Tag Archives: narrow vein mining

DUX working on compact scoop loader and electric-powered equipment

Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining techniques, Power supply for mines, , , ,

Underground mining equipment supplier, DUX Machinery, says it is in the process of manufacturing a very compact DUX Model DSL-300 scoop loader.

The compact model has the operator side seated in an “ergonomically correct” compartment, while the engine side end is identical to the DUX DT-5N dump truck (pictured), which the company designed, built and tested in 2016/2017, with one machine now operating in a narrow-vein copper mine in the US.

The company has become renowned for developing machines for the underground narrow-vein market and said of the mining technique: “The advantage of the narrow-vein mining methods is to improve the ore grade delivered to the mill, significantly reduce waste development and reduce equipment, mining, ventilation and fuel costs.”

DUX’s DSL-300 comes with a 3-t tramming capacity, a machine width of 1.4 m, a bucket width of 1.45 m and a standard SAE heaped bucket capacity of 1.22 m³. It also has an ejector bucket option available.

While this unit is available with a diesel engine for high altitude and EPA Tier 4 Final, EU Stage IV regulated engine, DUX said it is in the process of designing a battery-/electric-powered version of the DSL-300 with on-board battery charging. These will improve noise levels, and reduce ventilation and maintenance costs, it said.

The electric-powered version will be introduced in 2020, according to DUX.

Asante Gold weighs up use of Anaconda Mining SMD narrow vein technology

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Asante Gold says it is reviewing a new mining technique, Sustainable Mining by Drilling (SMD), for use at its Kubi gold project in Ghana.

SMD is a two-stage drilling method that enables direct mining of narrow vein deposits. The technology is being developed and commercialised by Anaconda Mining, in collaboration with Memorial University of Newfoundland, and uses technology proven in other industries, Asante said.

Anaconda’s SMD technology placed second in the recent Goldcorp #DisruptMining challenge held on the sidelines of the annual Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada event in Toronto on March 3, 2019.

“This concept is a complete surface mining option with a drilling rig as a main surface piece of equipment used in conjunction with several field-proven downhole technologies,” Anaconda said.

The mining process is divided into two campaigns: drilling the pilot holes and accurately mapping the vein, then enlarging the pilot holes to predetermined sizes to recover the ore.

Using an inclined mast drilling rig, an inclined pilot hole is to be drilled along the centre line of the vein (equidistant between the hangingwall and footwall) with directional drilling system.

Steering the pilot holes live with a survey tool will determine the current orientation and refine the 3D model of the vein used to plan the pilot hole enlargement.

“Once the pilot hole has been drilled, progressively larger hole-openers can be used to drill along the pilot hole’s trajectory up to 2 m,” Anaconda said.

Anaconda said the SMD technology is a “disruptor” in that it reduces the cost to extract ore by 50% over conventional underground narrow mining techniques; it places the operator in a safe location on the surface; can access areas not open to conventional mining; reduces the environmental footprint; and by passes the crushing and grinding circuits by moving the +/-2 mm drill cuttings in a slurry direct to the mill.

Douglas MacQuarrie, President and CEO of Asante Gold, said: “The new SMD mining technique slashes the mining costs, development time and capital required to take near-surface gold deposits to production.

“Our Kubi Main Zone gold resource is located in one of the best and safest gold mining destinations in the world, is road and power accessible, has an average width of 2 m, is near vertical, and appears to be well suited for the application of this technique. Previous metallurgical tests on Kubi mineralisation gave 35% to 40% recovery of the contained gold by gravity concentration from a coarse grind, which suggest a similar recovery might be expected directly from the SMD drill cuttings, giving a potential source of early cash flow. We are looking forward to the development and commercialisation of the SMD technology and its potential application at Kubi.”

Goldcorp narrows down finalists for #DisruptMining PDAC showdown

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Goldcorp has announced the three finalists selected to pitch to a panel of judges at the #DisruptMining 2019 live finale taking place around the PDAC event in Toronto, next month.

The trio includes companies looking at a new drilling approach that can unlock the value in narrow vein deposits; a unique way of training artificial intelligence (AI) to autonomously operate a mineral processing facility; and an Internet of Things application that increases the intelligence of belt conveyors used to transport material at mine sites, according to Goldcorp.

Todd White, Goldcorp Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations, said: “#DisruptMining continues to represent the best of innovation in the mining industry. These finalists demonstrate break-through thinking and help build digital momentum in mining. The industry needs to help accelerate the development of these kinds of technologies.”

After a technical review by a group from the University of British Columbia, shortlisted submissions were reviewed by senior Goldcorp representatives to determine semi-finalists and finalists for #DisruptMining, Goldcorp said. The three finalists pitching their disruptive technology to the panel of judges are:

  • Anaconda Mining, a TSX-listed gold mining company operating in Atlantic Canada, has developed an innovative, two-stage drilling method that enables economic mining of narrow-vein deposits, according to Goldcorp. The technology, known as Sustainable Mining by Drilling (SMD), was developed in collaboration with Memorial University of Newfoundland. Goldcorp said: “SMD has the potential to unlock value in existing deposits that were previously thought to be uneconomic to mine using traditional underground or surface mining methods. The developers also expect this technology could extend the life of current operations by allowing safe excavation to occur beyond the limits of current designs”;
  • ANDRITZ, a leading supplier of machines and automation solutions worldwide, has developed a unique and continuous way of training artificial intelligence to operate a mineral processing facility using ANDRITZ’s digital twin, Goldcorp said. “The AI is trained to respond to a variety of situations, making it capable of adapting to changing inputs and improving upset recovery time,” Goldcorp said. The trained AI’s ability to quickly process information and recommend data-driven solutions will allow for the improvement of the operation, such as start-up and shutdown, and assist operators to achieve plant-wide optimisation, and;
  • Voith Turbo, a division of Voith GmbH & Co KGaA, whose IoT application BeltGenius (pictured) creates a digital twin of belt conveyors which provides real-time insight into the behaviour of the operation. “Resulting from a constant learning system, this information is used to identify potential risks and inefficiencies, allowing for greater uptime, more efficient energy use, predictive maintenance and optimisation of weight and speed,” Goldcorp said. With BeltGenius, mine sites can operate their belt conveyors with greater control and consistency, increasing their savings on repairs and material transportation costs while reducing the environmental impact of traditional haul trucks.

Deciding the fate of the three finalists will be Ian Telfer, Chair of Goldcorp; Katie Valentine, Partner at KPMG Australia and Global Head of Mining Consulting; Sue Paish, CEO of Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster; Jacob Yeung, University of British Columbia student and #DisruptMining UBC Captain; and returning #DisruptMining judge Wal van Lierop, President & CEO, Chrysalix Venture Capital.

Co-hosted by KPMG, the #DisruptMining live finale will take place on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto during the PDAC convention. Each finalist will present a short pitch video followed by a Q&A with the judges, in front of a live audience of nearly 600 people, demonstrating how their concept or technology has the potential to #DisruptMining.

In addition to finalists, six semi-finalists will showcase their technologies at the #DisruptMining Innovation Expo. The Expo will take place on Sunday March 3, 2019, at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto.