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This paper investigates dry drilling as a feasible alternative to meet current requirements for improvements in mining productivity in an increasingly competitive world.A field test program was conducted in the surface facilities of a hard rock mine in Sudbury, Canada, to investigate the potential use of dry drilling in underground bulk mining as a conceivably faster and more economical method than wet drilling. The test work consisted of the monitoring of advance rates and bit life while a series of 165 mm diameter holes, wet and dry, were drilled with compressed air at both mine (0.69 MPa) and high (1.72 MPa) pressure levels. The results indicate that penetration rates can be increased by approximately 24 per cent by drilling dry with high air pressure and by approximately 27 per cent by drilling dry with mine air as compared with wet drilling under the same conditions. Dry drilling also has the effect of increasing bit life by up to 69 per cent. An economic analysis for typical hard rock mines indicated that drilling productivity and cost savings can be increased by approximately 23 per cent when dry drilling is utilised.The testing program indicates that dry drilling has the potential to become a feasible technique with regard to performance, productivity and costs.

Jan 1, 1991

By Dunlop JSF

A description of general mining proced- ures and tyre maintenance practice is given with particular reference to tyre mainten- ance facilities and record keeping at Groote Eylandt. Experience with tyre wear on Wabco 85C rear dump trucks is then outlined, concen- trating on wheel camber, wheel alignment, truck speed, tyre pressure, loading and haul road design. T T.1TUnilhTPTTnAT The Groote Eylandt Mining Company Pty. Limited mines and beneficiates sedimentary manganese ores from a series of orebodies occurring in the western part of the island. The island is one of a group on the western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, about 50 kilometres from the Arnhem Land coast and about 650 kilometres from Darwin. Whilst capacity of the mine is presently 2.3 mil- lion tonnes of product per annum, current production has been reduced to just more than half this figure, due to a general mar- ket recession.

Jan 1, 1982

By H Indirawati, R Ayres, A Nur Kasnanto, S Konopa

As a project moves through the mine life cycle, the quantity of data available increases and the understanding of the orebody matures. Incorporating new information quickly and efficiently in current 3D models, is essential for adding value across the life-of-mine value chain. At the Martabe Gold Mine, the resource development group manages 14 drill rigs on six resource projects, including three operating mines. The Martabe deposits are geologically complex and the volume of new information that becomes available each day is substantial. It is imperative that new geological and assay information is integrated into the 3D models as soon as possible, so that drill planning and targeting can be modified accordingly. Martabe uses Leapfrog<sup>®</sup> 3D software to update and interrogate the 3D models on a dynamic basis as data becomes available. This results in faster and more effective changes to drill planning and schedules. The impact of this is better drill productivity and cost savings due to optimal drill targeting, and availability of up-to-date models incorporating the most current data. CITATION: Konopa, S, Ayres, R, Nur Kasnanto, A and Indirawati, H, 2018. Optimised drill targeting using dynamic 3D modelling, Martabe Gold Mine, Indonesia, in Proceedings Complex Orebodies Conference 2018, pp 99–101 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 21, 2018

By C Sennersten, A Hellicar, C Lindley

Traditional methods of resource modelling and mine planning rely upon geostatistical methods applied to exploration drill core data to derive a three dimensional model of the distribution of metal grades, quantised into rectangular prisms or blocks. The resulting block model is a primary input into short, medium and long term mine planning. However, block attributes are averaged or interpolated over a complete block, meaning that information at smaller scales is lost to the mine planning process. Grade engineering for new mining methods, such as the development of more accurately controlled blast designs, continuous miners for hard rock and sensors for rock properties that can be distributed along the operations process and value chain, allows excavation to be much more selective than traditional blasting, and provides data for driving earlier separation of waste from ore. This selectivity can be optimised if the resolution of resource models can match or exceed the spatial resolution of selective mining technologies. Opportunities for selective mining increase as a deposit becomes more heterogeneous. This leads to an interest in methods for estimating the distribution and characteristics of mineral heterogeneity within the ore-body. The objective of this work is to present some definitions of mineral heterogeneity, and to explore how heterogeneity as defined can be measured and inferred within ore-bodies.CITATION: Hellicar, A, Sennersten, C, Lindley, C and Evans, B, 2018. Heterogeneity assessment for grade engineering in complex ore bodies, in Proceedings Complex Orebodies Conference 2018, pp 11–13 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 21, 2018

