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Thank you and good morning. I am delighted to be here and to see so many of my colleagues and competitors. The general topic of this week's conference - World's Best Practice in Mining and Processing - suggests a focus on mining and processing. I am somewhat of a `jack of all trades and a master of none'. But I'm not even a jack when it comes to mining and processing technology and practices, and so I will leave those topics to speakers better 'qualified than I. Instead, what I would like to do is give you my thoughts on the best management practices of mining. You see, the times are changing for the mining business. There is great uncertainty in our industry. Anyone who received their education in an English-speaking school probably remembers the famous poem `Invictus' by William Ernest Henley. The two most famous lines from that poem are, if you remember, `I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul'. The fact of the matter is that the metals industry, including the copper industry, is not the master of its fate. To a great extent we're at the mercy of forces over which we have little control, such as the world economy or political situations in individual countries. The copper industry is like a surfer at Manly - we can't influence where the wave is going; all we can do is stay in front of the curl and on our board. Historically, discovering, developing and processing ore reserves were the primary facets of our capital intensive business. To stay competitive today, we must invest equally in intellectual capital - our employees - in order to succeed in the face of economic, regulatory and political challenges and global competition (Schonberger, 1986). Everyone seems to have a different theory about being competitive. A lot of people use sports analogies when talking about competition. Others, like American businessman and former US presidential wanna-be Ross Perot, take a more interesting approach. In Mr Perot's hypothetical corporation, competition is a lot like having a snake in a factory. If someone sees a snake, the first thing they do is create a committee on snakes. Then, the committee on snakes meets and discusses the problem for a couple of years. The most likely course of action is nothing. Everyone figures that the snake hasn't bitten anyone yet, so they just let him crawl around the factory floor. Perhaps a vice president of serpentine affairs is appointed to continue watching the snake - making sure it doesn't grow. Ross Perot sees it a little differently. In his corporate world, business needs to build an environment where the first guy who sees the snake kills it. Of course in our industry, we better make sure the snake isn't on an Endangered Species List before we go after it! I am not going to talk about competition and competitive forces in terms of sports or snakes, but I would like to share some thoughts with you about how the mining industry can better utilise competitive thinking to get ahead and stay there. You may be wondering how an executive from a 160-year-old company could know much about competitive spirit, but the founding ancestors of Phelps Dodge were wizards at identifying

Jan 1, 1995

By H Ramandi, H Masoumi, I Canbulat, B Hebblewhite, J Oh, S Saydam, W Timms, S Mo

This paper reviews the floor heave mechanisms in underground coal mine roadways. Previous studies have reported three main failure mechanisms: bearing capacity failure, buckling and swelling. The buckling failure has been observed where immediate floor strata are relatively strong and thinly bedded. On the contrary, the weak floor strata have been associated with both the bearing capacity failure and swelling mechanisms. The bearing capacity floor failures are likely to induce other types of instability such as pillar punching, tensile failure of pillar, roof fall and subsidence as well as floor heave. Despite a considerable amount of research, predicting the magnitude, location and timing of floor deformation is challenging with current state of knowledge. CITATION:Mo, S, Ramandi, H, Oh, J, Masoumi, H, Timms, W, Canbulat, I, Hebblewhite, B and Saydam, S, 2018. A review of floor heave mechanisms in underground coal mine roadways, in Proceedings The Fourth Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference (AusRock), pp 196–206 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 30, 2018

1991 New Zealand Branch Annual Conference û Appendix

Jan 1, 1991

By D F. Akhmetov, M Yasuike, M Komazaki, Y Kawa

Remote monitoring of geological situation at distant regions with complicated relief, including reliable detection of the rock falls and estimation of the scale of accidents, is of great importance for practical needs. In the paper, vibration data, caused by fall of sample objects and registered by cable sensors, are processed and analysed in order to construct some measure for the indirect evaluation of weight of fallen objects. Nonlinear models, which based on artificial neural networks (ANN), are proposed for the signal presentation. To improve and simplify the learning and classification abilities of the whole system, the aggregative learning method (ALM) is implemented. ALM features relatively low memory and computational resources needed for the procedure realisation, especially for data classification (recall) stage, in compare to conventional methods. The validity and efficiency of the proposed approach are tested through its application for rock fall detection and weight evaluation system using cable sensors and mobile communication network. Classification abilities of the proposed approach are shown useful for estimation of the fallen object weight. Characterised with high computational efficiency and simple decisionmaking procedure, the derived method can be useful for simple and reliable real-time monitoring system design.

