March 2014

MARCH 2014

Informed and in-depth editorial on the world mining industry

www.im-mining.com

OPERATION FOCUS:Venetia

Malmberget

PROCESS DESIGN & MONITORING

WATER MANAGEMENT

FRAGMENTATION

COMMINUTION

IM COVER MARCH_proof 25/02/2014 08:03 Page 1

http://www.veoliawaresrtna.com/mobile solutions

The Sala series of vertical pumps are strong, tough and the most reliable sump pumps on the market. The robust cantilever design without any submerged bearings or shaft seals, has long since established this range as an industrial standard in minerals processing.

The Sala series of vertical tank pumps are designed for abrasive slurry service and featuresimple maintenance and robust construction. The ingenious design of the pumps and thelack of shaft seal makes them exceptionally service friendly and easy to install.

Metso provides innovative and sustainable technology and services to mining, construction, and oil and gas industries. Discover more at www.metso.com/pumps

The Sala series of vertical pumps

Strongtough and

reliable

Vertical-Pumps_IFC-International-Mining-Mag.indd 1 2/14/2014 10:10:01 AM

http://www.metso.com/pumps

CONTENTSM A R C H 2 0 1 4

AROUND THE WORLD 3 The Leader 4 World Prospects 72 Forthcoming events IBC Classifieds

MARCH 2014 | International Mining 1

12 OPERATION FOCUS: LKAB MalmbergetPaul Moore visited the highly mechanised LKABMalmberget underground iron ore operation nearGällivare in Arctic Sweden in October 2013, whichis undergoing major changes with thedevelopment of the new 1,250 m level.

20 COMMINUTIONRobert Pell looks at how rising energy costs andfalling ore grades are driving innovations incomminution.

34 FRAGMENTATIONJohn Chadwick looks at ways to do it better andsave crushing and grinding costs, and more.

44 PROCESS DESIGNThe design, monitoring and automation of minesand mineral processing facilities is a specialistarea, and one that brings together state of theart technology providers, consultants,equipment OEMs and engineering firms.Paul Moore reports on new developments.

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COVER: Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies

Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies offers Aquamove™ mobile water

treatment services for the mining market. The Aquamove™ ACTIFLO® Turbo

provides mobile, compact clarification for temporary or supplemental

wastewater or process water operations. Turbidity reduction along with color

and organic removal and other chemical precipitation/chemical softening

applications can also be achieved with the Aquamove ACTIFLO Turbo unit.

This technology can treat up to 1,500 gpm per trailer.

www.veoliawaterstna.com/mobilesolutions

54 WATER MANAGEMENTJohn Chadwick looks at ideas andtechnologies to best manage water on minesand issuing from mines. The mining waterand wastewater treatment market is expectedto grow from $2.29 billion in 2011 to $3.60billion in 2016, according to research by Frost& Sullivan.

66 OPERATION FOCUS – VenetiaThe future of the De Beers Venetia diamondmine in South Africa’s Limpopo province,will be secured to 2046 and beyond with itsnew underground mine, that will stabiliseproduction for the long term, reports PaulMoore, who visited the operation in 2013.

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MARCH 2014

Informed and in-depth editorial on the world mining industry

www.im-mining.com

OPERATION FOCUS:VenetiaMalmberget

PROCESS DESIGN & MONITORINGWATER MANAGEMENT

FRAGMENTATIONCOMMINUTION

CONTENTS _proof 25/02/2014 08:05 Page 1

MMD remains at the forefront of In-Pit Sizing and Conveying (IPSC) technology, developing ground breaking sizing systems that optimize efficiency, improve safety, and delivers high productivity.

For over 30 years the MMD Twin Shaft Mineral Sizer™ and robust Apron Plate Feeder have provided a trusted and proven reliable core allowing MMD to provide innovative mobile and semi-mobile IPSC solutions.

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Last month’s Mining Indaba was, on the face of

it, a great success drawing similar delegate

numbers to last year’s record 7,800 delegates.

Many hundreds more ‘attended’ without paying the

high registration fees. They held their meetings in

hotels around the Cape Town International

Conference Centre (CTICC) and on The Waterfront

and were seen at the many cocktail parties.

However, many expressed their disquiet about

the direction the event is taking. Many of the

supplier exhibitors were unhappy about the

relatively low number of mining company

registrants in the exhibition hall, but they did have

good networking meetings, again outside the CTICC.

Mining companies in the exhibition complained

about the lack of financial people, and bemoaned

too many suppliers wanting to sell them equipment

and spare parts. Fund managers complained about

the high registration fee to meet with mining project

personnel in the CTICC, etc. As Lawrie Williams

wrote on Mineweb – “there have been some

mutterings in the wings. Not everyone is happy!”

The Financial Mail’s Songezo Zibi, wrote a front

page editorial comment in Business Day. “The

Indaba” he says "has carried on for far too long, has

achieved little to nothing and its format and

relevance need serious re-evaluation”.

While he does miss the point to some extent, there

is an important message there. I heard Indaba described

as “just a supplier show”, “no longer an investment

conference” but, above all “still a great networking

event.” It certainly needs some serious rethinking.

I can say it no better than Williams: “The

conference is squarely a platform for financial,

politico-economic and corporate presentations and

as such works very well with some excellent and

informative speakers. The exhibition, which in the

early days used to be almost entirely a place for

mining companies and African governments to try

and attract investment has now largely been

hijacked by suppliers and mining sector service

companies who, in many cases have far more

money to spend on their displays, but would seem

to be aiming at a different audience metric.” See

http://www.mineweb.com

Getting into some specifics, one of the stars

these days is Randgold Resources’ CEO Mark

Bristow, not least because of the company’s success

in bringing the Kibali project in the DRC into

production significantly ahead of an already fast

track schedule.

Speaking at the Indaba, Bristow said that growing

uncertainty about the regulatory environments and

tax regimes in some African countries is

discouraging international investment in them. He

said that for Africa’s

abundant mineral wealth to

be brought to account, the

governments of the mineral-

rich countries and the

investors in and developers

of those assets should

recognise that their interests are closely aligned and

work together. “In other words, what Africa needs

are partnerships for prosperity,” he said.

An important keynote address was made by Dr

Eleni Gabre-Madhin, an Ethiopian economist and a

former CEO of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange

(ECX). She has held senior positions in the World

Bank and United Nations (Geneva).

She spoke of Africa’s promise; two decades of

policy and political reforms and two decades of

democracy and stable governments. She also noted

the continent now hosts the majority of the world’s

fastest growing economies, a billion strong

population and rising incomes and there is a

renewed focus on infrastructure and skills.

She also warned of Africa’s challenges of

corruption, weak skills, bureaucracy, weak

infrastructure and weak institutions. There are also

perceptions that hamper investment, those of “lazy,

slow, chaotic, risky and corrupt.”

“Turning challenge into opportunity, she said.

“Invest in people, invest in eco-systems, invest in

long-term and dare to dream.”

As an example, she explained, in 2008, “when no

one thought it was possible, we launched the first of

its kind commodity exchange in Africa,” the ECX. It

offers electronic warehouse receipting, real-time

market data, next day payment clearing and

“guaranteed quality, quantity, delivery, and payment.”

Many speakers opined that South Africa would

pull through its current challenges. However, Minister

Susan Shabangu’s presentation was not reassuring

and seemed to make empty promises. It is not a

conducive environment for the mining companies or

the investment community that backs South Africa’

mining industry. As a result, investors continue to

adopt “a wait-and-see approach to the South

African mining industry,” says PWC’s Mine SA,

limiting the availability of funds for capital expenditure.

Her speech did little to address investor concerns

about labour instability and possible mining

legislation changes, making it difficult for mining

companies operating in South Africa to strategically

position themselves. Fears of resource

nationalisation are still strong.

John Chadwick

Publisher

[email protected]

PublisherJohn Chadwick B.Sc. Min EngEmail: [email protected]

EditorPaul Moore B.Sc (Hons), M.Sc.Email: [email protected]

Assistant EditorRobert Pell B.Sc. (Hons)Email: [email protected]

Editorial BoardProfessor Malcolm ScobleRobert E. Hallbauer Chair in Mining Engineering., University of BC, Vancouver

Jeff RoschykVice President – Service, P&H Mining, USA

Peter KnightsBMA Chair & Prof. of Mining Engineering University of Queensland

Stephen StoneWest One ManagementPerth, Western Australia

Dr. Andrew M. RobertsonPresident, Robertson GeoConsultants Vancouver, Canada.

Ed McCordProject ConsultantCaterpillar Global Mining, USA

Jason NitzMining Engineer

Dr Terry MudderManaging Director, TIMES Ltd, USA

Simon TarbuttConsultant, Santiago, Chile

Dr. Mike DanielComminution Process Consultant CMD Consulting Pty Ltd

Editorial Enquiries:Tel: +44 (0)1442 870 829Fax +44 (0)1442 870 617

Advertising Sales:Phil PlayleEmail: [email protected]+44 1442 87 77 77

Advertising ProductionLynne LaneEmail: [email protected]

Publishing ConsultantRobin Peach

Design & ProductionTrevor SheldonEmail: [email protected]

Website:www.im-mining.com

Annual Subscription Enquiries:Emma SmithEmail: [email protected]

Annual SubscriptionUK and Europe £160, €230Rest of the world US$270

International Mining (ISSN No: 1747-146X) ispublished monthly by Team Publishing Ltd, GBRand is distributed in the USA by Asendia USA,17B South Middlesex Avenue, Monroe NJ 08831and additional mailing offices. Periodicalspostage paid at New Brunswick NJ.POSTMASTER: send address changes toInternational Mining, 17B South MiddlesexAvenue, Monroe NJ 08831

Printed by The Manson Group, St Albans© Team Publishing Ltd 2014

ISSN 1747 -146X


A

IM uses, as preference, SI units throughout, so, for example, all

tonnes are metric unless otherwise stated.All dollars are US unless otherwise stated

THE LEADER VOLU M E 10 • N U M B E R 3

What Mining Indaba missed

LEADER PAGE_final 25/02/2014 08:12 Page 1

RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems hasbeen developing the world’s first survey-grade Unmanned Air System (UAS) LiDAR

sensor, the VUX-1. Last month saw the officiallaunch event, at the International Lidar MappingForum (ILMF), which took place in Denver fromFebruary 17 to 19 where the VUX-1 waspresented for the first time. RIEGL states: "Theinnovative sensor was designed to meet thechallenges of emerging surveying solutions byUAS, gyrocopters, and ultra-light aircraft, both inmeasurement performance and in systemintegration." The VUX-1 is an ultra lightweightLiDAR sensor with less than 4 kg overall weight,that can easily be mounted onto professional

UAS/RPAS. It has a 300° field of view andproduces extremely high quality LiDAR datausers expect from the RIEGL product. Internalstorage offers the ability tocollect data forseveral hours ataltitudes/rangesup to more than1,000 ft. Miningand mineralexplorationrepresents a keymarket for thisscanner application. “Byintroducing the VUX-1, RIEGL is

the first to offer a LiDAR sensor that has beenespecially developed for the UAS and RPASmarkets. We expect tremendous growth in thesefields and are proud to support these with thebreakthrough VUX-1,” said Dr Johannes Riegl,RIEGL’s Chief Executive Officer.

RIEGL also recently announced thatsince the release of version 10.2 of the

ESRI ArcGIS product family, the RIEGLscan database is now directly

supported in ArcCatalog,ArcMap, ArcScene andArcGlobe for data import.ESRI is based in Redlands,

California and is a globalsupplier of Geographic

Information Systems (GIS). Its

WORLD PROSPECTS

4 International Mining | MARCH 2014

To optimise any system one needs to fullyunderstand the effect of its variousparameters. This can prove especially

difficult in large scale and complex mining thermalfluid systems, where the assessment of anymodifications on the actual site is often notpossible or means costly downtime. Due to thenature of mining operations, even seemingly smallimprovements in efficiency can lead to substantialenergy saving over the long term. This drives theneed for a complete thermal fluid design andanalysis solution. This is where new simulationtechnology of Flownex can provide invaluableinsight, by translating the details of each processinto system-level performance and energyconsumption. Initially developed to solve air andwater distribution networks in mines, Flownexsoftware has evolved and been extended over theyears to deal with dynamic simulations ofnetworks with time-dependent flow and multiplefluids including non-Newtonian slurry, gas mixtureand two phase flow. Flownex has full heat transfercapability as well, which extends capability tosystems where water is used as a thermal energycarrier. In such systems it is not only flow andpressure that are taken into account, buttemperature and heat exchange as well.

Flownex works by simultaneously solving mass,pressure (momentum) and energy conservationon a system level through application of theImplicit Pressure Correction Method. This allowsengineers to analyse almost any thermal fluidsystems, including water management systems,from the perspective of energy usage.

The value of this approach was proven in someof the world`s deepest mines in South Africa,where water is used as the energy carrier toremove up to 100 MW of heat from a mine that is3,800 m deep. To optimise this system, ananalysis of the interaction between all the variousheat sources and water flow rates throughout themine was performed. The client reportedelectricity savings in the megawatt-range becauseof improved understanding of the system. A paperpresented in February, at the annual SME meeting

in Salt Lake City, by HJvan Antwerpen,entitled Combinedsystem simulation ofcooling andventilation for theworld`s deepest minedrew attention to theimpact of this type ofsimulation.

Flownex has alsobeen used forpredictive control andonline optimisation ofwater managementsystems thatcomprise severalreservoirs connectedby various pumps andpipelines. An example of this is a case where itwas necessary to determine the status of SouthAfrican water utility Midvaal Water’s existingreticulation system in terms of flow rates, flowdistribution, pressure drops and the integratedeffect on pump performance in pumping stationswhile accounting for multiple end user demandduring peak and off-peak periods. The ability tomodel the entire distribution network providedseveral benefits such as identifying areas ofconcern and possible future modifications. Alongwith establishing a basis model for pumpscheduling, whereby the systems energyconsumption can be optimised through sheddingthe load during hours when power demand is low.Flownex helped avoid any unplanned watershortages or water cut offs to nearby mines due toincorrect water reticulation system changes, thatcould of resulted in costly claims.

The strength of the software is not limited tothe assessment of existing water handlinginfrastructure, but has many applications duringthe design stage. Such as the ability to perform alifecycle cost optimisation i.e. finding the optimalpump/pipeline size combination to minimisepumping power and capital cost. Pressure

fluctuations due to the water hammer effect canbe investigated during a transient analysis andthe results conveniently plotted to determine therequired minimum pipe wall thickness and pipematerial to avoid costs associated with pipesrupturing. This same transient analysis can beused for the sizing of protective equipment andidentifying the best possible locations forpressure accumulators. The ability to calculateunbalanced transient fluid forces, that occurespecially at changes in direction such as elbows,help limit the overdesign of pipeline supportstructures while still being able to guaranteesafety.

The Flownex solver allows fast simulationspeeds (in the order of real time solution,depending on network size) and is capable ofhaving a simulation model alongside the SCADAto do comparative fault-finding. Flownex wasdeveloped by consulting company, M-TechIndustrial, to solve real word problems and isrepresented in the US market by Phoenix Analysisand Design Technologies (PADT), which aims tohelp companies use simulation effectively andefficiently by providing the support and trainingthey need. www.flownex.com

Analysis and optimisation of mine water management

▲

RIEGL makes further LIDAR changes

WORLD PROSPECTS_visuals 25/02/2014 08:15 Page 1

From underground coal mines in Queensland, Australia, to gold mines in Mali to the oil sands of Canada, you’ll find Cat products hard at work—drilling and digging, loading and hauling, grading and dozing, cutting and shearing. You’ll find Cat dealers—providing unmatched support, expert service and integrated solutions. And you’ll find our people—working alongside our customers to help them mine efficiently and productively while doing the utmost to protect the health and safety of miners, the environment and the communities where mining companies operate. MIN ING .CAT.COM

© 2014 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow,” the “Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.

International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1International Mining_WTM_Campaign.indd 1 2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM2/14/14 1:00 PM

http://www.mining.cat.com

With the merger of Ruukki with fellowspecial steels group SSAB still a work inprogress, a review of some of the

solutions provided highlights the wide range ofapplications in mining for Ruukki special steels.Since loaders, haul trucks, beltconveyor systems, crushers, millsand other equipment aresusceptible to extremely heavymechanical wear, it is crucial toselect the right kind of steel formining equipment and its spareparts. Any unexpected downtime isvery costly. A clear advantage is touse steel components with apredictable useful life to enablemaintenance to be planned and toreduce downtime. Also, havingspare parts and service easilyavailable near the mine areimportant factors. Ruukki statesthat its Raex steels can increases useful life by upto three times compared to standard steel.

Special steel products, such as Ruukki’s Raexand Optim product families, have beenformulated to meet the tough requirements of themining industry. Raex is made for ultimateendurance and is the toughest special steel inRuukki’s range. It is wear-resistant and high-strength steel, with a hardness ideal for miningapplications. The plate thicknesses range from 2mm to 80 mm. “Raex is used for all surfacessubject to wear, such as heavy buckets, dumpbodies, conveyor belt covers and wear parts incrushers and mills,” says Bogoljub Hrnjez,

Application Manager at Ruukki. “Raex prolongsthe useful life of components by two to threetimes compared to standard steel.”

Made using a direct quenching methoddeveloped by Ruukki, Raex wear-resistant steels

have a hard steel surface and strongmicrostructure. Ruukki Optim reduces weight andincreases safety. Structures made out of ultra-thinhigh-strength Optim products are light and verystrong at the same time. The Optim product rangeincludes steel strip and steel plate products, steeltubes and open steel profiles.

“Optim is used to support structures, forexample in transport vehicles, where it iscombined with Raex in the bodies to reducevehicle weight,” Hrnjez says. “It enhances impactresistance, increases payload and reduces fuelconsumption.”

Special steels also increase the safety of dump

loader and haul truck drivers. “The cabin of anunderground haul truck is often made of Raex orOptim steel,” says Hrnjez. “If a large rock falls onthe cabin, the special steel works like a springband and protects the driver whereas withstandard steel the rock would leave a large dent,with a much higher risk of cabin collapse and

personal injuries.”Hrnjez says that Ruukki

customers emphasise the longuseful life and consistent qualityof the steel. The company says itis well known for its efficientproduction process in makingquenched and tempered productssuch as Raex and Optim:

“Our steel is of a very highconsistent quality from batch tobatch, since we carefully selectthe raw materials and make allour special steel at the same steelmill,” says Panu Pitkänen, VicePresident, Raex and Optim

Products, at Ruukki.Consistent quality enables customers to better

calculate and estimate how long a part will last,which in turn is an advantage when planningmaintenance shutdowns.

Another key value for mining customers isRuukki’s global network of distributors, allowingprovision of steel products and technical serviceat short notice to mining customers. Supportedby several Ruukki Certified Partners, Ruukki’ssales and distribution network covers all majormining areas in the world, such as SiberianRussia, the northern parts of the Nordic countriesas well as Australia and Chile. www.ruukki.com


WORLD PROSPECTS

flagship product ArcGIS is used by over a millionGIS professionals worldwide, including those inthe mineral exploration and mining industry. Thecompanies stated: “Sharing the same vision ofsupplying the best technology to its clients,ESRI and RIEGL entered a cooperation toprovide high end solutions for thegeoinformation industry.” The latest release ofArcGIS has brought some major improvementsto the professional GIS user. For those workingwith LiDAR datasets the improved pointcloudhandling is one of the top picks in the changelog. Along with the updates of the core softwaremodules, the 10.2 release comes with anextended version of the InteroperabilityExtension, which now supports the RIEGL scan

database RDB natively. This enables the user toread in scan data stored in RiSCAN PRO orRiPROCESS projects for further analysis in theArc software products.

“We see the GIS market rapidly embracingLiDAR data, as it adds a new level of detail tothe conventional GIS applications. Thereforeopening LiDAR as a data source for the GISprofessional is an important step for the LiDARindustry. We expect seeing very interesting GISapplications made possible through LiDAR datain the near future,” said Christian Sevcik,Manager Strategic Software Alliances at RIEGL.

Furthermore the high value of a pointcloud ina GIS environment is not only based ongeometric properties. Although the high point

densities provide an unrivalled level of detail forany GIS analysis, the additional point attributeslike reflectance, pulse width or pulse shapedeviation provided by a RIEGL laser scanner cansignificantly improve the quality of informationderived from a pointcloud. On the other handGIS users learnt to rely on classificationattributes to add semantic meaning to LiDARdata. Therefore RiPROCESS offers variousfiltering methods based on the point attributeswhich can be used for user definedclassification. The implementation of the RIEGLScan database RDB in the InteroperabilityExtension supports these classes and attributesfor further processing in the ESRI softwareproducts. www.riegl.com

allmineral raises bar in WHIMS with gaustec-GHX 1400

Ruukki highlights uptime value

The innovative gaustec® technology fromallmineral has been widely used withsuccess in ore processing around the world

for some years. Continuous R&D has resulted infurther major improvements in wet high-intensity magnetic separation. With anunsurpassed throughput capacity of up to 1,400t/h, the new gaustec-GHX 1400 is “particularly

efficient and cost-effective at processing low-grade iron ore into marketable high-grade pelletfeed fines” says allmineral. Increased globaldemand for raw materials, combined with asteady decline in the quality of the mineral rawmaterials in demand, has generated newinterest in the development of high-intensitymagnetic separators with larger capacities. The

company said that many factors make thegaustec-GHX 1400 an innovative solution:numerous improvements, vastly simplifiedmaintenance, reduced energy consumption,smaller plant layout, and greater flexibilitythrough variable customised settings, as well asthe high throughput capacity.

Although low-grade iron ore mines will

▲


We never stop

Atlas Copco continues to innovate with the introduction of the Pit Viper 311. The PV-311 has the capability to chew through drill patterns by drilling 9-12.25 inch (228-311 mm) holes with a clean hole single pass depth of 65 feet (19.8 m).

The Pit Viper 311 is the latest drill to join the numerous Pit Vipers drilling in mines across the globe. The PV-311 incorporates everything you love about the Pit Viper product line, but also includes new and innovative designs to continually lower the cost of drilling:

• Our proven Rig Control System (RCS) gives the PV-311 a strong technology foundation to bring serviceability and drilling accuracy to the front lines of the mining process

• The PV-311 increases productivity through increased tramming, feed and retract speeds, in addition to increasing the rates of the non-value added functions of the machine such as setting up

• Downtime for preventive maintenance has been reduced by up to 50% with the introduction of the centralized filter rack and ground level service interface where all fluids can be filled, drained or sampled

• Completing the PV-311 package is a world-class cabin with improved operator visibility and comfort, in addition to raising the bar when it comes to making safety integral to all of our designs

• At Atlas Copco we never stop working to reduce the costs associated with drilling. Visit our website to learn how productive the PV-311 has been since its introduction at MinExpo 2012.

Contact your Atlas Copco representative to learn more about how productive the PV-311 has proven to be.

www.atlascopco.com/blastholedrills

http://www.atlascopco.com

WORLD PROSPECTS


benefit from the newtechnology, the mainfocus is on reclaiminglow-grade iron oretailings from ponds,with huge positiveenvironmental andeconomic benefits.Based on the newgaustec-GHXtechnology,construction work on aprocessing plantdesigned to processiron ore tailings with a45% Fe grade began atthe Itaminas mine inBrazil at the end of

2012. The plant went into operation in mid-2013with a feed capacity of 480 t/h and has threeprocessing stages (rougher, cleaner and re-cleaner) in a single unit at 2.5 mm matrix gap.The quality of the pellet feed product reaches65% Fe with an average tailings grade of 35%,approximately equivalent to a 30% plant yield.The high performance of the first gaustec-GHXled to the construction of a second plant of thesame type for further downgrading the tailingsto <20% Fe. The plant is scheduled forcommissioning in 2014. Plants and installationssupplied by allmineral are used in Europe, India,Australia, North and South America, and SouthAfrica. More than 750 allmineral installations fordry and wet processing are currently operatingreliably and efficiently around the globe.www.allmineral.com

Murray & Roberts takes simulation to the next level

The Murray & Roberts Cementation TrainingAcademy near Carletonville in South Africahas taken the use of simulation combined

with the use of other supporting technology towhat it says is “the next level.” Underpinned bya battery of learner support programmes,learner trackless mining machine operators areable to progress from a novice status through aseries of carefully designed stages thatculminate towards operator appliedcompetence. “We recognise that simulation hassignificant potential beyond what it is typicallyused for and we intend to fully exploit thispotential,” Tony Pretorius, Risk Manager at theMurray & Roberts Cementation TrainingAcademy, says. “Beyond purely training, wemake use of simulation for pre-employmentscreening, learner diagnostic assessment,accident/incident reconciliation, enhancementof psychomotor skills, operator proficiencycharting and engineering design. As part of ourlong term strategy, we intend to includesimulation to support mine design and to use itto role-play incidents and accidents that haveoccurred in the past in the workplace to ensurethat we continue mining by lessons learned.”

The Training Academy is also looking at moreprojects focussed around trackless mining,recognising that simulation is a powerful tool toaccelerate the competency journey of anoperator: “It accurately tests learnerproficiencies across three areas namely; health& safety, productivity enhancement andmachine appreciation in that the associatedexamples test reflexive competencies throughthe simulation of common workplace and workrelated hazards and risks in a virtualenvironment at a fraction of conventionaltraining related costs.”

Learner training at the Murray & RobertsCementation Training Academy begins with aPC-based e-learning programme developed fromOEM information relating to specific machineryand actual video footage of this machinery in

action. This combination of literature, diagramsand video imagery lays down the first level offoundational competence — knowledge andunderstanding. The learner then proceeds to thenext level that comprises a series of visual-based training modules. It is here that thelearner is taught that every action has aconsequence. The objective is to impartconsequential thinking, which ensures that oncein the field, the candidate will take the correctcourse of action to prevent a negative reaction.For example, the health and safety modulesfocus on issues such as pedestrians, fire, andbrake failure by testing the learner’s reactions ina “what if” scenario.

Thereafter the learner is introduced to thevirtual environment by engaging in video-typegames relating to the theme of machineryoperation. These games, highlighting tasks suchas load hauling, drilling and dumping, exposethe learner to the concept of what his/her futurejob will entail. The next stage is the “pre-simulation” environment, where the learnerobserves the experiences of other operators on

the simulator. “The objective here is topsychologically desensitise the learner in orderto remove any fear of operating the simulationequipment,” Pretorius explains. “Ultimately thisprocess minimises time wasting on thesimulator, because by the time the learner getsto this point, he/she has a very good idea ofwhat to expect. “So instead of applying typicalsimulator directed training that moves fromtheory to a practical component and then todeployment in the field, we’ve introduced e-learning components based on the OEMinformation, in the form of modules to whichend we provide support coaching by an SME(small to medium enterprise) to ensure thenecessary concepts are successfully conveyed.Coupled to that leg we provide visual basedtraining, also with a coach, to achieve reflexivecompetency. Gaming and pre-simulationprecede simulator training. The simulatorimpacts the visual, aural and haptic senses, sothe learner actually experiences the tension ofthe controls and the yaw, pitch and roll of themachine — it’s truly an actual look and feel ofthe machine in work mode. This dynamiccombination of practical and simulator trainingultimately leads to everyday competency.”

He adds: “In terms of workplace proficiency,we ensure that the learner is able to perform thetask at hand within the required parameters.Training therefore includes elements such aspre-use inspection, pre-start and startprocedures, brake testing, tramming, operationand end of shift procedures, which are brokendown into tasks. We sequence these tasks andthen implement a time and motion study foreach of these tasks which the learner mustperfect before entering the workplace to gainhands-on experience. This network of trainingpathways is more than the average trainingcentre follows and this is what differentiates usas a leader in the industry, with the overridingobjective of achieving high levels of proficiencyand safety.”www.murrob.com


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WORLD PROSPECTS


There has been a lot of speculation in themarket since Caterpillar acquired Bucyruson where further consolidation in the

industry could come from, particularly withregard to any move into underground mining byKomatsu Ltd. This question has now beenanswered, with the announcement by Komatsuand GE Mining, a division of GE Transportation,that they have formed "a new collaboration todevelop next generation mining equipment."The statement said: "By combining theirexpertise in mining equipment and propulsionsystems, the companies will help meet theneeds of customers and partners worldwide,with an initial focus on developing solutions toincrease customer productivity and safety forunderground mines."

GE had already taken its step beyond its coreinvolvement in drive systems for miningmachines, with its purchases of Industrea andFairchild in 2012. The new company, Komatsu GEMining Systems, LLC, will be located at the GETransportation facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, andoperations will begin in April 2014. Komatsu andGE will each own 50% of the new company.

