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By A A. Roberts, R F. Dewhirst

"Extensive literature surveys, research in the project environment and personal experiences both within and consulting to project teams have revealed some consistent ‘people factors’ that contribute most to ultimate project success. Outside of purely technical and business case issues, there are a small number of leadership characteristics – probably only ten – that if correctly applied can positively leverage a team’s impact on project success.Of the top seven project success characteristics that were consistently highly rated in a recent study, five of them were around leadership. The authors have focused on this topic, noting that good leaders need to display the following traits:passionate commitment to deliveryconsistent modelling and reinforcement of correct values and behaviourfocus on managing relationships well and energising teams and individualscarefully clarifying project vision from front-end loading stages onwardseffective decision making.Not every project manager can and does practise these behaviours all of the time, but being aware of them and receiving training or facilitation in improving their application of these skills can equip project managers with the essential tools to markedly improve their own performance and that of their teams.This paper draws upon experiences in the field and provides lessons – both good and bad – to illustrate. As well as examining leadership traits, the way in which a leader can establish, organise, motivate his or her team and ultimately lead them to success is examined. The paper shares methodologies that have been successfully used to track status within a team and generate appropriate recovery plans where required.In particular, the paper will examine a case study based on an amalgamation of real project issues in some challenging situations using virtual teams (ie physically distant teams located in different centres) to illustrate the importance of strong and positive leadership in achieving success across geographies, time zones and languages.CITATION:Roberts, A A and Dewhirst, R F, 2016. Leadership in projects – a recipe for success, in Proceedings Project Evaluation 2016, pp 49–58 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 8, 2016

By B Ganesia, H Sahupala

PT Freeport Indonesia is a copper-gold mine operation located in West Papua, Indonesia about 3500 km east of Jakarta. Current ore production is about 270 000 tpd, of which 30 000 tpd comes from underground. In the future, the production from underground will be gradually increased to reach a maximum of 115 000 tpd, as the Grasberg open pit production decreases. The current and future challenge for PT Freeport Indonesia is to fill the quota of underground miners, as Indonesia does not have a long culture of underground work. At present, there are only three active underground mines in Indonesia. The lack of underground skilled labour incited the company to develop its own skilled workforce. In the mean time, to overcome the shortage of personnel, the underground management had to find a way to improve the productivity. Since 21 May 1998, PT Freeport Indonesia Underground Mine has operated with the new roster of two rotating shifts a day, 11 hours per shift. The previous schedule consisted of three nine-hour shifts per day, six days a week, for a total of 26 working days in a month. This change was intended to increase the productivity of the miners. With the previous roster, studies determined that the effective working time was only seven hours per shift. The new roster produces an improvement of effective working hours to about nine hours per shift. As a result, total production has increased by 33 per cent and the utilisation of production equipment has increased by 16.5 per cent. This paper describes the background of the decision to change the work schedule, the study carried out to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of the new shift roster, the challenges, and then compares the results for various parameters between the old schedule and the new one.

Jan 1, 2002

By Irving R. C

THE objective of the iron smelter is naturally the production of high quality iron at the lowest practicable cost. To enable this, large tonnages are put through the blast furnace, and, at the same time, the quality of the iron must be under definite control.The modern blast furnace enables these objectives to be attained. The description whieh follows sets out the general details of construction of such furnaces, and the operation at thc Broken Hill Proprietary Company's blast furnaces at Newcastle, New South Wales.The occurence of iron in many forms is so well known as to need no description. Modern civilisation may be said to be built on a foundation of iron, and, today, the production of iron and steel has beeome one of the world's industries.A short historical introduction will serve to show the evolution of the processes and apparatus since iron production assumed importance.There is no definite date fixed as to when iron was first made, or by what means it was first discovered. Perhaps prehistoric man threw iron bearing stone on to his fire, and these became reduced, Ieaving a soft metal behind, or more probably the first iron was of meteoric origin.There is evidence, however, to prove that it has been known for a period of 6000 years. Iron has been found in the Pyramids and its use was known to the early Eqyptians and later to the Hebrews, Assyrians, Greeks and Chinese. Following the Greeks, the Romans excelled in its extraction and uses in the manufacture of their instruments of war, and to this fact can largely be attributed the success of their many wars of conquest. As the Romans overran the rest of the then known world they carried the art with...