By X Li, R Chu, X Deng

The hot-dip galvanising industry is the largest consumer of zinc, with over 40 per cent of the world’s total annual production of zinc used for galvanised steel. The dross generated in the hot-dip galvanising coating process is a valuable co-product, since it contains high quantities of recyclable metal. A new method to recover the metal from the industrial galvanising dross was proposed using supergravity separation. During the hot-dip galvanising process, the presence of zinc dross has a serious impact on the surface quality of the hot-dip galvanised sheet, forming zinc dross defects. To reduce the impact of zinc dross, the zinc dross on the surface of the zinc pool needs to be manually or mechanically removed at regular intervals. However, during the dross removal process, a large amount of metal zinc is inevitably carried out, resulting in low zinc utilisation rate and high zinc loss rate. This article proposes an efficient and low-cost technology for the recycling and utilisation of hotdip galvanised dross, which uses super-gravity technology to recover hot-dip galvanised dross online. The metal in the hot-dip galvanised dross returns to the zinc pot in situ, while a small part of the dross remains in the super-gravity equipment, which can reduce the amount of zinc dross by more than 60 per cent and achieve a reduction in zinc loss from 17 per cent to less than 7 per cent.

Jun 19, 2024

By É Lèbre, G Corder

The circular economy concept, as defined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2015) and quoted by the recent International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Guide to Responsible Sourcing, calls for shifting industrial systems from a linear take-make-waste model to a circular model (ICMM, 2015). In this model products are designed to optimise product and material recovery and reuse, and by-products of one system are used as inputs into other product systems. While the mining industry to date has made a limited contribution to the circular economy, the current market conditions, which are prompting calls for greater innovation, make the timing right for the industry to boost its contribution by utilising and generating value from mining waste, or making it available as a feedstock from which other industries can harness value.The first part of this extended abstract discusses the way the circular economy concept can be adapted to metal mining activities, contributing to a more sustainable resource extraction at the mine site level. The second part of this extended abstract presents a circular economy based framework revolving around non-renewable resources conservation. The third and final part examines the application of the framework to the Mount Morgan mine in Central Queensland.CITATION:Lèbre, É and Corder, G, 2016. Utilising mineralised mining waste – contributions to the circular economy, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference, pp 132–134 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 28, 2016

By N Udugampola, d A. Seneviratne, X Ai, B Li

With the evolution of mining technology, wireless mesh networks using low-power, long-range technologies such as LoRa are increasingly utilised in underground mining operations. Efficient deployment of wireless nodes in such mesh networks necessitates understanding radio wave propagation behaviour in underground mines. While existing propagation models either remain theoretical or apply only to basic geometric shapes, we propose a practical approach to analyse radio wave propagation behaviour in underground mines using ray tracing simulations with reconstructed 3D models of targeted environments. Our method validated using a set of corridors as a substitute for underground mine environments, involves constructing a 3D model using SolidWorks from LiDAR scans of the environment and performing wireless transmission simulations using the MATLAB ray tracing toolkit. Our simulation model is also fine-tuned by calibrating the raytracing parameters based on real-world LoRa transmission experiments in the actual environment corresponding to the 3D model. This method offers a practical solution for optimising wireless node placement in underground mines, facilitating efficient network deployment while reducing the need for extensive physical testing of radio wave transmissions.

