Tag Archives: Iron ore

Sandvik’s largest electric LHD receives an upgrade as it heads to Kiruna

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Sandvik says it is preparing to deliver its renewed Sandvik LH625iE electric loader for field testing at the LKAB-owned Kiruna mine, in northern Sweden.

The unit to be tested is the 600th electric loader from Sandvik, and is custom-designed to meet the needs of the underground iron ore mine, it said.

The underground loader, which features a 9.5 m³ bucket and 25,000 kg payload capacity, is designed to operate in the world’s largest underground iron ore mine.

The basic LH625iE design is well-proven (and based on the LH625E, pictured), according to Sandvik, with the equipment manufacturer delivering electric loaders powered by a trailing cable for more than 35 years.

In addition to using the proven design and robust structures, today’s Sandvik LH625iE belongs to its i-series, featuring advanced technology, latest digital solutions and smart connectivity. This sees the new Sandvik LH625iE equipped with Sandvik Intelligent Control System and My Sandvik Digital Services Knowledge Box™ as standard. To utilise the payload capacity it offers, the loader can also be fitted with Sandvik’s Integrated Weighing System, as well as AutoMine® and OptiMine® solutions, Sandvik said.

With a total length of 14 m, bucket width of 4 m and cabin height of 3 m, the LH625iE is able to offer a roomy, ergonomically designed operator’s compartment, Sandvik said. “For example, the spacious cabin is equipped with a unique 180° turning seat which significantly improves operator ergonomics because it can be turned to face in the direction of travel rather than requiring over-the-shoulder visibility. The upgraded Sandvik LH625iE has an IE4 classified energy-efficient electric motor, with a further significant improvement being the totally new, low-tension reeling system to increase the trailing cable’s lifetime. “

The collaboration between Sandvik and LKAB’s mine in Kiruna dates back 20 years, during which time Sandvik has delivered a total of 28 loaders.

Michael Palo, Senior Vice President, Northern Division at LKAB, said: “We are satisfied with the loaders delivered from Sandvik, with 14 still in production today. We have had a long and good collaboration and look forward to a good continuation.”

Sandvik concluded: “The Sandvik LH625iE is living proof that it is possible to achieve enormous carrying capacity and productivity without the use of traditional diesel engines and fossil fuel.”

Battery-electric loaders are also providing evidence of this, with Sandvik saying it had received positive results from its testing of Artisan A10 battery-electric loaders in Canada.

NextOre’s ore sorting tech shows potential at Magnetite Mines’ Razorback project

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Magnetite Mines Ltd says a study looking at applying NextOre’s on-belt magnetic resonance ore sorting solution at its Razorback Iron project, in South Australia, has shown the potential for a significant increase in plant throughput at the asset.

The ASX-listed company said results to date indicated that Razorback ores are especially well suited to bulk ore sorting with substantial improvements to ore mass recovery demonstrated in the study, completed by NextOre (a partnership between CSIRO and industry players Advisian and RFC Ambrian).

NextOre’s solution uses an on-conveyor magnetic resonance sensor to continually sense the grade of the material on the belt. This information is used to control a diverter gate that separates material above the selected cutoff grade (accepted material) from material below that grade (rejected material).

Magnetite Mines and NextOre, in October, signed an agreement that allows the development company exclusivity over any magnetite processing applications, Australia-wide, and all iron ore applications in the Braemar (including New South Wales) for a period of four years.

NextOre’s Razorback report demonstrates that the heterogeneity of the Razorback and Iron Peak resources allows for the potential for significant upgrading from ore sorting, Magnetite Mines said.

“For example, at a 50% rejection level (corresponding to a cutoff grade of approximately 16% Fe at Iron Peak and 14% Fe at Razorback), the grade of the accepted material would be increased by a factor of about 1.4,” the company said.

Were this to be implemented as part of a development of the project, by increasing mining rates, and pre-concentrating the plant feed, the throughput of a given plant capacity could be increased by some 40%, the company said. This would create significant savings in capital and operating costs per tonne of concentrate product, it added.

In order to assess the potential for bulk ore sorting at Razorback, NextOre used data drawn from the overall geological model for the Razorback and Iron Peak resources (the two resources that make up the Razorback project). The Razorback project currently has an inferred and indicated resource of 2,732 Mt at a grade of 18.2% Fe, but Magnetite Mines intends to produce a 68.8% Fe concentrate from the project.

