GOLD SPOTLIGHT MAINTENANCE VOLUME 111/7 | AUGUST 2019
FUTURE OF MINING
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GOLD SPOTLIGHT MAINTENANCE VOLUME 111/7 | AUGUST 2019
FUTURE OF MINING
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COMMENT
GETTING A GRIP ON SURGING COMMODITY PRICES BEN CREAGH
Ben.Creagh@primecreative.com.au
IRON ORE AND GOLD HAVE CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN MINING INDUSTRY THIS YEAR AS THEIR VALUE HAS CATAPULTED.
T
here isn’t much that captivates the mining community more than rapidly rising commodity prices. And when the commodities under the microscope are iron ore and gold, the excitement in Australia only seems to multiply. This has been the case so far in 2019. If you haven’t noticed, both the prices for iron ore and gold have reached renewed heights this year. In gold’s case, these levels have never been seen before in Australian dollar terms at more than $2000 an ounce. Looking beneath the rising fortunes of both commodities reveals contrasting stories driving their performance. Iron ore prices have, of course, benefitted by the tragedy of Vale’s Brumadinho dam disaster, which led to global disruptions to the supply of the commodity. At the start of July, iron ore remained at five-year highs. The steel-making material was already rising prior to the incident, at least in the highgrade realm, due to changing demand from Chinese steel mills. The US-China ‘trade wars’ have also played a role in the increase. The share prices of iron ore miners like Fortescue Metals Group and Mt Gibson Iron have, meanwhile, improved significantly in the second half of the 2018-2019 financial year. At an operational level everything points to a business-as-usual approach despite the surge. The majors continue to progress their tonne-replacement projects in the Pilbara and look set to help Australia strengthen its place
MANAGING DIRECTOR JOHN MURPHY MANAGING EDITOR BEN CREAGH Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: ben.creagh@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS EWEN HOSIE Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: ewen.hosie@primecreative.com.au VANESSA ZHOU Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: vanessa.zhou@primecreative.com.au ALEX GLUYAS Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: alexander.gluyas@primecreative.com.au
as the leading global supplier of iron ore for many years to come. Gold, on the other hand, has benefitted even more so from these global events during its price rise, particularly the US-China trade wars, as investors target the precious metal as a safe haven. The US-Australia exchange rate during 2019 has, in fact, been the key reason for the local spike of gold’s value. As gold has risen in Australia, it occurred as the country welcomed its newest largescale gold mine, the Gruyere joint venture between Gold Fields and Gold Road in Western Australia. Gruyere is our first major gold mine to open since Tropicana in 2012, prompting many to question the future growth opportunities for the local sector. Either way, the surge in gold and iron ore is set to provide a major boost for the coffers of Australia and Western Australia, in particular. Therein lies perhaps the biggest opportunity of all, to reinvest the wealth both will provide, not only in infrastructure, but hopefully in the mining industry itself.
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AUSTRALIANMINING
5
AUGUST 2019
In this edition of Australian Mining, we explore the next horizons that are emerging in the drill and blast sector with a trio of company profiles. We look at the Australian and international gold market, with analysis of the surging price for the precious metal. Still on gold, we explore the recent trend of Australian-based companies investing in opportunities in North America and what this means for the local sector. This issue reviews the progress being made in the uranium industry and the prospects for nuclear in Australia’s future energy mix. And as usual, we review the latest mining equipment and technology in our regular products spread.
Cover image: BME Mining.
Ben Creagh Editor
DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au
FRONT COVER
PRIME CREATIVE MEDIA Suite 303, 1-9 Chandos Street Saint Leonards NSW 2065, Australia www.primecreative.com.au © Copyright Prime Creative Media, 2016 All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
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CONTENTS COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT
TECHNOLOGY
47
UNCERTAINTY DRIVES GOLD MARKET Analysts predict the future of the precious metal
MINING AND INDUSTRY 4.0 New software and data systems
12-13
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT
MINING EQUIPMENT
DOWN UNDER TO THE NORTH Australian miners make move to North America
JOYSTICK CONTROL AT BAUXITE MINE Collaboration among Australian engineers
15-16
48 MINING EQUIPMENT
ENERGY URANIUM DEBATE GOES NUCLEAR Will recent uranium activity lead to nuclear power?
50-51
19-20
HITACHI BUILDS STRENGTH Here to stay at Australian operations
MINING EQUIPMENT
MINERALS PROCESSING
EPIROC’S GREAT BEGINNINGS The journey to becoming a standalone company
52-53
22
APRON FEEDER REVOLUTION Metso explains the shift in apron feeder designs
WASTE MANAGEMENT
TYRE MANAGEMENT
54-55
USED TYRES AS A RESOURCE Kal Tire’s tyre recycling facility in Chile
ECOMAG’S MAGNESIUM PLANT BENEFITS Plans for a circular economy in the Pilbara
24-25 COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT
FUTURE OF MINING
56-58
CLIMBING ON WORLD’S RICHES The past and future of the mining industry
THE NEED FOR COPPER INNOVATION Keeping up with the electrical revolution
27-28 INDUSTRY COMMENT
MAINTENANCE MODULAR MAINTENANCE Liebherr cuts downtime with modular approach
59-61
30-31
INDUSTRY BODIES SPEAK The voices of Austmine and AusIMM
MATERIALS HANDLING
TRACKING THE TRENDS WATERING DOWN CRITICAL RESOURCES Is water finding its value like renewable energy?
COLLABORATION CAPTURING FUTURE MARKET VALUE An interview with Dana’s managing director
THE DRIVE TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE Nord has raised the bar for conveyors
32
62
INNOVATION
34
REINVENTING MINING A review of new innovations in mining
63-64 PRODUCTIVITY
ENGINEERING PLUG AND UNPLUG Engineering design that works
SKF MARKS A CENTURY Leading the bearing sector with proven solutions
37
65 DRILL AND BLAST
ENGINEERING
67-69
AN EMERGING TASKFORCE Inenco innovation takes mining forward
SERVICE COMPANIES BLAST OFF BME, DataCloud and Dyno Nobel make an impact
38 MATERIALS HANDLING TVH FOCUSES ON AUSTRALIA The growth from humble beginnings
71
42
PROSPECT AWARDS AWARDS ARRIVE IN QUEENSLAND Celebrating mining excellence and innovation
INFRASTRUCTURE AXEING OPERATIONAL COSTS Hydroflux urges sludge disposal focus
PRODUCT FOCUS
44 REGULARS NEWS 9-10
PRODUCTS 76-77
AUSTRALIANMINING
6
73-75
WHAT’S NEW IN MINING? Mobile, SMC and Pilz show off their solutions
EVENTS 78
AUGUST 2019
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NEWS
THE LATEST MINING AND SAFETY NEWS AUSTRALIAN MINING AND SAFE TO WORK PRESENT THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE MINE AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. VISIT WWW.AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU AND WWW.SAFETOWORK.COM.AU TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING. BHP UNLOCKS OLYMPIC DAM POTENTIAL WITH HEAP LEACH TRIAL BHP has completed a heap leach development trial it says confirms the technology’s viability to extract copper, uranium, gold and silver at the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. The company produced 19 tonnes of ‘good quality’ copper during the trial, most of which went back into the smelter and off to customers, though the company “kept a little to ourselves to commemorate the achievement.” “The promising results from this trial supports our positive outlook for Olympic Dam, given forecast demand increases for copper and the optionality we are building for
this world-scale resource,” BHP Olympic Dam general manager of surface processing Chris Barnesby said. The seven-year research trial was run by international testing agency Bureau Veritas under the direction of BHP, with support from the South Australian Government. Olympic Dam’s test work progressed from lab scale columns and bench tests, before culminating in a “world class” testing facility at Wingfield, according to Bureau Veritas manager of major projects Clint Bowker. Heap leaching works by drip-feeding acid through a large stockpile (or heap) of ore to leach out metals.
The technology has the potential to deliver lower costs, increased scalability, reduced portable water use and the ability to process lower-grade ores. BHP uses heap leaching at its copper operations in Chile, however, Olympic Dam’s polymetallic properties require a different approach. “The test work showed how BHP and Bureau Veritas could partner to develop and deliver technologydriven innovative solutions to greater South Australian resources, proving that organisations can work collaboratively to resolve challenging ore bodies,” Bowker said.
AUSTRALIAN MINING GETS THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY, PROVIDING MINING PROFESSIONALS WITH UP TO THE MINUTE INFORMATION ON SAFETY, NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MINING AND RESOURCES INDUSTRY.
FIRST GOLD POURED AT GRUYERE
THE THREE GOLD BARS FROM THE FIRST POUR AT GRUYERE.
Gruyere joint venture partners Gold Fields and Gold Road Resources have delivered first gold at the Western Australian project. The three dore gold bars totalled an estimated 1139 ounces and were produced from the carbon-in-leach and elution circuits. Gold Fields executive vice president Stuart Mathews said, “the pouring of the first gold at a global Tier 1
gold mine like Grueye is a significant achievement.” With the delivery of first gold bars, the JV will move towards commissioning of the final components of the process plant, in particular the ball mill, which is anticipated to be completed early in the September quarter. According to the JV partners, commissioning of the gravity gold
AUSTRALIANMINING
recovery circuit is in progress and follows reinstallation of pipe work required for the safe operation of the circuit. They will continue to produce gold until the ball mill is fully operational and is integrated into the circuit. During the commissioning and initial stages of ramp-up, lower grade stockpiled ore will be processed to reduce gold losses associated with
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lower recoveries anticipated as the plant operations are stabilised. The Gruyere project has reached the milestone despite experiencing minor setbacks. It was revealed earlier this year that the partners were unable to commission the ball mill within the contractual completion dates. Consequently, gold production for the year were lowered to between 75,000 to 100,000 ounces, down from 100,000 to 120,000 ounces previously. Gold Road chief executive officer Duncan Gibbs expressed his excitement of the “tremendous milestone” to deliver first gold. “Importantly, Gold Road joins the ranks of ASX‐listed gold producers as owner of a 50 per cent stake in the world-class Gruyere gold mine,” he said. “Our work is far from done – we remain committed to exploring the highly prospective Yamarna Greenstone Belt to unlock the potential through the discovery of more resource ounces for Gruyere and new discoveries that could be developed as stand-alone gold mines.”
NEWS
FORTESCUE OPENS PORT HEDLAND ORE HARBOUR FACILITY
FORTESCUE HAS COMPLETED ITS LATEST PROJECT AT HERB ELLIOTT PORT. IMAGE: FORTESCUE METALS GROUP.
Fortescue Metals Group has completed construction of its fleet of tugs and towage infrastructure at the company’s Herb Elliott Port at Port Hedland, Western Australia. The iron ore major has procured and constructed six tugs and leased a further three tugs, including six advanced rotor tugs 85-32W. It will start its tug operations in July. The towage fleet represents the final element in Fortescue’s supply chain, according to chief
most advanced vertically integrated bulk operations infrastructure, and to seamlessly link this with our core exploration, metallurgical and mining operations,” he said. “Our aim was to develop an integrated world leading system to deliver critical ores that would build the economies of nations. The strategic decisions made by the board to build our fleet of ore carriers and Fortescue owned and operated towage capability mark
executive Elizabeth Gaines. “The tug fleet and new facilities will maximise the efficiencies of our operation and provide long-term sustainable towage services crucial to meeting the demands of our customers,” she said. The achievement also follows “the toughest stretch targets” Fortescue has set ever since the company was founded, according to founder and chairman Andrew Forrest. “We aimed to develop the world’s
the critical completion of this part of Fortescue’s journey.” The fleet of ore carriers will be based at the nine berth tug and harbour facility, Judith Street Harbour, in the vicinity of Fortescue’s berths one to three at Anderson Point. This new harbour is named after Forrest’s mother, Judy Street, while the tugs are named after species of sharks, including FMG Tawny, FMG Spinner and FMG Hammerhead, following an internal competition.
ADANI STARTS CONSTRUCTION AT CARMICHAEL COAL PROJECT Adani has officially launched construction at its Carmichael coal and rail project in the Galilee Basin after receiving approval from the Queensland Government. Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science (DES) approved Adani’s groundwater management plan (GDEMP) for the mine. The authorisation represented the final regulatory obstacle in
the review process, with DES saying the assessment of the groundwater management plan was “rigorous” to ensure the “plan is robust and provides the maximum environmental protection.” The approval also charged Adani to additional commitments for monitoring water sources in the region, including undertaking hydrogeochemical analysis of
groundwater and spring samples from within each spring complex. Adani will also be required to review hydrological, hydrochemistry analyses and seismic information as part of its second geological and groundwater remodelling after box cut mining starts. The project is expected to deliver 1500 direct and 6750 indirect jobs during ramp up and construction, with Rockhampton
and Townsville being the primary hubs for employment. Adani chief executive officer Lucas Dow said the company would move its focus to ensuring the safety of those working on the project and the surrounding environment. “Throughout the past eight years regional Queenslanders have been beside us every step of the way and we thank them for their ongoing support,” he said.
RIO TINTO INVESTS IN AUSTRALIA’S AUTONOMOUS FUTURE Rio Tinto has introduced Australia’s first nationally recognised qualifications in automation to provide workers with skills in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industry. The certificate courses are the result of a collaboration between Western Australia’s resources sector including Rio Tinto, South Metropolitan TAFE and the Western Australian Government.
It is the first course to provide education pathways to jobs in the area of autonomous operations in the country and has been developed over the last year with the approval by the Training Accreditation Council WA. A certificate two in autonomous workplace operations will be introduced to the TAFE curriculum and piloted by a group of Rio Tinto’s iron ore workforce. It will also be piloted for Year 11 AUSTRALIANMINING
and 12 students in selected high schools across the state. A ‘working effectively in an automated workplace’ microcredential course for trade qualified, apprentices and technicians will also be available. Rio Tinto is contributing up to $2 million to the development of the new qualifications with a certificate four in remote centre operations also in development.
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Chris Salisbury, Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive, said the course would assist the country’s resource sector in preparing for the changing nature of the workforce. “Mining has moved to become a genuine leader in innovative technology, and we recognise the critical need to provide effective education programs and opportunities to help our people succeed in this new era,” he said.
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COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT
GLOBAL UNCERTAINTY DRIVES GOLD MARKET WITH GOLD PRICES BREAKING RECORDS AND PRODUCTION RISING, ANALYSTS HYPOTHESISE JUST HOW LONG SUPPLY CAN KEEP UP WITH DEMAND. ALEX GLUYAS WRITES.
T
he Australian gold price has smashed through the $2000 an ounce mark this year for the first time in history, representing an even higher price than the pinnacle of the global financial crisis. The previous high per ounce of gold was $1895 on September 5, 2011 when there were grave concerns that the United States would default on its debt. Australian gold company share prices have gained ground off the back of global market uncertainty, as investors latch onto the ‘safe haven commodity’, according to IBISWorld senior industry analyst Jason Aravanis. “Gold prices can move very quickly, when sentiment changes gold prices will jump, it won’t be a gradual change,” Aravanis says. “One big factor is the US-China trade war, as it gets uglier, we expect to see more demand for people to hold gold.” Aravanis also notes that the gold price might continue to grow given the weakening Australian dollar, combined with the rising demand of gold. “We’re seeing the Australian dollar decline over time because of gradually worsening economic data, despite benefitting off really high iron ore prices,” he says. “The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates already and we expect another two cuts before the end of the year, all that rhetoric makes investors afraid of losing real wealth to inflation if they hold investment assets.” Gold is often viewed as a safe haven given its price increases in response to events that cause the value of paper investments, such as stock and bonds, to decline. Another trend that Aravanis notices among gold producers is the reduction of hedging, a high-risk option that relies on the sustained growth in gold prices. “Gold producers are reducing hedging, if they have a lot of debt, they have hedged gold prices to be locked in,” Aravanis explains.
“Reducing hedging exposes themselves to fluctuations in gold prices which give big benefits if it continues to increase, it’s still early days as they are reducing this gradually.”
While production for the quarter was down three tonnes or four per cent from the last quarter of 2018, this is part of a common trend given that the March quarter has less days than the other three.
THE FIRST THREE DORE GOLD BARS FROM THE GRUYERE MINE.
In order to capitalise on the unprecedented prosperity of the gold market, companies are also attempting to ramp up production of the commodity as quickly as possible, a feat which isn’t easily achievable normally. Despite this, Australian gold production for the first three months of this year totalled 78 tonnes, the highest March quarter output since 1998, according to gold mining consultants Surbiton Associates. AUSTRALIANMINING
Additionally, production is often lost in the March quarter due to bad weather in the tropical cyclone season. Surbiton director Sandra Close says the increasing price of gold has led to local production rising, despite the usual volatility involved with the commodity’s price. As for a longer-term forecast of what will happen to the gold industry and production, Close says it is difficult to predict given
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a number of factors that are largely volatile. These include changes in gold prices and exchange rates, as well as changes in costs from exploration through to mining and processing. While output remains strong as it stands, IBISWorld expects output to decline due to several prominent Australian gold mines it believes will become decommissioned over the next five years. Rising operational costs and declining reserves has IBISWorld pointing to Gold Fields’ 7.5 tonnes per annum Agnew project, Regis Resources’ 11 tonnes a year Garden Well project, Northern Star’s 9.4 tonnes per year Jundee gold project and Newcrest Mining’s 13 tonnes a year Telfer mine as those having the biggest impact. Aravanis explains that the current shortage of known gold resources is attributable to a significant reduction in exploration over the past decade. “When the price of gold reached a peak of $1895 per ounce in 2011, Australian miners aggressively expanded capacity through taking on significant debt,” Aravanis says. “However, the halving of the gold price between 2011 and 2015 forced these debt-laden miners to take heavy impairments and implement intense cost-saving measures. As mineral exploration was considered an expensive high-risk highreward activity, it was significantly reduced.” As such, IBISWorld claims the gold industry has reached a turning point where it needs to ramp up expenditure in mineral exploration, or risk running out of viable gold reserves to mine. “Even if major gold resources are quickly discovered, this is unlikely to provide sufficient support to the industry because gold resources typically take over a decade to be developed into operational mines,” Aravanis says. “Despite the benefit of a rising gold price, the gold mining industry is likely to struggle.” Close, however, believes there is no need to panic in regard to the future of Australian gold production,
COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT
GOLD PRICE CAN MOVE VERY QUICKLY, WHEN SENTIMENT CHANGES GOLD PRICES WILL JUMP, IT WON’T BE A GRADUAL CHANGE.” saying there doesn’t appear to be major cause for concern on the horizon. “It should be remembered that Australia is a land of generally small and medium-sized gold mines and large multi-million ounce discoveries are quite rare,” she says. “Just because such large deposits are seldom discovered locally, it does not mean that total Australian gold production is about to fall in a heap.” According to the United States Geological Survey, Australia has the largest reserves of gold of any country, with 9800 tonnes or enough for 31 years’ production at current rates. It has led to Australia being the world’s second largest gold producer, behind China, which has just over 2000 tonnes, or the equivalent of five years’ worth of reserves. This isn’t expected to be sustained, according to Aravanis, who says based on current estimates, Australia’s gold output will fall to 255 tonnes in 2023-2024, representing a slip from being the world’s second largest producer to fourth place. The short-term future of gold production, from the current quarter, will be boosted by first gold being poured at Gold Road Resources’ and Gold Fields’ Gruyere joint venture mine in Western Australia in late June. The delivery of the first three dore gold bars, which totalled an
THE POURING OF FIRST GOLD AT GRUYERE.
estimated 1139 ounces, represents a welcome lift for Australian gold production. It didn’t come without its setbacks, however, as the joint venture project faced issues with the commissioning
of the operation’s ball mill. Such issues have only gone to further highlight the extensive time and focus needed to get gold operations online. The subsequent delays led to the
KCGM’S SUPER PIT GOLD MINE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
AUSTRALIANMINING
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JV lowering the gold production guidance for the site to between 75,000 to 100,000 ounces, down from 100,000 to 120,000. While not quite up to the levels of Australian gold majors, the Gruyere operation is still expected to deliver more than 300,000 ounces of gold a year for at least 12 years. Australia’s leading gold miners have showed no signs of slowing down so far this year, reporting strong results in the first quarter of 2019. Newcrest’s Cadia East operation in New South Wales led the way with 218,819 ounces, followed by Newmont Goldcorp’s Boddington and Tanami projects, which produced 155,000 and 131,000 ounces respectively. Undeniably, it remains a difficult proposition to predict the future of the precious metal, but as long as there remains uncertainty, history says that its price will continue to surge. AM
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REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT
NEWCREST’S RED CHRIS MINE IN CANADA.
