All posts by Paul Moore

MinRes subsidiary CSI acquires wear solutions company G&G Mining from SSAB

Bulk handling, Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services

CSI Mining Services (CSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mineral Resources (MinRes), recently bolstered its in-house capability with the acquisition of G&G Mining.

Previously a subsidiary of Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB, G&G Mining specialises in the design, manufacture, repair and refurbishment of mobile mining equipment. The acquisition means CSI can now provide these services to MinRes and external clients in-house rather than outsourcing to external providers.

Its products include the XMOR® range of lightweight, productivity-enhancing dump bodies and buckets, as well as customised, heavy-duty mining excavator and shovel buckets and mobile water tank solutions.

Around 80 G&G team members were welcomed to MinRes at a town hall event hosted by Chief Executive Mining Services Mike Grey, who shared information on CSI’s proud history in mining services and exciting projects on the horizon for our diversified WA-owned business.

Grey said the acquisition was a positive development for MinRes and CSI as we expand our capabilities and future proof the business. “G&G offers a fully established workshop in Hazelmere and a skilled workforce who we will bring into the MinRes family. We will have one General Manager overseeing both our existing Kwinana workshop and the G&G workshop, which encourages continuity of work and strengthens our support network. It’s a great opportunity for our new team members, who will each have access to career and development opportunities across our sites and workshops.”

Grey said CSI would continue to partner with SSAB on innovative, quality mining attachments using SSAB’s high strength steel products. For now, it’s business as usual at G&G, with a transition period expected to span the next six months.

AHS longevity in action – Komatsu fleet at Gaby passes 1,000 Mt moved

Automation, Base metals, Bulk handling, Mining equipment, Mining safety

An important achievement was marked by Codelco’s Division Gabriela Mistral recently, when the copper mine reached 1,000 Mt of ore transported with autonomous haul trucks – a great example of longevity in AHS, with the fleet initially deployed from 2008.

The mine, often referred to as Gaby, was the world’s first mine with a 100% autonomous truck fleet, made up of 20 Komatsu 320 ton class 930E-4 trucks which, thanks to regular updates of the FrontRunner AHS itself, along with Modular Mining’s Dispatch FMS and ProVision machine guidance, continues to generate safe interactions between autonomous and manned equipment – while at the same time optimising and maximising production with effective truck management and improved navigation.

This milestone also stands out for having being achieved without fatalities or serious accidents. Codelco says it has also had the right strategies in place over the years to maintain the equipment, ensure efficiency of the total operation combined with teamwork that has been characterised by commitment and responsible practices. Codelco also released some figures from the period 2015 to present – an effective production rate over the fleet lifetime of 700 t/h, consuming 166 l/h of diesel, 8,886 hours average tyre life and 82% availability.

Beyond blasting – Orica in Latin America

Base metals, Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining consumables, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining

During a visit to Chile in April, IM Editorial Director Paul Moore sat down with Orica’s Brian Gillespie – President Latin America and Group Executive; and Francisca Saieh – Head of Marketing and Technology Latin America at its Santiago corporate office for some unique insights into the Latam explosives and blasting market – and the types of innovations Orica is bringing to Latam customers – which include advanced digital solutions

When did Orica first enter the South American market and how has the business grown? Is it a competitive market? 

BG: Orica’s origins date back to the Victorian goldfields in 1874 and then evolved to ICI, the large UK chemical group and its operations in Australia – which from 1971 were known as ICI Australia and with Orica formed in 1998 after ICI sold its shareholding. Through various acquisitions as well as organic growth, Orica became the world’s leading mining and infrastructure blasting and explosives solution providers. A lot of what today is Orica Latam was either also originally part of ICI or acquired as part of assets taken over from Dyno Nobel in 2005. Most recently we acquired the major Peruvian explosives company EXSA, in 2020. It was a really pure play company and a really good fit for Orica, also having a fantastic but underutilised manufacturing facility in Lurin. Today, Lurin is one of our two large global manufacturing hubs, the other being Gomia in India. Gomia primarily is serving the needs of the European, Australian, African and Asian markets; with Lurin primarily serving the Americas. We also have regional manufacturing centres in all our main countries of operation including in Chile, Colombia and Brazil as well as Panama. On competition in the region, of course Chile’s Enaex is a major player, along with Famesa in Peru and Spanish group MAXAM. But I would say Orica has the most advanced range of solutions in the market – as an example we remain the only company with a patented wireless blasting solution.

