World Mining Magazine by World Mining Magazine

Magazine

SETTING THE

NEW STANDARD

Issue 36 2020

World Mining

ACHIEVE THE LOWEST COST-PER-HOUR INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING

PERFORMANCE DRIVEN LOWEST COST-PER-HOUR

STATE-OF-THE-ART MANUFACTURING

20% lower cost-per-hour/ton than your current tier 1 supplier

Global Testing Extensive research and testing in multiple mine locations across several continents to meet a variety of harsh environments

Excellent Traction For all haul road conditions

Compounding Multiple tread compound options target specific site requirements:

Heat Resistant Deep E4+ tread grooves for cooler running tread for high site TKPH/TMPH

S1 compound: standard

Positive Crown Drums Building tires in a shape closer to the finished tire profile ensures components are minimally disturbed during the building stages

Shearography Technology Advanced inspection process for detection of separations in the casing, blisters, or undercuring

S2 compound: cut resistant S3 compound: heat resistant

Casing Design Tough casing construction enhances performance and durability for maximum productivity

Minimal Road Disturbance Wide, square footprint distributes load evenly

DISCOVER MORE AT MAXAMTIRE.COM

Technology and Quality Control Comprehensive lab and field testing Latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment Seamless procedures and strict quality control for every tire

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD

Reinventing the mining industry Every MAXAM product delivers top quality and undeniable value through countless hours of extensive research, global field testing and proven engineering efforts

MS401

Deep grooved tread design for maximum road grip and high site TKPH/TMPH

MS402

Deep groove shoulder lugs and solid centerbar for exceptional traction

MS403

The most versatile tread design for maximum flexibility from smooth haul roads to rocky terrain

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PROVIDER

the editor

Online shopping for miners

Editor

The

Martin Ashcroft

he spread of the virus Covid-19 has been a shock to the system in every corner of the world. In the mining world, most countries declared mining to be an essential activity, some sooner than others, but travel and other restrictions still forced some mines to cease operations for a while. The others have managed to find ways to carry on mining, demonstrating the ingenuity and determination of humankind in the face of a challenge. New technology has been employed to provide inventive solutions, enabling people in critical roles to work remotely or even at home to protect employees and local communities. Everybody expects that social distancing measures will continue for some time, so mines with fly-in, fly-out and drive-in, drive-out operations have reduced the number of workers travelling to sites. BHP’s Rail Operations team even relocated some of its non-resident train drivers into Western Australia to avoid multiple journeys between states. I think we can expect to see more autonomous haulage fleets, and more remote-controlled equipment in the future, but the virus has travelled deeper than the mines themselves, penetrating the venues that cater for the launch of new technology and the spread of information – conferences and

exhibitions. These have either been cancelled, postponed or have gone online. MINExpo INTERNATIONAL 2020, held every four years and scheduled for 28-30 September this year in Las Vegas, has been postponed until 13-15 September 2021. I like to think of this as mining’s Olympic event, but just like the Olympics, participants and spectators must wait another year for it. The Australian equivalent, IMARC 2020, has been postponed to 26-28 October 2021. To help the industry stay connected safely this year, the organisers have launched IMARC Online, which will run from 24-27 November 2020. Latin America’s largest mining fair, EXPOMIN 2020, has been postponed to April 2021, with a virtual version replacing it in November this year. One of the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown in the general population has been a huge increase in online shopping. Personally, I prefer to see what I’m buying, pick it up, smell it, feel it in my hands. Traditionally, millions of dollars’ worth of deals are concluded at exhibitions, so I wonder if the virtual version will catch on in the mining community, or whether miners will revert to climbing over the machinery and shaking hands on a deal, when the crisis is over. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Contents Cover story maxam mining group: setting the new standard Page 8 Page: 5 • The Editor: Online shopping for miners 8 • MAXAM TIRE: Setting the new standard 38 • ALMEX GROUP: Solutions for detecting rips in conveyor belts 49 • BHP: A diversified portfolio 56 • Midroc AB: The future of mining is remote 60 • Newmont Corporation: Adapting to change 68 • Techenomics International: Liquid assets 78 • Glencore: Everyday commodities 92 • PhotoSat: The spy satellites that came in from the Cold War 102 • Sleipner: The importance of training 109 • ABB awarded $24 million mine hoist contract in Australia • Chilean miner chooses German conveyor maintenance vehicles • Callinex commences drilling in Manitoba 111 • Argonaut and Alio Gold complete merger 113 • Inomin files NI 43-101 technical report on Beaver-Lynx Nickel Project 115 • AUX commences 2020 exploration program on Georgia Project • Diamond drilling resumed at Barsele project 117 • Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management • BHP launches Supplier Innovation Program • Colorado Resources commences exploration at Castle

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ADVERTISERS 4 Austin Engineering 48 Almex Group 62 Applanix Corporation 77 NI USA Corp 82 Real Time Instruments 83 Stebbins 84 Derrick 86 Driver Industrial 106 THEJO 108 Truflo Pumps 110 Applied Fiber 112 Canary Systems 114 Marland Clutch (Altra Industrial Motion) 116 Sai Deepa Rock Drills 118 Flowrox 120 Ingersoll Rand 122 MoistTech Corp 124 VEI Group 126 Yale Cordage 128 Pumps 2000 129 World Mining Directory 131 Shaw Development 132 Resemin Asia

bhp: A diversified portfolio Page 49 news Page 109 • Newmont ranked top miner in 100 Best Corporate Citizens List 119 • Golden Arrow acquires Rosales Copper Project in Chile 121 • Nevada Gold Mines exceed expectations in first year 123 • Long-term power agreement for Oyu Tolgoi 125 • RCT completes Teleremote project at Russian mine 127 • Premier Gold Mines to acquire the Getchell Project in Nevada

World Mining Magazine Contacts, Advertising Rates & Information News & Features Editor

Martin Ashcroft martin@ogsmag.com martin@worldminingmagazine.com

Editor

Vanessa Ward editor@ogsmag.com vanessa@worldminingmagazine.com

Sales

sales@ogsmag.com sales@worldminingmagazine.com

Design and Artwork

artwork@ogsmag.com artwork@worldminingmagazine.com

Managing Director Simon Ward

Advertising Rates

Double Page £6000.00 Full Page £4895.00 Half Page £2450.00 Quarter Page £1450.00 Full Page (inside cover) £6000.00 Lead Article + Front Cover £19,995.00 All advertisement rates include design free of charge. The magazine is printed in A4 format on 250gsm gloss laminated cover and 170gsm matt internal pages. The magazine is both a printed hard copy magazine and distributed electronically. Currently our global readership is approximately 93,000.

World Mining Magazine 2020 World Mining Magazine is published by Worldwide Business Media Limited, London, EC1V 2NX United Kingdom. Registered No. 6809417 England/ Wales. VAT No. 972 7492 76. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or any part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Liability: while every care has been taken in the preperation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein, or any consequence arising from it. All paper used in this production comes from well managed sources.

Worldwide Business Media Limited, London. EC1V 2NX United Kingdom. www.ogsmag.com Tel: +44(0)203 5751249

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Setting the New Standard

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Visit MAXAMTIRE.COM

AXAM Tire North America, a division of Sailun Group, designs, manufactures and distributes off-the-road specialty tire products globally. As a major global specialty tire manufacturer and distributor, MAXAM has a strong reputation for market leading quality, reliability and delivered value. To ensure superior product quality, the organization’s foundation is centered around world-class engineering and has the most advanced manufacturing platforms within the industry. As a rapidly growing global organization, MAXAM invests heavily in our people, progressive engineering processes and our manufacturing facilities to ensure unique business solutions are delivered to customers worldwide. MAXAM MINING GROUP (MMG), a dedicated global group under MAXAM Tire, specifically focuses on the mining segment. The MMG’s core value is to provide superior support on all MAXAM products through partnerships with high-level dealers in conjunction with support from MAXAM MINING GROUP. Our goal is to ensure the best product performance and the highest level of overall customer satisfaction, while reducing the enduser’s operating costs.

The MMG has built a team of members across multiple continents responsible for serving regional market demands. Each member is an industry leading expert dedicated to providing the best customer experience and continuous improvement of market solutions. Innovative engineering, extensive testing, research and state-ofthe-art manufacturing differentiates the MAXAM MINING GROUP from our competitors.

“The organization’s foundation is centered around world-class engineering and has the most advanced manufacturing platforms within the industry” World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Who We Are and Our History

ailun Group, the parent group of MAXAM Tire, was the first “A” listed private tire company in on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and is located at the hub for the National Rubber and Tire Engineering Technology Research Center. Founded back in 1990, Sailun Group was established to develop the intellectual capital to build tires for global market demand and to build machinery facilities for the largest manufacturers in the world. Centering its mission in being a leading provider of global value solutions with unsurpassed product in the value segment and delivering the best customer service in the tire industry, Sailun Group set a significant precedent for MAXAM Tire on forming its mission of being a business solutions provider.

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With true vertical integration from raw materials, factory development, R&D, tire building machinery to global customer support, Sailun has achieved rapid growth in the past two decades. As of 2020, Sailun is now the 18th largest tire company globally and is sold in over 167 countries worldwide. Being a global major manufacturer, Sailun boasts a full range of products in the passenger tire, truck tire and off-the-road tire industries with 19 categories in total. In the past decade, Sailun Group increased its investment further by expanding radial off-the-road (OTR) products, building patented manufacturing processes and utilizing

automated equipment, along with investing in the MAXAM team. Most recently, Sailun Group has furthered MAXAM manufacturing in Asia to meet the increasing demand and to elevate product performance and quality. Today, MAXAM Tire has become a top-tier manufacturer under Sailun Group’s innovation, leadership and investments.

“Centering its mission in being a leading provider of global value solutions with unsurpassed product in the value segment and delivering the best customer service in the tire industry, Sailun Group set a significant precedent for MAXAM Tire on forming its mission of being a business solutions provider”

Technological Forefront and Philosophy

ailun insists on technology R&D as the main driving force behind company development. Guided by the company’s technological advancements, Sailun has positioned itself at the forefront of tire technology and the exploration of tires striving to build a technology-based enterprise. Their R&D center concentrates on the many attributes that affect product performance: compounding, synthetic rubber technology, competitive analysis, tire design and simulation modeling. With equipment and building capabilities that match tier one global manufacturers, Sailun boasts multiple well-established R&D centers globally: China (R&D Center HQ), Vietnam, Europe and Canada. Each dedicated R&D center provides a deeper understanding of the local user’s needs and utilizes cutting-edge technology to form a global R&D system. Sailun’s individual R&D centers also cover market research, product planning, formula development and process

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD “Sailun and MAXAM believe in continuous product testing and review, inspiring new products, development and techniques. Sailun pushes for innovation and takes quantum technology leaps” development systems, from structural design to product verification testing, each with independent research and development capabilities. As the specialty tire division of Sailun, such support and commitment of the R&D team also emanates throughout MAXAM Tire. Under Sailun’s groundbreaking vision, all engineering and R&D teams are fully integrated with factory quality assurance and product development operations to optimize quality and

performance. Centering around intelligent and advanced manufacturing, Sailun ensures its standardized quality management in strict and strategic processes with professional finished equipment, complete transparency on quality including procurement reports and digital production management. In addition to a strict process on quality management, Sailun schedules routine internal quality audits and certification management to meet global compliances and protocols. Sailun and MAXAM believe in continuous product testing and review, inspiring new products, development and techniques. As automotive, trucking and specialty equipment manufacturers continue to evolve, Sailun pushes for innovation and takes quantum technology leaps by designing tire building equipment and machinery that streamlines manufacturing with automation. It is this philosophy that allows Sailun to continue growing and accelerating its position as a global leader.

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MAXAM OTR Achievements and Success

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD

ith years of proven performance, MAXAM Tire has built a strong reputation in the off-the-road and specialty tire market through leading-edge quality, reliability and exceptional value. Our team’s commitment to product quality, reliability and value has been acknowledged by some of the top original equipment manufacturers, including CATERPILLAR®. MAXAM has multiple OTR products that have been certified by CATERPILLAR® on medium wheel loaders and are recognized as one of the best performing tires for their equipment. One of the key accomplishments in this certification is MAXAM’s 875/65R29 MS405, validated and approved for CAT® 982M Medium Wheel Loaders. Featuring a deep E4/ L4 lug pattern that combines excellent grip, stability and performance, the MS405 provides users a solution that meets all harsh demands. Developed with a cut-resistant tread compound and robust undertread, the puncture resistant MS405 allows superior productivity and minimal downtime.

Thoughtfully designed to minimize vibration at higher cycle speeds, the MS405 provides loaders, graders and earthmovers the lowest cost-per-hour. In addition, MAXAM’s MS302 is also approved as a factory fitment option on CAT® 950GC, 950L, 950M, 962L and 962M in certain regions. The MAXAM MS302 features a rugged E3/ L3+ heavy duty design for maximum traction and high heat resistance on loaders, graders and earthmovers. The MAXAM MS302 aims to minimize vibration at haul speeds and provide the lowest cost-per-hour, while the durable cut and tear resistant rubber compound eliminates the constant threat of downtime due to tire damage. The rigorous validation process to achieve OEM approval is part of MAXAM’s commitment to continue bringing quality solutions to various specialty tire markets. Furthermore, MAXAM has the support of the over 1,800 strong and growing Global Dealer Servicing Network, allowing for ease of access to the full product line.

“MAXAM Tire has built a strong reputation in the off-the-road and specialty tire market though leading-edge quality, reliability and exceptional value”

Innovative Engineering & Our Quantum Leaps

s mining applications continue to evolve, our innovative engineering team continuously develops new products utilizing leading technology that focuses on performance, safety standards, reliability and quality. By leveraging extensive research and testing in multiple mine locations around the world, our engineering team pays specific attention to tire compounding and casing design in order to exceed site requirements and enhance durability and performance.

Understanding the customer’s needs is of paramount importance to MAXAM’s core philosophy of being a leader in advanced technology. One aspect of MAXAM’s advancement is its dedication to engineering robust compounds for specific applications. Superior rubber compounding combined with world-class manufacturing technology will result in significant performance enhancements to the MAXAM radial product lines. The MAXAM engineering team has a dedicated rubber compound research group to continue its advancement in this sector. Working directly with the

sales team, who provide customers and product performance feedbacks, the rubber compound research engineers are constantly developing new ways to increase energy and savings in mixing and polymer structure advancement. The goal of our engineering team is to have better dispersion of the element in the compound, less agglomeration and high level of polymer interaction, resulting in superior performance of each type of compound. Available in standard, heat resistant, cut resistant and ultra-cut resistant compounds, MAXAM MINING GROUP has radial open pit mining tires fitted at multiple mine sites that deliver maximum TKPH/TMPH and lowest cost-per-hour.

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Superior Compounding

onstant innovation and technological advancement are the keys that drive our business and our customer’s success. Using leading engineering, industry knowledge, customer and performance feedback and data, MAXAM engineers and R&D teams are always finding new ways to create revolutionary designs and processes to predict performance characteristics before production. As mining and construction machinery continues to advance in delivering faster speeds, greater payloads and technological controls, so too must the tires. The pace of change in mining applications is ever-increasing, presenting new challenges to the tire manufacturers. At MAXAM, we take such formidable challenges as a push to continue our innovation and improvement on product performance with uncompromised value and costper-hour. One of the pillars that established MAXAM’s reputation and standards on innovation is its compounding technology and process. Behind its compounding production, MAXAM works closely with EVE Rubber Research Institute (EVERI), a renowned rubber institute that collaborates with the largest research centers in polymer materials. EVERI is dedicated to the development and recycling of new types of rubber such as functional and green rubber, as well as employing ATCM technology (Advance Technology for Compound Manufacturing). Founded

in 2013, EVERI serves as an important platform of innovative development. EVERI has established several mature research areas including new rubber materials, environmentally friendly processing technology and tires, as well as research into new functions for rubber. EVERI owns close to 600 large-scale, sophisticated equipment patents including rubber mixing and processing equipment, vulcanized rubber testing equipment, material analysis and detection testing equipment etc. More than 120 experts from different fields work in EVERI, covering multiple areas including fundamental research, material research, product development, equipment research, technical service, and analytical testing.

With its rigorous innovations and pioneering vision, EVERI has obtained dozens of patents in the rubber and tire field. Several of its achievements have now become the industry standard. According to reports from the Spain IDIADA (the EU authoritative testing institution) and USA SMITHERS lab (the U.S. authoritative testing institution), EVERI has reached an internationally advanced level in the field of developing sustainable technology in manufacturing and providing functional rubber materials. EVERI is the first scientific institution satisfying the BB level of the EU tire label. Recently, EVERI announced a joint technology agreement with Versalis, a major producer in the polymers

“MAXAM’s tire compounds pass through rigorous quality control measures ” 14 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD

State-of-the-Art Manufacturing

T and elastomers industry, developing a production technology for advanced elastomer compounds designed for the tire market. By leveraging top-class technology and processes, the EVERI and Versalis partnership changes the landscape in the tire industry and allows MAXAM‘s tire production to set the new standard in manufacturing and innovation. With capabilities to elevate product quality and to add value to the supply chain, such technological innovation in the elastomers industry plays a fundamental role in ensuring MAXAM’s leading compounding position in the marketplace. After production, MAXAM’s tire compounds pass through rigorous quality control measures. This control also applies to the testing of raw materials before entering the production process.

o meet our engineering team’s advanced innovation, the MAXAM MINING GROUP invests heavily in our state-of-the-art manufacturing process. With five fully owned and operated factories that have proprietary and patented manufacturing processes, MAXAM continues to pioneer advances in technology across all processes. All MAXAM radial tires are built in positive crown drums that build the tires in a shape closer to its finished profile, ensuring components are minimally disturbed during the curing process. To further ensure accuracy in the manufacturing process, MAXAM also uses Electron Bead Processing to increase molecular cross-linkage for improved component accuracy and stabilization during the manufacturing stage. The process also includes laser contour scanners and automated strip winders for absolute precision and consistency in all MAXAM tires. MAXAM’s technical excellence is supplemented using premium materials. MAXAM owns its natural rubber processing plant in Asia to fully

“To further ensure accuracy in the manufacturing process, MAXAM also uses Electron Bead Processing to increase molecular crosslinkage for improved component accuracy and stabilization during the manufacturing stage” control the quality of our rubber in addition to working with the top-tier raw material suppliers. Combined with its highly skilled workforce, MAXAM manufactured radial tires perform well even in the toughest applications and site requirements. “Quality that drives productivity” is one of the fundamental beliefs at MAXAM and this belief is applied on every level, from manufacturing and logistics, to planning and distribution. The quality of the customer’s experience is of paramount importance to MAXAM and their satisfaction is what drives the company and its success. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Visit MAXAMTIRE.COM

Raw Materials and Mixing Equipment

s a technological leader and innovator, MAXAM invests heavily in raw materials and mixing equipment as these processes play a vital role in product consistency and compound uniformity. To minimize errors and maximize productivity, MAXAM has created numerous patented automation and intelligent systems for our mixing processes. In one MAXAM factory alone, there is an operation with over fifteen mixers with different volumes (150-430 liters) capable of various mixing speeds. A key mixing process that contributes to our product’s final quality is intelligent mixing, an automatic weighing and production system with bar code scanning, small chemical weighing and raw rubber cutting system. This advanced automation ensures: • improved uniformity of final product • tracing the material by bar code scanning • lower discharge temperature of the rubber compounds • increased accuracy and high-speed dosing of each chemical component • shorter mixing time and higher efficiency Working with the R&D and engineering team, MAXAM manufacturing was also able to advance its raw material process significantly. MAXAM has created several systematic methodologies in perfecting its compounding and overall quality: • liquid rubber mixing phase (high-tech process of rubber mixing), providing masterbatch produced with continuous liquid phase. Mixing with natural rubber latex and carbon black slurry • high styrene content of SBR rubber for improved cutting resistance • customized carbon black for improved wear resistance and balanced tread compound heat generation • tear resistant resin for improved tear resistance for cut resistant tread compound

