing strategic support to the senior management team. Kirsty holds a Bachelor of Law, a Postgraduate Diploma in Commercial Law and has passed the Legal Practice Course in the UK. Kirsty comes to the centre with a varied background including implementation of European Union Policies.
Dr Luke Keeney Technical Manager
Luke is a technical specialist with experience in global integrated mining related base metal and hard rock environments, along with extensive experience operating in research and consulting organisations. Trained in mathematics, physics, geology and geometallurgy, Luke has worked in a variety of roles covering open-pit slope design, geometallurgical research and consulting. He worked on the AMIRA P843/A GeMIII research projects at the JKMRC primarily focussing on validating research outcomes through working on and managing case studies at a range of global operations, undertaking consulting activities and assisting in technology transfer and commercialisation of research outcomes. Prior to joining CRC ORE, Luke managed the geometallurgical consulting activities at JKTech.
Mel Raassina
Communications and Education Officer Mel Raassina is the Communications and Education Officer for CRC ORE, responsible for communications at the Centre including marketing strategy, public relations, event management and production of creative, along with training and education activities. Mel comes to the Centre with a vast background in marketing, public relations, communications, event management, photography and web development through roles within the not-for-profit sector, Federal Parliament and University research.
pg 55 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Administration Officer (Strategy and Governance)
Kate Cooper
Thank you to the following Individuals for their service to CRC ORE
Dr Mark Neville
Chief Operating Officer
Tim Howard
Communications Officer
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 56
Kwasi Darkwa Ampofo,
Dr Ron Berry,
Kwasi Darkwa Ampofo is a graduate of the University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa, Ghana, with a BSc (Hons) in Mining Engineering. He has worked as a mining engineer intern with Goldfields Ghana Ltd at Tarkwa; as a sales rep for MHG Systems Ltd in promoting their cloud-based mining fleet systems; and as a risk advisor for the mining sector with Shield Insurance Brokers and Risk Management in Accra. Kwasi’s research will be in the field of mine planning and numerical modelling in ore recovery. Kwasi has a host of publications and a book to his credit.
Dr Ron Berry has 30 years’ experience studying the geology of Tasmania, which included a major contribution to defining the structural elements in Tasmania, and in placing Tasmania in a tectonic setting in south-east Australia and Rodinia. He is an Associate Professor in Geology at the University of Tasmania and was previously the Head of the School of Earth Sciences and chairman of the Tasmanian Division of the Geological Society of Australia and the Specialist Group in Tectonics and Structural Geology.
Integrated Evaluation, BRC, UQ
Dr Grant Ballantyne, Beneficiation Energy Efficiency, JKRMC, UQ
Dr Grant Ballantyne is a research fellow in the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC). Grant’s research is focussed on reducing the energy consumed by the mining sector using initiatives such as coarse rejection of gangue and energy efficient comminution. His interests also encompass integration of comminution and flotation processes, sampling, modelling and optimisation of minerals processing circuits and teaching the next generation of industry leaders. He completed a Bachelor of Engineering (Metallurgy and Chemical) at UQ in 2007 and a Doctorate in Philosophy at the JKMRC in 2012. He has won both the Ian Morely and Zinifex prizes acknowledging the quality of his work.
Environmental Indicators UTas
Ron’s later research has focussed on the emerging field of geometallurgy, using mineralogy and microtexture to predict processing performance in grinding and flotation. He has developed a protocol for automated mineral mapping using optical microscopy and mapping protocols for a laser Raman microscope.
Cristian Carrasco, Coarse Liberation Circuits, JKMRC, UQ
Cristian Carrasco recently completed a Masters’ Degree and will continue with CRC ORE to complete a PhD. His research topic is investigating predictive models for coarse gold beneficiation and sorting potential at the Newcrest operation.
Mitesh Chauhan
GeM PB43A JKMRC, UQ Mitesh obtained a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and is currently a PhD student under the AMIRA GeM project in affiliation with JKMRC and CRC ORE. Mitesh’s current work focuses on new flotation tests for the mining industry, using techniques requiring significantly less time and sample material to achieve similar accuracy to the current method, enabling more tests to be done to improve understanding of the mineral characteristics.
pg 57 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Alan Cocker,
SMI BlastORE, BRC, UQ Alan Cocker graduated from Southampton University with an Honours Degree in Geology in 1977. He worked in the oil industry as a Petroleum Engineer and Wellsite Geologist for 11 years. Since 1988 he has worked for the University of Queensland firstly with JKMRC as a Research Officer and more recently with BRC where he manages blasting software development.
