All posts by Paul Moore

Ma’aden on the role of technology & innovation to drive sustainability and efficiency

Automation, Base metals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Industrial minerals, IoT, Mineral exploration, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining maintenance, Mining people, Mining policy, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining

Ma’aden is among the fastest-growing mining companies in the world and the largest multi-commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East. It pioneered the mining industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, building a world-class, unique and fully integrated mining value chain. It also recognises the importance of technology and innovation in terms of driving sustainability, enhancing operational efficiency, and accelerating exploration efforts. Ahead of the Third Edition of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh in January, IM Editorial Director Paul Moore had the chance to talk to Ma’aden VP of Technology and Innovation, Saud Al-Mandil.

Ma’aden VP of Technology and Innovation, Saud Al-Mandil

Q How important is technological advancement and innovation as part of Ma’aden’s wider 2040 strategy and transformation plans?

Ma’aden recognises that technological advancement and innovation are not just peripheral considerations but foundational enablers for the company’s 2040 strategy and transformation plans. As we strive for 10x growth by 2040, we understand that embracing and investing in the latest technological trends is essential to unlocking the full potential of the mineral resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The mineral resource endowment value of the Kingdom is now estimated to be US$2.5 trillion (announcement made during FMF 2024) from initial base estimates of US$1.3 trillion, underscoring the incredible wealth and opportunity that lies within our reach. This revised value reinforces our commitment to leveraging technology and innovation to maximise the value and sustainability of these resources.

In the pursuit of strategic objectives, companies in the mining sector must find technological solutions to enhance operational efficiency, boost productivity, reduce costs, and make informed, data-driven decisions. Ma’aden is fully aware of this urgency and is actively engaging in technological advancements to position ourselves at the forefront of the industry.

Moreover, technology and innovation play a critical role in our ambition to develop a world-leading mining sector in Saudi Arabia and address the global challenges faced by the industry. By adopting low-emission technologies, we are not only advancing crucial sustainability objectives but also mitigating potential environmental risks associated with mining operations. Additionally, technology allows us to unlock new growth avenues and adapt to a dynamic global market. By staying adaptable, we can leverage emerging opportunities and drive long-term prosperity for Ma’aden and all our stakeholders.

Q What steps and initiatives are Ma’aden taking to integrate technology and innovation for sustainable mining practices and address key sustainability challenges, especially in areas like water conservation and operational waste?

The mining sector is increasingly looking at technology to act as a catalyst in addressing key sustainability challenges, particularly in areas such as energy efficiency, carbon footprint reduction, water conservation, and operational waste management. At Ma’aden, we are committed to investing in innovation that enhances water conservation efforts. For instance, our major new gold project at Mansourah-Massarah is powered by a 58 MW hybrid solar power plant and relies 100% on recycled water, showcasing our commitment to sustainable water management.

Investing in innovation that enables the integration of cleaner energy sources into our operations to reduce our carbon footprint is also critical for us and we are developing an innovative application that integrates group-wide data sets for sustainability management and reporting. The development of this application involved collecting diverse data sets -emissions, water usage, and other relevant metrics from multiple sources, conducting rigorous data quality checks, and designing multiple visualisation layers. It was then enhanced with dynamic dashboards and interactive GenAI (Generative AI) report content. This application revolutionises information access, streamlines reporting, and optimises sustainability management at Ma’aden.

Another significant focus within Ma’aden is the valorisation of mineral processing residues through our Waste to Value Program. This program aims to transform mining and processing subproducts, commonly referred to as mining waste, into valuable products. We have ongoing projects focused on recovering critical minerals from bauxite residue, utilising residue in construction materials, and testing the combination of various residues for soil beneficiation. These initiatives align with our commitment to achieving zero-waste mining in the Kingdom and fostering a more sustainable mining industry.

We are actively exploring both emerging technologies and mature/advanced off-the-shelf solutions to optimise our operations including but not limited to: solar steam for renewable energy adoption, CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Sequestration) for low-emission technologies, and DLE (Direct Lithium Extraction) for innovative mineral processing, etc.

Ma’aden Ras Al Khair phosphate facility

Q How is Ma’aden incorporating advanced technologies to accelerate exploration efforts, enhance project development, and optimise operational performance?

Our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies starts with comprehensive assessments of all projects. We thoroughly evaluate emerging advancements and innovative exploration techniques to accelerate our exploration efforts, enhance resource estimation accuracy, and streamline the project development process. For instance, we have best-in-class technologies that combine advanced geochemical analysis and geophysical surveys with AI ie, Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) and automated core scanning that are seamlessly integrated with advanced modelling software in real time via satellite connectivity. These have greatly benefited the exploration efforts of geologists, enabling them to enhance their understanding of subsurface structural features and optimise orebody knowledge to make more informed decisions and optimize their exploration efforts in the pursuit of valuable resources.

Furthermore, we are working with tools such as unified engineering and generative scheduling to transform our project development approach – integrating engineering and design, monitoring real-time data, digital twin data modelling, and simulating various scenarios using advanced analytics algorithms for better prediction and reduced efforts. Thus, enabling us to optimise mine design, construction, and project development.

By incorporating the latest tools and technologies such as 3D printing of critical spare parts, Smart industry readiness assessments, AI-based prediction modelling, drone technologies for aeromagnetic surveying, and robotics for inspection activities, we are positioning ourselves to achieve operational excellence and drive long-term value. These efforts underscore our commitment to innovation and our dedication to being a leader in the global mining industry.

