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Warrego copper ore characteristically contains 0.05-0.2% bismuth, which on upgrading produces a concentrate of approximately 1.3% bismuth. Early smelting of this concentrate (1973) was accomplished in a flash furnace (eliminating 92% of the bismuth in the con- centrate) and Top Blown Rotary Convertors (eliminating 85% of the bismuth in the matte). However 1.3% bismuth was considered the max- imLun bismuth level that could be treated. Geological evidence indicated that the bismuth level in~the copper ore would increase and that the bismuth level in the Warrego ore would be 0.3-0.7% bismuth. Treating these ores would produce a copper concentrate with bismuth levels far in excess of those accept- able to the smelter and still produce low bismuth content blister (limit 0.03% bismuth).

Jan 1, 1984

Fluid bed sulphation roasting of bismuth concentrates began at Warrego in 1980 in con- junction with the recommissioning of the Tennant Creek Smelter. This process, develop- ed by Peko Mines, is used to separate copper and bismuth by converting copper minerals to a water or weak acid soluble form and then leaching. Pilot scale testwork conducted at the Australian Mineral Development Laboratories (AMDEL) and by Dorr Oliver Pty Ltd in the USA indicated that close control of bed teaper- atures and exhaust gas composition was required to ensure high levels of soluble copper. After overcoming some initial problems, the plant now achieves typically 89 percent copper extraction. Plant capacity is 2.7 tonnes/h by design but in practice this is limited by feed analysis, air requirements, cyclone operation and calcine particle size Consideration.

Jan 1, 1984

By M Fritz, B Ziegelaar

"For moisture samples, the International Standard for iron ore sampling states the following: Moisture samples shall be processed as soon as possible and test portions weighed immediately. If this is not possible, samples shall be stored in non-absorbent airtight containers with a minimum of free air space to minimise any change in moisture content, but should be prepared without delay. ISO 3082 (2009)Prescribing what to do is of course easy. Putting it in practice is, however, a little more problematic.The iron ore industry has seen quite some changes in the last ten to 15 years, such as: a large increase in the volume of seaborne trade new ore types and blends coming onto the market new mines, processing plants and port facilities producing more and loading faster an increase in wet processed ore products a dramatic rise and then equally dramatic fall in the iron ore price followed by a recent recovery.All of the above have had an effect on sampling facilities. The large increase in volume coupled with ambitions such as labour efficiency, safer operations and higher precision has driven the installation and retrofitting of automated sampling and robotic sampling preparation plants in order to keep up with increased quality control.Designers of sampling facilities are invariably instructed to build plants that comply with ISO 3082. In general this means that the plants are compliant in respect of the number of primary increments, gross sample masses and sample division rules. The clause at the beginning of this abstract is mostly overlooked as it only appears in a section (4.1) describing the basic requirements of a sampling system.An error of 0.1 per cent in moisture changes the value of 1 Mt of iron ore at US$50/t by US$50 000. At 700 Mt/a of Australian iron ore exports, this is US$35 M. Frequently, errors from 0.5 to 1 per cent in moisture measurements are encountered.In comparison an error of 0.1 per cent Fe is US$0.081 (US$50/t and 62 per cent Fe base) per tonne, that is US$81 000 per Mt or about US$51 M for the same Australian annual iron ore exports.It is somewhat mystifying that we in the ISO Technical committees spend extraordinary energy (= money and time) on improving measurement techniques, whilst the big costs are in sampling errors. This is particularly true for moisture measurement. Our paper quantifies some of the sources of moisture measurements errors and suggests mitigating actions.CITATION:Ziegelaar, B and Fritz, M, 2017. Sampling for the percentage moisture in the iron ore industry, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending, pp 271–274 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

May 9, 2017

By R A. Pax, B Cornish

"Although it is well known and easily experienced that the feed size distribution influences the throughput and stability of operation of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, the details are poorly understood since it is often only the input and output measurements that are used to identify unfavourable in-mill conditions. Load cells and power monitoring are sometimes used but are generally poor indicators of the mechanisms that lead to such unwanted conditions.At the MMG Century operation a 12-microphone array around the SAG mill using non-contact acoustic measurement methodology has been used to diagnose the in-mill conditions to facilitate improved throughput and stability of operation. Use of acoustic measurement and control has provided a demonstrated increased throughput of at least 20 per cent as well as improved stabilisation of the mill. Since the information derived from the acoustic noise from a mill allows discrimination of the behaviour of the steel balls and the rock, a number of in-mill conditions can be identified with signals that include toe and shoulder angles, water holdup and the ball to rock ratio.Feed size variations, measured online with an imaging system, have been used to determine their effect on the internal charge behaviour. It has been found that circumferential segregation of steel balls and rock occurs as well as poor mixing of large rocks. Both of these effects are not conducive to optimal breakage rates of different size fractions. Longitudinal segregation effects also occur. This paper presents and discusses these results and illustrates how the new acoustic knowledge can be used to manage and improve mill operation and stability.Citation:Pax, R and Cornish, B, 2016. Understanding Size Effects of Semi-autogenous Grinding (SAG) Mill Operation as a Pathway to Solving Feed Disturbances - Case Study using the MMG Century SAG Mill, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2016, pp 321–330 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 10, 2016

By A Kleinitz, J Halilovic, K Trappitt

Mine operators use grade control to determine the destination of each block of material in the mine. In polymetallic mines, grades are best expressed in dollars: the Net Smelter Return, NSR, per tonne. To estimate NSRs, geologists working on grade control develop models for each geometallurgical domain in the mine. These models may incorporate observations on the mineralogy and grain sizes of the material being examined. The site’s mill operators contribute to the models by providing geologists with statistical analyses that relate assay results and mineralogical compositions to metallurgical parameters, such as the rates of recovery of each economic metal to each of the concentrates produced, and the compositions of those concentrates. The team responsible for sales and marketing of the site’s products contributes to the NSR models by providing details of the costs of shipping concentrates to smelters and refineries; and by providing figures that are specified in the smelter contracts, such as the payability of the metals in each concentrate and the fees charged by the smelter. The mill operators also provide, for the NSR models, equations to estimate the rates of recovery of deleterious materials to each concentrate. Deleterious materials comprise mostly halogens and amphoteric elements, both of which reduce the efficiency of smelters. Furthermore, deleterious materials such as antimony and arsenic may be poisonous to people and to the environment. The sales and marketing team provide specifics of the penalties that smelters impose upon deleterious materials. These penalties may reduce NSRs by tens of percent, possibly to levels below the cut-off grade. Thus, in the blocks that are subject to grade control, mine geologists monitor not only the concentrations of economic metals, but also the presence and abundance of deleterious materials. The preparation and maintenance of models, to estimate NSRs and to assess changes in the levels of potentially toxic materials to be mined, requires close and continuing consultation between corporate departments. There must be strong communication of mine geologists with the mill operators; with the people who market the mine’s concentrates; and, should there be a risk of encountering toxic levels of deleterious materials, with the mine’s health, safety and environmental officers. This co-operation could require radical changes in the structure of many organisations. However, experience suggests that such changes can significantly improve the profitability of a mine.

Mar 22, 2022

By N Guresin, M Rohde

A lead-zinc flotation tailings sample containing silver from BHP Billiton’s Cannington Mine has been characterised to understand occurrences of silver in the tailings by conventional elemental, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and size analyses followed by mineralogical analysis with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with mineral liberation analysis (MLA) software and the use of an adapted diagnostic leach process originally developed for gold containing materials.The tailings sample contained 67 g/t Ag, 1.8 per cent Pb and 0.52 per cent Zn. The XRD analysis showed that the sample consisted of 74 per cent silicates, nine per cent sulfides, 11 per cent magnetite and small amounts of other minerals such as fluorite, fluorapatite and rutile. The p80 and p50 of the sample were determined to be 106 µm and 38 µm, respectively. The silver distribution was high in the small size fraction with 52.1 per cent of the silver being in the -8 µm fraction. The silver minerals freibergite, acanthite, jamesonite, pyrargyrite and native silver were observed in the mineralogical analysis of the sample by SEM/MLA. The associations of the minerals were intricate and the occurrences of silver were complex. There were finely disseminated silver minerals and also coarser grains of silver minerals in composites with the host minerals. It was estimated that almost 50 per cent of the silver was contained in pyrargyrite, around 14 per cent as native silver and contained in acanthite, 12.5 per cent in galena and around ten per cent in freibergite and jamesonite.These composite particles and the type of the silver minerals present were expected to limit leaching efficiencies of the silver in hydrometallurgical processing. The diagnostic leach tests showed that around 50 per cent of the silver could be recovered by direct cyanidation and higher extractions could be achieved by more aggressive acidic systems.Cyanidation tests were conducted to confirm the findings of the diagnostic leach studies. The investigated cyanidation parameters were time (up to 48 hours), solid to liquid ratio (1:1 and 1:2), cyanide concentration (0.025 M, 0.5 M and 0.1 M) and particle size (p80 of 106 µm, 63 µm and 7.5 µm). The effects of oxygen and lead nitrate were also studied. The tests were conducted at atmospheric temperatures. The maximum silver recovery obtained was about 50 per cent for all the parameter ranges trialled except particle size. The decrease in particle size from 106 µm to 7.5 µm by fine grinding resulted in an increase in silver recoveries from 50 per cent up to approximately 82 per cent indicating that the liberation of the silver grains/minerals is one of the factors affecting the cyanidation recovery of silver in addition to the presence of refractory silver minerals not amenable to cyanidation.Low head grades of silver in the tailings and relatively low cyanidation recoveries of silver (without fine grinding) necessitate a thorough cost analysis for the cyanidation of the Cannington lead and zinc tailings to assess if cyanidation would be a suitable process option for the extraction of silver. It is clear that one of the most important factors in determining the cost feasibility will be the price of silver in the world metal market.CITATION:Rohde, M, Guresin, N and Johnson, N W, 2014. Characterisation of silver minerals in lead-zinc flotation tailings and their response to cyanidation, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 163–172 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By N Elith

The explosives demolition of a post-stressed, steel reinforced, concrete road bridge in Australia’s capital city, Canberra. The bridge was 50 m from the new replacement bridge, 320 m from community structures and within five kilometres of the national parliament buildings. The job required multiple overlays of risk assessment, public relations, safe work procedures, specialised blast design, environmental predictions and flyrock controls. Project stakeholders included Worksafe, Roads ACT, bridge owners, consulting structural engineers, community groups and road users. The bridge precincts, including a major road underneath, had to remain operational to peak traffic in the days leading up to the demolition. The break-up and removal of debris had to be executed in just two days from Friday to have the road beneath re-opened for Monday morning city-bound traffic.In Canberra, all explosives demolitions are now viewed with particular caution after a demolition in 1997, during which a young girl was killed. Any approval requires that Explosives Regulations, AS2187 2006 and Worksafe processes are satisfied, and a convincing case presented for blasting as a safe and viable option.Our design used specialised shaped cutting and blasting charges to sever in situ concrete beams and tendons and to shatter components of the stressed concrete bridge assembly. We include comments on structural engineering reports dealing with pre-weakening mechanisms. The benefit of pre-weakening is that it reduces the amount of explosives needed to safely complete the job and facilitates quick removal of debris after the shot. The complementary skills of the team, each one an expert in his field, resulted in a highly successful demolition, praised by authorities as an outstanding example of controlled use of explosives.