Professor Chris Eves, Integrated Evaluation, QUT
Professor Eves has over 17 years in the areas of property economics, investment valuation and property market analysis, preceded by 16 years practical experience in the finance and property valuation industries. His current research interests are the investment performance of rural property assets, housing market research with a strong emphasis on value determinants and residential property affordability, and the impact of natural disasters on property markets and property values, especially in relation to flooding and bushfires.
Dr Michael Falta, Integrated Evaluation, University of Otago
Dr Falta’s background is in quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics. His main interests are dynamic, statistical and computational approaches to aspects of accounting such as bankruptcy prediction, capital markets research, accounting measurement theory and strategic asset management. Before joining academia, Dr Falta provided contractual industry research for a number of Australian CRCs and consulted privately, working mainly on optimisation modelling for custom-made decision support tools.
Bianca Foggiatto,
Coarse Liberation CLC Circuits JKMRC, UQ Bianca Foggiatto studied an undergraduate degree in mining and minerals processing University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil. She then completed a masters degree, focussing on the optimisation of grinding circuits in 2009, at the same institution. During this period, she also received a specialised degree in Safety Engineering (PECE – USP). Bianca was part of the Simulation and Control laboratory staff for five years, working in applied research with Professor Homero Delboni Jr. She also started her own business, a consulting company, with a focus on minerals processing projects. Bianca is now a PhD student at the JKMRC. Her PhD explores the design of efficient mineral processing circuits, under the supervision of Professor Malcolm Powell, Program Leader for the Resource Extraction Program at CRC ORE.
Dr Richard Hartner,
Coarse Liberation Circuits, JKTech Dr Richard Hartner has completed his PhD thesis on integration of optical and SEMbased microscopy at the JKMRC. This work has involved advanced image analysis and integration methodologies including application of the eCognition® software which will be used for data analysis in the current coarse liberation project.
Dr Marko Hilden,
Coarse Liberation Circuits, JKMRC, UQ Dr Marko Hilden graduated from the University of Queensland in 1993 with a degree in Minerals Process Engineering. He then worked with Rio Tinto at Technical Services undertaking a number of projects in the coal group before transferring to the Iron Ore operations in Hamersley Iron where he worked on process improvement projects including the retrofit installation of a spirals circuit at the Tom Price concentrator. Marko joined the JKMRC in 2002 to begin a PhD in modelling industrial screens, and following its completion in 2006, joined the Comminution group where his focus has been on a range of comminution projects including modelling HPGR and SAG circuits.
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 58
Integrated Evaluation, QG Scott Jackson is the Managing Director and principal consultant at QG, with more than 20 years’ experience in mining and exploration geology. After initially working as a Project Geologist, Scott studied geostatistics at the prestigious Paris School of Mines before returning to consult on projects across various commodities and environments. He has expertise in geostatistics and resource estimation with particular strengths around audit/review and characterising orebody variability. Scott has a wide breadth of commodity and orebody exposure with a bias towards porphyry Cu-Au, base metals and gold.
Professor Erhan Kozan, Integrated Evaluation, QUT
Professor Kozan is the leader of the Decision Science Group in the Mathematical Sciences School at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. He has 40 years industrial, managerial, teaching and research experience in the areas of operations research and worked with the World Bank Group and the United Nations Development Program. Professor Kozan has acted as principal investigator for over 25 long-term industrial projects, and 18 competitive national and international research grants since 1996 in the areas of health, finance, metals, transportation, supply chains and logistics. He is the author of over 210 journal papers, conference papers and industrial reports, has supervised more than 35 postgraduate research students and is currently supervising seven PhD students. He established the Operations Research Group - QUT in 1996 and is a former president of the Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Society (APIEMS) and Australian Society for Operations Research.
Dr Shi Qiang Liu,
Professor Bernd Lottermoser,
Integrated Evaluation, QUT Dr Shi Qiang (Samuel) Liu is currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher under the “Advanced Scheduling Methodologies for Mining” project of CRC ORE’s Resource Evaluation program. He has solid background in Operations Research, Planning and Scheduling in various industries, Artificial Intelligence, Optimisation Algorithms and Simulation. He is proficient in computer programming and software development. He once worked as a software engineer in Temasek Laboratories and a design engineer in WEW Automation Ltd in Singapore. He was awarded the PhD degree in Operations Research from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and his PhD thesis was nominated for University Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award. He also obtained his M.Eng. degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from National University of Singapore; M.Eng. degree in ThermoPhysics, B.Eng. degree in Thermal Engineering, B.Sci. degree in Economics from Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). He has published several papers in top journals including Transportation Science, International Journal of Production Economics, Computers and Operations Research, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Advances in Engineering Software, etc. Due to his academic contributions, was awarded the New Researcher Medal by Australian Society for Operations Research (ASOR) and the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellency by QUT.
