New era dawning in Russian Coal - CiteSeerX

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Document5 27/9/05 15:06 Page 1

FRONT COVER:At the Kuzbassrazrezugol Bachatsky coal mine in the Kemerovo region of WesternSiberia, Russia, senior mine managers accompany Kemerovo Governor AmanGumirovich Tuleev (second from left, without hard hat) following an inspection ofthe mine’s newly commissioned P&H 2800XPB electric mining shovel on June 30.

Supplied and supported by P&H MinePro Services, the 2800XPB is the first ofsix new P&H shovels ordered by three of the top ten most efficient coal mines inRussia.

Governor Tuleev visited the mine to help call attention to the rapid modern-ization efforts now under way in resource-rich Kemerovo which occupies thevast Kuznetsk coal basin (better known as The Kuzbass).

CCOONNTTEENNTTSS

Editor and PublisherJohn ChadwickEmail: [email protected]

Publishing AssistantEmma JosephEmail: [email protected]

Consulting EditorAlan Kennedy

Editorial BoardProfessor Malcolm ScobleHead of the Mining Dept., University of BC, Vancouver

Don East Consultant, Denver, USA.

Peter KnightsPrincipal Research Fellow, The University of Queensland.

Tuula PuhakkaSenior Advisor, Mining Business,Sandvik Tamrock, Finland

Pieter du PlessisCEO, Minerals & Metals Div., Bateman, South Africa.

Paul MitchellSecretary General International Council on Mining andMetals (ICMM), UK.

Ed McCordProject Consultant Caterpillar Global Mining, USA

Hans FernbergSenior AdvisorAtlas Copco Rock Drills, Sweden.

Dr Kuntala Lahiri-DuttCommunity specialist in naturalresource managementThe Australian National University

Simon TarbuttConsultant, Santiago, Chile

Design and Production ConsultantTrevor SheldonEmail: [email protected]

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

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October 2005 International Mining 1

Optimum open pits

Quality comminution

Conveying the message

October 2005

NNeeww eerraa ddaawwnniinngg

iinn RRuussssiiaann CCooaall

www.im-mining.com

7 SURFACE MININGJohn Chadwick looks at simulators, lowboys,rebuilds and more to overcome today’s con-straints, and looks at innovations in ‘the iron’

16 SEPON SUCCESS Where Owen Hegarty led, others are now following, benefitting the Lao economy

35 GREAT ACTIVITY IN THE KUZBASS

The push for lower costs is leading these coalmines to invest in the latest technology

38 MCARTHUR RIVER Specialised mining methods at the world's biggest, highestgrade uranium producer

40 THE DRAGON DEMANDS Feeding the apparently insatiable hunger for mineral products, from both within and without

AROUND THE WORLD4 – World Prospects

42 – Licence to operate

43 – Milestones

44 – Mining and

Metallurgical

Technology (MMT)

47 – Tails

48 – Diary

Volume 1 • Number 2 • October 2005

20

16

30

Co

urt

esy

of

Co

nti

Tech

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:39 Page 75

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IThe Leaderwith John Chadwick

REACHing no EU consensus

In 2003, on October 29, the European Commissionadopted a proposal for a new EU regulatory frameworkfor chemicals. Under the proposed REACH(Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation ofCHemicals) system, enterprises that make or import

more than 1 t/y of a chemical substance would berequired to register it in a central database. On October 4the European Parliament’s Environment Committee voteson REACH, with a Parliament plenary vote to follow.

The bureaucrats say the aims of REACH are “to improvethe protection of human health and the environmentwhile maintaining the competitiveness and enhancing theinnovative capability of the EU chemicals industry. REACHwould furthermore give greater responsibility to industryto manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safetyinformation on the substances. This information would bepassed down the chain of production.”

The response from the global mining industry has beenguarded. ICMM has done a lot of work on this. ICMMworking with Eurometaux has succeeded in raising aware-ness of the potential problems of REACH among miningchambers and other organisations around the world.While all are in favour of REACH generally, there is wide-spread recognition in the industry that it must be based onrealities (for both producers and users of metals) andappropriate assessment of the impacts of metals.

According to the Minerals Council of Australia, “the eco-nomic modeling indicates that the implementation ofREACH legislation has the potential to affect the mineralsindustry in Australia, primarily through the indirect costs ofthe proposed legislation. With Australian lead, zinc andnickel industries comprising a small number of relativelylarge exporters, the compliance costs of the legislation arelikely to represent only a small proportion of total industryvalues. On the other hand, market access restrictionsaffecting mineral ores and concentrates have the potentialto have a larger negative impact on the viability of theseindustries. The adverse impacts on Australian productionand exports are particularly substantial for the zinc indus-try, reflecting the high export orientation of that industrytoward the EU market.”

ABARE’s report also expects REACH “to be detrimental tothe Australian economy more generally.”

This preliminary report also suggests that the “costs of a‘minerals-inclusive’ REACH are likely to be significant fornon-EU economies [and] further research is required tocapture the full impacts of REACH on the EU and other keyplayers in the global minerals market. Further analysis willbe designed to take into account:

◆ A wider spectrum of mineral ores and concentrates,with an initial focus on copper and iron ore

◆ A wider cross-section of economies that are importantfrom a minerals export perspective, particularly those fromdeveloping regions

◆ A more comprehensive database on the relative com-position of ores and concentrates across all majorexporters to the EU

◆ Information on the value added chain for specific minerals.”The US administration has so far been critical of REACH.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell directed US diplo-matic posts to “raise the EU chemicals policy’ as “a costly,burdensome, and complex regulatory system”.

Under REACH, substances of high concern, particularlythose that are category one and two carcinogens, muta-gens, reproductive toxicants (collectively CMRs), willrequire authorisation for each use. Law company BurgesSalmon LLP notes that “as presently drafted, REACH goesfar wider in its scope than the organic chemicals industry.Substance is defined in REACH (Article 3) as: ‘… a chem-ical element and its compounds in the natural state orobtained by any process, including any additive neces-sary to preserve its stability and any impurity derivedfrom the process used, but excluding any solvent whichmay be separated without affecting the stability of thesubstance or changing its composition.’

“This plainly covers most organic chemicals, and wasintended to do so. However, it also covers a huge range ofother ‘substances’, such as the raw materials for mostindustrial processes in the EU: metals, minerals, ores, con-centrates and industrial feedstocks. [Indeed] the definitionof ‘substance’ is wide enough to cover natural gas, crudeoil and coal, which have therefore had to be specificallyexempted from the obligation to register by Annex III.

“Preparation is defined in REACH (Article 3) as: ‘… a mix-ture or solution composed of two or more substances.’

“The practical result of this is that, for example, a metal-lic alloy will be regarded as a ‘preparation’ and will be reg-ulated under the Dangerous Preparations Directive1999/45 if one of its component parts is a ‘substance’ thatcontains CMRs. Over 30,000 alloys are of critical impor-tance to a large number of EU businesses.”

REACH is a major, demanding piece of legislation. It willimpose considerable costs on manufacturers, importers,distributors and downstream users of substances within itsscope. That may well include mining companies. “Canada,the US, Japan, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Thailand andmany others have made and continue to make strong rep-resentations about the way in which REACH may affecttheir exports, their domestic industries, their chemicalsand raw materials flows, their trade in manufactured arti-cles and so on,” Burges Salmon reports.

Talking of annual Chilean exports to the EU in relation toREACH, Cochilco’s (Chile’s state copper commission)Executive VP Patricio Cartagena said: “We are facing directcosts that could range from $1.98 billion in a high restric-tion scenario to $78 million in a moderate restriction sce-nario,” at a seminar organized by Chile’s national miningsociety Sonami.

In the high restriction case, Cochilco has assumed thatall mineral products are judged to have a variable chemi-cal composition. In the case of moderate restriction, noneare judged to fall into this category.

The registration process would require chemical analysisof mining products in EU- laboratories. The higher the vol-ume imported, the greater the costs, according toCartagena. “The main focus of this regulation is the vol-ume of imports and not the risk position [presented by theproduct],” he stressed.

Sonami president Alfredo Ovalle said the legislationcould “severely limit access” of Chilean mineral productsto the European market. IM

[email protected] October 2005 International Mining 3

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 13:21 Page 1

ExecutiveOfficer Wayne W.

Murdy said, “Our experience inGhana has been very positiveand we have made significantprogress on the Ahafo project.We look forward to a similarexperience at Akyem, as wework with the local communitiesand the government to buildthe second phase of Newmont’snext core operating district.”

Enami inauguratesTeresita mineChile’s Empresa Nacional deMinería (Enami) has inauguratedthe Teresita copper mine located16.5 km from Copiapo, Atacamaregion. Enami started operationsat this sulphide deposit in themiddle of last year in a jointventure with Cía Minera Can-Can, owned by Copec, a com-pany linked to the local Angelinibusiness group.

Under the joint venture,Minera Can-Can is in charge ofbuilding and operating theunderground mine and state-owned Enami is responsible forprocessing, at its ManuelAntonio Matta concentrator, andmarketing of final products. Theconstruction period was eightmonths and the investment was$4 million. Estimated reservesare 1.12 Mt of sulphide oregrading 1.6% Cu. The estimatedmine life is three years.

Concentrate will be sent tothe Hernan Videla Lira, Paipote,smelter to be transformed intoanodes. Final processing will beat Ventanas refinery. The opera-tion could export around13,600 t of LME Grade ‘A’ cop-per cathode.

DRC approvals forTenkeTenke Mining Corp has reportedthat the Council of Ministers ofthe Democratic Republic ofCongo (DRC) have approvedthe principal terms to beamended under existing agree-ments which govern the compa-ny’s rights to develop the TenkeFungurume project in KatangaProvince. The project is a worldclass copper/cobalt depositwhich Tenke Mining acquiredcontrol of in November 1996through agreements between itssubsidiary Lundin Holdings, theDRC Government and state min-ing company Gecamines.Thereafter, significant invest-ment was made by LundinHoldings, including rebuilding oflocal infrastructure and progresson a comprehensive feasibilitystudy, which was nearing com-pletion when the conflict in theDRC forced a suspension of theproject in early 1999. For severalyears, Phelps Dodge (PD) hasbeen actively supporting the

World prospectsOriel commits to Voskhod development

SRK has completed a preliminary assessment study (PAS) on OrielResource’s 100% owned Voskhod Chrome deposit located in theKhromtau District of the Aktobe Region of western Kazakhstan (IM,

September 2005, p.46). Oriel has decided to proceed with the development ofthe project simultaneously with the completion of a definitive feasibility study.The key findings of the SRK study are:

◆ Project Net Present Value of $329 million (pre tax) with an Internal Rate of Returnof 62%, using a 10% discount rate and a chromite ore (high grade lumpy and finesconcentrate) sale price of $170/t

◆ Pre-production construction capital expenditure under $50 million to produce700,000 t/y of chromite ore from an underground mining and beneficiation operation

◆ Cash operating costs of $25/t of ore mined equating to a cash cost of $34/t ofchromite product sold

◆ Annual gross revenue from sales of $85 million◆ Projected chromite ore (lumpy and fines concentrate) sale prices ranging from

$142 to $200/t to markets in Russia and China at the current time depending on thegrade and penalty constituents.

Executive Chairman, Dr Sergey Kurzin said; “The results of the PAS study give theBoard of Directors significant confidence in the Voskhod asset and accordingly wehave decided to fast track the development of the mine by approving the design andconstruction of an exploration decline to access the chrome orebody. In summary, theselling price is higher, the operating costs are lower and as a result the project eco-nomics are better than our preliminary estimates at the time of purchasing this highreturn asset. Financing of this initial phase of the project will be provided entirelyfrom Oriel’s existing cash reserves which presently stand at $44.5 million, and weanticipate no further equity dilution as a result of taking this particular asset to cash-flow, expected by mid 2007.”

Voskhod lies within a layered ultramafic complex (the Kempirsayskiy Massif)together with up to 80 other deposits discovered since 1936. This massif is 82 km longin a north-northeast direction and covers an area of 920 km2. The host rocks to thedeposit have been subjected to hydrothermal alteration and now consist of serpen-tinites and serpentinized dunites.

SRK says there are no significant obstacles in the provision of infrastructure for theoperation. Adequate power should be supplied from a state-owned substation 15 kmaway via a dedicated power line. Process water for the mine operations will be sourcedfrom the continual pumping of surplus water from underground. The mine will befully mechanized and SRK has proposed ramp access to the orebody with mining by asub level caving system for ore production of 700,000 t/y, giving a projected mine lifeof 25 years. Mined grades delivered to the beneficiation plant have been estimated at43.7% Cr2O3 after mine recovery and dilution factors have been applied. Mintek hasprovided process options to produce a number of saleable chromite ore products. Theplant would comprise crushing, milling, DMS and gravity concentration units withsufficient flexibility to allow high-grade ore to be crushed and screened to form a met-allurgical ‘lumpy’ product should selective ore mining prove feasible.

It is expected that there will be two products, namely a metallurgical ‘lumpy’ prod-uct at some 49% Cr2O3 and a metallurgical fines concentrate grading about 55%Cr2O3. Estimated total annual sales are expected to be in the order of 511,000 t –322,000 t tons for the ‘lumpy’ material and 189,000 t for the fines. Oriel confidentlyexpects production of chromite ore from Voskhod to commence mid 2007.

Voskhod consists of one large lens

of massive to disseminated

chromite with up to nine smaller

pods or footwall protrusions. It is a

totally ‘blind’ deposit, lying at

depths of 98 to 440 m with a

northeasterly dip of 28°. Two

grades of ore are recognized, Rich

and Subordinate which are sepa-

rated on the basis of a grade

threshold of 45% Cr2O3.

4 International Mining October 2005

Resource Estimate Indicated Mineral resource Inferred Mineral ResourceMt 18.7 0.59

Grade, %Cr-2O3 46.2 14.56

SRK’S audited AusIMM JORC (1999) statement, August 2004

Peruvian auctionsAccording to ProInversión, theauction of La Granja copper pro-ject, 640 km north of Lima innorthern Peru's Cajamarcadepartment should take placebefore the end of the year, orearly in 2006. According to theMinisterio de Energia y Minas(MEM) this porphyry depositcontains copper, gold and silver.The area of greatest interest cov-ers 3,500 x 2,500 m and com-prises a hydrothermal alterationzone, within the 3,900 ha prop-erty. Reserves total 3,831 Mt atgrades of 0.53% Cu, 0.04 g/tAu, and 3.7 g/t Ag (at a cut offof 0.25% Cu). In the past a pro-duction rate of 75,000 t/d hasbeen considered.

BHP Billiton in the late 1990sand early this century held theproject. While it is a largeresource, one of the major chal-lenges has been to find a suit-able metallurgical route to treatLa Granja's arsenic-rich ore. Anagreement to develop the pro-ject has been signed with thecommunities in the La Granjaarea, ProInversión reports. This isbased on establishing a trust tofund sustainable developmentand the participation of communi-ty representatives in the differentstages of La Granja development.

Companies that wish to pre-qualify for the auction musthave an operation of at least10,000 t/d and $100 million inassets.

At the Michiquillay copperproject, also in Cajamarca,ProInversión has started workingon a social development agree-ment with the local community.This is expected to be in placeduring the first half of 2006,according to BNamericas.

MEM notes this is anothercopper porphyry, containing,gold, silver and molybdenum. Itsays the reserves estimated byNorth Ltd (1996) were 631 Mtat 0.69% Cu (with 0.1-0.5 g/tAu and 2-4 g/t Ag), including azone of enrichment of 46 Mt at1.15% Cu.

ProInversión believes furtherexploration of Michiquillay isneeded better to define theresource, at closer spacing, andparticularly to gain more knowl-edge of the project's goldpotential.

Akyem gets go-aheadNewmont Mining hasannounced plans to proceedwith the development of theAkyem project, located in theEastern Region of Ghana.Newmont has an 85% interestin the Akyem project, which atyear-end 2004 had 5.4 Moz(equity) of reserves. The estimat-ed costs of development areapproximately $500 million,with gold production expectedto commence in the second halfof 2008. The project is expectedto generate steady-state annualconsolidated gold sales ofapproximately 400,000 oz.

In announcing the develop-ment decision, Newmont

Chairman and Chief

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 13:28 Page 4

company on the pro-ject. A conditional shareholdingagreement was signed in early2004 between the company andPD initiating steps for PD tobecome the controlling share-holder of Lundin Holdings.

The Council of Ministersapproval of the principal termsallows Tenke Fungurume toadvance to its next stage immediately upon amending the existing agreements. Once amended agreements aresigned and ratified by theGovernment of the DRC, theproject will progress accordingto a staged development planled by PD, with active involve-ment of Tenke Mining andGecamines.

Under the approved amend-ment terms, Lundin Holdingswill have 82.5% and Gecamines17.5% of the share ownership ofTenke Fungurume Mining – theCongolese company whichholds the properties 100%. As a result of the LundinHoldings shareholding agree-ment with PD, Tenke Mining willhave an effective 24.75 % interestin the Tenke Fungurume Project,and PD as operator will have aneffective 57.75 % interest.

Aluminium back inGhanaAlcoa and the Government ofGhana have finalized agreementsto re-start the Valco aluminiumsmelter in Tema. Three potlineswill be restarted, representing120,000 t/y. It is anticipatedthat the re-start will be imple-mented in the first quarter of2006 at which time productionat the facility is expected to besome 10,000 t/month.

Discussions on developing anintegrated aluminium industry inGhana continue. That wouldinclude bauxite mining, aluminarefining, aluminium production,and rail transportation infrastruc-ture upgrades, as outlined in amemorandum of understandingsigned in January 2005. Alcoa'sparticipation in the bauxite andalumina operations in Ghanawill be through its Alcoa WorldAlumina and Chemicals (AWAC)global enterprise, which is 60%owned by Alcoa and 40%owned by Alumina Ltd ofAustralia.

Ghana will be the managingowner of the smelter and willreceive technical, operationaland commercial support fromAlcoa. In addition, Alcoa willserve as Valco's exclusive distrib-utor for export sales of metalproduced at the smelter.Alumina will be supplied via aninterim supply agreementbetween AWAC and Valco. TheVolta River Authority will supplypower for the smelter. Costs forthe re-start, estimated at $20million, will be funded by debtfinancing obtained by Valco.

Barrick’s new genera-tion goes wellOn September 15, Barrick Goldannounced that its Veladeromine in San Juan province,

Argentina, had poured

its first gold earlierthan previously forecast. Goldproduction for 2005 is expectedto be 50-55,000 oz, and isexpected to average some700,000 oz/y over the first threefull years of operation.

Greg Wilkins, President andCEO said: “With three projectsin production this year and afourth expected to come on-stream in the first quarter of2006, Barrick has demonstratedthat development expertise is acore competency of the compa-ny.” In June Lagunas Norte minein Peru achieved start-up aheadof the original third-quarterschedule and within its $340million budget. The mine wasthe second of Barrick’s new gen-eration of mines and will be asignificant contributor toBarrick’s gold production for thesecond half of 2005 and in theyears to come. Lagunas Nortewill produce about 550,000 ozof gold at total cash costs of$110-120/oz in 2005.

Veladero’s construction costsare expected to be in line withthe company's estimate of $540million. The mine, with provenand probable gold reserves of12.8 Moz, is located in theFrontera District that straddlesthe border of Argentina andChile. Barrick’s 3,000 km2 landposition in that district has over30 Moz of gold in proven andprobable reserves.

Three of Barrick’s four newmines have now entered pro-duction. Tulawaka in Tanzaniacommenced operations in thefirst quarter of 2005 thenLagunas Norte and nowVeladero. The fourth mine,Cowal in Australia, is expectedto commence operations in thefirst quarter of 2006. For 2005,Barrick expects to producebetween 5.4 - 5.5 Moz of goldat total cash costs around thetop end of its original guidanceof $220-230/oz.

Mototolo for morePGMsThere is feverish platinum activi-ty on South Africa’s BushveldComplex at the moment.Lonmin is going ahead with TwoRivers and now Anglo Platinumand Xstrata Alloys have formedthe Mototolo Joint Venture todevelop a PGM mine and con-centrator on the Eastern Limb ofthe Complex in Mpumalanga.The project is expected to pro-duce some 132,000 oz/y of plat-inum and 82,000 oz/y ofpalladium in concentrate.Amplats and Xstrata will eachcontribute a similar amount ofin-situ reserves and resourcesfrom Xstrata’s Thorncliffe farm,adjacent to its Thorncliffechrome mine and Amplats’ bor-dering farm Richmond, part ofits Der Brochen project area, tothe venture. The total capitalexpenditure for the project isestimated at $200 million tocommissioning, of which Xstrataand Amplats will each con-tribute half.

The mine will have a life of

Underground development for Loulo?

Around the time that RandgoldResources celebrated its 10thbirthday, SRK Consulting com-

pleted the underground developmentstudy on the deep extensions to theorebodies at Loulo 0 and Yalea, whichwere being mined ahead of the com-missioning of the Loulo gold mine inMali.

Randgold Resources ChiefExecutive Mark Bristow said: “Whilewe have always believed in the world-class potential of the Loulo orebodies,this study in fact exceeds our expecta-tions. We are seeing the start of a newlong-life goldfield which should addvalue for many years to come.”

General Manager, exploration andevaluation, Adrian Reynolds added:“We are looking at starting the under-ground development next year assoon as we have optimised the openpit and underground schedules,ramping up production from the twounderground sections over four years. This will dovetail nicely with the deepening ofthe open pits and we can envisage production from the mine beyond 2016. We havestarted staffing up and have appointed an underground manager to commencedetailed planning and selection of contractors. One of the critical tasks now is toupdate the study with results obtained subsequent to the cut-off date of the study – weare still drilling and the information keeps adding to the value of the project.”

Loulo’s first phase – the open-pit mine – cost some $89 million, excluding power,finance costs, working capital and exploration. Shaft sinking is provisionally scheduledfor next year. On a standalone basis, the development of an underground mine willrequire a further investment of some $100 million to take it to steady-state production.

Loulo is the second world-class gold mine to have been developed in Mali byRandgold. The first was Morila, which since it went into production in October 2000has produced more than 3 Moz of gold.

Harmonious and golden

Two of Harmony Gold Mining’s growth projects, Doornkop and Phakisa, havereached significant development milestones. Doornkop South Reef project is a R1billion project to deepen the existing Doornkop mine to access the South Reef.

That section of the mine is due to commence production in October next year and willachieve peak production of over 300,000 oz in 2009. The shaft sinking operation hasbeen uniquely configured to sink at two elevations in the same shaft (see diagram).With the raisebore holes completed in both the upper and lower sections of the shaft,sinking has commenced at the bottom level from 197 Level, and sinking preparationsin the upper section of the main shaft are now complete. The first blast was taken inthe upper section of the shaft sinking operation on July 28.

At Phakisa, a shaft that came with the Freegold acquisition, sinking has been com-pleted and shaft equipping recently commenced. The first shaft bunton set wasinstalled on August 1. This is a big step towardcommencement of production of this R613 millionproject in June 2007. Full production of 250,000oz/y is scheduled in 2008 and Phakisa is to have a20-year life.

“We are building three new mines in SouthAfrican, have a further three major expansionsunderway and are planning to build a new mine inPNG starting later this year. These projects com-bined will produce over 1.5 Moz/y and cost an esti-mated R 3.3 billion, 35% of which has already beenspent. We are enormously excited about all of theseprojects that are all of higher quality and lowercosts than our current production portfolio,” com-mented Chief Executive Bernard Swanepoel.

Doornkop South Reef project – 700


MDM recently announced the first ore feed into the

mill at Loulo. The gold inventory is now being built

up in the circuit, paving the way for the first gold

production. Clinton Redman, Director of Projects at

MDM, commented that this achievement, four

months ahead of the original schedule, was as a

result of the great teamwork that exists between the

owner’s team, MDM and all contractors and suppli-

ers. Loulo is the second large scale mine that MDM

has built with Randgold Resources in Mali – the first

being Morila, where first gold was poured in

October 2000.

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 13:28 Page 5

Uncovering Uruguay

Highlights from Uruguay MineralExploration’s (UME) financial resultsfor the year to end May 2005, includ-

ed gold production for the fourth quarterof 24,844 oz, virtually on the target annu-alised production rate for 2005/6 of100,000 oz/y. Subsequent to year-end, thetarget rate has been achieved on a sustain-able basis, 3 months ahead of schedule.Gold production for the year was 75,026oz, the second highest level ever recorded for the San Gregorio operation.