Komatsu and GE Transportation have alreadybeen partners in Komatsu electric mining trucksfor use in open-pit mines for a long time, withGE supplying the electric drive systems. Thecompanies stated: “By further building on theexisting partnership, the new company willcombine GE’s electric power expertise, electricdrive systems, and battery technologies withKomatsu’s vehicle and ICT technologies formining equipment to deliver innovativesolutions to global mining customers.” GE was arelative newcomer to the actual miningmachines market, and a tie-up with Komatsugives this new underground equipment venture

access to Komatsu's extensive dealer network,and relationships with major surface mines,many of which have associated undergroundoperations, or are planning undergroundexpansion in the future. Komatsu through the JVgets access to the vast resources and capital ofa company the size of GE. It is interesting thatICT (Information and CommunicationTechnology) is also mentioned. Komatsu ownsModular Mining, and together they developedthe FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System(AHS), which has led the drive to wider surfacetruck automation in the Pilbara. This automationexpertise is now likely to be applied in the

underground space.Komatsu told IM: “Over the long term, we see

the importance of the underground miningbusiness. We introduced the AutonomusHaulage System as a super Dantotsu - aJapanese term meaning unique and unrivalled -product in open-pit mining. Komatsu would alsolike to enter the underground mining marketwith newly developed Dantotsu products. Webelieve that it will be possible to launch newlydeveloped next generation mining equipmentbased on the knowledge and experience of bothcompanies.”www.komatsu.com; www.ge.com

New underground mining force with Komatsu-GE JV

Mine Master equips new Face Master 1.7L rig with state of the art cabin system

To face up to the challenge of more andmore demanding working conditions in theunderground mines of KGHM, Mine Master

has started testing of its new Face Master 1.7Ldrilling rig. The company says that the rig isequipped with some unique solutions, whichnot only significantly improve the rig operatorergonomics and machine efficiency but alsoallow operators to maintain optimumperformancedespite changeablemine conditions.

The rig features ahydraulicallyoperated,ergonomic,“capsule-type"operator’s cabin.This cabin systemas well as the frontframe is certified for

transmission of loads at kinematics of 60 kJ. Thefront operator’s window also complies with P8Baccording to EN-356. The cabin is equipped withair conditioning, which works both duringtransportation and with mine’s power grid of500 v and is also equipped with a particle filter.Additionally, a hydrogensulphide filter has been

installed in the cabin in order to protect theoperator against gas leaks, which can occur inKGHM’s headings.

The test working unit was based on analready proven design of a B40D boom andMontabert HC109 drill, equipped with waterswivel and higher resistance to aggressive

flushing. In orderto ensure excellenttraction, the rig isalso equipped witha main pivot with

double rotation joint(vertical withhorizontal

oscillation).Thanks to thissolution it is possible toobtain very good stability

during manoeuvering as well asto use the rig in reduced width

headings. www.minemaster.eu


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The LKAB Malmberget mine, in operation

since 1888, has grown to an operation

today that has some 600 km of roadways

of which about 300 km are in use at any one

time. Malmberget differs from LKAB Kiruna in

that it has 20 distinct orebodies, of which 15 are

currently being mined. Of these there are three

larger orebodies which are drilled using two ITH

production rigs at one time, drilling up to 50 m

holes, with the remaining two rigs used on the

smaller ore bodies and drilling 30-35 m holes.

The Malmberget deposit was originally

probably a more or less continuous ore lens

which experienced at least two phases of folding

and metamorphism. By strong ductile

deformation it was torn into several lenses that

today occupy a large-scale fold structure where

the individual ore bodies stretch parallel to the

fold axis, which plunge 40-50º toward the SSW.

Malmberget is also distinct in having a mix of

magnetite and haematite whereas Kiruna is

almost 100% magnetite. The so-called

Malmberget Western Field has 90-95%

magnetite and 5-10% haematite; and the Eastern

Field contains nearly all magnetite. Both the

Kiruna and Malmberget mines use large scale

sub-level caving.

In 2013, the Malmberget mining department

had some 525 full time employees. In addition to

the LKAB workforce, contractors accounted for

another 100 plus workers at any one time.

The Western Field includes the following

currently worked ore bodies: Josefina, Hens,

Johannes, Välkomma and Baron; with the

Eastern Field including Alliansen, Fabian,

Printzskiöld, Viri, Kapten, Parta and Dennewitz.

The names derive from influential people who

made an important impact in the mine

development in the early days, such as royals,

investors and military staff.

The main mine level to date has been situated

at 1,000 m but the new mine level at 1,250 m is

being phased in which takes the LOM to 2020

and beyond. M1250, as the new main level is

called, is designed to handle the extraction of 18

Mt/y of crude ore, plus 1-2 Mt/y of mined waste.

Workable ore reserves are estimated to be

around 140 Mt of crude ore. This will yield

around 84 Mt of finished product.

Production is currently both just above and

just below the 1,000 m level; with the main

haulage level at 1,000 m. Above the main area of

production is a haematite rich area in the area

between 560-1,000 m that is now mined in its

own right. At the 815 m level, the largest ore

body Fabian has two ore passes. Further down at

1,000 m, five ore passes are needed as the ore

body widens.

Interestingly at Malmberget, production holes

are drilled out often well in advance of actual

charging and blasting such is the scale of the

mine. It can be as much as six months before a

production drill fan is actually blasted, to the

point where the drilling process could be

referred to as development/production drilling.

This reflects the level of planning and scheduling

needed in the extraction of ore from multiple ore

bodies.

In addition to the shallower Western Field

haematite mining, another project covers mining

of remaining ore from older worked room and

pillar operation dating from the 1960s. At that

time mining was carried out using slushers and

ore trains. Some of these working areas have

collapsed with others still intact. However, they

are now a significant ore contributor – in 2013,

some 10% of overall ore production came from

these historic mining areas.

Once ore production has started, development

work is conducted by LKAB, but during new level

development as well as pre-production

development, contractors are used, the largest of

which is Veidekke. Bergteamet (Rock Team)

carries out raise boring work.

Malmberget operates gyratory crushers

underground, unusual but possible due to the

large drift sizes used. It crushes ore to 100 mm

size. The new 1,250 m level has two gyratories

with associated apron feeders that feed

conveyors and a temporary ore storage bin. A

hoist then transports the ore up to the 1,000 m

level, to the main ramp conveyor there that

supplies the main production hoist on the 815 m

level that transports the ore to surface via 23 t

skips. There are also crushers located on the 815

m level.

At the time of the visit in October 2013, the

1,250 m level crushers were already operating,

but contractor NCC was still onsite completing a

new personnel vehicle car park area and canteen


The new iron age

Paul Moore visited thehighly mechanised LKABMalmberget undergroundiron ore operation nearGällivare in ArcticSweden in October 2013,which is undergoingmajor changes with thedevelopment of the new1,250 m level

OPERATION FOCUS

LKAB Malmberget from above

OPERATION FOCUS- MALMBERGET_proof 25/02/2014 09:14 Page 1

BTI-IM_Jan_proof 20/01/2014 12:08 Page 1

http://www.rockbreaker.com

along with management offices. The 1,050 level

at the time was the deepest production area. The

key levels at Malmberget are at 600 m, 1,000 m

and 1,250 m. The 600 m level is used for ore

transport in the Western Field, with the Eastern

Field using the other main levels.

The dimensions of the Malmberget operations

are smaller than those at Kiruna. The Kiruna

orebody is one continuous mass with

dimensions of 4 km by 80 m and extending to 1.5

km deep and beyond; with Malmberget

production from multiple orebodies over a wider

area. Whereas Malmberget production is on

several levels, Kiruna’s is from two main levels.

Kiruna’s production in 2013 was about 28 Mt

compared to Malmberget’s 17 Mt. Despite this,

Malmberget as a site covers just as large an area

as Kiruna with a similar distance of underground

road network. Both mines use large scale sub

level caving with drift development, production

drilling, and LHD transport to ore passes. Key

differences include the use of larger electric

LHDs at Kiruna (diesel smaller LHDs are used at

Malmberget) and that there the ore passes load

automated trains, unlike the trucks at

Malmberget. Again this reflects the greater

flexibility needed at Malmberget when dealing

with multiple orebodies. Malmberget has one

primary crusher on the 600 m level in the

Western Field, and one at 815 m in the Eastern

Field, with two each on the 1,000 m and 1,250 m

levels. As stated, in the Western Field there is

only one 600 m to surface hoist, whereas the

Eastern Field has two hoists and a ramp

conveyor. The Eastern and Western production is

largely kept distinct until the pelletising phase,

when there is some blending of haematite into

the higher grade magnetite ore. While the

Western Field ore body reaches the 815 m depth

it is not currently mined at that depth, however,

ongoing studies will determine if a new transport

level will be established below 600 m.

Malmberget has two hoists to surface –

Vitåfors in the Eastern Field (approx 15 Mt/y

capacity), which is now effectively two in one –

the 1,250 m to 1,000 m section – then the 815 m

section to surface. The Alliansen hoist (4.7 Mt/y)

handles ore from the Western Field from the 600

m level to surface. This effectively means that

the Eastern and Western Fields are two distinct

mines, though the two are connected and it is

possible to take out Western Field ore via the

Vitåfors hoist, for example, if the Alliansen hoist

has stopped. This does not apply to maintenance

stoppages – every year both hoists and the

concentrator stop production for 10 days of

primary long term maintenance in May.

EquipmentIn terms of the drifting and drilling equipment,

LKAB operates its own equipment in the Eastern

Field with the exception of some ramp work. In

the Western Field all the equipment is contractor

operated. The Eastern Field drifting fleet includes

three jumbos, two charging rigs, four bolters,

three shotcreting rigs and 4 + 2 scaling rigs as

well as other ancillary equipment. In 2014 the

mine plans to carry out 20,000 m of drifting of

which 11,500 m will be done in-house and the

rest contracted. In 2013, some 11,000 m of in-

house drifting was completed and the rest

contracted. The 4 + 2 scaling rigs refers to the

fact that four machines are used for both drifting

and scaling but there are two dedicated JAMA

scalers.

As stated, in addition to the dedicated

automated WL6C production rig fleet of six, in

2013, the mine began buying production drill

metres from Wassara with its two rigs to make

up a shortfall while allowing Wassara to carry

out R&D.

During the IM visit, LKAB Wassara owned drill

number 698 was operating in the shallower

haematite zone, with five of the mine-owned rigs

in the magnetite rich main production areas. One

WL6C (number 692) was operating in drift 1680

at the Fabian 880 m level (FA880); and a second

at level 905 m in the 1310 drift (drill number

693). In the Alliansen ore body, on the 1,022 m

level, drill 691 was working in drift 4270; and in

the Viri ore body, drill 694 was working in drift

7880 at the 1,050 m level. In the Printzskiöld ore

body, number 695 was working in the 2520 drift

at the 970 m level. The final 696 rig was

operating in the 569 m level of the haematite

OPERATION FOCUS


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rich zone in the 5694 level of the Johannes ore

body.

For drifting, two emulsion charging trucks

handle about 2,000 t of ANFO per year charging

5 m holes, while the production fleet has three

charging trucks handling about 4,000 t of ANFO

loading 45 m and longer holes.

The main Eastern Field owned load and haul

fleet consists of 13 LHDs, of which nine are Cat

2900G and four are Sandvik Toro 0011. The

availability stands at about 8.5 LHDs at any one

time. The contractor in the Western Field

operates two LHDs. In terms of figures, in terms

of overall tonnes hauled, the 2014 plan is to

handle over 12 Mt with mine owned LHDs and

about 3 Mt with contractor LHDs. While NCC has

the drifting contract, production and waste

trucking uses other contractors. In the main

Eastern Field, there are five main ore passes on

the 1,000 m and 1,250 m level feeding the four

gyratories in that part of the mine.

The ore trucks used to be Sisu 120 t trucks but

today seven side tipper Volvo FH 12/13 90 t SLP

and two Scania R480 8 x 4 90 t trucks are used.

A further Volvo FM 12 35 t truck is used for

special projects. Actual ore mucking and

transport to ore passes is via the mixed LHD fleet

of Caterpillar 2900 (60%) and Sandvik Toro

(40%). The SLP trucks are loaded via the ore

passes and deliver the ore to the underground

crushers.

All capital equipment maintenance is done in-

house in underground shops on the 815 m level,

though this is in the process of being moved to

the 1,250 m level.

The mine has a very extensive micro-seismic

monitoring system with over 140 geophones and

more installed in 2013 as well as 1 Hz regional

devices. Drifting ground support is carried out by

Berg & Betong, which includes meshing,

shotcreting and bolting. As the mine has gone

deeper there has been a greater requirement for

mesh and more dynamic bolting, such as reactive

bolts. The mine is also looking at doing

simultaneous one process ground support

during drifting and work is ongoing with OEMs

on this concept, with the challenge being making

mesh/bolting machines that can keep up with

jumbos; and solutions include the use of mesh

on a roll as opposed to separate mesh sections.

Malmberget currently achieves one cycle of 4.8

m of drifting per day per fleet, with up to 10 fleet

cycles per day but wants to speed this up.

In the future, more of Malmberget production

will be from fewer ore bodies, so ideally the mine

would use larger and ideally electric LHDs;

though there is still a limited choice in the larger

OPERATION FOCUS


A schematic 3D-picture illustrating the orebodies in the Malmberget iron ore deposit


http://www.pressurepro.us


capacity electric LHD range, with the Sandvik

2500 machines only operating at Kiruna.

The ITH fleet and historyThe Malmberget mine uses six Atlas Copco ITH

drills using Wassara hammers. These are all new

Simba WL6C machines delivered since April

2012, which replaced six older ITH rigs that had

been delivered to the mine since 1997, with an

original fleet of four W469 rigs. The six current

rigs compare to a current fleet of 10 Sandvik Solo

8 ITH rigs also using Wassara hammers at the

sister mine in Kiruna, which began automated

drilling in 1995 (but had been using forms of

remote drilling since the 1980s). Prior to 1997,

Malmberget used two boom AMV ITH rigs

running on compressed air; and before that large

Atlas Copco and Ingersoll Rand top hammer

drills drilling 57 mm holes. With the AMV drills,

air had to be compressed at surface and pumped

underground at very high cost. The cost savings

with switching to water-powered drilling, along

with the obvious upside of much longer and

more accurate holes, were the main drivers

behind the switch to Wassara technology. But

the first water-powered drilling was done with

the AMV drills – with their conversion beginning

in 1989. Three of them were altered to allow

water-powered hammer drilling to be used and

operated up to the Atlas Copco drills coming

onstream in 1997.

The decision to replace the older ITH models

was based on the fact the existing fleet was 15

years old but also the ability to apply the latest

control and automation technology; as well as a

new electric motor on the water pump. LKAB

automated rig operator Andreas Larsson told IM

during the visit: “The new WL6C rigs are easier

to operate, are a lot more user friendly and have

a much more logical interaction with the

operator. The technical aspects of the rigs are

much easier to understand due to the new

technology – with only six main menus compared

to nearly 100 on the old machines. There are less

steps to go through in the everyday operation of

the rig and the main boom is able to do

everything much faster, making the rig more

compact. It also has an enclosed cabin for

moving the machine unlike the older machines

which just had a steel plate roof. The rig is also

easier to turn and has a smoother ride.”

In addition to the main mine-owned fleet of six

rigs, LKAB Wassara has two of its own rigs that

are contracted to mine operations and are

monitored and manually operated by Wassara

engineers, and are not equipped with the new

hammer carousel design. One carries out special

works in the form of slot hole drilling, which involves

6.5 in holes as opposed to the normal production

4.5 in diameter holes. The advantage for Wassara

in having these two machines is that it can carry

out R&D on hammer technology improvements

in a real mine operating environment, which

ultimately benefits LKAB but also the wider

mining and civil construction world that employs

Wassara water-powered drilling technology.

One production hole takes between 30 mins

and 1 hour depending on the conditions and the

hole length. The new rigs also use W100 water-

powered hammers which are capable of at least

1,800 of drilling before being sent to the onsite

LKAB Wassara technology centre for

maintenance and replacement of internal parts,

after which they can achieve an additional 1,800

m to 2,000 m depending on the nature of the

rock – some of the waste is very hard granite.

During maintenance, every one of the internal

parts and dimensions of the hammer are

checked to compare against calibrated ideals.

Each production drill fan is angled at 80° with

each fan 3 to 3.5 m apart. Waste is transported

out of the mine by 40 t Scania or Volvo road

trucks operated by a contractor. In production

drilling, the fan layout includes 5 to 15 holes,

with 8,000 t per fan blasted and 115 mm

diameter holes with an average of 300 m per fan.

Current production achieves 120,000 m per year

per rig, with automated production drilling

accounting for 90% of the total. This compares to

the W469 fleet that achieved 100,000 m per year

per rig. Oil consumption is about 0.04 litres per

metre drilled, indicative of the environmental

benefits of using water-powered drilling. Hole

deviation is less than 1.5% over 50 m.

In the automated drill control centre, there is

one operator monitoring two drills, so three

operators for the six WL6 rigs in all. The operator

shift runs from 0500 to 1500; and 1400 to 0000

with a one hour shift overlap. At midnight for an

hour until 0100 the only team underground is the

longhole blasting crew and following the blast

there is a ventilation period, though the

automated rigs are still running during this

period. ANFO emulsion is manufactured by Kimit

in Kiruna and stored at each mine in silos.

Shotcreting/meshing/bolting is carried out in

production development where needed, which

does not affect ore quality as any bolts are

removed by magnets in the processing plant.

The operations centre is at the 1,000 m level

with two main rig control stations and multiple

wall screens showing all production rigs on video

as well as diagnostic screens indicating drilling

progress and water pressure, normally 180 bar.

The control stations are normally only used when

there is a problem and the operator interrupts

automated production; as well as rig moves

between drill fans and new drill co-ordinates

given to the rig. On each production drift, such

as number 7700 seen during the IM visit,

production starts from fan 1 and continues to the

last fan, in the case of this drift fan 35, a distance

of about 100 m. The nature of the orebody being

drilled is already known with some confidence

due to exploration diamond core drilling. In

addition to this, top hammer exploration drilling

is carried out after every third blast for more

precise data. Each drill fan is slightly different

depending on what is happening with the ore

body dimensions. As stated, holes can be up to

55 m but the average is about 36 m. During the 3

m rig moves, which is manual, the operator also

changes out the hammer bits, as well as the

hammers and pipes as well if needed. He or she

then manually inputs the drill plan, raises the

boom to the required angle, and starts up the rig

before returning to the control centre – after this

the process is automated.

OPERATION FOCUS

One of the Cat R2900s in the Malmberget LHDfleet


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http://www.hard-line.com


The typical fan drilling time is about 10 hours

and each rig is capable of drilling about 350 m

per 24 hours. Each rig has two carousels – one

for the water-powered hammers and one for the

steel drill pipes. This can be one problem area

during operations in that occasionally during the

hammer changeout (normally between 120 to

180 m of drilling), the carousel won’t find the

correct position requiring the rig to be restarted.

That said, the newer carousel is capable of

changing a hammer in only 10-15 seconds. As

stated, each operator is responsible for two rigs;

and overnight between midnight and 0500 a

production report log is generated that notes all

stops or problems, which are also automatically

relayed to Atlas Copco. If there are any issues or

stoppages due to mechanical or hydraulic

failures then it may be necessary to get one of

the on-site Atlas Copco team to resolve them, as

they are responsible for service and maintenance

of the rigs themselves. Atlas Copco’s contractual

responsibility is also tied to rig performance in

terms of metres drilled. Atlas Copco has 18

engineers and mechanics underground at any

one time in Malmberget, who in addition to the

production rigs look after the fleet of Boomer

jumbos and Robolt bolting rigs.

Any hammer issues, such as excess wear due

to solids getting into the water supply, can be

addressed by the LKAB Wassara team; though

the hammers can run without excessive wear

with solids in the water up to a particle size of

about 50 microns. Fresh water is used at all

times in Malmberget, though at Kiruna recycled

water from the main tailings pond is used. The

electrical and water supply infrastructure in the

production areas is put in place in advance by

the production development team. The cables

supply power to the rigs at 1,000 v with the

water pipe pressure at only 7 or 8 bar, which is

stepped up to 180 bar by the high pressure

pump on the rig. In terms of rig service, LKAB

Wassara is currently working

on a new supply truck that

will carry hydraulic fluid,

steel drill pipes and hammers

on one machine, being

equipped with a hydraulic arm

to lift the hammers.

LKAB R&DThe LKAB journey towards

the future goal of 28 Mt/y

requires a thorough R&D

effort to ensure both mining

capacity and quality

stabilisation measures. The

ore deposits being developed

require extensive experimental resources in

order to meet the appropriate regulations or

adaptation of the existing ore processing plant,

as well as evaluating future product features.

The objective here is to produce functional

products of a high competitive quality.

Ore mining at increased depths requires both

a safe working environment as well as effective

sub level caving. In a SWOT analysis of the LKAB

long-term plan, the rock stability was identified

as a “specific risk” as increased mining depth

increases both rock stress and seismicity. This

requires new levels of mining layouts and

sequences as well as enhanced rock

reinforcement in order to provide a safe and

stable working environment. One important area

is the mining seismology, providing an

opportunity to increase the knowledge in the

seismicity that follows mining works.

The sub-level mining causes deformation and

fractures in the mine surroundings, mostly in the

orebody hanging walls but it also affects the foot

walls. It is desirable to predict this

environmental impact in a better way because of

its great impact on infrastructure and buildings.

The mining of orebodies underground also gives

rise to openings and deformations, affecting the

soil surface in several ways and requires a

different type of monitoring approach.

ProcessingMalmberget operates two pelletising plants – the

newer one known as MK3, commissioned in

2006, and an older facility known as BUV

commissioned in 1973. Both are equipped with a

waste gas cleaning system. MK3 was built to

significantly expand pellet capacity with the

original plan for Malmberget to supply only

pellets but the production of fines has continued,

as they are popular in the steel industry as a

cheap alternative to pellets for a certain

proportion of production (Malmberget pellets are

shipped from Lulea and fines from Narvik). Ore

supply to the pellets plants is 85% from the

Vitåfors shaft and 15% from the Alliansen shaft.

Both routes involve a wet and dry milling process.

The pellet mix is about 6% haematite, 3%

additives such as olivine and silica, and the

remainder magnetite. First the slurry moisture

content is reduced to 8% in a disc filter (BUV) or

drum filter at MK3 (five 150 t/h machines). Then

bentonite binder is added in a large Eirich mixer

at about 0.6% which equates to a bentonite

requirement of about 42,000 t/y. This mix then

passes to the pellet balling machines, through

screens to get a uniform pellet size and

thereafter to the straight travelling grates.

Undersize pellets go back to the balling

machines and oversize is sent back to the

Eirich mixer. A pellet size range of 9-14 mm is

deemed acceptable but the ideal is 10-12.5

mm. MK3 alone has five balling machine

circuits. The straight grate kiln used in MK3 is

an Outotec type. Initially for drying the hot gas

comes up from under the pellets (up-draught

drying or UDD) then switches to down-draught.

All the heat is recycled. The pellets pass

through distinct zones for drying, pre-heating

and firing. The kiln itself is fuelled by six pairs

of oil burners. The pellet bed is about 500 mm

thick, with the heat moved through the bed

following the firing zone using fans, followed

by a cooling zone. Quality is maintained using

online analysis, while physical samples are

taken every shift for tumbling and cold press

testing. Both the BUV and MK3 plants are

controlled using an ABB 800xA system. The

plants are maintained via one cold shutdown

and two hot shutdowns per year. Overall, the

plants currently have five balling machine

circuits each with a 4 Mt capacity but a sixth

may be added to account to allow for

increased production with the Svappavaara

ore. IM

OPERATION FOCUS

Gyratory crusher on 1,250 m level

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Cost effective and efficient ore liberation is

at the forefront of the current focus by

mining groups on efficiency and economy.

Crushing and grinding represents the most

energy intensive step in the mining process, and

according to at least one source, accounts for

around 3% of total world energy consumption.

Thus the stakes are high to supply larger, higher

capacity crusher and mill solutions to achieve

greater economies of scale – but this is limited

by available castings and componentry.

In terms of the wider challenges in furthering

the comminution process, Kevin Graney, Product

Development Manager at Metso discussed the

difficulties faced, stating: “A big challenge in

comminution is cost. As more ore is processed,

larger equipment is needed. When producing

such large castings, there are tremendous

pressures to provide products as cost efficiently

as possible. A couple of years ago we

introduced the 60-110E SUPERIOR primary

gyratory crusher. The focus of the 60-110E was

to efficiently use material while simplifying the

manufacturing process in order to lower the

purchase price of the crusher. These

manufacturing efficiencies have been

transferred into the MP2500 project to ensure

the crusher is designed for manufacturing and

Metso can offer the crusher on a cost

competitive basis while maintaining the quality

we are known for.”

There are also limitations to how big

equipment can be designed, and foundry

pouring capacities can be a constraint for

machine design. It is necessary to create

crushers that can process more material without

making the components so large that they

cannot be produced. This requires more

creative design processes.

Pushing boundariesMetso has developed the world’s largest cone

crusher, and supplied two of them to the

Sentinel copper project in Zambia. The

mentioned MP2500 cone crusher is based on

the industry leading MP crusher series, and was

developed to improve efficiency within the

comminution circuit. The MP2500 crusher

dynamics offer “an efficient crusher that is

capable of processing more material than ever.”

Two MP2500 cone crushers have been supplied

to First Quantum Minerals subsidiary Kalumbila

Minerals, the Sentinel operator, which has a 55

Mt/y processing facility. The new cone crushers

will be part of the secondary crushing circuit

installed to maintain the mill throughput to

offset a harder ore in the deeper areas of the pit.

The crushers will treat a portion of the ore

feeding the stockpile, crushing the top size to

below 40mm.

Metso has also won an order to install a

20,000 t/d crushing and screening system at

Chile’s Minera Esperanza, increasing annual

production of copper and gold by 15 to 20%. The

new plant will bypass much of the existing

grinding circuit and includes three MP1000 cone

crushers. Production is expected to start in

2015. The equipment to be supplied for the new

crushing plant consists of three MP1000 cone

crushers, three multi-flo double deck banana

screens in two sizes, seven belt feeders, two

pan feeders and nine belt conveyors with a total

length of 1 km. Einary Ojala, Senior Project

Manager, Metso said: “Metso will provide

engineering and construction of this new

crushing plant from the beginning of the project.

Metso is providing services in all the stages of

design, civil engineering works, installation and

commissioning of equipment. The work will be

done using the highest safety standards in the

industry.”

Graney also noted “Metso is continually

looking for ways to improve the equipment, but

more importantly we are trying to share our

knowledge with end users about how to

efficiently feed and operate the crushers. With

high turnover in the mining industry, tribal

knowledge can be lost, so it is important to

assist EPCMs and end users with our experience

and knowledge to allow crushing plants to be

designed as efficiently as possible.”

He adds: “There are also many opportunities

to reduce energy usage with existing equipment

by making minor changes in how the equipment

is operated. Applications in terms of the proper

sizing of crushers, operations and maintenance

practices are all important pieces of an efficient

process. “

COMMINUTION


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Metso told IM that the BRIC (Brazil,

Russia, India, and China) countries

have been the most popular

destinations for Metso crushers in

recent times as well as a healthy

market in Africa and the Middle

East.

“We are always looking at ways to

improve our existing products

whether through cost reductions or

product improvements. We are also

trying to focus on the services

business and how to ensure our

products can be adapted to simplify

maintenance and maintenance

processes,” said Graney.

A process plant mindsetOne of the major challenges with

comminution is the compartmentalisation of

the complete process, and the sub-optimising of

process steps. Sandvik told IM that it is in a

somewhat unique position in that it supports

everything from drilling through crushing.

“We can see the opportunities to implement

the mine-to-mill concept, in particular in

reducing the total cost and energy consumption.

The industry will also have to come to grips with

energy demands. Aside from temporary

fluctuations, diesel fuel will not get any cheaper,

and availability constraints of electric power will

affect both permitting and operating costs.

Emerging markets such as China and India

struggle to keep up with surging demand, and

major mining countries such as South Africa and

Chile fight to produce enough power. In this

environment, mining companies will have to

demonstrate increased energy efficiency and

reduction of total consumption. The European

Union has identified an over-dependence on

import of 14 critical raw materials. If they act on

this, it is quite likely any new mine operations

will have to be extremely energy efficient to be

permitted.”

Sandvik also believes that the mining

community would benefit from more of the

process plant mindset already at the mine site:

“Mining in the future should be a more of a

continuous process, including consistency in

mine planning and preventive maintenance. “

Sandvik are carrying out projects aimed at

improving the lifetime of segments and crushing

teeth for the CR series of roll crushers in

abrasive applications. Sandvik are investigating

a selection of materials and alternative

manufacturing methodologies for components

to improve lifetimes. Some of these

manufacturing methodologies can be displayed

in a matrix with resistance against abrasiveness

and impact on its axis. The identified solutions

are then tested in partnership with actual end

users to determine the effectiveness and

comparative performance of these solutions

against standard materials and manufacturing

techniques.

As well as this Sandvik are looking to develop

the serviceability of crushers. Fast and easy

service is a key driver of both safety and

productivity. One of the developments here can

be seen with the quick-release system and form-

fitted teeth for the recently developed CR810

hybrid crusher. The crushing technology itself

facilitates smaller and more mobile units than

traditional gyratory crushers would, and also

has a greater range in the feed materials it can

handle.

The newly developed CR810 hybrid crusher

has one fixed roll and one loose roll which

releases when “uncrushable” material enters

the machine. In combination with very robust

crushing elements, Sandvik believes that the

hybrid crusher can efficiently handle much

harder materials than in the past. The CR180

hybrid crusher has a design capacity of 11,500

t/h.

Sandvik’s focus on safe and easy service is

also seen in the latest designs of its crushing

stations. By mounting it on rails, the entire

crusher can be slid out for service, or complete

replacement. An installed crane can be used to

assist in the safe exchange of crushing teeth or

segments during maintenance tasks.