FROM DOWN UNDER TO THE NORTH AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANIES ARE CAPITALISING ON THE CURRENCY DISPARITY WITH NORTH AMERICA TO DRIVE OPERATIONAL GROWTH. ALEX GLUYAS WRITES.
A
ustralia is often viewed as a highly prospective region for mining companies around the world; it’s rich in natural resources and has a stable geopolitical scene. The country’s only downfall – it can prove to be costly. That’s why many Australian mining companies are turning to North America to acquire established mining operations and explore new ones. Mark O’Dea, the chairman and founder of Vancouver-based mining company-incubator Oxygen Capital, has experienced firsthand the transition from Australia to the likes of Canada, United States and Mexico. Oxygen has incorporated nine companies to date and the recent selling of four companies for a collective $C2.9 billion ($3.2 billion), including Fronteer Gold for $C2.3 billion, exemplifies the desirability of the North America region. Having graduated from Melbourne’s Monash University, O’Dea’s attention turned back to Canada, which, like a
large portion of North America, offers highly prospective conditions for mining operations. “Familiarity is a big reason why Australian companies are moving into North America, the geology between Canada and Australia in the gold world for example, are very similar,” he tells Australian Mining. O’Dea points to the Greenstone Belts of Western Australia as being highly comparable to those in Canada, alongside the controls on mineralisation that occur across the regions. “The similar geopolitical stability is another big factor, they’re both comfortable places to work,” he says. O’Dea insists, however, the most crucial influence is the “value discrepancy” between Australia and North America. “Australian companies are trading to huge premiums, so they leverage their currency value over Canadian sites,” he explains. O’Dea was quick to point to Newcrest Mining’s $1.1 billion acquisition of the Red Chris copperAUSTRALIANMINING
gold mine from Canadian company Imperial Metals in March this year as a prime example. The purchase of a 70 per cent stake in the mine marked the Australian giant’s first entry into the North American mining market. One of the contributing factors at the time of the deal being the mine’s geological similarities with the company’s Cadia site in New South Wales. “There are many cultural similarities between Australia and North America, which makes it easier for Australian companies to operate there,” Newcrest head of investor relations Christopher Maitland says. With this in mind, Newcrest will “continue to explore in Australia, as well as in North America (as) both are highly prospective regions for gold explorations,” Maitland says. St Barbara is another Australian company targeting growth in North America following its $768 million takeover of Canada’s Atlantic Gold. The Melbourne-based gold producer became part of the
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increasing trend of mining companies capitalising on the comparatively lower cost of Canadian operations. Atlantic, a TSX-listed company that owns and operates the Moose River operations in Nova Scotia, which comprises one producing open pit, the Touquoy gold mine and three others that are in development, including Beaver Dam, Fifteen Mile Stream and Cochrane Hill. The company declared commercial production at Moose River in March 2018, producing 91,000 ounces at Touquoy during the year at an all-in sustaining cost of $761 an ounce. Atlantic had planned to expand production at Moose River to over 200,000 ounces as the other three pits were developed. St Barbara chief executive officer Bob Vassie believes the acquisition allows the company to diversify its portfolio at a low cost and high value operation. “It is a sustainable long-life operation of scale with a low AISC position which generates impressive margins, the asset also has significant
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT
growth potential which St Barbara identifies as an exciting opportunity,” Vassie says. The move was symbolic of the larger industry trend, which has also been reciprocated by Northern Star Resources, which acquired the Pogo underground gold mine in Alaska last year for $356 million. The move was the company’s first big step off the shores of Australia and has already been paying dividends. Northern Star reported in April that it was confident of achieving record gold production in the fourth quarter of this financial year. Capitalising on the thriving gold price, Northern Star’s 185,296 ounces of gold sales in the March quarter of this year was driven by production at Pogo. Such strong progress has the company (at the time of writing) set for record production in the June quarter of 235,000-260,000 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost of $1075-1175 an ounce. A clear advantage that Australian companies have over those in North America and Canada, in particular, is the sentiment of investors, which includes the government. O’Dea points to valuation discrepancy between Australia resource stocks and Canadian resources stocks, driven by the emergence of the cannabis trade. “We (Canada) have been victimised by the cannabis trade, all of venture capital and high-risk money that used to find its way into the mining space has migrated out, mainly to cannabis,” he says.
AN ORE TRANSFER AT PURE GOLD’S MADSEN UNDERGROUND MINE.
“The valuation of Canadian mining companies has been decimated because of the cannabis trade that hasn’t affected the Australian universe.” Indeed, the Canadian Government has decreased its investment in the resources sector significantly, leaving many in the mining industry perplexed, particularly O’Dea. “There’s been almost no investment
in the mining sector, it’s a bit of an enigma,” he says. “Why aren’t Canada more supportive of the resources sector? It’s the backbone and bread and butter of why Canada is how it is today, the government swings with the political winds.” O’Dea’s frustration seems to be justified given the significant growth in investment towards the cannabis
UNDERGROUND TEST MINING AT OXYGEN OWNED PURE GOLD OPERATIONS IN CANADA.
AUSTRALIANMINING
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industry within the last few years. International business advisory firm BDO revealed that investments in Canadian marijuana companies increased from $C43 million ($46.8 million) in the first half of 2016 to a whopping $C770 million in the same period of 2017. The biggest effect has been on junior mining companies in Canada, with BDO reporting that the number of new listings on the TSX of mining companies has decreased by 20.3 per cent from 2018 to 2017. Perhaps the most indicative evidence of the decline in investor sentiment for mining is the volume of shares traded on the TSX-V. In 2017, 27.7 billion shares were traded on the exchange compared to 6.2 billion life science shares, these numbers significantly shifted in favour of life sciences the following year. In 2018, mining shares traded dropped to 22.4 billion and life sciences increased to 10.8 billion, according to the BDO report, again highlighting the shift in investor sentiment. O’Dea, having experienced both sides of the coin, offers a particularly strong piece of advice for Australian investors who are looking at local companies moving to North America. “If you’re an investor with a longer game in sight, now is the time to invest,” he says. “Like any type of bubble, it’s going to burst, and reality is going to set in as soon as the cannabis trade starts to wane.” AM
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ENERGY
AUSTRALIAN URANIUM DEBATE GOES NUCLEAR RISING ACTIVITY IN AUSTRALIA’S URANIUM MINING SECTOR COULD HELP SWAY THE NATION TOWARDS A MORE NUCLEAR FUTURE. EWEN HOSIE REPORTS. TWO CAMECO AUSTRALIA WORKERS PERFORM WATER MONITORING AT THE YEELIRRIE SITE. IMAGE: CAMECO AUSTRALIA.
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ustralia has at least 34 per cent of the world’s economically recoverable uranium reserves and supplies around 10 per cent of the world’s uranium needs. According to 2017 figures from the World Nuclear Association, Australia is the third-largest exporter of uranium in the world after Kazakhstan and Canada, and holds the largest overall resource. In spite of its impressive global presence, Australia has just three active mines producing uranium in the entire country.
One of these mines — Energy Resources of Australia’s Ranger mine in the Northern Territory — is also on the way out. The other two, both in South Australia, are Heathgate Resources’ Beverley mine and BHP’s Olympic Dam mine. Boss Resources’ Honeymoon deposit, also in South Australia, is undergoing restart plans following closure in 2013. The domestic sector received a boost in April when positive developments were announced by two uranium companies attempting to grow the sector with new projects. AUSTRALIANMINING
Cameco Australia’s Yeelirrie uranium deposit in the northern Goldfields of Western Australia, which the company purchased from former owner BHP in 2012 for $430 million, was the first. The company received a longsought environmental approval for the deposit from the federal Department of Environment and Energy. Yeelirrie’s approval was a long time coming, arriving 14 months after the equivalent state environmental approval from now-former Western Australian Minister for Environment Albert Jacob in January 2017. The project has been plagued with controversy, including criticism
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from the region’s Tjiwarl Traditional Owners. Environmental group, Friends of the Earth, also criticised Minister Jacob’s decision to provide approval before waiting for the outcome of a legal challenge against Cameco in the WA Supreme Court. Cameco Australia general manager Simon Williamson says Yeelirrie, one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the country, has undergone an extensive environmental assessment process over two years to receive the nod. The company believes a decision to further advance the project will
ENERGY
depend on market conditions, which Williamson says remain challenging for the time being despite recent price improvements. Boss, meanwhile, has confirmed the potential to expand the Honeymoon site into a 3.2 million pounds a year operation (up from two million pounds) following completion of its phase one optimisation tests. Duncan Craib, Boss managing director, says the company has identified a number of improvements for Honeymoon, including the incorporation of ion exchange technology and application of a field leach trialled resin. “We have now moved onto the next phase, which will see us complete the definitive feasibility study for Honeymoon’s restart, expected to be complete in the second half of 2019,” according to Craib. Uranium mining and by extension, nuclear power, have long been topics of heated debate in Australia. In New South Wales, it has been legal to explore for uranium since the lifting of a ban in 2012. But uranium is still illegal to mine in the state, a situation NSW Minerals Council Stephen Galilee calls “absurd”. “Nuclear power is part of the energy mix in some of the largest global economies, including many held up as shining examples of having low emissions electricity. It doesn’t make sense that we aren’t even able to consider it as a part of our energy mix here,” Galilee says. Nuclear power plants remain prohibited by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998.
AUSTRALIA IS TRADITIONALLY RETICENT WHEN IT COMES TO URANIUM’S USE FOR ENERGY GENERATION.
In addition, Australia hosts only a single reactor, which is used for research purposes by the governmentbacked Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in New South Wales. Australian Nuclear Association (ANA) president Mark Ho tells Australian Mining that Australia isn’t capitalising on its strength in uranium for either energy production or mining exports. Ho says nuclear power has been given little attention in politics “due to Australia’s abundance in coal and other energy options”, but that it is starting to come back into vogue due to the climate change debate. “This half billion-dollar annual export holds enough energy to generate Australia’s total electricity needs, yet we are hamstrung by outdated legislation that prevents us from using this clean and reliable source of electricity,” he says.
“Given the destabilising nature of solar and wind on the electricity grid, any addition in synchronous generation would be welcomed.” When it comes to uranium’s use for energy generation, Australia is famously cold on the topic. But when it works, it works well. France is the world leader for nuclear power, which generates around 72 per cent of its electricity from a fleet of 58 reactors (although the French Government has plans in place to reduce this number to 44 by 2035). By adding nuclear power to the nation’s energy mix, it could even help to replace the baseload power generation from coal. “Australia, with three mines in operation and six more in prospect, could play a crucial role as a uranium supplier,” writes Department of Industry, Innovation and Science Chief Economist Mark Cully in a government Resources and Energy quarterly report.
COPYRIGHT © 2018 RIO TINTO.
ERA’S RANGER URANIUM MINE IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY IS SET TO COMPLETE REHABILITATION IN 2026.
AUSTRALIANMINING
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“However, the prospects for uranium miners are inherently linked to the future of nuclear power.” Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) president Janine Herzig also suggests it is time for a rethink. Herzig, speaking at the 2019 International Uranium Conference in Adelaide, says the time has come for Australians to discuss the opportunities afforded by the nation’s nuclear potential. She believes its introduction to the “national energy mix” could lead to employment opportunities, reduced carbon taxes and increased base load energy security for Australia. “Any such industry must be underpinned by the highest professional standards and accreditation,” Herzig says. “When it comes to uranium mining, we already have this knowledge in Australia, from the technical skills and personnel, to the expertise in positive community engagement, health, safety and environmental outcomes.” Herzig is joined in her opinions, not only by AusIMM chief executive officer Stephen Durkin, but also by former Prime Ministers from both major parties who have spoken out in support of nuclear power. This includes John Howard, Tony Abbott and the late Bob Hawke, who received a polarised response after 2016 comments that nuclear power would be a “win for the global environment and a win for Australia”. Whatever the future holds, Australia’s rising activity, buoyed by the likes of Boss and Cameco, is undoubtedly pushing the nation towards a reassessment of its nuclear future. A poll by Essential in June determined that 44 per cent of Australians were in favour of nuclear plants, with 40 per cent in opposition. “I think the Morrison Government, coming into a new term, is setting out a cohesive plan for tackling the energy trilemma, which is to provide an affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity system,’’ Ho says. “In doing so, I think the narrative will change from talking about preferred generation – say coal, wind etc. to a ‘whole-of-system’ perspective of working out what would be the best energy mix to deliver the least cost solution to reliable, low-carbon electricity. “I do think the government, as well as the opposition knows there’s a place for nuclear in the energy mix, but it will first have to go through a phase of information gathering and debate before giving nuclear serious consideration.” AM
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TECHNOLOGY
MINING EQUIPMENT
EPIROC: FROM GREAT TO GREATER BEGINNING EPIROC FINANCE MANAGER CLAUDIA LEDESMA PROVIDES AN INSIDE LOOK INTO EPIROC’S JOURNEY TO BECOME A STANDALONE COMPANY, AND WHAT THE EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER HAS ACHIEVED SO FAR. VANESSA ZHOU WRITES.
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year after Atlas Copco’s Mining and Rock Excavation division spun out from the group, the new standalone business known as Epiroc has continued to expand its mining fleet and automation footprint at some of Australia’s biggest mine operations. With ‘Epi’ meaning ‘on’ or ‘at’ in Latin and Greek, and ‘Roc’ signalling stability and durability, Epiroc has lived up to its name despite structural changes and many acquisitions within the last year and a half. The idea behind the takeovers is to acquire the right companies that fit within Epiroc’s overall strategy and grow the strength of the business, according to Epiroc Australia finance manager and Women in Industry Awards business development manager finalist, Claudia Ledesma. “A challenge I find really interesting right now is working with intellectual property and the less tangible services Epiroc offers with digitalisation and automation of our products and the equipment of other OEMs. It’s a new way of working for us,” she tells Australian Mining. Recent acquisitions, following on from Mobilaris Mining Intelligence in 2017, include ASI Mining, Fordia Group and Sautec – international companies that offer technology and expertise to complement Epiroc’s
IT’S BEEN A GREAT JOURNEY FOR US IN THE LAST YEAR. WE’RE NOW A YEAR OLD.” mining equipment and automation focus. “As finance manager, a key thing for me is to make it easy to do business with Epiroc whether that be through acquisitions, contract negotiations, order processing or following up on customer queries,” Ledesma says. “On the business development side, I help smooth the way for our acquisitions. I work out the best way to optimise the skills of the group and our new partners. “It is important that we focus on making sure that we have the right resources to help support the acquisitions and that they understand how we work.” Epiroc has a strong focus on innovation, and automation plays a role in expanding the capability of the company, according to Ledesma. From an automation perspective, Epiroc has experts within the business that go out and take the company to that next level. Automation is not only a technology Epiroc is trying to sell, it is also the company’s way of manufacturing. Its 1400-squaremetre heat treatment plant in
EPIROC IS TRANSITIONING TO BATTERY-OPERATED MACHINES.
AUSTRALIANMINING
EPIROC FINANCE MANAGER CLAUDIA LEDESMA SEES EPIROC SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS.
Örebro, Sweden, for example, runs 24 hours a day to further boost its rock drill quality and performance thanks to automation. Epiroc is also moving away from diesel equipment to batteryoperated machines, a path that its founding father Atlas Copco has arguably passed on after more than 140 years of experience and journey into an electric future. The company released its first generation battery electric machinery in 2016, focusing on smaller models of underground trucks, loaders and drills. Epiroc followed this with the development of the second-generation battery platform for its larger machines in 2018. The direction Epiroc is taking highlights that sustainability and fuel efficiency remains as its core focus in being a leader of industry trends. “It’s been a great journey for us in the last year. From being a part of a 145-year-old company to becoming a 145-year-old start-up. 2019 is still a time of growth for us,” Ledesma says. Epiroc went public on the
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NASDAQ stock market in June 2018. Ledesma speaks with Australian Mining a day after celebrating the company’s first birthday in the Perth office, recounting people’s strong recognition for the young company. “People are recognising that Epiroc is now yellow and grey, not the big, blue logo. A year ago, when I said I was working for Epiroc, people would say that they weren’t sure who we were. I had to explain what we sell,” Ledesma recalls. “Today when I say I work for Epiroc, people recognise the brand.” Epiroc’s split from Atlas Copco may be Ledesma’s most challenging project in her combined 13-year career. However, the process of rolling out a new brand, rebranding all its sites and opening a new head office in Western Australia, and making a string of acquisitions “has been very rewarding.” “It’s very satisfying to see that the move seems to be the right one. Epiroc made it to the top 10 employers in Sweden this year, so that was pretty awesome for a new brand to do in the first year,” Ledesma concludes. AM
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TYRE MANAGEMENT
TURNING USED MINING TYRES INTO A RESOURCE KAL TIRE IS ON THE VERGE OF OPENING A MINING TYRE RECYCLING FACILITY IN CHILE THAT COULD END UP BEING THE START OF AN OPPORTUNITY THAT ALSO EMERGES IN AUSTRALIA. BEN CREAGH EXPLAINS.
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yres are one of the final frontiers of waste management at mine sites. Somewhere at every mine there will likely be dozens, if not hundreds of tyres piled up in a waste dump after reaching the end of their operating lives. Imagine if mining companies had no need for these piles of waste and they could instead convert them into a resource for reuse. This reality is emerging in Chile where Kal Tire will commission its first thermal conversion tyre recycling facility at Antofagasta in the fourth quarter of 2019. Chile, a jurisdiction that Kal Tire has operated in for more than 20 years, represents a prime location for the Canadian company to launch the initiative. The South American country is home to many of the world’s largest copper mines, which have disposed of an estimated 500,000 tonnes of scrap tyres in recent decades. Chile’s government first acted on this environmental concern in 2012, starting discussions to introduce tyre recycling legislation. From 2021, the legislation will become law, with 20 per cent of all mining tyres to be recycled to start with, before this percentage progressively ramps up in the following years. In spite of Chile’s moves, Kal Tire had ambitions to develop a solution that allows recycled tyres to be recovered for use in other products or reused for the same purpose, for example, steel to steel or fuel oil to fuel oil. Thermal conversion, which uses heat in the absence of oxygen to decompose organic materials and turn tyres into steel, carbon black and oil, offered the ideal technology for these aspirations. By 2015, Kal Tire was developing a relationship with the Chilean Government and started to design its first thermal conversion facility with engineering partners in Italy. Four years later in May this year, the company broke ground at the Antofagasta site where a
THE THERMAL CONVERSION EQUIPMENT DEVELOPED BY KAL TIRE’S ENGINEERING PARTNERS.
IF WE CAN SEND THE MATERIALS OF MINING TYRES BACK TO THE MINE IN PLACE OF SOMETHING THEY ARE ALREADY BUYING – LIKE DIESEL WITH RECOVERED DIESEL – HOW GOOD A STORY IS THAT.” 20,000-square-metre plant with the capacity to recycle 20 tonnes of tyres each day is being constructed. Kal Tire director of recycling services Scott Farnham views mining tyres as the last key waste stream that mine operators need to find a management solution for. “Mining companies don’t pile their garbage up but with tyres it has been okay up until now because there has not been a solution,” Farnham tells AUSTRALIANMINING
Australian Mining. “We really want to get a circular economy going with mining tyres. Scrap tyres are a valuable commodity because of what is in the tyre. This process (thermal conversion) can extract the materials.” A 63-inch mining tyre, for example, comprises four key materials after thermal conversion – carbon black (1600 kilograms), steel (750 kilograms), oil (1900 litres) and gas (350 cubed metres). The oil can be upgraded to diesel, which could potentially fuel the mining trucks that had the tyres previously running on them. Carbon black also has many uses, the main being used in the production of tyres and plastics. Another use that stands out to Farnham is its value as an ingredient in rechargeable batteries, an emerging driver of mining machinery. “For me, personally, I see electrification of transportation, whether it’s skate boards or mining trucks, as the future,” Farnham says. “We want to add value to waste
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streams and battery material is going to be in high demand, and lots of it. “Every major manufacturer is releasing a half dozen new electric models – it is amazing. The potential to be part of that supply chain is very interesting.”
KAL TIRE PLANS TO CREATE A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR MINING TYRES.