UME is a gold producer and exploration company focussed on identifying and devel-oping mineral opportunities in Uruguay. It is a fully integrated mining company, pos-sessing the skills necessary to explore and develop its discoveries. UME operates the onlyproducing gold mine in Uruguay (San Gregorio), and is also the leading mineral explo-ration company in the country, having assembled an exploration portfolio based ongold, base metals (copper, nickel, lead, zinc) and diamond prospects. In 2003, UME dis-covered the Arenal deposit, currently the largest known gold resource in Uruguay.

Higher production resulted in improved financial performance in the fourth quarter.UME recorded an operating profit before tax of $1,934,000 and cashflow from operationsbefore working capital of $2,320,000. Unit costs continue to fall with the cash cost forthe fourth quarter being $213/oz and for the year $270/oz. Net profit before tax was$900,000 for the 2005 year and cashflow from operations before working capital move-ments was $4,293,000. Sales for the year totalled $30,563,000 - a company record. All ofthis is allowing UME to fund its exploration and further development as a mining junior.

All key strategic and corporate goals were achieved or surpassed during 2005. Theupdated resource statement, as at 31 May 2005, shows total resources (measured, indi-cated and inferred) of 25 Mt containing 1.3 Moz, which includes proven and probablereserves of 5.4 Mt, containing 417,000 oz.

The replacement of the mining fleet has been completed and the refurbishment of theprocessing facilities is over 50% complete. Apart from $4,256,000 remaining in debt, allthis has been funded from internal cash flow and warrants. This investment will allowthe company's targeted production level of 100,000 oz to be sustained for the durationof the Arenal life-of-mine plan as a minimum.

The exploration focus is now being increasingly directed to the search for new dis-coveries, following a year where resource definition required over 95% of drilling effort.A contract has been let for an airborne gravity/magnetic survey of the Lascano geophys-ical anomaly, which was scheduled to commence in mid October.

New US copper mine

Constellation Copper is ready for production at the Lisbon Valley copper mine,located in San Juan County, Utah, USA. Construction commenced on the projectmid-November 2004. At the beginning of August the mining fleet was on site and

fully assembled and operational, consisting of four new Komatsu 200-t trucks, a newKomatsu 20 m3 loader, a used CAT 994 17.2 m3 loader, two 20,000 gallon water trucks,two new Komatsu dozers, two blasthole drills, and miscellaneous service vehicles.Mining of waste material commenced in July.

Overburden Mancos Shale was being mined from the Centennial deposit area for theclay liner on the leach pad. Waste rock from the upper bench at the Sentinel deposit hasbeen drilled and shot and used for road base in the haul road. Ore was exposed in blast-hole patterns at both the Centennial and Sentinel deposits, and was loaded and shot forcommencement of full-scale mining once the crushing plant was ready.

Conveying and stacking of crushed ore out onto the lined leach pad began when theliner installation and protective blanket placement were completed. The clay liner hasbeen installed across the Phase 1 leach pad area. Syntheticliner (80 mm HDPE) lies over the top of the clay.Contractor-crushed ore for the over-liner (protectiveblanket) was placed in a 610 mm thick layer to allowplacement of the conveying system out onto the leachpad.

The solution ponds are completely lined. Solutionpumps were ready for installation by mid-September.The solvent extraction plant was scheduled for comple-tion by the end of August. The tank farm and tankhouse were scheduled to be complete by the end ofSeptember. First cathode copper production is anticipat-ed in mid-November 2005, ramping up to full produc-tion capacity by February 2006.


some 20 years at aplanned milling rate of 200,000t/month and an estimated headgrade of 3.74 g/t. Xstrata will beresponsible for developing andoperating the undergroundmine, contributing its expertisein mechanised room and pillarmining, while Amplats will con-struct and manage a 200,000t/month PGM concentrator.

Amplats will purchaseXstrata’s 50% share of PGM con-centrate for further smeltingrefining and marketing of fin-ished product. Xstrata will con-struct a beneficiation plant at itsown cost to process the UG2chrome tailings arising from thePGM concentrator and will pur-chase Amplats’ share of chromeconcentrate.

The start of construction isimminent, with initial output ofPGM ounces anticipated in thelast quarter of 2006 and full pro-duction in the third quarter of2007.

Ralph Havenstein, CEO ofAnglo Platinum said: "By lever-aging off the strengths andexperience of both partners, thisproject will accelerate EasternBushveld platinum developmentand will also create some 1,100new job opportunities. The for-mation of the Mototolo jointventure will increase AngloPlatinum’s production of plat-inum group metals in a capitaland cost efficient manner." PeetNienaber, Xstrata Alloys ChiefExecutive, said: “The Mototolojoint venture provides Xstratawith an entry into an attractivecommodity, working with anexperienced partner. The combi-nation of Xstrata’s expertise indeveloping and managingunderground chrome mines,together with Anglo Platinum’sprocessing and downstreamcapabilities will enable bothpartners to realise a low-cost,high return project with a rapiddevelopment profile.”

El Teniente promotescaveCodelco has started mining theDiablo Regimiento section of ElTeniente mine, near Santiago inChile. Ingeniero Andino reportsthat this is one of the last stagesof the El Teniente DevelopmentExpansion Project start up. Theinvestment totals some $1,000million and the project shouldincrease ore capacity to 130,000t/d, yielding 460,000 t/d of cop-per concentrate. At DiabloRegimiento, El Teniente will usepreconditioning to promote cav-ing for the first time. This involvesinjecting water at high pressure tocrack the rock before the cavingand extraction processes. Codelcohas investigated this method inorder to put it into practice at ElTeniente, at Andina mine and inthe future Chuquicamata under-ground mine.

Pilot tests carried out atDiablo Regimiento since Januarythis year proved to be so effec-tive, that El Teniente decided toadvance the process and startmining activities this September.

Also in view of the good test

results, the Division intends toapply this technology in othersectors of El Teniente, such asPuente, the south area of DiabloRegimiento and new projectsthat are now going throughtheir conceptual and basic engi-neering phases like Pilar Norteand New Mine Level.

Goldex production decision Following a favourable reviewfrom an independent third party,a positive production decisionhas been made for Agnico-Eagle’sGoldex project. The companysays this step is consistent with its“goal of operating in several goldcamps globally, while maintain-ing low levels of political risk.”

The project base case projectsan after-tax internal rate ofreturn of 15%, based on$400/oz gold, a C$/US$exchange rate of 1.30, mine siteoperating costs of C$17/t, andcapital costs of $135 million.Annual gold production isexpected to average over170,000 oz over a 10-year minelife, at total cash costs ofapproximately $200/oz.

Goldex will benefit fromregional synergies with the near-by LaRonde mine and Lapa pro-ject. Management is excited tobe constructing a second minein the Abitibi Region, advancinga strategy of building a multi-mine platform. Goldex will bethe first new mine in the Vald'Or - Bourlamaque camp in thelast ten years.

The 100% owned Goldexproject (1.6 Moz of probablegold reserves) is located 56 kmeast of LaRonde. Mobilizationhas begun with first gold pro-duction expected in 2008.

A $30 million undergrounddevelopment, drilling and metal-lurgical programme is underwayat the 100% owned Lapa pro-ject, 11 km east of LaRonde.

Lapa contains 4.5 Mt, grading0.26 oz/t.

UME operates San Gregorio, the

only producing gold mine in

Uruguay, and is also the leading

mineral explorer in the country.

The Lisbon Valley mine is the

fisrst new coppermine to be built

in the USA in ten years

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 13:28 Page 6

Surface mining

Productive open pitsJohn Chadwick looks at simulators, lowboys and other technologies to over-come today’s equipment constraints, as well as looking at innovations in ‘the

iron’ and the great potential of rebuilt machines

SSurface mining equipment simula-tors have become popular inrecent years. Much like aircraftsimulators used to train andupdate pilots, such units have

revolutionized mines’ approach to recruit-ment, training and productivity. Thesefacilities allow mining companies andcontractors to train and assess operatorsusing a safe, educational, productionenhancing, easy to use and low-cost sys-tem. Companies are increasing their focuson higher productivity and efficiencies aswell as improved safety for their employ-ees and simulators have a very importantrole to play.

Furthermore, in these times of high fuelprices and the tyre problem that is likelyto be with us for another year or so (IM, September 05, pp. 41-43), simulatorsprovide much of the operator trainingthat is needed, while saving these expen-sive and scarce consumables. Also whilethere may be long lead times for newmachines, simulators save productivemachines from being taken out of theoperating line. One simulator manufactur-er is Western Australian-based ImmersiveTechnologies.

Immersive has just entered into a land-mark licensing agreement with theworld’s largest manufacturer of surfacemining equipment. The exclusive agree-ment with Caterpillar allows ImmersiveTechnologies to promote its AdvancedEquipment (AE) simulator brand in con-junction with the globally renowned Cattrademark. A new mark, identifyinglicensed Caterpillar technology, is nowbeing used by Immersive. This is the firstapplication of the mark intended toauthenticate such products.

This continues a powerful associationbetween Immersive Technologies andCaterpillar. After an extensive evaluationof available simulator technology, and thegrowing impact of training simulators inmining, Caterpillar last year announced itwould exclusively recommend, and pro-vide proprietary machine technical infor-mation for, Immersive Technologies’ AEsimulators.

Immersive has more than 65 AE simula-tors deployed in 14 countries around theworld and has for more than eight yearsbeen a leader in the development of min-ing equipment training simulators.Operator stations and exact working con-ditions have been created for more than55 different machine types, and Immersivesoftware has been used to replicate sitesurrounds at nearly 70 mine sites.

Immersive has sales and marketingagreements with some of the world’sleading mining OEMs. This is importantto ensure the extensive range of AE simu-lators achieve the necessary levels of real-ism and accuracy through the use oflicensed proprietary data and machinetechnical information from the OEM.

Immersive Technologies CEO PeterSalfinger said, “the Caterpillar brandingapproval was a significant milestone forthe company. It signifies further high-levelacknowledgement of the uniqueness ofour market offering. It also reflects anacceptance by Caterpillar that our simula-tors have become an integral part of thetraining programmes of, and are produc-

ing significant benefits for, their cus-tomers – the world’s major mining com-panies and contractors.”

South African simulator manufacturer5DT lists the benefits of simulators as:

◆ Reduced loss of production duringtraining

◆ Shorter operator training periods◆ Enhanced skills development◆ Improved of best practices◆ Increase in annual average produc-

tion per machine◆ Reduced machine damage and

increased safety awareness◆ Increased motivation

The hole storyUnto Ahtola, President, Tamrock Surfacerecently explained to IM that TamrockSurface has trebled its turnover in the past10 years. At the beginning of September,Tamrock rolled out a prototype for the newPantera line of surface drills. This unit is tobe something of a test bed to introduceto the market those new technologiesthat Tamrock Surface expects to see soon:

◆ The new generation will bring real-time information on machine operationsand conditions – available within a year

◆ Different operators will have theirown settings, those allowing them to‘dial’ back in for their preferred operatingparameters and allowing them to work attheir best

◆ Improved drilling accuracy throughgreater use of GPS

◆ Better rock sensing by the drill

Last month, IM noted how the independent, four-wheel

electric drive of the LeTourneau wheel loader line

improves traction and minimizes tyre scrubbing and

wheel slippage, which in turn increases tyre life.

LeTourneau reports that its loaders "generally deliver

twice the tyre life of their mechanical drive counter-

parts." Just as important is the fact that electric drive

involves running engines at an efficient, constant RPM,

which can reduce fuel cost by $10-30/hour depending

on the capacity of the machine. Fuel efficiency also

means reduced emissions and other environmental

advantages.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:35 Page 17


◆ More remote support from Tamrockengineers.

Specific focuses of the prototype includesafety and serviceability and operator com-fort. The new electrical control system fea-tures self-diagnostics and the rig has agenerally higher level of data collection.This rig will fully integrate the Tamrock SanRemo system that provides remote accessto machine health and performance.

Contracts for maintenance and repairare becoming more popular. A recentexample is the services Tamrock is provid-ing to 12 Pantera 1500 rigs used by GoldFields at the Tarkwa gold mine in Ghana.The mine has three such contracts inplace – one with Liebherr for the shovels,one with Caterpillar for the trucks and thedrill contract with Tamrock. Tarkwa com-prises multiple open pits, so the use oflowboy trailers to transport the Panterasaround the operations is important toincreasing utilization and reducing wear.Furthermore, as part of Tamrock’s con-tract, drill consumables are delivered tothe machines in the pits, to further maxi-mize utilization.

Mean Time Between Failures and MeanTime to Repair are important aspects ofmaintenance contracts. Monthly perfor-mance reviews are also very important. Inthis instance, there is a full-time preventa-tive maintenance team and a totally sepa-rate team to carry out in-pit maintenance.The mine is ISO 14001 certified, requiringgreat care to be taken in maintenanceand in-field servicing.

The Tamrock support at Tarkwa hasbeen a great success, attributable to theright people running the contract. Thesepeople understand the goals and ideals ofthe mining company, and are involved inthe local community. Being part of thelocal community is very important. Theone-to-one, where necessary, operatortraining has helped in that regard.

Supply constraintsIM asked leading suppliers about currentlong lead times for certain machines andconsumables? Liebherr says it “has beenworking closely with tyre manufacturers

to adapt longer lasting tyres to Liebherrtrucks. With the advent of the 63-in tyresize, the mines have a number of tyresscheduled. If the tyre life can be increasedby 15%, that is equivalent to getting 15%more tyres than the mines had originallyscheduled.”

Bucyrus points out that the decision-making process for purchasing surfacemining equipment and ancillaries is quiteoften a complex, multifaceted endeavour.One of the many methods it employs “toassist potential customers in makinginformed purchasing decisions is to pro-vide precise data in its quotes to illustratethe overall operating costs of its machinesthereby allowing mines to accurately cal-culate ROI. For example, proposalsinclude detailed analysis forecasting partsconsumption and cost throughout the lifeof the machine.

“Forecasting also plays a crucial role inaddressing the issue of lead-time for partsand new equipment. Bucyrus takes aproactive approach by anticipating cus-tomer needs on a machine-by-machinebasis. At the onset of the steel crunch,Bucyrus contacted 100% of its end usersand based on the status of theirmachine(s) forecasted when and whatparts or equipment would be needed dur-ing the next three years. Numerous vari-ables such as analysis of maintenancehistory, operating hours and a machine’simportance on the job aid in determininga mine’s future requirements.

“Upgrading or recommissioning exist-ing units allows mining companies tobypass longer than usual lead-times andexpand their operations to benefit fromthe strong commodity market. The influ-encing force of the tyre crisis has madesubstitute capacity a key element intoday’s market. Bucyrus continues toencourage mining operations to takeadvantage of idle draglines available as analternative to truck and shovel operations

when the application is appropriate.”Bucyrus says: “The future needs of sur-

face mining centre around more automa-tion, standardization and consolidation onmachines and in mining operations. FromGPS to integrated monitoring systems,Bucyrus offers a variety of technologies tohelp meet these needs. [The] powerfulAccessDirect system has many featuresthat greatly enhance machine manage-ment capabilities. It provides real-timeworldwide access to machine informationfor machine status tracking and fault reso-lution. This affords mine maintenancepersonnel, OEM service technicians or fac-tory engineers the ability to monitor amachine and make adjustments fromremote locations.

“Bucyrus consistently works in a dedi-cated and extensive manner to increasethe performance of its installed basethrough enhancements and upgrades. Anupgrade such as Bucyrus’ patentedAutomated Crowd Rope Take-up Systemfor Bucyrus brand shovels creates a saferand more efficient way to tighten thecrowd rope. Bucyrus also offers a varietyof upgrades for draglines and blastholedrills. The partnership Bucyrus formedwith Siemens resulted in the creation ofDirect Drive for Draglines (D3), which isavailable as an upgrade or on newdraglines. This technology is applied tothe hoist and drag system to improveoverall machine productivity while reduc-ing maintenance and operational cost. Afeatured electrical upgrade for drillsincludes the PLC 5 system. This systemreplaces the obsolete PLC 2 system pro-viding increased functionality and com-patibility with other systems.”

Liebherr notes: “Many factors, such asmine life, infrastructure and loadingequipment enter into the equationregarding appropriate size of equipment.While there will likely be an increase inopportunities for smaller equipment atmarginal mine sites, larger equipment willbe utilized where feasible, since, amongother benefits, it has the advantage ofpartially offsetting the worldwide shortagein trained labour to operate and servicemining machines.

Is the drive for bigger loading toolsand trucks a thing of the past? Shouldmines focus rather on GPS, dispatchsystems and other ways of raising effi-ciency and reducing costs?

Liebherr: “In many situations utilizationof larger equipment provides increasedproduction and resulting cost per tonnereductions that are far greater than otherinnovations can offer. Accordingly devel-opment of larger tools will continue espe-cially with regard to lowering theoperating cost and increasing the produc-tivity of existing sites.”

Bucyrus: “As it relates to surface min-ing, the debate on whether bigger really


A rebuilt scraper leaves Hoss. The customer chose this

alternative because delivery lead-time for new a 657E is

approximately 18 months.

Surface mining

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:35 Page 19

is better must be considered carefully.The layout of a mine, the commoditybeing extracted, the life of the mine andthe investment capital available for pur-chasing equipment are all factors used todetermine if it is logical to purchase suchmachines. Loading equipment capable oflarge payloads coupled with technologi-cal advancements has historically maxi-mized productivity, allowing mines toachieve economies of scale. Therefore,the drive for bigger loading tools andtrucks will most likely continue. As tech-nology advances the use of ever-largermachines becomes more feasible. Theshortage of skilled labour in manyregions is also contributing to the pushtoward bigger machines since less man-power is required to operate large equip-ment.

Highlight advances in some of themany challenges for surface miningequipment these days, like reducingnoise levels, operator comfort, or prolonged wear life for components.

“Noise reduction has been a concernfor the last 20 years. It is becoming moreimportant all the time. Liebherr has madenotable advancements within this arearegarding both truck and excavator oper-ation, particularly at one mine location inAustralia where stringent noise reductionstandards were specified. Modifications toequipment to achieve higher reductionscome at a price, not in machine perfor-mance, but in dollar investment in labourand componentry to achieve the reduc-tion.

“Operator comfort is getting more con-sideration, regarding truck ride quality

(less vibration) – which is a very impor-tant factor. It has been shown that truckoperators have a tolerance for a certainlevel of shock and vibration. It appearsthat as the equipment ride quality isimproved, the operator traverses therough spots on a haul road at a higherspeed but still stays below his tolerancelevel. As a result, the truck has to be ableto withstand operation at higher speedsacross these rough portions of roads.Improving operator comfort interestinglyenough often results in harsher operationof equipment.

“The wear life of components is animportant part of equipment productivityand lower operating cost. Mines continueto expect increases in the service life ofcomponents as well as the overall life ofthe machine structures. Many compo-nents still have not developed to thatlevel of service life however all haveexpanded service lives due to continuedresearch and product development pro-grammes.”

Bucyrus: “Using cost-effective methodsand technologies, Bucyrus is intenselyfocused on providing mines with theresources necessary to increase produc-tion, reliability and availability. Theseresources are not just limited to supplyingquality parts and equipment, but alsoinclude services that meet and exceed theexpectations of customers. The advisoryrole Bucyrus engages in with its cus-tomers consists of applying the vastexpertise the company has to offer inorder to provide value-added aftermarketsupport and service. This can include suchefforts as helping mine maintenance man-agement with effective shutdowns andmaking recommendations on how toincrease performance.

“The Maintenance and Repair Contracts(MARC) offered by Bucyrus help minesmanage their surface mining equipmentto achieve maximum reliability anduptime. Each MARC is tailored to meetthe specific needs of each customer pro-viding much more than a basic mainte-nance and repair contract. Bucyrus canprovide a comprehensive programme tocover all maintenance and operatingaspects of a customer’s machine."

Reborn to runFaced with long lead-times, there is aviable low-risk alternative to buying newmachines – to buy a totally rebuiltmachine from an experienced andrespected rebuilder such as HossEquipment. The Hoss Custom Rebuild(HCR) programme represents years ofrefinement in the ‘headwork’ and ‘physi-cal work’ that goes into the successfulcompletion of a ‘total rebuild project’.

Caterpillar and others design theirheavy machines to be rebuilt. Second andthird ‘work lives’ are possible on big


Whether Buying a Truck or a Fleet...

Buy HOSS!There is a difference when you buy from Hoss™. Our 30-acre rebuild facility, 26

Service Bays, experienced Mechanics and Welders, knowledgeable Sales Force,massive equipment inventory, leading-edge machine demo technology and an unwaveringcommitment to excellence combine to save you time and money on the acquisition ofhigh-quality, reliable surface mining and heavy construction machinery.

The Hoss Custom Rebuild program delivers outstanding value. These exceptionalmachines provide 100% the performance of a like-model new machine for about60% of the cost. Each machine delivers a lower operating cost than a newmachine and is sold with a limited 1-year, 2000-hour Powertrain Warranty.

Visit www.hossequipment.com to view our all-new Web site. Find more of whatyou need... more selection in one physical location, more photos from more angles andmore detailed information (more answers) about each machine than are typically shownon competing Web sites.

To experience the Hoss Difference, contact Hoss Sales by telephone at +(972) 257-11244 or by e-mail at [email protected].

One Company.One Call.

One Total Solution.

3131 N. Hwy. 161Irving, TX 75062 USA

Convenient to the Port of Houston

for Global Shipping Requirements

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:36 Page 20

machines that have been well maintainedand then have been processed through areputable complete rebuild programme.Hoss points out that the main barrier isperceptions of upper limits of number ofoperating hours, after which machines areworn out and forevermore unreliable. RonRichardson, Hoss Director of Marketing,says, “most perceptions are very hard tochange once formed. This perception,however, is simply not true.

“While it is true that components andparts wear out and the machine’s ‘softer’structures get dented in day-to-day opera-tions, the core - the foundation uponwhich the machine is built - is designedto ‘keep on going’. To make this possi-ble, stringent rebuild guidelines havebeen developed by Caterpillar to shep-herd Dealers and other rebuilders ofCaterpillar equipment in every step of theprocess.

“There are two key benefits to miningoperations that need to be consideredwhen deciding to buy - or not buy - acompletely rebuilt machine. The first iscost. Expertly rebuilt and updated, HCRmachines deliver 100% of the perfor-mance and reliability of a new like-modelmachine for about 60% of the cost of anew machine. This represents consider-able savings to companies and providesa machine that delivers ‘new’ machinepower and reliability at a lower operat-ing cost than when originally purchasednew.

“The second key consideration, espe-cially in times like these, is ‘availability’.Delivery of a completely rebuilt machinethat is covered by a one-year, 2,000-hourlimited powertrain warranty can be asclose as 45-days (on the short side) to 90-days (on the long side) from the date thecore is selected.”

In the HCR programme, cores (usedmachines) are sourced from around theworld and shipped to Irving, Texas. Oncereceived, they are completely disassem-bled, expertly rebuilt, reassembled, sandblasted, primed, repainted, tested andthen placed into inventory. Hoss hasinvested millions over time to develop anindustry-leading infrastructure thatincludes 26 service bays, well-trainedmechanics and welders and a state-of-the-art sandblast/paint facility. Additional millions of dollars have been invested inoriginal Caterpillar parts and CaterpillarDealer support.

Selecting the ‘right’ core is one of themost crucial steps in the labour-inten-sive rebuild process. Each machine hasto be inspected, acquired, transported,torn down, reconditioned, reassembled,tested, inventoried, tested again priorto shipment, and then partially disas-sembled for shipment and delivered toits new owner - covered by a strongwarranty - at a cost that still representsa significant saving to the owner versuspurchasing a new machine of the samedesign. To meet this challenge, Hoss

has in-depth knowledge and expertisein the machine inspection and buyingprocess.

In general, Hoss rebuilds Caterpillarmining machines with genuine Caterpillarnew, rebuilt or exchange components, acompletely new undercarriage or a newset of tyres. Electrical systems are checkedand replaced as needed. Hydraulic sys-tems are restored to original performance.All hoses, belts, seals, gaskets, bearings,knobs, wiring, switches, and gauges willbe replaced with new parts. Worn linkagepins and shaft bearings are replaced. Cabsare detailed; seating is recovered orreplaced as required. All sheet metal isrepaired or replaced as needed.

To provide maximum value to HCR cus-tomers, all powertrains are rebuilt by oneof Hoss’ selected Caterpillar Dealers underthe Certified Power Train programme.Engines, fuel systems, transmissions,torque converters, differentials, final dri-ves, and radiators are disassembled,inspected, and reconditioned with new orqualified parts. Each component is thor-oughly bench tested before reinstallation.

Engine Electronic Control Modules arereplaced and the most current engineoperating software is installed.Reassembled engines and transmissionsare Dynamometer-tested prior to returnto Hoss. These tests are specified to detectpossible leaks (both fluid and air), monitorlubrication, fuel and boost pressures andto evaluate overall engine performance.


