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DRILL & BLAST PROSPECT AWARDS VOLUME 111/10 | NOVEMBER 2019

MINERALS PROCESSING

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COMMENT

BRISBANE BRINGS IN THE PROSPECTS BEN CREAGH

Ben.Creagh@primecreative.com.au

AUSTRALIAN MINING’S SHIFT OF THE PROSPECT AWARDS TO BRISBANE HAS GIVEN AN INSIGHT INTO HOW MINING HAS CHANGED.

oving the Australian Mining Prospect Awards away from Sydney for the first time this year was a decision not taken lightly. As the mining industry knows, it is often hard to break with tradition despite a promising opportunity. But we are convinced the move has paid off. Not only did the evening at Brisbane’s Moda Events return the largest crowd for the awards in many years, it also showcased the might of Queensland mining. A high-calibre crowd attended the event, representing many of the mining and METS (mining equipment, technology and services) companies that have driven a resurgence in the state’s industry over the past three to four years. The event showed that being brave and breaking with tradition can also add new life to something. Conveniently, this year’s Prospect Awards winners reflected this theme, as many took risks to deliver successful projects. It’s hard to go past the Explorer Challenge, a collaboration between OZ Minerals and Unearthed that won the Innovative Mining Solution, in this regard. Until the Explorer Challenge it was unheard of to see a publicly-listed mining company share its exploration data with the general public as a way to find new discoveries. OZ Minerals and Unearthed overcame this barrier and the miner is now on the verge of taking advantage of the ideas that won the challenge at the Prominent Hill

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JOHN MURPHY PUBLISHER CHRISTINE CLANCY MANAGING EDITOR BEN CREAGH Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: ben.creagh@primecreative.com.au JOURNALISTS VANESSA ZHOU Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: vanessa.zhou@primecreative.com.au SALOMAE HASELGROVE Tel: (03) 9690 8766 Email: salomae.haselgrove@primecreative.com.au

site in South Australia. Contractor of the Year, Mitchell Services, brushed aside the cautious agenda of mining’s post-downturn environment to grow through acquisition, including the key move of adding drilling experts, Radco. Perhaps a risky acquisition at the time, Radco has thrived as part of Mitchell, growing in ways that would not have been possible on its own. Then there’s Glencore, which won three Prospect Awards for its Mangoola CHPP coal operation in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Glencore’s massive thermal coal site has overcome the cycles in the industry since opening in 2013 to edge towards its approved capacity. Mangoola was also recognised for Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S after developing a new solution for the difficult task of replacing belly plates on chain feeders. The awards have shown that breaking with tradition through innovation continues to be a key theme of mining’s future. And who knows, perhaps Australian Mining will continue to innovate with the Prospect Awards in the coming years by taking the event to other cities around the country.

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AUSTRALIANMINING

In this edition of Australian Mining, we review the winners of the 2019 Prospect Awards, which were held in Brisbane during October. This issue looks at the growth of automation in mining, including a major project in Western Australia and where the technology is headed elsewhere. We put the spotlight on the uranium industry in Australia and internationally by speaking with experts in the sector. This edition also highlights the value of mined commodities in some of the more overlooked parts of the world. And as usual, we review the latest mining equipment and technology in our regular products section.

Cover image: Komatsu.

Ben Creagh Managing Editor

DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

FRONT COVER

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NOVEMBER 2019

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CONTENTS MINERALS PROCESSING

COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

14-15 METSO IMPROVES PRODUCTION RATES WA Goldfields mill enjoys the benefit of an upgrade with Metso equipment

URANIUM’S PLACE IN THE FUTURE Mining companies get prepared for a recovery in uranium prices

38-40 AUTOMATION

DIGITAL MINING

42 AVEVA RIDES ON INNOVATION WAVE A sweet spot in the mining sector as it embraces technology

THE IMPACT OF AUTOMATION Major projects and the future of the technology

16-19 DRILL & BLAST

ASSET MANAGEMENT

TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATION WITH LEADING GOLD MINERS Minnovare delivers accuracy on long hole drills

PDS GLOBAL DOESN’T FAIL TO PLAN A software platform that can save miners millions of dollars

71 20-23

PROSPECT AWARDS THE 16TH EVENT MOVES TO BRISBANE An in-depth look at the 2019 Prospect Awards winners

TECHNOLOGY THE AUTOMATION FAIR RETURNS Rockwell Automation gathers industry leaders in Chicago

24-26

MINING EQUIPMENT

MATERIALS HANDLING

27-29 WHAT’S NEW IN THE AUSTRALIAN MARKETPLACE New equipment from Hastings Deering and Rokris

BOOSTING CONVEYOR SAFETY Flexco puts universal cleaner pole with multiple benefits into action

73 46

INDUSTRY COMMENT

47 CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF METS GREATNESS Austmine sets sights on greater ambition after celebrating a milestone

AUSIMM UNDERGROUND OPERATORS CONFERENCE Hear the success and failures of operators in this area of mining

30-31 FUTURE OF MINING

EXPLORATION

48 THE BREADTH AND WIDTH OF MINED PRODUCTS Less thought-of, but no less important value to our livelihoods

HITTING THE TARGET RIGHT How a predictive approach could be the future of exploration discoveries

32-33 SAFETY

36-37

OIL AND GAS

49-51

SAFEGUARDING TAILINGS STORAGE FACILITIES McLanahan gets on top of tailings management to improve safety

OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES OF OIL AND GAS InEight and Epiroc ride out a shift in market conditions

REGULARS NEWS 7-13

PRODUCTS 52-53

AUSTRALIANMINING

EVENTS 54

NOVEMBER 2019

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WAT E R

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY

NEWS

THE LATEST MINING AND SAFETY NEWS AUSTRALIAN MINING PRESENTS THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE MINE AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. VISIT WWW.AUSTRALIANMINING. COM.AU TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING. ANGLO AMERICAN ABANDONS AUTONOMOUS TRUCK PLAN ANGLO AMERICAN’S DAWSON OPERATION IN QUEENSLAND. IMAGE: ANGLO AMERICAN.

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

Anglo American has scrapped a plan to replace a portion of its truck fleet at the Dawson coal mine in Queensland with autonomous trucks. The decision follows a feasibility study carried out at the Dawson mine which considered the option of introducing autonomous haulage systems (AHS) instead of undertaking a major overhaul of the company’s 23-strong fleet of CAT797 trucks. Subsequently, Anglo announced it would overhaul the existing fleet rather than purchasing new trucks and implementing AHS, a decision that will be revisited in the next few years as the company looks to replace the fleet.

An Anglo American spokesperson said that while the study found AHS presented opportunities to improve truck fleet performance, the company was prioritising other measures to achieve safer and more productive operations at Dawson. “The accelerating pace of technological innovation, particularly in the areas of digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence, is opening up opportunities for the mining sector to be safer, more productive and sustainable,” the spokesperson said. Despite opting out of joining other majors such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group with the use

of autonomous trucks, Anglo American has found other ways to leverage the development of technology in its operations. In addition to its open cut technology program, Anglo American has initiated remote longwall operation from mine surface and introduced an electronic tablet device to be used in its Australian underground coal mines, which was launched at Moranbah North earlier this year. Anglo America’s plan for autonomous trucks comes just two months after BHP talked up ambitions to add up to 500 autonomous trucks at its coal and iron ore operations across Australia.

In the Pilbara, Komatsu announced a deal to deploy 41 automation-ready haul trucks at BHP’s South Flank iron ore project. The trucks add to the 250 AHS machines Komatsu has already deployed and the 180 operating globally across three continents at nine mine sites. Earlier this year, Rio Tinto confirmed that Caterpillar would supply 20 autonomous 793F trucks and four autonomous blast drills, in addition to automation technologies and enterprise systems to the company’s Koodaideri iron ore project in the Pilbara.

GRUYERE GOLD MINE REACHES COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION Gold Road Resources and Gold Fields have achieved commercial production at the Gruyere gold mine in Western Australia. The joint venture reached the milestone slightly ahead of guidance, midway through the anticipated ramp-up period of six to seven months. Gruyere’s ramp-up started in early August, after commissioning of the ball mill.

Since gold recoveries during ramp-up have already been above expectations, 2019 gold production at Gruyere is anticipated to be at the upper end of the 75,000 ounces to 100,000 ounces guidance. Gruyere management determined commercial production based on a minimum total process plant output of 70 per cent nameplate capacity. With a minimum average gold recovery of 85 per cent of expected

AUSTRALIANMINING

life of mine metallurgical recovery, management also expects these metrics will continue to be met or exceeded moving forward. The all-in sustaining cost (AISC) for the December 2019 quarter is estimated at between $1050 and $1150, slightly above the forecasted $1025. Currently, life-of-mine average production is estimated at approximately 300,000 ounces

NOVEMBER 2019

per annum. Further AISC updates will take place now commercial production is under way. Discovered by Gold Road in 2013, Gruyere is one of Australia’s most exciting gold discoveries over the past decade and promises a 13-year mine life. Located about 200 kilometres east of Laverton, Gruyere was one of Australia’s largest undeveloped gold deposits when it was discovered.

NEWS

KALIUM LAKES GIVES BEYONDIE GREEN LIGHT FOR CONSTRUCTION Kalium Lakes has received board approval for its Beyondie sulphate of potash (SoP) project, allowing fullscale construction to begin at the Western Australian operation. The final investment decision allows the acceleration of activities from current approved early works programs to construction, meaning the company will now look to finalise remaining construction contracts. It follows Kalium Lakes’ completion of a $72 million capital raise in August, in conjunction with the loan facilities provided by KfW IPEX-Bank ($102 million) and Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility ($74 million), plus a working capital facility from Westpac ($15 million). Kalium Lakes chairman Mal Randall said the decision was “the most significant in Kalium Lakes’ relatively short history.” “This milestone effectively triggers the use of the company’s financial capacity, to transform our core objective of becoming Australia’s first commercial SoP producer into reality,” he said. “The world-class Beyondie SoP project is now on track to join only a handful of existing primary SoP production facilities that are sparsely found around the world.”

THE BEYONDIE SITE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Kalium Lakes also received the support and consent of the Traditional Owners from the Gingirana and Birriliburu People, who undertook a welcome to country ceremony on site. The company’s managing director Brett Hazelden spoke at the

ceremony, reflecting on Kalium Lakes’ history, which began just five years ago. “To be able to have the support of the Traditional Owners over this period has been key to the success of the project and we look forward to everyone’s

involvement during the coming decades,” Hazelden said. “Kalium Lakes looks forward to Australian and New Zealand farmers being able to utilise our SoP towards the end of 2020, with full production capacity achieved in 2021.”

MICROMINE GEARS UP FOR GROWTH WITH NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE MICROMINE is set to move into its next growth phase with the appointment of chief executive officer Andrew Birch. Birch has over 25 years’ experience in the technology sector, with his most recent role being chief operations officer of software company, Mind Your Own Business (MYOB). He was responsible for MYOB’s strategic direction and leading a range of acquisitions across the business.

Birch also held several senior management positions within the technology and software industries prior to his work at MYOB, such as at Honeywell Pacific and Vodafone Australia. “I am excited to join the MICROMINE business,” Birch said. “(It) has a great culture, the broadest capability in the market and a winning strategy that has enabled strong growth.

“Building further on this success is an exciting opportunity, I passionately believe a great team with a keen focus on clients is a key success factor.” MICROMINE chairperson Tim Reed added: “(Birch) is a highly experienced senior executive within the technology sector with a proven track record of success in delivering growth outcomes through both organic initiatives and

strategic acquisitions. “(He) has distinguished himself as a highly talented, inspiring and energetic leader, whose creativity, positive attitude and ability to build trust are among his greatest strengths.” MICROMINE provides intuitive software solutions for the exploration and mining sector, covering the entire mining process from exploration through to mine production.

PILBARA MINERALS JOINS FORCES WITH CHINESE EV MANUFACTURER Pilbara Minerals has received a $20 million investment by China’s largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). The company sold 66.7 million fully paid ordinary shares to the Hong Kong-based CATL at the agreed price of 30 Australian cents per share in exchange for an 8.5 per cent stake in Pilbara Minerals. This is part one of CATL’s $55

million investment in the Western Australian company, for which a share subscription agreement was executed in September. Part two of the CATL placement for $35 million is still conditional, subject to Pilbara Minerals’ shareholder approval, as the number of shares being sold is above the company’s existing capacity rules. Pilbara Minerals intends to use the proceeds to strengthen its balance AUSTRALIANMINING

sheet as the Pilgangoora project ramps up to stage one spodumene concentrate nameplate capacity. The company was previously seeking partners that would enhance its value as a company in March this year to fund its Pilgangoora lithium tantalum stage three project expansion. CATL had already indicated its willingness to commercially support Pilbara, purchasing its spodumene

NOVEMBER 2019

concentrate product and meeting Pilbara Minerals’ criteria for a partner that supported its strength and growth aspirations. The proposed Pilgangoora expansion would increase the site’s annual processing capacity to 7.5 million tonnes. Pilbara Minerals will be hosting a general meeting to seek shareholder approval for this second stage of the investment with CATL.

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NEWS

PEMBROKE GRANTED ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVAL FOR $1BN COAL PROJECT

THE PEMBROKE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO DELIVER HUNDREDS OF JOBS.

Pembroke Resources has received environmental authority (EA) for its Olive Downs coking coal project in Central Queensland. The EA, granted by the Department of Environment and Science, authorises activities for Olive Downs’ 79-year mine life and provides the conditions, including environmental obligations, for the operation of the mine. Pembroke chief executive officer Barry Tudor said the company “now looks forward to receiving federal government approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and, to the grant of its mining leases so that construction and jobs can commence”. “The grant of the EA represents the most important milestone for the

project so far and provides a clear pathway towards commencement of construction and first coal,” Tudor said. Olive Downs, which is 100 per cent owned by Pembroke, is set to benefit from being located in the Bowen Basin with access to infrastructure, while also delivering strong environmental outcomes, according to Tudor. “Pembroke has delivered an outstanding standard of assessment and will deliver exceptional rehabilitation outcomes in the development of Olive Downs. In addition, we have acquired a significant area of land to dedicate to environmental outcomes,” he said. “These areas will provide for the protection of native flora and fauna habitat in perpetuity, with the

environmental area increasing over the life of the mine to become significantly more area than we started with.” The mine is expected to deliver significant economic benefits to Queensland, with the creation of up to 500 jobs during construction and up to 1000 new jobs when the project reaches name plate production capacity. In addition to employment and its contribution to the local economy, the steel-making coal project is also expected to generate billions of dollars in royalties for the Queensland Government. The Queensland Resources Council welcomed the announcement of the EA, with chief executive Ian Macfarlane commenting that Olive Downs would be a significant

contributor to royalty payments which build infrastructure in Queensland. “This is more good news for Queensland’s coal industry. It is high-quality coal, close to ports and highlights the wealth of opportunities Queensland can generate from the largest exporting coking coal basin in the world, the Bowen Basin,” he said. “The Olive Downs mine will create up to 500 jobs during construction and up to 1000 once fully operational. The finalisation of the EA is an important next step to bring this project closer to a reality.” The project is positioned to supply steel-making coal to global markets and has already attracted strong interest across Asia including in Japan, Korea and China, according to Pembroke.

CORE LITHIUM EXPANDS NORTHERN TERRITORY FOOTHOLD Core Lithium has struck conditional agreements with Todd River Resources for two new projects in the Northern Territory. The projects, Soldiers Creek and Walabanba, are close to Core Lithium’s existing Finniss lithium project and Darwin port. Core Lithium believes the projects have a strong lithium potential, particularly with their proximity to the company’s existing projects and

direct rail link to the port. The acquisition of these projects will benefit Core’s position as Australia’s next lithium producer and its strategy to make Darwin and the Finniss project a central processing and global transport hub for lithium and spodumene production. Core Lithium has made tenement sale agreements with Todd River in the form of $50,000 in shares for each project, subject to Core

AUSTRALIANMINING

Lithium completing satisfactory due diligence. The Finniss project has some of the best supporting infrastructure and logistics chain to Asia of any Australian lithium project, being located just one hour by sealed road to Australia’s nearest port to Asia, Darwin. Since Core Lithium discovered the Finnis project in 2017, it has aspired for the project to become

NOVEMBER 2019

Australia’s first lithium resource outside of Western Australia. Core Lithium released a prefeasibility study in June 2018, proposing $346 million of pre-tax revenue would be generated during the project’s 26-month life, with a definitive feasibility study to be released by the end of this year. The company anticipates a transition from explorer to producer by the end of this year.

NEWS

BDO BACKS ELECTRIC MACHINES TO TAKE OVER UNDERGROUND MINING

EPIROC IS A LEADER IN ELECTRIC MACHINERY FOR UNDERGROUND MINING.