Sandvik says it aims to reduce energy

consumption in the comminution process by

moving the primary crusher closer to the mine.

In-pit crushing and conveying (covered in detail

again by this year’s IPCC event in South Africa –

see http://corporate.im-

mining.com/imevents/IPCC-2014.asp) is often

associated with waste handling. In surface

mining, this usually represents the

largest tonnage of materials

movement. The additional cost of

crushing is more than off-set by the

savings from conveying rather than

hauling by truck. Ore haulage may not

quite have the same economies of

scale as waste haulage, but

primary crushing has to be

done regardless and is not an

additional cost. In-pit crushing

and conveying of ore is simply

a cost comparison of conveying

versus trucking. It is nothing

more complicated than moving

the primary crusher as close to the mine face as

practical, with an extended conveyor to the

processing plant. Sandvik is a big proponent of

this process solution to reduce not only the total

energy consumption, but also cost and other

environmental impacts.

Stirring stuffFLSmidth is launching its new VXP5000 Vertical

Stirred Mill which has completed internal quality

control factory acceptance testing. The VXP5000

is FLSmidth’s largest mill and was showcased to

clients and employees in late 2013 at its

Vancouver, Canada facilities. The VXP500 mill

has been designed to have a smaller footprint

than other stirred media mills which is

especially helpful on brownfield projects, where

equipment must fit into an existing structure.

The mill speed is also an important

differentiator between the low (3 m/sec) and

high (15 m/sec) speed stirred mills according to

David Rahal, Product Manager, FLSmidth

VXPmill: “It allows the VXPmill to be used in

applications where the design constraints of the

other mills limit their ability to operate at the

optimum stress intensity for a given application.

The VXPmill bridges the gap between these two

extremes.”

The VXP5000 mill also has a unique, newly

designed maintenance procedure designed to

increase safety by eliminating workers exposure

to suspended load while changing out the discs

and spacers. Three VXP5000 mills have already

been shipped to the MAK project in Mongolia,

and one is scheduled to go to the Bozshakol

plant in northern Kazakhstan, with

commissioning scheduled for mid-2014.

FLSmidth has also provided Katanga Mining

with a new grinding mill to boost plant reliability

and enable production throughput predictability.

Terence Osborn, Minerals Capital Sales and

Marketing Manager at FLSmidth said: “It has

been well proven to be high quality and reliable

equipment, and we have a growing relationship

with this client.”


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Katanga Mining will also implement

FLSmidth’s proprietary Process Expert™ system

(PXP) advanced process control mill optimisation

package. This high-level process control solution

is a proven method to simultaneously reduce

costs and improve product quality.

“The mill is running in closed circuit with

hydrocyclones, and we’ve developed software

that takes the milling plant operation into

account holistically,” Osborn said. “Having expert

knowledge of mill circuits, we’re in an ideal

position to ensure that the whole system runs in

a well-balanced and optimal manner, harnessing

PXP to achieve a consistent throughput.

Achieving consistency is particularly important at

this operation, since test work data indicates that

the ore from this project will be variable from a

hardness perspective and this always makes mill

circuit control more challenging. The best way to

maximize plant productivity is to maximize

stability. By running the plant as consistently as

possible, the mine will achieve a better quality

downstream product.”

New launches and deliveriesRussian mining equipment company Uralmash

has developed a crusher to be used at

Yubileinaya mine of ore-dressing and processing

enterprise EVRAZ Sukha Balkha. The crusher

supplied was a KMD-2200T1-D which is a fine

crusher with a 2,200 mm cone head base

diameter, designed for fine crushing of rock

product and ore mineral resources.

As previously announced by IM, Uralmash also

shipped a primary gyratory crusher of model KKD

1500/180 in November 2013, to ENRC’s

Sokolovsko-Sarbaiskiy iron ore mining and

processing production association in Rudniy,

Kazakhstan. This was the second of three

crushers that Uralmash will produce for the

company. The KKD 1500/180 crushers are being

used to develop the Kacharskiy deposit and can

handle 1,900 m3//hr. These KKD 1500/180

models include high-altitude automated

maintenance and grease systems and a PLC-

based drive control system.

Andrey Saltanov, General Director of Uralmash

said “Uralmash has great experience of working

with enterprises in Kazakhstan and we have got

an order for these new machines in highly

competitive conditions with foreign suppliers. We

offered the best price and delivery terms along

with exceeding their engineering needs versus

foreign products.”

Weir Minerals launched its new Enduron line of

comminution equipment, including crushers,

screens and feeders during 2013. The Enduron

range significantly expands Weir Minerals’

comminution solutions portfolio, adding to its

range of mill circuit products. The use of KHD

HPGR equipment in conjunction with the new

range of Enduron vibrating screens, feeders and

crushers offers an effective comminution

package. Weir Minerals has an emphasis on

enhancing mining productivity and safety, with

the new equipment being designed to maximise

customers’ operational efficiency.

“Screens and crushers are typically the

workhorses of an ore processing operation,” said

Ekkhart Matthies, Weir Minerals Global VP of

Comminution. “Weir Minerals’ design and application

expertise, combined with our product support

resources will ensure the new products provide

optimum performance as they cope with the

demands of today’s mining industry, and we are

already developing the next generation of

crusher technology for future applications. The

introduction of the new Enduron brand provides

the quality, scale and breadth of product to help

mine operators maximise efficiency and productivity,

while maintaining field safety,” said Matthies.

As mentioned by IM in 2013, Telsmith has

developed the T300 cone crusher which has been

engineered for maximum uptime and productivity

while delivering 300 hp performance and a

crushing capacity output range from 125 to 400

t/h. With an emphasis on lower operating costs

and increased safety, the T300 features a large

clearing circuit, which is engineered to safely and

quickly allow any uncrushable materials to pass.

The T300 has been designed with six cylinders,

which is fewer than conventional units, but

maintains the largest crushing force availability.

The unit also offers a new and improved patent-

pending anti-spin feature that prevents head spin

to extend manganese life. This is mounted on top

of the machine to offer top-service access. The

T300 is also designed to operate with pressure

lubrication oil, while eliminating the use of a gear

box and a separate hydraulic circuit.

The T300 features the largest-in-class, patent-

pending hybrid bearings and unlike roller bearing

machines, these large hybrid bearings offer both

a static and dynamic lift – resulting in far greater

lift to efficiently carry the crushing forces. The

hybrid bearings also have a washer and ramp

design to replace the conventional use of a

socket, socket liner, and head ball – all of which

require time-consuming removal when servicing

the machine, and to minimise downtime and

reduce inventory costs, the T300 enables the use

of a single bowl for all liners over its range of

operation – allowing optimum versatility,

flexibility, and efficiency in any aggregate

application.

Telsmith also showcased its new hydra-jaw

crushers with their worldwide product launch at

the 2014 CONEXPO-CON/AGG. The H3450 (863

mm x 1,270 mm) hydra-jaw is capable of

processing up to 598 t/h. It also includes a

hydraulic toggle for reduced maintenance, with

fast and safe hydraulic chamber clearing.

ABB recently commissioned an upgrade to

Vale’s existing Clarabelle dual pinion SAG mill.

The mill is used to reduce the size of the ore at

the company’s nickel and copper mines in the

Sudbury area of Ontario. The Sudbury operations

are primarily underground nickel sulphide mines

with integrated mining, milling, smelting and

refining operations. The Clarabelle mill was

designed to accept nickel-copper ore from

various sources and companies and to produce a

nickel-copper concentrate and copper

concentrate for further processing. The size of

the ore is further reduced in SAG mills, rod mills

and ball mills where all milling is done wet.

First awarded in 2010, the project is the

largest of several turnkey projects completed for

Vale in Canada. This complex project involved an

upgrade to a SAG mill of 10 m diameter and 11.2

rpm that had reached end-of-life with a newer,

more robust system. ABB replaced all of the

electrical equipment including 5500KW motors,

converter, transformer, motor control centres,

switchgear and mechanical auxiliary equipment

such as the cooling system – pump skid, chillers

and fin-fan heat exchangers. As well as

modifying existing foundation and air clutch

coupling to adapt it to the new motors. A

number of SAG mill applications were

implemented to facilitate the operation and

maintenance of the SAG mill.

COMMINUTION

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Sizer developmentsMMD has installed a pair of semi-mobile systems

at a coal operation in Africa. These installations

are fed by Euclid EH400 dump trucks into a 450

m3 hopper over a MMD D9 Apron Plate Feeder,

which discharges into an MMD 1300 Primary

Sizer with a short sacrificial belt to an MMD 625

Secondary Sizer. The secondary sizer is

positioned in the pit just after the primary to

produce a 150 mm product for the overland belt

(the end user being of the opinion that larger

lumps damage the belt) and the plant acceptance

size. Currently the throughput is constricted by

the secondary to a maximum of 3,400 t/h. MMD

has also been asked to investigate installing

another secondary unit in parallel, to enable

running at 6000 t/hr, as the Apron Plate Feeder

and Primary Sizer can easily cope with this.

This project included a 500 t capacity Crawler

Transporter which is the newest piece of

equipment available from MMD, used initially to

transport the semi-mobile structures from the

construction area, outside the mine, down to the

mine face. Each piece was successfully

transported a distance of over 5 km and

negotiating grades of up to 8% in fewer than 20

hours. The Crawler Transporter will be used to

relocate the Semi-Mobile Sizer Stations as the

mine develops, to maintain a short truck haul

distance of approximately 500 m. MMD stated:

“These are believed to be the first two truly re-

locatable machines of this size in Africa, with all

previous machines by other suppliers using

equipment that was so large, and relocation so

complicated, that all attempts to move them were

abandoned and the plants became fixed.”

MMD also provided a Fully Mobile Sizer at the

Pingshou open pit coal mine in China. This unit

is a “third generation” MMD high-capacity

(>5,000 t/h) fully mobile sizing unit, and the first

fully mobile MMD unit to go into operation in

China, where the group has already been highly

successful with semi-mobile systems. This

machine will process 9,000 t/h of overburden

consisting primarily of sandstones. The horizons

at Pingshou contain several muddy layers and

are expected to get sticky in the short wet

season, when the daily precipitation can exceed

150 mm. The material, produced from 15 m high

benches of up to 1,700 m in length, will be

loaded by 60 m3 capacity rope shovel into the

MMD Mobile Sizer. The Sizer reduces the ROM

material (maximum dimensions 2.5 m x 2.5 m x 2

m) to a product suitable for belt conveying (400

mm maximum). The MMD Mobile Sizer feeds an

independent mobile 70 m bridge conveyor, which

in turn feeds the MMD Hopper car mounted on a

moveable face conveyor. The face conveyor,

subsequent haulage system, stacking and

spreading systems are not part of MMD’s scope

of supply, having been the subject to a separate

tender process.

HPGR and SMMsHigh pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) and stirred

media mills (SMMs) have been successfully

introduced into the minerals industry as an

answer to the need to reduce energy

consumption. HPGRs have mainly been used for

tertiary fine crushing of competent and hard ores

in order to produce ball mill feed, and are

potential substitutes of SAG mills or conventional

tertiary cone crushers in traditional comminution

circuits.

ThyssenKrupp states: “Experience from other

industries suggests that HPGRs could even do

even more to reduce power demand due to their

high energy efficiency and their ability to be used

as dry grinding systems. HPGR systems already

have been successfully applied in the cement

industry for grinding limestone, clinker and slag

to a final product fineness of between 30 and 90

μm (P80) without the need to use any

downstream ball milling. The energy

consumption of an HPGR finish grinding plant

has been found to be significant lower than in

ball mill plants. This leads to the question of

whether the same methodology can be adopted

in minerals applications. Such a step would

require the use of dry rather than wet grinding

systems.”

The company adds: “Dry grinding systems are

so far only an exception in mineral processing,

since most post grinding processes are wet.

However, there are successful – mainly ball mill

based – dry grinding examples in gold, nickel or

iron ore. A lot of the questions which arise for

HPGR finish grinding systems were already

proven in the field as well as in pilot test work in

the lab. Considering the conservatism of the

minerals industry, a request for extended field

testing – at least on a pilot scale – will be quite

likely. The basic engineering work for such a pilot

trial plant and even a full scale commercial

installation is already available.”

Outotec and Maschinenfabrik Köppern have

agreed that they will cooperate in the

manufacture and supply of Outotec branded

COMMINUTION


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MMD’s latest Mobile Sizer inoperation at Pingshuo


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comminution products as part of Outotec's

process solutions. Köppern has experience in

HPGR technology as well as briquetting and

compaction solutions. Köppern's HPGR looks to

complement Outotec's comminution

technologies and services and strengthen

Outotec's market position. Outotec's

comminution product range includes autogenous

(AG) mills, semi-autogenous (SAG) mills, high

intensity grinding (HIGmills), rod mills, ball mills

and pebble mills.

"Partnership with Köppern will broaden our

scope of delivery. We can offer our customers a

wide range of sustainable comminution solutions

and tailor the most energy efficient solution for

each customer", says Jari Rosendal, President of

Outotec's Non-ferrous Solutions business area.

"As an independent and family-owned

manufacturer and solution-supplier, we are proud

to partner with Outotec on an exclusive basis to

enhance our world-wide market potential for

HPGR applications" says Christopher Schafer,

Managing Director of Köppern.

As covered in a recent edition of IM,

FLSmidth’s engineers have improved their HPGR

frame design. They not only looked into the roll

change out time requirements, but also the

actual frame design and steel requirements. The

traditional FLSmidth cement HRP L-gable has

proven very effective for roll change outs, and is a

unique system that allows rolls to be lifted out of

the machine without having to extract a top

frame or incorporate an extended work platform.

The L-gable incorporates a vertical side pressure

beam and a portion of the top frame. It also uses

a pinning system, which greatly reduces roll

replacement time compared to the conventional

hard bolting frames.

However, with plant sizes growing due to

declining grades, more optimal flow sheets with

reduced footprints are being implemented. The

areas around the HPGRs are more compact, while

chute-work and conveyors are less retractable

than in the past. With this in mind, FLSmidth

engineering created the FLSmidth Express Frame,

which is designed and built for the quick

replacement of mineral application roll surfaces.

Mobile crushingPowerscreen has launched two new tracked

mobile crushing plants within the past 12

months. The Premiertrak 300 is a new mobile jaw

crusher with a 1,000 mm wide x 600 mm deep

jaw chamber, which can produce up to 280 t/hr

of crushed material. The Premiertrak 300 crusher

has been developed with the option of a vibrating

grizzly feeder (VGF) or a large fully independent

hydraulically driven pre-screen, which improves

fines removal and reduces chamber wear costs

for the customer.

To coincide with the independent pre-screen

feature, an optional hydraulically folding

extended side conveyor with a stockpile height of

3.1 m has been added to the machine to improve

stockpile capacity.

The Powerscreen jaw chamber has

hydraulically adjustable Closed Side Setting

(CSS), which can be adjusted in a matter of

minutes by a single operator without requiring

tools. The hydraulic release chamber option

(Premiertrak R300 crusher) incorporates the

proven hydraulic release mechanism to allow the

chamber to ‘dump’ and pass un-crushable

material which is ideal for recycling applications.

A hydraulically adjustable deflector plate is an

option for recycling applications. The machine is

highly versatile as it also incorporates a new

lock-out function to allow the operator to work in

hard rock quarry applications with the same

chamber.

The new hopper design incorporates a

complete hydraulic fold and lock system which

removes the need for manual wedges and can be

raised/ lowered from ground level removing the

need to work at height and providing rapid setup

times. The Premiertrak 300 jaw crusher features

a hydraulically lowering product conveyor with

3.5 m discharge height for easy removal of

trapped metal in recycling applications and

features full tunnelling to reducing snagging of

rebar.

The Premiertrak 300 can be powered by a Tier

3 CAT C9 Acer 205 kW or a Tier 4 Final compliant

COMMINUTION



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Scania DC9 80A 202kW engine which is designed to run at the most

economical speeds to reduce fuel consumption and noise pollution.

Damian Power, Powerscreen Global Product Director, said: “With its

exciting new features and feedback from the testing period, we’re confident

that the Premiertrak 300 will set new standards worldwide. The machine

was recently showcased at a preview demonstration for distributors and

customers and there was a lot of enthusiasm among the attendees.”

Powerscreen has also developed the Trakpactor 320, which is the latest

evolution within the Trakpactor series of mobile horizontal shaft impactor

machines. The Trakpactor 320 comes in both standard and closed circuit

configurations.

The Powerscreen Trakpactor 320SR is a mid-sized horizontal impact

crusher redesigned with some key enhancements to offer operators and

contractors’ excellent reduction and high consistency of product shape for

performance in quarry and recycling applications. The crushing chamber

features a 1,130mm x 800 mm feed opening, hydraulically assisted CSS

adjustment, four bar rotor and twin apron design, and hydraulic overload

protection as standard. New to this model is an optional fully independent

hydraulic pre-screen which improves fines removal and reduces chamber

wear costs

Damian Power, Powerscreen Global Product Director, said, “Building upon

the success of the Powerscreen Trakpactor 320 impact crusher for the

quarry and recycling industry, the new Trakpactor 320SR crusher is set to

establish itself as a class leader amongst its peers and demonstrates what

is possible when we work with customers in defining features and

specifications.”

Power told IM: “With all the increasing costs associated with energy,

plant efficiency is more important now than it has ever been before. Ore

deposits are becoming more difficult to access and more difficult to process

and transport, this obviously increases the energy intensity of the process.

It is a well-known fact that comminution consumes around 3% of the

electricity produced around the world. Other prevalent issues include safety,

ore quality, sustainability and environmental impact.”

Powerscreen has looked to remedy this energy challenge with recent

product developments. Powerscreen has had process efficiency at the heart

of the specification for each machine. Typically using the lower fuel

consumption Tier 4 Final Scania engines, which operate at reduced optimum

running speeds with a direct drive coupling to the crushing chamber to

achieve the highest efficiency possible.

Mill linings and ballsCherylyn Stewart, External Projects Consultant, Russell Mineral Equipment

(RME) told IM: “RME’s abiding focus is the development of methods to

minimise maintenance downtime associated with any comminution device,

including conventional tumbling mills (AG, SAG, ball, rod), HPGR and

Vertical Stirred Mills.” RME is the leader in mill liner changeout equipment

and has developed the RUSSELL 6V Liner Placement Mill Relining Machine,

to compliment the RUSSELL 3V Vertical Stirred Mill Liner Handler. The

RUSSELL 6V has been designed to service the new family of large Vertical

Stirred Mills such as Metso’s VTM-3000-WB VERTIMILL.

The company also offers RUSSELL Elevating Platforms which surround

AG, SAG and ball mills, allowing mill relining crews to access much larger

areas of grinding mill shell during knocking in and liner bolt fastening and

retorquing without the need to remove safety locks and inch the mill. This

innovation was developed through a constructive relationship between the

Oyu Tolgoi mine, Kaltech USA Relining management and RME engineers.

RUSSELL Elevating Platforms are now in service at Oyu Tolgoi and have

proved a success.

RME has additionally developed the RME Mill Reline Director, which is a

software package aimed at defining the maximum grinding mill relining

performance. The foundation of Mill Reline Director is a database, compiled

COMMINUTION


www.koeppern.de

Köppern roller presses have been proven successful all over the world in plants for the energy-saving high pressure comminution of various ores and minerals like iron ore, copper, gold, molybdenum and diamonds, as well as cement clinker, limestone and blast furnace slag. For the comminution of abrasive materials a Köppern- patented wear protection of rollers is available.Köppern – Quality made in Germany.

• State of the art technology • Process technology know-how • High plant availability • Quick roller replacement

Pilot HPGR testing capabilities in Australia, Canada, Germany and South Africa

For further information please [email protected]

Comminuting your maintenance expenditure


http://www.koeppern.de

COMMINUTION

from data derived from video recording

reduction of actual relines captured by RME’s

specialised reline cameras. The video capture

allows analysis of that actual reline which guides

future equipment and process changes. This

data adds to the database, constantly

increasing the accuracy of Mill Reline

Director for its other important use:

aiding in the design of new mineral

concentrator grinding plants. In this

application, Mill Reline Director

can inform plant design and

equipment selection, all

assessed against rate of

return for each

investment decision.

The next 12 months

will see the global

rollout of RME

Mill Reline

Director

which, in

turn, will

liberate the full

performance potential of

each and every RME Mill

Relining System delivered to date.

RME’s latest pneumatic recoilless hammer is

the THUNDERBOLT 250. The hammer weighs less

than 20 kg, and is designed to be easily handled

by two operators. It delivers recoilless 250 joule

blows at one blow per second and has

been manufactured to replaces manual

sledgehammering. It is a useful tool in

grinding mill relining as well as heavy

vehicle maintenance.

ME Elecmetal’s joint-venture ball

plant recently received its OHSAS

18001 certification, a UK Standard for

occupational health and safety

management

systems,

which means

that the ME

Long Teng

Grinding

Media

(Changshu) Co

Ltd plant, has

accomplished

a high level of

safety controls

in the

manufacturing of

grinding balls. The

certification was

accredited by IQNET,

an international network of certifiers that, since

its foundation in 1990, has remained the largest

and most comprehensive network of quality

certification bodies in the world. In the joint-

venture ball plant, located in Changshu, China,

ME Elecmetal manufactures its premium quality

ME Super SAG and ME Ultra Grind forged steel

grinding balls.

Brakes and maintenanceTwiflex, which is part of the Heavy Duty

Overrunning Clutch and Brake division of Altra

Industrial Motion, supplies braking systems for

both geared and gearless grinding mills. Twiflex

told IM that their main focus over the last 12

months has been the development of a large

mono spring (floating) spring applied, hydraulic

release disc brake for the dual pinion direct drive

geared mills. The result has been the

introduction of the VMS-FL which is based on

Twiflex’s popular VMS range commonly used on

mine hoists. The VMS-FL has a braking force

rating of 460 kN which assumes a coefficient of

friction of 0.4 and 2 mm pad air gap, and the

design incorporates Twiflex’s unique safety ‘park-

off’ feature meaning the brake can be adjusted

so when depressurised there is zero stored

energy for maximum safety.

The VMS-FL is used in conjunction with a torque

limiter fitted between the motor and gearbox.

During maintenance when the motor is shut

down and the torque limiter is disengaged, the

brake is activated to hold the mill drive stationary

and prevent the mill from moving due to the

unbalanced load. The requirement of the brakes

is to hold the mill charge at an angle of up to 45°.

The new RME RUSSELL 6V has been designedto service the new family of large VerticalStirred Mills such as Metso’s VTM-3000-WBVERTIMILL

When you need a mill drive system thatdelivers reliability, maximum availability and cost effectiveness to AG, SAG, ball androd mills - look no further than David Brown.Utilising more than 150 years of global gear engineeringexpertise, David Brown supplies both fully optimised mill drive systems as well as individual components:

Girth gears Mill pinions

Mill drive gearbox Couplings

Barring drives

With mill drive gearbox manufacturing facilities right across the globe we can deliver the local support and technical expertise needed inthe global mining industry.

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In normal operation, after the mill controller

receives the stop command from the customer’s

DCS it starts to ramp down the speed. When

reaching zero speed the drive system slowly

starts in the reverse direction to roll back the mill

until zero torque is remaining in the system and

the motor creates a positive torque to just hold

the mill with the charge unbalanced. By slightly

reducing the torque the direction of rotation is

changed and the mill is gently rolled back until

the charge is balanced.

During a power failure the motors are disabled

so the mill slows to a rocking mode due to the

unbalanced charge. This is a critical condition

whereby lubrication to the mill pad bearings is

limited by the number of accumulators in the

system. To prevent equipment damage the brake

is used to provide a controlled stop (between 10

and 30 seconds).

Twiflex and US distributors Hilliard have

recently completed the installation on both

geared and gearless mills at the Mount Milligan

mine in British Columbia, Canada. The scope of

supply for the 40 ft gearless SAG mill included

two brake stations each with 3 off VMSDP brakes

and a hydraulic power unit to provide controlled

braking functions. For the two 24 ft dual pinion

direct drive geared mills, Twiflex provided VKSD-

FL (floating) brakes on each mill to provide 454

kNm on the high speed shaft. The brakes act on a

1.778 m diameter disc fitted to a torque limiter.

Steve Powell, Product Manager at Twiflex said:

“The increase in the size of grinding mills has

become a major challenge to the suppliers of

drive chain components but particularly to brake

manufacturers. A good example is Twiflex’s

braking system on the 11.6 m gearless grinding

mill at the Boliden Aitik copper mine in Northern

Sweden which is required to produce a massive

38 MNm torque. The 8 off VMSDP dual piston

spring applied hydraulic released brakes each

weighing 1,850 kg act on a 13 m diameter flange

and can stop the mill with a full process charge of

1,375 kg in less than two seconds.”

Whilst the number of brakes and their size

have increased to cope with the bigger mills the

limiting factor is still the friction material. Twiflex

have installed a dedicated test facility at their Bedford

facility to investigate materials both for static and

dynamic duty with this development in mind.

Powell concluded by saying “Twiflex focus is

on developing and introducing new products to

the mining industry and the company have

recently launched new spring applied,

hydraulically released brakes (VBS, VCSD and

VKSD large pad) for this market. We are currently

working on low temperature versions of these

brakes in addition to on-going product

development and improvements. Our intention is

to develop a larger VMSDP for gearless mills.”

A number of mines globally protect their

grinding mills with Lubrication Engineers’ (LE)

Pyroshield® open gear lubricant, described as “a

long-lasting synthetic solution for high-load,

heavy-shock applications.” Its high film strength

allows Pyroshield to redistribute loads over the

surface area of large open gears. The powerful

formulation includes EP additives and Almasol,

LE’s exclusive solid wear-reducing additive. The

company states: “Converting mills to Pyroshield

is a simple process for mines, with no production

interruption. Pyroshield is also clear during use,

so inspection of gears is easy.” Pyroshield

lubricants can be used in automatic lubrication

systems, which apply the lubricant to the bull or

ring gear teeth at set intervals in metered

amounts. Pyroshield lubricants will not clog the

lube system and there are no solids to block or

abrade measuring valves. It also will not

accumulate on nozzles, clog or otherwise

interfere with the spraying process.

Comminution with pulse powerSwiss company SELFRAG AG is known for its

technology, centred on high voltage pulse power,

that is aimed at “revolutionising the comminution

process within the mining industry.” SELFRAG

has already sold a number of batch units to

institutes around the world, including the

globally-renowned Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral

Research Centre (JKMRC) in Australia, and is now

in the process of developing an industrialised

continuous system for mining applications.

COMMINUTION



http://www.mclanahan.com


COMMINUTION

SELFRAG’s high voltage fragmentation is a

comminution technique that uses electrical

discharges to weaken and/or fragment rocks.

Specialised high voltage generators are used to

create very powerful underwater high voltage

discharges, resulting in the formation of

shockwaves that cause widespread fracturing

inside the affected particle. Fracture patterns

generated by high voltage breakage resemble

those resulting from normal blasting, indicating

that high voltage fragmentation can be thought

of as a smaller-scale analogue of normal blasting

using explosives.

The company believes that the SELFRAG

method has two major advantages over

conventional comminution. Firstly, the interaction

between minerals and the induced electrical and

mechanical stress fields inside a rock matrix is

highly selective. This makes SELFRAG’s high

voltage fragmentation exceptional at liberating

minerals – ores treated using between 1 and 10

kWh/t are generally liberated both coarser and

more selectively. This has been shown to improve

concentrate quality for nickel and copper ores.

Alternatively, this improved liberation may be

used to increase the grind size of an ore, which

could represent a considerable energy saving.

SELFRAG’s Lab system, sold to geology and mining

institutes, has proven successful in liberating

zircons and other minerals for dating of rocks.

The second advantage is the ability to weaken

rocks using small energy inputs; energy inputs of

1 to 4 kWh/t, have typically given weakening

values of up to 160% and Bond work reductions

in the range of approximately 5% to 20%.

JKSimMet simulations have demonstrated that

these strength reductions can result in significant

overall energy savings. In the case of a SABC

circuit with two ball mills (see above), power

draw of the SAG mill was kept constant to

produce a finer product from the weakened feed;

this change in the circuit power balance was

sufficient to allow shutdown of one of two ball

mills, resulting in significant power savings as

well as considerable reductions in other costs

such as grinding media and liners (see diagram).

“At SELFRAG we currently have a pilot plant

capable of processing up to three tonnes per

hour,” explains CEO, Frédéric von der Weid. “We

have been using this plant for internal

development, as well as processing of bulk

samples for mining and exploration companies.

In the last six months, third party projects have

included platinum, copper/gold and silver

applications. We have also already completed

engineering work on a modular 10 t/h pilot unit;

this modular design represents a scalable

concept allowing for throughputs of 100 t/h or

more to be reached.” SELFRAG also offers

services in high voltage characterisation of ores

to the mining industry. In addition to mining

applications, SELFRAG is also actively developing

exploration solutions for the diamond market,

machines for the recycling of a wide variety of

feedstocks, and units suitable for ultra-high

purity fragmentation applications such as silicon

rod crushing. SELFRAG’s batch lab unit is already

installed in over 20 institutes around the globe,

including in Australia, Japan, China, North

America, and Brazil.