Surface mining

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:36 Page 21

As an example, Hoss is currentlyrebuilding two 1980 CAT 657B CoalScrapers for a large global company withUS operations in Alabama. The last 657Bswere manufactured in 1983. These rebuiltscrapers will be delivered to the customer

with all of the technological and engi-neering updates introduced since theiroriginal 1980 manufacturing date andmore (including conversion to 651Bs byremoving the rear engines, transmissionsand differentials). While these machines

cannot be upgraded to the current pro-duction models, the 657E or 651E, theycan be modernized.

Each machine receives a Tier 2, Stage IIcompliant 3456E Air-to-Air aftercooledengine using a Caterpillar-sanctioned process.This engine produces the same powerand torque as the original engine. It deliv-ers better throttle response and consumesless fuel for reduced operating costs. Theengine is also lighter and this weight sav-ing will result in better overall steering.

A next generation J1939 MurphyLinkPowerView System is also being installedin each converted 651B. The PowerViewSystem is an advanced instrument andgauge solution for SAE J1939 CANBUSengines. It comprises the PowerViewDigital Display and the MLink PowerViewAnalog Gages. This multifunctional toolenables equipment operators to viewmany different engine or transmissionparameters and service codes. Diagnosticcapabilities include fault codes with texttranslation for the most common faultconditions.

Performance testingFollowing re-assembly, Hoss machines

leave the shop and undergo rigorous test-ing. Complete tests are made for:

◆ Turbocharger boost at full load andstall speed

◆ Throttle response and engine rpmcheck at stall speed

◆ Transmission and steering clutchpressures

◆ Hydraulic and pilot relief valve pres-sures, and cycle times

◆ Cooling system performance undervarying engine loads

◆ Overall machine performance andleaks.

A Bucyrus boom?Bucyrus is certainly optimistic about themarket, announcing in August that it isproceeding with the expansion of itsmanufacturing operations at its SouthMilwaukee facilities. The company saidthat “as a result of the strong commoditymarket, the demand for Bucyrus’ equip-ment has increased dramatically andBucyrus is continuing to expand its capac-ity to meet that demand.”

The initial phase will include the con-struction of a new Rawson Avenue facilityfor welding and machining large electricshovel components. It will also providecapacity for welding and machining largewalking dragline components should theybe required to meet market demand.“This initial expansion will effectivelyincrease our capacity to manufacturelarge electric mining shovels by 50%,”stated Tim Sullivan, President and CEO.


Bauxite in Guinea (here) and coal in India are just two of

the area’s of success of the Wirtgen surface miners.

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:36 Page 22


“Based on our assessment of current andfuture market demand for our equipment,in particular our electric mining shovels,we believe that now is the time to moveforward with additional manufacturingcapability”

One of the latest Bucyrus shovel saleswas to a major coal producer in the USA.A 495HR (Hard Rock) high performanceelectric rope shovel to support productiontargets joins a fleet of Bucyrus brandmachines already operated by the compa-ny. Bucyrus says the 495 “has a provenhistory of outstanding productivity andincorporates new and innovative tech-nologies which enhance its capabilities.”It uses the Siemens AC - IGBT electricdrive system. The AC system eliminatesbrushes, fuses and RPC components thatare high maintenance items on DC drivemachines. A fully modularized electricalroom ships directly to the field to facilitatethe erection process.

495HR shovels carry the new SuperCabthat sets high standards for operator visi-bility, comfort and safety. In addition, themachinery house includes an additionalworkroom under the operator’s cab androof hatches, which allows ready access toall components on board the shovel.Reliability and ease of maintenance arekey ingredients of the design. A few ofthe numerous features include a third railswing system (which uses larger, wider,flangeless lower rollers) and loweredswing planetaries to provide for improvedmaintainability and ease of maintenance.

To further productivity, this 495 shovelwill be equipped with AccessDirectremote machine diagnostics. AccessDirectallows for direct access to a machine’selectrical system by a Bucyrusengineer from anywhere in theworld. Machines in remotelocations are as close as amodem or Internet connec-tion. AccessDirect means thatin many cases adjustments orrepairs can be made withoutthe need to attend themachine. For machines inremote locations that wouldotherwise require hours andsometimes days to reach, thiscan be critical in maintaining amachine’s productivity.

On this 495, AccessDirectwill be enhanced by AccuLoad

and MIDAS. AccuLoad is setting standardsfor precise weighing of each individualdipper load. MIDAS provides productiontracking and maintains ongoing detailedrecords of the various machine motionsand activities. The resulting digital historyallows managers to track and set bench-marks for improving productivity.

When commissioned later this year, thenew 495 will carry a 63 m3 dipper. As partof the commissioning process, Bucyrus willprovide turnkey erection and an exten-sive training program to support a quickramp-up to full productivity.

Carrying the burdenThe commentary on Tarkwa above notedthe use of lowboys. These are attractinginterest around the world. BHP Billitonrecently ordered two TowHaul lowboysfor its Chilean mines, Escondida andCerro Colorado. TowHaul sayslowboy/tow truck combinations offer costsaving mobility for tracked dozers, blast-hole drills, shovels (up to 1,200 t operat-ing weight) and disabled haul trucks.They are ideally suited for loads of 100 tand greater, and are able to use a towingunit as small as 75 t. Providing transportfor equipment within the operation area,speeds machine moves and saves wear oncrawlers and tyres wear.

One unit, a TowHaul lowboy, modelRGS-LP-54-21, 250 t capacity is 16.5 mlong and 6.4 m wide and was acquiredfor Minera Escondida, where a similarlowboy has been in use since 1999.Therefore, this new unit confirms the pref-erence for this brand’s quality. The secondunit for Cerro Colorado is a 136-t capacitymodel RGS-LPM-150-42-20, 12.8 m long

and 6 m wide. It is expected that twomore lowboys will be delivered to thiscustomer early in 2006.

Continuous miningWirtgen’s surface miners are makingsteady inroads into the market, mostnotably in salt, limestone and coal extrac-tion. In the latter case Wirtgen machinesmine 40 Mt/y of Indian coal. There havealso been interesting developments inbauxite in Guinea.

In the Tsentralnaya orebody of theDebele mine ore pillars had been left inthe vicinity of a generator substation andalong a public road and a rail line. Noblasting was allowed here but the reserveof these pillars was estimated to bearound 89,000 t. Further locations withsimilar conditions had been identified. In2000, Kompanyia Boksity Kindii pur-chased a Wirtgen 2100 SM to extractthese sections without blasting. Over nineand a half months, i.e. some 3,000 work-ing hours, this machine mined 300,000 tof bauxite and 25,000 t of overburden. In2001, CGG bought a 2200 SM Wirtgen.Working in the Tsentralnaya orebody, injust three months (some 900 workinghours), this mined 95,000 t of bauxiteand 20,000 t of overburden.

In both cases the Wirtgen units operat-ed on narrow faces with lengths of 100 to160 m and widths ranging from 35 to 55m. Highway trucks with an averagecapacity of 16 t were loaded with themined material. Tested rock samplesshowed a compressive strength of 30 to125 MPa. The compressive strength totensile strength ratio ranged from 5 to 7.This indicated a tough material.

Surface mining

A low inertia boom design is an exclusive

feature of Bucyrus’ rope crowd machines

and allows for greater operator control

and visibility when swinging. In addi-

tion, design enhancements in all struc-

tural areas and increased power in key

digging motions, allow the 495 High

Performance shovel to provide payload

ratings at the top of its class.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:37 Page 24

Depending on the hardness of the rock,cutting performances ranged from 140 to550 t/h, averaging around 250 t/h. Whatwas important was that different rockhardnesses could be cut without inter-rupting the mining process. By March2003 nearly 1 Mt of bauxite ore from thereserve’s abandoned zones, where drilland blast was not allowed, had beenextracted by means of Wirtgen SMs.

The clean removal of bauxite and theproduction of small particle sizes, alongwith the elimination of the crushingprocess, convinced the bauxite mineoperators of the strengths of the WirtgenSurface Mining technology. Apart frommining abandoned areas where blasting isprohibited, the technology was also con-sidered for general use at the Frija oredeposit, which, up to 2003, had beenmined by conventional drilling and blast.However the very complex deposit struc-ture made it very difficult to achieve therequired ROM quality. The Frija oredeposit consists of five ore zones; each ofthem has 3 to 7 seams, with thicknessesranging from 2 to 12 m. The ore seamscontain substantial inclusions of low-gradebauxite (below 37%). Therefore ore hasto be mined from several pits to achievethe required quality.

The 2200 SM was shifted to this depositin April 2003 and is now used for theselective bauxite mining in this difficultgeology. The miner dumps cut materialon the ground to build up a mine stock-pile. The material is later loaded ondemand by wheel loaders into 100-tcapacity trucks. In 2003, of the total pro-duction of 2,308,000 t, 414,000 t weremined selectively. The average productionper machine motor hour was 180 t.

When planning an expansion the minedecided to purchase a 2500 SM. In addi-tion to its selective mining ability, themine was able to eliminate the expansionof the crushing plant since the particlesize produced by the SM eliminates pri-mary crushing.

The 2500 SM was commissioned in July2004 and during commissioning achievedan average 500 t/h on average. Takingtruck change and maneuvering times into

account, the real average is 360 t/h.The Wirtgens in Guinea have shown this

technology is an economic solution for:◆ Mining bauxite without blasting◆ Mining materials of varying hardness

without interrupting the mining process◆ Selective mining of different bauxite

qualities◆ Elimination of primary crushing.

Seeing safety Intec reports that, while used initially as asafety feature, on-board cameras canhelp cost-efficiency in several ways. Anoperator with sufficient visibility candirect the machinery more confidentlyand hit fill and dump points more accu-rately. With escalating tyre costs, there isgreat advantage in seeing and avoidinghazards before damage can occur. Awide-view camera can provide the opera-tor with the necessary visibility tomanoeuvre safely, with the added benefit

of seeing the ground immediately aheador behind the tyres.

Operator health and comfort are alsoaddressed with cameras. Most heavyequipment requires the operator to twist,turn and stretch to see around the equip-ment before moving. A camera systembrings these difficult views into the cab,where the operator can see them in nor-mal sight lines.

With the possible increase in productivi-ty and reduction of downtime, camerasystems are a small investment that canyield big rewards.

Fleet managementGPS solutions for mobile equipment

tracking, shovel and drill positioning, andmore are used by a growing number ofmines worldwide. But, Modular Miningreports, “as demand for GPS increases, sodo the myths and misconceptions sur-rounding the technology:” IM


Myth Fact The GPS satellites could be shut GPS is funded and controlled by thedown at any time, leaving mines with US Department of Defense, which has aobsolete GPS systems. commitment to keep GPS operational

GPS has costly subscription fees. GPS is paid for and supported by US taxes, so there are no subscription fees.

Dependable GPS systems for mines Robust GPS systems are now available are years away. that provide up to 2-m accuracy for

mobile equipment tracking, and sub-meteraccuracy for shovel and drill positioning.

High-precision GPS systems require High-precision GPS systems can virtually a high-band width radio channel. unlimited numbers of trucks, shovels,

drills, dozers, etc., minewide, on a 9,600 b/s radio channel.

GPS isn’t practical for deep pit mines. Many deep pit mines, where the view to the horizon is partially blocked, have adequate coverage when GPS is augmentedwith the Russian GLONASS, which is similar in scope to GPS and provides up to 24 additional satellites when fully deployed.

GLONASS is unreliable. The Russian government has gone on record with a long-term commitment to support GLONASS.

Source: Modular Mining

IM ISSUE 2 26/9/05 8:12 Page 25


Operation Focus

Sepon sets sustainablemodel

Oxiana, an Australiancopper and gold miningand exploration compa-ny, developed the Seponcopper and gold mines inLaos over the past fiveyears and now producesup to 60,000 t/y of cop-per cathodes and morethan 200,000 oz/y ofgold in that country, John Chadwick reports

SSepon is the first major miningproject in Laos and represents thebeginning of a promising miningindustry there. The project is nowthe largest private business in

Laos and the biggest private employer. Oxiana is exploring for copper and gold

deposits in other parts of Laos and inThailand and China and is developing theProminent Hill copper-gold deposit inSouth Australia. Owen Hegarty, Oxiana’sManaging Director notes, “mining com-panies are generally pioneering. They areoften the first to invest in countries whichhave been recently reformed or are con-sidered to be ‘risky’. Whilst there are sig-nificant challenges, with this risk comesgreat opportunity both for the host coun-try and for the company. Benefits to thehost country come in terms of bothmicroeconomic and macroeconomicimprovements and significant demonstra-tion effects. And benefits to the companycome in terms of first mover advantage inunderexplored terrains with great mineralpotential.”

With little mining tradition, Laos, amainly mountainous country, covers236,800 km2, which is similar in size tothe UK, and has a population of just 5.7 million. The country does have inter-esting mineral potential with knownresources that include iron ore, tin, coal,gypsum, potash, precious stones andgold.

Sepon is located in southeastern Laos,approximately 600 km from the capital,Vientiane. Laos is still classified by the UNas a ‘Least Developed’ country. Hegartyexplains that the Lao Government hasclear goals to move out of this status andthe economy has grown strongly andreduced poverty significantly for morethan a decade. In the 1990s, real GDPgrew by an annual average rate of 6.3% –despite the sharp fall-off in growth duringthe regional crisis of 1997-1999 – andexports grew at around 15% a year.

“At present, the miningsector is in its developingstages, but since 2003when Sepon commencedits operations, mining has made a bigimpact on GDP. As well as increasingthe GDP Sepon currently contributesabout 15% of the country’s export rev-enue. By 2006 it is estimated that theproject will account for more than 30% ofexports.” The government has identifiedmining and minerals processing as onesource of continued economic growth.

Highly prospectiveOxiana acquired Sepon from Rio Tinto in2000. Rio Tinto had identified Laos ashighly prospective and had been explor-

ing there since 1993 during which timethe first of the Sepon gold and copperdeposits were discovered. The deposits,although high quality, were consideredtoo small to meet Rio Tinto’s mine sizecriteria and the project was sold.

Oxiana developed the initial gold pro-ject at a cost of $45 million and beganoperating in January 2003. Since then ithas produced more than 300,000 oz ofgold at an average cash cost of $160/oz.“We have already expanded the goldmine and are studying the possibility offurther increases in capacity. The gold

Above: Location Map

Right: Oxiana developed the

initial Sepon gold project at a

cost of $45 million and began

operating in January 2003.

The copper project is an SX-EW

operation producing copper

cathodes on site.

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:45 Page 32

mine cash flow has helped finance thecopper project,” Hegarty explains.

The copper project is an SX-EW opera-tion producing copper cathodes on site.The plant is based on the high gradeKhanong copper deposit which is a pre-dominantly chalcocite orebody. The cur-rent resource there is 42 Mt at 3.0% Cufor 1.25 Mt of contained metal and themining reserve is 15.5 Mt at 5.2% Cu.The feasibility and environmental - socialimpact studies were completed over 10months in 2002 including pilot plant testwork at Lakefield Research in Canada.

The copper process is novel and wasdeveloped by Bateman and Oxiana dur-ing the definitive feasibility study, whichwas completed in September 2002. It is afully integrated circuit, which incorporatessuch state-of-the-art unit processes asmilling in acid solution, 80°C atmosphericleaching, high-temperature autoclaveleaching, flotation, SX and EW.

The copper plant was constructed over27 months and produced its first coppercathodes in March 2005. The EPCM con-tractor for the project was a joint venturebetween Bateman Engineering andAusenco (the Khanong DevelopmentGroup). Oxiana expects to produce30,000 t of cathodes this year ramping upto design capacity and producing 60,000t/y from 2006. It is a mine, crush, grind,whole of ore leach, SX-EW operation. Theoverall cost of the project was $226 mil-lion, which included processing plant andinfrastructure upgrades.

Over the two-year project life, KhanongDevelopment overcame significant challenges, which required technologicalinnovation and detailed planning. Thelogistics and transport hurdles were com-plicated by the remoteness of the site andinvolved some 1,430 loads ofmaterials and

equipment, from 336 purchase ordersand 33 major contracts, being transportedto site. This required a 967 km supplyroute from Laem Chebang in Thailandwith the last 42 km by dirt road. At peakactivity, some 2,193 people wereemployed on site for the construction, 36 of who was the joint-venture construc-tion team and 600 of whom were localworkers drawn from surrounding villages.

Construction of the plant met first-world environmental standards in linewith the commitment by Oxiana and thejoint venture to the long-term welfare ofthe Lao people. In addition, throughoutthe project an excellent safety record wasmaintained with an LTIFR (lost-time injuryfrequency rate) of 0.6 per million man-hours for the 6.7 million manhoursworked up to the end of February 2005.

Khanong has a current resource of 42M t containing 3 % Cu and a mineablereserve of 15.5 Mt at 5.2 % Cu. Sepon’sgold mineralization occurs as fine dissemi-nations in highly altered calcareous sedi-mentary rocks with many affinities to theCarlin style gold deposits of Nevada, USA.Khanong is a near surface high gradesupergene chalcocite and oxide copperbody derived from the weathering of areplacement style massive sulphidedeposit developed in shallow dipping,highly sheared carbonate rocks.

Gold baseSepon produced the first gold on sched-ule in December 2002 and had a success-ful first year of operations in 2003(165,255oz at $135/oz cash costs).Following a significant upgrade of theresources and reserves (70% increase inreserve ounces) in 2003 the decision was

made to commence an expansionof the gold operation that

took throughput from1.25 Mt/y to 2.5Mt/y from late

2004.

Currently Sepon hosts eight separategold deposits (Discovery, Discovery West,Nalou, Namkok West, Namkok East, VangNang and Luang) and the Khanong cop-per deposit.

Each of five gold deposits comprisespits that are mined to extract the ore. Aconventional CIL process extracts the goldfrom the ore. Oxiana has undertaken atwo-stage development of the project,that is gold, followed by the copper,because gold is technically simpler andquicker to develop. Also, cash flow fromthe gold project was then used in financ-ing the copper project. Furthermore, thegold stage was at a lower capital cost,and logistically it is more efficient to buildthe business in stages.

Construction of the oxide expansion iscomplete and metallurgical studies havenow commenced into possible processroutes for the primary mineralization andare also looking into the possibility of aheap leach operation at Sepon.

Khanong mineOre and waste are mined from theKhanong pit 24 hours per day, 365 daysper year by Roche mining as contractorusing hydraulic face shovels. Some of theore is free digging, but where it is toohard for the excavator to dig efficiently,blasting is required. The base case pitscheduling and optimisation has been

undertaken to provide a copper pro-duction of 60,000 t/y. The feed ton-nage and grade vary to provide thiscontinued production rate but gen-erally the plant will operate at 0.8-

1.3 Mt/y.

“We have already

expanded the gold mine

and are studying the

possibility of further

increases in capacity.

The gold mine cash

flow has helped finance

the copper project”

In the copper mine, Oxiana has an ’alliance’

contract with Roche, whereby the contract is cost

reimbursable, with a margin.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:45 Page 33

Roche has a fleet of Komatsu excava-tors, two 1250s and one PC1800. Therigid hauler fleet comprises 11 100-tcapacity Cat 777D trucks. The supportfleet includes dozers and graders. Six moretrucks and one 1250 excavator will beadded to the fleet by the end of this year.

Oxiana is in an ’alliance’ contract withRoche, whereby the contract is cost reim-bursable, with a margin. Roche is on anincentive scheme to share savings andcost overruns.

Monsoon conditions can be a problemfor haulers in open pits in Southeast Asia.Roche operates in the wet whenever itcan by ‘sheeting’ roads in the pits.‘Sheeting’ involves laying waste materialon the haul roads to stop them gettingtoo wet and unmanageable during therainy season. Also, Oxiana’s second min-ing contractor, Lotus Hall, can operatemost of the time with its all four-wheeldrive ADT fleet, except in the very heavywet season. The mining rate drops to50% of the maximum for Roche and 75%for Lotus Hall during the heavy wetmonths – like the summer.

The current reserves provide a mine lifeof approximately 13 years. However, theKhanong resource has further resourcepotential as does the nearby Thengkhamresource and other targets in the area.

The ROM ore at Sepon is predominant-ly chalcocite, although it can also containa range of copper oxide and carbonateminerals, depending on the depth and

location of the mining operation. Otherminerals present in the ore include pyriteas well as gangue minerals (mainly clays).In the process, chalcocite and other cop-per minerals are leached to produce acopper rich liquor. This is achieved via atwo-step process comprising an atmos-pheric leach and subsequent pressure oxi-dation circuit.

Innovative grindingOre is first ground in an Outokumpu mill,which was especially designed for boththe highly acidic environment of the slur-ry and for the monsoonal wet season con-ditions encountered in Laos. The groundore is leached via a two-step process com-prising a whole of ore atmospheric leachand subsequent pressure oxidation.

Initially, the majority of the copper min-erals are extracted into solution using asulphuric acid/ferric sulphate leach medi-um under controlled conditions in a seriesof agitated open tanks. The dissolved cop-per is then recovered in a counter-current

decantation thickener circuit, and the finalwash liquor is treated in an SX circuit toextract the copper, which is then elec-trowon to produce LME Grade A coppercathodes. The SX and EW circuits werealso designed and built by Outokumpu. InSeptember 2003 Outokumpu Technologyagreed to deliver an SX-EW plant andminerals processing equipment forOxiana. Together with the technologyagreement, Outokumpu has an off-takeagreement for half of the copper cathodeproduction from the new plant.

The scope of Outokumpu Technology’sdelivery covered basic and detailed engi-neering, all equipment, installation super-vision and commissioning services. TheSX-EW plant is designed to produce60,000 t/y of copper cathodes. It is one ofthe world’s lowest cost copper producers.

The grinding mill OutokumpuTechnology delivered is a design uniquelysuitable for extreme environments, incor-porating metals technology common tonuclear power reactors. Combining pro-tective stainless steel with more durablecarbon steel provided a mill suitable forthe high-acid environment at Sepon. Theprotective layer of stainless steel is weldedonto the inside of the carbon steel sub-strate of the 9 m long grinding mill (5.2 m inside diameter).

Outokumpu Technology’s GrindingManager, Oskar Gustavson, says, “Oxianafaced an interesting technological chal-lenge in providing a copper mill whichneeded to operate in a very aggressiveprocessing environment. The pulp in themill contains large quantities of sulphuricacid with a pH level less than 1”

“They could have put in multiple smallvertical mills and scrubbers, but the num-ber of machines required would havebeen uneconomic and produced a com-plicated plant. Engineering multiple

As well as being a leader in sustainable development,

Sepon is also at the forefront of gender balancing,

with many females very active in the mine. For

instance, more than 50% of the haul truck operators

are women.

seven Cat D440Es (40 t), 12 Cat 725s (25 t), seven Hitachi AH350Ds (35 t) and three Hitachi AH250Cs (25 t). There are also eight Cat 330C excavators and one Hitachi ZX450H.

The Lotus Hall fleet comprises

The Lotus Hall ADTs can keep the operation going well

during monsoon rains.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:45 Page 34

machines into a circuit like this is not apreferred option. Its best to keep it sim-ple, for reliability and efficiency.”

Mr Gustavson project-managed theengineering of the single stage high-effi-ciency pebble mill. It uses flint rock media(as opposed to normal steel balls), againstwhich the mill’s interior is protected by a75 mm rubber lining over a metal sand-wich of 6 mm stainless steel, welded to60-100 mm carbon steel plate.

Capitalising on the Outokumpu Group’swide expertise, its Outokumpu Stainlessoperations were also used in the project.Engineers from Outokumpu Stainless, oneof the largest producers of stainless steel,contributed expertise in welding the met-als involved, having specialist knowledgeof metal types and heat treatments toproduce the ideal result.

Outokumpu Technology engineered ashell-supported fabricated mill design,rather than a more conventional millusing cast heads and trunnions. Thisdesign ideally accommodated the weldedsandwich components required. Evolvedin conjunction with Oxiana, the $A5 mil-lion mill incorporates a stainless feedchute with ceramic interior lining and astainless steel trommel.

More than half the mill componentswere fabricated in Australia. To simplifyfuture spare part requirements on-site, themill was designed with the same drives asan earlier Outokumpu mill delivered tothe Sepon gold plant.

“Experience on-site has been a majorreason why the project proceeded sosmoothly, even with the technical chal-lenges,” says Gustavson. “Oxiana ProjectManager Phil Dunstan’s team built up anexcellent rapport with our Australian andinternational staff. Under the direction ofOutokumpu’s Installation Manager PeterNilsson, we now have supplied Seponwith five mills, three for the gold plantand two for the copper” said Gustavson.