An independent study has also shown that Kal Tire’s solution for the production of recycled carbon black, steel and diesel generates significantly lower carbon emissions compared with the output of conventional materials. Australia may not have official plans to introduce mining tyre recycling legislation, but the country’s mining industry does present a similar opportunity to Chile, given the scale of local mines and the number of tyres being used. A growing push for Australian mining companies to become more sustainable is also expected to increase the focus on initiatives such as tyre recycling. Kal Tire Australia managing director Darren Wilson believes it isn’t just the development of government legislation that will push Australian mining in this direction, but also the growing need to be more socially responsible. “It will certainly help customers be more sustainable, in terms of the requirements they are going to have, whether it is legislation or corporate responsibility within their own organisations and the communities
they work in,” Wilson says. “We can potentially provide them with not only a solution around sustainability, but also a value add back in either fuel or carbon black. “We won’t be coming to the market here with something that is a hypothetical either, so we are starting to make the Australian market aware that there is a solution for mining tyres when there hasn’t been before.” Traditionally, shredded mining tyres have sometimes been shipped to countries with less restrictive emissions standards to be burned and then used as tyre-derived fuel to replace coal. In other cases, used tyres have simply gone to ground as landfill with no other alternatives being available. Kal Tire’s recycling program provides not only an improvement on these methods, but also an alternate way to power mining operations in the future. “If we can send the materials of mining tyres back to the mine in place of something they are already buying – like diesel with recovered diesel – how good a story is that,” Farnham concludes. AM
SCRAPPED TYRES ARE OFTEN CONSIDERED THE WASTE LAND OF MINE SITES.
AUSTRALIANMINING
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FUTURE OF MINING
CLIMBING ON GLOBAL RICHES PWC MINING LEADER CHRIS DODD USES THE STORYTELLING POWER OF NUMBERS TO DEPICT THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY. VANESSA ZHOU REPORTS.
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he marketplace is looking good for the world’s largest miners. The top 40 largest miners reported record production, revenues, dividends and cash flows in 2018. But as at December last year, their market capitalisation as a group had fallen by 18 per cent against the previous year to $757 billion. So, what has caused this discrepancy? The PwC Mine 2019: Resourcing the future report brings together the financial numbers behind the 40 biggest mining companies on the planet.
Generally, the top 40 make up 50 per cent of the industry’s value, and therefore, provide a good picture of how the industry is performing. PwC believes the issues that are weighing down market valuations are often to do with the public perception of mining, in particular, the industry’s ability to respond to a changing world. Mining is not an industry where miners talk to their customers, according to PwC mining leader and managing partner Chris Dodd. A person wearing gold jewellery, for example, wouldn’t ask where his or her jewellery comes from; just like a 15-year-old student wouldn’t ask where the parts of his or her iPhone come
PWC’S CHRIS DODD.
from. Or further still, how much copper is in his or her hands right now. For the first time, some investment mandates are getting rid of mining companies, and not just
TECHNOLOGY COULD DRASTICALLY CHANGE A MINE’S COST PROFILE.
AUSTRALIANMINING
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coal producers, according to Dodd. “There’s a time in history where people think cigarettes or gambling need to be taken out of an investment portfolio. And once that happens, they never go back in,” Dodd tells Australian Mining. “You’ll see your market capitalisation starting to go down because people aren’t sure they want to be investing. It is then harder to source capital, it’s harder to grow, it’s harder to invest in technology. That’s a pretty important point in history that we need to think about.” Dodd is convinced the trend of the carbon constrained world has taken dominance, and that the inconvenient
FUTURE OF MINING
truth of the carbon story hasn’t really been told. Mining consumers continue to use iPhones, dry their hair and turn the lights and air conditioning on when they get home, but they project ‘a fairly convenient protest’ of mining at the same time, according to Dodd. This is a challenge for mining
mining product is, however, difficult for coal or iron ore. Though mining majors have openly acknowledged their need to address the issue in their operations, “we’ve got to tell that story a little bit better, because it’s actually really important that we’re still involved,” Dodd says. People are dealing with products
This is the picture that appears when putting together the top 40’s historic information – the analysis exposes the ‘bad things’ that happen across the industry, such as the low and success-defying market capitalisation. Thankfully, mining companies do not measure their success based solely on their share price performance.
covers of the top 40’s annual reports have ‘a lot more women’ than are in their actual businesses. Though the proportion of women on top 40 boards was up marginally to 21 per cent in 2018, putting miners on par with the average for Fortune1000 companies (21.3 per cent), there was no improvement in the number of women in senior management, which hovered at 11 per cent. “Mining is, however, an industry where people have been working for 30-40 years. It will honestly take some time for that capability to trickle down all the way through the business structure,” Dodd says. The report suggests that miners do not assume their current approach will deliver the workforce they need in the future.
More gold, more coal
PWC POINTS TO THE PROBLEMATIC CONCEPT OF THE MINING BRAND AS AN INDUSTRY CONCERN.
companies who find themselves facing two generations of people who perceive mining as ‘evil’. “Why is the world not interested that mining is doing so well? It’s almost like people disassociate the use of mining from the supplier of mining,” Dodd says. “People are not listening when the industry speaks of the good things they are doing and that they are providing the resources needed for the future.” The best example is diamonds. The precious gemstones have become the engagement present of choice and a girl’s best friend. Companies have a way to get to their consumers with these two campaigns, according to Dodd. Such consumer marketing of the
WHY IS THE WORLD NOT INTERESTED THAT MINING IS DOING SO WELL? IT’S ALMOST LIKE PEOPLE DISASSOCIATE THE USE OF MINING FROM THE SUPPLIER OF MINING.” that are part of the new economy, which are still required in a carbon constrained world. “In our (corporate presentations), we’ve got one slide that is ‘The world without mining.’ And it’s a black slide,” Dodd says. AUSTRALIANMINING
The top 40 continued to generate benefits from steady revenue growth (up $51 billion or eight per cent, to $683 billion) and profitability (up $7 billion or four per cent, to $165 billion), as predicted in PwC’s forecast last year. These numbers are, in fact, the higher revenue and profitability statistics that were seen during the mining boom of 2011-13, according to Dodd. “If it wasn’t for that last mining boom, we’d be talking about this like it’s the biggest mining boom in the world we’ve ever seen,” he says. Another topic of conversation Dodd points to is diversity, which according to him, is an area of focus that hasn’t really changed. He finds it interesting that the front
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The top 40 biggest mining companies in the world are topped with familiar names, such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Vale, Glencore and China Shenhua Energy Company, which account for 50 per cent of the total top 40 market capitalisation. Its new entrants include gold producers Kirkland Lake Gold, AngloGold Ashanti and Polymetal International, as well as coal company Bayan Resources. Gold also dominated the top 40’s capital expenditure during 2018, attracting $30 billion of investment. In fact, capital expenditure showed an increase for the first time in five years, albeit from historically low levels and still below 2008 pre-boom levels. “A lot of the capital expenditure from the boom period went to a decline following 2014-17, allowing mining majors to soak the available capacity without having to spend a lot more,” Dodd says. “As a consequence, the additional or incremental benefits drop to the bottom line fairly quickly. Various stakeholders, including governments and shareholders, receive a bigger share of the benefit than they might have last time.” Though there hasn’t been many new major discoveries in the world as deposits are harder and deeper to get to, coal goes against this thematic. The demands for a sustainable future haven’t shaped the commodity mix over the past decade by a great deal, with coal dropping by only two per cent, from 25 per cent in 2006 to 23 per cent in 2018. Many parts of the world, such as China, India and South East Asia are expected to continue to use coal to meet primary energy needs, putting it in equal footing with copper as the largest revenue-generating commodity among the top 40. AM
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MAINTENANCE
MODULAR MAINTENANCE GUIDES LIEBHERR AFTERSALES SERVICE LIEBHERR-AUSTRALIA’S MODULAR MAINTENANCE PROGRAM IS CUTTING DOWNTIME IN HALF FOR SOME MINING COMPANIES. BEN CREAGH EXPLAINS WHY THE COMPANY USES THIS AFTERSALES APPROACH TO MAINTENANCE. A POWER PACK MODULE CHANGEOUT ON A R 996 EXCAVATOR.
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here has been a shift in what mining companies focus on when developing their equipment maintenance programs over the past decade. The modern emphasis often leans towards reducing the number of suppliers or contractors that are required in their supply chain. It increasingly involves working alongside a single source or partner that understands every element of the maintenance lifecycle beyond the point of procurement. Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Liebherr has made this demand an integral part of the aftersales customer service it offers in Australia for its mining trucks and excavators. Liebherr-Australia’s aftersales
method is a modular maintenance approach that focuses on delivering a combination of safety, productivity, reliability and customisation benefits. The modular program complements the way Liebherr has designed its current machines, as well as the vertically integrated model of the equipment components manufactured by the company. Liebherr-Australia introduced the modular maintenance concept for truck power packs in 2014, before adding excavators to the mix at a major mining company’s operations in Western Australia. The program has grown to cover a wider range of equipment and is available at each of Liebherr’s Australian branches – Perth, Mt Thorley and Mackay, where a AUSTRALIANMINING
combined total of more than 200 module changeouts have taken place. Liebherr-Australia executive general manager customer service, mining, Tony Johnstone says the design of an excavator like the R 996B makes modular maintenance possible for the OEM. However, a lack of alignment between component wear, along with reluctance from mining companies and contractors to adopt a modular model prevented Liebherr from introducing the concept up until five years ago. “Before 2014 it was always thought about by Liebherr but never really adopted because of the inability to line up component life,” Johnstone tells Australian Mining. “Then a customer in Western Australia eventually decided to
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look at modularisation again – it was achievable because of their maintenance strategy. From there it has become more widely accepted elsewhere as well, such as in New South Wales and Queensland.” In 2014, Liebherr-Australia set out to improve on the conventional maintenance approach where a mining machine would be brought in to a workshop for component changeouts. In this case, the machine would be out of action until the completion of all maintenance – possibly taking several weeks until it returned to work. In contrast, Liebherr-Australia’s maintenance concept involves rebuilding an additional module, either one of its own or one that belongs to a customer, without the machine having to be down for maintenance and
MAINTENANCE
affecting productivity. A machine is brought in for maintenance when the old module is immediately removed and replaced by one that has already been refurbished in the workshop. The old module remains in the workshop for repairs and will be ready for the next machine that arrives for maintenance. Despite the stage of the ‘wear and tear lifecycle’ the components are in, they are all replaced in the Liebherr approach. Its servicepeople also extensively test each component, including blast, crack test, repair and painting of each component, electrical harness, fitting hose, nut and bolt. Liebherr-Australia general manager, customer support, Paul Murphy says the modular approach provides a mining operation with value beyond the maintenance area. “An important consideration of the program is that modular maintenance responds more holistically to a mine site’s expectations, not just the maintenance department’s expectations,” Murphy says. “The full value comes to bear when the mine site looks at it from a more holistic sense and the production dividend is realised by cutting maintenance downtime by 50 per cent.”
LIEBHERR HAS DEVELOPED SEVERAL MODULES FOR R 9400 EXCAVATORS.
The program has increased productivity by reducing maintenance downtime by up to eight days (from 14 days to six) depending on the machine and type of modules. It also improves the reliability of the machines through the ability to plan or forecast the changeout of components, enhancing productivity even further. From a safety perspective, most of the work is completed in a controlled environment in a Liebherr workshop. This reduces the number of crane lifts from more than 50 to fewer than 10; it
also significantly decreases the amount of time working at heights. Liebherr-Australia works with its mining clients to customise their modules or programs. For example, companies have been known to ask for scaled-down mini modules or to undertake additional maintenance while a major changeout takes place. “Realistically we are providing a solution that promotes safety, it promotes productivity, it promotes reliability and it is customisable,” Murphy says.
“With these features we are applying that logic to multiple scenarios in the maintenance realm from an asset management perspective. “It is something the industry has been keen to see – innovation and efficiency brought together with all of those benefits, which are elevated considerations for them in remote locations.” Liebherr has power pack modules for all of its trucks and for each excavator from the R 9250 to R 9800 models. The OEM has also made the modules available for other excavator and truck components, including undercarriage, hydraulic tanks, value banks, hydraulic skids and more. Liebherr-Australia has consistently expanded the program over the past five years to include these components and plans to continue to grow the concept at this rate. Johnstone says Liebherr’s largest excavator, the R 9800, has been the latest focus of the expansion in 2019. “We have been working on the R 9800 and been developing the modules across the range on that machine,” Johnstone says. “What comes next is really an expansion of the existing modular program in terms of identifying what else we can modularise. What other opportunities are there? That’s what we are searching for.” AM
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TRACKING THE TRENDS
WATERING DOWN MINING’S VALUABLE RESOURCES RENEWABLES HAVE COME TO THE FORE IN MINING AS A KEY ENERGY SOURCE. BUT IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR THE INDUSTRY – WATER – BEING RECOGNISED FOR ITS VALUE? BEN CREAGH FINDS OUT.
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enewable energy projects are increasingly becoming a reality in the Australian mining industry. From iron ore companies in Western Australia, to miners in the state’s Goldfields, to base metals companies in eastern Australia, renewables are finally transforming the energy mix of mine sites. As Deloitte states in its 2019 Tracking the Trends report, the mining industry has struggled to secure uninterrupted access to critical inputs like energy and water. In recent years, however, companies have taken action to combat this situation as technologies have advanced and economics for energy projects have improved. Leading companies, according to Deloitte, have also learned that true value from energy management comes from addressing cost from a social, environmental and financial perspective. Deloitte partner, sustainability Michael Wood says Australian mining companies have increasingly adopted this outlook and moved to introduce energy projects. “Five years ago there was discussion about alternatives but now we are in the doing phase,” Wood tells Australian Mining. “We have so much
potential now to lower the cost base of operating assets and increase the security of energy supply. “This is exactly where we thought it could go, but we are now actually seeing it as a reality in terms of the alternatives being competitive and mines being more energy resilient and productive.” As mentioned, the energy projects being developed cover the country and its plethora of mined commodities. Pilbara iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group formed a partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) aimed at capitalising on the economic opportunities of hydrogen energy in late 2018. Gold Fields this year revealed it is set to make the Agnew site in Western Australia’s Goldfields the first Australian mine to be powered by a wind, solar, battery and gas microgrid. South32 also announced last year it would use solar energy to power key infrastructure at the Cannington leadsilver-zinc operation in Queensland. “We have reached a point where some of the perceived alternative technologies are becoming competitive, if not cheaper than the traditional forms of power generation,” Wood says. “It is an interesting point in time where the status quo, which has been
the tradition in mining for the last 50 years, is being challenged. “We can now rethink the way we design assets, whether it is brownfields retrofits or greenfields assets.” A number of energy projects may have taken off in Australia, but the management of another key mining resource – water – is yet to widely move in the same direction. Water has, however, emerged as a priority, especially since Australia faces the spectrum of challenges that it poses, from there being a scarcity of the resource to rainfall causing an excess of it. In response, mining companies are taking steps to reduce water consumption, they are treating wastewater for recycling, or adopting technologies such as dry processing. Wood believes companies have started to improve their understanding of the broader value of water, in addition to how the commodity is managed. “It is not simply a resource that is free. There is a cost to it and it is not just a fiscal cost; there is also a social cost, a community cost and an environmental cost,” Wood says. “The sector is doing a good job to balance them. But I don’t think the sector has done a good job at telling the story about what it does yet. “(The story) about the good work that goes into all the inherent
intellectual property and the capability, but also what the sector has learned and translating that to the other parts of the economy.” The energy and water story has the opportunity to evolve even further through collaborative partnerships in Australia’s mining regions, Wood continues. Australian mining is seeing signs of partnerships emerging, not just within the industry, but also in collaboration with other sectors. OZ Minerals, for example, has launched an energy-focused partnership in South Australia with six industry organisations to investigate renewable adoption. Wood says Australian industries are well placed to set up energy hubs to take advantage of the country’s geography and climate. “These energy hubs are the way to go instead of these bespoke systems for just one application. It is not just integration with mines, but integration with industrial facilities, or oil and gas,” he says. “Think about the north-west of Western Australia, for example. It is rich in natural resources, including fossil fuel, sunlight and wind. “It is primed for both the production of energy to suit the large demand, but also a byproduct of that could be the generation of alternative fuel such as hydrogen.”
Deloitte’s leading strategies: Start with mine design
The reduction of water and energy use go hand-in-hand. It’s essential for mining companies to understand the system level implications of their reliance on these inputs before they begin mine design.
Find balance
To reduce energy consumption and intensity, some companies have taken an integrated approach towards analysing usage across entire operations. One metric involves the ongoing analysis of energy-massbalance (EMB), which can provide a deeper understanding of the energy flows across their business. A similar approach is possible for water. AM
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COLLABORATION
CAPTURING MARKET VALUE IN THE FUTURE FORMER BREVINI BOSS, AND NOW DANA SAC AUSTRALIA MANAGING DIRECTOR GREG BUNN TELLS AUSTRALIAN MINING ABOUT TWO COMPANIES THAT GO HAND IN HAND.
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or Brevini Australia, the transition from an Italian family-owned company to an American-listed organisation couldn’t be smoother. With zero job losses and all existing products retained in its portfolio, Brevini Australia became part of Dana Incorporated when it was acquired in 2017. The newly formed company was renamed Dana SAC Australia, one of 29 global service and assembly centres (SACs), offering Brevini’s original products and services in the local marketplace. Australian Mining speaks with the company’s managing director Greg Bunn to get a scoop on how the acquisition went down.
How did it all begin?
Brevini kicked off in Australia in 1993 and has been running as a very successful company ever since – growing turnover and profit through those years. We were a subsidiary of a global, Italian-based power transmission company, Brevini, back then. We moved from being part of a family owned power transmission company to become part of an US$8 billion ($11.4 billion) supplier of drivetrain products when we were globally acquired by Dana Incorporated in 2017. Now, we have 29 SACs around the world offering all services and ancillary products that Brevini has provided in Australia for the past 26 years. Nothing has changed apart from the name of the company.
What has emerged as the best synergy following the takeover?
As a 115-year-old automotive supplier, Dana has longstanding contacts with Tier 1 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) around the world. With this acquisition, we are now able to supply our products to global OEMs, something Brevini had not been able to achieve as a smaller Italian-based family company. We can now supply complete packages for all the drivetrain and motion systems required by large OEMs – gearboxes, winches, hydraulics.
looking to grow the product range for winches and rotating case wheel, as well as track drive applications. We also continue to expand our electrified offerings through innovative technologies developed in-house, as well as those Dana’s recently added through the acquisitions of TM4, the SME Group and the drives systems business of Oerlikon. The future is looking good.
What’s the biggest highlight since the acquisition? THE HIGH POWER S SERIES GEARBOX BY DANA SAC.
Who wears the manufacturer’s cap now? We’re still manufacturing the same products that we had under Brevini from our plants in Italy, Germany and China. These manufacturing facilities remain in place. Dana is an $US8 billion manufacturing company that has the highest standards in quality and manufacturing processes, so those plants were brought up to Dana’s standard operating system for production.
What’s the working partnership with Dana like?
products, which allowed us to offer complete drive systems, along with the winches and slew drives, onto the same equipment. We’re able to offer complete packages as Dana Brevini motion systems. So the strategy that we have is absolutely aligned with Dana’s growth strategy. We’re part of that off-highway business for Dana.
What’s next on the horizon?
We continue to see strong interest from customers for an expanded product range to support the diverse vehicles in the off-highway market. Dana is
I would say the future of the company. Moving into the next phase after being a family-owned company has been very stable, and its transition very smooth. We’ve retained all of our staff, we still have the same products, we’re operating in the same areas, still working with the same customers. But the potential for the future would be new products and expanded ranges coming onboard, the financial stability and the growth strategy of Dana in introducing our products into larger Tier 1 OEMs. The future for our market here in Australia is very strong. AM
There’s been absolutely no problem. Dana is a very professional company, we were integrated over an 18-month period. There were obviously some changes from a financial reporting point of view, coming from an Italian family business to an American-listed company, but that’s just part of being a large global business. There’s surely a sharing of knowledge in the plantlevel for gear manufacturing. We’re making sure that we keep up with electrification as the market moves toward electric vehicles, even in the off-highway and agricultural sectors.
How are your strategies aligned with Dana post-acquisition? Dana had grown a significant fixed axle market for off highway, but they had zero offering in rotating housing wheel drive or tracked vehicle. So the original strategy was for Dana to be able to move into the tracked and mobile wheeled vehicle market, which our products were able to do. We manufacture fluid power
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ENGINEERING
PLUG AND UNPLUG: ENGINEERING DESIGNS THAT WORK AUSPROOF HELPS QUEENSLAND MAKE ITS MARK IN THE WORLD WITH A PLUG AND RECEPTACLE RANGE THAT EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS.