Q How does Ma’aden foster collaborations and partnerships with technology providers, research institutions, startups, and industry experts to access the latest innovation?

We actively foster partnerships with various stakeholders, including technology providers, research institutions, startups, and industry experts, to drive our growth. These collaborations are instrumental in accessing the latest innovations and tailoring them to the specific requirements of our projects.

Our commitment to technology partnerships extends beyond local collaborations with leading universities. We actively seek collaborations with global startups and employ open innovation models to scout for innovations that address our critical challenges. For instance, finding innovative solutions to accelerate the process of analysing orebody mineralogy during mineral exploration activities to speed up the time for defining mineral resources, etc. By casting a wide net, we tap into a diverse pool of ideas, expertise, and cutting-edge solutions from around the world.

These partnerships are built on a foundation of trust and mutual benefit. We prioritise open communication, reliability, integrity, and transparency with our partners to foster strong relationships. Through collaborative projects, co-marketing efforts, and knowledge exchange, we ensure alignment and progress toward our shared goals.

Through strategic collaborations with esteemed partners including universities, research centres (KACST, RDIA, etc), industrial companies, start-ups, and government entities (such as PIF), the team remains at the forefront of the latest industry developments. By actively collaborating with a diverse range of partner stakeholders, the team harnesses collective expertise, resources, and cutting-edge technologies offered by these entities.

Ma’aden Mansourah-Massarah gold project

Q How does Ma’aden actively invest in innovation and increase its exposure to cutting-edge industry innovations through strategic partnerships, and internal R&D and technology teams?

Ma’aden is actively taking steps to increase its use and exposure to the latest innovations, both through internal investments in innovation and by setting defined goals to drive progress and value creation. One of the key ways, we enhance our exposure to cutting-edge industry innovations is through strategic partnerships with leading knowledge and R&D partners, both within the Kingdom and internationally. These collaborations provide us with access to state-of-the-art technologies and expertise, enabling us to enhance our operations and expand our capacity for implementation. An excellent example of our investment in innovation is a pilot program we embarked upon with a local leading university, which has the potential to extract lithium from a seawater source. This investment demonstrates our solid appetite for investing in innovative startups and our commitment to value creation.

Internally, we foster a culture of innovation and collaboration throughout the organisation. We have dedicated research and development teams that work closely with external partners, including startups, research institutions, and industry experts, to explore industry innovation and emerging technologies and their practical applications. This collaborative approach ensures that we are at the forefront of technological advancements and able to seize opportunities for operational enhancements and improved performance.

Furthermore, our Technology & Innovation team plays a pivotal role in transforming the way innovation opportunities are managed within the company. They establish efficient processes to nurture, evaluate, and bring innovative ideas to fruition, ensuring that potential innovations from all areas of the organisation, from operations to management, are effectively identified and developed.

Through these active measures, both internally and through external collaborations, Ma’aden is firmly committed to increasing our use and exposure to the latest innovations. We understand that investing in innovation is key to achieving our growth targets and maintaining a position of leadership in the mining sector.

At FMF 2024, Ma’aden signed a partnership agreement with Hexagon to work towards Mansourah Massarah becoming the Middle East’s first digital mine

Q Is the Future Minerals Forum playing an important role in your technological advancement?

The Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Saudi Arabia plays a crucial role in driving our technological advancement by serving as a unique platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing. It brings together stakeholders from across the value chain and domains, including players from the public, private, and innovation sectors. This inclusive approach facilitates comprehensive discussions and collaboration, allowing us to benefit from the latest developments in the ecosystem while contributing our expertise.

FMF serves as a hub where regional and international technology providers, innovation partners, industry leaders, researchers, startups, and other stakeholders converge. Through conferences, workshops, and exhibitions, FMF provides opportunities to showcase innovations, establish partnerships, and share knowledge. The forum encourages open dialogue among the stakeholders, transfers of cutting-edge technologies, fosters research collaborations, and presents investment opportunities. By participating in FMF, we actively engage with stakeholders across the mining super region and globally. This engagement enables us to build new partnerships and collaborations that drive innovation on a global scale. The platform catalyses discussions on the latest advancements and facilitates interactions that lead to fruitful collaborations.

Cummins and an ultimate rebuild centre for Europe

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Sustainable mining

In October 2023, Cummins made a big move in Europe for the future with the opening of its brand-new European Master Rebuild Centre for high horsepower engines in Krakow, Poland – the first of its kind in Europe. Cummins is offering a range of rebuild and remanufacture options at the Centre. Its Ultimate Remanufacture solution sees the full dismantling and reassembling of the engine, with the replacement of all worn components with Genuine Cummins parts, including wear and tear components. Ultimate Remanufacture engines have a full factory warranty equivalent to a new engine. IM Editorial Director Paul Moore sat down with Goran Galic, Director AM Sales, Strategic Accounts Europe and Ben Schilling, Sales Director, Mining & Rail at Cummins for some more insight into the facility and the rebuild market in Europe.

Q In major mining hubs like Australia or Chile, engine rebuilds are the norm not the exception. Will this new high horsepower rebuild facility in Poland make this strategy more common in European mining?