Mill girth gearsEngineering group David Brown is a leading

player in the design and manufacture of the large

girth gears that drive large AG, SAG, ball and rod

mills. IM spoke to Henk du Preez, Engineering

Manager of David Brown South Africa, on the

available technologies. Fabricated steel gears are

becoming increasingly popular and represent a

newer alternative to cast gear blanks, delivering

the benefits of steel gears without some of the

risks of casting steel. Fabrication allows the

designer to use a more cost effective structural

steel where the high hardness requirement is not

necessary, with the structural strength of the

structure being checked using Finite Element

Analysis (FEA) modelling techniques.

Girth gear design is stiffness limited and

deflection should be controlled to ensure good

load distribution over the tooth in contact. The

high hardness requirement for the

rim is necessary for tooth loads only.

Stresses away from the tooth root

and flanks are very low, making it

possible to utilise normal structural

steel for the gear structure. Proven

forging practice and reduction ratios

in excess of 6:1 are already

extensively used for pinion shafts

and gear wheels by David Brown,

minimising the risk of defects. Reduction ratios in

excess of 6:1 reduce segregation, eliminate

centre line defects, refine grain structure and

increase material toughness and integrity.

Commercially proven alloys are used, giving

minimum hardness values from 180 to 340 BHN,

and much higher impact strengths, typically 35J,

but can be as high as 90J. Du Preez comments:

“Whereas some fabricated gears have been

manufactured using cold formed ring segments

for speed and low cost, David Brown utilises a

unique hot forming process specifically

developed for girth gears. This delivers greater

material consistency and reduces residual

stresses.

Although fabricated gears are on the rise, cast

steel is the traditional material used for girth

gears and hardness ranges from 180 to 320 BHN.

Although, there are risks associated with large

steel castings, upgrading by means of welding

prior to final machining eliminates the effect on

the final product. Du Preez comments: “Proven

David Brown procedures are used to ensure

optimal quality and control any necessary

upgrading. With mill power and size ever

increasing, foundries have to produce larger

castings with higher hardness. A higher hardness

often means richer alloys, which can be more

difficult to manufacture, however technologies

such as liquid drenched castings, as used by

David Brown enable higher hardnesses at

optimum quality. Castings weighing over 20 t at a

hardness of 320 BHN are now being produced for

girth gears by specialist foundries.”

Du Preez added that Spheroidal Graphite Iron

(SGI) gears offer further material benefits when

compared to cast steel girth gears. The material

solidification properties allow easier casting,

whilst a sound material choice enables shorter

manufacturing processes and the delivery of a

robust girth gear. A well designed and

manufactured SGI girth gear will prove to be a

reliable component in the mill drive system. SGI

has a lower stiffness, meaning that the deflection

under a given load is more than that for steel

which improves load sharing across the face as

well as between teeth. IM

Several technologies are availablefor the manufacture of girth gearsfor driving large mills


Lubrication_January14_proof 19/12/2013 09:58 Page 1

http://www.lelubricants.com

Ian Smith, Managing Director and CEO of

Orica Ltd addressed 500 guests at the

Melbourne Celebrates Mining dinner at the

end of October last year on the theme of

innovation, noting that “65 to 80% of energy

consumption in mining is consumed in

processing while 20 to 35% is consumed in the

actual mining itself. 98% of the energy used in

comminution is lost as heat, noise and

mechanical losses while only 2% is used in

particle breakage. Extensive research by the

industry has already identified the following

methods for improvement: smart blasting, pre-

concentration and new grinding technology.

“Chemical energy is about 25 times more

effective than mechanical energy for breaking

rock even though current explosives are still

only 30 to 60% of their theoretical potential

effectiveness for breaking and moving rock. This

is an area Orica is working on through better

formulation of explosives and improved

application in the field.”

Turning to ways that mining can be more

efficient and even more socially responsible he

used the example of a nonferrous open-pit

metal mine. “Comminution accounts for 53% of

the energy consumed on a typical metal mine

site. Emissions from diesel and electricity are

typically 29-32 kg of CO2e per tonne mined

whereas emissions from explosives are 0.2 to

0.4. Electricity accounts for approximately 55%

of this output in a typical

open cut coal mine and 75

to 85% in a nonferrous

metal mine. If you reduce

the size of the feed

material to the

comminution circuit in a

metal mine from 150 to 80

mm (F80) through using

explosives more effectively

you get about a 55%

increase in throughput.

This means you can

increase your output

without spending more

capital or you can reduce the energy

consumption and emissions by around 30% for

the tonnes mined.

“If such an approach was applied around the

world a significant contribution to reducing

greenhouse gases would be achieved without

impacting our lifestyle. Energy efficient

comminution strategies provide:

1. Improved overall environmental impact

2. Improved social license to operate

3. Improved outputs and earnings.

“As we exhaust easily accessible high grade

orebodies comminution efficiency will become

increasingly important. Through the more

effective use of the chemical energy in

explosives we can mine more for less impact.”

Better blastingAccording to South Africa’s BME, open pit

operators, unaware of the benefits of electronic

blasting systems, are losing opportunities to

reduce operating costs and simultaneously

increase the efficiency of downstream crushing,

screening and milling operations.

Tinus Brits, Manager, AXXIS Detonator

Technologies at BME, adds that opportunities to

FRAGMENTATION


Rock breaking

John Chadwick looks at ways to do it better and savecrushing and grinding costs, and more

Split-Desktop version 3.1.1 was released latelast year. Split-Desktop refers to the "user-assisted" version of the Split™ rockfragmentation measurement software. Digitalimages acquired in the field can be analysed ona laptop or at the office to determine the sizedistribution of fragmented rock at any stage inthe process. The source of these images can bea muck pile, haul truck, leach pile, draw point,waste dump, stockpile, conveyor belt, or anyother situation where clear images of rockfragments can be obtained. Within Split-Desktop, the images are manually scaled andedited for optimum accuracy

Aramine has a new ANFO charging pallet that isadaptable and offers five different tankcapacities. The 250 litre tank has an emptyweight of 220 kg; the 400 litre weighs 350 kgand the 570 litre, 500 kg. These pallets are easyto use, can be moved by forklift or crane and bemade available quickly. There is an on-board,foldable platform for convenient tank filling.This unit is primarily designed for an operationwhere an ANFO Charging Truck is not availableor as a backup in case of breakdown

FRAGMENTATION_proof 25/02/2014 12:17 Page 1

http://www.macleanengineering.com


reduce emissions of carbon dioxide - the most

common of greenhouse gases and a major

contributor to global warming - are also being

lost by open pit operators who continue to use

older shock tube technologies in preference to

electronic initiation systems.

“Perceptions still exist that electronic

initiation systems are more complicated and

expensive to use than older technologies. The

tendency amongst many operators is to directly

compare costs between the two systems. As

shock tube systems are cheaper than electronic

systems, the assumption is made that the older

technology is more cost effective.

“The fact is that drilling and blasting costs in

operations are transparent. This exposes drilling

and blasting to become corporate targets for

cost reduction. The activities become the focus

area for cost-cutting and often, unwittingly,

operators do more harm than good through

taking actions that appear obvious.

“No real consideration is given to benefits

that accrue through increased production and

throughput in the crushing, screening and

milling operations where considerable savings

can be achieved, and often become obvious

after the first successful blast,” says Brits.

“The benefits of electronic systems are

huge,” says Brits adding that open pit operators

who have moved over to the systems during the

last two years have made considerable savings

at their operations.

“The primary benefit lies in the flexibility of

electronic systems like BME’s AXXIS systems,”

says Brits. “One item in the magazine can give

any delay required - something that is

impossible with shock tube.

“The dramatic difference in accuracy between

shock tube and electronic systems is not

appreciated. Using the accuracy in well-

designed blast timing plan can dramatically

transform operations. The accuracy allows for

optimal interaction of the shock-waves between

adjacent blastholes to enhance fragmentation.

This is not possible with inaccurate initiation

systems.”

Programmability allows settings to be varied

from zero to 10,000 milliseconds in 1 millisecond

intervals. Blasts can therefore be modified to

suit operator needs and the particular geology

of an area. Electronic detonators do not suffer

the problems of cut-offs that all older initiations

systems have and “therefore allow for much

larger blasts to be fired without risk of cut-offs

and failures.” says Brits.

Furthermore, two or more blasts can be fired

next to each other because electronic initiation

systems are impervious to rock from one blast

site landing on another site.

Two-way communications between the

blasting box and detonators means that

problems can be identified before a blast.

Misfires can be prevented, as the system will

identify where a possible failure will be and this

can be corrected before the blast is fired. With

older initiation systems, any damage to down

lines will not be identified and the resulting

misfires will only be discovered after digging

into the muckpile has commenced.

“To fully realise the potential of electronics,

however, means looking beyond breaking rock

at the face. Finer fragmentation in a blast means

that more material passes through the crusher

circuits, thus improving profitability, as more

stone moves through the gate. Massive savings

can be made on electricity costs at the crusher.

Load and haul rates improve. Wear and tear on

plant is reduced. Throughput in tons per hour

increases and, as fragmentation is better, the

risk of equipment breakdown is reduced.”

The major, often unconsidered beneficiary of

electronic initiation systems is the environment,

says Brits. “The manufacture, transport and

firing of 1 t of explosives will create about 4 t of

carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gasses.

To load and haul the rock blasted by the 1 t of

explosives will produce about 8 t of greenhouse

gasses; to crush and process the same rock will

release about another 32 t into the atmosphere.

“Effective breaking of rock during the drilling

and explosive phases, will increase plant

efficiency and significantly reduce the

greenhouse gas emissions in the downstream

processes.”

Last year Dyno Nobel joint venture partner

Buckley Powder Co conducted a Differential

Energy™ blasting trial at a gold mine in the

western US. The trial showed Differential Energy

increased overall shovel productivity by 8%,

reduced powder factor by 18%, eliminated the

need to dewater wet drill holes and reduced all

visible NOx after-blast fumes over traditional

blasting methods.

The trial was a major success; improving

fragmentation, reducing fumes and increasing

ore production. The customer will be

implementing Dyno Nobel’s Differential Energy

system throughout the mine site.

To test the ability of the Dyno Nobel (DetNet

South Africa) DigiShot® initiation system to

deliver firing times that ensure independent

detonation of the primary explosive at both

ends of the column, a production blast was

designed to test two techniques of initiation and

determine the best method to use for fragmentation.

One half of the blast was designed for both top

and bottom primers to detonate simultaneously.

The other half of the blast was programmed

with a 25 ms delay between the bottom and top

priming unit firing times.

Observations of the blasted material after

detonation showed a definite difference in

overall fragmentation and oversize. The side of

the blast with primers programmed to fire at the

same time showed better fragmentation and

reduced oversize. Mucking of the blasted

material confirmed the initial observations made

at the time of the blast event.

The concept of multiple priming was

originally introduced to blasting as a means of

ensuring complete initiation of the explosive

column in each blasthole. By using precise

DigiShot detonators to instantaneously initiate

firing multiple priming units or tracing the entire

length of the explosive column with detonating

cord, it was hoped that completed initiation of

the column would enhance results.

Another common technique calls for the

placement of primers at opposite ends of each

explosive column with a delay between primers

to have bottom-hole initiation with a back-up

primer for complete column detonation. Some

blasters tried using identical delays for both

priming units, but the inaccuracy of the

traditional pyrotechnic detonator made the

results inconclusive.

By splitting the blast event in half and

designing the primer firing sequence to have

half the blast with instantaneous initiation and

FRAGMENTATION

A typical result from an AXXIS blast – goodfragmentation, even muckpile and effectivethrow


half with a 25 ms delay

between bottom and

top primers, Dyno Nobel

hoped to show the

advantages of precision

detonation and double

priming each hole for

instantaneous firing of

both primer units.

The basic firing time

(both surface delay and

blasthole) for the blast

was determined by

using Signature Hole Analysis (SHA) seismic

modelling to reduce off-site impact on

neighbouring properties. All holes were double

primed with primers placed at opposite ends of

the explosive columns.

The use of multiple priming with electronic

detonators can be an expensive proposition. The

DigiShot system allows the blaster to confirm

that each detonator is functioning before giving

the firing command which may reduce the need

to double prime to ensure that every explosive

column will detonate. Theories regarding the use

of multiple priming to enhance blast results have

been hard to test with conventional detonators.

With the precision of the DigiShot detonator, it is

possible to prime each end of the explosive

column and have independent detonation of each

priming unit. This enhances explosive

performance in the areas where it is most

needed, at the floor and toward the collar. The

collision of the two detonation fronts in the

explosive column has been thought to aid

fragmentation as well.

While this has not been fully proven, the

explosive column detonates in half of the normal

time, allowing better energy release into the

rock.

The results of this test blast served to confirm

that multiple priming

with electronic

detonators can provide a

fragmentation result that

adds additional value to

the use of electronic

detonators. Down-stream

production costs can be

reduced and more than

compensate for the cost

of using multiple

electronic detonators.

iRing Inc. has released

its new underground mining software solution,

Aegis Designer. Aegis Designer is a powerful,

standalone application that offers intelligent

automatic ring generation, intuitive editing,

effective pattern optimisation and advanced

forecasting. Aegis Designer allows for the fast

creation and editing of every aspect of ring

design, including drilling, loading, priming,

timing, slot design and more. It offers a flexible

and effective reporting system, as well as direct

communication with drills using the IREDES

format, and helps planners go from design to

production faster than before.

“The mining industry is constantly evolving,

and we believe that Aegis Designer is the next

evolutionary step in blasting software. We’ve

produced a software product that lets mining

operations to get closer to turning underground

“Aegis Designer represents a completeparadigm shift in underground blast design.This is exciting new technology that stronglycompliments CAE’s Underground PlanningSolutions” says Dylan Webb, Director ofMarketing and Strategy at CAE Mining. CAEMining is a global partner and distributor ofiRing products

FRAGMENTATION


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blasting operations into a precision

manufacturing process. We see the ability to

quickly design multiple scenarios and

immediately compare forecasts as a total game

changer,” said Mark Sherry, co-owner of iRing.

Its automatic ring generation can lay out

hundreds of holes in less than a second and

powerful editing capabilities let mine planners

get the exact designs they want in rapid time. The

comprehensive template based reporting system

allows for detailed metrics including fragmentation

profiles, costs, tonnage, powder factor, etc.

Quickly getting the correct design is facilitated

by fast and flexible automatic ring generation.

Planners can fine tune automatic rules on a per

ring basis. Intuitive click and drag editing is

combined with precise numerical editing.

Aegis Designer allows better forecasting;

predict break radii and fragmentation

distributions; use drill, blast and recovery costs

to determine production costs and predict

relative profitability of a design.

Users can quickly create and compare multiple

plans to see the differences caused by small and

major changes and se how changing financial

realities will affect costs and revenues associated

with drilling, blasting and recovery. Compare ‘as-

built’ to planned scenarios, and see how

deviations impact the bottom line.

Maptek’s BlastLogic™ drill and blast

management system harnesses under-used

information to enhance dig rates and improve

blast performance. Digging rates, toe and wall

control and loss or dilution provide a good

measure of blast performance. Aside from

operator ability, material digability is the

fundamental factor affecting production of

excavators and shovels. A shovel productivity

gain of more than 9% has been attributed to

consistently easy digability, of which drill and

blast is the key enabler.

Geology and structure aligned with targeted

blast objectives determine the drill and blast

design. Many sites already implement quality

checks on drilling and charge placement.

However, efficient use of this data is restricted as

it is often manually compiled into spreadsheets

or tabular QA systems.

The Maptek BlastLogic decision support

system assists engineers to harness existing

underutilised information to enhance dig rates.

Identifying areas of a pattern that can lead to toe

or oversize due to poor execution of drilling is

difficult.

Ambiguity associated with the actual placement

of charge can result in sub-optimal dig rates.

BlastLogic focuses on getting the fundamentals

of drill and blast right every time. This leads to

improvement on bench performance in critical

areas like pattern preparation, hole depth

variation, charging and stemming compliance.

Blast managementOf course it is essential to monitor and check

successful fragmentation is being achieved. Dyno

Nobel uses WipWare’s blast fragmentation

analysis software as a value-added tool to

enhance customer service. The Reflex technology

can be used to confirm and accurately benchmark

blast fragmentation. As WipWare notes, “blast

optimisation is different in every situation and

with every rock type. Using WipWare’s Reflex and

downstream Momentum technology blast

experts can quantify and optimise their blasts for

the lowest cost and maximum production.

“It is not unreasonable to project that

WipWare’s blast fragmentation technology saves

the mining and aggregate industry millions of

dollars in energy consumption and other related

costs while optimising productivity and

efficiencies.”

Some of Vale’s Sudbury (Canada) mines use

WipWare’s portable Solo technology to analyse

particle data in various aspects of the mining

processes. Mine personnel use it to analyse

particle data for various lengths of time. The

portability of the unit allows them to identify

where the mine’s challenges are with respect to

improving uniformity in particle sizes and allows

them to collect historical data in various mine

locations. With this information, the opportunity

exists to optimise particle uniformity and identify

where best to use WipWare’s Momentum

technology.

At the 4th Annual WipWare Training Seminar

on blasting optimisation in 2013 (a three-day

event) international blasting experts Jack

Eloranta of Eloranta & Associates (a regular

contributor to this article in the past) and Takis

Katsabanis of Queen’s University shared their

extensive knowledge and experience with the

gathering and related real-world examples of

blast optimisation successes.

Although the focus was primarily on blasting

and explosives, the organisers said that a

number of attendees from the mineral processing

side of the industry had come away from the

seminar “with a new understanding of the links

between blasting and milling relating to mine to

mill optimisation.” Seminar participants received

hands-on training with WipWare’s WipFrag and

Delta software packages and an overview of the

company’s Momentum, Reflex and Solo

automated systems. The hands-on sessions were

extremely well-received by all participants,

according to the organisers.

Momentum is a fully automated analysis

system for measuring the size distribution of

unconsolidated material on multiple conveyor

belts in real time without disrupting production.

This technology is highly configurable and

performs well in harsh industrial environments

for process automation and historical reference.

WipWare algorithms along with the latest

computers allow for its systems to analyse up to

four images per second.

Reflex is an automated real-time fragmentation

analysis system designed to measure particle

fragmentation on moving load/haul and LHD

vehicles without disrupting production.

Blast Movement Technologies’ BMM System

has been designed for routine use by site

personnel. The general concept is that remotely

locatable targets (BMMs) are installed near the

valuable mineral. They are located after the blast,

allowing the production team to know exactly

where the ore and waste is so they can be

separated and sent to appropriate locations –

improving mine reconciliation (IM, September

2011, p32).

BMT says “this technology enables a genuine

step-change in ore control and is generating

significant interest from some of the world’s

largest mining companies. The BMM System is

the first practical method to accurately measure

3D blast movement and therefore improve ore

loss and dilution and reconciliation. The system

is an integrated set of hardware, software and

support. The main components are BMMs,

Activator, Detector and BMM Assistant software.

Paul Adams of Canada’s Porcupine Joint

Venture states: “[because we] can now predict

ore movement much more accurately, both

dilution and ore loss have decreased

significantly, and profits are up.”

UK-based Blue Dog Scientific, run by Dr Gary

Sharpe, has developed a drill and blast system

which he says can significantly cut costs and

increase production rates. The basic focus is to

scientifically engineer and design tailored

solutions which minimise wasted explosive

energy but maximise outcomes. This includes

directional blasting and borehole partitioning,

exploiting simple and easy to implement

techniques to ensure the explosive energy is

directed in the optimal way into rock breaking

and rock movement and providing rapid

blasthole loading systems and charge

decoupling systems.

The approach, according to Sharpe, prevents

sending shock waves out equally in all directions,

which is both wasteful and potentially damaging;

and prevents explosives gas acting and escaping

equally in all directions, which is wasteful and

potentially detrimental. Explosive enhancement

engineering exploits rock breaking geometrics,

shaped charge effects and shock wave

interactions to:

� Very significantly increase the explosive’s rock

blasting power

� Reduce fumes and other negative outcomes

of commercial explosives

� Provide robust, cheaper and safer explosive

initiation and attenuation systems

FRAGMENTATION



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� Allow much lower amounts of explosives to be

used per blasthole

� Ameliorate the need for costly and sensitive

priming systems and boosters

� Improve both rock fragmentation and its

control

� Reduce misfires or leftover explosives,

improving safety.

Borehole pre-conditioning is also being

explored, where the top and the bottom of

blastholes receive small modifications, by

explosive or mechanical means, to improve

results and enable significant reductions in

stemming and sub-drilling blastholes.

It aims to reduce explosive costs and loading

times; minimise costs and stoppage times

associated with problems such as back-break,

vibration, air blasts, fly-rock, fines and damage to

commodities; minimise pollution (fumes);

maximise rock fragmentation and rock

movement; and increase safety and reduce

damage caused by accidental blasts.

Sharpe says: "Rock and explosives science

states that enormous efficiency gains are

achievable, simply by employing commercial

explosives much more effectively and by

ensuring blasting design is mine and rock

specific. This systematic engineering approach is

a set of simple techniques and methods which

can potentially significantly reduce costs, while

simultaneously increasing returns and

productivity. The approach is based on the

fundamental principles of how explosives

systems and rock mechanics work together and

on decades of applied R&D in this area...when

these systems are applied and integrated

together, the opportunities for increasing mining

profitability become staggeringly large, because

the knock-on effects are cumulative - less energy

consumption, less machine wear and tear, less

ore dilution, faster and cheaper extraction of

commodities from blasted rock, faster turn

around times."

Blue Dog is also giving attention to dynamic

rock processing, in which small amounts of

commercial explosive might be used on already

blasted rock to release commodities, either as an

alternative or to assist mechanical crushing and

milling.

In November 2013, Blue Dog also commenced

a collaborative service agreement with BME

Mining in South Africa, whereby Blue Dog is to

provide “significant modelling and knowledge

expertise support”, working with Tony Rorke,

BME's Blasting Technology Director, across a

range of technical projects.

Blue Dog Scientific is developing new

generation propellant technologies with partners

worldwide. Propellant technologies does not

refer to using propellants as direct replacements

for explosives, as has been tried in the past, but

employing propellants as the power source in

revolutionary technological rock breaking “engines.

The technologies Blue Dog Scientific has

already developed with partners are incredibly

powerful, with demonstrated results. These, says

Sharp, are “revolutionising rock blasting and rock

breaking.”

These propellant technologies are incredibly

safe. They do not explode until confined and do

not require detonators. They have stand-off

distances of just meters from the blast and are

engineered not to produce fly rock.

They also ameliorate many of the problems

directly caused by explosives:

� They do not produce shock waves which can

cause hidden damage

� Produce minimal vibrations and fumes

� They result in minimal "fines" (dust).

Sharp believes that “propellant technologies

are definitely the future for a number of

underground mining activities.

“However, what is often missed is that the

pressures and burning rates they produce are a

far better match to the breakage and damage

mechanisms of rock than explosives ever can be:

� Rock is a relatively weak material with

compressive strengths in the 100 MPa range

� Rock has tensile strengths a tenth of

compressive strength in the 10 MPa range -

this is all that is required to break rock

effectively

� Cracks propagate and develop relatively

slowly in rock

� Explosives generate pressures three orders of

magnitude larger than the rocks’ strength, in

the 10 GPa range - this is not only wasteful but

highly detrimental

� Explosives apply pressure so suddenly to the

rock, that under these extreme dynamical

conditions, the rock actually becomes ten

times stronger - this is counter productive

� Different rock types and conditions require

completely different explosive products

� Explosives tend to cause extensive and

unnecessary micro-damage around boreholes

� Propellant technologies apply pressures

which are commensurate with the rock

strengths and apply it in a sustained and

steady way until the rock breaks

� Propellant technologies can very easily be

tuned to any specific rock and conditions

� Propellant technologies work best by keeping

the charge weight as low as possible - this

also prevents micro-damage.

“This is why we are breaking concrete with

just a spoonful of propellant in the engine and

blasting significant amounts of rock with just

tens of grams of powder per hole."

Better drillingA new version of the MDS-2000 drilling

management and control system from MOBA

launched last year has new features meaning it

can now be used to record the orientation of the

machine with GNSS antennae and the height by

means of laser reference. With telesupport,

MOBA also offers fast service via internet

connection.

By recording the machine orientation using

two GNSS antennae, the torsion on the machine

can be determined with very high accuracy and

included in the calculation of the drilling angle.

This simplifies and speeds up drill-hole planning.

The orientation can also be determined without

problems during bad weather conditions and in

darkness. Another new feature is the height

detection of the mount by means of laser

reference. The drill holes can thereby be drilled to

exactly same depth, even if the ground is uneven.

The MDS-2000 determines and stores drilling

angle, depth, time, GPS position and motor data

of the drilling device. The system uses this

FRAGMENTATION


MOBA’s MDS-2000 drillingmanagement and controlsystem


information for efficient application and drill-hole

planning. All data can be viewed at any time and

from anywhere via a web interface by means of

telematics. In addition, the system now also

records and stores drill-head data such as

torque, driving force and contact pressure. With

this information, the drilling speed can be

optimised and wear minimised.

CRCMining is developing a ground-breaking

high-pressure water jet system to improve

blasthole drilling performance. This should

significantly boost penetration rates while

slashing drilling costs per metre. The system

uses a high-pressure water jet incorporated into

a tricone drill bit. The water jet acts to cut a

groove in the base of the hole ahead of the

mechanical action of the bit, enabling the rock to

fracture more easily along the groove. When the

water jet groove is cut near the perimeter of the

hole, the drill bit is able to advance more rapidly,

with significantly less pull-down pressure.

Dihon Tadic, CRCMining’s Hard Rock and

Surface Mining Program Leader, believes there is

significant opportunity for this technology.

“Preliminary test results in several rock types are

very encouraging,” said Tadic. “Clever integration

of the water jet assisted blast hole drilling

technology with existing drilling equipment will

significantly improve drill performance and

reduce total drilling costs.”

Extensive research, development and testing

using CRCMining’s full-scale laboratory blasthole

drill has demonstrated significant performance

gains in various rock types. Drilling rates in hard

rock such as granite were improved by 35%.

Drilling rates in sandstone were improved by over

100%, with drastically reduced pull-down force.

Preliminary modelling indicates that a

commercial system may deliver a 20% reduction

in $/m drill costs.

“This technology is a potential game-changer

for some drilling processes,” Tadic said. “Single-

pass, surface blasthole drilling is the primary

target, with the performance benefits offering

reduced fleet sizes through productivity

improvement. Also, there is added flexibility with

hole sizes able to be increased – or smaller rigs

utilised – due to the lower pull-down force

requirements compared to conventional drilling.”

CRCMining is looking to demonstrate this

technology in a mine production environment in

collaboration with a suitable OEM partner.

CRCMining has also developed an innovative

pulsed water jet system for rapid breakage of

oversize rocks at drawpoints, ore-passes and

sizers, to reduce bottlenecks in material loading,

transport and processing.

“CRCMining’s pioneering rock breakage

technology employs a pulsed high-pressure

water jet system to rapidly fracture hard rock

boulders”, explained Tadic. “Extensive research

and development has demonstrated extremely

rapid, simple and effective rock breaking

capability, which importantly requires no pre-

drilling or other rock preparation. The technology

will provide the mining industry a faster and

more practical solution that will significantly

reduce the delays and cost of secondary

breakage.”

“This system has been developed in a

collaborative project at CRCMining for application

to oversize material at drawpoints of caving

operations. The core technology has application

to other rock breakage requirements including

size reduction at ore-passes and sizers, and is

envisaged to play a key role in processing

oversize in-pit material in continuous mining and

haulage systems.”

Uphole explosives delivery truckGlobal explosives major MAXAM has been

developing Mobile Explosives Manufacturing Unit

FRAGMENTATION


CRCMining’s pulsed water jetsystem also has potentialapplication to remoteoperation and non-entryautomated mining operationsfor improved safety andproductivity


http://www.minesight.com

FRAGMENTATION


(MEMU) trucks for both open pit and

underground mining projects for a number of

years. However, underground projects require

very specific solutions for each particular mine

case, and the nature of work always requires very

robust equipment, both in terms of technology

and reliability. The development of a new Up Hole

(UH) explosives delivery truck was aimed at

achieving a new design which could not only

perform reliably in underground environments,

but could also accommodate all the necessary

equipment for the operation, making the unit

self-contained. MAXAM worked together with

Getman on the project, giving it access to

Getman’s 50 plus

years of experience in

the construction of

equipment for

underground work.

The co-operation

during the design and

construction phase of

the UH truck is

described by both

companies as “very

fluent, and indeed and

important factor in the

success of the

project.”

The UH is a mobile

underground bulk

explosives delivery truck that has been specially

designed to load up holes. It is self-contained

and independent from other underground mining

equipment, which can help to shorten mining

cycles. It is capable of charging full rings and up

holes safely and efficiently. The hose is

positioned by a hose pusher and hose retraction

is automatic and electronically controlled. The

unit can deliver a wide range of densities with full

control, which permits accurate loading, full

monitoring and detailed reporting. The

explosives are transported and handled as a non-

sensitised matrix suspension, classified as an

oxidiser 5.1 material. The hopper has a capacity

of 5,000 kg of matrix, and density can be

adjusted to suit blasting requirements. The UH

can load up to 50 m long up holes and down

holes with a delivery rate of up to 70 kg/min.