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ustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s visit to AusProof’s Gladstone factory in Queensland during April recognised the company’s standing as an innovator and domestic manufacturer. The manufacturing facility, in fact, became the backdrop for the Prime Minister’s launch of his policy initiatives for export development grants and apprentice initiatives. Similarly, former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Julie Bishop visited the facility a few years earlier to acknowledge AusProof’s export footprint throughout Asia and America. The Queensland-based company is today widely recognised for high voltage electrical cable couplers and components for mining and tunnelling excavation projects. AusProof sales director Frank Lantry reveals the secret behind the company’s success, saying, “AusProof is committed to ongoing research and development, which enables us to respond to customer feedback and continually produce innovative products that benefit our customers.” To illustrate this, the company’s 60 Ampere (Amp) plug and receptacle range has been tested to 90 Amp, and the 425 Amp range has been tested to 500 Amp, well above the industry standard with this high performance. They can now connect larger pumps and equipment without users having to upgrade their existing infrastructure, passing on the monetary savings in equipment and labour costs to users. AusProof also released the latest PES range to the market this year, following the company’s progress in research and development, according to Lantry. “Our criteria for the PS, PL and PES restrained ranges are that they need to be at the highest quality. They have to be fully interchangeable with what’s in the marketplace at the moment, and that they always offer additional features and benefits,” Lantry tells Australian Mining. The latest addition to AusProof’s PS, PL and PES 60A plugs and
receptacles range sees each of the criteria being met. They have a single piece contact, which has proven to allow them to operate at a higher current rating, which means less likelihood of failing due to overloads or faults. The quick release is also an additional feature that allows a restrained plug to be engaged and disengaged more quickly than a standard receptacle, increasing machines’ mobility. In addition, all plugs are fabricated with stainless steel to guarantee they are fit for the conditions of mining and tunnelling projects. Its solid stainless steel interior minimises the risk of phase to phase faults by providing phase segregation by earth. This design reduced the likelihood of phase to phase faults and is able to shield high voltages from the person handling the item, making this procedure safer. “The tunnelling industry is harsh and muddy, so we want our product to last the life of the projects,” Lantry says. “We don’t make them as a consumable. We’ve designed them so they’re more easily maintained, for mine employees and excavation workers to look after the maintenance themselves.”
THE QUICK RELEASE SYSTEM IS STRONG, SAFE AND HAS AN ERGONOMIC GRIP.
The outer body of the plugs, for example, can be simply removed using Allen keys. Once removed, all connections can be inspected and maintained without disturbing the termination. AusProof’s new release cannot be understated, given all major mining companies’ use of the restrained range of plugs and receptacles. This range offers many benefits to all its users with regards to safety, reliability and innovation. Lantry also says that many metalliferous mines and projects throughout Australia specify the AusProof restrained range, as it is Australian designed and manufactured
to the country’s standards. While Australia is the only company in the world that manufacturers a plug up to 35-kilovolt load, AusProof has been able to use that experience to offer a lower voltage range to satisfy the other end of the market, according to Lantry. “We have gained experience in the higher voltage product and the knowledge from supplying them. This has allowed us to meet the Australian and international standards for our restrained range products,” he says. AusProof has grown into a leader in coupler research, design, manufacturing and distribution during its 40-year history. AM AUSPROOF RECEPTACLE GLAND BRACKET PROVES A RUGGED ENGINEERING DESIGN.
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ENGINEERING
AN ENGINEERING TASKFORCE AS MINING COMPANIES LOOK TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THEIR EQUIPMENT, INENCO INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS IS LEADING THE WAY IN INNOVATION THROUGH ITS ENGINEERING ARM. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.
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ining sites are a colossal place, with machinery and equipment that are capable of churning through thousands of tonnes of material effortlessly. What is often blind to the naked eye, however, is the individual parts of machinery that keep them running smoothly – bearings, chains, pulleys, sealings and the like. In line with a mining company strategy to maximise productivity, Inenco Group has ramped up its focus on the ingenuity of key parts that play a crucial role in getting the most out of their equipment. Over 60 year ago, the seeds of Inenco were planted through a father-son partnership involving JJ Martin-Weber and RJ Martin, who formed Consolidated Bearing Company (CBC) and has grown exponentially since. A span of strategic acquisitions, which ramped up in the early 2000s, has led to Inenco now employing around 1300 people across more than 20 countries. While mining companies continue to adjust to the increasing reliance on data analytics and
INENCO ENGINEERS LOAD TESTING.
complex technology, Inenco Group Engineering has developed into a discrete business unit that comprises of an elite group of engineers. Inenco Group Engineering is, perhaps, the engine room of the organisation, working across the trading brands that encompass Inenco. Demand for the engineers is booming, according to engineering manager Ryan Kendrigan.
A PURPOSE MANUFACTURED GRINDING MILL HOUSE.
AUSTRALIANMINING
“The engineering team was established in the early 2000s and has really grown out since then, it’s been almost 15 years of accelerated growth,” he says. The team is comprised of mechanical engineers who have reliability and condition monitoring strings on their bow, not to mention being specialised in the data analytics space – an area of increasing relevance in mining. “Being able to analyse and crunch data and the nuances involved is specialised,” Kendrigan says. “It is something that requires ongoing training and development to hone skills and constantly develop.” While the team has “grown organically inside the company”, an increased demand from external companies to outsource engineering expertise to Inenco Group Engineering has led to significant growth. “Customers are looking for improved reliability and to update equipment, it’s a big thing now,” Kendrigan says. “A lot of sites have budgetary constraints and often want to outsource that area of technical expertise around components, so we’ve got an opportunity to add value to them.” Many service companies offer condition-based assessment, but Kendrigan emphasises that his team’s point of difference is a unique focus on process improvement.
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Broadly speaking, process improvement involves increasing the uptime of machinery, or the time that a machine is in operation, and the benefits are vast. For mining companies, the ability for assets to operate at maximum capacity for a prolonged period equates to increased output, fewer maintenance costs and ultimately more profit. Given these benefits, the opportunity for growth at Inenco Group Engineering almost seems boundless. The diversification of having over 350,000 components parts allows Inenco Group to operate across the globe in numerous environments, according to Kendrigan. “Having a diverse range of equipment gives us the capacity to draw on anything that’s best fit,” Kendrigan says. “If you have access to everything, you can choose what is the best fit for each specific piece of equipment.” While operations remain strong in Australia, the group is in the midst of a huge push into the South East Asian market. “We are definitely expanding, there’s a heavy focus in expanding capacity and people,” he says. As Inenco Group looks towards a new phase of its historic life, its engineering team continues to drive the company into the sphere of innovation. AM
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MATERIALS HANDLING
HUMBLE EUROPEAN COMPANY FOCUSES ON AUSTRALIAN MARKET FROM TWO PEOPLE IN BELGIUM TO A GLOBAL SUPPLIER OF INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT PARTS, TVH HAS BECOME AN ESTABLISHED PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN MARKETPLACE. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.
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ifty years ago, in the Belgian town of Gullegem, Paul Thermote and Paul Vanhalst started to purchase, repair and sell agricultural machinery and former military lift trucks. The duo, both descendants from agricultural families, initially focused on purchasing used lift trucks from Belgium and surrounding countries. The European market became too confined, however, and their focus shifted to Japan. They then started to purchase thousands of forklift trucks, after which they were repaired and sold around Europe. From humble beginnings, TVH is now an industry giant that has grown from two founders to over 6000 employees, with offices and distribution centres globally. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, TVH (formerly Thermote and Vanhalst) is capitalising on the global demand of spare parts for repairs and accessories, for materials handling, industrial and agricultural equipment. TVH works directly or indirectly alongside some of the world’s mining giants to maintain the health of their forklifts, including intricate parts such as chains, rims, tyres, seats and more. With branches in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, TVH is thriving in Australia, due to heavy investment in ways to improve
the customer experience, which is contributing to business growth. TVH’s holistic approach to covering the many aspects that contribute to a fully functioning truck performing at optimum efficiency has also driven the success of the company. For TVH Australia general manager Daniel Brownlie, the advice is to give equipment “good service, quality parts and treat them well, given that the conditions they work in can be extremely harsh”. TVH provides that by supplying quality parts for a wide range of industrial equipment that is both swift and reliable through its strategic partnerships with numerous mining companies. In the Australian market, the company formed a relationship with Toll Freight, capitalising on the demand mining companies have for next day delivery, particularly in regional centres. This coincides with TVH’s partnership with Grammer Seats, whose incorporation of ergonomics within vehicles has been tailored towards an increased industrywide focus on the health and safety of operators. Many mine sitebased pieces of equipment have Grammer seating fitted from original equipment manufacturers. The company’s growth has also emanated in part from offering diagnostic software from Jaltest, which further alerts mining companies of errors that may occur
SPARE PARTS ARE PROVIDED BY TVH TO REPAIR FORKLIFTS.
with trucks and how to resolve them. Jaltest’s software has a particularly strong presence in off highway trucks given its ability to conduct multiplatform diagnostics, including trucks, earth moving and materials handling within the one tool. “If something is going on with the trucks, Jaltest gives signal information on what is going on and how to fix it,” Brownlie explains. “It has different harnesses depending on the brand of equipment and can interface with trucks.” TVH has also recently shifted its focus onto the development of mining company’s workforce through its
TVH’S HEAD OFFICE IN BRISBANE.
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acquisition of fleet management and telematics company GEM One. Through managing driver access, licensing requirements and safety compliance, the ability for TVH and GEM to offer results that are quantifiable allows for companies to decipher drivers that are in need of support or further training. While the company has ramped up its expansion, the sky is the limit, according to Brownlie. “TVH Australia are continually striving to increase the product range and improve services and processes in order to be a true ‘one stop shop’,” Brownlie concludes. AM
MINING INFRASTRUCTURE
AXEING THE HIDDEN COSTS OF A MINING OPERATION PAUL COBBIN OF HYDROFLUX URGES MINING COMPANIES TO MAKE SLUDGE DISPOSAL A FORETHOUGHT BEFORE IT COSTS THEM BIG BUCKS. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS.
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ludge is an unnegotiable part of the environment that could cost large mining companies a sevenfigure cheque and catch out many others. A small accommodation camp of 120 people may treat 40 cubic metres of sewage a day and transport 10 cubic metres of sludge a week out of the site to a registered discharge centre. Paul Cobbin, Hydroflux Epco general manager, Epco products, estimates the sludge issue will cost the small camp $400,000 a year. At a much larger site like Christmas Creek in the Pilbara, Western Australia, which has four to five sewage plants across the mining lease, the cost could easily multiply. “The thing about sludge is the hidden cost of sewage treatment,” Cobbin tells Australian Mining. “It was costing that Christmas Creek mine millions of dollars a year just to move its sludge from the sewage plants to a registered discharge centre.” But Hydroflux has conducted extensive research trials from 2012 to 2014 in nine different applications to study the performance, effects of polymer and washwater consumption. The company, having developed an extensive knowledge in implementing the technology into the Australian market and conditions, proceeded to provide Christmas Creek with a technology called Huber RoS3Q inclined screw press. This technology is fabricated
CORROSION-RESISTANT HUBER QPRESS SLUDGE PLANT IN A CONTAINER.
from corrosion-resistant 304 or 316 stainless steel, and relies on an internal shaft screw that conveys the sludge through a triple-staged cylindrical wedge wire basket. Christmas Creek was able to recover the cost of this installation within three
months due to the amount of money the site was previously spending on sludge handling and transport. “When it comes to sewage treatment, you’ve got two streams: effluent and sludge. What Huber QPress does is get that suspended solid
QPRESS IS EASILY PORTABLE, REUSABLE AND REDUCES ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT.
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(i.e. sludge) and take liquid out of it so it leaves behind a dry cake,” Cobbin explains. “Previously liquid sludge was transported, but the new facility reduces offsite disposal volumes. We’ve taken 85 per cent of the volume, so we’re only having to transport the remaining 15 per cent. “In terms of freight cost, you’d reduce that $400,000 to $60,000 a year. As you can see, the saving is quite considerable.” The benefits don’t stop there. Hydroflux’s Huber QPress has a low energy demand due to its extremely slow-moving mechanism; that is, an internal screw speed of one revolution a minute (RPM). Instead of relying on the mechanism of a high spinning drum, which is comparable to a plane engine, to push the water out of the sludge in the case of a conventional centrifuge, Huber QPress uses pressure to do this, requiring only 10 per cent of the power a centrifuge needs. Further still, the sludge dewatering technology produces similar cake solids to high-speed centrifuges. Wearing part is minimal, and cost of operation is considerably lower when using the Huber QPress, according to Cobbin. “While you’re trying to remove as much suspended solid as possible in your sewage treatment, you can remove an average of 95 per cent of that using the Huber QPress,” he says. The water discharge will have five per cent of particles remaining, falling conveniently within the guidelines of environmental discharge. The extracted effluent can then be used for dust suppression, toilet flushing and watering natural vegetation, effectively reducing the footprint of the mining operation. Huber QPress can also be used during a fracking process and tunnelling. It comes fully enclosed with no pinch points, complying to workplace health and safety standards. It is no wonder that over 1000 sites around the world, including more than 45 in Australia, use the German engineered and manufactured Huber QPress. AM
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From design to driveline. Imagine how much more you could do. Originally developed in 1919 by an SKF engineer, Arvid Palmgren, the spherical roller bearing (SRB) has since made its mark worldwide. Created to complement the self-aligning ball bearing, due to its ability to accommodate misalignment under heavy loads, the initial SKF design has now become part of the largest family of products in the industry. Petra Öberg Gustafsson, Product Line Manager Self Aligning Bearings at SKF comments: “From the very start, SKF has taken the lead in the development of self-aligning bearings. We introduced spherical roller bearings in 1919 and have been consistently improving them ever since. Building on Arvid Palmgren’s original design, we now offer engineers the widest range of both open and sealed spherical roller bearings in the industry. With the continued push for high performance in ever more challenging environments, it will be interesting to see what the next 100 years of development generates!” Read the full article and the link to the historical account in this Australian Mining edition.
® SKF is a registered trademark of the SKF Group. | © SKF Group 2019
SPHERICAL ROLLER BEARINGS
Celebrating a century of innovation
TECHNOLOGY
MINING AND INDUSTRY 4.0 MINING COMPANIES ARE CONTINUING TO POUNCE ON NEW SOFTWARE AND DATA SYSTEMS THAT REDUCE MAINTENANCE COSTS AND IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.
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ndustry 4.0, otherwise known as the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, is affecting almost every industry worldwide, connecting the physical and digital world through transformative technology. For the mining industry, the next big leap in safety and productivity has come through advanced automation and robotics, as well as increasingly prospective innovation in sensor technology and data analytics. Mining companies are jumping on board the trend, capitalising on increasingly sophisticated data that is now more accessible and available than ever before. One particular area of focus for the industry has been the ability to maintain high levels of safety in line with the rapid growth in autonomous machinery and technology. The presence of sensory technology on mine sites has ramped up given the
from preventative maintenance software, I’m able to receive data and use it to work according to the information it provides,” Coertze says. For maintaining the machinery and assets on mine sites, Coertze emphasises that the key is being proactive and fixing the root cause of problems before they occur, rather than being reactive through the old method of scheduled maintenance. “It’s similar to a motor vehicle and how you have to take it in for a service every 15,000 kilometres, scheduled maintenance forces companies to do shutdowns and conduct routine checks which costs money, even if nothing is wrong,” he explains. As Coertze points out, the costs for conducting scheduled maintenance are excessive, shutting down machines can result in hours or even days of lost productivity, amounting to thousands of tonnes of material being wasted. The alternative is what IFM calls
process values, temperatures or a flow from a sensor, you never really know what was happening with the sensor,” Coertze says. “You didn’t know if it was accurate, about to fail or any diagnostic information, nothing was available.” The Y-Path, however, allows data to be transmitted into both the PLC, as well as other software systems such as ‘SAP’, which can then be evaluated in real time. Sensors and actuators are connected with a local server through an ethernet network, allowing machine data, process parameters and diagnostic data to be directly read and processed. The process is particularly relevant to condition-based monitoring, which often uses an outdated system of inspection to assess the health and productivity of assets. “The current situation without this software involves manual checks, where a person goes to every single
the Y-Path, a system that capitalises on the vast amounts of data being released by sensors and importantly, capturing all of it. Previously, five per cent of sensor data was captured by programmable logic controllers (PLC) and used, which naturally meant 95 per cent would go unused. “You used to just get the standard
motor, it may take months to get around,” Coertze says. The archaic nature of this process highlights an increasing need for the implementation of more advanced technology. While the move towards increased automation and data analysis presents a wealth of opportunities, there remains a pervasive fear that
THE PROCESS OF SENSORS RAISING ALARMS TO A SOFTWARE PLATFORM.
devices’ ability to autonomously detect personnel entering into hazardous regions of mine sites, as well as the health of assets. As product sales manager at IFM Freddie Coertze tells Australian Mining, “sensors are really important because if you can measure it, you can control it.” “If I can get as much as possible
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IT’S SIMILAR TO A MOTOR VEHICLE AND HOW YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT IN FOR A SERVICE EVERY 15,000 KILOMETRES, SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE FORCES COMPANIES TO DO SHUTDOWNS AND CONDUCT ROUTINE CHECKS WHICH COSTS MONEY, EVEN IF NOTHING IS WRONG.” humans might become redundant in the process. Coertze insists, however, that there must be a “change in mindset of personnel”, as embracing automation significantly simplifies and enhances operational productivity. One example of this is IFM software that enables remote monitoring of assets. The software is able to take data from devices such as sensors and connect it to a database, which is then transferred to a cloud service. Should an asset require maintenance, an alert service is released and using a Google maps type overview, machinery that requires fixing is pinpointed. The process is emblematic of software being used by mining companies to reduce operational costs and increase productivity using automation, according to Coertze. “The biggest benefit of software like this is that many sites are remote areas and it is costly to have personnel there monitoring machinery the whole time,” he explains. While Coertze describes Industry 4.0 as a “buzz word”, the opportunity within the sector remains profound given the increasing access to data and autonomous technology. The ability to create software that learns behaviour and expands knowledge could be the key to unlocking vast amounts of productivity and money lost from maintenance costs. AM
MINING EQUIPMENT
JOYSTICK CONTROL ENHANCES EFFICIENCY AT BAUXITE OPERATIONS COLLABORATION AMONG AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS HAS SUPPORTED RIO TINTO’S WEIPA AND GOVE BAUXITE MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS
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io Tinto’s bauxite operations in Queensland and the Northern Territory have received an uplift in safety and efficiency thanks to an Australian-engineered joystick control. Queensland-based forklift company, Norlift, has actuated a Rexroth joystick control for Rio’s Hyundai 160D-7 tyre handling forklifts. Norlift supplied these forklifts and fitted them with cascade tyre handlers. With the expert hydraulic engineering assistance from Hydraulink, the joystick has made Rio Tinto’s 50 million tonnes of annual bauxite exports from the Weipa and Gove mines in the Far North Queensland and Northern Territory, respectively, safer and more reliable. Rio completed a $2.6 billion project to expand its Weipa operations last year, the single biggest investment in Far North Queensland at the time. “Rio wanted a tyre-handler with better ease-of-use and safer operation, so we worked with Rexroth and came up with a joystick solution, where the operator only has to move one joystick instead of the typical eight levers. Hydraulink installed all the hydraulics neatly and efficiently,” Norlift owner Greg Rynne tells Australian Mining. One joystick replaces eight levers, which not only reduces errors, but improves the efficiency of operations. “It’s a great system. If you push left on the joystick, it responds left. It’s essentially like a robotic arm. It can pick up a wheel flat on the ground and raise it vertically, then tilt it left, right, forwards or backwards,” Rynne says. The Norlift owner suggests that Rio Tinto is consistently “striving for the highest levels of safety and standards compliance.” Safety was, in fact, Rio’s number one priority for the tyre-handlers for the Weipa and Gove operations, Rynne adds. As tyre handling equipment is tasked with lifting heavy loads in the mining industry, machinery needs to be completely safety compliant to reduce the risk of crush injuries or fatality, according to Hydraulink Cairns co-owner Brett O’Hara.
CLOSE-UP OF THE CUSTOMENGINEERED HYDRAULICS.
A single hydraulic hose that has been installed incorrectly can cause a serious safety risk when working at such high pressures, which can typically go up to 7000 pounds a square inch (PSI). “(But) with the exponential advances in technology, more and more innovative solutions become available to the mining industry,” O’Hara says. “Our hoses are now slimmer than older technology, while simultaneously featuring greater durability and
performance. This means that they can fit into more compact spaces and better hydraulic solutions can be developed where there simply wouldn’t have been the space in the past. “Not only are Hydraulink hoses one of the toughest and highest quality products on the market, they are also installed by experienced hydraulic engineers and fully backed in the field by mobile technicians available 24/7.” Hydraulink Cairns, the branch responsible for this project, is part of the Australasian Hydraulink network, with more than 400 hydraulic service points across the region. “They’re highly responsive. If we need something, they’ll be there. They’ve never let us down,” Rynne says.