NextOre then applied a fractal model, applying a mixing model to assess the predicted grade variation or heterogeneity of ‘pods’ of ore as they would present to an on-conveyor bulk ore sorting implementation, Magnetite Mines explained. Various sorting cutoff grades were selected to demonstrate a range of grade improvement scenarios, the company noted.

Magnetite Mines said: “Following the recently completed scoping study for a low capital cost, staged development of the Razorback project resources, this study highlights the applicability of NextOre’s magnetic resonance bulk ore sorting technology to the processing of the Razorback ores.

“When applied to a large, heterogeneous, low strip ratio deposit, such as Razorback, bulk ore sorting represents a pre-concentration technology ahead of the concentrator that can enhance throughput, improve economic efficiency and reduce tailings and water use.”

Magnetite Mines Chairman, Peter Schubert, said: “While our scoping study results for a low capital, staged development have been highly encouraging, we are now confident that the use of leading edge ore sorting technology can further enhance results, providing the company with a sustainable competitive advantage.”

Mammoet keeps BHP South Flank iron ore project moving forward

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Mammoet is doing its bit to ensure BHP hits its 2021 first production goal at the South Flank iron ore project, in the Pilbara of Western Australia, having started transporting the first heavy components for the under-construction mine.

Around 1,900 items including prefabricated and modular mine processing plant units of various sizes will be transported from Port Hedland to the new mine site, 340 km away, Mammoet said.

The $3.6 billion South Flank project, around 8 km south of BHP’s existing Mining Area C operation, will replace production from BHP’s Yandi mine, which is nearing the end of its life. The investment into the new mine site will ensure the continued production of high-quality iron ore for more than 25 years, according to BHP.

Once complete, South Flank will be one of Western Australia’s largest iron ore processing facilities. As mentioned, production is expected to start in 2021.

Mammoet has existing operational branches in Port Hedland and Karratha, meaning it is equipped to provide localised support for the South Flank project.

Among other heavy haulage equipment on site, Mammoet has 96 axle lines of SPMT located in the port and the mine site, as well as 178 axle lines of conventional trailers with 14 prime movers. The company says it has approached the large-scale logistics project with detailed planning to coordinate the thousands of components that are arriving at the port over 14 shipments and ensure they are delivered to site safely and on time.

thyssenkrupp to deliver jaw gyratory crusher to Roy Hill iron ore mine

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thyssenkrupp is to install the first above ground jaw gyratory crusher in Australia at the Roy Hill iron ore mine, in the Pilbara of Western Australia, following an agreement signed with the mining company.

Located 340 km southeast of Port Hedland, Roy Hill has integrated mine, rail and port facilities and produces 55 Mt/y of iron ore, with approval to increase to 60 Mt/y.

The new crusher will be designed for high performance and cost-effective operation, ie low servicing and maintenance costs, according to thyssenkrupp.

Ben Suda, Head of Sales at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia), said: “We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to be supplying Roy Hill with a new primary jaw gyratory crusher. This is the third order for such machine within a short time in Australia. It shows once again the confidence our customers in the country place in crushing equipment from thyssenkrupp.”

The jaw gyratory crusher is characterised by an especially enlarged feed opening, according to thyssenkrupp. It is normally serrated and, together with the upper part of the mantle, forms the initial crushing zone. The coarsely crushed material is then reduced to the desired product size in the crushing chamber below.

Jaw gyratory crushers can handle much bigger chunks of material than comparable gyratory crushers of the same mantle diameter and feature a higher crushing ratio, with less tendency to become clogged in the feed zone as a result of bridging, the company concluded.

Primero Group to take on EPC contract at Rio’s Koodaideri iron ore mine

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Primero Group has secured a A$115 million ($79 million) contract with Rio Tinto’s iron ore division that will see it design, fabricate, supply, deliver, construct, install, test and commission the Mine Infrastructure Area and associated facilities at the Koodaideri iron ore project in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The scope includes the complete engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract of the facilities for this project, which will commence immediately and is scheduled to be completed in mid-2021.

Primero says it expects to employ a workforce of over 150 personnel at its peak.

Koodaideri, billed by Rio as an “intelligent mine”, will deliver a new production hub for Rio’s iron ore business in the Pilbara, incorporating a processing plant and infrastructure including a 166 km rail line connecting the mine to the existing network.

Construction on Koodaideri Phase 1 started this year with first production expected in late 2021. Once complete, the mine will have an annual capacity of 43 Mt, underpinning production of the company’s flagship iron ore product, Pilbara Blend.