GG: This is a really big step for us in Europe where up until now we have had no dedicated Cummins rebuild centres on this scale. We have used smaller centres such as in Germany and the UK but not of this size and not as well equipped as this one. We have also been carrying out some standard rebuilds locally or through our dealer network, or the customers have been doing it themselves. And of course we have been offering new aftermarket engines as replacements. Now our portfolio has been extended with two new offerings – the ultimate remanufacture option which is effectively a ‘zero hour’ rebuild with a full factory warranty equivalent to a new engine. Then we have the advanced standard rebuild. Both involve the engine being disassembled, cleaned, inspected, re-machined, reassembled with Genuine Cummins parts and tested. These rebuilds we see as beneficial for both our mining customers and for Cummins.

Cummins’ Ben Schilling (left) and Goran Galic (right)

Q Are some customers more advanced than others in terms of their rebuild approach?

GG: This is the case in all mining markets in that some customers are more mature in their maintenance approach than others. In northern Europe for example, Boliden with its state of the art Komatsu 830E and 930E fleets at Kevitsa in Finland and Aitik in Sweden has quite a well established and managed process involving at least two rebuilds and maybe even three as these trucks will be working for 80,000 or even 90,000 hours. But in southern Europe there are other mining operations who previously have been used to running engines to end of life and replacing with a new one.

BS: I can talk about the US situation and how that has evolved over the past 20-30 years. We have been running what we call a named Master Rebuild Centre for the past 13 years – we were doing rebuilds before this but with a more basic approach. It was done in a Cummins owned or joint venture location still using Genuine Cummins parts and carried out by certified, trained technicians. But the process and process management were not as advanced as in the Master Rebuild Centre. Cummins can help our mining customers win by helping them achieve the lowest cost of production. For that we have two main levers – managing downtime and managing the inputs – ie aftermarket parts, rebuilt engines and fuel consumption. In the US, Canada and Mexico we only offer the certified, zero hour ultimate rebuild. And that is primarily because that it what the vast majority of our mining customers want. They know that this level of rebuild guarantees their lowest cost of production by limiting engine failures and extending their engine life. They may decide to do additional work with the machine OEMs as well to go beyond the typical two or three engine rebuilds, taking the life of the mining truck to 100,000 or even 120,000 hours. They can squeeze more out of the asset and keep it running longer, to reduce overall cost.

Q A lot of mines during and post pandemic have opted to try and “sweat their assets” as much as possible to maximise the value of their existing investments. Has that refocused efforts on rebuilds as well?

BS: I would say that focus was already in place long before the pandemic. We were not offering new aftermarket engines as a solution in the Americas already – if you wanted a new engine to refresh your equipment, you would still be getting a rebuilt engine from the rebuild centre as it is has been proven over many years to be the most efficient and cost effective solution. So the focus was already on rebuilds – we have seen some changes in customer behaviour though – people as you say are sweating assets more and moving to more advanced condition-based monitoring, such as deploying our PrevenTech to decide when to change the engine instead of just doing it on a schedule. They are doing oil samples weekly or even daily in some cases as well as using our advanced telematics systems to understand the health of the engine and catch any issues before the engine fails catastrophically. PrevenTech tracks every connected engine, securely transmitting alerts (via 4G or WiFi) for urgent and potential problems and recommendations for actions and servicing.

There is a healthy population of mining equipment in Europe, such as these NTE240 electric drive trucks with Cummins QSK60 engines working for Serbia Zijin Copper at the Bor operation

Q Is a rebuild less profitable for Cummins than a new engine? Is it more about long term benefit to the customer?

BS: We play the long game at Cummins. We want to help our mining customer succeed and view us as a partner. Because if they do they are more likely long term to buy from an OEM with Cummins power knowing that we will support their business in the best way possible.

Q When are the recommended hours to rebuild figures and the numbers of rebuilds over the engine life decided for a particular engine?

GG: It depends – looking at the Nordic region for example with some of our mining customers we have a cost per hour contract; at other sites we have more in-depth maintenance contracts where our people are maintaining the engines on site, and planning for mid-life overhauls and the eventual rebuild. For the former as it is cost per hour it is quite predefined and we know right at the start based on the estimated monthly hours when we might expect a rebuild to take place. And it matches pretty well – within a month or two. In the other type of contract where the customer is doing more day to day condition based monitoring, where they are following various parameters plus we are following fuel consumption and load factors and giving them feedback. In this case it becomes more of a discussion as to when they should have the rebuild. And there are other things to consider in this more flexible case – Komatsu for example may have a scheduled maintenance at 20,000 hours whereas our engine rebuild might be at 26,000 hours – so to some extent here we might try to extend Komatsu’s planned downtime and shorten the hours on ours so the truck will only have to have the extensive maintenance in one event. As already mentioned, PrevenTech is a really great tool for us – and for customers it really saves maintenance cost in the long run.

Q Given the importance of the Nordic region in large scale European mining, was there not consideration of having the rebuild centre there?

GG: I would say the southern European market is equally important – you have major mines there such as Ellatzite and Asarel Medet in Bulgaria plus the Bor and Majdanpek operations in Serbia now part of Zijin Mining. All these operations are running large mining trucks and excavators with about 400 high horsepower engines in that region. As stated, they have traditionally used more of a TCO approach for their trucks and just replaced engines with new ones but today are becoming more maintenance savvy and are already using strategies like extended oil interval changes and are now looking at options for rebuilds. Looking at Turkey, for various reasons engines in mining there are handled by our existing facility in the country, were we also conduct rebuilds. Elsewhere mining is also growing in Europe – one of the major mines in Spain is increasing the size of its mining trucks to increase efficiency and also lower emissions with new and larger engines – so there will be opportunities in other areas as well. Also, our focus is not only on mining as we see great opportunities in other segments like marine, rail or powergen.