BDO has revealed the major changes it predicts will shake up Australia’s mining sector by 2023, with electric equipment expected to have a major impact. The report predicts that diesel machinery will be banned in new underground mines by 2023, while existing underground mines will phase diesel out, making significant headway towards electric operations. BDO global head of natural resources Sherif Andrawes said electric mines would provide safer working conditions and increased access to funding. “We now understand a lot more about the health and safety dangers for people exposed to nano-diesel particles. Electric mines will go a long way in reducing those risks for staff working underground,” Andrawes said. “We predict companies that transition to electric mines will raise more capital as sustainability becomes a major consideration for investors. This is a shift we’re already seeing in the Australian market – if projects aren’t

green, the investment won’t come. “This will only compound as companies are required to disclose their emissions and climate risk – companies will face a cost not to transition.” BDO also predicts that at least 10 Australian mining companies will use crowdsourcing or ‘hackathons’ to analyse data and find solutions to fasttrack their exploration projects. “BDO is predicting a trend that sees Australian miners using a global marketplace of data experts to solve their exploration roadblocks, where solutions can be found for a fraction of the cost with a much quicker turnaround,” Andrawes said. The research expects that more Australian mining companies, particularly lithium producers, will offer in-country beneficiation plants, with the opportunity to add value in Australia. As the industry and technology evolves, efforts will continue for miners to capture more value and better margins on the final product. AUSTRALIANMINING

“In-country beneficiation plants have been an aspiration for Australia for some time now, but we have seen limited success due to technological, marketing and cost issues,” Andrawes said “There’s opportunity to pursue this now as Australia’s position strengthens due to geopolitical uncertainties, an abundance of energy sources – including renewables – and the remoteness of our sites making it less feasible to transport low value ores over long distances.” Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to be used to negotiate and price contracts and humans would no longer control the deals in market. Andrawes said while BDO predicted Australia would eventually move in this direction of AI controlling deals in market, little progress had been made so far. “Slowly, we have seen AI introduced into the industry from exploration to mining and processing but the human element in price negotiation prevails

NOVEMBER 2019

in Australia and overseas markets for now,” Andrawes said. Crowdsourced equity funding was also predicted to transform the growth path of junior explorers and tech companies will be the miners of Australia’s future. “In Australia, there’s been slower takeup of crowdsourced equity funding than we expected, with one of the major issues being the platforms themselves coming to market slower than anticipated due to regulatory and technology issues,” Andrawes said. “Another challenge in Australia has been finding companies willing to be the first-movers in this direction. “Since the release of our last report, we have seen more technology companies being influential in mining either through entering into direct offtake agreements with mining companies or even investing in mining companies themselves. ”The key objective of tech companies is to secure the supply of rare but essential minerals without which their products can’t be made.”

NEWS

QUEENSLAND MISSES OUT ON $10BN URANIUM OPPORTUNITY Queensland has missed out on a multi-billion dollar addition to its resources and energy industry due to bans on uranium mining, according to Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane. The most recent valuation estimated Queensland’s uranium deposits to be worth about $10 billion, the QRC stated. Macfarlane said Queensland was “literally sitting on billions of dollars of value” to its local communities

and economy. In fact, uranium could be mined sustainably and economically, Macfarlane told the House of Representatives inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia. An increase in uranium exploration or development could also lead to the discovery of new uranium deposits, as well as other elements. “The ban on uranium mining prevents

us from reaping the benefit of regional jobs, investment and royalty taxes,” Macfarlane said. “Queensland’s uranium reserves are not only a valuable export, but they also have a role to play in delivering reliable and low-emissions power.” Macfarlane cited the BP Energy Outlook 2019 and the International Energy Agency reports, which show that nuclear energy use will grow between 2.3 per cent to 7 per cent

each year through to 2040. He assured that Queensland’s uranium mines would be subject to the same high environmental standards that apply to all its other resources projects. “Queensland can develop its uranium industry in a sustainable way,” Macfarlane said. “It is sensible for this review to take place to look at the long-term options for uranium exports, and in the longerterm, nuclear energy generation.”

ENERGY RESOURCES CONFIRMS RANGER REHABILITATION BY 2026 Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) has reinforced its plan for the closure and rehabilitation of the Ranger uranium mine near Jabiru in the Northern Territory. After more than 35 years of uranium mining at Ranger, ERA is required to cease mining and processing activities by January 2021, with rehabilitation to be completed by January 2026. The rehabilitation plan is updated annually after consultation with traditional land owner representatives, regulators and other key stakeholders. ERA chief executive Paul Arnold said the company was committed to rehabilitating the site over the next six to seven years, making it one of the NT’s biggest projects. “With completion of the Ranger project area closure feasibility study in February this year, ERA has a consolidated, executable plan to be implemented over the next six to seven years,” Arnold said. To create the plan, ERA sought feedback from stakeholders, including the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Northern Land Council, Supervising Scientist

THE RANGER URANIUM OPERATION IN THE NT.

Branch and NT and Commonwealth regulatory agencies. “The quality of the plan reflects the efforts of a passionate and capable team at ERA, as well as the valued feedback from stakeholders,” Arnold said. “ERA has produced an

animation in consultation with the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, which shows the progressive rehabilitation of the Ranger minesite. “It’s a great tool which breaks down the rehabilitation process into easily understood concepts,

provides a timeline for the works to be carried out and has a narration in local Kunwinkju language.” ERA is also collaborating with local indigenous business Kakadu Native Plants to harvest and raise seedlings to revegetate the Ranger mine site.

GALENA STARTS CONSTRUCTION AT ABRA Galena Mining has started construction at the Abra base metals joint venture project in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The initial activities are part of a $15 million surface infrastructure development at the silver and lead mine site. The company’s early works include clearing, roadworks, installing water supply and wastewater facilities and building a permanent

accommodation site. Galena managing director Alex Molyneux said the works were significant to the proposed final key engineering procurement and construction (EPC) and mining services contracts to construct a plant and develop an underground mine. “The construction works now commenced at Abra are significant and most of them form part of what might go into a final EPC AUSTRALIANMINING

package,” Molyneux said. “So, we’re genuinely getting a ‘jump’ on things to fast-track the overall timetable to production.” The initial roadwork focussed on topsoil clearing and storage, ground preparation at the permanent campsite and various site and access roadworks. Previously drilled and prepared water production bores have been equipped with pumps and pipelines

NOVEMBER 2019

and wastewater treatment are being constructed and connected. Assembly of the initial 80-person accommodation units, camp sized kitchen and messing facilities have now been fabricated and are ready to be transported and installed at the site. To ensure minimal disruption, workers were housed in a 24-person temporary accommodation unit until the permanent facility was complete.

COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

URANIUM SECTOR WAITS FOR RECOVERY AS PROJECTS TAKE SHAPE AFTER ALMOST A DECADE OF LOW PRICES, THE GLOBAL URANIUM INDUSTRY IS OPTIMISTIC THAT A RECOVERY WILL SOON EMERGE. BEN CREAGH WRITES.

alk of a rebound in the global uranium market is becoming louder. Boss Resources, which is vying to become Australia’s next uranium producer, is backing the potential of a recovery as market fundamentals become more favourable. The company’s optimism has emerged alongside its plans to revive the South Australian-based Honeymoon project, which is in the definitive feasibility study stage of a restart program. Boss chief executive officer Duncan Craib says the overall consensus appears to be that the uranium market is on its way to recovery. “Demand is growing, inventory is falling and prices have to rise to incentivise supply,” Craib tells Australian Mining. “Within the industry the main industry debate in the near term being a question of ‘when’ will prices rise not ‘if.’” It has, however, been a grind for uranium this year after a promising finish to 2018 – prices have dropped

from a January 2019 average of $US28.90 ($42.60) a pound to $US25.30 a pound in mid October. This year’s resistance means uranium prices have spent the best part of a decade in the doldrums. Since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, numerous reactors around the world have closed, limiting demand for nuclear fuel and forcing miners to shut mines as uranium prices plummeted. After reaching $US136/pound in 2007, and sitting at a healthy $US70/ pound prior to Fukushima, uranium dropped to $US18/pound in 2016 as miners slashed output. Prices have gradually increased since, but remain below the levels needed to make many mines around the world economical. A World Nuclear Association (WNA) report released at the World Nuclear Fuel Symposium this month shows that world uranium production dropped from 62,200 tonnes in 2016 to 53,500 tonnes in 2018. Canada, the world’s second-biggest producer, halved its output to 7000

tonnes over that time. Leading Canadian producer, Cameco, has been a factor in the decrease and indicated in September it may cut production further as it waits for a recovery. Despite Cameco’s cautious outlook, Tribeca Investment Partners commodities analyst Guy Keller joins Craib with a more optimistic view. Kellar believes the ‘when’ Craib refers to in terms of uranium’s price revival could even emerge this year. He says the uranium price and therefore the broader market will be higher into the end of the year as a number of rivers converge. “We expect to see electrical utilities return to contracting, Canadian producer Cameco will move into the spot market to fulfil the balance of their 2019 purchase commitments and financial buy-to-hold strategies will increase their holdings as momentum improves,” Keller tells Australian Mining. “The fundamentals are screaming at us that the uranium price simply must move higher from current levels in order to incentivise not only current

URANIUM PRICES HAVE BEEN PREDICTED TO RISE BY THE END OF 2019.

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

production, but the future production required to fuel the large number of reactors currently under construction.” A subsequent WNA report encouragingly revised projections for nuclear generating capacity growth upwards following the introduction of more favourable policies in several countries. There has also been a positive development for the Australian uranium sector in 2019, with Donald Trump deciding against issuing a quota on uranium imports into the United States. A petition by local producers of Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act had requested that the US Government set a quota to reserve 25 per cent of the country’s nuclear market for domestic uranium companies. The move would have significantly cut imports into the country from overseas producers, including leading exporters Kazakhstan and Australia. As an aspiring producer, Boss praised the decision, with Craib saying the declined restrictions may have created long-term distortions in the market, which could have further impacted a recovery. “As a result, we are beginning to see the unlocking of buying activity from US utilities, and from a global

COMMODITY SPOTLIGHT

THE HONEYMOON SITE IS SET FOR A REVIVAL UNDER BOSS RESOURCES’ WATCH.

THE FUNDAMENTALS ARE SCREAMING AT US THAT THE URANIUM PRICE SIMPLY MUST MOVE HIGHER FROM CURRENT LEVELS IN ORDER TO INCENTIVISE NOT ONLY CURRENT PRODUCTION, BUT THE FUTURE PRODUCTION REQUIRED TO FUEL THE LARGE NUMBER OF REACTORS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.” perspective long-term and spot demand is emerging from utilities around the world,” Craib says. For Boss, the prospect of an improved uranium market may prove timely as it progresses a restart of Honeymoon, a site previously operated by Uranium One between 2011-2013. Boss acquired Honeymoon in December 2015 with it on care and maintenance, before launching the restart strategy in July last year. The company has focussed on progressively de-risking the project, both technically and commercially, to the point where it will be ready to execute the programs of work required for production to restart. Boss has broken the restart into three phases to ready the company for mining, assuming a specified global uranium price has been achieved to satisfy shareholder requirements.

“From a price incentivisation perspective, when we see the spot prices of around $US30/pound, which would imply contract prices above $US40/pound, I’ll start getting excited,” Craib says. “The market is not there, but we are not far off, and in the meantime we are doing everything we can to best prepare Honeymoon for producing and exporting again.” Boss proposes to mine Honeymoon by combining in-situ recovery with Ion Exchange production as it targets an operation in the lowest quartile of worldwide producers. The company secured a new mineral export permit from the Australian Government in April, allowing it to export natural uranium produced at Honeymoon. Boss can export uranium to countries meeting Australia’s uranium AUSTRALIANMINING

policy, namely those observing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and other safeguards requirements. Honeymoon joins three other Australian uranium mines with the permit, including two in South Australia. “This is a rare advantage for a producer as in many instances production may start several years after the decision to mine and only having obtained necessary permitting in supportive market conditions,” Craib says. With Boss approved as an exporter, the company is also hopeful that uranium from Honeymoon can one day be considered for domestic use. The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) reignited debate for a change of attitude towards nuclear power this year, stating it is time to end the “discriminatory treatment” of it by repealing the country’s ban. MCA chief executive officer Tania Constable stresses that nuclear power, which provides 11 per cent of the world’s electricity, is low cost, zero emission and available 24/7. “Latest generation nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors offer the potential to fully back up renewable energy sources,” Constable says.

NOVEMBER 2019

“Removing the ban would allow for Australians to have a serious conversation about a genuinely technology neutral approach towards the nation’s energy mix – delivering affordable, reliable and clean energy sources.” Keller says there is “absolutely” no doubt that nuclear electricity is the lowest source of low carbon base load electricity available to the modern grid. If Australia is serious about reducing carbon, he thinks it is essential that nuclear power at least be considered and assessed as a serious option when planning for the future grid. “There are some fantastic examples in both California and Germany where their renewables reach a point of saturation that renewables lose their effectiveness in the grid,” Keller says. “It is worth noting here that nuclear power is not meant to compete with renewables, but in fact should complement renewables.” Craib’s stance is that is that it is incumbent upon Australia to pursue a mix of low carbon generating technologies, harmonised regulatory processes, and an effective safety paradigm. “Nuclear power can form part of that desired energy mix,” Craib concludes. AM

AUTOMATION A KOMATSU 930E AUTONOMOUS HAULAGE SYSTEM TRUCK ON DISPLAY.

KOMATSU DIVERSIFIES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA WITH BHP DEAL BEN CREAGH SPEAKS WITH KOMATSU AUSTRALIA CHIEF EXECUTIVE SEAN TAYLOR ABOUT WHAT AN AGREEMENT TO DEPLOY AUTOMATION-READY HAUL TRUCKS AT BHP’S SOUTH FLANK PROJECT MEANS FOR THE COMPANY AND WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

omatsu Australia has achieved diversification in the Pilbara that many original equipment manufacturers (OEM) only dream about by winning an order for 41 haul trucks at BHP’s South Flank project. The company’s presence in Western Australia is set to rise significantly with the agreement to deploy the automation-ready 930E5 ultra-class trucks at the iron ore development. Aside from BHP’s use of Komatsu wheel loaders, it marks the first major deal between the two companies in the region, notably for autonomous machinery. Komatsu has, of course, already built a strong reputation in the Pilbara through a long-standing equipment partnership with Rio Tinto. The OEM has played an important role in helping Rio Tinto establish its Mine of the Future

program over the past decade by first trialling and deploying autonomous trucks at the West Angelas site. Komatsu’s relationship with Rio Tinto has only strengthened in the years since as the major miner introduced dozens of of autonomous trucks across its Pilbara portfolio. Rio Tinto also launched the world’s first retrofitted Komatsu autonomous trucks at the Hope Downs 4 operation two years ago. Despite Komatsu’s breakthroughs with Rio Tinto, BHP has historically looked in Caterpillar’s direction for its Pilbara autonomous trucks. Until now, as BHP instead went with Komatsu to supply a new truck fleet for the $US3.6 billion ($5 billion), 80 million tonne a year South Flank project. “It diversifies our customer base in Western Australia and that is great for us,” Komatsu Australia chief executive and managing director Sean Taylor tells Australian Mining. “There are obviously some business implications in terms of AUSTRALIANMINING

diversification, which is good for the business and its sustainability – that’s the main impact. “It creates some additional momentum in terms of the size of additional resources and people that we can support.” The South Flank fleet will add to the 250 autonomous haulage system (AHS) machines Komatsu has already deployed and the 180 it has operating globally across three continents. Komatsu will also boost its 800-strong workforce in Western Australia to support the machines. Taylor expects Komatsu’s workforce to increase by up to 100 people across Western Australia with the South Flank agreement. He says the OEM will also need to expand its Newman facilities in particular, due to their close proximity to the developing site. “That will be good for the Pilbara community because it means as a manufacturer in town we are going to have to increase our facilities and

NOVEMBER 2019

people there,” Taylor says. “We will probably include additional training facilities in Perth as well to support the technology and also the aftermarket side of the business.” The OEM has established a presence in autonomous machinery technology with the FrontRunner AHS brand. It also has the first autonomous truck qualified to operate on private long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband technology in commercial operations. Komatsu’s ongoing development of autonomous and other equipment technologies means its growth in Western Australia won’t just be about adding staff, Taylor continues. He says the company’s existing employees will also require upskilling to complement how the technology evolves. “It is upskilling people that look after the trucks and will operate these tucks,” Taylor says. “There’s no way of hiding that

AUTOMATION

new technology does displace some parts of the workforce, but then it’s about how we engage with those people and our customers over that to re-skill people in that space.” Taylor recognises that the mining industry and its workforces have, and continue to, grapple with the impact of automation on employees. A common perception is that automation removes jobs in the industry, a point of view that causes people to overlook the safety and cost benefits that it offers. Taylor, however, believes this outlook is gradually shifting the other way, both within Komatsu and from the broader industry’s point of view. “There’s an understanding that automation is definitely viable now in mining and definitely in the Pilbara,” Taylor says. “It is not as frightening as people thought. In fact, if I think about the main impact of automation, it is really around safety – it is very much people orientated from that point of view. “It is a technology that is now proven and most mining operations, even globally, on greenfields sites are considering truck automation in one form or another.” The OEM reinforced a commitment to blending its people with autonomous technology by

TWO KOMATSU 930E TRUCKS AT SOUTH FLANK.

and its broader mining equipment portfolio. Since the market downturn in 2012, he says there has been an increased focus on “sweating assets” and improving maintenance processes in partnership with mining companies. Taylor believes that while this priority will continue, it has been joined by new opportunities for Komatsu and other OEMs to pursue.

launching a Centre of Excellence for Autonomous Haulage Systems in the United States earlier this year. It is an example of how the company plans to invest time and resources into ensuring forward thinking qualifications are available for its workforce of the future. With the South Flank deployment set to start, Taylor is optimistic about future opportunities involving Komatsu’s autonomous equipment

“We are coming up to a replacement phase in the market,” Taylor says. “We are getting to a point, as we have seen at a number of greenfield sites but also brownfield sites, where we are seeing replacement mining fleets coming in to the Australian market. “The market has ramped up in the past two years and we probably expect that to continue over the next two to three years.” AM

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AUTOMATION

OVERCOMING AUTOMATION ANXIETY IN FUTURE WORKFORCES AUSTRALIAN MINING SPEAKS WITH GLOBAL MINING GUIDELINES CHAIR MICHELLE ASH ABOUT A TECHNOLOGY-RELATED QUESTION THAT PERSISTS IN MINING CIRCLES – WILL THE ROBOTS TAKE OUR JOBS?

he advent of automation on mine sites has caused controversy and divide amongst miners, creating automation anxiety that is felt throughout the

industry. Pilbara iron ore mines in Western Australia launched the technological phenomenon in Australia’s mining industry a decade ago. BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group have introduced hundreds of autonomous trucks to their mines by either converting their existing fleet or introducing automation-ready machines. Their sights have more recently turned to production drill rigs, which have become the latest area of equipment where automation is now being widely adopted. Pilbara may have been the first Australian region to see widespread introduction of autonomous equipment, but it won’t be the last.