In addition to mine infrastructure and the accommodation camp, an airport and mine support facilities will be built. Throughout the construction period, Rio expects to employ over 2,000 people with 600 permanent roles created once the mine is operational.

In addition to the Koodaideri work, Primero said it had been awarded Phase 2 of the proposed processing upgrade, on an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) basis, for Northern Star Resources’ Pogo gold mine, in Alaska, USA.

The works will be conducted predominantly from Primero’s Americas Montreal (Canada) office with works progressively executed this winter to ensure construction windows are met in the summer period, it said.

The upgrade works will increase throughput of the current processing facility from 1 Mt/y to 1.3 Mt/y by January 2021, with the potential to move to a Phase 3 (1.5 Mt/y) over the coming years.

Primero said: “Works are set to progress over the next 12 months including detailed design and equipment procurement with the planning for on-site works commencing over the winter period to be executed in the warmer months, post winter.”

The award of the project is the first major contract with Northern Star Resources, Primero added.

Northern Star acquired Pogo, the company’s first mine outside of Australia, from Sumitomo Metal Mining late last year for $260 million.

REMA TIP TOP Australia belts up at BHP South Flank project

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REMA TIP TOP Australia has been selected by Monadelphous to install more than 50 km of conveyor belting for the BHP-owned South Flank iron ore project, in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

A key component of the project to build the $3.6 billion mine, the conveyor belting will be delivered with splice kits and the installation and splicing of steel cord and fabric belt on five conveyors systems, three of which are overland conveyors, with 77 rolls of belt to be installed and 77 splices to be completed in total. REMA TIP TOP Australia will assist Monadelphous in this work.

The conveyor solutions specialist has worked with Monadelphous on a range of major projects in the past and it is this proven track record that was critical in securing the project for the business, it said.

Steve Hipwell, REMA TIP TOP Australia Projects Manager, said: “This project represents a significant win for the business and is a testament to the commitment we have shown to delivering quality projects.

“Monadelphous have a substantial pipeline of works in the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors so it’s great to continue to build on our successes with this leading engineering company.”
Hipwell said mobilisation was set to begin in the June quarter.

Earlier this year, Fenner Dunlop secured the contract to manufacture and deliver the overland conveyor belt package to South Flank.

BHP is targeting first ore extraction at the operation in 2021 and expects to ramp up to 80 Mt/y of output. This will replace production from the existing Yandi mine, which is reaching the end of its economic life.

Vale halts tailings disposal at Brucutu dam as it outlines dry stacking investments

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Vale says it has taken the decision to temporarily suspend the disposal of tailings at the Laranjeiras dam, part of the Brucutu iron ore mine, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, while assessing the dam’s geotechnical characteristics.

During the shutdown, the dam will have the Level 1 emergency protocol adopted, Vale said. This does not require the evacuation of the downstream population, according to the National Mining Agency.

The Laranjeiras dam had its Statement of Condition of Stability issued on September 30, 2019, which remains valid, Vale clarified.

During the suspension period – estimated at 1-2 months – the Brucutu plant will operate with around 40% of its capacity through wet processing with tailings filtration and dry stacking, Vale said. This will reduce output by some 1.5 Mt/mth of iron ore.

The temporary stoppage does not lead to changes in Vale’s iron ore and pellet sales guidance, which remains, in 2019 and in the December quarter, at 307-312 Mt and 83-88 Mt, respectively.

For the March quarter 2020, production and sales are expected to range between 68-73 Mt, due to weather-related seasonality, the gradual and safe return of operations and in line with the margin over volume strategy, it said.

Despite this setback, Vale executives reiterated its ambitious ‘dry processing’ tailings plan at its Vale Day event in New York, yesterday.

The company said, in its Northern System, 81% of iron ore production was already through the dry processing route, while the Minas Gerais division had 32% of production through such means. Vale plans to convert 70% of its output to dry processing by 2023, compared with 60% today.

The company is investing $1.8 billion between 2020 and 2024 to help with this dry stacking aim, with the main sites operating converting to this solution being the Cauê, Conceição and Brucutu operations.

In addition to this, Vale executives said the company plans to produce the world’s first industrial-scale dry magnetic fines concentrate through the dry concentration innovations it acquired with New Steel in 2018. Vale plans to spend $100 million for 1.5 Mt/y of dry product, with start-up planned in 2022, according to the executives.