”
Scott Jackson,
The high-level skills of Our people is the hallmark of CRC ORE
Environmental Indicators, Exeter Professor Lottermoser has worked in the mining industry and also in research and academic instruction at Australian, German and British universities. His work has been recognised by a German Humboldt Research Fellowship, an Erasmus Mundus Fellowship of the European Union, and an Endeavour Executive Award and the Michael Daly Award for Excellence in Science Communication by the Australian Government. Bernd has written more than 130 publications as well as a geological guidebook on northern Australia and an acclaimed textbook on mine wastes published by Springer. The textbook has been published in its third edition and is used widely around the world, including for legal cases presented in the Supreme Court of the United States.
Dr Sorousha Moayer, Integrated Evaluation, QG
Dr Sorousha Moayer has a background in decision analysis and risk modelling, scenario planning and optimisation, software development and quantitative analysis. Since 2001, he has been involved in feasibility and requirement studies for developing production planning software, designing process simulation and optimisation software with particular emphasis on operation planning, scheduling and supply chain management. To date, Sorousha has been involved in the development of a bespoke project and mine evaluation scenario tool kit. This entails mapping, problem-solving and programming each component of the evaluation pipeline, from resources to reserves and financial modelling across all mineral commodities. He is responsible for technical architecture and solution design for a web based software called QISK, based on .NET 4 and SQL Server 2008 R2 utilising technologies including the ASP.net framework, MVC and web services.
Nishani Mousafer,
Integrated Evaluation, QUT Nishani Musafer is now working on her PhD thesis at Queensland University of Technology, Australia, which is focussed on developing an optimal design for drill core sampling. She completed her BSc (Hons) in statistics with a first class at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, in 2009 and awarded the gold medal for statistics for the highest academic excellence . She lectured in statistics at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, before she commenced her PhD research program.
Amin Alah Mousavi Nogholi,
Advanced Scheduling, QUT Amin received his Bachelor’s Degree in Mining Engineering from Isfahan University of Technology (Iran) in 2007. He started his Masters program immediately after graduation and achieved a Masters in Mining Engineering from Tarbiat Modares University, Iran. His research for the final thesis of his Bachelor and during his Masters degree focussed on Mine Design, Planning and Scheduling. In his Master’s thesis entitled “final open-pit limit optimisation using neural networks”, Amin applied Geostatistical Simulation, Neural Network and a heuristic algorithm simultaneously in order to determine optimum pit limit under uncertainty conditions and impurity limitations. Amin’s interest in applying optimisation methods to the mining industry encouraged him to continue his education as a doctoral student at the school of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, working on advanced scheduling methodologies. Amin’s project is supported by CRC ORE and supervised by Professor Erhan Kozan.
”
pg 59 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 60
Dr Taryn Noble,
Environmental Indicators, UTas Dr Noble is currently a CRC ORE Research Fellow at the School of Earth Sciences. Taryn received her MSc degree from the University of Bristol in 2007 in Environmental Geosciences. In 2011 she completed her PhD in palaeoceanography at the University of Cambridge. Taryn’s research involved using radiogenic isotopes (Nd, Sr and Pb) to reconstruct past sediment sourcing and flux (Th) to the Southern Ocean during the last glacial period. Taryn also uses Nd isotopes measured in fossil foraminifera shells preserved in the marine sediment to reconstruct changes in deep water mass source and structure in the Atlantic and Pacific sectors of the Southern Ocean. Since July 2011 Taryn has been working with Bernd Lottermoser on the Environmental Indicators program.