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“All MAXAM product specifications, processes and tolerances are established and controlled by its group in all manufacturing facilities, ensuring product consistency”

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD

Strict and Rigorous Quality and Testing

very MAXAM MINING GROUP product goes through comprehensive lab and field testing with seamless procedures that feature strict quality control. All MAXAM product specifications, processes and tolerances are established and controlled by its group in all manufacturing facilities, ensuring product consistency. MAXAM’s quality assurance standards are maintained through technologically advanced equipment and skilled technicians. Utilizing advanced shearography technology, all MAXAM utilizes EBP (Electron Bead Processing) as part of the testing process. MAXAM mining tires go through a rigorous quality EBP is used for increased molecular cross-linkage for improved component inspection process, eliminating the chances of trapped accuracy and stabilization during the manufacturing process). air in the casing, blisters or undercuring. MAXAM also utilizes EBP (Electron Bead Processing) as part of the MAXAM mining tire goes through a meticulous process to testing process. EBP is used for increased molecular crossensure quality that includes a visual inspection for uniformity linkage for improved component accuracy and stabilization and defects, x-ray for tire integrity validation, shearography for during the manufacturing process. internal construction confirmation and ultrasonic measurement Another important aspect of quality is physical testing. for construction conformity. At MAXAM, we stand behind every MAXAM ensures its mining products’ top-tier performance product with guaranteed performance as every tire instills the by conducting TKPH tests, tread endurance and bead MAXAM core value of “quality that drives productivity”. endurance tests. During the TKPH test, heat buildup in the tire is measured using advanced technology, Using X-ray technology to examine steel belts, every radial tire must pass strict tolerances ensuring that every product is built to during the production process as part of quality control protocol. withstand heat buildup at a site. The tread endurance test qualifies the integrity of tread pattern and compound. The bead endurance test inspects the integrity of the carcass and bead package. All the components in every tire’s physical tests play a key role in ensuring MAXAM’s tierone products’ optimum performance and quality. Using X-ray technology to examine steel belts, every radial tire must pass strict tolerances during the production process as part of quality control protocol. Every

MS402 Example

Every MAXAM tire goes through a rigorous quality check. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

A Team that Goes Above and Beyond for Customers

AXAM prides itself in being a business solutions provider that’s committed to the quality of the customer experience. With the mining segment as one of the toughest and most demanding industries, a team of experts with leading market knowledge is a necessity in order to provide the best customer experience and solution. The MAXAM MINING GROUP is a team of dedicated and knowledgeable experts that not only have decades of experience in the field but the ambition and drive to exceed expectations. MAXAM has appointed the best global talent to meet the highest standards of customer experience. Each MMG team member has at least fifteen to twenty years of experience in the off-the-road tire industry with a proven record of delivering accelerated business performance and growth to our customers’ businesses. Each MMG sales member has years of experience working for top-tier tire manufacturers and dealers with the ability to provide knowledgeable support to our customers in every aspect of the mining business. To provide the best business solutions for the industry, MAXAM has selected Matt Johnson to lead the team as Vice President of MAXAM MINING GROUP. As a highly qualified and experienced leader in managing a diverse leadership team and supply chain management, Matt believes that having the right people is the key to success. A passionate and enthusiastic leader, he focuses on building a group of worldclass teams that raise the bar for the industry. “We pride ourselves on providing solutions with the lowest cost-per-hour/ton while continuing our assistance to our customers with other cost saving recommendations and actions. We believe in fostering long-term, mutually beneficial business relationships with our customers,” says Matt.

“MAXAM MINING GROUP sets its foundation and philosophy on centering customers’ needs and the requirement of each mine site. Every MAXAM MINING GROUP specialist works with the engineering team by learning each mine site’s requirements and goals”

Matt Johnson is Vice President of MAXAM MINING GROUP, a subgroup of MAXAM Tire, with responsibility for sales and support strategy implementation for MAXAM MINING GROUP globally. Matt has been with MAXAM Tire since October 2019. Prior to MAXAM Tire, he has held various field and management positions within two decades of his career in the tire industry. Matt began his career as a tire technician in a retail mining business in 1993 and advanced through multiple sales and management roles. In the past decade, Matt led Purcell Tire’s Global Mine Group as Vice President, delivering high profit and growth to the business. He has proven to be a commercial expert who leads his teams strategically for sustainable growth. His past colleagues appreciate his ability to drive global turnaround and business development initiatives that raise sales and profit. A highly qualified and experienced leader in managing a diverse leadership team and supply chain management, Matt believes that having the right people is the key to success. A passionate and enthusiastic leader, he focuses on building groups of world-class teams that raise the bar for the industry. Matt’s continuous drive to help build extraordinary organizations has been proven through many successes in previous leadership roles.

MAXAM MINING GROUP sets its foundation and philosophy on addressing customers’ needs and the requirements of each mine site. Every MAXAM MINING GROUP specialist works with the engineering team by learning each mine site’s requirements and goals. A strategic plan with specific products and compounds, along with expected performance and hours, is then proposed to customers for their consideration. Once a customer accepts MAXAM’s proposal and initial product placements, the company continues to make frequent visits to monitor its 18 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

products for maximum assurance. Every site visit is concluded and submitted back to the customer with a data review and maintenance tips. The onsite review, proposal and monitoring demonstrates MAXAM’s commitment to its customers along with its ambition to earn their confidence. Many customers see MAXAM as more than a supplier focused on placing tires, but instead a trusted partner that delivers guaranteed performance and dedicated support. The MAXAM MINING GROUP shares the same core values of

MAXAM Tire, centering around innovation, business solutions and the commitment to provide an exceptional customer experience. In continuation to developing their long-term mutual beneficial business relationships with customers, its sales team is there during the entire journey: from in-depth site evaluations, GPS study reports, performance tracking to maintenance visits. These reports and performance evaluations are then shared with R&D and the engineering team to enable further improvements on product performance. The MAXAM MINING

GROUP’s core value in providing the relevant and ideal business solutions is applied to every aspect of its business, from sales, customer service, R&D, engineering, distribution, supply chain to manufacturing. Customer experience and feedback are the core that drives the MAXAM MINING GROUP’s innovation and advancement in performance and growth. To differentiate themselves from other suppliers, every MAXAM MINING GROUP member is trained to gather the right information onsite. Followed up by sharing this information with the customer and strategizing an action plan, MMG has proven to be a knowledgeable supplier with “boots on the ground” experts, achieving daily established goals that the sites need.

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD Generally, mines have about 90 to 120 days of inventory on the ground. If the hauls change from a short haul to a longer haul, the ton-kilometer-perhour (TKPH) will most likely increase. Therefore, higher TKPH rating requires a cooler compound in the tire and/or a cut resistant compound for a lower TKPH rating. Similarly, shorter hauls require a cut resistant compound with a lower TKPH rating. The correlation between TKPH and changes in the hauls is critical when placing the correct tire with the appropriate compound. Running the incorrect compound could lead

to overheating in tires from a longer, faster haul. Similarly, the tires could also chunk out if a softer compound is placed in a harsh underfoot condition.

“The process on site review, proposal and monitoring demonstrates MAXAM’s commitment to its customers along with its ambition to earn their confidence”

MAXAM MINING GROUP working with customers at a site visit, performing evaluations and performance tracking. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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SETTING THE NEW STANDARD

TKPH

AXAM MINING GROUP follows the criteria below when understanding each site’s specific TKPH requirement: 1 2 3 4 5

Round trip distance Number of cycles per shift Shift duration, including all breaks Average high temperature Grades, uphill or downhill laden loads being hauled

Once this information is collected with the help of a GPS or V-Box, the numbers can be entered into the TKPH spreadsheet or the MAXAM Tire App. The TKPH requirement for both the front and rear axle will be produced and determine the best compound to be placed. Every tread pattern will have a different number depending on the design (for example, lug to void ratio and depth of the tread will determine an E3, E4 or E4+ pattern for extra tread depth). Today, there are many options available to track tires and analyze hauls to obtain cycle data. Understanding the site and its potential development and changes in the future plays a vital role in selecting the right compound for the tire and matching the haul cycle requirements. MAXAM Tire believes that a proper tire maintenance program and training for its customers will provide maximum productivity and tire longevity. MAXAM has developed many tools and performs constant site visits to ensure a consistent and effective maintenance program. One of the helpful tools they’ve developed is the Tire Life Indicators Chart. Each component serves a check point discussed at the driver’s monthly meetings. Acting on any one of these key indicators can positively impact the life of the tire and increase a site’s overall productivity.

“MAXAM MINING GROUP offers various tire sizes to fit trucks up to 400 tons”

“MAXAM has developed many tools and performs constant site visits to ensure a consistent and effective maintenance program. One of the helpful tools they’ve developed is the Tire Life Indicators Chart. Each component serves a check point discussed at the driver’s monthly meetings”

Product that Delivers the Lowest Cost-Per-Hour with Uncompromised Performance

he latest open pit mining series tires have been in development for the past six years and are the result of extensive research and testing. With a dedicated team to focus on offering full support for the open pit mining product range, MAXAM MINING GROUP offers various tire sizes to fit trucks up to 400 tons. MAXAM offers a variety of compounds and up to five tread patterns (depending on the tire size) to meet specific mining site applications. As an innovative group, MAXAM’s engineers and R&D team are working on an enhanced compounding series to further optimize higher TKPH/TMPH values, improving overall performance with maximum heat resistance, cut resistance and abrasion resistance. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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Mining Support Equipment

E2/G2/L2

s mine sites continue to develop and evolve, numerous factors go into having an inclusive maintenance program in order to achieve optimum productivity each day. Having a staff of knowledgeable experts to perform proper daily pre-shift checks is a must in addition to tires that deliver the performance each application requires. As a full range tire supplier that has achieved significant performance and accomplishments in the off-the-road industry, MAXAM offers quality products for all other mining support equipment, providing a comprehensive program for mine sites across the world.

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E3/L3

E4/L4

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SETTING THE NEW STANDARD L5

SKID STEER

OTHERS

“As a full range tire supplier that has achieved significant performance and accomplishments in the off-the-road industry, MAXAM offers quality products for all other mining support equipment” World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

YOUR #1 OFF-THE-ROAD CHOICE FOR MINING SUPPORT EQUIPMENT TIRES

MS906 Deep R4 tread pattern designed for skid steer, backhoe and telehandler applications.

MS302 Heavy duty E3/L3+ lug pattern combines excellent traction and high resistance to wear and cutting. Specifically designed to minimize vibration at haul speeds & provide the lowest cost-per-hour.

MS301 Standard E3/L3 rock lug pattern combines excellent traction and high resistance to wear and cutting.

MS405 Heavy duty E3/L3+ lug pattern combines excellent traction and high resistance to wear and cutting. Specifically designed to minimize vibration at haul speeds and provide the lowest cost-per-hour.

MS202

For loaders, graders, telehandlers and articulated dump trucks operating in soft underfoot conditions. Ideal for use in dirt, mud, snow and ice.

MS406 Deep E4/L4 lug pattern combines excellent traction and high resistance to wear and cutting. Specifically designed to maximize traction in loader applications and provide the lowest cost-per-hour.

MS501 For use in the most severe applications where traction and long tread life are required.

30 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD

MS907 Extra deep, aggressive L5 tread pattern designed for skid steer, backhoe and telehandler applications.

MS706 Premium 3-stage solid tire ideal for the most extreme OTR and construction applications. Extra deep tread allows for 3 to 5 times longer tire life vs pneumatic. 3-stage, 100% rubber construction.

MS503 Extra deep, open lug L5T traction pattern combines excellent traction and high resistance to wear and cutting. Specifically designed to maximize service life in the harshest applications.

MS904

MS502 Extra deep, open lug L5T traction pattern combines excellent traction and high resistance to wear and cutting. Specifically designed to maximize service life in the harshest applications.

Modified R4 tread pattern for applications combining high off-road traction and excellent roading performance.

MS801 Designed for use in multiple applications, the MS801 offers excellent traction and protection from punctures, as well as, improved stability

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

MAXAM Performance vs. Competition

n order to improve upon our products’ performance, MAXAM’s engineering and sales team are working together on every field visit to track data better. Based on much of the tracking data, MAXAM MINING GROUP’s products have provided the lowest cost-per-hour while maintaining exceptional performance on a par with tier-one competitors. “The reality for mine sites is that our tires are just on a par with the top tier-one manufacturers in performance – we have seen 9,200 to 9,500 hours versus their 10,000 plus hours. Since our tires cost less than theirs, we are providing a significant increase in value and giving mine sites incredible savings,” says Matt Johnson, Vice President of MAXAM MINING GROUP. Below is some of the comparative performance data from mines using MAXAM mining products. Such data is based on wear rate with cost-per-hour calculation provided.

32 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

In-Depth Mine Site Study

ver the past few years, MAXAM MINING GROUP has been tracking every tire’s performance since its placement at mining sites around the world. Many customers have been pleased with the performance and value that MAXAM’s products have provided. One MAXAM customer, a large mine site located in Canada, has been achieving consistent performance and unbeatable value with the lowest cost-per-hour in the past several years. MAXAM has been tracking one specific tire pattern, the MS402, since the first tire placement back in 2015 on the two front positions. When the program was initiated, MAXAM’s target was to reach 4200 hours. Within the first nine months of initial placement, MAXAM’S tires have been proving their performance, according to customers, while competing against leading manufacturers in the mining tires industry at the same site. Based on the data gathered in the first nine months, MAXAM’s results were within 15-20% of tier-one manufacturers’ performance but at much lower cost-per-hour. In the first two years of placement, MAXAM has received excellent feedback and has positioned an additional 124 tires (112 units of the MAXAM MS402 and 12 units of the MAXAM MS401). By August of 2017, MAXAM MINING GROUP held approximately 75% of the entire CAT® 777 fleet in this mine. Below is a brief data summary that shows MAXAM’s product vs. competitors.

“MAXAM’s target was to reach 4200 hours. Within the first nine months of initial placement, MAXAM’S tires have been proving their performance, according to its customers, while competing against leading manufacturers in the mining tires industry at the same site”

PERIOD

BRAND/PATTERN

COMPOUND

# OF SCRAP TIRES

AVG. HOURS

S/HOURS

January 2016 September 2016

Competitor 1A

Cut Resistant

4972

2.85

Competitor 1A

Cut Resistant

3611

2.81

Competitor 1A

Cut Resistant

2748

3.82

Competitor 2

Cut Resistant

3404

4.65

MAXAM MS402

S2 (Cut Resistant)

3687

2.33

MAXAM MS402

S2 (Cut Resistant)

113

6175

1.38

2015 - 2020

34 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD Based on the data provided above, below is the calculated result on cost-per-hour comparison.

Visit MAXAMTIRE.COM

Based on the data provided, below is the result on average scrap tire percentage.

Below indicate reasons of tire removals at the site from September 2015 to February 2020.

In conclusion, MAXAM has delivered products that performed beyond its customers’ expectations and continues to provide superior value to the mine with the lowest cost-per-hour. Overall, MAXAM’s products have reached 11,310 hours, delivering performance and tire life well beyond the initial 4200 target hours. There are no tires removed from service due to product issues. In addition, the nine installed tires are still in service, providing an average of $1.38 costper-hour, lower than any other manufacturer’s products. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

MS401

MS402

36 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

MS403

MS440

MS453

SETTING THE NEW STANDARD Why Choose MAXAM MINING GROUP?

n today’s competitive market, mining customers are looking for other viable large haulage tire options. With only a few tire manufacturers dominating the global haulage wheel segment, entry for a new player in the industry can be challenging. Upon initiating its mining program with prospects and customers, MAXAM MINING GROUP is focused on building confidence and trust in its partnerships by providing a full-scope analysis on each site’s requirements. With such a detail-oriented and dedicated team focused on fostering successful business relationships, along with guaranteed performance and products that deliver the lowest costper-hour, many MAXAM customers have turned to MAXAM MINING GROUP as another viable option for haulage and loading tires. MAXAM MINING GROUP is currently working with many mining, aggregate and construction companies globally. By conducting in-depth site studies to ensure proper compound and product placements, following up with frequent monitoring and data performance, MMG is earning the respect from a broad customer base. They have positioned MAXAM as a trusted supplier and advisor that does more than deliver products with guaranteed performance - MAXAM is a true business solutions provider. With a full range of off-the-road and other specialty products, MAXAM MINING GROUP specialists are always finding solutions to maximize customer’s savings on all the support equipment. While larger haulage tires remain an expensive investment, the expense and maintenance on the support tires can be far greater than the cost of larger haulage tires. The MAXAM team is trained to look for potential solutions to address any tire

application, from big equipment to forklifts in warehouses. One example was at a mine site that runs ash trailers. They were changing out tires about three times a year per wheel position, making the ash trailers’ tires one of the highest cost-per-hour investments. After analyzing the operation, MAXAM’s proposed solution was to change out the existing tire and rim and replace with a different size tire and rim. The customer accepted the proposal after the confirmation was made by the trailer manufacturer and that the trailer performance would remain steady. Since this change two years ago, the customer has projected a span of at least three years without removing the trailer tires. This move has dramatically decreased the ash trailer’s cost-per-hour and increased the site’s overall productivity. Providing solutions to customers with quality tires and knowledgeable technical support are just a sample of the key differentiators that make MAXAM Tire a viable choice for the mining industry. MAXAM Tire is a global specialty tire supplier with a full range of products for construction, material handling, agricultural, forestry and other specialty segments. MAXAM boasts 14 haulage and support equipment models that have applications across multiple

industries, bringing relevant and innovative solutions to customers in all segments. Innovative engineering, extensive testing, research and stateof-the-art manufacturing differentiates MAXAM from its competitors. At MAXAM, core values are centered around innovation and commitment to provide an exceptional customer experience. As a rapidly growing global organization, MAXAM invests heavily in its people, advanced engineering and manufacturing facilities to ensure unique business solutions are delivered to customers worldwide. As the MAXAM MINING GROUP continues to expand globally, its customers’ satisfaction remains the foundation of MAXAM, so it continues to innovate in all aspects of the tire business. At MAXAM, it is its culture and people that truly differentiate it from its competitors. Driven by core values that are centered around innovation and commitment to create an exceptional customer experience, MAXAM’s people are committed to continued advancement and to exceed expectations. It is what makes the MAXAM difference – being your business solutions provider.

Visit MAXAMTIRE.COM World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Solutions for Detecting Rips in Conveyor Belts Andrew I. Hustrulid, PhD, PE

onveyor belts rip longitudinally, primarily by being impinged by foreign objects such as drill steel, rock bolts, steel liner plates or rock slabs that penetrate through the belt and become lodged in the impact bed structure or surrounding steel. The majority of time the rip occurs at the tail or loading point of the conveyor, but occasionally does occur elsewhere along the conveyor.