IM Editorial Director Paul Moore with Brian Gillespie – Orica President Latin America and Group Executive; and Francisca Saieh – Head of Marketing and Technology Latin America

Can you expand on what these sites produce, and how that relates to AN supply and your final products? 

BG: These sites produce all or some of our main products which include packaged and bulk emulsion explosives, initiating systems (IS) including electronic blasting systems (EBS), det cord, boosters and shock tubes as well as ANFO bags and some IS raw materials. The base explosive chemical product ammonium nitrate is mainly produced in Australia in three plants – two on the east coast (Kooragang Island and Yarwun) one in the west coast (Yara Pilbara Nitrates joint venture near Karratha) as well as Carseland in Canada and Bontang in Indonesia. Actually, in Latin America we do not have any AN production – so we buy it from other sources in Brazil and Chile or import it from Europe or Australia. We take high quality AN prill and use it as part of proprietary high energy emulsion formulations that we manufacture using additives like mineral oils, hydrocarbons and solvents along with different processes to produce various porosities and densities in the final products, translating to different attributes in blasting. Initiating systems themselves are increasingly digital, wireless and high-tech. 

Are there any notable general aspects about the explosives and blasting market in Latam? 

FS: Firstly, I would say the sheer size of the customers. We have fewer customers than other regions but they are very big – the average size of mine in throughput and daily tonnage is very large. These are top tier miners, many of which are owned by global mining houses – so there is an absolute commitment here to safety as well as productivity. Secondly, they also have a thirst for technology which really helps us as we are often the ones pushing the envelope. It is a good time to have Orica’s portfolio – many of the solutions are unique and world-firsts and we have spent over a decade getting it right. Its also worth mentioning that the mines here are producing future facing commodities – of course copper and gold but also lithium and others – copper alone represents 66% of our business here. So there is a great mining future here for that reason also. And aside from Chile, Peru and Brazil where we have a major presence, in addition we have offices in Bolivia and Colombia. And we have really diverse teams in Latin America with a large proportion of female employees across office, sales and engineer roles. 

Orica Latam has a strong proportion of female employees, including in operational roles

How fast has the IS and EBS market including Orica’s i-kon™ III been growing in Chile? And what about wireless blasting? 

BG: Things are pretty advanced today in Chile where most of the large mines there, as well as in Brazil and to some extent in Peru and Colombia have already moved away from non-electric to electronic blasting and particularly our i-kon™ III solution that you mention as well as products from competitors. But the most advanced customers are also now moving to the next stage with our patented WebGen™ fully wireless IS, which completely eliminates the need for down-lines and surface connecting wires. As stated we are the only company to offer this – we believe we have the best digital technologies together with wireless IS.  

Mining is inherently conservative – how do you as a company get these new technologies into the market? What is the penetration of WebGen™ today in Latin America? 

BG: There either has to be a production business case or a safety imperative or a combination of the two. We are confident that we offer the safest and the most efficient products and systems available. With wireless detonation you have a real safety advantage with no wires criss-crossing the benches – plus you have a production advantage as you can now use that bench for vehicle movements right up to just before blasting itself. You can even spray water in those areas which you can’t do with non-wireless detonation. For WebGen™ we now have nine customers in Latin America spread between Brazil, Chile and Peru. I can’t say who those are but they are top tier miners. And for H1 2023 that’s actually slightly ahead of where we thought we would be. And that’s us having been able to prove that production and safety advantage on-site. I think we also have the right people and the right expertise – our blast engineering team works really closely with the customers to offer different solutions. They also keep detailed case and project records so we have a lot of data and experience we are able to share, with customer permissions of course. Orica has always been well known for its technical expertise – two years ago we made a decision to get all of our technical experts back together under one organisation in Latam within which we now have 150 blasting experts dedicated to blasting science. A lot of them formerly reported to different people depending on how we were running a particular project and customer site – today they are report to one leadership team allowing them to concentrate more on their technical expertise. This is important – as the products become more and more digital, and we have more advanced wireless detonation, then more so than ever we need the right experts to be able to design and optimise blasts around these products. For major customer projects we will devote several experts to dealing with that project specifically who may also be based at that site for all or part of the project. In fact of the 150 engineers, 75 of them or 50% are dedicated to particular customers. The team is headed by Daniel Serkovic, a mining engineer and our Senior Manager – Orica Blast Engineering. He has an MBA and a background both in consulting in Australia then roles with Vale and Rio Tinto before he started with us as the Regional Manager Latin America for GroundProbe.  

