Australian Mining - November 2016

VOLUME 108/10 | NOVEMBER 2016

ACTYLUS™ will set your business apart like nothing else. Its smart bin technology makes it easy for customers to consolidate their business with you so you can build a long-term relationship. Discover why ACTYLUS is not only a smart bin solution – it’s just smart business. Learn more at ApexSupplyChain.com/Actylus, then email info.au@apexsupplychain.com to start your program – before your competitor does.

Available to industrial distributors worldwide © 2016 Apex Industrial Technologies LLC. All rights reserved. Apex Supply Chain Technologies and its mark are registered trademarks, and Smarter Spaces and ACTYLUS are trademarks of Apex Industrial Technologies LLC.

Bins that check themselves?

BRILLIANT ACTYLUS™ is the smartest way to keep bins full. It monitors every bin, instantly detects low stock levels and sends reorder alerts straight to your ERP. And customers love how it brightens up their worksite.

Ready to see your VMI program in a whole new light?

Check out ApexSupplyChain.com/BinReplenishment.

Smart Bin System

Available to industrial distributors worldwide

Making Spaces Smart® © 2016 Apex Industrial Technologies LLC. All rights reserved.

Apex Supply Chain Technologies and Making Spaces Smart are registered trademarks, and Smarter Spaces and ACTYLUS are trademarks of Apex Industrial Technologies LLC.

MINE SITE VEHICLE REVIEW BLACK LUNG FEATURE VOLUME 108/10 | NOVEMBER 2016

SPEED LIMITING ON SITE

2016 PROSPECT AWARDS

ROCK SYDNEY

PRINT POST APPROVED PP100008185

SERVING THE MINING INDUSTRY SINCE 1908

A great choice when your safety depends on it

LandCruiser 70 Series, built for a tough day’s work In the workplace, employee safety is number one. And with a 5-Star ANCAP Safety Rating, the LandCruiser 70 Single-Cab is up for the job. There’s Vehicle Stability Control to keep your drivers rock-solid on any terrain. Add a towing capacity of up to 3.5 tonnes and turbo-diesel performance, and you have the power to tackle the toughest jobs.

For a workhorse you can count on, LandCruiser 70 Series is a great choice.

TFM1945_AM_10/16

Visit your Fleet Specialist Dealer or call 1800 444 847

toyota.com.au/fleet

COMMENT

AUSTRALIAN MINING WELCOME NOTE IT IS AN HONOUR TO BE THE NEW EDITOR OF AUSTRALIAN MINING, ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER INDUSTRY PUBLICATIONS.

F

or more than 100 years Australian Mining has built a BEN CREAGH strong reputation as a leading Ben.Creagh@primecreative.com.au source of news and information for the mining industry in this country.

It will be a great pleasure to continue this long-standing tradition, and hopefully fill the shoes of my predecessor with the same passion for an industry which plays such a crucial role in Australia.

I start as Editor with the industry in an intriguing position. While it continues to confront some obvious challenges post mining boom, current market conditions are also highlighting new opportunities, as well as what can be achieved in the face of adversity.

The buzzword guiding the industry is of course: innovation. Despite innovation being a term regularly overused by our business and political leaders, and one easier said than executed, it remains at the heart of where the industry is now and where it is heading.

Producers, explorers and the mining services sector continue to focus on delivering innovative methods and operational strategies that drive productivity and growth. It is not only a priority for organisations to implement new technologies and automation to achieve this, but also to innovatively structure their workforces to further enhance efficiencies.

Innovation in today’s industry is also about collaboration, with mining companies and service providers now realising the benefits that can be gained by engaging the expertise of each other and sharing ideas.

Personally, the mining industry has been present throughout my life and career. Born and raised in Western Australia, it was only natural for me to build an understanding of mining’s importance to my home state as an economic driver and employer of its people.

MANAGING DIRECTOR JOHN MURPHY EDITOR BEN CREAGH Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: ben.creagh@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS SHARON MASIGE Tel: (02) 8484 0854 Email: sharon.masige@primecreative.com.au CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER JUSTINE NARDONE Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au

For more than a decade the industry has also been a key vehicle in my own professional development working in and around the media.

From my early years as a journalist in the Goldfields and Mid West regions of WA, to working for a major resources contractor in Perth, to covering the industry on a global scale in London, UK as a reporter, mining has provided some unique opportunities and experiences.

More recently, the cyclical nature of the industry, and consequential downturn in activity, has delivered an eye opening experience that my generation had not yet truly lived through. It is hard to believe that WA has transitioned from being Australia’s financial powerhouse to the country’s worst performing state economy, according to CommSec, in such a short period.

While observing the impact of the downturn in market conditions may have been new for me, for Australian Mining, a publication founded in 1908, these cycles are anything but new. In fact, I believe a tool like Australian Mining only grows in importance during tough times because of its commitment to informing the mining community of the latest innovations and equipment.

With that sentiment, I hope you enjoy reading this issue and I look forward to updating readers on the major developments in Australia’s mining industry in the future.

On the front cover of this edition are the Mine of the Year award winners from the 2016 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

In this issue we take a closer look at all the winners of the Prospect Awards in celebration of their commitment to the mining industry. We also showcase a range of mining equipment released at this year’s MINExpo and examine the issues surrounding the resurgence of black lung in Australia. In addition, we explore how speed limiters can enhance safety on site.

Ben Creagh Editor

SALES MANAGER JONATHAN DUCKETT Tel: (02) 8484 0866 Mob: 0498 091 027 Email: jonathan.duckett@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR Michelle Weston GRAPHIC DESIGNER James Finlay, Blake Storey, Sarah Doyle SUBSCRIPTION RATES Australia (surface mail) $140.00 (incl GST) New Zealand A$148.00 Overseas A$156.00 For subscriptions enquiries please call GORDON WATSON 03 9690 8766

AUSTRALIANMINING

FRONT COVER

5

NOVEMBER 2016

PRIME CREATIVE MEDIA Tower 1, Level 13, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067 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 p ­ ublisher.

Average Net Distribution Period ending September 2015 7,827 PRINTED BY MANARK PRINTING 28 Dingley Ave Dandenong VIC 3175 Ph: (03) 9794 8337 Published 12 issues a year

CONTENTS

INNOVATION

AUTOMATION

12

42-44

THE REAL CHALLENGE FOR AUTOMATION PROJECTS

MINESITE VEHICLES WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT RELEASED AT MINEXPO

14-17

DRILL, BLAST & GEOMECHANICS

47-48

HOW TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY ON SITE

WEAR RESISTANCE & LUBRICATION

MOTORS AND DRIVES

49-50

A NEW REPORTING TOOL FOR OPERATIONS

LASERBOND’S NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH UNISA

18-19

SAFETY

HEALTH EXPLORING THE ISSUE OF BLACK LUNG

51-52

20-22

USING SPEED LIMITERS TO BOOST SAFETY ON SITE

MINING APPS PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS THE WINNERS OF THIS YEARS PROSPECT AWARDS

BIS INDUSTRIES’ NEW APP TO STREAMLINE INSPECTIONS

53 24-40

REGULARS

INDUSTRIAL COMMENT 8

NEWS 10

AUSTRALIANMINING

6

PRODUCT SHOWCASE 54-55

NOVEMBER 2016

FAST.

EFFICIENT. RESPONSIVE.

RAISING THE BAR As leaders in underground mining, PYBAR sets performance benchmarks by delivering value through fast, efficient and responsive service.

INTEGRATED UNDERGROUND MINING SERVICES

• • • • • •

Mine development Production mining Cablebolting, production drilling and ITH drilling Raise boring and specialist boxhole boring Shotcreting Plant and equipment hire.

HEAD OFFICE

SYDNEY

PERTH

KALGOORLIE

1668–1670 Forest Road PO Box 2154 Orange NSW 2800

Suite 5, Level 21 1 Alfred Street Sydney NSW 2000

Level 2 14 Ventnor St West Perth WA 6005

23 Broadwood Street Kalgoorlie WA 6430

PYBAR.COM.AU

P 02 6361 4499

E pybar@pybar.com.au

INDUSTRIAL COMMENT

WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S ECONOMIC FUTURE REMAINS UNCERTAIN AFTER THE MINING BOOM: STUDY THE MINING INDUSTRY WILL STILL BE IMPORTANT TO WA’S ECONOMY IN THE FUTURE AND NEW GROWTH IS UNLIKELY TO COME FROM OTHER INDUSTRIES LIKE TOURISM AND AGRICULTURE, NEW RESEARCH HAS FOUND. A GROWING, AND AGEING, POPULATION IS LIKELY TO DRIVE CONTINUED JOBS GROWTH IN THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR, AND IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING, WRITE ALAN DUNCAN, RACHEL ONG AND YASHAR TARVERDI.

O

ur report not only highlights what industries might provide the most employment in the future but also what form that employment will take. We found work will be more precarious and with reduced hours.

In the latest state cabinet reshuffle, WA Premier Colin Barnett indicated that changes in ministry portfolios were aimed at supporting economic diversification outside the resources sector. The spotlight has been on the tourism industry as a potential new growth sector as the mining sector slows, with the premier himself taking on the role of tourism minister.

But the government might need to rethink these policy priorities to support the creation of secure work, in a wider range of industries.

its dominance in the WA economy, contributing about 37 per cent of the gross value added to the economy in 2015. By contrast, the agriculture, retail, and accommodation and food services sectors in WA contributed little or no growth in value in 2014-15.

Although more jobs were created in the hospitality sector in 2014-15, employment in agriculture and retail fell over the same period. Two sectors that have delivered growth in both economic value and employment in 2014-15 are health care and social services, and arts and recreation.

Employment in health care and social assistance in particular has expanded as a share of the state’s total employment, from 9.5 per cent to 12 per cent between 2010 and 2015. This is not surprising given the growing demands placed on WA’s health care system from an ageing population.

The industrial landscape in WA seems to have changed little despite the slowdown of the resources sector, which begs the question, which of the state’s industry sectors are likely to

step up in the future?

There are some signs that investment in energy production, especially LNG, is starting to deliver positive employment returns, but the contribution of high-tech manufacturing to the state’s economic future is less clear, despite the state’s great strengths in science, research and innovation.

The future of the workforce in WA

West Australians now face a future characterised by weaker labour market demand, rising precariousness and reduced work hours. Western Australia’s unemployment rate has traditionally remained well below the national rate, but for the first time since 2006, the state’s unemployment rate exceeded the national average.

Underemployment has risen more rapidly in Western Australia than in other states and territories, from six The future industrial landscape per cent in 2011 to 10 per cent in 2016. in WA The share of WA employees on casual Despite a fall in iron ore prices, the contracts has also been on an upward mining industry continues to maintain trajectory in recent years.

This signals career pathways are likely to be less straightforward in the future. It may be that more and more West Australians can expect to hold multiple jobs to make up preferred work hours, and multiple job turnovers and career shifts before retirement.

During the peak of the mining boom, the gap between the rich and the poor grew, with lowincome households falling behind other households in WA GROWTH IN INDUSTRY VALUE ADDED TO THE ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT IN WA, 2014-15 (15%) at a faster rate than AUSTRALIANMINING

8

NOVEMBER 2016

the rest of Australia. With the slowdown of the resources sector, there has been a fall in overall income inequality in WA. However, there remains a persistent gap between the rich and the poor in terms of wealth. The richest 20 per cent of WA households still hold around two-thirds of the state’s aggregate household net wealth.

The poorest 20 per cent of households hold a mere 0.8 per cent of the state’s total household net wealth by value. The ideal of closing the gap between rich and poor remains out of reach despite the end of prolonged economic bonanza that has mostly benefited the rich.

Planning for the future

Much has been made of growing economic diversification and support for non-resource sectors. However, our research questions whether industries (such as agriculture, food and tourism) are of a sufficient scale to continue the state’s economic growth.

In relation to the labour market, Western Australia’s future appears to be one marked by reduced work hours and a greater risk of job insecurity.

Clearly there needs to be a focus on designing policy settings that create secure work for the state’s working age population. This may also require a shift in labour market expectations towards more flexible career pathways in a number of industries. AM Alan Duncan, Director, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and Bankwest Research Chair in Economic Policy, Curtin University; Rachel Ong, Deputy Director, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin University, and Yashar Tarverdi, Research fellow, Curtin University.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

“OK, I see it”

Hear everything except the noise.

“Jacko, the strap’s caught on your bucket”

3M™ Peltor™ LiteCom™ Pro ll 2-Way Radio Headset comfortably blocks high impact industrial noise all day and at the same time, allows workers to clearly communicate up to 2000 m in every direction.

Peltor™ LiteCom™ Pro ll combines the benefits of both safety and productivity for the ultimate industrial hearing solution.

Feature packed: • Up to 30 programmable channels • Push-to-talk or hands-free options • Audible notifications • Selective listening/ squelch modes

Hearing is believing

Noise-cancelling microphone

Don’t take our word for it, hear for yourself by scanning this QR code to see Peltor™ LiteCom™ Pro ll in action, or visit 3M.com.au/hear-without-noise

3M.com.au/ppesafety | 1-3M 1-3M (136 136) © 3M 2016. All rights reserved. 3M and Peltor are trademarks of 3M Company. AV011453741.

Neckband Configuration

Hardhat Configuration

NEWS

THE LATEST MINING NEWS AND SAFETY AUSTRALIAN MINING PRESENTS THE LATEST NEWS AND SAFETY AFFECTING YOU FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE MINE AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. VISIT WWW.AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING. COLLINSVILLE MINE SET TO RESTART WITH 200 JOBS UP FOR GRABS Glencore’s Collinsville mine in northwest Queensland is restarting production aiming to hire up to 200 workers.

Collinsville is one of the state’s oldest coal mines, having been in operation for almost 100 years. In December 2015 Glencore cut production due to low thermal coal prices, with the 230-strong workforce reduced by 180, and 140 redeployed to other Glencore sites.

It reduced production at the site by two million tonnes.

“While Glencore has scaled back production at Collinsville this year, we have continued to assess a range of options for the mine in conjunction with monitoring coal market demand,” the company said.

for the north and ongoing evidence of green shoots appearing in the resources sector,” she said.

Natural resources and mines minister Anthony Lynham also applauded the move, particularly as the recruitment process will focus on locals in the area.

“Our regional resource communities have been doing it tough and positive developments like this reverberate through the whole community and local businesses,” he said.

The restart of operations at the site however is not expected to increase Glencore’s overall coal export tonnes from Australia due to the recent closures of their Newlands and West Wallsend mines.

“We are now seeing increased demand from South-East Asia for the specific type of coal produced by Collinsville.”

Tony Galvin, head of Glencore’s open cut coal business in Queensland, acknowledged the difficulties the company faced in order to maintain the mine’s long term viability.

“Our Collinsville mine has made material progress in increasing operational efficiencies and reducing costs in the current market and the decision to return to production is positive news for the local community and the wider region,” he said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk welcomed the announcement saying it was good news for the state.

“This is yet another piece of positive news

AUSTRALIAN MINING GETS THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY, PROVIDING MINING PROFESSIONALS WITH THE UP TO THE MINUTE INFORMATION ON SAFETY, NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MINING AND RESOURCES INDUSTRY.

WHITEHAVEN COAL RECORDS INCREASED COAL OUTPUT Whitehaven Coal has recorded an increase in coal output following the release of their September quarterly report.

The company indicated a ROM coal production of 5.4Mt, a 41 per cent increase compared to the previous corresponding period (pcp).

Its Maules Creek mine produced 1.900MTt ROM coal, up 23 per cent from 1.549Mt during the same time last year. The site’s saleable coal production for the quarter was 1.972Mt compared to 1.479Mt during the pcp.

Additonally, the company is planning to ramp up ROM coal production to 10.5Mtpa at the site in the second half of the 2017 financial year.

Whitehaven’s Narrabri mine produced 2.353Mt of

ROM coal during the September quarter, 136 per cent higher than in the pcp. Its saleable coal production was 2.223Mt, a 41 per cent increase compared to 1.573Mt during the pcp.

The company’s three Gunnedah open cut mines, however, produced 1.185Mt of ROM coal for the quarterslightly less than the 1.319Mt in the pcp.

On top of the overall increased output, the company improved their safety performance, recording a total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) of 9.9 recordable injuries per million hours worked at the end of September, compared to 10.6 at the end of June.

This rate is also lower than the NSW coal mining

Solitherm

Solitherm

Available in Cooling Capacities of 320W - 1500W

Available in Cooling Capacities of 320W - 4000W

Slim Line Series ...KEEP COOL!

average of 15.5. The company achieved an average price of US$70/t in the September quarter from sales of metallurgical coal products.

In terms of the coal outlook, the company indicated an increase in coal prices due to China’s crackdown on coal supply.

“While underlying demand has been strong, the recent higher pricing has been accelerated by the implementation of the Chinese Government policy supply side reform targeting the closure of some high cost, inefficient and environmentally lower quality production capacity from Chinese supply,” Whitehaven said.

Compact Series

NEW STOCK AVAILABLE

NEW STOCK AVAILABLE

ENCLOSURE CABINET PRECISION COOLING Seifert Systems - Precision air conditioning for process control cabinet applications. Designed to keep your electronics cool and operating at optimum performance. Seifert air conditioning incorporates filter less technology. No need to change filter mats means less maintenance and less down time. Cooling capacities range from 200W to 4kW. Seifert also offer heat exchangers, heaters and fan systems - complete thermal solutions.

A 105 Lewis Rd, Wantirna South VIC 3152

E info@seifertsystems.com.au

T +61 3 9801 1906 / F +61 3 9887 0845

AUSTRALIANMINING

10

NOVEMBER 2016

seifertsystems.com.au

INNOVATION

EXECUTIVES’ SHORT-TERM OUTLOOKS THE REAL KILLER OF AUSTRALIAN INNOVATION MALCOLM TURNBULL’S INNOVATION AGENDA FOCUSED ATTENTION ON STARTUPS AND TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN INNOVATION, BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TO OVERCOME THE BROADER PROBLEMS INHIBITING INNOVATION IN AUSTRALIA, WRITE LINDA LEUNG, JOCHEN SCHWEITZER AND NATALIA NIKOLOVA FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY.

B

usinesses, including those in the mining sector may be looking to the government to ease red tape as a means to increase innovation but what’s really blocking innovation is the short-term view of senior executives, our research finds.

We interviewed 12 board Chairs and nine CEOs of top ASX-listed companies, one-on-one in wideranging interviews to try and find out what the leaders of large Australian businesses are thinking and doing in the innovation space.

Our interviewees pointed out there is no real interest among senior executives in taking a risk that may pay off in the long-term because of current risk-reward practices that reward short-term outcomes.

One CEO said, “People try and blame shareholders, but it’s not. It’s management saying, ‘am I really going to be here in 10 years’ time

when this actually kicks off?”

And another board chairperson agreed: “Does great innovation come out of Australasia? Not normally because the risk-reward perspective is skewed towards I must turn up with my number.”

As a result of this short-term thinking, the amount of money allocated to innovation projects is conservative and released through a stage gate process with the need to report on outcomes. We also found there were very few innovation strategies within these companies.

Executives were risk averse even when a company could afford to make significant investment in innovation.

For example one CEO said, “We are deliberately followers in pretty much everything we do whether it is financial structuring or application of technologies and it’s borne of a risk profile that is a consequence of our market position…we might distribute a couple of hundred million dollars,

AUSTRALIANMINING

(and have) A$1 million to spend on something that’s risky.”

So who needs to lead innovation?

Executives and academics have argued that innovation often takes place in large, established businesses.

Yet, there is evidence that big business mostly fails at innovation.

In Australia, the 2015 NAB report on business innovation showed that only 29 per cent of very large firms (ASX 300) rated themselves as highly innovative. A recent study by the Centre for Workplace Leadership at the University of Melbourne revealed that just 18 per cent of private sector organisations reported high levels of radical innovation.

The people we talked to as part of this study identified various challenges for innovation in Australia.

They pointed out that the Australian market is too small and the Australian culture too laid-back, resulting in less

12

NOVEMBER 2016

motivation to innovate and disrupt.

Others blamed the large and complex system of government regulations, corporate tax levels, inflexible industrial relations, and of course, the omnipresent tall poppy syndrome.

However, there was little evidence of global aspiration or ambition. Nor was there much discussion about companies’ positioning in a global marketplace.

Some CEOs and Chairman agreed that they are too risk averse to engage in radical innovation, but blamed the short-term orientation of the market and shareholders for their failure to innovate big.

It’s all about the roadmap

As recognised by others, large organisations, both in mining and across other critical sectors tend to frame innovation in terms of improving existing business models rather than disrupting them. As one chairperson described it: “I don’t think innovation requires [betting] the business. Innovation now is much more about improving, constant change, constant improvement.”

Based on the interviews we conducted, the current outlook for innovation being fostered by Australia’s established companies is bleak, as summarised by this interviewee: “Talking about business in Australia, I have a lot of concerns, because I don’t think that there’s enough people in the bigger companies in Australia saying, ‘OK, let’s develop a strategy, let’s develop a business plan, let’s engage with the market and tell them what we are doing, in a very open way, and let them take the rise and fall with us, as to if we get there we get there, if we miss it by a little bit, [let’s] explain to them why we missed it. That doesn’t happen.”

A lot has to change for Australian big business to become more innovative.

As a start, companies need to introduce long-term incentives for executives, change attitudes to support taking risks and thinking big, and focus on developing innovation strategies. AM

HELLO TOUGH

BUSINESS

D-MAX 4x4 SX Crew Cab Chassis

D-MAX 4x4 SX Crew Cab Ute

D-MAX 4x4 LS-U Crew Cab Ute

MU-X 4x4 LS-M with 7-Seats

WHATEVER YOUR BUSINESS DEMANDS THE ISUZU D-MAX & MU-X WILL DELIVER You don’t buy an Isuzu D-MAX or MU-X just to get from A to B. You buy one for the features that help you get the job done. Like a powerful and efficient 3.0L turbo diesel engine, outstanding towing capacity and a Terrain Command 4WD system. No-nonsense vehicles, for no-nonsense drivers. People who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get it done. People who go their own way.

Discover the Isuzu D-MAX or MU-X for yourself – visit your Isuzu UTE Dealer or isuzuute.com.au

5 star ANCAP safety rating applies to D-MAX 4x4 Crew Cab variants built from November 2013, 4x2 High-ride Crew Cab variants built from November 2014 and all MU-X models. ^5 years or 130,000km whichever occurs first, for eligible customers; excludes accessories and trays. >The Capped Price Servicing Program applies to eligible Isuzu UTE vehicles with a warranty start date after 1 January 2015 at Participating Isuzu UTE Dealers only. The program covers the first 6 scheduled services in line with the scheduled service intervals. Program price subject to change. For full terms & conditions and current pricing go to isuzuute.com.au/service-plus.

MINESITE VEHICLES

MINING EQUIPMENT ON SHOW AT MINEXPO THIS YEAR’S MINEXPO TOOK PLACE IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, WITH THE LATEST IN MINING EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY ON DISPLAY. HERE IS A SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF THE VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT THAT WERE RELEASED.

CATERPILLAR UNVEILS ITS NEW AD22 UNDERGROUND TRUCK AT MINEXPO

Komatsu cabless autonomous trucks

Komatsu unveiled its completely cabless, next gen autonomous truck at this year’s MINExpo.

“Unlike 930E and 830E autonomous models, Komatsu has newly developed this vehicle exclusively as an unmanned vehicle designed to maximise the advantages of unmanned operation,” the company said.

Komatsu said the design of cabless vehicle, dubbed Komatsu’s Innovative Autonomous Haulage Vehicle, allows for an equal distribution to the four wheels both loaded and unloaded, and by “adopting four-wheel drive, retarder and steering, Komatsu is aiming for high-performance shuttling of this vehicle in both forward and reverse travel directions, thereby totally eliminating the need for K-turns at loading and unloading sites”.

It reportedly has a turning radius of 15.9 metres.

The company went on to state the new vehicle will improve productivity at operations that feature challenging conditions, such as slippery ground or confined spaces for loading, although it did not elaborate on how the machine will overcome these issues.

The Innovative Autonomous Haulage Vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of 416 tonnes, and a payload of 230 tonnes.

It has a power output of 2014kW, a maximum speed of 64 kilometres per hour, and measures 15 metres in length and 8.5 metres in width.

It has not set an official launch date, only stating it plans a market introduction “in the near future”.

Caterpillar rotary drill

Caterpillar has released the MD6420C Rotary Drill for hard- and soft-rock applications. With a bit load force of up to 42,000 kg, and the ability to drill holes up to 311 mm in diameter and down to 74.3m deep, the new drill is suitable for high-volume production.

Its power train, advanced control systems, optional automation features and rugged structures make it an efficient drill for mining, aggregates, and heavy construction applications.

The drill comes with three power train packages that match a variety of applications: cat C32 engine (with 56.6 m3/min at 6.9 bar compressor); cat C32 engine (with 42.5 m3/min at 10.3/24.1/34.5 bar compressor); cat C32 engine (with 73.6 m3/min at 6.9 bar compressor) Major power group components including heavy-duty coolers and high efficiency hydraulics work together with the engine and air compressor as an integrated system to enable optimal bit load, penetration rates, and cycle times.

Other features that reduce cycle time include the cat undercarriage, which allows fast tramming from hole to hole. The mast can be raised or lowered in less than 40 seconds, even with a pipe rack and full drill string.

The MD6420C uses advanced control technology to enhance drilling precision and operator productivity.

It includes an easy-to-use interface as well as machine health and diagnostic capabilities. An optional automation feature controls each step in the drill cycle to improve drilling accuracy.

The Cat MineStar Terrain for drilling can be added to the AUSTRALIANMINING

MD6420C for a higher level of automation. Terrain is a scalable system that enhances drilling efficiency and allows remote, realtime monitoring of drilling activity and blast planning. It guides the operator, improves accuracy of hole placement and drilling depth, reports on drill and operator productivity, and delivers feedback on variation of bench geology.

The cab is spacious with wide walkways and two cab doors to make entry and exit easy. It features a high efficiency HVAC system, low sound levels, and twelve tinted windows – including a floor-to-ceiling drill window – increasing visibility. Incab pipe handling and bit changes promote also bolster operator safety.

The MD6420C structures are designed to deliver a 60,000-hour service life. A rugged mainframe and A-frame provide the structural integrity required for full utilisation of the pull-down power. The heavyduty frame is sculpted and heavily cross-braced in high-load areas. It has a tubular, box-section design that exceeds the life expectancy of a slimmer I-beam design. On the MD6420C, Caterpillar welds all critical components to the mainframe, including the four leveling-jack casings, the mast pivot and the drill deck.

Mast structures are designed with double-cut lacing in high stress areas and are built for the life of the machine, compared to mid-life on competitive machines.

The drill travels on a rugged Cat excavator undercarriage that features three-point oscillating suspension, which allows the machine to negotiate rugged terrain without transferring excessive torsional forces to the mainframe. Lower stresses translate into longer life and lower costs.

Caterpillar underground loader Caterpillar has released its new R1700K underground loader at MINExpo.

The loader features a number of engine configurations, ergonomic cabin, and a greater payload capacity, helping operators drive down costs while lifting productivity.

The new machine has a payload of 15 tonnes, 20 per cent more than

14

NOVEMBER 2016

previous models, and complements the 45 tonne Cat AD45B underground truck with a three pass loading support.

To enable miners to optimise the new loader for lowest total costs in a specific application, multiple engine configurations are available.

All options use the Cat C13 ACERT engine which can be configured for applications that require compliance with the highest emission standards in underground applications, and enables options for customers who are striving to improve underground air quality.

The R1700K is available in US EPA Tier 4 Final/EU Stage IV and in Tier 3/Stage III emissions compliance configurations.

The Tier 4/Stage IV engine employs the Cat Clean Emissions Module, proven in millions of operating hours on a broad range of Cat equipment.

The exhaust after-treatment package components include a diesel particulate filter and a selective catalytic reduction catalyst to reduce both particulate and NOx emissions close to zero.

The R1700K C13 Tier 4 Final engine has a gross engine power rating of 257 kW (345 hp) at 2050 rpm.

For Tier 3/Stage III machines, Caterpillar offers the Ventilation Reduction Package, which uses select engine hardware and software modifications to minimise particulate matter emissions.

Further particulate reductions are available through the addition of an optional diesel particulate filter, which features automatic regeneration while the machine is working.

The loader’s cabin is designed to promote safe and efficient operation throughout the shift, and is available in both open ROPS/FOPS cab and an enclosed cabin.

Increased leg room, multiple ergonomic adjustments, and automatic climate control and filtered ventilation in the enclosed cab enable operators to work comfortably.

Simple and easy-to-use controls are at the operator’s fingertips. Pilot hydraulic controls enable precise operation with low effort. Switches and control panels are located central to the operator and within arm’s reach for fast adjustment to the operation of

MINESITE VEHICLES

the machine or systems. The R1700K provides enhanced visibility with an optional rearview camera that displays its view on the easy-to-read color LCD monitor.