38 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Steel cord belts are particularly susceptible to belt rips as they have no, or limited, rip resistance strength. Once a foreign object penetrates the belt there is nothing to force the object free, so it is not uncommon to see the entire belt length rip into two pieces. Belts carrying primary crushed ore are occasionally fitted with an additional fabric or metal breaker layer to provide

additional impact resistance. This can provide some additional protection against damaging the steel cords but only offers limited protection against rips. The consequences from a rip in a steel cord belt are significant. Rips are generally long and make the conveyor essentially inoperable. These belts are often the lifeline of the mine, carrying

the ore from the primary crusher a long distance to the processing plant or coal up the steep slope out of an underground mine. Steel cord belts are only made to order and typically have a multi month lead time to be manufactured. The costs of the belt and the replacement service can also be substantial. Vulcanized repairs and/or installing mechanical clips offer temporary, but marginal, results in returning to operation. Frantic calls looking for used steel cord belt around the world are not uncommon following the rip of a steel cord belt. For these reasons it is not uncommon for mining companies or their insurance companies to require that rip detection systems are installed and in operation on critical steel cord conveyors. Fabric conveyor belts are less impacted by rips. Due to their multiply woven nature foreign objects are less likely to penetrate the entire carcass. When an object does penetrate the carcass the strength of the carcass may dislodge the object from the belt and/or the rip will migrate out the side of the belt, limiting damage to a limited portion of the entire length. Straight warp fabric designs have historically performed well in high impact and potential rip applications. Fabric belts are also commonly held as spares, stocked at distributors, or available with a lead time of a few weeks from the manufacturer, limiting the necessity for rip detection in fabric belts. Over the last five decades a few different types of rip detection systems have been developed. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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loop based systems

he most common systems in use today are two different loopbased systems where an inductive loop is placed in the conveyor during manufacturing and later read with a transmitter and receiver in the field. If a loop is expected, but not found, the controller concludes that the loop has been cut and the conveyor is stopped. The transmitter and receiver to detect the loop are generally placed a short distance following the load point. The general principal is that a transmitting coil generates an electromagnetic field (EMF) at a relatively low frequency of approximately 56.5 kHz. If the coil in the belt is intact, a current is induced which then generates a second EMF that is detected by a receiving coil mounted on the opposite side of the conveyor. If the coil in the belt is not intact, the receiving coil should not receive a signal. However, due to their relatively close proximity of only the belt width, one challenge is when the transmitter and

“The system knows that a loop is there and not some other object when the signal reverses”

receiver “couple” to each other when no loop is present. This can be caused by the positioning of the sensor heads, high gain and/or sensitivity settings, a splice in the belt or other metallic objects on the belt. Two methods have been employed to avoid the coupling issues: • When using the “Figure 8” loops the signal detected by the receiving antenna is reversed or inverted when the loop is present. The system knows that a loop is there and not some other object when the signal reverses. • The systems with the rectangular loops take a completely different approach. The transmitter and receiving heads have a polarization in their electromagnetic fields. When they are positioned approximately perpendicular to each other their fields do not interact. Here the word approximate is used because there is some fringing of the fields and they are not perfectly polarized. The long transmitting coil creates a current in the end of the loop and the receiving coil picks up the current from the wires that cross the belt width. These systems have worked over the years but many mines and service technicians report that they can be difficult to maintain and can have false nuisance trips that are costly to follow up

Figure 1 - Figure 8 Loop with Sensor Configuration

40 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

on, lead to unplanned down time and may eventually lead to the system being turned off completely or not believed when an actual rip does occur. Better understanding of the systems, improved software, user interfaces and remote monitoring have improved the usability of these systems. Typical difficulties that have been experienced over the years are:1. Physical damage to the systems. 2. Poor or intermittent reading of the loops. 3. The system not knowing where it is in the revolution of the belt. Operating in a mining environment it is not uncommon for the systems to be physically damaged. Types of damage experienced are severe corrosion due to the corrosive mine environment, sensors position being changed or completely dislodged due to impact from material falling off the belt, and sensors or control boxes being flooded in wet mining environments. To overcome these challenges, control boxes are available in stainless steel or hard plastic cases, sensors are encased in epoxy or secondary hard plastic cases, and it is recommended that the customer carry spares of all components mounted on or near the conveyor. The principal of these loop systems is an inductive loop, installed in the

“The transmitter and receiving heads have a polarization in their electromagnetic fields. When they are positioned approximately perpendicular to each other, their fields do not interact. Here the word approximate is used because there is some fringing of the fields and they are not perfectly polarized” conveyor. Reliable reading of the loops, while also seeing a false loop when one isn’t present, is a challenge. The loop can be installed in either the top or bottom cover. Installing the loop in the bottom cover provides additional protection from impacting material and will place the loop closer to the transmitter and receiver without the steel cords of the belt between the two. However, often a thicker pulley cover is required to accommodate the thicknesses of the loop. Typical minimum cover thickness to accommodate the loop is 6mm. The wire used in the loops is carefully selected to resist fatigue and corrosion. Typical constructions are a copper core enclosed in stainless steel shielding. The solder joint of the two ends of the wire is a potential failure point so cable splices are typically done with individual strand ends staggered at up to seven unique locations around the loop. Additional attention needs to be paid to the rubber compounds used to encapsulate the antennae to ensure they do not react with the core metal or the shielding. The figure 8 sensors are shown in Figure 1. The transmitting coil is supplied with 15 volts. When a loop is not present the transmitter can couple with the receiver. Antennae on the surface of the PCB act to align the rf waves.

Solutions for Detecting Rips in Conveyor Belts

The current generated by the transmitter can be seen moving in the opposite direction as it passes over the receiver in the Figure 8 Loop. Systems using the rectangular loops use transmitters and receivers with polarized linear radio frequency fields. The system operates at 12 volts and a frequency of 56.5 kHz and the long transmitter generates a current in the wire at the end of the loops nearest the belt edge. The receiver is placed perpendicular over the wires crossing the belt picks up the signal. The signal in the receiver changes direction as the sensor passes under the middle of the loop. The rectangular loop configuration is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 - Rectangular Loop with Sensor Configuration

One byproduct of the close integration between the sensor types and the loop design is that different sensors don’t necessarily work well with alternate loop types. The linear sensor heads can usually read the figure 8 loops, but the cylindrical sensor heads cannot read the rectangular loops. This can lead to replacement belt sales tied into a particular belt manufacturer. Several different belt manufacturers utilize the rectangular loops. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

operating modes

n the simplest operating mode, the controller keeps track of the maximum time expected between each loop. The PLC informs the system that the belt is running and if a loop is not detected within a set number of seconds the system flags that the belt has been ripped. By adding a speed sensor to the system, the control unit can keep track of the position of the belt as it moves around the system. Instead of the basic time between loops, the system can now keep track of the distance between loops. Knowing the position of the belt as it rotates around the conveyor system is critical. The speed sensor is typically measured on a non-driven pulley in case there is belt slippage. Modern systems use two encoders detecting targets on the pulley shaft or the pulley rim. Dual encoders are required to pick up not only belt speed but the direction of rotation. As the belt starts or stops a pulley may temporarily run backwards. With only one proximity probe this may look like additional space in the belt which causes problems. Additional recommendations are to use industry standard speed measurement devices, dual output sensors to reduce the number of sensors required on the pulley, and for systems mounted near the head of the conveyor system the speed detection should be mounted on the same side of the take-up as the sensor heads, and finally the speed targets on the pulley should be equally spaced. More advanced operating modes learn the pattern of loops in the conveyor and then, based on either a short or long loop spacing, can identify a starting position in the belt. While the system is either learning the loops spacing or looking for the start of the pattern it will operate in the maximum loop spacing mode. In practice this model can be problematic as weak loops may or may not be picked up during training, short (or long) loop spacings may be similar in the belt, and

“By adding a speed sensor to the system, the control unit can keep track of the position of the belt as it moves around the system. Instead of the basic time between loops, the system can now keep track of the distance between loops” the system must be retrained when there are any changes to the conveyor such as adding or changing a splice. Starting in 2005 manufacturers started installing RFID chips adjacent to the rip panels. These chips, picked up by a separate sensor, each had a unique ID associated with them, enabling the system to immediately know where it is in the belt revolution once the first RFID chip passes the sensor. This improved the availability of the rip detection systems significantly. The RFID chips can either be installed at the time of manufacture or retrofit into existing systems in the field. It is also common to install, at a minimum, one RFID chip in the conveyor so that the system can find at least one unique start point. RFID chips are being used in conveyor belts for other purposes. Examples include marking the splice locations and details and marking distances from just before to after the splice in an effort to monitor splice stretch, which may indicate impending failure. RFID readers may also read the chips as they pass on the belt going in the opposite direction. For example, an RFID sensor monitoring the carry run of the belt may also pick up the RFID chips as they pass on the return run on the opposite side of the conveyor. It’s critical to not only return that an RFID chip was present but also the ID number of the chip.

Problems with Belt Mistracking

he performance of the system is dependent on the sensors in the belt properly positioned over the transmitter and receiving heads. If the belt mistracks this causes the relative position of the loops to the sensor heads to shift and the read loop strength may decrease. With the rectangular loops the allowable mistracking is limited by the length of the transmitter which passes over the end of the loop. In 2002 the transmitter length was increased from 250mm to 400mm to allow for more mistracking. This should allow the belt to track +/- 200 mm. The figure 8 loops initially had two smaller circular loops that were designed to pass over the transmitter and receiver. This permitted minimal mistracking. Over time the pattern has changed to two elongated loops. The length of these loops is dependent on the belt width. For a 1524mm wide belt the permitted mistracking is approximately +/- 160 mm. The size and placement of the loops in the belt is also critical. If the loops are not located consistently across the belt width, or a smaller loop is inserted, sporadic problems with the reading of the loops can occur, leading to false trips. Belt lift off during starting or running at the location where the sensor heads are, may also lead to false trips. When the belt lifts off the loops are farther away from the sensor heads, decreasing the signal strength, and potentially resulting in a missed loop. For optimum reliability with the loop system the belt should track consistently over the transmitter and receiving heads, all of the belt loops should be the same size and consistently located across the belt width and the belt should maintain positive contact with the adjacent idlers at all times.

“The EMSYS system has two RF tags mounted in the belt, one on each side, connected by two wires. These are referred to as Smartwires” 42 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

The Next Generation of Rip Detection

FID technology has significantly advanced since 2005. The chips are now amazingly small, can be read from further distances and can also include sensing and measurements. There is significant commercialization of RFID chips beyond conveyor belts which has led to industry wide standardization and significant development. There are three common frequency ranges used with RFID that are summarized in Table 1.

Solutions for Detecting Rips in Conveyor Belts

Table 1 - Industry Standard RFID Frequencies

STRENGTH

RANGE

FREQUENCY

Low Frequency

Ability to penetrate metal surfaces

8 Inches to 6 feet

125 – 134 kHz

High Frequency

Medium to high water content

Inches to a couple of feet

13.56 MHz

Ultra-High Frequency

Good for transmitting data

Up to 50 ft

433 and 860-960 Mhz

Figure 3 - Smart Wire and Sensor Head

MSYS is the first company to fully incorporate these technologies into belt rip detection. Instead of a large antenna inserted into the belt, the EMSYS system has two RF tags mounted in the belt, one on each side, connected by two wires. These are referred to as Smartwires. The two chips operate at industry standard RFID frequencies of HF and UHF. One chip draws power from the external transmitter and powers the other chip that is picked up by the receiver. If the connection between the two chips is lost, due to a belt rip, then the receiving RFID tag reports that the power antennae is cut, and the belt is shut down. To keep the transmitter and receiver from interfering with each other they are operated at different industry standard frequencies. Smartwires are constructed of a Kevlar® braided core for impact resistance and strength. They are made of a silver coated copper wire wound around the Kevlar® core which is then stitched in a z pattern to breaker fabric for resistance to breakage. The solder joints and RFIDs are encased in epoxy to prevent breakage and ensure the longevity of the signal. Each Smartwire has a power tag and an antenna RFID and the tags can be programed with information such as: Unique ID codes

to map to the position in the belt, the date of installation, maintenance dates, etc. Smartwires are warrantied for 1 year and will not impact the performance of the belt or lead to belt failures. Smartwires are placed within the belt, during manufacture or as a 35-minute retrofit for existing conveyor belts, at regular intervals for monitoring the

length of the belt. Smartwires are also manufactured in house at Almex facilities and have short lead times. They do not require special shipping or handling such as refrigeration, because they don’t contain any uncured rubber and are flexible by design. In fact, they can be delivered by courier due to the flexibility and lightweight construction. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

The Path to the Future

here is a large installed base of rip detection systems in the market. It is unreasonable to expect an end user to replace, at one time, all of their existing loops with Smartwires. However, the end user will still want to take advantage of this new technology. The EMSYS transmitter and receiving heads are designed to read both the existing figure 8 and rectangular loops in the field as well as the new Smartwires. Installing an EMSYS system as a secondary system or replacement system on an existing conveyor with rip detection will expose the additional software advances in the EMSYS system and as loops are gradually replaced with smart wires the overall system reliability will improve.

“The EMSYS transmitter and receiving heads are designed to read both the existing figure 8 and rectangular loops in the field as well as the new Smartwires”

Figure 4 - Replacing Smartwires in the Field 44 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Maintenance of failed loops in the field

he antenna loops do fail. They may fail due to material impact, fatigue, cuts into the conveyor covers or a manufacturing defect. As the loops begin to fail, they may just weaken in their signal strength or show up sporadically – sometimes active and other times not active. These failing loops are a significant contributor to false and nuisance trips with rip detections systems. To reduce the issues with these failing loops it is typically possible to program the controller to ignore specific loops or not look for a loop during specific segments of the belt. Failed loops do not need to be physically removed from the belt, but they should be physically cut and approximately a 25 mm section of the wire removed from the belt, so they are completely inactive. Where the loop is cut can be repaired with a quick curing urethane type compound. When a loop fails, that segment of the belt now has a longer unprotected length. If the original loop spacing was 30 meters, that segment of belt, is now unprotected for 60 meters. To return to the original protection level a new loop needs to be installed. For antenna style loops this requires that the belt is stopped at the correct location, the

“The Smartwires with RFID Tags are much smaller at only 100mm wide. With a specialized grooving device and small, lightweight press, they can be quickly replaced in under an hour with two people” conveyor is appropriately locked and tagged out, a section of the top or bottom cover is removed, the new loop and covers are installed and the rubber vulcanized with a press approximately 800 mm wide. Once cooled the belt can be removed from service. This process, after the belt is tagged out, should typically take an experienced crew about four hours. The antennae are typically supplied from the belt manufacturer in a rubberized panel compatible with the belt rubber. The Smartwires with RFID Tags are much smaller at only 100mm wide. With a specialized grooving device and small, lightweight press, they can be quickly replaced in under an hour with two people. This technique is shown in Figure 4.

Solutions for Detecting Rips in Conveyor Belts

Belt Installation

he coordination of the manufacture of a large steel cord belt with the steps for the planned installation onsite is often overlooked. The OEM or customer orders a new steel cord belt with specified loops spacing of, for example 30 meters. The belt manufacturer makes the belt with a loop spacing of 30 meters, but due to the way steel cord belts are manufactured the roll lengths have minimal variations in length. If all the rolls are installed exactly in the direction and order they were manufactured in, then the loop spacing on the installed belt will be correct. However, this is often overlooked, and the belts installed in a random order which results in significant variations in the loops spacings around the splices. Some being shorter than expected and others longer. Even less ideal is when a few, possibly half, of the belt rolls get installed in the opposite direction than the remainder. This can lead to tracking problems which is detrimental to rip detection, and a big problem in the case of RFID tags where there is a specific edge of the belt that needs to be over the reader.

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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Recommendations Recommendations for rip detection system:.

1 2 3 4 5 6

Transmitter and receiving heads are located on the conveyor system and in close proximity to the belt. The devices, connections and mounting bracket should be rugged enough to survive in the mining environment. The control system is mounted near the conveyor system. It too should be rugged enough for the mining environment. At the location where the transmitter and receiver are mounted the tracking of the belt should be as consistent as possible and maintain constant contact with the adjacent idlers. The system should be capable of working with different loop styles and RFID chips from various belt manufacturers. The system should report and record the strength and history of each loop, tag or panel so that their life can be monitored over time. The system should be accessible remotely, either in the office at the mine site, or over the internet to reduce the required access to the controller located at the conveyor system.

Rip Detection Based on Belt Width

ystems that do not require antennae or panels to be installed in the conveyor belt are also desirable. Companies have tried ultrasonic systems, camera systems, and even simple systems that look for material spillage as an indication of a belt rip. A new system in this class based on mapping and measuring the width of the belt, the WRS has been developed by

EMSYS. A single RFID chip is installed in the belt to identify a start position, a proximity sensor on the pulley is used to record the distance and a mechanical system is used to measure the belt width as it travels past a fixed point on the conveyor. Any changes in the belt width compared to the stored pattern raises a belt rip alert and the conveyor is stopped. This creates an additional benefit of edge damage detection. The WSR compares the conveyor belt to

“A new system in this class based on mapping and measuring the width of the belt, the WRS has been developed by EMSYS. A single RFID chip is installed in the belt to identify a start position, a proximity sensor on the pulley is used to record the distance and a mechanical system is used to measure the belt width as it travels past a fixed point on the conveyor” stored data and changes in the edge profile are detected. If the edge of the belt is newly damaged, changing the belt width, the conveyor will also be shut down. To measure the belt width the positions of both the left and right edge are compared. This cancels out the belt tracking, as well as records the tracking signature of the conveyor.

Figure 5 - Belt Width Rip Detection System (WSR)

When a conveyor belt is ripped due to a foreign object it will exhibit one of two different states – spreading or shearing. The WSR System utilizes an offset idler in front of the system to amplify these actions and accurately detect a rip. 46 World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Solutions for Detecting Rips in Conveyor Belts

Figure 6 - Belt Spread and Shearing

Direction of conveyance

spreading (positive belt width change)

Direction of conveyance

shearing (negative belt width change)

Because the width-based system does not rely on antennae, it will detect a rip immediately after it begins, due to the change in the width of the belt. As a result, less belt will be ripped with a width-based system than one with loops spaced intermittently throughout the belt.

Conclusion

dvances in technology have improved the solutions for detecting rips on conveyor belts. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology can now be applied to not only identify the location of a panel in the belt but also report on the condition of the antennae. This eliminates the need for large low frequency panels in the belt. The smaller size of the RFID based Smartwires significantly reduces the field installation time for new installations and replacements. To help end users transition to the new Smartwire technology the transmitter and sensor heads are designed to read both the figure 8 and rectangular loop styles common in the marketplace. For belts not initially manufactured with loops, operators looking to add rip detection to their systems should consider the modern width-based system, the EMSYS WRS.

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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Conveyor Belt

Management

REDEFINED

• RFID BASED RIP DETECTION • BELT POSITION MONITORING • AUTOMATED BELT TRACKING • EDGE DAMAGE DETECTION • THERMAL IMAGING • TONNAGE AND SPEED • SPLICE AND CABLE DAMAGE DETECTION • REMOTE MONITOR I CONTROL I SCAN

EMSYS puts it all in the palm of your hand PAY MONTHLY I TEXTILE OR STEEL I RETROFITABLE I CONVEYOR BELT WARRANTY

Email us at info.emsys@almex.com for a presentation and to hear more

bhp a diversified portfolio BHP’s diversified portfolio and high quality assets, together with a strong balance sheet, have made the company resilient in the face of the ongoing market uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

ining is an uncertain and risky business at the best of times, and the last six months have not been the best of times, by a long way. The global economy has been seriously compromised by COVID-19, with demand for resources collapsing as industries were put on hold. Mining activities have been curtailed in some countries, while those that continued mining have had to find new ways of operating to protect their workforce and local communities. The pandemic is far from over, of course, and it would be rash to suggest that anything will ‘return to normal’ in the near future, but considering the speed at which the virus spread and the measures that had to be taken to limit its impact, BHP has shown remarkable

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

resilience in terms of production at the end of its financial year. In its Operational Review for the year ended 30 June 2020, BHP attributes its strong performance to “the commitment of our workforce, our disciplined controls and financial strength,” which “enabled us to continue to safely operate through the COVID-19 pandemic.” Some mining jurisdictions were affected more severely than others, and the company’s performance reflects that, but BHP still managed to meet its full year production guidance for iron ore, metallurgical coal and its operated copper and energy coal assets. Production was lower than guidance at the Antamina copper and zinc mine in Peru and at the Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia, following the temporary

“Mining activities have been curtailed in some countries, while those that continued mining have had to find new ways of operating to protect their workforce and local communities”

bhp a diversified portfolio

suspension of operations due to COVID-19, but both operations are now ramping back up. Amazingly, record production was achieved at Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO), and at Queensland Coal’s Caval Ridge and Poitrel mines, despite impacts from wet weather and COVID-19. Record coal was also mined at Broadmeadow in the Bowen Basin and in Chile, record average concentrator throughput was delivered at the Escondida copper mine.