The east coast coal industry and underground hard rock sector are both investigating, or have already implemented, aspects of automation. As more and more mines are automated, and create value at mine operations, the question persists – will the robots take our jobs? Global Mining Guidelines (GMG) chair Michelle Ash says automation will become the norm for mine sites across the world. Ash believes the true challenge lies in working with people through the inevitable transition. “Technology will change jobs, and that’s what we need to prepare people for,” Ash tells Australian Mining. “What’s important is to help people work through the change as soon as possible, answering what it means for their future work and reorientate them.” Even though fears of mass unemployment through automation AUSTRALIANMINING

seems to be a modern issue, it is not the first time automation anxiety has swept through the workforce. Waves of automation have negated the need for elevator operators, switchboard operators, pinsetters and more. Now, the fear is miners will follow in their footsteps. “I’ve seen models both ways, ones that show automation will increase jobs and models that say automation will reduce jobs,” Ash says. To ease the workforce’s automation anxiety, Ash looks to China’s rise as a steel superpower for lessons. “When China became one of the biggest steel producers worldwide, it affected the United States and Germany, which have been two of the great steel producers and manufacturers,” Ash says. “Both countries reacted to that fundamentally differently and the fallout has been fundamentally different.

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“In Germany, they spend a lot of time to retrain and reorient people. Whereas the U.S. has seemed to abandon people, and the workforce has experienced huge unemployment and dislocations.” The introduction of haul truck automation continues at a rapid pace. In September, Komatsu announced it would roll out 41 automation-ready 930E trucks at BHP’s South Flank iron ore project in the Pilbara. BHP has outlined ambitions to introduce 500 autonomous trucks, in addition to its existing fleet, on the west and east coasts of Australia in the coming years. “Automated trucks are nearly at its tipping point to become standard in the industry,” Ash says. “The next question is how do we automate other parts of the process? “As we automate, we will have less direct operators but more maintenance staff and more trainers of robotics and more overseers of

AUTOMATION

RIO TINTO AND OTHERS HAVE LED THE WAY WITH AUTOMATION.

robotic applications.” With the change of the mining workplace, Ash says it is vital to retrain and reorient the existing workforce, as well as integrate the rising workforce, while capturing the current expertise available. “It’s all about how you implement it and how you work with people through the transition,” Ash says. “Around one third to one half of the current workforce will retire over

the next 10 to 15 years, particularly in developed countries. We have to utilise the knowledge, experience and talents of our existing workforce. “For those who continue, it’s about how we will transfer them into new roles through upskilling and reskilling.” As chair of GMG, Ash aims to speed up the rate of transformation in the mining industry through industry collaboration on technological and social innovations. “As artificial intelligence starts melding with robotics and can perform a wider range of activities, it allows us to fundamentally redesign mining,” Ash says. “It allows people to be more analytical and to make decisions when we have machines doing more tangible front-line work.” Safety can often be overlooked as the key advantage of automation because of the focus on job retention. With automation, the intention is to remove people from high hazard activities, with the goal of shifting workers from mine sites to offices. “For health and safety, we have to agree that it is better to work in an office environment rather than underground,” Ash says. “Once you take people out of the mines you can fundamentally redesign it. That has impacts on environmental footprint and health and safety, while dramatically bringing down the costs and risks of mining.” Looking at the business case for automation, Ash believes the removal of people and the reduction of salaries has relatively small benefits, with true advantages arising from increased productivity and precision of mining. “Retraining and reorienting workers into different roles is positive both from a productivity and health and safety point of view,” Ash says. In Ash’s previous role as chief

AUSTRALIANMINING

AUTONOMOUS EQUIPMENT HAS MOVED OPERATORS INTO CONTROL ROOMS.

IN GERMANY, THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME TO RETRAIN AND REORIENT PEOPLE. WHEREAS THE U.S. HAS SEEMED TO ABANDON PEOPLE, AND THE WORKFORCE HAS EXPERIENCED HUGE UNEMPLOYMENT AND DISLOCATIONS.” innovation officer at Barrick Gold, she laid the foundation for automation and robotics at their operations, which span multiple continents. “We implemented the fundamental layers at Barrick by applying 4G LTE networks underground. This allows the use of cellular technologies underground,” Ash says. “This doesn’t sound impressive, but when you’re used to using radios and working in the dark by yourself

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and having to walk 400 metres to have any form of communication, the ability to use your mobile phone underground is important.” Cellular technologies in mine sites provide a platform for the implementation of more sophisticated technologies. It forms one of the three base layers of technology, including sensors and powerful computing systems. “With the base layers, you can add mining 4.0 technologies, electrification, automation and robotics, including machine learning, computer visions, and deep learning,” Ash says “After this, disruptive technologies which will fundamentally change, not just mining, but also other industries, including blockchain, quantum computing, and nanoengineering.” The future of mining is fast approaching. The mine sites of today will not be the same as the mine sites of tomorrow. To prepare then, it is vital for both mines and miners to educate and inform themselves above the possibilities of the future. AM

DRILL & BLAST

MINNOVARE OPTIMISES PRODUCTION FOR LEADING GOLD MINERS THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY COMPANY HAS RAPIDLY ESTABLISHED ITS PRODUCTION OPTIMISER SYSTEM IN THE GOLD INDUSTRY OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS BY COLLABORATING WITH THE SECTOR’S LEADING COMPANIES.

ollaboration can prove to be a critical part in the growth of a mining equipment, technology and services (METS) company. Minnovare understands this better than most after launching the Production Optimiser system in mid-2018 to improve drill and blast efficiency and productivity in

underground mines. What started as an idea born off the back of its flagship Azimuth Aligner exploration system, Minnovare has developed a platform capable of saving or earning mining companies tens of millions of dollars a year. Minnovare head of engineering, Ryan Stimpson, says the company was inspired to develop Production Optimiser when one of its North

AUSTRALIANMINING

American clients asked about a way to optimise production drilling, similar to how the Azimuth Aligner system optimises exploration drilling. “That is where the discussion started, because alignment accuracy on long hole drills is really important as to how well a blast goes off,” Stimpson says. “Since that initial discussion the technology has transformed into a complete hardware/software system

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that optimises multiple aspects of the typical drill and blast process in underground mining.” “Back in Australia we found some mining companies that were interested in collaborating with us to investigate further – it was just an idea at that point.” Minnovare convinced the likes of Gold Fields, Evolution Mining and Northern Star Resources to trial the Production Optimiser… and they

DRILL & BLAST

SINCE THAT INITIAL DISCUSSION THE TECHNOLOGY HAS TRANSFORMED INTO A COMPLETE HARDWARE/SOFTWARE SYSTEM THAT OPTIMISES MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF THE TYPICAL DRILL AND BLAST PROCESS IN UNDERGROUND MINING.” weren’t sorry. Designed for installation on all production rigs and models, the technology proved it could substantially reduce blast hole drilling deviation during the trials. Production Optimiser also showed it could reduce dilution and downtime, while improving overall fragmentation and ore recovery – thanks to a substantial improvement in drilling accuracy and the streamlining of the rig setup process. The system engages with Minnovare’s Client Online Reporting Engine (CORE), which uses digital drill plans and plods that sync seamlessly with existing mineplanning software to deliver drilldata capture and analysis capability. Here, Australian Mining looks at what Production Optimiser has achieved during its projects with Gold Fields, Evolution Mining and Northern Star Resources:

Partnering with Gold Fields

Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine near Laverton in Western Australia offered an ideal site for Minnovare to test Production Optimiser with its unique characteristics. The South African company mines the Wallaby underground deposit at Granny Smith, an orebody recognised for its flat-tabular shape and that requires a high degree of drilling accuracy to mine efficiently. Before Production Optimiser, existing drill and blast designs involved drilling at up to a 20-degree fly angle on either side of the orebody, a challenge for the fleet of underground long hole drills using traditional methods. Gold Fields introduced the Production Optimiser technology in mid 2018 and drilled a series of ‘trial’ rings in the same ore drive to compare drill hole accuracy when using the two methodologies.

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DRILL & BLAST

A RIG EQUIPPED WITH THE MINNOVARE TECHNOLOGY AT CRACOW.

After analysis of the trial, Gold Fields found that holes drilled using the existing process recorded an average deviation due to alignment error at the collar of 4.4 per cent and an average deviation at the toe of 4.9 per cent. The holes drilled using Production Optimiser, meanwhile, recorded an average deviation due to alignment error at the collar of 1.5 per cent and an average deviation at the toe of 2.5 per cent. In percentage terms, the new technology reduced average blast hole deviation at the collar by 68 per cent and by 51 per cent at the toe. “The biggest improvement we found in the trial was the collar deviation – we made it much more consistent,” Stimpson says. “When we looked at the data side by side there was a lot of variation as far as the average being high. “It gave Gold Fields more reliability and confidence that they would be drilling in the right direction and in the direction they designed.”

A star is born

Northern Star Resources engaged Minnovare to help the miner understand why so much time was being spent re-drilling holes at its Kalgoorlie operations. The gold company had also observed a problem with differences between the drilling rigs’ onboard inclinometers. When one drill followed another in a stope, Northern Star was returning drill holes up to three degrees different when the output on the inclinometer read the same. Minnovare, in collaboration with Northern Star and internal contractor Northern Star Mining Services, implemented the Production Optimiser system at one of its Kalgoorlie operations across three long-hole production rigs. The new technology works independently of the rig’s on-board systems to deliver greater speed, accuracy and reliability in rig setup. Meanwhile, the Minnovare CORE software automatically records data via an inbuilt digital AUSTRALIANMINING

drill plan and plod feature. “Northern Star purchased the system and for the first two months we asked them to collate their data on the performance,” Stimpson says. “For the first two months, it was the highest ore recovery they had ever seen in the life of the mine. They suggested that drilling more accurately was improving the recovery of gold.” The increased drill rate and stope ore-recovery equated to an approximate 3.5 per cent improvement in stope turnover time. “If that was maintained for 12 months, which we believe it has, Northern Star would get an extra 5000 ounces out of the ground, which is an extra $8.4 million in their pockets in terms of revenue from gold,” Stimpson says. The two companies have strengthened their partnership following the trial to develop additional technologies that will increase operational efficiencies further – signing an official ‘collaboration agreement’ in August last year.

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The Production Optimiser technology evolves

Evolution Mining has been able to address unplanned dilution with the increase in drilling accuracy that Production Optimiser delivers. Dilution, the contamination of ore with waste rock and other material, is acknowledged as an inevitable part of the process of ore extraction. With the added confidence in its drilling, however, Evolution can now experiment with design patterns to reduce planned dilution – not just on the most narrow vein stopes but on all stopes. Over a six-month period, Minnovare conducted a series of trials at Evolution’s Cracow gold mine in Queensland to compare drilling accuracy. Minnovare’s trials compared the existing rig setup processes and technology compared with Production Optimiser to study the impact this had on ore dilution. The comparison first revealed the extent to which

DRILL & BLAST

rig alignment impacted blasthole deviation. The Production Optimiser technology was proven to limit rig alignment error at Cracow, reducing average blast-hole deviation and increasing the number of holes drilled within tolerance by 160 per cent, leading to a 62 per cent reduction in average dilution on stopes drilled with the new technology. Evolution Mining subsequently implemented Production Optimiser at Cracow in the second half of the 2018 financial year, which guided the mine to a 10 per cent reduction in planned dilution in financial year 2019 compared with the previous period (from 22 per cent down to 12 per cent). The gold miner’s management at Cracow attributed a significant proportion of the reduction to Production Optimiser, along with sequencing and planning improvements. “It really helps with planning. For instance, for each stope you assume a certain amount of time that you are going to be trucking the dirt out – it might be five days,” Stimpson says. “So, your planning gets affected as well. Evolution can plan with more confidence and be more sure of the return that they can get. “Evolution has started changing

the way they do the whole design process at Cracow, including setting up blasts in ways they wouldn’t have considered before. This includes introducing a ‘Zipper’ drilling pattern on their most narrow vein stopes, which reduces the average stope blast width in-line with ore body. You can only do this if you have a lot of confidence in your drilling accuracy. It’s a surgical approach to blasting.” As a result, the impact on overall stope performance during the trials was significant, with notable reduction in average cost-per-tonne and increases in average return and return-per-tonne.

What’s next?

Minnovare plans to build off the foundation set with Gold Fields, Evolution Mining and Northern Star by delivering additional benefits with the Production Optimiser system in the underground sector. The company continues to collaborate with mining companies to help them realise the potential of the system at their sites. Evolution, for example, has taken advantage of being able to drill straighter holes by also drilling longer holes. “The longer holes that they can drill, the further the spacing

THE LONGER HOLES THAT THEY CAN DRILL, THE FURTHER SPACING BETWEEN THE LEVELS CAN BE. INSTEAD OF HAVING TO DEVELOP A TUNNEL, GET DOWN TO A CERTAIN LEVEL AND MAKE ANOTHER LEVEL 20 METRES BELOW, THEY CAN DO IT EVERY 25 METRES AND MAKE LESS LEVELS. YOU DON’T SPEND AS MUCH TIME AND MONEY DEVELOPING TUNNELS. INSTEAD, YOU SPEND MORE TIME MOVING THE DIRT.”

between those levels can be,” Stimpson says. “That is really important in terms of saving costs on development. Instead of having to develop a tunnel, get down to a certain level and make another level 20 metres below, they can do it every 25 metres and make less levels. “You don’t spend as much time and money developing tunnels. Instead, you spend more time moving the dirt out of the ground.” The digital aspect of the Production Optimiser technology also means it is well suited for an autonomous mining future. Production Optimiser already transfers digital drill plans and plods to and from rigs, back to

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engineering. But in mines that have implemented Wi-Fi capabilities, that ability takes on a whole new dynamic. “If they have Wi-Fi in the mine they can do that live and then see live progress. Already, a lot of mining companies are asking to interact with METS companies that provide data analysis systems or schedule planning systems to feed data into those systems so they can display them live for analysis and continuous improvement.,” Stimpson says. Minnovare’s plans for Production Optimiser point to a strong future of collaboration with the company’s mining partners, a fitting way for it to cement its growth aspirations. AM

PROSPECT AWARDS MARK ACKROYD (NATIONAL GROUP) CELEBRATES THE MINE OF THE YEAR AWARD WITH CHRIS MARCH AND SCOTT BANNERMAN FROM GLENCORE’S MANGOOLA CHPP SITE.

PROSPECT AWARDS RECOGNISE THE INDUSTRY’S HIGHEST ACHIEVERS AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST OF THE AUSTRALIAN MINING INDUSTRY, THE PROSPECT AWARDS HAVE BEEN HELD FOR THE 16TH TIME IN 2019.

he winners of the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards have been announced at Moda Events in Brisbane. For the first time, the Prospect Awards were staged in Queensland and they recognised the significant contribution that the state continues to make to the industry. Glencore’s Mangoola CHPP coal operation in New South Wales received the night’s standout honour as National Group Mine of the Year. Mining stalwart Owen Hegarty was awarded the highest individual honour of the evening – the Liebherr Lifetime Achievement Award.

Australian Mining thanks each of the sponsors that supported this year’s event. Here is the complete list of winners from the 2019 Prospect Awards:

National Group Australian Mine of the Year & SEW Eurodrive Coal Mine of the Year Mangoola CHPP, Glencore The Mangoola open cut thermal coal operation, part of Glencore Coal Assets Australia, is in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. Glencore, which has approval to extract and process 13.5 million tonnes a year at Mangoola, expects to mine and process 12.7 million

AUSTRALIANMINING

tonnes of coal for domestic and export markets at the operation in 2019. Mangoola is an industry-leading operation in terms of safety, productivity and environmental excellence, known widely for its best practice natural landform rehabilitation. The Mangoola CHPP (coal handling and preparation plant) is a cutting-edge coal beneficiation asset incorporating a state-of-the-art load out system despatching rail cargo to the Port of Newcastle. The CHPP as a department has an exceptional safety record, having not sustained a lost time injury (LTI) since operations started in February 2011.

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Liebherr Lifetime Achievement Award Owen Hegarty, EMR Capital Executive Chairman

Owen Hegarty has more than 40 years’ experience in the global mining industry, including 24 years with Rio Tinto where he headed the company’s Asian and Australian copper and gold businesses. From the mid-1990s, Hegarty led Oxiana from a junior explorer to a multi-billion dollar Asian and Australian explorer, developer and operator in base and precious metals. Hegarty is currently the executive chairman of EMR Capital – a Melbourne-based specialist mining

PROSPECT AWARDS

private equity company. He is also chairman of Tigers Realm Group, nonexecutive director of Tigers Realm Coal and Highfield Resources. He is a fellow and former director of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and a member of several government and industry resources advisory bodies.

Epiroc Hard Rock Mine of the Year Century mine, New Century Resources

The historic Century zinc mine is about 250 kilometres north of Mount Isa in north-west Queensland. Since New Century Resources’ takeover of the Century mine from MMG in 2017, mining activities have increased at the site. New Century has launched a new project to expand the East Fault Block and South Block operation, mining into hard rock for zinc product. The restart of operations at Century, initially via tailings reprocessing, allows for much of the scheduled rehabilitation to be achieved through new cash flow generating site activities. In the case of the Century tailings deposit, after reprocessing of the tailings has occurred, the material is planned to be relocated back into the existing open pit, which allows for

final encapsulation via subaqueous deposition and eliminates the need for capping of the tailings dam on surface. New Century’s restart of operations and long-term ongoing infrastructure usage also eliminates the need for infrastructure dismantling and final closure activities until potentially after 2050.