Jan 1, 1930

This talk was delivered in Kalgoorlie in April this year, to the Kalgoorlie Branch of The Institution of Engineers, Australia. We believe it is of such interest to members of our Institute and readers of this publication we believe it important to extend the audience who have the opportunity to read it. An edited version follows:"Why should we be so concerned about Mining Related Education; after all is said and done, the mining industry is not a great employer of persons?"The mining industry is capital rather than labour intensive. It employs only 2.7 per cent of the national workforce. However; the minerals industry is Australia's major exporter accounting for over 40 per cent of the nation's total export of goods.In Western Australia the value of minerals production in 1985 was about $5,000 million and consequently mineral exports accounted for about 53 per cent of the total value of overseas exports from the State. The diversity of the mining industry is also worthy of mention and produces iron ore, alumina, gold, nickel and mineral sands. That apart, our potential to become a major producer of diamonds, rare earths and petroleum products is considerable, not to mention base metals (copper, lead and zinc) and uranium.Our mining industry is of national importance and contributes in excess of 30 per cent of the total value of Australian overseas trade. Although the mining ind ustry does not employ many people, the people it employs contribute very much more, per capita, to the wealth of the nation than do employees in any other sector of our economy.No-one would deny that during the 20th century Australians have depended on the export earnings from the sale of relatively unprocessed agricultural products and more recently the sale of relatively unprocessed minerals for their standard of living.Not surprisingly, therefore, our economy is highly vulnerable to unstable world commodity market prices.The slump in trade we are currently experiencing (in first quarter 1987-Edition) was brought about by the over supply of the raw materials we produce. However, the recent downturn in world market prices is more serious than previous slumps because in part it is due to technological advances 'in other countries which could have a permanent effect on the world trade of primary products.

Jan 1, 1987

The development of the Moura Coal Preparation Plant is described, commencing with the first'stage of the plant commissioned in 1963. The subsequent expansion stages are traced through to October, 1973. The plant has undergone frequent stages of expansion and modification and this process is continuing. The development programme for 1974 is described as proposed in late 1973. The characteristics of the Moura and Kianga field coal seams with respect to washability are summarised and some comment is made on the blending of these coals prior to washing, to ensure production of export grade coal within specification.

Jan 1, 1974

Process variables in flotation circuits are outlined with a view to producing mathematical models of circuits. The nature of the kinetics of flotation are discussed and the effect of process variables on the kinetics considered. An approach for a possible model is briefly outlined.

Jan 1, 1971

By X Zheng, P Manton

Pebble recycle crushing circuit performance at Telfer has historically fallen significantly short of the design product P80 of 12 mm. An investigation was undertaken to evaluate the current pebble crusher circuit performance, quantify the optimum performance achievable with the existing circuit and examine the impact of pebble crusher performance on the overall grinding circuit throughput. The primary objective of this investigation was to develop an operating strategy that could consistently deliver the finest possible pebble crusher product to maximise the overall plant throughput.The pebble crusher specific energy (Wc) was proposed as a key control variable for pebble crusher operation based on the results of plant survey work. Over the range of pebble crusher specific energies encountered at Telfer, a strong linear relationship was found to exist between Wc and the crusher product size. This direct linear relationship between specific energy and crusher product size remained constant regardless of how the change in specific energy was generated, ie through changes to the crusher closed side setting (CSS), feed rate, liner profile or moisture content. Key findings for the Telfer pebble crushing circuit were: each 0.1 kWh/t change in Wc resulted in a 4.9 per cent to 6.0 per cent change in plant throughput, each 1 mm change in pebble crusher CSS resulted in a 2.2 per cent to 2.6 per cent change in plant throughput, and 0.57 tonne of new feed was displaced for each tonne of crushed pebbles recycled to the semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. The presence of an existing 3000 tonne pebble stockpile between the SAG mill and pebble crushers provides an opportunity to manipulate the feed rate to the pebble crushers independently of the SAG mill pebble production rate. This flexibility, along with excess pebble crushing capacity, enables the pebble crusher specific energy to be maximised the majority of the time. Pebble crusher specific energy has subsequently been incorporated as an online crusher control measure to assist in maximising plant throughput.