Copper

With higher production at Escondida and Olympic Dam offset by lower production at Antamina, BHP reported group copper equivalent production for the 2020 financial year broadly in line

with the previous year, but volumes are expected to be slightly lower in 2021. In Australia, Olympic Dam copper production increased by seven per cent to 172 kt, supported by solid underground mine performance, record grade and the prior period acid plant outage. This was partially offset by the impact of planned preparatory work undertaken in the September 2019 quarter related to the replacement of the refinery crane and unplanned downtime at the smelter during the March 2020 quarter. The physical replacement and commissioning of the refinery crane is expected to be completed in the March 2021 quarter. Underground development into the Southern Mine Area progressed to plan over the year, and provided access to higher copper grade ore. Production for the 2021 financial year is expected to increase to between 180 and 205 kt. Production for the 2022 financial year is expected to be lower as a result of the major smelter maintenance campaign planned for the first half of the year. For the majority of the June 2020 quarter, BHP’s Chilean assets operated with a reduction in their operational workforces of approximately 35 per cent to incorporate measures in response to COVID-19. The company expects the operating environment to remain challenging, with workforce reductions likely to remain at a similar level during the September 2020 quarter. Nevertheless, Escondida copper production increased by four per cent to 1,185 kt, with record June 2020 quarter concentrator throughput of 382 ktpd lifting annual concentrator throughput to a record 371 ktpd. This offsets the impact of a three per cent decline in copper grade, stoppages associated with the social unrest in Chile and the reduced workforce. BHP said the new records were achieved through continued improvements in operational and maintenance practices leading to increased availability and utilisation at the site’s three concentrators. Also in Chile, Pampa Norte consists of two wholly owned operations in the Atacama Desert – Spence and Cerro Colorado. Here copper production decreased by two per cent to 243 kt, with strong operating performance offset by grade decline of approximately

14 per cent. Production for the 2021 financial year is expected to be between 240 and 270 kt, reflecting the reduced operational workforce due to COVID-19, the start-up of the Spence Growth Option Project and expected grade decline of approximately seven per cent. Cerro Colorado is adjusting its mine plan to meet operational requirements for the remaining period of its current environmental licence, which expires at the end of 2023. The adjustment to the mine plan will result in reduced operations and reduced headcount. The resizing measures will be implemented over the next four months. Cerro Colorado is, however, also exploring development options that could allow mining operations to continue beyond the end of 2023, including the preparation of new environmental studies required to apply for new permits. In accordance with BHP’s water stewardship commitments, any continuation of production beyond 2023 would be performed using seawater as a replacement for freshwater usage.

Iron Ore

With Brazilian operations at Samarco suspended after the failure of the Fundão tailings dam and Santarém water dam on 5 November 2015, all of BHP’s iron ore has been produced in Australia. Operational readiness activities for Samarco’s restart have been slowed by a reduction in the workforce, as part of the COVID-19 response. Restart can occur when the filtration system is complete and Samarco has met all necessary safety requirements, and will be subject to final approval by Samarco’s shareholders. In FY20, total iron ore production increased by four per cent to a record 248 million tons. BHP expects production of between 244 and 253 Mt in the 2021 financial year. Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) is an integrated system of four processing hubs and five mines, connected by more than 1,000 kilometres of rail infrastructure and port facilities in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. At each mining hub – Newman, Yandi, Mining Area C and Jimblebar – ore World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

from mines is crushed, beneficiated (where necessary) and blended to create high-grade hematite lump and fines products. WAIO’s performance included record production at Jimblebar and Yandi. Weather impacts from Tropical Cyclone Blake and Tropical Cyclone Damien were offset by strong performance across the supply chain, with significant improvements in productivity and reliability following a series of targeted maintenance programs over the past four years. This enabled WAIO to produce at a record annualised run rate above 300 Mt during the June 2020 quarter.

Coal

BHP’s Australian coal assets are in

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Queensland and New South Wales. Metallurgical coal production was down three per cent to 41 Mt in FY20 as a result of significant wet weather events in the prior quarter and geotechnical constraints at South Walker Creek. Production is expected to be between 40 and 44 Mt in the 2021 financial year. Queensland Coal comprises the 50/50 BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and BHP Mitsui Coal (BMC) assets in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland. BMA is Australia’s largest coal producer and supplier of seaborne metallurgical coal. It is owned 50:50 by BHP and Mitsubishi Development. BMA operates seven Bowen Basin mines (Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Daunia, Peak Downs, Saraji, Blackwater and Caval Ridge) and owns and operates the Hay

“Some mining jurisdictions were affected more severely than others, and the company’s performance reflects that, but BHP still managed to meet its full year production guidance for iron ore, metallurgical coal and its operated copper and energy coal assets”

bhp a diversified portfolio

Point Coal Terminal near Mackay. With the exception of the Broadmeadow underground longwall operation, BMA’s mines are open-cut, using draglines and truck and shovel fleets for overburden removal. BMC owns and operates two open-cut metallurgical coal mines in the Bowen Basin – South Walker Creek Mine and Poitrel Mine. BMC is owned by BHP (80 per cent) and Mitsui and Co (20 per cent). South Walker Creek Mine is located on the eastern flank of the Bowen Basin, 35 kilometres west of the town of Nebo and 132 kilometres west of the Hay Point port facilities. Poitrel Mine is situated southeast of the town of Moranbah and began open-cut operations in October 2006. At Queensland Coal, strong underlying

operational performance, including record underground coal mined at Broadmeadow and record annual production at Caval Ridge and Poitrel, was offset by planned major wash plant shutdowns in the first half of the year and significantly higher rainfall during January and February 2020 compared with historical averages. Blackwater, the company’s largest mine, was the most severely impacted by flooding, with mining operations stabilised during the June 2020 quarter and a return to full capacity expected towards the end of the September 2020 quarter. Technology has played an enormous role in recent operations by allowing several mine sites to work remotely in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of the specialised equipment and computer programs required to carry out the work were too large and complex for conventional laptops, which had previously restricted remote working. In March, BHP’s Resource Engineering team launched the Technical Computing Environment (TCE) project to make some of these programs available off site by hosting them in an online data centre that the teams could access remotely. This proved a game changer for the mine scheduling teams across the Queensland Coal business. Hayden Bachmann, the Scheduling Manager at BMA’s Blackwater coal mine in Queensland, says the transition from site to remote working has been seamless. “We have access to the TCE from home which gives us access to the programs we need to do our jobs,” he said. “The team has set up their home offices which include large monitors and ergonomic work stations as most of the design work they do requires a large monitor to fit the design work on. Absolutely no one works from the kitchen table.” Jonathan Regan, the Mine Scheduling Manager at BMA’s Caval Ridge coal mine, manages a team of around 20 engineers and has been impressed with how they’ve taken to remote working. “We’re still in regular contact with the execution teams on the ground,” he said. “The move to working from home hasn’t impacted the performance of the team at all. I think they’ve taken it as an

opportunity to show that there’s a way of being flexible on the frontline.” Energy coal production decreased by 16 per cent to 23 Mt in 2020. Production is expected to be between 22 and 24 Mt in the 2021 financial year, while NSWEC production decreased by 12 per cent to 16 Mt as a result of the change in product strategy to focus on higher quality products and unfavourable weather impacts from December 2019 to February 2020. This was partially offset by a strong performance in the June 2020 quarter driven by record truck utilisation. Production is expected to be between 15 and 17 Mt in the 2021 financial year. New South Wales Energy Coal (NSWEC) consists of the Mt Arthur Coal open-cut energy coal mine in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia, which produces thermal coal for domestic and international customers in the energy sector. Earlier this year Reuters reported that BHP was looking to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels by trying to find a buyer for the Mt Arthur operation. In Colombia, production at Cerrejón decreased by 23 per cent to 7 Mt due to a temporary shutdown during the June 2020 quarter in response to COVID-19, as well as a focus on higher quality products, in line with the mine plan. The temporary shutdown lasted for approximately six weeks and allowed for completion of COVID-19 control measures to meet the Colombian Government’s regulations. Production is expected to be approximately 7 Mt in the 2021 financial year. Cerrejón is owned in equal parts by subsidiaries of BHP, Anglo American and Glencore.

Nickel

All of BHP’s nickel operations (mines, concentrators, a smelter and refinery) are located in Western Australia, where Nickel West is a fully integrated mineto-market nickel business. Nickel West production decreased by eight per cent in FY20 to 80 kt due to the major quadrennial maintenance shutdowns at the Kwinana refinery and the Kalgoorlie smelter, as well as planned routine maintenance at the concentrators in the December 2019 quarter. Operations ramped back up to full capacity during the March 2020 quarter World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

and ran at full capacity during the June 2020 quarter. With the major planned maintenance and the transition to new mines now complete, total nickel production is expected to increase to between 85 and 95 kt in the 2021 financial year. In June this year BHP agreed to acquire the Honeymoon Well Nickel Project comprising the Honeymoon Well development project and a 50 per cent interest in the Albion Downs North and Jericho exploration joint ventures from MPI Nickel Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel Australian Holdings BV. BHP Nickel West is already a 50 per cent shareholder in the Albion Downs North and Jericho Joint Ventures. The combined tenement package is located

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in the northern Goldfields region of Western Australia, approximately 50 kilometres from BHP’s Mt Keith mine and 100 kilometres from its Leinster concentrator. “This is an exciting opportunity to enhance our world-class nickel resource base in Western Australia,” said BHP’s Nickel West Asset President, Eddy Haegel. “Proximity to our existing facilities makes us the natural owners of these deposits, and provides potential options to bring the undeveloped resources to market.” “Nickel continues to be an essential input into new technologies that will improve the battery storage needed for renewables and electric vehicle manufacturing. Consistent with our strategy to invest in future facing

“Operations at Nickel West ramped back up to full capacity during the March 2020 quarter and ran at full capacity during the June 2020 quarter”

bhp a diversified portfolio

commodities, this transaction gives us access to explore and develop these prospective nickel sulphide tenements.”

Development projects

At the end of the 2020 financial year, BHP had several major projects under development in copper, iron ore and potash. The Spence Growth Option Project in Chile is continuing to progress on budget, with the overall project 93% complete, but as a result of measures put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the first copper production is now expected between December 2020 and March 2021. After a reduction in the on-site workforce, the desalination plant will be commissioned in the first half of the 2021 financial year.

BHP holds various exploration permits and mining leases for the Jansen Potash Project, covering 9,600 square kilometres in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Jansen’s abundant resource allows for it to be developed in stages, with anticipated initial capacity of four million tonnes per annum. The service shaft and production shaft are 1,005 metres and 975 metres deep, respectively. In March this year, final shaft lining work on the two shafts was restricted to one shaft at a time, with reduced crews, as part of the company’s COVID-19 response plan to reduce the on-site interprovincial workforce. Work was resumed on both shafts, however, in June. Timing for completion of the shafts continues to be under review while BHP assesses the impacts of COVID-19 and the temporary reduction in construction activity. Potash is a potassium-rich salt, mainly used in fertiliser to improve the quality and yield of agricultural production. As such, it is a vital link in the global food supply chain. With demands on that supply chain intensifying as the global population rises, the strains on finite land supply mean sustainable increases in crop yields will be crucial. Potash fertilisers will therefore be critical in maintaining soil quality. Construction began in July 2018 on BHP’s US$3.6 billion South Flank iron ore project in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia. When operational, South Flank will be one of the largest iron ore processing hubs in the world. The project will include a crushing and screening plant, an overland conveyor system and rail-loading facilities. The overall project is 76% complete and remains on schedule for first production in the middle of the 2021 calendar year. It is expected to produce 80 million tonnes per annum, replacing volumes from Yandi which will reach the end of its economic life in the earlyto-mid 2020s. As at the end of March 2020, approximately 80 per cent of the contracts awarded are being performed in Australia, of which 95 per cent is within Western Australia. Some interstate employees have relocated to Western Australia to help with the project delivery. Over the life of the

project, it is expected that more than 9,000 people will be engaged in the South Flank work force. The project is using modular construction techniques to speed up the build and the modules are some of the biggest ever delivered into the Pilbara. Around 1500 units of all shapes and sizes are arriving into Port Hedland, but with many up to 15 metres wide, and the largest weighing 354 tonnes, getting them 350 kilometres from Port Hedland to South Flank is a highly complex road transport job involving two years of planning. The modules are assembled into convoys on heavy-lift sleds at Boodarie by transport specialist Mammoet. They travel to site at 40 kilometres per hour, but anything more than 8.5 metres wide has to move at night. In July this year, with ore already being hauled and stockpiled, the mine’s massive primary crushers were slotted into the cliff-like walls of the two run-ofmine (ROM) pads. Over 26 kilometres of high-tech overland conveyors, designed and built in WA, stretch away from each crusher across the undulating Pilbara landscape. In the Operational Review for FY20, BHP’s Chief Executive Officer, Mike Henry, summed up the company’s approach to a difficult year. “BHP safely delivered a strong operational performance in the 2020 financial year,” he said, “achieving record production in a number of our operations, and an improved cost base. This performance, achieved in the face of COVID-19 and other challenges, is a result of the outstanding effort of our people and the support of our communities, governments, customers and suppliers. “We continue to focus on becoming even safer, delivering exceptional operational performance, maintaining disciplined capital allocation, creating and securing more options in future facing commodities and building social value. We have learned new ways of working, both internally and with others, through the COVID-19 pandemic. We will seek to embed these in a way that helps to reinforce these priorities.”

World Mining Magazine

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The future of mining is remote “Tomorrow’s winning strategywas invented 40 years ago”

n recent decades, the single most talked-about issue in the mining business is no doubt “automation”. A word that immediately makes us think of increasingly sophisticated information and communication systems.

Ultimately, the real key word here is rather “integration” and, in one sense, there is nothing new about

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that. To meet the ever-present need for productivity and workplace safety, especially underground, the world’s mining operators have always strived to optimize their production processes. Which, in turn, have always called for the bird’s-eyes point-of-view. And an integrated outlook, ensuring that every step along the production process contributes to a smooth, integrated workflow. The world’s most sophisticated automation systems and processes

are, to a great extent, built on decades of more or less universal mining challenges, and a wealth of hands-on experience. A true pioneer in both automation and integration is LKAB in northern Sweden. Over the past 40 years or so they have paved the way for modern methods, combining the never-ending chase for competitive productivity with environmental awareness and innovative solutions for workplace safety.

Midroc ab the future of mining

largest underground mines. LKAB Sweden hired Midroc for efficient logistics at the transport level at 1365. This assignment paved the way for Midroc also being hired by the world’s largest gold mine in Indonesia – Grasberg. MIDROC’S operations in automation have been developed for more than a decade. The customer base is wide, from pharmaceutical industries to process industries and mines. Midroc performs electrical design, programming, and systemization regardless of which platform the customer uses for its control.

Kiruna - Sweden

Simplicity from A to Z

During the pioneering years of automation, LKAB made the most of the digital technology available at the time – which, by today’s standards, was anything but impressive. Since then, information and communication systems have developed way beyond anybody’s wildest expectations, and the world’s suppliers of mining automation systems are continually integrating new functions and features to simplify the operators’

workday. The one remaining challenge for many operators has been to make the systems provided by different companies talk freely with each other. True end-to-end integration of best-in-class equipment. And now we are getting there, one step at a time.

Midroc Remote Mining

Midroc Automation has been responsible for train control and parts of process control in some of the world’s

When LKAB planned for a new main level in the Kiruna mine, a goal was far-reaching automation for high productivity. Seven driverless trains on the main level would transport the ore from 38 loading points. Midroc was hired to deliver the process control system Siemens PCS7 and the train control system Interflo 150. Midroc was responsible for all control from the trains being loaded at a drop, emptied automatically in emptying mode, even the ore being crushed. All this is managed from the control room on surface enabling LKAB to optimize the transports, with the video systems and screens that are the operators’ work tools.

Indonesia

The solutions in Kiruna were so good that they inspired the operators of the Grasberg mine when the open pit mine was to be replaced by an underground mine, located in Papua, Indonesia. Representatives from the Grasberg mine visited Kiruna for inspiration and really liked the solution. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

“We were contracted to develop a similar solution as in Kiruna,” says Magnus Emanuelsson, the senior project manager, who previously was the project manager for the commitments in Kiruna. “In addition to eleven trains, the ore is transported by truck underground and we have built systems to load and optimize truck transport as well. Every day, 240,000 tons of ore are mined, 2.5 times more than in Kiruna, that is.” Midroc has designed three control rooms located outside the mine for Freeport. With joy sticks, the operators remotely handle both loading and rock breaking. The train dispatchers control the driverless trains. The communication is via fiber and wireless. Not least, the camera systems are very extensive,

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where everything that is controlled is also monitored, from loading all the way to the conveyor belt towards the concentrator. “The systems we have delivered also include traffic systems for all trucks, cars and buses that drive shift teams in and out of the mine. Ventilation on demand, gas and air quality monitoring in the mine is also included in the control,” says Magnus Emanuelsson. The Grasberg mine is the world’s largest gold mine and the third largest copper mine. Midroc Automation is happy to take on assignments for everything from small problem solutions to large turnkey deliveries including hardware. “The global technical competence from several industries and several system platforms is one of our strengths,” Magnus concludes.

Midroc ab the future of mining

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newmont corporation adapting to change

ewmont, the world’s largest gold company and also a producer of copper, silver, zinc and lead, has a world-class portfolio of assets in favourable mining jurisdictions in North America, South America, Australia and Africa. Newmont is the only gold producer listed in the S&P 500 Index and is widely recognized for its environmental, social and governance practices. Newmont was ranked 13th overall in 3BL Media’s (formerly Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s) 100 Best Corporate Citizens list for 2020, moving up from 20th on last year’s list. It was the sole mining company in the top 20 and one of only two miners to make the 21st annual list. Newmont has also been recognised

for its ESG performance by several other independent organizations in the past twelve months, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) which named the company the top gold miner for the fifth year in a row in 2019. Newmont was also the top mining company in FORTUNE’s 2020 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies, and Newsweek included Newmont on its first-ever list of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2020. It’s a legacy to be proud of and a contributory factor, no doubt, in the company’s resilience in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Origins

Colonel William Boyce Thompson founded The Newmont Company in

1916 in New York, as a holding company to invest in worldwide mineral, oil and related companies. According to company legend, the name is a portmanteau of New York, where the founder made his money, and Montana, where he was raised. Now confined to mining, the company produces gold, copper, silver, zinc and lead. Reincorporated as Newmont Corporation in 1921, the company has grown steadily by acquisition and diversification to become, as it approaches its 100th anniversary, the largest gold producer in the world. Listed on the New York stock exchange in 1925, Newmont is one of a select few companies to be listed continuously since that time. Now headquartered in Colorado, Newmont’s operations were World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

initially focused within North America, but the company’s success has led inevitably to global expansion and today Newmont has mining operations in North and South America, Australasia and Africa. The acquisition of Goldcorp in 2019 elevated the company to the no 1 position, only a few months after Barrick Gold had assumed the title with its acquisition of Randgold Resources for $6.5 billion. Joint ventures have been a

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characteristic of the company’s strategy over the years, culminating last year in the creation of Nevada Gold Mines, a JV with Barrick Gold in which Newmont owns 38.5 per cent. Newmont added the word Mining to its name in 1925 and spent a few months recently under the title of Newmont Goldcorp, but in January 2020 it reverted to Newmont Corporation. “We successfully completed two historic transactions in 2019, which

“Now headquartered in Colorado, Newmont’s operations were initially focused within North America, but the company’s success has led inevitably to global expansion”

newmont corporation adapting to change the next 100 years in Newmont’s long and proud legacy of operating discipline, profitable growth, environmental stewardship, and developing the industry’s best talent.”