Remote charging provides faster charging rates

and increased safety while a “reliable, low

maintenance system reduces downtime.” The

quantity loaded is customised for each blast hole

and the material sensitised only after loading

into the blast hole. The UH is capable of pumping

both of the main MAXAM bulk emulsion products

– Riomex and Rioflex. Riomex UP is the MAXAM

emulsion product especially developed for up

hole applications. This product is a gassed

emulsion suitable for use in up holes of up to 50

m long and 102 mm diameter with minimised

waste or reloading. This product can sleep up to

a week, which allows mines to schedule blasts

according to production requirements. Rioflex UP

is more energetic than the emulsion and can be

delivered with a wider range of densities (0.6-

1.3). Rioflex can be used in all underground

blasting applications , including development,

shaft sinking and up holes. It can be used in

production holes with a high density and in

contour holes with a low density. This can reduce

the amount of drilling required while improving

wall control.

To ensure safe operation the UH series has

also been equipped with a full range of safety

devices such as electronically controlled safety


http://www.wh-hw.com

parameters; pumping line pressure sensor; burst

disk in pumping line; pressure relief valves in all

lines; pumping line flow sensor; and pumping

line temperature sensor. It also features timeout

trips, emergency stop buttons, a fire suppression

system, flowmeter in all lines, tank level sensor,

and pressure relief valves in all tanks.

The UH series is also capable of loading

explosives with different densities from hole to

hole – for example, it is possible to protect the

hanging wall using low density product in the

perimeter holes and then use a high density

product in the production holes, thus achieving

optimum fragmentation and reduced dilution.

AEL improves blasting at LetsengThe Letseng diamond mine, situated in the heart

of the Maloti Mountain Range in Lesotho, is the

world’s highest diamond mine peaking at 3,100 m

above sea level. Letšseng is owned by the

Lesotho Government in conjunction with Gem

Diamonds and is well recognised for producing

some of the highest value per carat stones.

Excessive damage to diamonds during the mining

and beneficiation process results in the operation

losing substantial revenue. This motivated the

mine to request AEL Mining Services to extend

blasting trials by an additional six months in

order to further measure improvements in

damage to diamonds. This challenge presented

an opportunity for AEL to demonstrate their

mining expertise, and to

showcase their electronic

initiating systems with

the benefit of improved

fragmentation uniformity,

improved muckpile

control, and further

downstream beneficiation

benefits. The initial

electronic blast was

carried out on October

20, 2013 based on the

current bench design

parameters from Letseng. The mine requested

the use of a V2 chevron; however, after a

calculated evaluation of the bench width, the

requested blast delay design was changed to

have a more optimal muckpile configuration The

ore bench required minimal material movement

into the bottom of the pit after blasting, as this

would otherwise comprise the design life of the

slope catchment berms, which is a safety concern

when it comes to falls of ground, as well as loss

of ore tons and delays in production. The added

technical challenge was a requirement from the

client to blast a ramp in conjunction with the

main blast, and subsequently, the material on the

ramp to be left in-situ.

The use of the software Viewshot allowed for

flexibility in the timing design, and the blasting

team could simulate different scenarios in order

to find the optimal timing solution. The design

was then transferred to the control equipment for

the Digishot Plus detonators. A proficient

understanding and manipulation of the timing

chevron resulted in the key objective being met

resulting in a blasting solution fit for purpose.

The end result: “a perfectly controlled muckpile

profile with minimal material thrown to the pit

bottom, and an improved uniformity in

fragmentation for optimal beneficiation

processes - exactly as the customer requested.”

The subsequent blast was custom designed to

incorporate the new design parameters, based on

invaluable lessons gained from the first blast.

Improvements were made on the desired

fragmentation size, and a marked time and cost

saving advantage was seen by the mine in terms

of load and haul efficiencies. IM

FRAGMENTATION

W E C O N V E Y Q U A L I T Y

Moveable Mineral Intake Systems

SAMSON Materials Handling Ltd.n-mh.com


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Today there are host of challenges facing

mine operators: the decision of whether or

not to invest in operations in a climate of

economic uncertainty; trying to justify much

needed upgrades to facilities, infrastructure that

has become outdated and unreliable; and

volatile energy prices and rising costs of

maintaining legacy systems are making

profitability hard to predict. Schneider Electric

considers the trends of big data and

modernisation emerging within the mining

segment as ways to address some of the

challenges. Big Data for Mining is Schneider

Electric's philosophy towards implementing big

data across mining operations, emphasising the

importance of integration across domains, open

architectures and energy management within

mine sites. Big data extracts value by layering

process analytics onto existing embedded

capabilities to identify abnormalities and

pinpoint waste, allowing mining managers to

reduce operational costs by performing

targeted, proactive maintenance and upgrades.

Intelligent Modernisation for Mining is the

approach Schneider Electric takes when

consulting with mining customers on their

modernisation strategies, focusing on creating

efficiency through operations and distribution

that use less energy, increase productivity,

reduce maintenance costs and increase cost

effectiveness. Intelligent modernisation focuses

on ensuring that capital investments are offset

by an increase in efficiency to streamline

operations to keep costs low.

IM spoke with Greg Magdanz, Director of the

Mining, Minerals and Metals Competency Centre

at Schneider Electric, about opportunities that

big data and modernisation present for the

mining industry. He highlights skill shortages,

rising energy costs and the challenge of ever

stricter regulations as drivers for greater

modernisation and streamlining in mining. “We

are optimising customer operations by

enhancing the visibility of information that is

already there and integrating it into one system

– thereby hugely increasing accessibility and

simplicity. Currently a lot of the information

relating to equipment performance in mining

and minerals processing is scattered; and could

be employed to increase efficiencies. This could

involve better use of energy, and diverting

unused energy to other parts of the process.

Integration will also remove the need to have

people on the ground conducting video

surveillance. Mines and processing plants could

even integrate weather prediction technology

into their management systems.”

Schneider says it means starting from the

ground up. As an example, its EcoStruxture

process integration architecture is designed to

help mining and other companies trying to cut

their utility bills manage energy usage and uses

data right from sensors on any equipment using

power.

All data and information on equipment

performance will be transferred to an open network

and managed by Schneider software, before

giving the mine management a comprehensive

view of assets in real time, including graphical

and diagrammatical representation of

performance, helping companies make

decisions to achieve better utilisation.

Schneider has a range of offerings for the

mining and mineral process industry. Process

efficiency is the foundation of improving plant

operational performance including timely

decisions that reduce production waste, and

intelligent data that help mines capture process

events, quantify their impact, and diagnose their

root causes. StruxureWare Plant Operation

Ampla offers a complete set of tools to help

mines achieve this, with 11 modules focusing on

specific process areas: Ampla Downtime, Ampla

Production, Ampla Energy, Ampla Metrics, Ampla

Inventory, Ampla Quality, Ampla Planner, Ampla

Recipe, Ampla Knowledge, Ampla Maintenance

and Ampla Cost.

StruxureWare Plant Operation Ampla is now

part of the StruxureWare software applications

and suites. StruxureWare is the brand name

identifying Schneider Electric’s various software

applications and suites to drive business

performance while conserving enterprise

resources. The StruxureWare software suite is

organised within a framework of three levels:

Control, Operations and Enterprise. Leading

global mining and manufacturing organisations

use Ampla as their Manufacturing Execution

System to drive efficiency. Ampla’s mining

specific functionality supports deployment

throughout a mine operation from extraction,

smelters and furnaces and onto storage and

transportation.

StruxureWare Plant Operation is an

operations management software solution used

to identify and improve plant effectiveness. It

helps organisations improve their

competitiveness by reducing costs, increasing

operational efficiencies, reducing losses, and

optimising energy consumption.

Acquisitions have also been key to the mining

offering. With the incorporation of Citect,

Schneider now offers Vijeo Citect, the operating

and monitoring component of PlantStruxure, the

new Process Automation System from Schneider

Electric. With its powerful visualisation

capabilities and operational features, it delivers

actionable insight faster, enabling operators to

respond quickly to process disturbances and,

thereby, increase their effectiveness.

Vijeo Historian is the information

management component of PlantStruxure. It

comprises the historian and portal

functionalities of the solution, enabling the

customer to accurately store data while

connecting their production and business

systems through its active data transfers and

simple, easy-to-use reporting. CitectSCADA is a

reliable, flexible and high performance system

for any industrial automation monitoring and

control application. It delivers actionable insight

faster, enabling operators to respond quickly to

process disturbances for increased efficiency.

PROCESS DESIGN AND MONITORING


A procession of ideas

The design, monitoring and automation of mines andmineral processing facilities is a specialist area, and onethat brings together state of the art technologyproviders, consultants, equipment OEMs and engineeringfirms. Paul Moore reports on new developments

The new Emerson iOpsCentre in Austin, Texas

PROCESS DESIGN & MONITORING_proof 25/02/2014 13:11 Page 1

One Source for complete

concentratorsFLSmidth is more than just an equipment supplier, we are

a solutions provider. Through our extensive global leading

equipment lines, we offer the full flowsheet for complete

concentrators. Through the integration of a comprehensive line

of FLSmidth resources, we will work together as your One Source

to develop your project while shortening your project schedule,

reducing CAPEX and optimizing OPEX.

FLSmidth integrates metallurgical testing, ore characterization,

process development, detailed design engineering, global

procurement, expert process control and localized services to

ensure fully customized solutions for our clients. Along with

equipment, FLSmidth provides the support you need to be sure

that your plant gets up and running quickly and stays maintained

for maximum performance.

For more information, visit us at: www.flsmidth.com

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Switch2Citect is a conversion tool that allows

customers to simply and reliably upgrade legacy

control systems to CitectSCADA. This reduces

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by minimsing

conversion and ongoing maintenance costs. It

also provides opportunities to take advantage of

the latest technologies to improve plant

productivity.

Most recently, in January this year, Schneider

Electric’s acquisition of Invensys was completed.

This acquisition sees two of the leading players

in the industrial market join forces to create a

more global, innovative, technology company

with a strong position in integrated industrial

automation, software and energy management.

Invensys in the mineral processing industry is

primarily known for its Foxboro and Wonderware

offerings. Wonderware provides real-time

production and performance information and

facilitates the more effective use of plant

information, giving more refined performance

indicators and better optimisation of plant

operations leading to improved allocation of

resources. It has been installed at Debswana’s

diamond mining operations in Botswana

amongst other customers. The Foxboro PAC

(Programmable Automation Control) system is a

high-performance automation controller

solution integrated within the Wonderware

System Platform using ArchestrA technology.

The next-generation Foxboro Evo process

automation system has evolved directly from

Invensys’ industry-leading technology, entrusted

to control and protect some of the world's

largest, most complex process facilities. The

system extends the company’s pioneering

Foxboro I/A Series control system, which is

known for its reliability and future-proof

architecture; integrates its world-leading

Triconex safety system; and provides a

component object-based engineering

environment. The Foxboro Evo system makes it

easier for users to incorporate and

run the operations management and

productivity applications. The

Foxboro PAC hardware marries high

performance, reliability and high I/O

density with cost-effective

redundancy options. The process

modules and I/O system form the

basis of a complete distributed

control and recording environment

capable of continuous analogue,

logic, and sequential control

combined with secure data

recording at point-of-measurement; all designed

to maximise return on investment (ROI).

ModularisationWith shrinking profit margins and increasing

costs worldwide, companies in the mining

industry are having to change their mindsets to

survive. Appropriate Process Technologies (APT)

believes it is helping to make this possible by

providing the appropriately selected modular

plants to process various minerals in a variety of

orebodies. The company philosophy is to

minimise start-up costs and plant installation

times, as well as lowering the energy

requirements and environmental impact

Because of the modular design in various

sizes, a project can start small and then be

upgraded by having extra modules added – this

means that a company can plan its capital

expenditure over the life of a project without

having to outlay the entire amount up front. This

approach has been implemented in various

ways. Some companies have chosen to start with

a smaller size plant, and then once revenue has

been internally generated, the next size plant is

installed. Alternatively, a client starts with lower

recovery plants (such as alluvial or hard rock

machines) and then adds the sequential units to

increase recovery percentage (crushing, milling

and cyanidation). This results in internal

generation of revenue and minimises equity

and/or borrowing costs.

APT’s Business Development Engineer, Gary

McFarlane says that APT prefers to have

personal interaction

with clients in order to

establish the best

mining

plants/modules for

each specific project.

“With our added

services such as

testwork programmes

and financial models, we can advocate recovery

percentages with predicted cash flow returns

and payoff periods. This puts into perspective

whether such a plant will be economical at

various processed tonnages and recoveries. We

can go to the high 90’s percentile recovery range

out of the gate, but this capital expenditure is

often unwarranted on a fresh ore type. This

phased approach also allows our clients to gain

confidence in the orebody, then implement the

next stage.”

APT has designed a range of plants from 1.5

t/h through to 250 t/h, thus allowing a mine of

any size or speciality to get started. APT’s

delivery lead times for the <3t/h plant range is

less than six weeks and the largest plants are

less than 22 weeks, thereby materially reducing

conventional lead-times; enabling earlier

generation of revenue.

McFarlane also stated how he sees the

mining sector was changing. “With the drastic

decrease in market capital and shedding of

assets from the large players in the industry, we

have seen a massive movement to the smaller

plant ranges of up to 20 t/h. The projects are

still there, but with the scarce availability of

capital for projects that are not of ultra high

grade, projects are forced to shift to this staged

development approach.”

Another concept of the APT design that

makes it so attractive is the “complete package

approach” of the plants. All plants larger than 10

t/h are installed and commissioned by APT,

everything right down to a gold smelting room

and a kitchen sink are provided. The training of

the mine personnel follows the installation and

then the plant is handed over. This takes the

responsibility off of the mine owner, and

provides a plant that will operate in any

environment, irrespective of location.

“The entire plant is pre-assembled in our

assembly works in Johannesburg, then after the

dry run, the plants are coded, packed, and

shipped. We do all of the processing plant,

nothing is left to the client, this way we know

the plant will perform as promised. It is a

complete solutions package.”


Schneider Electric argues that the increasedability to add more low cost sensors and moresystems will need to be associated to theability to deal with it and drive smart decisions.But the quantity of the information needs to bealigned with the quality of information

Graphic showingcapital cost reductionwith use of APTmodular plantapproach


Flexibility of process contract typesFLSmidth is one of the few companies in the

minerals industry that can offer customers a total

package for plant design, engineering,

procurement, commissioning and start-up for

complete concentrator plants. After many years

of acquisitions and combining the best talent

from a number equipment and technology

companies, FLSmidth’s says its “global strength

enables the company to provide expertise,

technologies, and resources to engineer and

build complete systems, whether for a complete

concentrator plant with a global performance

guarantee or simply single pieces of equipment,

and everything in between.”

Traditional project execution involves bidding

out individual products. Although this is always

an option for its customers where FLSmidth will

bid during the basic and detailed engineering

phases of plant development, FLSmidth has built

upon how their equipment is traditionally

supplied. They also offer the unique benefit of a

range of packaging options under different

contracting models that can save customers time

and money, while providing a more robust solution.

Each of FLSmidth’s contract models offers

different strategies and benefits to a project, and

all are effective in today’s dynamic market. The

company says it offers unique advantages of

expertise and value, providing solutions with

proven equipment and leading technologies.

The FLSmidth Engineering, Procurement, &

Services or EPS model is the complete solution

for the supply of concentrators. This process can

start with metallurgical testing and ore

characterisation which is carried out at new

state-of-the-art laboratories located in the

Minerals Testing and Research Centre in Salt

Lake City. These facilities work closely with

customers to receive ore samples that are

studied, characterised and tested to provide the

best total optimised flowsheet solutions.

With lower ore grades, harder, deeper and

more complex ores, it is becoming more and

more essential to offer mining companies the

right mineralogy, answers, process know-how,

equipment and services for optimising plant

design. FLSmidth argues that companies that

only provide some of these services don’t have

the ability to offer all of the synergies that are

realised when making all these testing,

equipment and process solutions available from

one source.

With the FLSmidth EPS model, a mining

company can take full advantage of the unique

orebodies they are dealing with by best

understanding what equipment they can use to

get the most out of their investment. FLSmidth

has a broad base of equipment options that are

recommended and supplied based on the results

surrounding the mineralogy. The company can

then provide expert services through start-up and

all of the engineering and products in between.

“This model offers the most comprehensive

performance guarantee available and mitigates

many of the risks involved with a large project

that would normally be sourced from many

unrelated suppliers.”

Recent EPS projects include partial EPS Supply

of a 40,000 t/d copper concentrator; partial EPS

Supply of an 18,000 t/d phosphate concentrator;

and EPS supply of a 2 Mt/y gold concentrator;

15,000 t/d copper concentrator; and 4 Mt/y TPA

iron concentrator.

The reality is, however, that for strategic and

other reasons, mines often choose to source

services and equipment through various

companies. With competitive bidding, working

through large engineering firms and the

globalisation of supply chains, FLSmidth says it

needs to “remain flexible to offer the mining

industry any combination of equipment that may

be needed for specific applications.”

With the Process Island option, FLSmidth

provides complete sub-sections of the

concentrator plant that the customer’s

engineering firm can place into the overall layout.

To qualify as a Process Island, there must be

some component of engineering added to the

equipment. A Process Island would involve

putting a number of distinct technologies

together to operate as a unit process. The

engineering involved in this would typically be



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process and technology related and could involve

wrap around guarantees. An example of a

Process Island would be a Comminution Island

(crushers, mills, cyclones, and pumps), Grinding

Island (crushers and material handling),

Dewatering Island (thickeners and filtration). A

combination would be to provide the combined

technologies along with structural support. Each

process island package comes with FLSmidth’s

performance guarantee within the island battery

limits. This approach saves time and money and

simplifies the overall project execution.

Finally, the Bundled Products contract model

allows customers to purchase multiple pieces of

FLSmidth’s brand name equipment under a single

supply contract. The benefit of this is that the

customer can typically get a slightly lower capital

cost (due to volume pricing or discounting) plus

the customer can reduce procurement and

engineering costs by working with a fewer

number of suppliers. All equipment comes with

FLSmidth’s standard mechanical warranty.

Advanced optimisationYokogawa, known for its CENTUM DCS systems in

mining, has supplied control systems to a

number of major operations. The KCGM Fimiston

gold plant had long relied on a CENTUM CS

distributed control system (DCS), and

experienced no major failures while it was in use.

In 2009, KCGM decided to replace this legacy

system with Yokogawa’s latest DCS, CENTUM VP.

Yokogawa Australia successfully installed this

new system and it has operated with no major

problems since the completion of this project in

late 2009. This commenced with the migration of

the human machine interface (HMI) from a

CENTUM CS Unix based system to a CENTUM VP

Windows based system. The legacy information

control stations (ICS) were removed and replaced

with new HMI stations and large screens. The

control room has eight, 50 in wall-mounted

screens and each HMI station has four monitors.

The CENTUM VP displays have an entirely new

look & feel and the new ergonomically designed

HMI stations provide access to significantly more

operation data and are easier to operate.

In April 2014, Yokogawa will begin offering

new solutions for optimising plant operations in

mining and other industries. These solutions will

be provided as part of Yokogawa’s VigilantPlant

Services suite to support safe, stable, and highly

efficient plant operations. The technology

underlying these solutions is Yokogawa’s newly

developed MIRROR PLANT online simulator.

The MIRROR PLANT simulator can visualise the

internal state of a plant process and make near-

term predictions on plant behaviour. An industry

first, this simulator operates in synchronisation

with the plant control system and features the

good performance required in commercial plants.

In recent years, there has been increasing

focus on improving plant safety and

strengthening competitiveness by making plants

more efficient. For example, in the chemical

industry, plant operators need, in real time, to

manage or adjust the state of catalysts and the

composition of the reagents and product

materials in a chemical reactor, to optimise both

plant productivity and product quality. However,

many of the process variables are difficult to

measure or cannot be measured directly. Based

on actual process information such as flow rate,

temperature, and pressure, simulation

technology can make predictions on items that

cannot be measured in real time: for example,

the amount of each component in a product, and

thus simulate the state of a plant. By means of

high-speed calculations, the simulator can make

near-term predictions on the state of a plant.

Operators can then anticipate events and take

action earlier to ensure safe operation.

Yokogawa and its subsidiary, Omega

Simulation, jointly developed the MIRROR PLANT

online plant simulator. It operates in

synchronisation with the plant control system

and constantly updates a process model. Based

on this simulator, Yokogawa will offer support

solutions that help its customers optimise their

plant operations. The MIRROR PLANT simulator

operates in synchronisation with the plant

control system. Based on real-time

manufacturing process information and using a

proprietary function for adjusting model

parameters, MIRROR PLANT precisely simulates

the state of a plant. By using plant models,

MIRROR PLANT visualises the current state of the

plant, the state of the plant up to several hours in

the future, and the state at plant locations where

it is not possible to measure temperature or

pressure. It then displays these results on screen

at a CENTUM VP integrated production control

system operator terminal or at a standard PC.

MIRROR PLANT also has an alarm function that

can alert operators to potential problems. As

such, the MIRROR PLANT solution can help

Yokogawa’s customers operate their plants safely

and efficiently while maintaining product quality.

Emerson Process Management recently

introduced its Integrated Operations Initiative to

address customers’ needs for streamlined

decision-making, easily accessible expertise and

the safe, collaborative collocation of essential

personnel. “Running safe, profitable production

operations is becoming increasingly challenging

in the locations our customers are working in,”

said Peter Zornio, Chief Strategic Officer of

Emerson Process Management. To overcome these

challenges and improve operational effectiveness,

manufacturers are turning to a new model called

Integrated Operations (iOps). While implementations

vary, key ingredients include: collocation of

cross-functional teams in more desirable locales,

collaboration tools like video conferencing and

other applications, real-time access to process

and asset data and streamlined decision making

workflows. The mining and minerals industry

could be a key user of the new systems.

To accelerate industry realisation of the

benefits iOps can provide, Emerson has

developed three distinctive offerings in its

Integrated Operations Initiative: the industry’s

most comprehensive and scalable automation

architecture; a real-world lab to experience

Integrated Operations, called the iOps Centre;

and consulting services to help customers

envision, plan and execute their own iOps

strategy.

Emerson states: “Real-time access to essential

information is fundamental to iOps and has been

a core focus within Emerson for decades.

Emerson’s innovation in key technologies is

unmatched: the world’s first fully digital plant

architecture, the first fully digital safety system,

the most robust wireless technology portfolio,

remote/low-power field communications, the

industry’s broadest offering of diagnostics-based

‘pervasive sensing’ instruments, and monitoring

applications to convert this data into actionable

information. Each of these innovations is

foundational to the Integrated Operations model

as they provide real-time insight to actual

conditions, giving personnel the confidence to

make better decisions.”

“Customers have steadily seen operational

improvement for years by deploying smart

automation technologies that provide them more

data – more visibility – into what’s really

happening,” said Jim Nyquist, Group VP for

Emerson’s Process Systems and Solutions

business. “But data alone isn’t enough. The real

opportunity is to imagine new organisational

workflows, like the formation of cross functional

collaboration centres that bring together

decentralised expertise to enable better, faster

decision-making.”

To give customers a clear sense of what’s

possible in the future of Integrated Operations,

Emerson has recently opened its state-of-the-art

iOps Centre in Austin, Texas. A real-world,

working model of a production enterprise,

customers can experience the next generation of

collaboration and real-time, multi-disciplinary

decision making. “We worked for nearly two

years on the vision and execution of the iOps

Centre,” said Nyquist, “partnering with industry

leaders ranging from Dell, Barco, Cisco, Mynah

Technologies, OSISoft, and more. The

enthusiasm and support for this project from our

partner companies has been outstanding,”

continued Nyquist. “We are able to showcase

leading-edge technologies in virtualisation, video

collaboration, telecommunications and more.




Customers gain a clear vision of what’s possible

through an experience they can’t get anywhere

else in the world.”

Lastly, to help customers establish and

execute their vision, Emerson has developed

Integrated Operations Consulting Services. First,

consultants help customers develop a vision for

their operations, based on ever-growing best

practices. Following human centred design

methods, Emerson works with customers to

define roles and work practices and to also

define applications targeted to individual user

requirements. Then, consultants leverage

Emerson’s deep project management roots to

help customers put their vision into action. These

recommendations are derived through onsite

visits, personnel interviews, assessments, and

analysis. This service is performed by senior

consultants with the right expertise to explore

opportunities and alternatives for taking

advantage of new integrated operations capabilities.

XPS and XT advance joint offeringThe Technology businesses within Glencore now

includes XT (previously Xstrata Technology) the

providers of equipment such as IsaMills, Jameson

Cells, IsaSmelt, IsaKidd and Albion Processes;

and XPS, a discipline leader in Process

Mineralogy and Plant Support, Process Control,

Materials Technology and Extractive Metallurgy.

These technology businesses are independent

businesses within the group, separate from any

commodity business. XPS says that this means it

can bring to its clients “a deep understanding of

a wide range of commodities, operations, and the

entire value chain, while providing independent

and fully confidential support for all our clients.”

XPS and XT have been long-time siblings and

have operated effectively in their respective areas

of specialisation, while ensuring they each

provide the best independent professional

advice. The two businesses now plan to expand

this collaboration into the new area of

Engineering Services.

XPS is a licensed metallurgical engineering,

technology services and testwork business based

in Falconbridge, Ontario, Canada that serves the

global mining industry. Since 2007 XPS has

provided complete flowsheet and process

development services for a range of commodi ties

including Geomet Unit selection, modelling, lab

scale batch testing, pilot plant demonstrations

and techno-economic studies. In recent years,

these activities have resulted in Process Design

Basis being produced for clients who then

proceed to engineering and cost estimation and

in certain cases, construction of the flowsheet.

Examples include, the Mont calm circuit, Kabanga

Concentrator and changes to the Strathcona Mill

flowsheet to treat the GeoMet Units from Nickel

Rim South Mine in Sudbury.

XPS has now announced that it can now

incorporate mechanical, electrical and civil

engineering into its product offerings by

partnering with long time sibling XT (Xstrata

Technology), which has a long history of

engineering of large scale IsaSmelt, IsaMill,

IsaKidd and Albion Process installations

including all the process equipment layout,

process control and electrical, structural and


XPS and XT are now partnering in the area ofEngineering Services



http://www.htkyjx.com

mechanical ancilliaries. XT has engineered and

supplied critical equipment to over 18 IsaSmelt

installations with a total project installed value of

several billion dollars in every corner of the

globe. From its engineering offices in Brisbane,

Australia and Vancouver, Canada, XT provides

services from over 100 engineers, layout

draftsman, estimators and procurement services

personnel. The statement said: “The distinct

advantage of the XPS-XT Engineering Service is

the operations/maintenance experience we bring

to the project as we are aware, first-hand, what is

needed for a successful Type 1 start-up. This

experience is embedded in the project team from

process design to conceptual engineering to

operations training and commissioning support.

XPS-XT Engineering can work with other

engineering firms in providing all facets of the

EPCM cycle and can estimate and install all

manner of process equip ment. This partnership

will enable XPS to provide solid process

performance guarantees when appropriate.”

The partnership between XPS and XT is

believed to be unique to the industry where flow -

sheet development/testwork/piloting, process

control system design, materials technology and

design and process, mechanical/electrical/

structural design, and training/installation/

commissioning support can be delivered under

one roof, from people with decades of experience

operating the plants they design.

Mining’s automation futureProduct Manager Janne Kytökari is responsible

for mining industry applications and global sales

support at Metso Automation’s Minerals

Processing Systems unit and recently outlined

his thoughts on the main benefits of using new

automation systems in mining. He comments:

“With accurately controlled minerals processes,

such as the crushing and grinding circuit,

flotation and water management, the mine is

able to get a steady yield without any severe

deviations. A correctly tuned

control system can help the

plant achieve maximum

throughput. The main

advantage is that an

automation system allows

the process operators to see

what is happening with the

whole process – from

beginning to end – in real-

time. If any problems occur,

the cause can be traced

quickly and efficiently. All

process data, like detailed

figures on production and performance, are also

stored for reporting and other, later use.”

In addition, machine wear is often hidden until

the machine breaks down. With an automation

system that has integrated condition monitoring,

it is easy to collect and use all the relevant maintenance

information for scheduling preventative

maintenance actions. This can reduce process

downtime significantly. Naturally, automation

also has a positive impact on workplace safety.

Kytökari is convinced that automation and

information technologies will have a bigger role

in the future. As stated previously in this article,

minerals automation can be a valuable tool in

tackling many of the mining industry’s big

challenges, such as limited availability of water,

energy consumption, environmental responsibility

and the mineralogical complexity of ore.

He adds: ”In developed countries, where

safety is the top priority, mining and minerals

automation demand is already high, but mines all

over the world need some kind of process

automation in order to be able to run their

processes effectively. Although in some areas

where labour costs are low, a high throughput

mineral process plant can’t achieve a high yield

without a modern control system. This is why the

demand for minerals automation is growing

especially in countries like Brazil, Russia and

China.”

In terms of trends, he refers to the so-called

industrial Internet is something that will perhaps

change the way plants are run in the future. The

term includes issues such as machine-to-

machine communication and machine learning.

With the help of machine-based algorithms and

big data analytics, mining operations will be able

to understand the causal patterns of machines

and processes much more accurately than today.

“Allowing all Metso-manufactured machines to

be connected to the Internet opens a variety of

possibilities. Remote support from Metso’s

engineers and specialists to maintenance crews,

metallurgists and operators could help solve

maintenance and process issues quickly. Plus,

when machine data from Metso-manufactured

equipment can be gathered and analysed from

numerous plants all around the world, we may

find patterns that help us enhance the design

and quality of the machines.“

With the Metso DNA distributed control

system, information management and integrated

condition monitoring, any mineral processing

plant is able to control its processes, its

performance and deviations. Metso also provides

performance studies that examine the customer’s

process and suggest improvements. This in

particular is where Metso’s know-how in minerals

processing equipment, automation and minerals

processes comes together.

Upgrading PLCs at KittilaABB is currently upgrading the automation system

at Agnico Eagle's Kittila gold mine in Lapland,

with eight of its latest ruggedised PLCs for

controlling equipment in harsh conditions and

extreme climates. The PLCs will control the

sedimentation process of the concentrating mill

at Europe's largest gold mine, Agnico Eagle, in

northern Finland which is 150 km inside the Arctic

Circle.

ABB won the original contract for the main

automation system at the gold mine, and

configured and installed electrical automation

based on its 800xA Extended Automation system

and industrial IT architecture. The project

involved a large amount of ABB automation

components including ABB's 800 series operator

interface panels and AC500 PLCs for the underground

control of pumps, air conditioning, and the

motors used in ore crushing and processing.

However, a number of items of plant

equipment came with automation from other

vendors, including PLCs that were supplied with

the sedimentation facility that forms part of the

mine's concentrating mill. The PLCs were normal

industrial grade types, but housed in freeze-

protected cabinets located outdoors. Since

installation, however, this facility has suffered a

number of process stoppages because of the

environment at the mine, which includes very wet

and humid conditions and winter temperatures

as low as -40°C. If a process stoppage happens in

winter the impact can be severe, as the weather

can quickly add to the problem by freezing and

blocking pipelines.

There have been some four or five stoppages

a year, stemming from power outages, extreme

cold temperatures, or water droplets that form

on the PLC modules when the cabinet doors

were opened. In winter, condensation can

happens in seconds – almost the instant the

cabinet doors are opened and the benefits of the

cabinet's ingress protection are lost – because of

the very low temperatures and the moisture-

laden air around the concentrating mill. The

same problem can also happen in springtime, as

temperatures can swing between -25°C and 15°C



ABB’s AC500-XC PLC can operate intemperatures from -30°C to 70°C, with reliablesystem start-ups in temperatures as low as -40°C


Client-focused solutions across the mining & minerals value chain

Our Clients’ interests are at the core of our business decisions. Investment in ourpeople, open communication, innovative technologies and tailored solutions are thefoundation of our ability to meet our Clients’ needs. From project concept tocompletion, putting SAFETY FIRST.

Tenova Mining & Minerals provides total integrated technological solutions for themining, bulk materials handling and minerals beneficiation industries.

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& modular plant solutions n Solid / liquid separation n Electric furnaces & associated plant solutions n Client support services

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from night to day, leading to heavy

condensation.

The mine operators decided to upgrade this

part of the control system to improve reliability

and uptime. They were very happy with the PLCs

that provided control in the hot and humid

underground environment and turned to the

supplier of these – main automation vendor ABB

– who proposed a solution based on the XC PLC.

XC is an 'extreme conditions' variant of the well-

known AC500 PLC family that is installed

underground. It has built-in protection against a

very wide variety of threats posed by harsh

environmental and operating conditions

including high and low temperatures, high

humidity, low air pressure, salt mist and

hazardous gases, and vibration and shock. In this

case, the new ABB XC PLCs will be installed at the

mine's above-ground processing centre – with

some I/O modules located at a remote water

pumping location and connected using ProfiNET.

Mining is one of the key target applications for

this PLC. ABB states that the harsh environment

at Kittila poses no problem for the XC PLC which

can operate in temperatures from -30°C, with

reliable system start-ups in temperatures as low

as -40°C. Its circuit boards have a conformal

coating to protect against moisture ingress. And

the PLC is protected against vibration and shock

and will tolerate a lot of mechanical stress – such

as accelerations up to four g from random

vibrations up to 500 Hz, or two g from sinusoidal

vibration. This built-in protection means that the

ABB PLCs are being installed in standard

uninsulated stainless steel cabinets – without

any need for freeze-protection heaters.

“Ruggedised PLC technology opens up new

design possibilities, allowing automation to be

sited right where the control I/O is needed, in

many cases without high-specification environmental

protection – as at this mine is deep inside the

Arctic Circle” says Risto Haavisto of ABB Finland.

Metallurgical solutionsRecent projects awarded to electric furnaces and

associated plant equipment specialist, Tenova

Pyromet, “are indicative of the company’s

commitment to proactively meeting its client’s

needs, through ongoing technological innovation,

supported by close interaction with the client

from project concept to completion”, says Tenova

Pyromet Managing Director Chris Oertel. Tenova

Pyromet is part of the global Tenova Mining &

Minerals group. “Our clients are faced with

increasing challenges in terms of harder to

access and lower grade materials, escalating

power costs and increasing legislative and social

pressure to minimise impact on the environment.

Our involvement with the client right from the

study phase and our position at the forefront of

technology in terms of improving efficiencies,

recovering more energy and reducing operating

costs and environmental impact, means that we

are well positioned to deliver optimum/fit for

purpose solutions that assist our clients address

these factors. Our current portfolio of work

includes a good mix of study work, from

investigating optimal furnace smelting solutions

for smelting pig iron through to ferrochrome,

technology development and execution projects.”

A contract recently awarded to Tenova Pyromet

by Metalleghe covers equipment design, supply

and supervision for a new plant to be built in

Mrkonjic, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and

Herzegovina. The project includes an innovative

new automated hot metal handling and casting

system and an electrical stinger, the development

of which Tenova Pyromet is working on closely

with Metalleghe. The 24 month project is

expected to make Metalleghe the second largest

Bosnian company and is part of its expansion to

its silicon metal production facilities, by

developing a new smelter complex, within a few

kilometres of the existing Bosnian-Herzegovinian

Silicon Industries (BSI) operation. BSI is the

silicon metal and silica fume production arm of

the international Metalleghe Group. Tenova

Pyromet’s contract comprises detail design and

equipment supply of key furnace equipment and

associated engineering, detail design and supply

of plant electrical and automation systems,

cooling water system and detail design of the

furnace structural steel building, and training and

technical assistance during the site construction

phase. The majority of equipment supplied by

Tenova Pyromet will be custom designed in full

compliance with Republic of Srpska legislation,

fabricated within the European Union and

delivered to the project site.

An important Tenova Pyromet technology

being provided is the automation and control

system, which will allow interfacing between the

smelting furnace, raw materials handling system

and off-gas cleaning plant. Tenova Pyromet will

provide process guarantees for the smelting

furnace’s production rate and hot metal power

consumption per silicon metal unit produced.

“This project further cements Tenova Pyromet’s

reputation as a leading supplier of cost

competitive silicon metal furnaces,” says Oertel.

“It highlights our ability to provide a complete

peace of mind solution to the client, at a

competitive price, and play an integral role as an

extension to our client’s management team. Via

our financial department in Milan, we also

assisted Metalleghe with the arrangement of

their leasing agreement.”

In another recent contract award, BCL in

Botswana became the first recipient of Tenova

Pyromet’s new generation AutoFurn™ controller,

with the software supplied and installed within

three months of date of order. The many

additional features of the new generation

controller include enhanced furnace automation to

provide automatic slipping, electrode baking after

long slips and electrode sounding. By automating

the process and maintaining the required furnace

power and electrode resistances or currents, the

controller brings consistency to an operation,

allowing for rapid recovery from upsets, optimising

power input and reducing furnace downtime. The

controller also maximises furnace potential by

allowing it to run as close to its safe limitations as

possible. “Our AutoFurn controller is another

example of how our ongoing innovation is a key

differentiator, maintaining our position as a

leader in the field of furnace technologies,” notes

Oertel. “This proprietary software has been

employed successfully on furnaces for many years,

but we are continually improving it to

accommodate the changing requirements and

challenges of ferroalloy furnace operators. In

addition, our many references of successful

installations around the world also positions us

well to win contracts. We were awarded the BCL

contract based on the client’s experience of a

successful installation in the USA and on our solid

track record with BCL, which includes supply of

copper products and study work.”

The user-friendly controller can be applied to

existing furnaces and to those being built, says

Oertel. “Although the BCL plant is old with

limited field instrumentation, the software was

installed on two submerged arc furnaces at BCL’s

plant in Selebi Phikwe, in less than two weeks

from arriving on site to automatic control mode.

The challenges related to integrating the system

into the existing plant set-up were easily

overcome due to the adaptability of AutoFurn,

which enables it to communicate with existing

control systems.” IM

The BSI silicon operation in Bosnia


Rhodes Nelson, newly appointed Managing

Director of Multotec Manufacturing, says that

over the past four decades the company’s

screening media activities have been key to the

company’s growth. Nelson has worked within

Multotec Manufacturing for the past 15 years and

over the past four years was deployed in various

operational roles in

preparation to take on

this leadership role.

“Our vision is quite

simple – we want to

become the No 1

screening media

technology

solutions

provider for the

minerals processing

industry worldwide

within a five to ten year

period,” Nelson says.

“We intend to

accomplish this by drawing on our substantial

industry experience to establish structures that will

appropriately service our overseas customers. This

development will be expedited by the fact that today

there is a high level of connectedness in the global

mining industry in terms of technology. Whether

through industry forums, movement of personnel

between companies, or communication through

social media, mining industry players know what’s

out there and aspire to keep pace with technological

advancements.”

The journey to international growthIn 2003 Multotec embarked on the first leg of the

journey to internationalise the company in a way that

would allow it to participate in the global knowledge

economy, increase the skills and experience of its

personnel and identify new markets and

applications. Today, this is being advanced by

harnessing the company’s global customer base to

leverage design innovation. Partnerships with

customers are an important component of this

initiative, allowing Multotec to become far more

integrated in a knowledge economy that is moving

forward at a rapid rate.

“Many of our screening media personnel have

been with Multotec for decades and so we’ve

accumulated almost a generation of wisdom and

learning that has resulted in a keen understanding of

market trends and the requirements of these

markets, especially in the minerals processing and

beneficiation arena,” he says. “We recognise that it

is imperative to document this knowledge and

incorporate it into systems and support structures

that will take the company forward into its next

growth phase.

“At the same time, we’re

putting a lot of emphasis on

developing and retaining the

critical technical talent among

our newer staff members and

setting them on a path

to develop the levels of

technical capability

necessary to service

global customers. In line

with the majority market

we’ve secured in the African

region this represents a new

chapter for Multotec, as we

move forward in terms of

succession planning and sustainability. As a

maturing operation, we’re now looking at the bigger

picture and at the longer term and believe the

development of these skills will also boost the

country’s economic sector in general.”

Nelson adds that as customers come under

increasing pressure to extract maximum value from

their existing assets the screening media

market is evolving from being

purely a buying market

to one that demands

added value.

“It’s an interesting

fact that while the

actual screening media

represents about 2% of

the total capital cost of the

solution, the screen’s efficiency

is totally dependent on the

screening media and how it performs in

terms of the feed envelopes that render

downstream beneficiation processes optimally

and efficiently,” he continues. “The real spend comes

into play on the opex side where replacement and

maintenance of screening media and the support

sub-frame surfaces constitute the major operational

costs.

“Allied to this is that the deteriorating quality of

today’s ore bodies requires us to optimise screening

media performance on a continual basis. While

screens are originally specified for a certain grade of

ore, as the grade changes over time and invariably

deteriorates so the screen performance must be

adjusted and improved. In a sense, the interaction of

a screening media supplier with the customer is

never-ending so we need to develop a sound

understanding of each customer’s applications as

the ROM feedstocks continuously vary over the life of

mine.

“In addition, as a result of the depletion of skills

sets on the mines, screening media OEMs like

ourselves are now called upon to be the solution

providers and are being held accountable for the

equipment we supply. Therefore, as the

technological complexity of our products escalates

we’re increasingly being measured on

performance.

“We’re taking all these elements into

account as we move towards

realising our vision to

become the

world’s

screening media

supplier of choice,”

Nelson concludes.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

MULTOTEC AIMS TO BECOME LEADING GLOBAL SCREENMEDIA SOLUTIONS PROVIDER

INTERNATIONAL MINING PROFILES

Multotec Group

PO Box 224, Kempton Park, 1620

South Africa

Phone: +27 011-923-6193

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.multotec.com


Building on a platform of robust growth in the African market that has positioned it as the marketleader, Multotec is now focusing on replicating its local successes to become the leading screeningmedia solutions provider in the international arena.

The innovative Multotec TeePeescreen panel which ensuresincreased open area and drainage.

The injection moulded polyurethane TeePee screenpanel complete with Saddle Top frame.

The Multotec Saddle Topframe which offers a unique

pinless panel fastening systemthat is growing in demand

worldwide.

MULTOTEC MARCH 14_proof 25/02/2014 14:12 Page 2

http://www.multotec.com

The consequences of mismanaging water

can be dire, to man, beast and mining

company. In just one recent example,

South Africa’s Department of Water and

Environmental Affairs (DWEA) has laid criminal

charges against the owners of a tailings dam

that overflowed and caused extensive pollution

of the Selati and Olifants rivers in Limpopo.

The dam, owned by Phalaborwa-based

mining company Bosveld Phosphates,

overflowed in late December due to heavy rains,

releasing highly acidic water into the Selati

River, which flows into the Olifants River, killing

fish over a 15 km stretch of water.

Noting that the company had contravened the

National Water Act, DWEA Director for

Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Nigel

Adams explained that samples had revealed

water quality in the dam was well below the

levels stipulated in the Act.

SANParks spokesman Ike Phaahla said that the

environmental damage in the Kruger National Park

caused by the spill was “extensive and spreading”.

Moving waterPumps in all sorts of applications can be vital to

an operation’s water management. For example,

while many South African plants are still running

on Warman AH® series slurry pumps for highly

abrasive mill duties, an increasing number of

plant operators in other parts of Africa are

recognising that the latest generation Warman

MCR® rubber-lined centrifugal slurry pump from

Weir Minerals offers superior safety and low

ownership costs, as well as outstanding

performance and reliability.

“These pumps are recording major successes

globally across a broad range of commodities

and in Africa we’re looking at a number of

additional new MCR pumps going into operation

this year, so this technology is clearly

generating a substantial amount of market

confidence,” Rui Gomes, Product Manager:

Slurry Pumps at Weir Minerals Africa, says.

“The MCR pump is specifically designed for

mill discharge and cyclone feed duties,

incorporating a number of elements that

maximise performance in the most

aggressive wear applications.

Features such as impeller design,

liner material, specific speed

and bearing assembly allow

the pump to easily manage

large size particles in dense

abrasive slurries and offer

the right combination of

ruggedness, durability,

hydraulics and materials.

“A big advantage is the full

front throat bush adjustment that helps

with pump efficiency

and performance and is

critical to the efficient operation of the pump,

while a quick-change feature allows technicians

to replace the wet end of the pump on site.”

At a gold mine in southwest Ghana, a trial

installation matched the performance and wear

life of an existing Warman 14/12 AH metal pump

and a competitor’s 16/14 primary mill discharge

pump. The trial also sought to determine whether

a Warman 350MCR could handle the mill’s tonnage.

“The initial milestone of matching or

improving on the 2,100 t/h achieved by the

original pumps was quickly achieved,” Gomes

says. “The second and more critical goal was to

increase the wear life of the pumps and here the

target of 1,000 hours of operation without

failure was also achieved. The impeller lasted

about 1,900 hours before requiring replacement

and the R55 rubber liners continued without

needing replacement.

“A number of factors drove the success of this

trial. Firstly, the pump design was ideally suited

to the duty, compared to the pumps previously

installed —notably the contribution of the

MCR’s rubber lining to the substantial increase

in its wear life and the consequent improved mill

availability. We were actually astounded at the

performance of the rubber liners versus the

metal volute originally in place. At the four

month inspection there was still a substantial

amount of residual value on the liners and we

estimate getting to about 6,000 hours — six

times as long as the life of the metal volute.”

In another successful installation in the West

African gold industry, a Warman 350MCR was

installed to compare against a Warman 16/14 AH

metal pump. The mill was operating at flows of

about 2,000 m3/h to a head of 38 m and the

Weir Minerals Africa team had to install the MCR

to fit in with existing pipework and foundations.

The complete wet end was changed out after

about 1,400 hours, which more than doubled

the life of the metal volute of the 16/14,

effectively improving plant availability.

“This particular site was experiencing the

fairly common problem of mill balls coming

through the system and cracking the metal

volutes,” he says. “However, the R55

rubber liner offered an indirect,

but immediate solution to

this operational issue.

The customer was also

impressed by the quick

and easy adjustment

capability, the reduced

cost of replacement

spares and the improved

safety levels. This MCR was

installed in 2012 and we’re

getting similar feedback after 18

months of

operation.”

WATER MANAGEMENT


Managing a preciousresource

John Chadwick looks at ideas and technologies to bestmanage water on mines and issuing from mines. Themining water and wastewater treatment market isexpected to grow from $2.29 billion in 2011 to $3.60billion in 2016, according to research by Frost & Sullivan

Weir Minerals’ new R55 rubber components areeasily identifiable by their unique branding tape

WATER MANAGEMENT_proof 25/02/2014 13:41 Page 1

http://[email protected]


A third gold mine in West Africa agreed to

trial an MCR pump against its existing

14/12 AH pump and a full technical team

from Weir Minerals Africa designed,

supplied and fitted a retrofit base. This

plant was poised to increase its tonnage to

3,000 m3/h to a head of 39 m to boost

output.

“The throatbush ran for about 2,000

hours — far more than what was being

achieved with the 14/12 metal

throatbush,” says Gomes. “Both the

impeller and the liners were intact and are

still running at the moment, after about

3,000 hours without replacement.

“In brownfields applications, over

the years tonnages and requirements change

but the pumps very rarely change. This could be

detrimental if the pump becomes too big for the

duty, impacting on efficiencies and pump life, or

too small, affecting wear life. We’ve now proved

that we’re able to retrofit MCR pumps into

existing piping and foundations to achieve

significant improvements with little or no

downtime and we’ve started to focus on a

variety of commodity plants where there is

pressure to drive costs down and improve

processes.”

Wilden (well known for its air-operated

double diaphragm (AODD) pump technology)

has attracted a lot of attention for its Pro-Flo®

SHIFT. “The Pro-Flo SHIFT’s advancement in not

only performance but also energy efficiency

addresses many of the concerns of the modern-

day industry,” said Chris Distaso, Director of

Engineering, Wilden.

“The new Pro-Flo SHIFT represents a

significant breakthrough in energy efficiency

within the AODD pump category. Due to its

revolutionary design, the patent-pending Pro-Flo

SHIFT Air Distribution System (ADS) allows

Wilden AODD pumps to achieve up to a 60%

savings in air consumption over all competitive

AODD pump technologies, while providing more

product yield per standard cubic foot per minute

(SCFM)”, the company says. While it

dramatically improves energy efficiency, it also

costs 50% less than an electronically actuated

ADS, is submersible, and features plug-and-play

operation.

Its robust design makes the Pro-Flo SHIFT

ideal for use in harsh operating environments

and includes ATEX compliance for use in

potentially explosive atmospheres. The Pro-Flo

SHIFT has fewer operating parts, which equates

to less downtime and simple maintenance.

It is available in 38 mm, 51 mm and 76 mm

sizes and features maximum discharge

pressures to 8.6 bar, maximum flows to 1,056

litres/min and maximum solid-handling size to

13 mm.

The Abaque Series of peristaltic hose pumps

from Mouvex®, a leading manufacturer of

positive displacement pumps, have been

designed to meet the challenging requirements

of mining, thanks in part to its seal-free design

that eliminates leaks and product

contamination.

Mouvex Abaque pumps are ideal for handling

anything from abrasive and aggressive fluids to

shear-sensitive and viscous materials. These

self-priming pumps can run in forward or

reverse and offer suction-lift capabilities to 9 m,

as well as the ability to run dry without

adversely affecting performance. The Abaque

pumps are available in ductile iron and stainless

steel construction, allowing higher discharge

pressure to 16 bar.

The Abaque Series’ pumping action is

achieved by the compression of a circular loop

of elastomeric hose by two diametrically

opposed rotating shoes. This rotational motion

forces the fluid in the hose to move ahead of

each shoe. When each shoe reaches the end of

the loop, the reinforced hose immediately

returns to its original shape, ensuring suction

and priming. The housing is partially filled with

lubricant, aiding the smooth running of the

shoes on the hose. The inside of the hose and

the hose inserts are the only pieces of

equipment that come in contact with the

pumped fluids, allowing aggressive and

contaminated fluids to be pumped safely and

efficiently.

The hoses are available in natural rubber

(ideal for use with diluted acids and alcohols),

Buna-N (highly wear resistant to oily products),

and EPDM (high chemical resistance when

handling concentrated acids, alcohols and

ketones). Abaque pumps are available in ten

different sizes, with flow rates ranging from 0.26

to 1.283 litres/min and a choice of close-

coupled or bare-shaft drive.

Mouvex is an operating company within Pump

Solutions Group (PSG®).

Pumping solutionsXylem has provided a complete dewatering

solution, including Flygt pumps and agitators, to

drain some 35 million m3 of water from a

flooded mine in Sweden. The flooded

Leveäniemi open-pit mine in Svappavaara is

believed to contain some 110 Mt of iron ore. The

mine first opened in 1961 and operated until

1983 when recession forced the cessation of

work. When the world’s leading producer of

processed iron ore products for steel making,

LKAB, decided to undertake the challenging

task of draining the mine after almost 30 years

of inactivity, the company commissioned Xylem

to deliver a complete dewatering solution.

“We were acutely aware of the challenges

involved in emptying the mine given the volume

of water we were dealing with; a project like this

could have serious consequences if handled

incorrectly,” explained Peder Nensén, Project

Manager at LKAB, “An added challenge was

northern Sweden’s harsh climate which meant

that any solution would have to be able to cope

with freezing temperatures.”

“We have a strong presence in northern

Sweden and a long-standing relationship with

this customer,” explains Robert Nyberg, Xylem’s

Head of Aftermarket business for the Nordic

region. “In addition, Xylem has [relevant]

experience of dewatering projects in the mining

sector, having developed similar solutions for

mine dewatering projects in Sweden and

Norway, for example.”

The complete dewatering solution provided

by Xylem consists of two submersible Flygt 3351

pumps and four LS350/450 Flygt pumps,

delivering a total pumping output of more than

2.5 MW. These pumps are housed in a floating

pumping station in the centre of the flooded

mine and in a dry station on land. Xylem also

supplied 20 Flygt agitators which are designed

to prevent water around the pipelines from

freezing in winter months.

“Xylem worked closely with LKAB to deliver a

customised turnkey solution for this project,”

explained Nyberg, “This unique installation,

requiring a floating pumping station, was

designed specifically for this application by our

team and demonstrates how we can combine

our technical expertise and innovative approach

to solve complex dewatering challenges.”

“Floating pumping stations aren’t usually part

of our everyday work! To the best of my

knowledge, Xylem was in a unique position to

be able to deliver a total solution which

included the installation and peripheral

services,” he continued.

A double set of pipes, approximately 1,500 m

in length, connect the floating station to the dry

station, which, in turn, is connected to a 5-km

long gravity pipe, leading to the discharge point.

WATER MANAGEMENT

Wilden’s Pro-FloSHIFT is

available withmaximum

suction lifts to7.2 m dry and

9.0 m wet


The water from the mine eventually runs out into the Torne River, which

flows into the Gulf of Bothnia.

Since the solution became operational in September 2012, Xylem has

drained about 20 million m3 of water and lowered the water level by 35 m. It

is envisaged that the project will be completed by 2015 after which time

LKAB intends extracting 12 Mt/y of iron ore.

Roger Lundbäck, Xylem Service Manager, who, along with Nyberg, was

responsible for project-managing the Leveäniemi dewatering assignment,

believes that these are exciting times for the mining industry: “We’re very

proud to have been asked to deliver such an extensive solution to LKAB.

Xylem’s global presence enables us to respond quickly to customer needs,

by providing both simple pumping solutions and more complex total

solutions for projects of all shapes and sizes,” he said.

PipingVictaulic, a world leading manufacturer of mechanical pipe-joining systems,

has introduced a number of new products. First, the Style W256 Expansion

Barrel is a solution for large-diameter water lines that accommodates up to

1,067 mm of in-line expansion and contraction. Victaulic says the

“Expansion Barrel simplifies system design and installation, and offers

durable, reliable service.

“[It] simplifies the design of water lines by enabling all in-line movement

to be accommodated in one location in a single unit. The Expansion Barrel

eliminates the need for multiple expansion compensators along the line.

Standard Victaulic Style W07 AGS rigid couplings are used to join the barrel

to the pipeline, easing installation.”

The Style W256 is constructed of durable ductile iron and features

redundant engineered seals for reliability. An external coating on the inner

barrel reduces the risk of seizing and adds a level of wear resistance.

Specially designed integrated wipers maintain contact to shed away

abrasive materials, reducing seal wear. The Style W256 is unlined.

The new Style 177N QuickVic® flexible coupling's installation-ready™

design eliminates loose parts, ensures consistent joint reliability and

provides substantial gains in installation productivity. It was specifically

designed to withstand the rigours of mining environments and is ideal for

utility and process piping applications in plants and underground mines.

Vicataulic says this flexible coupling “can be installed up to ten times

faster than other pipe-joining methods and twice as fast as standard

grooved couplings. Featuring installation-ready technology, the Style 177N

does not require disassembly prior to installation, eliminating loose parts.

The coupling is pushed onto a grooved pipe-end as a fully assembled unit,

connected to a second grooved pipe-end, and tightened using standard

hand tools. The gasket’s integral central leg serves as a pipe stop, ensuring

The Flygt floating pump station at Leveaniemi

WATER MANAGEMENT

STRAIGHTFORWARDDRILLING

www.wassara.com


http://www.wassara.com

full pipe insertion, and metal-

to-metal bolt-pad contact

provides visual confirmation of

proper assembly.”

Being a flexible coupling it

permits a limited amount of

linear and angular movement

at the pipe joint to

accommodate expansion, contraction and

deflection. The Style 177N is available in 50 to

200 mm sizes and accommodates pressures

ranging from full vacuum 6,900 kPa. The coupling

is supplied with a grade “EHP” EPDM gasket for

water services or grade “T” nitrile gasket for air

services.

The Style 177N is an addition to the Victaulic

installation-ready family, which includes the Style

107 rigid couplings. Installation-ready couplings

join standard roll-grooved and cut-grooved steel

pipe.

The new Style 905 HDPE coupling quickly and

reliably joins plain-end high-density polyethylene

(HDPE) pipe. The coupling eliminates the need

for butt fusing, saving time and money. To

assemble a joint, the coupling is pushed onto a

lubricated pipe-end as a fully assembled unit,

connected to a second pipe-end, and tightened

using a standard socket or impact wrench.

Stainless steel retaining rings bite into the outer

pipe-wall around the pipe’s circumference,

offering 360o engagement that resists expansion

and contraction. Metal-to-metal bolt-pad contact

provides visual confirmation of proper assembly.

With no special pipe-end preparation

necessary and half as many installation steps,

Style 905 couplings offer a much faster joining

method than butt fusing. It is an installation-

ready™ coupling, which does not require

disassembly prior to installation. It can be

installed in seconds without fusion equipment or

specialty tools. HDPE pipe joined with Style 905

couplings is ready for immediate use; no cooling

time is necessary.

The coupling creates a union at every joint,

simplifying maintenance such as fitting

replacement, and enabling the pipe to be rotated

to extend service life in abrasive applications.

Upon pipe replacement, the couplings can be

reused, saving money.

The Style 905 coupling is available in 50 to 150

mm sizes and is rated for use with HDPE pipe

with standard dimension ratio (SDR) of 7 to 32.5.

Philip Wood, Export Sales Manager for

Polypipe told IM: “In designing and

implementing effective mine dewatering systems,

mine operators are taking a crucial step in

ensuring the long-term functionality and

profitability of a mining facility. With many mines

producing thousands of gallons of wastewater

per minute, systems capable of coping with

considerable volumes of pressurised water,

which may contain abrasive particles as well as

chemical solutions, are essential in keeping a

mine operating at optimum capacity, as well as

protecting the surrounding environment from

potential contamination. Any dewatering system

will need to take into account not only the

projected usage of water by extraction

procedures at the mine, but also the local climate

and environment. If a site is prone to frequent or

seasonal flash flooding, which could cause a

tailings pond to overflow, additional capacity

needs to be planned in. Proximity to rivers and

other water courses, either above or below

ground, will also require a more sophisticated

system. Extensive field testing, to examine a

site’s hydrogeology and climate and assess the

possible impacts of ineffective dewatering or

accidental overflow, is therefore essential and

should be completed as early into the planning of

a mine as possible in order to gain the relevant

permits. Consideration must also be given to the

welfare needs of mine personnel – water for

drinking, cooking and bathing must often be

pumped in and stored on site, so care must be

taken to ensure this fresh water cannot come into

contact with mine wastewater in the event of

excessive rainfall or equipment failure.”

