Tag Archives: AMC

PYBAR sets records at Glencore’s Black Rock mine with Sandvik DL432i longhole drill

Automation, Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , ,

The introduction of PYBAR’s new Sandvik DL432i longhole drill in October 2020 has led to month-on-month improvements in drilling productivity at the Black Rock copper-lead-zinc mine, in Queensland, Australia.

Versatile and compact, the Sandvik DL432i is a fully mechanised electro-hydraulic top hammer longhole drill, designed for large-scale mining. The Sandvik iSOLO drilling control system allows the client (Glencore in this case) to provide electronic drill plans on a USB, which is plugged straight into the drill. The operator then lines the drill up on the survey markings and selects the required drill design, with the remainder of the drilling taken care of by the iSOLO software.

Since arriving on site, a specialised pump has been installed on the DL432i, allowing AMC (a subsidiary of IMDEX) to add a Bore Hole Stabiliser™ to the water circuit while drilling to improve hole integrity in the soft ground conditions. This technology, combined with Sandvik’s iSOLO drilling control software, has been key to PYBAR’s production success at Black Rock to date, the contractor said.

“The ground conditions at Black Rock have put Sandvik’s iSOLO drilling control system to the test, and the technology has proven itself with flying colours,” PYBAR said. “After several months of on-site refinement of the automated drilling system, the drill can now operate with minimal operator input.”

This has led to month-on-month increases in production drilling rates with a record month in March, closely matched in April, according to PYBAR. This, in turn, has meant a significant increase in available production fronts resulting in increased tonnes and improved overall project performance.

Trials of automated drilling for complete firing patterns will begin shortly at Black Rock to enable drilling to take place during firing and shift change, as well as free up the operator to assist with other tasks around the mine, PYBAR said.

The transition to further automation has the potential to significantly maximise both productive drilling time and overall performance for the project, it added.

Phibion brings AMC tailings management approach to Brazil

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

Phibion has stepped up efforts to bring its accelerated mechanical consolidation (AMC) technology to Brazil, having recently opened an office in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

The Phibion Brasil Tecnologia e Inovação em Mineração Ltda office complements the company’s recent expansion into the Latin America market, it said.

Phibion explained the rationale for the move: “Recent catastrophic failures in associated tailings dams have highlighted the critical need for innovative and cost-effective technologies that can recover residual processing water from the tailings coupled with improvements in tailings density and strength.

“Remaining with conventional technology or trying to adopt cost-prohibitive technologies is not an option. Collectively, the mining industry, the regulators and the people of Brazil demand a new approach.”

Phibion thinks its AMC technology can help. AMC is a systematic and low energy tailings management approach that can reduce tailings volumes and deliver enhanced water recovery with the associated benefits of increased tailings density and strength, according to the company.

Phibion’s Global Business Development Manager, Marco Miranda, guides Phibion’s operation in Latin America and is now based out of the Belo Horizonte office.

Back in October, Phibion announced it was opening an office in Santiago, Chile, to service the rapidly growing mining and tailings management opportunities in Latin America.

Glencore Tech draws McArthur River parallels at Ozernoye polymetallic project

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Glencore Technology says it and Hatch are helping the Ozernoye project in Buryatia, Russia, come up with a process flowsheet suited to the complex composition of ore at the polymetallic asset.
The mining and processing operation would produce zinc and lead concentrates.

Ozernoye’s Grigory Koldunov said the company is currently preparing the area for the Ozernoye polymetallic mine and concentrator in the Yeravninsky region, 60 km away from the Sosnovo-Ozerskoye regional centre.

“We’ll start mining works and stripping waste by November. Expected stripping volume by the end of the year will exceed 350 000 m3 of waste,” Koldunov said. In November, the company will begin the construction of temporary roads and a tailings storage facility.

Glencore Technology’s Adam Price said the ore mineralogy at the site was remarkably similar to Glencore’s McArthur River zinc-lead-silver mine, which originally brought about the need to create the IsaMill ultrafine grinding technology (an example pictured) – an innovation that turns 25 this year.

“Ozernoye’s mineralogy is complex, and it’s going to need the right flowsheet to improve the recovery and concentrate quality and therefore ensure the economic viability of the project,” Price said. The fine-grained lead-zinc ore at the Australia operation made for an obvious benchmark, he said.

This year, Ozernoye has been embarking on mining, capital works and construction of infrastructure facilities. Major construction of the plant’s facilities is planned for 2020-2022 and the company plans to reach design capacity of 8 Mt/y in 2024.