Sep 1, 2024

By M Bettison, R Wright, N Taylor

The primary mine planning focus during early study phases of future mining projects is Life of Asset ore production and grade quality, this will always be the situation. While waste schedule optimisation is generally considered in the latter study phases nearing execution for a limited number of schedule periods only and not a true optimisation considering all attributes such as waste destination location, design, cycle time and closure. This can be particularly applicable in large multi-pit bulk mining operations where one approach to meet Life of Asset ore tonnes and grade targets has been to maintain pit development flexibility resulting in large open pit areas and substantial expit Overburden Storage Area (OSA). The value opportunity is to develop a Life of Asset waste schedule source-to-destination optimisation prior to mine development considering all applicable attributes and routinely review throughout the Life of Asset taking account of improved ore and waste knowledge.CITATION:Taylor, N, Wright, R and Bettison, M, 2018. Utilising mine planning to deliver closure landforms through productive movement, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 96–99 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By M Zoorabadi

Overcoring is a common technique to measure in situ rock stress using the concept of stress relief. The strains measured during overcoring are used to calculate the stress tensor assuming continuous, homogeneous, isotropic and linear elastic behaviour. This approach does not recognise any effect of the thickness of the rock annulus produced during overcoring instead assuming that the stresses are entirely a function of the difference in strain between the start of the overcoring and the end with no regard to the transient strains produced. Three-dimensional numerical modelling was used to simulate the overcoring process and investigate the impact of core diameter on the transient stresses and strains during overcoring. This study showed that in thicker core, maximum transient axial stresses and strains occur when the drill bit approaches the measuring point and greater tensile axial stresses were produced when the annulus was thinner. CITATION:Zoorabadi, M, 2018. Numerical study of annulus thickness on overcoring stress measurements, in Proceedings The Fourth Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference (AusRock), pp 274–278 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 30, 2018

By M Cooksey, Z Zhu, N Langrené, W Chen, T Tarnopolskaya

"Dynamic decision-making can significantly increase the value of mining projects and deliver better sustainability outcomes under conditions of uncertainty. Despite its benefits, dynamic decision-making is rarely used by the mining industry, possibly because of the complexity of the algorithms used to make sequential decisions under uncertainty and difficulties in visualising the optimal strategies. To achieve better outcomes in practice, decision-makers in industry would benefit from a tool that would help them to understand and implement the results of the analysis.CSIRO is developing innovative dynamic decision support tools that include an intuitive graphical display of the boundaries between the regions of different optimal decisions, which would significantly assist optimal sequential decision-making under uncertainty. The dynamic decision support tool is based on novel stochastic optimal control methodologies that can be used to optimise decisions in situations with multiple uncertain variables and decisions (Tarnopolskaya, Chen and Bao, 2015; Chen et al, 2015; Langrené et al, 2015). The types of market uncertainties that can be considered include commodity prices, interest rates and exchange rate, while the key orebody uncertainties include the reserves, boundaries between ore types and even geometallurgical parameters.The dynamic decision support tools have a number of benefits and can be used to:construct optimal operational strategies and to optimally manage resources projectsgain insight into optimal strategies under different market conditions and project settings compare expected project values under different project settings and to select the setting that provides best sustainability outcomes.This extended abstract demonstrates the use and benefits of the dynamic decision support tools using a synthetic case study of a gold mine.CITATION:Chen, W, Langrené, N, Tarnopolskaya, T, Zhu, Z and Cooksey, M, 2016. Dynamic decisions under uncertainty – a case study on a gold mine, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference, pp 20–23 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jun 28, 2016

By J J. Van Wijk, A R. Penney

Successful management of geotechnical risk at a mining operation is more than just having a good ground control management plan or using advanced numerical modelling and the latest monitoring technologies. The fundamental requirements for effective geotechnical risk management include identification of potential failure modes, identifying and implementing appropriate controls, and demonstrating the effectiveness of those controls. Effective geotechnical risk management requires an integrated approach by confirming that appropriate risk management systems have been identified and implemented (management plans, procedures etc), and that these systems are executed consistently in the field across all working areas. Development of a thorough integrated auditing process executed by an experienced team of technical subject matter experts with substantial operational knowledge, provides a more complete picture of catastrophic hazard management. Following consistent evaluation criteria allows benchmarking of systems and implementation compliance between the sites being audited, and the results can then be ranked against other operations in an industry database.