Both open-pit and sub-surface mining

operations require effective dewatering systems,

which provide more benefits than simply

removing excess water from working areas. When

undertaken efficiently, mine dewatering also

ensures the stability of mine walls by preventing

erosion, reduces wear and corrosion on drilling

equipment and other machinery, and improves

workplace health and safety. Properly controlled

mine dewatering also helps protect the

surrounding water table from contamination,

protecting local ecosystems and maintaining

clean drinking water for surrounding

communities.

While pumps, valves and sensors are the most

high-profile aspects of mine dewatering systems,

the whole infrastructure can collapse if not

properly supported by appropriate pipework. In

fact, systems relying on weak pipework without

the required capacity can cause pumps to

burnout increasing operational and expensive

downtime costs.

In order to cope with water being pumped

from a mine, particularly where it must travel up

an incline or must be removed rapidly, the ability

to cope with pressurised water is a key

requirement for dewatering pipework. As a major

use of water in mines is in the excavation of ores

through erosion and wet drilling, wastewater will

inevitably contain sand, grit, rock fragments and

other abrasive material which is generally not

removed until the treatment phase of mine

dewatering. Pump these slurries from a mine at

high pressure and their abrasive properties are

amplified, adding to the strain placed on

pipework systems. As well as the capacity to

stand up to abrasive particles, pipework must

also be resistant to chemical corrosion or

softening.

Wood comments: “For mine dewatering

systems, polyethylene (PE) is an ideal solution.

Its resistance to chemicals enables it to

withstand even the most aggressive acids as well

as abrasive particles. PE pipes have significant

inherent strength and impact resistance. They

can be installed both above and below ground

and can cope with temperatures in the range of -

40°C to 60°C. The extremely smooth bore of PE

pipes offers reduced friction – meaning less drag

and turbulence when large volumes of water are

transported at high velocity. PE pressure pipes

can be jointed using butt-welding or electro-

fusion techniques to form a continuous

homogenous pipeline which affords no chance of

leakage. Specifying the correct pipework and

subsidiary storage can optimise the effectiveness

of a mine dewatering system, cutting down on

maintenance costs for the pipework itself as well

as pumping machinery. PE in particular is ideally

suited to the demands of mining operations,

offering inherent strength combined with the

reduced weight and flexibility needed for

transport to and installation in remote mining

environments.”

Polypipe offers a number of product solutions

for water management in mining applications

such as dewatering, storage and distribution.

These include PE100 pressure pipes, HDPE twin-

wall gravity systems – Ridgidrain and

RidgistormXL – for infrastructure and site

drainage, along with Polystorm cell units for

water attenuation and re-use.

Sustainability is always an important factor in

the choice of materials used to underpin mining

infrastructure, especially so on a project that is

destined to have a lifespan in excess of 60 years.

For the surface drainage of the rail marshalling

yard at the new Tonkolili iron ore mine in Sierra

Leone, operator African Minerals chose

Polypipe’s Ridgidrain. The company supplied to

the project over 4,000 m of 300 mm Ridgidrain

WATER MANAGEMENT


Victaulic’s Style W256 Expansion Barrel isavailable in 600 to 1,000 mm sizes andaccommodates pressures of up to 2,065 kPaand straight-line movement of up to (1,067 mm.The Style W256 does not accommodate systemdeflection


perforated twinwall pipe.

Specifying HDPE (high-density polyethylene) as a sustainable surface

drainage solution for the marshalling yard, African Minerals selected

Polypipe through a competitive tender process. The company cited a

number of factors that determined its choice of the UK manufacturer,

including excellent and effective communications, and the ability to work

closely with both African Minerals and its shipping agent to ensure that all

of the materials involved were manufactured to a precise specification and

that tight shipping deadlines were met.

Provision of full documentation was also a key factor, as African Minerals

Project Manager Gary Nel explains: “This project is extremely important to

Sierra Leone and as the mine operator; African Minerals is committed to

applying the highest standards to everything that we do. We are working to

internationally recognised performance standards and so we place high

demands on the materials we acquire for the mine infrastructure. The

Polypipe product is backed up by full certification, so meets our

specification in terms of documentation and traceability.”

Polypipe’s Ridgidrain system features a proven structured wall

construction with a reduced virgin plastic content. The structured wall

design gives high ring stiffness and strength and its lower weight, compared

with clay or concrete products, which means reduced transport and

installation costs and improved health and safety benefits for installers.

HDPE provides excellent resistance to abrasion and chemical attack and

withstands ground movement and differential settlement. The longer pipe

lengths available reduce the number of joints required, significantly

reducing the risk of leakage, while its extremely smooth bore resists

blockage and makes the pipework system more easy to maintain. The

product supplied for the Tonkolili project was fully perforated to allow

effective sub-soil drainage. Wood explains: “HDPE is the material of choice

in many mining infrastructure applications.” It is ideally suited to rugged

terrain, extreme climates and changing site environments.

In another Sierra Leone iron ore operation, a twinwall drainage system

from Polypipe has been installed in the first phase of the infrastructure work

at the Marampa mine using 150mm Ridgidrain pipes and associated fittings.

Infrastructure contractor Dawnus Construction was subsequently awarded

an additional package of work to drain and stabilise an existing tailings

dam. The Ridgidrain HDPE product was supplied for management of water

decanting from the tailings, into a pipeline to drain water within the tailing

dam wall to a local water treatment area. The Ridgidrain system offers a

complete solution for non-pressurised surface and sub-surface drainage

applications. It is lightweight and offers exceptional compression strength

with easy push-fit installation.

Flowrox has introduced the Flowrox Scaling Watch, a new product

WATER MANAGEMENT

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designed for the precise measurement of

scale in pipelines and other fluid control

environments. Scaling is a common

problem in the minerals, metallurgy and

waste water industries, where production

rates can be adversely affected by the

hardening of iron, salts and other minerals

in pipes and valves.

This device is a wafer piece of pipeline

engineered for insertion between two

flanges for a precise fit that allows the

detection of scale that can reduce the flow

of fluids through a pipeline. It uses

Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT)

technology, which allows operators to see inside

piping systems without stopping the process or

opening up the pipeline, and enables 3D-imaging

and measurement of non-conductive media

inside process pipelines and tanks.

In addition, it uses a patented algorithm that

creates a 3D image of the process fluid in the

piping and generates trend data as well as show

free volume inside the pipe and the growth rate

of the scale over time.

Among other features, the Flowrox Scaling

Watch can show the scale thickness, scale

profile, growth rates over time, composition, and

free flow volume—all of which allow engineers to

understand areas where pipes are prone to

scaling. It is a predictive device—rather than

reactive—and allows its operators to address

scale issues before they reach critical levels that

can cause downtime or costly damage.

Designed to be manufactured in diverse

metals, the Flowrox Scaling Watch is

manufactured in carbon steel, type 316/316L

stainless steel and titanium to meet the needs of

industries with intense scaling issues that can

result in high costs of maintenance.

While the device is not designed to detect

scale on the entire length of the pipeline, it

precisely measures scale in the exact spot where

it is installed—usually in a section or segment

where the heaviest scaling is known to occur.

Todd Loudin, President and CEO of North

American Operations for Flowrox explained that it

“can model mathematically the scale build-up

and also provide calculations on the free

available pipe remaining.”

The technology behind the Flowrox Scaling

Watch was invented by Rocsole, of which Flowrox

purchased a portion and assumed the

responsibility for global sales, marketing and

manufacturing of the device.

Containing and conserving GSE Environmental, a leading manufacturer of

containment and drainage solutions, has signed

a global distribution agreement with TENAX, a

leading producer of reinforcement and

stabilisation products. Under this agreement,

GSE has the exclusive right to distribute, on a

global scale, TENAX geogrids used in mining and

environmental applications.

Geogrids are geosynthetic products used for

soil reinforcement and stabilisation in a variety of

applications where the native soils are too weak

to support expected loads or heavy traffic.

“GSE is excited to further our relationship with

TENAX. With this agreement, GSE offers the

broadest range of geosynthetic products and

services, and we can now provide complete

containment, drainage, and reinforcement

solutions to our global customers, wherever they

are located,” said Giovanni Capra, Vice President

Business Development, GSE Environmental.

“TENAX is thrilled to partner with GSE to bring

our highly-engineered reinforcement solutions to

a global environmental and mining customer

base. GSE shares the same commitment to

quality, innovation, and customer service that has

been a cornerstone of the TENAX culture since

our founding in 1959,” said Claudio Fenzo,

Division Director, TENAX.

GSE is a global manufacturer and marketer of

geosynthetic lining solutions, products and

services used in the containment and

management of solids and liquids in mining.

Greg Butlin, Ashland Water Technologies,

notes that dust causes many issues including

worker safety concerns, spontaneous

combustion, equipment wear and ore loss, all of

which impact a mine’s productivity. “Dust control

programs mitigate these issues protecting mine

employees and equipment as well as preventing

loss of product as it is handled. Spraying water

on roads, crushers, stockpiles and conveyor drop

points is the most common method for

controlling dust because it is easy to do and

appears economically attractive. Unfortunately,

in many areas, water is a scarce resource and the

effect of the water lasts only until it evaporates.

If the operation is not designed and well

maintained, excessive volumes of water can be

unnecessarily used without a positive effect on

dust control due to evaporation or runoff. Excess

spray water can also cause slipping

hazards, foul conveyor belts, and add

unnecessary moisture to the product being

shipped to the mine’s customers.

“A Canadian mine used spray water

equivalent to 5% moisture addition to the

ore to control dust. This created muddy

ore that was difficult to handle and

created a dangerous situation when it

prevented the doors on the skip used to

transport ore to the surface from closing

properly. The addition of 0.1% of Ashland’s

Zalta DS21-120 surfactant to the spray

water allowed the moisture addition to be

reduced to 0.75% resulting in an 84% reduction

in dust levels, elimination of skip door problems

and a 50% reduction in the lead levels in the

miners’ blood (caused by inhalation of lead

bearing ore dust). The net reduction in water

consumption was 594 million gallons per year.”

PurificationWesTech Engineering’s Iowa office has achieved

ISO 9001:2008 certification. The facility oversees

the General Filter and Microfloc product lines.

This certification is a process that documents and

verifies that a facility consistently operates at a

worldclass quality level.

WesTech placed priority on gaining ISO

9001:2008 certification for its Iowa operation

upon acquiring the General Filter and Microfloc

product lines from Siemens in September, 2012.

WesTech engineers and manufactures process

equipment and working solutions for wastewater

treatment as well as minerals processing.

Westech says “the engineers at Microfloc and

General Filter were the pioneers of some of

today’s most standard and trusted water

treatment processes, including the mixed media

filter bed, commercially viable tube settlers, the

upflow Adsorption Clarifier system, and the

process of introducing oxygen into a process

stream without breaking system pressure.

General Filter and Microfloc still own the

reputation for the most effective and valuable

packaged treatment plants on the market.”

Late last year, the Veolia Water Solutions &

Technologies Brine Concentrator System at

Energy Resources of Australia’s Ranger uranium

mine in the Northern Territory of Australia began

operations as part of ERA’s long-term water

management strategy. The system treats mine

process water to produce 1,830 megalitres of

clean water annually (1.3 Mgal/d). The project

will play an integral part in the progressive

rehabilitation activities at the mine. The system,

based on HPD evaporation technology from

Veolia, was delivered nearly three months earlier

than scheduled through close collaboration

between Veolia and ERA. An early delivery was

important as ERA’s detailed water inventory

WATER MANAGEMENT


Ashland’s Zalta DS21-120 surfactant can greatlyreduce water use in dust suppression


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WATER MANAGEMENT


modelling indicated a need for the capacity to

treat large volumes of water. Despite the

accelerated schedule, there were no safety

incidents in the more than 700,000 man hours

logged during equipment fabrication,

construction, and system commissioning.

“The Brine Concentrator is a critical

component of ERA’s future as the successful

treatment of process water is key to

rehabilitating the site and ensuring our water

balances are in full control,” remarked ERA Chief

Executive Rob Atkinson. “Without the Brine

Concentrator I don’t believe ERA has a future.”

Veolia’s industrial operating group in Australia

lent its assistance in the early design stages of

the facility and was subsequently awarded an

interim operations and maintenance contract by

ERA for the system. Early involvement of Veolia

Australia’s operations team allowed an operator’s

perspective to be incorporated into the design.

The Veolia operations team also provided for a

smooth transition from system checkout and

commissioning to full operation while allowing

ERA to focus their staff in other areas of the mine.

ERA Ranger, located 8 km east

of Jabiru and 260 km east of

Darwin is one of the world’s

largest uranium producers and

Australia’s longest continually

operating uranium mine. Uranium

has been mined at Ranger for

three decades and it is one of

only three mines in the world to

produce in excess of 110,000 t of

uranium oxide.

Earlier in 2013, across the

world, Veolia Water successfully

commissioned and begun

operational management of the

Northern West Virginia Water

Treatment Facility near

Mannington, West Virginia. The

Zero Liquid Waste (ZLW) facility

designed and built by

Veolia treats 3,500 gal/min

of mine drainage water. By

employing a ZLW process,

water of low quality is

extracted and treated, and

clean water is returned to

the ecosystem, improving

the water balance and

condition of the

Monongahela River

watershed. Veolia is

providing operational

management of the facility

for 10 years, guaranteeing

the owners continual performance and

optimisation of the system. The ZLW treatment

concept removes contaminants in the mine water

and reduces them to solid salts. The process also

uses a number of sustainable practices and

technology applications, reducing the carbon and

energy footprint of the treatment process.

This environmentally sustainable design and

construction approach was developed to help the

customer (then CONSOL Energy) meet discharge

standards for chlorides in West Virginia's

waterways. The facility treats water from the

Blacksville #2, Loveridge and Robinson Run

mining operations, which were recently acquired

from CONSOL Energy by Murray Energy in

December 2013. “In partnering with Veolia on

this firstof- its-kind in scale and scope project, we

were able to bring the water treatment plant

online on time, under budget, and in full

compliance with our permits," commented

Katharine Fredriksen, Senior Vice President

Environmental Strategy and Regulatory Affairs,

CONSOL Energy. "This demonstrates the success

of partnering with a company that shares our

commitment to our core values of safety,

compliance, and continuous improvement.”

To quantify the benefits of the water treatment

facility to the Monongahela River, Veolia

conducted a Water Impact Index (WIIX)

evaluation. Developed by Veolia, the WIIX 2

measures not only water volume, but the level of

stress upon local water resources, overall water

quality and indirect water impacts from

chemicals and electricity. Measuring all these

factors, the WIIX calculates the annual water

impact of the new treatment facility will be 1.3

billion gallons of high-quality water returned to

the Monongahela River basin, validating a

positive environmental impact by the water

treatment facility. “Veolia is continually working

to develop sustainable solutions to meet the

needs of our industrial customers while

benefitting the environment,” said Kirk Schwab,

General Manager of Veolia Water Solutions &

Technologies’ Pittsburgh office that designed and

built the facility. “We are pleased to deliver this

state-of-the-art project….and believe that it will

be the benchmark for mine water treatment in

the Appalachian region for years to come.”

Steve Hopper, Executive Vice President and

Chief Operating Officer for Veolia Environment

North America's Industrial business, said, "The

partnership goes beyond meeting new regulatory

requirements. It combines technical know-how

with operational expertise to implement a

solution which positively impacts the environment

while meeting the customer’s production needs

through guaranteed performance."

Pentair Advanced Filtration is involved in all

aspects of water treatment at mining operations

from mine camp potable water treatment and

waste water treatment; supply of process water

for mines in dry, arid regions; treatment of Acid

Mine Drainage (AMD) and treatment of tailings

water and recovery of precious metal s from

waste streams.

Aveng Water has patented the High

Precipitation Reverse Osmosis (HiPRO)

technology which treats AMD to potable water

quality or better. The

technology has been

successfully using the

Pentair X-Flow AquaFlex

membranes since the

commissioning of the first

plant in 2008. The HiPRO

systems use three stages of

UF–RO to achieve recoveries

greater than 98%.

The technology has been

further commercialised with

references at Anglo American

Coal and BHP Billiton

amongst others.

X-Flow’s Seaguard

membranes are in operation

at the Areva SWRO plant at

Swakopmund. The plant

Veolia’s brine concentrator system is a long-term solution to ERA's process watermanagement


Rapid Development 201428-30 September | Qubus Hotel, Krakow, Poland

Following on from the highly successfulinaugural Rapid Development conferencein August 2013 in Sydney, Australia – forour second global event we are bringingthe conference to Poland. Thisemphasises Poland’s double importancein deep underground mining – from bothits sizeable coal industry through groupssuch as KWSA, Bogdanka and others; butalso its underground metallic operationsunder KGHM. Some of the largest andmost advanced roadheaders in the worldare used at these operations, and withmost of the mines being accessed viashaft, the country is also a world leader inshaft sinking technology. Given the natureof its own deep mining industry, Polandhas been a key development ground forrapid development machines andtechniques, both horizontal and vertical.

This meeting is global in scope and asever, the program and audience willinclude a mix of real case studies,technology providers, mining groups,underground contractors, componentsuppliers, academics/mining engineers,consultants and others. Offers ofpresentations are welcome from all partsof the world. Those covering real projectsand studies are particularly welcome.From faster drill and blast advance, to newmechanised approaches to development,shaft sinking, the use of TBMs in mining,through to new ground support andshotcreting methods to allow for fasteradvance, this conference will once again cover it all.

Opportunities are open for both speaker slots and for sponsorship of the conference. Interested parties are advised to contact the Rapid Development 2014 Conference Director Paul Mooreas soon as possible at [email protected].

Please also check for regular conference updates and details on how to register at

http://corporate.im-mining.com/imevents/

RD Conf ad 2014_HR 22/01/2014 17:28 Page 1

http://corporate.im-mining.com/events/

supplies process water for the Areva uranium mines that are further inland.

UF membranes were selected due to the lower OPEX and superior product

quality compared to conventional treatment technologies.

This application is also common in Chile, where certain mines, like those

in the Atacama Desert, are severely short of process water for milling,

crushing or flotation. Two X-Flow references are the Sierra Gorda and

Candeleria plants. These mines desalinate sea water at the coast and then

pump it to the mines which are 300 km away and lie at over 3,000m above

sea level.

In the treatment of tailings water to achieve a responsible standard

before discharge, X-Flow Tubular UF membranes are applied to meet

discharge standards and create the possibility for re-use.

CDE Global has set up an official alliance with the world’s largest

manufacturer of organic coagulants and synthetic flocculants, SNF (UK) Ltd.

It says this partnership “will ultimately allow CDE to continue to provide

customers with an unrivalled level of aftersales service for those who deal

with solids liquid separation, foam control and waste water treatment

processes. CDE and SNF will work closely together during commissioning

phase to ensure that the end user has a suitable and efficient water

treatment solution on site which provides the best results possible in terms

of the re-use of water following chemical treatment.”

CDE Custom Care Manager Martin Jackson comments, “For us, the

customer experience is key; working together with SNF enhances this

overall experience for our customers as a complete solution is now

available. Our customers effectively now have a single point of contact with

the comfort of knowing that CDE have taken full ownership of this

responsibility. We use the latest innovative technology in terms of water

treatment solutions, where we continuously look to provide our customers

with world beating products. Working with a leading manufacturer of

polymer is the perfect way to deliver our promise.”

By working with SNF, CDE has access to expert SNF chemists which will

enable a support network to be established when dealing with issues

associated to anti-foam, sludge, dosage levels etc. The partnership will

ensure that numerous samples are taken before commissioning starts, to

ensure the right polymer can be recommended, with findings produced in a

documented lab report. This proactive approach has proven to ensure there

is no time lost during the commission phase, enabling CDE customers to

turn the key on their plant at the earliest opportunity.

Following commissioning of the water treatment plant, SNF will then take

additional samples to ensure that the chosen polymer is performing as it

should, ensuring continuous performance monitoring to enable process

optimisation at all times.

Rob Long, Industrial Business Manager at SNF comments, “We have an

unrivalled understanding of customers' requirements and through our

extensive product research and development facilities, we have a

continuous commitment to delivering the highest level of customer service

and quality product support within the world of solid liquid separation

technology. CDE are market leaders in water treatment technology so in

this respect, we are pleased to be associated with them and we look

forward to helping them in delivering many successful projects in the

future”.

Mining companies may need to integrate multiple sites, often in very

remote locations, into one standardised information system providing

management with access to real-time data from across the enterprise. To

stay competitive in a regulatory environment, companies must empower

operators with real time data to optimise mining and metallurgical

extraction and production processes, and to streamline and document

regulatory compliance efforts.

Companies worldwide use the OSIsoft® PI System® to provide the real-

time data infrastructure and collaboration tools needed to meet key

challenges. They are leveraging the capabilities of the PI System to

WATER MANAGEMENT


http://www.imvc2014.org

WATER MANAGEMENT


drastically reduce water and energy consumption

while processing all types of ore. The system can

be used for tasks including:

■ Increasing energy efficiency

■ Managing water consumption

■ Maximising asset performance

■ Mitigating risk and achieving regulatory

compliance.

It assists the maximising of asset performance

through real-time monitoring. Improve grade

recovery management and future forecasting with

accurate information on actual production

process costs, including energy and water

consumption, yields, and efficiency.

Reduce waste and associated costs by having

real-time updates on production status and

required inventory levels. Prolong asset life and

minimise long-term capital investments using

condition-based maintenance programs that

send scheduled-repair notifications before

breakdowns occur.

Reduce unaccounted-for metal losses with the

ability to analyse historical data and identify the

problem sources.

Effectively meet regulatory requirements and

achieve certification, quality assurance, and Six

Sigma goals with complete and accurate

reporting.

OSIsoft says the PI System ensures that

“mines, smelters, and refineries can run

efficiently and safely with real-time monitoring

that enables people to identify and prevent

problems before they occur.”

NanoStruck Technologies says it “has a

powerful suite of proprietary nano-biotechnology

solutions that can transform even the most

contaminated waters into pure, safe, and drinkable

water for a fraction of expected costs. Nanostruck's

proprietary line of technologies is also designed

to fight global water shortage problems. These

technologies remove molecular sized particles

using patented absorptive organic polymers.”

It explains that organic polymers “are nature’s

very own sponges. These versatile biomaterials

are derived from crustacean shells or plant fibres,

depending on requirements of their usage. Acting

as molecular sponges, the nanometer-sized

polymers are custom programmed to absorb

specific particles for remediation or retrieval

purposes. These could be to clean out acids,

hydrocarbons, pathogens, oils and toxins in

water via its NanoPure solutions. Or to recover

precious metal particles in mine tailings.”

After five years of intensive research and

testing, NanoStruck Technologies has developed

its low-cost and environmentally friendly

NanoPure technology.

NanoPure brings the most contaminated water

into environmental discharge/ drinking water

standards. A NanoPure unit is built in a 12 m

container for handling and shipment. It contains

a primary precipitations and pH adjustment

section (depending on the source of influent

these steps are optional). There is a NanoStruck

micro Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) with high

frequency ultrasonic waves. The micro bubbles

introduced at the DAF are further accelerated by

the ultrasound waves down to the micronic and

nano levels, exponentially breaking down organic

particles.

A NanoStruck electro-coagulation unit further

breaks down fats, oil, grease and bio-film that

produces algae. It also allows inorganics to float

or to coagulate for easy removal by skimming.

NanoStruck multi-media nano-filtration further

clarifies the processed water removing impurities

and contaminants. Nano co-polymer removes last

stage odour, remaining chemicals and improves

clarity. The last stage of treatment goes through

the bed of NanoStruck Nano-filtration where

most unchanged particles and chemicals are

adsorbed.

Additionally, with NanoMet, the technology

can be used to recover precious and base metals

from mine tailings. Currently, NanoStruck

Technologies is designing and building systems

to recover precious metals. It first performs a

detailed analysis of both solid and liquid samples

to determine the most efficient design using its

proprietary technology and then builds to suit

the application for clients.

Ecosphere Technologies, a water engineering,

technology licensing and manufacturing

company, has completed its first Ozonix® Ore

Recovery Equipment (ORE) system for Ecosphere

Mining, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the

company, and a new Mobile Operations Vehicle

(MOV) that is designed to remain on location for

extended periods of time when Ecosphere is

demonstrating its Ozonix® ORE system.

The patented Ecosphere Ozonix process is a

revolutionary advanced oxidation process that is

currently being used by customers in the oil and

gas industry to reduce costs, increase treatment

efficiencies and eliminate harmful chemicals from

wastewater treatment operations around the US.

The non-chemical Ozonix water treatment

technology was proven in the oil and natural gas

industry and is poised to have the same positive

impact on the mining industry, the company says.

“Ecosphere Mining plans to deploy Ozonix not

only to increase ore recovery rates for mine

operators, but also to handle the toughest water

remediation problems facing the hard rock

mining industry such as acid mine drainage,

tailing pond wastewater treatment and leachate

treatment and recovery.”

Good AMDMuch of the naturally occurring radioactivity in

fracking wastewater might be removed by

blending it with another wastewater from acid

mine drainage (AMD), according to a Duke

University-led study (North Carolina, USA).

“Fracking wastewater and acid mine drainage

each pose well-documented environmental and

public health risks. But in laboratory tests, we

found that by blending them in the right

proportions we can bind some of the fracking

contaminants into solids that can be removed

before the water is discharged back into streams

and rivers,” said Avner Vengosh, Professor of

Geochemistry and Water Quality at Duke’s

Nicholas School of the Environment.

He believes this could be an effective way to

treat shale hydraulic fracturing wastewater, while

providing a beneficial use for AMD “that currently

is contaminating waterways in much of the

northeastern US.”

Blending fracking wastewater with AMD also

could help reduce the depletion of local

freshwater resources by giving drillers a source

of usable recycled water for the hydraulic

fracturing process, he added.

The peer-reviewed study was published in late

December 2013 in the journal Environmental

Science & Technology. Radium and Barium

Removal through Blending Hydraulic Fracturing

Fluids with Acid Mine Drainage, Andrew J. Kondash,

Nathaniel R. Warner, Ori Lahav, Avner Vengosh.

Environmental Science & Technology, Dec. 24,

2013, http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ es403852h

Vengosh and his team blended different

mixtures of Marcellus Shale fracking wastewater

and AMD, all of which were collected from sites

in western Pennsylvania and provided to the

scientists by the industry. After 48 hours, the

scientists examined the chemical and

radiological contents of 26 different mixtures.

Geochemical modelling was used to simulate the

chemical and physical reactions that had

occurred after the blending; the results of the

modelling were then verified using x-ray

diffraction and by measuring the radioactivity of

the newly formed solids.

“Our analysis suggested that several ions,

including sulphate, iron, barium and strontium,

as well as between 60 and 100% of the radium,

had precipitated within the first 10 hours into

newly formed solids composed mainly of

strontium barite,” Vengosh said. These

radioactive solids could be removed from the

mixtures and safely disposed of at licensed

hazardous-waste facilities, he said. The overall

salinity of the blended fluids was also reduced,

making the treated water suitable for re-use at

fracking sites.

“The next step is to test this in the field. While

our laboratory tests show that is it technically

possible to generate recycled, treated water

suitable for hydraulic fracturing, field-scale tests

are still necessary to confirm its feasibility under

operational conditions,” he added. IM


Venetia is today an open pit mine and

South Africa's largest producer of

diamonds, contributing 40% of the

country's annual production. The mine is in

Limpopo Province in the northeast corner of the

country just south of the Limpopo River, the

border with Zimbabwe. This is one of South

Africa's more economically deprived areas, and

De Beers is actively involved with Limpopo

Economic Development, Environment and

Tourism (LEDET) initiatives together with the

local municipalities in a number of job creation

projects. Venetia is located adjacent to the De

Beers created 32,500 ha Venetia Limpopo Nature

Reserve, and the company is also involved in a

variety of ecological conservation activities in

and around the area. As part of the sustainable

mining and rehabilitation plans, the company

relocates trees and animals within the mine

boundaries to assist with its goal to re-establish

conservation areas on what were previously

commercially farmed properties. When the mine

was built in the early 1990s, indigenous trees

were transplanted including the massive baobab

now flourishing in the Kirstenbosch Botanical

Gardens almost 2,000 km from the Venetia mine.

The mine’s two labour sending areas are

Musina and Blouberg from which employees are.

bussed daily. There is also a successful drive to

increase the amount of local businesses involved

in contracting and maintenance at Venetia,

through working with the local governments in

these towns. In addition, the De Beers Zimele

Venetia business hub has been created. This is a

De Beers small enterprises development fund,

with the name derived from “Zimele” the Nguni

word for “be independent” or “stand on your

own feet.” The concept of Zimele is used by De

Beers (and parent company Anglo American) to

achieve two concurrent objectives: to instill a

spirit of economic self-reliance among the

unemployed in mining communities and to

articulate a vision of sustainable post-diamond

mining livelihoods. The project established a

small business hub in the area around Venetia

and entrepreneurs are supported by De Beers’

technically competent staff underpinned by a

simplified funding application process. From

2011 to 2012 De Beers Zimele’ s Venetia Business

Hub provided ZAR3.4 million in funding to 17

small businesses. As a result, a total of 207 jobs

were created and/or sustained. Funding was

provided to entrepreneurs, ranging from loans of

ZAR1,000 to ZAR1 million, at a 6% per annum

interest rate. The Venetia Hub has supported

different types of local enterprises, from

Mushosa Trading CC, a transport business, to

Capricorn Poultry Power, a retail business which

specialises in chicken.


