A global force
in mining, metals, and minerals RESPEC Mining & Energy Quarterly Newsletter March 2020
RESPEC.COM
Table of contents A MESSAGE FROM RESPEC ABOUT THE CURRENT COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC ..................................2 NEWSROOM ....................................................................................................................................................3
// Using Rock Mechanics to Protect the LaPrele Dam
// Advising on Safety and Production of Drill-and-Blast Operations in South Carolina
// Predicting Surface Vibrations to Protect the Community
GROWTH AND PEOPLE ....................................................................................................................................7
// RESPEC’s Canadian Team Grows
// Congratulations to Pete Smith, Project Geologist, 2019 Inspiration Award Winner
PRESENTATIONS ............................................................................................................................................10
// Make Blasting Great Again
// Instrumentation for Production Efficiencies
// A Fully Autonomous Underground Drone
// Systematically Improving Drill-and-Blast Operations in Hard Rock Mines
PARTNERSHIPS ..............................................................................................................................................12
// First Fully Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in Development With AutoModality
CALENDAR OF EVENTS .................................................................................................................................14
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
A message from respec about the current covid-19 global pandemic
Monitoring and communicating with staff and clients to minimize the impact
RESPEC has achieved 50 years of success through being a valued partner with our employee-owners and clients. As a valued partner, RESPEC’s foremost focus during these uncertain times is on the health and wellbeing of our employee-owners and families while ensuring that we deliver the highest level of service to our clients. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every element of our daily lives. RESPEC is following the guidelines set forth by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and federal, state, and local governments. We are providing daily updates through our employee portal to ensure that the latest information is available to our employees. We have canceled all international travel and nonessential domestic travel. Our technology infrastructure is fully capable of supporting remote accessibility for all of our employees. Our business continuity plan is designed to ensure that our services supporting your projects go uninterrupted. As your partner, RESPEC will ensure that our employee-owners will remain in close contact with you through our remote capabilities. If travel is deemed essential, we will work with you to determine the best approach to ensuring the health and welfare of our employees and client partners. RESPEC is constantly monitoring this situation and providing real-time updates to our employees. As your partner, we are dedicated to your success. We will continue to adapt to changing business conditions, and provide the quality of service you have grown to expect from RESPEC.
Todd Kenner CEO/President
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
Newsroom Using Rock Mechanics to protect the laprele dam
Creating early-warning sensors for dam and rock motion to ensure public safety
Advising on Safety and Production of Drill-and-Blast Operations in South Carolina Improving drill-and-blast operations in a hard-rock mine
Predicting surface vibrations to protect the community
Using a regression model to predict potential surface vibrations from underground operations above a proposed mine
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
Using rock mechanics to protect the laprele dam Creating early-warning sensors for dam and rock motion to ensure public safety
Known for solving the world’s toughest scientific and technical challenges, RESPEC designed a customized solution for Wyoming’s LaPrele Irrigation District (the District). The project location is the rocky terrain of Wyoming’s Converse County, which is home to many prehistoric fossils. As one of the only engineering companies that specializes in both irrigation and rock mechanics, RESPEC was hired by the Wyoming Water Development Commission in coordination with the District to assess the entire District, including the LaPrele Dam, a private Ambursen-style dam located below a rugged, weathered canyon wall several hundred feet tall. The 140-foot-high colossal dam, which was completed in 1909, was threatened by obvious loose boulders perched immediately above the dam on the canyon walls—the largest weighed an estimated 410,000 pounds. Other boulders were present higher up on the canyon walls but evaluating them would require rope access. The dam was also found to have cracks that required structural monitoring. The RESPEC rope team spent 3 days at the dam in September 2019 using rope-access techniques and rappelling skills to map boulders and stratigraphy on the rattlesnake-infested higher canyon walls. After data were analyzed, more than a dozen boulders were determined to be threatening to the dam. The RESPEC instrumentation team designed a custom data acquisition system (DAS) that used displacement transducers and Geokon
RESPEC Engineers Investigate the Site Conditions at the LaPrele Dam During Low Water Conditions.