Neat engineering
Norlift has chosen Hydraulink as a partner of choice due to its responsiveness, 24/7 support, hydraulic engineering ingenuity and experience and attention to detail. Hydraulink takes pride in all the bits: most of the hoses, connectors
A HYUNDAI FORKLIFT WITH TYRE HANDLER, FEATURING REXROTH HYDRAULIC VALVE BANK AND HYDRAULINK-INSTALLED JOYSTICK.
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and fittings are hidden away in this application, but Hydraulink still set it up with incredibly “neat” engineering, according to Rynne. The company also takes a solutionsfocused approach and works to customer needs, rather than providing a one-size-fits all approach. For this custom design, Hydraulink has removed the pilot system from the forklift and fitted a full electronic control valve. It’s proportional and allows infinite control, according to O’Hara. Further, the joystick is 100 per cent programmable and has a function that prevents the tyre from being inadvertently released. Operators benefit from greater and simpler control, leading to safer operation and less chances of human error. “Rio is very happy with the tyrehandling forklifts. The enhanced ease-of-use was very well received by their operators, and the fact that it also enhanced safety – one of their top priorities – was a major asset,” Rynne concludes. AM
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MINING EQUIPMENT WENCO INTERNATIONAL MINING SYSTEMS IS HITACHI’S FLEET DISPATCH SYSTEM AND PLATFORM FOR AUTOMATION.
A TRAILBLAZER IN AUSTRALIA FOR THE LONG HAUL HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY AUSTRALIA TAKES INSPIRATION FROM ITS TECH-FORWARD PARENT COMPANY TO STRENGTHEN ITS FLEET OF MINING TRUCKS AND EXCAVATORS. VANESSA ZHOU REPORTS.
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itachi Construction Machinery continues to make waves in the mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector with the release of new models in its mining fleet. Its mining excavators, the EX1200 up to EX8000 models, have commenced a transition period to the new generation EX-7 series, which hit the global market in April and are now operating in the field. The EX1200-7 and EX2600-
7 excavators made an appearance at Bauma 2019, the world’s largest construction trade fair in Munich, Germany, to coincide with the global launch. Hitachi also rolled out the EX12007 hydraulic mining excavator in Perth, Western Australia, as the world’s first official launch site for the updated series. The Japanese manufacturer believes it has delivered its safest and most efficient excavator yet with the new models, building off the previous EX-6 series to develop the machines.
Like the previous series, the EX-7 series includes six models ranging in size from the 100-tonne to 800-tonne class. Hitachi’s commitment to productivity is evident in the company’s decision to upgrade certain models of the excavators with larger buckets, exceeding the productivity of their EX-6 predecessors. EX-7 buyers have the choice of Cummins or MTU brand engines for reduced fuel consumption, strong horsepower, powerful arm and bucketdigging forces.
HITACHI’S HAUL TRUCK MODELS COME WITH EITHER A CUMMINS OR MTU ENGINE.
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Hitachi has geared the EX-7 excavators towards helping users optimise safety, production and efficiency, using technologies that bring the Internet of Things (IoT) to sites around the world. The Japanese manufacturer plans to deliver even more of the latest engine technology and fuel efficiencies for the other models, according to Hitachi Construction Machinery (Australia) general manager – mining, Eric Green. “It’s exciting that we’re moving ahead with the development of the new EX-7 series, and having that transition and release of those products over the next couple of years, but we will continue to provide reliable excavator and truck products which we are known for in the industry,” Green tells Australian Mining. Hitachi’s dump truck models, for example, can now have autonomous haulage system (AHS) technology retrofitted on the back of Hitachi’s fleet management system supplier, Wenco International Mining Systems. Wenco’s fleet management system provides the platform for the optimisation of mining operations as part of the AHS. The global subsidiary had the fleet management systems and technology needed for Hitachi equipment, and
MINING EQUIPMENT
was henceforth acquired in 2009 in alignment with the manufacturer’s vision for autonomous mining. Its systems provide operators with real-time visibility and insights, giving them better control over the cost of production without compromising mine productivity. Hitachi’s introduction of AHS also saw the company collaborate with Whitehaven Coal last year to design a system that supports its Maules Creek mine in New South Wales. The partnership involved scoping the delivery and commissioning of phased AHS deployment for the fleet of Hitachi EH5000AC-3 trucks at the operation. In addition, Wenco creates bespoke products to support small mines, contractors and quarries. It has released Wencolite, which helps boost site performance with less complexity than a full-scale fleet management. While Hitachi’s three-machine AC-3 dump truck series continues to offer its proven, existing model specifications – with both options of Cummins and MTU engines – it uses a drive system derived from the company’s bullet train development in Japan. “That drive system operates on the same premise as the bullet train and is implemented into the Hitachi dump trucks,” Green says. “We are very lucky to have access
to that technology under the Hitachi Limited banner. It’s a large company with many areas of technology development globally, so we have the capacity to advance our mining equipment a lot more easily. “Hitachi Limited has done research in the area of technology, and with the speed of change taking place today we don’t need to rely on outside companies as much.” Hitachi is also pioneering an interoperable ecosystem of partner solutions with its ‘solution linkage’ platform. With Wenco’s support, solutions linkage enables the sharing of information across sectors, providing control and end-to-end visibility across the entire mining process. Open innovation is the guiding technological philosophy for solution linkage, according to Hitachi Constrution Machinery vice president and executive officer, chief technology officer Hideshi Fukumoto. “Based on this philosophy, Hitachi Construction Machinery is announcing its commitment to championing the customer enablement of autonomous mining through an open, interoperable ecosystem of partner solutions,” Fukumoto says. “We believe this open approach provides customers the greatest flexibility and control for integrating
new autonomous solutions into their existing operations, while reducing associated risks and costs of alternative approaches.” Most importantly, Hitachi stresses it is in Australia for the long-term. The company opened a new service centre in New South Wales in January to support its customer base in the Upper Hunter region, strengthening its facilities nationwide to 26. Hitachi is also building a manufacturing workshop and facility in Perth to support the equipment it has at Pilbara mines. The company has started the development of a stage two construction equipment branch and
warehouse in Brisbane to bolster its presence in Queensland. “We’re investing in, and not leasing those new facilities. That will continue on with the future development that has already been planned for other regions in Australia,” Green says. “That provides a strong message to our customers that we are here for the long haul, we have that support for our customers and we want to continue our support for their current and new fleets of equipment.” As product development continues to progress, Green is convinced Hitachi is in a positive position for a strong future in Australia. AM
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MINERALS PROCESSING
TWO DECADES OF APRON FEEDER EVOLUTION A METSO EXPERT GIVES AUSTRALIAN MINING INSIGHTS INTO THE ‘QUANTUM SHIFT’ IN THE DESIGN OF APRON FEEDERS OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS.
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pron feeders are used to transport large, lumpy, abrasive and heavy ores under severe impact conditions – including wet, sticky or frozen operations. With 37 years in the mining industry, including 24 years at Metso, product specialist Thomas Thomas draws upon his experience to share some insights into apron feeders, and their applications within the minerals processing industry.
Could you give us a bit of general background about the apron feeder? Apron feeders are robust machines
that are designed for long-term use in a diversified range of industrial applications. Their primary function is to extract or feed material short distances at a controlled rate of speed, which prevents choking of material that feeds crushers and other equipment. Apron feeders are also commonly used to reclaim material at a uniform rate from hoppers, vaults, bins, and stockpiles. Apron feeder design has evolved over time to meet changing industry requirements and address common problems that operators face. Metso has 150 years of engineering knowhow, including 125 years of experience in apron feeder design and manufacture. Throughout this time, we
AUSTRALIANMINING
have built a global install base of over 2000 feeders. I would say in the last 20 to 25 years, the design has seen a quantum shift. The apron feeder has become so reliable and user-friendly that it generally needs very little maintenance and is now widely available to suit most applications.
How has the apron feeder design changed over the past 20 to 25 years? Machine design characteristics have evolved over time, and many improvements have been introduced to reduce the need for routine servicing. Apron feeders were traditionally designed with many components that
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required constant lubrication and maintenance. Cast, and forged apron feeder chains are an example of this. Traditional chain designs that required regular lubrication have given way to sealed and lubricated (SALT) units, which do not require any lubrication throughout the life of the unit. SALT designs for other components such as rollers and tractor-type tail wheels have also been incorporated in Metso apron feeders. These design improvements ultimately make things easier for operators by increasing machine reliability and therefore reduce the need for day-to-day maintenance. Machine designs have also evolved
MINERALS PROCESSING
it from moving in any direction. To further improve safety, a limit switch or proximity sensor is incorporated to indicate pin disengagement via an audio or visual alarm.
What are the main challenges being faced in the current operating environment with respect to apron feeders?
METSO’S BULK MATERIAL HANDLING PRODUCT SPECIALIST THOMAS THOMAS.
to improve operator safety. One such example relates to apron feeder pans, which are also referred to as flights. Pans are high impact, abrasionresistant wear parts responsible for extracting material and discharging it from the feeder. These components need to be stopped and secured during periods of routine maintenance. As you can imagine, if the pans move while workers are on the machine, it’s like having a rug pulled from under you – it poses a significant risk to worker safety. We have developed a locking mechanism for Metso feeders to address this issue. When the locking mechanism is engaged, a pin made from high-tensile steel secures the chain and prevents
One of the big challenges for the industry is increased pressure to reduce CAPEX costs. Producers are faced with a tough choice, and sometimes opt for a cheaper machine that is satisfactory for current operating parameters but does not have the capability to reach future production targets. In my opinion, it’s better to opt for a design that is future-proofed, rather than purchasing the cheapest machine available. This allows greater flexibility in the long-term, and you will avoid the need to replace or retrofit a larger machine into the existing footprint, which can be a costly exercise.
What would you recommend operators do to maximise the availability and reliability of the machine?
This type of machine doesn’t require a huge amount of maintenance. Apron feeders are generally very reliable and will just keep working. Having said that, monthly checks are always a good
idea to make sure the bolts aren’t loose on the pans. It is also good practice to maintain the correct chain tension. This only requires a brief inspection but is important to guarantee smooth operation and longer component life. It is common for operators to overlook simple tasks like checking the clearance between the pans and skirts. An apron feeder can suffer premature wear if the recommended clearance between these components exceeds 13 millimetres. Larger clearances also increase the risk of bigger lumps of hard ore getting wedged into the gap. In some cases, this may cause the machine to stall, however, it is also possible for a machine to fail catastrophically at its weakest point. I have seen this first hand, and it presents a major threat, not only to equipment but also to worker safety.
Can you tell us about any recent safety innovations?
An innovation that has been incorporated into Metso apron feeders eliminates the need to lift heavy rollers manually when servicing the machine. Rollers sit underneath the apron feeder pans and chains. Changing them out is difficult due to their weight – even smaller rollers are too heavy for manual lifting.
To address this concern, we developed a tool that helps make the job safer and easier. The tool has been designed to allow operators to remove and replace rollers without the need for lifting equipment. This is much safer and eliminates a lot of the manual work that was previously required.
Where do you see apron feeder technology going in the future?
I think the future is very exciting for apron feeders, with many technological improvements on the horizon. Personally, I believe smart technology will provide operators the capability to optimise their feeders with production requirements in real time. This technology will also provide operators with the ability to accurately forecast maintenance requirements and avoid un-planned downtime. Replacing apron feeder components can be a costly process, which is often a result of the machines location in a plant. Access can be difficult which makes servicing components an extensive exercise for many operators. There is certainly an opportunity to design feeders in such a way to synchronise the life of key componentry and the associated changeouts. By changing out key componentry at the same time, total maintenance costs can be drastically reduced over the life of the machine. AM
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WASTE MANAGEMENT
MINING FOR SEA WATER IN PILBARA ECOMAG IS LEVERAGING PILBARA WASTEWATER STREAMS TO EXTRACT THE THIRD MOST ABUNDANT ELEMENT IN SEAWATER – MAGNESIUM – FOR BILLION-DOLLAR EXPORTS. VANESSA ZHOU WRITES. ECOMAG GENERAL MANAGER SHAUN TRINER AGAINST A BITTERNS SOURCE.
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astewater streams, or bitterns, are proving to carry billions of dollars in potential revenue in the north west of Australia. Emerging specialty chemicals producer EcoMag plans to treat bitterns from existing Dampier Salt production in the Pilbara to extract magnesium carbonate for exports. This development is set to deliver multiple benefits. The process of diluting and rebalancing the magnesium composition itself produces a waste stream that is closer to sea water, reducing saline toxicity threats to the local marine ecosystem. The ground-breaking idea is the brainchild of hydrometallurgist
Tam Tran, who initially developed a magnesium precipitation process to extract lithium from brine deposits, according to EcoMag chief communications officer Walter Munro. Tran’s focus took a different turn when he realised the high value of magnesium carbonate. The now-EcoMag chief technology officer joined forces with his former chemical engineering student, and emerging entrepreneur, Tony Crimmins, to commercialise the magnesium precipitation process in 2015. “Australia is the third largest sea salt producer on the planet, and there are five major sea salt operations in northern Western Australia. We are now in conversation with them about possibly accessing their waste too,” AUSTRALIANMINING
Munro tells Australian Mining. If EcoMag can double its current manufacturing output by meeting its growth aspirations, the company would deliver close to $1 billion worth of annual exports. Deloitte Access Economics estimates the project can create direct benefits for the Australian public valued at over $149 million over the first 20 years. EcoMag plans to construct a $150 million processing facility that is initially expected to produce around 80,000 tonnes of hydrated magnesium carbonate a year. The Karratha plant would create over 100 construction jobs and draw a substantial operational workforce from the local community. Even at the initial proposed
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plant capacity, the project would add significantly to the company’s manufacturing output, generating around $130 million of revenue a year, almost all of it from exports. EcoMag’s proposal also incorporates funding and infrastructure, including a new road, electricity, gas, fresh (desalinated) water and wastewater treatment that could benefit other businesses. “What sets EcoMag apart is that our business is entirely outside the boom and bust cycle and the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) employment practices of the resources industry that dominates the region,” Crimmins says. In addition, specialty chemicals is a trillion-dollar industry worldwide, but there are only a few specialty chemicals businesses in Australia.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
EcoMag’s magnesium recycling plant uses a proprietary process developed in South Korea to produce magnesium carbonate at extremely high purity levels. That’s important in two ways. Firstly, price is driven by purity in speciality chemicals markets, and EcoMag produces the highest levels available, according to Crimmins. While the size of the global magnesium trade sits in the vicinity of 12 million tonnes of salt a year, the bulk of this is relatively low purity, Munro adds. Magnesium buyers “don’t just want magnesium.” They look for a particular compound of magnesium with minimal impurities and specific particle sizes, surface areas and other requirements. “Most producers find it very difficult to meet these requirements, but we’ve been providing samples to distributors for a year now, verifying that we can meet their stringent requirements with relative ease,” Crimmins says. “Secondly, our product is unusually flexible. The more you understand international magnesium markets, the more astonishing you realise this metal is. Most people know that it goes into human health supplements, but they don’t realise it’s used in plastics and rubber, steelmaking, fertilisers, toughened glass, water treatment and a wide variety of foods and beverages,
ECOMAG EXTRACTS MAGNESIUM FROM A SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE – BITTERNS.
just to name a few applications. “This is partly because of the nature of our process and partly because our chief technology officer, Professor Tam Tran is a world leader in hydrometallurgy.” An independent life cycle analysis by the German Aerospace Centre confirms that EcoMag will produce lower carbon dioxide emissions than comparable techniques for producing magnesium chemicals of similar purity levels. EcoMag uses a proprietary technology to treat wastewater using
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magnesium oxide, instead of the conventional caustic lime that yields toxic by-products. EcoMag’s procedure produces a mixture of magnesium compound that can go to fertilisers, while cleaning up wastewater simultaneously. The company is an advocate of the circular economy, which aims to eradicate waste, not just from manufacturing processes, but systematically throughout the life cycle, and re-uses products and their components. Waste carbon dioxide from EcoMag’s
plant, for example, could potentially be used to boost the yields of the solar greenhouse project. “That’s why I say new business activities offer so much more to a region than expanding old businesses,” Crimmins continues. “And really that’s the most important part of my job. I’m employing project managers and engineers to design, build and operate the plant. My job is to relentlessly explore possibilities to expand the business and work with other organisations to make the most of every resource and every situation.” The ASX-listed company is in the process of obtaining further approvals at the time of interview, including one from the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to start project construction. EcoMag received an approval to extract magnesium from the Dampier Salt bitterns stream and the corresponding mining lease from the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum in November last year. The company continues to raise funds to build the processing plant, and has submitted its application with the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), with an investment decision expected to be reached in August this year. AM
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2/07/2019 1:17:03 PM
COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT
COPPER REQUIRES INNOVATION TO MEET IMMINENT BOOM AS ASIA RAMPS UP ITS ELECTRICAL REVOLUTION, THE AUSTRALIAN COPPER SECTOR MUST COLLABORATE ON A GLOBAL SCALE TO MATCH DEMAND. ALEX GLUYAS WRITES.
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he global copper mining industry faces a major challenge in ramping up innovation as it attempts to keep up with demand for the commodity, which is set to double over the next 20 years. The predicament was the centre of discussions at this year’s Copper to the World conference in Adelaide, where delegates were informed of the tests the copper industry will face in the coming decades. Australia is a giant in regard to global copper stocks, representing the world’s third largest exporter of copper ores and concentrates. Much of this emanates from the resource rich fields of South Australia, which holds 15 iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposits and is
classified as a “Tier 1 destination”, according to South Australian Minister for Energy and Mining, Dan van Holst Pellekaan. “South Australia is energised with positive developments with mine expansions, new mines and advanced projects pushing through the pipeline,” he says. Over the past 10 years, South Australia’s copper miners have produced more than $20.6 billion worth of copper and demand for the commodity is expected to surge. As well as mainstream applications like building and digital, copper is also key to wind and solar energy technology, energy storage and electric vehicles, and electric charging stations, according to Pellekaan. “In 2019, mining copper is
BY 2025, WE WILL START TO SEE THE FIRST REAL VOLUMES OF COPPER USE IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES – AND THIS COULD ABSORB AN ADDITIONAL ONE MILLION TONNES A YEAR BY THEN, EXPECT THIS SPECIFIC EV MARKET DEMAND TO RAPIDLY INCREASE TO FIVE MILLION TONNES PER ANNUM.” about so much more than just the traditional notion of mining,” Pellekaan says. “Among other things, it is about capitalising on technology, data and international collaboration between the brightest minds in the business, so that copper production continues to meet global demand.”
IMAGE: TOM ROSCHI.
HAL STILLMAN SPOKE OF THE NEED FOR MORE TECH FUNDING.
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Copper is, as Pellekaan emphasises, “the one metal that really stands out, not on the distant horizon, but right now.” The need for increased innovation revolves around predictions that copper use is set to double in the next 20 years, forcing a rethink of how deep miners will need to go, and how they will extract the material. Driving the global copper growth beyond 2025 are mass consumers, Asia and in particular India and China, with the latter remaining a dominant consumer of the red metal. Erik Heimlich, consulting principal analyst of Santiago-based CRU, insists that despite some shortand medium-term challenges for the metal, the long term outlook is “robust.” “The spate of copper mergers and acquisitions will add price improvement as worthwhile assets get better attention and investment,” Heimlich predicts. “By 2025, we will start to see the first real volumes of copper use in electric vehicles – and this could absorb an additional one million tonnes a year by then, expect this specific EV market demand to rapidly increase to five million tonnes per annum.” Given this context, Heimlich says that while the industry faces a slow-down in medium-term copper growth, China will still represent the most important copper demand growth over the next five years. As such, a necessity for the rest of the world to grow its consumption arises, while maintaining focus on the contribution to India and Asian countries.
COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT
ERIK HEIMLICH FORECASTING THE GROWTH OF THE COPPER INDUSTRY.
IMAGE: TOM ROSCHI.
copper deposits might be mined in the future. International Copper Association Australia chief executive John Fennell suggests the focus has shifted “to automated mines at least two kilometres deep, urban hightech control hubs, armies of sensors, robot machines and all powered by clean energy.” One such issue with the state of many copper mines is that the world’s largest operations are more than 75 years old, which is coupled with the fact that ore levels are dropping. This rings alarm bells given that copper use is predicted to be 26 million tonnes a year by 2040, double the usage of what it is today. Fennell says this means miners need to get “more from less” which involves sending them deeper than they have ever gone before, into riskier, harder to access areas. While the presence of investment into copper mining innovation is immensely scarce, Stillman points to the $65 million Aurus III venture as a pioneer of the industry. The Aurus III was established in Santiago, Chile in 2015 to provide funding to start-ups and new tech companies interested in developing technologies that will benefit the copper industry.