As an intermediate step, the residuefrom the leaching process is floated toseparate any remaining sulphide. This

material is then re-leached at elevatedtemperature and pressure in an autoclaveto extract residual copper but mostly togenerate the acid used in atmosphericleaching. Copper recovery to cathode isaround 90%.

Oxiana has entered into a $A350,000agreement for the supply of ViroMinetechnology at Sepon. Following a site visitby Virotec, the company agreed to imple-ment a ViroMine Acid B Extra pit laketreatment and a ViroMine Acid B Extrapermeable reactive barrier to assist in theprotection of local rainforest. A furtherViroMine Terra B shotcrete application isalso being trialled by the company.

Hegarty explains, “Khanong orebodyhas excellent attributes, it is high grade,readily leachable, at surface, long life andthe project has access to Lao hydropower.This sees cash costs at the low end of theworld copper production cash costcurve.”

Government supportHegarty is a fan of Laos, which he

describes as “very much un- and under–explored. This project has gone betterthan any other project I have beeninvolved with in my 30 plus years in the

mining industry in Australia and Asia. I saythis often because I hope it brings someperspective to what we and theGovernment of Laos have achieved atSepon. The government has supported,co-operated and provided encourage-ment at every stage of our investment.This is critical to the success of a projectin a developing country.

“The quality of the Sepon assets is evi-dence of the geological potential of Laos.At Sepon we have discovered 400-km2

gold and copper mineralization. We haveonly really just started to fully understandthe mineralization there and to explore theextent of this field. We have already identi-fied resources of 5Moz of gold and 1.6Mtof copper and there is extensive upside.

”We are only at the very beginning ofdeveloping one of the world’s newestmining districts and have identified manyother targets. Recently we have identifiedanother resource at Thengkham, only 7 km from the processing plant, whichlooks to have similarly high quality attrib-utes as the Khanong orebody. It is a moreextensive copper and gold mineralizedsystem than Khanong.

“Russia has also contributed significant-ly to the Lao mining industry through thefine training of Lao geologists. A Russiantrained Lao geologist was instrumental inthe discovery of Sepon and many of theseinitially Russian trained geologists workwith us still.

“Based on the Russian and other data itis estimated that Lao PDR geologicalprospectivity is comparable to other coun-tries in the region such as the Philippines,Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia, all ofwhich have large mineral deposits.”

Sepon is very conveniently located closeto a transnational highway, Route 9,which connects Thailand, Laos andVietnam The highway allowed readyaccess for parts and supplies into Laos, for construction and operations. It is also located in the middle of a marketwhich consumes half the world’s copper.

Oxiana believes it should deliver bene-fits to all its stakeholders. This shouldinclude improving the standards of livingand the local economy for those livingaround the mine for the long term. Thecompany followed World Bank Guidelinesand the Equator Principles.

In addition to bringing the normal ben-efits of employment and infrastructure tothe Sepon area, Oxiana has also provideda more unusual service in removing unex-ploded ordnance (UXO). This area of Laoswas heavily bombed during the secondIndochina (Vietnam) War, with a resultinglegacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO)contamination. During 11 years of UXOclearance, Oxiana has cleared manysquare kilometers including the main arte-rial road to the mine, at a cost of morethan $12 million. IM

Outokumpu Technology engineered a shell-supported

fabricated mill design, rather than a more conven-

tional mill using cast heads and trunnions. This design

ideally accommodated the welded sandwich compo-

nents required.

“We are only at the

very beginning of

developing one of the

world’s newest

mining districts.....”

Operation Focus


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:45 Page 35

CCrushing victory

John Chadwick highlights some of the comminution advances that are reducing component wear and cutting energy consumption –

in both crushing and grinding

Crusher wear rate KeyPerformance Indicators (KPIs)provide valuable data for oper-ations, maintenance andprocess engineering1. By peri-

odically measuring wear part thickness, acrushing profile can be developed for thecrushing chamber. Monitoring compo-nent wear and wear rates facilitatesplanned maintenance and inventory con-trol. FFE Minerals engineers have madefurther use of wear profiling to enhancethe design of the Fuller-Traylor Non-Choking concave profile,improve

component life and optimise crusher per-formance.

In a gyratory crusher, metal wear occursanywhere that rock makes contact withmetal: on spider shields, along the topshell wear plates, in the crushing chamberand within the crusher discharge of thebottom shell. Metal wear, which is of sig-nificance to the performance of the crush-er, occurs in the crushing chamber, whichconsists of the mantle and concaves. Wearaffects the chamber geometry, which isshown to have a direct relationship withthroughput and power draw.

The first step in wear monitoring is todetermine crushing chamber geometry:

◆ Attain mantle/concave profiles◆ Periodic measurements of concave

and mantle thickness to determine wearfrom original profile

◆ From production statistics, projectwear rate (mm/Mt) and a wear profile.

The frequency will depend on materialcharacteristics, throughput rate, existingwear rates and machine availability. Itcould be monthly, quarterly or semi annu-al, but it is important to remember thattoo long a duration may miss subtlechanges.

Along with the above stated crushingKPIs, wear profiling can be added to thelist of parameters that measure crusherperformance. Every orebody, mine, crush-ing plant and process is unique. Selectionof critical processes and appropriate KPIswill be specific to each application.‘Optimum’ for one mine may not be‘optimum’ in another operation.

Understanding the dynamics of thecrushing chamber becomes an indicatorof crusher operation and performanceand allows crusher performance optimisa-tion. The benefits and opportunities forcontinuous improvement include:

◆ Predictive maintenance– Life of wear components– JIT inventory control– Planned maintenance –replacement

or rotation◆ Quality control– Testing to minimize defects or

variance – Get what you pay for– Documentation for performance

warranty◆ Detail periodic inspection of crushing

chamber and wear parts– Proactive corrective action

◆ Quantitative measure –change /effect

◆ Mine to Mill – Throughput performance enhance-

ment– Product control for downstream

processes – Identify characteristics of various feed

materials◆ Increased life of wear components– Design changes for increased

performance◆ Put the metal where its neededFFE documents improvements that

include throughput increased by up to50% with improved geometry whiledecreasing product size. Extended wearcomponents life can exceed a doubled lifewith improved geometry and changingmetallurgy and decreased product size.


◆ Operating Parameters ◆ Crusher Mechanical Properties– Throughput/capacity –t/h, t/d – Eccentricity and speed– Power draw – Nip angle– Mantle position -OSS/CSS – Temperature and pressures

◆ Lubrication system◆ Hydraulic system

◆ ROM Material Properties ◆ Others– Geology/rock type – Vibration– Specific energy Wi – Oil quality & properties– % Moisture – Wear components metallurgy– Size

◆ Feed◆ Product

There is a constant drive to move the crusher closer to the face,t

CRUSHING KPIs

Comminution

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:39 Page 50

ww

w.m

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inerals.co

m

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METSO/NORDBERG 27/9/05 13:02 Page 1

The better operations and maintenancepractices will give improved power perfor-mance and allow proactive maintenance.

Process controlSandvik Rock Products (SRP) has gainedmuch experience in producing more finalproduct with the help of process control.During the last five years, several existingcrushing circuits around the world havebeen upgraded by replacing traditional 7’crushers with the latest generation ofcone crushers. The new crushers havemore power input, and can boost produc-tion in an operating mine with minimuminfrastructure changes. If the crushers areautomated, the added performance willbe even higher, SRP reports.

In an SRP Hydrocone crusher, setting isregulated by the Hydroset system. Thisconsists of one single robust piston sup-porting and regulating the position of themain shaft. This gives several benefits. Thecrusher can be regulated continuously,making implementation of continuousprocess control possible. This is a uniquefeature of the Hydrocone. The Hydrosetpressure can be used as a direct measure-ment of the crushing force. This force isone of the key parameters in crusher con-trol. It allows adjusting the setting to anoptimum without reaching an overloadsituation where the tramp metal safetysystem is activated, resulting in ringbouncing. As an added benefit, theHydroset system makes it quite easy tostart a crusher under load, e.g. after apower failure. This eliminates the hardwork of removing material from thecrushing chamber by hand.

An Automatic Setting RegulationSystem (ASRi) combined with aHydrocone crusher enables regulation tobe monitored continuously 24 hours aday, seven days a week, for full power andcrushing force utilization. SRP says theASRi system guarantees optimum perfor-mance under all kinds of conditions. Themain advantages of the system are:

◆ Compensation for changes in orehardness

◆ Compensation for changes in mois-ture

◆ Compensation for changes in feedgradation

◆ Continuous compensation for linerwear.

The ASRi working principle is very sim-ple to understand, despite being basedon a very advanced computer simulationmodel. If the unit is crushing hard ore,the conditions will allow a certain settingto be the smallest possible. If the materialbecomes softer and easier to crush, thesetting can be reduced. The ASRi systemwill sense the situation immediately, andcause the crusher to reduce its setting.Thus, the machine will be utilized at itsfull performance at all times, without

operator assistance. The operation will bekept on the smaller setting until a tougherworking condition requires anotheradjustment. It is worth mentioning thatthese adjustments are incremental andmay involve just 1 or 2 mm, enough tobalance the load for full optimum utiliza-tion at all times.

A crusher that does not have an auto-matic system, operated using 100% of itspower, is at the optimum point for theconditions at any given point of time.However it would be overloaded with aharder material, or more moist material,and it would be underutilized if a softermaterial were the feed.

An automated crusher that uses a sys-tem that continuously tracks crusher loadand can react to changes in the loadimmediately will always operate at maxi-mum performance. A non-automatedcrusher, or a crusher lacking an automa-tion system that can change the settinginstantaneously will not be able to com-pensate for variations in the feed materialor wear of the crushing chamber. This willlead to production losses. The more thefeed material varies and the more abrasiveit is the greater the benefit of automation.

Chile’s copper mines have investedheavily in crushing equipment over recentyears. Codelco alone has 27 SRPHydrocone crushers with ASRi. At ElTeniente, the crushing and screening cir-cuit has been upgraded with nine H8800Hydrocones units that have replaced 11traditional 7’ crushers. Production hasincreased to 65,000 t/d of p80=7.2 mm.A higher tonnage with a finer end prod-uct has been achieved, and with two lesscrushers than before. The follow-up at ElTeniente was very detailed and randomtesting for almost a full year demonstrat-ed that the H8800 Hydrocone had a moreeven, higher average production capacitythan an alternative crusher (installed nextto it in order to obtain a performancecomparison) that did not have automation.

Similar results have been achieved withiron ore. For example, performance

results at Anshan Iron and Steel in Chinawere so convincing that SRP has receivedseveral repeat orders since the first unitswere installed in 2002, bringing the totalto 20 Hydrocones for this customer alone.

Experience has shown that a HydroconeH8800 can typically produce about twicethe production of the old 7’ units.

On the moveThere is a constant drive to move thecrusher closer to the face, to reduce haul-ing costs. Mobile crushing equipment cannot only replace stationary systems – itcan also eliminate the use of haulers andreduce staff, explains Metso Minerals’Jorma Kempas. Although mobile trackedcrushing plants able to work at the facehave been around for 20 years, “only noware mobile crushers challenging stationarycrushing plants.”

The cost of haulage – which can repre-sent more than half of all costs (drilling,blasting, loading, crushing etc.) – is anissue with stationary crushers. Kempasnotes savings have been achieved bymoving the fixed primary crusher into thepit – thereby reducing the haul distance –and replacing older smaller haulers withlarger, newer ones. “But this is, at best,only a halfway measure – why not elimi-nate the haul (and the haulers) altogether?Mobile crushing equipment allows this.”

The main advantages of mobile, track-mounted primary crushing plants aretheir ability to maximize productivity andreduce operating costs.

Mobility is no substitute for effectivecrushing and tracked mobile crushersshould meet the same basic criteria as sta-tionary plants. The ability to crush thelargest rocks to the desired size and at thedesired rate is a ‘must-have’ attribute.Plants should be easy to use and main-tain, offer high availability and a long life.The basic components of a mobiletracked crushing plant are almost thesame as for a stationary one (jaw orimpactor, power unit, vibrating grizzlyfeeder, feed hopper etc) but with the

Installation of new

Sandvik Rock

Products’ Hydrocone

H8800 crushers at

El Teniente, Chile.


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added advantage of complete mobility –even up slopes as steep as 1:10 incline.But it doesn’t have to be just the primarycrusher that is mobile – Metso’s Lokotrackmobile crushing plants can be built withtwo, three or even four different crushingand screening stages. In terms of sparesand maintenance there are morehydraulics, engine and electronic compo-nents with mobile crushers, but these aregenerally well supported by the OEMs.

Where track-mounted crushing systemsreally score is in their ability to be at theface; and then be relocated (when blast-ing, for example) – under their ownpower - in as little as 20 minutes. It isintuitively a good solution, in terms ofoptimised productivity and lowest operat-ing costs, for the crushing equipment tobe at the face. Using haulers can be veryinefficient, and costly.

The potential cost saving of mobilecrushing is significant: a study conductedby Tampere University in Finland found a31% cost saving over semi-mobile instal-lations in similar applications.

There are significant environmentaladvantages in mobile systems: eliminatinghaulers reduces noise, vibrations andemissions - and fuel use. Safety too isenhanced, as moving vehicles play a sig-nificant role in accidents.

ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik has putmuch development work and dollars intoin-pit crushing combined with inclinedconveyor systems. From the outset, the

company recognised the criticality of get-ting the crushing right. Belt systems can-not become overloaded with oversizerocks, but it is important that the crusherproduce sufficient fines to make full eco-nomic use of belt capacity.

ThyssenKrupp’s product offering hasprogressed from systems based on in-pitcrushers to semi-mobile crushers and onto mobile, and slewing, in-pit crushers.Hydraulic or rope shovels working at theface can dump directly into such systems,completely eliminating truck haulage.Furthermore, if the mobile crusher is aslewing unit, it can reduce the slewingrequirement on the shovel, extending theoperating life of that machinery. In multi-bench applications, flexibility is furtherincreased through the use of mobiletransfer conveyors.

Indian ambitionsPowerscreen screening equipment andTerex Pegson crushing plants are not onlyproduced by sister companies but alsooften work in tandem - in situationswhere mobile crushing, screening andstockpiling operations are in play. Bothare members of the worldwide and highlyrespected Terex Group. These two forcesin crushing and screening are focussingon the Indian sub-continent where bothhave been developing and honing theirdealership arrangements, increasing thecustomer-driven product selection andenhancing their already strong reputa-

tions with a series of extremely successfulsales drives, particularly in iron ore pro-cessing.

Mr Rajender Khoda is Director of Salesfor India - a well-known personality in theindustry whose wide experience and in-depth knowledge has paid dividends sincehis appointment last year. Working closelywith the appointed distributor Voltas andthe Powerscreen and Terex Pegson Britishfactories, numerous high profile sales suc-cesses are already proving that there is anexcellent potential for both equipmentranges throughout the Indian sub-conti-nent.

Kieran Hegarty, Vice-President TerexCrushing and Screening commented "Thecontinued development of India’s infra-structure and the vast potential of its min-eral resources provide us with excellentopportunities for expanding our presencein this growing and vibrant market. Witha range in excess of 70 different modelscovering mining, quarrying and aggre-gate extraction, the quality of our crush-ing and screening products, coupled withregional dealer support are certain toensure the products continue to find suc-cess throughout India".

There are numerous models fromPowerscreen’s Chieftain range at workthroughout India - especially in iron oreprocessing, where around £1 million inPowerscreen equipment has been invest-ed in iron ore mining centres in thesouthern and eastern regions. The latest

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addition to the range isthe new Chieftain 2100Triple Deck, which iscapable of an output ofup to 500 t/h (depend-ing on mesh sizes andmaterial types) and fea-tures a 6m X 1.55mtriple deck screen unitfor optimum efficiency.The Chieftain 2100Triple Deck has heavy-duty, low ground pres-sure crawler tracks andthere is an optional tri-axle bogie system thatallows the trackedmachine to be trans-ported without theneed for a low loader.

Terex Pegson hasdeveloped a number ofnew high-performancemobile crushing plants– many with innovative features based onsite-proven engineering principles thathave kept the company at the forefront ofmobile crushing plant technology.

Underground safetyAt Outokumpu’s Elijarvi mine, the secondlargest in Finland, a Rammer M630 RCcontrolled via video is playing a vital role.The Rammer boom is mounted over aMetso gyratory crusher in a crusherchamber 500 m below ground and wasinstalled to prevent bridging in the crush-er. “The Rammer boom replaces an over-head crane,” explains OutokumpuChrome’s Esa Lindeman. “The boom is amuch safer solution to the bridging problem.”

The Rammer boom is powered by anHA37EHC power-pack and features a1,710 kg Rammer E 68 hydraulic hammerproducing impact energy of 4,000 Joulesand blow rates from 330 - 580 bpm. Theunit can be operated from the crusherand also remotely from surface controlsome 2 km away.

“As we move increasingly to a totallyunderground operation, the remote con-trol will become increasingly important,”concludes Lindeman. “The combinationof remote-control and video monitoring isthe perfect solution to our needs.”

Roller crushingHigh pressure roller crushing (HPRC) orhigh pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) isattracting a low of Interest. This isbecause, of all the plant costs in mineralsprocessing, grinding is one of the mostexpensive stages due to high-energy con-sumption and wear costs. Polysius saysthere has been demand for an “alterna-tive to help control costs.”

Polysius says its Polycom (HPGR)was developed “using the concept ofinter-particle crushing: particles being

crushed between other particles produc-ing comminuted material of all particles.This principle has provided substantialsavings in energy consumption comparedto standard ball mills.” Polycom usescompressive forces in a uniform and con-trolled manner as well as eliminating theshearing forces seen in ball mills.

“This controlled environment of com-minution results in a high proportion offines along with extensive particle crack-ing along the various particle grains.

“The primary cost saving with Polycomis a reduction in energy costs. With [one]installed in an existing system in front of aball mill, energy costs can be reduced byas much as 50%. Additionally, the circuitcapacity can increase as high as 100%over the current level. Many plants findthat their ‘bottleneck’ is the grinding cir-cuit, installing a Polycom can drasticallyreduce it.”

Polycom or other such units can belocated in many areas of a plant and usedas either a primary or secondary crusher. Plants have used this technology as a pre-crusher to a tertiary ball mill to helpreduce power and media consumption ofexisting units. Further, it has also been used as a secondary crusher to grind thepebbles discharging from a SAG mill.Also, Polycom has been used as a primarycrusher handling feed material as large as150 mm.

In iron ore mines, the production of alarge amount of fines has been wel-comed. The copper sector has doneextensive test work with Polycom and hasfound signs of higher recovery through

the tertiary stage.Furthermore, Polysiusreports “it has beenproven that Polycomimproves the recoveryof gold for two reasons:(1) the large amount offines leads to better lib-eration of preciousmetal particles, and (2)the coarser particleshave extensivemicrofractures whichgives the liberationproduct better accessto the precious metalstill trapped inside theore.”

Bateman markets theKHD HPGR technology(roller presses) in south-ern Africa and notesapplications range“from coarse grinding

of pebbles in excess of 65 mm down tofine grinding of <100 µm.” It “offers low-energy consumptions,“in the range 0.8 to3.0 kWh/t for most ores, and up to 40 %less than that for other grinding technolo-gies.

Roller presses also have the ability toprocess ores with up to 10% moisture,often eliminating the need for costly dry-ing processes. Overall roller presses signifi-cantly increase plant throughput and thegrade of product is improved. The capaci-ties of roller presses start at about 50 t/hfor the pilot-plant models to 1,500 t/h forthe largest installed units. The power con-sumption range is 100 kW to about 3,000kW with rollers ranging from diameters of0.8 m and widths of 0.25 m to diametersof 2.1 m and widths of 1.8 m. The specif-ic throughput of an industrial-scale rollerpress may be determined by the more-or-less direct scale-up of laboratory or pilot-plant testing. The installations have lowmaintenance and space requirements, lowvibration and noise, availabilities in excessof 95 % and long-term reliability.”

Millers’ talesMill Auto-Pilot is an on-line stabilisingcontroller for SAG mill load and powerdraw. Australian company MIPAC devel-oped the controller through a joint ven-ture with JKTech. Its basis is the dynamiccomminution circuit simulatorJKDynaGrind, which is the product ofmany years of modelling and simulationwork. The MIPAC/JKTech joint ventureagreement has led to the adaptation ofthe multi-purpose JKDynaGrind packageto control and stabilize SAG mills.

The Mill Auto-Pilot should change theway SAG mills are controlled and man-aged, by using powerful predictive mod-els in the decision making process.Controlling SAG mill load determines the

At Elijarvi mine a Rammer M630 RC, controlled via

video, is mounted over a Metso gyratory crusher in a

chamber 500 m underground and was installed to

prevent bridging in the crusher.


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efficiency of grind-ing and the stabili-ty of alldownstreamprocesses.Although it is pri-marily a load andpower draw con-troller for the SAGmill, it will also pro-vide understand-ing about thegrinding process tothe operator in‘real time’:

Features of MillAuto-Pilot include models that calculate the feed rate required tostabilise the load. Output data is provided about SAG mill informa-tion such as power draw, load volume in the mill, and shoulder andtoe angles. Critical factors such as ore hardness are also accounted for.

A new technique to help reduce internal damage to AG/SAG mills,caused by tumbling rocks and balls, is in the final stages of develop-ment. CSIRO Minerals has installed a continuously powered on-linevibration monitoring system at a full-scale production SAG mill inAustralia. It is the first unit to be permanently installed at a mineafter successful short-term prototype trials at six mines worldwide.CSIRO Minerals’ Jonathan Campbell, Technical Co-ordinator of theAMIRA P667A project, says the rugged monitor’s ability to providereliable data on the motion of material inside a rotating mill has thepotential to save mining companies millions of dollars in costs asso-ciated with internal wear and tear. The monitor can locate thepoints where tumbling is directly impacting the mill’s lifters and lin-ers, causing excessive damage.

“This technology provides the opportunity for several potentialgains,” says Campbell. “One of them is to use the monitoring systemoutputs to tune the mill operation to minimise direct liner impacts,extend the life of the liners and lifters and therefore decrease thenumber of stoppages required per year to fit replacements.”

Furthermore, the team designed the monitor to provide informa-tion about the amount and particle size of rocks in the mill. In thepast, the industry “has lacked a better understanding of the loadbeing ground inside a mill and how this changes as a function oftime,” Campbell says. “Significant costs associated with millingrelate to the variability of mill performance. There was no consistentmeasure of properties of the mill contents, so there was limitedscope for process optimisation. We see the monitor being able toprovide information to assist with optimising milling performance.This means there is potential for a significant pay-off in terms ofprocess improvement and reduced maintenance.”

Another project aims to achieve better mineral liberation with lesscomminution, saving time and money and improving eco-efficiency.Campbell says: “The project, which we’re doing at the Centre forSustainable Resource Processing with the JKMRC, aims to identifyways to reduce total comminution energy at existing mine sites by20% or more.”

He says savings can be achieved through improving the use ofexisting equipment and assessing the application of new, more eco-efficient processing technologies to enhance liberation of valuableminerals and reject gangue. His team will quantify the fine-grindingcharacteristics of selected ores using CSIRO Minerals pilot-scale, fine-grinding facilities. [email protected]

MinnovEX reports4 that its MET expert system for grindinginstalled at the BHP Laguna Seca concentrator has proved to be suc-cessful in optimizing production. "Neural models acting as soft sen-

Sandvik Rock Processing

ASRi at Mantos Blancos,

Chile.


ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik GmbH

Mining

Altendorfer Str. 120 · D-45143 Essen

Tel.: +49 (0) 2 01/8 28-04Fax: +49 (0) 2 01/8 28-45 10

www.thyssenkrupp-foerdertechnik.com

Four basic models with capacities of 500 to 13,000 mt/h –matching all hydraulic or rope shovels of all known manufac-turers world-wide – are loaded directly by excavating shovelsor loaders which completely eliminates truck transport.

ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik with its many decades ofexperience in building bucket wheel excavators, in-pit crushingplants, belt conveyor systems and spreaders is available toassist in the planning, supplying, operating and maintenanceof flexible continuous mining systems at any time.

ThyssenKrupp FördertechnikA company of ThyssenKrupp Technologies

TK

Cut your Costs!Cut your Costs!

New series of mobile in-pit crushers on crawlers

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:44 Page 55

sors for critical instrumentation have pro-vided an additional layer of reliability.Modifications to the original installedlogic based on continuous input from theoperators have resulted in a system that isboth effective and robust while beingmaintained by site personnel."

