COVER oct17(VER2)_proof 27/09/2017 09:57 Page 1

www.im-mining.com OCTOBER 2017

Informed and in-depth editorial on the world mining industry

SAFETY
THICKENING
AND DRYING
SCREENING
AND WASHING

IPCC
DEVELOPMENTS
DRONES
AND UAVS
RZ_Eickhoff_Urkunde_E_170803.indd 1 03.08.17 17:12
CONTENTS _proof 29/09/2017 14:30 Page 1

10 CONTENTS
OCTOBER 2017

10 SCREENING AND WASHING

Washing and screening go hand in hand across
a whole range of mining applications, from iron
ore to silica sand and coal. Paul Moore reports
on some new technologies and innovations

24 COUNTRY FOCUS: ECUADOR

John Chadwick looks at a country that is busy
pushing mining to the fore, with some success

24 32 32 THICKENING AND DRYING

Thickening is inherent to water recycling and
saving, while efficient drying allows production
of a free flowing, quality final product. Paul
Moore looks at some products and
developments

39 HIGH PROFILE VAMOS!

Paul Moore spoke to Jenny Rainbird, Senior
51 Project Manager, BMT Group, about progress
with the VAMOS! underwater mining project,
while the project team have provided an

39 update on the first trials in the UK

40 IPCC DEVELOPMENTS
With a major acquisition, plus new designs and
technologies, the IPCC market seems to be
picking up again, reflecting renewed market
interest, reports Paul Moore

40 51 SAFETY
John Chadwick looks at new products and
ideas across a broad range of safety needs

64 DRONES AND UAVS

John Chadwick takes his annual look at the
drone market for mining new technologies,
new applications and expert advice from some
of the leading players

74 RARE EARTHS AND AIRSHIPS

John Chadwick examines a rare earths project
in northern Qubec that may be the first mine
project in the world to employ the latest in

64 airships

www.im
-mining.
com

COVER: CDE Global OCTOBE

R 2017

This months cover shows an example of a CDE customisable plant configuration IInfo
nforrme
med and
and in-d
in ept
h editor
ial on
the wo
rld min
ing ind
SAFETY
for mining and specialist sand applications. The CDE M5500 plant shown
ustry

THICKE
NI
AND DR NG
incorporates feeding, screening, classifying, dewatering and stockpiling onto a SCREEN
YING
ING
AND W
single chassis. Users can produce up to 550 t/h of high quality washed sands ASHING

that will be ready for market from exiting the belt, thanks to CDEs high-tech
materials washing and classification technology. Designed to optimise energy
and water savings, CDEs wet processing equipment gives quarrying and
mining operations a competitive edge and fast return on investment. This and
IPCC
other CDE solutions are covered in this months Screening and Washing DEVELO
PMENTS
DRONES
report. www.cdeglobal.com AND UA
VS

AROUND THE WORLD 3 The Leader 4 World Prospects 76 & IBC Forthcoming Events and Classifieds

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 1

LEADER OCTOBER 17_final 27/09/2017 09:14 Page 1

THE LEADER VO LU M E 1 2 N U M B E R 1 0

Is Cuba a good investment?

Founder and Publisher he damage caused by Hurricane Irma during There was an old gold
John Chadwick B.Sc. Min Eng
Email: john@im-mining.com

Editor
Paul Moore B.Sc (Hons), M.Sc.
T its passage through Cuba is a tragedy. In a
country so heavily controlled by the
government, many are asking where is the
mine at Castellanos and
Emincar General Manager
Jose Vila explains: We are
Email: paul@im-mining.com
government, when they need it. now exploiting the deposit
Editorial Board
Perhaps this a salutary message for those below the oxide cap. He
Professor Malcolm Scoble
Robert E. Hallbauer interested in developing Cuban mineral resources as does not rule out the
Chair in Mining Engineering.,
University of BC, Vancouver
the cash-strapped, communist countrys government potential to produce gold there also. The mine has
Peter Knights opens up that source of wealth to more foreign current mineable reserves of 11 years, while the
Professor and Head of Division of Mining investment. nearby Santa Lucia deposit has enough for another
Stephen Stone
Cuba plans to produce 54,500 t of nickel and 10 years, Vila said.
West One Management
Perth, Western Australia cobalt sulphides this year, state-run television Sarah Marsh writing for Reuters reported that in
Dr. Andrew M. Robertson announced in July. Nickel is one of the countrys its annual investment portfolio released late last
President, Robertson GeoConsultants
Vancouver, Canada. most important exports, but revenue from it has year, Cuba published dozens of opportunities for
Ed McCord suffered in recent years due to a decline in foreign investors to explore, exploit and
Project Consultant
production and prices. The country was ranked 10th commercialise precious metals, base metals and
Caterpillar Global Mining, USA
Jason Nitz in world nickel production in 2016 and sixth in other minerals of interest.
Fleet Management & Dispatch cobalt, according to the USGS. Cuba hopes foreign investment will boost its
Superintendent
Newmont Mining Corporation, USA Cuba produced on average 74,000 t/y of nickel economy that managed to climb out of a recession
Dr Terry Mudder plus cobalt during the first decade of this century, in the first half of 2017. The island is under severe
Managing Director, TIMES Ltd, USA
but the oldest of three plants was shuttered in 2012 strain due to lower exports and a drop in cheap oil
Simon Tarbutt
Consultant, Santiago, Chile and another has suffered from obsolescence and shipments from ally Venezuela.
Dr. Mike Daniel hurricane damage. Who knows what further The USGS reports other mineral commodities
Comminution Process Consultant hurricane damage there has been. Cuban nickel produced in the country include bentonite, cement,
CMD Consulting Pty Ltd
industry executives told Reuters a year ago that the crushed stone, feldspar, gypsum, lime, limestone,
Editorial Enquiries:
Tel: +44 (0)1442 870 829 industry was averaging 56,000 t/y. marble, nitrogen, salt, silica sand, and sulphuric acid.
Fax +44 (0)1442 870 617 Sherritt International Corp has announced that it The last USGS Cuba report available is for 2014 in
Advertising Sales: has completed a preliminary review of its operations which it notes the Portfolio of Opportunities for
Phil Playle
Email: phil@im-mining.com and confirmed that all of its Cuba-based personnel Foreign Investment (POFI) announcing ten mining
+44 1442 87 77 77 are safely accounted for. It also confirmed that the sector projects. The country was offering
Advertising Production facilities associated with its Moa nickel joint venture international economic associations, including
Lynne Lane
Email: lynne@im-mining.com
as well as its oil and gas and power operations incurred prospects for copper, gold, lead, silver, and zinc in
only minimal damages as a result of the hurricane. the regions of Central Cuba, Ciego-Camaguey-Tunas,
Design & Production
Trevor Sheldon Sherritt and its partners are currently focused on clean- Holguin and Macizo-Baracoa, and Sierra Maestra. As
Email: sheldonmann@gmail.com
up efforts and restoring all operations to normal of 2013, Cuba had produced more than 2.9 Mt of
Circulation Enquiries capacity aiming for 36,000 t this year. nickel and cobalt and had about 43 identified
circulation@im-mining.com
Cubaniquel operates the Che Guevara plant, deposits of nickel. The country offered investment
Website:
www.im-mining.com aiming to produce 19,500 t this year. opportunities for the development of the Cajalbana,
Annual Subscription Enquiries:
Cubas National Minerals Resource Center has Colas Rojas de Moa, and San Felipe laterite
Emma Smith reported that the country has around a third of the deposits, which are located in the Provinces of Pinar
Email: emma@im-mining.com
world's known nickel reserves. del Rio, Moa, and Camaguey, respectively.
Annual Subscription
A new lead and zinc mine in northwest Cuba was, Cubas mining sector is regulated by the Ley de
UK and Europe 160, 230
Rest of the world US$270 before the hurricane, on track to start production in Minas (law No. 76 of January 23, 1995). The law
International Mining (ISSN No: 1747-146X) is October. Trafigura Mining Group is opening the establishes the mining policy and legal regulations,
published monthly by Team Publishing Ltd, GBR
and is distributed in the USA by Asendia USA,
countrys first new mine for many years. The $278 which guarantee the protection, development, and
17B South Middlesex Avenue, Monroe NJ 08831 million Castellanos mine will produce 100,000 t/y of rational use of the mineral resources. The Ministerio
and additional mailing offices. Periodicals
postage paid at New Brunswick NJ.
zinc concentrate and 50,000 t/y of lead concentrate, de Energa y Minas (Law Decree No. 301) is the
POSTMASTER: send address changes to according to executives at Emincar, the joint venture entity responsible for establishing Government
International Mining, 17B South Middlesex
Avenue, Monroe NJ 08831
between Swiss-based commodities giant Trafigura policy for the energy and mining sectors. In March
and Cuban state firm Geominera. 2014, Cubas National Peoples Power Assembly
Printed by The Manson Group, St Albans
Team Publishing Ltd 2017 We are reviving the small and medium-size approved the new Ley de Inversion Extranjera (law
ISSN 1747 -146X mining sector in Cuba from this investment, said No. 118). The law establishes the new legal
Justo Hernndez Prez, Emincar deputy general framework for foreign investment in the country.
IM uses, as preference, manager, during a visit by foreign journalists to the John Chadwick
SI units throughout, so, for example, all
tonnes are metric unless otherwise stated. mine in the province of Pinar del Rio. "This is just Founder
All dollars are US unless otherwise stated
the start. john@im-mining.com

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 3

WORLD PROSPECTS_visuals 26/09/2017 11:03 Page 1

WORLD PROSPECTS

eliminates friction, maximises hose life and lowers

Flowrox pumps handle solids at LKAB energy consumption. Flowrox pumps are able to
handle up to 76% solids.
lowrox hose pumps were recently chosen for high-density slurries is important to us. However, at They seem to work quite well, and theres no

F the LKAB tailings treatment project at its

Svappavaara operation based on previous
experience. We first learned about Flowrox hose
the moment we are pumping 66 to 70% solids. The
capability of the pumps to effectively pump solids is
very crucial for us in the water treatment facilities.
need to change the hoses too often. We are now
on a three month hose change cycle according to
the LCC calculation. As I mentioned earlier,
pumps at a Paste conference in South Africa and The slurry is dense enough to enable us to save reliability is something that we look for in a pump.
were interested in this pumping technology, says water and maintain the flow, states sa Partapuoli, Now we are looking into expanding the hose
Thord Wennberg, Technical Process Development, Senior Process Engineer, LKAB. lifetime to six months. The only challenge has
LKAB. We used a LPP hose pump for our first We have been working with the three pumps in been the hose change due to the large size of the
thickener, but it was not in operation for longer the thickener plant for one year now and they have hose and the roll. Luckily, they do not have to be
than one month before we shelved it. We took the been operating well. The most important thing for changed more often than four times a year,
pump out of duty as the slurry was so thin that us in terms of pump performance is that they Martinson adds.
pump was not needed. With our second thickener function reliably. All the other benefits come after We are now looking into training the LKAB
we knew that our slurry would be thicker, so we that. If a pump is not reliable, there is nothing else maintenance staff to provide techniques and
decided to have a go with the hose pump again. to benefit from, states Ronny Martinson, safety for the hose change, which will make the
We were aware of the benefits of Flowrox pumps Maintenance and Operation, LKAB. We have work easier and faster but also safe, says
compared to centrifugal pumps. experienced that the Flowrox LPP hose pumps Gardelin, describing the future cooperation with
For the new plant LKAB chose LPP-T100 transfer handle solids in the slurry better than other LKAB. We have enjoyed a good relationship with
pumps that are able to pump up to 76% solids. The pumps, and thats very good because we have the customer. We supported LKAB throughout the
fact that the hose pumps are suitable for paste and occasionally to deal with large particles. project and installation. We had frequent visits and
The initial lifetime cost telephone conferences to solve issues, maintain
calculation (LCC) for the hose contact and provide support.
was estimated at three months. LKABs ambition is to increase production by
After the start up and 5% a year up to 2021. This will entail increasing
optimisation of the plant we are capacity and efficiency also in the waste and
now on somewhat of a normal tailings treatment. LKAB has already placed an
duty. If we increase the pressure order for a fifth pump for the project. LKAB
and the density, then of course Svappavaara is one of the oldest pelletising plants
also the wear increases, which in Sweden and LKAB the second largest producer
affects the LCC, explains Bjrn of iron pellets in the world. With annual production
Gardelin, from Minrox, the of iron ore products amounting to 26.9 Mt in 2016,
Flowrox representative in the annual tonnage of tailings disposal is also
Sweden. He adds: The Flowrox considerable. For decades LKAB used a dam as
hose pumps incorporate an disposal method for tailings, but in 2012 the
advanced rolling design where company decided to deposit the tailings in
Flowrox LPP-T pumps incorporate advanced larger particles can be handled in high pressure Svappavaara at a high solids content and
single roller design, which eliminates friction with minimal wear. The pumps can run dry and be introduced a project to build a tailings thickening
and lowers energy consumption operated 24/7. The pumps rolling design facility. www.flowrox.com

Evolution at Robit
he 30-year history of Robit has seen an ever- behave, how rock fractures,

T increasing need for the connection between

hammer and rock to endure more severe
forces. In recent years, top hammer performance
how to harness the
immense forces travelling
within the drill string. The
development has not only been linear but best part of this is the
exponential, as maximum impact powers in quantifiability, the simple
tunnelling and drifting applications rise above 40 microstructure that makes
kW and impact frequencies steadily reach beyond itself visible after asking so many questions. We CFD simulation images showing how the
100 Hz. The company states: Robit Button Bits, have the answers to where the Evolution conventional model (left) has a dead space in
now used across the globe in a vast variety of performance comes from and what it means to the centre of the bit where airflow velocities are
low. The Evolution model (right) has an more
rock formations, have witnessed masses of your drilling process. even flow pattern, and increased airflow at the
improvements during the journey. Weve listened The Evolution series scope of improvements centre of the bit and through the secondary
to our most experienced customers working in share multiple aspects across the size range, side channels
the toughest conditions, tested again and again, drawing from the simulation and analytics-
failed and succeeded, tweaked and reinvented, based approach exemplified by advanced fluid customers and set against conventional hard
all the time working on what matters most dynamic simulation being used among other rock bits. In the end the best results were
getting drilling right, every time. tools. At the small end, development focused gleaned from modifications and optimisation to
The new Evolution bit series is the result of a especially on the specific needs of high power face design, but particularly from increasing
systematic approach towards crafting the worlds and high frequency drilling in tunnelling and both gauge and face button numbers as well as
best button bits. Our level of sophistication is drifting applications. Multiple model approaches increasing the number of flushing holes. The
growing, trial and error has ages ago been were taken, with the boldest design boasting test results of the Evolution bit in hard
surpassed by simulation and analytics-based just six extra-large buttons in a 48 mm bit. All Scandinavian granite were very impressive, with
development. We know how our materials variants were extensively tested with our grinding intervals up to 60% longer and lifetime
s

4 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

WORLD PROSPECTS_visuals 26/09/2017 11:04 Page 2

WORLD PROSPECTS

20% higher compared to conventional hard rock simulations clearly show that the new model isnt with the excellent performance and noted better
button bits. just easy on the eye. The flow pattern is more flushing and longer grinding intervals. Across
In the medium to large sizes significant even, which reduces bit erosion. The pressure sizes, the Evolution designs have systematically
performance strides were taken by diving deep distribution is more uniform, and the smoother excelled. The 102 mm bits were tested in
into flushing properties. Here in particular, the side channels along larger main grooves increase extremely hard and abrasive rock formations in
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations airflow ensuring efficient flushing. Dead-space Pennsylvania, USA, where we had been facing a
proved their strong added value as they drove the across the face is significantly cut by introducing common challenge with a customer to find the
pre-test phase for fast finding of optimal an extra flushing hole in the middle, clearing the perfect bit for those conditions. The new formula
solutions and truly significant impacts. The 76- centre area better of cuttings. allowed us to out-perform competition and more
mm Retrac button bit body has the signature All in all, Robit says field tests confirmed what than double our achieved metres compared to
Robit curving grooves and the sleek geometry the technical simulation background work had our previous model.
flows through to the new face design. The already proven. Our partner drillers were happy www.robit.fi

Weir continues to expand network This service centre holds essential wear parts
stock for maintenance and shut-downs, and the
ith changing market conditions and and proficiency to our service offering, ensuring on-site team is available 24 hours a day to

W improvement expected over the next

two years, Weir Minerals says it is
positioning itself even closer to its customers.
our customers obtain cost effective and value
adding service options, wherever and whenever
required, states Fred Bradner, Director of
provide mine optimisation solutions for
customers in the area.
We are pleased to announce that in a few
The company has announced its ambitious Strategy, Marketing and Sales for Weir Minerals. months time, we will open a state-of-the-art
growth plans, building upon its leading 130 Plans are currently underway to open three facility in Calama, Chile. Located in close
service centres strategically positioned across more Weir Minerals service centres in Chile, proximity to a few of our key customers, this
the globe. Strengthening our unrivalled global Canada and Indonesia in 2017. service centre will offer repairs of screens,
footprint in the mining industry will add capacity Recently Weir Minerals opened a 6,000 ft2 pumps, and cyclones for operators in the
facility in Sudbury, Ontario, region, says Fourie.
Canada boasting a service As the company continues to expand its
centre, warehouse capabilities, positioning in East Asia, it plans to open two
in-house engineering expertise new service centres to be closer to its customers
and a fully equipped field in the region. One service centre will be opening
service team available around in Tibet to support customers in West China, and
the clock. Our Sudbury location another in Haerbin for customers operating in
provides closer proximity to a East China.
number of our key customers, In South East Asia, another service centre has
which drastically improves our been scheduled for opening in Jakarta,
response time, states Kobus Indonesia. The opening of our service centre in
Fourie, Global Product Manager Jakarta will enhance our level of support to
for Weir Minerals Service. Weir customers throughout Indonesia. From this
Minerals also opened a service facility we can help our customers with rebuilds
centre in Cananea, positioned in and rubber lining of equipment as well as field
The new Weir Minerals service centre in a large mining hub in Mexico and recently service and service exchange, states Fourie.
Sudbury, Ontario invited key customers to the official opening. www.global.weir

Polyus Natalka starts production including the primary crusher, the crushed ore
conveyer, the primary SAG mill and the main ball
JSC Polyus, the largest gold producer in the companys current life of mine plan, the mill, is currently in operation having undergone

P Russia, has announced that the first stage

of hot commissioning of Natalka has been
officially launched by Russian President Vladimir
expected mine life of Natalka is 31 years of open pit
mining based on anticipated production volumes.
Natalka has ore reserves of 16 Moz and
a successful trial run. The construction of
auxiliary facilities and supporting infrastructure
is ongoing.
Putin via video-link during a ceremony at the Mineral Resources totalling 34 Moz according to Pavel Grachev, Chief Executive Officer of
Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. the JORC Code methodology, and is the 15th Polyus, commented: We are delighted to
Following completion of the hot commissioning, largest gold asset globally by reserves. announce the long-anticipated launch of
the company anticipates that full production will Natalkas major processing equipment, Natalka, Polyus main greenfield project and the
be launched at Natalka largest gold mine in the Russian Far East.
before the end of 2018 as Natalka will provide up to 470,000 oz of
earlier guided. additional production annually and
The Natalka deposit is support our targeted increase in overall
Polyus main greenfield gold production to approximately 2.8
project, located in Magadan, Moz by 2019. The project will also foster
in the Russian Far East. The economic growth in the region through
processing plant is the the creation of 2,000 jobs at the mine
largest in Russia, with and the processing plant.
capacity of 10 Mt/y. Natalka is located in the Tenkinskiy
Following a ramp-up it is District of the Magadan Region,
expected to reach annual approximately 400 km away from the city
production of some 420- of Magadan and 130 km from the district
470,000 oz for the duration centre Ust-Omchug.
of the mine life. According to www.polyus.com

6 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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Belaz_October17 PROOF_Layout 1 15/09/2017 12:31 Page 2
Belaz_October17 PROOF_Layout 1 15/09/2017 12:31 Page 3
SCREENING AND WASHING_proof 26/09/2017 11:21 Page 1

SCREENING AND WASHING

Shawn Faba, Product Manager Screening at
Multotec Manufacturing examines a Losiplast
panel, which is suitable for heavy duty
applications

any remaining dirt or clay still on the stone as it

fractionates the material. Haver & Boecker
engineers drew on their extensive experience to
design and build a skid structure perfectly
suited for the semi-portable system.
Taking feed material as large as 6 in (150 mm)
into its 40-in vertical drum, the Hydro-Clean
1000 employs 2,000 psi high-pressure nozzles,
rotating at 90 rpm, to remove silt and clay
particles as small as 63 microns from mineral
mixtures. The Hydro-Cleans high-pressure
nozzles effectively clean deleterious material
from aggregates, recycled materials and other
minerals.
The wash plants other major component, the

Particle physics
L-Class vibrating screen, uses a double-shaft
overhead drive system, with direct-mounted
motors, to provide multiple speed and stroke
combinations in a compact design. With a
horizontal screen, material spends more time on
Washing and screening go hand in hand across a whole the deck for optimal cleanliness.
range of mining applications, from iron ore to silica sand The HC1000 Wash Plant includes
serviceability features for maximum
and coal. Paul Moore reports on some new technologies convenience and safety. Haver & Boecker
and innovations manufactures the plant with stairs, eliminating
the dangers of carrying parts and tools up
odularisation and portability are Haver & Boecker combines the Hydro-Clean ladders. In addition, mechanics can easily use

M becoming ever more important in the

industry for smaller mines that want to
be agile in their production; and this applies to
1000, a single-deck, linear-stroke, 6-by-16-ft
Tyler L-Class horizontal vibrating rinse screen
and a skid structure to create the compact wash
the plants catwalks and platforms to reach
service points, such as spray nozzles. Haver &
Boecker says it can engineer wash plants to
screening and washing equipment as much as plant. The system processes as much as 200 t/h customer specifications by, for example,
any other area. of sellable product with its short retention including a different size or type of vibrating
Haver & Boecker, one of the leading times; using minimal water and power. During screen, more decks or a different Hydro-Clean
equipment manufacturers and solutions the cleaning process, the washed material model.
provider in aggregates and mining applications, works its way down the HC1000s drum and exits CDE Global showed earlier this year that it
recently introduced the skid-mounted Hydro- onto a discharge conveyor that leads to the L- can produce 550 t/h of washed materials from a
Clean 1000 Wash Plant as a complete Class wash screen. The vibrating screen removes single machine when it unveiled its new sand
solution. In addition to a Hydro-Clean 1000
washing system combined with a Tyler L-Class
vibrating rinse screen, Haver & Boecker now
offers semi-portability by mounting the
complete system on a custom skid structure.
The opportunity to purchase the three
components together saves operations months
of time they would have spent on designing and
building a skid structure for a wash plant. The
new package delivers maximum serviceability in
a small footprint.
Were always looking for ways to solve our
customers problems and improve their
productivity and efficiency, said Karen
Thompson, President of Haver & Boecker Canada.
By offering the Hydro-Clean 1000 Wash Plant,
were saving producers from spending extensive
time on engineering and manufacturing a
structure for a wash plant. This gives them an
opportunity to focus their time and money on Haver & Boecker recently introduced the skid-mounted Hydro-Clean 1000 Wash Plant as a
improving profits elsewhere in their operations. complete solution

10 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

A simple solution
to a complex problem
When a nickel mine in Australia was faced with setbacks to their discharge
chute shutdown cycle, we asked the right questions, activated our unique
knowledge and developed FerroCer Impact wear panels.

Driven by an unwavering ambition to help our thereby delivering game-changing performance

customers overcome their challenges, we and increased productivity. Discover how we can
explore opportunities and help them find better navigate your complexity and find simple solutions.
ways. The installation of FerroCer at the nickel
mine ensured an uninterrupted production flow
that reduces downtime and maintenance costs flsmidthminerals.com
SCREENING AND WASHING_proof 26/09/2017 11:21 Page 2

SCREENING AND WASHING

washing plant at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017, the for our purposes and replacing them with a
M5500. The UK-headquartered company said in single plant and process was beneficial in terms
a statement that the new machine can produce of footprint, value for money and efficiency.
up to 550 t/h of washed materials on a single Late last year, McCloskey International
chassis. Kevin Vallelly, Head of Product announced the launch of McCloskey Washing
Development at CDE, said: This latest addition Systems (MWS), a new business division
to the M-Series combines feeding, screening, focused on washing and classifying across
washing and stockpiling onto one chassis, and multiple applications. The new unit designs and
packs an extra punch with unique features. manufactures a full range of mobile, modular
These include a higher capacity of 550 t/h, a and static material and mineral washing
five-product capability and triple pass cyclone equipment. While McCloskey International has
sand washing. been producing equipment for the quarrying,
A selection of Infinity screens, the companys recycling, mining and industrial sand sectors for
new development in screening technology, were over 30 years, this new division has been
also launched on the North American market created to provide 100% focus on the
along with other new technologies. development of class-leading innovative and
Adapted to applications in both dry and wet efficient equipment for washing and classifying
screening situations across a wide range of Wayne Warren, Business Development Manager material and mineral products.
materials, the new CDE Infinity technology is of for sub-Saharan Africa at CDE; with Kobus Jv McCloskey Internationals President and CEO
Rensburg of Cluster Holdings
particular interest to operators looking for Paschal McCloskey said: Our customers are
sturdier and more economical vibrating screens. always looking for more modern, flexible and
Neil Mullan, Design Engineer at CDE, said: but did not achieve the desired results in quality cost-effective solutions. Our customer-driven
We sell over 200 screens every year to the and led to wet stockpiles. approach to product development has led us to
global market, either as part of (our) modular Wayne Warren, Business Development invest significantly in the establishment of this
equipment or as stand-alone. The new weld-free Manager for sub-Saharan Africa at CDE, noticed new division, with the aim to be the design and
Infinity screens can generate the same Cluster Holdings operations while on the road manufacture of high quality washing equipment
acceleration as conventional screens with less to visit a client and stopped by. He said: Being that is easy to install, maintain and operate.
weight, resulting in a reduction in power in a reasonably remote area, the road past The products produced by the new division
consumption and in operational costs, which Cluster Holdings mining area allows you to get will deliver significant advantages to
presents significant benefits to our clients an overview of their operations. I could see customers, including lower cost of ownership,
operations. where issues might be and knew that CDE had lower cost of production, and making more
According to CDE, its materials washing solutions that could up production at most projects viable for their business.
equipment allows for more accurate material current washing plants. Little did I realise that The three model SandStorm range is made up
classification than traditional sand washing this site had such extreme potential in what up of the 516, 620 and 824 machines which can
methods, higher quality washed sand, reduced until then was called waste. In effect, unknown process up to 550 t/h, and producing up to four
costs of pond excavation, and reduced risks on to our customer, plaster sand was laying in grades of aggregate and two grades of classified
site. The final product exits the plant ready for abundance, hidden at the bottom of ponds, and sand. SandStorm has also been enhanced with
use, having been dewatered to 15% moisture. with adapted CDE technology could be the new S-Line range, that offers the benefits of
CDE says its customer Cluster Holdings in recovered and processed into a valuable the modular plant with the McCloskey range of
West Rand, South Africa, had given up on ever product. Sand Screws. Finally, the new McCloskey
recovering fines their sand screw classifier Kobus Jv Rensburg of Cluster Holdings, Washing Systems AggStorm Range can operate
system had discharged into ponds but with the provided samples for tests. It turned out that as stand-alone units or can integrate with the
introduction of the CDE EvoWash 71 sand the waste sand had one of the best plaster sand SandStorm wash plants. They can handle
washing plant to their operations, they are now grading I had come across in some time and it various types of clay-bound material where
producing high quality plaster sand from waste became Cluster Holdings priority to recover it. more aggressive scrubbing and washing is
pond material. With CDE technology, fines are CDE has a good footprint in South Africa, so needed rather than simple screening alone.
fully recovered and turned into profit and a very the customer had the opportunity to visit a few
competitive return on investment. sites showcasing the CDE EvoWash in action. Screening and screen media
The quarry is located half way between Having witnessed the efficiency of the EvoWash technologies
Carletonville and Randfontein. Rich in that produced a sand dry enough to be handled Screening media specialist Multotec is using its
decomposed granite, it was ideal terrain to and loaded as it came off the stockpile conveyor, deck map methodology to constantly raise the
develop a materials processing business to Cluster Holdings opted for CDE technology. An bar in optimising screen output and lifespan,
supply local construction companies with EvoWash 71 materials washing plant was according to Shawn Faba, Multotec
washed plaster sand. At the start of its washing commissioned and installed to process the raw Manufacturing Product Manager Screening.
operations in 1986, the company opted for sand decomposed granite feed. The EvoWash Multotec has built on its concept of the
screw classifiers to wash the granite, a cheap removes the -75 fines from the sand slurry composite deck for over a decade, and
and popular choice in South Africa, but also an feed and dewaters it to produce up to 50 t/h differentiated ourselves by developing the deck
option that creates a lot of waste to ponds and within specification for plaster sand. map to design specific screening solutions for a
loss of potential profits. The subsequent switch Jv Rensburg comments: After years of trial wide range of materials with various
to a cyclone tower resulted from identifying the and error, we are delighted with our choice. We characteristics, says Faba.
potential in the plaster sand market in the area, had two plants that were not efficient enough The panels are easily interchangeable on

