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By L Alem

In the field of mineral extraction, complex technologies are being introduced in mines, operators/technicians rely on assistance from an expert (or more) in order to keep their machines functioning. Personnel with such expertise, however, are not always physically on-site. There is a growing need for innovative technological solutions to support effective delivery, just in time, of remote guidance between an offsite expert and an on-site maintenance operator. To meet this need, we have, as part of our Human System Integration project within the CSIRO’s Minerals Down Under (MDU), Transforming the Future Mine theme, explored the usefulness of a number of emerging technologies including: augmented reality, wearable systems and touch table interfaces. This paper presents ReMoTe, an augmented realty system for remote guiding using a touch table interface for the expert station and a combination of augmented reality and a wearable system at the operator end. In designing this system we were interested in exploring the extent to which it can increase the productivity and safety of maintenance personnel. This paper also presents Mobile ReMote, our recent development of a fully mobile remote guiding system. In Mobile ReMote, both the expert and the operator are using a near eye display and wearing a light computer in a back pack. The expert is able to guide the operator using his/her hands on the virtual display, while the operator is able to see the instructions on the rear eye display. Workers in the mining industry are highly mobile, a mobile expert and operator station will meet this need.

Nov 22, 2011

Landscape interpretation, geology and mining history are being successfully used to explore options for sustainable community tourism product development. Recent work by the author in Europe and Australia has indicated the value of adding and producing interpretive information about mine and quarry locations û both active and inactive. This work has allowed for the branding and development of new sustainable community tourism products based on the landscape, folklore, mine and geological heritage. Communities in rural areas are seeking new opportunities to sustain their local economies. Using a relatively new phenomenon called geotourism as a starting point, they have developed themed products connected to walking/cycling guides, interpretive panels and visitor centres. These themes can be linked to geology, archaeology, botany, local history and to industrial heritage sites such as old mines, to generate local employment. This new geotourism approach has successfully brought a new and greater audience to discover the value of geology and mining history. Communities have established a unique place for themselves within the tourism marketplace using the geotourism brand. Other communities with an established tourism product are also now using geological and mine heritage via geotourism to rebrand and meet changing global trends. The geotourism approach has allowed for positive collaboration among communities, service providers, local and government authorities to channel tourist revenues into rural communities. The pooling of resources under the banner of geotourism has led to cost-effective marketing, targeting and promotion of products using multimedia and web sites. Geotourism has emerged strongly in Europe, North America and China in the last decade. The Australian minerals industry now has an opportunity to implement this new branding concept to assist and benefit the communities in which they run their activities. Communities can also take advantage of the potential to develop a sustainable geotourism business around a past or present mineral industry in their vicinity.

Jan 1, 2009

By K L. Olzard

At the WMC Resources Phosphate Hill operation, monitoring the quality of the ore delivered by the mine to the beneficiation plant is of prime importance to ensure the fertilizer is produced cost-effectively through the various stages of production and meets customer quality requirements. P2O5 and Fe2O3 are among the critical-to-quality elements. Fe2O3 is a key performance driver as it is an impurity that adversely impacts some of the chemical processes. The ore is supplied to the plant on a conveyor belt that is equipped with an automatic sampler. Increments are taken off the flowing ore stream at regular time intervals. A variographic experiment was conducted to investigate sampling strategies capable of estimating ore properties over a 12-hour shift to a nominated level of precision. The combination of individual increments into a shift composite was included among the strategies that were assessed. The experiment involved collecting data at regular time intervals and preparing variograms to characterise the feed-grade variability on the conveyor belt. Duplicates were also collected to assist in quantifying the precision of the subsampling stages of the sampling protocol and assay accuracy was monitored with matrix-matched standards. Various sampling schemes were evaluated by combining geostatistical techniques and the sampling theory of Pierre Gy. The following parameters were varied: the number of increments, the increment-size reduction leading to the composite, the masses of the subsequent sampling stages and the number of analytical determinations. This paper describes the planning of the variogram experiment, the various phases of data collection and the methodology used to process the data. It discusses the development of some of the sampling schemes that were considered.