Nevada Gold Mines

have transformed Newmont into a truly international organization with an unmatched portfolio of assets and prospects in top-tier jurisdictions around the world,” said Tom Palmer, President and Chief Executive Officer. “As this company has done many times in the past, Newmont has demonstrated its ability to adapt to change, which is truly a hallmark of our success over the last 100 years. Updating our brand represents a natural step as we approach

Prior to the joint venture with Barrick, Newmont had been mining gold, copper and silver in Nevada for over 50 years, from multiple locations along a 100mile corridor in the northern part of the state. On 4 May 1965, Newmont poured its first gold bar from the Carlin Mine in Nevada, marking the beginning of what has become one of the largest and most productive gold mining districts in the world. Newmont Carlin Trend operations have since generated millions of ounces of gold, created thousands of jobs and helped the communities of northern Nevada grow and thrive over the last five decades. The combined assets of Nevada Gold Mines now comprise 10 underground and 12 open pit mines, two autoclave facilities, two roasting facilities, four oxide mills, a flotation plant and five heap leach facilities. The new JV will rank as the largest gold producing complex in the world by a wide margin, with three of the world’s top 10 tier one gold assets (Barrick’s Cortez; the combination of Barrick’s Goldstrike and Newmont’s Carlin; and Barrick’s Turquoise Ridge with Newmont’s Twin Creeks). Identified synergies are expected to deliver up to $500 million per year over the first five years from 2020, then stepping down over time. These will come mainly from integrated mine planning, optimized mining and processing, cost reductions and the combination of Turquoise Ridge and Twin Creeks into a single mine. Carlin’s integrated mining operations consist of three open pits and four underground mines. The open pits include the Emigrant pit and the Gold Quarry pit in the South end of the Carlin Trend and the Silverstar pit at the North end of the Carlin Trend. The underground mines include Leeville, which is a shaft mine, along with Chukar, Pete Bajo and Exodus, which are portal mines. The Phoenix property comprises the Phoenix and Lone Tree operations.

Phoenix, an open pit operation acquired through the Battle Mountain Gold merger, began operations in 2006. The open pit Lone Tree was acquired through the Santa Fe merger and began operations in 1991. Long Canyon is an open pit mine that began operations in 2016.

Other North America

Newmont also has a mine in the US state of Colorado – the Cripple Creek & Victor Mine (CC&V) in Teller County, southwest of Pikes Peak. CC&V was formed as an operating company for mining operations in 1976, with mining in its Cresson Project starting in 1995. CC&V’s modern, high-tech operations allow for surface mining of various ore types. The majority of the ore is processed in a zero-discharge, valleytype, leach pad to recover gold and silver. In 2015 CC&V commissioned a rod, ball, and flotation mill which processes CC&V’s higher grade, nonoxidized ore. Through the acquisition of Goldcorp, Newmont became the owner four producing mines and three development projects in Canada. The Porcupine operation in Timmins, Ontario, is in one of the world’s great gold producing camps. The Red Lake Mine, one of the world’s largest gold mines, is in another prolific gold district, approximately 150 miles northwest of Dryden, Ontario. Red Lake was sold this year to Evolution Mining for $375 million, plus future contingent payments of up to $100 million tied to new resource discoveries. Musselwhite mine is a fly-in/fly-out operation in northwestern Ontario, 300 miles north of Thunder Bay, while Éléonore is a major new mine in an exciting gold-producing district in the James Bay region of Quebec. Éléonore is a world-class, state-of-theart facility that is among the largest gold mines in Quebec. Its first gold pour was on 1 October 2014, and commercial production was achieved on 1 April 2015. On 23 March 2020, the operation was placed into care and maintenance after consultation with the local First Nation communities, to mitigate the risk of transmission of the coronavirus to the remote northern communities and to comply with the Quebec government’s World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

restriction on non-essential travel within the province. The Quebec government lifted restrictions on 13 April and Newmont engaged with the Cree First Nation Grand Council and the Cree Health Board to determine an acceptable path forward to protect its workforce and communities. Éléonore began rampingup operations in early May and the mill restarted shortly afterwards. Newmont recently opened another new mine, Borden, near Chapleau, Ontario, which achieved commercial production in September 2019. The mine features state-of-the-art health and safety controls, digital mining technologies and processes, and low-carbon energy vehicles. At 1,000 square kilometres, Borden’s land package represents

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additional exploration up-side as the deposit remains open at depth in a favourable mining jurisdiction. Ore from Borden is processed at the existing mill at Porcupine in Timmins, profitably extending operations at the gold mining complex. At Musselwhite, a materials handling project has been undertaken to improve material movement from the mine’s two main zones below Lake Opapimiskan. An underground shaft will hoist ore from the underground crushers, reducing haulage distances and ventilation costs. The project is 95 per cent complete and will be ready for a full system test once the conveyor is installed. The conveyor installation was approximately 65 per cent complete before the site was placed on care and

“Joint ventures have been a characteristic of the company’s strategy over the years, culminating last year in the creation of Nevada Gold Mines, a JV with Barrick Gold in which Newmont owns 38.5 per cent”

newmont corporation adapting to change Production at Peñasquito was further disrupted this year, however, as a result of blockades by local community protesters over land use, water availability, infrastructure and social investments. In April, Peñasquito reached a definitive agreement with the San Juan de Cedros community (one of 25 neighbouring communities) in Zacatecas, Mexico, which resolves all outstanding disputes between the two parties and also includes access to more than 10,000 hectares of the Cedros Ejido’s land for exploration, mineral production and other operational purposes. The agreement expressly states that any future disputes will be resolved through dialogue and free of blockades. The Cedros General Assembly ratified the agreement on 20 August 2020. “This world-class asset already has reserves of approximately 26 million gold equivalent ounces,” said Robert D. Atkinson, Executive VP & COO, “but the significant exploration potential in this prospective district will allow us to extend the value delivery for decades to come. We are very pleased with the outcome of the agreement and believe it is the best path forward for both parties to develop a long-term partnership to create value and improve lives, shifting the dynamic from confrontation to cooperation.”

South America

maintenance in late March. All the parts for the conveyor installation are now in Thunder Bay, and installation will be the first thing to ramp up after a decision is made to resume operations. In Mexico, Goldcorp brought to the new entity its 100 per cent owned Peñasquito mine. Located about 780 kilometres northwest of Mexico City and the country’s largest gold producer, Peñasquito also produces silver, lead and zinc. On 12 April 2020 the operation was placed into care and maintenance to comply with the Mexican government’s response to COVID-19 – the temporary suspension of all non-essential activities. Peñasquito began to ramp up activities again on 18 May and production has now recommenced.

In Peru, Newmont has a 51.35 per cent stake in Yanacocha, the largest gold mine in South America. The other stakeholders are Minas Buenaventura (43.65%) and Sumitomo (5%). Yanacocha, in the province and department of Cajamarca, approximately 800 kilometres northeast of Lima, is situated between 3,500 and 4,100 metres above sea level. It poured its first gold ore bar on 7 August 1993. In October 2018, Newmont’s board of directors approved full funding for Quecher Main, a new open pit which achieved commercial production on 31 October 2019. This extends Yanacocha’s oxide mine life to 2027, and also serves as a bridge to future growth options, including development of Yanacocha’s extensive sulphide deposits. The Yanacocha Sulphides project involves expanding open pit and underground operations, producing gold and copper

from sulphide and oxide material. Newmont expects to make a decision on Yanacocha Sulphides in 2021, with a three-year development schedule for first production in 2024. If approved it has the potential to extend operations to 2041. On 17 March this year, the Yanacocha operation ramped down in response to travel restrictions imposed by the Peruvian government. Limited personnel remained on-site to perform essential work, including security, water treatment, environmental protection, and gold production continued from leach pads. In early May, the operation began remobilizing following the confirmation that Peru’s economic reactivation plan allowed surface mining. Mining and milling operations restarted shortly afterwards. Also in South America is the Merian mine in northeastern Suriname, approximately 150 km southeast of the capital city of Paramaribo. Merian is owned by Suriname Gold Project CV, a partnership between Newmont Suriname (75 per cent) and the state-owned oil company Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname (25 per cent). Newmont Suriname operates the mine on behalf of the limited partnership. Construction of the Merian mine began in August 2014, and commercial production was achieved on 1 October 2016. A significant milestone was reached a mere two years later with the pouring of the one millionth ounce of gold. In 2018, the second phase of the Merian project was completed safely, on time and within budget with the construction of a primary crusher to process harder ores being recovered as the mine gets deeper. Newmont’s Cerro Negro mine sits 600 metres above sea level on the low Patagonian plains in southern Argentina, in the province of Santa Cruz. It’s a two-hour drive south from the closest community, Perito Moreno, and a six-hour drive southwest from Comodoro Rivadavia, where the closest commercial airport with flights to Buenos Aires is located. Newmont Cerro Negro has three highgrade underground operating mines, Eureka, Mariana Central and Mariana Norte, and two underground deposits being developed, Emilia and San World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Marcos, as well as five other deposits in late-stage evaluation for development to expand the existing operations in the Marianas Complex and establish operations in the Eastern District. The extensive Cerro Negro complex has several other deposits and exploration targets, including an open-pit mine known as Vein Zone and one cyanide leach processing facility with Merril Crowe recovery yielding gold recoveries of 90 to 97 per cent. On 23 March this year, the operation was placed into care and maintenance due to travel restrictions imposed by

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the Argentinian government. Essential personnel remained on site to maintain infrastructure, provide security and continue environmental management and ground control activities. In early May, the operation began implementing a safe restart plan. Newmont also has a 40 per cent stake in the Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic. Located 100 kilometres northwest of Santa Domingo, Pueblo Viejo produces gold, silver and copper. One of the largest gold assets in the world, it began commercial production in 2013. Pueblo Viejo is

“Newmont has demonstrated its ability to adapt to change, which is truly a hallmark of our success over the last 100 years. Updating our brand represents a natural step as we approach the next 100 years”

newmont corporation adapting to change

operated by Barrick Gold Corporation, which owns 60 per cent.

Australia

Last December, less than a month after Barrick Gold agreed to sell its 50 per cent share of Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (known as the ‘super pit’) to Saracen Mineral Holdings, Newmont followed suit and announced the disposal of its half of the KCGM JV to Northern Star Resources Limited for $800 million. “This transaction generates exceptional value and further strengthens our

financial position by increasing proceeds from our 2019 asset sale agreements to more than $1.4 billion,” said Tom Palmer, president and chief executive officer. “Australia remains a core operating region for Newmont, and the sale of KCGM allows us to focus on investing in profitable growth and long-term value creation at our top-tier Tanami and Boddington complexes, in addition to our active exploration campaigns across the region.” At Boddington in Western Australia, a 3-year stripping campaign in the South Pit is progressing, which is expected to

reach higher grade late this year and continuing through 2021. Newmont approved an autonomous haulage system in February this year and its investment of $150 million began in April with an order for 29 new CAT 793 haul trucks, along with plans to retrofit seven existing CAT 793Fs. The investment will enhance safety and improve productivity to generate significant value over a 14-year reserve life. Boddington is Western Australia’s largest gold producer, delivering 703,000 ounces of gold and 77 million pounds World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

of copper in 2019. The mine directly employs approximately 2,000 people and is located 135 kilometres southeast of Perth. The Tanami mine is a fly-in, flyout (FIFO) operation in one of Australia’s most remote locations, 540 kilometres north west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Its closest neighbours are the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu. The mine

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first produced gold in 1983 and has been fully owned and operated by Newmont since 2002. Newmont is committed to the continuous improvement of its safety performance and uses technology to do this where appropriate. One example is the industry-leading robotic technology for diamond rig drilling being deployed at Tanami, which removes employees from the line of fire when drilling, and

“The Tanami Expansion 2 project will secure the mine’s future as a long-life, low cost producer, with potential to extend mine life to 2040 by adding a 1,460 metre hoisting shaft”

newmont corporation adapting to change be maintained by Australian Gas Infrastructure Group, while the power stations were constructed and will be operated by Zenith Energy. The successfully completed project is expected to provide the Tanami gold mine a safe and reliable energy source while lowering power costs and carbon emissions by 20 per cent. Completion of the project coincides with Tanami pouring its 10 millionth ounce of gold on the back of record production of 500,000 ounces last year. Tanami is Australia’s second largest underground gold mine and one of the most cost competitive gold producers in the world. The Tanami Expansion 2 project will secure the mine’s future as a long-life, low cost producer, with potential to extend mine life to 2040 through the addition of a 1,460 metre hoisting shaft and supporting infrastructure to achieve 3.5 million tonnes per year of production and provide a platform for future growth. The expansion is expected to increase average annual gold production by approximately 150,000 to 200,000 ounces per year for the first five years beginning in 2023, and is expected to reduce operating costs by approximately 10 per cent. Capital costs for the project are estimated to be between $700 million and $800 million.

Africa

removes the fatality risk associated with equipment entanglement. During 2020, robotic rigs are being added to the global fleet. In March last year Newmont announced the completion of the Tanami Power Project. This included the installation of two power stations, a 66kV interconnected power line, and a 275 mile natural gas pipeline. The pipeline was built and will

Newmont has two operations in Ghana, Ahafo and Akyem. Both continued to operate as the teams responded quickly to ensure preventive controls were in place for COVID-19. The Ahafo mine is located approximately 307 kilometres northwest from the capital city of Accra. It has two primary ore zones, Ahafo South and Ahafo North. Ahafo began commercial production in 2006 and operates both surface and underground mines. In November 2018, Subika, a new underground mine, achieved commercial production, adding highergrade, lower cost gold production at Ahafo south. Akyem is not far from Ahafo. Newmont obtained the mining lease in 2010, began construction in 2011 and achieved commercial production on schedule and below budget in October 2013. The operation currently employs

more than 1,900 direct employees and contractors. In 2017, the Ghana Investment Promotions Center (GIPC) named Akyem the best company in Ghana for the second consecutive year. After delivering a record 2019, Newmont announced that the region would have lower production levels in 2020, while investment continued in the future of the Ahafo operation. Progress stripping continued at Awonsu and Subika open pits, along with underground development for the updated mining method at Subika Underground. At Ahafo North, project work is advancing remotely, with a full funds decision still expected in 2021. At Akyem, solid throughput and mill recoveries helped to offset lower grades due to sequencing during the first quarter of 2020. The site continues to drive improvements at both the mine and mill. On 30 July 2020, Newmont published its results for the second quarter of 2020, highlighting the company’s resilient operating model. “In the second quarter we delivered solid financial performance with $984 million in adjusted EBITDA and $388 million in free cash flow, both substantial increases over the prior year quarter,” said Tom Palmer, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our focus remains on ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce and neighbouring communities as we manage through the Covid pandemic. I am very proud of our workforce for the agility and resolve that they have demonstrated during these challenging times. “We safely and efficiently executed restart plans at our mines previously in care and maintenance and Newmont’s world-class portfolio is well positioned to deliver an even stronger second half of 2020. The ongoing favourable gold price environment amplifies our free cash flow generation, yet our discipline around capital allocation will not change as we continue to invest in profitable projects and provide shareholders industry-leading returns while maintaining a strong balance sheet.”

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Techenomics International liquid assets

Chris Adsett, CEO, and Jason Davis, Australian Operations Manager for Techenomics International, tell Martin Ashcroft how they help customers extend the life and improve the efficiency of their equipment

â&#x20AC;&#x201A;â&#x20AC;&#x201A;World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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ining is a capital intensive business and in order to maximise their returns on investment, miners continually strive to improve the performance of their machinery and equipment. Downtime is expensive, not only for the intrinsic cost of maintenance or repairs, but the consequential loss from a piece of machinery being taken out of production. Techenomics International, a company specialising in condition monitoring and fluid analysis, is dedicated to helping its customers maximise equipment performance by resolving lubrication problems. “We’ve been in business for thirty odd years,” says CEO Chris

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“When we do somebody’s fluid analysis, we look to provide them with a total end result – a potential solution or a sign-off ”

Adsett. “Our core business is condition monitoring, based on oil analysis and fluid analysis.” Condition monitoring and fluid analysis help miners optimise asset performance and consequently save money, by highlighting lubrication problems which can cause equipment to underperform or even fail altogether. Oil analysis provides a detailed picture of the lubricant’s properties, including measurements of any suspended contaminants and wear debris. The oil carries tell-tale signs of potential problems or failures, but so too do the coolant, grease and fuels. Techenomics uses a number of testing methods and procedures to analyse these lubricants. Performed during routine preventive maintenance, this kind of analysis provides accurate information on the condition of the machine. Huge amounts of money can be saved by reducing downtime and diverting resources to other, more pressing maintenance requirements. To maximise the potential of condition monitoring and fluid analysis, however, you must provide more than a simple

techenomics international liquid assets

set of results. If you can interpret them and offer solutions, you can help the customer understand what to do next. “Traditionally, an oil analysis laboratory will produce a pathology report,” says Adsett, “just like when you have a blood test. We put a lot of emphasis on the interpretation of those results, because nobody has a blood test for the sake of doing it. You’re looking for a maintenance platform, either in the human body or with your machinery. So, it’s the interpretation that’s important, rather than just handing the results over.” To evaluate an oil sample, Techenomics’ laboratory chemists investigate and report on the lubricant’s fundamentals and ability to perform its duties. Results and comments are then viewed by the chief chemist and evaluated by the mechanical failure analysis team. Once they are in agreement, a report is sent to the client via email. This is then uploaded to the company proprietary online software platform, Blue Oceans, where clients can view historical data anytime they like. The combination of the laboratory chemists and the knowledge of the maintenance engineers provides clients with highly detailed insight information into the sample results that can reduce

“We analyse the sample to detect things like the wear of metals and the depletion of additives” downtime on their equipment, achieve a higher and more effective availability rate and save companies huge amounts of money.

Blue Oceans

In their classic book, Blue Ocean Strategy, published in 2004, Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne coined the terms ’red ocean’ and ‘blue ocean’ to describe market dynamics. Blue ocean strategy is characterised as the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost, to open up a new market space and create new demand, making the competition irrelevant. “We named our online platform, Blue Oceans, after that,” says Adsett. “McDonalds is often quoted as an example of Blue Ocean Strategy. It’s

low cost and universal, and it gives an ordinary person the opportunity to have a restaurant experience at a much lower cost than a traditional restaurant. “Our Blue Oceans software program provides a marketplace where we combine the equivalent of a physiotherapist, a specialist, a GP and the pathology laboratory all in one. When we do somebody’s fluid analysis, we look to provide them with a total end result. We use the oil analysis or the fluid analysis data but provide a potential solution or a sign-off. “Most customers send samples in, then we do the analysis and provide them with their data on the Blue Oceans software, which is interactive. They can log on, they can look at the entire history, they do a bit of analytics. It’s continually being updated. At the moment it’s on the Microsoft Azure platform and we’re adding bells and whistles on it for continuous improvement all the time.” The standard oil sample size is only about 100ml. “We analyse the sample to detect things like the wear of metals and the depletion of additives,” says Jason Davis, Operations Manager for Australia. “As these wear off the quality of the oil deteriorates. We also test viscosity, which is the thickness of the World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

lubricant. Then there are particles in the oil, so we measure particle size and shape. There’s quite a lot involved.” Techenomics can customise the package to suit customer requirements. “They’re not always the same,” explains Davis. “It depends on the equipment and what they’re monitoring.” Another development has been a customer trend towards predictive maintenance. “Preventative maintenance has been around a long time,” says Davis, “but people are moving towards predictive maintenance now. We’re trying to establish predictive methods so we can predict failures before they happen. “We can already do that to a certain extent,” he adds. “When it comes to water and fuel dilution. That obviously gives some prior warning that something is going to happen, but when it comes to component replacement, that’s what we’re looking to achieve in the future.”

Liquid tungsten

Another component in the company’s portfolio comes in the shape of the nano additive tungsten disulphide (WS2), sometimes called liquid tungsten. Added to a lubricant, the nano particles roll between the metal surfaces of engines, components and hydraulic equipment like tiny ball bearings, reducing friction by up to 30 per cent.