Orica’s plant in Lurin, Peru is a state of the art facility

Do the mines sometimes carry out blasting themselves, use contractors or work with the explosives and blasting specialists like Orica directly? What about the delivery vehicles? 

BG: All of these situations can exist but in this part of the world, contracted drilling is more usual. For blasting, it tends to be either the miner or the supplier – and more and more the top tier miners are moving towards using what we call down the hole service from us – which includes blast design, loading the holes, detonation, procurement of all the detonators and explosives. Of course, they always remain involved in the blast design as these companies have very experienced mining engineers and geotechs – they have their own mine plan and blasting plan that they want to achieve. We will also own operate the explosives delivery vehicles – ie the Mobile Manufacturing Units or MMU™s, with the exception of Colombia where a government body technically owns all MMUs due to regulations, plus we are responsible for the and storage of the explosive products and IS. These vehicles – such as our state of the art Bulkmaster™ 7 units, are complex machines with internal control systems including our BlastIQ™ which enables digital blast designs created in SHOTPlus™ to be wirelessly transferred to the MMU™ as well as LOADPlus™, a proprietary in-cab smart explosives delivery control system. They control the locating and the loading of the holes independently and what formulations go where. And because of all that the MMUs are also expensive pieces of kit – north of $1.5 milllion for the most advanced versions. 

Are autonomy and greater sustainability the next step for your MMUs? What about greater autonomy and safety underground? 

BG: We certainly have active program working towards that – I can’t reveal any details but our Group Executive & Chief Technology Officer Angus Melbourne is heading that up. And yes we are looking to make our vehicles as sustainable as possible – firstly making sure the diesel we are using as much as possible will be reused or has been recycled and beyond that other power sources such as battery electric. And you are already well aware of our now well proven Avatel™ solution, which is the most advanced underground development charging system ever designed and eliminates the need for traditional tie-ins and other physical wired connections from the charging cycle. It enables a single operator to prepare the development face and charge explosives from the safety of an enclosed cabin, several metres from the face. 

In 2022 Orica-owned GroundProbe launched BlastVision® – which provides ‘revolutionary’ blast visualisation and analysis data – how does that tie into Orica’s solutions? 

FS: A lot of customers are looking at using WebGen™ and BlastVision® together. BlastVision is huge in terms of safety and making sure that the blast is doing what you want it to do. And being drone-based – if you as a mine have a high quality drone for high quality digital vision then you can put it into the BlastVision algorithm and get on-bench instant diagnosis of a blast. It basically takes custom high-speed drone footage of a blast as it happens and using proprietary algorithms and AI, converts the footage into analytics data. You can see in different colours what hole has blasted where and slow it down to see how the blast pattern has gone. And you can see where any flyrock ended up. Orica’s suite of technology also includes FRAGTrack™, a state-of-the-art fragmentation measurement tool designed to provide rapid insights into the outcome of the blasting process. It can be mounted on a face shovel, on a conveyor, on a gantry to scan passing trucks or at the crusher itself. We have at least 30 customers in Latam using FRAGTrack™ with the gantry set-up being particularly in demand. It can warn of oversize heading to the crusher but mainly it is giving an indication of the blasting result and if you need to adjust the explosive energy for example. 

Sika cements Americas presence with acquisition of Thiessen Team

Mine shafts and equipment, Mining consumables, Mining safety, Mining services, Sustainable mining

Sika has acquired Thiessen Team USA, a US manufacturer of shotcrete and grouting products for the mining industry in the USA. The company serves the Western US mining industry which produces essential minerals for the growing electric vehicle industry among many other critical minerals. It says the acquisition will open up significant cross-selling potential and will support Sika’s expansion in the US mining market.

Thiessen is a family owned business serving the mining industry in the Western region of the USA with shotcrete and grouting solutions that enable increased efficiency in mining operations. Sika stated: “Thiessen has long-established, strong relationships with large mining customers and has built a reputation for excellent quality, hands-on technical support, and fast reaction times. The company operates two production facilities which are strategically located close to large mines in the western US, which among other excavate materials essential for the production of batteries. With the expanded investments in manufacturing of electric vehicles in the USA, demand for these critical minerals is expected to significantly increase going forward.”

Increasing sustainability requirements in mining operations represents a significant potential for Sika’s robust range of solutions. A groundbreaking development is Sika’s unique technology for cement-free concrete which is already used for backfilling of shafts in the world’s largest iron ore mine in Sweden and will now be rolled out in the entire Americas region.