Jan 1, 2009

By Sutherland R. A, Rawling K. R

The Nanisivik Mine is located 750 km north of the Arctic Circle at the north end of Baffin Island in the Canadian High Arctic, and has been in production since 1976. The paper describes the regional and local geology and the current mining and mineral processing operations, including recent innovations in each area. The Nanisivik zinc-lead deposits comprise Mississippi Valley type sulphides in a block-faulted sediment sequence of Proterozoic age. The deposits formed in two mineralizing stages by replacement of the carbonate host rock. Exploration techniques adapted to the permafrost environment include high frequency EM and ground probing radar. Core drilling is done with calcium chloride brine but trials with heated flushing water indicate potential for cost reduction. The predominant mining method at Nanisivik is room and pillar. Cut and fill is used in some satellites to the main zone. Due to the permafrost, dry drilling is employed in the underground mining. The permafrost enhances ground stability, permitting large underground openings and, as a result, the use of relatively large scale mining equipment. For power conservation, a remote control system for the ventilation fans has reduced mine power costs. The milling of the simple coarse-grained ore in an arctic environment requires special techniques in the design and operation of the plant for materials handling, utilisation of waste heat, reagent selection and tailings disposal. Regulated heavy metal contents in effluents discharged to the sensitive environment are achieved by natural processes. A recent change from sub-aqueous disposal of tailings to beach type deposition within a cell in the tailings area is reviewed. Planning closure of the property presents special problems and an opportunity for innovative techniques. Approximately 25 per cent of the employees at Nanisivik are drawn from the Inuit population of the Canadian Arctic. As the first permanent industrial activity in the High Arctic some innovative approaches to employee relations were required which have resulted in a very stable, culturally mixed community in a remote location.

Jan 1, 1993

The treatment of mixed lead carbonate and lead sulphide concentrates at Mount Isa presents a problem which is unique ,in the lead smelting world; a problem whose solution is far from simple, and is not yet complete. Two years of study under plant conditions have definitely proved, however, that a most satisfactory sinter can be made in a single-pass roast.The object of this paper is to present a brief record of the development of the single-pass roast and a resume of current practice in the smelting plant. The sintering operation is discussed in greater detail, as it is upon this phase of the work that every item in the smelter operating programme depends.The smelter, to-day, presents a very much simplified layout, equipped for economical, straightforward operation, requiring, however, very careful and constant supervision, due to the extreme delicacy of the sintering operation and to the rapid and wide variati9n in the nature of the concentrates which are to be handled.

Jan 1, 1933

By S G. Hagemann, M E. Barley

The Mt Tom Price deposit is a world-class high-grade hematite deposit in the Hamersley Province of Western Australia with an original resource of 900 Mt of almost pure hematite, averaging 63.9 wt per cent Fe. Petrological and geochemical studies at both the Southern Ridge and the North deposit at Mt Tom Price have identified three hypogene alteration zones between unmineralised BIF and high-grade iron ore: distal magnetite-siderite-stilpnomelane; intermediate hematite-magnetite-ankerite-talc-chlorite; and proximal martite-microplaty hematite-magnetite-apatite alteration zones.Fluid inclusions trapped in siderite within the distal magnetite-siderite- stilpnomelane alteration zone at the North deposit revealed primary high salinity (25.5 eq wt per cent NaCl-CaCl2) inclusions that homogenised between 107¦ and 142¦C into liquid. Fluid inclusions trapped in ankerite within ankerite-microplaty hematite veins in the intermediate hematite-ankerite-magnetite-talc-chlorite alteration zone at the North deposit revealed mostly H2O-CaCl2 pseudosecondary and secondary inclusions with salinities of 22.4 - 25.4 eq wt per cent and 22.9 - 25.9 eq wt per cent CaCl2, respectively. Pseudosecondary inclusions homogenised between 153¦ and 449¦C and secondary inclusions homogenised between 103¦ and 157¦C. Fluid inclusions trapped in apatite within talc-microplaty hematite veins in the intermediate hematite-magnetite-talc-chlorite-apatite alteration zone at Southern Ridge revealed that primary, medium salinity (7.0 - 9.0 eq wt per cent NaCl) inclusions homogenised between 181¦ and 257¦C and primary high salinity (22.8 - 25.9 eq wt per cent CaCl2) fluid inclusions homogenised between 118¦ and 257¦C into liquid. Microthermometric analysis of quartz from quartz-hematite veins from the Southern Batter Fault, Southern Ridge show a complex fluid inclusion history. Primary fluid inclusions consist of: low- and high-salinity H2O-NaCI inclusions trapped at temperatures of approximately 140¦ to 230¦C; vapour-rich inclusions of unknown compositions; and æcomplexÆ salt-rich (Ca, Mg, K and Na inclusions).Secondary inclusions consist of medium-salinity fluid inclusions trapped at temperatures of about 140¦ to 280¦C.A two-stage hydrothermal model is proposed for the formation of both the Southern Ridge and North deposits. Early 1a hypogene alteration involved the release of hydrothermal NaCl-CaCl2-rich (25.5 eq wt per cent) basinal brines (110¦ - 150¦C) from the underlying Wittenoom Formation and directed upward along normal faults and focused within the silica-rich rocks of the Dales Gorge Member, by the shales of the underlying Mt McRae Shale Member and overlying Whaleback Formation. Within the Dales Gorge Member hydrothermal basinal brines migrated laterally within large-scale folds with permeability controlled by shale bands and the NW trending dolerite dyke sets. Fluid rock reactions transformed unmineralised BIF to magnetite-siderite-iron silicate BIF, with subsequent desilification of the chert bands. Stage 1b hypogene involved an increase in temperature of the hydrothermal, CaCl2-rich saline (24 eq wt per cent) basinal brines (250¦ - 300¦C) resulting in formation of hematite-ankerite-magnetite-talc-chlorite alteration and the crystallisation of microplaty hematite. Late stage 1c hypogene alteration involved the interaction of low-temperature (~120¦C) basinal brines with the hematite-ankerite-magnetite mineral assemblage. At the Southern Ridge deposit this process was very intense (ie high fluid flux), therefore resulting in the almost total removal of ankerite and resulting in the increased porosity of the ore. Stage 2 supergene enrichment in the Tertiary resulted in the removal of residual ankerite and apatite and the weathering of the shale bands to clay.