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“When you put liquid tungsten into the lubricant it reduces the friction within the component by coating the metal surfaces and ensuring they don’t come into contact with each other. In our results we can actually see the iron drop a minimum of about 25 per cent”

Lower wear leads to longer component life and lower operating temperatures, allowing for greater productivity, while lower contaminants extend oil life. WS2 additives, manufactured by US company NIS, are available through Techenomics to suit mining, construction, industrial, energy generation, marine and transport purposes. There are WS2 additives to suit most oils and fluids, including engine oils, gear oils and greases. “We have the distribution rights for WS2 in Australia and for mining globally,” says Davis. “We’re still doing trials to find where its capabilities end. So far they seem endless. The idea of the liquid tungsten is that you put it into the lubricant and it reduces the friction within the component by coating the metal surfaces and ensuring they don’t come into contact with each other. In our results we can actually see the iron drop a minimum of about 25 per cent. Some of our customers have temperature sensors on their equipment, and after the liquid tungsten has been added, the temperature drops by around 18 per cent.” Followers of Formula One may remember advertising for a similar lubricant last season, manufactured by a German company. The additive in that case was molybdenum disulphide (MOS2), abbreviated to liquid moly.

techenomics international liquid assets “Molybdenum and tungsten are somewhat similar, except that tungsten is a superior material in terms of heat transfer and metal wear,” says Chris Adsett. “It’s suitable for a large mine truck engine, it’s suitable for gearboxes, it’s suitable for the crushing circuit, for power station gearboxes, all sorts of things where you have lubricants, where there’s a level of wear, where you can reduce the wear, reduce the temperature. Oil lasts longer, components last longer and you reduce costs.”

Potential

The company has traditionally focused on the mining industry, but its reach stretches further. “The type of equipment employed varies from sector to sector and from mine to mine,” says Jason Davis, “but our customers include anyone who uses high volumes of oil. We recently acquired a large contract with a bus company which has a fleet of about 2000 buses. It can be anything from locomotives to tug boats,

“Molybdenum and tungsten are somewhat similar, but tungsten is a superior material in terms of heat transfer and metal wear” passenger cars up to mining equipment, drag lines or large ships.” The company has been spreading geographically, too, over the last few years. “We’re very well represented in Australasia and we’re now operating in

South East Asia, Northern Asia and are just beginning to open up in Africa,” says Adsett. “We’ve got three labs in Indonesia because we’re trying to service different mining areas, so we’ve got a lab in each one for a faster turnaround. “We’re currently talking to a large OEM with operations in Russia,” he continues. “They’re unhappy with their current provider and we’re talking about them sending their samples to us either in Mongolia or Thailand and then we’ll provide them with their service online. So we don’t necessarily need to be down the road. The closer we are, obviously, the faster the turnaround. We aim at a one to two day turnaround but if it takes us a day or two to get the sample it means turnaround time’s a little bit longer. “So the message is, we are very active in the fluid analysis, condition monitoring space, we’ve been there a long time and we’re developing new online tools to enable the customer to get more than just a set of results.”

â&#x20AC;&#x201A;â&#x20AC;&#x201A;World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

glencore strength in diversity Glencore is one of the world’s largest global diversified natural resource companies and a major producer and marketer of more than 60 commodities. The Group has a footprint in over 35 countries with operations comprising some 150 mining and metallurgical sites and oil production assets.

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t the time of writing, in April 2020, the world as we used to know it has largely been put on hold. Precautions against the spread of coronavirus have been introduced all over the world, but they vary widely from country to country and change like the wind. I can therefore only report what has happened in the short period of the initial global response. Most countries have introduced the kind of measures which require people to stay at home unless their work is considered to be in an ‘essential’ industry. Needless to say, interpretations of this vary, too. In the mining sector, Glencore’s customers are industrial consumers, such as those in the automotive, steel, power generation and battery manufacturing sectors.

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While the majority of Glencore’s operations have not been materially impacted to date, in Canada, Glencore’s Raglan (nickel) and Matagami (zinc) operations in Quebec were initially closed, but when the government of Quebec extended the order for all nonessential businesses to remain closed until 4 May, it then classed mining as an essential activity from 15 April, so the operations started looking at options to restart as soon as they could. The Australian Government has also identified mining as an essential activity. All Glencore sites have riskbased plans to support the health and safety of workers and the continuation of business and the company has pledged to do everything in its power to continue running safe, responsible

“The Australian and Canadian Governments have identified mining as an essential activity”

glencore strength in diversity

and sustainable operations across the country. In Colombia, a 19-day quarantine for the country began on 25 March, and was subsequently extended to 27 April. Prodeco’s mining operations in the country remain on care and maintenance, but the port continues to operate. In Peru, operations were halted at the Antamina mine. During the suspension the company undertook to disinfect the camp and increase protocols for those arriving at/departing from the site. While North and South America have had their interruptions, Africa has had more issues. The South African government extended its nationwide lockdown to 30 April, so Glencore’s ferroalloys and two of its coal

(Middleburg and Graspan) operations were put on care and maintenance. A risk-based approach to lifting restrictions has been introduced from 1 May. The economic climate around the mining industry has been volatile recently, to say the least, in some African countries. Governments are keen to obtain a fair reward in return for the exploitation of their mineral assets, but overly tough measures risk jeopardising the overseas investment they depend upon. In Zambia in early April, Glencore announced its intention to suspend its copper and cobalt operations in the country for three months. Reuters quoted Mopani Copper Mines as saying: “In addition to the impacts of a rapid decline in the copper price, Mopani’s situation has been further impacted by the critical disruptions to international mobility, transportation and supply chains arising from Covid-19.” Mopani (MCM) has underground mines, a concentrator, a smelter and a refinery at the Mufulira mine site, with open pits, a concentrator and a cobalt plant at the Nkana mine site in Kitwe. MCM is 73.1% owned by Glencore, 16.9% by First Quantum Minerals and the remaining 10% by Zambia’s mining investment arm ZCCM-IH. The government reacted angrily to the announcement, claiming the company had not given sufficient notice of its intentions, and threatened to revoke Glencore’s mining licences. Glencore has invested billions of dollars sinking new shafts at MCM to try to increase copper production to 140,000 tons a year. The company obviously believes in the operation. Nevertheless, MCM chief executive Nathan Bullock was forcibly prevented from flying home to see his family in Australia and driven back to the mine from Lusaka airport by police. Shortly after that a videoconference was set up between Glencore and Zambia’s ministers of mines, finance, home affairs, and labour. “The government wants to see a win-win situation and respects investors, but we need to protect the interests of Zambians,” mines ministry permanent secretary Barnaby Mulenga said to Reuters in a telephone interview. “We expect to make a lot of progress in this

meeting.” In early May Mopani Copper Mines announced it would restart mining and provide a 90-day notice period of its intention to place the operations on care and maintenance. During the notice period, the company said, it would discuss “potential solutions to its current challenges” following “constructive discussions” with the Zambian government.

Copper and cobalt

Despite the effects of coronavirus, copper remains an important commodity to Glencore. The company is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of the metal, producing 1.37 million tonnes in 2019, and selling 4.1 million tonnes through its marketing business to a range of customers in the automotive, electronics and construction industries. Glencore mines and processes copper ore in the key mining regions of Africa, Australia and South America, as well as sourcing and recycling copper scrap in North America and Asia. As a major by-product of copper production, Glencore is also one of the world’s largest producers of cobalt, primarily from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Katanga Mining Limited (86.3%) operates a large-scale copper-cobalt mine complex producing copper cathodes and cobalt hydroxide in the DRC. Katanga’s assets include the Kamoto underground mine and KOV open pit mine, providing sulphide and oxide ores respectively; and the Kamoto concentrator and Luilu metallurgical plant for the onsite production of refined copper and cobalt. On 29 April 2019, it was announced that Katanga’s 75% subsidiary Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) had commenced a comprehensive business review targeting mining efficiencies and processing improvements as well as enhancements to product quality realizations and overhead cost reductions. There may be scope for margin improvements in the order of $200-$250 million per annum. KCC has defined business priorities including improved efficiencies, maintenance, labour productivity and production quality, while decreasing the costs associated with procurement, World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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sourcing and information technology. These improvements are expected to materially increase the cash flow generation of KCC from 2022, when it is projected to achieve targeted life of mine average production of approximately 300ktonnes of copper and 30ktonnes of cobalt. At the end of December last year Katanga announced that Mamoto Copper Company had agreed with La Générale des Carrières et des Mines (Gécamines), its 25% joint venture partner in KCC, to acquire a comprehensive land package covering areas adjacent to KCC’s existing mining concessions. The land includes multiple blocks over the preferred location for construction of a new long-term tailings facility, and multiple other blocks that will enhance KCC’s ability to operate its mines more efficiently. If this agreement is implemented then the risks for KCC’s operations resulting from land constraints described in the company’s

“Kamoto Copper Company has defined business priorities including improved efficiencies, maintenance, labour productivity and production quality, while decreasing the costs associated with procurement, sourcing and information technology”

43-101 Technical Report of 7 November 2019, would be mitigated. Mutanda is another large-scale copper and cobalt producer, also in Katanga province, DRC, producing copper cathodes and cobalt hydroxide. Also in Africa, Mopani Copper Mines Plc is a Zambian registered copper mine owned by Glencore Plc (73.1%) and First Quantum Minerals Ltd (16.9%) with ZCCM-IH owning 10%. In April 2000, Mopani purchased assets of the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited (ZCCM) comprising underground mines, a concentrator, a smelter and a refinery at Mufulira mine site and underground mines, open pits, a concentrator and a cobalt plant at Nkana mine site in Kitwe. The company invested in three new shafts: Synclinorium, Mindolo Deeps and Mufurila Deeps. At its design depth of 2 km, Mufulira Deeps will be the world’s second deepest, single-shaft underground copper mine, a shade behind the 2.1kmWorld Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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deep Resolution Copper Mine in the state of Arizona, USA, and will add 25 years to the life of the mine. In Australia, Glencore has copper mining and processing operations in Queensland and New South Wales. In North Queensland its copper mining and processing operations include the Mount Isa Mines complex, Ernest Henry Mining near Cloncurry, and copper refinery in Townsville. Operating since 1924, Mount Isa Mines remains one of Australia’s largest industrial complexes, operating two separate mining and processing streams - copper and zinc-lead-silver. The Mount Isa copper operations host two underground mines, including

“At its design depth of 2 km, Mufulira Deeps will be the world’s second deepest, single-shaft underground copper mine”

Australia’s deepest underground copper mine at 1,900 metres. Ernest Henry Mining is a copper and gold mining and processing operation which began production in 1998 as an open pit mine and in 2011 transitioned to underground mining as part of a $589 million life of mine extension project. Copper ore is processed at the on-site concentrator and trucked to Mount Isa Mines for smelting into copper anode. In New South Wales, with a mining history spanning over 140 years, Glencore’s CSA Mine is Australia’s highest grade copper mine, and at 1,600 metres deep, it is also the second deepest underground copper mine in the country. Located in Cobar, Central World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

glencore strength in diversity

Western New South Wales, CSA Mine produces copper concentrate with a silver by-product. The product is then transported via rail to Port Waratah in Newcastle, from where it is shipped to smelters around the world. In 2019 in Australia, own sourced copper production of 194,600 tonnes was 15,800 tonnes (8%) lower than in 2018, mainly relating to weatherrelated disruptions in Q1, the impact of which was caught up over the following quarters.

Zinc and lead

Glencore mines and processes zinc and lead ores in Australia, South America, Kazakhstan and Canada. It also smelts

“Over half of Glencore’s total zinc and lead reserves and resources are located in Australia, where Mount Isa Mines and McArthur River Mine host the world’s No.1 and No.2 zinc resource bases”

and refines zinc and lead at processing operations in Australia, Canada, Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK and Kazakhstan. In 2019, own sourced zinc production of 1,077,500 tonnes was in line with 2018, reflecting the effects of stronger production (mine restarts) in Australia and Peru, largely offset by reduced own sourced production at Kazzinc for safety reasons and expected lower zinc production from Antamina in Peru, due to mine scheduling. Over half of Glencore’s total zinc and lead reserves and resources are located in Australia, where Mount Isa Mines and McArthur River Mine host the world’s No.1 and No.2 zinc resource bases. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

The North Queensland zinc operations include an integrated supply chain comprising mining, processing, transport and logistics, as well as port facilities. The zinc operations at Mount Isa include the George Fisher underground mine, zinc-lead concentrator, zinc-lead filter plant and lead smelter. Glencore also owns the high-grade Lady Loretta underground mine near Mount Isa, where production was temporarily suspended in 2015 when the price of zinc collapsed. In

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December 2017, after the price had recovered, Glencore appointed Redpath Australia to run the mine on a contract basis for its remaining six year lifespan. Another zinc operation, McArthur River Mine in Australia’s Northern Territory is around 970 kilometres south-east of Darwin. Established as an underground operation in 1995, MRM converted to open pit mining in 2006. MRM produces zinc and lead in concentrates which are transported by road from the mine site to Glencore’s

Bing Bong loading facility on the Gulf of Carpentaria. Current mine life extends to 2036. Zinc production in Australia of 597,600 tonnes in 2019 was 65,100 tonnes (12%) higher than in 2018, reflecting the full-year contribution from Lady Loretta mine, following its 2018 restart, and improved processing rates at McArthur River. Lead production of 213,300 tonnes was 37,500 tonnes (21%) higher than in 2018, mainly relating to Lady Loretta.

glencore strength in diversity

In North America, zinc production of 111,400 tonnes was 10,300 tonnes (10%) higher than in 2018, mainly reflecting higher throughput at Matagami in Quebec, as it accesses a wider section of the deposit. In South America, own sourced zinc production of 93,600 tonnes was in line with 2018, reflecting the recent restart of the Iscaycruz mine in Peru, but offset by challenging mining conditions at Aguilar in Argentina. Own sourced lead production of 32,300 tonnes was 9,600

tonnes (23%) lower than in 2018, mainly relating to Aguilar.

Nickel

Glencore is a leading producer and marketer of nickel, with assets in Australia, Canada and Europe. Around two-thirds of all nickel is used in the production of stainless steel, with the remainder used for applications including super-alloys, batteries and electroplating. Glencore is one of Australia’s largest

nickel and cobalt producers, and with more than 30 years of nickel reserves, it has one of the longest life of mine reserves. Murrin Murrin is a worldclass hydrometallurgical nickel project located between Leonora and Laverton in the northeastern Goldfields region of Western Australia. Processed nickel and cobalt are transported via rail to Kwinana, south of Perth, for export to customers worldwide. In Canada, Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Sudbury World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

INO) include exploration, two underground mines (Nickel Rim South and Fraser), Strathcona Mill and the Sudbury Smelter. The company has been mining nickel-copper ores in the Sudbury area of northern Ontario since 1928. The facilities are spread throughout the 60 kilometre-long, oval-shaped geological formation known as the Sudbury basin. Nickel and copper are the primary metals but cobalt and precious metals, such as gold, silver, platinum and

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“We believe that high-quality coal will continue to be part of the overall energy mix well into the future”

palladium are also produced. Sudbury INO is looking to develop one of the world’s first mines wholly operated by battery electric-powered vehicles (EVs). The Onaping Depth Project, currently under construction and expected to come on-stream in 2023/24, is collaborating with EVproducers to ensure all parties are fully prepared for an all-electric mining operation. Just a few years ago, Sudbury INO was at a point where, without further

glencore strength in diversity production of 120,600 tonnes in 2019 was 3,200 tonnes (3%) lower than in 2018, mainly reflecting a number of maintenance stoppages at Koniambo, including a crane failure in December 2019. Murrin Murrin’s own sourced nickel production of 36,600 tonnes was 1,100 tonnes (3%) higher than in 2018. Own sourced cobalt production of 3,400 tonnes was 500 tonnes (17%) higher, reflecting strong plant performance and higher year-over-year grades.

Coal

investment, the site’s mines were expected to reach the end of their life cycle as early as 2023. On the other side of the world, on the South Pacific island of New Caledonia, Koniambo Nickel is a joint venture owned by the Société Minière du Sud Pacifique (51%) and Glencore (49%). The mine and smelter started production in 2014, but production targets have not yet been met due to a series of problems with the smelter. Glencore’s own sourced nickel

While Glencore has its eyes set on the future with its interests in copper, nickel and cobalt, it has not turned its back on a more traditional commodity – coal, despite pressure from the green lobby. The company operates 26 mines in 21 mining complexes across Australia, Colombia and South Africa. Coal production of 139.5 million tonnes in 2019 was 10.1 million tonnes (8%) higher than in 2018, mainly reflecting the full-year effects of the acquisitions of Rio Tinto’s Hunter Valley Operations (May 2018) and Hail Creek (August 2018). Australian coking production of 9.2 million tonnes was 1.7 million tonnes (23%) higher than in 2018, while Australian thermal and semi-soft production of 79.2 million tonnes was 6.5 million tonnes (9%) higher than in 2018, reflecting the fullyear contributions from HVO and Hail Creek. In Colombia, Prodeco’s production of 15.6 million tonnes was 3.9 million tonnes (33%) higher than in 2018, reflecting additional mine development activities carried out in the base period, while Cerrejòn’s 2019 production was constrained by dust emissions control requirements. South African thermal production of 26.9 million tonnes was broadly in line with 2018. Glencore operates four coal complexes there, producing thermal coal for export and domestic power generation. These include the Goedgevonden Complex, an open-cut mine, in a joint venture with ARM Coal. The Impunzi Complex is a large export thermal coal mining operation located 110km east of Johannesburg, while Izimbiwa Coal, through its subsidiaries, owns five mines near Middelburg

and Kendal. Finally, the Tweefontein Complex is thermal coal complex near Johannesburg. Glencore is Australia’s largest coal producer, with 16 mining operations across New South Wales and Queensland. Coal is exported from the ports of Abbot Point, Dalrymple Bay, Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal, RG Tanna coal terminal (in Queensland) and from the Port of Newcastle (in NSW). The company’s interest in coal began with the acquisition in 1998 of the Cumnock and Mount Owen coal mines in Australia. The Cumnock mine is now part of Glencore’s Ravensworth Operations in New South Wales. Its NSW Hunter assets also include mines at Bulga, Liddell, Mangoola, Integra and Mount Owen, while Glencore’s Queensland interests include Collinsville Open Cut, Newlands Coal, Hail Creek, Oaky Creek and Rolleston Open Cut. While stressing the company’s commitment to a low carbon future, CEO Ivan Glasenberg reaffirmed Glencore’s faith in the coal industry in the company’s recent annual report. “Glencore is well positioned to play a key role in aiding the various transitions to a low-carbon economy,” he wrote, “with our responsible approach to producing and sourcing a diversified portfolio of commodities, some of which are absolutely critical in enabling the shift to a low-carbon world. “We also believe that high-quality coal will continue to be part of the overall energy mix well into the future. Population growth, urbanisation and rising living standards are expected to contribute to increased global energy requirements in the coming decades. “The need for affordable and stable baseload power generation is expected to underpin coal demand growth, primarily in Asia, even as it declines in Europe and the US. Our modelling, and indeed that of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Stated Policies Scenario, indicates that thermal coal demand is expected to continue to grow to 2030.”

World Mining Magazine

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photosat

CORONA Reconnaissance Satellite with the Keyhole camera.

â&#x20AC;&#x201A;â&#x20AC;&#x201A;World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

The spy satellites that came in from the Cold War Gerry Mitchell, president and founder of PhotoSat, tells Martin Ashcroft how photographic images taken by U.S. spy satellites in the 1960s can help the mining industry determine the safety of tailings deposits.

afety is the No1 priority on every mining company’s list of values, and after a series of tragic events over the last few years, mine tailings have risen to the top of the safety agenda. Tailings dams are the most common disposal system for mining waste, and have been employed for over a hundred years to enable large scale and long-term storage of waste from the mineral extraction process. It is an unfortunate and poignant irony that the company we now know as Vale was once called Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, which translates roughly into English as Valley of the Sweet River. Sadly, the sweetness of the Rio Doce, downstream of the Samarco Mineração iron ore mine in Brazil’s Minas Gerais province, was soured on 5 November 2015 after the collapse of the Fundão dam, killing 19 people and spilling millions of gallons of mineral waste into the countryside the dams were designed to protect. The repercussions of this event have reverberated far and wide over the intervening years, not least in the investor community, where a number of influential shareholders launched class action lawsuits. Samarco, jointly owned by Vale and BHP, claimed the dams had been regularly inspected and declared to be safe. Investors began to wonder who they could trust.