crackmeters. RESPEC fit the most threatening boulder with a string potentiometer that can detect movement as slight as 0.01 inch. The dam was fitted with five crackmeters that have a resolution of 0.001 inch and a camera that photographs the water surface behind the dam. The sensors and camera are tied into the solar-powered DAS that uses a cellular gateway to send data to an online dashboard. The dashboard is configured with early-warning alarms that will alert District authorities and give them time to warn and clear the area in the event that the rocks or dam begin to move.
The solution provides a powerful safety mechanism for the small irrigation district, area hunters and campers, and wildlife and livestock. RESPEC’s creative, cross-disciplined team successfully worked under extreme conditions to create a unique and customized solution.
For detailed information, please contact RESPEC’s Ben Haugen, Remote Geotechnics Program Lead, at Ben.Haugen@respec.com
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
Advising on Safety and Production of Drilland-Blast Operations in South Carolina Improving drill-and-blast operations in a hard-rock mine
Established in 1827, South Carolina’s historical Haile Gold Mine was one of the first operating gold mines in the US. Today, the mine is owned by OceanaGold, a global gold-mining company. RESPEC began working with the OceanaGold Haile operation to assist the mine in establishing a drill-and-blast engineer role for a future hire. Our work also involved collecting baseline quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) data to be used in tracking changes and improvements to the drill-and-blast operation. RESPEC’s team targeted drilling accuracies, blast performance, and the design plan versus actual data. After the successful short-term project was completed, OceanaGold hired RESPEC’s onsite team to implement improvements to the site and track/audit changes in operational performance. RESPEC’s staff furthered our previous work and assisted with ramping up drill-and-blast production to meet increased production requirements. RESPEC’s team worked closely with the technical services group, mine operations, and blasting contractors. Our Scope of Work included observing and evaluating safety procedures and requirements related to drill-andblast and other programs, as well as formalizing the new engineer position and associated tasks. Our team performed daily drill-and-blast engineering tasks and conducted QA/QC on the drilling and blasting when possible, including on drill quality, loading quality, explosives performance quality, and muck-pile results. We also provided drill-and-blast instrumentation services and interfaced with the explosives service provider. When OceanaGold was ready to hire a full-time, drill-and-blast engineer, RESPEC seamlessly transitioned the role and transferred responsibilities to the new employee.
RESPEC Supported OceanaGold by Providing Transitional Talent to Define a Drill-and-Blast Engineer Position With Associated Responsibilities While Improving Drill-and-Blast Operations.
RESPEC is proud to work with OceanaGold, a company that shares our own values in caring for the environment, helping the communities where we work, and leaving a positive legacy beyond the mine life cycle.
For detailed information, please contact RESPEC’s Daykin Schnell, Explosives Engineer, at Daykin.Schnell@respec.com
Performing QA/QC Data Collection and Interacting With Drill Operators in the Field Was an Important Part of Helping to Improve and Optimize Drill-andBlast Operations.
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
Predicting surface vibrations to protect the community Using a regression model to predict potential surface vibrations from underground operations above a proposed mine
For a due-diligence effort, our mining client needed to ensure that blasting vibrations from an underground mine would not affect the homes and buildings of a nearby community once the mine was operational. Concerned with meeting community requirements, safety standards, and environmental regulations, the mining company needed RESPEC’s expertise to better understand the adverse impact of planned blasting operations. RESPEC was hired to perform a feasibility analysis and meet the challenge of predicting vibrations without any preexisting data. Our work included evaluating blast vibration amplitudes that could potentially be generated at surface structures above the proposed mine. RESPEC ultimately established a regression equation for surface vibrations that result from underground blasting to be tested and compared to additional blast vibration data from similar operations across the industry. Literature reviews of published blasting documentation provided little information, data, or models on surface blast vibrations produced by underground mines. At the client’s request, RESPEC collected blast vibration data from underground operations and developed an underground-to-surface blast vibration regression equation. Our team worked with three underground metal-mining operations to collect surface blast vibration data produced by heading blasts and stope blasts: Dragon Mining’s Jokisivu Mine, Nyrstar’s Middle Tennessee Mines, and Lundin’s Eagle Mine. The data included blast vibration
Plan View of the Closest Structures to the Stopes.
amplitude values, seismograph records, blast design geometry, charge weights, and detonator delay and sequence designs. The collected information was used to produce a regression equation and summary dataset that could be used by our client’s proposed underground mining operation to evaluate blast vibration amplitudes that would be generated on the surface above the proposed mine. RESPEC’s team successfully identified problem areas before the mine’s start-up. We also devised new ways for the client to control and reduce the dangers of blasting, such as flyrock, air blasts, ground vibrations, and dust, to ensure mine safety and meet environmental regulations. The project is proceeding under RESPEC’s guidance for further testing to predict more specific
vibrations at the site. The project is gaining community support and our team is confident in finding the right plan for blasting the area in a way that reduces vibrations on local housing.
For detailed information, please contact RESPEC’s Daykin Schnell, Explosives Engineer, at Daykin.Schnell@respec.com
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
Growth and People RESPEC’s Canadian Team Grows
Welcome Evan Renaud in Edmonton and Michelle St. Louis in Saskatoon
Congratulations to Pete Smith, project geologist, 2019 inspiration award winner Dedicated to Excellence, Pete Personifies RESPEC’s Culture
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
RESPEC’s Canadian team grows Welcome Evan Renaud in Edmonton and Michelle St. Louis in Saskatoon
Following a very successful 2019, we are continuing our momentum in Canada by adding key people to our team. Our group will continue to focus on the energy sector, as well as drilling procurement and management, and we have hired two key individuals to round out our team.
To assist with our geothermal development in Canada, Matt Minnick added Staff Geologist Evan Renaud Evan Renaud to the Edmonton, AB Canadian team. Evan will be working from Edmonton, Alberta, in the heart of western Canada’s energy sector. Evan will be defending his MSc from the University of Alberta in midMarch. His thesis is titled “Geothermal Reservoir Characterization of the Middle Devonian Slave Point Formation at Clarke Lake Field, Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.” His primary role will be assisting on geothermal projects, such as the recently awarded Clarke Lake geothermal development project. Evan will also help with the recently awarded Qulliq Energy Corporation geothermal project in Nunavut with an initial focus on examining the sedimentary strata in the Arctic with data taken from several historical wells that were drilled around Resolute Bay.
Michelle St. Louis, a Professional Geologist with more than 15 years of demonstrated geological evaluation Michelle St. Louis expertise, will be Saskatoon, SK working out of our Saskatoon office. She began her exciting geological career in diamond exploration and evaluation programs in Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. Michelle spent more than 10 years dedicated to the oil-and-gas exploration and development industry at Husky Energy in Calgary, Alberta, and is familiar with reservoir and asset development, operations, and wireline log analysis and interpretation. Before her work at Husky Energy, Michelle spent some time working for a consulting company catering to Athabasca oil sands mining and thermal projects, as well as environmental and construction projects around Fort McMurray, Alberta. She worked alongside massive machinery and drilling rigs and logged hundreds of kilometers of core. Silica sand exploration in western Canada kept her busy for 18 months before starting with RESPEC. Michelle is excited to join RESPEC and collaborate with the diverse talent within the company. She is passionate about finding opportunities and identifying and solving problems. She will apply her skills in wireline log analysis and interpretation to thermal projects,
potash projects, and any projects related to subsurface analysis. She looks forward to seeking opportunities in the oil-and-gas industry and in minerals and mining, including opportunities with frac sand and industrial minerals. Michelle is looking to apply her comprehensive expertise from exploration and drilling, mapping, and reserve analysis to potential production and abandonment opportunities for the Saskatoon office. We welcome Evan and Michelle to the Canadian team. If you want to learn more about their experience and expertise, Evan and Michelle will be happy to visit with you.