Komatsu 830E-5 mining truck at Boliden Kevitsa

Q If you compare the new Krakow rebuild facility to others in major mining hubs such as in the US but also in Brisbane and Calama – is it similar or are there any major differences? Is each ‘tuned’ to the particular customers in those specific markets?

BS: That’s a good question. They are not rubber-stamped carbon copies of each other. For a start they are different sizes reflecting the fact they handle different numbers of engines. There are global teams in place to help drive quality and process at the MRCs. So when we identify a quality issue in Denver, lets say, then the team in Krakow is going to know about it and take it on board. So each MRC can learn from what is going on at similar centres globally. From a process perspective they are getting much more closely aligned. And thats a major change as at the beginning some of them started out as joint ventures or working with independent distributors – today thanks to a lot of this being brought under the Cummins corporate umbrella, we have been able to drive a lot more consistency at the MRCs. That said there remain some distinctive features at certain facilities.

Q Do you give the option to upgrade engines during the rebuilds, with the latest sensors for example? Or new components? Or is it always just back to original new state?

BS: Adding PrevenTech is best done when replacing an engine ie at engine exchange. As then you are tracking from the very beginning of the engine life plus its not only on the engine – it is in the aftertreatment area plus various sensors and antennas have to be installed. But we can do upgrades – if a customer wants to improve the ownership experience with their engine, for fuel delivery they can go from HPI (High Pressure Injection) to MCRS (Modular Common Rail System) for example. MCRS delivers a better experience for the operator, plus it has better characteristics for reliability and fuel consumption. This HPI to MCRS switch is becoming more common, but it depends on the miner and commodity. In the US it is more prevalent in those metallic commodities that currently have better margins, as opposed to coal or taconite, for example. The oil sands is a unique market and they do think quite strategically about value of the equipment over the very long term.

Q Is it fair to say that the vast majority of large miners using mining class Komatsu trucks are doing rebuilds and are part of a rebuild program? That is is the normal approach?

BS: Taking North American and Australian mining as examples, I would say 100% it is the norm. As Goran has outlined, there are other areas such as southern Europe where it is coming as part of an evolution in the market. And those customers now have the advantage of the MRC in Krakow – plus their teams can visit the facility and see first hand what we do and the technology we have at our disposal. Actually, in major mining regions we often invite the customer to the MRC to witness first hand the tear downs of their engines – they can learn a lot about their maintenance practices that way. Our service engineer can show them piece by piece what they are doing and why. Plus it is important to say that Komatsu is not the only major OEM that uses Cummins engines in mining – you have numerous Liebherr, Hitachi, BELAZ and other units using them – plus new players as well. And Chinese mining truck OEMs XCMG and NHL both have units in Europe running today with Cummins engines. Plus it isn’t just about trucks – excavators represent a very important market for our high horsepower engines as well.

Q When will the first rebuild take place at the Krakow MRC?

GG: The first one is already set to be conducted in February/March 2024 but the schedule is filling up fast for the rest of the year, both for Komatsu equipment from the Nordic region but also for engines from other OEM equipment and from other parts of Europe. The processes we need on everything from reuse criteria to supporting documentation plus the equipment we need are in place, it is just a question of ramping up to full capacity now.

Jevons Robotics welcomes Ausroad Manufacturing as strategic investor

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining consumables, Mining safety, Mining services

Jevons Robotics, a leading innovator in the field of battery electric and autonomous mining robotics, has announced Ausroad Manufacturing (AUSROAD), described as a globally recognised leader in the provision of mine site stemming services, as its latest shareholder.

The statement says: “This partnership makes a significant step in the Jevons strategy to eliminate humans from hazardous working environments where both parties will work to automate and decarbonise the blast hole stemming process. As a pioneer of battery electric and autonomous vehicles that can carry an array of payloads including explosives, stemming, dewatering pumps, cable reelers, geophysical sensors, water and drilling fluids, Jevons Robotics uses cutting edge technology to redefine Industry options and standards.”

Jevons and AUSROAD say they are poised to embark on a series of collaborative projects in the coming years, leveraging their combined experience to drive meaningful advancements in the industry. Todd Peate, CEO of Jevons Robotics said: “We are excited to welcome AUSROAD as a strategic investor in Jevons, we share a common interest in the adoption of advanced engineering and technology to deliver highly productive and safe solutions for our customers and we look forward to working with the AUSROAD team given their extensive experience and world leading stemming solutions.”

Toni Dunlop, Managing Director of AUSROAD said: “It is clear to us where the industry is moving, to automate and decarbonize their operations over time, our decision to invest in Jevons is built on the fact that under this model, the two organisations will focus their core capabilities and the clear vision that the team at Jevons have. AUSROAD will bring our extensive experience to Jevons this will also continue to improve both of our market offerings into the future.”

Tembo next generation Electric Utility Vehicle kit deliveries have commenced

Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Sustainable mining

Tembo E-LV BV, a subsidiary of the Nasdaq listed B Corp, VivoPower International PLC, says it has begun delivery of its next generation Electric Utility Vehicle (EUV) powertrain conversion kits. The first delivery of kit components were made to Access Industrial Mining Inc, Tembo’s exclusive distributor in Canada.