Jan 1, 2005

By K G. van den Boogaart, M Lehmann, U Mueller

Geometallurgical parameters are descriptions of the mineralogy and microstructure of the ore determining its mineralogical and microstructural characteristics. From a conditional geostatistical simulation of such properties, a processing model can compute recovery, equipment usage, processing costs, and thus the monetary value for mining and processing a block with certain processing parameters. The output can be used for optimising mining sequences or finding optimal processing parameters by solving the corresponding stochastic optimisation problem.The approach requires two properties of the simulation not provided by established geostatistical techniques:Many relevant geometallurgical parameters are from non-Euclidean statistical scales such as (mineral) compositions, (grain size) distribution, (grain) geometry, and (stratigraphic type) categorical, which might produce nonsensical values (for example, negative proportions, negative facies probablities, planar grains) when simulated with standard geostatistical techniques.Due to the nonlinearity of processing, the entire conditional distribution of the geometallurgical parameters is relevant, not only its mean and variance. The geostatistical simulation needs to reproduce the joint conditional distributions of all the geometallurgical parameters.The multipoint conditional geostatistical simulation technique discussed here allows for jointly simulating dependent spatial variables from various sample spaces. The technique combines an infill simulation, similar to the one used in multipoint geostatistics, with a new form of distributional regression to estimate conditional distributions of arbitrary scales from different information sources, including training images, training models and observed data. The distributional regression is based on a generalisation of logistic regression and is related to both Bayesian Maximum Entropy geostatistics and high order cumulants.The method ensures that simulated data reside in the set of possible values and honour the characteristics of the joint distribution to be reproduced. The computational effort is substantial, but affordable for a useful application with standard problems: from processing-aware block value prediction and block processing optimisation as shown in the test application to a mathematically completely defined simulated model situation with a complex processing model.CITATION:van den Boogaart, K G, Tolosana-Delgado, R, Lehmann, M and Mueller, U, 2014. On the joint multipoint simulation of discrete and continuous geometallurgical parameters, in Proceedings Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning Symposium 2014, pp 379–388 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 24, 2014

By Grady B. V, Ault A. R, Newman O. M G, Fraser R. J, Malcolm J. McPhersqn

In all electrolytic zinc plants cadmium is removed as an impurity prior to the zinc electrowinning stage of the process. Cadmium metal is the favoured form of this by-product and most plants use an electrolytic route for its production. The formation of dendrites in cadmium electrowinning processes is the major limitation to deposition rates. There is an economic incentive, therefore, to better understand the factors affecting their growth. A technique that has been used by others to examine fundamental aspects of dendrite growth has been applied to industrial strength electrolytes. It involves potentiostatic deposition in a cell containing the electrolyte of interest. The variation in the current with time at a given overpotential allows the determination of the dendritic growth induction time. A method was developed (the Locus method) from the investigation of a set of such potentiostatic curves, obtained over a range of applied overpotentials, that appears to give a measure of electrolyte quality with respect to dendritic growth in galvanostatic deposition. The Locus technique predicts that zinc at industrial concentrations in cadmium electrolytes should have a significant effect on morphology and that deterioration of morphology will occur as the zinc concentration in the electrolyte is increased. This effect is consistent with literature prediction and was shown to relate to a reduction of the diffusion limiting current density. Magnafloc R333 is used as an additive at Pasminco Metals-EZ to control the morphology of cadmium deposits and the Locus method was successful in predicting its dendrite inhibiting properties. A possible mechanism is discussed. This work has opened avenues for future research with respect to a technique that may have an industrial application in electrolyte characterisation and has pointed to a direction in which better understanding of galvanostatic dendritic growth may be found.

Jan 1, 1993

By H Tran

Local communities are undertaking an increased role in mine project decision making processes, associated with growing pressure and expectations from regulators, financiers and the general public. This is particularly evident in international projects within developing economies. Environmental and social issues are often complex. Solutions demand difficult choices and trade-offs between sustainable development dimensions: economic growth, social equity and environmental integrity. Proactive stakeholder engagement can play a critical role in assisting decision-makers in determining the operational reality of sustainable development by jointly exploring project trade-offs between proponents and affected stakeholders. Good stakeholder engagement has other potential benefits, ranging from reduced financial risk due to regulator delays, legal disputes or negative publicity to increasing market share through good public image. Approaches to consultation and disclosure have changed from short-term regulatory based focuses, to longer-term, strategic tools for relationship building, proactive risk management and new business identification. Approaches to consultation form a significant opportunity to contribute to overall social sustainability. This paper discusses, based on authorsÆ experience, the broader concept of stakeholder engagement and its contribution to social sustainability of the mining industry. The focus is on key considerations for an effective stakeholder engagement. Three case studies outline how broad based, proactive stakeholder engagement can contribute to improved operation and overall sustainability. The case studies include: a greenfields project in Ghana; a long-term mine in Australia; and an open-pit mine in Vietnam.

Jan 1, 2009

By J Schrank

Double-stack trains in the United States date back to the early 1980s, starting about the time deregulation of the rail industry occurred. Freight rail became increasingly more competitive to trucking and barge or ship, and led to major investments in railroad infrastructure. Since most railroad tunnels in the United States were constructed between 1880 and 1930, they were not built tall enough to accommodate modern double-stack intermodal railcars. Therefore, as double-stack trains became the norm, existing tunnels became bottlenecks, and railroads wanted the tunnels made larger without impacting traffic. This need to increase the clearance while not impacting rail traffic launched a very specialised industry: the design and construction of replacement lining systems in existing tunnels.Several large multitunnel railroad clearance improvement projects have been completed in the country in the last decade, and they have all been done under ‘live track’ conditions. Live track conditions consist of work windows, often anywhere from four to 12 hours, that are provided to the contractor to complete the construction work. By the end of each work window, the tunnel must be secured so that the railroad can run trains.In addition to improving the clearance, these projects provided the railroads with an opportunity to improve the general condition of the tunnels, including structural, seepage, drainage and icing conditions. This paper discusses the design considerations, tunnel assessments and construction methods used for these live track railroad tunnel projects. Seepage and drainage improvements that were incorporated into the clearance improvement projects are also discussed.CITATION:Schrank, J, 2014. Live track railroad tunnel repair and clearance improvement in the United States, in Proceedings 15th Australasian Tunnelling Conference 2014 , pp 619–628 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 17, 2014

By Anievas JB, Sevillano AC

This paper describes the acquisition, exploration, development, initial operation and subsequent financing of the Bulawan mine by means of a listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange of a subsidiary of the parent company, Philex Mining Corporation.Located on the island of Negros in the Philippines the property is unique on at least two counts: it is a disseminated gold deposit that occurs in a region of predominantly porphyry copper mineralisation; and it is a gold deposit that is mined by a bulk method of extraction (front and block cave) instead of the normal selective mining methods.

Jan 1, 1997

The cloud transform simulation is a technique used to generate realisations of correlated attributes. The principle of this technique is to partition the scatter diagram between the input attributes into several interval classes and derive for each class a cumulative distribution function (CDF) using only the data pairs of the scatter diagram in that class. The simulation then proceeds like a traditional Monte Carlo simulation but using the derived CDF in each class.The cloud transform simulation has the advantage of being a simple and fast technique that is able to reproduce the uncertainty in the relationship between the two input attributes regardless of whether the relationship is linear or not. However, the technique has three major drawbacks. First, the number of classes has an impact on final simulated results and there is not a robust approach to define such number. Second, simulated results exhibit some saw tooth variations that are unrealistic and third the reproduction of the spatial continuity of the simulated attribute is not guaranteed.This paper presents the use of the quantile regression approach in order to overcome the first two disadvantages of the cloud transform simulation. Details of the technique and how it can be coupled with the cloud transform simulation are presented along with a real case study.

Sep 26, 2011

By Chunbao Z, Zhenchuan Z

As known to the international mining sectors, Hunan province, called as ' Nonferrous Native Area ', is the main base of nonferrous metals Pro- duction in China. There are over 194 nonferrous mines in this province, most of them distribute over the basin of Xiangjiang River. The state of management of wastewater in Hunan's nonferrous mines is outlined.The experiences and economic benefit in the management and treatment of wa- stewater in Bofang and Mayang copper mines, and at Shizhuyuan polymeta- llic mine, are mainly introduced. It concludes with measures and recommendations for future management and treatment of wastewater in Hunan's nonferrous mines.