We are pleased to add Michelle and Evan to our Canadian team as they bring unique experience to our growing geothermal and energy sector services.
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
congratulations to Pete smith, project geologist, 2019 inspiration award winner Dedicated to Excellence, Pete Personifies RESPEC’s Culture
Every year, RESPEC recognizes outstanding employees with Innovation, Collaboration, Pete Smith and Inspiration Rochester, NY Awards. The RESPEC Inspiration Award offers recognition to individuals for providing motivational inspiration to other individuals or teams to achieve excellence. The Inspiration category applies to a person who demonstrates exceptional creative and inventive thinking and, through his or her actions, leads others to the highest level of a special achievement. Project Geologist Pete Smith was honored with an Inspiration Award for 2019. Pete has been supporting RESPEC operations in Carlsbad, New Mexico, for more than 7 years, despite being located in Rochester, New York. Pete has traveled and spent much time away from his home office to assist in whatever capacity was needed. In the years he has spent working with RESPEC, Pete has diligently built and maintained relationships with client partners. Pete’s inspiring professionalism has led to his progression from ad hoc support to a full-time employee on the Sandia contract. Pete has incorporated improvements into collecting field data and reporting video-logging results to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) hydrology team. Pete also reorganized and improved the
A Visionary for the Commemoration of the First Potash Discovery Site, Pete Smith Collaborated With Industry Specialists to Install a Scenic Historic Marker at the First Potash Test Well Site, McSweeney-McNutt #1, in Eddy County, New Mexico. This Site Represents the Start of a New Industry in Southeastern New Mexico and the End of the Nation’s Dependence on Imported Potash in 1925. Honoring the Pioneering Efforts of Our Forefathers in the Mining Industry Is One of the Few Ways That Pete Has Defined and Exemplified RESPEC’s Culture.
annual deliverable for this project, which is a Sandia milestone report that is archived in the WIPP Information Center. Pete has become an indispensable member of the Carlsbad team and has expanded RESPEC’s technical workload in support of the project and our partners. The RESPEC team extends a heartfelt thank you to Pete for modeling the attributes of the Inspiration Award.
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Presentations Make blast reporting great again Presented by Matt Slezak, GIS Consultant
A fully autonomous underground drone
Presented by Ben Haugen, Remote Geotechnics Program Lead
Instrumentation for Production efficiencies Presented by Daykin Schnell, Explosives Engineer
Systematically improving drill-and-blast operations in hard-rock mines Presented by Daykin Schnell, Explosives Engineer
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March 2020 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
Presentations Access RESPEC’s Latest Presentations:
A FULLY autonomous UG DRONE
Make Blast Reporting Great Again
FOR MISSION-ORIENTED SEARCH AND RESCUE, INSPECTION, AND MAPPING 2019 KCSA UNDERGROUND SAFETY SEMINAR
Matt Slezak Kentucky blasting conference Lexington, ky
December 11, 2019 Ben Haugen
DAN HENNAGE
RESPEC.COM
Make Blast Reporting Great Again
A Fully Autonomous Underground Drone
Presented by Matt Slezak Kentucky Blasting Conference // Lexington, KY Matthew.Slezak@respec.com
Presented by Ben Haugen Underground Stone Safety Seminar // Louisville, KY Ben.Haugen@respec.com
Case Study:
Product Case Studies
Systematically improving drill-and-Blast operations in Hard-Rock mines
Presented by Daykin Schnell
Presented by Daykin Schnell
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Instrumentation for Production Efficiencies Presented by Daykin Schnell Sauls/Nomis Technical Demonstration Day // Birmingham, AL Daykin.Schnell@respec.com
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Systematically Improving Drill-and-Blast Operations in Hard-Rock Mines Presented by Daykin Schnell Kentucky Blasting Conference // Lexington, KY Daykin.Schnell@respec.com
March 2020 12 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
Partnerships First fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (uav) in development with AutoModality Drone Anticipated for Commercial Release in Late 2020
March 2020 13 RESPEC M&E Newsletter
First fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (uav) in development with AutoModality Drone Anticipated for Commercial Release in Late 2020