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composite screen decks due to the modular

format of Multotecs two common panel sizes 1
ft x 1 ft or 2 ft x 1 ft. This modular design allows
for different types of panels to be placed in
specific areas of the screen as part of the overall
goal of achieving metallurgical efficiency on the
screening media surface.
With the aim of reducing downtime for
customers, composite deck designs must ensure
that wear patterns are as even as possible, so
that the mean time between failures (MTBF) can
be extended and scheduled maintenance can be
conducted as infrequently as possible.
Typically we want to ensure that customers
can run these screens for six to eight months at easy-to-screen grade, while the upper deck also The BIVITEC flip flow screen ensures selective
screening of bulk materials which are difficult to
least before they have to schedule maintenance serves as a protective deck. The BIVITEC Banana screen
downtime, says Faba. screen can be used for feed material containing a
The deck map allows the best combination of high percentage of fine grain material for screening media. One of Eurogommas clients
panels to be placed to suit the conditions, the screening at two cut points with one screen deck. involved in gold mining in West Africa was
material and the output targets employing General Kinematics STM-SCREEN Two-Mass affected by the efficiency in their SAG trommel
panel types in materials including rubber, Vibratory Screens are built to work your material when deciding to use steel wire screens instead
polyurethane, steel, woven-wire, ceramics, more thoroughly. This screen is load responsive of durable products like rubber or polyurethane.
Hardox, fibreglass and combinations of these. with longer retention times meaning the material In this scenario Eurogomma has created a
For instance, certain applications may demand discharges from the screen better separated. The polyurethane screen panel incorporating its
the use of both ceramics and rubber; while a screens Two-Mass design delivers higher PURFil screen mesh to give the same design of
hard ceramic surface provides resistance to wear performance and eliminates the need for the woven wire screens previously used but
and cutting, rubbers elastic properties dampen expensive belts, shafts, bearings, and dual in- made with durable polyurethane material.
the impact forces and protect the ceramic pieces. board vibratory motors. This Two-Mass Screen
The deck map allows us to specify, for also has the lowest cost of ownership available in McLanahan MAX Series
instance, a set of panels comprising highly GKs vibrating screen package. It offers maximum The MAX Series Vibrating Screen is based on
impact-resistant material at the feed end of the up-time with evenly spread energy and high McLanahans years of industry experience and is
screen, where the impact of material from the structural integrity that is sure to prove its value. designed to meet and exceed the demanding
feed box or chute is highest, says Roy Roche, There are also customisable options to fit your applications and specifications that producers
Vice President Screening Media at Multotec. specific needs. face. Introduced in late 2016, this equipment
The performance of the panels is then Its Two-Mass Banana Screens it says are ideal already has several working installations that
meticulously fine-tuned through monitoring and for those looking to reduce energy consumption have proven to deliver the expected results.
iteration, using Multotecs market-leading while increasing the processing power of the line. The McLanahan MAX Series Vibrating Screens
Hawkeye technology, which allows management The Two-Mass system requires up to two-thirds can separate coarse feed materials from finer
to systematically analyse the data from the deck less horsepower than a brute force screen materials and are offered in sizes and
maps to create a powerful planning system for lending itself to being a much more energy configurations ranging from 5 x 16 ft to 8 x 24 ft
ongoing application improvement. The screening efficient system. The Two-Mass Banana Screen in triple, double, and single deck models. These
requirements in each part of the deck can be does not have the maintenance issues associated screens are designed to provide maximum
constantly refined by tracking the performance of with direct-drive designs. Best of all the Banana headroom between decks, making maintenance
the various panel types on each deck in operation. Screen is customisable with multiple decks, and media changeouts more convenient.
Binder + Co says its BIVITEC flip flow screen styles of screen
comes into its own when conventional screening surface, materials, and The McLanahan MAX screens
technology starts to be inefficient and finishes, fitting into were launched in late 2016 but
have already proven
uneconomical. Particularly challenging tasks are most applications and
themselves at several sites
solved in a simple and efficient way. The BIVITEC installation
flip flow screen ensures selective screening of environments with
bulk materials which are difficult to screen. With ease.
the help of resonance, a driving mechanism Gold mining is
provides two vibratory movements in which the frequently facing a
flexible polyurethane mats are expanded and number of problems in
compressed in turns, and the hard-to-screen mineral classification
product is separated at high acceleration. The because the highest
dynamically agitated screen mats thus remain efficiency rate is
unobstructed and allow efficient screening. It is demanded especially
available as a multi-deck design with nowadays with low
conventional upper, lower and intermediate deck. gold prices without
Rigid screen panels are on the upper deck for an reducing the life of the

16 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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SCREENING AND WASHING

From a structural standpoint, they are demand for increasingly consistent sand the opportunity to witness the reliability and
fabricated with A572 Gr 50 plate (45% higher gradings. Given the increased requirement for hard-wearing of the CDE offer.
yield strength than traditional A36 plating) for sand and coarse aggregates for our downstream Kevin Vallelly, Head of Product Development
maximum strength. Side plates are a fully bolted products, the time has come to grow our at CDE commented on Roadstones new Infinity
construction, which reduces and eliminates production capability. As a result, we needed to screen with VibroCentric electric drive system:
cracking due to stress caused by welding. The upgrade in order to ensure that we achieve A key success of the VibroCentric drive system
bolted construction also makes it easier to maximum tonnes per hour every hour and that is the harnessing of the power used and
change out worn components without cutting. our plant is capable of adapting to challenges ensuring the maximum transfer of energy to the
Bronze sleeves are integrated on both ends of such as variable deposit moisture content material being screened. This system is
the shaft for protection in instances where the brought by weather and natural variations within employed on the Infinity P-Line range of inclined
outer race of the bearing could potentially turn the deposit. We have nurtured a solid sizing screens. A unique shaft design allows for
on the shaft. This reduces unnecessary downtime relationship of trust with CDE over the years and a significant reduction in the weight of the drive
and only requires the sleeve to be replaced. All had no hesitation in turning to them for an system and the screen assembly which results in
components slide onto the shaft, allowing for upgrade of our existing CDE equipment. CDE a significant reduction in overall power
easy removal and installation. The straight shaft equipment is used across most of Roadstones consumption. As a result, dewatering
features jacking bolts in the mechanism tube that sand and gravel sites in Ireland and we have had performance is maximised to allow the final
support the shaft during change outs, eliminating
the need for a crane and thus improving safety
while minimising downtime. Screens are also
equipped with a quick change spring kit that
allows for the removal of the spring pack with
only minimal vertical clearance and no need for
an overhead crane.
The company told IM: Operators looking to
upgrade their screening operations can have a
solution that fits directly into their operation with

{ CUT
no rework to existing structures. McLanahans
MAX Series Vibrating Screens make it easy to get
more from your screen without needing to
change your entire operation. Customers can be
SCREEN MEDIA
CHANGE-OUT TIME
IN HALF
sure they are getting a solution that will give
them more uptime, easier maintenance and a
safer working environment.

CDE Infinity screening

High tech screening technology CDE says is
becoming a must for washing plant operators
who want optimal production results from a
reliable range of equipment. CDE invests
extensively in its research and development
department to remain ahead of the innovation
curve, and with all products being manufactured
and tested at its assembly facilities in
Cookstown, Northern Ireland, reliability is
guaranteed. A case in point, the Infinity screening
range was launched in 2016 and has since
become one of the firms most popular
products. REDUCINGMAINTENANCE
The Infinity screens bolted construction
eliminates the need for welds and the U-Span Haver & Boeckers revolutionary Ty-Rail
cross-members, in combination with the quick-tensioning system cuts screen
construction of the side walls, deliver higher
change-out time in half. The innovative
system replaces numerous parts with 1-800-325-5993
specific stiffness that prolongs the working life of www.havercanada.com
one-piece, removable tension rails.
the screen. Cathal Lavin, Location Manager at the
Roadstone Classis quarry, a subsidiary of global
company CRH Group, recently opted for the CDE
inclined sizing Infinity screen with VibroCentric
electric drive system. He explained: Our existing
multi-sand plant and dry screen have performed
extremely well over their 15-year lifetime, but as
construction technology evolves, so does

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 17

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SCREENING AND WASHING

feed. The unique design of the punch plates top

The new H-Class from
Haver & Boecker decks has been a revelation to say the least. We
have processed approximately 600,000 t on one
set of punch plates and see no need to replace
them yet. Amazingly, it can be offloaded and be
operational on a site within 15 minutes as was
proven at Wescoal recently.
Two Pedestrians Mining Operations Manager,
Arno Swart, adds that due to the screens high
ground clearance, it is able to tram quickly to
keep up with production. The high running
position also lends itself to a cleaner operation
with no need for ramps to access underneath the
machines. Its conveyor height also allows the
company to stockpile materials up to 4 m high,
significantly enhancing its ability over previous
models.
The additional height has improved our
productivity substantially as the front-end
loaders are able to fill the buckets to maximum
capacity. Therefore, you achieve a reduction in
diesel consumption and an improvement in
washed product to be ready for market straight inspection and equipment assessment to screen safety. You now have a loader working slower,
from the belts. media evaluation. As part of the program, Haver safer and more efficiently from bigger
& Boecker uses its signature Pulse vibration stockpiles, says Swart.
Haver tackles fine screening analysis software to monitor the health of the In terms of performance, the Warrior 1400X is
Haver & Boecker now offers the H-Class vibrating vibrating screen. a beast that packs a whole lot of punch into a
screen for fine particle screening. The H-Classs machine with a comparatively small footprint.
high-frequency vibrations efficiently screen hot, Powerscreen performs in SA coal Because of its aggressive screening nature, it
dry materials for consistent product output. The Faster, more aggressive screening technology is leaves an impression at the mines where it has
heavy-duty, stationary machine is safe for use in allowing mine processing contractor, Two operated and is therefore in high demand
unreinforced structures since the movement is Pedestrians Mining, to push production to new whenever our customers want to boost
confined to the media, which moves with a fast, levels and radically shorten processing times on production, he says.
small stroke to screen materials through behalf of its clients in the mining industry. Being of a modern design it is also quick and
openings ranging from a half inch to 100 mesh. According to Neel Rademeyer, owner of Two easy to maintain with easy access to service
The machine offers two variable speeds: the Pedestrians Mining, the screening process is at points. In the 2,700 hours that it has been
running cycle operates at 42 to 48 Hz to screen the heart of production to provide the optimal running at our sites it has not had any serious
particles and can be modified to an operations production and sizing for final processing or problems, says Swart.
specific needs, while the short burst cycle stockpiling of product. The accuracy and speed Rademeyer adds that Two Pedestrians Mining
increases the vibratory motion to 60 Hz to clean with which this is achieved results in improved has a long and beneficial relationship with ELB
the screen, preventing blinding and increasing profitability for its clients. Equipment, the sole distributor of Powerscreen
productivity. Most recently the company has employed a equipment in southern Africa. Since starting the
When customers need to screen fine, dry newly acquired Powerscreen Warrior 1400X operation more than 20 years ago, the contractor
materials, especially at high temperatures, they mobile screen to do duty in volume applications, has standardised its entire fleet on ELB
turn to the H-Class, said Karen Thompson, Haver where its heavy-duty processing power is able to Equipments best of breed machines from top
& Boecker Canada President. Its proven to make short work of run-of-mine materials even in OEM brands.
withstand tough operating conditions to provide rough terrain where its mobility simplifies the In terms of the durability of the numerous
a steady material output. load-screen-dump cycle. Powerscreen machines in our fleet, they are
The H-Classs modular design uses pre- The machine has been a revelation in terms unquestionably reliable and the diesel
engineered components, which allows the of its versatility and work rate. This is important consumption is the most economical in the
machine to be easily configured based on an as it means it can be deployed to a wide range of market. This makes it easier for us to quote on a
operations machine size requirements. It is mining types wherever there is a requirement for cost-per-hour basis and brings down operating
described as especially effective for screening mobile operations to work through large volumes costs considerably. With consumption of between
materials including phosphate and potash, of materials, whether it be coal, ore or 10-12 litres per hour, at an average production of
making it key technology for the fertiliser aggregates, says Rademeyer. 300-350 t per hour, the figures speak for
industry. At present the Warrior 1400X is operating in themselves, says Rademeyer.
Many operations will be eligible to receive the coal fields in Delmas, where its In terms of reliability, our Powerscreen
Haver & Boeckers three-year Uptime Service interchangeable decks can be set in accordance machines have proven themselves over the years
Package free with the purchase of an H-Class. with the type and size of coal required. The with the oldest Powerscreen Chieftain 1400 in our
Uptime includes the manufacturers full-service processing of run-of-mine to 0 x 50 mm product fleet having already clocked over 53,000 hours
approach to equipment optimisation, from parts requires that the screen can handle 0 x 600 mm and still running. Likewise, ELB Equipment has

18 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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SCREENING AND WASHING

given us the kind of support that we need in screening media used in minerals processing by our extensive wear parts portfolio with an
terms of technical advice, sales and support of investing in three new injection presses. The industry standard such as 1 ft x 1 ft screening
their machines, he adds. presses will be installed at Metso's facilities in media is a natural step in strengthening this
The staff at the Middelburg branch are Australia, India and Sweden by early 2018. The position. We are the only supplier able to provide
excellent and Workshop Manager, Johan Herbst 1.7 million investment will significantly increase everything that a mine needs in a comminution
provides the kind of support that we, as Metsos global rubber screening media circuit, from spare and wear parts to equipment
contractors, cannot do without. ELB Equipment manufacturing capacity. The demand for Metso's and service, says Jose Perez, Senior Vice
also trains our operators professionally, which screening media has grown in the mining President, Crushing and Screening Wears, Metso.
makes it easier to get the best out of our machines. segment after the introduction of 1 ft x 1 ft Downtime is costly for screens in minerals
JP Durandt, Area Sales Manager for ELB modular screening media, Trellex 305PS, in processing and aggregates production. Metso in
Equipment also compliments Two Pedestrians 2016. In addition to Trellex 305PS, Metso September 2017 introduced its new hammerless
Mining for the professional way the machines are customers can follow the screen media wear rate, attachment system for its Trellex screening media
employed, operated and cared for by the plan maintenance and keep track of cost per which offers increased productivity and makes
operators and mechanical staff. tonne using Screen Planner, its new, media change-outs safer and faster than with
Through the years we have built up a special complementary software and web-based tool. traditional systems. Up until now, the removal of
relationship with the owners and managers of Uptime and availability mean the world to our worn-out pin and sleeve screening media
the company and, very importantly, we have built customers. A mine can easily consume thousands modules has been a time-consuming and
up a special report with the operators and of screening media modules in a year. During potentially unsafe undertaking. Metso's
mechanical staff who are in regular maintenance, the right modules simply have to innovative new attachment system improves
communication with us regarding their be at the right place at the right time. With this worker safety during change-outs. There is no
machines, says Durandt. investment, we can answer our customers needs need to use a hammer when installing and
They tell us that they prefer the Warrior and ensure on-time delivery, says Claes Larsson, removing screening media. The specially
1400X and similar machines from Powerscreen, Product Manager, Screening Media, Metso. The 1 developed pins can be screwed into place as well
saying that they work harder than other machines in ft x 1 ft (305 mm x 305 mm) screening media as removed using an impact driver. Accidents that
their class, and are easier to operate and maintain module size is a standard in major mining occur when pins that are stuck get torn off by
due to their easy-to-use controls, he says. markets, due to safety and compatibility reasons. force can be avoided. In addition to improved
Metso made the decision to include the size in its safety, the new attachment system cuts the
Metso expands screening media Trellex product range, based on customer change-out time considerably, resulting in higher
technology and capacity demand. uptime and productivity.
In March, Metso announced it is expanding its We are already the number one service In the past year, we've launched the web-
global manufacturing capacity for rubber partner for the mining industry. Complementing based Screen planner wear monitoring system

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SCREENING AND WASHING_proof 26/09/2017 11:24 Page 7

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To get an in-depth insight into some key questions on screening technology

and strategy in the mining market, Paul Moore spoke to
Corn Kleyn, Global Product Manager - Screens at Weir Minerals
Q Is it fair to say that the basic design of vibrating screens, whether Q Are lifetime service contracts for screens becoming more common?
dewatering, banana or horizontal, is similar across all the majors eg
Metso, Haver, Weir, Joest etc? This being the case what differentiates OEMs A We have found that customers are eager to sign $/t contracts. This
today, is it the right customised design for the material, the right screen implies that the OEM gets reimbursed a rate per amount of material
media or other aspects such as reduced energy usage with the right drive, passing through their equipment. At Weir Minerals these contracts put full
lower noise, lesser footprint etc? ownership of equipment and its operation on us. We put this package
together based on our customers' needs.
A The fundamental design of screens is the same, but within Weir Minerals
we are capable of changing certain elements of the design to suit the Q Do mines commonly buy OEM screen media to start with then later try to
customers specific circuit in which the screen operates. Its also important switch to a cheaper option?
for OEMs to manufacture a wide range of screening products to offer
mining companies because no two sites are the same. They all have A The majority of the time, the customer will purchase the screen
different problems and requirements, and it is important that OEMs can complete including drives, screening media, wear-lining etc. For
cater to this. At Weir Minerals, we have the screening solutions for our replacement screening media, many customers have contracts in place
customer base with both the Enduron and Trio product ranges, from with media suppliers, so they would purchase directly from them. If the
double deck banana screens to dewatering vibrating screens. We pride OEMs screen media is of high quality and proves its longevity to
ourselves in material technology and our patented material components customers then they will not be looking for the cheaper option. We find
such as our rubber compounds, some of which are formulated for screen this to be the case with our Weir Minerals customers.
media. Our Linatex brand is well known within the industry for
representing our long lasting rubber. We have some standard screen media Q Would you say the core demand in screens today is from a particular
compounds available across the globe but bespoke configurations are commodity such as iron ore/coal or gold/copper?
available on a regional basis. One of the biggest differentiators in my
opinion would be OEM application knowledge and experience. You need to A The market is volatile at present and there is general investment
ensure the equipment offered is suited for the application specified, but uncertainty. Coal has always seen steady demand, since the demand is
being part of the customers process and involving yourself in their day-to- created by the need for energy generated by existing coal-fired power
day business is what would set Weir Minerals apart from the competition. stations. Iron ore has seen a marked drop due to past oversupply, and
Lastly, what differentiates certain OEMs is the utilisation of new over-capitalisation due to artificial demand. Gold and copper demand is
technology including intelligent monitoring. Weir Minerals advanced normal and on the rise. Utilisation of screens is directly proportional to the
Synertrex monitoring system platform is a great example of the production throughput of the application.
enhancements which can be made to our products through intelligent
monitoring. We have successfully trialled the Synertrex platform at Q Are you working more directly with mines in screen design and selection
various customer sites across the globe and it will soon be made available whereas before EPCM companies would be making decisions on key
to the market. process equipment?

Q Is the mining industry as in other equipment areas now trying to keep A At Weir Minerals we work with both EPCMs and mine companies. In
existing screens running for longer with maintenance/service rather than recent years, mining companies have started to rely on OEMs to assist with
having to buy new screens? Being a robust steel product is there also a screen selection and design, but this is mostly due to the shift to a
market in used screens from closed mines? brownfield project environment. Mines are constantly trying to optimise
their operations to increase profits. For products such as screens, mining
A This is a topic that we are constantly discussing with customers. companies may ask us to optimise to suit their needs, and this is an
Commodity price drops and a decline in market demand have put a strain important part of our solutions offering. When more greenfield projects
on operating profits. This has led to reduced budgets for capital equipment get underway, EPCM companies will once again be involved.
as mine owners are struggling to keep their mines running. We have found
success with employing Aftermarket Product Support Specialists in our Q Is screening competing with alternative equipment in some cases or in
sales regions, offering regular equipment audits and ensuring our screens most applications is there no alternative?
run optimally. If out of specification conditions are picked up early
enough, failures can be prevented. I believe that going forward OEMs will A In very fine screening (<200 m), you could compete with hydrocyclones.
start packaging screens with Condition Monitoring systems as part of the For larger applications, traditional screening is still the accepted method
offering. At one of our Synertrex trial sites, we have proven the value of of mineral separation. For dewatering applications, various alternatives
real-time condition monitoring. We predicted an imminent failure and exist including filter-presses, trommels etc. It completely depends upon
responded proactively by replacing the defective component, thereby the customers requirements and we work with them to provide the right
avoiding an unplanned shutdown. Regarding the use of second-hand solution, be that screening or hydrocyclones.
screens, this is uncommon in the mining environment and relates more to
short-term project and quarry clients.

20 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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and invested in screening media manufacturing possible, and have Experienced Kwatani service
capacity. The introduction of the hammerless worked closely with team personnel on site
attachment system is yet another step we are end-users and inspecting a screen prior to
installation
taking to help our screening media customers panel suppliers to
minimise downtime and maximise productivity, find optimal
says Larsson. solutions.
The new attachment system is currently Kwatanis
available as a standard option for Trellex 305PS qualified and
screening media in the most common build experienced in-
heights (40-60 mm), and will soon be introduced house design and
for additional build heights. technology teams
undertake custom
Screen OEM and media supplier designs to
collaboration customers specific
Collaboration between the OEM of vibratory application and
screens and the screen media supplier is key to processing
ensuring the lowest possible cost of ownership requirements.
while continuously meeting tonnage throughput These designs are supported by finite element to expectation in terms of recoveries, tonnages
requirements. analysis (FEA) modelling competency, a and efficiencies.
According to Derrick Alston, Executive Director sophisticated test laboratory, and years of We also ask whether there have been any
of vibratory screen OEM Kwatani, the company research and development. changes in the upstream process, says
engineers screening machines for a certain Schoepflin. This is to check whether the feed
weight and performance of screen panel. Screen maintenance the right that the vibrating machine is receiving is still in
We then test the screen extensively in our approach line with the original specification of the unit;
modern workshop facilities to ensure that the Cost pressures often force mines to make difficult orebodies often change, and this can affect the
screen panels specified by the customer will decisions about how they approach the material and the processing requirements. We
deliver certain throughputs and end-products for maintenance of their vibrating screens; OEMs can need to establish whether the equipment is
that application, says Alston. When screens are ease the trade-offs by offering solutions that actually still fit for the purpose for which it was
later changed, they still need to be carefully match customers specific needs and resources, designed.
integrated with the structural and mechanical according to Kwatani CEO Kim Schoepflin. This leads to a list of issues that must be
features of the screening machine. While most mines have been through a addressed, which in turn must be prioritised;
Kwatani custom engineers and manufactures difficult period, each one has had to deal with it starting with any vibrating machine that is close
vibrating equipment for all feeding and screening in its own way, says Schoepflin. As an OEM, we to destruction as costly downtime due to sudden
requirements, from smaller machines of less than need to understand their specific conditions and failure must be decisively avoided.
a tonne to 50 t machines with throughputs of up constraints before we can build a solid Refurbishment of the equipment by the OEM is
to 7,000 t/h. partnership that works for both parties. usually significantly more cost effective,
Kenny Mayhew-Ridgers, Kwatanis Chief She says its about adopting a consultative compared to a new replacement, when it is
Operations Officer, says that once the machine is approach when dealing with customers, not just performed timeously.
operating in the field, there are instances where taking them a catalogue of products and services. On the basis of this assessment and the
panels are fitted that add substantial extra Listening carefully to the customer is vital, to resulting priority areas, we then agree on an
weight to the screen. learn what their challenges and limitations are. action plan with the mine that takes into account
We sometimes find that the screening panels Mines have tended to cut capital expenditure their human and financial resources, she says.
on our operating machines substantially exceed as a result of depressed commodity prices, which Low commodity prices have also meant that
the weight of what the machine was initially means that the working life of equipment, like mines have lost vital skills to operate and service
designed to take, says Mayhew-Ridgers. This screens, is being extended. At the same time, their equipment.
extra weight can change the dynamics and the however, the necessary maintenance is often also Along with many maintenance positions on
centre of gravity of the screen so that for cut back, creating a serious risk of failure and mines being consolidated to aid cost cutting
example, it is no longer aligned with the exciter unscheduled downtime. efforts, there are also high levels of staff
drive. This can cause damage to the machine and A vibrating screen is one of the smaller and turnover; for OEMs, this means often having to
even the building if not quickly identified and less costly items in a plant, but it is a critical deal with new and inexperienced staff who need
resolved. element that can bring a whole module, or even considerable support in guiding the maintenance
Alston highlights the importance of keeping the entire plant, to a standstill if it fails process.
OEMs in the loop when changing panel types, unexpectedly, she says. The maintenance teams are frequently
so that the fitting of new types of panel does not At Kwatani, we typically start our intervention responsible for a wide range of different
have unintended impacts that could be with an on-site audit to assess the situation in a equipment, and lack the specialised knowledge
detrimental to the machines life-span or plant, beginning with a look at the mechanical that is so crucial to keeping vibrating screens
performance. state of the vibrating equipment in its operational performing optimally, she says. This is an area
With our depth of expertise, we can advise and non-operational state. where close and ongoing contact between the
from a mechanical point of view on areas where A visual inspection allows any damage to the mine and the OEM is crucial to achieving the
problems could arise, he says. We aim to steel section or wear to be identified. The next lowest possible ownership cost over the life of
cooperate with other stakeholders wherever question is whether the equipment is performing the machine. IM

22 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

Project6_Layout 1 16/09/2017 10:06 Page 1

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COUNTRY FOCUS FOCUS- ECUADOR_proof 27/09/2017 09:10 Page 1

COUNTRY FOCUS

Ecuador awakens
John Chadwick looks
at a country that is
busy pushing mining
to the fore, with
some success

t was only in 2015, that the Ecuador Production of mined copper decreased by Drilling on Lumina Gold's Cangrejos project

I Government created a Ministry of Mining and

announced plans to promote 36 projects in
gold, copper and molybdenum. Javier Cordova,
37% in 2014 compared with that of 2013 to
131,259 t; that of gold decreased by about 16%
to 7,322 kg; that of silver decreased by about
In the ongoing process of reforms, in mid-
June, Cordova issued a Ministerial Agreement
Minister of Mining, recently said that mining 52% to 577 kg. reforming the award system for Metal Mining
activity in the country will generate nearly In 2014, the majority (48) of mines and Concessions including, among other things, the
25,000 direct and indirect jobs during 2017- quarries, of which there were 70 that appeared possibility for companies to demonstrate
2022, according to Wood Mackenzie projections. to be incorporated, were domestically owned by economic solvency through internationally
The government has put a great deal of public limited corporations. Empresa Nacional recognised sources of financial information such
emphasis on developing a mining industry in Minera del Ecuador (ENAMI) is a state-owned as, but not limited to, Bloomberg and Reuters.
recent years. The Andean nation, suffering from mining company that was established in 2010. This reform also establishes limits to the size
a long period of weak oil prices, has promoted ENAMI had several active copper-molybdenum of concessions and clarifies requirements for
mining incentives and tax benefits to try and exploration projects in Imbabura and Bolivar time limits in which work must start before a
attract foreign firms to help develop its riches. It Provinces. Llurimagua (also known as the Junin requested area is returned to the State. There
is hoping for investment in mining to total more project) is a porphyry deposit with Inferred are also changes to how concessions are to be
than $4 billion up to 2020. resource estimates of 2.2 Mt of contained copper, managed.
Wood Mackenzie is advising, aiming to make 83,000 t of contained molybdenum, and a gold We have 25 mining areas to allocate,
Ecuador competitive with its regional grade of 1.6 g/t. The project area covers 4,839 ha Strategic Sectors Minister Rafael Poveda told El
neighbours in Latin America. in Imbabura Province in the Intag Valley, which Universo at the time. We have built a map of
The government has established three borders or overlaps with the Intag Cloud Forest strategic areas that could be assigned to foreign
classes of mining categories small, medium Reserve, National Parks, and numerous small companies for exploration.
and large. There are incentives for foreign communities. Since a mining operation caused One of the advantages of Ecuador over
investment in the small mining category. environmental damage in the area in the 1990s, neighbouring countries is cheaper power. In
It is phasing in refundable VAT on CAPEX and communities in the Intag Valley had protested 2015, Cordova noted power costs were
OPEX costs, adding up to 2% to a projects IRR against mining in the area for decades, which significantly lower about one third the cost of
and offers accelerated depreciation of five to ten resulted in violence and ultimately the expulsion what they are in Chile and Colombia and about
years of foreign mining companies. The conflict was half the cost of electricity in Peru. The country
The latest available USGS report (2014) notes renewed when ENAMI partnered with the has invested in hydro power which generates
that despite known high-value mineral targets, Government of Chile on the Llurimagua project in some of the lowest power costs in all of Latin
the value of mining and quarrying activities 2011, and the controversy escalated further in America.
(including fabrication of non-metallic mineral September 2014 when a hastily completed 1,000- Back in 2014, the Ministry of Coordination of
products) have accounted for less than 1% of page environmental impact assessment released Strategic Sectors presented the Catalogue of
Ecuadors real GDP every year since at least by the Government of Ecuador was given a public investment for Strategic Sectors 2015-2017, in
2004. review period of less than two weeks. which the minerals projects included Llurimagua

24 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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COUNTRY FOCUS

(copper-molybdenum), Tola Norte (ferro-

Lumina Gold project map.
titaniferrous sands), Naguipa (gold and copper), Fruta del Norte sits
El Torneado (copper and molybdenum), La between them, about 139
km east--northeast of the
Bonita (gold and copper) and Pacto (gold and
city of Loja and Rio
polymetallics), among others offered. The Blanco is about 50 km
head of Strategic Sectors, Rafael Poveda, said west of Cuenca
then the government expects total
investments of about $133 billion in eight
mining projects.