Uplifting experienceDavid Royston (Royston ProcessTechnology) explains that efficient perfor-mance of pulp lifters requires control of‘reverse flow’ of fluid pulp through thegrate (and back into the mill) and theeffective discharge of pebbles from thepulp lifter. Reverse flow reduces pulp dis-charge; poor pebble discharge causesrock backflow (leading to high pulp lifterwear) and reduces pulp-lifter lifting capac-ity (through carry-over of undischargedpebbles). His presentation at the SMEAnnual Meeting2 offers a design approachto resolving these issues; an approachsupported by practical experience and bymathematical modelling.

Messrs Latchireddi, of JKMRC, andRajamani3 point out that the flow capacityof AG and SAG mills is essentially con-trolled by grate and pulp lifters. “The limi-tations that are imposed by poor lifterdesign become increasingly apparentwhen the AG/Sag mills are run in closedcircuit with hydrocyclones. The design ofthese discharge components is largelybased on trial and error and hence variesconsiderably between manufacturers.”They offer details on the inherent prob-lems of conventional pulp lifter designsand the comparative performance of anew pulp lifter.

For large SAG mills in closed circuit,pulp lifter design can result in slurry pool-ing and limit mill throughput. The prob-lem with conventional pulp lifters is thatas the slurry is lifted up, not only does itslide out through the discharge, but it canalso slide back through the holes in thegrate through which it first passed, effec-tively ‘short circuiting’ the process.

The JKMRC was first approached byAlcoa of Australia to help solve a problemoccurring inside the SAG mills used at itsWagerup refinery. The restriction wasbeing caused by the inefficiency ofhow the end of the mill

pumped out the material. SanjeevaLatchireddi recognized that if the designof the pulp lifter were altered - a paddlewheel type apparatus at the mill's end -the ‘pump’ would work more efficiently.He also decided to 'feather' this propellerthat pushes out the slurry and the bladeswere angled to prevent slurry from return-ing through the grate, thereby eliminat-ing the short-circuiting.

Alcoa’s Wagerup refinery was the firstoperation in the world to use the newpulp lifter and its throughput increased by15%. The new pulp lifter alleviated con-gestion in the mill, allowing increasedthroughput by raising mill speed andincreasing ball charge.

Lining advancesDemands for longer periods betweenchange-outs, shorter times for change-outs, and consistent grinding results havecalled for improved quality and extendedlife of mill linings, as well as appropriatedesign mechanisms. In recent years,Multotec Rubber has had great success insupplying rubber mill liners. Its RubCercomposite rubber and ceramic productrange is gaining increasing acceptance.The RubCer range is a composite linerusing ceramic cylpebs, blocks or hex tilesembedded in the rubber. It is used inmedium duty applications where theimpact angle falls between the optimumranges for rubber or ceramic, and is idealfor use as chute transfer point liners, espe-cially at the point of contact in chutes.

The standard RubCer range includesRubCer Wear Plates. The edges of thesewear plates are lined with cylpebs or halfcylpebs to ensure maximum coverage ofthe wear surface. The use of rubber allowsthe ceramic to absorb energy duringimpact, ensuring that the ceramics do notcrack. At the same time, the ceramics pre-vent the cutting of the rubber and pro-vide excellent wear resistance.

RubCer Wear Plates haveproven popular, espe-

cially in Australiawhere they are usedextensively in the

iron ore sector.Money can be

saved and wastereduced by using

new

Skega Ecoline lifter bars. Design break-throughs mean that the new system offersfurther enhancements to Metso Minerals'technology for grinding mills. One of thekey innovations in the system is that therubber lifting bar can be easily separatedfrom the aluminium attachment profile. Adetachable fixing system allows it to bereplaced when it eventually wears out.The alumina profile can then be fittedwith a new rubber bar ready to resumework. Reusing the alumina profile gives asignificant cost saving and reduces wastecompared to earlier bonded systemswhere both alumina and rubber had tobe replaced together.

The Skega system is tailor-made to eachinstallation and is quick to install and easyto replace. Lifter bars are delivered instandard lengths to be cut during installa-tion. A full range of profiles and sizes isavailable. Bars are 1,760 mm long withwidths of 140 and 100 mm and heightsfrom 85 to 135 mm to suit different appli-cations. The width, height and spacing ofthe Ecoline lifting bar can be matchedwith suitable plate thickness to produceoptimum performance. The system alsofeatures a tighter joint design. Thedetachable aluminium profile allows therubber to be compressed during installa-tion, minimizing the risk of underpacking.Even the fixing system can be salvagedand reused in due course. When the com-ponents eventually wear out, they can beeasily separated for recycling.

Skega says use of the new system canreduce lining weights by up to 75% andnoise by up to 50% compared with othernon-polymeric lining materials. And onceinstalled, Skega mill lining componentsrequire a minimum of supervision andrepair - which increases mill availability.Linings using the Skega Polymax com-pound enjoy a superior life.

The Condestable copper mine is one ofPeru’s few mines at sea level, just south ofthe capital Lima. The operation has sever-al ball mills - three large primaries andthree small mills. Metso Minerals suppliedtwo of the biggest with an Allis Chalmers9 x 13 and a 12 x 14. Rubber is used forlifters and as wear protection in the millsat Condestable. All of the larger mills areequipped with Poly-Met lifters and plates.“Skega rubber products are being usedmore and more,” says Alberto Velásquez,Product Manager, Metso Minerals, Peru,“The 12 x 14 ball mill has Poly-Met liftersand

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despite a production increase, the lifetimefor the lifters is equal or better than previ-ous alternatives. Today the lifetime for thelifters is approximately one year in thelarger mill and two years for the shellplates,” he adds.

In both primary mills the lifter bars inthe shell are 165 x 140 mm and the shellplates are 60 mm thick. The Skega Poly-Met products combine the best propertiesof rubber and steel to maximum advan-tage. This combination makes it possibleto use harder and more wear resistantalloys of iron/steel than can be used in asolid steel lining, as the rubber will absorbthe impact forces.

Poly-Met liners are more compact foroptimal grinding performance and wearlife. Used in ball mills, the liners are typi-cally of low profile to cope with finer feedsize material.

Condestable’s three larger ball millshandle 82% of the production. The dis-charge from the mills 52% is minus-200mesh and 12 % is +70 mesh.

Commissioned comminutionDCD-Dorbyl Heavy Engineering is fulfillingan order from FFE Minerals to manufac-ture a SAG mill, two ball mills and acrusher for the San Cristobal project inthe southeast of Venezuela in BolivarState. The 158 t SAG mill will be thelargest mill manufactured at DCD-Dorbyl’s works in Vereeniging South Africaand will be 11 m in diameter by approxi-mately 5.8 m long. It will be manufac-tured in two 180° sections.

The two ball mills will be 6.7 m indiameter by 9.6 m in length, each weigh-ing 157 t. These two mills will be madeup in two 360° sections.

The castings for the crusher have beensourced locally from Mittal Steel becauseof the absolute structural integrity requiredduring crushing. DCD-Dorbyl will do bothrough and final machining of these cast-ings and they will be trial assembled in theworks to verify dimensions. Trial assemblyis considered vital, particularly since thecomponents will be shipped to a differentcontinent for final assembly.

DCD-Dorbyl is one of very few manu-facturers internationally able to accommo-

date the manufactureof large mills and hasnumerous referencesworldwide. Qualityassurance personnelfrom FFE came toSouth Africa to checkthe facilities to verifyquality standards.

Other significantinternational contracts completed byDCD-Dorbyl include the fabrication oftwo mills commissioned by Metso for LasCristinas. This fast track project was com-pleted for the large open pit gold opera-tion with a mill throughput planned at20,000 t/d. The 7.3 m diameter ball millhas a length of 7.9 m and was made upin four 180° sections. The mill has a totalmass of 212 t. The 8.5 m diameter SAGmill has a length of 4.7 m and was alsomade up in four 180° sections. It has atotal mass of 102 t. A further Metso orderwas for a mill for the Patagonians BauxiteUnit Extension in Brazil. This mill is 7.9 min diameter and 4.3 m in length. It wasfabricated in two sections with a finishedtotal mass of 73t.

DCD-Dorbyl is also manufacturing twomills for Cerro Verde copper mine in Peru,which is undergoing an expansion thatwill allow the mine to triple production.The two shell-supported mills will bemanufactured in a total of eight 360° sec-tions (four per mill). Each mill will have a7.3 m diameter and a length of 12.85 m.The mills will be fabricated from specialsteel imported from Dillinger in Germany.The manufacture of a shell-supported millinvolves more machining than in othermills such as those supported bygrunions. The structure comprises a num-ber of additional supporting plates and inthis case there is a brake disc, which willallow the mill to be stopped rapidly if nec-essary. A further differentiating factor isthat bolts will not be used in the assemblyprocess, as is the case with traditional mills.

DCD-Dorbyl notes that traditionallymills have diameters of between 3.5 and4 m. “However, there is a growing trendfor larger mills and [the company] has thecapacity to manufacture mills of up to14.6 m in diameter.”

Outokumpu Technology suppliedspecial mills for the Sepon project, asnoted on page . It has also agreed con-tracts recently for grinding technologyworth €16 million to three large pro-jects. OneSteel’s Project Magnet inSouth Australia processes magnetiteiron ore. Outokumpu Technology willdesign and deliver a ball mill for theproject and provide installation, com-

missioning, maintenance and spareparts support.

For Lihir gold mine in Papua NewGuinea, new ball and SAG mills will bedesigned, manufactured and installed byOutokumpu Technology as part of theexpansion of the mine.

Thirdly, Outokumpu Technology willdeliver primary and secondary millsincluding installation and commissioningto Mototolo project in South Africa. AngloPlatinum and Xstrata Alloys have formedthe Mototolo Joint Venture to develop aPGM mine and concentrator inMpumalanga. The project is expected toproduce approximately 132,000 oz/yplatinum and 82,000 oz/y palladium inconcentrate. Initial production is antici-pated in the last quarter of 2006.

Ultrafine grindingCyclotec, a St. Petersburg, Russia-basedengineering firm that specializes in finegrinding technology, reports significantinterest in its Planetary Centrifugal Mill(PCM). Cyclotec has advanced the projectfrom the development stage to an indus-trial scale and has produced a prototype.Powered by a 37-kW motor, the proto-type PCM has a production capacity of1.5 t/h (continuous) and 100 kg/h (peri-odic for nano grinding applications). Incontinuous grinding operations, milledmaterial measured less than 5 micronswith 30% as small as 1 micron.

The technology has potential for pro-cessing hard materials such as diamonds,slag, and cement, and would be well suit-ed for mobile applications. The develop-ers claim that it offers extended run timesand is designed to significantly reduceenergy consumption. According toCyclotec, the PCM operates on a principlesimilar to a ball mill. In addition to rota-tion around a longitudinal axis, the drumalso rotates around an axis of the motionof transport (like planets rotating aroundthe sun). The motion of transport‘replaces’ gravity acceleration (G) actingupon the balls in the ball mill, with a cen-tripetal acceleration of the motion oftransport, acting upon the balls in thePCM - and exceeding gravity accelerationby 10 to 300 G. IM

References1. Davis, G. and Acevedo, I., Crushing Performance

Optimization through Wear Monitoring, SME Annual

Meeting, salt Lake City, March 2005.

2. Royston, David, SAG mill pulp lifter design, discharge and

backflow, SME Annual Meeting, February 28-March 2, 2005,

Salt Lake City.

3. Latchireddi S. and Rajamani R., Flow capacity of autoge-

nous and semi-autogenous mills, SME Annual Meeting,

February 28-March 2, 2005, Salt Lake City.

4. Reynolds, John and Sloan, Robert, Advanced grinding

process control system at Escondida Laguna Seca, SME

Annual Meeting, February/March, 2005, Salt Lake City.

Six SRP Hydrocone H8800s

working at Dagushan mine,

China.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:45 Page 58

Conveying themessageThe message, John Chadwick finds, is ofa technology that is ever developing tobecome more cost effective and tomeet challenges of environmentalconstraints

Conveying


FFenner Dunlop explains there areessentially three basic types ofconveyor belt, categorized by thetype of material used to make thecarcass. These are plied fabric,

solid woven fabric and steel cord belting.Plied and steel cord belting tends to bemade of rubber and solid woven of PVC,although there are exceptions.

Conveyor belts can be expensive items,often requiring capital expenditure, and itis therefore important for the user toensure that the correct belt is specified fortheir particular application. There are anumber of factors that should be takeninto consideration.

The factors affecting belt choice includeoperating environment. Is the conveyorabove or below ground or in particularlyhot or cold conditions?

Are there any statutory safety require-ments for the specific operating condi-tions, for example, in undergroundmining? Belts should always be designedwith the safety of the operators in mind.

The material to be conveyed is impor-tant. Is it, for example, flammable, dustyand/or valuable, such as precious metalsores, or concentrates? Is the material inlarge or small lumps, with sharp or round-ed edges?

It is also essential to consider the load-ing conditions. From what height will thematerial be loaded onto the belt? Will thematerial be loaded in the direction of theconveyor, or at an angle?

What is the required capacity of theconveyor system (usually t/h). Also, howfast will the conveyor run? This will alsoaffect capacity

Finally, the physical parameters shouldbe considered. Is the conveyor flat ordoes it have an incline or decline? Arethere any space issues that would restrictthe length or width of a conveyor? Doesthe conveyor run in a straight line or doesit need to travel around curves?

Fenner Dunlop notes that “any combi-

nation of the abovefactors may be pre-sent in any particu-lar conveyor and itis this unique com-bination that will finally determine thebest belt for the application. For example,a conveyor operating in a quarry carryinglarge, sharp rocks dropped from a heightof 2-3 m will require a very different typeof belt to one carrying [soft material] to aprocessing plant.”

High technology belt manufacturerecently moved into China with Shanxi-Phoenix Conveyor Belt Systems investing€5 million in Changzhi, in the province ofShanxi. Gerhard Lerch, Chairman of theExecutive Board of ContiTech, the compa-ny to which Phoenix has belonged sincethe end of 2004, recently inaugurated anultra-modern new production line forheavy-duty conveyor belts. The new linemanufactures heavy-duty steel-cable con-veyor belts for surface and underground.Belts produced at this facility are capableof satisfying extremely tough quality stan-dards, and especially those required bythe numerous coal mines. The belts willalso be installed in storage and handlingfacilities at ports.

Shanxi-Phoenix Conveyor Belt Systemsis a joint venture set up between PhoenixConveyor Belt Systems Asia, which is nowpart of ContiTech, and its Chinese part-ners Lu An Mining Group and JingchengAnthracite Group. Shanxi-Phoenix manu-factures not only steel-cable belts but alsoPVC and multiply belts.

Splice the mainbraceKevin Finnegan, Market Manager - HeavyDuty with Flexco points out that under-ground, effective belt conveyor mainte-nance has two key goals - preventingsurprise belt failures, and keeping repairdowntime to a minimum. “While no partof the conveyor system is unimportant,belt splicing is among the most critical

parts.” It is one of the few componentsthat constantly take heavy abrasive wear.Second, a failed splice not only stops thematerial flow, it drops the ore or coal -sometimes where the cleanup is worsethan the repair.

“Vulcanized splicing is preferred insome locations. However, mechanicalsplicing has been gaining favour as it con-tinues to prove its value as a cost reduc-ing, uptime increasing alternative. The oldsaying that a vulcanized splice is as strongas the original belt is false. A vulcanizedsplice is not as strong as you may think. Atwo-ply belt can lose approximately 50%of its strength when vulcanized, while athree-ply belt can lose 33-1/3%.

“A mechanical splice can be installedfaster and easier than its vulcanized alter-native. The vulcanized splice can takefrom six to eight hours to complete. Ittakes time to cut a belt back, trim thesteps, and fit the belt ends together. Thenyou must apply the appropriate com-pounds, cook the belt under heat andpressure and allow the belt to cool. Thetotal cost for the vulcanized splice will beseveral thousand dollars, not includingthe cost of the presses, etc. This does nottake into account the downtime waitingfor the vulcanizing crew to travel to andset up at your mine. The amount of belt-ing used to splice a 1,220 mm wide beltcan be 1,800 mm or more and it canrequire six to eight hours to complete.

“The mechanical splice is installed byyour crew in any one of several methods.

The versatile Metso inclined conveyors at Sossego in

Brazil, CVRD’s first copper mine, with a 26 m lift height

at a staggering 46° angle, helped save space and money

at the mine

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:46 Page 61

Any of these methods use relatively inex-pensive tooling and use only a few inchesof belt. The favourite method in the USAis to install a wide loop fastener with self-setting rivets. The tool is simple to set upand almost anybody can drive these rivetsthrough the fasteners and belting. Settingthe rivets is the same as driving a nail intoa board. All work is performed on the topof the belt so there is no need to turn thebelt over to work on its bottom side. Inaddition, mechanical splices can beinstalled regardless of weather or environ-mental conditions such as high humidityand dirty surroundings.

“A 1,220 mm mechanical splice can beinstalled in fewer than two hours, start tofinish. It will cost less than $100 for allmaterial. The tooling will cost less thanone vulcanized splice and will be usedover and over again.

“Vulcanized splices also deteriorate fromwithin. The splice may look fine and thensuddenly fail, without warning.Mechanical splices will show signs of wearand damage. You can decide when torepair the mechanical splice when youchoose, usually during scheduled down-time. The materials used to vulcanize thesplice, the adhesives and rubber com-pounds, must be kept up to date andproperly stored. Using products that areout of date will give you less than opti-mum results that can cause the vulcan-ized splice to fail prematurely. Mechanicalsplices have no restrictions as to theirshelf life or storage conditions. Splicingcomponents that were made several yearsago are just as good as those that weremade yesterday. Also, vulcanizing worksbest on new belting. On older worn belts,where most emergency splicing is done,vulcanizing often becomes difficult to doproperly, and less reliable than a mechani-cal splice.

Almex describes its Unipress as “themost significant development in belt vul-canizer technology.” With platensarranged in a rectangular fashion theUniPress is ideally suited for finger splicesor steel cable splices. However the platenscan be arranged in a 22° rhombic config-uration maximizing the length for tradi-tional step splices.

Each component of the Unipress islightweight allowing it to be joinedtogether for lifting and rapid assembly,but broken apart for handling in con-fined areas. The connector system(patent pending) performs three criticalfunctions. The most important is to con-tain the bars or bolts, providing thehighest degree of safety possible. Fittedwith lifting eyes the connectors becomea method for lifting the entire vulcanizer.The symmetrical traverse bars are verylow profile at only 195 mm making themeasy to insert and assemble in confinedareas.

Supreme idlersMelco Conveyor andAfrica Roller haverecently enhanced the product range inthe field of Polyroll technology. The devel-opment team has produced an entirelyupgraded Polyroll range, known as theSupreme. Extensive research included athorough evaluation of the state of theindustry around the world to ensure thatthe Melco/Africa product measured up toexisting global technologies.

Africa Roller invented and patented thefirst Polyroll in the early 1980s, and hassince then supplied many hundreds ofthousands of these rollers into variousapplications throughout the world. Theimprovements to the original roll are dra-matic. The wall thickness of the HDPEsleeve has been increased from 6 to 12mm to extend the life of the roll. TheHDPE sleeve is fitted to the steel tube, in away that effectively locks it in position,adding to the roller’s structural strength.The distance between the bearings andthe roll support brackets is shorter than inthe old system, decreasing the shaftdeflection induced by equivalent load. Aglass fibre reinforced polymer material hasincreased the strength and stability of thebearing housing and the machined sur-face finish of the roll provide a low totalindicated run-out, minimizing vibrationand noise levels.

An innovative ‘stone guard’ with inte-gral labyrinth seal prevents the roll frombeing jammed by spillage of small materi-al. The larger diameter of the outer bladeof this stone guard labyrinth is effectivebecause of the higher velocity at thispoint. The smaller internal diameter mini-mizes ingress of contaminants.

In practiceA recent example of Fenner Dunlop prob-lem solving was at Anglo Coal’sGoedehoop 5 Mt/y (ROM) coal mine inSouth Africa. As the mine continued toextend operations it began to develop anunderground section, known as Block 8.In order to haul coal from Block 8 to theprocessing plant, it was necessary to con-struct an 8-km overland conveyor system.The problem was how to design a suffi-ciently robust conveyor over such a dis-tance, while keeping capital cost andoperating costs within the limits of viability.

The overland conveyor comprises three

sections, the longest of which has a cen-tre distance of 4.2 km in a single flight.Following careful consideration of theoperating conditions and alternative belttypes, Fenner Solid Woven PVC beltingwas chosen for this application.

Close co-operation between Anglo Coaland Fenner engineers enabled a reductionin capital cost by designing the belt witha safety factor of 8:1, instead of the nor-mal 10:1 factor. The compromise in ten-sile properties was made possible byjointly agreeing on system features suchas variable speed drives, with soft-startcontrol to regulate belt tension at start-up.

Fenner Super Wear Resistant covers,previously used at Goedehoop with excel-lent results, were specified for their superi-or abrasion resistance.

The project achieved significant costsavings, yet also used a product that waspreferred over conventional steel cablebelting. In fact it is the longest singleflight, Solid Woven belt in South Africaand, as it is not prone to slitting and corddamage, saved the added cost of fittingrip detection equipment. A further advan-tage of Solid Woven PVC belting is that itcan rapidly be spliced, whereas steel cablebelts cannot be clipped together in atemporary repair.

At Blénod lès Pont-à-Mousson in thenortheast of France, about halfwaybetween Nancy and Metz, erection of aKoch Pipe conveyor system has started.The system has been designed to supplythe 4x250 MW Blénod power plant withcoal. On the Moselle River there is a dock-ing bridge for the coal barges. The pipeconveyor will replace truck haulagebetween the docking bridge and the coalstockyard. With approximately 35,000truckloads per year, the new system willbe a significant relief for residents and theenvironment. The totally enclosed con-veyor system will transport up to 600 t/hof coal over the 1.2 km route. It will bequiet, dust-free and barely noticeable bypeople in the area. A receiving hopperand the connecting discharging conveyorcomplete the system.

Koch Transporttechnik is currentlybuilding the world’s longest PipeConveyor (a total length of 8.2 km) forCementos Lima in Peru. The system has


WEG/Sumitomo drive

systems for a unique

1.5 km conveyor system

that includes 720 m of

elevated conveyor in a

tunnel through a granite

hill linking two MQP quar-

ries in the UK

Conveying

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:46 Page 62

been designed for bi-directional haulage of different materialtypes between the cement plant in Atoconga and the ship load-ing facility in Conchán Beach. It will transport cement and clink-er from the plant to the ship loader in the upper strand (690t/h), and on the way back, it will convey coal and limestone, aswell as iron ore, iron pellets, gypsum, etc., in the system’s lowerstrand (515 t/h). It uses a 300-mm diameter PhoenixPhoenopipe st 2500 belt. Both belt covers are equipped withPhoenotec cords to achieve the optimum restoring force. Thesmallest curve radius is 300 m.

In parts, the conveyor runs through busy infrastructure withnumerous public roads. So, the system is being installed in aspecially built tunnel, over a distance of 6.5 km, below the publicroad system. With its ability to follow horizontal and verticalcurves with minimal radii, the Koch Pipe Conveyor permits opti-mum integration into the tunnel, which has to adapt to thewinding roads. Due to the reduced cross section of the PipeConveyor, a smaller tunnel can be build, thus reducing construc-tion costs. There are no dust emissions or material spillage alongthe conveying line. The transport system handles the entireroute, without transfer stations.

World recordsPhoenix is renowned for major feats in conveying, such as, in1998, supplying a new world record conveyor belt (24,000 m ofPhoenocord St 7800) for Los Pelambres copper mine in Chile.This conveyor belt broke any existing Phoenix world records. Itstensile strength is 8,500N/mm. The splice fatigue strength asper DIN 22110 is 4,213 N/mm (=54% of minimum beltbreaking strength). During operation the belt splices are moni-tored by the electronic monitoring system Phoenocare SC.

Phoenix claims the highest capacity belts in the world carry upto 40,000 t/h. These are 3,200 mm wide by 45 mm thickPhoenocord St 4500 belts installed on the world’s biggest bucket-wheel excavators, work-ing for Rheinbraun in German lignite mines.

Finally, the longest belt, Phoenix claims, will carry 1,000 t/h oflimestone from a mine in India to a cement plants across theborder in Bangladesh. The single flight conveyor is 17,000 mlong, incorporating 34,500 m of 800-mm wide Phoenocord St2500 belting.

A bit steepThe versatile Metso inclined conveyors at Sossego in Brazil,CVRD’s first copper mine, with a 26 m lift height at a staggering46° angle, helped save space and money at the mine. MetsoMinerals Flexowell provided this solution. As the main equip-ment and process knowledge supplier to the plant, MetsoMinerals proposed the inclined conveyor to CVRD as a way toreduce space; and, thereby, costs.