In September, Glencore Technology worked with Hatch, AMC and Ozernoye to finish a geotechnical drilling program, test work and analysis. The camp was recommissioned and the company began clearing the site for construction. Capital mine development and drill and blast works have started to provide contractors with structural materials and to begin stripping, according to Glencore Technology.

“But the main challenge with the Ozernoye deposit is the complex composition of the ore,” Glencore Technology said. “The task of the current geotechnical and test work program is to design and develop the flowsheet.”

Glencore’s McArthur River Mine in northern Australia contains a complex ore that remained uneconomical until the IsaMill was created to produce a steep particle size distribution without needing internal screens or closed circuit cyclones, according to Glencore Technology. The horizontal plug-flow design prevented short circuiting and provided for a reliable and easy to operate technology.

The original 1994 IsaMills are still operating at McArthur River Mine, but the IsaMill technology has been refined to occupy a small footprint, very high availability and significant energy efficiency, Glencore Technology says.

IMDEX showcasing real-time and downhole exploration solutions at PDAC

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IMDEX is showing off its exploration drilling wares at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s (PDAC) annual bash in Toronto, Canada.

IMDEX’s booth – incorporating the REFLEX and AMC brands – is showcasing the company’s integrated solutions and latest technologies including its AMC ULWSRU™ featuring the IMDEX MUD AID, IMDEX MOBILE software, drilling optimisation and downhole navigation solutions, and real-time 3D visualisation solutions for downhole and structural geology data, the company said.

The AMC ULWSRU, featuring the IMDEXMUD AID, has seen IMDEX combine the benefits of its ultra-lightweight solids removal unit and automated in-field drilling fluid diagnosis unit – including remote tracking technology – to optimise penetration rates, core recovery and metres drilled per bit, according to the company.

IMDEX MOBILE, meanwhile, has seen the company work closely with clients to create more than 20 ready-to-use forms and reports including daily drill reports; pre-start inspections; verified cost reports; and rig productivity reports.

All of these are available via the new off-the-shelf software, according to IMDEX.

General Manager, IMDEX Product Development, Michelle Carey, said: “We are committed to being at the forefront of dynamic solutions that deliver accurate data, whilst saving time and money for clients.”

A good example of this is the company’s IMDEX Downhole Navigation solution, according to Carey.

The company said of this solution: “As pioneers in downhole navigation, IMDEX has further enhanced its solution to support clients’ complete downhole needs. The latest integration of IMDEXHUB-IQ™ with Seequent’s Central software (pictured) means clients can now have real-time 3D visualisation of the drill hole.”

IMDEX Chief Geoscientist, Dave Lawie, said: “Increasingly, geologists are wanting to make decisions in real-time, however, they need to have the right live data available. We’re excited to be part of this industry-first to deliver real-time 3D data, which will dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of decision-making for drilling projects.”

The company’s REFLEXGYRO SPRINT-IQ™, officially launched at last year’s PDAC event, also integrates with IMDEXHUB-IQ™ and Seequent’s Central software. This technology surveys three times faster and two times more accurately than traditional gyros, according to the company, and can survey holes at any angle and operate in single, multi-shot and continuous modes.

Polyus’ massive Sukhoi Log gold deposit gets even bigger

Mineral exploration, Mineral project development, Precious metals, , , , , ,

PJSC Polyus has reported a maiden indicated mineral resource for the sizeable Sukhoi Log gold project in Russia’s Far East, in addition to boosting the overall resource base by 9%.

Estimated resources now stand at 962 Mt, with an average grade of 2.1 g/t Au for 63 Moz of gold. Within this is 374 Mt at 2.4 g/t for 28 Moz of indicated resources.

The estimate is based on data from the verification drilling programme available at September 14, 2018, which was used in conjunction with historic drillhole data.

The company is carrying out in-fill, deep levels, flanks and other drilling at the project, in Bodaybo district, Irkutsk, with the campaign continuing until the end of 2019.

“Polyus plans to drill a total of 197,000 m, including the approximately 135,000 m drilled since October 2017. Ongoing assessment of the drilling campaign samples may result in further upgrade of the mineral resources estimate classification,” Polyus said.

As previously reported, Polyus is proceeding with studies to enable estimation by consultant AMC, in 2020, of an ore reserve estimate based on indicated resources in the 2018 estimate and estimates resulting from the 2019 drilling campaign.

Pavel Grachev, Chief Executive Officer of PJSC Polyus, said: “The continued exploration success we are achieving at Sukhoi Log is reaffirming its status as one of the best undeveloped deposits globally and a cornerstone of Polyus’ long-term development strategy.