Nov 29, 2022

By A Cornelius, P Connor, S Fraser

Iron ore mining is a major source of export income for Australia. However with the decreasing reserves of high-grade, low-phosphorus hematite ore, there is mounting pressure to provide consistent mineralogical ore grade. Enhanced 3D characterisation and modelling are crucial to respond to these exigent requirements. To tackle this problem a revolutionary mine-based, imaging system (based on Visible Near Infrared û Short Wave Infrared reflectance spectroscopy û VNIR-SWIR) has been developed. This innovative, CSIRO-built prototype produces mineralogical maps that will have a major impact on ore grade characterisation. Australian iron ore companies will benefit immensely by pioneering this emerging and unique mining technology. The significance of VNIR-SWIR reflectance spectroscopy is well demonstrated with field portable spectrometers and airborne hyperspectral systems. At the mine-scale level, this newly developed imaging system will allow accurate and objective mineralogical mapping of mine faces and benches with very closely spaced sampling. These spectral mineral maps will improve deposit delineation and bring accurate and objective ore grade characterisation that will minimise drilling and enhance ore recovery. This will in turn lead to cost saving and better long-term block model planning. This system will also improve safety for mine geologists in providing mineralogical information at a distance, avoiding the need for any close contact with the mine face. The mine imaging concept is a logical response to the industry need for automatic and objective tools for sustainable and future mining practices.

Jan 1, 2002

By D François-Bongarçon

The link between geostatistics and Theory of Sampling (TOS) is examined again in view of new findings made while trying to compare predicted sampling variances and estimated grades (using geostatistics) on the same material, and this provides an important consistency requirement whenever calculations are made that involve both theories in a comparative way. It also briefly explores the relationship to De Wijs fractal model of mineralisation and eventually provides new support for the use of consistency theory for calibrating TOS variance formulas.CITATION:François-Bongarçon, D, 2017. Theory of Sampling and geostatistics – the ultimate link, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 391–394 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017

By N LaBranche, G Callinan

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

Jun 22, 2016

By J A. M Luz, A T. Bernardes

HukkiÆs law is an empirical law, which does not take into account several events of energy loss during the fragmentation processes. Since experimental results are very difficult to obtain, for a large range of fragment sizes, the verification of the law is very difficult. The relation between fractures and fragmentation processes with fractal geometry was proposed some decades ago. Empirical laws known in this context show basic features of fractal geometry, mainly self-affinity and power law behaviour. Thus, in this work a model was developed to simulate the fragmentation process and to check the relation between energy consumption and fragment sizes. The model is represented on a regular lattice. Links can represent pathways for fracture processes. The events of fragmentation have energy given by a probability distribution function. In the model there is no mass loss. Propagation of fractures occurs as self-avoiding random walks on the regular lattice.

Sep 26, 2011

By A C. Robertson

Over the past decade there has been continual change in the way that mines have been managed and the component roles of those people who make up the total mine management system. Major issues have included the change in the business structure of mining companies, the change in on-site infrastructure, increased personal liability of managers for the safety and health of employees and increasing social and environmental pressures on managers and their staff. This paper looks at the changing roles of two of the many groups of professionals associated with the mining industry - the equipment supplier and the mining consultant. The profiles of the ACME Group Pty Ltd, suppliers of ventilation equipment and ancillary canvas and plastic products to the mining and construction industry, and Tennent, Isokangas Pty Ltd, Consulting Mining Engineers, are presented.

Jan 1, 1998

By M Boyd

The University of Wollongong was named University of the Year 2000, for its work in preparing students for the e-world. Computer facilitated learning is being introduced into subjects throughout the engineering course. First year mining engineering students are introduced to computers, e-communication, using the UniversityÆs web based information system, and web based subject delivery. Mining engineering students in the mid-years of the course use programming languages and numerical computation software such as MATLAB, while students in the final years use a range of commercially available professional engineering software such as TALPAC. Most of these subjects are offered as part of the UniversityÆs Learning Online program, co-ordinated by its Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources (CEDIR). Learning Online subjects are delivered using the Web Course Tools (WebCT) environment. WebCT allows all resources to be accessed through the web, allows email communication between lecturer and student, and allows discussion groups for the exchange of ideas. Students can submit their assignments through WebCT and receive immediate feedback. This paper describes how WebCT has been used to deliver a first year engineering computing subject, mid-year numerical computation subjects, a mining economics subject and mine planning subjects.

