Australian Mining October 2015

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VOLUME 106/11 107/9 | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2015 2014

THE 2015 PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

SAFETY MINERALS PROCESSING HAS THE DOWNTURN REACHED ROCK BOTTOM?

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COMMENT

A NEW AGE OF ANTIMINING ACTIVISM? ARE ACTIVISTS NOW TAKING A CAPITALIST APPROACH TO PROTESTING?

COLE LATIMER

ozmining@cirrusmedia.com.au

F

or the longest time the image of the anti-mining protestor was that of someone waving a placard, marching down the street – or outside the mine – vocally decrying the mine’s operation.

These protests soon ramped up to include people blockading mines and sites by chaining themselves to equipment, fences, or trees in an effort to bring work to a halt; although their efforts rarely did.

While operations stopped briefly, they soon continued, rendering many of the protests essentially moot; take for example the two year plus series of Maules Creek protests, kayakers blocking Newcastle Harbour, or activists storming mining companies’ offices.

It wasn’t until they began to take a capitalist approach – hitting them in the hip pocket – that eco-activists really began to make an impact.

The perfect case study is of course Jonathon Moylan, and his fake ASX release that ANZ was pulling out of Whitehaven coal, a move that wiped out millions from the coal miner’s value.

Now compare the effect this had on Whitehaven compared to the protests.

It’s enormous.

This led to the ethical investment and fossil fuel divestment push, which has seen many banks and finance houses consider pulling out of coal mining or other fossil fuel companies.

And now Greenpeace is taking it to a whole new level.

The environmental group is planning to take brown coal mines and power plants out of commission by actually buying them.

The group is currently exploring its funding options to buy major European ener-

gy generator Vattenfall’s brown coal mines and power plants in Germany.

However, it will need around two to three billion euros to do so; although it is considering donors or crowd funding to raise the money needed.

Of course, if they did buy it they would not actually operate the mine, instead keeping the lignite in the ground.

So, how does Greenpeace believe its supporters feel about the environmental group owning coal mines?

“Mostly, we would believe it would be our supporters who would be interested in such an acquisition to save the climate,” Juha Aromaa, a Greenpeace spokesman, said.

It is – if you’ll excuse the pun – completely left of centre for the group.

But you have to give it to them, they are realising that the old ways of protesting aren’t cutting it in the modern age and they are taking the capitalist approach of buying a competitor or opposed interest in order to take them out of the market.

So if this is where it starts, where does it end?

FRONT COVER

FOR this, the annual finalists awards edition of Australian Mining, we’ve focused on none other than our Prospect Awards. In times like these, with the downturn biting and the industry facing a number of challenges, taking time out to recognise and reward those who are going above and beyond is doubly important. We also investigate whether we have reached the bottom of the mining downturn, and what that may mean for miners ahead, as well new minerals processing technology that is helping previously unviable deposits now recoverable.

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER MARTIN SINCLAIR Email: martin.sinclair@cirrusmedia.com.au EDITOR COLE LATIMER Tel: (02) 8484 0652 Email: ozmining@cirrusmedia.com.au JOURNALISTS BRENT BALINSKI Tel: (02) 8484 0680 Email: brent.balinski@cirrusmedia.com.au BEN HAGEMANN Tel: (02) 8484 0884 Email: ben.hagemann@cirrusmedia.com.au

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CONTENTS

SAFETY

FINANCE

10-12

OUT OF THE WILDERNESS: IS THE MINING DOWNTURN FINALLY OVER?

40

MINERALS PROCESSING

ZERO GLARE GETTING DRIVERS THROUGH THE DARK

MINESITE VEHICLES

MAKING HYDROMET HEADWAY MAKING AN IMPACT ON SITE NEW MINERAL RECOVERY METHODS DISCOVERED

14-18

42-43

20-38

44

PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

NEW MECHANIC TRUCK BODIES MINING TRUCK MAKER WINS GRANT MINING TRUCK TYRES

PRODUCTIVITY

COAL MINE OF THE YEAR HARD ROCK MINE OF THE YEAR EXPLORER OF THE YEAR EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT MINERALS PROCESSING OF THE YEAR CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR COMMUNITY INTERACTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR YOUNG ACHIEVER CONTRIBUTION TO MINING OH&S AND MINE SAFETY INNOVATIVE SOLUTION

BRIDGING THE PRODUCTIVITY GAP

PIPES AND VALVES

46-47

PIPING POWER

AUSTRALIAN MINING ROADTESTS

48-49

TOUGH TABLET PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES

REGULARS

INDUSTRY COMMENT

6

NEWS

8

PRODUCT SHOWCASE AUSTRALIANMINING

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50-51

OCTOBER 2015

JOBS

52-53

EVENTS

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INDUSTRIAL COMMENT

THE MATTER OF CHOICE: WHO IS DOING THE CHOOSING? HAVING JUST SEEN SOME OF THE REACTIONS TO THE RELEASE OF THE QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY REPORT INTO FIFO PRACTICES, IT APPEARS THERE IS SOME CONFUSION ABOUT THE MATTER OF “CHOICE”.