Dr Anita Parbhakar-Fox,
Environmental Indicators, UTas
Dr Parbhakar-Fox is a research fellow at the University of Tasmania’s School of Earth Sciences, working on the CRC ORE Environmental Indicators project. Relevant research outcomes from her PhD thesis (2012) include the development of the ‘geochemistry-mineralogy-texture’ (GMT) approach and the acid rock drainage index (ARDI) for texturally assessing acid forming potential. Most recently, Anita was named a CRC Early Career Researcher national finalist (2013) and presented a Research Excellence award by CRC ORE (2012). Anita obtained a 1st class MSci (Hons) degree from Imperial College, University of London in Environmental Geology (2005), and was awarded Imperial’s Warington Smythe Medal and a nomination for the UK Young Scientist of the Year (2005). Anita was awarded Imperial’s Warington Smythe Medal and a nomination for the UK Young Scientist of the Year (2005) for her published MSc research.
pg 61 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Richelle Pascual,
Environmental Indicators, UTas
Michael Scott,
Grade Engineering BRC, UQ
Richelle is a 2nd year PhD candidate from University of Tasmania working generally on understanding ore mineralogy in unconventional conditions. Her project is looking into the constraints of formation of the complex mineralogy found in a metal-rich peat deposit in Grieves Siding, western Tasmania. It is aiming to understand specifically, the sulfides forming in-situ, which are postulated to be precipitating from a colloidal precursor. Since the mineralisation is hosted by peat, it is also believed that micro organisms and organic matter may have significant participation in the mineral formation.
Michael Scott is a graduate of the University of Queensland with Bachelor degrees in Science and Commerce. He is currently completing a Doctorate of Philosophy with the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre. His research is examining the financial impact of energyefficiency, emission pricing and preconcentration on the optimal cut-off grade strategy for production of a low-grade, Cu-Au deposit. Michael is also a technical specialist with CRC ORE examining the economic potential of Grade Engineering solutions at new and existing projects.
Guiding her project are Professor Vadim Kamenetsky, Dr Taryn Noble and Dr Karsten Goemann from CODES, School of Earth Sciences, Central Science Laboratory, respectively, from the University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay campus.
Dr Leo Shen,
Prior to her PhD study, Richelle worked as an exploration geologist in the Philippines for 10 years. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Geology in Adamson University, Manila, Philippines.
Professor Tony Pettit, Integrated Evaluation, QUT
Professor Pettitt obtained his doctorate on “statistical model goodness of fit” from the University of Nottingham. His main area of expertise is in applied Bayesian statistics. He has over 100 refereed publications on such topics as change point problems, infectious diseases, spatial statistics, motor neuron number estimation and Bayesian computation, and has been a chief investigator on numerous ARC grants. He has supervised 19 higher degree students to completion, and is supervising a further five at this time.
Integrated Evaluation, BRC, UQ Dr Leo Shen completed his PhD thesis on “Financial Risk Measures” at The University of Adelaide under the supervision of Australian Professorial Fellow Robert Elliott. His research was on issues surrounding dynamic risk measures based on the single jump process in continuous and discrete time respectively.
Dr Helen Thompson, Integrated Evaluation, QUT
Dr Helen Thompson has been a lecturer in statistics in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Queensland University of Technology since 2007. Prior to this she was awarded a full scholarship from the Department of Statistics at the University of Glasgow, UK, to carry out her PhD research on the optimal design of experiments, whilst also employed as a teaching assistant in the department. She also holds a first class honours degree in statistics from the University of Queensland and worked as a research officer for the Australian Bureau of Statistics carrying out statistical methodological work on national surveys. Her research in statistics broadly includes optimal experimental and sampling design (i.e. the optimal collection of data), applied statistics, data analysis, econometrics, and statistics education.
Patrick Walters,
Coarse Liberation Circuits, JKMRC, UQ Patrick Walters is a researcher based at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) of the University of Queensland. He has been with JKRMC for seven years working across multiple projects with a focus on comminution and geometallurgy. He began working in the AMIRA P843 GeMIII project and had a continuing role throughout its extension project (P843A). He has also undertaken research to assist Professor Malcolm Powell with various research groups and projects. He is the lead inventor of the Julius Kruttschnitt Bond Ball Lite test, developed through the JKMRC. Patrick began working with CRC ORE in early 2012 and was brought in under what is now the Coarse Liberation Circuits (CLC) project. His main focus has been on the integration of the various CLC concepts which has culminated in the development of numerous in house analytical tools and procedures, chiefly represented by EvaluatORE.
Dr Yicai Wang,
Finite Element Modelling, JKMRC, UQ Dr Yicai Wang holds a PhD from the University of Queensland in structural analysis area and prior to joining the JKMRC in 2007 spent five years in the Advanced Computational Modelling Centre at the University of Queensland as a program analyst developing numerical models for a wide range of applications. Since joining the JKMRC she developed the specialised SimRock software for FEM modelling of intact mineral textures initially as part of the P843 project. She has worked in the University of Queensland for more than 10 years as a research fellow and an engineering software developer. She worked in the computer centre of Xian Jiaotong University as a finite element analysis engineer for 10 years after graduation. Yicai is very familiar with numerical modelling especially in the area of finite element analysis, she has extensive experiences and skills in numerical modelling and is very proficient in computer simulation.