Mirador copper
Immediate employment generation will be led
by the environmentally-challenged Mirador
copper project, which has a committed
investment of $1,700 million by EcuaCorriente. In
2009, Corriente Resources Inc estimated Mineral
resources at Mirador to include Measured and
Indicated of 438 Mt at 0.61% Cu, 0.19 g/t Au and
1.5 g/t Ag and Inferred of 235 Mt at 0.52% Cu,
0.17 g/t Au and 1.3 g/t Ag. Corriente completed
a feasibility study on milling 30,000 t/d from a
181 Mt in-pit resource, over a 19 year mine life,
and with a 0.8:1 strip ratio.
In 2010 Corriente Resources was acquired by
CRCC-Tongguan Investment Co, which is jointly-
owned by Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group
Holdings Co and China Railway Construction
Corp. There is conflict between the mining Fruta del Norte prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler, with the
company and local communities. Also in the Cordillera del Cndor region, the support of four other globally recognised,
This project is expected to be the first large Fruta del Norte (FDN) deposit is located within a leading engineering firms in a Technical Report
scale open pit mining operation in Ecuador. The 150 km long copper-gold metallogenic sub- filed on SEDAR in accordance with NI 43-101.
company expects to start the commissioning by province. Loja, the fourth-largest city in Ecuador, Highlights:
the end of 2018 with a milling capacity of 30,000 is the nearest city to the project area. FDN is I Probable Mineral Reserves totalling 4.82 Moz
t/d ore and two years later raise the capacity to situated about 139 km east-northeast of Loja. of gold and 6.34 Moz of silver (15.5 Mt at
60,000 t/d ore. An independent feasibility study was 9.67 g/t Au and 12.7 g/t Ag)
I Estimated average annual gold production of
340,000 oz at an average life of mine (LOM)
total cash cost of $553/oz and an estimated
LOM all-in sustaining cash cost (AISC) of
$623/oz, placing FDN in the lowest cash
cost quartile globally
I Estimated LOM production of approximately
4.4 Moz of gold and 5.2 Moz of silver over
an initial 13-year mine life using an average
gold recovery of 91.7% and average silver
recovery of 81.5%
I Estimated project capital cost, including
contingency, of $669 million, net of taxes.
On May 30, Lundin Gold reported the start of
construction of the mine development support
facilities. In addition, it had completed a project
update for FDN, including a revised mine plan,
updated capital and operating costs and a new
execution plan based on a self-perform
approach versus EPCM.
Lundin Gold President and Chief Executive
Officer, Ron Hochstein: "A remarkable amount
of work has been accomplished over the past
Banktrack produced this map of the Mirador project saying it threatened to poison rivers in the year to provide a comprehensive update to the
Upper Amazon Basin. The project is controversial, lying in the Cordillera del Condor, a richly project. The result of these efforts has led to a
biodiverse area and the territory of indigenous Shuar and Awajn people, which extends across the
border into Peru more technically robust and constructible

26 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

16-9131 WARMAN_SpareParts_Press_297x210_FA_OL.indd 1 12/1/17 11:46 am
COUNTRY FOCUS FOCUS- ECUADOR_proof 27/09/2017 09:21 Page 3

COUNTRY FOCUS

environmental footprint and Associates will continue to work on resource

maximising the benefits to the modelling.
local communities. The FS will Loma Larga is located in southern Ecuador in
provide the engineering and the Western Cordillera of the Andes, in Azuay
economic support to allow INV Province, ~480 km south of the capital of Quito
Metals to proceed with and ~30 km southwest of the city of Cuenca.
permitting and financing upon The property consists of three mining
completion. The FS is expected concessions (Cerro Casco, Rio Falso and Cristal)
to take up to 18 months to covering an area of ~8,000 ha.
complete. It can be accessed by 40 km of paved road
We continue our progress from Cuenca to the town of San Gerardo and 18
towards development and plan km of gravel road. Loma Larga is located at an
to commence the engineering altitude of 3,500 to 3,900 m above sea level.
Training for FDN operatives required to design and permit the development The company remains focused on exploration
of the mine adit, related infrastructure and and has budgeted $5 million for 2017; of which
project with an improved execution plan. In underground ramp to access the Loma Larga $3 million is allocated for a drill program at
addition, first gold production is now scheduled orebody to engage in an advanced exploration Loma Larga and $2 million is allocated for
for Q4 2019, versus Q1 2020, and commercial program, confirm geotechnical conditions and exploration at our regional properties. INV
production is achieved over six months sooner provide employment and training opportunities Metals also continues to aggressively pursue
than anticipated in the FS. In addition, the for the local work force. the acquisition of other highly prospective
update results in an improvement in the A consortium of consultants led by DRA concessions within Ecuador.
economics of the project." Americas will prepare the FS building upon the
The mining rate is expected to ramp up PFS prepared in 2016, which resulted in a
quicker, over a 12-month period, to an extraction positive 26.3% after-tax IRR, initial capital of
rate of 3,500 t/d until 2022, when the extraction $286 million, AISC of $590/oz of gold and an
rate is planned to reach 3,600 t/d. Average after tax NPV of $301 million. DRA will supervise
annual gold production is anticipated to exceed the preparation of the FS report and complete
300,000 oz over 15 years (13 years in the FS) at the engineering and costing for mining,
an average LOM total cash cost of $561/oz and a processing facilities, and infrastructure, along
LOM AISC of $609/oz. LOM production is with overall financial modelling. ERM
expected to be approximately 4.5 Moz of gold Consultants Canada is responsible for the
and 5.5 Moz of silver. Estimated project capital overseeing and preparation of the
cost, including contingency and pre-production environmental, community and social relations,
costs and revenues, is $684 million, net of taxes, and environmental permitting aspects.
compared to $669 million in the FS. This revised NewFields Mining Design & Technical Services
estimate includes the cost of mining equipment will advise on waste management, while Itasca
and the paste plant, estimated at $58 million, Denver will continue to work on hydrogeological
previously included in sustaining capital. modelling and test work, Mine Design
The revised mine plan has a more even Engineering will continue its work on
distribution of transverse stoping and drift & fill geotechnical modelling, and Roscoe Postle
over the entire life of mine. The company
believes that the extraction sequence is more Loma Larga PFS highlights
geotechnically stable and carries less risk than
the sequence contemplated in the FS. Estimated mine life ~12 years
Project economics at a gold price of Average mine production rate 3,000 t/d
$1,250/oz and a silver price of $20/oz resulted Tonnes processed 11.64 Mt
in an NPV5 of $1,323 million (pre-tax), $717 Average grade of mined mineral reserve 4.98 g/t Au, 28.00 g/t Ag, 0.29% Cu
million after tax; IRR 24.7% (pre-tax), 16.3% Average annual gold production 150,000 oz
after tax; and a pre-tax payback of 3.1 years, 4.0 Total gold production 1.68 Moz
years after tax. Total silver production 9.83 Moz
Total copper production 71.30 Mlbs
Loma Larga Adjusted operating costs(1) $510/oz Au sold
In June this year INV Metals commenced the AISC $590/oz Au sold
preparation of the FS on its 100% owned Loma Initial capital costs $285.9 million
Larga gold project. Ms Candace MacGibbon, Sustaining capital and closure costs $94.2 million
CEO: INV Metals will partner with an Pre-tax IRR 35.7%
outstanding group of professionals to work with After-tax IRR 26.3%
our team to achieve our goal to develop the Pre-tax NPV @ 5% $489.9 million
underground mine with anticipated annual gold After-tax NPV @ 5% $300.9 million
production of approximately 150,000 oz over a Gold price $1,250/oz
12 year mine life, while minimising our

28 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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COUNTRY FOCUS FOCUS- ECUADOR_proof 27/09/2017 09:21 Page 4

COUNTRY FOCUS

Inferred category
I Mineralisation is contained in two VMS
lenses
I 2,300-ha project in two concessions, strikes
for almost 4 km and includes six priority
exploration targets.
Salazar Resources is engaged in the
exploration and development of prospective
areas in Ecuador. Led by a senior Ecuadorian
management team and most notably, Fredy
Salazar, this team has been instrumental in
several major discoveries throughout Ecuador.
The property portfolio (four projects - 45,250
ha) includes the Curipamba project; a VMS
district located in central-west Ecuador in the
Western Mountain range's Macuchi Group about
a 2.5-hour drive from Guayaquil and about 250
km southwest of Quito.
Mendez is located in the Province of Morona
Santiago, Cantones Limn Indanza, Santiago de
Mendez and Suca. The project area covers
9,472 ha and is a Cu-Zn-Mo (gold) porphyry
system. The copper mineralisation is associated
with 2-3% of sulphides and multi-directional
veinlets in a granodioritic to quartz diorite
And more. 134,573 ha. composition of the complex porphyritic events.
Ro Blanco (Chinas Junefield Mineral Resources) Toachi Mining has an option to earn between Salazar owns 100% of Rumiahui project that
is a $79 million underground gold and silver a 60%-75% interest in La Plata gold-copper-zinc covers a total area of 2,910 ha of prospective Au-
mine development expected to come on stream volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS): Cu-Ag. The property is located about 100 km
this year. It production, according to I Former Cambior project from 1996-2000 and northwest of Quito.
BNAmericas, is estimated 67,910 oz/y gold and Cornerstone Capital,2006-2007 The 100% owned Santiago project is located
478,456 oz/y silver. I High grade gold-rich VMS deposit which within Tertiary volcanics, in a geological setting
The project is located approximately 50 km supported small-scale operations, 1975- similar to the Loma Larga deposit and the Rio
west of Cuenca and some 320 km southwest of 1981 Blanco deposit, 110 km west of FDN gold deposit
Quito. The property is situated on the western I Historic resources based on drilling by and 60 km south from Loma Larga.
flank of the Western Cordillera in southwest Cambior and Cornerstone were estimated at Chinese company Ecsa Ecuacorriente is
Ecuador. 913,977 t grading 8.01 g/t Au, 88.3 g/t Ag, exploring the San Carlos Panantza copper
The Cascabel project is a porphyry copper- 5.01% Cu, 6.71% Zn and 0.78% Pb in the project. Like Mirador, this project is in conflict
gold deposit located in the north. It lies just with the indigenous Shuar people.
off the main road, an easy three-hour drive Returning to the 2014 USGS report, it notes:
north of Quito. Cascabel is SolGold's flagship Mineral deposits in Ecuador were determined
project and shows significant promise of to include antimony, copper, gold, iron ore, and
hosting a Tier 1 resource, the company silver. Five districts, all of which encompassed
reports. some amount of protected area, were identified
Exploraciones Novomining (ENSA) holds as prospective for metal deposits; they were the
100% of the Cascabel concession and SolGold Alao Paute, the Azuay, the Imbaoeste, La Plata,
owns 85% of ENSA. It is a JV between ENSA and the Zamora Districts. About two dozen
and Cornerstone Capital Resources. SolGold foreign mining companies had active projects in
owns 11% of Cornerstone. The tenement area Ecuador by the early 2000s, and the country
is 50 km. was known to host worldclass copper and gold
Lumina Gold is a Vancouver based Canadian deposits. Continued structural reform and policy
precious and base metals exploration and revisions in the mineral sector, which resulted in
development company focused on gold and one of the highest tax rates in Latin America,
copper projects in Ecuador. The Cangrejos Au- contributed to decreased exploration investment
Cu project (4 Moz Au Inferred Resource) is as well as disinvestment or divestiture by
located in El Oro province, southwest Ecuador, mining companies already active in Ecuador. In
and the Condor Au-Ag-Cu project (8 Moz Au 2014, the Governments efforts in the mining
Indicated Resource) is located in Zamora- industry were focused on eradicating artisanal
Chinchipe Province, southeast Ecuador. mining operations and mitigating the barriers to
Lumina also holds a large and highly foreign investment that had been in place since
prospective land package in Ecuador of over the late 2000s. IM

30 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

SULZER PUMPS COMPANY PROFILE_proof 26/09/2017 11:08 Page 2

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OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 31

THICKENING AND DRYING_proof 26/09/2017 11:33 Page 1

THICKENING AND DRYING

up out the mud should a high torque condition

occur. The torque is constantly monitored and as
it decreases due to higher pump out rates or
reduced inflow of mud, the rakes are indexed
back down to their lowest position.
Paste Thickeners offer the operator the ability
to produce the highest underflow
concentrations and yield stress muds possible
with gravity settling alone. These tanks typically
have aspect ratios (height:diameter) of 1:1 to
1.5:1 and steep underflow cones ranging from 25
to 60 degrees. The principal design
consideration for a Paste Thickener is the mud
residence time. Well known to IM readers, paste
is a term used to describe a mud from which
there is little to no further segregation of free
water from the solids. To further enhance the
Thickening is at the core of formation of the paste, rakes are often equipped
tailings management at most
major mining operations with vertical rods, or angles, that protrude
upward in the tank. These pickets cut
channels through the mud, creating passage

Solidifying solutions ways for trapped water to be liberated from the

mud as it compacts.
Success of your thickening system requires
that a sound effort is made to understand the
Thickening is inherent to water recycling and saving,
tailings. This is done by a number of suppliers
while efficient drying allows production of a free through detailed settling and viscosity analysis
flowing, quality final product. Paul Moore looks at some of the muds. Methods for continuous settling
tests have been developed in the past 15 years
products and developments and have been shown to give a much better set
of data for sizing and selection of the thickeners
he most significant market for thickeners tails are to be stored, placed, transported and than static tests.

T in mining is tailings management, with

different type of thickeners employed for
different strategies. In general, if the tailings are
produced are key to honing in on the thickener
design.
High Rate Thickeners are used to provide
Outotec continues to enhance High
Rate Thickener
finer (-38 microns) and if ponds are still the lower yield stress muds. These are muds that Thickening technology continues to evolve. The
desired method for storage, it is worthwhile to can be easily pumped and flow out over Outotec High Rate Thickener has now been on
consider a thickener to prepare the tailings relatively large areas under gravity conditions the market for some years and includes
before sending the entire stream out to a pond. alone. They provide operations with a relatively advances such as low-profile triangular rake
Thickeners reduce the total volume headed to inexpensive way to recover water and transport arms to reduce rake torque. But in addition to
ponds, as well as return a majority of process thickened tailings to an impoundment. Water this, the Outotec Directional Autodil and
water to the plant immediately. and solids will further segregate in the Outotec Turbodil the company states were the
In processing operations, there are three impoundment area, which needs dealt with by first thickening systems to auto-dilute feed
basic styles of thickeners: High Rate, High returning to the process plant, evaporation or while optimising performance and flocculant
Density, and Paste. McLanahan Corporation told discharge. The High Rate Thickener, whether it consumption. The Outotec FrothBuster
IM: Each of these thickeners shares a similar sits flat on the ground or is elevated, collects deaerator reduces the amount of froth forming
operation as far as feeding and collection of the mud in a shallow cone, generally between 9 and on the surface of thickeners and the innovative
settled solids. The selection of which thickener 12 degrees. The side walls for these units are Outotec Vane Feedwell incorporates
style fits your needs depends heavily upon what the lowest for the three styles of thickeners and interconnected upper and lower zones to further
the plans are downstream for the resulting mud. offer the shortest residence time for the mud to improve performance.
As we progress from High Rate to the Paste compact. Feedwells are a significant factor in thickener
Thickener, the underflow solids concentration High Density Thickeners are used when performance. The cutting-edge design of the
possible will increase. Here is where the concept producers need a bit higher solids concentration Outotec Vane Feedwell marked it says the first
of yield stress comes in to play. Yield stress is or mud yield stress. They are sized to give major innovation in the thickening and clarifying
the minimum amount of shear stress required to longer mud residence times to allow for further industry since the early 1990s. One of the main
initiate and sustain flow. The higher the compaction, and the rake drives and supporting design features is the interconnected upper and
underflow solids concentration, then the higher structures must be designed to deal with a lower zones. The upper zone, into which feed,
the yield stress. Mine planners can best higher yield stress mud. dilution water, and flocculant are added, provides
determine the thickening process by starting at McLanahan adds: Both the High Rate and enhanced mixing and energy dissipation. This
the end of the system and working backwards. High Density Thickeners are generally supplied maximises flocculant adsorption, eliminates the
Answers to the questions regarding how the with rake lifting mechanisms to pull the rakes possibility of coarse/fines segregation, and

32 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

THICKENING AND DRYING_proof 28/09/2017 13:22 Page 2

THICKENING AND DRYING

series of quality and productivity generate high volumes of dilution liquor and
incidents related to the leach feed optimise flocculant flow rates and mixing. The
thickener had delayed E-Volute Feedwell is marked by feed stream
corresponding improvements in total dissipation, optimal mixing energy and shear
output.One of the sites primary profiles and an even feed distribution into the
concerns was around what was thickener tank.
considered to be excessive The mine agreed to this solution as it directly
consumption of flocculant. targeted the identified under-performance
FLSmidth are our on-site characteristics low flocculant efficiency and
maintenance contractors and feed distribution. We gave FLSmidth the
although the thickener wasnt one of contract partly because of the solution they
theirs we asked them to take a look offered, partly because of their experience with
and come up with a solution that thickeners and primarily because they could
Outotec Directional Autodil and Outotec would reduce floc consumption and improve handle the total project from design to handover.
Turbodil are the first thickening systems to performance and reliability of the thickener, said a They were responsible for all engineering,
auto-dilute feed while optimising performance
and flocculant consumption mine spokesperson. planning and scheduling, project management
Essentially, the thickener was undersize for and installation and commissioning.No one else
ensures all particles are aggregated by the the job it was being asked to do. It was an off- could give us that end to end solution.
flocculant. Efficient operation is maintained in the-shelf design and not optimised for the duty, Additionally, economies of scale and a range
this upper zone over varying feed rates. meaning any increase in feed led to immediate of efficiency savings were realised because
The lower zone promotes gentle mixing for performance issues. The feed system was found FLSmidth could retain the whole project in-
continued aggregate growth, with the option for to be too small and hampered by the amount of house, including fabrication of all components
secondary flocculant dosing. This zone also air being drawn into the feedwell. The outdated at the companys Welshpool facility.
enables the uniform discharge of aggregates density-reliant feed dilution system meant that FLSmidth says the upgraded thickener is
under low shear conditions. the feed system was not being diluted, resulting delivering impressive results. Data received from
To decrease the level of feed solids prior to in high flocculant consumption, poor overflow the mine shows a marked reduction in flocculant
flocculation, Outotec developed a patented quality and lower than desired density. consumption. At steady-state operation above
directional autodilution system that harnesses The technology in place also suffered 900 t/h, consumption has been reduced by some
the natural head difference across the feedwell markedly from biased feed distribution into the 34% on a gram per tonne basis. Based solely on
wall. This drives supernatant liquor into the thickener, resulting in a constrained surface area anticipated flocculant savings, the ROI for the
feedwell, where slurry dilution, mixing, and and residence time available for compaction. upgrade is expected to be around twelve months.
flocculation take place. Autodilution ensures the The biased flows also increased feedwell exit Additionally, average thickener underflows
density in the feedwell is within the optimum shear rates and would have significantly have been increased by 2% (w/w) a level that
range for flocculation, irrespective of feed flow reduced overall agglomerate size at the feedwell has been set to limit increases in viscosity in the
rate or density. exit, requiring an excessive flocculant CIL. They are now held at 50% - up from 48%,
The company has also developed the Outotec consumption rate. which gives an additional 6% residence time in
Turbodil patented system of forced dilution to Following sedimentation performance tests, a the leach circuit, which helps to maximise
provide an effective feed dilution scheme for process and mechanical review and full recoveries. According to the mine, the upgrade
alternative process requirements. The system structural analysis of the bridge and thickener project went flawlessly, so much so that the
uses a low head axial pump to drive dilution by FLSmidth, the solution offered was a proven shutdown schedule was reduced by three shifts.
water into the feedwell. combination of the companys E-Duc dilution Being able to return to full production 36 hours
Outotec Turbodil can help meet your technology and the E-Volute Feedwell. The ahead of schedule has been a significant win for
requirements when the process requires further E-Duc system uses feed stream momentum to our production.
dilution of already low feed concentrations; high
volumes of feed dilution flow are required to
bring the incoming feed to the required density;
large variations in feed conditions are
anticipated; or low slurry specific gravity
differential exists between the feed slurry and
the overflow liquor due to the particles in the
slurry having a low specific gravity.

FLSmidth thickener upgrade in WA

A gold mine in Western Australia wanted
flocculant consumption reduced and thickener
performance improved; and the resulting
upgrade program instituted by mineral
processing specialists FLSmidth also delivered
substantial improvements in productivity and
output.
As mining had ramped up at the mine, a FLSmidth says an upgraded gold mine thickener in Western Australia is delivering impressive results

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 33

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THICKENING AND DRYING

WesTech optimises thickeners maximising the solids WesTech EvenFlo

There is still room for innovation in the thickening settling rate. feedwell design
market. When first developed, through the use of WesTechs TOP
advanced computation fluid dynamics (CFD), thickener drive design
WesTech Engineerings patented, two-stage includes direct in-line
EvenFlo feedwell showed great promise as a high-efficiency reducer
step-change in thickener and clarifier function. Its and motor stacks, a
theoretical performance was applauded by an durable precision
impressive audience, not least of which the bearing, state-of-the-
Australian Minerals Industries Research art torque protection,
Association (AMIRA). They concluded, after rake lifting capability,
analysing the EvenFlo feedwell design, that: and a customised
n The feedwell offers a novel way to convert design for each
the feed rotational energy into a nearly radial application.
flow Each TOP control
n It achieves good momentum and energy system package is
dissipation customised to meet
n It consistently produces even discharge flow the specific needs for a given application. demonstrated how thickened tails can be air-
over a range of flow rates Designs can range from a reactive control logic, dried sufficiently so they can be easily relocated
n The solids and flocculant are well mixed and with a high level of operator interface to a using bulk handling equipment. The method
well dispersed within this zone proactive control logic, with complete automation requires low capital expenditure (CAPEX) and
n The flocculant addition strategy is very and minimal operator interface. As settling solids operational expenditure (OPEX), substantially
effective begin to compact together, water becomes less than required by filtration. Other sites may
n Whether or not the creation of the trapped in the interstitial spaces between the find that the required size of the deposition area
recirculation or flocculating zone was solids. In contrast to vertical pickets, inclined is a drawback to air-drying thickened tails as a
intended in the feedwell design, it was very pickets provide a progressive cavity that allows method for dry stacking. The loss of water due to
effective for a continuous and unhindered pathway for evaporation may also limit its use. The idea is
The EvenFlo feedwell provides energy water to escape from the compacted zone. obviously in its infancy and may not be widely
dissipation as well as even distribution of the Low profile rake support structures cut applicable, but the concept is sound, and
feed into the thickener. Feed enters the inner through the compacted slurry. Blade extension WesTech is investigating its use at other sites.
chamber, which induces a head loss through a posts elevate the support structures from the
narrow opening to eliminate the rotational solids transport zone. This results in lower Inclined plate thickening
momentum of the feed. Flow from the inner energy consumption and more available torque Pejman Oghazi, Metso Global Product Manager
chamber is directed to the bottom outer shelf in for solids transport. for Sedimentation told IM: As a company an
the feedwell and forces the feed to change WesTechs Vortex recirculation system important focus product range for us in
direction a second time. The feed exits the stabilises underflow density control. An thickening is our Inclined Plate Settlers (IPS),
feedwell in an evenly distributed flow pattern in intermittent recirculation loop is used when which cover a wide range of applications such as
the thickener. The EvenFlo feedwell design also underflow density is below specification. The potash, process water treatment, zinc
provides even flow into the thickener tank geometry of the TOP dewatering chamber concentrate, oil sand/water separation and soil
through a wide range of feed flow rates. Feed provides additional solids residence time and a decontamination. IPS units have a smaller
flow variations only change the head level in the larger inventory for compacted solids. Inclined footprint and give the user great advantages in
inner chamber while even flow distribution scrapers are used for further dewatering within indoor and underground installations. As with
continues into the main portion of the feedwell the chamber. other technologies, the better you dewater your
and then into the thickener tank. WesTech also says its approach to elevated material in a thickener/filter, the more you save
As we all know, theory and reality often take tank design is unique. An algorithm has been energy on drying.
divergent paths, but now that EvenFlo has developed to simultaneously analyse parameters The IPS range includes the LTO, LTS and LTK
surpassed 50 installations, there is no longer any such as beam size, beam quantity, leg size, and clarifiers. Metsos inclined plate principle uses
question about the real benefits. It is changing leg location. Designs are verified using structural parallel inclined plates to minimise floor area
performance expectations for sedimentation analysis software. Finally, flow distribution occupation. The size and cost of the gravity
devices around the world, particularly in patterns can be analysed using Computational settler can be reduced by matching the
metallurgical applications like concentrate and Fluid Dynamics (CFD). WesTech uses CFD thickening and clarifying requirements more
tailings. technology as a tool to optimise the feed closely. Two basic criteria for gravity settling
EvenFlo forms part of WesTechs Thickener distribution system design. equipment are good clarity of the overflow liquid
Optimisation Package (TOP), which adds ten Moving on to dry-stack tailings, a WesTech and maximum density of the underflow solids
innovative features to the thickener to provide a customer recently built a groundbreaking system discharge. The area needed to clarify a
better process solution. In addition to EvenFlo, that does not require filters. In a region that can suspension is often greater than that needed for
the AirLift Feedwell Dilution option allows receive more than 300 mm of rain in a month, the thickening. This means that in a cylindrical
thickener operators to target a specific dilution client is able to deposit a non-Newtonian slurry thickening tank, the lower section with rakes and
flow rate with controlled precision without upsetting from their WesTech paste thickener and air dry it drive mechanism can be oversized. Metso says
quiescent settling conditions. Optimised feedwell within a few days, permitting relocation of the IPS has proven interesting in the potash industry,
dilution can minimise chemical consumption while tailings with mobile equipment. A case study such as at the Werra site of K+S Kali, where three

34 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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THICKENING AND DRYING

Metso IPS units allow guarantees equal highest availability. For 30 years, DELKOR high
positioning of specifically
designed feed ports for an distribution to all quality drives have set the standard and with the
optimum ratio between the inclined plate pack more recent advent of FEA, the designs have
clarification and chambers with been refined and improved to work seamlessly
thickening area
minimum with the tracking system. The high torque and
turbulence at the entry stresses associated with paste have made the
large Setl type settlers have points. drive design and selection even more important.
been operating successfully The solids settle onto and DELKORs Auto Dilution system has the
for a number of years. slide down each plate pack capability of adding very large volumes of
Prefabricated units are to the sludge tank where the dilution liquor through the double concentric ring
available with up to a 500 m2 solids are further thickened and design. Operating data from one installation
settling area. The Inclined compressed with the assistance of shows high feed volumes at 40% being diluted to
Plate Settler (IPS) consists of the raking system. 12% solids using the system. This unique design
two main components, the of high dilution capability enhances flocculation
upper tank containing the Thickener drives from that contributes to reduced polymer usage.
lamella plates inclined at 55 DELKOR DELKORs patented Forced Dilution system is
and the lower conical or DELKOR, the solid liquid also capable of adding additional overflow liquor
cylindrical sludge tank. separation specialist that is into the feed of a thickener using a low head
The feed for the IPS part of the Tenova axial pump to drive dilution water into the
enters through TAKRAF group, provides feedwell. The main advantage of the Forced
vertical chambers proven thickener drive Dilution system is that it takes the overflow
on either side of the technology including liquor from a large surface area negating the
plate packs and passes single planetary units risk of causing localised high internal rise rates.
into each plate gap through delivering 1.2 MNm of torque as well The system then optimally mixes with the feed to
slotted feed ports. Clarification takes place above as multi-pinion centre drive systems capable of produce an ideal slurry concentration prior to
the suspension inlet so there is no mixing of the 14 MNm of torque. With more than a thousand flocculation, which improves setting and reduces
clarified fluid with the incoming feed. operating thickeners our drive design is well flocculant consumption. Another advantage of
Above each pack is a full-length overflow known to be highly reliable and can be operated DELKORs patented Forced Dilution system is its
launder fitted with throttling holes to create a hydraulically or electrically. As process plants ability to draw large volumes from the surface of
slight hydraulic back pressure on the incoming seldom include standby thickeners, we focus on the thickener. This attribute enhances the
feed stream. This method of feed control providing the best design to ensure the client withdrawal and elimination of froth layers.