T

he Infrastructure, inate against applicants on the Planning and Natu- basis of their home location.

On each side of the FIFO Defending FIFO workers on ral Resources Committee have, as did debate, we see proponents ar- grounds of “choice” like this hardly seems necessary: There is the sister inquiry in guing for choice.

On the one hand, groups rep- no threat to the ability of workWA in June, made a number of recommendations as resenting workers (unions) ar- ers to fly in and out of Brisbane to how FIFO employment ought gue that workers ought to be or anywhere else, and the comto be regulated, mainly in re- able to choose to live in com- mittee has reassured industry lation to creating requirements munities close to work, espe- that it is not their goal to erode for social impact assessments cially within the Bowen Basin. the basis for FIFO. But it is the goal of the comOn the other hand, groups for new projects.

But one recommendation in representing mining companies mittee to ensure that local workparticular seems to have the in- (industry lobbyists) also preach ers have a fair go when it comes dustry worried, one which sug- the cause of “choice” but from to applying for work in their own gests a change to workplace the other side of the coin; that local regions. against anti-discrimination A M 1 0 1 5 _ 0 law 0 0 which _ A M M workers A - need 1 the 2 0freedom 1 5 - 0to 9live - 2 1 TDiscriminating 1 0 : 1 0 : 4 9 + 1work0 : 0 ers who live nearby a mine is abwould make it illegal to discrim- elsewhere and fly in and out.

solutely unconscionable, and a change to laws would be an excellent way to ensure that this cannot take place any longer, without impacting on existing employment contracts.

FIFO is a hiring practice that came into being by necessity.

It’s a culture that will always be a part of the mining industry in Australia, and apart from a few vocal political opponents, few would say they wants to see it end. But when FIFO workers 0are hired before any attempt is made to source staff local-

ALL OPTIONS MUST BE EXPLORED WHEN STAFFING MINES

ly, that is discriminatory, and un-Australian.

FIFO workers are an expensive hire: They cost a lot in travel and accommodation expenses.

Local workers are much cheaper in that regard, and in no way a threat to investment in Australia: To argue so only indicates an ulterior motive for keeping the workforce at arm’s length.

RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

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NEWS

THE LATEST MINING NEWS AND SAFETY AUSTRALIAN MINING PRESENTS THE LATEST NEWS AND SAFETY AFFECTING YOU FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE MINE AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. VISIT WWW.MININGAUSTRALIA.COM.AU TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING. GLENCORE TO SLASH ZINC JOBS Glencore has announced it will slash its zinc output, suspending operations at Lady Loretta and reducing output at Macarthur River and George Fisher, as well as cutting more than 500 jobs.

The miner announced a half million tonne reduction in its output globally, with much of the reduction to come in Australia, as well as South America and Kazakhstan.

This comes as the metal experiences a sharp decline following its steady growth since April last year on the back of a weakening US dollar.

The metal grew from $2180 per tonne in April 2014 to a height of $2890 per tonne in May this year, before sharply dropping to $2480 per tonne as of August, recoding an 8.15 per cent delcine compared to July.

Zinc itself lost 1.2 per cent earlier this week, with more weakness predicted ahead, however Glencore believes this is an undervaluation for the metal, and uses the current price as a basis for its decision.

“Glencore believes that current prices do not correctly value the scarcity of our zinc resources; our finite resources are valuable and reducing production, in response to current prices, preserves value,” it said in a company statement.

According to a source close to the company, it believes it is more valuable to reduce production and keep the asset in the ground until prices rise, and sees the lack of a strong zinc pipeline ahead as a welcoming omen for potentially raising output in the future.

Australia’s largest open pit zinc operation, MMG’s Century mine, ended mining earlier this month, although the company is still forging ahead with its plans at its $1.4 billion Dugald River underground zinc mine.

Glencore’s latest decision will reduce zinc production by around a third, and reduce the fourth quarter production by around 100,000 tonnes.

The majority of this is coming from Glencore’s Mt Isa operations at Lady Loretta and George Fisher where 245,000 tonnes will be removed from production, with Macarthur River dropping its annual output by 135,000 tonnes annually

Glencore did not state how long operations would be suspended or how many jobs will be affected, only saying the situation was temporary.

The decision will result in the loss of around 535 Australian jobs, approximately a fifth of its entire Australian zinc workforce.