Following completion of Access’s successful testing program of the Tembo converted 4×4 Landcruiser in Europe in 2023, Access placed an initial order for EUV powertrain conversion kits. Further testing was then conducted across both hardware and software elements of the EUV powertrain conversion kits. This was pursuant to a definitive agreement for Access to purchase 1,675 Tembo EUV conversion kits over a period of five years.

The Tembo EUV conversion kits will transform new and second-hand diesel-powered 4×4 LandCruiser and Hilux vehicles into ruggedised EUVs that are fit for purpose for mining and other industrial applications. Tembo EUV conversion kits are a key component of VivoPower’s turnkey sustainable energy solutions, designed to help corporate customers accelerate towards their net zero carbon goals and to achieve cost savings.

Tembo says it selected Access as the Company’s distribution partner in Canada because of Access’s long track record and experience supplying, customising and servicing Toyota LandCruisers, as well as its extensive and active relationships with mining and other industrial companies.

Martin Paquette, General Manager of Access, said: “We are excited to start the electrification retrofit process for our clients’ LandCruisers using Tembo’s EUV conversion kit, and thus to offer EUVs to our clients across Canada. This is a product which has been in demand for some time in the market given our clients’ broader sustainability objectives and key legislation.”

Kevin Chin, Chairman and CEO of VivoPower, said: “For Tembo, quality and safety are of paramount importance. Following a disciplined testing program over the last 12 months, we are very pleased to have begun delivery of the next generation EUV conversion kits and look forward to supporting our valued partner, Access as well as our other partners across the globe to electrify their utility vehicle fleets. In doing so, we look forward to helping them meet their commercial objectives, including in relation to sustainability goals.”

Tungsten West receives draft permit for Hemerdon tungsten mine Mineral Processing Facility

Base metals, High tech minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development

Tungsten West, the owner and operator of the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in southwest England, has announced that it has received a draft permit from the UK’s Environment Agency for the operation of the Mineral Processing Facility (MPF) at Hemerdon.

The draft permit is currently undergoing internal review to ensure all aspects are aligned with the operational requirements of the MPF. Following this review by the company and the finalisation of the documentation, a public consultation will be held where the Environment Agency will identify that they are ‘minded to’ grant this permit. This is the final step before the Environment Agency can issue the permit. Throughout the consultation period, Tungsten West says it will remain committed to engaging with the Environment Agency and relevant stakeholders.

The receipt of the draft permit represents a significant step in securing further financing for the project and is the gateway for commencement of the updated Feasibility Study, which the company anticipates will then lead into the main financing round.

Neil Gawthorpe, CEO of Tungsten West, commented: “I am delighted to confirm receipt of the draft permit for the MPF, which represents a major step-forward in our goal of bringing Hemerdon back into production by the end of 2025, providing an ethical and sustainable domestic supply of critical minerals. I would like to thank the team at the Environment Agency for working closely with the Company and its consultants throughout 2023 to deliver this draft, and we look forward to progressing this process timeously through to a permit.”

Tungsten West acquired the mine out of a receivership process in 2019 after its most recent operators stopped production in 2018. The site benefits from over £200 million investment under the previous operators, including the development of significant infrastructure and processing facilities. Hemerdon was producing tungsten and tin concentrates from 2015 to 2018, before the operator put the mine into receivership due to a number of issues that have since been identified and will be rectified by Tungsten West.

Notably Tungsten West has already taken delivery of seven TOMRA XRT ore-sorters in 2023 for sorting of ROM ore, which consists of six duty units and one standby unit. A revised front end process design was also unveiled in 2023 that included a secondary crushed ore stockpile ahead of the ore sorters. This provides up to circa-40 hours of redundancy capacity to the crushing circuit, thereby de-coupling the front end crushing circuit from the minerals processing facility (MPF) – minimising downtime and maximising availability of the concentrator circuit.

Gravitricity deal with Callio Pyhäjärvi could see Pyhäsalmi shaft used as underground energy store

Base metals, Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining

It’s home to one of Europe’s deepest mines – and now a small town in central Finland could host the continent’s first full-scale gravity energy store. The community of Pyhäjärvi, with just 5,000 inhabitants, lies 450 km north of Finland’s capital, Helsinki. Nearby lies Pyhäsalmi mine – Europe’s deepest zinc and copper mine – owned by First Quantum Minerals, a Canadian mining corporation, and descending 1,444 m into the earth.

Many of the mine’s operations have now ended. However, a plan to transform a disused shaft into an underground energy store – using technology developed by Edinburgh energy storage firm Gravitricity – could offer new opportunities for the remote community.

Gravitricity has developed a unique energy storage system, known as GraviStore, which raises and lowers heavy weights in underground shafts – to offer some of the best characteristics of lithium-ion batteries and pumped hydro storage. The local community has set up a special development company, called Callio Pyhäjärvi, to promote regeneration projects at the historic mine, of which the GraviStore scheme will be part. The two organisations have now signed an agreement to transform a 530 m deep auxiliary shaft into a full-scale prototype of Gravitricity’s technology – and anticipate this could become Europe’s first GraviStore deployment.

They will now work together to develop the scheme – which would deliver up to 2 MW of storage capacity. This would tie straight into the local electricity grid and provide balancing services to the Finnish network.