Sika already has a strong presence in the mining industry in Latin America and Canada, which was significantly expanded through the acquisition of King Packaged Materials Company in 2019. “The acquisition of Thiessen will in a similar way improve access to US mining projects. Sika products such as structural fibers, shotcrete accelerators, and backfilling solutions will complement Thiessen’s offering and further support market penetration.”

Christoph Ganz, Regional Manager Americas: “The acquisition of Thiessen supports our expansion in the exciting mining business in the USA and provides Sika with a wider presence in mining across the Americas region. The offerings of Sika and Thiessen are highly complementary and open up significant cross-selling potential with new and existing mining customers. We look forward to a successful joint future and would like to extend a very warm welcome to the Thiessen employees as they join the Sika team.”

 

Kal Tire mining tyre recycling facility achieves ISCC PLUS certification

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

Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group has received International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification verifying that its mining tyre recycling facility in Chile processes circular feedstocks.

“Kal Tire is committed to promoting a circular economy where recycled mining tire products are given their highest and best use,” says Dan Allan, Senior VP, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “This ISCC PLUS certification ensures customers can confidently source our recycling facility’s outputs knowing they’re 100 % derived from waste materials.”

At Kal Tire’s facility in northern Chile, end-of-life ultra-class tyres are converted to their base elements (carbon black, oil and steel) so they can be reused in new products instead of raw materials. The facility’s thermal conversion processes uses heat and friction to induce a process that sees virtually 100% of the tyre reused.

The ISCC PLUS certification verifies the Chile recycling facility meets the circular materials standards for reclaimed oil, carbon black and syngas using a mass balance chain of custody approach. ISCC is a global leader in standards development for chemically recycled sustainable materials. Kal Tire is one of just a few mining tyre recycling facilities in the world that the company is aware of to have achieved ISCC PLUS certification for producing circular feedstocks— generating outputs that are 100% ISCC PLUS compliant.

As more and more organisations look to demonstrate the sustainability and circularity of their supply chain, Kal Tire’s ISCC-certified products will provide third-party validation for customers seeking sustainable, circular materials.

“Years ago, we set out to invest in a solution at the top of the mining tyre recycling hierarchy to help customers solve the great challenge of handling end-of-life mining tyres more sustainably, at a time when government also began calling for environmental leadership and contribution to climate action plans,”says Allan. “We’re proud to now be at this stage with our certified and high quality outputs, helping customers create a greener supply chain and a lower carbon future.”

Kal Tire’s facility has the capacity to process five 63 in tyres (20,000 kg) every day—creating 8,000 kg of carbon black, 6,500 litres of oil, 4,000 kg of steel and enough synthetic gas to fuel the plant itself for seven hours. The company is seeing growing demand for recovered carbon black (rCB), which can be used to produce tyres and plastic products.

JCHX going from strength to strength in DRC and Zambian mining market

Base metals, Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals

China’s JCHX Mining Management is one of the most successful mining contractors in Africa – through its subsidiary Jimond Mining Management Company (JMMC) it carries out development and mining operations at the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine in DRC, owned primarily by Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining. Also in DRC it is the mining and development contractor for Kipushi, a joint venture between Ivanhoe and Gécamines, a DRC state-owned mining company. And it has contracts at the Metorex-owned Ruashi Mining, Kisenda and Chibuluma Mines operations plus the new Musonoi project at Ruashi – Metorex being part of Jinchuan Group. Finally it is conducting the mining and development at Wanbao Mining’s Kamoya operation.

In Zambia it also carries out the contract mining and development at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) which was just extended by two years; and at NFC Africa Mining’s Chambishi operation, which includes the new Southeast Orebody Project. Finally it is a mine owner and operator in its own right – with two mines in its own portfolio – Lonshi in DRC, previously owned by ERG; and Dikulushi, also in DRC, which it acquired from a subsidiary of Trafigura.

On new work, it has additionally just secured a new $116 million contract to operate Lubambe copper mine in Zambia. The contract covers extracting copper from the mine’s south flank, located in the mineral-rich Copperbelt province, from June 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. Lubambe Copper Mine is owned 80% by EMR Capital Resources, while 20% is held by ZCCM Investments Holdings, a successor company to Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Ltd.