The monitor also presents live diagnostic data feedback for faster repairs in the event of an issue. The diagnostic codes refer to individual circuits or functions that have been monitored to display irregularities— enabling technicians to identify causes quickly.

It features newly designed bucket has an increased throat angle to allow for faster filling and better material retention during tramming.

New Cat Bolt On GET are designed for use in abrasive applications where high wear rates make welded GET impractical.

Built-in wear indicators and replacement corner segments allow the system to be integrated into scheduled maintenance regimens.

The traction control system enables the R1700K to control drive power to each wheel independently, resulting in minimal tyre slip, optimum traction, and the ability to penetrate the pile more effectively for fast loading.

It is equipped with multiple subsystems for fast technology implementation. The Cat line-of-sight remote control systems allow operators to control their machines from safe

CATERPILLAR’S NEW R1700K UNDERGROUND LOADER

distances, and the Cat Command for underground, semi-autonomous system enables operators to work from a remote location. Remote machine health monitoring, payload monitoring and other technology options can be installed at the factory or in the field.

The R1700K will be launched in 2018 after field testing next year.

Caterpillar AD22 underground truck

The 22 tonne-payload articulated dump truck is the smallest in the Cat product line, yet it is designed to deliver the productive performance and durability of its larger counterparts, the company said.

“The AD22 makes best use of CAT components, such as the C1 ACERT diesel engine, [which] delivers gross power of 242kW to achieve superior speed on grade,” Cat stated. The new truck shares major components with a number of Cat machines to help ensure parts availability and reduce inventory costs. The wide body design makes loading faster and easier. Multiple dump body sizes are available to optimise the truck for all mining applications suited to this size class.

The AD22 also takes advantage of Cat ergonomic designs to create controls and instrumentation that help operators perform efficiently, while an

easy-to-read full colout LCD screen display machine status. The new truck is available with an open operator compartment or an optional enclosed cab.

Both are ROPS/FOPS certified.

The sweeping deck design provides good sight lines around the front of the truck, and the LCD screen shows the rearview camera view when backing.

The AD22 will be commercially available in mid-2017.

Deswik operations scheduling tool

Deswik launched the new operational shift planning and tracking tool Deswik.OPS at MINExpo. Directly integrating with a variety of systems that maintain longer term schedules, planned KPIs and production data,

Delivering drilling excellence for over 60 years

SAFE EFFICIENT EXPERIENCED

MINING | COAL SEAM GAS | WATER SUPPLY admin@bdc.com.au | www.bdc.com.au | P: (08) 9725 4104 AUSTRALIANMINING

15

NOVEMBER 2016

the tool is set to revolutionise the way mines manage their daily operations.

The tool enables production planners to rapidly create detailed, activity-based shift plans directly from the less detailed shorter-term schedules. Longer term schedules can also be imported to ensure the shift schedule remains on track with the organisation’s longer term goals.

Throughout a shift, users can import from third-party systems or manually capture real-time production data and events, mapping them to the activities and resources. By providing a live view of how the shift plan is progressing, the work can be better managed, resulting in higher productivity. In order to deal with the continual change in an operational environment, dynamic updates to the

MINESITE VEHICLES

shift schedule are also possible.

Designed to meet the daily requirements of short-term engineers, production engineers, shift bosses, control room personnel and site superintendents, this new webbased tool provides a centralised, collaborative interface.

It offers a solution that enable mines to move away from spreadsheet-based shift planning and take advantage of integrating the various systems that capture data on a mine.

Boart Longyear drill rig and loader

Boart Longyear unveiled its latest LF160 Drill Rig and Freedom Loader at MINExpo.

The LF160 incorporates technology from the company’s popular surface coring drill rigs and together with the FL262 FREEDOM Loader, it is suitable for contractors who want to target surface drilling exploration contracts that stipulate high safety standards, without compromising on productivity.

“The new Freedom series is aptly named because drillers’ safety and productivity are front-of-mind in the design,” Monika Portman, Boart Longyear director of product management and marketing, said.

“The combination of the LF160 Drill Rig and the LF262 FREEDOM Loader provides freedom in drilling, movement, and bidding.”

With hands-free rod handling, the combined rig and loader require no intervention from the driller’s assistant to trip in and align the rods or connect to the top drive head – offering greater freedom to drill by reducing the risk of hand and back injuries while handling rods.

Freedom of movement comes as a result of the loader’s remote control panel, which allows drillers to move to, and work from, a safer location and away from the risks of moving rods.

The loader can also cycle six meter rods in the same amount of time as a manual cycle, enhancing safety, without compromising productivity.

Other features of the rig and loader include a forward-tilting head design that simplifies the rod handling process and reduces the need for operator intervention and maintenance; a clamping device that maintains constant pressure at any hole depth, reducing the risk of dropped rods; a wireline winch located in the front of the mast, inside the rotation barrier, for improved visibility; depth capacity of up to 1,800 meters of NQ, accommodating the majority of diamond coring needs; the choice of a Tier 3 or 4 final engine, to

BOART LONGYEAR’S LF160 DRILL RIG AND FREEDOM LOADER

comply with emissions requirements in every country; and either a crawler or truck-mount configuration.

The LF160 is CE certified according to the latest EN16228 safety standards.

Liebherr 100 tonne mining truck

Liebherr has released yet another new mining truck, at this year’s MINExpo.

The company used the event to launch the 100 tonne T 236, which is the first machine to feature the company’s vertically integrated electric drive system, the Liebherr Litronic Plus Generation 2 technology.

According to Liebherr, “with its high take off torque and continuous power to ground capability, the T 236 is less sensitive to grade and payload variations, providing mining customers with class-leading productivity.”

“The T 236 is the first diesel electric truck in its class to incorporate an oil immersed braking system with four corner retarding capabilities, providing reliable braking technology.”

It is designed to carry up to 100 tonnes, and complements the R 9100, R 9150, R 9200, and R 9250 excavators.

The machine uses advanced Active Front End technology, using electrical energy during retarding events so that the drive system can deliver controlled engine speed with almost no fuel consumption.

It is equipped with a double pole battery, starter motor, and hoist system isolators as standard, and provides an innovative drive system inhibitor, with each plug and drive power module electrically interlocked to grounding devices.

The truck operates on a voltage of 690 VAC and 900 VDC, while the machine’s Litronic Plus Isolation system ensures the safety of maintenance personnel through the elimination of hazards by design.

AUSTRALIANMINING

The T 236’s in-line electrical power train layout minimises cable length, while the maintenance free IP 68-rated plug and drive power modules ensure continual operation in harsh environments.

It features an ergonomic cab and quality front wheel suspension systems for a smoother drive in comfort.

The first prototypes are undergoing “intensive field functional and performance testing”, Liebherr said.

The vehicles are not yet commercially available, although preseries T 236 units will be available for select markets.

Draeger underground mine rescue equipment

Draeger has released the MRV 9000 mine rescue vehicle at this year’s MINExpo, along with the MRC 5000 underground mine refuge chamber.

The vehicle provides safe transportation as close as possible to mining incidents without needing to activate the breathing apparatus, giving mine rescue teams more time for their on-site mission.

The company calls the MRV 900 “a new milestone in mine rescue”, claiming it is a first-of-its-kind mine rescue vehicle.

“This rugged underground vehicle is a total life support system that reduces time to rescue by safely transporting mine rescue teams closer to the incident,” Kent Armstrong, Draeger global business development manager, Segment Mining, said “In short, it’s a ‘chamber on wheels’ for both the driver and those rescued.”

The vehicle is fitted with an air purging system, breathing air storage, a digital gas monitor, and air conditioning, with optional external gas monitoring, thermal imaging cameras, and a communication system.

Both the driver’s cabin and cassette are equipped with an air purging

16

NOVEMBER 2016

system which is independent of the ambient air and provides breathing air for the onboard personnel. Once the rescue team has exited the vehicle – equipped with personal breathing protection – the air flow in MRV 9000 can be manually reduced for the remaining occupants, extending the time for rescue.

External and internal gas monitoring measure the concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the ambient air and inside the vehicle. If safe levels are exceeded or fall short, the onboard personnel will be warned by visual and acoustic signals. Additionally, the measurement values are clearly visible in the front and in the rear of the vehicle. Thermal imaging cameras installed outside of the vehicle support the orientation in a dusty, smoky environment, and can help detect trapped miners.

Joy Global blasthole drill

Joy Global debuted its P&H 77XD blasthole drill at MINExpo, which can be configured for rotary or hammer drilling, diesel or electric power, and single- or multi-pass drilling.

The drill’s name reflects its 77,000 lb of maximum bit loading capacity.

It is designed to deliver an up to 10 per cent maintenance and repair cost advantage.

Its features included a robust solid boxer style mast construction with a simple rack and pinion pulldown design to reduce maintenance effort while increasing drilling forces; an innovative automatic bit handling and pipe handling functions to improve safety and increase machine utilisation; intelligent compressor control, which manages power consumption and associated bailing velocity, to lower operating costs; and other smart features to facilitate improved cycle times, including: enhanced auto drill and electronic load sense control.

The 77XD is also compatible with Joy Global’s new high-precision GPS tele-remote operation console and automation solution, which includes features such as geo fencing, auto navigation, and obstacle detection and mitigation.

Atlas Copco underground mining truck

Atlas Copco its official unveiled its latest underground haul truck, the MT65, at MINExpo.

The machine, known as Julia, has been developed to provide an extra five tonnes of capacity per load, and designed with a swathe of new and improved features.

“The MT65 is based on years of knowledge from the successful

MINESITE VEHICLES

MT6020,” Atlas Copco said.

“The built in reliability combined with higher capacity and high ramp speed leads to dramatically increased productivity.

“To improve energy efficiency we have reduced fuel consumption and decreased running costs.

“It’s the strongest, smartest, and most productive truck we’ve ever put to use in operations.”

The truck has been tested to its limits, undergoing field trials in Western Australia, at St Barbara’s Gwalia mine, which runs more than 1620 metres deep, or a ten kilometre haul distance.

According to Atlas Copco, these load studies – carried out with contractor Byrnecut – have seen a serious increase in productivity performance compared to the existing fleet of Atlas Copco MT6020 underground haul trucks over the three month, 2000 hour long trial, where tonnes per kilometre, speed on grades, and payload capacities were tested.

Wayne Symes, the Atlas Copco business line manager for underground, said trials had recorded a 10 per cent increase in carrying capacity and lower fuel usage than the MT6020 Byrnecut operator Steve Nascivera,

LIEBHERR RELEASES ITS NEW 100 TONNE MINING TRUCK

who had been testing one of the machines (dubbed Sofia), said he “found it to be very user friendly, and very comfortable inside the cab [but] the biggest advantage is the sheer amount of dirt that we’re bringing up each run”.

“Our average is between 63 and 65 tonne,” he said, with Atlas Copco stating it is able to dump these loads in around 13 seconds.

The dump box has a maximum 65 tonne haulage capacity, and is engineered for high productivity and reliable performance, Atlas Copco said, adding it has optimised angles and wear resistant steel which enables longer operational life and easier release of material.

The load weighing system presents information directly to the operators on the filling process, and to the outside via status beacon lights, allowing operators to maximise filling and reduce overload.

The MT65 is also ready for the next stage of mining, and has been built to be automation ready, utilising Atlas Copco’s Rig Control System (RCS), and its Certiq telematics solution, which provide machine data and information in an intuitive easy to use HMI.

Safety has also been in focus, with an ISO ROPS and FOPS certified cabin that has sound levels below 80 decibels.

Cameras are located on the front and the rear of the vehicle to increase visibility and safety of those around the vehicle.

An improved front axle suspension increases driver comfort, and is reportedly even better than on the MT6020 model.

Maintenance is a key component in its design.

The truck has “best serviceability in the segment with easily accessible service points and features to ease operation,” Atlas Copco said, with all daily checks reach from ground level.

It is also equipped with a new tyre monitoring system.

“The main filters are collected and accessible in the smart service bay.”

The truck weighs approximately 46.3 tonnes, and measures 2.785 metres in height, has a width of 3.5 metres, and is 11.021 metres long.

It is driven by a Cummins QSK19 EPA Tier 2 engine, with a power rating of 567kW, and has a fuel tank capacity of 844 litres.

According to Atlas Copco, orders were booked for the truck before it was even unveiled.

ADVERTORIAL

THE RIGHT VEHICLE FOR YOUR BUSINESS

I

n an ever changing and competitive landscape, it is difficult to know which vehicle is the best fit for your business. We’ve reviewed a reliable vehicle partner, Isuzu Ute, and outlined a few of the key advantages of choosing Isuzu vehicles for your business.

Founded in 1916, Isuzu Motors is one of the world’s largest producers of commercial vehicles spanning light, medium and heavy weight classes. It is also the world’s largest commercial diesel engine manufacturer, producing over 25 million engines to date.

Isuzu engines are relied upon by top-level automobile manufacturers around the world for their superior performance and exceptional fuel economy. Part of the Isuzu business model is selling their engine designs to other manufacturers, which is a real testament to their product, manufacturing and engineering prowess.

Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) has a

network of over 126 outlets servicing all states and territories, spanning across regional and remote locations.

In addition, in order to support fleet customers and their dealer network, they have a dedicated head office fleet team of 15 people, throughout all regions of Australia.

Isuzu vehicles are engineered for a purpose with their mindset geared towards reliability, durability and economy. With a specific commercial focus, IUA locally provides 22 D-MAX Ute variants and eight MU-X SUV variants equipped to suit all aspects of your business – whether you are a one-man operation or an international corporation.

Safety is an ever present element of today’s work environment and Isuzu vehicles feature extensive active and passive safety features - including six air bags, Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Traction AUSTRALIANMINING

Control System (TCS). Isuzu achieves a maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating on all 4x4 D-MAX Crew, 4x2 D-MAX Crew High Ride models and all MU-X models - and if your fleet requires bull bar fitment, the 5-star ANCAP safety rating is retained when fitted with either of their genuine steel or alloy bull bar options.

Finally, one of the key differentiating areas for Isuzu in the Australian market is their Service Plus Program, which is a comprehensive

17

NOVEMBER 2016

aftercare package, including five years/130,000km warranty, five years premium roadside assistance and a three year capped pricing servicing program. This package provides a standardised ceiling of the cost of ownership over a 3-5 year period, and shows us that Isuzu is backing their product and its reliable DNA. To learn how IUA can help deliver the right fleet solution for your business, visit https://www.isuzuute.com.au/fleet.