Last year, Gravitricity signed an agreement with Swedish-Swiss energy multinational ABB to use ABB’s mine hoist expertise to help accelerate the adoption of underground energy storage. It is anticipated ABB would lend their expertise to the project, alongside Gravitricity’s other strategic partner, Dutch winch specialists Huisman.

Commenting on the initiative Gravitricity’s Executive Chairman Martin Wright said: “This project will demonstrate at full scale how our technology can offer reliable long life energy storage that can capture and store energy during periods of low demand and release it rapidly when required. This full-scale project will provide a pathway to other commercial projects and allow our solution to be embedded into mine decommissioning activities, offering a potential future for mines approaching the end of their original service life. It will also provide vital new low carbon jobs in an area which has suffered significantly from the end of traditional mining operations.”

During sixty years of operation, more than 60 Mt of ore were mined and more than 30 million tons of concentrates were produced. The mine paid more than €200 million in community tax during the decade before its closure, of which the town of Pyhäjärvi received a quarter.

The underground energy store would be one of a number of initiatives at the former Finnish mine, where Callio has been established by the local community and mine owners to kick start new projects at the mine including solar farms, new technology startups, mining technology testing facilities and an underground 5G network.

Commenting on the cooperation Callio Pyhäjärvi’s CEO Henrik Kiviniemi said: “We can take advantage of the best of the region’s electricity grid and transformation of the energy market. It is also very attractive to take advantage of these opportunities for energy-intensive industry to be located here utilizing also the good logistical location of Pyhäjärvi. Our industrial park can provide an excellent framework for electricity-intensive operators in the future, like Gravitricity, who can utilise the infrastructure and local know-how coming vacant from mining operations.”

The mine’s underground copper and zinc resources were depleted in 2022 and mining ended in August 2022. Every day, close to 220 people worked at the mine, 70 of whom worked underground. Pyhäsalmi mine was the area’s biggest employer, and its closure led to a loss of a further 400 subcontractor and service jobs. Since then, many of these people have found new jobs in other industries, or workplaces outside of the town or have started their own business or commenced studies for a different career.

BQE Water completes commissioning of largest Selen-IX™ plant to date

Base metals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Sustainable mining, Water management

BQE Water Inc, a leader in the treatment and management of mine impacted waters, has completed the commissioning phase and transitioned to the operating phase of the agreement for a water treatment plant at a base metal mine in the southwestern US. Utilising its award winning Selen-IX™ process technology, BQE Water treats mine impacted waters, removing selenium to below 2 ppb (parts per billion), as well as dissolved metals, in compliance with applicable effluent quality regulations.

Under the agreement, BQE Water is responsible for clean water production for environmental discharge. Compensation for operations services consists of a base monthly fee and a supplemental fee for additional water treated over and above the base. The base monthly fee is payable regardless of the volume of water reporting to treatment but is subject to the plant being available for treatment. Both fees are paid subject to the plant effluent meeting the target effluent water quality.

Since the completion of commissioning, BQE Water says the plant has been operating 24/7 with an overall plant availability more than 95%. It is expected to run year-round and treat up to 4,500 gallons of water per minute, making it the largest Selen-IX™ plant currently in operation. The plant first removes a host of dissolved metals, followed by selenium removal. The key aspects of the plant design that led to the selection of Selen-IX™ technology for selenium removal included the stringent selenium effluent limit, the requirement for a rapid ramp-up in selenium removal capacity depending on flow and selenium concentrations, and the need to produce a stable non-hazardous residue.

David Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE Water, commented: “I would like to congratulate our team on achieving this significant milestone in a project where BQE Water acted as a single point of accountability for clean water production from the initial treatability assessment through piloting, permitting, design and commissioning to operations. The project showcases not only our technical expertise but also our ability to de-risk projects while working closely with our clients and other stakeholders.”

Hitachi CM starting operation of remote support centre for mining truck AHS

Automation, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Sustainable mining

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd says it is starting full-scale operation of a remote monitoring support system operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year called the Technological Centre of Excellence (TCoE), which will monitor its dump truck Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) used at mines from a location in Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.

Hitachi Construction Machinery will utilise the TCoE to focus on expanding the sales of its AHS in Australia, a strategic region for its mining business, with the goal of offering AHS worldwide. Moreover, the company says it will provide constant, remote monitoring of mining sites where Hitachi Construction Machinery’s AHS operates through TCoE to help increase overall mine operational efficiency.

At TCoE, the same information that customers are getting in their mine control room, is monitored in real time. Human resources with expertise in specialised fields such as mining machinery, mining operation, software, etc will use advanced digital technologies to accumulate, analyse, and deconstruct all data acquired in real-time from multiple mining sites.

Next, they will derive solutions for the issues faced by each customer to help streamline and optimise the entire mine through involvement in the actual mine operation. “In the future, TCoE will evolve into becoming the core hub in charge of coordination for the mining solutions business and utilise various digital technologies and accumulated knowledge to create new value and provide continuous support from a customer perspective.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery began researching AHS in 2009. Based on the results of five years of research and development, the company has validated AHS at a test site in Australia since 2013 for the purpose of realising sequential mining operations for loading, hauling, and dumping using autonomous dump trucks. In July 2018, Hitachi Construction Machinery agreed with Whitehaven Coal to collaborate on AHS and confirmed that the developed AHS has reached a practical level of performance over the roughly six year period of collaboration.