Since late 2018, the RESPEC Mining & Energy (M&E) business unit has partnered with AutoModality to create the world’s first fully UAV for search and rescue, inspection, and mapping in underground mines. The partnership began with Jay Nopola (Vice President, M&E) and Dan Hennage (AutoModality) and has grown into more than $500,000 in revenue over the last 2½ years. The project has primarily been funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) but AutoModality and RESPEC have committed private resources to furthering this incredible technology. Although RESPEC has been performing and supporting underground drone work at potash operations in Saskatchewan, Canada, for several years, this project marks the first time that we have been integrally linked to a novel drone solution development program. Our partnership is showcasing the best skills of M&E—underground mine engineering—along with the autonomous systems expertise of AutoModality to create an industry-specific UAV that is truly special. Powered by artificial intelligence running on an advanced onboard mobile processor, the brains of the UAV collect data from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), infrared, and visible light sensors and control the UAV’s movement based on a mine map and mission specifications that direct the UAV where to go and what actions to take. The technology developed through this project will reduce personnel exposure to unsafe conditions and potentially eliminate the need for
expensive ground-support rehabilitation when attempting to identify problems and access unmaintained areas underground. In addition to expanding the reach of UAV systems into unsafe workings, several important potential applications for this technology are as follows: »Condition assessments during emergencies (e.g., the presence of fire, smoke, and obstructions) »Delivery of emergency supplies to trapped miners »Automated inspections of shafts, stopes, and other access-limited areas »Regular, repeatable inspections of ground support and/or equipment conditions »Access to working areas without interrupting equipment operation.
“This technology has the potential to completely change how geotechnical engineers, search and rescue personnel, and other miners do their jobs in underground mines.” // Ben Haugen
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According to RESPEC’s Remote Geotechnics Program Lead, Ben Haugen, “This technology has the potential to completely change how geotechnical engineers, search and rescue personnel, and other miners do their jobs in underground mines. The mobility and reliability of our UAV system will make every miner safer while providing valuable data in a fraction of the time normally required.” The UAV platform is anticipated for commercial release in late 2020.
For information about UAV technology, please contact RESPEC’s Ben Haugen, Remote Geotechnics Program Lead, at Ben.Haugen@respec.com
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Calendar of events Upcoming Conferences, Trade Shows, and Events
* Indicates that RESPEC has withdrawn their attendance to this conference because of covid-19 Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic threat, RESPEC has postponed attendance at any large conferences or gatherings through at least September 2020. We urge you to connect with us through email and phone, our website, and our social media channels. We wish you all health and safety and look forward to meeting you at these conferences when they are rescheduled.
Thank You
March–June 2020 *March 31
Mine Drainage Task Force Symposium Morgantown, West Virginia
*April 15
Best in the West Drill & Blast Conference Spearfish, South Dakota
*April 26
*May 3
*June 7
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Duluth, Minnesota
*May 10
*June 28
New York, New York
Golden, Colorado
Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum (CIM) Convention and Expo
SME Current Trends in Mining Finance Conference
Solution Mining Research Institute (SMRI) Spring Conference
*May 18
Detroit, Michigan
Sparks, Nevada
ARMA US Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium
Geological Society of Nevada Symposium
*April 27
*June 1
Reykjavik, Iceland
Elko, Nevada
World Geothermal Congress
American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR) Annual Meeting
Elko Mining Expo
For more information on how you can join RESPEC at any of these events, please contact Tabetha Stirrett at Tabetha.Stirrett@respec.com
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