Austmine Innovative Mining Solution Explorer Challenge, OZ Minerals and Unearthed

The Explorer Challenge was a unique online crowdsourcing competition that carried on global innovators to test the limits of geology and data science. It developed groundbreaking approaches to mineral exploration and unearthing new exploration targets at a site near the Prominent Hill copper-gold mine in South Australia with a $1 million prize pool awarded to winning ideas. The submissions to the Explorer Challenge displayed an amazing range of analytical and geological approaches. From cutting edge machine learning to advanced physical modelling, the submissions represented thousands of hours of work developing and applying robust techniques applicable to the problem of target generation. Bringing data scientists and geologists together for the challenge

AUSTRALIANMINING

MATT BURNS (UNEARTHED), HANNAH FRANKISH (UNEARTHED), CHRISTINE GIBBS STEWART (AUSTMINE), WARWICK ANDERSON (OREFOX), SHEREE BURDINAT (OREFOX).

has resulted in novel ways to apply modern data science techniques, such as machine learning, to geological problems in a meaningful and explainable way.

CDE Meta Minerals Processing of the Year Surge Loader, MMD Australia

With almost 40 years’ experience of innovating reliable material processing equipment, MMD has developed a mobile feeder solution that overcomes the inherent problem of intermittent loading typically seen in truck and shovel operations. Accepting direct loads from excavators, screens or mobile sizing equipment, the fully mobile Surge Loader stockpiles

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material and delivers a regulated flow to the truck fleet. This increases truck and shovel utilisation and provides a system capacity improvement of up to 25 per cent. This revolutionary concept is based on proven innovative MMD technology that has already been tried and tested on projects in Colombia and China. The Surge Loader has been designed to transform the way mines operate their truck-and-shovel fleets.

Epiroc Contract Miner of the Year Mitchell Services

Mitchell Services is a leading provider of drilling services for the exploration, mining and energy industries in Australia. In April 2018,

PROSPECT AWARDS

Mitchell acquired Radco Drilling, an underground coal drilling business that rapidly advanced its underground capability to become a leading inseam drilling provider. This addition to the Mitchell’s fleet provides clients with modern drilling rigs that are at the forefront of technology and innovation. Since acquiring Radco, Mitchell has doubled the size of the business from four operating rigs to eight, while continuing to operate safely, as well as implementing award winning safety and productivity initiatives. Despite the growth in the number of operating rigs, continued improvements and initiatives across their safety and risk management systems have resulted in reducing both the frequency and severity of injuries across the business.

LEE HILLYER (MMD) AND DAN WEBBER (CDE META) RECOGNISE THE MINERALS PROCESSING AWARD.

Metso Excellence in Environmental Management Cape Lambert Turtle Management Program, Rio Tinto

BGC Contribution to Mining John Emerson, Board Member, MinEx CRC

The late John Emerson was renowned for his generosity, knowledge sharing, coaching and his ability to convene disparate groups, gently persuading them to mutual agreeance. He guided and shaped so many pivotal careers of the industry’s current leaders. Emerson fulfilled many roles but perhaps his most impressive was a staggering tenure at Western Mining Corporation that was just shy of 35 years. He was known throughout the organisation as the ‘drilling expert’ but more specifically WMC’s group manager, logistics and drilling, as well as many other titles over the years. He later spent two years travelling Australia and across the globe as a Boart Longyear business development manager before assuming the roles of operations manager, geology exploration drilling (GEX) and surface drilling manager with BHP Nickel West, before working as a consultant under the auspices of Emerson Consultancy until the day he passed.

productive start to a mining career. The program also includes modules on BHP’s history, company purpose, working culture and mental health. Olympic Dam’s commitment to expanding the pool of workers for the industry has received praise from the South Australian Government.

Flexco Excellence in Mine Safety, OH&S Mangoola CHPP, Glencore

The asset management team at Mangoola CHPP developed a carefully engineered solution to the difficult task of replacing the belly plates on an ABON chain feeder. Typically, working space is restricted beneath the machine and

the OEM’s standard replacement instructions include dismantling the machine from the top down. This is a lengthy task requiring the removal of the upper floor plates, the chain and flight assembly and then removing the belly plates once all the former components are removed. This also entails multiple crane lifts and the associated interaction of personnel in that environment. There is also the risk of the belly plates binding within the frame, making it difficult to dislodge them and inviting excessive lifting equipment loads as a result. Over a period of about nine months, led by CHPP maintenance supervisor Scott Bannerman, the team devised a

CRC Mine Manager of the Year Paul Cuthbert, Olympic Dam General Manager Mine, BHP

Cuthbert oversees operations at Olympic Dam, a world-leading deposit of copper, gold, silver and uranium. He has been general manager, mine at Olympic Dam since December 2018. In September, Cuthbert guided the launch of a training program to create job opportunities for people without experience in mining. The Underground Mining School of Excellence aims to provide new starters with the skills, language and confidence needed to make a safe and

method that used a hydraulic trolley mounted lifting table, travelling on a rail system that allowed the plates to be removed, railed out and the new plates railed in and lifted squarely into position without personnel exposed to suspended loads.

SHANE GOODWIN, BARRY HARRIS AND MICHAEL PITT ARE ALL SMILES AFTER NEW CENTURY RESOURCES’ TWO WINS.

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

Cape Lambert is situated directly adjacent to Bells Beach, a regionally significant mainland rookery for the threatened flatback turtle (Natator depressus). Given the importance of this site, Rio Tinto has implemented extensive monitoring and management activities within its operations and at the beach since 2002. Monitoring data shows that the flatback turtle population at Bells Beach is stable and supports about 80 females per year, laying over 200 nests, making it a regionally significant mainland nesting beach. Hatchling survival is also similar to that found at other Pilbara beaches. These trends have remained consistent through major construction activities, and there has been a measurable increase in turtle nests. Similarly, hatchling success and orientation data indicates no operational influence, confirming the proactive controls implemented by Rio Tinto are effective.

Community Interaction Waanyi-Downer Joint Venture, New Century Resources

Since purchasing Century mine, New Century Resources has been proactive in encouraging community initiatives, showing consideration for the environment and maintaining their corporate social responsibility. The Waanyi PBC are the traditional custodians of the land on which Century is located. The establishment of the WaanyiDowner Joint Venture (WDJV) has brought together the ethos of the corporate world and the traditional culture of the Waanyi people, which in itself is an important achievement. Both Waanyi and Downer have equal representation on the board, which ensures that any decisions are made in the best interests of both parties and the WDJV as a whole. The contract for the provision of training services for the Gulf communities under New Century has allowed the WDJV to make meaningful contributions towards community development within the region. AM Australian Mining will include in-depth feature articles on each winner in the December edition.

MINING EQUIPMENT

MAKING THE BEST, BETTER CATERPILLAR’S RELEASE OF THE NEW D11 IS AN IMPROVEMENT ON WHAT IS ALREADY A MARKET-LEADING DOZER FOR CAT DEALER, HASTINGS DEERING. AUSTRALIAN MINING WRITES.

or contractors and mining companies alike, the news of Caterpillar upgrading its beloved D11 dozer was accompanied by a strong sense of anticipation. The piece of equipment that is synonymous with moving millions of tonnes of material at mine sites has, after all, built a strong reputation in the industry. It explains why Hastings Deering is already seeing a spike in interest ahead of the CAT NextGen D11 entering into the company’s territory. Given the plethora of upgrades, the slogan being used to market the D11 – ‘all about making the best better’ – hardly misses a beat, according to Hastings Deering general manager – mining and Pacific Islands, Jason Smith. “The previous D11 is a market leader by a long way in our territory,”

THE D11 TRIPLE RIPPER EXTERIOR.

he tells Australian Mining. “This is because it’s a good and proven product that is well supported by the CAT dealer network.” Indeed, Hastings Deering, which is one of the largest CAT dealerships in the world, perhaps epitomises the extensive supply network that has been built. With operations throughout

THE PREVIOUS D11 IS A MARKET LEADER BY A LONG WAY IN OUR TERRITORY, THIS IS BECAUSE IT’S A GOOD AND PROVEN PRODUCT THAT IS WELL SUPPORTED BY THE CAT DEALER NETWORK.”

CATERPILLAR’S D11 DOZER.

AUSTRALIANMINING

Queensland, the Northern Territory, and the Pacific, Hastings Deering has leveraged off the glowing reputation the D11 has and continues to build on this through the new and improved model. It does quite literally, make the best, better. Upgrades in productivity, fuel efficiency and safety mean the improved D11 can perform its job with less of a burden on operators and mining company profits. “The D11 can be used in many applications, one of the most common being in dozer push applications, to move high volumes of material into a pile or over an edge into a void,” Smith explains. A 10 per cent increase in reverse drawbar power is particularly enticing for mining companies. By reducing the unproductive time when reversing, coupled with other efficiency enhancement features, has resulted in a productivity is boost of around 8 per cent. Improved durability is attributed to the redesigned ‘case and frame’ of and larger equaliser bar the D11 features, also lead to reduced maintenance costs. An all-new load sensing hydraulic system is one of the major drawcards of the D11’s upgrades. The new system has resulted in faster cycle times and greater fuel efficiency, according to Smith. “From a maintenance perspective, there has been some key changes,” Smith says. “The oil pan is 30 per cent larger than the previous model, meaning that engine oil servicing only needs to take place in greater than 500-hour intervals – double the previous model.” The larger oil sump capacity naturally leads to reduced downtime of equipment and with other initiatives

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a lowering of costs up to 5 per cent for maintenance. Downtime is also reduced through improved push-arm trunnions, redesigned pin joints, continuous fluid monitoring and a factory fitted autolube system. In line with an industry-wide focus on enhancing safety at mine sites, the D11 offers several improvements to operator welfare. “The key change for operators is the new cabin design, which has a 360-degree view camera meaning better visibility than the previous model, which is a great safety feature,” Smith says. Operator access has been enhanced by changing the cabin door layout to better align with the factory supplied powered access system. The new door layout provides safer access into the cabin. The all new cabin layout with enhanced ergonomics, intuitive dashboard displays, reduced noise and vibrations, means the upgraded D11 further enhances an already ‘operatorfriendly’ dozer. Like its predecessor, the new D11 also has the ability to keep pace with the rapid introduction of automation on mining equipment. It features automated operations in rip, grade and carry, while also offering remote and semi-autonomous operations alongside onboard guidance and feedback. As the upgraded D11 enters into Hasting Deering’s territory, excitement is already building as the supplier prepares to roll out the machine to some of its biggest customers. The demand is highlighted by the plethora of pre-sale orders received from Hastings Deering, which it anticipates, is only a sign of things to come. AM

MINING EQUIPMENT

ROKRIS BRINGS THE MOST INNOVATIVE OF TRUCK TRAYS TO AUSTRALIA AN INNOVATIVE HAUL TRUCK BODY HAS ENTERED THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET AFTER PROVING ITSELF IN THE TOUGHEST MINES OF CHILE WITH A UNIQUE MIX OF ADVANCED CAPABILITIES AND LEADING DESIGN.

HAUL TRUCK TRAYS ARE OFTEN CRITICISED FOR BEING TOO HEAVY

uis Rojas knows trays and what is required from them in the harshest mining environments around the world. After eight years as commercial general manager at Duratray, Rojas started on a journey as director of Rokris International, joining his business partner Enrique Elgueta

in 2013 to distribute innovative products for the mining and oil and gas industry. A standout Rokris product that has grown in popularity during this time is the Bolted Truck Body (BTB), a haul truck body that the company is now introducing to the Australian market. The BTB has already been successful in South America, with AUSTRALIANMINING

the product now distributed in Canada, South Africa, Brazil and Mongolia. BTB has proven itself in some of the largest mines in the world in these jurisdictions over the past five years, especially in the Tier 1 mines of Chile. “It’s worked in some of the harshest copper mines in Chile, so the benefits of the tray have already

NOVEMBER 2019

been proven,” Rojas says. With the likes of Chile’s mines under its belt, Rokris’ sights are now set on Australia where the company is convinced the BTB can overcome many of the shortcomings that other trays suffer from. Haul truck trays are often criticised for being too heavy, which cuts into operational efficiency and profits.

MINING EQUIPMENT

“In the business of mining, payload is everything,” Rojas says. “If you have a haul truck that is supposed to carry 220 tonnes, but is fitted with a heavy tray, you can carry much less product which means loss profit.” The BTB is a lighter solution as opposed to other conventional trays. Rojas reinforces the benefits that using a lighter tray like the BTB can offer. “If you can carry 14 tonnes more on a tray that works seven days a week over two, 12-hour shifts a day over a year, that’s a lot of extra tonnage that translates into profits,” Rojas says. Another benefit of the BTB tray lies in its transportability. Traditional trays are welded before delivery, making transportation of the oversized equipment challenging and costly through sea freight and inland. Rokris, however, has taken a different approach with the BTB to avoid this expensive downside of transportation. “You have to take other trays from point A to point B as is,” Rojas says. “You need an escort, a low haul truck, travel when there’s no traffic in the morning and even police to get you out of town. Just in moving, it a significant cost for mines.” The BTB, on the other hand, is transported in six pieces, which fits into two or three containers depending or the tray size. It is then fully assembled on site using bolts, eliminating the need for welding. Rojas says there are huge savings for mine operators with this method. “We can use these containers to transport the tray anywhere, on land or by sea freight. We then put the pieces together on site which takes a day, costing mines less,” Rojas says. The savings are amplified when international shipments are considered, Rojas continues. “As opposed to very high cost for a tray on a ship, we just use the same containers,” Rojas says. The six-piece design of the tray is also a bonus during the maintenance process, as parts are easily replaced on-site if required, without taking the tray out to workshops. In any tray, Rojas says, the most damaged part of the tray is the back tail. This can easily be replaced on site on the truck while mounted if needed. For other bodies, the replacement process involves a cumbersome week and a half process that usually takes place off-site. Rojas says welding and working on steel costs mining companies significantly because they have to

IT’S WORKED IN SOME OF THE HARSHEST COPPER MINES IN CHILE, SO THE BENEFITS OF THE TRAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVEN.”

rage Soluuons

strial Sto BAC Modern Indu

weld metal on to the tray. “With our product, you don’t have to take the tray off the truck. You just un-bolt the back tail, get a forklift, and bolt a replacement back in. It takes a day and you’re done at very little cost,” Rojas says. “It’s basically a Lego where you just bolt it in and out again and that will save thousands of dollars on transport and maintenance.” Conventional trays have corners where material builds up to five to 10 tonnes of carry back. To solve this, the BTB boasts a unique rounded ‘S’ shape. “The BTB is designed not to have any edges so nothing can build. Everything that is loaded gets unloaded,” Rojas says. “Because of the design, you don’t miss out on tonnes of payload while also limiting spillage.” The BTB trays are also specifically designed for individual mine requirements, depending on a mine operation’s requirements and needs. “The tray is adjusted to the load, whether it is iron ore or coal or any other material,” Rojas says. “We can strengthen the material according to material abrasion and densities.” “The BTB has been developed with technology that is engineered to withstand these harsh applications while still using a light solution.” In a saturated market of haul truck bodies, it is difficult for any particular model to stand out. Yet, Rojas believes the BTB stands out as a proven tray that is capable of withstanding the harshest conditions of the global mining industry. “I know the industry well and with my background in premium trays, I know the ones that work and the ones that don’t worldwide,” Rojas says. “I understand the business and I’ve sold many products to the industry before, but I’ve never seen anything like this.” The BTB’s unique design, which eliminates waste and carry-back, and includes a light body, transportability and ease of maintenance, makes it a haul truck body worthy of any mine site. AM

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF AUSTMINE: ACHIEVEMENTS AND ASPIRATIONS THE AUSTMINE 2019 DINNER AND AWARDS WELCOMES OVER 750 ATTENDEES TO CELEBRATE THE BEST IN MINING INNOVATION.