Jan 1, 1988

In October 1993 it was decided to undertake the fourth phase of mining at Big Bell. This decision followed the exhaustion of open pit reserves in January 1993. Two stages of mining were proposed for the new underground mine. The initial stage would mine the remnant ore, consisting of the rib and crown pillars and lower grade ore on the hangingwall and footwall side of the old open stopes, which were mined from the 1930s to 1950s. Most of the old open stopes were backfilled with either deslimed mill tailings or development mullock, both of which were economic to recover. However, the mineable ore from this resource was difficult to evaluate. The second stage focused on mining ore outside the remnant areas and was initially proposed as a Core and Shell method under a caving hangingwall. This method has since been superseded with sublevel caving, in part due to the very high and deviatoric stress conditions encountered at Big Bell and the relatively long mining cycle required for open stoping. The problems and challenges discussed in this paper will cover the identification of remnant ore reserves, dewatering the old workings, and remnant mining.

Jan 1, 1998

By D R. Venkatesulu, N K. Nanda

Due to increased production of steel in India, the thrust is now on iron ore producers not only to enhance productivity from existing mines, but to look also into alternative resources, like lean grade iron ores such as banded haematite quartz (BHQ)/banded haematite jasper (BHJ), which are available in abundance but not yet utilised for want of suitable process technology. In this context, BHJ ore from the Bellary-Hospet sector was collected and subjected to detailed physical, chemical and mineralogical characterisation and beneficiation studies. The as-received sample was found to occur physically as alternating layers of haematite and jasper. The chemical analysis of the sample was 41.20 per cent Fe, 39.10 per cent SiO2 and 0.86 per cent Al2O3. Based on the mineralogical observation, haematite was found to be the lone ore mineral and jasper was the major gangue mineral. The microscopic observations revealed that the ore minerals liberate at a top size of 0.150 mm. Guided by the characterisation results, indicative tests were conducted using gravity and magnetic separation equipment, namely, Floatex«, gravity slime table and wet high intensity magnetic separator (WHIMS). The results indicate that it is possible to upgrade the sample by both gravity and magnetic separation techniques. However, the WHIMS results indicate that jasper grains report to the concentrate at higher gauss intensities. Therefore, based on the encouraging gravity separation results and the availability of new design spirals for treating fine particles, the applicability of gravity spirals for beneficiating BHJ in the liberation size range of -0.150 mm was studied. The sample was ground to a top size of 0.150 mm and was subjected to preconcentration using wash waterless spirals. Tests were conducted at different feed rates, pulp densities and splitter positions. The results indicate that it is possible to upgrade the sample from a feed grade of 41.20 per cent Fe to a preconcentrate ranging from 46 per cent to 62 per cent Fe with a yield ranging from 19 per cent to 55 per cent. The obtained preconcentrate was then subjected to a cleaning stage by using a combination of wash water and wash waterless spirals. The test results indicate that it is possible to obtain a final concentrate assaying 65.75 per cent Fe and 4.75 per cent SiO2 with a yield of 25.9 per cent and an iron recovery of 41.31 per cent. It was concluded that further test work is necessary to increase the recovery and improve the product specification.

Jan 1, 2009

By S Utili, A Agosti

The Overall Slope Angle (OSA) of pitwalls plays a crucial role in the financial return of an open pit mine. In current practice, pitwall profiles are designed to be planar in cross-section within each rock layer, ie the profile inclination across each layer tends to be constant. A new slope design software, OptimalSlope, has been recently proposed to determine the geotechnically optimal profile shapes for the pitwalls of mines. OptimalSlope seeks the solution of a mathematical optimisation problem where the overall steepness of the pitwall to be designed is maximised for an assigned stratigraphy, rock properties (unit weight and strength) and Factor of Safety. The geometry of the benches is provided as input to OptimalSlope. The results obtained so far on three mine case studies in isotropic rock masses (Utili et al, 2022; Agosti et al, 2021a, 2021b) show that optimal profiles are up to 5° steeper than their planar counterparts – ie the planar profiles exhibiting the same FoS – leading to realising significant saving on waste rock and as a consequence Net Present Value increments and carbon footprint reductions. OptimalSlope algorithms have been modified to deal with anisotropic rock masses characterised by direction dependent shear strength. In the paper, the case of rock masses in banded iron formations (BIF) is tackled. A data set of anisotropic rock shear strengths typical of Western Australia is considered. The Snowden modified nonlinear model was employed to characterise the anisotropy of the rock mass shear strength. From the OptimalSlope simulations performed emerges that optimal pitwall profiles can increase significantly the Overall Slope Angle in comparison with planar profiles featured by the same Factor of Safety. LEM stability analyses of all the profiles were also performed by Rocscience Slide 2 to independently verify the FoSs of the optimal profiles obtained.

