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By D. Dodgen, L. Larrimore

Electric utilities depend heavily on coal as a major fuel source for power generation, annually producing more than 85 million tom of ash, boiler slag and FGD (flue gas desulfurization - "scrubber") materials as by-products. Utilities and others who bum coal have traditionally disposed of these by-products in ponds or landfills. However, in the last 10-15 years there has been a greatly increased emphasis on beneficial utilization of these materials by the producers themselves as well as by customers who purchase the by-products. Regulatory, cost and technical performance issues currently impact the use of coal ash and other coal combustion by-products (CCB).

Feb 24, 1997

By B Dodd

This paper details how the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), as a disclosure and conduct regulator, approaches regulation of continuous disclosure, capital raising and control transactions in the mining and resources sector, and the reasons for the approach. In examining this topic the paper considers the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) Code (JORC, 2004), the VALMIN Code (VALMIN Committee, 2005), the relevant ASX Listing Rules and the relevant provisions of the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act). This paper discusses ASICÆs approach to expert reports and disclosure with reference to Regulatory Guides 111 Content of expert reports and 170 Prospective financial information.CITATION:Dodd, B, 2012. Issues in capital raisings and disclosure, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 3-14 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

By Dimitris Pachakis

In this paper, the authors give a brief overview of the current practice guidelines and tools for the seismic design of sheet pile quay walls, emphasizing how the design guidelines are lacking when the existing structure performance evaluation is required to meet performance-based criteria. Relying on recent experience they explain how the existing practices can be amended to focus more on performance evaluation as opposed to design. An example is given of an old sheet pile quay wall analyzed and evaluated for its performance according the recent performance criteria devised for Californian Marine Oil Terminals.

Jan 1, 2011

This paper reviews the issues of mining machinery automation with special emphasis on underground applications. Automation is desirable because it offers the following advantages: ò increased safety by reducing human exposure to hazards of underground mining; ò higher productivity; and ò reduced wear of equipment. In spite of these advantages and in spite of numerous attempts over the past several decades, mining automation has been a difficult proposition, partly because no two mining operations are exactly alike and these operations are carried out in an unpredictable environment. This is the main difference between automation in factories and in mines and that is why mining automation has been lagging so far behind factory automation. Automation is possible only when the machine 'knows' its workspace. In a factory, this workspace can be 'described' to the machine because it is sufficiently controlled. In a mine, the environment undergoes continuous change and the only way the machine can 'know' its workspace is through real-time sensing.

Jan 1, 1995

By S. J. Cohen

Changes in our energy, national security, and commerce needs have necessitated identification of new sources of minerals, such as rare earths, lithium, copper, silver, aluminum, titanium, and the minerals on the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) list of critical minerals (USGS, 2022). With the need to domestically produce these minerals, more mining will be required within the U.S. Some of these critical minerals deposit with naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), therefore, mining these minerals may concentrate NORM to the point that some states may require licensing and radiation protection programs. NORM is not regulated by the Federal government; it is regulated by the individual states. Consequently, overall national state of NORM regulation is chaotic with each individual state either choosing to regulate or not regulate NORM, and, if a state chooses to regulate NORM, then that state develops its own unique regulations. Further complicating the regulatory environment, states utilize a wide variety of strategies for regulating NORM, which sometimes results in inappropriate regulations, inconsistencies with specific radionuclides that are regulated, and inconsistencies with specific NORM types that are regulated. This paper will review the nature of NORM regulations, identify regulatory traps, and provide general guidance for identifying NORM and potentially avoiding regulatory jeopardy. Because of the chaotic nature of NORM regulations nationally, seeking guidance from qualified professionals with relevant expertise is recommended. Also, contacting the appropriate regulatory agency to gain a complete understanding of the NORM regulatory environment is useful for maintaining compliance.

Feb 1, 2023

By Eugene Guccione

The US mining industry today is fighting for its existence. We are plagued by the shortage of materials, of equipment, of fuels, of capital, of manpower. If we solve those shortages, we are then frustrated in our attempts to open a new mine or, perish the thought, a new smelter. If we manage to make a profit, demagogues will accuse us of stealing from consumers; and, if we do not make a profit and have to shut down, the same demagogues will accuse us of creating unemployment. Meanwhile, in every aspect of our business - from research, exploration and development, to production, marketing and selling - we are hindered in every way by the bipartisan mismanagement and crippling controls of a government bureaucracy gone amok. We are fighting a war on every front. Some of you realize that ours is a war of ideas. In order to win, our industry must make its ideas heard. But to be heard, we must have something to say - which means: we must know our case logically and consistently, all the way down to essential principles. A principle is a primary truth applicable to a great number of instances. A principle is like a road map: it shows you all the possible alternatives for getting from where you are to where you want to go. Although practically everybody recognizes the usefulness of a map and the need to consult it to find the best way' to get from one city to another, most people are not as careful in charting the course of their life, or the course of their industry, or the course of their nation. And so they act blindly, at random, by the whim of the moment, and get nowhere fast.