The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group has strived to implement ‘Reliable Solutions’ that solve social issues as a close and reliable partner for our customers. Going forward, it will offer AHS to mining industry customers around the world to contribute to the higher level of safety and productivity required by its customers.

Sandvik introduces new push bore reamer system

Equipment maintenance, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining consumables, Mining services

Sandvik says it is introducing a new push bore reamer system that will improve penetration rate, minimise downtime and simplify in-field service in underground slot hole drilling.

The tool system includes two Ø740-millimetre push bore reamers — one for upwards and one for downwards push boring — and a fit-for-purpose cutter. Key upgrades include simplified in-field service with bolted-on wing and wear pads and a patented saddle design for better material clearing in the cutter pocket. The cutter itself is equipped with a tougher carbide grade and a steeper cone angle on the shell to reduce skidding and carbide damage. It also features an improved bearing design and more heat-tolerant grease.

Simulations and tests it says confirm superior quality and productivity, extended service life and less downtime. By reducing hole size from Ø750 to Ø740 millimetres and enabling higher rig capacity, customers also experience increased penetration rates. Less servicing and easier spare parts changes can save an average operation around 180 hours in a year, as these processes are now more than 35% faster than for the previous reamers.

“Our customers will experience fewer cutter changes, easier in-field spare part replacements and reduced service-related transportation, improving both safety and sustainability,” said Russell Clayton, Product Manager Raise Boring at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. “We also took the opportunity to design both up and down Ø740 reamers to utilise identical spare part components as far as practically possible, and this sufficiently reduces inventory demands when you plan to drill with both reamers.”

Telling the conveyor data-driven story – FLSmidth and Overland Conveyor Company

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mineral commodities, Mineral processing, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software

Overland Conveyor Company, based in Lakewood, Colorado, has been operating since 1996 as an independent consulting firm. Its entire goal at that time and today was to provide excellence in consulting services surrounding long distance and/or high capacity conveying systems. In the mid 1990s the focus in mining conveyors was to go longer, further and faster and that is still somewhat the case today. But the increasing ability of computers to really wrangle that problem and analyse it in a better way enabled OCC to step up into that space, provide quality advice and build the software tools that could be used in analysis.

General Manager Paul Ormsbee told IM: “OCC then evolved from pure consulting to also selling software, as we realised that the software that we were using for our own purposes had a value in the market as well. We built Belt Analyst, which is a pretty significant conveyor system design software today. We also began selling our dynamic analysis software which simulates conveyor starts and stops plus the most difficult to control or evalulate conditions for a conveyor to operate in. That’s important because you can’t prototype a conveyor – a scale model doesn’t behave the same way and if you scale it up you may as well build the real thing. The only way to do it is to simulate it.”

So OCC ultimately became just as much as simulation company as an engineering company. “A lot of that relied upon us being able analyse specific vendor components; working as systems engineers and bringing everything together. Conveyors can be looked at as the largest machines in the world.” OCC functioned in this way until 2016 – when it was purchased by thyssenkrupp – later on they began a refocus and began making some strategic divestments including all of their mining portfolio going to FLSmidth in 2022.

An effective digital twin creates a useful link between the design and actual operations of a conveyor

Ormsbee: “But the reason thyssenkrupp bought us and the reason FLSmidth still has us is because we really do provide a very high level initial quality of engineering that sets up conveying projects to be successful. Not many people know how to do horizontal curves or long distance with dynamic analysis. A lot struggle with knowing how to set up a conveyor project from day one. We help with studies to define what is possible because there can be a lot of pay off in getting those early study works right. For FLSmidth this is all very integrated with their needs, providing excellence in conveyor technology towards their projects. Especially today, efficiency is really important in terms of the cost/tonne when operating a conveyor system.”

What about when FLSmidth sold of its ‘non core activities’ recently, which included some conveying related business, to KOCH Solutions, how did this affect OCC? Ormsbee commented: “When OCC came on board at FLSmidth, we were tasked with the product and project management for what they called the high performance conveyor group. FLSmidth is very serious about its MissionZero goals, and yes that means they are not interested in giant coal conveyors any more, or older conveyor technologies that make it more difficult to make those sustainability promises. It is also important to make the distinction between a high performance conveyor that requires specialised understanding and expertise and has high capacity, curvature, long distance or a combination of these; and standard mine or in-plant conveyors that a lot of companies can do and supply without much specialised engineering. FLS chose to move away from to these easier to accomplish, highly competitive standard conveyors and focus on high efficiency, carbon-reducing high performance conveyors. And that is in combination with related new technologies such as the Rail Running Conveyor.”

Ormsbee also has a dual role as both GM of OCC as well as being the Global Product Line Manager for High Performance Conveyors at FLSmidth. “So every large conveyor project that FLS is interested in, comes across my desk and I can propagate it through our engineering team. Our OCC engineers are very specialised in calculation and simulation plus heavy duty analysis and they work with FLSmidth engineers who are more focused on the actual project execution and delivery. It all integrates together. We see ourselves as conveyor best of breed for mining. There are challenges, such as understanding where the client is on the spectrum of CAPEX versus OPEX and trying to tailor the design on that basis.”

