Tag Archives: mining

DRA Global helps Asanko gold mine surpass 5 Mt/y capacity

Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, , , , , ,

DRA Global recently implemented an Advanced Milling Control System, using the MillSlicer instrument, on the Asanko gold mine in Ghana.

Asanko is a large scale, multi-pit asset located on the Asankrangwa belt in Ghana. Built in 2015 by DRA Global, ahead of schedule and within budget, first gold was poured in January 2016 and commercial production commenced in April 2016. The mine is now owned 50:50 by Asanko Gold Mining and Gold Fields.

DRA said: “Operations at Asanko prioritise efficiencies, with minimal downtime. Unplanned or forced mill stoppages and breakdowns can often lead to costly setbacks for overall mine operations.

The DRA Global technical processing specialists collaborated closely with the Asanko owner’s team to develop a control system solution that is able to produce real time reporting and enable the mill operators to better optimise the milling process.”

Val Coetzee, DRA’s Senior Vice President Process, said: “This MillSlicer Control instrument provides accurate signals via a number of strategically positioned vibration sensors that are used by DRA’s comminution and control specialists to develop bespoke control systems, specific to an operation. The programme allows for accurate mill charge toe-angle measurement and real time polar plot determination, which is used in the customised control system.”

The milling control system, which was commissioned by DRA in August 2018, uses propriety “rule-based algorithms” assisting the mine’s operation with superior control, maximising energy efficiency and ensuring continual optimal mill performance despite any changes in mine fragmentation or ore type variances, according to DRA.

Coetzee said: “DRA is able to provide remote operational support, data analysis and reporting to assist clients in reducing liner damage, media consumption and ensure that mill operators efficiently maximise throughput at all times.

“This MillSlicer hardware and the DRA Advanced Control System, in conjunction with a number of other initiatives relating to open circuit modifications, use of cameras and feed blending, have successfully contributed to the performance excellence of the Asanko processing plant in recent months.”

Russell Bradford, SVP Metallurgy at Asanko, said: “The MillSlicer hardware has enabled the Asanko team to optimise the mill’s performance by ensuring we always have the right blend of ore at the right tonnages in the mill. Since this technology was implemented, the Asanko processing plant has consistently delivered above its 5 Mt/y design rate.”

The Asanko mine is a 50:50 joint venture between Asanko Gold Mining and Gold Fields managed and operated by Aasnko. In 2018, the mine is targeting 200,000-220,000 oz of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,050-$1,150/oz.

Watpac mulls sales of Civil & Mining business

Base metals, Coal technology, Energy minerals, Gem stone mining, High tech minerals, Industrial minerals, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, , ,

Watpac says it is in discussions with another party in regards to the sale of its Civil & Mining business.

The ASX-listed company said due diligence was being undertaken by the potential acquirer on an exclusive basis, as the two looked to tie up a deal.

It added: “The proposed transaction has an assessed potential value broadly in line with the current written down value of the company’s assets.”

In October, Belgium’s BESIX Group made a cash bid to acquire all of Watpac in an attempt to expand its contracting business. The bid was due to expire today; the same day the bid for the civil and mining business emerged.

In the year to June 30, 2018, Watpac recorded a consolidated statutory loss after tax of A$56.9 million ($42 million). While its construction business generated an underlying profit of A$20.6 million, it was weighed down by “impairment and restructuring provisions resulting from the board’s strategic review of the Civil & Mining business”, the company said.

The Civil & Mining business employs approximately 400 people nationally – about 40% of Watpac’s total national workforce – with active projects in Western Australia.

Inmarsat and IMDEX collaborate in the cloud for drilling intelligence solution

Base metals, Coal technology, Energy minerals, Industrial minerals, IoT, Mineral commodities, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Inmarsat has said it and IMDEX, a leading mining equipment, technology and services provider to the global minerals industry, are working together to enhance a drilling intelligence solution with satellite connectivity.

Now combined with Inmarsat’s L-band satellite connectivity as standard, IMDEXHUB-IQ™ gives mining and drilling companies the ability to analyse and upload field data in real-time from the most isolated locations around Australasia without the need to procure their own communications, Inmarsat said.

IMDEXHUB-IQ (formerly REFLEXHUB-IQ) provides secure access to validated data, seamlessly transmitted from a range of sub-surface instrumentation, analytical instruments and mobile form data inputs, according to IMDEX.

Inmarsat said: “IMDEX’s innovative, cloud-based solution aggregates and transmits vital field data collected from a range of subsurface instrumentation and mobile units. IMDEX’s instruments and systems can connect to IMDEXHUB-IQ to instantly upload real-time field data to headquarters.”

Michelle Carey, General Manager IMDEX Product Development, said: “For mining and exploration operations to be successful, accurate subsurface data needs to be quickly collected and analysed to provide teams on the ground with intelligence to maximise the value of their decisions. This collaboration will allow our IMDEXHUB-IQ solution to connect to the cloud via Inmarsat’s highly secure and reliable network, meaning that the data obtained can be uploaded for analysis in real-time, even in areas with no terrestrial coverage.

“In the first instance we expect to take the solution to market on a regional basis to mining organisations across Australia and New Zealand, with worldwide distribution following closely behind.”

Joe Carr, Director of Mining Innovation at Inmarsat, said: “Inmarsat is committed to enabling the connected mine. We are working closely together with IMDEX to power its IMDEXHUB-IQ drilling intelligence solution, making it accessible to resource and drilling companies across Australasia by providing access to our L-band network.

“By building our global mobile satellite connectivity into the solution as standard, end-users do not have to spend time and considerable effort to reduce the complexity of procuring their own network providers on a project by project basis.”

Earlier this month, IMDEX and Seequent announced an ongoing partnership to deliver a real-time 3D visualisation solution for the mining and exploration industry, aimed at dramatically improving the speed and accuracy of decision-making for drilling projects.

BluMetric Environmental to carry out water analysis work for Tier 1 miner

Base metals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, Water management, , ,

Toronto-listed BluMetric Environmental has won a contract to carry out ground water and surface water analysis for “a Tier 1 mining client in northern Ontario”, the company said.

The environmental characterisation and engineering services contract, with one of BluMetric’s existing Ontario mining clients, is valued at approximately C$3 million ($2.3 million) over two-and-a-half years.

BluMetric said the contract will address the management of water at two adjoining facilities and, based on environmental and economic factors, preferred alternatives will be recommended to carry forward to design and construction.

Scott MacFabe, CEO of BluMetric, said: “Our team leveraged our extensive experience, including that gained from having recently completed similar engineering projects at nearby mining-related facilities, to develop a winning, cost effective proposal.

“This important client continues to show trust in BluMetric’s capabilities to address their water management issues, underscoring our ability to reliably and economically meet customers’ ongoing needs through an increasingly diverse array of products, services and competencies.”

BluMetric continues to expand its mining sector capabilities, particularly with respect to engineered solutions and care and maintenance activities, which led to the recent opening of an office in Thunder Bay.

The company calls itself a publicly-traded cleantech company with expertise across disciplines and technologies that “allow for the design and delivery of sustainable solutions to environmental challenges”.