Capotex’s covered conveyor systems reduce fugitive dust emissions. It has now devel-

oped a new cover with an integrated fire-fighting system.

ContiTechConveyorSystemsIntelligent.Economical.Future-oriented.

ContiTech Transportbandsysteme GmbHD-50733 CologneD-37154 Northeimwww.contitech.de/transportbandsysteme

ContiTech Specialist in rubber and

plastics technology

Our conveyor belts are long-distancerunners in the full sense of the word.They incorporate ContiTech´s compe-tence and its composite know-howin the global mining sector. Innovativematerial and production technologiesmake possible high-quality productsthat ensure more cost-efficient oper-ation. In the Rocky Mountains, forexample, CONTI® steel cable beltstransport ore across a 34-kilometerstretch linking elevations of 3400 mand 2400 m. The newly developedROPECON long-distance coveyancesystem is used in the construction ofthe Strengen Tunnel in Tyrol to moveoverburden at an altitude of 1380meters. Runnings belts backed by an up-and-running service from ContiTechensure in-service reliability. Why notget in touch with us, by phone at +49 (0) 5551/702-207 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Keep on running – wherever.ContiTech

Thanks to the specific rubber

compound and belt construction

of the energy-optimized conveyor

belts from ContiTech, their

deformation resistance to rollers

has been reduced by as much

as 35%. They require less drive

power, reducing electricity costs

for conveyor systems by as

much as 10%. The belt strength

is lower, presenting even greater

savings.

Innovativematerials technology and cost efficiency

Keep on runningContinuous belts

Continuous service

IM ISSUE 2 27/9/05 12:08 Page 63

From the primary crusher, oreis conveyed to storage and fedto the SAG mill. Overflow fromthe mill is returned for furtherreduction in a cone crusher withthe help of the Flexowell con-veyor system. The specificweight of the ore is 1.7 t/m3

and the Flexowell conveyingsolution has a capacity of 1,228t/h. The conveyor is driven by a150 kW motor and lifts the ore ata speed of 1.5 m/s.

Flexowell systems are designed to han-dle slope angles of 0-90°. At Sossego, theangle is 46°, lifting through 26 m. A con-ventional conveyor system would haverequired a much longer belt and a smallerlift angle. This would have taken muchmore space. Carlos Ivan Équi, applicationmanager at Metso in Brazil explains: “Thetotal length of the installation is now only36 m, from intake to discharge, and wewere able to offer a very compact installa-tion. The costs for the civil works werereduced, as were the costs for erectionand electrical installations.”

The Flexowell belts comprise a cross-rigid belt with textile or steel cord rein-forcements, corrugated sidewalls andtransverse cleats that prevent conveyedmaterial from sliding backwards. The beltis 1,400 mm wide, with 400 mm highsidewalls and 360 mm high cleats. Thesidewalls and cleat feet are cold vulcan-ized to the belt. The cleats, screwed tothe sidewalls, can easily be replaced.

Special care was taken to confine resid-ual fines on the discharge and return sideof the conveyor. Residual fines are onlyabout 1% of the volume carried but atlarge volumes they can pose a problem.In this application, two small conveyorshandle the fines returning them to theFlexowell conveyor.

Keep the noise downAll aspects of mining are subject to envi-ronmental constraints that grow moresevere all the time. In conveying, particu-larly on surface, emissions of noise anddust are increasingly constrained.

Prok Group of Australia, a SandvikMaterials Handling business unit, has arange of low noise rolls. These weredeveloped over two years in close co-operation with a customer, Alcoa ofAustralia, facing stringent noise limits.

The two-year development project wasvery successful and resulted in the cus-tomer replacing some 20,000 conveyorrolls.

At the start, the main focus was toestablish what parts of the roll producedthe noise, what were the actual mechan-ics involved in noise generation, and whatsteps could be taken in design and manu-facture to keep the noise at an absoluteminimum. Phil Curnow, a mining engi-

neer, lead and co-ordinated the roll devel-opment project on the customer's side atHuntly mine. Huntly, 80 km southeast ofPerth, supplies 11 Mt/y of bauxite to thePinjarra refinery. The conveyor haul covers16 km in two flights. To handle increasedproduction, the conveyor’s overland beltspeed had to be increased from 6.5 m/sto 7.3 m/s.

Curnow explains “With Prok, weworked to come up with a cost-efficientproposal for this challenge. We looked atmachining and balancing the idlers andtried to find ways to develop the rolls.Then we looked at steel selection, quality,thickness of the tube wall as well as itstreatment and coating. In this way, wewere able to achieve significant noisereduction when measured from a 3 m dis-tance.”

To initially prove the effectiveness of thelow-noise rolls, Prok installed 12 completemodules in a major overland conveyor.Performance was closely monitored overone year. Technicians from Sound andVibration Technologies (SVT) collectedindependent sound measurements. Theytested both conventional rollers as well asmodules with Prok’s low-noise rolls. Testswere taken under full load conditions at6.5 m/sec. and 2,600 t/h of ore.

The noise level ofnormal rollers regis-tered 86 dB(A), 1 maway. At a 3-m dis-tance, the noise levelwas 82 dB(A). At 7 m,the level was 78.5dB(A). With Prok’s low-noise rollers at thesame distances, resultsshowed 70.9 dB{A) for1 m, 67.6 dB(A) for 3m, and 65.5 dB(A) for7 m. For all distances,these were significantnoise reductions - espe-

cially the reduction of 15 dB(A)at the 1-m distance, truly abreakthrough.

Despite modification toachieve the noise reduction,Prok made no compromiseswith regard to drag, sealing orroll life on its low-noise rolls.

.... and the dustSpain’s Capotex is well knownfor its covered conveyor systems

that reduce fugitive dust emissions. It hasnow developed a new cover with an inte-grated fire-fighting system. Capotex tookas the starting point its Madrid model.Thus, there is no need for additionalstructure to support the fire-fighting sys-tem, and the covers are still hinged onboth sides, allowing full access to the beltconveyor, with no need to dismantle thecover completely.

Power transmission In May Rexnord, a worldwide manufactur-er of mechanical power transmission com-ponents, completed the acquisition ofFalk Corp. Falk, also headquartered inMilwaukee, manufactures gears and cou-plings. Both have extensive experience inmining conveyor systems engineering.

In December last year, HägglundsDrives North America achieved the mile-stone of producing its 100th HydraulicPower Unit (HPU), which was shipped toMorton Salt in Lake Erie, OH, USA. It wasFairport mine’s (Morton Salt) third 112kW belt conveyor drive system fromHägglunds. The first two drive systemswere purchased in 2002.

The drives are located under Lake Erieroughly 800 m underground and about2,400 m out from the shore. The designcriteria for using a variable speedHägglunds drive was created by an


What is thought to be the heaviest conveyor belt in the

world was supplied by Phoenix to the Collahuasi mine

complex at an elevation of almost 5,000 m in the

Chilean Andes. A total of 17,000 m of Phoenocord 6300

were supplied. In order to reduce the number of field

splices, the single lengths were shipped on oval reels,

having a weight of 58 t. Such big single belt pieces had

never been made previously.

Overview of a MAN Takraf crusher built in the Chilean

Andes, showing the surge hopper in the foreground. The

crusher reduces ROM with rocks up to more than 2 m at

8,500 t/h to a nominal 300 mm size. This allows the

material to be transported by overland conveyor to the

processing plant some 8 km away and at 600 m lower

elevation

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:47 Page 64

opportunity to use full torque throughout the speed range andmonitor that torque accurately through the use of a torque feed-back pressure transducer.

In Australia, Barclay Mowlem has selected ABB variable speeddrives (VSDs) for a new overload coal conveyor for Ulan Coal inMudgee, New South Wales. ABB will supply five 630 kW and one315 kW VSDs and six transformers ranging from 200-2,000 kVA.

ABB Australia called on the global reach of its Swiss parentcompany's manufacturing capabilities to win the contract. Theconveyor was scheduled to commence operations in August,handling 1,400 t/h.

WEG/Sumitomo provided high power drive systems for anunusual 1.5 km tunnel conveyor linking two quarries in the UK.When Midland Quarry Products (MQP) needed to recover gran-ite reserves from its Old Cliffe Hill Quarry, it had to overcome theproblem that all the processing equipment, crushers, screens andrail linked asphalt plant were in the existing New Cliff Quarrysome kilometres away, and a village lay between the two opera-tions. So, MQP came up with a highly innovative solution: a 720m long tunnel through the hillside to link the two quarries. Thespecially manufactured drive packages for the conveyor systemcomprise power by WEG premium efficiency motors drivingSumitomo Paramax gearboxes.

The 720-m tunnel had to be blasted through granite, a projectthat took two years to complete. In the tunnel, measuring 9 mwide x 6 m high, is an elevated conveyor that is part of a largersystem which stretches 1.5 km from the new primary crusher inthe Old Cliffe Quarry to a similar unit in the New Cliffe void.Rocks measuring up to 1.2 m are reduced to just 300 mm, andare then carried on the 1.5 km long conveyor system to themain processing plant.

The Sumitomo/WEG drive systems used on the conveyor weresupplied assembled as packaged drive systems built onto a baseplate. In total there are six of these units: four single drive units,each comprising a Paramax gearbox and a WEG premium efficiencymotor of 132 kW, 160 kW respectively, and two of 200 kW rating.In addition, a further pair of WEG 200 kW motors and Sumitomogearboxes drives a single inclined conveyor. The Sumitomo/WEG combination is ideal for demanding applications, allyinghigh performance and reliability with high levels of efficiency.

Full-service supplier In Arctic Sweden, ContiTech provides support for one of thelargest iron ore mines in the world – as a full-service supplier forconveyors. For more than ten years, LKAB has been usingContiTech conveyor belts to transport iron ore in its surface andunderground operations. Now ContiTech Scandinavia, togetherwith a local partner, has set up a service point on LKAB premisesto ensure the availability and function of the conveyor BELTS.

LKAB in Kiruna has entrusted ContiTech with total serviceresponsibility for the pulley lagging and belts, totalling about 13km, installed in 200 different conveyors. The remit encompassescomprehensive advice and support as well as the repair andmaintenance of the conveyors. In this commitment ContiTechguarantees, for example, 100% availability in regular productiontime. Outside normal working hours, ContiTech guarantees thatone of its nine local employees will be on site within two hoursin the unlikely event that the conveyor shuts down. All the mate-rials and services used in the maintenance of the conveyor arefinanced by ContiTech.

LKAB uses ContiTech belts to move over 18 Mt/y of iron ore.Every hour more than 4,000 t are transported on the 500 to5,200-mm wide Stahlcord belts. In the Super-V version these usea self-extinguishing rubber compound that practically rules outfire damage while being hard-wearing. “The self-extinguishinggrade of the conveyor belts also gives the customer a goodopportunity to save costs. Thanks to the higher operating relia-bility, the insurance premiums are considerably reduced” addsHarald Hauff, General Manager, ContiTech Scandinavia.

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:47 Page 65

At the beginning of the 1990s a seriousfire destroyed three quarters of the LKABmining complex in Malmberget-Gällivare,300 km south of Kiruna. So in 2001 LKABdecided to replace all the fire hazard riskbelts in Malmberget-Gällivare, Kiruna andthe iron ore port of Narvik, with the self-extinguishing grade from ContiTech. Thisyear the ContiTech team in Scandinaviawill complete this swap for belts totalling25 km in length. These belts are also resis-tant to low temperatures.

Weighing the advantagesControl Systems Technology (CST) saysthat, “more than most other plant equip-ment, in-motion-weighing equipment ispivotal to the prevention of downtime inmines and ship loading facilities.” CSTnotes specifically that accuracy is criticalin ship loading terminals and mine bonusweightometers.

CST says the keys to accuracy in con-veyor weighing equipment are:

◆ Weigh frame of appropriate strengthto minimize deflection

◆ Position on conveyor and belt ten-sion at the belt weigher

◆ Number, position and quality ofweigh idlers.

These key components are calculatedwith proprietary engineering calculations.CST says its “critical application engineer-ing moves weigher accuracy from beingjust ‘claims’ to guaranteed. Throughexpert trained service and maintenance,properly application-engineered weighersdo not need constant adjustment tomaintain calibration - this poor site prac-tice leads to highly unreliable results.

Many CST sites checkcalibrate no more regu-larly than once perannum.”

The Milltronics line ofcontinuous weighingproducts from Siemensincludes reliable, field-proven conveyor beltscales, weighfeeders,

solids flowmeters, and integrators. Theseproducts are rugged – built for toughoperating conditions in mining. Siemenssays, “they are easy to install and main-tain, and expert technical support is therewhen you need it.”

Milltronics belt scales help maximizethe use of raw materials, control invento-ries. The system consists of a speed sensorthat operates in conjunction with a con-veyor belt scale, providing a signal to anintegrator for calculation of belt speed,belt loading rate, and totalized weight. Aweigh feeder system is a custom-engi-neered conveyor with a belt weighbridgeand speed sensor. To complete the system,a Milltronics integrator provides precisionweighing and can improve blend consis-tencies, accountability, and record keeping.

The rEscan Remote Conveyor MonitoringSystem is a permanently installed convey-or interrogation tool designed to look forinternal cord damage/corrosion, and internalsplice lay-up on steel cord conveyor systems.

The Remote Conveyor MonitoringSystem, allows monthly interrogation ofsteel cord conveyors, without stoppingproduction, via a phone line or LAN con-nection. Early detection, mapping andmonitoring of damaged areas and splicesallow mine maintenance engineers toplan maintenance windows in advance,and extend the service life of the convey-or systems under their control.

UndergroundContinental Conveyor developed thecrawler mounted transfer station (CMTS)so that continuous mining applicationscould greatly reduce typical accelerated

drag and belt wear problems and to helpmake periodic mining-system movesfaster and easier. With CMTS, the beltabusive section of the conveyor is isolatedfrom the main belt. Mines can protecttheir large piece of belt from the draggenerated by short, bridge-type convey-ors. The CMTS incorporates the drive andtake-up pulley for the belt abusive sectionof the conveyor, as well as a tail pulley forthe main conveyor into a fully articulatedmobile transfer. This arrangement is madepossible- and practical- through the use ofa proprietary technology that ensures thatboth belts train properly, regardless of theangle between these two belts. This rep-resents a significant capability. The CMTS,with its extraordinary mobility and uniquealignment capabilities, provides an active,yet efficient; transition between these verydifferent haulage lines, and in doing so great-ly improves economics and performance.

The CMTS is self-contained, with allhydraulics and drive systems- includingthe belt take-up system- integral to theunit. For operator convenience, theCMTS is controlled and moved usingeither a remote joystick or hand-operat-ed hydraulic actuation valves. Becausethe CMTS is mounted on tracks and issteerable, belt moves are more efficient,contributing to ease-of-use and flexibility.

Austdac has released a new voice com-munication system that significantlyenhances the capabilities of its standardbattery mini-amplifier (BMA) used on con-veyor stations. Each station on a mine'sconveyor can be fitted with the BMAinsert to show all system parameters,including line and battery charge, as wellas pre-start monitoring. The system willassist faultfinding and minimize downtime.

Austdac has also developed an addition-al keypad that can be connected to eachstation, effectively turning each BMA intoa telephone line. Underground workerscan then gain rapid access to a telephoneline from multiple locations. Other systemimprovements include computerizing ofthe BMA switch system, enabling a sur-face controller to communicate with anypart of the mine at the touch of a com-puter mouse.IM

Comparison of material transport 1 km

(Source ThysssenKrupp Fördertechnik)


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:47 Page 66

New era dawningin Russian coal

OOn a sunny morning in lateJune, a police-escortedmotorcade speeds south-bound past the vast greenfarms lining the highway

linking Kemerovo, the capital of KemerovoOblast (Region) with the coal-miningtown of Bachatskiy in Western Siberia.Police squad cars appear at each intersec-tion, their officers snapping to attentionas the motorcade goes by, en route to aKuzbassrazrezugol coal mine here in thiscoal-rich region of the Kuznetsk coalbasin, and better known as the Kuzbass.

It is on this day that Kemerovo OblastGovernor Aman Gumirovich Tuleev willinspect a newly commissioned P&H2800XPB electric mining shovel placedinto service at the Bachatskiy coal miningoperations of Kuzbassrazrezugol (KRU).

It is an important day in WesternSiberia. For Kemerovo Oblast, home toseveral surface and underground mines,the start-up of this first of six new P&H2800XPBs over the coming months marksyet another step forward in the transfor-mation of Russia’s strategically importantcoal mining industry.

Rich in coalCoal resources in the Kuzbass are estimat-ed to be 725,000 Mt. Hard coal predomi-nates here, and coking coal accounts forhalf of the explored resources of theKuzbass. While an estimated 43% ofKuznetsk coal deposits are found close tothe surface at a depth of up to 3.5 m,high-quality coal is also found down todepths of 1,800 m. Kuznetsk coal reservesare generally low-ash coal with 0.1% to0.5% sulphur content.

The first coal mines in the Kuzbass wereconstructed in 1907, although naturalresource development in what wouldbecome modern-day Kemerovo Oblast –a region that is also rich with iron andcopper ores – actually began in the early17th century.

By 1937 the region had more than 200mines with total capacity of about 1 Mt.Around this time, Russian factories beganmanufacturing coal mining machineryincluding shovel excavators and dumpcars for opencast mining.

During WWII, the Kuzbass region wit-nessed intensive coal industry develop-ment as miners produced a steady supplyof thermal and high quality coking coal insupport of the war effort. From 1960 untilabout 1990, Russia invested heavily in itscoal mining industry in the Kuzbass, com-bining mining science with domestic-manufactured mining machinery, as wellas some imports of equipment.

During the 1980s, P&H MiningEquipment delivered 14 P&H 2300XPshovels to two Kuzbass mines –Sibirginskiy and Mezhdurechie, located inthe southern part of the region. Aboutthe same time, Marion placed six Marion201M shovels to Bachatskiy mine (nowKRU Bachatskiy), located in east-centralKemerovo Region.

Moves to re-structureIn 1988, coal production in Russia peakedat 425.4 Mt, and then began to fall as theindustry could not sustain investment inproductive new equipment. In an effort tostrengthen its coal industry, the govern-ment in 1992 announced a plan to trans-form the mines from state-owned

operations into privatized enterprises. Prior to the ensuing transformation

process, the government fixed coal pricesat 30% of real value, subsidizing the bal-ance of the value. When railroad tariffsincreased, Siberian coal suddenly becametoo expensive for consumers in EuropeanRussia to afford. At this point, the RussianGovernment decided to loosen prices andundertake a restructuring of its 250underground mines and 80 open-pitmines that together produced about 290Mt in 1993.

By 2001, total decommissioned coalmining capacity in Russia exceeded 173Mt. Russia also recorded a capacity gainof 57.3 Mt from profitable and promisingoperations. Of Russia’s unprofitable coalmines, 94% were closed and the coalmining workforce dropped from 820,000to 330,000. Also in 2001, Russia’s coalindustry posted 6% profitability and the

The push for lower-cost operations is driving mines to invest in ‘Western’ technology

Russian coal


A new P&H 2800XPB at the Kuzbassrazrezugol

Bachatsky mine exemplifies the ongoing transition to

high-productivity, low-cost operations now under

way in the Kuznetsk Coal Basin in Western Siberia,

Russia.

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:47 Page 13

monthly average productivity increasedfrom a low of 63 t/worker at the start ofthe restructuring process to 118 t. By2003, Russian coal miners produced near-ly 274 Mt – up 19 Mt from the prior year– as per-worker productivity rose to 139 t/worker. Per-worker productivity is believedto have approached or exceeded 150 tduring 2004. Today, 95% of Russia’s coalmining operations are private.

Minepro’s roleThroughout the coal industry restruc-

turing process, P&H MinePro Servicesmaintained contact, providing parts andaftermarket support to its customers inthe Kuzbass. With the restructuring effortcontinuing to build momentum in 1998,MinePro decided to build a presence inthe Kuzbass region to provide evenstronger support.

“Though relatively remote vis-à-visother major coal-producing regions of theworld, the Kuzbass is nonetheless amongthe most strategically important coalregions,” notes Douglas Binns, RegionalDirector, Russia & CIS, MineProInternational. “It contains enormousresources, and even more important, theKuzbass mines are staffed by experiencedand visionary people who are now in aposition to manage the transition of theiroperations to compete more effectively inthe rapidly changing marketplace.

“Early on, we recognized the potentialof the Kuzbass coal mines to becomemore high-performance, lower-cost oper-ations. For more than eight years workingin Russia with Kuzbass coal mines, ourobjective has remained unchanged – tofind combinations of equipment and sup-port that help Kuzbass mines attain theirshort- and longer-term strategic objectivesfor reduced cost.”

Meanwhile, as the pace of transitioningto lower-cost operations quickened, coalmine managers in Russia turned theirattention to locating equipment manufac-turers capable of meeting their require-ments for reliable, productive machinery.Their search effort expanded to includesuppliers beyond Russia.

MinePro recommended the 63.5 t pay-load P&H 2800XPB as a next-generationloading tool for the coal mines in WesternSiberia. P&H 2800-series shovels operatein high performance mines worldwidewith about 200 units placed into service.

“The 2800XPB of today is a culminationof 36 years of continuous improvementsresulting from collaborative efforts involv-ing our customers and P&H MiningEquipment,” said Doug Blom, VicePresident, MinePro International. “Systemby system, the 2800XPB machine designcontinues to be optimized. Over the last20 years, for example, power costs forthis and other P&H shovel models have

decreased by as much as 33% and theproduction per tonne of machine weighthas increased by 50%.

“What’s more, the 2800XPB featurescomponents that are simple to maintain.Its a rugged machine, able to operate inthe harshest environments. And today’s

version of the 2800XPB features perfor-mance-optimizing technology includingthe new P&H Centurion supervisory con-trol and data management system. It isalso equipped with the new P&H LoadingControl Center with safety-enhancing fea-tures that include ergonomic controls, aproductivity-boosting operator’s seat anda powerful information management sys-tem.”

Within a short period of time, three ofthe top ten most efficient coal mines inthe Kuzbass placed orders for a total of sixP&H 2800XPBs. KRU ordered three units,South Kuzbass Coal ordered two, andMezhdurechie Coal ordered one2800XPB. By July of 2006, all six of the2800XPBs will be up and running in theKuzbass.

On June 30, before a large gathering ofKRU employees as well as local andregional news media reporters, KemerovoOblast Governor Tuleev commended KRU,South Kuzbass Coal and MezhdurechieCoal mine management for moving for-ward with the acquisition of high technol-ogy equipment for the region's coalmining industry. Coal, he noted, is animportant part of the economic founda-tion of the region as a source of energyand the key ingredient in the manufactureof coke for steel making.

Kemerovo Oblast exports 1,200 indus-trial products including coal, coke, rolledmetal, cast iron, aluminium, zinc, ferroal-loys, building materials, plastics, fertilizer,electrical products and heavy machinery.The region has foreign trade ties with 60countries in the Commonwealth ofIndependent States and abroad.

Governor Tuleev also recognized KRUmanagement and employees for efforts

Testimony to the importance of the new investment in

Kuzbass coal mining operations to the regional

economy, several local and regional print and TV news

reporters cover the visit of Kemerovo Oblast Governor

Aman Tuleev (hand on rail, just above videocamera)

to the KRU Bachatsky mine.

“Though relatively remotevis-à-vis other

major coal-pro-ducing regions of

the world, theKuzbass is

nonethelessamong the most

strategicallyimportant coal

regions”


Russian coal

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:47 Page 14

undertaken to acquire, maintain andoperate productivity-boosting equipmentsuch as the P&H 2800XPB.

Such undertakings, he said, were nec-essary for the continuing economichealth of the region as its mining sectoradapts to a rapidly evolving world econo-my.

P&H MinePro Services, meanwhile, isbusy laying the groundwork for installingmore equipment in the region. A MinePrologistics/service support infrastructure is inplace in the Kuzbass and it is planned toevolve and move forward in a jointarrangement with Joy Global sister com-pany, Joy Mining Machinery.

Joy in the KuzbassIn the mid-1990s, Joy Mining Machinerybegan to cultivate considerable businesswith the underground coal mines in theKuzbass. In the late 1990s, it establishedOOO Joy Kuzbass in Kiselovsk in the southof the Kuzbass. Joy built upon this busi-ness, which supplies and supports long-wall systems in the region, and nowincludes a warehouse at Leninsk,Kemerovo Oblast.