DIEMME FILTRATION FAST CYCLING FILTER PRESS GHT F

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www.aqseptence.com

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 35

THICKENING AND DRYING_proof 26/09/2017 11:34 Page 5

THICKENING AND DRYING

surface and higher feed pressures.

Evoquas IPM MC Press filter press offers
unique design features and a simplified
operation. The MC Press Filter Press the
company says achieves the driest filter cakes and
provides a "lights-out" operation. The MC Press
Filter Press from Evoqua is one of the most
versatile dewatering devices for use in high
solids filtration applications which is designed
and manufactured under the strictest ISO
9011:2008 quality management system. With
unique design features and a simplified
operation, it can achieve the driest filter cakes
with or without diaphragm squeeze. The MC
Press filter press provides high cake discharge
consistency, low cake moisture content and
superior reliability coupled with greatly reduced
maintenance requirements.
The MC Press is utilised in the mining industry
to process tailings and mineral concentrates in
every environment, including the most rugged
DELKORs thickener drive design is well known traditional sand dams with a water ratio of 0.7 environments at the highest, driest altitudes.
to be highly reliable and can be operated m3/t. Evoqua also offers the J-Press filter press by JWI
hydraulically or electrically
By enabling mines to reuse between 90-95% designed specifically for the Merrill-Crowe process
of their process water, the filter solution would for gold mines. Ideal for larger operations, the D
Furthermore, DELKOR can support operators thus enable mining companies in Chile to reduce model incorporates many of the same features as
with its proprietary Shear Thinning System, which their fresh water intake by more than 70%. the S model, with four short stroke hydraulic
allows operators to maximise the underflow Operators also look at options to increase the cylinders, a mechanical drive system for cake
density of the thickener whilst reducing the risk of specific filtration rate. For these applications, discharge, and linked plates. Both ends of the D
pumping these high yield stress materials. such as tailings, DELKOR introduced the FAST model press move simultaneously, further
DELKOR told IM: The advantages of the 2nd Filter Press (FP) technology which provides for increasing efficiency by speeding cake discharge.
generation DELKOR Shear Thinning System are higher specific throughput thanks to its short The D model is available with up to 130 filter
various. It provides the lowest yield stress relative cycle times. That is achieved by the FAST FP plate chambers for a throughput capacity of up to 170
to energy input of any shear thinning system and pack closing system with a pressure cushion t/h on a typical mineral concentrate.
can be retrofitted to any existing thickener instead of hydraulic cylinders. This ensures an McLanahan says its Filter Presses provide
underflow system. It ensures no short circuiting of improved load distribution across the plate customers in the mining and minerals industry
unsheared material due to its in line design,
optimised using CFD modelling.

Filter press foundations

To optimise the capital and operating costs of
plants operating at large tonnages, FLSmidth
recently came up with the AFP-IV Colossal
filter. The filter enables effective dewatering of
large volumes of tailings with less than half the
number of filters required with competing large
filters. The new filter not only increases the
amount of water that is returned to the plant for
reuse, it is also able to decrease the amount of
water that is lost to the environment through
evaporation and seepage. These are two major
hurdles that can be expensive and difficult to
overcome in traditional wet tailings facilities.
To prove the operating and financial benefits of
their large format tailings dewatering facility,
FLSmidth partnered with a large mining company
in Chile and installed a complete tailings filter
system to process approximately 10,000 t/d of
whole tailings. A full scale implementation of this
Unlike the traditional plate and frame press, McLanahans Filter Ppress line features either recessed
technology would allow mines to operate with a plate or membrane plates, both of which create a chamber for dewatering the slurry without trapping
water make-up ratio of 0.2 m3/t, compared to the cakes within the frames

36 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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THICKENING AND DRYING_proof 26/09/2017 11:34 Page 6

THICKENING AND DRYING

with a proven technology capable of producing a The ThyssenKrupp POLSHAFT retention time in the unit of
dryer operates according to the
drip-free cake from concentrates and a wide counterflow principle only a few seconds until
range of waste material. Customers looking to they are completely dry. This
reduce or eliminate settling/tailings ponds, as continuous supply of hot gas. The is very important, for
well as those unable to receive permitting, are material is swirled up by the example, in the case of
cited as ideal candidates for Filter Presses. paddle shafts which are temperature-sensitive
Additionally, customers who currently have belt integrated into the bottom of the materials.
presses, centrifuges or screw presses, but are dryer and provide the conditions The thermal shock,
looking for a better solution that produces a drier for fast and very intensive which results from the
product should contact McLanahan about the vapourisation of the hot gas material surface water
benefits of this equipment. It can help with owing to convection. Depending spontaneously and violently
reclamation or reduce transportation and on the material properties, the evaporating, causes
disposal costs of waste products. material can simultaneously be possibly existing larger
Unlike the traditional plate and frame press, disagglomerated and agglomerations to burst
McLanahans Filter Ppress line features either subsequently, the product quality even at the feed point. On
recessed plate or membrane plates, both of can be increased. the other hand, micro-
which create a chamber for dewatering the slurry The retention time of the agglomerations survive the
without trapping the cakes within the frames. material can also be influenced by drying process. The flash
This allows the dewatered cakes to discharge the design of the special dryer is suitable for
more easily than with traditional plate and frame internals; the material is interconnection with other
presses. Recessed plates dewater using hydraulic transported within the dryer both machines, eg a mill or a
pressure created from feed pumps, while by the paddle shafts and POLCAL gas suspension
membrane plates are designed to squeeze the pneumatically by the hot gases. preheater.
cake once the chamber is full of slurry. The next design, the POLSHAFT
In an effort to provide a safer, simpler and dryer, operates according to the Fluid bed technology
smarter design, McLanahan has also engineered counterflow principle. It is Metsos fluid bed technology
its Filter Presses to feature overhead beams and specifically designed to reduce is just one of its drying
a single piston design. The combination of four the moisture content of pellets or briquettes to a options and is applicable in a multitude of
tension shafts and a single cylinder results in level acceptable for the kiln feed. Its unique industries and in minerals processing such as
less horsepower, fewer control valves, and less design enables efficient heat exchange and mineral sands (ilmenite,rutile, zircon, leucoxene,
complexity, all while still isolating the overhead generates only a small amount of fines, this garnet), iron ore drying, diatomaceous earth,
beams from dynamic loads. The overhead beam improving the overall plant efficiency. Preheated phosphates & potash, lithium (spodumene), lime
style results in faster opening and closing for air (eg. 300C) reaches the upper as well as the and various other industries. Fluid bed
greater production and better cake release, as lower part by means of a drying air fan. In the technology can be for stand-alone units or
well as providing larger plate openings for better upper section the hot gas enters the chamber complete system deliveries including PLC control,
access for cleaning and maintenance. and flows through a bundle of pipes from top to dust/product collection, product conveying (feed
Due to the variability in permeability and bottom. The pipes warm up and contribute to the and discharge), exhaust gas handling, heat
surface area, each material should be tested drying process. To reach the required heat, the exchanging, and fuel delivery systems. The
prior to the sizing a Filter Press. Other drying air is heated to a constant and controlled introduction of an appropriate air flow into the
parameters are used for greenfield sites when drying temperature by using an air heater. In the system brings about the onset of
testing isnt possible. McLanahan is able to offer lower section a cross construction and an fluidisation.The air flow passes through the bed
both lab and on-site pilot testing. arrangement of gas entry and exit cones ensure of material and suspends the particles in a fluid
the distribution of the hot gas which passes state.The bed has the appearance of a
ThyssenKrupp drying options through the material in counterflow. The dried vigorously boiling liquid, and will flow steadily
Moving on to drying technology, with one of the material is discharged through a cone into a tube through the vessel from one side to the other and
widest ranges of dryers in the industry, which empties into a vibrating feeder. discharge over a set weir plate or bed level
ThyssenKrupp can offer solutions to most drying The company also supplies Rotary Dryers, control feeder. Each particle is suspended by its
tasks in the mining and minerals industry. The used in the minerals industry for drying wet own pocket of gas maximising the heat transfer
key components of the Rapid Dryer are a and/or abrasive materials. They are designed for rate.This results in an extremely efficient heat
compact stationary housing in welded design, a very high throughputs and can process materials transfer process.
paddle-shaft unit (consisting of one or two with diverse granulometric properties. Metso has supplied over 4,000 dryers for over
paddle shafts which are integrated in the dryer In a Flash Dryer, the material is fed into the 400 different materialsfor operations around the
bottom), special dryer internals for the hot gas riser duct of the dryer, through which hot drying world. This experience translates into better
and material conveyance, as well as connections gases from a combustion chamber, or exhaust performance, higher availability and easier
for the hot gas and material supply. The product gases from other thermal processes, flow from maintenance. Materials act differently during
is discharged either through a gate valve for the bottom to the top. The gas and material are drying. They may be sticky whenbeing fed to the
solids in the bottom of the Rapid Dryer or mixed intensively due to the special design. The dryer, or they may become sticky during drying.
together with the stream of hot gas. dried product is normally collected in a cyclone. They may agglomerate during drying, or become
The moist and lumpy or fine-grained raw Excellent mixing of the material and good flow dust. In some cases the material needs to be
material is fed into the Rapid Dryer and dried in conditions ensure very high drying speeds, such dried completely, bone dry, and in some cases
the housing in the parallel flow due to that even very moist materials often need a the material is only partially dried. IM

38 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

HIGH PROFILE- BMT_proof 26/09/2017 11:05 Page 1

HIGH PROFILE

Prototype mining vehicle during factory

acceptance tests

in countless industrial applications, and the

team expects to encounter weathered granite in
various grades in this pit.
The infrastructure present at the site, in
combination with nearby facilities and services,
made this site the first choice for VAMOS!. Early
in 2017 it was decided to go ahead with making
preparations for testing at Lee Moor. As the site
had been out of service for a significant period
of time, a bathymetric survey was carried out to
examine the submerged environment. While
various VAMOS! equipment was finalised, built
and tested, and with the development of

Flooded riches
software and communications still ongoing, civil
works at Lee Moor started in June. A safe
working area was required, to bring in the
equipment with heavy transport trucks and
launch the system components. Also a slurry
Paul Moore spoke to Jenny Rainbird, Senior Project depot was created on land, which will capture
Manager, BMT Group, about progress with the VAMOS! the material being pumped up as a slurry while
mining underwater. Meanwhile the site set-up
underwater mining project, while the project team have has been completed with offices, fencing,
provided an update on the first trials in the UK welfare and workshop units.
During the trials, the Lee Moor site operates a
s populations grow and per capita increased safety and a reduction of costs make strict safety regime in accordance with the UK

A minerals requirements increase, concerns

over access to critical raw materials has
become an increasingly urgent issue with
the approach very attractive from a commercial
viewpoint. The project is conducting its first set
of full-scale field trials over the next two months
Construction Design and Management
Regulations and Quarry Regulations. At the end
of August 2017 the first equipment arrived on
around 30 million jobs directly reliant on access in Lee Moor, Devon, with a second trial planned site, and the pontoons of the Launch & Recovery
to raw materials across Europe. Some experts for Vare, Bosnia and Herzegovina in spring Vessel (LARV) built by Damen (The Netherlands)
believe the supply of critical minerals and 2018. If the trials are successful, the technology have now been deployed and assembled, with
metals will just run out in the next few decades. used in these flooded inland deposits will be outfitting going on until mid-September. The
An alternative view is that increased efficiency in equally applicable to use in offshore mineral Mining Vehicle (MV) was built at Soil Machine
the use of raw materials and new scientific deposits. Dynamics facilities in Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK)
methods for the identification and extraction of and is in the final stage of its Factory
new mineral deposits will help to secure these Lee Moor case study Acceptance Testing. Together with the Shore
resources beyond the current unsettling The VAMOS! team have visited several former Control Cabin, the MV will be brought to site and
predictions. mine sites over the last two years, investigating the MV will be launched on the LARV soon.
VAMOS! is a jointly funded EU research suitability for field testing. Following a careful Positioning, Navigation and Awareness systems
project doing exactly that. The project has built selection process, eventually two mine sites will be integrated next, after which the full
a prototype underwater mining system, allowing were selected, in which the novel mining system can be commissioned.
extraction from previously inaccessible inland technique will be tried out. The first one is in the The VAMOS! Team says it is expecting that at
underwater mineral deposits. The novel system UK: Whitehill Yeo pit at Lee Moor, Devon. This Lee Moor the equipment can be tested to its
includes a remotely controlled mining vehicle site is kindly made available by Imerys, the limits and thus contribute to the project goals
prototype from Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD), world leader in mineral-based specialties for and the EUs raw materials strategy. IM
piloted using VR techniques from the shore, industry, which delivers
equipped with sensors to assess ore grade. The high value-added,
vehicle is launched from a floating support functional solutions to a
vessel allowing the extracted material to be great number of sectors,
pumped directly from the pit to a pre-processing from processing
dewatering plant on the shore. industries to consumer
Jenny Rainbird, Senior Project Manager, BMT goods and building
Group Ltd told IM: The environmental impact of products.
inland underwater mining is greatly reduced in The pit is a flooded
comparison with conventional mining.Noise, kaolin mine, which
vibration, dust and energy use are reduced and ceased operation in
there is a much lower impact on the local 2008. The kaolin, also
community, ground water regime and surface known as china clay, is a
environment. Improved resource utilisation, decomposed form of granite and is being used Mobilisation at the Lee Moor site

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 39

IPCC_proof 26/09/2017 13:06 Page 1

IPCC

MMDs latest offering, a Fully Mobile Surge

Loader, is poised to help open-pit mines
harness the benefits of continuous mining,
using their existing truck fleet

handling product portfolio and will provide

clients with the most comprehensive combined
product portfolio in the industry.
The combined portfolio and reference lists
will provide FLSmidth customers extensive
options for IPCC systems including a full range
of fixed, relocatable, semi-mobile and fully
mobile crushing and sizing stations that will
incorporate the ABON Sizer and FLSmidth top
service gyratory crushers in both shovel and
truck fed stations. It will also add bucket wheel
excavators and continuous mining capabilities
to the existing myriad of mobile conveying

In-pit insights
options that includes belt wagons, mobile belt
bridges and the FLSmidth RAHCO mobile reclaim
conveyor technologies.
Through combined capabilities for large
(>22,000 t/h) capacity conveying capabilities
With a major acquisition, new designs and technologies, and references, large capacity stacking and
the IPCC market seems to be picking up again, reflecting reclaiming ranges, coupled with a range of
portable conveyors, large range of boom
renewed market interest reports Paul Moore spreaders, as well as FLSmidth mobile stacking
he big news in the IPCC market is that stations, two more will be delivered going conveyor technologies, the company says it

T finally, Sandvik succeeded in selling

Sandvik Mining Systems, perhaps
unexpectedly, to FLSmidth, Sandvik having
forward. TYHI has existing experience in China,
having delivered a system for the TISCO
Yuanjiacun iron mine that has been working well
gives clients a choice of a varied selection
depending on ground bearing, geo-tech and
topography requirements or availability of
already tried to sell the business to the private and also houses a Metso PG60110E. capital and required throughputs.
equity company CoBe Capital in 2016. The sale From Metsos highly successful mobile On the big picture, FLSmidth has for many
to FLSmidth includes all products for options for IPCC, commissioning of the first years had a firm belief in IPCC systems and the
continuous surface mining and minerals Lokotrack and Lokolink system in France is close future of this technology in mining, particularly
handling technologies and related intellectual to completion. in overburden removal and disposal, after all
property, including drawings and reference more than half of the operating cost of mining is
lists. Crucially, it also includes the transfer of FLSmidth acquisition in depth for moving ore and waste around. FLSmidth has
employees with strong experience, competences In the first detailed published discussion on the also invested a lot of effort in developing new
and customer insights, many of whom are well deal, FLSmidth told IM: FLSmidths strategy of IPCC concepts, from the Dual Track Mobile Sizer
known to IM through its series of IPCC having a full flow sheet of premium technologies (DTMS) to a host of other designs, and invested
conferences over the years. FLSmidth is also to and system capabilities, is the very reason we in R&D surrounding those concepts and says it
provide project management and aftermarket recently announced the recent purchase of parts will continue to invest in materials handling
services to Sandvik on the majority of ongoing of the products and services of the Sandvik technologies, from pit to processing plant.
projects to be delivered during 2017 - 2019. Mining Systems projects business portfolio, that Paul Emerson, FLSmidth Global Product
This by definition includes Vales S11D iron ore is expected to close by the end of this year. This Director for Minerals Material Handling Systems
project, where the Sandvik PF200 fully mobile purchase completes the FLSmidth materials told IM: The future inclusion of the IP within
systems are currently being assembled and
tested.
FLSmidth has supplied the highest
The agreement is subject to certain conditions, capacity heap leach mobile stacking
including regulatory authority clearance, and conveyor system in the world for
closing is expected by the end of 2017. Southern Copper Corporation's Cananea
copper mine in northern Mexico
The Qulong (sometimes called Julong) copper
mine in Tibet, China is also an interesting
project, including as it does two Metso semi-
mobile PG60-110E primary gyratories that will
handle feed copper ore with a capacity of 5,000
t/h each. They are to be installed mid-2018 at
5,200 m altitude. Chinas Taiyuan Heavy Industry
Co Ltd (TYHI) is also involved in the project,
delivering the actual semi-mobile stations that
will house the crushers. In addition to the two

40 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

MMD_October17 PROOF_Layout 1 24/09/2017 13:02 Page 1

Fully Mobile Sizer Station

9,000 TPH (Average) China

GET A GRIP ON
OVERBURDEN
Global mining is changing: rising costs and environmental pressures have
called time on traditional standalone truck and shovel methods. For nearly
40 years, MMDs innovative, greener In-Pit Sizing & Conveying (IPSC)
technology has been at the forefront of this revolution.

Our flagship Fully Mobile Sizer station, perfected in China, is capable

of processing 9,000 tonnes per hour of overburden, with peaks of
14,000 TPH demonstrated. Tailored to the customers needs, its
high throughput and short relocation times have drastically driven
down operating costs.

The latest MMD solution, a Fully Mobile Surge Loader, is designed

to help open-pit mines harness the full capabilities of the shovel
and experience the benefits of continuous mining using
their existing truck fleet. The Surge Loader can be deployed
independently for overburden operation or together with a Fully
Mobile Sizer station for processing hard rock or wet and sticky
ores. The Surge Loader stockpiles material and delivers a regulated
flow to the waiting truck fleet. Optimised loading and increased
truck utilisation means fewer trucks are needed to move the same
amount of material.
Fully Mobile Surge Loader
Finally, our worldwide support structure, technical expertise and service (Equipment 3D Visualisation)
excellence will ensure your equipment lives up to your expectations. *Patent Pending; UK Patent Application No 1709467.3

For more information please visit

WWW.MMDSIZERS.COM
IPCC_proof 26/09/2017 13:06 Page 2

IPCC

FLSmidths portfolio from the recent Sandvik criteria for the largest mobile stacking conveyor leverage process data and analytics for
Mining Systems acquisition will enable us to system in the world for a mine in Mexico that monitoring, benchmarking their performance and
integrate from pit into processing plant: by has now been operating for close to a year. With predicting maintenance of their equipment.
knowing what will be coming into processing an effective stacking length of over 300 m, and
you can optimise the overall process. We can with a stacking capacity of 12,000 t/h, FLSmidth MMD Fully Mobile Surge Loader
help bridge the gap between the pit people and has supplied the highest capacity heap leach MMDs latest offering, a Fully Mobile Surge
the processing people, and increase overall mobile stacking conveyor system in the world Loader, is poised to help open-pit mines harness
process efficiency. Automation and smart for Southern Copper Corporation's Cananea the benefits of continuous mining, using their
system development, implementation and on- copper mine in northern Mexico. The system is existing truck fleet. Shovels represent
going data analytics of the well-known ground- fully automated based on GPS and a self- significant CAPEX and OPEX costs, and yet the
breaking Vale S11D IPCC system, as well as alignment system that ensures the ore is efficiency of a shovel rarely exceeds 60% of its
inclusion on more recent waste stacking stacked accurately, thereby optimising leaching capability. We recognised we could design a
systems being built at present, will complement efficiency. With the integrated GPS system, the piece of kit that would harness the capability of
and strengthen FLSmidths efforts to provide machine knows exactly where it is located on a the shovel and revolutionise the speed of
pro-active condition monitoring and data real-time basis and the machine auto-self-aligns loading trucks, says David Pitchford, President,
collection for IPCC equipment with associated as it progresses forward. The target is to build a MMD Mineral Sizing Americas.
data analytical reports designed to identify consistent pile to a depth of 80 m across the Accepting direct loading from excavators,
damage or wear and tear ahead of any failure. valley. FLSmidth conveyed +350 mm lumps of shovels or an MMD Fully Mobile Sizer, the Surge
This is with the intention of offering value crushed ore at around 6m/sec across this Loader stockpiles material and delivers a
proposition through preventative maintenance, sophisticated stacking system, similar to an regulated flow to the waiting truck fleet. Based
as well as identifying critical component status IPCC application. on simulation data, MMD believes an operator
or poor operation/misuse for improved FLSmidth is also developing and installing could get 12 to 14 more loads per hour from
productivity at the mine site. one of the largest Hybrid Apron Belt (HAB) their shovels. Key benefits are summarised as
He adds: FLSmidth intends to be on the feeders in the world that is under the largest follows:
forefront of IPCC systems and technologies filter press built to date. The HAB has n Optimises shovel production capability
going forward with a focus that will allow performed flawlessly to date and exceeded n Increases truck utilisation
clients to reduce CAPEX, OPEX and increase expectations, so on the back of this product n Improves truck fill factors
throughput in order to increase their development success, FLSmidth has n Reduces truck body wear
productivity. With this offering FLSmidth will investigated its use for IPCC applications to n Reduced truck spotting time
help our mining customers rebuild profitability, combine apron feeder, dribble belt and n Lower cost per tonne
improve mine safety and reduce environmental discharge conveyor into one unique unit, the n Minimal capital investment for significant
footprint. Incline HAB. Although conceptual at this stage, improvements.
this will allow more compact truck tip or shovel MMDs new system design is built upon its
Market outlook for IPCC and project fed stations that could feed to a secondary combined experience at the Drummond
update station housing the mineral sizer, all of which Pribbenow coal operation in Colombia some 12
To increase productivity, miners must improve with the intent of smaller more compact and years ago, and seen first hand by IM, and its
two of three variables: OPEX, CAPEX and mobile in pit equipment. more recent IPSC (In-Pit Sizing & Conveying)
throughput. FLSmidth states: The tendency in FLSmidth has also announced the Coffer Dam installation at the Pingshuo Chinese coal mine.
the past has been the temptation to increase concept, developed for an IPCC oil sands In Colombia, MMD had installed a number of
throughput by adding trucks and shovels to application, and previously discussed in IM. The Heavy Duty Apron Plate Feeders that could be
existing fleets and infrastructure and granted, concept is simple, low capital and OPEX cost loaded directly from a dragline. An awaiting
when compared with an IPCC system that is a effective, in that it eliminates the need for costly queue of trucks were loaded both efficiently
lower initial CAPEX investment. However, retaining walls associated with large semi- (nearly three times faster) and accurately (98%
ignoring the long term OPEX costs will be mobile or relocatable stations. fill factor) one after the other, by the
detrimental in the new norm for the mining Digitalisation is also a major area of hydraulically regulated feeder. In China, MMDs
industry. investment for FLSmidth which is relevant to flagship Fully Mobile Sizer station convincingly
Emerson told IM: The interest for IPCC has IPCC: remotely operated and fully automated proved the system setup of allowing the shovel
increased in the last several months: We have systems with on board sensor technologies, to dig continuously and load the mobile sizers
been approached by clients from South America, data capture capabilities and data analytics. receiving hopper, without having to stop. The
Europe, Russia, India and South East Asia in Emerson adds: We want to provide our full flow shovel operator has been able to load 9,000 to
particular requesting scoping studies and sheet of premium technologies embedded in a 12,000 t/h until he needs to reposition.
budget pricing requests for IPCC systems. The unique combination of leading process know Combining the experience in Colombia and
positive response from several major clients, in how and services; by understanding China, MMD has designed the Surge Loader for
response to our pending Sandvik Mining performance data and optimising customers loading trucks in existing mines where
Systems acquisition is a clear indication the operations, while minimising the environmental conveyors are not practical, or investment in
market is starting to look quite closely again at impact. In collaboration with GE we are creating truck fleets needs to be retained. Trucks often
IPCC systems and in the pit mining solutions for digital solutions for increasing productivity in dont receive 90% of their fill factor, and
the future, and in some cases stay in business the mining industry. In this collaboration, typically shovels dont sustain 6,000 t/h, when
requirements, of large scale mines. FLSmidth is building our solutions on top of GEs they should be loading at 10,000 t/h, says
On ongoing IPCC related projects, FLSmidth Predix platform with applications for managing Pitchford.
has successfully run and met performance process flows thereby allowing customers to The Surge Loader can be deployed

42 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

 Industrial Solutions for the mining industry

Semi-mobile crushing plants.

For more than 100 years our customers have benefitted from our innovations and know-how
in the field of mineral processing. Our semi-mobile crushing plants with gyratory crusher
represent todays leading crushing technology. They are designed for high performances at
low operating and maintenance costs. www.thyssenkrupp-industrial-solutions.com

tkis-ad-crushing_plants.indd 1 11.05.16 13:22

IPCC_proof 26/09/2017 13:07 Page 3

IPCC

has been proven over the course of 140

Accepting direct loading from excavators,
shovels or an MMD Fully Mobile Sizer, the installations as an economical means of
Surge Loader stockpiles material and conveying material at angles of up to 90
delivers a regulated flow to the waiting
(vertical). Komatsu states that no other
truck fleet. Based on simulation data, MMD
believes an operator could get 12 to 14 conveyance technology of this type has been
more loads per hour from their shovels. used at similar capacities or in such a wide range
Patent Pending; UK Patent Application No
of applications.
1709467.3
On the overall IPCC concept, the company
adds: Based on previous experience, the
economics of IPCC tend to be more favourable in
ore systems as opposed to overburden. Ore
requires crushing so the cost to do so is not an
added expense. IPCC systems just move the
crushing in pit. Crushing costs are an added
expense for an overburden system because it is
not required for truck haulage. Crusher relocation
independently for overburden removal or the truck does not have to back in to the crusher, is also an added expense because few IPCC
together with a Fully Mobile Sizer station for ore truck cycle times improve dramatically. In some systems plan on leaving a crusher at the same
processing. With the trucks no longer needing to scenarios, this allows the crushing station to location for the life of mine. The conveyor
reverse into position the shovel and Surge Loader meet capacity requirements with a single loading network for an ore system tends to be simpler
(with or without the Fully Mobile Sizer Station) point, lowering the cost of the structural steel. because all the material is going to the same
can work together continuously as the trucks IPCC systems typically require the crusher to destination. Overburden IPCC systems typically
return. The processing capacity of the Mobile relocate, and the cost to do so will be more require a series of shiftable, or mobile conveyors
Sizer Station Hopper is greater than the cycle economical because of the lower civil works terminated with a spreader, which adds to the
time of the shovel so the shovel operator is never required. capital and operating cost. But many operations
able to overwhelm the system. The Komatsu Smart Material Handling concept with high strip ratios are putting more focus on
From the control cabin on the Mobile Sizer uses crushing and conveying equipment which moving overburden simply because it is such a
Station, the operator can monitor operation can be economically relocated to minimise significant portion of their operating costs.
between the shovel and the Surge Loader. If the haulage costs. Joy feeder breakers and reclaim
shovel operator sees no truck and that the feeders, in conjunction with Komatsu dozers, can Crushing technology and IPCC
Mobile Sizer Stations hopper is full in front of economically move material as part of a dozer Crushing plants are one of the key components of
him, he can stop loading. The Surge Loader is trap system. A reclaim feeder can be literally IPCC systems. The most important cost drivers
automated to stop when there are no trucks in buried under a stockpile of sized material and is for CAPEX and OPEX of mobile and semi-mobile
position and the Mobile Sizer Station will not run used to meter the material on to a conveyor belt. crushing plants are the crushers themselves.
if the Surge Feeder is not running. If the shovel A feeder-breaker operates in a similar manner but TAKRAF has recently developed a new series of
operator makes sure the Mobile Sizing Station can be used with run-of-mine material because it sizers and roll crushers with novel features that
hopper is full, it will allow him enough time to incorporates a breaker drum to also size the are able to provide cost savings in materials
reposition and recommence loading again. material. The reclaim feeders and feeder breakers where previously only jaw or gyratory crushers
Based on data simulations, MMD believes an can be relocated by being dragged by the dozer. had been feasible. Some of the cited advantages
approximate 12 to 14 load-per-hour improvement A key strategy at Komatsu is to offer of these sizers and roll crushers include:
in the shovels capability is possible, with the dantotsu (unique and unrivalled) products like n Higher capacities per plant and ability to
shovel loading at maximum capacity compared the Joy high angle conveyor (HAC) system, which handle sticky feed material
to the normal cycle of 3.5 loads per truck. (every
fourth bucket in that loading arrangement is a
half load). When comparing trucks being loaded
in a traditional fashion and trucks being loaded
using MMD equipment, MMD says that the Surge
Loader system quickly outperforms conventional
loading methods.