Back to DRC, the installation of the main and service cant frames of the ultra large headgear of the main shaft at Musonoi was successfully completed recently by JCHX-owned Kingko Construction SARL, marking the completion of hoisting system installation, which has represented another milestone of Kingko in installation and demonstrated JCHX’s strength in ultra large headgear installation.

The installation of the main shaft hoisting system and construction of service facilities are key works of the project. The main shaft (bank @1,465 mL, 685 m depth) is set in the upper part of west limb of orebody and is equipped with two hoisting systems, including a main hoisting system (skip) with a counterweight and a service hoisting system (cage) with a counterweight. The headgear (69 m high, 2,000 t weight) was erected under the support of lifting mast and winch, becoming the first ultra large steel headgear successfully erected by Kingko and what JCHX says is the first ultra large headgear in Africa. The main and service cant frames weigh about 1,300 t.

After the mobilisation of over 50 headgear parts, the project started the assembly of mast and main & service cant frames, and the hoisting, welding, cleaning and painting of the main headgear part in a coordinated and effective way. The management held multiple special meetings to discuss solutions to remove site constraints and erection difficulties, made specific requests on safety matters, job responsibilities and work disciplines, and conducted technical disclosures for erection method, sequence and process. The special erection method requires a number of pulley sets, to which threading holds the key. Then experienced workers were arranged. The threading of 72 main cable braces and 144 main hoisting cables was successfully finished after 15 days work.

The mast erection started on May 28, 2023, under the support of main hoisting system and crane and completed successfully five days later. The erection of main and service cant frames was completed respectively on June 5 and 10, which were then connected in the air.

Anglo American reviews present progress & future potential of FutureSmart Mining™

Automation, Base metals, Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, IoT, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining techniques, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, Water management

At the recent Bank of America 2023 Smart Mine 4.0 conference, Donovan Waller, Anglo American Group Head of Technology Development gave an in-depth review of ongoing projects under its FutureSmart Mining™ banner, which broadly refers to its innovation-led approach to sustainable mining.

He covered mainly six interesting areas – its African renewable energy ecosystem; the nuGen™ Zero Emission Haulage Solution being led by engineering partner First Mode; Coarse Particle Recovery (CPR); Hydraulic Dewatered Stacking; copper leaching; and microwave based preconditioning.

Then he closed with two tantalising glimpses into earlier stage projects – namely “Haulage re-defined” where he shared an image showing what appeared to be a machine along the lines of an MMD Fully Mobile Surge Loader, working with smaller class, cabless, autonomous and likely battery electric trucks. He also shared some images of possible intelligent logistics concepts of the future.

On energy, in South Africa last year Anglo American entered into partnership with EDF Renewables – creating Envusa Energy, and announced the first 600 MW of wind and solar projects, intended to form the development of a broader regional renewable energy ecosystem (RREE) expected to generate 3-5 GW over the next decade. It has agreed commercial terms for two wind sites of 140 MW each and one solar site of 200 MW in the Eastern Cape. It is aiming for financial close in Q3 for these sites to commence construction immediately. Anglo is also developing 2 large solar sites in our mines at Sishen and Mogalakwena.

IM has published much already on the next topic of the nuGen™ Zero Emission Haulage Solution – the prototype of which, truck DT74 achieved a year of successful operation at Mogalakwena, during which time it was introduced into a mixed commercial fleet, including ore and waste haulage activities, alongside diesel vehicles, with over 1,200 hours of operation.

Then on the four more downstream areas – on CPR, following its construction in 2021, the Coarse Particle Recovery unit at El Soldado copper mine in Chile was successfully handed over to operations, having exceeded targets in energy unit consumption and enabling a 16% increase in copper production without the need for additional energy. Waller: “It beat every single metric we had set for it before we started the project.”

The innovative flotation process, which permits material to be ground to a larger particle size, allowing the early rejection of coarse waste and greater water recovery, has already begun producing the coarse waste which is used in the nearby Hydraulic Dewatered Stacking (HDS) pilot.

Full-scale CPR plant has been constructed at the Mogalakwena North concentrator

A full-scale CPR plant has been constructed at the Mogalakwena North platinum concentrator, with start-up anticipated in late 2023. Construction of a full-scale CPR plant at Quellaveco in Peru to treat flotation tailings began in July 2022, with commissioning planned for late 2023. Future plans for CPR include Los Bronces, Minas-Rio and Collahuasi. “CPR has not only demonstrated value, but, like many of our other technologies, provides a strong platform to build on going forward.”