Image: Freepik.com

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Feijão July 2005.

c Vale S.A. Source: www.b1technicalinvestigation.com

A little over three years after the Fundão dam disaster, on 25 January 2019, a tailings dam at the Córrego do Feijão iron ore mine near Brumadinho in Minas Gerais, the same Brazilian state as the Samarco dam, suffered a catastrophic failure, killing over 250 people, many of whom were Vale employees eating lunch in the canteen, downstream of the dam.

Image: Freepik.com

Keyhole 4b, 22 September 1967.

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Investors now began to wonder how they could obtain independent verification of the safety of mine tailings deposits. Just two days after the tragic event, a group of investors led by the Church of England Pensions Board and the Council of Ethics of the Swedish National Pension Funds called upon 727 mining companies to make disclosures about their tailings storage facilities for an independent

“After the Brumadinho disaster there was a huge international reaction, including the Church of England and the Swedish Government Pension Fund, who demanded that mining companies get their act together. The first thing they asked for was a complete inventory of all tailings dams and what the consequence of failure of them would be. A lot of companies have been scrabbling to figure that out”

photosat

The spy satellites that came in from the Cold War global database, the Global Tailings Portal. The Investor Mining & Tailings Safety Initiative was subsequently formed and a global review was announced, coconvened by the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM), the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), to establish an international standard on tailings storage facilities. “After the Brumadinho disaster there was a huge international reaction,” says Gerry Mitchell, president and founder of PhotoSat, “including the Church of England and the Swedish Government Pension Fund, who demanded that mining companies get their act together. The first thing they asked for was a complete inventory of all tailings dams

and what the consequence of failure of them would be. A lot of companies have been scrabbling to figure that out.” Helping to figure that out is the latest line of business for PhotoSat, which can use satellite images to make astonishingly accurate calculations of the contents of a dam. Mine tailings dams are often huge structures, some of which were built over fifty years ago and added to over time. Many of them do not have accurate engineering records of how they were originally constructed and subsequently developed and extended. Without those initial designs, working out the volume of tailings contained in such a structure can only be guesswork. If only you had some detailed photographs of the site over the course of its development.

Location of the Mufulira, Zambia mine site and tailings dam.

NOTE - Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of the Controller of H.M. Stationery Office. c Crown copyright licence number 100024244 Savills (UK) Ltd NOTE - Published for the purposes of identification only and although believed to be correct its accuracy is not guaranteed.

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Maxar’s WorldView-3 satellite imaged the Mufulira mine site and tailings dam on March 23, 2020.

Inactive tailings deposit

Mufulira tailings dam deposition since 1987

c Image copywrite Maxar

“To measure the volume of tailings in dams that have no initial engineering information, we can use the US spy satellite data to get the original topography before the tailings dams were built”

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Vancouver-based PhotoSat was founded in 1993 by Gerry Mitchell after a career as a seismic specialist with oil giant BP. The company specializes in elevation surveying for civil engineering infrastructure projects and the planning and design of resource development projects for clients in mining, oil and gas, engineering and environmental companies and government agencies. PhotoSat’s team of geophysicists, engineers and associated geoscientists has delivered over 1000 survey projects, and has developed a new technology to

photosat

The spy satellites that came in from the Cold War

Soviet Long-Range Aviation Airfield 1963

c Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

US Keyhole spy satellite photo showing two regiments of Tupelov bombers at the Dolan, Kazakhstan, Soviet nuclear bomber airfield during the Cold War. US Air Force Archives. produce the world’s most accurate satellite survey data, with better than 20cm elevation accuracy. “We provided a lot of information for the two engineering investigations of the Brazilian dam failures,” says Mitchell. “Initially our contracts were with New York law firms who were working for the engineering companies, or Vale itself.” This information was based on contemporary images, of course, but nobody could give a complete picture without historical data. Then Mitchell remembered using cold war spy satellite images in a civil engineering project in Sudan almost 20 years ago.

Image: Freepik.com

“We started looking at the 1960s American spy satellite data (from the US Keyhole Spy Satellite Program) that was declassified by President Clinton in 1995,” he says. “It’s stereo satellite photo data. I first got into it when I did a job in Sudan about 18 years ago for a Canadian oil company.” At the time, he explained, the original owners had been accused of depopulating the oil basin of Sudan. The accusers claimed there had been two

million people there. Mitchell’s company was engaged to determine how many people had been there in the 1960s and 70s. “It wasn’t possible to tell from modern satellite data, but using this declassified American satellite data we were able to show that where there were now ten thousand people, in 1965 there were about ten huts. It was spectacular data.” Even more spectacular was the discovery that the US spy satellites had taken pictures of the whole world, not just Russian military installations. The US Geological Survey, which now hosts the collection of declassified images on its website, has incredibly high-resolution American spy satellite data that covers the entire DRC copper belt, for instance, as well as the tailings dams that collapsed in Brazil. This is exactly what PhotoSat needs to calculate the volume of tailings in a dam, and help satisfy the demands of the Investor Mining & Tailings Safety Initiative.

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“We’re finding that almost everywhere we look we can see stereo data from the 60s from these American spy satellites,” says Mitchell. “It’s about one and a half to two metre resolution – and that was in the mid-sixties. We didn’t reach anything like that kind of resolution commercially until 2000. The first commercially available satellite photos from 1979 have probably 1/100th of that resolution. “As far as we can tell,” he continues, “this is the first example of this data being used for engineering applications.” PhotoSat does not have exclusive use of the US spy

Image: Freepik.com

Elevations Red = 1,270 m Blue = 1,210 m

4 km Elevation surface of the current surface of the Mufulira tailings dam derived from a Maxar WorldView-3 satellite image collected on March 23, 2020. satellite images, however. They are available for everyone, but what is exclusive is the technology PhotoSat has created to calculate the volume contained in a dam. “To measure the volume of tailings in dams that have no initial engineering information, we can use the US spy satellite data to get the original topography before the tailings dams were built,” explains Mitchell. “Then we can use the current highresolution satellite data, which is our main business (we survey mine sites all over the world to 15cm accuracy) using Maxar’s WorldView satellite data. When we combine them, we can measure the volume in these tailings deposits.” Armed with the images and the technology, PhotoSat’s current emphasis

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is on independently demonstrating the accuracy and effectiveness of the system, but not on one of the failed Brazilian dams, where the consequences of failure have already been demonstrated. Better to use a current dam and produce a calculation of its contents for international scrutiny. “We have spy satellite data over the two Brazilian dams,” says Mitchell, “but we haven’t published that because we thought it would be better to look at a successful dam rather than a dam break.” They chose instead a tailings dam at the Mufulira Mine in Zambia, part of the Mopani Copper Mines complex, where Glencore is the majority owner. “The Mufulira tailings dam looks like it was very well designed, very well maintained

and is very well managed, as far as we can tell. One of the key features we’re looking at is in the history of the dam; how close did the water come to the embankment? In Mufulira it never came closer than about 200 metres. “Investors and insurers are saying ‘without independent verification, what can we believe?’ So one of our motivations is to be able to produce independently verifiable data that mine owners can use to demonstrate to insurers, investors and regulators how well their tailings dams have been built and maintained.” Conveniently, the Mufulira Dam was commissioned in 1989. “In addition to the satellite photos from 1967, there are 290 cloud free satellite photos from 1988

“We have spy satellite data over the two Brazilian dams,” says Mitchell, “but we haven’t published that because we thought it would be better to look at a successful dam rather than a dam break.”

photosat

The spy satellites that came in from the Cold War

New tailings embankment

Pre 1967 tailings deposits

Declassified US Keyhole spy satellite photo of the Mufulira mine site and tailings dams taken on September 22, 1967. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

Image: Freepik.com

An illustration of the recovery maneuver used to capture the CORONA film-return bucket with the Keyhole camera film. to the present,” says Mitchell. “Nobody asked us to do this, so this is a totally independent survey. Without talking to anyone involved, we are demonstrating how much information we can establish.” Altogether, there are 315 archived photos from various satellites over the years. “We can see how the dam was built, and where the tailings pond was throughout the history of the dam,” says Mitchell. “That’s significant because in the two Brazilian failures they let the tailings pond go right up to the embankments. That was a key factor in why the dam embankments were water saturated and ultimately failed. Upstream tailings dam embankments

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need unsaturated sand to be stable. If they’re water saturated, which the two Brazilian dams were, then they’re unstable.” After comparing the satellite images over the years, PhotoSat is able to produce an accurate cross section showing the elevation of the surface of the tailings pond at various stages of its development. Using this data, the company has calculated that the Mufulira dam currently contains 50 million cubic metres of tailings. In its response to the Church of England survey, Glencore had declared this to be 79 million cubic metres. It’s a significant difference. The initial questionnaire to the mining

“One of our motivations is to be able to produce independently verifiable data that mine owners can use to demonstrate to insurers, investors and regulators how well their tailings dams have been built and maintained” companies asked what the consequences of a tailings dam failure would be. Noone can possibly be sure of that unless they know how much the dam contains, and the only way to make an accurate

photosat

The spy satellites that came in from the Cold War

2020 The Mufulira tailings dam topographic surfaces for March 23, 2020 and September 22, 1967. Cross section showing the tailings dam topographic surfaces for different years.

1989

1,500 m KH-4B CORONA Reconnaissance Satellite with the Keyhole camera.

volume measurement is to understand the starting surface. For the mines that have no engineering data relating to the construction of their tailings dams, this might never have been possible without the U.S. spy satellite photographs, Maxar’s current, high-resolution satellite imagery and PhotoSat’s unique system of processing the data. “The Global Tailings Review is recommending that every tailings deposit in the world be classified initially as having an extreme consequence of failure,” explains Mitchell, “until the board of directors signs off on a report which says the consequences of failure are less than extreme. To figure out the consequences you need to know the quantity of tailings and water that would potentially flow downstream in the event of a dam break.”

Thanks to the US Keyhole Spy Satellite Program over fifty years ago, combined with PhotoSat’s technology, the level of investor risk is now much easier to establish.

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Sleipner “Do not forget the importance of training, it improves productivity” -says Sleipner Finland Training Manager Karl Marlow

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Sleipner Transport Systems Boost Equipment Utilization Rate Significantly

eo-Transport & Construction, Inc. is an industrial conglomerate that mines limestone, an important material in the construction industry, to meet the demands of the growing cities of the Philippines. As a pioneer in its industry, the company has used two Sleipner E-Series from 2016 in its two quarries on the island of Cebu and the island Bohol to boost its production and the utilization rate of its equipment.

Solutions for Production Inefficiency Geo-Transport & Construction collaborates closely with its neighboring cement factories by providing them with limestone composite that has an ideal composition for cement production purposes. When the company’s business activities started growing a few years ago, they started looking for solutions to boost their production. The equipment utilization rate, in particular, needed improvement.

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“Having our equipment in the wrong location generates unnecessary costs. The Sleipner E-Series improve the utilization rate of our excavators by allowing us to move the equipment to where it is needed in an agile manner. When using Sleipner E-series to move excavators, we save around 2 hours moving time which means roughly 200 US dollars cost savings for us each time,” says Plant Manager Jacinto Gimena Pacino. The Bohol quarry works include moving 30 tons excavator from equipment yard to the port with a distance of 5 kilometers.

quickly. The Sleipner E30 and E50 used in Geo-Transport & Construction’s quarries can be used to transport excavators by pulling them behind a tipper truck. The distance covered in one hour improved from 2 to 15 kilometers. “Our quarries and sites are far apart. The Sleipner system allows us to move excavators between different locations in a quick and agile manner. Sleipner systems are fully compatible with our operations even though they are not used on a daily basis. We work according to tight schedules, and saving time generates significant cost savings for us.”

Sleipner System Guarantees Rapid Transport Operations

Sleipner System in Every Quarry

Training helped implement Sleipner system as part of daily production operations very quickly. The implementation was effortless as the experienced excavator operators learned how to use the Sleipner systems very

Geo-Transport & Construction has generated major savings by improving the mobility of its equipment at its quarries. Improving the efficiency of excavator transport operations can save dozens of hours of working time every

sleipner transport systems to boost equipment utilization

month, which can then be allocated to more productive tasks. The same capacity can be achieved with fewer excavators. The most recently opened quarry is now beginning to use Sleipner E90, a system larger than the previous ones, which can be used to transport even larger equipment. “Our mission is to provide highquality construction materials for the infrastructure and construction projects in our cities to support the local businesses and people. We want to develop our operations on a constant basis, which is why we also invest in improving our efficiency. The Sleipner systems have been invaluable to our efforts.”

Geo-Transport & Construction Ltd. in brief: • Head office in Cebu, the Philippines • CEO: Bryan Chona • Founded in 1976 • Employs 500 people • Uses three Sleipner Systems / E30, E50 and E90 to boost the mobility of their equipment

“Geo-Transport & Construction has generated major savings by improving the mobility of its equipment at its quarries. Improving the efficiency of excavator transport operations can save dozens of hours of working time every month, which can then be allocated to more productive tasks”

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news

ABB awarded $24 million mine hoist contract in Australia

ewmont has commissioned ABB to design, supply, install and provide long-term service for the entire mine hoist mechanical and electrical systems for the mine production shaft at Tanami. The gold mine is located in the Tanami Desert, 563km north west of Alice Springs and 949km southwest of Darwin in Northern Territory, Australia. The $24 million AUD ($17 million USD) contract marks part of Newmont’s Tanami Expansion 2 project which is expected to increase the annual capacity of the processing site to 3.5 million tonnes per annum from 2.6 million tonnes and extend the life of the mine beyond 2040. Over a 90-week period, ABB will deliver two complete mine hoist systems; a double drum personnelriding hoist and a friction hoist. Currently, ore is trucked from the Tanami underground mine to the surface via a system of declines, which presents logistical, ventilation and cooling requirement challenges and constraints to the planned expansion of the mine. “The Tanami expansion project includes construction of a 5.4 meter shaft that can reach 1,460 meters below surface depth to enable recovery of ore at a depth,” said Neil Steyn, regional project director at Newmont. “This provides a viable solution to extend the mine and with an additional investment in processing is expected to increase production to 3.5 million tonnes per year. ABB’s in-house mechanical hoist design capability will help deliver a tailormade solution in a cost-effective way.”

Chilean miner chooses German conveyor maintenance vehicles

he Chilean state mining company Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, has become the launch customer for the newly developed HG16 maintenance vehicle from GHH, the German manufacturer of mining and tunnelling machinery. The first vehicle has already been shipped, with three more to follow. The HG16 will be used to maintain the powerful conveyor belt at the Chuquicamata mine, one of the largest in the world, with production of 385,000 tonnes of copper ore per year. A 7 km long conveyor belt rises 1 km from the underground extraction site to the surface, where a 6 km long conveyor belt then runs to the interim storage facility. The HG16 is a four-wheeled crossover, conveyor belt maintenance vehicle equipped with loading platform, working platform and loading crane, capable of lifting almost a ton. The working platform, which can be extended to a length of 4.9 metres, can be slewed through 95 degrees to cover a large working area.

Callinex commences drilling in the Flin Flon mining district of Manitoba

allinex Mines has commenced its 2020 summer drilling campaign at its Pine Bay Project, 10 miles from processing facilities in the Flin Flon Mining District of Manitoba. The campaign will complete up to 1,500m of drilling at the Project to test two newly identified borehole pulse electromagnetic anomalies (BPEM). These are interpreted to be off-hole from sulphide stringers that include copper, zinc, gold and silver mineralization and within the same mine horizon that hosts the Sourdough VMS deposit and the past producing Centennial Mine. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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news

Argonaut Gold and Alio Gold complete merger

rgonaut Gold and Alio Gold have completed their business combination to create a North American, diversified precious metals producing company with a strong portfolio of growth assets. “By combining Argonaut with Alio, we have created a diversified, intermediate gold producer with four producing mines, an enviable growth asset pipeline and increased capital markets scale,” said Pete Dougherty, President and CEO of Argonaut Gold. “On behalf of the entire Argonaut Gold team I would like to personally welcome Ms Paula Rogers and Mr Stephen Lang to the Board of Directors.” Under the terms of the arrangement agreement, all of the Alio issued and outstanding common shares will be exchanged on the basis of 0.67 of an Argonaut common share per each Alio common share, based on the volumeweighted average prices of Argonaut and Alio common shares over the 20 trading days ended on 27 March 2020. Argonaut Gold is a Canadian gold company engaged in exploration, mine development and production. Its primary assets are the El Castillo mine and San Agustin mine, which together form the El Castillo Complex in Durango, Mexico, the La Colorada mine in Sonora, Mexico. Advanced exploration projects include the Cerro del Gallo project in Guanajuato, Mexico, the Magino project in Ontario, Canada. Alio Gold brings with it the Florida Canyon open pit mine in Nevada, United States and the Ana Paula property in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. The company was formerly known as Timmins Gold Corp and changed its name to Alio Gold Inc in May 2017.

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news

Inomin files NI 43-101 technical report on Beaver-Lynx Nickel Project

“The Beaver and Lynx properties provide the potential to delineate significant class 1 nickel resources in a mining-friendly, infrastructure-rich, Tier-1 jurisdiction”

nomin Mines has filed a technical report in accordance with NI 43-101, for the Beaver and Lynx sulphide nickel properties located in south-central, British Columbia. Inomin’s 100% owned Beaver-Lynx nickel project consists of the Beaver and Lynx properties, located 15 – 25 kilometres east and southeast respectively of Taseko Mines’ Gibraltar Mine, the second largest open-pit copper mine in Canada. Initial exploration at Beaver, including geophysical surveys and diamond drilling programs during 2013 – 2015, demonstrated the properties’ potential to host large areas of near-surface, disseminated nickel and cobalt, amenable to conventional extraction methods. The Beaver and Lynx properties are easily accessible via all-season paved roads; a network of forestry roads provide access within the grounds. Other important complementary infrastructure nearby includes electricity and railroad. Skilled workers, laboratories, and supplies are available locally including from the resource city of Williams Lake, about 20 kilometres south of Lynx. The topography of the properties is relatively flat, ideal for mining. Demand for nickel for electric vehicle (EV) batteries is expected to increase considerably over the coming decade. Wood Mackenzie is predicting nickel demand to almost double, growing from 2.29 million tons in 2018 to over 4 million tons by 2040, creating significant potential supply shortages in the coming years. Most electric vehicles rely on lithium-ion batteries, with the main component comprised mostly of nickel. Sulphide nickel, also referred as “Class 1” nickel, is the type most sought by EV battery manufacturers. “The Beaver and Lynx properties provide the potential to delineate significant class 1 nickel resources in a mining-friendly, infrastructure-rich, Tier-1 jurisdiction,” says John Gomez, President of Inomin. “Initial exploration demonstrates the properties are of sufficient scale to be attractive to mining companies seeking large, long-life, low-cost project opportunities. With the recent consolidation of our land position and filing of our maiden technical report, we look forward to working with a partner to advance Beaver-Lynx.” World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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NEW MONITORING SYSTEM PROVIDES REMOTE ACCESS TO BACKSTOP OPERATING CONDITIONS Marland Clutch recently introduced the Smart Marland Monitoring System that provides up-to-the-minute access to critical backstop operating conditions including vibration, temperature and oil level. The IoT solution allows users to remotely monitor the condition of their equipment from anywhere using a computer or cell phone. The system can monitor up to 6 backstops from a single gateway. Users can perform statistical analysis to identify maintenance and repair needs, set desired report intervals and receive alarm notifications. System reporting capabilities include current measurements, historic trending and vibration analysis.