Jan 1, 2002

By N LaBranche

The resurgence of Silicosis and Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis (CWP) in coalmines has placed the spotlight back on the management of worker exposure to particulate matter across all mining sectors (Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Select Committee, 2017). There already exists a substantial body of knowledge on particulate matter and its impacts upon human health (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). The contribution of silica to respiratory disease is well known and there is a growing concern for exposure to diesel particulate matter. However, it is also clear that there are major gaps in our understanding. In part, those gaps relate to the contribution to adverse health effects of mineralogical constituents in the dust (LaBranche et al, 2021a). It is also becoming evident that the size and shape of the particulate matter can affect its potential impact on human health.The University of Queensland has developed a methodology for characterising respirable and inhalable dust samples using scanning electron microscopy. Multiple samples from numerous mining operations have already been analysed using the UQ methodology. The process has been successful in showing the variety of mineralogica lcomponents and particle size distributions presentin various areas of the mines.

Oct 12, 2022

The mineralised members of the Brockman Iron Formation mined at Mt Whaleback are overlain and underlain by shale horizons. To maximise resource recovery, waste movement within the life of mine plan includes mining of the:unmineralised banded iron formation (BIF), Mt Whaleback Shale, Mt McRae Shale, Mt Sylvia Formation, and parts of the Wittenoom and Jeerinah Formation. With the exception of BIFs, all other units contain zones with varying amounts of sulphides and carbon û æreactive shaleÆ. Reactive shale has a propensity to self-heat and can react with some explosives, resulting in spontaneous explosion. Sulphide rich zones also have the potential to generate acid rock drainage (ARD). Mining reactive shale at the Mt Whaleback mine must be undertaken in a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Key tasks in the mining process include:100 per cent identification of blastholes that may contain reactive shale; 100 per cent correct loading of blastholes with specified blasting products; 100 per cent of reactive shale mined, hauled and dumped in designated overburden storage areas; 100 per cent containment and treatment of ARD water onsite; and ongoing research into ARD, self-heating and spontaneous combustion. Successful mining of reactive shale requires constant co-ordination between the geology, mine planning, mining and environment departments.

Jan 1, 2002

During the 1998/99 Asian crisis Solid Energy's export revenues collapsed from over US$70M to under US$40M. Simultaneously, domestic market uncertainty led to decreases in volumes and prices. A major new underground mine was not technically viable, and was closed, and several other mines were marginal. Less than two years later, Solid Energy and its JV partner closed a second new underground mine. The company was in financial crisis, and reported an $86M loss for 1998/99. After refinancing with stringent workout conditions it still had minimal returns due to low prices, unaffordable transportation costs and huge unrealised FX losses as the NZ dollar fell 40 per cent in value. The obvious scenario was to æcash upÆ û complete extraction at remaining mines, sell off any viable parts of the business, pay off debt and wind the company down.In 2002 Solid Energy has completed its recovery. Although margins remain slim and volatile in both export and domestic markets, it is achieving record volumes and revenues. It has paid off its shareholder loan, has minimal remaining FX losses, and cashflow is allowing further mine and infrastructure development. The key to the turnaround has been implementation of rigorous planning, analysis and decision-making in all aspects of the business. The company has a comprehensive, rolling 20-year plan used annually to update rolling five year and annual business plans. Solid Energy augments strong line management operations with rigorous standards and processes for mine planning and development, operational decision-making, and functional support. Detailed, quantitative risk analysis is used in all aspects of the business and allows comprehensive integration of opportunity and risk management across all activities in the company.Coal mining is widely perceived as an æold-economyÆ industry. But, like other successful æold economyÆ companies, the information systems and management processes used by Solid Energy are as leading edge as any in the high-tech sector. They are the key to managing to add and sustain maximum value for a company that has access to coal resources sufficient for hundreds of years.

Jan 1, 2002