Of this 335 will be Glencore employees, while the remaining 200 will be contractors.

Globally Glencore will cut 1600 positions.

CITIC SEES MASSIVE FUNDING INJECTION Chinese miner CITIC recently disclosed a massive injection of capital into the embattled Sino Iron project, made on April 1.

Costs in the project have surpassed $US12billion, as reported by the AFR, although $US2.5 billion has already been written off the value of the project in March due to economic considerations such as the plunge in the price of iron ore.

Still involved in a protracted and very public legal dispute over royalties with Clive Palmer-owned mine developer Mineralogy, CITIC Pacific are also ebroiled in a dispute with their lead contractor China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC).

The original plan offered by Mineralogy was for a $US2.9 billion turnkey construction contract, however CITIC commissioned MCC under the apprehension the company could further save on costs.

However, a fixed $US3.4 billion contract with MCC resulted in cost overruns of $US858 million, with delays blamed on adverse weather and “typhoon”, and problems with electric motors purchased by CITIC. Fortunately the mine has been exporting magnetite since January 2014, capitalising on project costs, however only two of the six planned production lines are operational.

The AFR said the income from export sales are not being booked as income or in operating cash flow, but rather directly against the capital expenditure for construction.

With the remaining four production AUSTRALIANMINING

lines to reach operational ability by the end of 2016, it has been anticipated that CITIC will not reveal the full extent of their operating losses until 2018 when full-year reports for 2017 are released.

UNI OF ADELAIDE LAUNCHES RESEARCH HUB The University of Adelaide has opened a new copper and uranium research hub.

The new centre is part of the state’s copper strategy, which seeks to seeks to grow the region’s copper output to one million tonnes per annum.

“The Directions Paper on the Copper Strategy seeks the views of industry, regional and Aboriginal communities, and other stakeholders on how we tackle some of the issues that could prevent South Australia from reaching its full potential as a copper producer,” SA mining minister Tom Koutsantonis said.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Australian CopperUranium, based at the University, aims to “find new ways of removing other metals from copper deposits, which can reduce the quality of the copper; and ensure these new methods are suitable for industry-level operations,” the university stated.

“Much of South Australia’s copper deposits are actually very fine intergrowths of a range of different metals and minerals. This introduces additional technical challenges for industry, which needs to achieve highpurity copper concentrates ready for market,” professor Stephen Grano, director of the new ARC Research Hub for Australian Copper-Uranium, explained.

“Being able to find cost-effective ways of removing other metals from copper concentrates will provide a boost to the industry’s economic prosperity, as well as its environmental sustainability.

This work will help to ensure Australia is a world leader in copper production and associated technology,” he said.

ARC provided $2.52 million in funding to establish the hub, with industry partners providing an additional $5.5 million in cash and support over the next five years.

These partners include BHP and OZ Minerals, the Department of State Development, Defence Science and Technology Group, Environment Protection Authority South Australia, Flinders University, Monash University, University College London (UCL) Australia, and the University of Queensland.

Koutsantonis welcomed the new research hub, which he said would provide a boost for one of South Australia’s most significant commodities.

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OCTOBER 2015

AUSTRALIAN MINING GETS THE LATEST NEWS EVERY DAY, PROVIDING MINING PROFESSIONALS WITH THE UP TO THE MINUTE INFORMATION ON SAFETY, NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MINING AND RESOURCES INDUSTRY.

GREENPEACE PLANS TO BUY COAL MINES Greenpeace has announced plans to buy German coal mines in order to shut them down.

The group is currently exploring its funding options to buy major European energy generator Vattenfall’s brown coal mines and power plants, according to Bloomberg.

The operator has approximately ten coal assets in the country, with mines and power plants valued at around two to three billion euros.

“All Vattenfall’s lignite generation and mining assets in Germany will be included in the sale; power plants Boxberg, Jänschwalde (which is the largest power plant in Germany), Schwarze Pumpe and Lippendorf block R as well as corresponding mining activities (Jänschwalde, Nochten, Reichwalde, Welzow-Süd and Cottbus Nord),” Vattenfall said in a company statement.

“There are many ways to finance such an acquisition and we are looking at those,” Annika Jacobson, Greenpeace Sweden’s programme manager, said.

Greenpeace “may also look at the possibility of buying strategic parts,” she added.

“We will have a serious discussion with Vattenfall on the acquisition. We have a thorough knowledge on the future of the energy market and on climate politics.”

She went on to state the group’s intention to keep the coal in the ground.

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FINANCE

OUT OF THE WILDERNESS MINING’S DOWNTURN HAS REACHED ROCK BOTTOM. COLE LATIMER WRITES.