Jan 1, 1975

By R. M. Zimmerman

INTRODUCTION Tuff is being considered as a possible geologic median for the underground storage of commercial high level radioactive wastes by the Department of Energy (DOE). DOE has the responsibility for developing or improving the technology fir safely and permanently isolating these wastes. DOE programs must satisfy requirements established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the licensing and regulating of these storage facilities (NRC 1981). Pertinent draft NRC requirements are: 1) releases of radioactivity to the environment must be within prescribed limits and 2) emplaced canisters containing wastes must be retrievable up to 50 years following emplacement. High level radioactive wastes produce heat in storage and it is essential that the thermal/mechanical/hydrological response of the host rock will not significantly degrade either the structural performance o£ the repository or the ability of the natural or engineered barriers to retard radionuclide migration. The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) was established by DOE to evaluate the suitability of disposing of high level nuclear wastes on or near the Nevada Test Site (NTS) (NNWSI 1980). NNWSI has focused exploration and site evaluation on the tuffs of Yucca Mountain. Field testing is essential to support site characterization and repository design efforts. Preliminary studies have been conducted indicating that tuffs in G-tunnel on the NIS contain welded and nonwelded tuffs that have similar properties to those in Yucca Mountain. Thus, field testing can be accelerated. This paper discusses the issues supporting the planned field experiments in G-tunnel. Issues not related to rock mechanics are not included.

Jan 1, 1982

By Jamal Rostami

With the recent technological advances; Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) have become a viable economic alternative to drill and blast in hard rock excavation. These machines are finding increasing use in underground mine development due to the potential benefits they offer. The successful application of TBM technology to mining depends on the selection of the most suitable equipment and cutting tools for the rock and ground conditions to be encountered. In addition to required testing and geotechnical investigations, cutterhead design optimization is an integral part of the machine selection to assure a successful application of the machines in a specific project. This paper presents and discusses the back-ground of TBM application in a mining environment and the lessons learned, the process of conducting site investigation and the necessary laboratory testing together with machine selection and performance estimation for TBM use III mine development.

Jan 1, 1997

By Ergin Arioglu, Werner Burger

"SUMMARY The Istanbul Strait Road Crossing Project includes a 3.34 kilometer subsea tunnel excavated by TBM with an excavation diameter of 13.71 m. The tunnel will incorporate two road decks, each employing two traffic lines and shoulder with the daily capacity of 100,000 light vehicles. The tunnel alignment crosses full face rock sections with heavily fractured zones due to tectonic events as well as a long central stretch of difficult mixed face and very variable soft ground conditions. The demanding ground conditions and the large diameter in combination with realized face pressures well above 10 bar required a highly specialized and well adapted TBM. The paper describes the project challenges and the related technical solutions incorporated within the TBM design as well as the real site experience. INTRODUCTION In 2013, a 13.71 m diameter Mixshield was manufactured in Germany for the Istanbul Strait Road Crossing Project. The delivery of the TBM in late 2013 was a major milestone for the Istanbul Strait Road Crossing Project, also known as the Eurasia Tunnel Project. The Eurasia Project (www.avrasyatuneli.com.tr/en) consists of a 14.6 km route including a 5.4 km tunnel segment in its central part crossing the Bosphorus. The 3.34 km subsea section of the tunnel was excavated in closed mode using a Mixshield TBM. The remaining tunnel length is constructed by sprayed concrete lining (SCL) method followed by a cast in place (CIP) lining or by cut and cover (CC) structures for the TBM transition boxes (Figure 1, right). Other project sections on the European and Asian side consist of upgrading and widening surface access roads towards the tunnel. Conceptual ideas of connecting Asia with Europe via a tunnel crossing the Bosphorus have been around for an extended time and only became realistic towards the end of the 20th century based on significant technical developments in mechanized tunneling. Feasibility studies for a new Bosphorus crossing in 2003 and 2005 confirmed and suggested a road tunnel in its present alignment as the preferred solution. Following an international tender process the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications of Turkey assigned ATAS, a special purpose company formed by Yapi Merkezi (Turkey) and SK E&C (South Korea), to design, build and operate the Eurasia Tunnel Project. The Implementation Contract was signed in February 2011. In 2012, Herrenknecht AG was selected as the supplier for the 13.71 m Mixshield TBM."