MOTORS AND DRIVES

TRACKING ONSITE OPERATIONS ONE AUSTRALIAN MINING CONTRACTOR HAS IMPROVED ITS COMPETITIVENESS AND ABILITY TO MEET CHANGING MARKET NEEDS BY IMPLEMENTING A VIRTUALLY “OFF THE SHELF” OPERATIONAL REPORTING TOOL SYSTEM DEVELOPED LOCALLY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

F

or some time, Downer EDI Mining was facing a number of operational challenges at one of its major Western Australian iron ore mine sites, prompting it to look for a solution.

The company had been using a fleet management system to record equipment data every six seconds which generated an enormous volume of data every day. In addition, users couldn’t easily, reliably or efficiently interrogate and report on the data. This became a cumbersome

task requiring highly skilled IT professionals to extract the desired information, followed by a similar situation with the accountants to reconcile.

These challenges all had the potential to cause ongoing and snowballing problems with the site because of cross system reporting difficulties; changing reporting requirements; the need to react quickly to changing conditions; and problems arising from creating accurate and auditable monthly claims for fleet, staff and haulage usage.

AUSTRALIANMINING

The last challenge was the most complex and had the greatest financial implication. Downer needed to efficiently interrogate and report on large data sets from the fleet management system in order to accurately measure production and associated costs.

Accordingly, MiPlan Solutions was approached by Downer to look into the situation and come up with a recommendation.

According to Rob Daw, MiPlan Solutions’ CEO, “They needed an operational reporting tool that was

18

NOVEMBER 2016

agile. They needed to pick up huge amounts of data from all over the place in multiple disparate systems.

If their clients questioned anything in the reports or monthly claims, they had to prove them. If they couldn’t, then they had no choice but to absorb the associated costs. It was an accountant’s nightmare.”

The first and most critical piece of the implementation of the Mine Intelligence (MiiNT) solution was the location management solution.

If that wasn’t right then everything else would be wrong. The location

MOTORS AND DRIVES

MIINT’S NEW MAPPING INTERFACE IS ALSO TABLET READY, GIVING SUPERVISORS NEAR REAL TIME ACCESS TO INFORMATION OUT IN THE FIELD.

improve the overall project.”

Target Management and Equipment information was fed back to the The project was completed on Performance were all utilised. fleet management system which time and under budget. Not only was The final part of the empowered dispatch to easily control the project a success from a time and implementation – Haulage Analysis the visibility of locations on operator’s cost perspective, but it has also had screens. Using polygons it was easy for - was developed in conjunction a significant impact on the business with Downer. Analysing coordinate dispatch to identify the diggers’ exact and staff attitude. Daw went on to information every six seconds and locations avoiding the possibility of say, “The Downer team now come calculating the horizontal and vertical mining the wrong block. to meetings with up-to-the-minute component of the running track was From there, other functionalities information, all done at a click of a critical to optimising the haul paths from MiiNT’s suite of modules were button. This has helped them make and associated costs. easily added to the core product better business decisions.”

As Daw said, “…they saw what the as required. Eventually Inventory A M 0 6 1 5Reconciliation, _ 0 0 0 _ S UDrill M 1 solution 2 0 1could 5 - 0do, 5 and - 1 how 5 T1 5 :it 5 4 : 1 0 “It’s + 1 also 0 : enabled 0 0 them to ask easy Management, questions about their business in was to adjust, they made changes to and Blast, Rates Management,

areas, and at a depth, that wasn’t possible before. They can investigate things on a whim because there’s no cost or major effort associated with creating the reports. The Downer Team was really happy. One of their project team members even commented that it had been their most successful project to date.”

As a result and at the time of printing, the MiiNT solution has been now been rolled out to other operations under Downer’s management. AM

SUMITOMO HANSEN HAVE A SOLUTION FOR YOU!

A GEARBOX TO

MOVE IT

MIX IT

COOL IT

NSW 02 9208 3000 & (Hunter) 02 4365 7500, VIC 03 9765 4300, QLD 073853 3800, WA 08 9456 1766

CALL 13000 DRIVE AUSTRALIANMINING

19

NOVEMBER 2016

HEALTH

UNDERGROUND MINERS AND THEIR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES THE FIRST OF A TWO-PART SERIES EXAMINING THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE RESURGENCE OF COAL WORKERS PNEUMOCONIOSIS, OR BLACK LUNG, IN AUSTRALIA. EMERITUS PROFESSOR ODWYN JONES AO, FELLOW OF THE AUSTRALASIAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY (FAUSIMM), WRITES.

I

n writing this article it became apparent how slowly the Australian mining industry reacts to developments in the field of occupational health and safety and the subsequent implementation of more stringent occupational health standards adopted elsewhere and in particular North America.

If, for example, we address the situation prevailing in the field of dust control in mines we know that longterm exposure to respirable dusts, including coal and/or rock dust can cause debilitating lung diseases. Consequently health authorities and industry regulators have defined various exposure limits in an attempt to safeguard the health of workers.

Whilst the mining industry is particularly prone to dusty environments, underground coal mines have in particular been facing increasing challenges due to increasing volumes of coal production from power loading longwall faces and continuous mining panels. Increased coal production results in more inhalable (< 100 microns) and respirable (<10 microns) dust.

It is therefore not surprising to see increasing incidence of Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP) or Black Lung disease occurring in both in the US and Australia.

The American Conference of Governmental Hygienists (ACGIH), for example, advocates a Threshold Limit Value of 0.9mg/m3 respirable dust for bituminous or lignite mines

and 0.4 mg/m3 respirable fraction for anthracite mines (U.S. Dep. of Labour 2016) whereas the 8-hour Threshold Limit Value (TLV) adopted by the coal industry in the USA has very recently been reduced from 2mg/m3 to 1.5mg/m3 at underground and surface coal mines.

In Queensland and New South Wales, however, the current limits remain at 3mg/m3 and 2.5mg/m3 respectively.

As far as diesel fumes in underground mines is concerned its potential health hazard to miners has been known for more than fifty years as evidenced by a fairly comprehensive U. S. Bureau of Mines Report. Indeed, the American Society of Mining Engineers’ Second International Mine Ventilation Congress Proceedings published in 1980, included a whole section on the “Control of Diesel Contaminants” consisting of five technical papers. These papers were particularly informative and included reference to the diesel exhaust particulates being very small in size and difficult to control and could be a more severe problem than noxious gases in coal mining.

Reference was made in a couple of these papers to the initiative undertaken by the Canadian Department of Energy, Mines and Resources in awarding a contract to Ian W. French and Associates for a study of over 1500 relevant literature citations. This led them to define a new “Air Quality Index” as a means of assessing the health hazard to miners working with diesel-powered equipment in underground mines. As stated in the contract specifications, a primary goal

Fig. 1. Air Quality Index (AQI)

AUSTRALIANMINING

of this contract was the development of a criterion which could take account of the combined effects of the mixture of diesel pollutants (including soot) as they occur in the underground atmosphere.

The result was the following Air Quality Index (AQI) (See Fig. 1).

The contractor recommended that an index value of 3.0 to 4.0 should be considered a sufficient heath threat to require the use of protective equipment such as Airstream helmets, while a value in excess of 4.0 would require corrective action to reduce the emission levels at the source or by additional dilution etc.”

The respirable combustible dust in the above index is defined as particulates of diesel origin.

Bearing in mind such longstanding evidence it is disappointing to see so little evidence of these issues being taken seriously enough in Australia.

We Breathe to Live

The prime focus of this paper is the need to ensure the long-term health of underground mineworkers’ lungs. Let us therefore start by considering the workings of the respiratory systems and its in-built mechanisms for coping with unwanted pollutants (see Fig 1).

Air is inhaled through our nose and mouth into our windpipe (trachea), which subdivides into air passages known as bronchial tubes, which in turn subdivide further into smaller air passages know as bronchioles. These eventually terminate in some 300 million very small air sacs, referred to as alveoli, which are surrounded by tiny blood vessels, known as capillaries. This is where the returning blood stream gets rid of its unwanted carbon dioxide whilst at the same time recharging itself with oxygen from the inhaled fresh air.

Thankfully the respiratory system has its own in-built cleansing mechanism starting with the removal of the larger dust particles by the hairs in our nose. Beyond that we have the small microscopic hairs, known as cilia, in the bronchial system moistened with mucus, which continually transport the smaller particles upward by their wavelike motion to the throat from which they are spat out or swallowed.

However, the very fine coal dust particles remain in the inhaled air until

20

NOVEMBER 2016

they reach the alveoli sacs where there are no ciliated epithelial cells. There, the particles are attacked by cleansing cells known as macrophages and having engulfed them, they travel upwards to the bronchioles where the cilia take over to transmit the macrophages containing the fine dust to the throat.

When the system becomes overwhelmed with the quantity of fine respirable dust over long periods the macrophage cleansing system breaks down, with fine dust particles and dust containing macrophages building up in the lung tissue causing scarring and permanent injury; a condition known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis or black lung.

Fine silica in the inhaled air gives rise to a further problem since the macrophages release a toxic substance as it engulfs the silica, causing fibrous or scar tissue to form. Whilst this is part of the body’s repairing mechanism, if the volume of crystalline silica is excessive the lung function becomes permanently damaged; giving rise to the progressive disease known as silicosis.

It is also worthwhile noting that the chemical composition of cigarette smoke adversely affects the wavelike motion of the cilia thereby weakening the body’s cleansing system even further.

Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis

The inhalation of dust has long been recognised as a health hazard leading to pulmonary diseases. Indeed, coal miners’ pneumoconiosis or black lung is one of the most severe health and safety problems facing the coal industry today, with its prevalence increasing in both the USA and Australia. As stated in the Federal Register (the Daily Journal of the US Government) when reporting on Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust “the prevalence rate of lung disease among our nation’s coal mines continues despite the fact that incurable black lung is preventable.

Additionally, young miners are showing evidence of advanced and seriously debilitating lung disease from excessive dust exposure”.

Consequently as from August 1 2016 the operators of underground coal mines in the U.S. are required to continuously

HEALTH

FIG. 2. View of Shearer Power Loader operating on a longwall coal face.

maintain the average concentration of respirable dust (less than seven microns in size), to which each miner is exposed, at or below 1.5 mg/m3 of air.

However, going back to 2009 a timely warning was issued by a team of Australian researchers when they stated that “although power loading longwall mining offers a safe method of extraction, it poses a severe problem in

the control of airborne dust.” (See Fig. 2) The dust concentration across the traversable area of a power loading longwall face can vary considerably along the concentration contours across a longwall face equipped with four-legged chocks some 50 metres downwind of the shearer. Such results prompted the following observation “clearly an effective solution to airborne dust must

be developed and implemented to realise the full potential of longwall mining utilising shearer power loaders.”

Of the 12 operating coal mines in Queensland nine have fully operational longwall faces with the others planning to introduce them (Monash University and University of Illinois; Final Report for Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines, 2016). Eleven Queensland miners have recently been diagnosed with black lung and 18 have so far been recommended for further tests. Beyond that there are increasing numbers needing close attention.

However, as stated earlier the problem isn’t restricted to Australia and Abi Millar of Mining and Technology Market and Customer Insight, along with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) highlighting that in the USA, whereas only 0.08 per cent of all miners were diagnosed with progressive massive fibrosis in 2000, by 2012 this figure had risen to 3.23 per cent of working miners in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, the highest level since the 1970s.

Whilst there are many factors contributing to this situation, some of the more obvious are: • Recommended respirable exposure limits too high.

• Inadequate ventilation and dust control regimes.

• Increasing use of high dust generating equipment such as shearer power

loaders and continuous miners.

• Inadequate and ineffective health screening of mine workers at entry and regularly during their working lives.

• Poor enforcement of existing regulations.

• Mine workers exposed to dusty conditions over longer shift times and work schedules.

• Exposure of mine workers to higher than anticipated levels of crystalline silica.

• If having addressed all these issues, miners are consistently exposed to high levels of respirable dust the compulsory use of personal protection equipment may not be adequately enforced.

Finally, it’s worthwhile reporting the very recent perspective of a team of eight medical professionals on this coal mining industry’s health challenge in Australia.

They recommend: • “Standardisation of coal dust exposure limits, with harmonisation to international regulations; • Implementation of a national screening program for at-risk workers, with use of standardised; questionnaires, imaging and lung function testing • Development of appropriate training materials to assist general practitioners in identifying pneumoconiosis, and

REDA HPS HORIZONTAL MULTISTAGE SURFACE PUMPING SYSTEM

Reliable horizontal surface pumps for mine dewatering.

Selecting the proper pump and controller is an essential part of mine dewatering. With flow rates up to 117 L/s and boosting pressures up to 45,850 kPa, REDA HPS* horizontal multistage surface pumping systems have proven to be cost-effective alternatives to API-610 split case and other booster pumps in Australian mines and around the world.

Find out more at

slb.com/dewateringpumps *Mark of Schlumberger. Copyright © 2016 Schlumberger. All rights reserved. 16-AL-198002

AUSTRALIANMINING

21

NOVEMBER 2016

HEALTH

• A system of mandatory reporting of coal miners’ pneumoconiosis to a centralised occupational lung disease register”.

Their closing paragraph is also worth reiterating – “it is unacceptable that any new cases of this disease should be occurring in Australia in 2016, and our aim should be to eliminate it altogether.

USA’s Mine Safety and Health Administration Experience and Action

Lung diseases caused by chronic and longstanding exposure to respirable

coal dust, known collectively as black lung, is still occurring in the USA despite the fact they are preventable.

According to the US Department of Labour’s “Black Lung Program Statistics, 2012”, more than 10,000 miners died from black lung from 1995 to 2004. It is also claimed, as stated earlier, that young miners are currently showing evidence of advanced and seriously debilitating lung disease from excessive dust exposure.

Until very recently the standards prevailing in the US required mine operators to continuously maintain the average concentration

FIG. 3. Rough section of a coal worker’s lung showing CWP with progressive massive08:52 fibrosisSeite 1 Projekt1 18.10.16

AUSTRALIANMINING

of respirable dust to which miners were exposed every shift at or below 2.0 mg/m3. If the respirable coal dust contained more than 5 per cent quartz, the standard was reduced to 10 divided by the quartz percentage (based on a quartz TLV of 0.1 mg/m3).

Mine operators were also required to collect bi-monthly respirable dust samples and submit them to the US Department of Labour’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for analysis to assess compliance with the required standards. However, due to the delay in analysing samples these results were not known for at least a week, which doesn’t allow for timely corrective action when conditions are unsatisfactory.