Nov 29, 2022

The Mt Whaleback open cut mine South Wall is, in part, developed as an unbenched dip slope. The remainder of the rock slope consists of asymetrical overturned folds which have been locally truncated by major low angle faults. The Mt Whaleback orebody is structurally controlled and therefore extensive structural geology input has gone into the final rock slope design. The design is based on normalised 40 m geological cross sections, but the inherent complexity of the geological structure of the orebody yields a high degree of uncertainty within that interval. There- fore, the final slope bench face and the penultimate bench faces are mapped in detail to accurately establish the geological contacts and struc- ture. The knowledge of accurate geology of final and penultimate faces plays a very important role in the design of controlled perimeter blast- ing. Accurate geology is established mainly by face mapping, and by hole geological evaluation of blastholes to locally refine the current Geologi- cal model.

Jan 1, 1989

By W. M. LONIE

Address by the President of the Institute (Mr W M Lonie) in making the presentation of the Certificate of Honorary Membership to Sir Ian McLellan, K.C.G.M, K.B.E. Address by Sir Ian McLellan after accepting the award.

Jan 1, 1979

By T Alexieva

Since the early 1900s the geotechnical community has investigated every significant failure of a tailings dam, improved our knowledge of the behaviour of the tailings storage facilities, developed analysis methods, compiled lessons learned, and committed to zero failures. The rate of occurrence of tailings dam failures has reduced since the 1980s, however, failures continue to occur and continue to surprise us. At BHP, we have decided to take an approach to the tailings management that is similar to the approach to safety. We are looking at ways to eliminate, substitute, separate or engineer around the hazard (tailings dam failure). As such, our ultimate long term goal would be to eliminate the need for new tailings facilities. Unfortunately, we have not developed yet technologies for extracting many of the common metals and minerals without producing tailings. Our shorter term goal is to substitute the current conventional slurry tailings facilities with less risky dryer facilities. We are working with vendors and research organizations to develop technologies that can be efficiently applied on a large scale. At the same time, we are committed to using the best available engineering to reduce the risks associated with our existing and new conventional tailings facilities. The best engineering can be achieved by people with the appropriate education, experience, attention to detail, discipline and authority. We have implemented a system of governance to make sure, we have the best engineering applied to all our facilities, considering the specific conditions at each site.This paper presents the current tailings governance process at BHP, and the initiatives that were undertook towards achieving a zero failure goal. CITATION:Alexieva, T, 2018. Tailings governance, in Proceedings Mine Waste and Tailings Stewardship Conference 2018, pp 2–7 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 23, 2018