Jan 1, 2003

The first stage in the refining of lead blast furnace bullion is the removal of copper and this is normally done as a batch process in open kettles,A number of attempts have been made in the past to establish fontinuous processes operating in reverberatory type furnaces, but the growth of accretions in the furnace has always presented a serious problem.This has been overcome in the plant of the Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty Ltd at Port Pirie by the construction of a reverberatory furnace and ancillary cooling system of novel design.Although a number of mechanical and metallurgical problems still remain to be solved, it is claimed that a workable continuous copper drossing process has been established.

Jan 1, 1963

By Cottrell EC

Remote sensing has been used for many years but until recently its application has been limited by the resolution of the data available. High resolution airborne multi-spectral scanner data (MSS) has proven suitable for a number of applications including environmental management and monitoring. A shallow water mapping research. project completed on the Gold Coast has shown that- remote sensing can be used as a cost effective tool for environmental management and Monitoring.

Jan 1, 1987

By P Dean, M Elmouttie, Y Duan, X Luo

Slope instability is one of the major concerns in open pit mining operations. A significant collapse of the pit wall can result in injuries, damage to machinery and interruptions to production. A broadband microseismic monitoring technique has been developed for diagnosing the healthy condition of a target slope area. This technique has been successfully applied to an open pit mine in Chile. Our research has found that this microseismic monitoring technique can be used in open pits for tracking and locating a falling rock that is rolling on a slope, if a dedicated seismic sensor network has been established. In collaboration with other monitoring techniques (radar, laser scan, aerial photography), more accurate determination of rock rolling trajectories can be obtained. In this paper, an example of using the CSIRO microseismic monitoring technique at an open pit mine is presented. Results from an experiment where we used the microseismic technique for determination of the trajectory of a rockfalling on a slope are also presented.

Nov 8, 2021

The mill area of PT Freeport Indonesia is located in a valley surrounded by steep natural slope, characterised by extreme topography with mountains rising to above 4500 m within 100 km from the seashore. The valleys are deeply embedded into the mountainous terrain and bordered by steep natural slopes. Vertical or overhanging lime walls are interrupted by steep vegetated screen sections containing accumulated loose material from weathering processes and ancient rock falls and/or debris flows/avalanches. The climate can be best described as alpine subtropical with an accumulated rainfall of more than 5000 mm per year. Occasional snowfalls and superficial freezing above 4000 m elevation leads to heavy weathering of the superficial rock layers and along open joints and fractures. The mill area is a crucial and strategic infrastructure for the entire mining operation which is best characterised as a high density industrial area with facilities including water tanks, power generators, crusher, and concentrating facilities including office buildings and workshops as well as access tracks to the underground mining blocks. Considering the local topography, the restricted space conditions and the number of technical installations, the facilities are likely to be affected and highly vulnerable to rock fall from the surrounding slopes. In order to minimise the rock fall hazard three rock fence barriers area were constructed at the mill area. The 7.5 rock fence barriers were designed with the maximum capacity of 5000 kJ. These are the largest capacity of rock fall barriers ever constructed in Indonesia. The total length of the barriers for the three locations was 126 m. The biggest challenge of this project was the construction of the barrier at West Gulley, which was constructed at 300 m above ground level. For this site, construction access was undertaken using helicopter. This presentation discusses the design of the mitigation structures as well as the construction approach and stages of the barriers. Please note: This paper is abstract only.

Nov 25, 2010

By Jury C. G

A decade of expansion and high production targets have led to changes in the number and structure of the Mount Isa Mines Limited work- force. Falls in labour turnover and absenteeism are correlated with two demographic variables, improved selection and placement procedures and home purchase facilities. Some results of recent population surveys are presented and discussed in terms of future housing needs and potential employment problems encountered by school leavers.