Nov 8, 2011

By F Djukic, T Fisher, G Irving

Questionnaires were sent to 12 underground metalliferous mines in Queensland to enquire how these mines control diesel emissions from mobile diesel engines used underground. Where responses or controls were absent, discussion has been provided. A significant finding concerns secondary ventilation design rates. Some mines were designing ventilation rates to meet the superseded Mines Regulation Act of 1989 which required 0.04 m3/s/kW. The current Queensland Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health Regulation (2001) is risk based. In line with other jurisdictions, including New South Wales (NSW) and most Provinces in Canada, a minimum ventilation rate of 0.06 m3/s/kW is acceptable. However, this design ventilation rate will vary in practice depending on the diesel engines and controls. Dedicated ventilation engineers and technicians should be appointed to evaluate the effectiveness of the ventilation system. Personal exposure monitoring is required to confirm that exposure standards are not being exceeded. The primary control practice should be to reduce the emission at source. This can be ensured by purchasing low emission (Tier 2, Tier 3) equipment. In addition, the use of ultra low sulfur fuel (et al, 2002). Diesel fuel with a low aromatic content such as Eromanga diesel fuel will also mean employees are exposed to lower levels of poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These controls should be carried out in parallel with good maintenance practices. Preventative maintenance should be programmed and emissions be routinely tested, including both gaseous and particulate pollutants and compared against defined criteria. According to McGinn, 2002, there are a number of fundamental tools necessary to carry out preventative maintenance. These are outlined in maintenance guidelines and best practices for diesel engines in underground mining produced for the Diesel Emissions Evaluation Program (DEEP). An effective diesel emission management system needs to be fully integrated within the Safety and Health Management System. These requirements are further discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 2007

By H M. Parker, G Verly, T Postolski

Assessing the uncertainty and risk in mineral resource estimation is required for best practice and is implied by the public reporting codes in the categorisation of mineral resources and reserves. One industry best practice is quantifying the risk on future production for a given period, which can be done using two geostatistical approaches: conditional simulation and drill hole spacing studies based on estimation variances. Conditional simulation can provide a more complete and flexible answer to the problem, but it takes a fair amount of time to complete. Drill hole spacing studies are simpler, faster and can provide reasonable assessments of mineral resource uncertainty.This paper is a presentation of the principles, theory and practice of drill hole spacing studies. Various types of risk assessment are considered. Difficulties encountered in practice are discussed, and solutions are proposed. The important parameters impacting the results are reviewed. Examples of results and sensitivities are shown.CITATION:Verly, G, Postolski, T and Parker, H M, 2014. Assessing uncertainty with drill hole spacing studies – applications to mineral resources, in Proceedings Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning Symposium 2014, pp 109–118 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 24, 2014

By J Jones

A common problem in the mining industry is that company exploration groups operate in relative isolation to the rest of the company; resulting in poor knowledge transfer (Qureshi and Briggs, 2006) and often priority conflicts with mine geology, operations and project departments. In recognition of this problem, Newcrest created a Minerals Division responsible for stewardship and governance of mineral assets across the value chain from reconnaissance to rehabilitation. It was recognised at an early stage that effective collaboration both internally and externally would be required to improve decision making, deliver faster cycle times and improve governance.Collaboration in companies is generally associated with the introduction of new IT functions. However, modern IT-based collaboration systems and practices are relatively simplistic compared to the long-standing practices associated with collaboration and knowledge management in science and engineering disciplines such as geology and mining.The authors of this paper have started a trial of a 12-point plan for effective collaboration, which recognises that significant efficiencies can be gained and barriers to future success removed if more effective collaboration can be achieved between science and engineering divisions in a company along with external professionals and with the collective intelligence (Tapscott and Williams, 2006) of the outside world. To meet growth aspirations some companies, like Newcrest Mining Ltd, are adopting this comprehensive, step change approach by moving from a closed model the isolates mine geologists to an open and collaborative model that uses IT visualisation systems strategically. The paper describes how an open model provides people with the right work environment and the right information at the right time, which will help individuals and workgroups to work more collaboratively day-to-day. The aim is to achieve speed, focus and mitigate risk through an environment where everyone and anyone can contribute effectively (Cisco, 2008).