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It is anticipated that 12 per cent of new demand over the medium term will come from India and around 10 per cent from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This is expected to stabilise copper growth globally at around two per cent a year over the next four years, according to Heimlich. Given this global context, the question remains about how innovation can contribute to more efficient methods of extracting copper. Hal Stillman, director of technology development and transfer at the Washington DC-based International Copper Association, insists that developing new and reliable industrial technology requires “a lot of time and financial investment” to reduce risks and assure performance. “That is not a simple task in copper mining, which has seen only a few major changes in extraction and processing,” he says. “It is an urgent problem – the world is demanding more and more copper but is also demanding that the mineral’s commercialisation be greener, cleaner and smarter, with minimal impact on the environment.” The converging demand and mining technique challenges are now driving an emerging vision of how
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COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT
Stillman says before closing this year, fund managers met with over 480 companies, entrepreneurs and start-ups, selected 41 for further evaluation and invested in 10. Some of those selected include ‘Aquamarina’, which focuses on soil stabilisation through biomineralisation and ‘Scarab Recovery Technologies’, which is centred on recovering valuable materials from tailings. “If a mining company were to implement several of (these) emerging technologies… the results, aside from the profitability bump, would be dramatic and valuable,” Stillman says. “These would include 50 per cent less tailings, 45 per cent less grind energy and 35 per cent less water for the same amount of copper.” In terms of turning around Australia’s low rate of major new mineral discoveries, it has been suggested that open data and data analysis are the keys to picking locations that deliver commercial mineral outcomes. This is the view of Perth-based crowdsourcing specialist, Holly Bridgwater, who says the emerging use of “crowdsourcing” can speed up the mineral exploration lifecycle
and analyse information at a much faster rate. Bridgwater insists that while crowdsourcing is in its infancy phase in the resources sector, its ability to bring broader, lateral, faster and a more cost-effective focus is undeniable. “Economic mineral deposits are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Geologists regularly spend years collecting and analysing disparate data, frequently testing hypotheses, from huge areas of land, often for little or no reward,” Bridgwater says. “Explorers are looking for new approaches to solve this problem and develop innovative processes and ways of working that can drive up the discovery rate, and in doing so, decrease the number of holes drilled for less environmental and economic impact.” She points to the success of the $1 million competition experiment, ‘the Explorer Challenge’ by OZ Minerals, which aimed to bring “outside the square” thinking to South Australian tenements at Mt Woods. It was targeted at the company’s Prominent Hill copper mine to potentially discover the best pool of new targets able to be drilled in the
IT IS AN URGENT PROBLEM – THE WORLD IS DEMANDING MORE AND MORE COPPER BUT IS ALSO DEMANDING THAT THE MINERAL’S COMMERCIALISATION BE GREENER, CLEANER AND SMARTER, WITH MINIMAL IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT.” immediate future. OZ Minerals combined with Unearthed, an energy and resources innovation platform, to deliver the online crowdsourcing competition. The process involved an exploration problem and accompanying data being given to participants, who compete to deliver the best solution. Participants were given access to OZ Minerals’ private exploration data of more than five terabytes – the challenge was to use the data to better predict the location of economic mineralisation of any kind.
Bridgwater says this process was a key example of how open and accessible data, by default, creates conditions for multiple results to be developed in parallel, independent approaches to exploration modelling as opposed to potentially biased ‘group thinking.’ “In this case, there was more than five terabytes of data instantly accessible online around the world, attracting more than 1000 participants, above 10,000 data downloads from geologists, data scientists, start-ups, students, consultants, universities and research organisations from more than 60 countries around the globe,” she says. “That’s an enormous previously untapped think-tank focus in one hit whose brain power would have not otherwise been accessible internally to an explorer.” The overriding message from the conference, therefore, was that the only way to overcome the supply challenges the industry faces is cooperation among all those involved in the copper industry. As Pellekaan announced, “to meet copper growth trajectory, collaboration is an essential element.” AM
IMAGE: TOM ROSCHI.
MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND MINING, DAN VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE.
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INDUSTRY COMMENT
STRONG MINING PARTNERSHIPS ABOUND FOR AUSTRALIA AND NEW CALEDONIA AUSTMINE EXPLORES THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST IN NEW CALEDONIA FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MINING EQUIPMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND SERVICES (METS) SECTOR.
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ew Caledonia is a market often overlooked by Australian mining suppliers. Widely recognised for its natural beauty, unique marine life and tourist appeal, New Caledonia’s economy has in fact been powered by mining since nickel was first discovered in 1864. Now boasting numerous largescale mines and process plants, New Caledonia is the fourth largest producer of nickel in the world. Sitting right on our doorstep, New Caledonia’s mining industry faces many of the same challenges as ours, and therefore, it is critical that Australia forges stronger partnerships to share our experiences and collaboratively discover solutions to several pressing issues. Austmine is playing a key role in developing the Australian METS sector’s relationship with New Caledonia, and has been coordinating mining missions and collaborating with local organisations since 2013. This relationship has uncovered many areas that Australia’s mining suppliers can assist the local mines, including de-bottlenecking processing operations, predictive and preventative maintenance and optimisation of safety equipment and procedures. Most recently, in June, Austmine was invited to a Network Week in New Caledonia by the Association Maintenance Durable (AMD). This is an industry association that leads the strategic direction of the maintenance industry in New Caledonia and advocates the importance of the mining industry and supplier sector to government. Since signing an memorandum of understanding (MOU) with AMD in 2013, Austmine’s partnership has fostered closer links between our respective mining communities. The recent Network Week with AMD comprised of workshops
THE AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION TOURS THE SLN SITE DURING AN AUSTMINE MINING MISSION.
focused on innovation strategy, education exchanges and training priorities in the Pacific, along with networking events to uncover key issues for local businesses. During the week, we also toured the major mining and processing operations: Vale’s Goro Nickel; Koniambo Nickel (49 per cent owned by Glencore) and SLN Doniambo (Eramet). The week continued to develop the great appetite for business relationships between Australia and New Caledonia, and we found many key areas where greater collaboration will create shared value. This includes: •A significant skills challenge faced
in both nations. This includes attractiveness of the mining industry for graduates, experienced management and technical personnel choosing competing industries and a break down in communication between tertiary institutions and industry. • Mounting pressure on the social licence to operate and the need for mining to co-exist with a delicate marine ecosystem. Similar to Australia, waste management strategies and procedures are major focus areas, with intensive mineral processing techniques requiring the use of chemicals and substantial energy. In response to SLN’S DONIAMBO PROCESS PLANT AND PORT IN NOUMEA
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this challenge, Vale has developed the world-first Project Lucy dry stack tailings project at the Goro Nickel site. •T he impact of digitisation on mining operations from pit to port. New Caledonia has taken a great interest in key technology projects in Australia, including the use of automated equipment, data analysis and ore tracking and measurements. With Australia’s METS sector a global leader for technology and innovation, opportunities will arise to work on the digital transformation journey of New Caledonian mining companies. Moving forward, Austmine will work with AMD to exchange knowledge on the aforementioned challenges, along with providing opportunities for our members to build partnerships in the New Caledonian mining industry. This will include a visit to Australia by AMD and another Austmine mining mission to New Caledonia to allow firsthand experience and insights for Australian businesses. AM For more information on the market or our planned activities, contact membership@austmine.com.au
INDUSTRY COMMENT
AUTOMATION USHERS IN TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE IN MINING LEADERSHIP IN A SECTOR WHERE AUTOMATION REQUIRES DIFFERENT WAYS OF WORKING, COLLABORATING AND ENGAGING, LEADERS MUST ALSO CHANGE TO RETAIN AND ATTRACT TALENT. BHP VICE PRESIDENT RAG UDD EXPLAINS HOW THE MINING GIANT ACHIEVES THIS.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS CAN CONNECT THE SECTOR WITH THE BRIGHTEST TALENT.
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ining has changed in ways previously unimaginable to BHP vice president of technology global transformation, Rag Udd. In 1997, Udd joined the mining major. It was also the year when the seeds of the world’s digital
transformation were sowed. Steve Jobs returned to Apple, and two Stanford students changed their search engine domain from Backrub to Google. “Fast forward to 2019, and the mining industry is now on the cusp of its own digital transformation, as we re-imagine the way we mine,” Udd, in a speech at the Qode innovation and technology AUSTRALIANMINING
event, says. “When I started work as a project engineer at the San Juan mine in New Mexico … my computer was not in my pocket – it took up half my desk, and the other half struggled under the weight of a dot matrix printer. “Now, in my role, I have a privileged vantage point – I can look back on what’s changed and look
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forward on the changes still to come with the hope of changing it.” Mining, however, hasn’t progressed at the same pace of the digital revolution, according to Udd, who is also Queensland Resources Council (QRC) president. Technological advances are driving an exponential rate of change, with some fearing that it may exceed their capacity to cope.
INDUSTRY COMMENT
Udd, however, disagrees with this sentiment. He encourages the mining industry to partner with suppliers, communities and government to do more than ‘cope’. After all, “A tech-driven future … is a future that we can shape together,” he says. Through technology, BHP connects and supports the ideas, abilities and ambitions of over 60,000 employees globally – from Brisbane to Santiago, London to Moranbah, Perth to Houston. Technology already means a lot of things to people. At BHP, it means a lot to a drill operator, who controls three automated drill rigs from the safety of a remote operations centre. It means a lot to a re-skilled mining veteran, who drives a light vehicle around a BHP site in the Pilbara with the latest mine modelling software. And it will mean a lot to a computer science undergraduate inspired to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects at school, when, to her surprise, she considers mining as a career option at the end of her degree, Udd says. Leaders are, therefore, faced with new demands of a changing workforce – one that is driven by new technologies, automation and changing demographics. There is an increasing role that autonomous machinery plays in helping resources leaders ‘unlock’ productivity and efficiency gains. For example, autonomous machinery is operated around the clock, and that reduces costs, while enhancing health and safety for resources professionals, according
WE SEE AUTOMATION DRIVING A MORE PRODUCTIVE AND EFFICIENT, AND SAFER INDUSTRY THAT WILL SUPPORT LONG-TERM INDUSTRY GROWTH. AND WE BELIEVE THAT AS THE INDUSTRY GROWS IT WILL EMPLOY MORE PEOPLE.”
employ different types of people with different skills – an entirely new cohort of professionals across a range of different disciplines entering the sector over the next decade. When leaders plan for this workforce transition, and talk openly about it as an industry, identifying skills and providing professional development for employees, they are embracing the opportunities of technology and the future, Durkin says. “We must build skills and capability – and we must do it now,” Udd urges. “By 2030, half of the future workforce will need advanced coding and software design skills. So in preparation for tomorrow, we’re building a technology savvy workforce today.” BHP is creating a culture of learning and upskilling, and in doing so it is raising more controllers, more builders and more technicians. The company is also contributing more than $55 million to the Australian STEM skills gap in an effort to prepare the workforce of tomorrow. Just as technology has made BHP reconsider the skills profile, it has
BHP VICE PRESIDENT OF TECHNOLOGY GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION RAG UDD.
to Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) chief executive Stephen Durkin. The role of leaders is also moving away from an authoritative approach to one of empowerment and enablement. “What I do strongly believe, from a workforce planning point of view, is that a lot of people mistakenly think that automation will lead to a loss of jobs. They see it in a very binary way,” Durkin tells Australian Mining. “A leader sees the future differently to that. We see automation driving a more productive and efficient, and safer industry that will support long-term industry growth. And we believe that as the industry grows it will employ more people.” The resources industry will
also reimagined the gender profile of its workforce, according to Udd. BHP is creating new roles and ways of working, which saw its integrated remote operations centre (IROC) in Brisbane achieve gender balance from the outset. The IROC also created an extensive suite of training and upskilling opportunities for its people, many of whom were longterm miners. “Over 50 per cent of the IROC’s mine control team have formerly operated heavy vehicles. I’m talking about trucks, diggers and graders – some the size of a small house,” Udd says. “One of these controllers, a truck driver for 16 years, describes his transition into the IROC as: ‘The best thing I ever did.’ “We can do a lot, as an organisation and as an industry, to solve for the future. But we can do more when we combine our capabilities with others.” AM Rag Udd will speak at the AusIMM Mining Leadership Summit, which will explore the impact of automation on organisational leadership, on September 17–18 in Sydney. For more information, visit the website: miningleadership.ausimm.com
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MATERIALS HANDLING
THE DRIVE TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE NORD DRIVESYSTEMS’ INDUSTRIAL GEAR UNITS HAVE HELPED RAISE THE BAR FOR A WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PRODUCER’S CONVEYOR DRIVE SYSTEMS. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS.
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rive systems are the beating heart that gives life to conveyors and feeders – it is therefore important that miners keep them
in good health. Operators need to ensure that conveyor drives are sufficiently lubricated, well-ventilated and expertly housed to avoid degradation over time. Understanding this, Germanybased Nord Drivesystems developed its Unicase principle of design in the 1980s to provide a compact, singular housing with no dividing seams between the drive and gear unit. This gives users tight-fitting, wellprotected drive components, Nord Drivesystems engineering manager Adrian Taglieri explains. The invention was a breakthrough at the time, allowing for transmission components to be placed together in a single housing without any forces placed on the housing joints. It not only reduced the risk of leaks and protected output shaft seals, but also led to quieter operation and increased lubricant life. The design has been iterated over the years and still exists in the company’s mining-focused product portfolio. Nord has developed a line of modular industrial gear units (IGUs) with a range of matched individual components, giving conveyor operators the option to choose drive systems that align with the operation’s needs. “The Nord approach helps to increase flexibility for users, adding component choice, narrowing delivery windows and leading to quicker installation times,” Taglieri says. “The IGUs are aimed at our mining industry as they are robust and provide flexible options,” explains Brad Bickford, application engineering manager – power transmission at Inenco, which distributes of Nord’s products in the Australasian region. “Nord has various other smaller geared motor options as well but the high-kilowatt IGU products really prove their mettle in large mining applications.” The company was last year tasked with supplying several Maxxdrive
THE IGU UNITS INCORPORATE SEVERE-DUTY TECO MOTORS.
helical-bevel drive systems for a conveyor-feeder setup at a Western Australian lithium operation. Nord worked closely on the project with Inenco Group subsidiary CBC, one of Australia’s largest distributors of bearings and power transmission solutions. The installation required close collaboration with the client to ensure they would receive the best possible outcomes. “Nord proposed a great package that was in line with what this particular client was looking for. When the opportunity arose for us to supply the client, we looked at numerous options and summarised that the Nord proposal could deliver best to spec,” Bickford says. “We supplied the units in March 2018 and it then took some time for installation and commissioning, so they have been in operation for over 12 months now.” The installation of the rightangled, close-coupled drives would prove to be one of the company’s most ambitious Australian projects yet. It required six large drive systems to be implemented across four conveyors and two feeders. The job involved the installation of Nord helical-bevel Maxxdrive units with close coupled motors. The AUSTRALIANMINING
products proved attractive to the client due to the combination of a modular design, ability to output up to 250,000 Newton metres of torque, and use of Nord’s trademark Unicase housing design. Inenco was given a specification that included several engineering parameters. In correlation with Nord, the company worked through the client’s individual points to come up with drives that were satisfactory for the project. Specific additions to the drives, tailored for the project, included the addition of a keyless shrink disc to the output side of the Maxxdrive. The implementation of this frictional locking assembly significantly expedites both the commissioning and decommissioning process of the IGU Maxxdrive through the use of a high-capacity interference fitting. This cuts down the time required to loosen the IGU out of position and eliminates difficulties associated with the installation and removal of press fit hubs. The Nord design team also implemented an extra measure in the form of upgraded taconite seals to reduce the risks of dust ingress and leakages aligning with the harsh conditions associated with Western Australian mining.
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Nord IGUs were fitted and driven by TECO MaxE3 high-efficiency premium severe duty motors. For safety and efficiency purposes, the four IGU systems destined for use on the conveyors were also installed with backstops to prevent roll back on inclines. Additionally, high speed mechanical fans are also installed where required to assist with cooling in a hot climate. “All has gone well so far following conversations with the client. Compared to rival brands, it stacks up very competitively, with quality German backing and features and benefits,” Bickford says. “It’s a quality product that ticks all the boxes.” Nord and Inenco also offer postinstallation maintenance options down the line to ensure the units remain in top condition. The client has purchased rotable spares that can be efficiently swapped out for future servicing periods for this purpose. Overall, Bickford concludes, the relationship between Nord and Inenco has “gone from strength to strength” since the completion of the installation last year. “The IGUs really came into their own on this project,” Bickford concludes. AM
INNOVATION
HILLIARD BRAKES THROUGH AUSTRALIAN MARKET THE AMERICAN COMPANY HAS BROUGHT OVER 50 YEARS OF EQUIPMENT INNOVATION TO THE AUSTRALIAN MINING INDUSTRY. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS.
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illiard Corporation is well known in the United States and South American mining industries, but has also emerged as a prominent Tier 2 supplier for plant and equipment installations in Australia. The New York-based company’s products are distributed in Australia through a long-standing regional partnership with Perth-based company Trinkor. They include motion control and filtration technology from Hilliard’s Hilco (filtration products), BrakeBoss and Hilliard Brake Systems divisions. Its braking technologies have proven particularly popular in the mining industry for heavy-duty
minerals processing equipment, such as ball and SAG mills, mine hoists, conveyors and draglines. The company will put its solutions on show at this month’s Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) on stand F125, including the M400, M500 and M900 brake calipers and a Hilco filtration unit complete with replacement cartridges. Hilliard has sold its products to many Tier 1 original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in the mining industry, including Metso Minerals, FLSmidth, Komatsu (Continental Conveyor) and Thyssenkrupp, which used the products in devices destined for Australian mines. The company’s products are found at leading operations like Evolution
HILLIARD A400-T400 SA CALIPER BRAKES INTEGRATED WITH A BRAKE DISC ROTOR ON A CONVEYOR DRIVE.
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Mining’s Cowal gold mine in New South Wales, where the braking systems are installed in FLSmidth ball and semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills. Metso equipment at Newcrest Mining’s Telfer gold mine in the Pilbara, Western Australia, also uses Hilliard’s solutions. “Our product has always been there, but we have never sold directly to Australia. Now, with our Australian distributor Trinkor, we plan to sell both our larger and smaller systems directly to the mines,” Hilliard’s vice president Juan Parra tells Australian Mining. Parra believes Hilliard’s four BrakeBoss power unit models (H1, H2, H3 and H4) are particularly useful at mining operations. H1, H2 and H3 are well suited for different types of mining conveyor applications, while H4 is designed for high-pressure ball and SAG mill brakes systems. “Brake systems are very important for the mining industry, especially on conveyors, ball mills, SAG mills, draglines, shovels and any other materials handling equipment,” Parra says. Hilliard will explain how the different features of the BrakeBoss units can be implemented effectively in a presentation at AIMEX. For example, the H3 model includes advanced brake pressure control options that lead to significant safety benefits for conveyor operators, Parra continues. “If you take a rubber band in your hand and stretch it, that is normally
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how a conveyor will stop,” Parra says. “Since the conveyor is an elastic system, when it starts up again the belt will try to return to its original length and that tension can cause loads to fly from the conveyor, which in some cases has led to fatal accidents. “With our system, the belt will stop without tensioning, so on restart the belt won’t allow that situation to happen.” While Hilliard’s brake technology will headline its exhibit at AIMEX, given the popularity in the mining sector, the company will also display its portable fluid transfer and filtration systems. Both systems have established a niche for their application to gear and lubricating fluids in mining haul truck systems. “We felt it would be good to bring those Hilco products as well,” Hilliard East Asia/Pacific sales manager William Cantando adds. “The Australian market from a filtration standpoint has been excellent. We’ve seen quite a few developments on the power generation side, but as we’ve moved forward with the mining industry, we have seen great opportunities to provide preventative maintenance solutions there too. “Mines take a proactive approach to filtration with regards to preventing future failures, so we’ve seen a lot of traction with our portable filter systems for lubricating oils and gearbox oils.” AM
INNOVATION
WHEN MINING GETS BORING TUNNEL BORING MACHINES HAVE YET TO RECEIVE WIDE ADOPTION IN AUSTRALIA’S MINES, BUT THEY HOLD SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL IN THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT. EWEN HOSIE REPORTS.
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unnel boring machines (TBMs) are something of a nascent field when it comes to mining. Although the enormous machines have been around for decades, they are more commonly used for large-scale civil tunnelling projects such as rail tunnels, where they have long usurped the drill-and-blast methods more commonly used in mining. The TBM market reached a global value of $US5.18 billion ($7.37 billion) in 2017 and is forecast to reach $US8.38 billion by 2025, according to a report by Allied Market Research. “High investment cost and lack of flexibility restricts the market growth,” the report reads. “On the other hand, technological advancement through automation and rock cutting technology, as well as increased adoption in the mining industry offers new opportunities for the growth of the market.” While TBMs have been sporadically employed in underground mining operations since the 1950s, a significant issue that has stopped them from becoming more popular is the cost requirements. To put it mildly, TBMs are expensive.