Komatsu Smart Material Handling

In 2017, Komatsu finalised its acquisition of Joy
Global and the company is now in the unique
position of offering a product range that includes
both IPCC technology and trucks. For example,
the Innovative Autonomous Haulage Vehicle
(IAHV), unveiled at MINExpo 2016, features the
A Komatsu Smart Material Handling set-up at a
ability to operate at high speed in forward and coal operation in Indonesia, showing a dozer
reverse. This reduces the footprint of the feeding a reclaim feeder, in turn feeding a
crushing area by eliminating the need to K-Turn feeder breaker and conveyor which is then
direct truck loading
(3 Point Turn). Komatsu Mining told IM: Since

44 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

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IPCC

TAKRAF Primary Roll Crusher to be sure yet it attains an availability

TRC 25.37 installation for hard benchmark of more than 99%, as confirmed by
and abrasive oil sands real-world data. With a direct conveyor drive
system, various components of the drivetrain are
eliminated first and foremost gears. Among the
advantages are reduced maintenance efforts and
spare parts inventories. Availability, as proven in
Antapaccay, is also uniquely high.
In 2015, another direct conveyor drive system
was commissioned in Peru for the overland
conveyors at the Las Bambas copper mine. Each
of the two overland conveyors is approximately
2.5 km long with a lift of almost 300 m and
transports ore from the mine to the processing
plant. The belts are 1,830 mm wide, travel at 6.5
m per second, and are designed to transport
approximately 9,400 t of material per hour. The
drive system for each of the two overland
n Reduced power consumption due to more and crusher drives able to handle ductile and conveyors comprises two low-speed synchronous
efficient crushing (less fines, point-loading) abrasive oil sands lumps. The worlds largest roll motors each with a total power of 4,400 kW and
n Reduced foundation loads and crusher height crushers, TAKRAFs TRC 25.37 model were the associated Sinamics SL150 cycloconverters.
resulting in reduced CAPEX for steel structure recently installed and successfully commissioned In 2015, Siemens was again contracted to
and civil works (retaining wall etc) at a large oil sands operation by TAKRAF in supply a further direct drive system for a large
TAKRAF told IM: The application limit of 2016. copper mine in Peru. In fact, upon completion it
sizers and roll crushers is defined by the will be the worlds biggest installation of a direct
abrasiveness and strength of the feed material. Siemens gearless success in South conveyor drive system. In this modernisation
Its for this reason that TAKRAF developed a new America project, the belt conveyor will replace the railway
generation of extreme class crushers particularly In many parts of the world, ore content in system that was previously used to transport the
suited to hard and abrasive minerals such as iron deposits is decreasing. The result is that more ore out of the mine to the processing plant. The
ore, copper ore, bauxite, oil sands and and more overburden has to be transported to conveyor belt system will comprise three
overburden, which have traditionally only been receive a certain quantity of minerals. That puts individual sections equipped with a total of five
the realm of jaw and gyratory crushers. The equipment to the test, particularly the conveyors. integrated drive systems. For the largest of the
principal cited features of these extreme class However, Siemens argues that with belt sections, Siemens is supplying two gearless
machines are: advancements in drive technology, mining drive systems with an output of 6,000 kilowatts
n Minimised downtime ensured by a safe and companies can still keep availability high as each, comprising a low-speed synchronous motor
quick change of crusher tools and easy well as operate economically. and a Sinamics SL150 cycloconverter. The two
crusher relocation in two directions Christian Dirscherl, Siemens Vice President for smaller feed and discharge belts will be driven by
n Wear deposit crushing tools ensure long-life Mining, Excavation & Transport told IM: South two 500 kW low-voltage motors using Sinamics
operation for abrasive minerals America is a hotbed for mining. The search for S150 inverters with regenerative feedback
n Strongly gripping crusher segments for the deposits, though, has forced mining companies capability and one 1,200 kW medium-voltage
fast intake of big lumps and accurate further and further into remote locations. The motor. The order also comprises the converters
crushing of product with a minimum of fines need for reliable and economic operations takes and motors as well as the gearboxes and
n High capacity with a strong ability to handle on a new importance not only because of couplings for these drives. The automation
sticky materials isolated sites, but also declining ore grades. components as well as the drive and power
n Compact design boasting low foundation Nowhere else are these developments more distribution technology will be provided in E-
loads especially suitable for semi- and mobile apparent than in Peru, with its many mines high Houses.
applications up in the Andes. In the face of these challenges, Of course, Peruvian mines arent the only ones
TAKRAFs extreme class sizers are designed many operators are taking steps to implement to benefit in South America. In 2015, Siemens
for primary and secondary applications with roll state-of-the-art conveying technology. commissioned a direct conveyor drive system in
dimensions (diameter x length) of 800 x 3,000 A forerunner is the Antapaccay copper mine, Chile at one of the worlds largest copper mines.
mm to 1,800 x 4,000 mm. These machines are which was equipped with a direct conveyor drive For the overland conveyor provided by
suitable for capacities of up to 12,000 t/h and system in 2013. Every hour, approximately 5,260 t thyssenkrupp with a length of more than 10 km,
feed sizes of up to 2,500 mm. Recent of ore are transported from the mine to the Siemens supplied five direct drive systems (for a
installations include a TAKRAF Primary Sizer TCS- processing plant over a distance of around 6.5 total of four conveyors) with the largest conveyor
X 14.35 installation for abrasive bauxite and a km. The Siemens drive system for the belt motors in operation at present.
TAKRAF Primary Sizer TCS-X 18.26 installation for conveyor consists of two low-speed synchronous Aside from alternative conveyor technologies,
hard overburden. motors, each with a power rating of 3,800 kW, mine operators are also turning their attention to
For even greater capacities reaching up to and the associated Sinamics SL150 other aspects to improve conveyor operation.
14,000 t/h and feed sizes of up to 3,300 mm, cycloconverters, E-House, cooling system and One is intelligent drive control. It has the
TAKRAF developed a new generation of extreme convertor transformers. potential to limit wear and optimise the
class roll crushers with optimised crusher rolls Dirscherl adds: Its a challenging application operation of mechanical components, such as

46 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

IPCC_proof 26/09/2017 13:08 Page 5

IPCC

gearboxes, belts and pulleys. Proper drive control can also increase the
lifetime of major mechanical gears.
Dirscherl adds: Another area gaining attention is preventive
maintenance. Here the goal is to minimise unexpected shutdowns caused
by system failures. A continuous recording system or data logging system
is connected to all components of the conveying system, including
mechanical and electrical parts. The mass of produced data is then
integrated with data from other sources, such as field service reports.
Through advanced analytics, experts can predict impending failures and
take action in time. An added advantage is that they can also uncover
opportunities for performance improvements, as well as energy and cost
savings.
The technologies behind preventive maintenance have given rise to
another trend: remote asset health management services. For this, Siemens
can go online from a competence centre and provide instruction to help
mine personnel fix a problem. Should a service engineer have to be sent to
the site, he or she is very well prepared and knows exactly what spares to
bring along. In either case, coming up with a viable solution is simply faster.
From innovative conveyor technologies to an intelligent use of data,
mine owners have a whole range of possibilities to improve their
operations. But in regard to the former, South American mines were early to
start benefitting from direct conveyor drive systems, which boast the
highest availability and overall efficiency of available drive systems. In the
meantime, mines in other regions of the world are beginning to follow suit.
As a guideline, direct conveyor drive systems make sense when power
requirements are more than 2,500 kW for a drive pulley.

ABB and Medium Power GCD

A pilot project from ABB on Medium Power Gearless Conveyor Drives (GCD)
was recently presented by Ulf Richter, Product Manager Conveyor Systems
at ABB. The company has applied a Permanent Magnet (PM) motor for the
retrofit of a 200 kW drive at a major lignite mining operation in Germany.
Richter told IM: This gearless drive is made to fit into medium powered
conveyors with traditional foot or shaft mount/swing based torque arm
constructions which can be found in mobile conveyors as well. We
commissioned the pilot in July 2017 with great results. ABB defines
medium power as 3-10 MW per conveyor or 0.6-3 MW per motor. Richter
states that a GCD offers a >50% lower failure rate than conventional driven
conveyors, with a >30% reduction of losses and significant operational cost Providing full service mining
savings as well as lowest OPEX and lowest cost per tonne. The PM GCD
motor has a low weight and compact size with a foot or shaft mounting; air
solutions and innovation around
or liquid cooling and a mining specific heavy duty design with a high degree the world for over 55 years.
of protection marking (up to IP66).
The pilot application is on a bucket chain excavator (ES3750 Exc
#1294), namely pilot drive 2B10 at the CV2/discharge belt , and is working
at the LEAG-owned Jaenschwalde lignite mine close to Cottbus. The machine
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OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 47

IPCC_proof 26/09/2017 13:08 Page 6

IPCC

handles up to 14,000 m/h of overburden sand Through a primary crusher at the accommodates most loading styles.
base of the opencast mine, a
but with large contained rocks derived from the MegaPipe conveyor provides The units are built in 48 in (1,219 mm) or 72
Ice Age. The design temperature is -25C to + the steep transport at in (1,828mm) wide models and can transfer
40C, with harsh shock and vibration parameters right angles to the material at rates up to 1,500 t/h.
opencast mine
to withstand; as well as limited space. embankment Superior told IM that heap leach mining
operations now require greater capacity,
MegaPipe comparison study continuous material flow, and reduced downtime.
ContiTech, Siemens and thyssenkrupp have In any precious metal application including
founded a research and development consortium expected gold, copper and ore these challenges are
to develop and market the Chevron- lifetime of chevron ongoing top-of-the-mind initiatives, particularly
MegaPipe conveyor. The new conveyor cleat ribs referring to a due to the complexity of stacking plans. Material
design is set to help reduce conventional wear and a profile bond- handling equipment must be highly mobile and
heavy-duty truck traffic and the resulting high strength to the belt surface extremely flexible. And, for optimum
operating costs in open-pit mines. High- under the extreme opencast performance, more and more operations are
strength, ribbed steel cable Chevron-MegaPipes mining conditions. utilising integrated conveyor systems, which can
with a nominal strength of up to 9,500 N/mm and The newly developed chevron cleat rib be custom-engineered for the specific pad
an outer diameter of up to 900 mm facilitate cost- exhibits longer durability than the 14 mm thick design. The speedy payback from the latter is
effective conveyance of ore and overburden with upper rubber cover plate of the basic belt 2000 measured in more tonnes per move, larger leach
lump sizes up to 350 mm over mine slopes with St3150 14:7 DIN-X. Taking into account the pad footprints and increased profitability.
angles of inclination of 30 to approximately 45. measured hours of use until the profiles wear in Because every heap leaching operation
The solution has already proven itself in a feasibility the material transfer station, the theoretical maintains a specific process with unique
study for a 350 m deep open-pit mine with a mass durability of the chevron profiles was calculated characteristics, mines are far more likely to
flow of 5,000 t/h. as approximately five years or more. improve efficiency with a customised and
In a recent project, the cost-effectiveness of comprehensive material handling system, says
continuous conveying technology in opencast Superior mobile conveyors for leach Jarrod Felton, VP of Engineering for Superior.
mining was compared to discontinuous transport operations Felton says that an integrated heap leach
using heavy-duty traffic involving trucks and rail. Superior Industries Inc, the US-based system is comprised of a core group of mine-duty
Through a primary crusher at the base of the manufacturer and global supplier of bulk material conveyors, with the customisation of the system
opencast mine, a MegaPipe conveyor provides processing and handling systems, recently being applied with various belt lengths and
the steep transport at right angles to the completed manufacturing of its first Razerlink widths, belt speeds, and load areas; as well as
opencast mine embankment. Comparison Mobile Conveyora multi-functional machine choices in hoppers, mobile tracks, control
calculations were based on conveying capacities designed to load, unload, transfer, and/or systems, electrical components, and the total
using heavy-duty trucks and rail in a well-known stockpile material. number of jump or grasshopper conveyors. This
iron ore surface mine in Eastern Europe. According to Superior engineers, by combining strategically selected system of machines and
In this opencast mine with the dimensions mobility with telescoping conveyor technology machine attributes ensures smooth material
L 5,000 m x W L 3,000 m x H L 480 m, the Razerlink Mobile Conveyor limits downtime transfer and far greater efficiency over that of
approximately 50 Mt/y of material per year are and accelerates material handling. Additionally, older, conventional methods.
transported out of the mine by 27 heavy-duty one time handling of material aids in maintaining Felton explains that currently many heap leach
trucks (payload 120 t) and 36 hopper trains high quality material spec. mining operations work in a manual radial
(payload 1,000 t). Each unit is tailor-made to the exact conditions stacking mode. Operators will move the radial
Alternatively, using a single Chevron- of the customers operation, whether it be a stacker with a loader to a given location, leaving
MegaPipe with a diameter of 900 mm and a barge, rail, quarry, mining or construction site it to stack there while they perform other
conveying speed of 4 m/sec and a fill factor of application. Mobility options include conveyor maintenance duties. Later the operators return to
approx. 50%, the equivalent annual conveying tracks, drive tyres, or towable tyres. For either fill in holes or move the stacker to the next
capacity of 50 Mt could be transported with an applications not requiring telescoping capabilities, location. This typically results in saw-tooth pile
operational availability of 8,322 hours. Using an the Razerlink Mobile Conveyor can be fitted with a tops, which are not ideal for irrigation, he says.
IPCC system (here with MegaPipe conveying out fixed length, radial, or luffing conveyor. The units Alternatively, automated heap leach conveying
of the opencast mine) reduces operating, feed design can come in the form of a drive over systems are programmed to stack per desired lift
personnel and maintenance costs while ramp, back up ramp, or feed hopper, which specifications. At the core of the system is the
simultaneously reducing environmentally harmful
CO2 emissions.
An interesting aspect of the MegaPipe design
are its chevron cleat ribs, which will stop material
slipping at high angles and maximise capacity, so
are fundamental to the design success.
Experimental investigations of the impact-
strength, bond-strength and wear-resistance of
the new chevron cleat ribs on the ContiTech
impact test rig and in a belt system transfer
station in the Oetelshofen Limestone Opencast
Mine in Germany were used to determine the Superior recently completed manufacturing of its first Razerlink Mobile Conveyor

48 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

IM
IPCC_proof 27/09/2017 07:38 Page 7

IPCC

mine-duty Superior TeleStacker Conveyor, which Integrated with the telescoping radial stacker systems, there are super portable grasshopper
is engineered with an internal stinger conveyor is the Horizontal Index Conveyor (HIC), a fully- conveyors that range from 215 to 250 ft in length.
that maintains constant motion along a cell, skirted unit with a frame that mounts to the The companys Trailblazer Portable
distributing material evenly to achieve a flat top stacker. For greater heap leach site mobility, the Groundline Conveyor can also be used to replace
to each heaped pile, while also piling more track drive on the unit is designed to move itself some of the grasshopper conveyors. This gives
material per move. Its longer stinger conveyor, and the radial stacker along the cell centreline the system the advantage of fewer transfer
over that of conventional radial telescoping units, and for maximum flexibility, the HIC can be fed at points and electrical connections, and lesser
allows for greater flexibility in complex valley fill any point along the length of the conveyor, says move frequency.
applications, says Felton. He explains that the Felton. He adds that when combined with Northern Vertex Mining Corp recently
conveyor is equipped with the FD Series Axle portable jump or grasshopper conveyors, the HIC confirmed that it had awarded Superior
assembly, a technology that allows a quick minimises the frequent removal or adjustments Industries the contract for the overland conveyor,
transition from radial to linear mode, enabling of the jump conveyors along the material transfer grasshopper conveyors and radial stacker for its
movement along the leach pad cell centreline. line. Ultimately, the combined mobility and Moss gold mining project near Bullhead City,
Also, the unit features the patented FB flexibility of the HIC is key to building larger Arizona. The original feasibility study states on
Undercarriage support system, which is leach pad footprints, he says. the design: Crushed ore will be reclaimed from
constructed of durable steel and a tubular braced Next, Felton explains that a horizontal feed the stockpile with a front-end loader, which will
structure that prevents any twisting and shifting. conveyor runs perpendicular to both the HIC and transfer the ore to a feed hopper. A belt feeder
This level of stability is required for the uneven the grasshopper conveyors. It transfers material will draw ore from the hopper and transfer the
ground and the constant movement typically seen from the grasshopper conveyor to the HIC to crushed ore to a belt conveyor that feeds an
in the heap leach environment, he stresses. maintain a consistent, steady material flow, he agglomeration drum, approximately 2.7 m in
As to additional mobility options, Felton says says. diameter and 9.2 m in length.Cement will be
that operations may utilise radial travel tracks Built in standard lengths of 100 ft or added to the agglomeration drum feed conveyor
and/or a track-mounted mobile pivot base in engineered in custom lengths, multiple and raw water will be added in the drum for the
conjunction with the telescoping conveyor. grasshopper conveyors comprise a substantial binding process, at a moisture content of
Radial travel tracks are a cost-effective method length and are combined consecutively to approximately 7% by weight. The agglomerated,
to gaining optimum flotation and traction. When transfer material to the stacking conveyors. crushed ore will discharge from the drum onto an
combined with the mobile pivot base, operations Felton says that retreat stacking will move in overland conveyor for transfer to the heap leach
can achieve free-ranging onsite and transfer increments of the grasshopper conveyor length pad. The overland conveyor will discharge onto a
point mobility as well as radial travel capability by removing one at a time, while advance series of several mobile, grasshopper-type
all while reducing the need for multiple trucks stacking requires the insertion of a jump conveyors. Units of grasshopper-type conveyors
and loaders, he says. conveyor upon moving forward. For very large will be added or removed as required dependent

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IM ON Track 1 17 indd 1 1/21/17 11:36 AM

IPCC_proof 27/09/2017 07:38 Page 8

IPCC

the pit perimeter and elsewhere have Group Ltd (CREC). CRECs senior representative
demonstrated successful handling of primary responsible for the project, Cai Zemin said, We
crushed ore and waste rock. are pleased and excited that this major milestone
Finally, the UHAC is a prospective application for progressing the CEIP has been achieved. It
for Western Australia. It is designed as the vital demonstrates the strong joint commitment of
link to salvage an existing IPCC system that has CREC, Iron Road and the South Australian
proven sluggish due to its dependency on long Government to the construction and operation of
low angle conventional conveyors that link the Australias next major mining and infrastructure
IPCC system to the remote spoiling system. project; one that will have a significant impact on
Operation of the present system proved the strength of the mining sector in the State.
impractical largely due to the extensive planning The only remaining primary government
required, much non-productive movement, approval for the CEIP is under the Commonwealth
excavation, re-handling and grading work required environmental legislation. The Commonwealth
to accommodate the present low angle link. Minister for Environment and Energy will
Presently the system sits idle awaiting the vital consider the assessment report provided by the
link that will free the rigid interdependency of the South Australian Government with a decision
in-pit system and the remote spoiling system. expected to be announced soon. The CEIP mine
Dos Santos argues that the UHAC promises a will produce at least 21.5 Mt/y of high grade, low
viable solution, providing a compact mobile link, impurity iron concentrate.
capable of elevating or lowering the primary Joint venture company and IPCC specialist
UHAC Universal High Angle Conveyor design
crushed 350 mm minus waste rock at 8,000 t/h. Thiess-RWE in 2014/2015 was tasked with
upon the stacking location on the pad. The final Designed with the emphasis on versatility the validating the technical feasibility of a hybrid
conveyor will be a radial-type mobile stacker that UHAC can operate in either direction (elevating or IPCC/truck-excavator mining operation for CEIP
will place agglomerated ore in lifts, up to 10 m in lowering the material) and at any level from and to demonstrate improvements in mining
height. tramming on grade to a 3 x 12 m bench costs compared to a pure truck-excavator base
operation. The UHAC offers the vital versatile case. Phase 1 saw analysis and comparison of
Dos Santos on sandwich high angle link for surface spoiling (elevating) or backfilling several alternative mine design methods and
conveyors of the mined out pit (lowering). equipment system layouts to select the preferred
Suitability for IPCC systems has been hybrid IPCC solution. Phase 2 included complete
demonstrated with Dos Santos Sandwich Belt Project update Iron Road mine planning, engineering and project cost
high angle conveyors with a number of units the Iron Road Ltd recently advised in May 2017 that estimating to demonstrate project improvement
company says handling ore and rock at very high the Premier of South Australia, the Hon Jay by application of IPCC technology.
rates. The key question is can they handle large, Weatherill MP and the Minister for Mineral Most recently in July 2017, Iron Road stated:
heavy, primary crushed ore and waste rock. Resources and Energy, the Hon Tom Koutsantonis Thiess-RWE, a leading expert and contractor in
President and Founder of DSI, Joe Dos Santos MP, had announced the granting of the two key continuous mining systems such as in-pit
told IM: Clearly, large lump size is relative. 350 approvals required for the Central Eyre Iron crushing and conveying, has been appointed to
mm lumps are too large to handle at a sandwich Project (CEIP). The CEIP has generated significant conduct a final, short mine plan review at CEIP.
belt of only 1,000 mm width, but not at a momentum towards financing and construction, The review is expected to drive additional mine
sandwich belt of 2,600 mm width. Indeed, to with the rail and port components declared a establishment efficiencies around the planned
have compatibility of belt width and material size Priority Project by Infrastructure Australia in use of in-pit crushing and conveying.
we limit the material size with regards to the September 2016, and three major Chinese banks Findings were anticipated during August 2017,
trough depth. For predominantly lumpy material, formally indicating in April 2017 lending appetite and will shape a key component of the Independent
we limit the lump size to the depth of the trough. for the CEIPs requisite debt financing. Technical Expert report that will be provided to
For occasionally lumpy material (less than 10% Progress has been backed by a strong Chinese banks and other financial institutions
large lumps), we increase the size criteria to relationship with strategic partner China Railway during respective due diligence processes. IM
125% of the trough depth. This is to limit the
separation of the belts, preserving a good
covering over the bulk material and positive belt
to belt contact at the edges of the sandwich.
Before founding DSI, Dos Santos, while
employed with a major US conveyor
manufacturer, engineered the high angle
conveyor at Majdanpek copper mine in Serbia,
one of the only true IPCC applications to date. It
is no longer operational, but during its lifetime,
250 mm lumps were easily handled on the 2,000
mm wide belts. Five years after start up the
system had precluded tripling of the truck fleet;
precluded the need for 4 km of haulage ramps,
3.5 km of which would be of constant ascent; and Joint venture company and IPCC specialist Thiess-RWE in 2014/2015 was tasked with validating the
saved $12 million per year. Other installations at technical feasibility of a hybrid IPCC/truck-excavator mining operation for CEIP

50 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:25 Page 1

SAFETY

Safe, every shift

John Chadwick looks at

new products and ideas
across a broad range of
safety needs

n April Global Mine Design noted: "The Lovells in Johannesburg, South Africa), in an In underground mines, it is vital to have safe

I phrase Zero Harm' is a widely used strapline

throughout the mining industry as we try to
combat having reached, statistically at least, a
interview with Mining Weekly, explained his
belief that two major factors are behind poor
health and safety performance in South Africas
and efficient lighting. Airfal manufactures high
optical performance luminaires adapted to
underground mines. These ATEX certified light
fixtures meet the highest safety standards and
are explosion proof. Lighting standards help
safety plateau. Internationally the number of mining industry: The primary issue is
ensure the safety of mine lighting installations.
injuries recorded decreased from 3,138 in 2015 behaviour the attitude and approach to health The lighting systems used inside a mine must
to 2,662 in 2016, but this rate has slowed and safety at mining operations. The key to comply with the ATEX directive, and avoid any
risk of explosion or propagation. The ATEX
compared to previous years. The major causes addressing behaviour is internalising a sense of
normative (explosive atmosphere) is the result
of fatalities were still fall-of-ground incidents at safety. Health and safety at mines needs to go of two European Directives (1994/9/EC and
33%; slip and fall, falls from heights and fires beyond implementation on site only, and needs ATEX 137) for equipment intended for use in
ATEX zones and 100A ATEX 1999/92/EC for
together accounted for 21% and transport to be embedded as common practice by all mine
safety of workers. With many years of
factors accounted for 14%. staff [regardless of whether they are at home or experience in technical lighting, Airfal has
Global Mine Design says it is working to at work]. For example, vehicle speed limits, created the Minex luminaire which has been
designed for use in hazardous areas. With low
positively change the approach to mine design. although mostly adhered to at mine sites, are
maintenance cost, easy installation, and
"Our approach, of using integrated monitoring quickly disregarded as soon as personnel leave maximum security, the luminaire Minex is
networks to reinforce safe working conditions the site, as enforcement is drastically reduced compliant with ATEX. It was created especially
for lighting in underground mines. LED lighting
and provide input for ongoing data-driven mine and the threat of being caught is less probable."
is extremely popular today because of the many
planning decisions, is based on experience He adds that the second issue is the general technical advantages of this technology.
weve gained from years of monitoring instability in the South African mining sector, Increased longevity, efficiency, energy savings,
and respect for the environment are some of
excavation response in challenging active which affects the morale of mine management
the many benefits that can offer LED light
ground conditions. Our expertise is used to help and staff, including political insecurity nationally fixtures for mines
mine sites design ground support systems and and job insecurity as well as general commercial
create safe work protocols." insecurity in the mining industry, with depressed Health and Safety Executive published revised
When considering Health and Safety in commodity prices and variable demand from the Mines Regulations in 2014 with emphasis on
general it would be fair to shine the spotlight on once thriving primary marketsthe mines went producing a single, modern set of regulations
South Africa, where the legacy from earlier through major restructuring as a result of the that are focussed on the control of risks from
attitudes to worker safety still resonates in the international commodities downturn...in terms major hazards in mines. This is a timely update
drive to continually improve safe mining of demand and prices. Restructuring impacts on of the regulations, with several exciting mining
conditions. The South African Department of work teams, including supervision, the sense of prospects in the UK. In Canada, the Ontario
Mineral Resources (DMR) shows fatalities falling camaraderie and smooth workflow. Ministry of Labour published a Mining Health,
from 112 in 2012 to 93 in 2013, 84 in 2014 and 77 Global Mine Design believes it can see Safety and Prevention Review in March 2015
in 2015; 73 deaths were recorded in 2016. elements of these issues throughout the global that focussed on continuous improvement of
Warren Beech (Head of Mining at Hogan mining industry. In the UK, for example, the occupational health and safety needs in the