Jan 1, 1974

Maximising margins in highly competitive international markets demands superior productivity. A key to superior productivity is using a process approach to enable rapid, ongoing improvement of production, commercial, administrative, marketing

Jan 1, 1998

By Howlett P. F, Courtley S

A problem with secondary breaking at one of the mines of Pasminco Mining led to a study of new rock breaking technologies. Many of the techniques being developed had emerged from the thrust in the USA for continuous drill=break excavation. Such approaches to rock breaking highlighted the applicability of what would normally be classified as tunnelling techniques, to the secondary breaking sector - and possibly the reverse. As a direct result of the investigations for suitable technologies, Pasminco Mining supported the development of two improved rock breaking methods specifically targeting secondary breaking, one of which could be applied to continuous excavation.

Jan 1, 1993

By H Utama, R Heryadi

The demand for environmentally friendly commercial explosives has increased globally due to concerns regarding environmentally friendly mining activities. Ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) and bulk emulsion explosives (BEE) are two kinds of civil explosives primarily used in coal and mineral mining in Indonesia. Indonesia is one of the leading countries in coal and mineral mining production and export, with abundant resources; therefore, the consumption of civil explosives such as ANFO and BEE is enormous. The selection and evaluation of commercial explosives are mostly done on the commercial and technical side, and no assessment is made based on environmental aspects. This preliminary study evaluates the economic value and environmental burden of greenhouse gas emissions produced by ANFO and BEE and determines which type of explosives is more environmentally friendly. The combination of environmental and economic indicators, eco-efficiency (E/E), was selected to investigate BEE’s economic and environmental performance compared to ANFO. The life cycle of greenhouse gas emissions of BEE and AN was determined using previously available studies and simple calculations. The cost of the product or explosives was used to represent the economic value. The E/E results showed that environmental and economic sustainability could be enhanced using BEE.

Sep 1, 2024

Utah Development Company began prospecting for coking coal in 1961 and Blackwater Mine became a reality in June 1967. Exploratory and develop- ment drilling has been a continuing effort and reserves have been assessed at several stages. Some of the history of exploration and reserves assessment is given and practices in drilling, sampling and testing are described, particularly in regard to objectives of drilling and reserves estimation. The current methods for calculation of reserves are described and some comment is made regarding use of the data in mine blending control and plant operation including correla- tion of results.

Jan 1, 1979

By P J. Harper

Maximising shareholder value is a widely stated strategic goal of many mining companies. Mining projects can be capital intensive and achieving good returns is essential to encourage future investment in the industry. Despite the widely accepted importance of shareholder value, the minerals industry is often accused of providing relatively poor returns when compared to other industries. There are many recent and well publicised examples of minerals companies that have failed to deliver value to their shareholders. There are numerous business improvement initiatives employed within the mining industry to assist mine operators improve performance. Some are more effective at creating value than others. Benchmarking is one technique that is commonly used to identify performance gaps and target and prioritise opportunities for improvement. However to be effective, Benchmarking must be used appropriately and result in actions that lead to measurable operational improvement. When conducting a Benchmarking project it is important to remember that the aim should be to improve value. For this to be achieved, the strategic goals must be incorporated into the process. This paper details a structured and comprehensive approach to conducting a successful Benchmarking project. Focusing on Benchmarking as a technique for measuring and improving operational performance in underground mines, the underlying drivers of best practice in underground mining are identified.

Jan 1, 2005

By J-P Franzidis

Industrial flotation plant design is a complex process involving many aspects, one of which is the use of pilot-scale plants to test industrial plant flow sheets. Once test work on a pilot-scale has been performed, scale-up of these results to the full-scale plant must be performed. This paper describes scale-up test work performed on the Floatability Characterisation Test Rig (FCTR). The FCTR is a self-contained, highly instrumented mobile pilot plant designed to determine flotation model parameters and to develop and validate flotation plant modelling, scale-up and simulation methodologies.