Aug 22, 2011

By B Hayes

The Ambuklao and Binga Rehabilitation Project is a 175 MW hydro power project currently under construction across dual sites in the north region of Luzon Island, Philippines. When it was built in 1956, the Ambuklao Dam harnessed the second largest hydro-electric reservoir in Asia. However, due to landslide erosion and prolonged silt infiltration caused by an earthquake in 1990, the power plant has been rendered inoperable since 1999.To bring the power generating facility back to life, the project scope entails the rehabilitation and construction of civil structures, shafts and tunnels. A major component of these works is the decommissioning of a section of the seven metre diameter headrace tunnel by installing a concrete plug. The headrace tunnel is part of a closed waterway system that connects the dam via a shaft, exhibiting a hydrostatic pressure of 13 bar (1300 kPa) at the location of the new tunnel plug. In addition, the power station ball valves have seized ajar and the damaged intake riser is unsafe toaccess thereby requiring the plugging operation to be carried out under live flowing conditions.Working under hydrostatic pressure and live conditions, the headrace plug will be an underwater tremie pour operation that includes drilling and concrete injection through blow out preventer caissons installed in the floor of an underground chamber above the tunnel. The purpose of this paper is to describe the key engineering and planning components involved in this operation including pre- and post-grouting, chamber crane, sonar, local water compensation, jet flushing, drilling, caisson installation, and concrete design, production, delivery and placement. The success of this task rests on the strategic preparation and operational management of risk and safety in a challenging rural environment.

Mar 8, 2011

By D Finn, D Kentwell

Experience has shown that the E-Type multiple indicator kriging (MIK) estimation technique often works well for resource estimation in stockwork mineralisation that contains a mixture of high and low-grade mineralisation types that are difficult or impossible to separate spatially. E-Type MIK, like ordinary kriging (OK) is a smoothing estimator and where data is sparse can result in estimates of grade tonnage curves that do not reflect the true block variability at selective mining unit (SMU) scale. The rank and replace (RR) estimation methodology is designed to reproduce both local block accuracy and true block variability at SMU scale and has shown good results when used with highly skewed unimodal diffusive style mineralisation. This paper examines the use of RR with mosaic style mineralisation typically found in stockworks via a case study using real data from Newcrest’s Telfer West Dome deposit. Resource level estimation results for ordinary kriging (OK), E-Type MIK and RR are compared to close spaced grade control models as the reference reality.Results show that stationarity requirements and declustering can severely impact on the usefulness of the rank and replace technique and that it should only be used where trends are not too strong and data are relatively uniformly spaced. This does not rule out its application to stockwork or mosaic style deposits. However, in this case, the presence of trends and different data densities requires the non-stationary domain to be further broken down into sub domains for the RR technique to be effective.CITATION:Kentwell, D and Finn, D, 2017. Testing new estimation techniques – rank and replace: a stockwork case study, in Proceedings Tenth International Mining Geology Conference 2017, pp 365–374 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 20, 2017

By G D. Matthews, M E. Haylett, S Khosrowshahi, A Weeks

Effective domaining is fundamental to geostatistical modelling for grade control. Through analysis of lithological, structural and alteration logging data, effective groupings (domains) can be identified and employed for estimation or simulation purposes.The poor definition of domains can adversely affect the grade control model resulting in a misinterpretation of the optimal ore-waste boundary and ultimately reduces the quality of recovered ore. The implementation of an appropriate domaining strategy is therefore expected to improve recovery and reconciliation.A thorough understanding of the geology of the deposit and adequate sample data is required for selecting domains. For new deposits, a resource drill database and resource model may be the only information available. Where extension to a previous operation is taking place, historic grade control, mapping and exposed geology may be used to improve domain selection. Preconceptions about domains, should they exist, need to be re-evaluated and tested to ensure they are fit for the purposes of grade control.While mining progresses, the domain model is re-evaluated to ensure that the previous interpretation is still suitable for the present configuration and geology. The grade control process, being iterative, lends itself to regular review and continuous improvement as further data is collected during the grade control cycle. Regular updates to the geology model, mapping, geostatistical data analysis and review of variography will provide indications of a changing domaining environment.Narrow vein gold deposits, which may have several factors influencing mineralisation, present considerable domaining challenges. By scrutinising the data, sample populations can be grouped into domains, which not only improve ore recovery, but help assist in the development of a mine geology model.CITATION:Matthews, G D, Haylett, M E, Weeks, A and Khosrowshahi, S, 2014. Effective domain selection for grade control in narrow vein gold deposits, in Proceedings Ninth International Mining Geology Conference 2014 , pp 191–196 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 18, 2014