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news AUX commences 2020 exploration program on Georgia Project

UX Resources (formerly Auramex Resource Corp) has commenced a two-drill, 3,500 metre diamond drill program on its flagship high-grade gold Georgia Project, including the past-producing Georgie River Mine, located on tidewater 16 kilometres south of the town of Stewart, British Columbia, in the prolific Golden Triangle. “We are all excited to have the drills turning on the Georgia Project,” says CEO Ian Slater. “Historic drilling of the deposit indicates exceptional gold grades in a system that was never drilled off. Our new model suggests that the historic intercepts were at the periphery of a much larger mineralized system, and we are eager to test the team’s ideas.” AUX has been consolidating the land package surrounding the Georgie River Mine over the past decade, compiling and re-interpreting the historic data, as well as advancing the geologic understanding through improved mapping, sampling, and geophysics. This work suggests the presence of a large intrusion-related mineralizing system – of which the Georgie River Mine is situated at the margin. This drill program will be the first test of this new and innovative model for mineralization in the area. Drilling will focus on: • Extending known ore shoots from the past-producing Georgie River Mine; • Testing newly developed, highly prospective targets outside of the known deposit; and • Assessing and substantiating the non-compliant historic high-grade resource at the Georgie River Mine. The Georgie River Mine, which last operated in 1939, contains 1.2 kilometres of underground access on three levels. The project has been explored since the 1970s by several companies with the intent of restarting the mine, but this historic work focused almost exclusively on the area hosting the existing mine workings, which appears to be peripheral to the core of a much larger hydrothermal system.

Diamond drilling resumed at Barsele project in Sweden B arsele Minerals Corp is expanding its exploration activities in the Barsele Gold-VMS Project area in Västerbottens Län, Northern Sweden. The Barsele Project, as it’s known, is operated by joint venture partner Agnico Eagle. The Barsele Project is owned 55% by Agnico Eagle and 45% by Barsele, but Agnico Eagle can earn an additional 15% through the completion of a prefeasibility study. Between 1 January and 30 June, Agnico Eagle personnel and some contractors have carried out office-related and field-specific exploration activities, at a number of exploration sites, throughout the property. Work has included gravity and magnetic surveying, plus base of till sampling, along with the more recent initiation of a large surface till sampling campaign. Site personnel have also been focused on the project database, with emphasis on litho-geochemical and structural reinterpretation of all pre2020 drill core. Work has also involved studies related to high-grade gold occurrences associated with certain elements, minerals and alteration phases. “Since early 2020, Agnico Eagle management and site personnel have been utilizing a combination of advanced technologies to further interpret and model the exploration results achieved to date,” said Barsele President, Gary Cope. “It is now time to drill test some of these evolving concepts and interpretations and I look forward to the results of this work. While there is no certainty of a positive outcome, I also look forward to the results from recently initiated spectrographic ore/waste separation studies.” World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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news Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management

ollowing the tragic tailings facility collapse at Brumadinho, Brazil on 25 January 2019, the Global Tailings Review was jointly convened in March 2019 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management was launched on 5 August 2020, less than 18 months later. “It is with great pleasure that I present the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, which sets a precedent for the safe management of tailings facilities, towards the goal of zero harm,” said Dr Bruno Oberle, Chair of the Global Tailings Review. “The catastrophic dam collapse at Vale’s Córrego de Feijão mine in Brumadinho was a human and environmental tragedy that demanded decisive and appropriate action to enhance the safety and strengthen the governance of tailings facilities across the globe. I am particularly pleased to deliver a document which reflects and addresses the complexity and multi-disciplinary nature of sound tailings management. “It has been a privilege to lead this work and I now call on all mining companies, governments and investors to use the Standard and to continue to work together to improve the safety of tailings facilities globally. It is my hope that the Standard will be supported by an independent body that can maintain the quality and further refine and strengthen the Standard over time.” The Standard covers six key topics: • affected communities • integrated knowledge base • design, construction, operation and monitoring of tailings facilities • management and governance • emergency response and long-term recovery • public disclosure and access to information. The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management is directed at operators and applies to tailings facilities, both existing and to-be-built. It makes clear that extreme consequences to people and the environment from catastrophic tailings facility failures are unacceptable. Operators must have zero tolerance for human fatalities and strive for zero harm to people and the environment from the earliest phases of project conception. To be compliant with the Standard, operators must use specified measures to prevent the catastrophic failure of tailings facilities and to implement best practices in planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, monitoring, closure and post closure activities. Overall, conformance is expected where there is no conflict with the legislative requirements of the jurisdictions where tailings facilities are located.

BHP launches Supplier Innovation Program

HP has partnered with Austmine, the leading industry body for the Australian mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector, to launch a new supplier innovation program across Australia. Following a successful program in its Minerals Americas business, the BHP Austmine Supplier Innovation Program will provide opportunities for Australian METS companies to come together to help solve business challenges. “As our industry shifts towards more remote and technologicallyenabled operations, our ability to find unique and innovative solutions to business challenges will be critical,” said Sundeep Singh, Group Procurement Officer. “This program is different to our usual approach to sourcing, where we know what we need to buy. Instead, we will go to the market with a question instead of an answer, and ask potential vendors how to solve it. “We want to play our part in supporting Australia’s METS sector, so together we can deliver world-leading solutions for the resources industry straight from our operations. Now more than ever, as we play our part to support Australia’s economic recovery through COVID-19, our partnerships with Australian METS suppliers can make a real difference to our industry and beyond.”

Colorado Resources commences exploration at Castle

olorado Resources has commenced exploration at the Castle Project in the Golden Triangle region of Northern British Columbia. The field program is designed to minimize physical contact with local communities and strictly adhere to Covid-19 guidelines established by the British Columbia Government, local First Nations and the company. The 2020 field program will comprise surface sampling, mapping, and an induced polarization survey at the highly prospective Castle Property where past exploration discovered two porphyry coppergold systems. These two systems, Castle East and Castle Main, are located five and eight kilometres, respectively, along trend to the west of GT Gold’s Saddle North copper-gold deposit, where a significant maiden resource was announced on 7 July 2020. The 2020 field program, designed to lay the framework for a robust drill program in 2021, will test the hypothesis that there are multiple unexplored porphyry centres along the Castle-Saddle Trend.

Newmont ranked top miner in 100 Best Corporate Citizens List

ewmont Corporation was ranked 13th overall in 3BL Media’s (formerly Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s) 100 Best Corporate Citizens list for 2020, moving up from 20th on last year’s list. Newmont was the sole mining company in the top 20 and one of only two miners on the list. 3BL Media’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranks the 1,000 largest, publicly traded US companies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance. 3BL Media’s partner, ISS ESG, conducts the research and processes the ranking based on publicly available information and data gathered by reputable, third party organizations. Newmont has also been recognised for its ESG performance by several other independent organizations in the past twelve months, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) which named the company the top gold miner for the fifth year in a row in 2019. Newmont was the top mining company in FORTUNE’s 2020 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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news

Golden Arrow acquires Rosales Copper Project in Chile

G “The team is enthusiastic about expanding the company’s activities in Chile”

olden Arrow Resources has acquired, via staking, the Rosales Copper Project in Region III, Chile. Initial reconnaissance work indicates that Rosales has several priority target areas characterized by zones of near-surface copper stockwork mineralization, potentially related to larger mineralized systems at depth. Initial sampling results from the project returned up to 5.74% Cu. “The Golden Arrow technical team has a keen interest in Chile as a mature mining jurisdiction that currently offers undervalued projects with excellent upside and the potential for low development costs, with reasonable acquisition and transaction fees,” said Joseph Grosso, Golden Arrow Executive Chairman, President and CEO. “The team is enthusiastic about expanding the company’s activities in Chile, and has reviewed dozens of precious and base metal projects to select for further evaluation those with the best potential for value creation. With copper prices rising rapidly, the Rosales Project has emerged as an excellent candidate, with the opportunity for both high-grade copper and additional metals.” The Rosales Copper Project is situated in the Atacama Region, in a prolific mining region that hosts multiple large precious and base metal mines. The 1,450 hectare project is road-accessible, less than 90 kilometres from the mining centre of Copiapo, with world-class exploration and mining infrastructure readily available. The company is embarking on a Phase 1 exploration program that is expected to include detailed mapping and sampling, as well as ground magnetics and IP/resistivity geophysical surveys. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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news

Nevada Gold Mines exceed expectations in first year “By removing the fences that had previously separated geologically connected assets, mines and projects that clearly belonged together could be combined into larger and more efficient operations”

evada Gold Mines, established a year ago on 1 July 2019, has posted an exceptional performance in its first 12 months of operation, says Mark Bristow, president and chief executive of Barrick Gold Corporation. Barrick operates NGM, the world’s largest gold mining complex, and owns 61.5% of the business, with Newmont Corporation holding the rest. In its first year of combined operation, NGM met the production and cost targets set out at the start of the joint venture, despite the recent stress of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was a significant achievement, said Bristow, considering the joint venture had required the integration of multiple assets, including three Tier One mines into a unified complex under a new leadership team. At the same time, the company has been working with the State of Nevada and its stakeholders to provide financial and logistical support to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on its employees, local communities and the State. “The new team was drawn from both legacy companies,” he said. “It started with a clean slate in a fit-for-purpose structure, integrating the two bodies of knowledge to produce new models and fresh opportunities. “By removing the fences that had previously separated geologically connected assets, mines and projects that clearly belonged together could be combined into larger and more efficient operations, with substantial savings as an immediate benefit. Even more important, this joint venture has created a platform from where we can see a bright new future for NGM as the leader of its industry in every respect: truly a case of the best assets and the best people delivering the best returns.” World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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news

T “This agreement is a testament to the continued collaboration and commitment of the Government, Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto”

Long-term power supply agreement for Oyu Tolgoi

urquoise Hill Resources has announced an agreement with the Government of Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi LLC to prioritise a state-owned power plant (SOPP) as the domestic power solution for the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia. The agreement envisages that the Government of Mongolia would fund and construct a SOPP at Tavan Tolgoi. The existing Power Source Framework Agreement (PSFA) between Oyu Tolgoi and the Government of Mongolia has been amended to reflect joint prioritisation and progression of SOPP in accordance with agreed milestones. Upon its delivery, SOPP would provide long-term and reliable power supply for Oyu Tolgoi’s open pit operations and underground project development. The milestones agreed in the amendment include signing a power purchase agreement by 31 March 2021, commencement of construction by no later than 1 July 2021 and commissioning of SOPP within four years thereafter, and, negotiating an extension to the existing power import agreement by 1 March, 2021, to ensure there is no disruption to the power supply required to safeguard Oyu Tolgoi’s ongoing operations and development. “We welcome the Government of Mongolia’s proposal to progress Oyu Tolgoi’s longterm domestic power requirements and to prioritise SOPP,” stated Ulf Quellmann, chief executive officer of Turquoise Hill. “The amendments to the PSFA provide Oyu Tolgoi and the Government the additional framework and time required to solidify a power solution and finalise the commercial arrangements in the best interests of all stakeholders. This agreement is a testament to the continued collaboration and commitment of the Government, Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto to the long-term success of Oyu Tolgoi.” The government of Mongolia owns 34 per cent of Oyu Tolgoi, with the remainder held by Turquoise Hill Resources, which in turn is 51 per cent owned by Rio Tinto. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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news

RCT completes Teleremote project at Russian mine

A “The key factor in the project’s success is the customer support and good collaboration with our partner”

utonomous solutions specialist RCT has completed a project for Russian Cat dealer Vostochnaya Technica. The pilot project involved commissioning ControlMaster Teleremote on a fixed position BTI rockbreaker for a large Russian mining company at one of its operations in Siberia. RCT also provided a digital vision kit consisting of two fixed cameras and audio capability and a fibre optic control station (FOCS) located in site offices on the mine’s surface. “RCT was selected to carry out this project due to its experience in integrating automation technology in mining equipment of all makes and models,” said RCT’s Moscow-based CIS business development manager, Stephen Macarow. “Operating the rockbreaker from the mine’s surface will safeguard machine operators while also giving them the chance to better utilise the machine’s capabilities.” As well as installing its Teleremote technology onto the rockbreaker, RCT’s bespoke solutions division custom tailored the Teleremote package to the mining company’s specific requirement. “RCT developed a unique auto-stow function at the request of VT and the mining company,” said Macarow. “The auto-stow function means operators can simply push a button and retract the rockbreaker arm from the grizzly or steel grate over the ore pass and bring the machine to a parked position.” Alexander Voroshilov, VT Technology’s enabled solutions manager, said this had been a huge turnkey project involving equipment delivery from Australia to the mine site, customs clearance, manuals translation and certification to on-site installation and commissioning under supervision of an RCT engineer. “The key factor in the project’s success is the customer support and good collaboration with a partner, so we really appreciate our partnership with RCT and their customer assistance,” he said. RCT continues to provide ongoing technical and after-sales support to the mine site. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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news

Premier Gold Mines to acquire the Getchell Project in Nevada

P “The property has a long track record of successful gold production”

remier Gold Mines has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with affiliates of Waterton Global Resource Management to acquire the Getchell Project near Winnemucca, Nevada. The Getchell Project is located at the intersection of the Getchell gold belt and the Battle Mountain-Eureka trend immediately south of Nevada Gold Mines’ Turquoise Ridge operation. Open pit mining occurred on the property between 1980 and 1999. Subsequent to that, underground test mining (the Pinson Mine) was conducted in the early 2010s. The mine has been in care and maintenance since 2015. “We are very excited to add the Getchell Project to our already strong base of Nevada assets,” said Ewan Downie, President & CEO of Premier. “The property has a long track record of successful gold production and we believe that the open pit and underground gold historical resources at Getchell were amongst the highest-grade in North America based on historical work completed on the property and the property will form an integral part of our US-based activities.” Premier Gold Mines has two producing gold mines, South Arturo and Mercedes, and development opportunities at Hardrock in Ontario (Greenstone Gold JV) and at the McCoy-Cove Project in Nevada. The company is currently evaluating opportunities to reorganise its portfolio, including a potential spin-out of its Nevada-based assets into a new, stand-alone, USdomiciled, publicly listed gold company. World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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mining equipment rentals

GEA Group Peter-Müller-Str. 12 40468 Düsseldorf Germany Tel +49 211 9136-0 chemical@gea.com GEA is one of the largest supplier for process technology and components for sophisticated production processes for many industries worldwide. Across a broad range of mining and mineral operations, GEA offers technologies, equipment & services in evaporation and crystallization, drying, cooling, calcining and conditioning, classification, thickening and dewatering, crud treatment and solvent extraction and wastewater management.

United Mining Rentals (UMR) was born out of a specific niche in the market for both short and longer term rentals for both new and used, Sandvik & Getman equipment for both underground & surface mining and also tunnelling applications. Coupled with +35 years of experience in the mining business, UMR provides both sales and rental of new & used mobile equipment for various mining & tunnelling operations across the world. In addition, our sister company, QME Mining Services Division (which operates as an International mining and tunnelling contractor), also operates a large fleet of predominately Sandvik equipment.

Tel. +353 (0)87 149 1945 www.unitedminingrentals.com

mineral processing

Salter Cyclones Salter Cyclones specialises in fine solids removal with its own Hydrocyclones and Multi-Gravity Separators. These achieve powerful and precise separations in practical, compact, reliable, operator friendly and economic systems. Salter Cyclones Limited Tel: + 44 1242 697771 Fax: + 44 1242 690895 Email: sales@saltercyclones.com Web: www.saltercyclones.com

MINPRO

MINPRO International have subsidiary offices in 4 countries all of which have the same business, supplying mineral processing equipment and engineering for the mineral processing industry worldwide. Our main products are AKER Flotation Machines; Hydraulic Roller Mills, Semi Mobile Modular Concentrators, Hydro Cyclone Batteries as well as Polyurethane wear parts for the mineral processing industry. We deliver complete new mineral processing installations, renovation and upgrade existing mineral processing plants, retrofitting the AKER flotation mechanisms in existing flotation machines as well as engineering services and consultancy

Tel: +48 515 368 833 Minpro International Sp. z o.o. www.minpro.com

mining technology

Adrok is a cutting edge service technology company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, with exclusive global patents to Atomic Dielectric Resonance (ADR) imaging technology. This innovative technology has been developed for use in Oil and Gas, Mining and Civil Engineering sectors. Adrok’s technology has been used in several projects around the world to explore the sub-surface geology and locate accurately and identify precisely the fluids present at great depths providing high resolution without drilling the underground. This subsurface imaging scanner generates ‘virtual borehole’ logs of subsurface geology from the surface. It is lightweight, field rugged and portable, to enable cost-effective mobilisation.

49-1 West Bowling Green Street Edinburgh, EH6 5NX (Scotland, UK) Tel: +44(0) 131 555 6662 Email: info@adrokgroup.com Website: http://adrokgroup.com/

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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Formed in 1997, Canary Systems provides integrated geo-monitoring solutions for a broad range of mining applications, including open pit, tailings, SW-EX, and underground. We help clients better manage risk, monitor performance, and increase the safety of their operations by tying together the loose ends: the hardware required for automatic or semi-automatic data acquisition – and the software to collect, store, and analyze data in a simple and efficient way on a single combined powerful platform. We provide turnkey solutions – including system architecture, hardware and software development, telemetry, and instrumentation – as well as individual components customized to and augmenting existing project needs.

Canary Systems, Inc. Mining Group 4732 Oracle Road, Suite 112 Tucson, AZ 85705 USA Tel: 520.887.9800 info@canarysystems.com www.canarysystems.com

Salter Cyclones specialises in fine solids removal with its own Hydrocyclones and Multi-Gravity Separators. These achieve powerful and precise separations in practical, compact, reliable, operator friendly and economic systems.

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Salter Cyclones Limited Tel: + 44 1242 697771 Fax: + 44 1242 690895 Email: sales@saltercyclones.com Web: www.saltercyclones.com

scales & weighing equipment

IVAC Industrial Vacuum Systems Ltd., manufactures a powerful pneumatic powered vacuum/ delivery system that allows you to pick-up and deliver your most difficult materials. The materials can be wet or dry including gravel, sand, slimes, sludge’s and water. The powerful, virtually maintenance free vacuum system is able to deliver the materials short or long distances, even up too kilometres through a pipeline or hose. Its is ideal for sump & ditch clean-up, tanks, under conveyors, around crushers and mills anywhere shovels, vacuum trucks or water hoses are being used for your clean-ups today!

Contact: Brad Fryburger Brad.Fryburger@rinstrum.com +1 248 680 0320 Website: www.rinstrum.com

World Mining Magazine www.ogsmag.com

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IVAC Industrial Vacuum Systems Ltd. 35-111 Chartrand Avenue, Logan Lake, BC V0K 1W0 Canada Phone 604-628-3367 Email zereko@zereko.com http://industrialvacuumunit.com

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Articles inside

Premier Gold Mines to acquire the Getchell Project in Nevada

RCT completes Teleremote project at Russian mine

Long-term power agreement for Oyu Tolgoi

Golden Arrow acquires Rosales Copper Project in Chile

Nevada Gold Mines exceed expectations in first year

Inomin files NI 43-101 technical report on Beaver-Lynx Nickel Project

AUX commences 2020 exploration program on Georgia Project

Diamond drilling resumed at Barsele project • Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management BHP launches Supplier Innovation Program Colorado Resources commences exploration at Castle

Argonaut and Alio Gold complete merger

Sleipner: The importance of training

ABB awarded $24 million mine hoist contract in Australia

MAXAM TIRE: Setting the new standard

Techenomics International: Liquid assets

Newmont Corporation: Adapting to change

PhotoSat: The spy satellites that came in from the Cold War

Glencore: Everyday commodities

Midroc AB: The future of mining is remote

The Editor: Online shopping for miners

BHP: A diversified portfolio