Jan 1, 2016

A large-diameter road tunnel will cross beneath the strait in Istanbul and expand the infrastructure bottleneck between Europe and Asia. The technical planning of the tunneling operations poses complex challenges. Therefore, the construction consortium ordered a specially adapted tunnel boring machine (TBM) from Herrenknecht. The 13.6-m (44.6-ft) machine, a Mixshield, was completed in early July 2013 in Schwanau, Germany. To get from the European to the Asian side of Istanbul, people and goods have to cross the Bosporus Straits. So far, two road bridges as well as ferries provide the only transport link between the two parts of the city and the two continents. The tense traffic situation for the nearly 14 million residents of the city and for international transit traffic should be improved considerably thanks to the construction of a new road tunnel under the Bosporus. ?The project is certainly one of the most challenging tunneling operations currently being addressed in the world,? said Herrenknecht project manager Georg Schleer. The route of the ?Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing Project? runs around 100 m (330 ft) below sea level at its deepest point. The interior diameter of the tunnel will be 12 m (40 ft) so that two lanes in each direction can be accommodated. They will extend one above the other on two levels. 3.34 km (2.1 miles) of the tunnel with a total length of 5.4 km (3.3 miles) are being created by a 13.6-m- (44.6-ft-) diameter Herrenknecht TBM that will begin its underground mission from a launch shaft on the Asian side.

Sep 1, 2013

By Gordon Clark, Basar Arioglu, Zlatanic. Sanja, Nasri Munfah, Togan. Tolga

"The 13.2 m external diameter double deck Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing is one of the most challenging underwater tunnel projects in the world. Subjected to 11 bars of hydrostatic pressure, variable geology, and being in a very active seismic area, the execution of the project required innovative solutions, sophisticated construction techniques, and prudent risk management approach. The 5 km tunnel consists of 3.4 km TBM bored tunnel, 1 km twin NATM tunnels, and cut and cover sections. The project is being delivered in a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contract in a public-private partnership. The technical challenges, coupled with financial and commercial risks required the implementation of sophisticated risk management tactics including the provision of Independent Design Verification. Presently, the project is in its advanced stages of construction with a recent successful TBM breakthrough on August 22nd 2015. The paper presents the technical challenges of the project from the design, construction, and risk management aspects and provides the status of the construction. PROJECT BACKGROUND The $1.245 billion Istanbul Strait Road Tunnel Crossing project, dubbed the Eurasia Tunnel, is one of several major infrastructure projects being implemented in the Republic of Turkey in a public-private partnership approach. The project provides a direct and easy connection between the Anatolian (Asian) side of Istanbul and the heart of its historical district on the European side across the Bosphorus Strait which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Upon its completion in 2017, the project will improve connections to a wide network of motorways on both sides, increase capacity across the Bosphorus by 100,000 vehicles a day, reduce congestion and save motorists an average of 45 minutes of commuting time in each direction, and bringing significant economic benefits to the city and the region; it will ease traffic across the strait, reduce congestion, decrease pollutants and emission while maintaining the historical silhouette of the city. Figure 1 provides a general view of the project location and alignment. The overall project consists of three parts totaling 14.6km. Parts 1 and 3 consist mainly of widening existing motorways, providing connections to existing roads, reconstructing local bridges and underpasses on the European and Anatolian sides respectively. Part 2 is the tunnel crossing across the Bosphorus; it is the most complex part of the project with the greatest challenges and risks. Part 2 is 5.4 km long consisting of 3.4 km of 13.2m external diameter TBM bored tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait, 1-km of twin NATM tunnels on the Asian side, cut and cover transition boxes in the Asian and the European sides and depressed approaches on both sides. In addition, this segment includes the toll plazas, ventilation buildings, and the tunnel control and maintenance facilities."