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 51

SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:25 Page 2

SAFETY

mining sector. top working order and able to detect irregular to adhere strictly to operational safety
So, while great inroads are being made in levels of CO and other potentially toxic fumes, procedures. Employers need to provide the right
terms of legislation and policy making, there is a vapours and gases. Make sure you have a tools and training to every employee to protect
long journey between legislation and boots on regularly scheduled maintenance and testing the life, health and safety of the workforce, as
the ground worker safety. "Global Mine Design plan for this equipment. well as to protect valuable worksites and assets.
always has an eye for the practical application Mine operators must know the location of As leading mining organisations already know,
of safe, economic, and productive mine design, every worker at every moment of each shift. creating a safe working environment means a
and part of that comes from seeing the Double-check your worker identification and more productive and profitable mining
implementation of safety practices across check-in/check-out system. operation. It also leads to higher levels of
multiple mining jurisdictions around the world." Periodic disaster evacuation drills and worker morale and job satisfaction, which in
Grainger offers a wide range of safety testing emergency communication and turn improves employee retention. Taking a
equipment. It provides useful notes that, while signalling systems prepare workers on what to holistic view toward improving worker safety
specific to underground, are widely applicable do if theres an emergency. Emergency gear, education and safe work practices is a sound
throughout the industry. such as HAZMAT suits and breathing apparatus business investment that pays dividends for
According to the US Department of Labor, should be available for first responders and long-term success.
Mining Health and Safety Administration rescue teams.
(MHSA), 70% of mine accidents in the US are Experienced miners know what gear they Where are they?
related to using heavy machinery and other need to prevent or at least minimise injuries on In Australia, NLTs N-Connex received a 2017
equipment at the work site. Among the top ten the job. For newcomers, however, its important Good Design Selection in the Product Design
most cited causal factors contributing to to include information on selecting Personal Category. The jury commented: High-end
accidents in 2012 were: lack of safety training; Protective Equipment (PPE) in their training. design for a rugged, no-fuss utility product. It is
hazard communication; machine guarding; Manufacturers of PPE have made significant clear that a professional design team worked on
lockout/tag out precautions; and electrical wiring. improvements in the materials they use. Take a every aspect of this product. The end result is a
As Grainger states, modern equipment, more look at what youre using for PPE. It might be professionally executed product that does what
automated mining techniques, and better mine time for change. it has to do with elegance and simplicity.
engineering have significantly reduced some of Todays glove manufacturers have made N-Connex (gigabit version) uses an NLT
these safety risks, leading global mine significant improvements in glove designs, using supplied mil-spec two-core pre-terminated fibre
operators to incorporate rigorous safety lighter-weight and more breathable fabrics. for the high speed network backbone. N-Connex
procedures and health and safety standards, Some if these materials even offer better cut can also work with other fibre combinations.
while taking a proactive approach to worker and puncture resistance. Take a look at the Access to the network is provided by N- Connex
education and training. gloves your workers are using. There may be Bolt Access Points and/or PoE ports on the core
While improvements have been made and better options available. Distribution module. The system is fully 802.11
much more is known about the dangers and the Todays work boots are higher to prevent compatible; therefore any WiFi or Ethernet client
risks, it makes sense to periodically evaluate ankle rollover. Specially insulated boots can can function over N- Connex.
your safety strategy to ensure youre doing all protect feet in both extreme cold and heat. Sole N-Connex is an IP67 rated modular solution
you can to provide the safest, most up-to-date platforms are now wider and thicker to provide that simplifies installation and maintenance
work environment possible. While the list below surer footing and better balance. while allowing easy expansion of the network
may seem obvious, it never hurts to revisit your In addition to LED-lighted hard hats, many and solutions offered. While a range of modules
safety program. Heres a checklist of reminders miners require safety glasses. Todays eyewear to suit most requirements is offered, the
to consider when re-evaluating your safety designs include improved scratch abrasion and proprietary IP67 enclosures easily support new
program for an underground mine. fog resistance. functions and solutions, or new modules.
For general tunnelling operations, the MHSA Mine blasting and excessive noise generated N-Connex, being fully compatible with
requires a minimum illumination intensity of 5 by diesel-powered equipment can industry 802.3 and 802.11 standards
foot-candles, although 10 foot-candles must be cause lasting damage to miners supports all
provided for shaft heading during drilling, hearing. Hearing protection in the
mucking and scaling. Check all lamps regularly. form of earplugs and coverings
Check all signage to make sure its highly can be used, depending on the
visible and legible. ambient decibel levels in work
Make sure all telephones and other areas.
signalling devices are fully operational at all To be successful, safety best
times. These devices can be critical in the event practices in any organisation must
of an unexpected incident or accident. be deeply ingrained into the
Routine equipment checks and maintenance corporate culture and supported
programs ensure that equipment and vehicles from top management on down
used in the mine or on the site are performing through the ranks. Safety is truly
properly and reliably, and do not pose any everybodys job. This is especially
dangers to their operators or workers nearby. important in mining where safety N-Connex
Where ladders and scaffolds are needed, awareness and consistency are modules are simply
make sure you have the proper harnesses, belts essential in helping to prevent accidents, clipped to the customised frame and connected
via a Cat5 cable to the main Distribution
and other safeguards to prevent falling. injuries and fatalities. module, as all devices support Power over
Air quality sensors and alarms should be in Mine managers and individual miners need Ethernet (PoE) connectivity

52 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

KIDDE_IM OCT17 PROOF_Layout 1 26/09/2017 20:38 Page 1
SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:26 Page 3

SAFETY

Ethernet and WiFi devices. NLTs range (sometimes constructed with fibre and
of solutions can be used over the N- steel belts) have to be sliced with two-
Connex network including Voice, Data handed box cutters before being spliced
and Video solutions. Some of the back together with steel staples.
solutions include: Maintenance crews are often positioned
n Voice IP Radio Handsets and VoIP on their knees during these dangerous
phones can be used for two-way cutting operations and must pull knife
voice communications blades directly toward them, not the most
n Data network connectivity allows ideal work environment. Recordable
access to Intranets and the Internet injuries from deep punctures and
n Video monitor critical points lacerations are often serious - and in some
through your operation cases, life-threatening.
n Tracking know where your people HexArmor engineered a new level of
and assets are via WiFi (or RFID) protection against punctures and
Tracking and make use of NLTs lacerations with the development of a
powerful digital mine software suite dedicated conveyor belt chap. This was an
n Monitoring ventilation, gas levels, answer to a call from a major mining
environmental conditions or ground company that had been experiencing a
strata changes can all be monitored high level of recordable injuries (punctures
over N-Connex and lacerations) in its belt conveyor
n PLCs Ethernet connectivity for PLC A key part of an MST network infrastructure splicing operations. After conducting an
networks to remotely control and monitor (NS50 AP/Switch) in a Russian mine onsite review of the companys maintenance
electrical equipment. operations, and working directly with the
MST Globals Wireless Repeater Node (WRN) American and Glencore, that are using Short companys safety committee, HexArmor
also received a 2017 Good Design Selection in Interval Control to proactively monitor, analyse, engineered a conveyor belt chap designed to
the Product Design Category. The jury report and manage their underground processes deflect the cutting blades and knives used in belt
commented: The WRN is a rugged, fit for more effectively. splicing maintenance. The result: belt conveyor
purpose design that has been executed The WRN is a specific device, just part of MSTs maintenance and installation injuries were
flawlessly. User controls, ergonomics, choice of much broader IMPACT Wi-Fi suite, but a new and completely eliminated after the introduction of
materials, fit and finish are as good as it gets. important element to that suite. It enables easy, the HexArmor chap.
This is an excellent product and deserves wireless connectivity in that difficult last mile The company says that HexArmor with
recognition at the highest level. into the dynamic areas of the mine the mining SuperFabric brand materials provides some of
MST Global has a range of products that fit faces. the highest cut resistance in the industry today,
within four main technology groups. From ULF to featuring ANSI/ISEA Level A7 and CE Level 5 cut
VHF and UHF, through to digital Wi-Fi based What are they wearing? resistance ratings. The cut, puncture, and
systems, MST has developed a number of Engineering the right type of PPE for mine abrasion resistant 9911 chap provided mine
proprietary products to address particular workers and maintenance crews is critical. For maintenance workers with full front and back leg
requirements and to complement third party example, in almost all mining operations, high coverage plus a double-layer knee patch to
products that may be used in a system. capacity belt conveyors are used and they require reduce wear in specific splicing task positions.
MSTs product suites can be used in isolation frequent maintenance and repair. Splicing is The 9911 Chap was developed with extra
or in combination to provide a total solution to hazardous work for maintenance crews. Belts room in the thigh area to offer easy movement
mine operators requirements. Voice
communications, data communications, people
tracking, emergency messaging, asset tracking &
management, wireless telemetry and proximity
detection are all functions delivered by these
systems.
MST was the first company to broadly
introduce Wi-Fi in underground mines in 2004.
Denis Kent, General Manager, explains this was
done to leverage the bandwidth of Wi-Fi networks
to improve communications and track people in
the mien, a step change in safety.
But the same technology also is being
leveraged to improve productivity.
In fact now we have moved beyond just mine
worthy infrastructure, but into devices and
applications to deliver business value from the
collected data and available communications. An
example is how MST is an integral part of the
activities of mining companies, such as Anglo The 9911 HexArmor Chap completely eliminated belt conveyor maintenance and installation injuries

54 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:26 Page 4

SAFETY

and comfort, not to mention the chaps are cooler luminous flux on a
and lighter than the leather alternative products. surface. It decreases
Another benefit is that the chaps are fully by the square of the
washable, lowering replacement costs and distance (inverse
improving hygiene. square law) of the
HexArmor also provides a wide range of PPE surface from the light
such as protective gloves, arm guards, jackets, source:
and aprons. The mining industry demands grip E(lx) = luminous
and dexterity to allow maintenance workers to flux (lm)/area (m2).
handle tools and knives without slipping under What is the
extreme pressure. HexArmor has a variety of grip difference between a
solutions for the toughest mine site applications. lumen and a candela?
Lumen = luminous
Mine lighting flux = the complete
In the lead to this article, the importance of quantity of light
lighting has been demonstrated by Airfal. Nordic emitted by a source.
Lights is one of the leading global suppliers of Candela = luminous
Heavy Duty LED, HID & Halogen lighting intensity = quantity of
solutions. It defines Heavy Duty work lights as light radiated in a particular direction. Recommended Nordic Lights LEDs for various
lamps specifically designed to be suitable for Theoretical lumen output cannot be achieved machines
use in extremely demanding environments and in real life. It is a calculated value showing what
applications. They are most commonly used to would be possible under absolute ideal turn the LEDs on and off extremely rapidly (<300
provide illumination of working areas close to the conditions where no optical, electrical or thermal Hz). However, the human eye cannot see this (the
machine to which they are attached. However, losses occur in the system. This value can often eye can only see flicker below about 200 Hz).
some heavy duty lights are also suitable for road be 60% higher that the true lumen output. If LED flickering is noticeable then there could
and signalling use. Operational lumen output takes thermal, be various reasons:
Nordic Lights provides useful reference optical and electrical loss into account. It is the n Cheap LED lamps may be designed with too
information, like the difference between lumen true representation of the lumen output from the low LED switching frequency
and lux. A lumen is the unit of measurement of lamp in real life conditions. n There may be a fault in the lamp circuitry
the complete quantity of light emitted by a light Why do LEDs flicker, or appear to flicker? n There may be an intermittent connection of a
source the luminous flux. Lux is the quantity of Lamps using switched power supplies actually component on the circuit board
SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:26 Page 5

SAFETY

n There may be an intermittent supply sphere angles, normally 90o in all directions (a
connection to the lamp (eg loose, or poorly half sphere). As a result we get the nominal
plugged in connector) illumination values of all detected section angles.
n The flicker may be fake; eg the light may With our software Helios, we analyse the
actually be reflecting from a vibrating shiny measured values and generate the correct lumen
surface. So, the light itself isnt flickering, but output. All measurements are performed at an
because the shiny surface is moving rapidly, the ambient temperature of 23C. The light output is
reflected light is also changing direction rapidly. measured after thermal stabilisation time of the
Nordic Lights offers many different types of light unit after 30 minutes in function; the LEDs lighting solutions. Exceeding ATEX and IECEx
LED work light. This is because an LED is not a have then reached their operating temperature. safety requirements, SLAM FIXED is fit for the
standardised light source like a halogen or HID The company is now offering new extreme most demanding conditions in hazardous work
bulb. LEDs vary, particularly in physical size and corrosion resistant work lights with a special areas.
lumen output. This allows the flexibility to coating to improve the resistance of its mining The lightweight yet extremely durable lights
produce lamp designs suitable for a wide variety work lights in harsh conditions. For its NanoSafe are mounted using acid-resistant steel brackets,
of applications and customer requirements. A coating, it implemented three more layers to and operate reliably in temperatures from 40 C
lamp with lower lumen output typically requires make lights more corrosion resistant and to +40C. The antistatic and extremely rugged Ex-
less, or lower power LEDs than a lamp with a implemented a non-stick and easy to clean plastic casing of the lights enhances working
much higher output. The lamps physical surface coating. These three additional layers safety in explosion hazardous areas.
dimensions, shape and lumen output can be lead to a much higher and longer resistance Thanks to LED technology, maintaining SLAM
tailored for various situations. Using against corrosion. FIXED lights is easier and less frequent than with
combinations of lenses and LEDs can also create Its RFCommSafe products were developed in traditional lamps. SLAM FIXED light fittings are
products with identical appearance but with recognition that some radio communication safer and more cost-effective than other
differing light patterns and output. equipment can self-tune to be very sensitive in industrial lighting solutions. Thanks to both low
On mounting lights, Nordic Lights notes that remote areas. maintenance and low energy consumption, SLAM
aside from the physical dimensions and size of FIXED lights also represent an environmentally
mounting bolts, the main differences are in the sound solution.
material used and their ability to withstand
vibration, shock and corrosion. Basic brackets are Mine utility vehicles for safety
made of steel and have basic shock & vibration Underground machinery is normally specialised
resistance. Cast brackets have a far greater to fit only one purpose, but in mining it is
vibration and shock resilience. They are also commonly needed for one machine to fulfil
more corrosion resistant. The best performing several requirements. This is where Paus took the
brackets in terms of resistance to vibration and initiative and designed the MinCa 18A with a
shock are our patented Quake Damped brackets unitised modular system. It offers a maximum
available for the Scorpius range of lamps. payload of 3.8 t and enough room to transport up
HELLA Mining warns that there is currently no to 18 passengers. However, it is not only
universally recognised standard for measuring equipped with a standard passenger cabin.
the photometric properties of solid state (LED) There are a variety of convenient cassettes
lighting. This has resulted in many available as well. These cassettes include fuel
manufacturers and resellers using theoretical HELLA Mining lumen measurement tanks, lifting/scissor platforms,
data (eg raw lumens) which offers no actual equipment/material transporters and fire-
useful comparison data for the purchaser, who is Every LED lamp contains electronic circuitry, fighting/ambulance cassettes. The Paus fire truck
either unaware or unable to calculate the actual HELLA Mining explains. It is essential that this offers a water tank with an average of 1,600 litres
light output taking into account optical, electrical circuitry does not cause harmful interference to of water and other versions or customised
and thermal losses. The IES (illumination other devices and at the same time is not solutions are also available on request. The
Engineers Society) released in 2008 a standard susceptible to radiation from other devices. The comfortable and innovative suspension, shock
for testing amongst other things, the total limits prescribed by regulatory requirements and absorbers and oscillated axles lead to an
luminous flux of LED fixtures. This publication as defined in international standards such as outstanding driving comfort at speeds of up to 33
appears to be the front runner in becoming the CISPR15 or relevant UNECE standards may not be km/h. That way the ambulance version is well
benchmark standard in testing solid state sufficient to ensure there is no interference with developed for a safe and convenient passenger
luminaire photometrics, and has been adopted very sensitive radio communication equipment. transport.
by most top tier manufacturers, including HELLA Lamps marketed as RFCommSafe are designed to In close cooperation with an initiating mine
Mining. In simple terms, the test will determine go well beyond the requirements of CISPR15, and Drger, a leading company regarding
the effective light output of a luminaire, ideally CISPR25 and UNECE standards. medical and safety technology, Paus also
using specialised photometric equipment in a Atexor says its first fixed Ex-lighting solution developed a special rescue vehicle which is
NATA accredited laboratory. For the purpose of exceeds safety requirements and provides already in use. The MRV 9000 is based on the
this comparison, only data obtained using the powerful yet energy efficient light in extreme mentioned Paus MinCa 18A. The drivers cabin
LM-79-08 standard is utilised. conditions. and the rescue cassette include ROPS and FOPS
The correct way to measure the light output The SLAM FIXED range of fixed luminaires and have been tested accordingly. The most
of head- and work lights is usage of a offers the same high quality features and important feature of this vehicle is that it is
goniometer. This instrument measures defined robustness as the well-known Atexor portable totally equipped with an own closed pressurised

56 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

 Driving Force in
Vehicle Fire Protection

CHECKFIRE Detection &Actuation Systems

LVS/Twin-Agent Fire Suppression Systems
Around the clock protection for rugged environments
Programmable detectionand actuation systemsdesigned for versatileprotection
Suppression systemsengineered for rapidflame knockdownand cooling
FM approved andCE marked

www.ansul.com/mining-solutions

2017 Johnson Controls. All rights reserved. AD-2017-3-C

SAFETY_proof 28/09/2017 13:27 Page 6

SAFETY

the loss of machinery and resources. Injuries and

fatalities are caused by high temperatures and
pressure exposure associated with the flame and
shock-wave respectively and toxic gases
generated during an explosion.
Considering the temperature increase during
an explosion, it seems an inevitable requirement
of an AESS to suppress such an explosion in the
quickest possible time. In the case of an AESS
being installed on a continuous miner, the
distance to the source of an explosion will not
exceed the placement of the suppression nozzle.
An AESS should furthermore be capable of
creating a forward moving barrier to stop the
onrush of any explosion. As a result of these
characteristics any person situated behind the
AESSs barrier is not exposed to lethal
The special ambulance rescue version of the prevent harmful gases from entering the vehicle. temperature, dramatic increase of pressure or
MRV 9000 During the rescue mission, it will obviously be toxic gases. Toxic gas production is kept at a
necessary to open the escape hatch in order to minimum due to the fast suppression of the
cabin concept. This means that this concept will address the emergency. explosion.
be realizsed through an integrated life support Whenever team members leave the vehicle, Two benefits of such a system, reaction speed
system which combines several elements to the air flow in the MRV 9000 can be manually and forward barrier motion, enable the most
provide safe and clean breathing air to people reduced for the remaining occupants. As a result, common applications for ExploSpot in
inside the rescue as well as the drivers cabin. breathing air from the on-board reservoir can be underground coal mines. These are within the
Breathing air, which is stored in four reservoirs conserved to provide additional time for a safe working area (face), intake and return air tunnels.
on both sides of the MRV 9000, is fed into these return after a successful rescue mission. Harmful The AESS can be installed in those areas which
rooms to flush out excess carbon dioxide and to gases which enter the drivers cabin and rescue cannot be protected by traditional passive
replenish oxygen in a controlled manner. A major cassette can be flushed out by the life support barriers. The advantage of installing an AESS in
benefit of this protective system is that it is at a system by increasing the airflow up to 2,500%. the working area is to be as close as possible to
positive pressure and can therefore reliably Additionally a range of optional features can be a potential ignition of an explosion. The
implemented for the ExploSpot AESS can be installed in an



safety and usability of
the MRV 9000 for
environment where miners are actively involved
in operation, as it is designed not to cause any
instance a gas harm to man and machine. The discharge
210/./-0,+*)( monitoring system, mechanism is free of any particles that might
'.&%+$0#,"+!0 /+-."+0%%+))"+)( thermal imaging cause physical harm. The most common
0/.-,.+*)('&%($#",(!. ,*(*&-("-*+(0*+"*,(0") cameras, acoustic installations are on continuous miners, within the
$"-/+.( .*(.* #(+.*(..)+.*( *-.."*,
**(
00(0.&($0(*"-.(0*-"-("-"-(+.,/* ,( signals or further roadway and on longwalls.
-*+-".-("-"- solutions if special An ExploSpot AESS installed on a continuous
'0-, /-0,+*) requirements exist. miner is a single suppression system interfacing
'.&%+$0#,"+!0 /+-."+&-1+))"+) the continuous miner with a power supply, water
0/.-,.+*)('&%(.* #(*+.,( ,,*("-*+(
 "/*-(0+*& Explosion supply and preferably a communication interface.
($,,."*,(+"-)"-(0. ".-,("-
,(*+",((*",(.*,*
0(
00(0")( .*(*-.*(!
($)-*(*+" suppression In the case of a longwall face area, the area will


(( -*+-".-("-"- Arend Spaeth, CEO of be split into multiple AESS barrier zones. Each
ExploSpot Systems says zone will be protected by a dedicated AESS. The
-00%/.11 
+*)
-,0%"+.--."+ ,%+)))"+) the implementation of difference in function of the AESS on longwall
0/.-,.+*)('&%( .*(( -*+-".-("-"- an active explosion installation compared to that on a continuous
suppression system miner is that an explosion might have two
! /.-,.1%+-,%.1+*)
-,0%"+.--."+ ,%+))"+) (AESS) in a mine can be propagation routes. So, the AESS must create an
0/.-,.+*)('&%(
00( .*( -*+-".-("-"-((

 based on legislation or a area protected by barriers of sufficient

risk analysis and suppression material to ensure the full
0%+-,%.10
+) management systems encapsulation of the explosion. Upon detection
'.&%+$0#,"+!0 /+-.
0%%+))"+)
0/.-,.+*)('&%(
00(+ *+(( -*+-".-("-"- used at a mine. Once of an explosion, the primary AESS will issue an
implemented an explosion activation signal to all neighbouring

-$%+%/.1
) ExploSpot AESS is AESS systems. The neighbouring systems will
'.&%+$0#,"+!0 /+-.
0%%+"+)
0/.-,.+*)('&%( -*+-".-("-"- required to contain and trigger the suppression process while still
suppress any explosion. actively monitoring the environment.
  
   The objective of early Recent developments have enhanced the

 

   suppression is to prevent operation in intake or return air drifts. These
injuries, fatalities and AESS systems are placed in an environment that,

58 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:27 Page 7

SAFETY

produced exclusively though a multimillion-dollar

partnership with Caterpillar offers, the company
states, best-in-class driver fatigue avoidance and
management.
Our non-intrusive, in-cab solution alerts
operators the instant that they stop paying
sufficient attention to vehicle operation. Real-
time event data is then transmitted to a specialist
24-hour facility where trained personnel can
implement best practice risk mitigation
processes on behalf of your business.
Caterpillar Safety Services offers training
programs to help leaders embrace the culture of
safety excellence and tools to build engagement,
accountability and operational excellence.
Thats why DSS by Seeing Machines has been
chosen as its exclusive in-cab operator fatigue
solution and is being rolled out for sales and
implementation by the global dealers. Today
more than 5,000 DSS units are protecting
operations at over 50 open pit mines operations
around the world.
In the same technology sector, Dr Daniel
Bongers, the inventor of the SmartCap was
inducted into the International Mining
Technology Hall of Fame in the Safety category
(sponsored by FLSmidth) at the gala awards
The ExploSpot active explosion barrier will South Africa. Each explosion would, if not dinner in Denver on February 20 this year. The
create a full suppression barrier upon detecting
an explosion suppressed, have caused detrimental damage to SmartCap is a wearable fatigue monitoring
equipment and harm to miners. technology that uses a modified baseball cap to
in the case of an event, experiences the greatest read an individuals EEG to determine their level
explosion force. An explosion propagating within Stay awake
an air tunnel can develop flame speeds well Intense
beyond 330 m/s, thereby reaching and exceeding schedules, says
the speed of light. These systems must be Seeing Machines,
specifically configured to service the tunnel remote locations, Learn more:
dimensions in which they are located. This is long hours and www.geobrugg.com/mining
done by customising the spray pattern in such a repetitive tasks
way as to have the fastest development of the leave mining
suppression barrier. The AESS located within the equipment
roadway would for example be located between operators
the splits, so restricting the degree of freedom especially prone
for the flame to pass the barrier. Depending on to the dangers of
the mining method (eg room and pillar), multiple fatigue. Coupled
AESS units may be placed along the roadways. with heavy
The AESS needs to move as the working face equipment and
progresses. Although an AESS may be situated at hazardous
a fixed point, the location can be changed quickly environments,
to adapt to changes in face position. even the smallest
Furthermore, the ExploSpot Roadway AESS is so lapse in
compact and flexible in configuration, that it can concentration can
MINAX mesh made of high-tensile steel wire
be used in roadways with various explosion put operational
suppression obstacles which are common to people at risk and
THE MOST ECONOMICAL
normal mining operations. These might be cost millions of
conveyors or various cable and waterpipe dollars to the GROUND SUPPORT
networks mounted to the roof. owners.
The ExploSpot AESS has been proven to The Driver
suppress methane gas and/or coaldust Safety System
explosions on at least six occasions within the (DSS) developed
last 15 years. All these explosions were recorded by Seeing Geobrugg AG | Aachstrasse 11 | CH-8590 Romanshorn | www.geobrugg.com
on systems installed on continuous miners in Machines and

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 59

SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:27 Page 8

SAFETY

unprecedented result diesel vehicles has resulted in a significant

is being attributed to reduction in major fires. However, major fires still
the detection occur and most risk assessments still identify a
capabilities and major fire as a very serious threat.
subsequent culture He concludes that the current trend in mine
change associated with ventilation uses the main ramp as the mines sole
the SmartCap intake (dirty intake), with no exhaust on
technology. working levels (series ventilation). Contaminant
At an individual levels due to diesel gases and heat are high in
level, a number of this design, the risk of recirculation due to short-
operators have been circuiting increases, the potential for dead spots
able to identify on the ramp is high, and the security of the
Caterpillar safety advisors in the 24/7 Fleet previously undiagnosed sleep conditions or other system in the event of a fire is poor.
Monitoring Centre analyse data and video from fatigue-related health issues using SmartCap. A further current trend towards placing the
in-vehicle systems, such as Seeing Machines
With treatment and ongoing management, these second means of egress (e.g. ladderway) in the
DSS, to notify on-site personnel about drowsy
or distracted driving. Each fatigue and operators are now more alert, making their exhaust system, or connecting it into the ramp
distraction event is reviewed, verified, classified workplace safer for themselves and their system so that a fire on the ramp will pollute the
and logged for analysis and recordkeeping.
colleagues. Furthermore, these operators are second means of egress, is also bad practice.
With insight and analytics from equipment and
operator data, Caterpillar safety advisors can enjoying a dramatically improved quality of life The second means of egress should be a
help quantify job site risk and its impact on since the change. secure intake, isolated and independent of the
performance and uptime. These connected data
The most pronounced effect of SmartCap to primary means of egress. It should operate in a
points help drive site re-design, improve
processes, education and work schedules that date is its ability to facilitate cultural change on- fail-safe manner even in the event of a complete
lead to operational excellence site, by giving a language to the previously vague underground power failure.
concept of fatigue. Ladderways are not suitable for escape by
of alertness. This level is used notify the most modern underground workers. The second
operator/management of their elevated risk of Better air means of egress should principally be seen as
having a micro-sleep/fatigue event. Dr Rick Brake of Mine Ventilation Australia (MVA) the means for mine rescue to be able to bypass
Bongers is passionate about safety, and has says there are four key elements to obtaining the primary means of egress for search and
worked tirelessly over the last more than a high quality, fit for purpose ventilation designs: rescue operations, or to provide essential
decade to ensure the success and widespread n Accurate understanding of the objectives: the medical support for entrapped workers in refuge
adoption of the SmartCap technology. Having scope, battery limits, exclusions and chambers.
been involved in all aspects of the SmartCap deliverables from the work A rescue-ability study should be undertaken
evolution and delivery since inception, he has n Documented Basis of Design which ensures for all mining areas; no fresh air base or refuge
worked with thousands of operators as well all the necessary inputs (facts and chamber in the mine should be beyond the ability
supervisors, mine managers and CEOs around assumptions) and standards are agreed of mine rescue.
the globe to help sites achieve genuine safety n Ventilation model is validated (and auditable) The use of refuge chambers as a complete
improvements. using sound QA approach replacement for fresh air bases in underground
His striving for technical excellence and n Competent, experienced ventilation engineers mines should be prohibited. Refuge chambers
commercial exclusivity saw him pursue and in the design process. Software by itself wont should be seen as supplementary to fresh air
achieve the worlds first independent validation achieve this. bases, and basically as interim or local solutions
of a fatigue monitoring tool, cementing the Furthermore, in his paper The Growing Use of rather than permanent solutions that negate the
SmartCap as the new golden standard. This Hazardous Primary
achievement was the catalyst for increased Ventilation Systems In
transparency and validation efforts amongst all Hardrock Mines he
related technologies, giving mining operations notes that fire has
more informed choice and driving innovation in historically being the
the field. biggest single cause
SmartCap says it represents the most of underground
accurate fatigue monitoring technology hardrock mining
available, which has seen its widespread disasters and
adoption in both heavy and light mobile mining traditional primary
equipment. This technology has made an impact ventilation systems
in operations in Australia, Southern Africa, and and practices were
South America. SmartCap has become integrated developed, over a
into daily operations, and is an integral part of long time and after
fatigue risk management systems and employee many such disasters Ventsim is an underground mine ventilation
assistance programs. and subsequent inquiries, to provide the safest simulation software package designed to
A New South Wales, Australia group of coal practicable conditions for miners in the event of a model and simulate ventilation, airflows,
pressures, heat, gases, financials, radon, fire,
mining operations has celebrated a milestone of major fire. The reduction in the use of timber and many other types of ventilation data from a
1,000,000 hours of SmartCap use, over which underground and the introduction of model of tunnels and shafts. It is in use in over
time were zero fatigue incidents. This sophisticated fire mitigation systems in modern 1,000 mine sites and agencies around the world