For example, one of the largest TBMs ever built was ‘Bertha’, a 17.5-metre diameter machine designed by Hitachi Zosen Sakai Works in Japan for $US80 million. The machine was created to bore the Alaskan Way viaduct replacement tunnelling project in Seattle, United States. The largest TBM currently employed in Australia is ‘Bella’, a 4000-tonne machine being used on the West Gate Tunnel project in Melbourne. Tyler Sandell, director of business development at Robbins, a prominent US-based TBM manufacturer, explains that using TBMs at mine sites can provide excellent results depending on what the mine operator wants to get out of it. “TBMs are excellent for making declines or other access tunnels where the curve radii are larger than approximately 150 metres,” Sandell tells Australian Mining. “They are also good at boring up grade at steep angles. If the rock is good, open main beam or double shield TBMs boring without a segmental lining are (beneficial) because you can go fast and see the rock.
“TBMs are not good at following a meandering ore body, but they are very good at getting to one if you know where you’re going.” In 2013, Anglo American became the first company in the Australian mining industry to use a TBM to construct a decline tunnel at its Grosvenor underground metallurgical coal mine in Queensland. The TBM, which was designed and supplied by Robbins, was used to provide a safer and more efficient environment in the construction of the drifts, according to Anglo American Coal head of projects Glen Robinson. Transporting the conveyor would prove a massive logistical exercise for both companies, involving the sourcing of hundreds of components from all over the world. According to Sandell, a typical TBM on the scale of the one used at Grosvenor takes anywhere between 10-15 months to construct. “The TBM successfully completed two drifts in the mine – one for the coal conveyor and the other for people and equipment – making it the first time a single TBM had been used for multiple drifts,” he says. “The machine was purpose-built
THE ROBBINS-DESIGNED TUNNEL BORING MACHINE THAT WAS USED AT ANGLO AMERICAN’S GROSVENOR COAL MINE IN QUEENSLAND.
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for specific conditions at Grosvenor, and TBM tunnelling delivered advances in safety, accuracy and efficiency. During construction, a tunnelling breakthrough on the second drift was completed 29 days ahead of schedule.” Since the Grosvenor project, TBMs have rarely been used in Australia’s mines, being more common in American, Chinese and Chilean operations. Rio Tinto did employ a TBM overseas for digging at its Kemano T2 aluminium project in British Columbia, Canada. The TBM, named ‘tl’ughus’ after a mythical snake of the local Haisla First Nations People, was employed to bore a 16-kilometre tunnel that would carry water to the Kemano generating station powering the project’s aluminium smelter. However, there is scope to suggest that TBMs may take off more in Australia in future as mining technology becomes ever more specialised. “As the ore bodies get more remote and mineral prices go up, TBMs will be more and more common,” Robinson explains. AM
PRODUCTIVITY
SKF MARKS A CENTURY FOR LEADING BEARING SOLUTION THE SPHERICAL ROLLER BEARING, WHICH HELPS ENGINEERS ACCOMMODATE HEAVY RADIAL AND AXIAL LOADS IN APPLICATIONS PRONE TO MISALIGNMENT OR SHAFT DEFLECTIONS, CELEBRATES ITS 100TH BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR.
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riginally developed by SKF engineer Arvid Palmgren in 1919, the spherical roller bearing (SRB) has made its mark worldwide in the century since. Created to complement the self-aligning ball bearing, due to its ability to accommodate misalignment under heavy loads, the initial SKF design has become part of the largest family of products in the industry. On the fabled Las Vegas Strip in the United States, the High Roller ferris wheel contains two of the largest SRBs ever produced by SKF, each weighing 8.8 tonnes. SKF spherical roller bearings can be found in many applications, including some where you might not expect them. A good example is the Bahrain World Trade Center, where three tower wind turbines, each 29 metres in diameter, are architecturally installed between the two 240-metre-high (50-storey) towers and generate 1300 megawatt-hour per year. The main shafts of the turbines were equipped with SKF spherical roller bearings. The turbines went online in March 2008 and are
operational 50 per cent of the time, depending on wind conditions. Another alluring application fitted with SRBs is the rebirth of the Zeppelin after 60 years of absence following the Hindenburg airship disaster. SKF was brought in by ZF, the gearbox manufacturer for the Zeppelin NT, to help the new and improved airships to propel forward. SKF’s extensive SRB range delivers a range of benefits for specific operating conditions. For example, operators in contaminated
THOSE WORKING IN THE HARSHEST OF ENVIRONMENTS HAVE BENEFITTED FROM SKF’S THREE-BARRIER SOLUTION THAT DELIVERS COSTEFFECTIVE, OPTIMISED RATING LIFE, MINIMAL MAINTENANCE SPHERICAL ROLLER BEARINGS.” environments in heavy industrial applications have increased their bearing rating life by up to four times with sealed SKF spherical roller bearings. Those working in the harshest of environments have benefitted from
AN SKF SPHERICAL ROLLER BEARING DURING INSTALLATION.
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SKF’s three-barrier solution that delivers cost-effective, optimised rating life, minimal maintenance spherical roller bearings. New dimension gearbox design has even become possible thanks to SKF Explorer SRB’s long service life and high performance. SKF product line manager, selfaligning bearings, Petra Öberg Gustafsson, comments: “From the very start, SKF has taken the lead in the development of self-aligning bearings. “We introduced spherical roller bearings in 1919 and have been consistently improving them ever since. Building on Arvid Palmgren’s original design, we now offer engineers the widest range of both open and sealed spherical roller bearings in the industry. “With the continued push for high performance in ever more challenging environments, it will be interesting to see what the next 100 years of development generates.” AM
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DRILL & BLAST
WORLD RECORD BLASTER MAKES AUSTRALIAN MARK BY RECENTLY EXTENDING THE WORLD RECORD FOR THE MOST ELECTRONIC DETONATORS IN A SINGLE BLAST, BME HAS SET A NEW MARK IN AUSTRALIA. ALEX GLUYAS WRITES.
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ithin the blasting market, electronic detonators are providing the giants of the industry with the ability to apply millisecond accuracy to both underground and surface blasts. BME is increasing its presence as a supplier in the digital detonator space with its AXXIS digital initiation system. The South African-based company, which has a continental footprint that covers 17 African and eight international countries, has embarked on an opportunity in the Australian market for innovative and safe blasting methods. “One of the biggest requirements among mining companies in the Australian market currently is to safely boost productivity,” BME Australia Asia general manager Brad Bulow says. BME has been able to stand out with the safety, reliability and ease of use of its AXXIS electronic detonators.
WORLD RECORD BLAST USING AXXIS SYSTEM.
“The detonators allow you to apply millisecond timing accuracy to overcome any number of blasting challenges,” Bulow explains. “It enables you to create great blasting outcomes even when environmentally constrained, or when
PREPARING AXXIS ELECTRONIC DETONATOR SYSTEMS.
AUSTRALIANMINING
additional fragmentation or control is required. It also allows specialist timing to reduce coal losses in throughseam blasting.” The company has further stamped its mark on the global blasting industry by extending the world record for the most electronic detonators fired in a single blast, a feat it previously achieved in a Zambian operation. The Australian record blast fired 7350 AXXIS electronic detonations in a single shot – loaded and blasted by a Central Queensland coal mine. There were no errors or delays in the execution of the shot and the blast was logged, tested and fired within two days – the result is emblematic of BME’s growth in Australia. “Electronic detonators allow you to control energy impacts adjacent to critical structures,” Bulow explains. Given the Australian market’s focus on safety, Bulow says the two-way communication with the AXXIS detonators minimises risk of a misfire. The flexibility of electronic detonators has been another contributing factor to the rapid growth of the Australian market to over four million pieces per annum. The application of the device in underground mines is also a natural fit, given the complex and intricate nature of blasting beneath the surface. BME technical services manager Tom Dermody describes the challenges faced by blasting in
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underground mines. “They are complicated environments,” he says. “You require systems to safely blast from the surface by communicating underground through the rock, tunnels and passes after the workers have cleared the area.” BME’s AXXIS centralised blasting system (CBS) enables mining companies to blast safely from the surface. The AXXIS CBS product can be flexibly linked with the mine’s fibre optic, copper wire or wireless communication system, according to Dermody. “It allows for safe and efficient management of the blast and also gives real time feedback,” he says. While the process has already been in use within BME’s South African operations, increased demand within the Australian market led to its launch in 2019. As BME looks for further Australian growth, Bulow says the company is ready to provide the safety- and technically-focused market with proven and successful blasting methods. Bulow says, “the timing is perfect for BME to now build further on the base we started to build here five years ago with the innovative AXXIS electronic detonator range leveraging our significant research and development program.” AM
DRILL & BLAST
DATACLOUD BLASTS RESOURCE EVALUATION INTO NEW GROUND REAL-TIME SUBSURFACE EVALUATION OF RESOURCES HAS BECOME A REALITY THROUGH DATACLOUD’S COMBINATION OF GEOSCIENCE EXPERTISE AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROWESS. BEN CREAGH EXPLAINS.
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ataCloud has demonstrated how merging traditional resources industry knowledge with new technology has become an integral part of innovating the mining sector. The Seattle-based company, founded in 2016, supplies previously unavailable subsurface information to mining companies in real-time through a measurement and analysis drill and blast platform. Its solution allows mine operators to use data to engineer grade via differential blasting and consistently achieve a desired fragmentation profile in their muck piles. The vision behind why the company was formed will sound familiar – it wanted to help resources industry companies improve their processes, performance and productivity. But how DataCloud planned to achieve this required a blend of expertise that is only recently becoming a priority for companies in the industry. DataCloud initially assembled a core team of personnel with extensive global experience in resource extraction, including many years working for Schlumberger in the oil and gas industry. This part of the team had spent decades developing and mastering realtime geoscience evaluation tools and workflows common in oil and gas that were not yet being applied in mining. DataCloud’s remaining team members are primarily from emerging technology sectors, such as cloud computing, big data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning (ML), with deep roots in Silicon Valley. The company has integrated these skill sets to automate a high level of geoscience interpretation, which is being performed on streaming data collected from routine drill and blast mine site activities. DataCloud chief executive officer Thor Kallestad says the company has emerged in mining with a unique offering that complements the diverse expertise of its personnel. “We are the only company providing this real-time rock mass intel during drilling and blasting
DATACLOUD CHIEF EXECUTIVE THOR KALLESTAD.
and we are unique in that we have this extensive background on how to evaluate rocks from a previous life in the oil and gas industry,” Kallestad tells Australian Mining. “Now we are lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the advent of technologies like cloud computing and big data. We feel we have a good head start on doing something new for the industry.” DataCloud launched the RHINO geoscience logging tool for the mining industry last year. It uses IoT sensors, seismic-while-drilling techniques and machine learning to measure previously unavailable rock properties from blast hole drills in real-time. The insights allow mining
companies to accurately and quickly interpret grade distributions and rock mechanical properties that are required for blasting. Mining companies can also access the information conveniently via application programming interfaces (APIs), browsers and mobile devices. The DataCloud team captured the attention of global blasting company Orica, which has partnered and invested in the company to further develop its platform. Orica group executive, chief commercial and technology officer Angus Melbourne, speaking at the Austmine 2019: Mining Innovation Conference, says the DataCloud collaboration focuses on establishing a better understanding of the resource the company is working on. “DataCloud’s revolutionary new RHINO seismic drilling system is a real-time subsurface measurement technology that provides high resolution rock mass data through vibration measurements and IoT sensors,” Melbourne explains. “This enables accurate detection of fault, fractures and joint spacing, in addition to many grade indicators and blast critical measurements.” Kallestad regards subsurface evaluation as an area of mining that has seen limited innovation up until recent years. He says the tempo of drill and blast activities has previously meant there has not been sufficient time to adequately characterise the bench prior to blasting.
IRON ORE OREBODY 3D VISUALISATION OF CLEARLY IDENTIFIED ORE AND WASTE BOUNDARY.
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An assumption of rock homogeneity and uniform blast hole spacing has, therefore, been the default way for mining companies to operate. DataCloud is changing this view by providing real-time characterisation of the bench during drilling, and prior to blasting. Kallestad believes the technology has the potential to be a game changer, as it holds methods for unlocking significant improvements in the industry’s economic and environmental profiles. “We are giving them high resolution information into their block model. We anticipate companies will use that information to blast better and sort ore and waste more efficiently,” Kallestad says. “They will process less waste, discard less ore and get better fragmentations – that’s where Orica comes in with the blasting know how.” DataCloud fits seamlessly into modern mining with its blend of expertise and the technology platform, but Kallestad remains humble about the company’s role in the broader landscape. “We see our piece as part of a larger ecosystem in which we provide high-resolution, real-time rock mass data that feeds into everything that happens downstream. We are giving clients a more granular understanding of their orebody, and then they can choose to disrupt themselves at a time and in a manner best for their operations,” Kallestad concludes. AM
DRILL AND BLAST
DOWNSTREAM EFFICIENCIES DRIVEN BY PRACTICAL INNOVATION DYNO NOBEL ROLLS OUT BULK EXPLOSIVE TECHNOLOGY SET TO DELIVER UNPARALLELED EFFICIENCIES FOR DOWNSTREAM BLASTING OUTCOMES AT AUSTRALIAN MINE SITES. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS.
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ollowing proven success in North America, Dyno Nobel has officially rolled out its industry leading, Differential Energy™ technology to some major Western Australian mine sites, with further testing and site conversions to follow. This has the potential to deliver Dyno Nobel’s customers cost savings associated with optimised energy distribution in blasts, requiring less drilling, higher productivity rates and efficient downstream processing. It is also expected to reduce environmental impacts. To achieve this, measurement while drilling (MWD) data is captured and an algorithm called ΔE²™ converts MWD data into an explosive density suited to the specific geology in each blasthole; a unique and custom innovation. This technology is then paired with Dyno Nobel’s specifically designed DynoBulk™ Mobile Processing Unit (MPU) to deliver
emulsion accurately, by controlling the placement and density of the emulsion, while loading each blasthole with a single pass. Dyno Nobel technical manager, Paul Klarić says, “if we can place the right energy in the right place in each blasthole during the loading process, customers will benefit from an all-round better result that carries through to downstream processes.” “Ultimately, we’re optimising the explosive application with this technology so you need less product, which reduces costs, and the blast will produce better breakage and fragmentation. “The Differential Energy emulsion has an increased ‘Velocity of Detonation’ which results in higher detonation pressures, which are known to contribute to the rock breakage process.” Most blast designs use the same density of explosive throughout a single blasthole, which can result in too much or too little energy and ultimately lead to unnecessary
flyrock or poor fragmentation. “You can achieve better results by varying density in the blasthole, or alternatively, the burden and spacing can be increased translating to less drilling required. This can lead to greater productivity through increased dig rates and improved downstream crushing and processing efficiencies,” adds Klarić. Fragmentation is optimised through the unique proprietary variable density capability of the system and equivalent dig rates have been achieved with reduced powder factors. Powder factor reductions of up to 18 per cent have been achieved to date. In addition to improving rock fragmentation, the Differential Energy system is much faster than a normal setup. Klarić says, “Customers have the ability to load blastholes with up to one tonne of emulsion per minute, which is three times faster than traditional methods just by using Differential Energy and the Dynobulk MPU.”
THE PRODUCT OFFERS SUPERIOR IN-HOLE RETENTION WITH LESS OPPORTUNITY TO SPREAD TO CRACKS AND FISSURES.
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DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY ACCURATELY DISTRIBUTES ENERGY ACCORDING TO THE VARIED GEOLOGY.
Dyno Nobel’s technological innovations always have safety at their core and the Differential Energy system is no different. The Differential Energy emulsion-based explosive seeks to reduce environmental issues associated with post-blast fumes. Blasts carried out to date have resulted in zero NOx events, according to Klarić. “Differential Energy has no prill in it; it’s 100 per cent homogenised emulsion that has increased viscosity in the blasthole compared to standard products,” Klarić says. Since the product is so viscous, it offers superior in-hole retention that is less likely to spread to cracks and fissures in the ground. “If there are fissures or cracks the explosive can seep into, it can result in inefficient areas of detonation and post blast fume as the column detonates. Therefore, Differential Energy promotes more efficient detonation, and a better overall blasting outcome,” Klarić says. Dyno Nobel now has a local team to ensure the right people are well-positioned to provide the right energy in the right place and deliver the Differential Energy system to other mine sites across the region in coming months. AM
2019
AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS
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PROSPECT AWARDS
PROSPECT AWARDS ARRIVE IN QUEENSLAND THE BIGGEST CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION IN MINING IS MAKING ITS DEBUT IN THE QUEENSLAND CAPITAL. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.
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LAST YEAR’S CEREMONY, HOSTED AT THE SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND.
he Australian Mining Prospect Awards is heading to Brisbane for the first time in 2019, representing the mining industry’s biggest night
of the year. On Thursday October 10, the 16th edition of the awards will take place at Moda Events to recognise and reward excellence and innovation across the mining and minerals processing industry. While the sector is today vibrant and innovative, the Prospect Awards remains the only national awards program that stops to take a look at what the mining industry is doing and who is excelling. Encompassing the entire nation’s mining sector – from hard rock through to coal and everything in between, the awards will acknowledge not only the major players in these industries but also the rising stars of tomorrow. Australian Mining is Australia’s leading mining technology magazine and as such continues to provide the latest and most useful information to help miners become more productive. This role places Australian Mining in an excellent position to host awards that champion a safe, sustainable and more productive industry. Established in 2004, the Prospect Awards continues to expand and celebrate the mining industry as
it enters into a period of increased prosperity, according to Australian Mining managing editor Ben Creagh. “To take the Prospect Awards to Queensland, one of Australia’s leading mining states, is fitting for the next staging of the event,” Creagh says. “The Australian mining industry has experienced a revival in fortunes in recent years and Queensland has been a key driver of this performance through its coal and metalliferous industries.” Supporting the event includes a wide range of sponsors which continue to drive the growth of the Prospect Awards and the industry as a whole. Sponsors that are contributing to this year’s awards include Epiroc, SEW Eurodrive, Metso, BGC Contracting, Flexco, Austmine, Liebherr, CRC, CDE meta and National Group. Event manager Lauren
Winterbottom reinforced that the Prospect Award’s move to Brisbane recognised the importance of Queensland to the mining industry. “We’re excited to be hosting the Prospect Awards in Brisbane for the first time. Queensland has a long history with the mining industry and we felt it was important to acknowledge this,” Winterbottom says. “The Prospect Awards recognise truly outstanding projects, operations and companies from right across the mining and minerals processing industry. I’m looking forward to celebrating with the industry in October.” Nominations are free and must be submitted before Friday August 9 using forms available at the website: www.prospectawards.com.au A list of the sponsors and award categories are listed below: • Liebherr Lifetime Achievement Award ATTENDEES LISTENING TO AWARDS BEING ANNOUNCED IN SYDNEY LAST YEAR.
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MARIA JOYCE WITH HER ‘CONTRIBUTION TO MINING’ AWARD LAST YEAR.
• National Group Australian Mine of the Year • Epiroc Contract Miner of the Year Award • BGC Contacting Contribution to Mining Award • Epiroc Hard Rock Mine of the Year Award • Sew Eurodrive Coal Mine of the Year Award • Metso Excellence in Environmental Management Award • Flexco Excellence in Mine Safety and Occupational Health and Safety Award • CDE Meta Minerals Processing of the Year Award • Austmine Innovative Mining Solution Award • CRC Mine Manager of the Year • Safety Advocate Award • Community Interaction Award AM
SUP P O RTI NG S PO N S O R S
EXHIBITION SPACE NOW ON SALE 1ST - 3 R D A PR I L 2020
M ELB O URN E CO N V E N T IO N & EXH I B I T I ON C E N T R E ASS O CIAT IO N PARTNERS
PRODUCT FOCUS
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU A 21-STRONG TEAM AT MOBILE ENERGY AUSTRALIA POWERS UP A RANGE OF MINING EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES WITH ONE STURDY COMPRESSOR. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.