Jan 1, 2004

By J L. Merritt

Contour banks and waterways are standard soil conservation measures to assist farmers reduce the impact of gully erosion on sloping cropping land by reducing the slope length to the interval between the banks. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) developed by the USA Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service in 1930s predicts the long-term average annual soil loss (A).The equation is the product of the rainfall erosivity factor (R), the soil erodibility factor (K), the topographic factors of slope length and angle (L and S) and the cropping management factors (C and P). Contour banks reduce the slope length (L) only.Contour banks are a constructed earth embankment, incorporating a channel on the upslope side, typically traversing a slope on or close to the contour to control and/or prevent the erosion of that slope. The banks are also referred to as graded banks, terraces, or bunds (DSITI 2015). Contour banks are either broad based or narrow based. Broad based banks allow the passage of the machinery over the banks whilst narrow based bank batters are too steep preventing the passage of machinery. Waterways are a stable, longitudinally sloping water disposal area of sufficient capacity used to discharge surplus runoff from the contour bank and to allow it to flow to a lower level without causing erosion (DSITI 2015).The mining industry must decide what the role for contour banks and waterways is in each operation’s rehabilitation and closure plan.CITATION:Merritt, J L, 2018. Contour banks in spoil rehabilitation – a matter of timing, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 147–149 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

Accounting for borehole damage in analytical modelling of explosively generated stress waves is important for predicting the finer details of the stress wave patterns observed in the field. The classical Sharpe's [19421 concept of an effective borehole larger than the initial borehole diameter has been widely accepted to explain material damage around a borehole. A new analytical model based on dynamic compaction is advanced to predict far-field stress wave patterns. This model supports field data corresponding to reduced frequency of oscillations and increased damping. The present model recovers the earlier result when compaction around the borehole representing borehole damage is ignored.

Jan 1, 1990

By Lawrence PR, Hoffman W

The dissolution of gold from various ore-bodies is discussed in terms of extraction rates and reagent consumptions during leaching. Gold dissolves slowly in cyanide but reagent consumptions are usually satisfactory. In almost all cases where excessive cyanide consumptions occur, similar high consumptions result with other lixiviants. Recovery of gold from cyanide solution is well established and comparatively simple technology.Gold dissolution in thiourea is faster than cyanide but significant consumptions of thiourea, due to both adsorption and oxidation, occur. Gold recovery from thiourea solutions is likely to be more difficult than from cyanide.Chlorination of gold is very fast in acidic conditions but excessive consumption of chlorine occurs for ores containing greater than 0.5% S. Reprecipitation of gold and handling of acidic chlorine solutions are both significant problems. The mechanism of gold reduction onto activated carbon creates difficulties in the carbon in pulp process for recovery of gold but means a simplification in the production of bullion from loaded carbon.

Jan 1, 1984

By Govett G. J S, Currie D. A, Cohen D. R

Analysis of mechanical size fractions of soils around the Paddington deposit (W.A.) and the Charters Towers Goldfields (Queensland) shows a bimodal gold distribution, with enrichment in the coarsest and finest fractions; this is probably a common feature of soils in arid terrains. To establish the true distribution of Au within the soil fractions, the effect of bulk Au content and percent weight variations in size fractions can be reduced by a normali- zing procedure. The greatest extent of lateral dispersion of Au recorded in the -125 ¦m fraction at Paddington and the -63 ¦m in the Charters Towers area as compared to the coarser fractions, and increas- ed levels of sample representivity in the finer fractions, favours their use in exploration. If orientation studies indicate the preferen- tial use of coarse or intermediate fractions, only wet sieving can quantitatively dis- aggregate the clays and remove finer contamina- ting material. The collection of extremely fine fractions such as the -63 ¦m is also accelerated by wet sieving. The additional costs of wet sieving may be offset by better interpretation of results through increased analytical sample representivity, anomaly contrast and continuity.

Jan 1, 1988

By Kwok S, Haemmerle A

Treatment methods for a low grade deposit at Mt. Fitch near Rum Jungle, N.T., were investigated. Physical beneficiation of the ore, sulphuric acid leaching, carbonate leaching and various methods of uranium extraction from the leach liquor were studied. Although the deposit occurs in a carbonate environment, acid leaching of the ore after beneficiation by radiometric sorting appears to be the most economic treatment method. Uranium would be recovered from the leach liquor by solvent extraction.

Jan 1, 1970