Jan 1, 2005

The development of present methods of pillar extraction has evolved from the very earliest of hand mining operations which were limited in scope by venti- lation and transport considerations. Conservation and safety considerations also have led to the current shortwall operations with conventional equipment and powered supports. The shortwall methods have had significant effects on safety, costs, con- servation, flexibility, and other aspects of pillar extraction. The present stage falls short of the ideal but is some guide to prediction in what direction may lie the ideal methods for the future.

Jan 1, 1974

By J Cronin, R Burgess-Limerick, T Horberry, L Steiner

"Automation offers the mining industry great potential for improvements in productivity and safety. However, the experience of introducing automation in other industries has been that the full potential of new technology is not always realised. Designers are surprised, for example, to find that automation does not eliminate human errors. Unwanted and unexpected consequences also arise if the introduction of automation fails to consider how people will adapt to the new technology. A focus on the technical aspects of automation is necessary but not sufficient for success. The potential for improvements in productivity and safety promised by automation will only be achieved if the joint cognitive system that emerges from the combination of humans and automation is designed to perform the functions required for system success. This case study describes the human factors issues associated with the introduction of automation generally, and describes a case study of the successful implementation of loader automation at Northparkes mine.Information obtained through a site visit and interviews with operators, safety staff and the project manager revealed the following strategies for successful design and implementation of the automation system: involve the people who will be impacted encourage constant communication between operators and designers provide operators with essential information avoid providing non-essential information provide the operators with flexibility empower operators to take action take advantage of the new possibilities automation provides.CITATION:Burgess-Limerick, R, Horberry, T, Steiner, L and Cronin, J, 2017. Mining automation human-systems integration – CMOC-Northparkes case study, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2017, pp 93–98 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 16, 2017

By Laing W. P

Sedimentary structures are described from the WiIlyama Complex, New South Wales. Their presence confirms lithological layering within the metasediments as bedding. These primary structures occur not only in low grade rocks as previously reported by other workers, but also in areas of medium and high grade metamorphism.Sedimentary structures include graded beds, cross beds, ripple marks, and ball and pillow structures.The observed parallelism of the early schistosity and bedding in the Broken Hill area has previously led to the idea of transposition by isoclinal folding.In the areas mapped, small scale transposition is precluded on the basis of1. uniform facing of sedimentary structures over wide areas, and2. the existence of large areas in which the early schistosity is oblique to bedding.