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 62
Professor Roger Willett,
Bevin Wong,
Professor Willett of the University of Tasmania has a BA in Economics from the University of East Anglia and a PhD from Aberdeen, in the UK. He worked in the UK as a Chartered Accountant with Coopers & Lybrand, Birmingham, prior to taking his first academic appointment at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He has previously also been employed in the University of Wales, The Australian National University, the University of Otago, New Zealand and Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. His teaching interests are computational modelling and postgraduate teaching, although he has taught across all aspects of the discipline of accountancy at undergraduate level. His research interests are economic modelling, accounting measurement; the statistical analysis of accounting numbers and international accounting.
Bevin worked for Xstrata Copper for 8 years starting as a Plant Metallurgist then becoming the Metallurgical Superintendent at the Ernest Henry Mine. He then moved into the Senior Project Metallurgist role with the Project Development division where he was involved in the management of metallurgical programs for several greenfield and brownfields projects in South America and Asia Pacific. The first 3 years of his career was spent at the Mt Gordon copper operation in north Queensland where he worked with autoclave pressure leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning technologies. Bevin is also the Projects Manager at the JKTech.
Integrated Evaluation, UTas
pg 63 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Coarse Liberation Circuits, JKTech
| pg 64
Publications
13. Liu, S.Q., Kozan, E. (2011). Interactive planning and scheduling framework for optimising the operations from pits to crushers in ore mining industry. 12th Asia-Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management System Conference, October 14-17 2011, Beijing, China. 14. Liu, S.Q., Kozan, E. (2012). An open-pit mine production scheduling methodology, CRC ORE Annual Assembly 2012, November 7, 2012, Brisbane, Australia. 15. Lottermoser, B.G. (2012). Environmental indicators for acid mine drainage: advances in knowledge and challenges ahead. 7 th International Conference on Mine Closure, September 25-27, 2012, Brisbane, Australia. 16. Lottermoser, B.G. (2012). What rocks will tell us in advance: environmental indicators in drill cores. Life of Mine 2012 Conference, July 10-12, 2012, Brisbane, Australia.
27. Powell, M., Perkins, T., Mainza, A.N. (2011). Grindcurves applied to a range of SAG and AG mills. SAG Conference 2011, September 25-28 2011, Vancouver, Canada. 28. Powell, M., Benzer, H., Mainza, A.N. (2011). Integrating the strengths of SAG and HPGR in flexible circuit designs. SAG Conference 2011, September 25-28 2011, Vancouver, Canada. 29. Powell, M., Benzer, H., Mainza, A.N., Evertsson, C.M., Tavares, L.M., Potgieter, M., Davis, B., Plint, N., Rule. C. (2011). Transforming the effectiveness of the HPGR circuit at Anglo Platinum Mogalakwena. SAG Conference 2011, September 25-28 2011, Vancouver, Canada. 30. Powell, M., Mainza, A.N. (2012). Step change – a staircase rather than a giant leap. 26th International Mineral Processing Congress, September 24-28, 2012, New Delhi, India.
Journal Publications
Conferences
1.
Liu, S.Q., Kozan. (2012). A hybrid shifting bottleneck procedure algorithm for the parallel-machine job-shop scheduling problem. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 63(2), pp.168-182.
1.
Ballantyne, G., Hilden, M., Powell, M. (2012). Early rejection of gangue: how much energy will it cost to save energy? Comminution 2012, April 17-20 2012, Cape Town, South Africa.
17. Moayer, S., Vann, J., Coward, S., Jackson, S., Bye, A., Wolff, R. (2012). An innovative approach to robust optimisation for scenario based mineral project evaluation. Project Evaluation 2012, May 24-25 2012, Melbourne, Australia.
31. Vann, J., Jackson, S., Bye, A., Coward, S., Moayer, S., Nicholas, G., Dunham, S., Wolff, R. (2012). Scenario thinking – a powerful tool for the strategic evaluation of mining projects and operations. Project Evaluation 2012, May 24-25 2012, Melbourne, Australia.
2.
Liu, S.Q., Kozan, E. (2012). Optimum utilisation of rolling stocks for iron ore mining industries. Advanced Materials Research, 361-363, pp.1529-1534.
2.
3.