Jan 1, 2016

By Gordon Clark, Basar Arioglu, Nasri Munfah, Sanja Zlatanic, Tolga Togan

"The 13.2 m (43 ft) external diameter, double deck Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing is one of the most challenging underwater tunnel projects in the world. Subjected to 11 bars of hydrostatic pressure, variable geology, and being in a very active seismic area, the execution of the project required innovative solutions, sophisticated construction techniques and prudent risk management approach. The 5 km (3.1 mile) tunnel consists of a 3.4-km (2.2-mile) tunnel boring machine- (TBM) bored tunnel, 1 km (0.62 mile) twin NATM tunnels and cut-and-cover sections. The project is being delivered in a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract in a public-private partnership. The technical challenges, coupled with financial and commercial risks required the implementation of sophisticated risk management tactics including the provision of independent design verification. The project was opened to traffic on December 20, 2016, four months ahead of schedule.. This article presents the technical challenges of the project from the design, construction, and risk management aspects..Project backgroundThe $1.245 billion Istanbul Strait Road Tunnel Crossing project, dubbed the Eurasia Tunnel, is one of several major infrastructure projects being implemented in the Republic of Turkey in a public-private partnership approach. The project provides a direct and easy connection between the Anatolian (Asian) side of Istanbul and the heart of its historical district on the European side across the Bosphorus Strait which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. The project improves connections to a wide network of motorways on both sides, increase capacity across the Bosphorus by 100,000 vehicles a day, reduces congestion and saves motorists an average of 45 minutes of commuting time in each direction bringing significant economic benefits to the city and the region. It eases traffic across the strait, reduces congestion, decreases pollutants and emission while maintaining Bosphorus. It is the most complex part of the project with the greatest challenges and risks. Part 2 is 5.4 km (3.6 miles) long consisting of 3.4 km (2.2 miles) of 13.2 m ( 43.3 ft) external diameter TBM bored tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait, 1-km (0.62-miles) of twin NATM tunnels on the Asian side, cut-and-cover transition boxes in the Asian and the European sides and depressed approaches on both sides. In addition, this segment includes the toll plazas, ventilation buildings, and the tunnel control and maintenance facilities."

Mar 1, 2017

By Basar Arioglu, Mustafa Tanriverdi, Seok Jae Seo

"INTRODUCTION Istanbul is a unique megalopolis connecting two continents. Population growth and economic development require permanent solutions and continuous investments on the transportation infrastructure. While the average population growth rate in Turkey is around 1.3% per annum, Istanbul is growing at an even faster rate of more than 1.5%. Even more striking is the fact that car ownership in Istanbul is increasing 5% a year, which is four times faster than the population growth. Although Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) has worked persistently to improve the quantity and quality of the public transportation system in the city through, in particular, extending the available rail system network, the need for extra roads has always fallen behind demand. To make things worse, Istanbul is divided by the Bosphorus Strait, the large waterway connecting the Black Sea to the north and Marmara Sea to the south, which leads to the Mediterranean. This waterway is crossed via two suspension bridges, the Bosphorus Bridge built in 1973 and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge built in 1988. Current daily traffic across the bridges is around 450,000 vehicles per day. Ever increasing cross-Bosphorus traffic demands require other routes to be in place a soon as possible. While a third bridge farther north is currently under construction, yet another tunnel crossing is coming to the end of construction and is planned to be in service by December 2016. Being implemented under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, Istanbul Strait Road Tunnel Project (ISRTP, the Project) has been under the spotlight not only because of its distinctive technical characteristics but also because of its robust business model, exacting financial and legal arrangements, diverse stakeholders and challenging organizational management structure. The following paragraphs offer an overall view of the Project from inception to where it stands now and extend to the imminent operational phase, touching lightly on all major aspects of this challenging journey."

Jan 1, 2016

By Basar Arioglu, Jaeung Kim, Mehmet Öztürk, Jinmoo Lee, Dongho Lee, Taek-Kon Kim

"Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing Project (Eurasia Tunnel) includes 3.34 km of a bored double-deck tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait, at a maximum depth of 106 m from the sea level, and 1 km of twin NATM tunnels on the Asian side. The region’s variable geology, hydrology and propensity for seismic activity, combined with high water pressure and large-diameter/double-deck tunnel configuration, make the Eurasia Tunnel one of today’s most challenging and complex projects under construction. Due to the site’s proximity to the active North Anatolian Fault, the tunnel is designed to withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The tunnel penetrates through both the Trakya bedrock (on both European and Asian sides) and the alluvial sediments at the bottom of the channel. The tunnel is designed to accommodate differential displacements by introducing seismic/flexible joints at proper locations at the transition zones between rock and soft soils. Tunnel fire is also a significant design consideration for undersea tunnel due to that the rubber protecting it in close proximity of the seismic joint should resist a fire for long term safety and durability. This paper mainly focuses on the design for method of tunnel response analysis in transverse and longitudinal direction against seismic demands relating with the seismic joints. INTRODUCTION Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing Project (Eurasia Tunnel) will build and operate a roadway tunnel under the Borphorus connecting Kazlicesme on the European side and Goztepe on the Asian side, to provide additional road-access across the Strait and consist of three main parts as shown in Figure 1."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. F. Böde, K. Böde