There was a lot of HDS progress which Waller said has successfully been demonstrated at El Soldado mine. “HDS was developed after the Brumadinho disaster as our engineers hypothesised that the fines free sand available from CPR (and readily available from many tailings) could be used to build a three dimensional drainage system to rapidly desaturated hydraulically placed tailings.” The idea has been iterated, developed and progressed to a stable tailings stack that can dewater (and desaturate) in days and weeks rather than years and decades.

The 150,000 m3 capacity full-scale demonstration facility in El Soldado utilises fines-free sand from the CPR plant at El Soldado, the largest such plant currently in operation at a base metals mine. Waller: “Initial results demonstrate over 80% water recovery but more importantly, a final stack with lowered saturation levels, greatly reducing both the likelihood and consequence of liquefaction.”

During June 2023, Anglo American initiated a second trial at Mogalakwena platinum mine in South Africa, targeting the application of HDS into an existing facility. “This is significant in that existing facilities can, in some instances, be reconfigured mid-life to take advantage of HDS. We are currently assessing the possibility of this at Los Bronces.” He added that the commercialisation of and acceleration of the development of the technology has started and agreements with geotechnical designers are expected to be signed in the next couple of months.

Waller continued: “Discussions with mining companies are progressing and we are targeting at least two joint development trials to begin in 2024. We are proposing a collaborative approach under license that accelerates the learning further and ensures that each application improves and hence we are able to quickly implement this technology, where applicable, to demonstrably reduce the risks of tailings management – changing the conversation from one of risk mitigation to one of opportunity; where the land used for tailings storage can quickly and efficiently put to re-use and be of benefit to all stakeholders.”

Then it was onto leaching, where Waller said it had had developments in the works over the last few years “which show significant benefits over what we have seen from others to date.” Anglo’s SandLix™ it says unlike others, considers three elements: particle size, temperature and chemistry. The method unlocks metal recovery from low-grade, refractory sulphide ore at low intensity.

“Results on primary copper ores show recoveries of over 70% in half the time of traditional leaching methods. We ultimately see this technology replacing conventional concentrator circuits and delivering metal more responsibly – and, at roughly half the embodied water and energy intensity. We have demonstrated excellent results in column tests of up to 18 metres and our team are currently progressing parallel work programs to scale the technology up. We are actively accelerating this work and are currently negotiating agreements with partners to explore outcomes commercially.”

Testing of microwave rock pre-conditioning in a surface quarry

Moving onto newer concepts – he also talked through its work on preconditioning ores with microwaves to weaken them for both rock cutting and downstream comminution processes. Waller: “Specifically, directed and controlled microwave energy can induce thermal stress which fractures the rock mass and reduces its inherent strength. The implication is the possibility of accelerated mining & development rates, hopefully allowing for access to ore bodies quicker and to mine them faster.”

He said that over the past few years it has tested application methods and the effect on in-situ ores in both underground and surface mines. “We are currently testing a production cutter in a quarry and if successful we will install a first-generation microwave preconditioning system in a production environment at an Anglo American site in 2024.”

A tantalising glimpse of the kind of future haulage concepts Anglo is looking at was also given. Waller said mining has used trucks & shovels for the past one hundred years – probably the most successful combination of mining technology ever. “I attribute their success predominantly down to flexibility, reliability & scalability. We stepped into this hallowed ground and allowed ourselves a blank sheet exercise to address the shortcoming of mining trucks, namely: cost, speed & energy consumption.”

By adjusting the base operational assumptions of loading, and working with vehicle designers and tyre producers Anglo says it has re-imagined weight distribution, symmetry, modularity and designing using only off the shelf components. “We surprised ourselves and have created a unique alternative value proposition, using the vehicle as a sensor, almost halving the energy used, increasing speed & effectiveness, all at a reduced cost. Whilst still early days – we have the makings of a future mining system focused on precision.”

Finally and in parallel to this – work on intelligent logistics seeks to redefine materials movement, efficiency and scalability. “Using linear motor technology coupled with new powerful and cost-effective distributed computing technology we have developed the individual elements of a scalable, self-configuring, mine logistics system that is capable of handling typical material movement out of and logistics requirements into a mine.”

This novel system provides high capacity (~40 Mt/y) with a very small footprint; energy per ton kilometre material moved is an order of magnitude lower than conveyor systems; it is modular, flexible, easy to install within changing mine requirements; it allows high precision control of small strategic mining units to and from multiple destinations; and it has the ability to travel both horizontal and vertically.