However, even with these standards and requirements Coal Miners Pneumoconiosis continues to occur. In recent years the incidence of the disease has increased and in some cases it has progressed rapidly to the most severe condition known as Progressive Massive Fibrosis (see Fig 3) Knowing that there are no means of curing Coal Miners Pneumoconiosis and the only effective way of preventing it is by reducing exposure to respirable coal mine dust the MSHA is revising its requirements by introducing its “Final Rule” legislation and following is a summary of its provisions:

22

NOVEMBER 2016

• As from August 1, 2016 the standard for respirable coal mine dust was lowered from 2.0 mg/m3 to 1.5 mg/ m3 at underground and surface coal mines and from 1.0 mg/m3 to 0.5 mg/m3 for intake air in underground mines.

• As of February 1 2016 mine operators must use the “Continuous Personal Dust Monitor” (CPDM) to record the exposure of underground coal miners at greatest risk.

• This new sampling device measures continuously in real-time the levels of respirable dust concentrations thus giving almost instantaneous values for inspection and, if necessary, immediate corrective action by the mine operator as required by the new legislation.

• MSHA inspectors will also take single, full shift samples periodically to determine compliance.

• The final rule also requires spirometry testing, occupational history and symptom assessment in addition to periodic examination of chest X-rays by properly qualified personnel.

• These new provisions also require certified persons to perform dust sampling, maintain and calibrate sampling equipment. Certification involves attending an MSHA course and passing its examination with certified persons being re-examined every three years. AM

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

PLATINUM SPONSOR -

THE 2016 PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS AN INSIGHT INTO THE WINNERS OF THIS YEARS PROSPECT AWARDS

T

he 2016 Prospect Awards have come once again, celebrating the individuals and companies who have demonstrated best practice in Australia’s mining sector.

Taking place in Sydney at Doltone

House, the awards went off without a hitch; with all attendees enjoying the night of celebration and appreciation, helped in no small part by MC and media personality Tony Squires.

This year’s competition was tough, with several examples of innovation, safety initiatives, production,

and management going beyond expectations.

While there are signs of greenshoots in the sector – particularly with the coal rally – times are still tough, and it is the effort of everyone in the sector who continue to withstand, evolve, learn, and grow from past experiences to

better the industry.

There are several achievements that have been made in the industry and it is these efforts that we will honour with the awards now, and in years to come.

We congratulate all the winners and finalists. AM

AUSTRALIAN MINE OF THE YEAR THE AUSTRALIAN MINE OF THE YEAR AWARD GOES TO SANDFIRE RESOURCES AND ITS DEGRUSSA COPPER-GOLD MINE FOR MAKING AN OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO BOTH HARD ROCK MINING AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT.

S

andfire joined the ranks of Australian copper producers in 2012 following the successful construction and commissioning of its flagship 100 per cent owned DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine, located 900km north of Perth in Western Australia.

As at 31 December 2014 DeGrussa has a Mineral Resource inventory containing some 546,000 tonnes of contained copper and 661,000oz of contained gold. The exceptional

average grade of this resource puts DeGrussa in a league of its own in terms of copper producers worldwide.

Another one of Sandfire’s successful projects is the building of a sustainable international mining company through a combination of focused exploration and strategic business development.

The innovative $40M DeGrussa Solar Project was successfully commissioned at Sandfire’s DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine in June 2016.

Covering a total area of over 20 hectares, it is the largest integrated

off-grid solar and battery storage facility in Australia and comprises of 34,080 solar PV panels with a single-axis tracking system that enables the panels to track the sun during the day, improving the plant’s overall performance.

The panels are connected via an extensive network of low-voltage, high-voltage and communication cables to a 6MW lithium-ion battery storage facility and the existing 19MW diesel-fired power station at DeGrussa.

The solar facility has been

MARK MCVEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MMD AUSTRALIA AND CARMEL JOHNSTON, SANDFIRE RESOURCES

AUSTRALIANMINING

24

NOVEMBER 2016

integrated with the diesel-fired power station, continuing to provide base-load power to the DeGrussa mine with sufficient minimum load to ensure it can respond quickly to meet the power requirements of the process plant and underground mine.

The DeGrussa Solar Project is designed to supply around 20 per cent of the annual power requirements of the DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine and cut its emissions by around 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, a reduction of around 15 per cent based on its reported emissions for FY2016. AM

Proudly supporting the Prospect Awards since inception

INNOVATION THROUGH EXPERIENCE Established in 1978, MMD designed and patented the innovative Twin Shaft MINERAL SIZER™. To equal the performance of the Sizer, MMD has also developed a robust range of Heavy Duty Apron Plate Feeders, providing an ideal foundation to produce the worlds most efficient and reliable In-Pit Sizing and Conveying (IPSC) solutions.

A global team of design, sales and maintenance specialists are situated to work in partnership with customers and provide tailored solutions for each application. With local hands-on support and technical expertise MMD ensures your system continues to deliver optimum performance and efficiency.

An exemplary track record of ‘Innovation through experience’ has led MMD to being an integral part of the global mining industry and a byword for productivity and reliability.

Tel: 1300SIZERS

email: sizers@mmdaus.com.au

For more information please visit WWW.MMDSIZERS.COM

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY -

EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ROY HILL HOLDINGSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ROY HILL MINE HAS RECEIVED THE EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AWARD FOR IMPLEMENTING A RANGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES.

R

oy Hill is a recently developed 55 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) iron ore mining, rail and port operation in Western Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pilbara region. Operations consist of a conventional open pit bulk mining operation from multiple production benches, 55Mtpa wet processing plant, 344km single line heavy haul railway, and a purpose-built, dedicated two berth iron ore port facility at Port Hedland, capable of receiving,

stockpiling, screening and exporting 55Mtpa (wet) of direct shipped iron ore.

The size of the Roy Hill Project necessitated multiple environmental management initiatives.

At the Port, to minimise impact to mangroves, the overland conveyor was built using an innovative above-ground traveller methodology. Piles were driven into the ground using a crane on a platform followed by installation of road trusses, precast panels and conveyor modules. Once the process of installation was completeds,

the platform winched forward incrementally saving 85 per cent of the mangrove clearing allocation approved by the EPA. Roy Hill implemented an SMS/ email dust alert system to minimise community impact. The alerts notify Roy Hill of high dust concentrations within minutes, prompting early action in case dust is being generated from the ore handling facility. Roy Hill is also implementing a dust dispersion modelling forecast system to allow port operations to plan mitigation actions

SOPHIE MIRABELLA, REPRESENTING ROY HILL HOLDINGS

AUSTRALIANMINING

26

NOVEMBER 2016

prior to adverse weather.

Furthermore, the company implemented a survey, trapping and translocation program to mitigate construction impacts on significant fauna. During construction of the rail alone, 13,576ha of fauna surveys were completed. A 2,000ha rehabilitation program returned threatened species habitat within the shortest timeframe possible. Monitoring has proven that Spinifex Hopping Mice are already using rehabilitated sites for foraging and habitat. AM

performance the way you do.

Sustainable Sustainableis is smart. smart.

Optimise youryour circuit with energy-efficient Metso Optimise circuit with energy-efficienttechnology technology from from Metso From high-performing cone crushers, to the low-consumption design of vertical stirred mills, and the

Fromrevolutionary high-performing to the low-consumption design offor vertical stirred HRC™ –cone Metsocrushers, offers energy-efficient comminution technology every stage of mills, your circuit. With and the revolutionary HRC™ – Metso offers energy-efficient comminution technology for every the right Metso equipment, you’ll benefit from more sustainable, less-costly operations. And you won’t sacrifice Our equipment always delivers high availability, minimalfrom maintenance and beyond-standard safety. stageperformance: of your circuit.

With the right Metso equipment, you’ll benefit more sustainable, less-costly operations.

Andplease you won’t sacrifice performance: Our equipment For more information, contact your Metso representative as below: always delivers 08 9420 5555 maintenance Brisbane: 07 3623 Sydney: 02 8825 1600 high Perth: availability, minimal and2999 beyond-standard safety.

Metso Australia Limited Email : minerals.info.au@metso.com, website : www.metso.com

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY -

CONTRIBUTION TO MINING GRAEME TUDER RECEIVED THE CONTRIBUTION TO MINING AWARD FOR HIS EFFORTS IN TRANSFORMING MICROMINE INTO ONE OF THE LEADING MINING SOFTWARE COMPANIES.

G

raeme Tuder, Micromine’s founder, successfully transformed the company, now in its 30th year, into one of the world’s leading privately owned mining software companies.

Tuder’s passion and belief in his company’s products and services is unwavering. His commitment has driven the consistent growth of Micromine from the small company he founded in 1986 – with just one product and two staff – to the creator

of global mining software solutions used at more than 2,000 sites in over 90 countries.

Prior to 1986, Tuder was a partner in Geometra, a firm of land and hydrographic surveyors, based in Sydney and with operations throughout SE Asia and New Zealand.

He has been involved in the export of Australian technology and expertise for over 40 years.

Micromine is a leading provider of innovative software solutions that span the full mining cycle - from geological exploration and data management,

to resource estimation, mine design, production control. No other company of its type has such a significant and dedicated focus on export.

The software is used to maximise asset value and increase productivity, with the products renowned for both their ease of use and their powerful capabilities. All are available in numerous languages and supported by local experts.

Tuder’s greatest achievement has been to successfully identify and develop markets, and subsequently present Micromine with exporting

GREG HEYLEN, BGC CONTRACTING CEO WITH CLAIRE TUDER REPRESENTING GRAEME TUDER FROM MIRCOMINE

AUSTRALIANMINING

28

NOVEMBER 2016

opportunities. Without ignoring established English speaking markets, he has pioneered the introduction of western mining technology and modelling standards into emerging markets which were previously under command economies and had limited computerisation.

Mainly due to his efforts, those markets have come to regard Micromine products as standard, cementing Australia’s global reputation as a leading supplier of mining technology and services. AM

Regardless of what challenges lie ahead, we see a bright future for the industry.

Getting there will mean going further, trying harder and thinking smarter. Here at BGC Contracting, we call this 110%, and it is the ongoing level of commitment

that drives every member of our team.

We are going the extra mile to deliver for Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading resources companies to help them succeed during these tough times. If you are ready for this kind of partnership, we are ready to give it 110%.

LEADERS IN MINING AND CIVIL CONTRACTING Perth (08) 9260 2300

Brisbane (07) 3119 0900

Whyalla (08) 8647 8411

Sydney (02) 8404 4281

WWW.BGC.CC

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY -

HARD ROCK MINE OF THE YEAR SANDFIRE RESOURCES HAS RECEIVED THE HARD ROCK MINE OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR THEIR DEGRUSSA COPPER-GOLD MINE

S

andfire Resources is an S&P ASX200 Australian mining company which operates the DeGrussa CopperGold Mine, 900 km north of Perth, in Western Australia. Sandfire’s vision is to build a sustainable international mining company through a combination of focused exploration and strategic business development.

The company’s innovative $40 million DeGrussa Solar Project was successfully commissioned at the Copper-Gold Mine in June 2016.

Covering a total area of over 20 hectares, it is the largest integrated off-grid solar and battery storage facility in Australia and, reportedly, the world.

The project comprises a 10.6MW solar array of 34,080 PV panels

with a single-axis tracking system mounted on 4,700 steel posts. This enables the panels to track the sun during the day, improving the plant’s overall performance. The panels are connected via an extensive network of low-voltage, high-voltage and communication cables to a 6MW lithium-ion battery storage facility and the existing 19MW diesel-fired power station at DeGrussa. The solar facility has been integrated with the diesel-fired power station, continuing to provide base-load power to the DeGrussa mine with sufficient minimum load to ensure it can respond quickly to meet the power requirements of the process plant and underground mine.

The DeGrussa Solar Project will supply around 20 per cent of the annual power requirements of the DeGrussa Copper-Gold Mine and cut its emissions by around 12,000

tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, a reduction of around 15 per cent

based on its reported emissions for FY2016. AM

CARMEL JOHNSTON, SANDFIRE RESOURCES

CONTRACT MINER OF THE YEAR BGC CONTRACTING RECEIVED THE CONTRACT MINER OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR DEVELOPING A NEW PROGRAM TO CUT OPERATING COSTS.

E

ven before the iron ore price collapsed, BGC Contracting embarked on a process with longstanding client, Cliffs Natural Resources, to find a more sustainable way of working at Cliff’s Koolyanobbing mine than the ‘costplus’ model which incentivised contractors to keep costs high.

Together they designed a new, collaborative contracting model which encouraged both parties to work smarter and reduce costs.

They began with Project One essentially integrating their respective management and engineering teams. While Project One was initially established to improve safety, broader opportunities for operational efficiencies very quickly became evident.

This integrated team developed “Target 55”, an ambitious program to sustainably cut $55 million from Cliff’s operating costs over three years.

Efficiencies were found at every stage; switching from FIFO to DIDO reduced commute expenditure by 60

per cent a year with little impact on travel times. The mining project was re-optimised, energy savings were

GREG HEYLEN, CEO, BGC CONTRACTING

AUSTRALIANMINING

30

NOVEMBER 2016

realised – with a move to solar-LED lighting – and truck and train-loading were maximised – driving down waste in transport costs.

Over three years, $100 million was saved, almost twice the original target. BGC Contracting cut its own operating costs by almost 40 per cent. Cliffs’ annual operating costs were reduced significantly in line with BGC’s, ensuring the project’s sustainability through the lowest iron-ore price cycle in more than a decade. At the same time, production improved by six per cent and, most pleasingly, the original purpose was achieved, with safety improving by a staggering 60 per cent.

Importantly, these results reflect a long-term, collaborative approach, and a sustainable and innovative way of doing business, marking a new level of maturity in contract mining.

Unsurprisingly, Cliffs extended BGC Contracting’s services for Koolyanobbing’s remaining life of mine to 2022. AM

Atlas Copco is known for innovative and sustainable solutions for mining, tunneling and quarrying. Many of our ideas for developing products and solutions are in collaboration with customers, suppliers and the industry. We move mountains with ideas from all parts of our business - design, sales, finance, training, service and more.

Learn more at ideasmovemountains.com

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY -

MINERALS PROCESSING OF THE YEAR MAGOTTEAUX HAS RECEIVED THE MINERALS PROCESSOR OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PULP CHEMISTRY MONITOR.

M

agotteaux partnered with Manta Controls to develop a Pulp Chemistry Monitor (PCM), which is used in the flotation process when separating ore from waste product.

Flotation is a chemical process that relies on making the minerals you want to recuperate stick to bubbles

and be recovered into a concentrate.

The efficiency of this separation relies heavily on getting the chemistry right, which is why the PCM was developed.

Magotteaux realised that sometimes when operating a plant, the chemistry is often overlooked as it is difficult to measure and interpret. This can have a negative effect on how the process is carried out and can be costly to the mining

company. Thus the PCM was born.

The device measures the pulp chemistry of critical process streams in real time, which in turn allows the process to be optimised and metallurgical performance improved.

PCM capabilities arise from a combination of a fully integrated communication and high-level control functions.

Bringing the deviceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capabilities to fruition was a collaborative effort.

GRANT SMALL, MAGOTTEAUX

AUSTRALIANMINING

32

NOVEMBER 2016

Manta Controls got the ball rolling by utilising Rockwell Automationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Integrated Architecture platform, and then it was enhanced with classical metallurgical know-how provided by Magotteaux.

Manufactured in Adelaide, the PCM is exported globally for integration into a range of mineral processing facilities with the ultimate goal being to aid productivity and increase profitability. AM

INNOVATION PARTNERSHIPS Your Challenge, Our Solution McLanahan continues to deliver customised solutions for our customers so they are able to drive productivity gains across their business. Talk to us about innovative ways to make your processing equipment Safer, Simpler, Smarter.

NEWCASTLE | +61 2 4924 8248 MACKAY | +61 7 4952 3377 PERTH | +61 8 9248 5771 sales@mclanahan.com.au mclanahan.com

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY -

COAL MINE OF THE YEAR COAL MINE OF THE YEAR HAS BEEN AWARDED TO DOWNER MINING AND STANWELL’S MEANDU MINE FOR INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY AND RECORDING OUTSTANDING RESULTS.

M

eandu Mine is located in the South Burnett in Southern Queensland, owned by Stanwell and operated by Downer EDI. The Meandu Mine has the capacity to supply up to seven million tonnes of coal per year to the adjacent Tarong power stations, with sufficient coal to power these stations until at least 2037.

This year, the mine’s results averaged 82 per cent against a target of 80 per cent. The companies’ 33 year-old 1370W dragline achieved a five per cent increase in volume for the year, attaining 18 million bank cubic metres (BCM).

By focusing on the value chain of mining processes, this led to a productivity increase of three per cent, according to the companies.

Furthermore, drillers reduced

operating costs by more than 35 per cent and increased productivity by the same factor through a long term penetration rate improvement program.

The blast crew is currently trialling forefront loading techniques with the intent to increase downstream productivities and eliminate the social and environmental impact of noxious gases.

According to the companies, “Our site is unique because of our people, our culture and our values.

We carve our own path of success through relationships, productivity improvements and the sheer tenacious will to be the best at what we do.

“The single greatest success story of Meandu is its people, who are the epitome of dependability, old school hard work and success.”

Downer is a leading provider of services to customers in transport services, technology and

communications services, utilities services, engineering construction and maintenance, mining and rail.

Stanwell owns coal, gas and water assets which are used to

JACOB ORWELL, SITE MANAGER, MEANDU MINE

THE DOWNER AND STANWELL TEAM FROM THE MEANDU MINE

AUSTRALIANMINING

generate electricity. The company sells electricity directly to business customers and trades gas and coal. It is also the largest electricity generator in Queensland. AM

34

NOVEMBER 2016

Congratulations to the winners of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awards

Gearmotors \ Heavy Industrial Solutions \ Electronics \ Decentralised Systems \ Services

1 High running and maintenance costs from existing inefficient gear unit.

2 Conceptual model of a modern gear unit overlayed against the ageing drive unit. The output shaft dimensions and location are matched to suit.

3 Mounting dimensions, shaft size and location of the new gearmotor coupled with a manufactured drive base are matched to suit the ageing drive unit.

Ageing drive assembly replacement made easy!

SEW-EURODRIVE can tailor an engineered solution to replace ageing drive assemblies across many industries. For the approximate cost of servicing obsolete, unreliable and inefficient gearboxes, SEW can engineer a drop-in replacement package. Utilising a vast assortment of modern proprietary gearing and motor technology increases reliability, efficiency and serviceability, contributing to a significant reduction to the Total Cost of Ownership.

Our team of experienced engineers can design a modern drive package, which enforces critical measurements and includes additional options.

Personal consultation supported by conceptual and engineering drawings are used to guarantee our solution will meet your technical requirements.

Drop-in packages are engineered and assembled in Australia utilising our vast assortment of stocked parts. To find out more about SEWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drop-in replacement solution contact a qualified engineer closest to you on 1300 739 287.

www.sew-eurodrive.com.au 1300 SEW AUS (1300 739 287) to be directed to your nearest office Melbourne (Head Office) I Sydney I Brisbane I Townsville I Perth I Adelaide

AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

INNOVATIVE MINING SOLUTION RCT RECEIVED THE INNOVATIVE MINING SOLUTION AWARD FOR ITS CONTROLMASTER INDEPENDENT GUIDANCE UNDERGROUND MINING SOLUTION

R

CT is an innovative, dynamic and solutions-oriented smart technology company with the expertise to evolve entire industries. It designs, manufactures and delivers custom technology and service solutions to support clients around the world in multiple sectors, including mining, agricultural and civil. Its team includes over 150 committed people working with clients in over 64 countries

worldwide, from Australia to Africa, Asia, Russia, North America and Latin America, and is a global leader in smart guidance, teleremote and remote control automation solutions for the mining industry, with over 40 years’ experience.

RCT leverages knowledge, insight and know-how to provide clients the advantage of measurable value, increased profitability, efficiency and safety.

The company’s ControlMaster Independent Guidance (Point-2-

Point) system is an underground automation mining solution that can be adapted to any mobile machine.

Through the push of a button, the machine navigates itself throughout an underground drive to its intended destination, with the system automatically controlling steering, braking and speed, ensuring the machine trams at a faster pace than it would on any other system.

The operator can then leave the machine to navigate by itself to the destination

This is teamed with laser technology, which is utilised to keep the machine on the path, avoiding walls and obstacles and all but eliminating machine damage.

Independent Guidance makes navigating narrow underground drives easy, reducing operator fatigue and increasing productivity. According to RCT, the solution takes the stress out of operating machines on narrow and difficult-to-navigate underground drives, and requires no mine map. AM

MINE MANAGER OF THE YEAR NEIL HASSETT RECEIVED THE MINE MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR HIS DEDICATION AND CONTRIBUTION AT THE MT. OWEN MINE

C

oal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) Manager of Glencore’s Mt Owen CCHP, Neil Hassett, has worked at the mine for the past 14 years.

Before arriving at Mt Owen, Hassett worked at another Glencore site, Bulga CHPP, where he also worked for 14 years as a fitter, planner and supervisor.

Affectionately referred to as ‘Dad’ by the younger generation of workers at the plant, Hassett is not only a dedicated employee but in his role as a manager has a high degree of empathy to those who report to him.

There are many anecdotes where Hassett has responded to employee’s personal matters that go beyond the scope of his job description, and it is of no surprise to those who know him well that he treats many

employees like family.

As well as these personal attributes, when it comes to working at the site Hassett has been a great advocate of maintenance and reliability for the CHPP. There are many stories from contractors who come to Mt Owen who know how important Hassett is to the day-today running of the plant. Comments such as “It’s one of the best maintained CHPP’s and a great place

L CONTRO REMOTE TION & AUTOMA SAFETY RE SOFT WA

VOLUME 108/1 0|

WARE & HARD

MINE SITE VEHICLE REV IEW BLACK LUN G FEATUR E

NOVEMBER 2016

SPEED LIM ITING ON SIT E

2016 PRO

OBER 2016 108/9 | OCT VOLUME

to work”, are not uncommon, and this is due to Hassett’s professionalism and how welcome he makes contractors feel.

At 63 years of age, Hassett is described by his peers as one of the true characters of the mining industry and after 37 years is still a key contributor to our business.

“We often joke with him that he has forgotten more than we have learnt about leadership”. AM

VOLU ME 10 8/8 | SEPT EMBE R

S

PECT AWA RDS 16 THE 20 WARDSROCK SYDNEY A ECT FOCUS PROSNPAND EXCELLENCE IN

E AR THM OVIN G EQ UND UIPM ERG ENT ROU ND MIN ING CLA SS TRU CKS

2016

ULT RA

O INNOVATI

Australias top Mining Magazine

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

THE

PRINT POST

5 PP10000818 APPROVED

SERVI

IN E MIN NG TH

US G IND

INCE TRY S

PRINT POST

1908

PRINT POS T APP ROV ED PP1 000 081

APPROVED PP100008185

LAT

EXC EST MI LON AVATO NING MA GWA RS, C LL S TRU HINERY HEA CKS RER , S 85

SER

SERVING

THE MIN ING

INDUSTR

www.australianmining.com.au AUSTRALIANMINING

36

NOVEMBER 2016

Y SINCE 1908

VIN

G T HE

MIN

ING

IND

UST

RY

SIN

CE

190

8

EXPAND I NG TO INCLUDE AN ALL-NEW CONFERENCE IN 2017

For more information visit: www.womeninindustry.com.au

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

COMMUNITY INTERACTION THE RESOURCES HUB RECEIVED THE COMMUNITY INTERACTION AWARD FOR THEIR REDUNDANCY RESCUE SERVICE.

T

HE resources HUB was established in 2012 by Dani Tamati as a Careers, Talent, Recruitment and Managed Services consultancy dedicated to the resources industries including civil, construction, mining and oil and gas.

Redundancy Rescue aims to take the stress out of redundancy and help those going through the process navigate the unexpected and challenging journey that is often faced, in order for the individual to quickly and effectively be ready to

apply and secure a new opportunity.

Its aim is to provide effective ‘employment life-cycle management solutions to clients through relationship direction and business understanding; in order to be the central ‘HUB’ in providing career development, recruitment, human resources, training and associated managed services.

“With close to 23 years of experience in mining, and as the Principal of THE resources HUB, last year when many individuals in our sector and within my personal network

were being made redundant, those in particular that often worked for the one company their entire career, I noticed many that I was in touch with didn’t have the basic skills required to be able to apply for a new opportunity, let alone know exactly how to go about doing that,” Tamati said.

The series covers ensuring your CV is the highest quality so that the individual knows their strengths and capabilities in the market in which they are applying; setting up a LinkedIn Profile and how to become comfortable using this

DANI TAMATI, THE RESOURCES HUB

AUSTRALIANMINING

38

NOVEMBER 2016

and other social media platforms for the purpose of employment opportunities; receiving Job Alerts so that the individual is one of the first to hear of potential roles suitable to their skills set, qualifications and experience ; and how to negotiate with banks and creditors to ensure they don’t panic and sell assets if there is no need Essentially THE resources HUB aims to mitigate additional stress not only supporting the individual, but with options to support the entire family going through redundancy. AM

, D E E N U .

O T Y E R R E ER N. V E F O T N A O H IS H W D IT RC A N I E F ES TH

RELY ON AUSTRALIA’S MANUFACTURING, MINING AND INDUSTRIAL HUB 70,000 monthly users can’t be wrong. Find what you’re looking for with over 12,000 business listings and 8,000 specific product listings. Access relevant information and resources, empowering you to make a qualified purchase decision. You can always rely on your industry hub.

FERRET GROUP OF WEBSITES

F E R R E T.C O M . AU

PROSPECT AWARDS WINNERS

EXCELLENCE IN MINE SAFETY TEAM ENGINEERING SERVICES HAS RECEIVED THE EXCELLENCE IN MINE SAFETY, OH&S AWARD FOR THEIR STACKER & RECLAIMER PROJECT.

T

EAM Engineering Services recently completed the erection of two stackers and two reclaimers at Anglo American’s new Grosvenor mine near Moranbah, Bowen Basin in Central Queensland.

The works were completed between September 2014 and April 2016, reaching approximately 300,000 man hours in onsite and offsite works, with

no Lost Time Injuries.

The project involved the unloading, transporting, reloading and unloading of heavy components and “Oversize Transport Loads”.

The total weight of the four machines was 3130 tonnes. The components varied in size from the 950 tonne Bridge Reclaimer and 980 tonne Portal Reclaimer, to smaller components. In the course of the project there were over 670

major crane lifts, each one posing a challenge to the safety of personnel and the equipment involved.

The company had to be satisfied that each lift was conducted in the safest possible manner due to the close proximately to other workers while at the same time not adversely impacting the productivity of the project. In conjunction with the project, the company also developed an innovative approach to use 3D

ANDREW HEGERTY, TEAM GROUP

AUSTRALIANMINING

40

NOVEMBER 2016

modelling and animation for each lift. The models were used together with regular stakeholder meetings to ensure everyone involved had ownership of the outcome, knew in advance what was planned, knew what was expected of them, and were always focussed on achieving safety first.

It enabled the whole team to visualise, plan, review and understand the lift before execution. AM

2017

AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS

NOMINATIONS NOW

OPEN To nominate, please go to

www.prospectawards.com.au

AUTOMATION & REMOTE CONTROL

THE REAL CHALLENGE FOR AUTOMATION PROJECTS: PEOPLE AUTOMATION DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN EVERYONE WILL BE REPLACED BY ROBOTS. ANDREW SUTHERLAND, HF INTEGRATION, WRITES.

H

eadlines such as ‘When robots and AI come, what jobs will be left?’ from the Australian Financial Review, (31/08/16) is just one example of recent press articles that insist our jobs are at risk from automation, and that pretty soon we’ll all be replaced by robots. In fact, I’m often told that there will be no need for human factors specialists when everything is automated. Until then though, HF Integration is providing human factors support to Rio Tinto’s

AutoHaul project, which involves the roll out of automated, driverless iron ore trains to transfer product from mine to port in the Pilbara.

For all its focus on technology, it’s the human aspect of the project that is the most interesting, revealing that, rather than taking jobs away from people, automation allows organisations to use their people in different ways, further increasing productivity.

A significant change to train controllers’ jobs in Rio Tinto’s Perth Operating Centre has been the replacement of a manual paper train AUSTRALIANMINING

graph with an electronic version which automatically calculates a schedule for the trains. This change reveals two important human factors

aspects that must be considered as companies investigate ways of automating their processes.

Firstly, some controllers do miss

FOR ALL ITS FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY, IT’S THE HUMAN ASPECT OF THE PROJECT THAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING, REVEALING THAT, RATHER THAN TAKING JOBS AWAY FROM PEOPLE, AUTOMATION ALLOWS ORGANISATIONS TO USE THEIR PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS, FURTHER INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY.” 42

NOVEMBER 2016

Enerpac High Tonnage Cylinders

Enerpac CLL, CLP, CLRG, CLS and CLSG-series high tonnage cylinders.

Designed for heavy lifting and pushing applications.