This paper focuses on developing a comprehensive and pragmatic information technology (IT) strategy for low-margin construction activities. This forms part of the realignment of the general business strategy, and refocusing the operational model. The main elements of the IT strategy formation are analysis of the current IT environment in terms of software and hardware, carrying out a gap analysis, and developing individual functional digitalisation strategies in construction execution based on Building Information Modelling (BIM), business administration processes, communication, business intelligence (BI) and reporting, and data security. Further, substantial emphasis is given to the sustainable strategy implementation in terms of hardware and software readjustments, their integration, user training, and defining the way forward.

Sep 1, 2021

By Venkataramana Runkana, Pradip Gautham, Beena Rai, Sreedhar Reddy

"IT enabled platforms are the key to provide an integrated view of the business activity or an enterprise as a whole. Attempts to integrate all functions in an enterprise such as mine-to-market initiatives, wherever and to whatever extent implemented, have provided significant benefits to the industry. The transformative potential of IT enabled integration platforms is illustrated in this communication from our own work in this field. TCS PREMAP (Platform for the Realization of Materials and Products) is a knowledge-driven engineering design and development platform which leverages modeling and simulation and artificial intelligence into the engineering design process. We illustrate the customization of this generic platform for the design and optimization of mineral processing plants in an integrated manner. TCS PEACOCK (Process and Equipment Analytics for Optimization and Control) has been developed to enable automation of data analytics in the operating plants. We illustrate its utility and power in improving the plant performance with the help of case studies from our work on pelletization of iron ores and optimization of flotation plants. INTRODUCTION We are living in an exciting digital era. With the advent of cloud computing and social media on the one hand and rapid advances being made in several research areas of interest to us in the minerals and metals industry such as artificial intelligence (AI) & machine learning, robotics, unmanned vehicles including drones, big data analytics, 3D printing, sensor technologies, renewable energies and internet of things (IoT), many disruptive transformations in our industry are on the horizon. Recent advances in information technology (IT) and knowledge engineering, in combination with appropriate domain expertise, that is, our enhanced understanding of the underlying science of mining and mineral processing operations and the availability of a variety of powerful modeling-simulation tools make it possible to address the challenging problems facing the mining and mineral processing industry, in an integrated manner."

Jan 1, 2018

By Ajay K. Jha1

Drilling and Blasting are two important unit operations in the production cycle of a mine and a strong link exists between these two and other unit operations/subsystems like loading, transportation, and crushing. Under the present concept of ? Mine to Mill?, it is important to optimize the drilling and blasting operations by applying scientific approach to drilling and blasting using sophisticated instruments and new technologies, which depends heavily on Information technology (IT) to meet this imperative. Development of innovative models and software has lead to blast optimization process. Till date, the blast results are evaluated in terms of available empirical approaches like powder factor, which are too simple to exclude some key parameters or lack in providing reliability because of non-availability of user friendly IT enabled techniques. Although with the help of developed approaches, formulation of user-friendly software to assist the site engineers in effective post blast assessment has started but there is a dearth of holistic approach to design an optimum blast considering the techno-economic feasibility of the subsystems and the geo-mining conditions to achieve blast optimization. The science of IT enablement in drilling and blasting is capable to build innovative models for achieving blast performances which will be doped with productivity, economy and safety with due regard to environment. The present paper discusses the use of existing IT enablement in various mines of India citing the Indian scenario and the future requirements for achieving the techno-economics in overall mining operations.

Sep 1, 2012

By David Ziegler, John Babcock, Gregory Poole

On December 9, 2003 at 3:59 PM EST an earthquake with a 4.5 magnitude occurred in central Virginia. According to a survey on the US Geological Survey website, this quake was felt as far away as Bridgeton Missouri, approximately 683 mile from the epicenter1. We recorded the vibrations from this earthquake on 14 seismographs that were set up for monitoring vibrations from blasting activities in the area. Having this data gave us an opportunity to compare earthquake and blasting vibrations. The amplitudes, frequencies and duration were much different than vibrations from mining and construction blasting. A common question we get from homeowners when discussing vibrations from blasting activities is “How does that compare to the Richter scale?” The goal of this report is to provide some simple answers for that question. The Richter and Mercalli scale are compared to the particle velocities in order to show their relationship.