By N Cann

In the 10 years from 1998 to 2008 the annual number of fatalities in the Australian mining industry has plateaued (MCA, 2007-08 and abc.net.au website). Despite significant efforts to eliminate fatalities, this is not a comfortable statistic in this very public performance indicator.GHD has been working with the mining and minerals processing industry to identify the key risks that lead to fatalities utilising a semi quantitative risk assessment technique (SQRA®), initially developed to assist Major Hazards Facilities prepare Safety Cases (OH&S, 2007-08) in response to the Longford Incident in 1998 (Dawson and Brooks, 1999).Workshop cross functional teams are assembled from the sites and led by the GHD facilitators to identify the incident types that can have fatal consequences, the causes of those incidents and the controls that are utilised (or could be utilised) to reduce the risk. The risks for each incident type are quantified to produce a risk profile for the facility and the critical controls – the controls that have the greatest impact at reducing the risk of fatality – are selected. These controls are assessed for their adequacy and improvement actions are identified. Prioritisation of the actions is achieved by re-estimating the incident risk profiles.A review has been undertaken using a small sample from the more than 100 individual studies that GHD has completed at mining and minerals processing sites. The five most significant risks reported by sites are:1. Fall from Heights,2. Vehicle/ Vehicle and Vehicle/Pedestrian interactions,3. Entanglement,4. Molten Metals and Materials, and5. Electricity.The most significant reductions in risk identified were found to be by implementing engineering controls. Examples include:1. Chutes to contain splashes and spills of molten materials,2. Redesigning instrument and equipment layouts to take personnel away form high risk areas,3. Designing remotely operated equipment to remove personnel away from high risk areas,4. Proper fire fighting equipment provisions such as deluges around flammable materials, and5. Adequate risk assessment to ensure equipment is designed to handle the real situations and not a design case to meet an arbitrary specification.All of these cases and many of the actions identified in the studies could have been handled through better design and construction early in the life of a project rather than retrospectively fitted after operations have begun.

Aug 8, 2011

By J Elder

Magnetic separation equipment has long been used to upgrade and beneficiate a wide variety of minerals and materials. Over the years, significant advances in both wet and dry magnetic separators have improved their operability and separation performances, broadening their use.But no one answer exists to the question: what is the right type of magnetic separator? For many minerals, including ilmenite, both process routes may be viable. There are technical, production, as well as economic reasons for choosing wet versus dry. However, recent developments illustrate that a new generation of wet magnetic separators is approaching performance once seen only in dry magnetic separation. With quality and production performance becoming similar, the choice between wet and dry magnetic separation is not as cut and dry as it once was.

Oct 5, 2011

By L J. Strachan, O J. Hawes, S W. Crossen, R C. Roberts

The Albany Conglomerate is a widespread geological unit found in northern areas of Auckland, New Zealand. It has previously been described as part of the early Miocene Waitemata Group which underlies most of Auckland. Much of the Waitemata Group comprises weak interbedded sandstones and mudstones, but also includes conspicuous conglomeratic units such as the Albany Conglomerate. The Albany Conglomerate comprises a well-cemented mixture of hard pebbles, cobbles and boulders of igneous and metamorphic derivation in lenticular beds. A number of tunnelling projects are planned for the near future in Auckland. Recent experience has shown that the variable features associated with the Albany Conglomerate can make selecting appropriate construction methods very challenging. This paper explores the engineering geological and sedimentological features of the Albany Conglomerate with respect to other conglomerates within the Waitemata Group and the potential implications on tunnelling projects in Auckland. Consideration is given to the extent of proposed geotechnical investigations and the production of geotechnical baseline reports.CITATION:Roberts, R C, Hawes, O J, Crossen, S W and Strachan, L J, 2014. Underground construction challenges associated with the Albany Conglomerate in Auckland, in Proceedings 15th Australasian Tunnelling Conference 2014 , pp 195–202 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 17, 2014