60 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

SAFETY_proof 26/09/2017 14:27 Page 9

SAFETY

need for an effective ventilation system. Sanders Senior Vice President, Howden. MSAs line of best-in-class XCell sensors with
The most robust primary ventilation system Craig Stewart, founder of Chasm Consulting TruCal technology. Among their many
for a mine with a surface ramp is to have at least said: The combination of Howden and Ventsim capabilities, these innovative sensors
one surface intake shaft and one surface exhaust will offer exceptional value for our customers by automatically compensate for environmental shift
shaft servicing all main working levels. The providing a key advantage to optimise fan and sensor drift, meaning operators dont have to
intake shaft can be equipped with a ladderway selection and ventilation system designs. When I touch or calibrate the gas monitor for up to 18
(or set up for emergency winding) and acts as visit clients across the globe I notice that fan months.
both a secure second means of egress and also sizing is often neglected, resulting in elevated These systems are true game-changers that
provides secure fresh air bases on each working operating costs due to low efficiency or fan will further strengthen MSAs market-leading
level. The ramp operates as a neutral intake, ie replacements/upgrades resulting in costly position in the global fixed gas and flame
downcasts only sufficient intake air from surface production stoppage. Howden will now have the detection market, said William M. Lambert, MSA
for its own purposes (ie to ventilate itself ) and is ability to provide the end-product that the Chairman, President and CEO. We know, from a
not used to feed air into the working levels. This customers really need in other words, not just tremendous amount of voice-of-customer input,
provides a highly secure and robust ventilation fans but air. I believe this is a revolutionary our customers wanted a tough, user friendly and
system. However, if under the ALARA principle, change in the business of mine ventilation. I have reliable system they can set, forget, and know
the operation cannot support such a design and no doubt it will improve ventilation as well as workers are protected. With the S5000 and
only one surface shaft can be provided, then health and safety. I am looking forward to helping Ultima X5000 Monitors, operators can do just
serious consideration should be given to using create the next generation of products and that and trust these new systems will function
this surface shaft as the intake and using the continuing to work with our existing and new as designed, and do so at a significantly lower
ramp as the primary exhaust, under the influence customers to help design and optimise their overall cost of ownership, he said.
of a surface blowing fan. ventilation systems. MSAs Series 5000 Transmitters are designed
In all cases, the operation of the ventilation for a broad range of applications where toxic and
system must be carefully integrated with site Gas monitoring combustible gases pose a workplace hazard. The
operating practices and other controls, such as One of the global safety equipment two new systems are designed as a replacement
the selection and use of suitable self-contained manufacturing leaders, MSA Safety announced option for the companys large installed base of
self-rescuers, refuge chambers, fire detection last April it is redefining expectations for gas previous generation systems. The S5000 model,
systems and personnel notification systems. detection technology with the launch of a new which the company will market under its General
Howdens current strategy is to become the line of advanced gas detection monitors. The Monitors brand, represents a premium option
worlds leading provider of mine ventilation S5000 and Ultima X5000 gas monitors known designed for use in particularly harsh
solutions and its latest move in this has been to collectively as MSAs Series 5000 Transmitters environments. For all other applications, the
acquire Chasm Consulting and its world leading enhance facility and worker safety while Ultima X5000 offers the industrys most intuitive
product Ventsim. Providing industry-leading 3D significantly simplifying and minimising system and user-friendly interface for customers who
design and simulation capability, the Ventsim maintenance requirements. want to standardise and simplify their gas
software is widely used among the global mine The S5000 and Ultima X5000 systems are the detection program.
ventilation community. Howden will now offer a result of a four-year research and development Lambert commented that the new gas
full suite of solutions for mine ventilation, from effort involving three MSA global design centres. detection monitors provide a good example of
modelling and design software to full turnkey This represents the companys largest ever new how MSAs core product focus and R&D
projects including main and auxiliary fans, product development effort in the area of fixed investments are yielding innovative safety
instrumentation, automation and Ventilation on gas and flame detection. solutions that support the companys growth
Demand via the Simsmart product line. In use, the Series 5000 Transmitters are strategy and market leadership goals. At MSA,
This acquisition is part of our mission to mounted at a fixed point and protect assets and we often talk about the value of safety, he said.
better serve our customers by providing the workers within a facility by sensing low levels of These new gas detection systems are great
complete suite of solutions for any type of mine toxic or combustible gases in the air. The new examples of that mindset in action, where we are
ventilation system. The Ventsim software has systems are powered by advanced and using breakthrough technology and innovation to
earned a strong reputation in the market place. It differentiated technology that provides improved generate value for all MSA stakeholders.
will remain a stand-alone product, and we will facility and worker safety at a lower cost of Scott Safety, a global leader in innovative
continue to enhance its functionality, said Mark operation. The nerve centre of this system is personal protective equipment and safety

ABSOLUTE MATERIAL FLOW CONTROL

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CHUTE SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS

Tel: +27 (0) 11 827-9372 email: info@webachutes.com
www.webachutes.com

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 61

SAFETY_proof 28/09/2017 14:11 Page 10

SAFETY

devices, has introduced the Protg SG, a At a new mine in

versatile new reusable single gas monitor that is Northern Ontario,
configurable to detect 13 different gases. "The Canada, the mining
Protg SG is a truly universal portable gas company was very
detector with advanced features, such as smart aware that the
plug and play sensors and a replaceable lithium isolated location of
battery that provides unlimited life. The the mine, many
swappable sensors are equipped with a smart kilometres from the
sensor board that automatically recognises nearest emergency
sensor type and updates the gas label on the LCD services, required
display while automatically downloading the superior protection
necessary calibration parameters." for the personnel that
With an IP66/67 rating, global regulatory occupy the electrical
approvals, multiple languages accessible on the substation that
LCD, and internal data logging for up to 5,000 powers this site.
events, the Protg SG provides miners maximum The architect and
flexibility to focus on the task at hand and not on engineering firm
their equipment. The Protg SG is the first in a contracted by the CAT D10 dozer featuring a factory-installed
new line of cost-effective high performance mining operation originally specified a CO2 ANSUL LVS liquid agent fire suppression and
portable gas monitors being introduced. All system for its fire protection needs. The mine Checkfire 210 detection and actuation system
Protg devices will have a similar look, feel and operator called Kidde distributor Vipond Systems
user interface as well as standard features, such Group for installation of the system. Vipond
as smart plug and play sensors and conducted its own pre-installation hazard up, allowing your facility to get back to work
lithium/alkaline battery options that are analysis and concluded that a CO2 system was immediately.
interchangeable between monitors. not the right option for this application. Coltraco Ultrasonics Portalevel Intrinsically
Vipond proposed a Kidde ECS Clean Agent Safe will be available soon. The ATEX Zone 1
Fire protection Suppression System using FM-200 from the approved liquid level indicator is specifically
At the beginning of the year, Johnson Controls proposed CO2 system with the justification of designed to operate in environments where the
International, makers of leading global brand personnel safety, as well as a cost reduction. presence of potentially dangerous gases can be
ANSUL, announced the launch of its factory- Because the space intended for protection was to experienced. In mining, the maintenance of
installed fire suppression system program with be occupied, FM-200 was a safer alternative as it gaseous extinguishing systems is integral, as fire
Caterpillar. The program provides factory- is a proven, people-safe agent when used per can be devastating. The Intrinsically Safe unit can
installed fire suppression systems on several NFPA requirements. In addition to the safety service a cylinder of CO2, FM-200, Novec1230,
models of Cat mining equipment, with the advantage, the Kidde ECS System would prove to halons and more in under 30 seconds non-
ultimate aim of enhancing vehicle integrity and be more economical for the operation as the intrusively, with accuracy to 1.5 mm off the true
longevity as well as expediting machine delivery. system requires significantly fewer cylinders. liquid level. Safety is becoming recognised as
With this factory-installed fire suppression Ordinarily, this may not be an issue, but this an area in mining which must no longer be
system program, select vehicles will be equipped installation had to fulfil portability requirements. overlooked. The industry is beginning to opt for
to seamlessly incorporate JCI fire protection The system would have to be hauled hundreds of more regular inspections and even continuous
systems during the earliest stages of vehicle kilometres across the Arctic each time the 365 day monitoring of fire safety suppression
development and production, fully integrating operation was set-up and torn-down thus, having installations. The ability to monitor
the technology into vehicles and standardising a smaller system equated to a large cost savings autonomously, with remote diagnostics and
installation practices worldwide. The Caterpillar in transportation for the operation. The mining remote relay which can provide an alarm to the
and JCI teams worked collaboratively to design operation was impressed with this alternative Fire Safety Officer or Facilities Manager, provides
fire suppression systems for Caterpillar vehicles. suggestion and chose Vipond to install the Kidde confidence in the integrity of the system.
New models are being added to the program all ECS System using FM-200. Minimising mining fire risk, in the long run, can
the time. Kidde says ECS Clean Agent Fire Suppression improve business continuity, save downtime and
The factory-installed fire suppression system Systems are the preferred fire suppression also the potential costly pay-out which fire
program resulted from Caterpillar Voice of solution for facilities that cannot afford the damage entails, said Clare Hunter, Head of
Customer surveys that revealed end users need downtime associated with a fire or typical water- Marketing & Communications.
to address after-market design and installation based fire suppression systems. Clean Agent
practices. Caterpillar conducted a worldwide systems extinguish a fire quickly by breaking Mine refuges
evaluation of vehicle system manufacturers and down the molecular structure of the fire. The MineARC Systems, well known for its refuges has
their fire suppression technologies in order to suppression agents do not harm the equipment relocated its European office to Barcelona, Spain.
standardise these systems for their vehicles. or personnel in the protected room or cause a Former Southeast Asia Business Development
From this evaluation, JCI and its ANSUL brand fire mess to clean up afterwards. Manager, Kane Read, has relocated from
protection systems were chosen due to the ECS Clean Agents offer rapid fire MineARCs Head Office in Perth, Australia, to
global network of Authorised ANSUL Distributors, extinguishment, suppressing fires within seconds become Europe Business Development Manager
innovative fire protection technologies, and of the agent being discharged into the protected and to lead this new office.
world-class global account support and technical area. The agents are ventilated out of the space The goal of this endeavour, MineARC says is
expertise. and do not leave behind a residue to be cleaned to strengthen our existing relationships and to

62 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

SAFETY_proof 28/09/2017 13:43 Page 11

SAFETY

Inside an ON2 TommyKocker with Refuge One Air

Centre

introduce MineARC to new clientele. It is also

providing support, training and certification to
clients in the emergency operation and servicing
of MineARC refuge chambers and its range of
ancillary products, such as the EnviroLAV Waste
Management System.
Earlier in the year MineARC reported on a West
Australian Department of Mines and Petroleums
(DMP) safety bulletin addressing the importance
of correct maintenance of refuge chambers in
underground mines. This is of course of interest
to mines all over the world and has highlighted
industry concerns that the capacity for some
refuge chambers to perform correctly in an
emergency may have been compromised. These That DMP safety bulletin explains that a n Split system 230 VAC air conditioner
concerns arose following a number of recent compromised refuge chamber may lead to the minimises power consumption
refuge chamber inspections by the DMP, following issues during an emergency: n Leak tested to ensure airtight compartments
highlighting inadequate maintenance and ad-hoc n Inability to support life for the recommended n Reflective signage allows recognition in poor
modifications to chambers. minimum duration of 36 hours lit conditions
During an underground emergency when the n Ingress of contaminants into the refuge n Rugged 12-gauge steel construction
ambient underground environment becomes chamber n Dimmable LED lighting throughout
unsuitable for breathing, personnel use their self- n Failure of life support systems to operate n Water and Food storage provided
contained self-rescuers (SCSR) as breathing effectively (eg scrubbing and temperature n Occupancy beacon and siren allows rescuers
apparatus en-route to the safe environment of control) to locate easily
refuge chambers. Once inside the chamber, the n Reduced battery power capacity. n Mine compressed air supply (optional)
internal volume is the last remaining respirable ON2 designs, builds, supplies and services The n Carbon monoxide scrubber unit (optional)
atmosphere until the emergency has passed and TommyKnocker mobile mine refuge chamber for n Portable gas monitor (optional)
help arrives. underground and is exporting to a growing n Up to 96-hour battery capacity (optional). IM
number of countries. The
chamber is easy to move
and relocate in and 

typically includes the  



ON2 Refuge One Air

  
Centre, making it a 
complete mine refuge   

system.
Tommy Knockers
offer:
n Portable design
allows for ease of
transport, can be
hoisted, dragged,
rolled, or forklifted
A MineARC refuge system underground n Double door entry
system for control of
outside air
The internal atmosphere must be sealed from n Positive air pressure 
the external threat. The refuge should offer a minimises outside air
breathable air supply and redundancies, ingress into chamber
including: n Comfortable bench
n An appropriately filtered, dry compressed air seating for chamber
connection occupants
n Internal, chemically controlled recirculation n Storage area for
(scrubbing) system and oxygen supply consumables in
n Air conditioning, including temperature and cabinets and under
humidity control seat
n Uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and n Sectioned off area for
secure storage toilet

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 63

DRONES-UAVS_proof 26/09/2017 16:44 Page 1

DRONES/UAVS

Flight support

John Chadwick takes his annual look

at the drone market for mining new
technologies, new applications and
expert advice from some of the
leading players

nmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), BMA recounts the BHP Billiton experience: PRODRONE has developed the PDH-02C Auto-

U commonly known as drones, have a

great deal of potential to be explored
and exploited for commercial applications.
There are many examples where drones are
making mining safer, most obviously by helping
keep our people out of harms way. At some of
Pilot High-Speed Flight Helicopter which is a
F3C model helicopter. By using a powerful
adhesive, this improved drone realised a
substantial reduction in size and weight of the
Major industries, government agencies, and our coal mines in Queensland, theyre used to frame. Also PRODRONE increased the stability
and mobility of flight by shortening the nose of
other organisations are all actively assessing ensure areas are clear before a blast takes place the aircraft
the opportunity for drones to disrupt the market and to track fumes post-blast. Theyre also used
and create innovative business models. Rapid to improve road safety on sites, by monitoring need to make changes to improve safety or
advances in technology and economies of scale traffic, road conditions and hazards. At our boost productivity.
have enabled drones to be prototyped and Olympic Dam mine in South Australia, the Its not just on BHP Billitons mine sites that
commercially launched at an affordable price. maintenance team use them to help inspect drones are being employed. Heritage Manager,
Furthermore, due to emerging cloud-based overhead cranes, towers and roofs of tall Daniel Bruckner uses drones to map and
applications and data services, the commercial buildings to avoid working at height. digitally record areas of cultural heritage where
drone industry is enjoying a period of rapid growth. Were also becoming more productive. Weve they exist near BHP Billiton sites in Western
According to a new report from market been trialling drones fitted with military-grade Australias Pilbara region.
intelligence company Tractica, worldwide cameras to provide real time aerial footage and For me, the bigger picture is what this
commercial drone hardware and services 3D maps of our sites. This is far cheaper than technology allows us to do that could never
revenue will increase from $792 million in 2017 using planes for survey work, and the savings at have been done before, and for us that means
to $12.6 billion by 2025. While the majority of our sites in Queensland alone are estimated to being able to share and preserve cultural
revenue currently comes from hardware sales, be A$5 million a year.
the balance will shift in the next few years and, With drones, we now
by the end of the forecast period, Tractica gather more information
anticipates that drone-enabled services will about our sites than ever
represent approximately two-thirds of the total before. We can more
revenue mix. quickly and accurately
Tracticas report, Drones for Commercial measure our stockpiles,
Applications, examines the market and review compliance to
technology issues surrounding commercial design against mine plans
drones. The report assesses crucial market and understand where we
drivers and challenges, regulatory issues, and
key technology issues that will influence market DroneDeploys
comparison of fixed
development. wing and multi-rotor
Frans Knox, Head of Production - Mining with UAVs

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survey blocks representing priority areas of the

property requiring detailed magnetic data. The
survey measures the total magnetic intensity
(TMI) with GPS readings at every 0.1 second (1
m) using a UAV. The plotted total magnetic
values were corrected for diurnal variations
using readings taken every 6 seconds by a
synchronised local base station. Line spacing
Delair-Tech, the official national provider of environments to make informed business was 20 m with 150 m spaced tie lines.
fixed-wing drones for French government decisions. To address that need, Insitu uses Pioneer says it is leading the industry in UAV
agencies, notes that knowing stockpile
volumes on a regular basis is critical to aerial remote sensing to collect, analyse, and remote sensing for mineral exploration, mine
optimising a mine operation. They accurately deliver critical information to mine operators site surveys and safety inspections. Our UAV
indicate how much raw material was extracted while avoiding any disruption in operations. systems are some of the most advanced in the
and allow to effectively plan subsequent steps.
Images from a drone acquisition are processed Insitu says that compared to current world, custom built in Canada and capable of
into a DSM (Digital Surface Model) which is the photogrammetric payloads, [its] HAP payload long flights and diverse sensor payloads.
basis used for then applying volume calculation dramatically decreases the aerial survey flight We proudly developed the first UAV-Mag
algorithms. Delair-Tech clients get a vector file
(.shp) identifying the different stockpiles of and processing time allowing precise broad system on the market, and continue to push the
interest with their corresponding volumes. area survey, and the delivery of a georeferenced limits and capabilities of remote sensing in the
These results will also be delivered in the form site Digital Surface Model (DSM). Insitu's HAP exploration industry. Our research and
of a .csv file to facilitate importing the values
and easily monitor volume changes over time payload achieves this quick turnaround by development team is able to custom design and
taking many high resolution images and fly sensor packages to fit our diverse client
heritage that might otherwise have been lost, requirements.
Daniel says. Were now able to share all our
footage with local Aboriginal groups, and theyre Cameras
excited about that possibility. RGB or standard cameras capture Red,
Knox goes on with the consideration of how Green, and Blue light. This is the camera type
technology will change the nature of work. For that comes stock with most drone models.
example, with drones capable of delivering These are multipurpose photo and video
samples from site, surveyors will spend less cameras that can be used to make high-
time gathering data in the field and more time definition 2D orthomosaic maps as well as 3D
interpreting it. And soon, more drones could be models for any industry.
managed by pilots operating from a range of Higher quality camera sensors produce higher
different vantage points. integrating them to make a broad-area view. resolution photos with greater pixel density,
Drones are a good case study for how we This process produces fast, accurate which means you get more accurate maps. What
want to introduce new technology into BHP orthomosaics, enabling the delivery of concise exactly does resolution have to do with map
Billiton. Were quickly becoming a more digital, volumetric and stockpile measurements. accuracy, DroneDeploy asks? Put simply,
integrated and connected business. And were The end goal is to deliver precise business increasing the resolution of an image decreases
looking at ways of improving the way we mine knowledge to customers rapidly, helping cost its ground sampling distance (GSD), or in other
from every angle. reduction, and enhanced safety. words, it reduces the space between individual
Insitu's INEXA Solutions suite of products pixels in an image. Because drone mapping
Photogrammetry and services can be considered a 'modular software like DroneDeploy processes maps by
Insitu has successfully integrated a 50- toolbox,' with state-of-the-art remote sensing taking a series of individual images and
megapixel camera into its ScanEagle UAV for products and services, said Jon Damush, Vice matching the common points between them, the
delivering High Accuracy Photogrammetric President and General Manager, Insitu Commercial. more common points that can be matched, the
(HAP) aerial imagery. This new capability is part higher the accuracy of the map. An image with
of Insitu's INEXA Solutions, a comprehensive Exploration excellence
suite of remote sensing products and Secova Metals recently completed
information delivery services for enterprise a UAV-MAG survey flown by
customers, particularly mining operations. Pioneer Aerial on the
The HAP-equipped ScanEagle remotely Duvay/Chenier project, located 15
surveys broad areas quickly, accurately, and km northeast of Amos, Quebec.
safely due to ScanEagle's proven Beyond The company flew seven discrete
Visual Line of Sight performance and Insitu's survey blocks over priority areas to
specialised direct georeferencing system, obtain high-resolution magnetic
combined with the accuracy of the carefully data. This allowed preliminary data
selected, purpose-built 50-megapixel aerial to be used for the ongoing drill
camera. program.
Currently, to produce georeferenced data, The high-resolution UAV-MAG
mining enterprises monitor broad areas using survey was performed from July 6-
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), adding 14 and consists of 662 tightly
thematic layers into their analytical spaced line kilometres in seven Pioneer Aerial command station

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NEW
RIEGL VZ-2000i
FOR TOPOGRAPHY AND MINING

Event 38 this year released a Companion Computer to the Sony QX1

camera. The companion computer is a fully integrated solution for
streamlining the mapping and geotagging process on the E384, E386, and
other Pixhawk-powered drones. It allows users to completely bypass the
normal geotagging post-processing step. This, the company says, relieves
a burden on operators running frequent missions, and improves the geotag
accuracy of those missions at the same time. That can lead to faster and
more accurate orthomosaic stitching, too.
The Companion Computer connects directly to both the Sony QX1 camera
and the Pixhawk autopilot. When you power on the aircraft, the camera
automatically powers up and connects to the Companion Computer. In
flight, the Companion Computer verifies directly with the camera that each
picture was taken as expected. As each picture is taken, the Companion
Computer transfers the image from the QX1 in real time to its own, easily
accessible thumb drive. As each picture is saved, its geotags are added
directly into its EXIF data as part of the same file and also written to a text
log. The images with EXIF data can be imported directly into almost any
post-processing software without further handling

more pixels contains more information, which means there is a greater

probability of matching common points. We recommend purchasing a drone
with a 12.3-megapixel camera or higher for drone mapping projects.
Many out-of-the-box drone cameras use a rolling shutter. This means that
the camera records each frame line-by-line from top to bottom. When taking
high-accuracy RIEGL VZ-2000i scan data
videos or photographs, this helps reduce motion blur. However, it can also
sometimes cause whats known as rolling shutter effect, where surfaces in
a photograph appear warped because the camera-object relation changed Long Range, Very High Speed
before the full image was recorded. An image that is warped in this way 3D Laser Scanning System
makes it difficult for drone mapping software to match points on a map,
which negatively affects the maps accuracy. Purchasing a drone camera
with a mechanical shutter helps solve this problem, because the sensor up to 1.2 million measurements/sec
records all of the lines of the frame nearly simultaneously, rather than line- rapid data capture
by-line. range up to 2,500 m, 5 mm accuracy
If youre familiar with any one camera spec, its probably the megapixel ideally suited for topography and mining
rating. A higher amount of megapixels is often associated with a better
RIEGL Waveform-LiDAR technology
camera. But this isnt always the case especially when it comes to drone
highly informative and accurate data
mapping. While having a decent amount of megapixels is important (we
recommend 12.3 MP or higher), its only one piece of the puzzle. Youll also cloud connectivity via LAN, Wi-Fi and LTE 4G/3G
want to consider the size of the camera sensor, which can make a big
smart remote scanner control and data upload
difference in the outcome of your photos. And ultimately your drone maps automatic on-boards registration during
and 3D models. data acquisition tremendous time savings
When it comes to choosing a mapping camera for your drone, pick the customizable workflows & special software
one with a larger sensor size. Choosing a larger sensor (eg 1 CMOS sensor) packages highest field efficiency
will result in a higher quality map when processing images on the rugged design, fast set-up, user-friendly touch screen
DroneDeploy platform. easy to operate even in harsh environments
fully compatible with the
Autonomous drones RIEGL VMZ Hybrid Mobile Mapping System
A drone developed by NVIDIA researchers navigates even the most far-flung, for both static and mobile data acquisition
unmapped places using only deep learning and computer vision powered by
NVIDIA Jetson TX1 embedded AI supercomputers.
Although initially designed to follow forest trails to rescue lost hikers or
spot fallen trees, the low-flying autonomous drone could work far beyond
the forest in canyons between skyscrapers or inside buildings, for
example where GPS is inaccurate or unavailable. www.riegl.com
This works when GPS doesnt, said Nikolai Smolyanskiy, the NVIDIA
teams technical lead. All you need is a path the drone can recognise RIEGL LMS GmbH, Austria RIEGL USA Inc. RIEGL Japan Ltd. RIEGL China Ltd.
visually.