He added: The result drives new thinking for both underground and surface mine designs. With both this and the previous technology shown, we are looking to partners to progress the development and building of the first pilot systems to validate mine-ready systems.”

 

New energy-efficient NEMA motor from ABB

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining services, Power supply for mines

ABB has developed the new generation AMI 5800 NEMA modular induction motor it says to offer exceptional energy efficiency and reliability in demanding applications such as pumps, compressors, fans, conveyors and crushers.

Rated for a power output of up to 1,750 hp, the AMI 5800 “offers the capability for a high degree of modularity and customisation to suit both new build and upgrade projects in a wide range of industries including chemicals, oil and gas, conventional power generation, mining and cement and metals.”

The AMI 5800 motor it adds is a true NEMA design that builds on ABB’s technology leadership in the North American market to meet both electrical performance requirements and mechanical mounting standards. A key feature is a high-strength welded steel frame typically found only in motors with larger frame sizes. This lowers stress on the motor while mitigating vibrations and resonance to ensure reliable operation in harsh conditions with a design life of 25 years or 20,000 starts.

A further important advantage of the AMI 5800 is a shorter bearing to bearing span compared with previous models. This innovative feature improves performance at high speeds and enables the motor to be used as a simple drop-in replacement to upgrade existing equipment.

Sam Patrick, ABB Product Manager Large Motors & Generators, says: “We have engineered the AMI 5800 motor to meet customer requirements for high energy efficiency and reliability as well as sustainable manufacture and use. Its modular design in terms of cooling methods, bearings, shaft extensions and terminal boxes also provides the flexibility to match the North American installed base. That makes the AMI 5800 ideally suited for both upgrading existing installations and next generation designs no matter how harsh the environment it will be operating in.”

The majority of regular AMI 5800 designs not only meet but exceed North American standards for energy efficiency. Further customisation will allow some models to operate above the IE4 equivalent level of energy efficiency while meeting NEMA electrical performance standards.

The new motor is configured for optimal airflow, meaning that it will run as cool as possible, whether in an open-air installation or completely enclosed with a cooler. The time-tested MICADUR® insulation system makes the motor suitable for starting high inertia loads direct online (DOL) while it is also an ideal partner for variable speed drives (VSDs).

Siemens’ Innomotics spin-off of large drives & motors complete in Germany

Automation, Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining

Siemens has announced that Innomotics has launched in Germany as a separately managed legal entity as of July 1, 2023. Under a single roof, the supplier of motors and large drives brings together business activities with low- to high-voltage motors, geared motors, medium-voltage converters and motor spindles as well as project and service offerings for this product portfolio. The company’s operating headquarters are located in Nuremberg, Germany. The carveout in Germany has now been completed.

Innomotics includes most of the major mining solutions such as gearless drives for large mills and conveyors, mine hoist solutions, mine automation and digitalisation solutions, and mining truck drives. Trolley assist technology and infrastructure will remain with Siemens Mobility but will work in a complementary way to Innomotics, which remains 100% owned by Siemens. 

The global carveout is also to be largely completed by the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1, 2023. In the future, Innomotics will comprise the previous corresponding businesses from the units Large Drives Applications and Digital Industries, as well as the separately managed Siemens companies Sykatec and Weiss Spindeltechnologie. “Worldwide, around 15,000 people are working at Innomotics to realise growth potential and thus secure the company’s future market success as a trailblazing specialist for motors and large drives.”

As part of its new setup as a separately managed legal entity, Innomotics has presented its new company logo. “The new brand emphasises that the company is geared toward technology and innovation, and it places the focus on Innomotics’ team of people. In addition, with its new ‘Time for a new green’ brand image, Innomotics is well positioned to shape and leverage the key market trends – decarbonisation and digitalisation – in the industries it serves,” including mining.

The Innomotics portfolio comprises products, systems, complete solutions, and services. The company says it uses this portfolio to help its customers improve the efficiency levels of their plants, employ these assets more effectively and thus abate emissions and preserve valuable resources. These capabilities are not only available for new plants, but also for the maintenance, repair and retrofitting of existing plants. “With these offerings, Innomotics enables customers in all industries to boost energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gases and minimise the carbon footprints of plants.”

In addition, Innomotics will work together closely with other Siemens businesses in the future, too. This collaboration will, for instance, take the form of product partnerships in the areas of technology, development and sales as well as within the framework of supply-and-service contracts.