Jan 1, 1975

By P Craig, I Canbulat, J Naylor, J Emery, A Sykes

Longwall mining is by far the most common method of underground coal extraction in Australia. Industry trends and expectations are placing increasing emphasis on the reliability and productivity of these operations. Longwalls are becoming wider and longer while retreat rates are continuously increasing due to significant improvements achieved in longwall equipment reliability and automation. This increased longwall productivity is placing significant emphasis on the reliability of longwall panel development.Although there have been significant improvements in the reliability of continuous miners and hydraulic drill rigs, the traditional resin-encapsulated bolt installation is still the principal method used in all major coal producing countries around the world. Anglo American realised that an opportunity existed to introduce an alternative roof bolt installation technique called ‘spin-to-stall’ (STS) into Australia. STS was first introduced by Anglo American Coal in South Africa, where it has been successfully used for over a decade, though implementation of South African STS resin in Australia has proven to be near impossible. Therefore, a new STS development project was initiated between Anglo American Coal and Jennmar Australia. This paper summarises the journey of this project, the results achieved and the successful implementation of STS at Grasstree mine.CITATION:Emery, J, Canbulat, I, Craig, P, Naylor, J and Sykes, A, 2014. Development and implementation of spin-to-stall resin at Anglo American’s Australian Underground Coal Operations, in Proceedings AusRock 2014: Third Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference , pp 287–294 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 5, 2014

By G R. Hancock, S Grant, T Whiteside, J B. C Lowry, J Boyden, T J. Coulthard

Physically-based landform evolution models (LEM) provide a spatial framework to forecast the long-term geomorphic stability of post-mining landscapes. When used to test the relative stability of different landform designs, LEMs may assist with the development of optimal closure designs for rehabilitated mines. However, in order to reduce prediction error, factors controlling landscape evolution must also be accurately represented by models. This requires that the correct sets of processes are represented and that driving parameters used in LEMs are, if necessary, calibrated to the landscape of interest.Vegetation exerts strong controls on the hydrologic and geomorphic processes that drive landscape evolution. Hence, the spatial and temporal scales over which typical patterns in vegetation are represented in different landscapes are important considerations in LEM calibration. However, vegetation is rarely accounted for in LEMs and even when integrated is often represented simply, without representing spatial dynamics of vegetation cover that may impact landform development.This study focuses on characterising vegetation patterns to calibrate a new vegetation module of the The Cellular Automaton Evolutionary Slope and River (CAESAR)-Lisflood LEM to be applied to a conceptual rehabilitated landform of the Ranger uranium mine located in the Alligator Rivers Region (ARR) of northern Australia. In the ARR the spatial dynamics of vegetation over time are largely driven by monsoonal rains and topography. Extensive dry season fires are also common in the region, temporarily reducing vegetation cover where they occur. Hence, hydrology, topography and fire disturbance interact to shape a distinct, yet dynamic, mosaic of different vegetation types of varying cover density. As a basis for calibrating the new vegetation function, the distribution and dynamics of vegetation are characterised for this savannah landscape by remote sensing, in conjunction with ground data.CITATION:Boyden, J, Lowry, J, Coulthard, T, Whiteside, T, Hancock, G and Grant, S, 2016. Accounting for vegetation dynamics in landform evolution modelling, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference , pp 63–66 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 28, 2016

By PáDeáBosscher, A Bruwier, M Weidenbach, C Philippe, T Ly, A Van Den Bosch

In the mining business the cost of grinding media represents up to 40 per cent of the total milling cost and therefore grinding media optimisation has a direct impact on the concentratorsÆ bottom line. In the process of optimising grinding media alloys, Magotteaux developed its own methodology which consists of a series of analyses, tests, calculations and evaluations and assist the concentrator in optimising their processes.This paper presents the Prominent Hill case study where this methodology has been applied on both the secondary ball mill and regrind IsaMill«.The analysis of the wear conditions in the secondary ball mill allows Magotteaux to select a series of grinding media alloys to be tested to reduce grinding media consumption. By marking these different grinding media types with a unique drilling pattern, one can quantify the relative wear performance and cost effectiveness of each grinding media type within the same milling environment. After selecting the most economical grinding media composition a full scale industrial trial, involving topping up the selected grinding media is carried out and the media wear performance closely monitored and analysed.For stirred grinding mills, suppliers propose different grinding media, mainly ceramic beads, with specific properties and cost. Therefore the concentratorsÆ choice is a compromise between grinding efficiency, wear resistance and cost. The selection of the correct grinding media for stirred milling and the assessment procedure will be presented in this paper. The test results of the new stirred grinding media type in the regrind IsaMill« at Prominent Hill are presented and analysed.CITATION:Weidenbach, M, Van Den Bosch, A, Bruwier, A, Ly, T, De Bosscher, P and Philippe, C, 2012. Forging ahead - A collaboration between the OZ Minerals Prominent Hill Concentrator and Magotteaux to improve plant performance, in Proceedings 11th AusIMM Mill OperatorsÆ Conference, pp 105-110 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 29, 2012