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ot many generators can tick off as many winning traits as Mobile Energy Australia’s (MEA) compressor system. In the words of long-time MEA employee and sales manager Luke Jenkins, the service maintenance air compressor (SMAC) 40-D series two is a “unique, compact, strong and reliable” unit. The SMAC 40-D is an enclosed system using encapsulated rotary screw compressor technology, providing users with air on demand. The series two has been given a black-and-silver makeover, corrosion resistant finish and user-friendly control module. It only has one simple push ignition button, eliminating multiple keys or switches for improved userfriendliness. The Kubota powered SMAC 40-D can be a standalone unit, or come as a compressor-generator
or compressor-welder-generator package. All three options are designed to mine specifications to cater to a wide range of needs. The SMAC 40-D delivers 40 cubic feet a minute of airflow at 150 pounds per square inch, while the SMAC 35-DG combo delivers 35 cubic feet a minute of airflow, accompanied by an eight kilo-volt-ampere generator. Otherwise, users have the option of choosing a five kilo-volt-ampere generator that is complemented by a 220 Ampere welder. It is no surprise that the SMAC 40-D is the best-selling unit in the house, despite being one of MEA’s early products. MEA launched the SMAC 40-D on the market in 2010. Nearly a decade later, the integrity and performance of the compressor remains constant, evidenced by the 1200 units MEA has sold in Australia. Its constant reliability also speaks volumes of the Brisbane-based
THE SMALL AND VERSATILE COMPRESSOR CAN BE MOUNTED ON A VEHICLE.
manufacturer, which has taken off under the leadership of directors Rob and Rose Pulz. The company remains the only Australian manufacturer of air compressors, either vehicle mounted or stationary rotary screw. “Our specialty is screw compressors, so we get a lot of requests for this particular unit. It’s an everyday item that people use a lot in their work line,” Jenkins tells Australian Mining. The company’s personnel has also designed the compressor to come standard with dual cyclone air filters, which are suitable for all on site requirements. The SMAC 40-D can maintain steady running temperature of high demand units using its integrated after cooler system. Afterall, MEA has developed the high-performance SMAC 40D to be
THE SMAC 40-D IS COATED WITH POWDER GLAZE FINISH AND CORROSION PROTECTION.
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a reliable source of air for a range of tools, such as impact wrenches, welding, nut runners, grinders and jack hammers, with industrial tyre inflation capabilities. The SMAC series, though small in size, takes pride in being a versatile piece of equipment, which can be planted onto a vehicle with a 50 or 60 gigahertz fuel and battery module. “Mining consumers really prefer this unit. It’s got longevity, and it just keeps running,” Jenkins says. The Australian MEA designed and manufactured SMAC 40-D series two is extremely sturdy, and built tough to withstand rough handling that is typical of service maintenance industries. “It’s just a really neat, small, reliable compact compressor,” Rob Pulz concludes. AM
PRODUCT FOCUS
SMC DELIVERS GAINS WHEN THE DUST HAS SETTLED LOTS OF PRODUCTS ARE DESTINED TO SIT AND GATHER DUST, BUT FOR SMC CORPORATION IT’S NOT A CRITICISM, BUT A DESIGN FEATURE. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.
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ust capture is important part of maintaining a clean mine site. The process of keeping dust to a minimum onsite is generally achieved through the use of elaborate filtration systems that use large filters to trap dust. This dust can come from a variety of sources, whether it be silica, cement, coal, sawdust or sand, accumulating on filter bags until they become caked with dust over time. It interferes with the overall efficiency of the filtration operation if it isn’t removed, eventually leading to issues like blinding, which require expensive periods of downtime to fix. As such, it is important that the filter bags or cartridges are cleaned at required intervals to ensure operations run smoothly. This bag-cleaning process is usually performed with air valves that blow compressed pulses of air into the bag to create a shock wave, which causes the bag to flex and fracture the dust cake. Typical examples of these valves include industrial-strength 2/2-way air pilot or solenoid valves that are capable of supplying between 45,000-110,000 litres per minute of compressed air. Having the capability of producing such a high flow provides a short and sharp air pulse for the best shockwave possible. “That shock of air is important,” explains Vince Marcucci, ANZ resources manager at SMC. “The higher the pressure (without overpressuring) for a short period of time, the greater the shockwave and the
greater the ability to remove dust from the outside of the bag. “However, you don’t want to leave it on for a long period of time as you end up with unnecessarily excessive air consumption.” While it is cheaper to maintain efficient bag-cleaning processes with these valves than suffer a potential breakdown, the dust removal process can still involve significant energy costs, particularly when a bag house could have six or more valves, with hundreds of valves at any one facility. In response to this inefficiency, SMC Corporation has developed a valve technology – the JSXF – that includes a fast closure and response that can pump large volumes of air at a higher pressure for a short period of time. This is sufficient to create a shockwave that cleans the bag effectively, while reducing compressed air energy costs. Where most valves are rated to stand up to around one million cycles, SMC’s JSXF valves are rated to at least 10 million cycles. Marcucci estimates that with a six-valve system and an operation sequence of every eight seconds, working 16 hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, this could translate to over 20 years of working life before replacement is required. The systems that allow the valves to last for such a long time include the removal of the springs (a typical feature in other air valves) and addition of a high-strength elastomer diaphragm (which can’t be accidentally inverted). These springs are also prone to mechanical failure and breakage over time.
SMC JSXF DRESSER NUT (L) AND COMPRESSOR FIT (R) VARIANT DUST VALVES.
AUSTRALIANMINING
THE VALVES ARE WELL-SUITED TO BAG-HOUSED FILTRATION SETUPS.
Since the valves are typically mounted high on a tower, SMC designed them with reliability in mind from the outset to maintain service life in between intervals. That serves the client not only from the labour perspective, but also spare parts. “The traditional diaphragm is a thin rubber sheet material that requires a spring to sit behind it to ensure the diaphragm is closed on initial startup,” Marcucci says. “With the removal of the spring the high-strength durable elastomer diaphragm that we used has eliminated a failure point. We also find that the soft rubber is prone to splitting or cracking as well.” The JSXF valve also comes with two different types of fitting suitable for different connectors. One is direct
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mount with threaded connections and the other a compression fitting also known as a dresser nut. By using a high-strength diaphragm the need for an internal spring is nullified, a design decision that has delivered air consumption reductions of up to 35 per cent and increased peak impact pressure by 15 per cent during testing. Overall, SMC has designed the JSXF valve to be adaptable to a host of different situations. “This valve is suitable for any facility where a ‘bag house’ is used for the collection of dust,” he says. “This includes coal, iron ore and mineral mines; concrete batching plants; waste and recycling; gas turbines in power generation; pulp and paper; and the wider market.” AM
PRODUCT FOCUS
SAFE AREA MONITORING IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS AS MINING COMPANIES SHIFT FURTHER TOWARDS AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY SOLUTION PROVIDER PILZ IS KEEPING UP WITH THE PACE. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.
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ining companies are susceptible to a plethora of hazards that naturally arise from the harsh conditions they operate in. Whether it be heavy and complex machinery or zones that are vulnerable to the unpredictability of nature, companies are increasingly looking for new ways to protect staff while maintaining productivity. As the mining industry shifts towards autonomous machinery, German-based company Pilz is leading the way in providing safer monitoring systems to companies around the world. A prevalent issue within mine safety has been companies’ limited ability to use technology capable of productive area monitoring that withstands the rigorous ‘rain, hail and shine’ nature of mining operations, while also effectively protecting staff that work in proximity to hazardous zones within sites. Pilz however, has a solution for this through the use of the LBK Safe Radar system, which in its own words “allows for safe area monitoring in harsh environments.” Its purpose, according to national sales and marketing manager Rob Stevenson, is “to protect people or plant when working and operating in proximity to dangerous areas and/or machines.” While previously, many companies have used safety scanners that incorporated infrared technology in applications that require area monitoring, it was found that these devices can be to susceptible to environmental factors, such as dust, moisture and sun light, often rendering them ineffective on mine sites. The LBK Safe Radar system on the otherhand uses radar technology, which is perfect for use in harsh environments. The system consists of up to six sensors and a control unit that monitors areas of up to 15 metres wide and four metres deep. It’s also capable of achieving up to safety category two (three for outputs) and safety integrity level two.
For Stevenson, the biggest advantage of the product, apart from its ability to be used in harsh environments, is its “versatility”, as the device can be easily mounted to a variety of equipment, while the detection area can be easily configured to cater for the shape and size of the required area to be monitored. In the event a person comes into an unsafe area, it sets off an alarm and can also shut down the equipment within the monitored area. Given the prominence of advanced machinery and robotic systems, the radar system combines two safety functions to ensure both machinery and operators are protected. The detection function consists of a pre alarm zone, which is used to alert approaching objects and also prepare the machinery for shutdown, followed by the hazard zone which places the machinery into a safe condition when someone enters the
dangerous area. The restart function can also inhibit the restart of the machinery if there are operators still within the dangerous area. The creation of a protection zone also allows for “the safe monitoring of areas where physical guarding, such as a fence may not be possible,” according to Stevenson. The size of the protection zone can be configured to be wide or narrow, in both the vertical and horizontal plains depending on the area that is being monitored, and if required a muting function of the entire system or individual sensors is possible. The smart sensor being used accurately detects and tracks motion through computing the distance of moving personnel in real-time when they may be approaching unsafe areas. Most notably for mining companies, however, is the device’s ability to withstand the elements, including smoke, dust, shavings,
PILZ WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SAFETY SOLUTIONS TO MINE SITES THROUGH ITS RADAR SYSTEMS.
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machining waste and splashes. The result is a dramatic reduction in false alarms at mine sites, which often lead to the freezing of production and prevention of plants operating at optimum efficiency. For Pilz, the opportunity to safely protect mining companies’ personnel and machinery has always been a priority and the ability to do this in a way that withstands the rigours of mine sites has opened the door to greater opportunities. “It’s about providing solutions. Where we couldn’t fully do this previously because of environmental factors, this device has given us the ability to offer a solution more suitable to the harshest of environments,” Stevenson says. While the small radar heads may pale in size when compared to the magnitude of machinery on mine sites, their purpose remains imperative to the safe and efficient operation of mines around the world. AM
PRODUCTS
BOLLÉ SAFETY LAUNCHES NEW MODEL SUITABLE FOR EVERY FACE Silex’s 160-degree Flex technology creates a perfect fit for every face. It features flexible bi-material temples and gives absolute support without any pressure points. There is no compromise on performance with Silex’s anti-scratch, anti-fog coating, panoramic vision and ultra-wraparound protection. The lenses showcase a refined design and coloured temples by Bollé Safety. Silex is also suitable for wearers with an excellent price/quality ratio. Bollé Safety continues to innovate, offering solutions adapted to users’ needs while preserving the optimal quality of its products.
• bollesafety.com.au
M17 BATTERY POWERED SWEEPER SCRUBBER With the largest battery capacity in its class, the M17 sweeper-scrubber machine will quickly improve the overall image of the area it is cleaning. The sweep before scrub initiative is possible with the M17’s ability to capture large and small debris in a single pass with dual force sweeping (DFS) technology. This is followed by being able to clean up to three times longer with a single tank of water using Tennant’s innovative ec-H2O technology, which uses up to 70 per cent less water. The pro-panel touch screen control module simplifies operation and maintenance with a high-visibility screen, intuitive controls and operator videos. Like all Tennant machinery, the easy-to-identify yellow touch point helps simplify preventative maintenance. The no tool access to all squeegees, brushes and filters helps reduce time spent on maintenance.
• tennantco.com
SANDVIK TWO-BOOM JUMBO UNDERGROUND DRILL Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology has introduced the DD320S hydraulic drill for underground mining and tunnelling operations. The two-boom jumbo DD320S combines THC560 hydraulic drilling controls, a B26XLF boom and HLX5 rock drill with 20 kilowatts of impact power for heavy-duty drilling and bolting. It is optimised for bore holes between 43 millimetres and 64 millimetres and reaming holes between 76 millimetres and 127 millimetres. The drill’s diesel engine and layout are similar to Sandvik’s existing DD321 technologies, ensuring spare parts across the fleet. The DD320S also includes several safety features, such as the option of a roll-over protective structure (ROPS) of falling-object protective structure operator cabin, in addition to standard ergonomic hand rails and anti-slip stairs. Optional movement prevention switch and access detector and a newly implemented compressor thermal monitoring system are also available.
• rocktechnology.sandvik
ESS BELT TRAINING DEVICES ESS uses multi-pivot, torque-multiplying belt tracking systems. The mechanical advantage of these tracking systems is that the multi-pivot design allows the rollers to move perpendicular to the structure’s centreline, while directing the steering idler to the proper angle, instead of pivoting and pinching the belt edge. ESS belt trackers transfer the motion of mistracking to the steering idler through a parallel linkage. They use the force of the wandering belt against the guide rollers to position a steering idler and continuously correct the belt path. The guide rollers are designed to be installed close to the belt’s width and are connected to the steering idler’s structure with the parallel stay. By installing the guide rollers closer to the belt edge, the devices can detect smaller deviations of the belt and make corrections after very slight misalignments.
• esseng.com.au
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PRODUCTS
BIG BLUE 800X AIR PAK WITH ARCREACH TECHNOLOGY
EPIROC UNVEILS FIRST FULLY AUTONOMOUS SURFACE DRILL RIG
The latest version of the Miller ‘Big Blue 800X’ – a multi-arc, three phase engine-driven welding machine – is available. The new release Big Blue 800X Duo Air Pak model features exclusive ArcReach technology. This model offers many advantages to welding operations, particularly on labour intensive job sites and sites with limited space. It’s a dual operator machine, which allows two operators to work off the same power source with independent arcs that can each reach up to 400 Amps. This makes a significant difference on a job site, allowing for reduced fleet sizes, better fuel economy and less machine servicing. It also maximises weld time as operators no longer have to walk to the machine to change the weld settings, as it can be done remotely. The ArcReach technology uses an existing welding cable to communicate welding control information between a feeder or remote and the power source, effectively eliminating the need for control cords.
Epiroc presents its SmartROC D65 surface drill rig, which enables drilling of entire drill patterns without the need for an operator. The drill has been billed as the first fully automated surface drill, representing a significant milestone for the Scandinavian company. Removing operators from their cabins during drilling operations not only confers safety benefits during drilling, but also frees the operators up to attend to other tasks. This automation increases productivity for mine sites as the machine can continue to operate without breaks and with less wear on drilling tools. The drill incorporates existing Eprioc technologies such as its rod handling system, hole navigation system and auto positioning, in addition to rig control system scalability.
• epiroc.com
• welding.com.au
KOMATSU MAKES PARTS ACCESSIBLE ONLINE WITH CUSTOMER PORTAL NEW SKF COOPER SPLIT SPHERICAL ROLLER BEARINGS SKF Cooper offers the split spherical roller bearings in open (unsealed) and sealed versions. It enables the in situ replacement of bearings in machinery to reduce the end user’s mean time for repairs, thereby reducing production downtime, maintenance costs and risks to worker safety. The bearings can be offered as an individual solution, as part of a SKF three-barrier solution, or as part of a broader SKF rotating equipment performance program that can include lubrication, lubrication system, machine health and services. The initial range of the SKF Cooper split spherical roller bearing is the 231 series with metric shaft diameters 240 millimetres to 450 millimetres and inch shaft diameters 9.5 inch to 18 inch. The 231 series bearing is most commonly used in mining conveyor and stacker/reclaimer applications. The split bearing is particularly suited for use in the “trapped” bearing position of the machines.
Komatsu has launched myKomatsu, a new online parts customer portal that ensures the ordering process is made quick and easy. The system is available around the clock in Australia and New Zealand, and is completely cross-platform, allowing parts to be ordered via computer, smartphone or tablet. Customers can then track the progress of orders and when they will be delivered. The Komatsu portal offers customers multiple ways to find the correct parts, including by part number, key word, parts book or machine type, make and model. MyKomatsu introduces a number of new features to further benefit customers and make ordering the right part faster, easier and more efficient, including online credit card payment options. It also has automatic supersession management, which means that if a particular part has been superseded customers will automatically be offered the updated part. • komatsu.com.au
• skf.com
AUSTRALIANMINING
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EVENTS
CONFERENCES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS EVENT SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum, Kalgoorlie, August 5-7
Mine Ventilation Conference 2019, Perth, August 26-28
World Gold Conference 2019, Perth, September 11-13
Australian Nickel Conference, Perth, October 15
Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum is back with its unique combination of mining presentations and large exhibition area, with a delegation made up of mining and exploration companies, mining services companies, investors, bankers and financiers, among others. Highly respected experts will be in attendance to provide insightful commentary to delegates. A world-class entertainment program also ensures that delegates experience the best of the style and hospitality of Kalgoorlie. • diggersndealers.com.au
Ventilation controls are one of the core risk activities in mines. There have been significant developments in practice and research in recent years to ensure an improvement in safety levels in underground mines. Coupled with this is the re-emergence of pneumoconiosis in mine workers. Mine Vent 2019 calls on expertise from industry and academia to present these developments. The fifth in a series of ventilation conferences will bring together operators, planning personnel, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, government regulators, consultants and research and technology personnel to explore achievements and build a better industry. • minevent.ausimm.com
The World Gold Conference is a joint venture between The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (The AusIMM), the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). The event will provide a holistic look at the gold mining sector, including exploration, geosciences, mining (including geotechnical aspects), metallurgy (processing), environment and related themes. Various workshops will be incorporated within the program and keynote speakers from Nothern Star Resources, Minerals Council Australia, Goldcorp, Regis Resources and Optiro will also feature. • worldgold.ausimm.com
The Australian Nickel Conference (ANC) is the premier event for nickel producers and explorers as Australia’s only dedicated nickel event. In the context of a consistently rising nickel price, companies are once again discussing feasibility studies, mine construction and expansion plans. The ANC brings the industry together to provide a spotlight on the established players and emerging stories in the industry. In addition to offering nickel companies the chance to present their stories to the market, the conference offers an opportunity to meet industry players and network with them between sessions. • australiannickelconference.com
PNG Investment Conference 2019, Sydney, August 19-20 The annual Business Advantage Papua New Guinea Investment Conference is dedicated to the promotion of business and investment opportunities in PNG to a global audience. Featuring an unrivalled line-up of influential speakers, the 2019 conference will provide a forum where delegates will have the opportunity to hear from investors, innovators and facilitators across key industry sectors – including mining and petroleum – focusing on current trends and opportunities in PNG’s growing economy. Attracting some of the most dynamic companies in the Asia Pacific, as well as government backed and global institutional investors, delegates will rub shoulders with industry thoughtleaders, company heads, senior executives, investors and board members. • pnginvestmentconference.com
AIMEX 2019, Sydney, August 27-29 AIMEX will host a free-to-attend conference series which aims to discuss ground breaking topics within the mining industry. The program will deliver operational improvements for all mining techniques and bring together industry leaders and mining experts allowing visitors the opportunity to create a personalised program that addresses specific areas related to their job function or site. The program will address key themes such as economic and political outlook for mining; automation and digital advancements to improve operational efficiency and maintenance; advancements in drilling and blasting, processing and bulk materials handling; fleet performance and tyre management; occupational health and safety. • aimex.com.au
AUSTRALIANMINING
2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards, Brisbane, October 10 The Australian mining industry’s biggest awards celebration is heading to the Sunshine State for the first time this year. With coal becoming the nation’s biggest mining export this year, the timing couldn’t be better to celebrate the industry’s contribution in Queensland. The 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards will take place at Moda Events in Brisbane on October 10, honouring the best and brightest of an industry that prides itself as a cultural and economic cornerstone. • prospectawards.com.au
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International Mining and Resources Conference and Expo (IMARC), Melbourne, October 29-31 IMARC will host its sixth annual conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre this year. The programme will cover the entire mining supply chain from exploration, to investment as well as production to optimisation. It will also explore the new technologies available and the revelation of new global opportunities. Brand-new conferences on energy, the environment, workforce engagement will feature alongside mine and plant optimisation. The event attracts more than 7000 attendees from 100 countries to hear from more than 300 mining experts. • imarcmelbourne.com
Groundbreaking Performance New Electronic Initiation Technology for Underground Perimeter Control
Designed for long period underground development or tunnel blasting applications – EZshot™ initiation system provides accurate electronic timing combined with the ease of use of the NONEL® shock tube. Potential benefits include: • Reduction in production costs
• Minimisation of scaling • Increased control, precision and timing accuracy
• Reduction in overbreak and associated mucking and hauling
• Improved perimeter control and wall stability
For more information, contact dnap.marketing@ap.dynonobel.com dynonobel.com Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific Pty Limited (ACN 003 269 010) is a subsidiary of Incitec Pivot Limited (ACN 004 080 264) Level 8, 28 Freshwater Place, Southbank Vic 3006 ® DYNO and GROUNDBREAKING PERFORMANCE are registered trademarks of the Dyno Nobel / Incitec Pivot Group. © Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific Pty Limited 2019. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. DYN 575
QUALITY, RELIABILITY, PERFORMANCE.
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