By C Parihar, R Garg, A Bhandari, S Bhandari

Blasting can impact the efficiency of entire downstream mining operation. Individual technology solutions for blasting have been available in the industry for many years but all of them only cater for certain aspects of blasting. Many of them are based on individual research and/or experiences. Some of the available software solutions are not suitable to be used in the field as that they need advanced skills or tools. Also, most do not take technology advancements like mobility, advanced data analytics, web solutions and integration into consideration. Hence, no technology platform is currently present in the industry that addresses all potential needs a blaster may need in an integrated manner.This paper presents an integrated solution that takes care of all aspects of blasting – design blasts according to mine plan; collect data after drilling has been carried out (as there is often difference in designed and actual drilled hole locations in the field); predict blast results in terms of fragmentation, flyrock, ground and air vibrations, wave front reinforcement and flyrock distance; and after assessment, allows changes in charging, delay timing and sequence. The technology solution is a secure, cloud-hosted, web-based software-as-a-service solution that can be accessed from anywhere. Also it has a mobile app, which is available for both Android and iPhone/iPad. The mobile app is also integrated with the web-based solution using application programming interface calls to the central data repository.Case studies for two limestone mines are presented where this solution is being used in its initial format. This software platform enabled analysis of the outcome from a previous blast pattern and then subsequently allowed optimisation of blasting operations based on historical data. Uses of this platform have resulted in improved key performance indicators in these two limestone mines. The mobile app as part of this platform enables extensive field blast data capture and analysis and also various predictions before a blast. Data collected include blast parameters, individual hole charging, initiation pattern, videos, photographs and vibration records for analysis/reporting. The key features of the solution are a blast designer, a detailed blast data collection/analysis and a series of environmental predictors. These predictors give blast results in terms of fragmentation, flyrock, ground and air vibrations and wave front reinforcement and take remedial steps before blasting to optimise and control adverse environmental impact. Many features, such as fragmentation predictor and mobility solution, are completely unique features that are not available elsewhere in such a field personnel-friendly manner.CITATION:Bhandari, S, Parihar, C, Garg, R and Bhandari, A, 2015. An integrated technology solution for optimised and environmentally-controlled blasts, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 393–400 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By N Murthy

Alumina is a major impurity in Australian iron ores and as the higher grade ores become depleted there will be a stronger focus on treating lower grade haematite/goethite ores and developing suitable beneficiation techniques to reduce the alumina content. High alumina in iron ore is deleterious in that it can:• produce slags with lower desulfurising capacity,• reduce sinter/pellet strength and quality, and• produce higher slag volume and increase slag viscosity.Meeting iron ore quality specifications for alumina by blending ore from different sources will eventually be insufficient. Hence, innovative flow sheets based on new and commercially available technologies will be required. Their advantages and disadvantages, the testing methodologies and the challenges and diffi culties involved in reducing the alumina content of iron ores are presented and discussed.

Jul 11, 2011

By A Nigam, K Biswas, R Sarkar

Because of the problems with 1st and 2nd generations of Advanced High-Strength Steels (AHSS), a 3rd generation of AHSS steels has become prominent and these steels have properties in between the 1st and 2nd generations of AHSS. However, although the 3rd generation of AHSS is a promising candidate as a replacement for its predecessors, there remain some challenges in processing these steels which are essentially medium Mn (Mn content ~ 5–7 wt per cent) and high Al (Al content ~ 1– 3 wt per cent) steels. The use of conventional casting powders based on the CaO-SiO2 system is unsuitable for high and medium Mn/Al steels. This work investigates the development of CaO-Al2O3- based mold fluxes for casting third-generation AHSS steel. Mold fluxes, with otherwise similar compositions but different C/A ratios, are tested and their crystallisation behaviour is examined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A calcium aluminate phase having a composition Ca12Al14O33 was found to be the main crystalline phase in the mold fluxes. A decrease in crystallisation temperature was observed as the CaO/Al2O3 ratio increased from 1.00 to 1.33. The effective crystallisation rate constant exhibited an increase with decreasing crystallisation temperature, indicating a potential influence of nucleation rate on the overall crystallisation rate and suggesting an anti-Arrhenius behaviour in the crystallisation process of these mold fluxes.

Aug 21, 2024

By N LaBranche, G Callinan

There has been a reduction in overall workforce in the mining industry during the current downturn; a corresponding reduction in fatalities and high potential incidents (HPIs) has not been observed. The same contributing factors can be seen in the vast majority of these incidents. These include inadequate supervision and lack of adequate risk assessment. How management structures, trains and leads an operation can have a great impact on eliminating these factors and reducing the risk of fatalities and HPIs.Contractors now account for 41 per cent of full-time equivalent employees in the Queensland mining workforce, and are disproportionately represented in the majority of fatalities and HPIs. Having a clear strategy for how contractors are integrated into the workforce is crucial. This talk will include a discussion of the data as collected in the Department of Mines and Natural Resources department database, and offer solutions based on this data.CITATION:LaBranche, N and Callinan, G, 2016. Organisational factors in fatalities and high potential incidents, in Proceedings International Mine Management Conference, pp 201-206 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 22, 2016