By A Castillo, K Wiese, L Panduro Robles

For decades, organisations worldwide have been working to overcome challenges associated with new technology adoption while keeping up with rapid growth, development, and globalisation. In minerals processing, the challenges in developing and implementing solutions that contribute to the mining value chain are unique from other markets, as mining operations expect that world-class suppliers provide them solutions to gain a competitive advantage in their operation, production, performance as a financial asset, and as a long-term partner as we move into the future of mining. A simple shift in mindset is proven key to successful technology implementation. Change leaders must no longer think of their expertise in the area of application as their only responsibility; they must make a mental shift and see themselves in dual roles that strive to integrate the perspectives and needs of both developers and users. Successful change leaders must: (1) collaborate, seeking user involvement to ensure fit between product and operational needs, (2) demonstrate commitment to receive new technology, and (3) communicate to achieve an eventual shift of ownership from supplier to users that is seamless. Additionally, this strategy contributes to the mining value chain, as it allows developers and implementers to evaluate how change contributes to the asset’s position both within the company and in the commodities market. This paper will explain the shift in perspective for new technology implementation in detail and provide recommendations that operations can emulate, using examples of real challenges and lessons learned during a commissioning of the CYCLONEtrac™ Particle Size Tracking (PST) system at Cerro Verde’s C2 Concentrator. This concentrator has led technological change for plant optimisation, witnessed improved Net Metal Production (NMP), among other benefits with PST, the only technology in the market capable of providing real-time, online, and direct particle size measurement at the individual hydrocyclone level

Aug 24, 2022

A hidden asset in most exploration and mining activities is data. Common practice involves the spending of large amounts of money to discover, define and prove the viability of a mining project. Some organisations have used operations research analysis and internal costing methods to allocate a value to their data and to compare the costs of data maintenance to other more tangible activities like plant and equipment maintenance. Those organisations, which do not undertake such an analysis often, have little knowledge or understanding of the extent and the worth of their data. Often the organisations lack of knowledge and understanding of the data is indicated by their failure to fully exploit or realise their opportunities. The focus of this paper is to discuss new technologies that optimise the management and security of collected and derived data. The technologies discussed are components of the software systems acQuire and MineSight.

Jan 1, 1999

By M Zlatev, S Silge

Producers of primary resources such as iron ore face the challenge of processing crude materials with increasing levels of impurities, which may result in the requirement for wet processing. This results in a significant increase in water usage, power consumption and operating costs. Given the remote locations of most operations in Australia (Stewart et al, 2013; Prosser, Wolf and Littleboy, 2011), the required volumes of power and fresh water for wet processing can be very difficult to achieve.HAVER&TYLER is renowned across the world for their screening technology in wet and dry processes. Its innovative Hydro-Clean® system represents a cost-effective and eco-sensitive way to clean any crude materials and material blends with a grain size distribution of 0–150 mm that are contaminated with adhesive clay, slit and other impurities.CITATION:Silge, S and Zlatev, M, 2015. Iron ore washing – achieve more with fewer resources, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 519–528 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By D Yan, D Connelly

Beneficiation of magnetite is an integral part of the future of iron ore processing. Historically, the focus of Western Australian producers has been on exporting direct shipping ore (DSO) namely haematite. The future for new DSO resources is limited so companies are changing their emphasis into processing the very large, undeveloped magnetite ores in Western Australia (WA), using beneficiation to produce shippable magnetite concentrates. These magnetite resources require higher cost processing techniques such as fine grinding and beneficiation to produce saleable concentrates. This distinct difference, from the DSO ores, has led to the development of a number of new technologies. This paper reviews: the different techniques used for magnetite beneficiation and provides some case studies in the WA industry; the use of mineral liberation analysis (MLA) to describe the nature, grain size, occurrence and associations of the mineralisation;the consideration of coarse cobbing as a critical upgrading; the application of high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) to save energy; how the field of magnetic separation has resulted in new machines with higher field strength (SLon Separators); ultra fine grinding requirements of magnetite concentrates; andthe application of reverse flotation to reduce silica in the concentrates.

Jan 1, 2009