Liu, S.Q., Kozan, E. (2012). An interactive planning and scheduling framework for optimising pits-to-crushers operations. International Journal of Industrial Engineering, 11, 1, pp.94-102.
Bird, M., Powell, M., Hilden, M. (2011). Adapting mill control to account for liner wear on the Cadia 40ft mill. SAG Conference 2011, September 25 – 28 2011, Vancouver, Canada.
18. Mousavi Nogholi, A., Kozan, E., Liu, S.Q. (2013). An integrated approach to optimise open-pit mine block sequencing. The International IIE (Institute of Industrial Engineers) Conference, June 26-28 2013, Istanbul, Turkey.
32. Vann, J., Bye, A. (2012). Uncertainty, variability and systems aspects of project evaluation: why ‘whole of value chain thinking’ lowers risk and reveals value. Project Evaluation 2012, May 24-25 2012, Melbourne, Australia.
3.
Bye, A. (2011). Keynote: Challenges for the mining industry and the role of CRC ORE. Mining Technology Australia Summit, August 25-26 2011, Perth, Australia.
33. Wolff, R. (2011). Integrated resource evaluation. Geomin 2011, June 8-10 2011, Antofagasta, Chile.
Kozan, E., Liu, S.Q. (2011). Operations research for mining industries: a classification and literature review. ASOR Bulletin, 30, 1.
4.
Bye, A. (2011). Keynote: Case studies demonstrating value from geometallurgy initiatives. AusIMM Geomet, September 5-7 2011, Brisbane, Australia.
19. Noble, T.N., Lottermoser, B.G., Parbhakar-Fox, A. (2012). Evaluating pH tests for mine water prediction. Water in Mining 2012: 3rd International Congress on Water Management in the Mining Industry, June 19-21 2012, Brisbane, Australia.
Liu, S.Q., Kozan, E. (2012). An interactive planning and scheduling framework for optimising pits-to-crushers operations. International Journal of Industrial Engineering, 11, 1, pp.94-102.
5.
4.
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Liu, S.Q., Kozan, E. (2012). Job shop scheduling under various buffer conditions. International Journal of Production Research.
7.
Parbhakar-Fox, A.K., Lottermoser, B.G., Bradshaw, D. (2013). Evaluating waste rock mineralogy and microtexture during kinetic testing for improved acid rock drainage prediction. Minerals Engineering, May 2013, pp.1-14.
8.
Parbhakar-Fox, A.K., Brough, C.P., Warrender, R., Bowell, R.J., Barnes, A. (2013). The process mineralogy of mine wastes. Minerals Engineering, May 2013, pp.1-11.
9.
Parbhakar-Fox, A.K., Edraki, M., Hardie, K., Kadlez, O., Hall, T. (2013). Identification of acid rock drainage sources through mesotextural classification at abandoned mines of Croyden area. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, January 2013.
Bye, A. (2012). Keynote: Strategies for energy management. CEEC JKTech Workshop 2012, June 13-14 2012, Noosa, Australia.
6.
Bye, A. (2012). Keynote: Upgrading orebodies by leveraging variability – scale and flexibility required. KIN Catalyst Summit, April 17-19 2012, Brazil.
7.
Carrasco, C., Walters, S. (2012). Geometallurgical testing to predict preferential Au-Cu deportment by size as design inputs into coarse liberation circuits. International Seminar Geometallurgy 2012, Chile.
8.
Engelhardt, D., Robertson, J., Lane, G., Powell, M., Griffin, P. (2011). Cadia expansion – from open pit to block cave and beyond. SAG Conference 2011, September 25-28 2011, Vancouver, Canada.
9.
Eves, C. (2013). The valuation of long life mines: current issues and methodologies. 19th Annual Pacific-Rim Real Estate Society Conference, January 13-16 2013, Melbourne, Australia.
10. Foggiatto, B., Hilden, M., Powell, M., Andrusiewicz, M. (2012). Simulation of flexible circuits. Mill Operators 2012, October 29-31, 2012, Hobart, Australia. 11. Kozan, E. (2011). A multi-resource multi-stage open-pit mine production scheduling methodology. CRC ORE Annual Assembly 2011, November 2011, Brisbane, Australia. 12. Kozan, E., Willett, R.J., Wolff, R. (2013). Optimal maintenance scheduling of automatic load-haul-dump (LHD) fleets based on stochastics. Mining IQ Mine Site Automation and Communication Event, March 12-14, Brisbane, Australia.
pg 65 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
20. Noble, T.N., Lottermoser, B.G., Parbhakar-Fox, A. (2012). Evaluating pH tests for mine water prediction. Water in Mining 2012, June 6-8 2012, Santiago, Chile.