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NVIDIA researchers built their drone with payloads and batteries are purpose capability of the platform opens up the
off-the-shelf components to reduce costs automatically exchanged possibilities for entirely new solutions and
and equipped it with the NVIDIA Jetson TX1 with the robotic swapping missions that drones have never been used for
and two cameras
mechanism, enabling a before.
diversity of payloads and The team at Airobotics fuses expertise in
mission types. aerospace hardware design, robust electronic
Optimus streams video systems, leading software engineering, and years
from the drone, providing of experience in commercial drone operations.
customers with real-time Like systems using operators, Airobotics
aerial insight into critical drone solution provides critical information in the
events and increasing their following areas:
situational awareness. n Exploration and prospecting
Airbase is a completely n Stockpile volumes and end-of-month
automated base station reconciliation
from which the Optimus n Terrain mapping and change detection
To keep costs low, researchers built their drone launches and lands on its own, without any n Asset management and scheduling
drone with off-the-shelf components. The drone human intervention. There is a custom designed n Situational awareness and emergency
navigates without GPS and relies instead on deep robotic arm. Designed for speed and reliability, response
learning. the arm automatically swaps batteries and n Infrastructure and equipment inspection
Although the technology is still experimental, payloads once the drone returns to Airbase, n Security and surveillance.
it could eventually search for miners in minimising downtime between flights. Airobotics also suggests hauling optimisation
underground accidents. We chose forests as a The Airbase provides status updates, anomaly with automated drones:
proving ground because theyre possibly the detection, and alerts. The Airbase is completely n Optimise fleets - provide current 3D models
most difficult places to navigate, Smolyanskiy sealed, waterproof, durable, and corrosion to engineers and planners which can be used
said. We figured if we could use deep learning resistant. to improve fleet fuel consumption. Use
to navigate in that environment, we could The Airobotics software is integrated, dynamic damage and traffic flow data to inform most
navigate anywhere. software that enables users to control and optimal maintenance scheduling
Unlike a more urban environment, where manage missions with one click. Pre-designed, n Damage identification - identify road damage
theres generally uniformity to, for example, the repeatable missions are despatched on-demand features using images, video, or surface
height of kerbs, shape of letterboxes and width or through the flight scheduling system. The models to prevent future incidents and
of pavements, the forest is relatively chaotic. software is both a complete operating system eliminate the need of personnel to physically
Trails in the woods often contain no markings. and an open platform, designed with scale in enter the haul road network
Light can be filtered through leaves; it also varies mind. Third parties can build and customise the n Emergency oversight - view streaming footage
from bright sunlight to dark shadows. And trees payloads, along with software apps to support of incidents, including tyre overheating and
vary in height, width, angle and branches. and manage various new missions. unresponsive driver, to support decision
Our whole idea is to use cameras to Harvested data passes through the processing making
understand and navigate the environment, pipeline, translating raw data forms into concise, n Minimise personnel in dangerous areas -
Smolyanskiy said. Jetson gives us the actionable information. Additionally, users reduce risk of injury by using aerial data
computing power to do advanced AI on board the interact with real-time and processed data to instead of manned-inspection for incident
drone, which is a requirement for operating in extract insights and improve decision-making response.
remote environments. processes.
As a completely automatic and operated aerial The systems swappable payload mechanism, Airobotics stylised UAV task. First, user selects a
pre-planned scheduled or on-demand mission,
system, Airobotics empowers industrial together with its software, positions Optimus as designed to scan areas throughout the site.
companies to leverage the power of drones a multi-tool drone capable of carrying various Then the drone harvests data along flight paths.
without the need for skilled and expensive drone sensors and payloads. The dynamic, multi- Thirdly, data collected from the Optimus drone is
processed into final digital elevation models and
operators. Its platform enables customers to run other file types. Finally, the user receives
missions autonomously to monitor, inspect, analysed data that supports critical operations
survey, and secure strategic sites.
Airobotics delivers an automatic drone
platform capable of executing a nearly infinite
number of missions for its operators. By taking
the drone pilot and operator out of the equation,
Airobotics removes the most expensive and hard
to find component of industrial drone operations.
The system is comprised of three major
components.
Optimus is a large, high capacity drone
capable of flying 30-minute missions while
carrying a 1 kg mission specific payload. It
employs premium military grade avionics for
flight performance and reliability. Optimuss

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a preset flight path while recording a short video Pioneers community are early-stage companies
and tracking a subject along the way. Users can from around the world that are involved in the
now control which circular direction the drone design, development and deployment of new
flies during Circle and Helix modes to give them technologies and innovations, and are poised to
more cinematic control when filming. Other have a significant impact on business and
QuickShot modes have also been improved by society. There are 30 technology pioneers that
increasing the height gained during Dronie mode made it to the final selection.
and smoothing out the cameras pitch in Rocket Following Airwares selection as Technology
mode. Pioneer, the companys Founder and CEO
Spark also adds new photo shooting features Jonathan Downey has plans to attend the Annual
that maximise the cameras capabilities. In Meeting in Davos, in January 2018, and continue
addition to the existing Vertical and Horizontal to participate in dedicated Technology Pioneer
Pano modes, a new 180 mode stitches 21 community events in the course of the next two
individual photos together to capture 1,80o years.
Instructing the DJI Spark camera drone. To panoramic images. The photo resolution when We welcome Airware in this group of
perform the Record gesture, stand within 2 m of shooting in ActiveTrack and Gesture Modes has extraordinary pioneers, says Fulvia Montresor,
the drone and raise one arm out to your side also been improved to capture images at 12- Head of Technology Pioneers at the World
until it is about 45o above parallel with the
ground. The front LEDs will slowly blink red megapixel resolution of 3,968 x 2,976 pixels. Economic Forum. We hope that thanks to this
when the drone recognises the Gesture video The firmware update has also made selection, the World Economic Forum can
mode. The front LEDs will blink quickly improvements on the overall performance of facilitate greater collaboration with business
indicating the camera is ready to record. Perform
the hand gesture again to stop recording Spark including better responsiveness to input leaders, governments, civil society and other
from the remote controller, enhanced relevant individuals to accelerate the
Technology pioneers connectivity between the aircraft and remote development of technological solutions to the
DJI has released new features for its Spark controller, as well as flight logging for the worlds greatest challenges.
camera drone that make it easier than ever to Intelligent Battery system. We are humbled by this prestigious
capture pictures. Spark is DJIs smallest and Airware, which provides end-to-end solutions recognition and look forward to working closely
smartest drone that lets users control it with that turn aerial data into actionable business with other thought leaders as a Technology
hand gestures alone. Made possible through a intelligence for enterprises, was selected among Pioneer over the next two years, said Downey.
recent firmware update, the new features deliver hundreds of candidates as one of the World In an industry that is crowded and competitive,
a powerful combination of video and photo Economic Forums technology pioneers, a its an honour to be acknowledged as a leader in
improvements to Spark users worldwide selection of the worlds most innovative the commercial drone market for our
including: companies. Airware has been recognised for its unparalleled ability to help businesses collect
n A new gesture to start and stop video leading set of technologies that provides and make the best use of their aerial data.
recording everything enterprises need to collect, manage, The Technology Pioneers were selected by a
n Enhanced QuickShot video features for more and analyse aerial data. It offers its customers an selection committee of more than 60 academics,
cinematic control accurate view of their world to drive business entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and corporate
n An 1,80o photo shooting mode and improved outcomes, including operational cost savings, executives. Notable members of the committee
photo image resolution enhanced worker safety, and improved decision include Geoffrey Moore (Adviser, Geoffrey Moore
Paul Pan, Senior Product Manager at DJI making for example, mining companies Consulting, USA), Yossi Vardi (Chairman,
explained that these updates deliver on our measuring excavation yield. International Technologies, Israel) and Lee Sang-
vision to make Spark an easy and fun camera The World Economic Forums Technology Yup (Distinguished Professor and Dean, Korea
drone that anyone can use, even if youve Advanced Institute of Science and
never flown a drone before. Technology, Republic of Korea). The
Through its innovative 3D Sensing committee based its decisions on criteria
System, Spark has groundbreaking including innovation, potential impact and
features like Gesture Mode and leadership. Past recipients include Airbnb,
PalmControl. Users can control Spark with Google, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Palantir
hand movements, giving it commands to Technologies, Scribd, Spotify, Twitter and
follow them, take aerial pictures, send the Wikimedia.
drone away, and beckon it to come back. VTOL AEROSPACE is introducing the UAV
With the addition of the new Record Converticopter line (CVC), adding
gesture, users can now start and stop unmanned versions to its manned
video recording with a simple arm convertiplanes. Since its creation in 2013,
movement, giving them the freedom and the company has made extensive use of
flexibility to capture videos whenever the flying proof-of-concepts at different scales,
right moment strikes using Sparks image going from compact unmanned test vehicles
stabilised 1080p HD camera. up to a 8.5-m manned prototype.
Sparks QuickShot Intelligent Flight Founder and CTO Oliver Garrow says
Modes that make creating professional putting these test vehicles through their
videos easy have also been enhanced. paces, meaning flying them in real
Airware schematic summarising drone
Using QuickShot, Spark automatically flies along possibilities conditions at a runway, has provided invaluable

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and most trusted provider of UAV solutions in the

mining sector on the African continent. As a
result, the brand now looks to expand its
professional and experienced pilot and
operational structures to other continents,
including Central and South America.
Rocketmine is Africas leading premier drone
data service provider. It provides customised
drone data solutions to improve operational
efficiencies and systems. Clients trust
Rocketmines experience and expertise with over
5,000+ flight hours in multiple sectors and
owning the largest fleet in Africa.
Earlier this year, Rocketmine expanded its
activities in Africa with the signing of two new
Alpha Unmanned Systems launched the new times may be achieved by scaling up the customers in Ghana. The company was awarded
and improved version of the SNIPER, the airframe, and its power source, up to 12.2 m in contracts for over $200,000 with some of the
ALPHA 800 UAV Helicopter in February 2017.
The Alpha 800 has many important wingspan. biggest gold producers in the country. The
improvements including greater autonomy,
increased payload capacity, more than ten New contracts
camera configurations and other important
Rocketmine, a subsidiary
engineering data and experience, confirming the of the international Delta
flight qualities of this patented technology, which Drone Group, based in
blends the features of a tilt-wing inside a fixed France, has consolidated
box-wing. its position as a leader in
CVCs are ideal for several markets that require UAV solutions for the
both VTOL support and also long-endurance mining sector in a new
flights with the ability to fly in any type of deal with South African
weather and wind conditions. The airframe was mining giant, Exarro
optimised for this typical flight pattern: Resources. This 12 month
n Vertical take-off with considerable payload services contract will see
n Self-stabilising and self-rectifying hover flight the delivery of detailed
transition 3D photogrammetry
n Rapid and safe conversion to conventional models of mine
flight stockpiles, using drone Delta Drone and Propeller Aero now have an
n Adaptive flight patterns based on the technology; allowing for accurate, safe and quick agreement to distribute the worlds first smart
ground control point targets: Aeropoints. As part
selected mission, including low-speed data collection and processing.
of this agreement, Delta Drone will be able to
loitering In 2016, the Exxaro Group launched an resell Propellers Aeropoints in the various
n Extended flight time due to a low-drag, high- ambitious plan to evolve towards the digitised countries in which the group operates, including
Europe, Africa and the Americas. The user-
lift airframe mine of the future concept. The goal of this
friendly Aeropoints are solar powered with
n Ability to land vertically any time in midst venture is to have 3D digitised mining platforms integrated GPS, allowing for precise references
and/or at the end of the mission. platforms from which live mine planning and points in aerial imagery. Their one-button
operation allows non-technical users the ability
The company highlights the features of a execution can be conducted to improve mining
to map worksites with centimetre-level precision
compact Converticopter version (CVC96) with a efficiency and production. Rocketmine will bring in a fraction of the time of more traditional
wingspan of 2.4 m, allowing loiter flights up to cutting edge drone technology to assist in this methods. The ability to move targets from site to
site offers significant time and cost savings
1.5 hours, only on battery power alone, and project.
compared to the conventional collection of
beyond five hours with an electric hybrid power Our cost-effective and highly reliable data ground control points
plant. Larger payload sizes and longer flight solutions will contribute to a more streamlined
and productive output contracts encompass daily survey and mapping
VTOL AEROSPACE UAV Converticopter on-site, explains assignments, using a permanent on-site pilot and
Rocketmine MD, drone service, which would essentially survey
Christopher Clark, over half of Ghanas gold production.
We look forward to At the time Clark said: Thanks to years of
working closely with operational experience, as well as our ability to
the Exxaro Group to scale the service across borders, Rocketmine
continue providing provides a proven survey-grade solution that is
safe, efficient and extremely beneficial and reliable for Ghanas
innovative services. mining industry. In addition, Rocketmine
Delta Drone says undertakes to employ, train and empower local
its Rocketmine brand Ghanaians as its pilots and operational staff, in
remains the premier accordance with local sustainability regulations.

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Thus, Rocketmines growth and development in

Coupling Rajants onboard
Africa has the potential to be beneficial to many intelligence with xCrafts new x2i
communities in the regions which we serve. Hybrid VTOL allows users to fly in
single, swarm or tethered
configurations
Flight management
Rajants Kinetic Mesh Wireless Network
technology will now power in-air mesh networks,
enabling drone manufacturers to strengthen
drone-to-drone and drone-to-ground
communications. Kinetic Mesh delivers
communication and video backhaul capabilities,
and mine site survey applications, among others.
One of the first to capitalise on these latest
advances is xCraft, a mass-market developer of
innovative drone technology. Coupling Rajants
onboard intelligence with its new x2i Hybrid VTOL
(vertical take-off and landing) drone will allow payloads for video, LIDAR and chemical infrastructure, open the door to hundreds of
users to fly in single, swarm or tethered detection. commercial applications that can benefit from
configurations, opening new applications. A VTOL drone that combines the hovering high-speed, long-range flight.
Rajants network technology now makes it ability of a multirotor with the attributes of a The VTOL aircraft can fly farther and faster
possible for one pilot to operate many x2i aircraft plane, x2i leverages Rajants InstaMesh routing than any other multirotor in its class, with the
concurrently, with flight times of 45 minutes, software to deliver broadband over VTOL aircraft ability to fly for 45 minutes at speeds up to 60
said Bob Schena, Rajant Chairman and CEO. capable of transmitting applications up to 300 mph while carrying as much as 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) of
Were pleased to partner with xCraft and bring Mbps for such sectors as mining. InstaMesh payload. No longer do organisations need to
more intelligence, mobility and autonomy to UAV software also minimises the amount of time choose between the hovering precision of a
communication infrastructures. Building upon necessary to configure the drone and the Rajant multirotor and the speed and endurance of a
our recent selection as the network infrastructure network for flight. Unlike other drones, the x2i fixed wing; the x2i meets both criteria.
provider for the Sharp INTELLOS Automated takes off and lands vertically, and transitions to
Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV), x2i enables forward flight using its high-efficiency wing, said Software
Rajant customers to cover greater aerial JD Claridge, CEO of xCraft. Its capabilities, Drone2Map for ArcGIS is a desktop app that
distances while supporting various drone together with Rajants wireless network takes geolocated pictures from drones of all

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Trimbles Connected Site solutions will bring a

new class of information to organisations globally.
3DR has introduced two new features in Site
Scan Manager. First, Volume Visualizer helps the
calculation of more precise stockpile volumes by
viewing your measurements in 3D. Second,
Merge Jobs allows you to combine photos and
data from two separate flights, helping create
more detailed data products from multiple flight
modes.
Pixprocessing_Mining is a photogrammetry
based software solution enriched with a wide
range of measurements relevant for the industry.
It facilitates the planning of material dislocation,
acquiring a detailed view of the explorable
surface, as well as providing accurate 3D
measurements and calculations that lead to more
exact forecasts, helping to make more realistic
workflow plans. The object comparison in time
feature allows you to track the changes of the
The Solo drone captures worksite features from significant improvements in safety, efficiency and object over time, while the object profile option
a unique perspective. Imagery taken by drones reducing environmental impact across a work displays detailed object information, such as
can be turned into 2D and 3D mapping
products using Drone2Map for ArcGIS, now in site. volume, high, angle, surface diameter, etc. But
beta. Drone2Map for ArcGIS processes raw still Propeller combines ease of use with powerful most probably the biggest benefit one can get is
imagery quickly and turns it into orthomosaics, analysis tools that allow users to view 2D and 3D time saving and convenience to analyse the
3D point clouds and meshes, and digital
surface models. The map products created from deliverables and extract valuable information, object directly from your PC.
the imagery can be used in a variety of ways said Scott Crozier, Director of Marketing for In Pixprocessing, the density of the point cloud
Trimble Civil Engineering and Construction. Like can be selected according to the need high,
shapes and sizes. The app detects camera and Trimble, Propeller understands the value of medium or low. The software can generate an
sensor parameters and then intelligently applies quality and accurate data for integration with civil unlimited number of points depending on the
appropriate defaults and creates professional engineering and construction workflows. visual properties of the imagery and the available
imagery products, such as orthomosaics and 3D We pride ourselves in taking the most computer memory. To double the accuracy and
meshesin minutesnot days. The trusted, technical data and tools and wrapping quality of further reconstruction, the dense point
photogrammetry engine in Drone2Map for ArcGIS that up in an easy-to-use online platform that is cloud can be generated using the density options
is powered by Pix4D, an industry leader in relevant to the entire organisation, not just as well. The selection of density settings enables
professional image processing software. technical users. Working closely with Trimble either faster or highly accurate reconstruction of
These products can be used for visualisation demonstrates a shared commitment to achieving the 3D model.
and analysis in ArcGIS. Land analysis, that vision, said Rory San Miguel, CEO of Digital elevation map (DEM) gives a detailed
infrastructure inspection, and monitoring are just Propeller Aero. Integrating our platform into altitude view of the Earths relief. It provides the
three of the many ways this imagery can be used
in ArcGIS.
Drones are an emerging technology with the
potential to revolutionise how we work across
many industries, Esri President Jack
Dangermond said recently. We built Drone2Map
for ArcGIS to give people the ability to process,
use, and share imageryall within ArcGIS.
Trimble is collaborating with Propeller Aero to
distribute its UAS analytics platform. Propellers
simple automated ground control targets, cloud-
based visualisation and rapid analysis platform
will also be integrated with Trimble Connected
Site solutions to provide an end-to-end cloud-
based UAS solution.
Pairing Propellers web-based interface with
Trimble Connected Site solutions gives users
access to simple tools to measure surface
geometry, track trends and changes across time
and perform visual inspections. Both technical
By combining AeroPoints ground control and the Propeller Platform, users can create spatially
and non-technical professionals are now able to
accurate maps and models that users can overlay with design files to ensure work is progressing to
gather insights remotely and collaborate, driving plan and that any deviations are identified and rectified early

72 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

DRONES-UAVS_proof 26/09/2017 20:45 Page 9

DRONES/UAVS

exact height map of the object. Set the

measurement system according to your need
metric or imperial. Instantly acquire the values
for the selected feature/key point on the map.
Fine resolution DEM visualises the explorable
object in the preferred colour range.
True orthophoto precisely represents the
surface of the explored object/territory. It
displays the actual view of the surface/terrain
without any visual distortions. The orthophoto is
a 3D map in every angle and ratio. Measurements
of precise, true distances are performed via true
orthophotos.
The contour line map gives a graphic overview
of the surface altitude changes. Overlain on the
orthophoto, it displays the height patterns in the
selected intervals of distance. To adjust the
visualisation, the colour of the contour lines can
be changed according to need.
When calculating volume data, theres one thing you need to be sure of: precision. Using the
polygon tool for volume measurements (shown above on the left), its important to define a precise Aquatic drones
area and avoid covering any parts that might affect your calculation. Now with Site Scan, based on
the area you select with the polygon tool, you can inspect your stockpile and view it in 3D. This Hlico underlines what has been said previously
allows for a whole new way to measure stockpiles, trenches, and more: the 3D model gives a better that surveys by drones are very efficient and
sense of what area your polygon covers, and what it doesnt. The result is more precise volume allow a more comprehensive result. It has the
measurements than ever before, 3DR says.
following recommendations for use of its
products in open pits: Fox6 for pits up to 100 ha
or FoxySlim VTOL and FoxyPro VTOL for more
than 100 ha. FoxyWalk is capable of measuring
stocks and carrying out face surveys. FoxBathy is
able to survey stocks under water or retention
ponds All of these tools and vehicles are
compatible with DroneBox RTK.
FoxBathy is a new automatic bathymetric
drone catamaran by Hlico. Double electric
propulsion allows productivity, safety and
precision in aquatic surveying. It ensures the
safety of the operator, who may remain on the
bank thanks to fully automated steering.
With manual and automatic steering, FoxBathy
can help survey sites, such as tailings ponds, 10
times faster than with a boat. It allows periodic
Using UAV imagery and Pix4Dmapper, the Explosives Risk Managers company supported open pit
management in Virginia and Ohio: measuring stockpile volumes and excavated materials, locating monitoring of siltation and supervision of marine
boreholes, and monitoring blast sites, all at a low cost, high accuracy and in completely safe worker sites by performing calculations of cubatures and
conditions editing DTMs (Digital Terrain Models).
It is completely compatible with DroneBox RTK
that integrates GNSS RTK boards, autopilot,
telemetry, archiving, communication, flight
controller and avionics.
Thanks to its single or multi-beam sensor, you
can acquire mesh data from just a few
centimetres up to a meter. With a weight of +/- 5
kg and reduced set-up time, FoxBathy requires
only one operator (instead of the traditional two
or three operators) and may be operated directly
from the bank.
Besides the FoxBathy, Hlico offers a wide
range of drone products:
n DroneBox RTK precision measurement
n FoxyWalk terrestrial photogrammetry
n Fox4 and Fox6 multirotor drones
Pixprocessing_Mining is a photogrammetry based software solution n FoxySlim and FoxyPro VTOL airplanes. IM

OCTOBER 2017 | International Mining 73

RARE EARTHS AND AIRSHIPS_proof 27/09/2017 09:05 Page 1

PROJECT FOCUS

Rare earths and airships

John Chadwick examines a rare earths project in northern
Qubec that may be the first mine project in the world to
employ the latest in airships
uest Rare Minerals is a Canadian-based a facility at Bcancour. Processing at Bcancour The LMH-1 Hybrid Airship makes it possible to

Q company focused on becoming an

integrated producer of rare earth metal
oxides and a significant participant in the rare
will include acid thermal processing (acid bake)
and water leaching to extract the payable
elements into solution followed by
affordably deliver heavy cargo and personnel to
remote locations around the world. Burning
less than one tenth the fuel of a helicopter per
tonne, the Hybrid Airship will redefine
sustainability for the future
earth elements (REE) material supply chain. hydrometallurgical precipitation to recover the
Quest aims to establish major REEs and yttrium into a mixed REE+Y concentrate.
hydrometallurgical and refining facilities in The REE+Y concentrate will be treated to recover the transportation challenges of a remote
Bcancour, Qubec, to separate and produce individual rare earth and yttrium oxides. northern Qubec mine site (IM, April 2016,
strategically critical rare earth metal oxides. pp80-81). The airship has the ability to land on
These industrial facilities will process mineral Airship logistics virtually any surface including snow, ice, gravel
concentrates extracted from Quests Strange It is planned that SLA will operate a fleet of and even water, with no runways required or
Lake mining properties in northern Qubec, seven of the worlds first heavy-lift cargo Hybrid other expensive infrastructure. With two pilots,
some 1,100 km northeast of Quebec City. Airships, the LMH-1. The airships will transport the helium-filled, heavier-than-air airships can
Last November Quest announced an personnel, critical
agreement with Straightline Aviation (SLA) to supplies for mine
provide dedicated air services for the transport operations, and carry
of ore concentrate, supplies and personnel more than 200,000 t/y of
using Lockheed Martins Hybrid Airships. The rare earth concentrate (in
airships will provide shuttle transportation containers) for delivery to
between the Strange Lake mine complex and the Bcancour refining
Schefferville, a town with a direct rail link to the facilities.
Port of Sept-Iles. Schefferville lies 235 km Mark Dorey, SLAs Chief
southwest of the mine. Operating Officer explains
Quest plans a simple open pit at Strange Lake that the hybrids will be
with an onsite flotation concentrator. The PEA flying around 20 hours
economic mine model assumes a 30-year life per day when in full
which results in 11.16 Mt low grade mined operation moving the
mineralisation remaining in a stockpile. Over the concentrate, but it is also
mine life, an estimated 4.77 Mt of overburden envisaged that they will
will be removed from the pit area. Total be used to help support
mineralised material mined is estimated at native communities from
57.30 Mt. time to time.
The PEA flowsheet comprises crushing, Developed and built by
grinding and flotation that will be undertaken at Lockheed Martin, the
Strange Lake, followed by further processing at LMH-1 is well suited to

74 International Mining | OCTOBER 2017

RARE EARTHS AND AIRSHIPS_proof 28/09/2017 13:37 Page 2

PROJECT FOCUS

carry 20 t of cargo (containerised or bulk Dorey: We believe that our Hybrid Airships Rob Weiss, Executive Vice President and
loaded) and up to 19 passengers. First will provide significant benefits in reaching General Manager, Lockheed Martin Advanced
commercial deliveries are scheduled in 2019. remote locations such as the Strange Lake Development Programs (Skunk Works) said:
The LMH-1 combines the technology of lighter complex. Removing the need for expensive, Alaska is an ideal location for the Hybrid
than air aircraft with airplanes, helicopters and intrusive infrastructure, it is a significant step in Airship to operate. The airship enables access to
hovercraft. Helium provides 80% of the lift, redefining the way transport works in remote Alaskas most isolated regions, and is designed
while the remaining lift comes from the regions. to protect the sensitive ecological environment.
aerodynamic shape of the aircraft and its four Rob Binns, Chief Executive Officer, Hybrid In Alaska PRL Logistics offers a variety of
thrust vectoring engines. The airship, costing Enterprises: Lockheed Martins Hybrid Airship project services and comprehensive logistics
some $40 million, also features a unique hovercraft- represents a revolution in remote cargo delivery. solutions including: project management,
like Air Cushion Landing System that facilitates The Quest Strange Lake project is a prime project planning, modelling, safety, procurement
taxiing and grips the craft firmly on the ground. example of how our Hybrid Airship enables a and field execution. It serves a broad range of
They can taxi and park securely for safe cost effective and environmentally friendly projects and clients in the oil and gas, mining,
emplaning/deplaning of passengers and roll- solution to accessing strategically important defense, industrial, construction and
on/roll-off cargo movements without the mineral deposits. environmental industries.
problems of mast-moored airships that Quests initial plan was to build a 168-km PRLs understanding of the complexities of
constantly shift with a surface wind. road from Strange Lake to Anaktalak Bay off the working in Alaskas extremely remote site and
Other considerations in the airships favour Atlantic coast. That would have cut across a our partnership with Straightline Aviation,
include: caribou migration route. The company now says whose airship operating experience is
n The ability to operate with similar ground- flying airships from the mine over 200 km to unparalleled, means this will be a true game
handling parameters to a standard cargo jet Schefferville will save money in the long run, changer. It affordably opens up many projects
such as a Boeing 737 despite the extra distance. currently inaccessible without the development
n Offer greater range and significantly lower Building a road would cost about C$350 of the costly infrastructure required by
costs per tonne-km than heavy lift helicopters million, with construction starting two or three traditional modes of transportation, said Ron
and other traditional modes of transport years before the mine begins producing ore. So Hyde, PRL CEO
n Reduce operating expenses through a the company would have to finance the road US Senator from Alaska, Dan Sullivan, also a
combination of greater fuel-efficiency and and pay interest. Then there's the cost of road former Commissioner for the Alaska Department
lower maintenance downtime than helicopters. maintenance and winter servicing. By of Natural Resources: Alaska is a storehouse of
Dorey also comments that the hybrids save comparison the airships are expected to cost immense natural resource wealth. This
on significant upfront infrastructure capital C$85 million a year to operate. combination of technology and innovation will
expenditure prior to revenue generation. This Quest will only pay for airship use when it is enable access to resources and provide needed
has the added benefit of reducing project risk needed. Looking into the future, it is already benefits to our infrastructure. It is an example of
and making these ventures more investable. anticipating Lockheed Martin's next generation a company operating to provide a transportation
This should be a cost-effective and of airships, which could be ready by 2025. That solution to meet Alaskas unique challenges.
environmentally-friendly solution to Quests may well be an airship that can carry 90 to 100 t, It is anticipated that airship operations will be
transport challenges. It is not only designed to some five times the current payload. With such a based at the PRL Logistics Operations Center in
use less fuel, emit less carbon dioxide and plane, the cost per tonne-kilometre will drop Kenai, Alaska and supported by other PRL
produce less noise than conventional aircraft, it dramatically by 50 or 60%. locations throughout the state. The Kenai
also eliminates the need for costly ground-level Last year SLA signed a letter of intent to Facility has overland, marine, and aviation
infrastructure, avoiding impact on the areas purchase up to 12 of the Lockheed Martin access and will also be the base operations
wildlife habitat compared to road transport and airships, with a potential value of approximately centre for the Hybrid Airship.
trucking along a road corridor to the Labrador $480 million. At the time Mike Kendrick, SLA Co-
Sea coast. Founder and CEO said: We are delighted to be And in Tanzania
This new transportation solution will also first in line with this magnificent aircraft that is At the beginning of April, Hybrid Enterprises
stimulate employment and business going to dramatically change the way cargo is announced a strategic partnership with Helium
opportunities for regional and Indigenous moved around the world. The clear-cut economic One, an explorer, developer and producer of
communities increasing the socio-economic and environmental advantages of these Hybrids high value bulk liquid helium for the
benefits to the area around the mine site. are attracting vast amounts of attention from a international market. Helium One will use the
The service agreement represents a value of wide-range of potential end users." LMH-1 Hybrid Airship to safely transport helium
about $850 million, including fuel costs, over a Headquartered in the UK with offices in New out of its deposit sites in Tanzania.
10-year period that starts in 2019, with further York and Los Angeles, SLA was co-founded by a Helium One holds a prospecting license
extensions of up to 20 additional years in line team of highly experienced airship and aviation across three project areas in Tanzania,
with the current projected life of the mine. executives with the sole purpose of bringing encompassing more than 4,500 km of land with
Pierre Lortie, Executive Chairman of the Hybrids into operation. helium concentrations up to 10.5%. With
Board, Quest, said of the agreement that his Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Hybrid significant operational, technical and
company and SLA make ideal partners we are Enterprises is the exclusive reseller of Lockheed commercial experience, the Helium One team is
well positioned to fully leverage the cost Martin's Hybrid Airships. well positioned to capitalise on opportunities
efficiencies and environmental advantages of within the global helium market. This strategic
the LMH-1, and are truly excited to be among And Alaska collaboration would provide a safe and
the first companies to implement such an Last August, PRL Logistics announced it was sustainable solution for transporting helium
innovative transport solution. teaming with SLA for operations in Alaska. from mining sites in Tanzania. IM

SEPTEMBER 2017 | International Mining 75

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International Mining Mining Editor Paul Moore and

Publisher John Chadwick go the extra mile to report
on real mines and mining projects globally and in
person, unlike competitor titles. So far in 2015 to
2017 alone, visits have included the following:
COUNTRY OPERATIONS REPORTED ON
INDONESIA Kaltim Prima Coal (coal)
USA KUC Bingham Canyon (copper)
PERU Cerro Verde (copper)
SOUTH AFRICA Goldplat Recovery (gold, PGMs)
SWEDEN Boliden Garpenberg (polymetallic)
TURKEY Aldridge Yenipazar (polymetallic)
RUSSIA Eurochem Kovdorskiy (phosphate)
AUSTRALIA Rio Tinto Tom Price/Marandoo (iron ore)
FINLAND Outokumpu Kemi (chromite)
UK Compass Minerals Winsford (salt)
BRAZIL Anglo American Minas Rio (iron ore)
COLOMBIA Drummond Pribbenow/El Descanso (coal)
BELARUS Belaruskali (potash)
UZBEKISTAN Muruntau (gold)
KAZAKHSTAN Kounrad (copper)
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