A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 30 YEARS: CHALLENGES ARE OVERCOME, INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION IS GAINED AND MEMBERS GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH. AUSTRALIAN MINING SPEAKS WITH AUSTMINE’S CEO AND CHAIRMAN ABOUT THE LEADING METS INDUSTRY BODY’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND WHAT’S NEXT.

he Australian mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector three decades ago was almost unrecognisable in comparison with the robust and flourishing market we see today on the global economic map. Its development reflects the symbiotic relationship between the METS and mining sectors that stretches as far back as the early days of mining, according to Austmine chief executive Christine Gibbs Stewart. Despite the sector’s growth, Gibbs Stewart believes some people still struggle to understand the critical role and importance the METS sector plays. The public know and speak of mining, or the perceived “low-tech commodity output,” but fail to recognise “the high-tech input.” Gibbs Stewart, in an interview with Australian Mining, has one key message in response: “The METS sector is the driver behind much

of today’s technological change and all the disruption that’s been happening, whether in mining or in our daily lives.” “It’s not only the mining companies that are creating and adapting today’s modern technologies, but also the METS sector.” Australian mining today has a vibrant ecosystem due to a strong, forward-thinking METS sector, championing some of the world’s most leading technologies, Gibbs Stewart adds. Traditional manufacturing and services companies are also redefining their key competitive advantages and now identify as tech companies. Austmine’s members from the technology sector have increased from 7 per cent five years ago to 30 per cent as this movement has accelerated. In fact, Australia’s METS sector is sitting in a world-leading position, with 40 per cent of the top 100 worldwide METS companies based AUSTRALIANMINING

in the country. “The Australian METS community is already very strong, such that doors fling wide open to them overseas,” Gibbs Stewart says. “Overseas mining and METS sectors want to know what’s happening in Australia. They don’t want to miss out on the value we can add to mining operations. Being from Australia is a hallmark of success.” Since Austmine was founded in 1989, the industry body for the Australian METS sector has been actively pushing its members into the light. The Austmine team has brought people together to focus on METS development, led missions to key mining countries around the world and raised international awareness of Australian METS as world leaders, according to Austmine chairman and director Mark Read. The leading industry body has put METS on the map internationally, created the now globally-recognised term METS and conducted a major landmark survey that identified the

NOVEMBER 2019

size and economic impact of the sector in 2013. The survey importantly recognises the METS sector as a bigger employer than the mining sector. Its significance as an economic contributor and exporter irrefutably extends beyond the mining sector, to the national economy. “That really turned the state and federal government’s attention to the METS sector, which was exciting,” Gibbs Stewart says. “It’s not an accident that we’re the world’s number one miner, considering all the great technologies that have risen up around mining: services, products and equipment.” The Australian Government subsequently recognised METS as one of six high-growth sectors, paving the way for the METS industry growth centre, METS Ignited, to be formed, Read adds. The Austmine biennial conference, too, has grown considerably. It has climbed from its humble beginnings in 2005, long before innovation was even a

INDUSTRY COMMENT

IN ALL THE DISRUPTION THAT’S BEEN HAPPENING, WHETHER IN MINING OR IN OUR DAILY LIVES, THE METS SECTOR IS THE ONE DRIVING A LOT OF THAT TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE.” buzzword in the mining industry, to earn a household name, Gibbs Stewart says. The inaugural Austmine conference saw 200 people make their way to Brisbane to showcase the best of what Australia had to offer in industry innovation and technological development. In 2019, more than 1200 members, miners, educators, government and other stakeholders came together in Brisbane for the event. The recognition of the Austmine conference is testament of the industry body’s ability to overcome the challenges that come with being an association with small beginnings. “It’s not easy being a small industry association. When I joined the organisation, we weren’t as financially strong as we are today,” Gibbs Stewart says. “We didn’t have a strong member focus and the national coverage we do now.” Austmine has invested every effort to effectively respond to its members’ needs, bringing them better networking opportunities, new contacts and greater support around their marketing and branding, according to Read.

Austmine is now enjoying the fruits of its dedication. It has more than 580 members that are closely connected under its guidance, ranging from start-ups to large Australian companies and leading multinationals. The METS sector has developed relationships with mining companies that are not transactional, but rather bilateral. Both industries work hand in hand to deploy and identify new technologies, then integrate them into mining operations and together enjoy the benefits. Mining communities are also increasingly more open and engaging with the METS sector about the challenges they’re facing, Gibbs Stewart says. The privilege Australian mining companies get to enjoy in terms of technology advancements are the fruits of insistence and innovation in the METS space, met by the former’s openness, feedback and integration. “This true collaboration looks like the inclusion of all players, governments, miners, METS sector, as well as industry bodies. As this collaboration achieves positive

AUSTMINE’S INTERNATIONAL MINING MISSIONS HAVE BEEN OPENING UP EXPORT MARKETS FOR METS COMPANIES FOR OVER 25 YEARS.

benefits, it naturally compounds and leads to greater collaboration within the sector,” Read says. This acceptability didn’t exist two years ago, with collaboration between the two industries certainly accelerating now, Gibbs Stewart adds. The vibrancy of the community Austmine has built extends beyond Australia’s shores. Under Gibbs Stewart’s leadership, the Austmine team has ensured stability in the organisation,

AUSTMINE CEO CHRISTINE GIBBS STEWART REFLECTS ON 30 YEARS OF SUPPORTING AUSTRALIAN METS.

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NOVEMBER 2019

introduced new human resources and placed a strong focus on its members. It plans to continue with this growth trajectory into the future. Austmine aspires to take its 30 years of achievements to the next level by introducing the METS sector’s technology and expertise to the global mainstream marketplace. The industry body will continue to stimulate more industry innovation and opportunities for its members. They are together creating a sustainable METS sector, with investment in Industry 4.0 and digitalisation. “We want to make sure we’re fostering innovation, technology and applications that ensure a robust, healthy community and sustainability,” Gibbs Stewart says. “There is a lot of great things that we’re doing in METS that can be applied elsewhere. This could be in space, agriculture or smart cities.” By 2025, Austmine will be leading the global mining conversation, with the international audience recognising that Australia is the place to be when it comes to mining innovation, Gibbs Stewart envisions. In the meantime, the industry body hasn’t forgotten to reflect on its 30 years of championing the Australian METS sector and uncover what’s next for the future. Company leaders including BHP, Gekko Systems and RCT Global will be speaking at the Austmine 30year anniversary dinner in Perth on Thursday November 21, celebrating not only its journey, but also that of the METS industry. AM

FUTURE OF MINING

MINE WORKERS ARE PROUD MINED PRODUCTS MAKE EVERYDAY LIFE POSSIBLE. SOURCE: MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA.

THE CIRCLE OF (A MINERAL’S) LIFE WHAT ELSE APART FROM THE OBVIOUS COULD MINED PRODUCTS BE USED FOR ONCE THEY REACH END CONSUMERS? THE MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA PRESENTS THE LESS-THOUGHT-OF EVERYDAY THINGS.

ined products are responsible for bringing landmark inventions to life. The Sydney Harbour Bridge wouldn’t have been erected and become Australia’s modern symbol without 53,000 tonnes of steel and six

million hand driven rivets that went into its construction. Australia’s futuristic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet wouldn’t be able to travel at 1.6 times the speed of sound, or nearly 2000 kilometres an hour, without vanadium in its armour plating, germanium in its fibre optics, chromium in its missiles engines, and

antimony in its ammunition. Windfarms wouldn’t have been able to power an equivalent of over two million homes in 2017 and accounted for 5 per cent of Australia’s total electricity generation now, if it wasn’t for the excess of 220 tonnes of coal going into one wind turbine. And with a baby born every 100

CORE SAMPLING AT NEWCREST GOLDCORP’S CADIA MINE SITE IN NEW SOUTH WALES. SOURCE: MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA.

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seconds in Australia, mined products such as copper, gold and aluminium go into sustaining these lives while they’re still in foetal stage. These are just several uses that make lives easier and more progressive, which are made possible by mined products. They are four of the 30 things that the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) highlighted in its simple, lighthearted report to highlight mining’s contribution. This report is backed by the input of more than 90 member companies in the industry. “It’s showing people things that surprise them to a degree. Mining doesn’t only support renewable energy, but also space exploration, tooth paste and birthing suites,” MCA general manager – industry positioning and engagement Simon Troeth tells Australian Mining. “You rely on mining and minerals products from the point you were born, and throughout your entire life.” Troeth’s confidence about the secure future of mining remains strong, even as tech giant Apple rolls out recycling programs that could turn one tonne of mobile phones into more gold than a tonne of gold ore. Apple, in its 2019 environmental responsibility report, outlined plans

FUTURE OF MINING

to potentially turn 100,000 used iPhones into 32 kilograms of rare earth elements, 1400 kilograms of steel and 1.1 kilograms of gold, to name a few. The success of its recycling program is credited to the company’s robot, Daisy, which the MCA says can disassemble up to 200 iPhones an hour. With other companies to follow suit in time, Troeth believes the growing world’s population will place an increased demand for energy and battery minerals. “It’s good to see that Apple and other companies are supplying the innovation to ensure minerals can be obtained in an environmentally sustainable way,” Troeth says. “There will be some closed loop operations that apply in terms of mineral extraction. But as demand for our minerals, such as rare earths, critical minerals and battery minerals grows – particularly in Asia – there will be a need to obtain minerals from a variety of sources.” The Australian minerals sector is expecting increasing opportunities in the marketplace that will require companies to source materials using different methods. The future demand for minerals will come from, but isn’t limited to telecommunications (such as smartphones), electric vehicles (which need six times as much copper than a single petrol-fuelled car) and renewable energy (requiring at least 12 minerals in one solar panel), according to Troeth. As humans have an “infinite capacity for invention,” people will see unheard-of technology being developed to help meet this demand, he adds. Troeth points out extra-terrestrial mining as one new frontier in mining that reflects the industry’s openness to sustainable methods of minerals extraction. “Australian minerals companies have always been at the cutting edge of technology and innovation. In fact, global companies look to Australia for its world leadership,” Troeth says. “Our minerals companies are world class and they’re also very, very consumer aware, going to the market every day to get an up-to-date understanding of what consumers want. They understand that when market changes, they need to change as well.” On the consumer’s end of the spectrum, other sectors have found new uses to products that have existed for many years. Gold is a “classic” example, where its use has extended to innovative healthcare such as the nanoparticle treatment of cancer, the MCA highlights in its 30 Things report.

JUST AS TECHNOLOGY FEEDS INTO MINING PROCESSES, SO DO MINERALS MAKE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY POSSIBLE. SOURCE: MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA.

IF SOMETHING DOESN’T GROW, IT WAS MINED.” This opens up a new frontier of early detection, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, with gold nanoparticle technology having the ability to target and deliver antibodies directly into cancerous tumours, the MCA continues. It is also being engineered to attach to cancer-related proteins to aid earlier detection. “People have forgotten what mining means to their lives just like they have agriculture. Eighty-five per cent of Australians live in the city, a long way away from the mine sites and farms that produce the resources they need for modern life,” Troeth says. “This presentation really shows there’s so much to Australian mining. And everything we do is directed towards building public support for mining and connecting Australians with the importance of mining.” Troeth says people are starting to see the contribution that mining companies make to their regional communities, and the hard work being done on environmental management. The responsible mine rehabilitation done by companies has also helped push opposition to the industry to its lowest level in recent years at 10 per cent, a research JWS Research has conducted for the MCA shows. AUSTRALIANMINING

MCA member companies, such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Glencore, also play their part in shifting public perception of mining. “They have been running substantial advertising campaigns to tell their stories and the stories of the industry, which have been very beneficial in securing public support,” Troeth says. “Additionally, Australians support sensible, pragmatic solutions on climate change, and mining companies are working very hard to be in line with the Paris Agreement, including reducing Australian emissions by 26–28 per cent by 2030.” Troeth doesn’t shy away from expressing the MCA’s pride in telling that story on behalf of not only its mining companies, but also the 240,000 people working in Australian mining. Likewise, mine workers are “really, really proud to help process mined commodities turn into the manufactured products that play such a big role in modern life,” Troeth says. “If something doesn’t grow, it was mined. Mining contributes to our daily lives more than we’ve realised.” Have we mentioned stock feed nutrients, farm fertilisers and food packaging are made possible due to mining? The 30 Things report, which the MCA presents in a light-hearted way, has garnered attention from South America, Canada and parts of Europe. After all, the mineral uses hold relevance throughout the globe. AM

NOVEMBER 2019

THIRTY EVERYDAY THINGS MINING MAKES POSSIBLE: 1. Electricity 2. Food processing 3. Health care 4. Smartphones 5. White goods 6. Electric cars 7. Defence 8. Solar panels 9. Your house 10. Public transport 11. Cleaning products 12. Sydney Harbour Bridge 13. iPads and Xboxes 14. Personal hygiene 15. Currency 16. Batteries 17. Commercial printing 18. Dentistry 19. Funerals 20. Film and television 21. Meat and vegies 22. Home protection 23. Environmental solutions 24. Melbourne Cup 25. Birthing suites 26. Brewing beer 27. Lenses and telescopes 28. Roads and rail 29. Windfarms 30. Space travel

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EXAMPLE OF A TAILINGS STORAGE FACILITY.

he management of tailings storage facilities (TSFs) has been a topical issue in the mining industry this year, with the sector being thrust into the spotlight following a number of tailingsrelated tragedies. Companies, both big and small, are increasingly being held accountable through regulation to operate in a manner that is aligned with community and

legal expectations. Earlier this year, mining companies were asked to give greater disclosure of details relating to their TSFs. This included members of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). Of the 26 member companies of the ICMM, 95 per cent now publish information on their TSFs on their websites. This includes BHP, Anglo American and Glencore. This focus was magnified in AUSTRALIANMINING

late September when the Minerals Council Australia (MCA) developed the Australian Mining Tailings Communique alongside its member companies. The communique, which focusses on demonstrating global leadership and best practice in governance, information sharing and technical expertise in tailings storage management, solidified the industry focus on preventing a repeat of past tailings errors. This initiative was applauded by

NOVEMBER 2019

McLanahan, which has increasingly noted mining companies willing to invest additional funds in order to ensure TSFs are operating in a safe and sustainable way. It represents a shift in sentiment, as the sector comes to terms with the long-term value of improved tailings management, according to Asia Pacific regional manager at McLanahan, Richard Williams. “Almost all mining operations will have a tailings dam of some description, with the density of

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material discharged reflecting the size of the tailings dam,” Williams says. “All tailings storage needs to be checked by local authorities and in Australia. Companies have to pay a deposit to local governments according to the size of the facility. That deposit is only returned once its closed so there is financial incentive to minimise the size of local facilities.”

Indeed, tailing management is a large and highly complicated business involving large-scale research and allocation of resources. Extensive studies on geochemistry is required to identify a suitable location, mining engineers and rock mechanic specialists are required to prepare TSFs, geotechnical consultants will define and plan the deposition of material, and process engineers design and provide equipment appropriate to the deposition plan.

It is a mammoth task, however; the dilemma of weighing up the benefits of forking out excess money to ensure the safety of TSFs compared with the consequences of failing to do so, is now a no brainer. “Historically, there has been one or two significant dam failures per year,” Williams explains. With technology available to effectively eliminate these, this is now considered unacceptable. For the global mining community, the response has been accelerated by public opinion driving legislation. A tangible example of this has been the proposed ban on an upstream dam raising construction methodology in Brazil. This ban, which comes into effect in 2021, has resulted in mining companies engaging equipment vendors such as McLanahan for assistance in preparing alternative tailings handling initiatives. A number of years ago, McLanahan was offered the opportunity to participate in a project to assess the feasibility of initiating dry stack tailings for a key site. The project involved working with site operations personnel and a mining process consultancy, to undertake tailings slurry testing in order to form an understanding of the requirements to implement dry stack tailings. This could then be evaluated against the option of increasing the size of the TSF to manage larger volumes of unthickened tailings. After conducting settling and filtration testing, the client chose to proceed with investing in a 1/10th scale pilot plant for operation. Its existence would allow slurry to be de-watered, separating the liquid from the solids through gravitational separation, where differences in densities drive the separation. This would subsequently allow tailings to be filtered, eliminating the risk of dam failure while also adding existing dam storage. So successful was the pilot plant, McLanahan was awarded a contract for the supply of two 38-metre diameter high rate thickeners constructed from stainless steel. For Williams, the significant investment epitomised the renewed focus of mining companies on tailings facilities. “We wish to give recognition to these companies who have accepted that while it costs more money to manage tailings better, it’s a more sustainable way to run a business while also meeting community expectations,” Williams says.

AUSTRALIANMINING

WE WISH TO GIVE RECOGNITION TO THESE COMPANIES WHO HAVE ACCEPTED THAT WHILE IT COSTS MORE MONEY TO MANAGE TAILINGS BETTER, IT’S A MORE SUSTAINABLE WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS WHILE ALSO MEETING COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS.” The manufacturing phase of the 38-metre diameter thickeners are complete. Engineers at McLanahan are working closely with site to ensure a smooth transition to commissioning and commencement of operation in 2020. In the context of an industry that is facing increased scrutiny from the community and regulators alike, the project represents a focus on better management practices and safety, a sentiment that is becoming pervasive throughout the mining industry. For McLanahan, the Australian mining industry’s interest in getting on top of tailings management has been having a direct effect on business.

MCLANAHAN HIGH RATE THICKENER.

NOVEMBER 2019

Given it has engineering expertise and a presence in the Australian market, McLanahan is increasingly being turned to as companies capitalise on the local suppliers and low-cost country options it provides. McLanahan’s close proximity to its clients ensures close contact throughout the project, including weekly meetings and monthly reports. This type of relationship and the benefits that stem from tailings management has McLanahan excited on what’s to come, as the sector enters into a new phase of optimising tailings safety for the benefit of the company and wider community. AM

MINERALS PROCESSING

BALL MILL, PUMPS, TEC-TAYLOR VALVE AND PIPE ARRANGEMENT.

PUMPING UP GOLD PRODUCTION RATES AT GREENFIELDS MILL FMR INVESTMENTS HAS WORKED WITH METSO TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE GREENFIELDS MILL IN THE GOLDFIELDS REGION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

MR Investments was formed in 2007 when specialist hard rock underground mining services provider Barminco – founded in 1987, divested its contracting business. Today, the company operates three mining projects in Australia: the Eloise copper mine in northwest Queensland, as well as the Greenfields Mill and Gordon Sidar mine, both of which are located in Western Australia. The Greenfields mill is situated in the Western Australian Goldfields, three kilometres east of Coolgardie. For over 20 years, the site has provided first class toll milling to the local gold mining industry. The plant has a unique setup with three ball mills, allowing the circuit to be optimised for gold recovery depending on the needs of different clients. In its current configuration, the plant can process up to one million tonnes per annum. Stockpile ore delivered by FMR’s customers initially passes through

a three-stage crushing circuit consisting of a primary jaw crusher followed by secondary and tertiary cone crushers. The feed from the secondary and tertiary crushers is graded by a double deck screen that removes undersize material from the circuit. The crushing system produces a P80 product size between six and eight millimetres, which is then transferred and stored in a 1000 tonne mill feed bin. The mill circuit consists of 1300, 875 and 500 kilowatt ball mills. Classification of leach feed product is handled by 15-inch cyclones. Free gold particles in the cyclone underflow are separated in a concentrator and sent to the gold room for direct smelting, while the remaining underflow goes back to the grinding circuit to be further reduced. The overflow product from the cyclones is sent to a CIL (carbon-inleach) circuit. In this process, gold is dissolved from the ore in a cyanide solution in the presence of oxygen, and the resultant gold cyanide AUSTRALIANMINING

complex molecule is then absorbed onto activated carbon. The gold is stripped from the loaded carbon, in a process known as elution. Gold is later recovered from the pregnant strip solution by electrowinning onto steel wool, and direct smelting before shipment to an external refinery.