34. Wolff, R.C., Vann, J., Dunham, S., Jackson, S., Coward, S., Moayer, S., Bye, A. (2012). Transfer functions to enable more realistic evaluations from ‘driver-based’ geometallurgical models. GeoMet 2012, November 5-7, 2012, Santiago, Chile.
21. Noble, T.N., Lottermoser, B.G. (2012). Evaluating the remediation of arsenic-rich tailings at the historic Royal George tin mine, Tasmania, Australia. 7 th International Conference on Mine Closure, September 25-27, 2012, Brisbane, Australia. 22. Noble, T.N., Lottermoser, B.G. (2012). Acidity testing in ARD prediction is only applicable to weathered sulphidic rock. 34th International Geological Congress, August 5-10, 2012, Brisbane, Australia. 23. Noble, T.N., Lottermoser, B.G., Parbhakar-Fox, A. (2012). Limitations of acidity testing in acid mine drainage prediction. 9th International Symposium on Environmental Geochemistry, July 15-22, 2012, Aveiro, Portugal. 24. Noble, T.N., Lottermoser, B.G., Parbhakar-Fox, A. (2012). Evaluating pH tests used in acid mine drainage prediction. 9th International symposium on Environmental Geochemistry, July 15-22, 2012, Aveiro, Portugal. 25. Parbhakar-Fox, A. (2012). Mineralogical and textural controls on acid rock drainage formation: a case study from Northern Queensland. 34th International Congress, August 5-10, 2012, Brisbane, Australia. 26. Powell, M. (2011). Integrating the strengths of SAG and HPGR in flexible circuit designs. SAG Conference 2011, September 25-28 2011, Vancouver Canada.
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 66
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Parbhakar-Fox, A., Lottermoser, B. (2011). Predictive Indicators in Mining: Review of the literature and current best practices. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#002. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Cocker, A. (2010). Blastech Specification Document. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#003. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Casali, G.L., Robertson, P.L. (2011) Factors influencing the absorption of new technologies in the Australian mining industry. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#004. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Liu, S.Q., Kozan, E. (2011). A review of operations research applications in mine planning and scheduling. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#006. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Scally, J., Aderounmu, A., Wolff, R. (2011). Reserve Estimation, Modelling and the Cut-Off Grade Problem. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#007. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Nasir, A.R.M., Yusof, Y., Choden, P., Eves, C., Sarkar, J. (2011). Mining Valuation: Industrial governance, practices and economic structures. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#008. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Ziemski, M., Bye, A., Tordoir, A. (2011). Anglo Platinum Mogalakwena Survey Report. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#009. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Powell, M., Perkins, T., Zluc, B. (2010). Kanowna Belle MultiComponent Simulation Study Report. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#010. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. Kay, P., Powell, M., Hilden, M. (2012). CVO Expansion Project – Phase 1 Concept Study. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#013. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
10. Berry, R., Bonnici, N., Danyushevsky, L., Goemann, K., Hutchison, D., Meffre, S., Parbhakar-Fox, A., Rodemann, T. (2012). Review of micro-analytical technologies for mineral mapping and trace element deportment. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#014. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
15. Michaux, S. and Walters, P., Powell, M. (2012). Application of Geometallurgy to Multi-stream Plant Design. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#019. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 16. Cepuritis, P.M. (2012). Towards Integrated Rock Mass Characterisation in the Mining Industry. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#021. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 17. Weerasekara, N., Walters, P. (2012). Inter-Particle Grind Response Characterisation (AG Index). CRC ORE Technical Report TR#023. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 18. Ballantyne, G., Powell, M., Tiang, M. (2012). Comminution energy usage in Australian gold and copper producing mines. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#024. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 19. Yahyaei, M. and Weerasekara, N., Michaux, S., Powell, M. (2012). Pilot scale abrasion test work. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#025. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 20. Walters, P., Powell, M. (2012). Developments in incremental breakage testing methodologies. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#026. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 21. Hilden, M., Powell, M. (2012). Cadia Mill Filling Modelling. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#027. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 22. Woodley, A., Almarza, A., White, J., Barrett, D., Danoucaras, N., Vink, S. (2013). Anglo American’s Water Neutral Mine: A Roadmap to 2030. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#030. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 23. Ziemski, M. and Cocker, A., Jones, M. (2012). IES System Architecture Specification. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#031. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 24. Andrusiewicz, M. (2012). JKMDK: History of development, model structure, examples of models and interfaces. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#032. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 25. Noble, T., Lottermoser, B., Parbhakar-Fox, A. (2013). Validation of pH tests used to predict acid rock drainage. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#033. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