In addition to this, Vale said it had moved up its renewable energy plans at its operations and now intended to power its Brazil mines by only renewable means by 2025, compared with its previous 2030 goal. It would go global with 100% renewables by 2030, it added.

FMG enlists Pentium Hydro for more boring at Pilbara iron ore ops

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Vysarn’s wholly owned subsidiary, Pentium Hydro, has won further work with Fortescue Metals Group following an initial order for the iron ore miner’s Chichester operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The two companies have entered into an agreement for hydrogeological borefield drilling and construction services for both the Chichester and Solomon operations.

The contract will see Pentium pocket estimated revenue, based on the initial scope of work, of A$13.3 million ($9 million) for a two-year fixed scope contract with a one-year extension option.

The scope of work as defined under the contract is to provide the drilling and installation of production, injection and monitoring bores to support mining and exploration activities across multiple locations, within the Pilbara region. As defined in the contract these sites are inclusive of Cloudbreak, Christmas Creek, Solomon and Eliwana.

Pentium completed the mobilisation of the first Dual Rotary (DR) drill rig and associated auxiliary plant at Chichester in October 2019 under a previously agreed initial purchase order from FMG.

Pentium anticipates the mobilisation of the second DR rig under the new contract during the month of January.

It said: “Revenue from these works is based on contract key performance indicators for the number of production and monitoring bores and is also subject to metres drilled and drill rates.”

In addition to this work with FMG, Pentium Hydro also has rigs and equipment out at BHP’s Olympic Dam mine, Roy Hill’s iron ore operation and AngloGold Ashanti/Independence Group’s Tropicana gold mine.

Rio invests in new crusher, conveyor and autonomous trucks at WTS2 iron ore mine

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Rio Tinto says it will invest $749 million in the Western Turner Syncline Phase 2 (WTS2) mine at its Greater Tom Price operations, in the Pilbara of Western Australia, facilitating mining of existing and new deposits and including construction of a new crusher as well as a 13 km conveyor.

In addition to this, the haul truck fleet at the mine will be fitted with Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) technology.

This investment will help sustain the production capacity of its world-class iron ore business, it said.

The new conveyor system at WTS2 will help lower greenhouse gas emissions from the mine by 3.5% compared with road haulage and the business is continuing to assess additional options to reduce emissions, including renewable energy solutions, it said.

Pending final government approvals, construction will start in the March quarter of 2020 with first ore from the crusher expected in 2021. Production of high-quality Brockman ore will support the company’s flagship Pilbara Blend, which continues to be the preferred base load product for China’s steel mills, Rio said.

The project is expected to deliver an attractive internal rate of return with a capital intensity of about $25/t of production capacity.

As part of the investment, the haul truck fleet at the mine will be fitted with Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) technology to enable autonomous haulage at WTS2 from 2021.

Rio said: “The ongoing deployment of autonomous haulage at the company’s Pilbara operations is delivering significant safety benefits as well as enhancing productivity and reducing costs.”

Approximately 50% of the company’s haul truck fleet will be capable of operating autonomously by the end of the year with plans being assessed to expand this in the years ahead.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive, Chris Salisbury, said: “Our iron ore business continues to deliver industry-leading margins as we drive performance from our mines. This significant investment in the Greater Tom Price hub is one of a pipeline of high-quality, low-cost options that will underpin production of our flagship Pilbara Blend product well into the future.”

The investment in the WTS2 mine will help sustain the current workforce at Rio Tinto’s Greater Tom Price production hub. Additionally, at its peak, the construction workforce is expected to number more than 1,000 people.

Monadelphous extends Rio Tinto ties with new iron ore contract

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Monadelphous Group says it has been awarded a contract for the provision of fixed plant maintenance services at Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore operations, valued at more than A$100 million ($66.9 million) in aggregate over a five-year period.

The mechanical and electrical maintenance services contract includes the provision of shutdowns and scaffolding at the operations.

Monadelphous Managing Director, Rob Velletri, said: “The contract allows us to build on our long-standing relationship with Rio Tinto. Our focus will be on the delivery of safe, reliable, innovative and cost-effective solutions.”

He added: “We have seen significant growth in our maintenance division over the last two years, with a more than 50% increase in revenue. This award, which is a continuation of the provision of maintenance services to Rio, ensures a strong pipeline of future work within the iron ore sector in the Pilbara.”

Monadelphous has provided services to Rio Tinto’s iron ore operations in Western Australia for more than 25 years.