Longwalls operating in Russia operatemore Joy equipment than any other sin-gle manufacturer. Of the 11 longwallscurrently operating, three of the top fourproducing longwalls employ all-Joy long-wall mining systems. The fourth produc-ing longwall uses a Joy shearer. A fifthlongwall uses a Joy AFC.

In recent months, the Raspadskayamine set a new Russian monthly coal production record, producing 512,955 tof coal. Helping to achieve the recordwas a refurbished Joy 6LS3 shearer oper-ating one of the mine’s three longwallsections. The 6LS3 shearer, overhauled byJoy service engineers in the Kuzbass, hadmined more than 6 Mt of coal from twopanels.

Both Joy and P&H/MinePro approachthe task of customer support as part ofthe Joy Global Life Cycle Managementstrategy aimed at optimizing equipmentproductivity and reliability over its usefullife. That strategy encompasses a broadrange of products and support, all ofwhich can be tailored to the unique needsof a given mining operation.

“Our purpose is simply to help our customers lower their cost of producingtheir commodities on a unit basis,” notesJohn Nils Hanson, Chairman, Presidentand Chief Executive Officer, Joy Global.“Cost per tonne, cost per bank cubicmetre moved, cost per hour – whatevermay be their relevant measure of produc-tivity.” IM


Longwall systems supplied by MinePro sister

company Joy Mining Machinery operate in three of

the top four producing longwall operations in Russia.

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:47 Page 15

Uranium

Mining high-grade uranium

MMcArthur River’s extremelyhigh uranium grade hasrequired innovative miningsystems to protect under-ground personnel from

high levels of radioactivity. It is the onlymine in the world to use raiseborers asthe primary mining tool. The mine isowned by Cogema (30%) and Cameco(70%), the world’s largest supplier ofcombined uranium and conversion ser-vices, which is also the operator.

Production at McArthur River/Key Lake(the concentrator) totaled 4 Mlb for thefirst quarter of 2005 and plans remain ontrack to achieve production of 18.7 Mlbof U3O8 in 2005. The mine lies some 620 km north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,Canada.

Two production levels, at the 530 mand 640 m elevations, provide accessabove and below the ore zones for raise-bore mining. These two levels are alsojoined by a ramp, which provides accessto a third production level at 560 m ele-vation. Zone 2 is currently being mined;development of Zone 4 has commenced.

Worker annual exposure limits, estab-lished in conjunction with the CNSC, takeinto account the cumulative exposure toalpha and gamma radiation and radongas, along with long-lived radioactivedust. Radon gas is a critical source of radi-ation, particularly where inadequate venti-lation allows gas build up. Gammaradiation is directly proportional to ore

grade. Long-lived radioactive dusts areessentially airborne ore particulate thathas been generated by mining or orehandling.

Discreet radon needs to be captured insuction ventilation ducting, and deliveredto non-entry return airways. General ven-tilation is normally single pass to non-entry return airways to limit exposure tothe decay process. Time, distance andshielding are the keys to limiting gammaradiation exposure.

Five Atlas Copco Robbins raiseborersundertake the mining process. A fullappreciation of the implications of theradiation exposure potential, provided bydetailed modeling of each step of theprocess at McArthur River, led to thedevelopment of the non-entry raiseboringmining method.

Radiation monitoring is extensive andincludes personal dosimeters for bothgamma and alpha radiation exposures.

An extensive dust sampling system is inplace to measure and assist in the controlof long-lived radioactive dust.

Ground FreezingGround freezing around the ore cuts thegroundwater flow path from the sand-stone. It also helps consolidate the halo ofpoor ground surrounding the ore, causedby major faulting. The ground-freezingprogramme is required to maintain, ratherthan initiate, freezing.

Raisebore mining was established tomine Zone No 2, which assisted in miti-gating radiation and ground freezingissues. Good control of ventilation circuitsis essential to ensure proper air quality.The low rock strength of the orebody pre-cluded the use of explosive-based miningmethods. Initially, three raisebore cham-bers were established on the 530 m levelinside the freeze-wall. Two rows of raisesare bored from each chamber to respec-tive extraction chambers on the 640 mlevel. Each row contains 10 to 12 raises,depending upon local geology. To simpli-fy raiseborer setup and cleanup, all thechambers have a concrete floor, and halo-gen lighting for better visibility.

When the reaming of a given chamberis complete, the raisebore and extractionchambers are backfilled with concrete,and subsequent chambers are then devel-oped adjacent to these backfilled drifts.

Pilot hole deviation averages just 1%,due to careful alignment of the raiseboredrills, and standardization of pilot holedrilling parameters. The yield of raises

McArthur River is theworld’s largest, high-

grade uranium depositwith remaining provenand probable reservesof 419 Mlb U3O8, at an

average ore grade of 24.5%.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:51 Page 26

varies from 50,000 lb toover 1 Mlb of U3O8,with raises averaging 75m in length. Due to thegenerally soft nature ofthe ore zone, the pro-duction rate, whenreaming in ore, is con-strained by ore-handlingcapacity. Reaming inexcess of 50 t/his theoretically possible,and 20 to 30 t/h hasproved to be sustain-able. In a 3.05 m-diame-ter raise, this equates to0.9 to 1.4 m/h.

Special precautionsare taken during bothpilot hole drilling and reaming to ensureoperator safety. Due to radon gas andprogeny generation, the raise air has tobe contained during the reaming cycle.This requires a good seal at the pilot holecollar and use of a ventilation door at thechamber entrance, to ensure that the drillchamber on 530 Level is not affected byradon gas and radon progeny.

Loading OreOre is collected at the bottom of the rais-es by LHD - two remanufactured AtlasCopco Wagner ST 7.5s with Nautilusremote controls. Ore is mucked from theextraction chamber floor and is typicallyundertaken when one-rod length hasbeen reamed. Ore is then trammed to thescanner and either direct dumped to thegrizzly, or trammed to Coarse OreStorage. All mucking within the extractionchamber is done by remote control. Theoperator uses three Pan-Zoom-Tilt cam-eras located in the chamber to relay visualinformation back to a television screenlocated in an operator station outside thechamber. A wash bay is also located with-in each chamber to ensure that the LHDdoes not cause excessive contaminationof the tramming drifts. Cameco engineer-ing staff worked with Atlas Copco engi-neering during the remanufacturingprocess to install an innovative in-framewash system for the LHDs. At the end ofeach shift, a water hose is connected tothe wash system, and a set of strategicallyplaced water nozzles ensure that any orethat has collected within the frame of theLHD is removed, thereby reducing radia-tion exposure to both operators andmaintenance personnel.

At the scanner, grade is determined bygamma radiation response.. Ore gradingless than 2% U3O8 can be hoisted directlyto surface. Ore grading greater than 2%U3O8 is delivered to the undergroundgrinding circuit, with a SAG mill, and thenhoisted hydraulically to surface. Once atsurface, the slurry is stored in radiation-shielded storage tanks to await trans-

portation to Key Lake mill, some 80 kmaway.

Upon completion of a raise, the reameris lowered to the collar of the raise, andthe area is cleaned up with high pressurewater. The reamer is lowered out of theraise, and a backfill gantry is slid intoplace below the raise. A remote breakouttool is then used, which attaches to theLHD boom after bucket removal, allowingthe reamer to be broken from the drillstring and removed remotely.

BackfillingOnce the reamer has been removed fromthe raise, the backfill gantry is placed intothe correct position to act as the form-work for backfilling the raise. This backfillgantry raises a platform up to the back,and seals the raise breakthrough with aninnovative backfill bag. The bag isdesigned to be placed at the collar of theraise and as concrete fill is pumped into

the raise, the bag sealsagainst the walls of theraise. An initial plug of+30 MPa strength ispumped via a feed pipethrough the backfillgantry from below, andallowed to cure for 48hours. This is followedby a second pour viathe pilot hole, and afinal pour of +15 Mpastrength to completeraise filling. During thistimeframe, the raisebor-er is setting up to drillthe next pilot hole.Raises are designed tooverlap slightly, in order

to achieve high ore recovery.

Innovative RaiseborersThe Atlas Copco raise borers at McArthurRiver are one Robbins 73RM-H machineand four 53RH-EX units, using somereaming heads and cutters supplied bySandvik and Baker Hughes.

Raise boring standards are maintainedusing a quality assurance programme,with NDT testing of major drill stringcomponents and preventative mainte-nance programmes for the raisebore drills.Every reamer is inspected before beinginstalled. This includes a visual inspectionfor wear on pads and cutters, as well asMagnaflux testing of the stem pin.Magnaflux testing is also carried out onthe pin and box ends of all stabilizers, aswell as wrenching rods when used, beforethe rods go into the pilot hole.

A turntable is used to swing rods intothe proper orientation for the pipe loaderto grab them for loading into the drill,while aluminium rod racks reduce thenumber of injuries from lifting heavy tim-bers. Rebuilding of cutters and triconebits is also actively pursued.

A two-piece reamer stem is used, whichhas a joint near the platform elevation ofthe stem. This allows the upper portion ofthe stem to be changed, rather thanreplacing the entire stem complete withflange.

The use of an aluminium standpipeallows for the drilling out of the standpipeof a previous pilot hole, without damag-ing the tri-cone bit.

The four 53RHs were originally pur-chased because of their ability to boxhole.Boxhole mining is proposed for the UpperZone 4 orebody, from 580 m level to 530m level, which can only be accessed frombelow. This project is still in conceptualplanning, due to be completed in early2006. However, Mine Manager GaryHaywood and his management teamhave visited El Teniente in Chile. Thatmine operates a 53RH and a 34R on box-hole mining.IM

Ore is collected at the bottom of the raises by one of two

manufactured Atlas Copco Wagner ST 7.5s with Nautilus

remote controls

Because of its extremely high uranium grade, McArthur

River is the only mine in the world to use raiseborers

(Atlas Copco units) as the primary mining tool


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:51 Page 27

China

CChina’s domestic production ofminerals has increased sharplyin recent years, but it still cannot meet its own frenzieddemand, and has to rely more

heavily on external supplies.In mid-June, PricewaterhouseCoopers

reported in mine*enter the dragon, that in2003, the total value of China’s mineralimports reached a record $102 billion,making it the third largest mineral importerin the world. In 2004 it seems very likelythat a further big increase occurred, withthe same happening this year.

PwC says “China relies heavily on importsfor many commodities, for example ironore, platinum and nickel. In addition,60% of copper and 68% of aluminiumconsumption in 2003 came from imports.Exports, however, remained stable, at $60billion in 2003, further exacerbatingChina’s trade deficit in mineral products.”China has even had to increase coal imports.

Nevertheless, China is rich in mineralresources, ranking second overall in theworld, according to PwC. “It is theworld’s largest resource holder of tung-sten, tin and titanium and the secondlargest of coal, silver and bauxite. It is theworld’s largest producer of coal, steel,cement, aluminium, lead and zinc.” In2004, many of China’s important mineralproduction levels rose by 20% and morecompared with 2003. The country pro-duced 1,850 Mt of coal, 385 Mt of ironore, 273 Mt of steel, 6.4 Mt of alumini-um, 2.2 Mt of copper (raising it to num-ber two in the world), 1.81 Mt of lead,some 63,000 t of nickel in concentrate,212 t of gold, over 6,000 t of silver and960 Mt of cement. Zinc output was esti-mated at 1.73 Mt of zinc concentrate and2.5 Mt of refined zinc. Magnesium outputrose to over426,000 t. PwCreports “around145,000 mines inthe country [in2003], employingabout 21 millionpeople. Miningindustry revenuewas $61 billion),accounting for 6%of GDP (or over30% if the value ofrudimentary pro-cessing industries isincluded).”

While Chinesedemand has beengood news for many

metal prices, PwC notes that “prices ofminerals China exports in large quantities,like tungsten, magnesium and tin, havebeen depressed, driving many of China’scompetitors out of business. These ‘upsand downs’ reflect China’s ability to impactthe global mineral markets, and haveenormously reshaped the wealth of globalmine owners. It should be rememberedthat the price of seaborne steaming coalwas very depressed only a few years ago whenChina briefly became a major exporter.”

PwC examines the many challengesChina’s mining industry faces. It has hugeexploration potential, but few worldclassbase metal deposits have been found, andmany current mines are approachingexhaustion. “The industry itself has beeninfested with problems such as low effi-ciency and recovery rates, inadequatetechnology and equipment, lack of economiesof scale and, particularly, poor safety andenvironmental standards. China has theworld’s worst mining safety record.

“In addition, how to enhance the effi-ciency of resource utilisation is anotherurgent issue. While producing only 4% ofthe world GDP, China consumes 30% ofthe world’s coal, 30% of its steel and 13%of its electricity, making its current growthlevels unsustainable.

“In the coming decades, China is toface an increasing gap between supplyand demand,” PwC reports. “Recentresearch suggests that among the 45commodities with proven mineral reservesin China, only 21 will meet domesticdemand by 2010, reducing to six in 2020.China will need to rely on imports to fillthe discrepancies. Demand for copper, forexample, is expected to reach 4.8 Mt by2010, including 4.1 Mt of imports. Alumina,estimated to rise to 11 Mt in 2010, willrely entirely on supply from abroad.

“In an effort to tackle these structuralproblems, the Chinese government advo-cates changing the pattern of China’seconomic growth and promoting sustain-able development. To secure supply ofmineral resources, it vows to step up measures to expand domestic productionwhile trying to enhance utilisation effi-ciencies. It calls for increasing investmentin mineral exploration and production,improving the regulatory environment,streamlining the approval process andpromoting the development of miningrights. The government has alsoannounced a series of policies to encouragegreater foreign participation in China’smining industry. As companies whichhave tried to enter China before know,this does not automatically mean that for-eign companies will obtain mining leases.”

The Minerals Council of Australia pointsout “there are restrictions to investmentin China at nearly every point in theprocess – from determining the prospec-tivity of particular regions, securingapprovals for exploration, exploring forminerals reserves, securing a mining right,undertaking mining operations, and thenmarketing or exporting those minerals.Improve-ments in these areas will be a

key negotiating priori-ty for the bilateral freetrade agreement.”

Nevertheless, thenumber of explo-ration licenses issuedlast year jumped byover 61%, comparedwith 2003, to totalalmost 12,800. Over200 medium-to-largemineral resourceswere discovered.

There is also a gov-ernment-driven policyfor Chinese organiza-tions to accelerateoverseas expansionand take full advan-

If you are not aware by now that China is

driving the global mining

industry at the moment,you’ve been out in the

bush too long.

TThhee ddrraaggoonn ddeemmaannddss

Underground operations at Caijiaying

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:49 Page 8

tage of international markets and foreignmineral resources. Early acquisitions werethe Marcona iron ore mine in Peru andChambishi copper mine in Zambia. PwCreports that last year “China’s investmentin foreign mining assets rose from $1 bil-lion to $1.9 billion, accounting for overhalf of China’s total overseas investmentfor the year. The biggest deals wereChalco’s $1 billion investment in bauxiteand alumina in Brazil, a $650 million nick-el project by China MetallurgicalConstruction in Papua New Guinea, and a$440 million aluminium refinery project inIndia. In the coming years, more deals likethese are sure to happen.

“China’s booming industry has alsoattracted more international mining com-panies to expand their presence in China,albeit these are mainly marketing officeswith none of the majors making invest-ments in mines at this stage. According toofficial statistics, by the end of 2003,there were 211 foreign mining companiesin China, with an investment value of$336 million. Compared with the valuesof China’s outbound investment, howev-er, these figures are low, although growthhas picked up lately. The low level of for-eign participation largely reflects the reali-ty of operating in China, with problemsranging from difficulties in accessing offi-cial data, uncertain regulatory and taxregimes, to project financing and alengthy and unpredictable governmentapprovals process. This is before safetyand environmental considerations.

“Looking ahead, China’s mining indus-try will witness faster growth. One keydriver is the government target of build-ing a ‘well-off society’, doubling its GDPby 2020. Meanwhile, accelerated urban-ization, industrialization and moderniza-tion, together with the rapidly-growingprivate sector and emerging middle-classconsumers, will trigger higher demand formineral resources.”

According to China National StatisticalAgency, China investment increased26.4% to $238 billion for the first fivemonths of 2005. This showed a slightacceleration on earlier 2005 figures. Ofthis investment, coal projects accountedfor $1.5 billion, an 83% increase year-on-year. Steel sector investment increased7.8% ($8.46 billion) and investment inelectricity generation, natural gas and waterprojects was 34% higher at $23 billion.

In the first quarter of 2005, the coun-try’s GDP showed a year-on-year rise ofsome 9.5%, supported by strong industri-al production. The country is the world’sbiggest consumer of copper, accountingfor some 25% cent of world supply. Thisfigure continues to grow fast as the econ-omy still booms.

Foreign disinterestAt the San Francisco Gold Forum in June,Mineweb reported, Sino Gold Presidentand CEO, Jake Klein, was dismayed by thelack of interest in China, the world'sfourth largest gold producer. He said hewas frustrated that overseas companies ingeneral are not paying any real attentionto China’s gold potential wealth of gold.He is of the opinion that the issue of legaltitle discourages foreign miners fromdoing business in China. But his companyhas been active there for more than 10years, and is still the first and only foreignoperator of a gold mine in China.

Klein believes the current gold sector,consisting mainly of 16,000-oz/y produc-ers, cannot sustain itself and is ripe forconsolidation and acquisition.Furthermore, “very little explorationmoney had gone into the ground for thepast 20 years,” he says. In response to aMineweb question, he said central govern-ment has still not been able to regulategold mining at the county level.Numerous small mines are typically regu-lated by local and county officials.

Another company not showing foreigndisinterest is Griffin Mining, which despiteits relatively modest size has been a leaderin foreign investment in mining in China.It is has constructed the first foreignowned and operated mine in China in100 years. Since 1997 it has been primari-

ly engaged in developing the Caijiayingzinc-gold project in Hebei Province, some200 km northwest of Beijing. Griffin’slocal subsidiary, Hebei Hua-Ao MiningDevelopment Co, was the first foreigncontrolled entity to receive an explorationlicence in China under the new mininglaws promulgated in 1998. Hua-Ao wasalso the first western controlled joint ven-ture to date to be awarded a new mininglicence over a metal deposit in China.

The Caijiaying area is on the southeastedge of the Mongolian Plateau. HebeiHua-Ao is a contractual joint venture enti-ty established in 1994 in which Griffin,through its wholly owned Australian sub-sidiary company China Zinc, holds a 60%equity interest and the Chinese joint ven-ture partners (which include theZhangjiakou City People’s Government,the Hebei Bureau of the Ministry of Landand Resources and the Third GeologicalBrigade) have a 40% equity interest.

The mine has been designed for devel-opment from three different directions atthe same time. The first part is wideningand lengthening the existing explorationincline and developing the necessary ven-tilation and production drives from itsbase. This enables early access to conductthe pre-production drilling and the instal-lation of water, power and compressed airservices.

The second part is a 200 m deep venti-lation shaft in the northern part of thedeposit that connects the other drivesand provides emergency egress. The thirdpart is a production decline, which con-nects the process plant to the mine andenables easy access and upgrading of themine capacity.

The mine has been designed so that anupgrade of mine production can be readi-ly implemented. The company expects toincrease throughput to 500,000 t/y assoon as practicable.

With production of 22,000 t/y of zincmetal, Caijiaying is the 11th largest zincmine in China and Hebei Hua-Ao isexpected to be the 4th biggest zinc pro-ducer in China which, despite decliningproduction and increased consumption,remains the largest zinc producing coun-try in the world.IM

◆ Since 1995, China’s mineral imports have grown by a massive 470% ◆ China accounts for 4% of global GDP, but 16% of the world’s metal consumption ◆ China is the world’s largest consumer of copper, tin, zinc, steel, iron ore and coal ◆ China is the second largest consumer of aluminium, petroleum and lead ◆ China is the third largest consumer of nickel ◆ China is the fourth largest user of gold ◆ China now consumes over 35% of the world’s iron ore ◆ China produces more steel than the US and Japan combined, and yet still imported

40 Mt of steel last year. Its iron ore imports increased ten-fold between 1990 and 2003 from 14 to more than 200 Mt

◆ China has large reserves of some minerals, including 54% of world manganese, 22% of the silver, 12% of the coal, 11% of vanadium and 6% of world copper reserves

◆ China is heavily dependent upon imported metals and China’s mineral imports topped $140 billion in 2004

Trend of China’s imports of major mineral products, in thousands of tonnes

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Five-year movement

Iron ore 55,270 69,970 92,310 111,490 148,130 168%Rolled steel 14,860 15,960 17,220 24,490 37,170 150%Coal 1,670 2,120 2,490 10,810 10,760 544%Copper ore 1,250 1,810 2,260 2,070 2,670 114%Alumina 1,620 1,880 3,350 4,570 5,610 246%

The dragon’s voracious appetite


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:49 Page 9


ICMM Secretary General Paul Mitchell examines the strengthening of community involvement in emergency planning

IIn October, ICMM will release GoodPractice in Emergency Preparedness andResponse, a new publication that cov-ers everything from identifying whodoes what in an emergency, to train-

ing and proper community liaison. Thenew publication’s model emergency planis in line with the United NationsEnvironment Programme’s (UNEP) APELL(Awareness and Preparedness forEmergencies at the Local Level) processand it will be a companion volume toUNEP’s APELL for Mining (2001).

APELL provides the technical tools formining companies to respond to an inci-dent. Effective emergency planning inthe mining and minerals sector alsorequires better communication andengagement with local communitiesabout respective roles and responsibilitiesin the event of an incident. Successfulmining and metals operations require thesupport of the communities in which theyoperate. Experience has shown that openand informed communication betweenemergency response partners in advanceof potential incidents leads to a betterorganised emergency response.

Local communities are often inade-quately informed of such risks and unpre-pared for emergencies. A fast andeffective local response to an incident canbe the most important factor in limitinginjury to people as well as damage toproperty and the environ-ment. Moreover a well-informed, well-preparedcommunity is better ableto deal with the after-math. Yet there are widedifferences in communityinfrastructure, responsecapabilities, risks, scale,resources and regulatoryframeworks. Accordingly,the principles of APELLneed to be applied whilstalso taking the local sitespecific context intoaccount.

Emergency planning is aprocess of continuousimprovement. In 2003,ICMM took the APELLprocess further andanalysed emergency pre-paredness and responsecapabilities within both itscorporate and associationmembership. The surveyfound a significant gaprelating to involving localpeople and communitiesin developing and prepar-ing an emergency plan.

This is the gap that APELL was meant toaddress. While local emergency responseorganisations had been involved in theplanning process and participated in crisissimulation, the people most affected byan emergency were seldom consulted.This reinforces the view that emergencyplanning must proactively engage withlocal communities.

Our analysis showed there were othergaps: a low level of awareness of the risksposed by neighbouring operations and, atthe operational level, an over-reliance onHSE staff for the preparation of the emer-gency plan.

Appropriate testing is vitally important,as demonstrated by the response to theLondon bombings of July 7, 2005. Theonly good feature of that incident, whichclaimed more than 50 lives and over 700casualties, was the outstanding perfor-mance of the emergency services. Theincident was rapidly bought under con-trol, and information was given regularlyto the public. This was only so because ofthe meticulous preparation and testing forjust such an event.

The experience of ICMM’s partner inthis project, UNEP, points to four otherareas that need to be highlighted: thecontrol of offsite transport, the deliveryand on-site management of hazardouschemicals used in substantial quantity, therisk of significantly greater effects from

failure as the industry’s operationsincrease in scale, and the latent liabilitiesthat remain, particularly with dormantwaste repositories when operations haveclosed or will close in the future.

Good Practice in Emergency Preparednessand Response focuses on the operatingsite and its preparations, particularly inrespect of its neighbouring communities,which was the major gap identified byICMM’s survey. This is not to downplaythe important, sometimes vital, role thatcentres of business – their divisions, cus-tomer sectors, product groups and othersubsections – have to play in preparingfor, responding to and recovering fromincidents.

Preparations for emergencies cannot beleft to the last minute. There is a gooddeal of common sense in the dictum thatwhen you are prepared for the worst, itnever happens. This of course recognisesthat careful preparation, including involv-ing local communities, allows the prob-lems and poor practices to be identifiedahead of time and thus prevents theemergencies from taking place. As UnitedNations Secretary-General Kofi Annan hasobserved, emergencies cost money; pre-venting them costs less. I hope ICMM’snew publication will assist all who areresponsible for preparing and reviewingemergency plans and for ensuring theengagement of local communities.IM

Umicore emergency servicessimulation and review, Belgium

Licence to operate

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:43 Page 38

November milestones in mining4th 1989, the Council of Ministers of the USSR passed a resolution on creationof the State Concern for Non-Ferrous Metals Production Norilsk Nickel.