Features include: • Lifting capacities from 50 to 1,000 tonnes • Integral stop ring (CLRG and CLSG) • Lock nut for safe mechanical load holding (CLL and CLP) • Double acting for positive retraction (CLRG)

AUS 1800 225 084

sales@enerpac.com.au www.enerpac.com.au

AUTOMATION & REMOTE CONTROL

WHERE PREVIOUSLY CONTROLLERS HAD TO CONCENTRATE FULLY ON THEIR PAPER TRAIN GRAPH – CONTINUALLY PLANNING, UPDATING AND RE-PLANNING – NOW THEY HAVE CAPACITY FOR TALKING TACTICS WITH OTHER CONTROLLERS, SOLVING PROBLEMS, AND IDENTIFYING WAYS OF OPTIMISING OPERATIONS ON THE NETWORK.” the good old days of the paper train graph. The cognitive problem solving aspect (and professional pride) in being able to schedule two iron ore trains to pass each other at a specific location, to manage driver hours and take account of geography, weather, technical faults and a host of other considerations has been removed to a certain extent. To some, this has taken a lot of the fun out of the job, and these controllers see their role now as babysitters, watching over the

system and fixing it when it breaks.

This highlights the first important human factors element in automation: far from liberating workers from repetitive or boring tasks, automation often takes on those tasks that system designers can work out how to automate.

Prime candidates would be those that require calculation and consideration of a number of changing variables – like planning train movements. Often, the tasks left over for operators to do are the

AUSTRALIANMINING

boring repetitive ones that can’t be automated. Like adding details to the plan, responding to alarms, and restarting the system if it fails.

However, what’s striking about walking into the Operations Centre now is the amount of discussion that goes on between controllers and with other stakeholders involved in the process. Where previously controllers had to concentrate fully on their paper train graph – continually planning, updating and re-planning – now they have capacity for talking tactics with other controllers, solving problems, and identifying ways of optimising operations on the network.

This finding shows that one of the changes brought about by automation is that operators skills and competencies need to adapt too. Rather than being able to concentrate and work quietly, operators now require strong teamworking, problem solving, and

44

NOVEMBER 2016

communication skills. They need to work collaboratively in order to take the ‘workable’ plan generated by the system and add their expertise to deliver an optimised plan, achieving better results than could be achieved either by hand, or through simply relying on the technology.

So, far from simply replacing jobs (and putting human factors specialists out of work) automation projects have an important impact on individual roles and the organisation as a whole, because they influence operator workload, competence, teamwork, problem solving, and communication. It’s only by considering these distinctly human qualities, and identifying user requirements early in the automation process, that real gains can be achieved. AM Andrew Sutherland is a Human Factors Consultant and Director of HF Integration.

WORK DIFFERENT GO BEYOND ERP WITH SAGE X3

Intelligent Business Management Software www.sagex3.com

ADVERTORIAL

SAFETY WITHOUT COMPROMISE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FACTORS COMPETING FOR PRIORITY WHEN COMPLETING A DRILLING JOB FOR A MINE. WHILE SAFETY IS THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR GOOD CONTRACTORS, COST AND TIME FRAMES ALSO COMPETE FOR PRIORITY. HOW CAN DRILLING COMPANIES ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THEIR TEAM WHILE STICKING TO BUDGET AND TIME CONSTRAINTS?

B

unbury Drilling Company (BDC) has created a robust safety culture within the company and utilises modern support equipment set up for the highest compliance standards, to ensure the safety of its team without compromising on cost or time.

equipment operated with competence allows for exceptional availability and utilisation.”

Balancing priorities

Mr McLeod said BDC takes safety as well as time frames and budget into consideration, and is able to identify the best ways to meet all these priorities.

“Safety is paramount, but in terms of continual improvement of the operation, completing projects on time and keeping to budget, you need to focus on identifying opportunities to improve the efficiency on individual projects.”

“We have found improved production and efficiency comes with experience, and the continual

availability of fit for purpose equipment to reduce the risk of breakdowns and lost time on a project.”

“We also take an educated, methodical approach to any technical issues that might come up, ensuring we overcome them as quickly as possible and that they don’t repeat.”

Creating a safety culture

BDC General Manager Dale McLeod said the company fosters a safety culture through a focus on the competencies of the team and the equipment that they use.

“We have a robust internal safety culture imbedded at all levels of the business. There is simply no one in the team who accepts less or who is willing to compromise.”

“We ensure our team has the training and experience to correctly operate our broad range of equipment. Fit for purpose

Hardox Wearparts. Your local experts in efficient wearparts solutions The world’s largest network of wearparts producers and service providers utilising the worlds number one range of wear resistant steels.

Supporting local manufacturing and servicing a wide range of wear-intensive industries, if you want protection from wear...

Hardox Wearparts Hobart Hazell Bros

0428 122 870 | hobart@hardoxwearparts.com

Hardox Wearparts Melbourne Australian Steel

03 9580 2200 | melbourne@hardoxwearparts.com

Hardox Wearparts Perth - Hazelmere BluPoint

Hardox Wearparts Townsville NQHF

Hardox Wearparts Wellington Real Steel

Hardox Wearparts Perth - Forrestfield Transbeam

07 4782 0144 | townsville@hardoxwearparts.com

1300 447 558 | perth@hardoxwearparts.com

0800 732 578 | wellington@hardoxwearparts.com 08 9494 2535 | forrestfield@hardoxwearparts.com

www.hardoxwearparts.com AUSTRALIANMINING

46

NOVEMBER 2016

DRILL, BLAST & GEOMECHANICS

INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY: IS THE INDUSTRY RUNNING OUT OF SOLUTIONS? EVERY MINING PROJECT IN AUSTRALIA TODAY IS STRIVING TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE FOR LESS COST. BUT IS THE INDUSTRY RUNNING OUT OF SOLUTIONS? WELL, THAT MOST LIKELY DEPENDS ON WHO YOU’RE TALKING TO. WARREN FAIR, GENERAL MANAGER, ACTION DRILL & BLAST WRITES.

T

he opportunities to make operations smoother, sleeker and more profitable are most definitely there. It all comes down to whether you have the desire and ability to identify them and take action.

The best solutions are those that get the mine producing more with the same resources. The focus needs to be on quality of output instead of quantity of input.

Start with the small stuff

In the quest for greater productivity and efficiency, the small stuff shouldn’t be overlooked. Making small changes across drill and blast can lead to big benefits that can have a profound effect on the entire operation.

By simply improving communication and motivation

blast service, any spare time can be spent learning more about other roles.

For example, a driller can assist the fitter on a breakdown. This not only increases the driller’s ability to recognise issues before they happen but it can also help get a drill back up and running more quickly. Operators can also make the effort to sit with other drillers and share each other’s skills and experiences to improve drilling outcomes.

within the team for example, minor efficiency gains can grow from minutes or dollars per hour, to hours per day, to saving whole shifts of labour time – equating to reduced project costs and greater profit. These gains are free; they require no extra employees or equipment – simply better planning and motivation.

Showing the whole team the improvement path – that is, how investing time gained into taking better care of machinery and implementing other initiatives will achieve greater competiveness in the market means more jobs rather than less jobs – is important. If the understanding and incentive is there, workers are more likely to look for opportunities and reveal their ability to do better. They will be motivated to use spare time productively while on shift. With an integrated drill and

Blasthole drilling

Another area where productivity gains can be realised is blasthole drilling. It’s an area often overlooked in continuous improvement activities and can deliver quick wins.

The key opportunity here is to re-evaluate KPIs. Blasthole drilling outcomes are most commonly measured in terms of immediate

performance, such as penetration rates achieved per shift and number of hours or metres drilled. What’s critical, however, is hole quality and durability. If the hole collapses before the blast crew arrives then the drilling efforts have been completely wasted.

A more productive approach is to measure drilling performance based on the delivery of holes at the right location and to the desired depth when the blast crew arrives.

Using this KPI, drillers will begin to measure the holes before and after the job, to ensure required depths are met. Drilling practices can then be amended if necessary to reduce rework. Holes drilled a few days earlier will be measured to see how things have changed over time. Holes at the start of a pattern will be given a little extra depth than those last to be drilled to allow for fallback.

INTEGRATED SERVICES

ACTIONEXCELLENCE R E S P O N S I V E . E F F I C I E N T. R E S U LT S. A TRACK RECORD OF EXCELLENCE PERFORMANCE

SAFETY

PEOPLE

VALUE

EXPERTISE

RELIABILITY

PARTNERSHIP

EQUIPMENT

Visit actiondb.com.au email wedeliver@actiondb.com.au

AUSTRALIANMINING

47

NOVEMBER 2016

DRILL

BLAST

SERVICES

EXPLOSIVES

DRILL, BLAST & GEOMECHANICS

Not only does this result in a better blast, it minimises the need to redrill holes; saving time and reducing costs. A driller that is accountable for the quality of their holes makes blast crew activities more efficient.

Using this approach, Action Drill & Blast (ADB) has demonstrated that a drill operated by our team can regularly achieve 20 to 25% greater productivity with fewer re-drills, than a drill of the exact same model maintained and operated by others.

Rig optimisation

Exceeding targets with the same or lower costs by implementing initiatives such as those mentioned above, allows for funds to accumulate for other, bigger programs that require not just ideas and time, but money too.

While more expensive to purchase, operate and maintain, using big drills means drilling less holes - patterns can be drilled quicker and less explosives accessories are required.

So despite their operational costs, the cost of achieving the end result – blasted material – becomes cheaper than if the same amount of work had been done with smaller drills.

However, this approach presents challenges if a mine has varying blast requirements and/or if reducing dilution and ore loss are key objectives.

If a blast is designed around the capabilities of a big drill rather than designed to maximise the explosive energy, it can result in a sub-optimum blast to the detriment of subsequent mining activities and project costs.

Alternatively, it means acquiring an additional drill at more cost.

Solutions–focused drill and blast teams are finding ways to overcome this issue by optimising smaller rigs to drill larger hole sizes, effectively enabling them to perform in a higher drill class but without the additional operating costs associated with running a larger piece of equipment.

These optimised rigs use multiple bit diameters and can perform angled drilling to suit varying ground types, final wall designs and bench heights. The capability to drill a wide variety of blasthole sizes means the drill and blast team can get the most efficient work out of the explosives and therefore deliver the best downstream benefits to the mine such as better rock fragmentation to improve dig rates and crusher throughput, optimal

AUSTRALIANMINING

muckpile profiles and better final wall stability.

This approach has been delivering value in the Bowen Basin where ADB engineered modifications to a standard Atlas Copco Pit Viper 275 (PV275). The engineering improved the rig’s flexibility enabling it to compete against its larger and more expensive cousins.

The optimised PV275 drills three different size holes - 229mm, 251mm and 270mm. Its standard set

48

NOVEMBER 2016

up is just 251 and 270mm. There is no requirement for additional equipment to drill thinner holes and custom-made rods also facilitate increased depth which enables the rig to drill 20 per cent deeper than the standard PV275 model and with equal efficiency.

In short, a forward-thinking, teambased approach and a dedication to doing things better means that more work can be done with the same – or even fewer resources and less cost. AM

WEAR RESISTANCE & LUBRICATION

NEW LIGHT SHONE ON EXTENDING WEAR LIFE THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA (UNISA)’S FUTURE INDUSTRIES INSTITUTE (FII) ANNOUNCED A RESEARCH COLLABORATION AGREEMENT WITH LASERBOND, PROVIDING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN WEAR-LIFE EXTENSION FOR RESOURCE INDUSTRIES.

U

niSA is part of a national collaborative group of five major Australian universities that form the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN), a new generation of universities focused on industry collaboration and realworld research with accelerated commercial impact. UniSA has a strong foundation in Materials and Mineral Sciences and advanced laser

manufacturing technologies.

The university’s new multimillion dollar FII focuses on building knowledge and capacity in core future industries, with its objective to develop informed, industry-connected research and innovation in engineering and the physical sciences.

The strategic collaboration offers resource industry companies access to the world-class skills, knowledge, and facilities of the university, together with LaserBond’s 25 years

AUSTRALIANMINING

of surface engineering experience in solving wear life problems in heavy equipment.

LaserBond’s R&D and advanced manufacturing facilities group is located just a few minutes away from UniSA’s Mawson Lakes Campus in Cavan SA, where it is developing and manufacturing a range of products and services with embedded IP for direct or indirect export markets.

This North Adelaide location is suitable for supporting innovation in several key growth centres,

49

NOVEMBER 2016

particularly in resources, agriculture and defence.

The company was established in 1992 as an innovative surface engineering firm at the forefront and developing new surface engineering technologies. In 2000 LaserBond achieved another world first by designing and building a highpowered integrated laser cladding system capable of metallurgically bonding a wide range of metals to heavy machinery components.

Subsequently, in 2015, they

WEAR RESISTANCE & LUBRICATION

developed a new laser deposition method, which virtually eliminates substrate dilution and detrimental heat effects. This technology makes laser cladding technology available and economic to a wide range of industrial applications, in particular, high wear applications common in resource industries, and as a replacement for hard-chrome, as used on hydraulic cylinders in mining and drilling.

To better understand the metallurgy and bonding of surface engineered coatings, twenty years ago LaserBond invested in an in-house Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). They also worked with the Australian Synchrotron facility to gain high-resolution insights into the

metallurgical structure being achieved by its 2015 innovation.

Through this research collaboration, UniSA will apply its extensive material characterisation laboratories and testing systems to support the development of new cladding materials, applications, and technology.

The company is also investing and developing new laser additive advanced manufacturing systems.

Hereto, the collaboration with UniSA:FII’s laser engineering group should deliver dividends for local manufacturing.

LaserBond chairman Allan Morton said it was “truly pleasing” to see the company’s history of innovation taking another step.

“A great deal of effort, time and AUSTRALIANMINING

money has been committed to experimental surface engineering developments since the company was formed,” he said, adding that founder and executive director, Greg Hooper, always sought to continually push the boundaries and exploring all things metallurgical.

“As an example, Greg recently met with the Fraunhofer Society in Germany to confirm that we are at the cutting edge of laser deposition technology globally,” Morton said.

“This society is a research organisation with 67 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science.

It employs around 24,000 people, mainly scientists and engineers with an annual research budget of AUD$3 billion. More than 70 per cent of its

50

NOVEMBER 2016

funding is earned through contract work, either for governmentsponsored projects or from industry.

“It’s our belief that this format of industry-lead research collaboration brings the best of industry problem solvers together with best academic capabilities in minerals and resource engineering. Almost always our innovation is through unchartered waters, but it creates the foundation for LaserBond’s growth. We’re proud that our company has now been endorsed by these two highly respected organisations.

“We can look forward to a growing cluster of technology companies hastening and broadening of our laser cladding technology to help more industries in more parts of the world”. AM

SAFETY

KEEPING SITES SAFE WITH SPEED LIMITERS SPEED LIMITERS ARE BEING USED IN A RANGE OF APPLICATIONS TO INCREASE SAFETY ON SITE.