11. Kay, P., Garcia, M., Harison, H. (2012). Telfer S50 SAG Survey. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#015. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
26. Hunt, J., Walters, S. (2012). Integrated Training and Education Programs for Geometallurgy. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#034. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
12. Ballantyne, G., Kay, P., Carrasco, C., Walters, S. (2012). Telfer Resource Upgrade Project Program 3.3. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#016. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
27. Hilden, M., Vijaykumar, N., Powell, M. (2012). Trialling complex circuit simulations. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#035. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
13. Ziemski, M. (2012). Telfer Energy Study. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#017. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
28. Job, M., Rojas, O. (2012). Multivariate Conditional Simulation of Copper, Uranium, Gold, Iron, Silicon, Sulphur, Hematite, Chalcopyrite, Bornite, Chalcocite and SG – Olympic Dam Project, SA. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#036. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
14. Michaux, S., Walters, P., Powell, M. (2012). Application of Ore Characterisation to the Design of Flexible Circuits. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#019. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
pg 67 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
29. Wong, B., Walters, S. (2013). Minera Escondida Data Review. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#038. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 30. Robbins, S. and Barrett, D., Wettle, M., Ziemski, M., Bye, A. (2012). Anglo American’s Carbon Neutral Mine: A Roadmap to 2030. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#039. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 31. Tordoir, A., Bye, A. (2012). Selective Blasting Close-Out Report. CRC ORE Technical Report TR#040. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 32. Eves, C. (2013). Testing Mine Valuation Methods. CRC ORE Technical Report #046. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 33. Walters, S. (2012). Progress Report on Size by Size Testing. CRC ORE Technical Report #047. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
35. Bye, A. (2012). Pebble – Capability Overview and Applications to Enhancing Value for Pebble Project. CRC ORE Technical Report #050. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 36. Bye, A. (2012). Pebble – Report Back Session – Discussions on Opportunity and Risk Analysis. CRC ORE Technical Report #051. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 37. Bye, A. (2012). Preliminary Feedback on Hardness Assessment. CRC ORE Technical Report #052. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 38. Bye, A. (2012). Feedback. CRC ORE Technical Report #053. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia. 39. Bye, A. (2012). Pebble Variability and Blast to Screen Analysis. CRC ORE Technical Report #054. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
34. Beaton, N. (2013). Los Bronces – Mine to Mill Management Practice. CRC ORE Technical Report #049. CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction. Brisbane, Australia.
”
Technical Reports
The significance of CRC ORE’s work is displayed through the high quality reports, presentations and prestigious published Journals our Researchers are featured in
”
| pg 68
Glossary of Terms
Term
Description
AMIRA P843A GeM
AMIRA International Geometallurgical Mapping and Mine Modelling Project
AMIRA P9
AMIRA International Minerals Processing Project
ARD
Acid Rock Drainage
AusIMM
Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
BRC
W.H. Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre
CEO
Chief Executive Officer
CLC
Coarse Liberation Circuits
CMLR
Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation
CODES
ARC Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposit Studies
Comminution
Grinding
COO
Chief Operations Officer
CRC
Cooperative Research Centre
CRC ORE
Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction
CWiMi
Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry
DIICSRTE
The Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education
ECR
Early Career Researcher
Gangue
Waste rock material
IES
Integrated Extraction Simulator
IP
Intellectual Property
JKMRC
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
KT
Kilo tonnes
MFP
Multi-Factor Productivity
MMT
Mass Mining Technology project
MSc
Masters of Science degree
Ore
Rock containing minerals or metals
pH
Measure of acidity or alkalinity
PhD
Doctorate of Philosphy
pg 69 | Industry Focussed • Our RESEARCH • Our Operations
Term
Description
QG
Quantitative Group
QUT
Queensland University of Technology
RHD
Research Higher Degree
SAG mill
Semi-Autogenous Grinding mill
SES
School of Earth Sciences (University of Tasmania)
SMI
Sustainable Minerals Institute
TAP
Technical Advisory Panel
Throughput
Number of tonnes per hour processed
TPH
Tonnes per hour
UQ
The University of Queensland
UTas
University of Tasmania
Symbol
Element
Au
Gold
Cu
Copper
Ni
Nickel
Pt
Platinum
Zn
Zinc
2012-2013 CRC ORE Annual Report | pg 70
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