Mill discharge pumps a critical component Critical to the operation of the millto-classification process are the plant’s mill discharge pumps. They are responsible for transporting the milled slurry up a large vertical pipe to the classification cyclones. The pumps process a high volume of material that is highly abrasive in nature. This means that key wear components must be monitored regularly to ensure the pumps operate efficiently and prevent unexpected downtime. Alternative registered manager at Greenfields Mill, Morgan Dombroski, says the mill discharge pumps are a critical part of the site’s process.

NOVEMBER 2019

“The pumps feed the classification cyclones, which are the mother of the whole plant. If the pumps are down, we aren’t producing a product – which is a big deal for our site,” Dombroski says. Dave Scott, FMR’s maintenance supervisor describes how the pump setup has been designed to ensure there is always one pump available. “If the mill circuit is stopped, it basically costs the business about $40,000 per hour. That’s why we have a pair of pumps for this application. If the active ‘duty’ pump fails or is under maintenance, there is always a standby ready to take over,” Scott says.

Pump design slashes costs

In 2014, FMR invested in two Metso HH200 pumps to replace existing units that were nearing the end of their effective life. During routine maintenance of the original pumps, operators had to disconnect the suction and discharge spools, front casings and case liners to access critical internal components.

MINERALS PROCESSING

A mobile franna crane and a licensed operator were required to conduct the procedure. The labour-intensive nature of the job meant that it could take up to eight hours to complete, which made it difficult to maintain the pumps on a regular basis. The new mill discharge pumps are equipped with Metso’s unique slide-base technology. The slidebase allows operators to open the pump without removing the suction and discharge pipework, making it extremely easy to inspect wear components and conduct routine maintenance. FMR can now ensure that their pumps operate efficiently by regularly optimising wear components. The slide bases have also reducted the time required to get a blocked pump online again. Dombroski says the site’s mill discharge pumps are now checked on a weekly basis. “Our team here have a lot of experience at this site and are good at forecasting maintenance activities,” Dombroski says. “We monitor the pumps through weekly inspections including a ‘shimming’ process. This optimises both front and rear impeller

ROGER DOYLE AND DAVE SCOTT DISCUSS PUMP MAINTENANCE.

clearances which makes the pumps operate more efficiently and extends wear life.” FMR maintenance fitter Travis Dingle explains how shimming extends a mill discharge pump’s wear life. “The pump operates more efficiently when the impeller is closer to the volute liner. If you have a wider gap between these components, larger particles get in and wear the volute down at a faster rate. Shimming ensures the gap is reduced and the pump operates effectively,” Dingle says. The slide base technology helps the team to undertake this process quickly and with improved safety. “What makes it easy with the AUSTRALIANMINING

Metso pumps, is the hydraulic slide. We simply remove the volute bolts and pull the housing back to access everything we need - without the use of a crane,” he says. By conducting weekly inspections and shimming both mill discharge pumps, the mill has been able to reduce the frequency of major overhauls. Scott says this has reduced site operational costs. “The total cost of a full rebuild can be significant. There was a time when we had to do this monthly, but now with regular maintenance we get a lot more life from our impellers and housings. This has reduced our costs by about half,” Scott says. According to Scott, the new pumps have also created a safer

NOVEMBER 2019

working environment on site. “The slide base allows the team to conduct routine maintenance without using a crane. This means there is no rigging gear for anyone to get struck by. The other factor is by not having to disassemble everything, most of the possible pinch points are removed from the process,” Scott says. Pump specialist at Metso, Roger Doyle, believes that FMR’s pump arrangement and preventative maintenance program are an industry best practice. “Having two pumps in place ensures plant availability by providing a backup option that can be implemented without any impact to production,” Doyle says.

MINERALS PROCESSING

REGULAR INSPECTIONS AND MAINTENANCE HELP ENSURE MILL DISCHARGE PUMPS ARE READY FOR ACTION.

“On top of this, the site takes full advantage of the slide-base technology and takes a very proactive approach to maintenance. This has benefits in terms of pump efficiency, but also means unscheduled servicing is much quicker and easier, as fasteners are exercised and anti-seized frequently.”

Unblocking production when going gets tough

A major issue for pump operators occurs if sediment or large foreign objects from the ball mill cause the pump to become ‘bogged’. At FMR, bogged pumps can occur if wear in the mill trommel allows a large rock or steel mill ball to pass into the pump, or if there is an unexpected electrical mains failure on site. In these instances, the pump must be dismantled to remove the blockage, which can be a timeconsuming process. Dingle explains how this can be a significant job that must be carried out at short notice. “With most common pumps you have to take several components off, such as the front spool and cover. This requires a franna crane and a person available with a ticket to operate it. This can be a horrible job that can take over four hours to finish,” Dingle says.

Scott explains that the unique slide-base technology speeds the job up dramatically. “Un-bogging our Metso mill discharge pumps is a simple process. We don’t need to remove key components or require any cranage. Our guys can unblock the mill discharge pumps in 45 minutes, which is significant if the blockage is causing downtime on site,” he says. Dombroski adds that pump blockages can occur at any time, so there is peace of mind knowing the job can now be carried out quickly. “I’ve had a pump get bogged in the middle of the night and our operators need to drop everything and get it back online. The slide base design makes the job 100 per cent easier. If you bog the pump you can have it unblocked again within the hour,” she says.

can get any parts we require at short notice,” Scott says. For Dombroski, it is also important to have access to people who have experience with her company’s plant and equipment. “We have spent many days together with the Metso team working on rebuilds and other activities such as the installation of new products. Over this time, we have established a good rapport

Benefiting from local support

Greenfields Mill runs a lean workforce on site and relies on OEMs to help support the range of equipment they have in operation. Scott highlights that it is an added convenience to have a local team ready to assist with the day-to-day operation of the site. “I’m in contact with Metso most days making sure we have all the parts we need. It’s good to have them close by and know that we AUSTRALIANMINING

DUTY AND STANDBY PUMPS ALWAYS ALLOW FOR A BACKUP OPTION.

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and they have proven to be easy to deal with in any situation,” Dombroski says. “It is definitely good to have a local Metso presence in Kalgoorlie to check in on us from time-totime and make sure all is well. They know the importance to the plant of the equipment we have purchased, and they make sure the right parts are available to avoid any downtime.” AM

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DIGITAL MINING

MINING’S DIGITAL ‘SWEET SPOT’ AS MINING COMPANIES FACE INCREASED PRESSURE TO OPTIMISE OPERATIONS, INDUSTRIAL SOFTWARE COMPANY AVEVA IS PERFECTLY PLACED TO PROVIDE THE NEXT WAVE OF INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS.

he next leap in productivity at mine sites is set to stem from advances in the dynamic technology market, as operators figure out new ways to optimise output from assets. While mining companies are already beginning to introduce a broad range of innovative solutions to maximise productivity, reduce costs, and improve safety, including artificial intelligence (AI), mixed reality (XR) and the Internet of Things (IoT), there is a race of sorts in the tech industry to constantly provide the next advancement. AVEVA, which has built a strong reputation in the mining industry with its software platforms, is leading the way in providing digital technology that spans companies’ global portfolio across operations and asset lifecycles. Its solutions unify data from first engineering designs to operations, analysing and managing engineering information, processes and supply chain, so that companies can maximise productivity, reduce downtime using predictive analytics, and bring new projects online faster and more cheaply. Against the backdrop of global uncertainty and a volatile commodity market, AVEVA is in a “sweet spot” as mining companies become increasingly demanding for innovation in digital technology, according to head of Pacific Zone, Damien McDade. “At AVEVA, we encompass industrial Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, alternative realities and virtual reality all together within a unified operational lifecycle platform that can help companies maximise profitability, minimise risk and enhance automation and control,” McDade explains. “You only have to look at a worldleading mining company like Roy Hill, based in Perth. They have embraced AVEVA’s solutions to create a remote operating centre that spans the entire mining value chain. “Not only does this enable their team to optimise their efficiency from pit to port, but it also dovetails perfectly with their global supply chain, ensuring that they can pinpoint

ADVANCED ANALYTICS ENABLE COMPANIES TO COMPLETE PROJECTS FASTER AND WITHIN BUDGET.

revenue opportunities before they arise, and scale their operations to fit. This innovative approach is adapted from a concept first developed in the oil and gas industry, but it’s a flexible model which all mining operators can benefit from. “This is our sweet spot and opportunity. Typically, across the board, the mining industry is trying to squeeze more out of assets and empowering its workforce through digitisation. This is where we come into play. “Our technology can help companies increase operational efficiency and give their teams better data on which to base their day-today and strategic decision making. Those two things together can transform return on investment and sharpen operational focus.” McDade and the team will be at AVEVA’s World Conference in Brisbane (at Howard Smith Wharves) on November 19-20. With leading practitioners from around the globe and subject matter experts as speakers, the AVEVA team will offer Australian users a snapshot of the technology future, showing customers and industry peers what the company is working on. Some of the company’s top partners will also be able to showcase their capabilities, including Stratus Technologies and Callisto.

AUSTRALIANMINING

“We believe we have some of the best industrial software and we want people to see the very latest, relevant content,” McDade says. Much of the discussion will revolve around digital engineering, operations centres, asset predictivity, and cloud operations, which is the next leap in information storage and analytics. While cloud-based analytics are available today, mining companies are only using it for what McDade describes as “non-critical infrastructure”, to be put simply – information that, if lost, wouldn’t be catastrophic. The big question AVEVA challenges the mining industry with is “are you truly ready for cloud? Embracing the full potential of cloud-based operations will require a reorganisation of how many traditional mining companies operate, but AVEVA has numerous concrete examples of the benefits this can bring, including at Roy Hill’s base in Perth. AVEVA will also showcase its hybrid model, which allows mining companies to take non-critical performance information to the cloud and leave critical infrastructure on its current systems. This progression is just one of the company’s bold plans for how digital technology can benefit

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Australian mining companies. These are available today, capitalising on Australia’s track record of leading the way in innovative technology, according to McDade. “It comes down to what it takes to make a business stand up in Australia in terms of cost of doing business – other countries would argue that the competitive cost base we have here is due to technology, which Australian companies are often the first to introduce,” McDade says. While AVEVA works across a range of industries, mining accounts for a significant proportion of business, which justifies its recent announcement that Brisbane will be the new base for its Pacific region headquarters. The city offers a central location and is described by McDade as an emerging “tech hub”, making the decision a logical one. From its Brisbane base, AVEVA intends to ramp up a focus that spans across a broad range of mining and other industrial companies’ operations, such as value chain optimisation, which allows for visibility across the entire value chain, from planning to scheduling to inventory. Optimisation also extends to mining companies’ production data, which AVEVA turns into insights with downtime analysis, delay accounting and process optimisation. Critical to companies maximising productivity is also the management of asset performance, with AVEVA offering tools that predict potential equipment failures so they can be planned for and averted, alongside digitising operating procedures and maintenance activities as part of a holistic approach to engineering, operations and maintenance, all based on unified, accurate and up-tothe minute data. This provides a glimpse into the potential offered by digital mining at a time where companies are under increasing pressure to maximise productivity amidst volatile market conditions. AVEVA is in the perfect position to capitalise on Australia’s dynamic mining market, with the nation’s reputation as the epicentre of resources technology only continuing to grow. AM

ASSET MANAGEMENT

PDS KEEPS MINE SITE ASSETS MOVING LENA PLAMBECK OF PDS EXPLAINS HOW ASSET MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWNS THAT CAN PROVE COSTLY IN THE MINING INDUSTRY.

nexpected failures at mine sites account for millions of dollars’ worth of avoidable lost revenue, many of which are due to poor or ineffective maintenance schedules, according to Productivity Development Solutions (PDS). Planning then, is key in managing asset wear. The most effective plans, however, require reliable, real-time information, PDS senior reliability engineer Lena Plambeck tells Australian Mining. “By collecting transparent and accurate data, it gives mine sites more confidence in creating an up-to-date maintenance schedule,” Plambeck says. “Many operations don’t have an advanced system in place, so their data is incomplete and unreliable, making it more prone to unexpected failures.” The company’s Asset Management Software is designed to support inspections and identify the optimum time for replacement through condition data capture and predictive analytics. PDS Asset is the backbone of the PDS Software suite, while the Wear, Idler, Inspect and Complex modules can be used separately to manage a broad range of specific componentry. “Other asset management tools can’t handle the level of the detail that PDS can,” Plambeck says. PDS Wear can be used to manage wear data on both fixed and mobile plant assets from conveyor belting, pipe spools, apron feeder pans, screen panels, transfer chute liners and haul truck trays. It provides a collaborative tool for technicians to conduct thickness surveys and engage with planners and engineers to predict belt life, plan scheduled belt replacements and assist in better belt grade selection and accurate capital planning. The PDS Inspect module, on the other hand, provides a quick snapshot of critical problems requiring attention. It can capture fault history against assets over time, enabling detailed reporting on plant condition and outstanding maintenance requirements. Interactive reporting and dashboard views enable a quick overview of the condition of their assets, as well as the current inspection status according to

UNEXPECTED FAILURES AT MINE SITES CAN COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

EFFECTIVE PLANNING REQUIRES RELIABLE, REAL-TIME INFORMATION.

priority. “Going to a digitised platform gives plant owners a powerful tool that can be used for data analysis, failure analysis and comparisons across their equipment to reduce or even eliminate unplanned shutdowns,” Plambeck says. Plambeck has personal experience implementing PDS’s solutions at a major mining house. She focussed on PDS Inspect which helps reduce conveyor downtime. “The main drivers for implementing this system were for efficiency and sustainability,” Plambeck says. “Previously, inspections were a cumbersome process undertaken by filling out paper reports and bringing a camera for photos (if at all), which later needed downloading and processing. With PDS, the inspection process was streamlined and standardised, creating a paperless solution that was easy to use and implement.” The technology also increases transparency and accountability in AUSTRALIANMINING

the inspection process. “Technicians can easily attach photos to the reports, creating a historical time stamp as proof of the inspection. This adds credibility to the process, allowing the input of more accurate and useful data,” she says. “The module also gives technicians more confidence that they haven’t missed anything as they are provided a conveyor-specific ‘checklist’ for what needs to be checked and where, whereas in paper-based versions there is a lot more room for error.” PDS Complex is the newest module added to the company’s suite of solutions. Accurate wear and condition monitoring is difficult when a single asset contains a large number of individual related components. To solve this issue, Complex provides a visualisation tool for tracking and predicting wear in assets with multiple wear surfaces, such as chute liners, screen panels, haul truck trays, feeders and crushers.

NOVEMBER 2019

“The failure of one component can shut down a whole machine and that can be very costly if it isn’t planned well,” Plambeck says. For on-site inspectors, the software is easy to use and creates a framework for conducting inspections. “Technicians on site found the software intuitive to use, and needed only minor training by PDS before going out into the field,” she says. “When technicians find a fault, they will record it using their tablet, selecting from standardised condition and fault codes, attaching photos and adding comments if required. A full colour inspection report displaying all inspection results, photos and comments can then easily be generated from the tablet and attached to a work order to make sure it gets fixed.” Although the software has been built to enable clients to be able to set up the software and implement the asset management activity themselves, PDS does offer implementation support if the client prefers, from asset data gathering in the field, data input into the software and/or training services. “Different sites have different needs depending on what asset information they have, and how up-to-date it is, and what resources they have available to assist with the implementation process. PDS was able to provide support in all areas of need so that we met our GoLive target dates,” Plambeck says. Results from implementation of asset management software are dramatic. An underground coal mine was experiencing one week’s worth of unplanned downtime per year due to corrosion causing accelerated shell failure. After the mine applied PDS’s solutions to capture failure records, report on corrective work required and provide statistical evidence of failures, delays were reduced by more than 50 per cent, along with a cost saving of labour of around $1.5 million per year. Technology is revolutionising mines worldwide, including improved methods of data collection and asset maintenance. These advancements are key for mining houses to maintain their status as operators of the premier mines in the world through the efficient use of labour and the technological advancement of workplaces. AM

THE MINING INDUSTRY HAS MOVED TO A NEW PHASE FOLLOWING THE MINING BOOM, ONE WHERE PRODUCTIVITY, INNOVATION AND SAFETY HAVE EMERGED AS ITS KEY PRIORITIES DRILL & BLAST PROSPECT AWARDS VOLUME 111/10 | NOVEMBER 2019

MINERALS PROCESSING

AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGY UPTAKE GATHERS MOMENTUM

Established in 1908, Australian Mining continues to lead and inform the Australian mining industry of the latest innovations in mining technology and equipment.