A

ustralian owned and operated company MotorCycle Cruise Controls (MCCruise) has been working with Kubota Australia & New Zealand for the last year developing speed limiters for their fleet.

The company designs, develops and manufactures a range of products including Speedsafe speed

limiters for ATVs, RTVs and sideby-sides; model-specific, plug and play, fully electronic, after-market cruise controls for motorcycles; and precision, low-speed cruise controls for ATVs and side by sides – QuadCruise.

Accidents on ATVs and the push for greater safety by Occupational Health and Safety organisations has reinforced the need for SpeedSafe, which features ‘tamper proof’ and

‘penalty’ modes to ensure operators adhere to particular speed limits.

Tamper proof units mean the vehicle stops working if the speed limiter is disabled, helping management quickly identify individuals who are tampering with the units. As driving can become uncomfortable if the limiter is engaged, some operators persist in ‘thrashing’ the vehicles on the limiter even though the speed cannot

exceed the set limit by more than 2kph. Penalty mode penalises the rider if they stay on or near the limit.

This is intended to train operators to start observing the limit voluntarily.

The most tangible benefit is that the vehicle has full power up to the speed limit, reducing maintenance costs as the vehicles are not being abused.

The Stillwater Mining Company in Billings, Montana, USA - which

SAVING TIME & MONEY EVERYDAY Whether its metal fabrication, maintenance or repair, Hougen offers a wide variety of Magnetic Drills, Annular Cutters and electro-hydraulic hole punchers to increase your productivity for your holemaking applications. Built for the crews that depend on tools for their job, Hougen products will be there when you need them. Reliable, dependable, powerful & safe.

03 5277 2611 SERVICE • INTEGRITY • RELIABILITY HOUGEN.COM Hou-727 Aus Mining.indd 1

AUSTRALIANMINING

51

NOVEMBER 2016

2/9/16 8:41 AM

Belt cleaner systems from ESS make conveyor systems cleaner, safer and more productive PROBLEM: Carryback is material that sticks to the belt past the discharge point and then drops off along the conveyor’s return run.

Without belt cleaners, prevalent carryback causes material build up on rolling components leading to seized idlers, wandering belts and increased power consumption.

conducts underground mining operations extracting palladium and platinum – recently ordered 22 SpeedSafe limiters for their site.

The company runs a fleet of Polaris Ranger, Kawasaki Mule and now Kubota RTVs within the mine – about 100 in total – with the new speed limiter on their RTVs proving to be a success.

“We had to alter the configuration a little because drivers didn’t like having their speed constrained,” Tony Guymer one the directors at MCCruise said. Management at the site have welcomed the speed limiters as staff no longer abusing the vehicles and they have noticed a reduction in maintenance costs.

Over time, they expect to see fewer accidents and incidents on site; saving time, insurance costs, and administration overheads.

Railways in the USA are one of the biggest SpeedSafe users: Union Pacific uses Honda TRX250s in their freight years to visually inspect every bogey on every freight train

STILLWATER MINING COMPANY IN BILLINGS, MONTANA, USA

SOLVED: With belt cleaners, minimalized carryback results in…

• Improved maintenance planning and conveyor availability as emergency outages, unscheduled downtime and “hurry-up” repairs are reduced.

• Reduced maintenance expenses by lower labor costs for fewer and faster service procedures. Improved manpower utilization by fewer belt tracking and material cleanup chores.

• Maximized equipment life by fewer replacements of prematurely worn components damaged by fugitive material and buildup.

• Improved working conditions and plant safety and morale by better housekeeping.

• Improved community relations and regulatory compliance by reducing environmental pollution.

www.esseng.com.au

1800 074 446

AUSTRALIANMINING

which is mandated before every train leaves. Trains in the USA are big business and accidents, downtime and admin overheads were costing the companies a lot of money.

Although SpeedSafe was not welcomed by the staff, Guymer said management “loved them”.

“We had speed signal generators attacked with hammers,” he said.

There is a wide scope for SpeedSafe in the mining industry, with the David Evans Group in Queensland also purchasing a number of systems for councils and mining.

Guymer added that the biggest seismic survey company in the USA, which has implemented speed limiters on their whole fleet, saves a million dollars a year on maintenance alone.

“The future is quite exciting, but we have to get the word out there that this small Australian company is producing something that many people need, but no-one knows about yet.” AM

52

NOVEMBER 2016

MINING APPS

STREAMLINING THE INSPECTION PROCESS BIS INDUSTRIES AUTOMATES ITS WORKSHOP WITH THE NEW ASSET INSPECTION APP

L

oad-haul-dumps, face haulers, continuous miners. These underground mining machines do tough jobs in even tougher environments. A division of Bis Industries supplies underground mining equipment to the coal industry on Australia’s East Coast. It needs to ensure that the equipment the company supplies moves quickly through the inspection process so it can go from job site to job site without compromising performance or the customer experience.

Bis Industries provides underground equipment services to the resources industry. Each piece of equipment the company’s Underground division hires to a mine site must go through a prehire inspection. Once the customer returns the equipment, the company performs a post-hire inspection, which is used to create a scope of work for an external workshop to complete tasks found in the inspection and to re-charge the hirer for any incurred damage. However, using paper-based processes created significant delays.

In the past, after completing the

inspections, Bis personnel had to input the forms into a spreadsheet, upload photographs taken of the equipment during inspection and email this information to an external workshop to complete necessary maintenance and repairs. The workshop then priced the job. Only when Bis approved the priced scope of work and sent it back to the workshop did work commence on the asset. The external workshop would then update the scope of work as the job progressed and send it back with final costing.

Gathering information from these paper-based processes took time, slowing invoices by months. “The delay in this manual process was causing the damage that needed to be charged to customers to not happen for sometimes up to three months,” a representative for Bis Industries said.

Without a central database for asset maintenance history and information, Bis personnel, their workshops and their customers had limited visibility into the conditionof assets and the scopes of work for their repair. In some cases, customers refused to pay for repairs based on how old the damage claims were.

AUSTRALIANMINING

Bis Industries sought a solution that would eliminate manual processing so it could hire and maintain assets more quickly. The company chose DSI’s Digital Supply Chain Platform (DSCP) to create a mobile app to complete inspections with integration to Bis Industries’ JD Edwards backend system. DSI’s DSCP includes a rapid application development platform with drag-and-drop interface with reusable components to quickly design mobile apps.

Deployed on ruggedised tablets, the app allows inspectors to take pictures and easily answer questions—and record that information into the back-end system.

Users can also create a scope of work through JDE at the time of customer sign-off on repairs.

The app takes the same questions inspectors responded to in paperbased forms and combines them with model work orders to allow reporting over each asset’s maintenance history.

During the post-hire inspection, the user can see pre-hire responses and images within the app. “This allows the user to clearly see if the equipment has been damaged since

53

NOVEMBER 2016

it went to the customer site,” the Bis Industries representative said. “If the post-hire inspection is completed on site, the customer has the ability to see on the tablet what is determined to be customer damage and sign off on the inspection.”

Since deployment, the mobile app has streamlined asset maintenance.

Now, the company’s mechanics, as well as suppliers and customers, can see and use information from the DSI app.

“As there are no manual processes to input recorded data, personnel are able to spend time looking at machines now and resolving mechanical issues instead of sitting in front of a computer,” the representative said. “Admin personnel are no longer inputting into JDE from Excel as this occurs from the DSI solution.”

By putting information in the hands of the company’s workers, the DSI app enables them to do their jobs faster and better. The representative for Bis Industries said, “DSI enables us to compare before and after hire pictures and inspection details of assets to make resolving recharge issues more efficient.” AM

PRODUCTS

THE WORLD’S LARGEST PLASTIC ENERGY CHAIN The igus E4.350 energy chain was specially developed for offshore applications but is also suitable for other industries where oversized cables and hoses need to be guided and protected.

Plastic energy chains are significantly cheaper than traditional steel energy chains, and the E4.350 is stronger than steel for its size and is much lighter. It is also resistant to corrosion and weathering, and unaffected by exposure to almost every type of chemical and petrochemical, as well as exposure to UV rays.

The large energy chain is made out of igumid ESD, making it suitable for use in areas where the ATEX or IECEx standard applies. The self-lubricating material requires no grease or oil on the joints throughout the working life,

significantly reducing the need for routine maintenance.

The E4.350 has a modular design and can easily be shortened or lengthened as required. It offers excellent rigidity and high load capacity during operation thanks to the tongue and groove design. It has a quiet, straight operation due to the inner/outer link design, and stable opening crossbars at every link.

The dimensions include an inner height of 350mm, inner widths 400-800mm, bending radii 500-1000mm and pitch 470mm. An interior separations system and mounting brackets can also be supplied.

• Treotham Automation Pty Ltd (02) 9907 1788 www.treotham.com.au

HEAT PUMP SOLUTION FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS GEA’s RedAstrum series is a standardised heat ammonia heat pump solution for industrial uses and local heat distribution networks.

Distribution of heat to the users takes place via a water cycle. Heat exchangers, as they are already used in the efficient GEA Blu chillers, assure excellent heat transfer from the ammonia medium to the heating medium.

The heat pump provides heat at a temperature level up to 80 degrees Celsius, which also makes it effective for preparation and supply of hot water in industrial processes. With its four model sizes, the new RedAstrum series covers the range of approximately 1-25MW of maximum heating duty, with temperature increase of 40-17 degrees Celsius. The unit operates in conjunction with sources that provide heat in the range of 10-40 degrees Celsius.

Maximum efficiency is acquired by quiet-operating, speed-controlled screw

compressors form the GEA Grasso M series that are designed for application at pressures of up to 52 bar and that demonstrate an optimal internal volume ratio. The typical rotor profile plays a key role here for the high efficiency of the RedAstrum. In addition to speed control, these compressors are equipped with continuously variable output slide control, which enables extremely low part-load operation as well as soft starts.

In compact, narrow design (unit width of 1.4 or 1.6m) and small footprint enable the nit t be installed in existing machine rooms. This means it is well suited to replace conventional heating systems, claims the manufacturer. It is delivered in one piece, ready for connection, and comes from the factory with the GEO Omni control system, which can be quickly and intuitively operated with a colour-touch display by operating staff and service technicians.

• GEA www.gea.com

WEARPACT

TM

Wearpact is a patented ground engaging tool designed for both underground and open pit conditions and suitable for any material type. Heavy duty edges and corners perform under all loading conditions, keeping wear consistent across the edge. Wearpact has a 15 year history of reliability on mine sites around the world.

It is a proven performer from the Keech Innovation and Quality Centre - where our technical experts focus on customer challenges and develop innovative solutions.

GET in touch to request a trial or brochure 1300 4 KEECH

www.keech.com.au AUSTRALIANMINING

54

NOVEMBER 2016

PRODUCTS

OPTIMISING UNDERGROUND MINE DESIGN process is based on a concept of maximising an objective, such as ore tonnes, which the system then converts into an optimisation model that can be optimised by the MILP solver.

This highly intuitive yet simple workflow is based on 3D solid wireframes. The solids are interrogated against a block model while material quantities and qualities are calculated and written on the wireframe as attributes.

When the wireframes are imported into the scheduler, they can be sequenced and optimised.

Micromine 2016 has also enhanced the Grade Tonnage Reporting tool which now allows users to define and report on a number of material types. The scheduler

With the release of Micromine 2016, the latest version of Micromine’s exploration and 3D mine design solution, features have been implemented and overhauled to assist with underground mine design.

While powerful scheduling tools are notorious for being expensive and often difficult to master, the system seeks to address these problems by incorporating an enhanced schedule optimiser within the Scheduling module that provides engineers with the means to identifying an optimal mine plan.

The schedule optimiser is a mathematically proven Mixed Integer Programming (MILP) solver, providing engineers with the optimal extraction sequence. This

TAKE-UP WINCHES FOR INCREASED SAFETY Vector Lifting has designed and implemented improvements on their take-up winches for enhanced safety and productivity. The winches have been designed to ensure easy installation and operation onsite, with a focus around ease of use for operators.

The design and fabrication is focused around compliance to AS1418 Australian Standard Electrical requirements as well as ensuring compliance to the sites particular standards. The safety features assist in ensuring an efficient shutdown of the conveyor and reduces downtime in production.

The winch is designed to have interchangeable parts with all Vector winches and easy access lubrication points.

Each new product is re-assessed to ensure that the conditions and requirements of the new site and operating location is considered, as well as applying client specific prerequisites. A focus around ease of maintenance of the winches was taken into consideration to minimise downtime.

• Vector Lifting (08) 9417 9128 www.vectorlifting.com.au AUS-Field-Service-Business-Ad-DSI-C2.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

10/17/16

10:46 AM

THE DIGITAL MINE COMES TOGETHER IN THE CLOUD CONNECTED DEVICES ACROSS YOUR OPERATION INCREASE VISIBILITY, CONSOLIDATE WORKFLOWS AND IMPROVE SAFETY WITH REAL-TIME ACCESS TO ALL TOUCH POINTS.

Digital Supply Chain Platform

TM

AUSTRALIA | SINGAPORE | HONG KONG

www.dsiglobal.com

AUSTRALIANMINING

55

NOVEMBER 2016

provides dedicated functionality embedded into different underground mine design project types for life of mine and short term schedulers. This was done to prepare data to generate an optimised life of mine solution and then use the solution as the base for a more detailed mine plan.

Micromine’s long term scheduler can use any number of variables and an optimisation objective and then aim to find an optimal solution out of all of the possible outcomes.

The optimiser will endeavour to maximise discounted Net Present Value (NPV) as soon as possible.

• Micromine (08) 9423 9000 www.micromine.com

Nobody extends wear life like we do.

You’ve probably heard about the innovation and progress LaserBond is achieving in surface engineering technology.

We apply new surfaces to worn parts so they work literally better than new. And brand new parts can also be treated so they last a lot longer. Customers enjoy longer wear life, fewer shutdowns for component replacement, and better workplace health and safety control. Our laser-applied coatings typically at least double the life of a part.

The new ‘laser cell’ in our SA engineering facility will have the highest-power laser beam used for laser cladding in the Southern Hemispher. We already operate the three most powerful lasers in this industry in Australia. These are supported by other processes and technologies, such as HP HVOF, all supported by our own well-equipped metallographic laboratory and state-of-the-art workshops. If you’re looking for the best surface engineering available, look no further.

LaserBond – an excellent choice LaserBond Limited | www.laserbond.com.au Sydney | Adelaide | Freecall 1 300 527 372 International +612 4631 4500 | Fax +612 4631 4555 Email info@laserbond.com.au

Quality 9001, Environment 14001, Health & Safety 4801 14656 Branding1A4+