Going deeperunderground

The future of the Venetia mine inSouth Africa’s Limpopo province, will be secured into the 2040s andmaybe beyond with its newunderground mine, that will stabiliseproduction for the long term, reportsPaul Moore, who visited theoperation in late 2013

OPERATION FOCUS

1903 Diamond bearing alluvial gravels are discovered near the Limpopo River, 35 km northeast of

the mine on Seta Farm

1969 De Beers begin exploration to locate the source of the alluvials with a soil sampling program

1974 Small kimberlites discovered near Beitbridge over the Zimbabwe border

1980 Kimberlite pipes are discovered

1988 Feasibility study commissioned

1989 Feasibility completed and board approval for the ZAR1.1 billion project

1990 Mine construction begins

1992 Venetia opens on August 14 after 30 month construction period

2012 ZAR20 billion underground project approved. The Environmental Authorisation (EA) was

issued in July, while the EMP was approved in October

De Beers Venetia Timeline

Construction of the underground decline portal,November 2013s

OPERATION FOCUS- VENETIA_proof 25/02/2014 14:35 Page 1

The Venetia mine also has a good record in partnership with the

Department of Education in Limpopo, as it helped construct the

infrastructure to 11 schools in the Musina and Blouberg areas, including

classrooms, ablution facilities, administration blocks and water provision.

Through the Rural Schools Programme, De Beers Venetia, again in

partnership with the Department of Education, built boarding facilities for

children with special needs at Ratanang Special School in Senwabarwana,

Limpopo. This boarding school houses more than 300 children and has

matron’s quarters, dormitories and a security guard house.

In another initiative, the mine introduced a teacher subsidy program to

three local schools in the Musina area providing funding for additional

Mathematics and Science educators. It also focuses on providing

scholarships to needy, yet academically deserving, learners who struggle to

pay their school fees. Finally, the teacher subsidy program provides schools

with grants to help them improve the quality of education in their

classrooms.

The deposit and settingThe Venetia deposit consists of a cluster of 14 kimberlite pipes. Currently the

mine is exploiting two of the largest, K001 and K002 in a single, split shell

open pit operation. Pre-stripping and construction commenced in 1990,

phasing the mine into initial production in 1992 and full production in 1993.

The Venetia kimberlite pipes vary in size from <1 ha to 12.5 ha. The two

largest kimberlites, K001 and K002 being 12.5 ha and 5 ha respectively, form

the basis of the mine plan, with the remainder of the satellite kimberlites

being mined as the open pit expands. The kimberlites are contained within

the centre of a synformal structure. Gneiss, biotite schist and amphibolites

mainly comprise the complex jointed host rock, which is further complicated

by unfavourably orientated metamorphic layering in the southern region,

which can cause planar failures. Deformation of the country rock is

extremely complex and typical of the Limpopo metamorphic terrane in

which it is situated.

The intact rock strength of the country rock types varies from 100 MPa to

in excess of 300 MPa. Open pit design and planning at Venetia mine has, in

the past, been based on a conventional concentric mining method. The

concentric mining principle mines a waste cut or pushback 360° around the

ore body. Each mining cut becomes progressively larger as the pit gets

deeper. In order to maintain ore feed to the plant, waste stripping increases

significantly year on year as the pit depth increases. Cost profiles mirror

waste stripping profiles therefore in pursuit of better returns, mine design

criteria and philosophies were investigated.

As at several other De Beers operations, split shell mining was chosen,

which departs from the conventional concentric method of waste stripping.

The concept is based on the principle of splitting a pit shell along an axis,

creating two separate push-backs and joining the opposite halves of each

design. The direct benefit of the split shell design is that it allows for waste

stripping to be deferred from the early part of the waste cut life, without

putting exposed ore at risk for mining. The split shell presents opportunities

to target higher graded areas while deferring waste which in turn defers cost

and can bring revenue forward.

Once the particular cut has commenced, the mine is to some extent

committed to the mining of that entire cut, as capital expenditure and

infrastructure will be required to maintain production for the duration of that

particular cut. Whittle 4D optimisation was run on Venetia to determine the

final economic pit shell. Analysis was further conducted on the optimum

shell to establish optimal push back limits or waste cuts. In total, four waste

cuts were established, and concentric practical pits were designed from

these Whittle shells using the Gemcom mine planning software.

Surface mining operationsCurrent kimberlite mine production in ore terms is about 6 Mt/y treated at a

OPERATION FOCUS


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rate ranging from 650 t/h to 900 t/h; producing

over 3 Mct/y. About 15% of Venetia’s production

is kimberlite ore, with about 85% waste.

Budgeted waste production is about 40 Mt/y.

This waste figure will increase during the

remainder of Cut 4 but will then drop

significantly during underground operations,

though diamond production will remain stable.

The entire area affected by mining works at

Venetia covers 2,200 ha but the mine has control

of about 32,100 ha, so about 93% of the site is

still conservation area.

The K01 and K02 pipes are mined next to each

other, forming basically one pit, with the K03 pit

a separate and standalone pit. The main pit

circumference is 6.5 km. The strata itself dips

south to north, and this dip is steep in places

that can cause slope failures. As a result in

places, a shallower wall angle is maintained on

the southern side of the mine.

In the pit during the IM visit, mining was

ending on Cut 3, which wound down by the end

of December 2013. Work has now commenced on

Cut 4 North and South, which will have slope

angles of 45° requiring careful blasting and

trimming. A major operational difference

between Cut 3 is that it had a single pass haul

road whereas the main Cut 4 haul road allows

double pass traffic, applicable to the largest haul

trucks on-site.

Cut 4 North will expose new K01 ore by Q2

2015 which will be depleted by Q1 2018; with Cut

4 South then exposing its K01 ore by Q2 2018

and being depleted till the end of the open pit

life in 2021. The Cut 4 North and South pit re-

design work implementing the steeper slope

angles is underway. The project involves a

pivoting bottom approach on the Cut 4N design

thereby benefiting with reduced total waste but

with ore tonnages remaining more or less the

same. On the South design, the approach is a

pivot top in order to expand the pit and benefit

from more ore exposure on the open pit with the

associated increase in waste. The Pivot bottom

on the North design results in 12 Mt less waste

that will need to be mined, a saving of ZAR468

million; while exposing 0.3 Mt more K01 ore.

Pivot top on the South design will resulted in an

additional 5.7 Mt of K01 accessed, with

additional waste stripping of 53.5 Mt of waste.

The additional waste will involve an extra cost of

ZAR2.36 billion, while the extra ore accessed

has a value of some ZAR9.8 billion. The adopted

steeper slopes in these designs will require

greater accuracy in pre-split drilling in terms of

OPERATION FOCUS

A representation of the Venetia kimberlite cluster

International Mining Editor Paul Moore and Publisher John Chadwick go the extra mileto report on real mines and mining projects globally, in addition to the major tradeshowsand exhibitions. So far from 2011 to early 2014, visits have included the following:

COUNTRY OPERATIONS REPORTED ON

AUSTRALIA FMG Christmas Creek (iron ore)

Xstrata Coal Mt Owen (coal)

BOTSWANA Gem Diamonds Ghagoo

Debswana Jwaneng (diamonds)

BRAZIL Samarco (iron ore)

Anglo American Barro Alto (nickel)

BULGARIA Chelopech (gold)

CANADA IAMGOLD Westwood (gold)

Cameco McArthur River (uranium)

Vale Orebody 114 (nickel)

CHILE Anglo American Los Bronces (copper)

Codelco Radomiro Tomic (copper)

CHINA SD-Mining Sanshandao (gold)

SD-Mining Xincheng (gold)

Xinjulong Jonggu (coal)

CZECH REPUBLIC OKD CSA (coal)

FINLAND Northland Resources Kaunisvaara (iron ore)

Dragon Mining Orivesi (gold)

Endomines Pampalo (gold)

Altona Kylylahti (copper-gold-zinc)

Agnico Eagle Kittila (gold)

First Quantum Kevitsa (nickel-copper-PGM)

COUNTRY OPERATIONS REPORTED ON

GERMANY GEOMIN Erzgebirgische Kalkwerke (marble)

RWE Garzweiler (lignite)

IRELAND Boliden Tara (zinc)

MOROCCO Maya Zgounder (gold-silver)

NAMIBIA Diamond Coast

NORWAY Store Norske Svea Nord (coal)

POLAND NWR Debiensko (coal)

PG Silesia (coal)

JSW Zofiowka (coal)

LW Bogdanka (coal)

KWSA Bobrek-Centrum (coal)

RUSSIA KRU Taldinski (coal)

SOUTH AFRICA Frontier Zandkopsdrift (rare earths)

De Beers Venetia (diamonds)

SWEDEN LKAB Malmberget (iron ore)

SPAIN Iberpotash Cabanasas (potash)

UK Galantas (gold)

USA Duluth Complex (copper and nickel)

Stillwater Mining (platinum/palladium)

Peabody Energy NARM (coal)

Peabody Energy Rawhide (coal)

ZAMBIA ARM/Vale Lubambe (copper)


achieving design vertical holes orientation as

well as design spacing in order to sustain these

new slopes. This pre-split drilling and trimming

work is contracted to Basil Read drilling

subsidiary B&E and uses crawler top hammer

drills. The pre-splits and trim drilling is done

using 127 mm and 165 mm blasthole diameters

respectively.

Barloworld supplied and maintains the surface

hauling fleet utilising either Cat or VR Steel truck

bodies. The mine operates six 600 t excavators,

which are a mix of older Terex/Bucyrus RH340

branded models plus post acquisition Cat-

branded 6060 machines; with each of the six

excavators having a Caterprillar D10 crawler

dozer assigned to it for clean-up duties. Some of

the excavators are equipped with 34m3 VR Steel

buckets as the kimberlite has relatively low

density. The excavators are matched with the

following trucks: 13 x Cat 789 (180 t) and 26 x

Cat 793 (225 t). The main blasthole drilling fleet

consists of seven Joy Global P&H 250XPs. The

trucks and excavators are maintained and serviced

by Barloworld and the drills by Joy Global. The

mine also has two Cat 994 wheel loaders. There

are also additionally three Engineering Top Tech

85,000 litre water tankers for dust control,

designed around Cat 775 chassis. Dust-A-Side

bitumen-based emulsion products are used to

help with this work. The Basil Read mining

contract fleet includes smaller Komatsu and Cat

(777) rigid trucks and Volvo ADTs. These are used

for overspill clean ups, stockpiling handling for

plant feed, in addition to K03 pit mining. The

Volvo machines are supplied by Babcock South

Africa, the dealer in that region. The Basil Read

fleet also includes a backhoe configuration

Liebherr 9350 hydraulic excavator, their largest

on-site. Personnel in the mine use a fleet of

Toyota Hiluxes with ROPS protection.

AEL have the surface explosives supply and

blasting contract, carrying out charging and

detonation, though De Beers itself designs the

blast themselves and works with the AEL team

on implementation. AEL has ANFO emulsion

storage silos on site.

The Cat 793 bodies include larger capacity VR

Steel truck bodies, which were commissioned due

the lower density kimberlite requiring a more

customised approach. The VR Steel truck body

capacity is 150 m3 versus 137 m3 allowing truck

fill factors of up to 225 t, because the VR steel

bowls have a lower weight. The fuel savings on

the return cycle are in the 6% range or 50 litres/h.

A fully laden truck uses some 360 litres/h. Tyre

costs remain high at around ZAR300,000 per new

tyre, or ZAR1.5 million per truck (taking into account

the fact that new tyres are migrated to rear positions).

The typical tyre life is about 8,000 h, with tyre pressure

monitoring a critical part of the tyre management

program as well as matching sets correctly. The

mine uses 100% Michelin tyres and does its own

tyre management and tyre monitoring.

The surface mine operates on contops

running 2 x 12 hour shifts per day, 24/7,

though this may be changed to three eight hour

shifts once the underground project starts up. Up

to 1,800 workers are bussed in daily, some of

whom live up to 1.5 hours away. Annual rainfall is

about 350 to 400 mm but in January 2013 the

mine had 445 mm in only a week, which was well

over the designed for 200 year flood event. This

meant over 1 million m3 had to be pumped out

from pit bottom where most of the planned high

grade kimberlite for 2013 was scheduled to come

from. Waste stripping on upper Cut 4N benches

was heavily impacted resulting in having to stop

waste stripping operation on higher benches

until the water was pumped out from pit bottom

then all the remaining kimberlite at pit bottom.

As a result of the scale of floods experienced in

2013, the underground mine design was

adjusted to allow for more powerful pumping

stations, with pumping capacity upped by 200%.

The mine has a 204 ha area with all waste

dumps on the northern and eastern sides of the

mine. Waste at Venetia is dumped on 9 m to 18 m

lifts. Concurrent rehabilitation has been

incorporated in the LOM plans to significantly

reduce the environmental liability during the life

of the operation. As part of the final

rehabilitation process on the slopes gypsum is

also being mixed with top soil to encourage

plant growth. The final slopes are rehabilitated

and planted. In 2013 to the time of the November

2013 visit, some 32 ha had been replanted. Once

rehabilitated, these areas become part of the

wider Limpopo reserve.

Underground projectThe ZAR20 billion project will enable

underground sourced production to replace the

open pit in the next seven years. Open pit

operations will run to 2021 and the conversion to

underground mining is expected to extend the

life of the mine by 25 years to 2046. The

development will see some 1.7 million m3 of rock


OPERATION FOCUS

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Diagram of Venetia underground design


http://www.librarymine.com


produced with the opening up 73 km of shafts,

tunnels, workshops and ventilation systems

underneath the existing Venetia open pit mine.

In 2016, the lateral development work begins,

with the underground project workforce peaking

at 1,400 people in 2017. A transition period

between surface and underground will be seen

between 2018 and 2021. The work on the

underground project is on three main terraces in

the same part of the mine.

In 2013, the actual construction of the new

underground mine beneath the open pit began.

The UG mine shafts are located near the primary

crusher in the south/southwest part of the mine.

As stated, K001 is the current focus of

production, with the pit in that area at 330 m

currently which will continue to a 450 m depth

by 2021 before accessing both K001 and K002

pipes at depth via a decline. K001 also extends

well beyond the planned underground workings.

Indicated reserve figures have been increased

significantly through exploration drilling. These

underground reserves will be converted to

measured category once underground mining is

underway and more extensive core drilling can

be carried out. The K002 pipe is currently at a

250 m depth but will go to 350 m before going

underground. K3 will be mined out on surface.

The processing plant will not alter much with

the UG project as the nature of the ore at depth

is similar, though the aim is to keep supplying

fine residue deposits (FRD) to the plant right up

until LOM end.

As stated, the K001 pipe is the main focus of

underground workings, having indicated resources

down to 756 m and inferred to 1,044 m. The K002

pipe underground is indicated to 588 m and

inferred to 864 m. In addition, the K4 satellite

pipe will be intersected during waste stripping,

allowing it to be milled as well and fed to the

processing plant with optimal material. K3 is

inferred to a depth of 420 m. The underground

mine loading level will be at 960 m with the pump

station at 990 m and a truck loop at 900 m.

Access will be via two shafts (one service, one

production), with an additional access decline to

the bottom of the shafts at 1,044 m. A combination

of block caving and sub level caving will be used

with a crusher on the 960 m level. This use of two

mining methods reflects the shape of the ore body

and the accessing of both the K001 and K002 pipes.

Over 70 km of lateral development will be

needed. The main mine commissioning period

will be 2021 to 2024 and total recovered carats

will stabilise at some 4.5 Mct/y. Over its life, the

underground mine will treat approximately 130

Mt of ore, containing an estimated 96 Mct. The

mine will also support over 8,000 jobs directly,

and a further 5,000 through the supply chain –

benefitting the South African economy. Inferred

resources constitute 28% or 26.3 Mct of the

estimated carats.

The underground project concept study was

completed between 2003 and 2005, the PFS

between July 2009 and July 2010, and the final

definitive feasibility study between February

2011 and February 2012. The decline sinking part

of the project began in 2013 and will run to 2017.

Sinking of the production shaft will commence in

October 2014; and that for the service shaft in

January 2015. Fitting out of equipment in the

production shaft will be completed in 2018-2019

and 2019-2020 for the service shaft. The

production and service shafts are close together

and be equipped with double drum winders to

handle production skips and man cages. The two

deck man cage capacity will be 8 t. The

production shaft will have four 24 t skips capable

of moving at 6 m/sec and will a 6 Mt/y capacity.

Another departure from the “norm” with the

underground project is that De Beers has carried

out much of the overarching EPCM work itself,

with others such as TWP concentrating on only

specialist engineering parts of the project.

Total employees at Venetia will stabilise after

underground production begins at the level of

2,500, with long term an average of 50%

contractors. During the current and near term

construction period this figure will peak at about

4,000. Equipment costs will account for about

50% of the cost of the project.

The decline portal is being developed in four

blasts. The key contractor is Murray & Roberts

Cementation, which is carrying out the shaft

sinking and decline development; and Basil

Read, which is completing the surface

infrastructure development. Both M&R

Cementation and De Beers will work together on

the training of equipment operators. De Beers

will own the development fleet of jumbos and

underground trucks, but M&R will operate it.

Once the decline is completed, De Beers will

retain the fleet to carry out lateral development

and additionally deploy a new production load

and haul fleet. The majority of the underground

load and haul fleet will be supplied by Sandvik.

The Sandvik load and haul fleet will be

automation ready, with the block cave mine

trucks on an Automine loop and consideration of

the Automine Lite system for the block cave

LHDs as well as the sub level caving fleet. The

OPERATION FOCUS

Steepening of the pit walls is makingsignificant savings on waste mined and fuelused during Cut 4

Cat 793 truck with VR Steel body


truck loop will be similar to that used at Finsch

(now operated by Petra) though with a number

of technical improvements. The main fleet

consists of Sandvik LH514 LHDs, of which two

have been delivered, and TH540 trucks, again of

which two have been delivered. Sandvik has also

supplied two DD421-60C jumbo drill rigs. With

the decline development, the LHDs, trucks, utility

machines and support vehicles can all be driven

down; which allowed for a reduction in the

service shaft from 10 m diameter to 7 m.

In addition, as part of a continuing plan to

develop its dealer service and support structure

in Africa, Getman has formed a partnership with

Sandvik South Africa for in-country service and

support of its products, and the Venetia

underground project represents the first Getman

sale into the South African market. In advance of

the project start, Getman and Sandvik have

worked through training programs ensuring that

Sandvik technicians are fully versed in the

operation and maintenance of Getman products,

and an inventory of spare parts has been

established in South Africa to support this and

future fleets. Getman and Sandvik have also

worked on a dynamic inventory plan based on

anticipated lifetime operating requirements to

ensure that in country support is always

available for these units. The fleet on site

includes a Getman A64 Scissor Lift; two Getman

A64 Crane Trucks; a Getman A64 Lube Truck; and

a Getman A64 Explosive Charger fitted with an

AEL emulsion package. Getman says that the

Venetia units offer a high degree of commonality,

allowing for an optimised mix of training

requirements and inventory to support the

product when in operation. The fleet is based on

the A64 carrier and has been specified both to

meet the current needs of the Venetia

underground development operations, and to

have the flexibility for growth as mining

operations ramp up.

At the time of the IM visit, the first portal blast

had been completed. There was 8 m of friable

material to solid rock, which has been reinforced

using resin grouted holes.

The 22 KV power brought in from an Eskom

substation has involved some upgrading of the

nearby main power lines. The underground mine

will also be tied into a temporary power genset

farm in case of power failures, which would also

allow key equipment like winders to keep

running in an evacuation. A surface camp lamp

station is being established by M&R.

The portal is 10 m wide with a 9° angle and 72

m length before the start of the decline proper.

There is a sump to catch rainwater and a settling

pond. The bottom of the decline in the K2 ore

will be reached by 2021. The decline will also

allow for the speeding up of infrastructure

development underground. The crusher station

underground will feed the hoist skips and then

either a waste or ore conveyor. The production

shaft collar measures 12 m by 12 m with the

actual 7 m diameter shaft completion date within

four years.

ProcessingThe surface mine has one primary gyratory

crusher followed by banks of Kawasaki

secondary cones (to 25 mm) and two tertiary

Polysius HPGRs (to 8 mm), with a line of large

Joest screens preceding the crushing circuits. As

stated the underground project will have one

gyratory underground. The crushing circuits

feed both coarse and fine Dense Media

Separation (DMS) plants. The primary crushing

stations crush ore to 150 mm before it is

conveyed to a main ore stockpile and thereafter

to the plant and further crushing. The HPGRs

have a major advantage over jaw crushers or

other technology as they are set in such a way

that there is much less risk of breaking or

damaging the diamonds as the HPGRs have

floating rolls that can give if necessary. Each

HPGR is powered by 2 x Siemens 825 kW motors.

Following the HPGRs and further screening, the

material passes to the DMS system and

ultimately to the highly secure diamond sorting

part of the process. The whole processing plant

is managed by a Citect (Schneider Electric)

SCADA control system. DMS produces a

diamondiferous concentrate, which is then

subject to X-ray fluorescence sorting to separate

diamonds from residual waste. After drying, final

hand-sorting recovers the diamonds, which are

sent to the offices of the Diamond Trading

Company South Africa (DTCSA) for classification

into some 5,000 categories based on combinations

of size, shape, colour and quality. IM

Left to right – Kawasaki cone, Joest screen,Polysius HPGR

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17-20: Asia Mining Congress 2014, Singapore.www.terrapinn.com/2014/asia-mining-congress

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INTERNATIONAL MININGFollow our daily news posts

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Published every two weeks, IM ProjectNews is crammed with valuableinformation incorporating the latest newson projects within that fortnight.

It is specifically about projects (not speculative exploration reports)featuring operations embarking on scopingstudies or those further advanced toprefeasibility and feasibility.

Beyond that, we look at projects indevelopment, publishing regular updatesas they get closer to production. We also detail expansion projects atexisting mines.

At any one time there can be 8,000drilling projects underway, 1,500 reserve-definition studies, 800 feasibility studiesand 400 mines under construction.

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Contact: [email protected]+44 1442 87 08 29Annual subscription is only £260, $410 or € 315

ALL dollars are US unless otherwise stated, and all units are metric. The subscription to IM Project News is personal and the

content is copyright. IM Project News should not be passed on to others, either as forwarded emails, as photocopies, or copies in any

other form. Intranet subscription details are available from [email protected]

Contact [email protected] NEWS

Project News (21) June 10, 2007

News from those projects making progress towards production – more every two weeks

A collection of recent starts and progress reports from around the world - updates on

projects around the globe likely to be in the market for equipment and services.

A collection of recent starts and progress reports from around the world - updates on projects around the globe

likely to be in the market for equipment and services. ..................................................................................................1

PREFEASIBILITY

..........................2

MEXICO - Tyler Resources - COPPER/GOLD....................................................................................................2

PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Harmony Gold - COPPER/GOLD ...............................................................................3

PERU - Strike Resources - IRON ORE.................................................................................................................3

SLOVAKIA - Tournigan Gold - GOLD.................................................................................................................4

ZAMBIA - African Eagle Resources - COPPER ....................................................................................................4

COLUMBIA - Greystar Resources - GOLD/SILVER...........................................................................................4

USA - Galway Resources - MOLYBDENUM/TUNGSTEN.................................................................................5

CANADA - Geodex Minerals - TUNGSTEN/MOLYBDENUM/COPPER .........................................................5

AUSTRALIA - Heron Resources - NICKEL .........................................................................................................6

ARGENTINA - Minera Andes - COPPER..............................................................................................................6

AUSTRALIA - Independence Group - GOLD.......................................................................................................6

RUSSIA – Polymetal - GOLD

.6

FEASIBILITY STAGE

...................7

BURKINA FASO - Goldbelt Resources - GOLD .................................................................................................7

USA - Great Basin Gold - GOLD/SILVER.............................................................................................................7

AUSTRALIA - Moly Mines - MOLYBDENUM....................................................................................................8

CHINA - Golden China Resources - GOLD...........................................................................................................8

AUSTRALIA - Goldstar Resources - GOLD.........................................................................................................8

CANADA - Western Copper Corp’s - GOLD/SILVER .........................................................................................9

AUSTRALIA - Minotaur Exploration/ Helix Resources - GOLD/SILVER............................................................9

SOUTH AFRICA - Eastern Platinum - PGMs .......................................................................................................9

USA - American Lignite Energy/ Headwaters Energy Services/ Great River Energy/ The North American Coal

Corp – LIGNITE…………………………………………………………………………………………….10

CHILE - Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold / Codelco - COPPER.......................................................................10

USA - FutureGen Alliance - COAL.......................................................................................................................10

CANADA - Atlantic Gold - GOLD .......................................................................................................................10

MEXICO - Baja Mining - COPPER/COBALT/ZINC/MANGANESE..............................................................11

GREENLAND - True North Gems - RUBY .........................................................................................................12

CANADA - North American Tungsten Corp - TUNGSTEN ................................................................................12

MONGOLIA - Western Prospector Group - URANIUM.....................................................................................12

ALGERIA - Terramin Australia - ZINC/LEAD....................................................................................................13

INDONESIA - Finders Resources - GOLD/COPPER........................................................................................13

COTE D’IVOIRE - Etruscan Resources - GOLD ...............................................................................................13

SAUDI ARABIA - ADV Group/ Bariq Mining - GOLD/COPPER........................................................................13

BRAZIL - Mirabela Nickel - NICKEL...................................................................................................................14

PERU - Monterrico Metals - COPPER/MOLYBDENUM ...................................................................................14

AUSTRALIA - Gindalbie Metals/ Anshan Iron & Steel Group - IRON ORE........................................................15

CANADA - Canadian Royalties - NICKEL/COPPER/PGM..............................................................................16

INVEST IN PROJECT NEWS

ALL dollars are US unless otherwise stated, and all units are metric. The subscription to IM Project News is personal and the

content is copyright. IM Project News should not be passed on to others, either as forwarded emails, as photocopies, or copies in any

other form. Intranet subscription details are available from [email protected]

Contact [email protected] NEWS

Project News (21) June 10, 2007

News from those projects making progress towards production – more every two weeks

A collection of recent starts and progress reports from around the world - updates on

projects around the globe likely to be in the market for equipment and services.

A collection of recent starts and progress reports from around the world - updates on projects around the globe

likely to be in the market for equipment and services. ..................................................................................................1

PREFEASIBILITY

..........................2

MEXICO - Tyler Resources - COPPER/GOLD....................................................................................................2

PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Harmony Gold - COPPER/GOLD ...............................................................................3

PERU - Strike Resources - IRON ORE.................................................................................................................3

SLOVAKIA - Tournigan Gold - GOLD.................................................................................................................4

ZAMBIA - African Eagle Resources - COPPER ....................................................................................................4

COLUMBIA - Greystar Resources - GOLD/SILVER...........................................................................................4

USA - Galway Resources - MOLYBDENUM/TUNGSTEN.................................................................................5

CANADA - Geodex Minerals - TUNGSTEN/MOLYBDENUM/COPPER .........................................................5

AUSTRALIA - Heron Resources - NICKEL .........................................................................................................6

ARGENTINA - Minera Andes - COPPER..............................................................................................................6

AUSTRALIA - Independence Group - GOLD.......................................................................................................6

RUSSIA – Polymetal - GOLD

.6

FEASIBILITY STAGE

...................7

BURKINA FASO - Goldbelt Resources - GOLD .................................................................................................7

USA - Great Basin Gold - GOLD/SILVER.............................................................................................................7

AUSTRALIA - Moly Mines - MOLYBDENUM....................................................................................................8

CHINA - Golden China Resources - GOLD...........................................................................................................8

AUSTRALIA - Goldstar Resources - GOLD.........................................................................................................8

CANADA - Western Copper Corp’s - GOLD/SILVER .........................................................................................9

AUSTRALIA - Minotaur Exploration/ Helix Resources - GOLD/SILVER............................................................9

SOUTH AFRICA - Eastern Platinum - PGMs .......................................................................................................9

USA - American Lignite Energy/ Headwaters Energy Services/ Great River Energy/ The North American Coal

Corp – LIGNITE…………………………………………………………………………………………….10

CHILE - Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold / Codelco - COPPER.......................................................................10

USA - FutureGen Alliance - COAL.......................................................................................................................10

CANADA - Atlantic Gold - GOLD .......................................................................................................................10

MEXICO - Baja Mining - COPPER/COBALT/ZINC/MANGANESE..............................................................11

GREENLAND - True North Gems - RUBY .........................................................................................................12

CANADA - North American Tungsten Corp - TUNGSTEN ................................................................................12

MONGOLIA - Western Prospector Group - URANIUM.....................................................................................12

ALGERIA - Terramin Australia - ZINC/LEAD....................................................................................................13

INDONESIA - Finders Resources - GOLD/COPPER........................................................................................13

COTE D’IVOIRE - Etruscan Resources - GOLD ...............................................................................................13

SAUDI ARABIA - ADV Group/ Bariq Mining - GOLD/COPPER........................................................................13

BRAZIL - Mirabela Nickel - NICKEL...................................................................................................................14

PERU - Monterrico Metals - COPPER/MOLYBDENUM ...................................................................................14

AUSTRALIA - Gindalbie Metals/ Anshan Iron & Steel Group - IRON ORE........................................................15

CANADA - Canadian Royalties - NICKEL/COPPER/PGM..............................................................................16

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March 2014

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