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TECHNOLOGY

AN AUTOMATION FAIR FOR A SHIFTING TIME WITH WORKFORCE SHIFTS, COME OPPORTUNITIES. ROCKWELL AUTOMATION WILL BRING IN EXPERTS FROM NEWMONT GOLDCORP, VALE, CISDI AND MANPOWERGROUP TO EQUIP THE SECTOR DURING A CHANGING TIME IN MINING.

t is easy for someone to point out a problem, but few people can provide sufficient recommendations for how to adapt to the changes we’re seeing to the mining industry workforce. Globally, more than half of the mining workforce is over the age of 45. A big hiring wave is on the horizon for mining companies as they seek to replace retiring workers and simultaneously continue to grapple with ever-evolving cyber security threats, global trade uncertainty, and the adoption of new digital technologies needed to remain competitive. Mining companies are also finding it challenging to source skilled talent in the mining industry, a problem that is intensified by the remoteness of mine sites. “There is a big shift in the new skills that employees have been equipped with, from what mining companies are traditionally looking for,” Rockwell Automation global commercial program manager, mining, Nicole Bulanda tells Australian Mining. “From an employer’s perspective, this change allows them to hire employees who possess greater soft skills, such as the flexibility to work with digital tools and a capacity to manage change, in combination with the hard skills that were traditionally sought after.” Bulanda believes companies are also increasingly strategic about the placement of human resources who possess technical skills. Livelihoods depend on the industry’s capability to tackle this changing time, and mining companies take their own unique way of stepping into this mining frontier. Senior company leaders from Newmont Goldcorp, Vale and CISDI will gather at Rockwell Automation’s Automation Fair event in Chicago this month to share their successes when designing the workforce of the future. “It’s interesting how each of these companies is approaching it in a different way, but they all work, and together they’re very powerful,”

THERE IS A BIG SHIFT IN THE NEW SKILLS THAT EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH, FROM WHAT MINING COMPANIES ARE TRADITIONALLY LOOKING FOR.” Bulanda says. Rockwell Automation has made the changing workforce one of the themes of its fair event, following an eye-opening market study it conducted in conjunction with ManpowerGroup. The study surfaced a variety of ways companies are addressing the issue, which vary dramatically. “Some use technology, some use HR strategies, some use a combination of these,” Bulanda points out. Newmont Goldcorp, for example, will be sharing how a strong emphasis on employee development, inclusion and diversity has helped grow its employee base. These values, in addition to

a new, company-wide operating model that the company’s executive vice president of human resources Bill MacGowan has implemented, will allow Newmont Goldcorp to maintain production volumes, improve safety performance and considerably lower costs, while simultaneously adapting to a largescale workforce shift. This talent management perspective is distinct from the path that Brazilian iron ore giant Vale is taking. While talent management is certainly high on Vale’s priority list, the company is also tackling shifting workforce dynamics by streamlining internal processes. Vale has launched an integrated operation centre to bring together the skills of people, operating processes and technology in a way that integrates several functions of the iron ore chain. This process simplification and additional value chain visibility allows its workforce to be more productive and nimble. Engineering service provider in the global metals industry CISDI, on the other hand, seeks to help customers adapt to changing

THE AUTOMATION FAIR WILL FEATURE MORE THAN 150 EXHIBITS AND 400 HOURS OF EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

workforce dynamics by leaning on technology solutions. CISDI’s integrated management and control platform for upstream blast furnace areas integrates operations across the iron making process to allow for more stable production, improved quality control and reduced energy consumption. With more rote decisions and tasks delegated to the control system, the inherently dangerous process of making iron ore becomes less susceptible to human or machine error, keeping employees safer and allowing them to focus on more strategic aspects of operation. ManpowerGroup will also be present at the forum, sharing “honest” findings from the market study, such as newly created roles that are emerging in the industry. Rockwell Automation account manager, enterprise, mining, Geoff Irvine says that mining companies are all searching for what the future looks like for them. “The key message for us is, the future is here and now,” Irvine says. “A lot of the things that people were searching for – virtual experience, digital twin and IoT – are now available. Now is the time to figure out how to manage the change internally and how to best roll it out.” Rockwell Automation expects to welcome more than 10,000 attendees during the two-day fair, getting hands on with technology solutions that are developed by over 150 companies in collaboration with the tech company. Mining industry participants will glean on all the different ways other industries, including oil and gas, life sciences, automotive and tyre and food and beverage sectors, create a connected enterprise and adapt to changing workforce dynamics. Finally, delegates will get to sit in more than 400 hours of education opportunities, with technical sessions spanning from digital engineering, information and analytics, network infrastructure, safety and security, to name a few. AM The Rockwell Automation Fair event will be held in Chicago, Illinois on November 20–21.

MATERIALS HANDLING

FLEXCO UNIVERSAL LIGHTWEIGHT CLEANER POLE ENHANCES CONVEYOR SAFETY THE CONVEYOR EXPERTS AT FLEXCO HAVE DEVELOPED A UNIVERSAL LIGHTWEIGHT CLEANER POLE THAT IS DELIVERING MUCH-NEEDED RELIEF FOR MAINTENANCE WORKERS AT MINE OPERATIONS.

educing the impact that manual handling of heavy objects has on workers is an ongoing aim of mining companies as they strive to improve their safety performance. Manual handling accounts for 30 per cent of Australia’s workplace injuries, according to Safe Work Australia, a statistic the mining industry is determined to lower. For workers in the conveyor sector, a manual handling activity that has historically caused concern is when they are required to carry heavy cleaner poles. In general, workers are required to manually remove the entire cleaner pole for maintenance every 12 to 16 weeks during conveyor shutdowns and then must re-install it. Weighing more than 75 kilograms in some cases, cleaner poles can cause considerable stress on the bodies of the workers during manual handling. Flexco Australia has focussed on

reducing the health and safety risks that the manual handling of cleaner poles pose for workers. The company’s development of a solution accelerated when it was engaged by a Pilbara iron ore company to design a lighter pole. “The safety department of the company acknowledged it as an area where improvement was needed and asked if we could design a lighter pole,” Flexco Western Australia manager Adam Wright says. From late 2017, Flexco spent six months on research and development of the new poles, before designing a solution that was up to 60 per cent lighter than the standard mild steel and stainless steel cleaner poles already being used. Flexco trialled the lighter poles at sites in some of Australia’s harshest mining environments for almost a year to ensure they were structurally sound and met all safety requirements. The company’s team finished the trial period convinced that the product was easier to lift, carry

FLEXCO’S UNIVERSAL LIGHTWEIGHT CLEANER POLE.

and install, giving operators an opportunity to introduce safer lifting procedures on site. Flexco commercially launched the newly-named Universal Lightweight Cleaner Pole in July, much to the delight of the mining companies it works with. “They could not believe what we had done. I can’t say the lighter pole alleviates all of the safety risks of the previous poles, but it has certainly reduced the risks of manual handling that lead to an incident,” Wright says. While safety was the first priority in the development of the new cleaner pole, a by-product of the project that improved operational efficiencies emerged for Flexco. The company’s heavy duty specialist and engineer that developed the pole realised they could also build a universal face plate design that supported a variety of primary and secondary cleaners. “The new face plate means that users can put mostly all Flexco components that they want on the poles,” Wright says.

A RENDERING OF A FLEXCO CONVEYOR SYSTEM.

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

I CAN’T SAY THE LIGHTER POLE ALLEVIATES ALL OF THE SAFETY RISKS OF THE PREVIOUS POLES, BUT IT HAS CERTAINLY REDUCED THE RISKS OF MANUAL HANDLING THAT LEAD TO AN INCIDENT.” “Previously, numerous standard poles were needed in stock at sites, now they only need one for each belt width because the majority of our cushions and components fit on the new lightweight pole. “The versatility of the plate makes it easier to stock the poles in the case of unscheduled downtime.” The value of the universal plate is an added bonus of the lightweight pole that will streamline how they are used, improving the productivity of conveyor operations. But for Wright and Flexco, the key value of the lightweight poles will forever be the way they enhance the safety of the operations the company works at. “Our value is that safety is No. 1 – that’s why no one pushed back when we committed to designing a lighter cleaner pole. It was needed in the marketplace and was something that we wanted to bring to the market first,” Wright concludes. AM

INDUSTRY COMMENT

REIMAGINING THE UNDERGROUND MINE AUSTRALIAN MINING TALKS WITH ANNE-MARIE EBBELS OF SRK AUSTRALIA AHEAD OF THE AUSIMM UNDERGROUND OPERATORS CONFERENCE IN PERTH NEXT YEAR.

ANNE-MARIE EBBELS, CHAIR OF AUSIMM UNDERGROUND OPERATORS CONFERENCE

he digital mine is an everapproaching reality that will become the norm in the future of the industry. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will transform the way mines work, the perception of mining in the global environment, and create opportunities to improve the mining process and safety. Mines which fail to innovate will fall behind as competitors use new technology for increased efficiency, profits and more. To help the industry survive and thrive, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) will host the Underground Operators Conference held from March 25-27, 2020 and bring together suppliers, engineers and operators from the underground mining industry to share their success and failures. Leading industry experts will present insights and solutions to

current and future challenges, as well as an opportunity for delegates to connect and collaborate with others experiencing the same challenges. This year’s conference chair is Anne-Marie Ebbels of SRK Australia. Ebbels is a mining engineer with more than 18 years’ experience in mining operations and consultancy in Australia and overseas, previously working in open stoping, narrow vein mining, caving and drift and fill mining. Her expertise includes mine design, scheduling, drill and blast, economic modelling, supervision and contract management. In this interview, Ebbels sheds light on the conference, its line-up of speakers and the depth of knowledge on display at the event. Could you provide an overview of the Underground Operators Conference 2020? The conference is centred around the theme of ‘Creating Opportunities in the New Frontier’ and aims to bring together industry professionals to learn, inspire and produce an ongoing reference for years to come. The three-day program will encompass workshops, technical talks, exhibition, networking events and tour opportunities. Who will be the key presenters, exhibitors and attendees? The keynote speakers for the conference include Laura Tyler from BHP, Knut Garshol, a leading international tunnelling expert and Gary Zamel, founder of MST Global. The conference also includes presentations from Australian and

international operations addressing mine planning, geotechnical engineering, innovation, collaboration, technology and leadership. Why is this conference an important industry event? The Underground Operator’s Conference is one of the few conferences internationally that focus solely on underground mining. Over the last 43 years, AusIMM and the organising committees have committed to hosting conferences that provide high-quality, operationally focussed technical papers and presentations. Companies share their experiences on new technologies and changes in practices, as well as having the opportunity to talk with suppliers and exhibitors about their products. It also provides informal networking and learning from others that may have the same concerns at their operation.

What are the most exciting parts of the conference?

It is the largest gathering of underground focussed operators, engineers and suppliers, so it provides the opportunity to catch up with past colleagues, while listening to the solutions that other operations have implemented to solve problems.

What are the main topics at the conference?

The main topics of the conference will be process transformation, innovative mining methods and practices, the impacts of change on the workforce, measuring performance, navigating social licence, collaboration, health and safety, and revolutionising the

traditional mine.

How will the Fourth Industrial Revolution affect mining?

The Fourth Industrial Revolution provides the opportunity for the mining industry to re-imagine the underground mine and how with the rapid advance of technology, a mine that doesn’t expose personnel to the inherent dangers of underground mining is possible.

What is the future of underground mining?

Underground mining is on a transitional journey and the future is unclear to how far technology can take the industry. Currently, the vision is a non-entry fully automated mining, but that is just the start as orebodies become deeper and more complex the potential problems. Solutions haven’t yet been thought of, so the future is full of possibilities.

What are the most exciting developments in this space?

The re-development of electric equipment with the improvement of battery technology. Automation and the changes that will have on the design of the underground mine.

What will be the key takeaways from the conference?

The key takeaways from the conference will be knowledge and the opportunity to take that knowledge and implement changes to their operations. The conference also provides the opportunity to develop a wider network that can be tapped for help in future solutions.

Any final details?

The Underground Operator’s Conference has become a mustattend conference in the professional development of underground personnel and once you have been you will be fighting to go to the next one. The 2020 Conference is heading back to Perth after being held in the east for the last four conferences. AM OLDER MINES ARE BEING TRANSFORMED INTO DIGITAL OPERATIONS.

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

For more information or to register, visit undergroundoperators.ausimm.com

EXPLORATION

FUTURE DISCOVERIES DEMAND A PREDICTIVE APPROACH UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MARCO FIORENTINI CLAIMS ENHANCED PREDICTION IS WHAT IS NEEDED TO IDENTIFY NEW, LARGE GREENFIELD MINERALISED CAMPS. AUSTRALIAN MINING REPORTS.

THE IVREA ZONE IN ITALY IS FILLED WITH MAGMAS CARRYING AND CONCENTRATING SULPHIDES ENRICHED IN NICKEL, COPPER AND PLATINUM GROUP ELEMENTS.

iners and geologists are working tirelessly to make the next major minerals discoveries. When news broke that Rio Tinto might be on the verge of a promising copper-gold find in the Yeneena Basin of the Paterson Province in Western Australia, industry eyes watched in anticipation of what could emerge at the Winu project. The hush-hush exploration program gathered momentum as Rio Tinto accumulated targets from 2016 and then developed an exploration camp last year. While the significance of this mineralisation remains an open-ended question (at the time of writing), other mining companies, big or small, are also trying to strike riches in the area. The search for Victorian gold orebodies cannot be underrated either. They are typically narrow vein and nuggety in the state, with irregularly distributed deposits, according to the Minerals Council of Australia Victoria executive director James Sorahan. Finding future orebodies has proven to be a great challenge in the past decade, thanks to a continent that is 90 per cent covered by soil and burden. “The greatest majority of mineral deposits that has been discovered in

Australia has emerged in areas that either outcrop or are barely covered,” University of Western Australia associate professor Marco Fiorentini tells Australian Mining. “There is no reason why metal endowment should be any different in areas that are under cover.” However, in this challenging environment, the pursuit of a significant discovery no longer depends solely on a mining company’s expertise in detecting mineralisation in the ground. It also relies on them being equipped at predicting a location that is significantly endowed with resources. “We are so much better equipped at detecting something in the ground rather than predicting where that potential ground is,” Fiorentini says. “However, a predictive approach

would be much more effective at the scale of a region or continent.” Centre for Exploration Targeting at the University of Western Australia’s School of Earth Sciences is carrying out research on how to enhance the predictive capability of exploration. Researchers, along with industry and academic institutions the centre partners with, are unveiling previously unthought-of genetic links between mineral deposits containing different types of commodities, such as gold, nickel and copper. The researchers focus on a series of natural laboratories, including mineral deposits of various shapes and sizes worldwide. They also routinely conduct highprecision analyses with cutting-edge analytical infrastructure based at the University of Western Australia. The aim is to help the exploration industry reduce its environmental footprint, which is achieved by prioritising areas of interest and focussing on the identification of large mineralised camps in a much more efficient way. “We should still definitely improve the technology that enables us to drill deeper and more efficiently, but our research will help the industry and explorers localise their effort in much smaller search areas, so they can deploy their detection technology in more targeted environments,” Fiorentini says. “This surgical approach to identifying high-grade resources will help mining companies concentrate their activities, minimising the environmental footprint related to exploration and any costs associated with infrastructure relocation.”

ROCKS FROM THE IVREA ZONE LOCALITIES ARE USED TO ESTABLISH A GENETIC LINK AMONG ORE DEPOSITS.

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Which hotel room to go?

In a hotel, with many floors and often hundreds of rooms to enter, an occupant may get lost without the appropriate direction. If a mineral deposit is hidden in a room and explorers are already there, then today’s technological capabilities will likely get them to the target area. The question, Fiorentini asks, is how does one arrive in the correct floor or select the right room without clues from the get go? The associate professor believes the industry is focussing its efforts on how it can advance technology for ore detection. The industry should, instead, put more effort and funds into better understanding how mineral systems operate, and consequently predict where they may form in space and time. Mining companies can then go about looking for the mineral systems with greater confidence, Fiorentini continues. “Rather than adopting a commodity-based classification scheme, which looks at mineral deposits as unrelated and unique expressions of specific ore forming processes, one should look at them as parts of a continuum,” he says. “The newly unveiled genetic links among different types of ore deposits may significantly expand the search space for mineral systems in previously unthought-of places. “By understanding the genetics of mineral systems, we can be much more surgical in identifying where different resources can cluster and have a more successful predictive approach to localise them in specific areas.” AM

OIL & GAS

A SOFTWARE SPECIALIST FOR PLANT TURNAROUNDS AS OIL AND GAS COMPANIES FACE INCREASED PRESSURE TO MAXIMISE EQUIPMENT EFFICIENCY, INEIGHT HAS RESPONDED WITH SOFTWARE THAT MINIMISES COST SURPRISES AND ASSET DOWNTIME.

lthough seemingly disruptive, repairs and maintenance – whether discretionary or driven by legislation – are a necessary part of any efficient oil and gas operation, and their importance can’t be underestimated. Plant turnarounds, as they are commonly known, provide an opportunity for companies to repair, monitor and enhance equipment. If executed properly, they can yield a host of benefits, including increased productivity and enhanced safety conditions. Conversely, a plant turnaround that’s executed poorly can carry disastrous consequences, including significant fiscal losses from the required equipment downtime. They are, as InEight executive vice president of industry engagement Rick Deans describes them, a “critical event” for any oil and gas operation, and one that needs to be managed strategically. Indeed, the logistical maze that confronts oil and gas companies as they prepare for a plant turnaround can seem overwhelming. “Plant turnarounds essentially involve the owner of an asset taking their revenue and profit generating

stream offline to make necessary repairs,” Deans says. “Sometimes they will shut down an entire unit. The idea is to get the plant back up and running as soon as possible, which involves a tremendous amount of front-end planning.” According to Deans, the process of a turnaround is analogous to servicing a car – although you may perform regular maintenance, every so often, a major overhaul is needed. “During this time, you may not be able to use the vehicle, and unexpected issues may surface during servicing that bump up the price beyond what was anticipated,” he says Such unexpected price bumps are what oil and gas companies are seeking to avoid ahead of time, before scheduled downtime takes place. Recognising this, InEight has developed a portfolio of software solutions that assists companies in planning and executing effective and cost-efficient plant turnarounds, and mitigating potential risks. For instance, InEight’s planning, scheduling and risk tool employs artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, along with risk intelligence capabilities, to establish more realistic plans in advance of major events such as turnarounds, thereby reducing the likelihood of

negative outcomes. Drawing from a knowledge library filled with historical data from an organisation’s past projects, the tool’s AI-powered inference engine generates suggestions based on scenarios that are most likely to occur. Team members can then review this output and apply their own expertise to weigh in on the best course of action. This powerful combination of artificial and human intelligence not only assists in executing the current project more efficiently, it also ensures better outcomes on future projects, as the selections fed back into the knowledge library help the tool grow “smarter” and generate better, more informed suggestions for future turnarounds. “Our planning, scheduling and risk solution allows companies to preserve their existing project knowledge and serve it up again to better plan and estimate their next event,” Deans explains. “This means they can do a better job of planning, so there are fewer surprises in execution.” Also valuable, he says, is InEight’s set of project cost management solutions, which incorporate estimating, benchmarking, budget management and forecasting capabilities. These features assist

oil and gas companies in gaining a greater sense of control over critical events such as turnarounds. InEight’s estimating tool, for instance, minimises the likelihood of unexpected costs arising during the process by allowing users to quickly and accurately project costs. It does so by standardising estimate processes using templates, cost libraries and third-party cost databases. The ability to leverage knowledge learned from past projects to benchmark current estimated costs and productivity levels further enhances the accuracy of estimations. These are referred to as “norms,” and allow companies to import and aggregate full histories of rates from current data sources. “These norms allow everyone in an organisation to access the same data,” Deans says. “This eliminates the advantage that a 20-year veteran may have, as all members of an organisation have equal and shared knowledge of the data available.” As oil and gas companies aim to get more value out of their assets, while minimising project risks, InEight’s solutions are becoming increasingly relevant in the industry, helping customers solve the age-old challenge of delivering plant turnarounds on time and on budget. AM

INEIGHT’S PLANNING, SCHEDULING AND RISK SOLUTION INCLUDES EXPANDED MARKUP FEATURES THAT CAPTURE TEAM BUY-IN AND PUSHBACK.