The unique thing about conveyors is that all the main components – belt, rollers, steel structure etc – can be sourced in the market by anyone, but the overall system is as far from off the shelf as you can get. Ormsbee: “We pride ourselves on understanding the system better than anyone else, and taking advantage of that knowledge base, that is both within the FLSmidth knowledge space but also what OCC has been doing for years. We very intentionally work our R&D towards educating the market and influencing the market as necessary.”

OCC since its foundation has had people intentionally on the committees within CEMA – that way it can for example work to influence the friction and calculation methodologies that the market is using, such as in Chapter 6 of CEMA’s Belt Book which is focused on belt tension, power and drive engineering. “This way we can ensure that the tools are there for everyone to use. It also helps to ensure that there is a common language so that when we do put out a conveyor, people understand that it is different and has the engineering behind it to make it more efficient.”

OCC is also free to consult on any conveyor systems, even if they are not part of an FLSmidth project, as long as there is no conflict of interest. It is worth pointing out as well that its type of specialised high performance conveying consultancy falls into a small world that also includes Conveyor Dynamics, AC-Tek and just a handful of others, so while it is very competitive there is also a mutual understanding across all these companies of how important it is to apply technology in the right way and are all interested in propagating the benefits and potential of conveying throughout the mining world.

On to conveyors as a major tool in helping mining decarbonise. Ormsbee: “We are more busy that we have ever been with studies related to quantifying the net benefits of technologies like in-pit crushing and conveying versus trucks. Over the past five years especially, every project in which we have been associated with bidding and wanting to supply has had steps related to quantifying why conveyors are being chosen from a sustainability point of view.”

Are more studies becoming real projects because of the carbon reduction factor and has this swung the pendulum away from miners mainly focusing just on CAPEX? “Yes that is true and there are also incentives in place by many governments in mining countries for mines to take a greener route. That said the payoff of a conveyor over 20-25 years can be huge. People are understanding the net benefits more and more.”

The devil is in the data

Looking at software, data and simulation, what do they enable us to do today related to conveyors? “We like to say what gets measured gets managed. So many people operate their conveyors and get data from them, but have no way to understand what that data means. At OCC we have put a lot of effort into helping people look at their data and use that data to guide the way forward. Often maintenance decisions are just made by a senior manager with the most experience but a much better approach is to use real data as the basis for decisions. No machine when you install it and run it should ever be ‘done’ with its design phase – and this is particularly true of conveyors. There are always things you can tinker with operationally to increase efficiency and reliability. We have the benefit of 25 years of people calling us when something goes wrong and they don’t know why.”

Because OCC always investigates and identifies the problems from the data and pinpoint the reason(s), it can then build these learnings into its software. Today, data from some of its customers is streamed to OCC in real time, so it can give automated feedback based on its specialised software tools we have developed over decades. This is supplemented this with human feedback as well.

While the customer might have noticed an upward trending oil temperature in a gearbox until it becomes a problem – OCC looks at this from the point of view of what can be done to reduce the load on that gearbox to improve its reliability. It provides a virtual representation of the conveyor but not one just showing tonnes delivered, power used etc – OCC’s solution is closer to a true digital twin and even goes beyond that in that it shows the dynamic changes of the conveyor lifecycle while also providing understanding on how to improve its performance. It really gives you active feedback. “A lot of people are now offering to apply analytics to data, in terms of AI and machine learning – we are much more focused on grounded physics-based simulation that reflects the data but also our experience and knowledge base from 25 plus years of real projects and results. We can really tell the customer what is happening.”

Ormsbee adds: “An effective digital twin creates a useful link between the design and operations of a machine that have traditionally been disconnected. The design of the machine is constantly evaluated and updated to result in improvements towards the operation. Ultimately you create a concrete understanding of the effect that each change to the design has on the operating characteristics of the machine. You are always keeping in mind what was the conveyor design originally intended to do, and now it is running are you operating within those ranges?”

As stated, OCC has clients for whom it provides feedback continually on live data. But at the other end of the scale it can also offer what it calls a conveyor system health check – a one off approach where it will get a batch of data relating to an incident and we then create a data story around that to help guide the way forward in terms of actions. Of course, this is more reactive, where you tend to replace components when broken and has the highest cost. Then you have preventative maintenance where you replace components periodically with a moderate relative cost. Predictive thermal, acoustic, oil and vibration analysis based maintenance can mean a lower cost again. But the lowest possible maintenance Ormsbee argues is proactive or what some people call prescriptive – looking at correct system behaviour taking in to consideration the original design and changes that have been made and predicting failures on that basis.

Ormsbee concluded: “Data driven analysis goes all the way from beginning of a project to the end, and we will try to quantify in our simulations what the most important pieces are that you need to control to be successful on the project. Is it most of the drag coming from the belt rubber? Or is most of the drag coming from the alignment of the system? You identify this with data at the design phase but then during project execution, you create supplemental QA/QC data to help ensure you are achieving what was required at the design phase. This could include getting rubber or idler rolls to test.”

OCC has done a lot of difficult terrains projects recently where the conveyor has a lot of ups and downs – its ability to simulate the various loads that are possible allows the selection of the right motor size and then guarantee that with partner suppliers – for example with Innomotics on gearless drives. It then verifies everything with the real data upon commissioning. It never just relies on historical engineering of ‘similar’ projects though of course through FLSmidth it has that experience too, it is enabling the data to tell a more complete story. “When you don’t know something you have be conservative and design larger – the more you know and the more you back with data, the most efficient you can be – and that could include something like opting for a lower tension belt.”