7th 1977, De Beers Letseng-la-Terai diamond mine in Lesotho is opened.

11th 1987, the Government ceased mining and began winding-up thePhosphate Mining Corp of Christmas Island, citing diminishing resources.

25th 1914, miner Ed De LaVergne and attorney Hildreth Frost were sum-moned as witnesses to a secret meeting at the Cresson mine, Cripple Creek,Colorado. Dick Roelofs led them to a steel door on the twelfth level attendedby armed guards. Behind it was a 12 m high vug. Gold lined the walls. Astunned De LaVergne said they could probably recover as much as $100,000from the cache. He was wrong. In the next 30 days, the Cresson produced$1.2 million in high grade ore. At today’s prices, the Cresson vug would beworth approximately $18 million.

28th 1832, John W. Mackay born in Dublin, Ireland. In 1851, at the age ofeighteen, Mackay sailed to California. In 1860, after little luck in California heheaded for the hills around Virginia City, where he had heard of the discoveryof gold. In 1869, after moderate success as a miner, he was able to form apartnership with James G. Fair, James C. Flood, and William S. O’Brien. Thispartnership was known as the Bonanza Firm, developers of the famousComstock Lode. In 1873, Mackay struck one of the richest veins in history, the BigBonanza, which produced more than $180 million in ore in just over four years.

28th 1990, International press launch of the Caterpillar 994 wheel loader.

1862, gold was discovered in the Shotover River, New Zealand and a gold rush began.

1930, Julius Kruttschnitt sails for Australia to become GM of Mount Isa.

1971, Inco’s new Clarabelle concentrator, capable of treating 35,000 t/d ofore, became operational.

1974, Britannia mine (north of Vancouver) shut down, now the site of theBritish Columbia Museum of Mining

1978, Ertsberg East underground mine feasibility study approved; Freeport-McMoRan informs the Indonesian government of its intent to develop.

1981, LME copper contract upgraded to ‘high-grade copper’.

1998, Phelps Dodge sells its 44.6% stake in Black Mountain base metal minein South Africa.

1998, Pierina gold mine, Peru, began production. This followed Barrickexpanding its South American presence in 1996, acquiring ArequipaResources, which had exploration properties in Peru, including Pierina.

2000, the Colombian Government sold Carbocol S.A. (50%) participation inCerrejón North Zone Association Contract, to a consortium made up of sub-sidiary companies of BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Glencore International.

2002, the merger between Intercor and Carbones del Cerrejón S.A waslegalised and Intercor's name was changed to Carbones del Cerrejón LLC,Cerrejón. This had followed from February that year when the BHP Billiton,Anglo American, Glecore consortium acquired from Intercor the other 50%,owned by ExxonMobil, thus becoming the sole owner of Cerrejón north zone.

Each month, IM will publish the Mining Milestones of the following month.Please submit entries for your company to [email protected] must include the month, and ideally the day, of the event.

Milestones


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 16:28 Page 79

Low noise crawlerand high-speedCOP 1132Atlas Copco has launched the world’sfirst ROC series surface drill rig with asubstantially reduced noise level mak-ing it the quietest-running rig of itskind, the company claims. TheSilenced ROC D7C has a noise level ofapproximately 10 dB(A) below that ofother rigs on the market.

“Atlas Copco has a clear strategywhen it comes to environmental andsafety issues,” says Anders Hedqvist,D&D Manager Surface DrillingEquipment. “We are in the forefront ofthe development and the SilencedROC plays an important role in thiswork. In the future, people who livenear a site will have quieter surroundings.”

Drilling noise is generated by vibra-tion in the drill steel, feed system,boom and body of the rig. Theadvanced silencing system consists ofmany components that reduce theoverall noise level, but the mostnoticeable is the hood that covers themast.

The advanced and more efficienthydraulic system together with thenew, more powerful engine (CAT 6.6)makes it possible to lower the idlingrpm and to choose the optimal powerneeded for drilling in different rockconditions. This makes it possible tolower the fuel consumption by up to30 % compared to similar rigs on themarket.

Atlas Copco says its new “COP 1132rock drill represents the latest trend inhigh-speed technology in small classequipment offering users 30% morespeed than its predecessors, the COP1028 and COP 1032.” The COP 1132has several similarities with the well-known 30 kW COP 3038. The high fre-quency technology and the doubledampening system are all there. Thecompany says the COP 1132 is thesmallest rock drill in the world with ahydraulic double damper – a feature

that combines fast drilling with gooddrill steel economy.

It operates in the same hole range asearlier COP 1028 and COP 1032 mod-els, 33-51 mm, but is considerablyfaster. Atlas Copco also says that “witha maximum impact power of 11 kW,this is the most powerful rock drill in itsclass.”

In addition to the increased powerand speed, the COP 1132 is also mucheasier on drill steels. It does not strikethe steel any harder than the 5.5 kWCOP 1028 (110 Joules), but it strikestwice as frequently – hence the highpower. By comparison, the COP 1032is harder on the steel with an impactenergy of 165 Joules per blow.www.atlascopco.com

Heavy-duty utilityLast month’s feature on service/utilityvehicles (pp. 35-40) emphasised theimportance of rugged units for useunderground. Oldenburg’s newCXM300 heavy-duty utility truck is justthat. The standard CXM300 delivers a2,720 kg rated load capacity, with 115kW Cummins QSB5.9, Tier 2 stage 2engines, combination coil/shock sus-

pension, four-speed electronic trans-mission and four-wheel fully enclosedwet disc brakes. Its envelope size isbarely larger than a conventional dieselpickup truck. The gross vehicle weightis 7.26 t.

Top rated speed is 40 km/h on level,with an impressive 16 km/h on a 20°grade. With an all-steel heavy-dutyframe and design standards influencedby its military products, Oldenburgsays “the CXM 300 is a true 10-yearservice life truck under normal operat-ing conditions.” Its modular designallows for flexible configurations – flatbed, personnel carrier, mechanic’struck, crane truck, lube truck, scissorslift truck, and boom truck options areavailable.

“We listened to our customers, whotold us they need the durability of amine-duty truck and the mobility of apick-up. Pre-production orders for theCXM300 have already exceeded ourfirst year sales forecasts,” says TimNerenz, Vice President of Marketing.www.oldenburggroup.com

Farallon commer-cializes PartoxFarallon Resources has announced theresults of metallurgical test work car-ried out on its Campo Morado zinc-gold-copper-silver-lead project inGuerrero State, Mexico. The $2.1 mil-lion programme was initiated to specif-ically address the metallurgicalchallenges that the project faced dueto the finely disseminated nature of themineralization of the various depositsthat make up the Campo Morado pro-ject. A ‘Proof of Principle’ pilot plantprogramme validated - in continuousoperation - the chosen hydrometallur-gical flowsheet for the pre-feasibilitystudy for the project. The company istargeting completion of the study inmid February 2006.

The company says the “results havebeen very encouraging, and indicatethat a partial oxidation, SX/EW process

for the selective removal of copper andzinc, followed by a standard cyanida-tion extraction process for gold and sil-ver works extremely well on CampoMorado type mineralization. Farallonhas been granted, a trademark for theprocess and will be marketing it toother companies in need of similarhydrometallurgical treatment. Theprocess has been registered under thePartox trademark.”

In 2004, as part of the current pre-feasibility study, Bateman Engineeringwas contracted to be responsible forthe hydrometallurgical process designand associated engineering. Batemanwas also requested to be the ‘OverallProject Review Engineers’ for the study.Bateman has extensive experience inthe field of hydrometallurgy.

It was a three-phase metallurgical‘Proof of Principle’ test programmethat commenced in October 2004.Under the flowsheet, flotation bulkrougher concentrates are subjected toconventional medium-temperature/pressure oxidation in an autoclave. Thisprocess, which is designed to oxidizeapproximately 20% of the sulphides,selectively extracts zinc and copperinto solution and partially oxidizes pre-cious metal-bearing sulphides, leavingmost of the barren pyrite in the con-centrate un-oxidized. Copper and zincmetal cathodes of commercial purityare then recovered from solution bynormal SX/EW processes. The washedsolids residue from pressure oxidationis subjected to conventional cyanida-tion to recover silver and gold.

All unit processes incorporated inthe hydrometallurgical circuit weresuccessfully tested in continuousmode. Pilot plant results indicate that,on average, 80%-85% of the copperand up to 97% of the zinc are extract-ed during the selective pressure oxida-tion process and, subsequently, arerecovered as high purity metal throughtwo separate SX and EW circuits.Cyanidation tests performed on partial-ly oxidized solids residues yielded aver-age gold recoveries of 57% forNaranjo, 66% for Reforma and 62% forEl Largo, and average silver recoverieswere 82% for Naranjo, 76% forReforma and 88% for El Largo.

The pilot plant was established atthe SGS Lakefield Research laboratoryin Ontario, Canada. Dr. DavidDreisinger (hydrometallurgy consul-tant to Farallon), SGS Lakefield staffand Bateman Engineering workedtogether jointly to design the metallur-gical process flowsheet and pilot plantequipment used in the testing. Theobjectives of the pilot plant were:

◆ Demonstrate Partox flowsheetfeasibility

An Oldenburg CXM300 prototype in final

assembly

MMT

The new COP 1032 is 200 mm shorter

than the COP 1032. This means longer

rods and fewer changes or joints, which

also contributes to productivity. The

cutting angle is also smaller which gives

better access in confined spaces and its

weight is about 30% less than COP

1032, only 75 kg in total.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:01 Page 40

MMT

◆ Confirm overall Cu, Zn, Au andAg recovery

◆ Confirm Cu and Zn cathode quality◆ Extract engineering design data ◆ Determine reagent consumptions◆ Test concentrate variability from

the Reforma, El Largo and Naranjodeposits

◆ Optimize solution balance◆ Develop initial plant operation

control philosophy www.farallonresources.com

18-day shaft installationA consortium of Siemens IndustrialSolutions and Services Group (I&S) andSiemag has won an order from K + SKali to modernize a winder at its Werramine. The winder will be fitted with anew friction drum with an integratedmotor, including a cycloconverter,transformers, cooling systems and apower supply system. Control andsafety systems, shaft signalling and anew brake with control unit are alsopart of the order. The project is valued

at about €5 million. The new winder isto be installed and put into service inonly 18 days in summer 2006.

The North unit, which was built in1951 and installed in the plant as a sec-ond-hand machine in 1961, was auto-mated by Siemens in 1982. It will nowbe subjected to comprehensive mod-ernization. The new integrated winderwith the built-in motor has a diameterof 6.5 m. It will drive two skips, eachcontaining a payload of 15 t, at aspeed of 16 m/s. Given the haulagedistance of about 700 m, this will pro-vide a production rate of 665 t/h ofpotash.

Siemens is supplying the external-rotor, 3,000 kW synchronous motor,together with the associated SimovertD 12-pulse cycloconverter. The motorand converter are air-cooled. Heat loss-es will be dissipated through a heatexchanger and a cooling tower. A fil-tering and compensation system willensure adherence to regulationsregarding the quality of the supply net-work and fault-free functioning of theexisting ripple control system. Siemag

will provide the friction drum, the axle,the bearings and the new braking sys-tem.

The essential components of thewinder will be redundant. This willensure adherence to the safety stan-dards stipulated by the mining author-ities and will also guarantee a high levelof availability for the plant. For exam-ple, if a transformer fails, operationwith a full payload and at maximumspeed will be possible without anyrestrictions. The closed-loop and open-loop control systems will be providedin duplicate, with transfer to the

respective stand-by system if the othersystem fails. The three-channel, con-trolled safety brake has a fourth chan-nel, which can be cut in and which cancompletely replace any of the threeactive channels in the event of a fault.

One of the main reasons whySiemens and Siemag won the Werracontract was their integrated-machineconcept which allows the conversiontime to be kept to a minimum. www.industry.siemens.de

Fordia’s Flexit &Elepump drillproductsThe Fordia Group has developed a newrange of products to suit the Asiandrilling market. Among the two newproducts are the Flexit Multismart, aninnovative tool for drill hole surveysand Elepump, a new high pressurewater plunger pump available in 4models. The Flexit Multismart is one ofthe most sophisticated electronic mul-tishot systems currently available,Fordia reports. It boasts a long batterylife, without the need of a singlecharge and uses radio transmitter com-munication providing a reliable, field-proven system.

The Flexit multismart is a solid mag-netic-based instrument measuring theearth’s magnetic field strength and dip

Schematic diagram of Farallon’s Partox

hydrometallurgical flowsheet.


K + S Kali’s production shaft in

Philippsthal in northern Hesse belongs to

the Werra complex and has two winders.

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:01 Page 41

direction through triaxial fluxgate magnetometers.The earth’s gravity force is measured by triaxial servoaccelerometers capable of withstanding high shockrating. A special feature is the unique, totally sealed,unopenable, and upgradeable SensIT probe which isat the heart of the SmartTool drill hole survey system.It combines ease-of-use and reliability in a sophisticat-ed instrument at a competitive price.

The Elepump triplex water plunger pump comes infour versions. It has a drive shaft with double projec-tion, double pressure packing, vertically-fitted valves,water-spill venting, oil-bath mechanical parts withsplash lubrication and works on a pulley, flexible joint,or cardan shaft operation. The pump requires simplemaintenance with periodic oil checks and changesand worn out parts can be easily accessed for fast,simple replacement without special tools.www.fordia.com

XH 100 mining pumpThe XH 100 4-in (101 mm) pump from Rain for Rentis specifically designed to produce higher dischargeheads for mining and dewatering projects. The com-pany says it offers superior fuel efficiency, and is ableto move more water at a lower cost. The pump canbe made of 316 Stainless Steel or Chromium Steel formining applications. The XH 100 handles solids up to22 mm in size, flows up to 4,730 litres/min, andheads up to 185 m. Mounted on galvanized skids ortrailers to protect against rust and corrosion, thisequipment has a nearly maintenance free surface.www.wateronline.com

Corrosion resistant pipeSmith Fibercast’s Z-Corer centrifugally cast piping sys-tem is reported to be the most corrosion-resistantfibreglass pipe available. Capable of handling highacid concentrations (including 98% concentrations ofsulphuric acid), alkalis, and solvents, the Z-Core pip-ing system exceeds the corrosion resistance of stain-less steel, lined steel, and other metallic options. It iseasier and less costly to install, and offers the lowestlife cycle cost of any corrosion resistant piping system,the manufacturer claims.

Z-Core is available in 25 to 203 mm sizes, and a fullrange of fittings are offered to meet the same high-level performance specifications as the pipe itself. Thisresults in a totally bonded system that protectsagainst leaks and fugitive emissions.www.smithfiberglass.com

Geomembrane expertiseWhen constructing waste storage facilities, contain-ment systems or mining landfills, Naue Fasertechnik’sBentofix geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) and Carbofolgeomembranes can be effectively used as single orcomposite lining system. Bentofix clay liners are self-sealing barriers with a composite structure that utilisethe strength of millions of needle-punched fibres tosecure the natural sodium bentonite sealing layerwith high long-term shear strength. Once hydrated,Bentofix is an effective barrier against liquids, vapoursand gases.

Carbofol geomembranes are manufactured usinghigh-density polyethylene (HDPE) and provide acomplete seal against even the most toxic sub-stances, protecting groundwater from contamina-tion.www.naue.com46 International Mining October 2005

MMT

Largest in the range, the 22 m3 capacity Case 340 ADT is the

largest in the Case range, which now comprises four models

offering payload capacities from 23 to 36 t. With a range of

wheel loaders and hydraulic excavators, Case can now offer a

choice of matched loading and hauling systems for

smaller mines.

www.casece.com

IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 14:01 Page 42

The passing of a great DonOn August 18, Andrónico Luksic A., Honorary Presidentof Antofagasta, died in Chile. Luksic, aged 78, wasChairman of Antofagasta plc from 1982 until his retire-ment from the Board in November 2004.

Andrónico Luksic was born in 1926 in Antofagasta, theson of Policarpo Luksic, who had emigrated to Chile in1910 from the Island of Brac in Croatia. After studyinglaw, he left Chile in 1948 to spend time in Paris at theSorbonne. The subject of his thesis was Economic Neo-Liberalism, which extolled the doctrine of Free Tradewhich was in vogue in Europe at that time.

Soon after returning to Antofagasta, he wasapproached by a Frenchman who wanted to sell his 25% share in a copper minea few miles along the coast. It was not long before he had bought out the othershareholders, and thus began his lifelong fascination for geology and mining. Aftertwo years, in 1954, he fortuitously sold the mine to a Japanese company for$500,000 - an enormous amount at the time. A combination of audacity, hardwork and luck, to which he attributed much of his success in later years, hadbrought Luksic his first business success; providing capital to expand and encour-aging him to develop his mining interests in the region.

In 1954, he decided to consolidate these interests and founded the LuksicGroup. The Group continued to develop its mining interests and in the 1960sdiversified into other industries such as fishing, coal mining, metal processing, elec-tricity supply and manufacturing.

During this period,the Group gainedcontrol of many com-panies including theLota Schwager coal-mines and Madeco,the major copperwire and tube man-ufacturer in Chile.

The advent ofPresident Allendein 1970 markedthe beginning of aperiod of expan-sion outsideC h i l e .Opportunities inother countriesin Latin Americawere evaluated

but Argentina waschosen as the main target for investment. Later, Luksic

Group executives travelled to Brasil to open an iron-ore mine.In 1974, the Luksic Group re-activated the Chilean investments that had sur-

vived the economic constraints imposed by the U.P. Government and the militaryregime which followed. In 1980 the Group acquired control of the Antofagasta &Bolivia Railway Co, which had been listed in London since 1888. The railway rapid-ly became profitable as management was revitalised and costs reduced. The cashgenerated allowed the Group to invest in the mining, financial and industrial sec-

tors in Chile. Using Antofagasta as a vehicle, the Group increased its mining inter-ests through a series of acquisitions and expansions. In 1996, Antofagasta decidedto consolidate all its non-core banking and industrial interests into Quiñenco inorder to focus on mining and transportation. In addition to the Michilla mine,which dates back to 1983 and currently produces 50,000 t of copper cathodes peryear, two major mines, Los Pelambres (60%) and El Tesoro (61%) were to follow:

Los Pelambres, a porphyry copper deposit with reserves of over 1,400 Mt of0.70% Cu with a 30-year mine plan was originally purchased from AtlanticRichfield in 1986. El Tesoro is a low cost cathode producer using a standard heap-leach SX-EW process with total reserves of 178 Mt of 0.81% Cu and a projectedmine life of 21 years. The successful development of Los Pelambres and El Tesoroat a total cost of $1.7 billion propelled Antofagasta into the major league of worldcopper producers.

Luksic’s unique vision and even more his ability to turn vision into reality, hasbeen demonstrated by the phenomenal growth of Antofagasta's mining interests.

When Luksic became Copper Man of the Year in 2003, Thomas J. Kennedy, pres-ident of the Copper Club of New York described him as “unique in our industryhaving held executive positions as a producer, fabricator and manufacturer of cop-per products. In addition he has worked on practically every committee in the cop-per industry. The award committee chose him because he has been totally devotedto the copper industry all of his professional life. He is universally thought to be agreat leader in the industry. He's quite an individual.”

“Andronico built his company from scratch," said Kennedy. “To do that in onelifetime is quite an accomplishment. Think of the number of jobs his company hascreated in Chile. It’s an absolutely amazing piece of work for one man in one life-time.”

The Chinese curseIf ever proof were needed of the deadliness of mining in China today, it came overthe summer. Reuters reported (from www.sina.com.cn) that in the six weeks fromthe beginning of July, 218 accidents at Chinese coal mines left nearly 700 workersdead or missing, according to the State Administration of Work Safety. This was286 lives, or 70%, more than in the same period of 2004. China’s mines havealways been dangerous, but they are more so today as safety regulations areignored to meet the frenzied demand for coal.

New leader of the NMAKraig R. Naasz has taken over as President and CEOof America’s National Mining Association (NMA). Hisrole is to advance the public policy objectives of theUSA’s mining industry at a time of unparalleleddemand for the coal, minerals and metals producedby NMA’s member companies. “His strong record ofachievement and innovative thinking will serve theindustry well as we continue to build on NMA’srecent accomplishments,” said NMA Chairman JohnBrinzo, Chairman and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, onbehalf of the association’s Board of Directors. “Today’s modern mining industry has an excitingfuture, and we look forward to further strengtheningNMA to take full advantage of the opportunitiesbefore us,” Brinzo concluded.

The environmental costof copper

The US Geological Survey reports that one cost paid for using

copper “is the significant, though manageable, set of envi-

ronmental effects associated with the smelting process.

Through a detailed assessment of smelting technologies,

covering approximately two-thirds of world capacity, [USGS]

research quantifies the unwanted by-products associated

with copper production. The conversion of 1 kg of copper

concentrate from its ore into economic service generates an

average landscape footprint comprised of 210 kg of mine

waste, 113 kg of mill tailings, 2 kg of slag, and 2.3 kg of sul-

phur-bearing co-product. The corresponding air releases per

kg of copper include 0.5 kg of carbon dioxide and 0.2 kg of sul-

phur dioxide”

IM.....Instant Message

Tails

Andronico Luksic

1926-2005

Naasz joins the NMA follow-

ing three years as President

of The Fertilizer Institute (TFI).

He replaces Jack Gerard, who

became President and CEO

of the American Chemistry

Council in July.


IM ISSUE 2 23/9/05 18:38 Page 81

ADVERTISER PAGE

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Diary

UK, Europe, South Africa, US East Coast,Canada Central & EastContact: Phil Playle or David LansdowneLansdowne Media Services LtdTel: +44 (0)1442 877 777.Fax: +44 (0)1442 870 617Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

JapanContact: Yuko IshiharaJapan Advertising Communications, Inc.Tel: 81-3-3261-4591 Fax: 81-3-3261-6126Email: [email protected]

Western USA (AZ, CA, NV, UT) Australia,and New ZealandContact: George RomanRoy McDonald Associates, IncTel: +1 (702) 515 7247. Fax: +1 (702) 515 7248Email: [email protected]

Western USA (MT, ID, OR, WA) and WesternCanadaContact: Jim OlsenRoy McDonald Associates, IncTel: +1 (503) 640 2011. Fax: +1 (503) 640 3130Email: [email protected]

US Mid-West, Central & MountainContact: Kevin LaphamJ.P.Media IncTel: +1 (630) 420 9752. Fax: +1 (630) 420 9763Email: [email protected]

South AmericaContact: Ricardo CortésEditec S.A.Avda del Cóndor 844 Of. 205, CuidadEmpresarial -Huechuraba, Santiago, ChileTel: +56 2 757 4200. Fax: +56 2 757 4201Email: [email protected]

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES

October 200525 – 28: China Coal & Mining Expo 2005, National Agricultural Exhibition Hall, Beijing, China.www.chinaminingcoal.com

October 31-November 3: MPES 2005 (Mine Planning and Equipment Selection) and CAMI 2005(Computer Applications in the Minerals Industries), Banff, Canada. www.mpes-cami-swemp.com

November 20057 – 9: Computational Modelling in Minerals Processing, Cape Town, South Africa.www.min-eng.com/modelling05/index.html

10 – 12: Process Systems in the Metallurgical Industry, Cape Town, South Africa.www.min-eng.com/processsystems05/index.html

13 – 15: Geology Forum 05: Focus on Exploration, Cape Town, South Africa.www.min-eng.com/geologyforum05/index.html

14 – 17: China Mining 2005, Beijing International Convention Centre, China.www.china-mining.com

15 – 17: 2005 Mines & Tech, Buenos Aires, Argentina. www.panoramaminero.com.ar/eventos.htm#costa

16 – 18: Processing of Nickel Ores & Concentrates, Cape Town, South Africa.www.min-eng.com/nickel05/index.html

16 - 18: Mining for Sustainable Development: Extracting more Benefit for Africa. Midrand, SouthAfrica. http://www.bullion.org.za/Departments/Safety&SusDevl/2005conf.htm

December 20051 – 2: Paste Technology/ Water Management Workshop, Perth, Western Australia.www.acg.uwa.edu.au

5 – 9: Exploring the Modern Minerals Renaissance, Northwest Mining Association Convention,Spokane, USA. www.nwma.org/convention.asp

January 200611 – 15: International Symposium on Environmental Issues of Mineral Industry, at V N I T, Nagpur,India. [email protected].


AdvertisersIn this issue

IM ISSUE 2 27/9/05 11:58 Page 72

T E A M W O R KCommitment makes the difference.

C A T ® G L O B A L M I N I N G

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CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos and Caterpillar Yellow, as well ascorporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar andmay not be used without permission.

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Clockwork drilling

The

face

of

inno

vatio

n

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