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

OIL & GAS

EPIROC DRILLS DOWN AGAINST OIL AND GAS VOLATILITY THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER HAS UNLEASHED THE DH350 TO SUPPORT COMPANIES AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF AN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY CRAVING LOW COST AND HIGH-VOLUME DRILL RIGS.

olatility is an all-toofamiliar part of the oil and gas industry that has required the development of equipment that protects companies against changing market conditions. The fluctuations of September showed why the industry has earned a reputation for volatility due to its unpredictable nature. Oil prices spiked suddenly in midSeptember after drone and missile attacks hit oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, triggering a major disruption in global supply of the resource. While prices settled in the following weeks, fears of repeated attacks in Saudi Arabia – the world’s second largest producing country of oil – had the industry ready for further shortterm uncertainty. The Saudi Arabia incident is, however, just the latest episode of volatility in the oil and gas industry, which has been an unpredictable environment for much of the past decade. As PwC’s 2019 Oil and Gas trends report explains, “A combination of erratic and sometimes inscrutable commodity price fluctuations, ambiguity about the future of fossil fuels and increasingly contentious trade negotiations around the world are upending traditional supply and demand fundamentals.” Oil and gas companies and their suppliers have responded to these market conditions by identifying ways to protect operations from volatility. In February 2016, for example, the industry faced a challenging situation as oil prices dropped to record lows after a surge in global production caused supply to considerably outpace demand Between 2014 and 2016 the oil and gas landscape dramatically transformed as changes in exploration practices unlocked vast volumes of oil, according to Matthew Buttacavoli, engineering/product line manager – deep hole drilling rigs at Epiroc. Buttacavoli says the industry’s response was to identify new ways to drive down operational costs, while maintaining production levels – logic

THE POTENTIAL FOR AUTOMATION IS HIGH WITH THE EPIROC RIG.

that would lead to improving profit margins. For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the changing marketplace increased demand for low cost and high-volume equipment. OEMs focussed on designing drill rigs with autonomous capabilities, improved mobility and reduced footprint as ways to meet the evolving demands. The changing strategies served as inspiration for Epiroc’s DH350 drilling rig, a project that has this year come to fruition. Epiroc’s rig is the culmination of years of market analysis, innovation and hard work, according to Buttacavoli. “When we started the project to develop a new rig, we looked at the market at the time, this was 2014 and so we started right before the oil prices dipped significantly,” Buttacavoli says. “We looked at what was happening in the market in terms of depth of drilling and making a really AUSTRALIANMINING

WE HAVE STUDIED THE MARKET CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT OIL AND GAS COMPANIES WANT AND A SAFE AND MOBILE RIG WAS AT THE TOP OF THEIR PRIORITY LIST.” mobile drill rig to make projects more efficient.” Epiroc’s aim for the DH350 was to simplify drilling activities by removing the amount of human contact necessary during operations, while also developing a rig that is mobile in terms of transportation and assembly. Previously, rigs often required more than 40 loads, as well as cranes to fully assemble. However, the DH350’s mast, substructure and pipe handling systems allow for ‘rig-up’ without the use of cranes, while minimising the

NOVEMBER 2019

number of hands on operations. The removal of lighting and handrails means the rig’s design offers a single-piece substructure that further reduces the number of loads required to transport to a desired location. Building on this, the telescoping mast is transported as a complete assembly on a purpose-built trailer that is provided by Epiroc, incorporating an on-board hydraulic power unit used to transition the mast from the transport trailer to the substructure during rig-up. The growing demand for mobility coincides with an increasing trend towards multi-well pads, which has oil and gas companies craving equipment that has reduced component size which does not affect operational capability. DH350’s hydraulic power unit is placed across its substructure unlike conventional rigs that use primemovers. This placement eliminates the need to feed power cables, hydraulic

OIL & GAS

lines and other material, reducing the overall footprint of the rig’s design. With increased pressure on oil and gas companies to provide safe operations, Epiroc focussed on how to remove operators from engaging in hazardous activity. “The DH350 has safety features that reduce operator contact while also keeping them interested,” Buttacavoli says. “We have studied the market carefully about what oil and gas companies want and a safe and mobile rig was at the top of their priority list.” Indeed, the development of a hands-free pipe handling system maximises crew member safety. This coincides with the integration of a hydraulically-actuated iron roughneck, power slips, and the presentation of pipe to the work floor ultimately reduces physical interaction between crew members and the rig, making it inherently safer. An attractive feature of the DH350, given the current age of innovation, is its potential for future automation, offering the improvement in terms of safety and operational efficiencies. Using a combination of integrated positioning sensors, hydraulic controls and simplified human machine interface (HMI) on the DH350 platform, the opportunity for streamlined automation of rig operation arises. A phased implementation of a computer-controlled drilling system would allow the driller to monitor the drilling system’s performance rather than control it, giving the driller the opportunity to focus on efficiency rather than the physical task itself. Epiroc’s latest release comes as oil and gas companies are increasingly exploring the unchartered depths of both on and offshore wells. “We looked at the depths being drilled and decided we would target 15,000 feet,” Buttacavoli explains. “If we did this, we figured we would capture 60-65 per cent of wells being drilled at the time, it was the sweet spot.” The culmination of Epiroc’s journey to release the DH350 to the market has paved the way for a design that has been streamlined to maximise rig mobility, reduce spatial footprint on location and maximise crew safety. While its features have been motivated by the latest market trends, the logical progression in future development is the implementation of fully hands-free automation throughout all stages of the drilling process. It marks a dynamic period as companies within the industry look to capitalise on new innovation and technology available that allows

EPIROC HAS TARGETED DEPTHS OF 15,000 FEET WITH THE RIG.

them to explore greater depths at reduced costs. Buttacavoli presented the DH350’s capabilities at the Australian Drilling Industry Association’s D RILL 2019 conference in Darwin in September, AUSTRALIANMINING

with focus on the application of automation in mobile oil and gas drilling rigs. Epiroc will support the rig in Australia with its national service coverage, which includes two thirds

NOVEMBER 2019

of staff involved in service across 17 Australian branches. The OEM offers factory-trained technicians and access to global networks for troubleshooting and urgent parts delivery. AM

PRODUCTS

GREASEMAX DELIVERS ELECTRIC MOTOR LUBRICATION IMPROVEMENT

VEGA RADAR SENSOR FOR CONTINUOUS LEVEL MEASUREMENT

GreaseMax lubricators can significantly increase the reliability of electric motors. This continuous lubrication provides the best lubrication results and helps improve bearing life. Re-greasing the motor when it is running delivers a more effective and controlled result. Lubrication is a major factor when it comes to preventing bearing failure, which could lead to premature motor failure. Lubricants have a finite life so re-lubrication is essential for long-term motor reliability. Meanwhile, manual re-lubrication brings in human error factors, such as applying the wrong grease, too much grease, or lubrication being missed. Manual greasing also carries other disadvantages. It is often done when equipment is stopped and the motor is cold. Under these circumstances, older and colder grease may block the entry of new grease into the bearing. The grease may instead go into the motor internals. With GreaseMax, bearing life is improved, and the possibility of excess grease being applied and contaminating the motor’s internals is reduced. GreaseMax also eliminates problems that come with using the wrong grease, as well as foreign matter contamination from dirty grease nipples.

VEGAPULS69 is an all-round radar instrument with the frequency of the future of 80 GHz. It is a sensor for continuous measurement of bulk solids under different process conditions. The sensor brings myriad advantages to a mining operation, including high plant availability, maintenance-free operation through non-contact measuring principle, and reliable measurement independent of vapour, dust and noise. VEGAPULS69 is suitable for small process fittings for small vessels or tight spaces. It also has very good signal focussing, which allows use in large silos or vessels with many internal installations. This means a simple setup and reliable measurement is ensured.

• vega.com

• greasemax.com.au

SANDVIK LAUNCHES DT1132I TUNNELLING JUMBO

MICROMINE RELEASES 2020 RING DESIGN

The latest development for tunnelling excavation from Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology comes in the form of a brand new Sandvik DT1132i jumbo. The underground drill rig, together with the new high frequency rock drill Sandvik RD535 and rock tools designed for high speed drilling, provides a heavy duty solution for users’ drilling needs. All Sandvik DTi tunnelling jumbos have been developed with a special modular design that makes them highly flexible and versatile. Suitable for fast face drilling or mechanised long-hole drilling and bolting, they are proving be highly productive, reliable and effective across the world. Furthermore, they use the latest developments in automated drilling solutions, such as the iSURE tunnel management software and SICA intelligent control system.

MICROMINE has launched 2020 software that includes a series of innovative ring design tools, which are crucial in maximising mining production, efficiency and safety. This is achieved by delivering precise drill and blast results. Micromine 2020 Ring Design offers highly accurate, intuitive and sophisticated ring design planning tools. These can increase levels of control during design for engineers. Engineers can easily create, view, edit, mirror, copy or replicate rings using this enhanced software. Micromine’s ring design tool allows planners to define the size and shape of the rig(s) being used at a mine. They can use a new utility to apply constraints that ensure that the boom’s range and coverage limits are not inadvertently exceeded during the design process, according to MICROMINE product analyst Andrew Esmaili.

• rocktechnology.sandvik

• micromine.com

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

PRODUCTS

EPIROC PRESENTS LATEST PIT VIPER DRILLING RIG

CRUSADER HOSE CHAMPIONS LAYFLAT HOSE

Epiroc Drilling Solutions has introduced the Pit Viper 270 XC series drills, which deliver application flexibility, fuel-efficient performance and enhanced safety. This blasthole drill rig takes pride in its outstanding operator comfort and ease of maintenance. The Pit Viper 270 Series can be configured with the XC package, providing extra capacity up to 38.5 tonnes of bit load capacity. This rig also delivers a hole diameter range up to 311 millimetres, available in both the multi-pass and single-pass offering, which provides a clean hole of 16.8 metres and 18 metres, respectively. With the Epiroc Rig Control System, the machine can be run with an operator on-board using options such as AutoDrill and AutoLevel, or it can be run with the operator off the drill with the optional BenchREMOTE package, enabling one operator to run multiple units.

Crusader Hose has exclusively developed and manufactured Flexibore water hose for a wide range of ground water extraction applications. Flexibore is a flexible yet resilient layflat hose, which can be installed at a much faster pace than rigid systems. It is constructed by integrating thermoplastic polyurethane into a woven textile fabric of high tenacity polyester. The heavy duty internal fabric gives the hose flexibility, while sustaining the weight of a submersible pump. Flexibore is also easily transportable while making pump retrieval easy. It is compatible with most submersible pumps, with sizes ranging from 40 millimetres to 200 millimetres internal diameter and depths up to 250 metres. The hose is completely corrosion and microbiological damage resistant, resulting in a simplified and hassle-free bore water pumping operation.

• epiroc.com

• crusaderhose.com.au

WEIR MINERALS WARS AGAINST FROTH PUMPING CHALLENGES

IFM EFECTOR LAYS OUT THE Y PATH Users of ifm’s Y path can make full use of their sensor data, thanks to its ability to provide 95 per cent of process data without detour via the controller. This integrates IT and automation technology in a simple and economical manner for the first time. Sensor data can be directly transmitted to the business software on a factory wide or even worldwide level. Previously, 5 per cent of sensor data was captured by programmable logic controllers (PLC) and used, leaving the remaining 95 per cent unused. The Y-Path, however, allows data to be transmitted into both the PLC, as well as other software systems such as ‘SAP’, which can then be evaluated in real time. The solution is particularly relevant to condition monitoring, energy monitoring, quality monitoring, track and trace as well as remote services.

The Warman AHF/LF/MF line of horizontal froth pumps has proven valuable for very dense slurries, where viscosity starts to become a pumping issue for the standard slurry pump. It features a large, oversized inlet with a unique impeller inducer blade, which handles heavy froth and higher viscosity dense slurries with ease. The Warman has a heavy duty construction with through-bolt design, providing ease of maintenance and less downtime. Its ductile iron fully lined casing also provides durability, strength and long service life. The large diameter, slow turning, high efficiency impellers maximise wear life and lower total cost of ownership, while its open internal passages reduce internal velocities, maximising wear life and resulting in lower operating costs.

• ifm.com

• global.weir

AUSTRALIANMINING

NOVEMBER 2019

EVENTS

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS EVENT SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU Future Mining 2019, Sydney, November 19–20 The 4th International Future Mining Conference is headlined by the theme ‘Get future ready’. Top researchers and industry leaders will present the future mining industry’s needs in the digital age. Delegates will also have the opportunity to listen in on how to best achieve operational excellence, while keeping mining operations safe, cost competitive and environmentally responsible when faced with challenges, such as deeper orebodies and lower grades. With many internal and external factors impacting the future of the mining industry, the key is to prepare and get future-ready, according to AusIMM. The conference will provide delegates with the tools to do so, exploring topics such as automation, communication, smart data management and efficient extraction of mineral resources. • futuremining.ausimm.com World Engineers Convention (WEC), Melbourne, November 20-22 Held every four years, the “Olympics of engineering” is a unique opportunity for engineers to advance their technical knowledge, network and to tackle many of the big questions facing the world. Engineering’s peak body Engineers

Australia – which has around 100,000 individual members – is proud to cohost WEC with the World Federation of Engineering Organizations under the theme, Engineering a Sustainable World: The Next 100 Years. The convention program will offer three full days of content featuring six themes aligning to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. WEC will enable engineers from approximately 70 countries to learn about cutting-edge technologies and processes across a range of sectors from over 500 speakers, as well as to engage in bigger picture thinking. • wec2019.org.au Austmine 30 Year Anniversary Dinner, Perth, November 21 Austmine is hosting the dinner to celebrate a 30-year milestone for championing the Australian mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector. The centrepiece of the event will be a special panel discussion with senior advocates and mining innovation leaders discussing industry highlights and major breakthroughs of the past 30 years and discussing what is next for the future. Some of the panellists on the night include Annette Woods, BHP vice president strategy, portfolio and performance, technology and Bob Muirhead, RCT Global

AUSTRALIANMINING

executive director and founder. • austmine.com.au South Australian Exploration and Mining Conference 2019 (SAEMC), Adelaide, November 29 SAEMC is an annual collaborative event that brings together the exploration and mining industries in South Australia. In its 16th year, the conference is an opportunity for active minerals explorers and miners to present technical updates of their activities on their flagship South Australian mines and exploration projects. The conference is organised by a voluntary committee representing local branches of professional organisations and fees are kept low to encourage a broad attendance. • saemc.com.au Underground Operators Conference 2020, Perth, March 25-27, 2020 The AusIMM Underground Operators Conference brings together suppliers, engineers and operators from the underground mining industry to share their success and failures. At the conference, the underground mining industry will offer tips, inspiration and new ideas while offering the opportunity to connect and collaborate with others experiencing the same challenges.

NOVEMBER 2019

With deposits getting deeper or lower in grade, there is increased pressure to find smarter and more cost-effective ways to extract orebodies. With key discussion topics for the conference centred around the evolution of digital technologies, automation and artificial intelligence and how these innovations are making it possible to mine at greater depths and lower grades. • ausimm.com MEGATRANS, Melbourne, April 1-3, 2020 MEGATRANS returns in 2020 as an important industry event, facilitating cross-industry collaboration in a multidimensional and integrated conference and exhibition for the freight and logistics industry. For the first time, MEGATRANS2020 will take place in conjunction with the specialised bulk handling expo, Australian Bulk Handling Expo 2020. The two events will be held sideby-side, with one ticket entry into both exhibitions. MEGATRANS2020 will showcase the latest in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, automated racking, telematics and route optimisation, warehouse automation, intelligent fleet systems, blockchain, Internet of Things, big data and advanced analytics. • megatrans.com.au

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