From time to time failures occur in structures made of lead, and the failure may be due to corrosion involving a definite thinning of the lead sheet, or it may be of such a nature that cracks develop and the lead appears to disintegrate. The idea of lead cracking will at once suggest something abnormal, for common experience shows that this metal is very ductile and will withstand considerable bending without showing any sign of fracture. Cracking, on the other hand, is usually associated with brittleness.Fig. 1 is a natural-size photograph of a cracked sheet of lead. Prior to photographing, the sheet was etched byimmersion in a solution of ammonium molybdate. Several characteristics of this crack will be evident. First of all it is distinctly a zigzag crack, and secondly it passes between, rather than through, certain well-defined areas which appear bright in the photograph. This is particularly noticeable at the lower end where the crack appears to terminate.

Jan 1, 1932

By Hunter W. H, Wilson I. P, Craig R. W

In September 1988 the Imperial Smelting zinc - lead blast furnace at Avonmouth England, was uprated from its then 52 week annual rated capacity of 90 000 tonnes/year of furnace zinc to 110 000 tonnes. In order to provide sufficient extra feed the sinter plant was likewise uprated in April 1989 by increasing the blowing rate of the sinter/acid plants from 100 000 to 120 000 Nm3/h, effectively a 20 per cent increase. In the 12 months after the uprate zinc production was only 85 000 tonnes. Two years after the uprate zinc production had increased to 100 000 tonnes, but it was not until January 1992 that a rolling 12-month zinc production of 110 000 tonnes was consistently achieved. This paper describes the problems encountered with the uprate and how they have been or are being overcome. It deals chronologically with events starting with the restart of the ISF at the end of 1988 and covers the following issues and their resolution: 1. Initial shortages of sinter due to an offset in uprate timing. 2. Greater difficulties in operating the larger furnace particularly on start-up, the greater tendency for iron production and serious slagging problems. 3. Coincidental timing of deleterious trends in slag chemistry. 4. Refractory problems in the furnace shaft and condenser. 5. Shortages of sinter due to commissioning problems with the wet gas and sinter tip end fans, and difficulties in obtaining sufficient sinter hardness. 6. Unrealised full benefits of the sinter-acid uprate due to a late change in design to dispense with sinter gas recirculation, but offset by successful use of oxygen. In a planned maintenance stop in September 1992 further improvements to the furnace design were carried out to resolve the refractory problems, and with improvements to the sinter plant the furnace zinc output capacity is planned to rise to a rate of 120 000 tonnes/year within two years.

Jan 1, 1993

By B Olsson, C Glassock

Computer simulation modelling (discrete event) has been used at Olympic Dam (OD) to model the handling of ore from the point of extraction at the stope drawpoint through to the ore stockpile on the surface. Computer simulation is a well accepted tool for modelling the behaviour of such large and complex operating systems. It is a particularly useful technique in complex operations where there are multiple interactions between the inputs and outputs of various unit operations. In this instance it can be utilised during the early stages of a project, for example, as part of the business case definition phase or the early engineering phase. A well constructed and tested simulation model provides a sound base upon which informed business decisions can be made. Furthermore, the behaviour of the model with varying inputs can help build a solid understanding of how the asset behaves when varying inputs and constraints are imposed upon it and, as a result, the major points of leverage that designers and operations personnel have to affect the real world behaviour of those assets. Better decisions can be made when the right facts can be examined, various options explored and conclusions tested. Simulation modelling is one of the tools available to make this process work.

Jan 1, 2005

I WISH to express to the members of the Institute my sincere appreciation of the distinction which they have conferred upon me by again making me their president. It also gives me great pleasure to once more welcome the Institute to Mount Lyell.Since your last visit certain improvements in plant have been made, which I trust you will have found interesting, and which show that, though located in a remote corner of the world, we are abreast of the times.The opportunities which a recent lengthy trip to America has given me to observe the degree of interest which our local smelting practice continues to arouse in metallurgical circles make it seem appropriate that I should take advantage of your visit to lay before you some detailed information on the more practical features of pyrite smelting, particularly as carried out at Mount Lyell. There are only a few places in the world where the method is now being practised in approximate purity-only about half...

Jan 1, 1915