“Our new brand stands for our aspiration of being a leading innovator in the motor and large-drive business and expresses the way we view ourselves as a company that maintains close customer proximity and has more than 150 years of history. With highly efficient, electric large-drive systems, we can replace conventional systems that are less sustainable. In this way, we can then help our customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions – especially in areas where very high levels of carbon emissions are still being generated today,” said Michael Reichle, CEO of Innomotics.

Reichle sees growth potential in fields of development such as hydrogen production, onshore power connections for offshore platforms and ships, and the future-oriented area of water supply and water treatment.

“We’re very pleased that – under the new name as of July 1, 2023 – the highly motivated people employed at our company are joining us on our journey into a future with diverse growth perspectives. With more than €3 billion in revenue, we can point to impressive volume and have an ideal setup for expanding our leading position within the field of competitors,” said Christoph Salentin, CFO of Innomotics.

Motors and electrical large-drive systems are Innomotics’ business and its area of expertise. The name Innomotics combines the promise of innovative strength and reliability with the experience and dependability gained from 150 years of experience in manufacturing electric motors and converters. This aspiration is also reflected in the company’s slogan, ‘redefining reliable motion for a better tomorrow.’

Normet launches battery-electric Spraymec MF 050 VC SD

Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Mine ventilation, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Sustainable mining

Normet has launched the latest addition to its broad concrete spraying equipment offering, the completely new battery-electric Spraymec MF 050 VC SD, specifically tailored for the needs of underground mining. Combining the proven Normet SmartDrive® battery-electric architecture with state-of-the-art spraying technology, it says the MF 050 VC SD offers “unrivalled concrete spraying results, superior operator ergonomics and excellent serviceability – with zero local emissions.”

Normet’s latest innovations and features are a direct result of spending thousands of hours in the field listening to customers and gathering operator feedback and improvement proposals. “With the Spraymec MF 050 VC SD, we created a product for sprayed concrete experts, combining all their valuable knowledge and feedback, incorporating even the smallest details that make a big operational difference.”

Designed with decades of experience, but also with a strong emphasis on the aforementioned operator feedback, Spraymec MF 050 VC SD is purpose-built for modern mining operations in small and medium-sized tunnels. “It comes with a cutting-edge dosing system and our revolutionary low-pulsation concrete spraying pump with a maximum theoretical concrete output capacity of 10.5 m3 with battery-powered operation or, alternatively, 27 m3/h with electric operation.

With the MF 050 VC SD, productive concrete spraying is possible from both inside the FOPS/ROPS certified cabin with significantly improved ergonomics and control features, and outside of it with a wireless remote controller. In addition, the advanced remote driving system (RDS) enables safe and easy machine relocation.

Designed for unmatched operator comfort, the new cabin is fitted with features like ergonomically located spraying controls, a water spray supply system to keep the windscreen clean during spraying and a NorSmart 3 dashboard with a touchscreen MID display, together taking both process productivity and the operating experience to a whole new level.

The vehicle is equipped with a high-volume on-board compressor and the extremely durable and accurate SB 500 C spraying boom “with strengthened steel structures, superb rebound protection and outstanding manoeuverability, allowing for smooth concrete spraying operations. Furthermore, the boom’s selectable vertical tracking and nozzle nutation functions ensure uniform spraying results.” The MF 050 VC SD was also designed with a strong emphasis on easy access to all service points and outstanding cleanability and, therefore, is fitted with features like hydraulically operated concrete pump hatch for safer cleaning.

Normet says it provides its customers with everything they need to get the best possible results with sprayed concrete for mining and tunnelling applications, both underground and on the surface. Its offering includes equipment for concrete spraying and transportation, construction chemicals and, additionally, supporting technologies and lifecycle services.

Normet SmartDrive® is a modular battery-electric vehicle (BEV) architecture designed to optimise energy consumption and performance in underground mining and tunnelling applications. “Built with the latest fast charging capable Li-ion battery technology, SmartDrive machines offer higher productivity, significantly lower operating costs, and a cleaner underground environment while their easiness of use and carefully engineered controls guarantee that they are also safe and effortless to operate. The high-torque electric motors both reduce tramming time to reach work sites faster and recover energy in downhill driving.”

The new Spraymec MF 050 VC SD the OEM says “reflects Normet’s never-ending passion for continuously developing new solutions and technologies to meet and exceed customer and industry expectations for safety, productivity and sustainability. Designed and built with minimising its environmental impact as a key driver, Normet’s broad equipment offering pioneers the transformation into greener underground operations.”