Jan 1, 2005

By M Grigorescu, J H. Hodgkinson

The expansive, open cut iron-ore mines in Western Australia typically experience few days of rain per annum, often amounting to less than 250 mm. Unlike mines where rainfall is frequent, they may be less prepared for extreme rainfall events. Such events can cause erosion, flooding and sedimentation, drainage alteration, spoil and stock heaps wetting and effect slope stability. Such impacts may threaten personnel safety, infrastructure, and production. The CRATER (‘Climate Related Adaptation from Terrain Evaluation Results’) framework collates and interprets a mine’s pre-existing data and semi-quantitative information to assess vulnerability to, and ultimately plan to avoid or minimise, flood-related hazard to infrastructure, people, downtime, environment and revenue. Outputs assist decision makers to design investment strategies for minimising mining operations’ vulnerability to climate. Previously developed for smaller, wetter mines in Queensland’s coal region, the outputs provide a hot-spot map, fault tree analysis and an assessment of the mine’s capacity to adapt. The multicriteria evaluation (MCE) within a geographic information system (GIS), equally suits iron-ore mines’ siteconditions (elevation, slope, drainage, soil and vegetation) to identify critical inundation areas. Hotspot results provide target zones for in-depth fault-tree analysis that, in turn, present a range of sitespecific adaptation options. Rainfall-intensity and the number of rain days since the 1970s have increased over central and eastern parts of the Pilbara Region. While tropical cyclones may become less frequent, they are projected to increase in intensity. Although some parts of the Hamersley Ranges receive more than 500 mm per annum, rainfall in the Pilbara is generally very low. Therefore, experience of the impacts of extreme rainfall events in the constantly changing topography of Western Australia’s iron ore region may be sparse. Minimising potential effects can be proactively assisted using CRATER.

Nov 8, 2021

By K. Ananth Krishnan

Today we see a paradigm shift in political, environmental, and economic trends, which are challenging the mining industries. It is very clear that these issues are reaching unparalleled scale and complexity. Cost efficiency and corporate social responsibility are the two primary drivers for the mining industry today. The current challenges facing the industry include: ? Due to deterioration of quality of ores, the scale of operations has become humongous which necessitates high degree of automation and remote operations ? Scarcity of skilled manpower and the necessity to minimize employment of humans at unsafe locations ? Automation of routine activities, improving the efficiency of operations and reducing the cost of production ? Land, water and energy have become scarce in most of the resource rich regions In the current macroeconomic conditions, it is obvious that the industry is under tremendous pressure and it is imperative that the industry embraces sustainability, enhanced energy efficiency, and improved resource allocation. Closely related sectors like energy and utilities have set an example by acknowledging the need to alter their business practices to meet the essentials of sustainability, adoption of new operating models, policy and regulation structures. There is a need to continuously optimize the operations across the entire process value chain as well as across geographies in order to meet the market demand while dealing with supply chain constraints. The goals of optimization could be enhancement in productivity, reduction of production costs, carbon footprint, etc. The gamut of operations is vast, starting from exploration to mining, mineral processing, smelting, refining, casting, rolling (deformation processing), heat treatment, and finally manufacturing of industrial products / components. Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) in combination with modeling and optimization tools have made it possible to address these issues in a quantitative manner based on real life data. Manufacturing industry, for example, has successfully leveraged these technologies (ERP, PLM, MES, APC, etc.) to enhance productivity and quality. In this presentation, I would like to illustrate the benefits that could be derived by implementing ICT-leveraged solutions available today for the mining industries. I will focus on the following recent technological developments in the context of their applications in the mining and minerals industries: Mobility technologies: The industry is looking for strategically sustainable solutions that fit the working profile of mining engineers and which provide up-to-date information in real time. Mobile applications for iPhones and iPads are gaining popularity, which is helping mining engineers to work on-line as well as off-line. Mobility technologies have made it possible to provide data anywhere and anytime in a form you prescribe. This enables proactive responses to changing dynamics of the marketplace. For example, a plant engineer can access information about any critical process equipment, monitor its performance and do the needful as and when needed. Similarly, scheduling of operations can be optimized based on the market demand and on the availability of raw materials, labor, and status of equipment.

Sep 1, 2012