H

as the bottom of the mining downturn been reached?

Mining is a cyclical industry and is always riding the troughs and waves of high and low commodity prices, but rarely in history has it slumped this low, this quickly.

Every day for the past year operators have been greeted to a new decline in iron ore, gold, and coal.

Lows not seen since the Global Financial Crisis were once again reached.

Many fortunes were lost, businesses continued operations built off the back unsustainably high commodity prices collapsed, and many predicted this slump as the death knell for Australia’s mining industry.

This fall was driven by shrinking demand out of China, coupled with an oversupply of most commodities in the market as miners ramped up their output in order to take advantage of the higher returns.

Some states backed themselves to the AUSTRALIANMINING

hilt in terms of exports, particularly WA, with nearly three quarters of its exports mining-related, a situation that has now resulted in a $22 billion reduction in the value of its exports year on year.

This over-confidence created a perfect storm for operators as China’s rapid growth declined and stockpiles refused to go down – and miners refused to stop pumping out the tonnes.

Smaller miners were hit the worst, with Rio Tinto CEO Sam Walsh curtly stating: “High prices brought in mar-

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OCTOBER 2015

ginal producers, often based on overly optimistic assumptions and aggressive business models.”

“These tonnes are now exiting the market, which is part of normal supply and demand.”

BHP Billiton chief Andrew Mackenzie defended his company’s and Rio’s ramping up stance amidst the downturn.

“We operate in highly competitive and cyclical markets, where earnings outperformance through the cycle depends on being the most efficient suppli-

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FINANCE

er, not supply restraint,” Mackenzie said.

“Any attempt to curtail low-cost supply in open markets only encourages the continuation – or entry – of more costly production. This deprives the market of its power to deliver the most efficient supply.

“Therefore our ongoing success does not rely on supply restraint but instead rests on our foundation of the right commodities, the best assets, operational excellence, balance sheet strength, and capital discipline. A combination of these attributes serves us well during all points in the cycle, but particularly in the current environment.”

For the record, both Rio Tinto and BHP saw share price peaks in 2008, well before the mining boom.

So the markets have crashed, but when will the bottom of this decline be reached?

BOUNCING BACK?

The mining industry appears to be making its first tentative steps out of the wilderness.

Pundits are forecasting that the bottom has been reached, and stabilisation is ahead.

However in no way will the boom be back.

The low point appears to have been reached in April, earlier this year when prices hit GFC watermarks, and operators were entering into new agreements with contractors and consumers just to stay afloat.

In line with the oversupply conundrum, this was the same period in which record iron ore exports out of Port Hedland were achieved, with the port exporting

two millions tonnes of ore in 24 hours for the first time ever.

In May the predictions that the trough was reached were declared.

Speaking at the Stockbrokers Association of Australia Conference, China Metallurgical Industry Planning & Research Institute’s president Xinchuang Li told Australian Mining that the bottom was reached, and there would be a plateau ahead.

The economic slowdown in the country “is the new normal,” Li stated, and this will affect Australian iron ore miners as the nation shifts from its heavy industrial phase into a more services focused era.

“China is moving from its rapid growth development phase into a new phase,” he said.

Li gave a breakdown of the market, citing a number of major issues, predominately low production and consumption fluctuations; low profitability combined with a high level of market competition in steel production; and increased downwards pressures relating to both financial and environmental concerns.

He predicted a consistent fall in Chinese steel consumption, from a country that currently accounts for 60 per cent of global consumption, dropping to 689 million tonnes in 2020, 650 million tonnes in 2025, and 610 million tonnes in 2030, at odds with Rio Tinto’s predictions for consumption rates.

According to Walsh the story out of China was being mistold, and that growth Continued page 12

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THE MARKET IS RIPE FOR MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

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FINANCE

From page 11 in the country is strong, even though it is changing.

“This year’s estimated increase of seven per cent in Chinese GDP is just over $1 trillion, larger than the economy of Poland,” Walsh said.

“The nature and mix of growth in the Chinese economy is also changing, and I will say more on this shortly, but let’s be clear that in this new normal we will still see continued solid economic growth from a larger base.”

Walsh said this “new normal” would see around 1 billion tonnes of Chinese crude steel production by 2030, which requires average growth of around 1 per cent per annum.”

While Li rubbished this position, he did give one positive forecast on the current market situation, stating that the April price low of US$45 per tonne is likely to be the bottom of the slide, and iron ore has already begun its stabilisation process.

“We’re likely to see a price of between US$55 to US$65 per tonne as an average for the next two years,” he said.

WA Premier Colin Barnett has now also jumped on the recovery bandwagon.

Speaking at the Africa Down Under Barnett declared: “I’m either brave enough or silly enough to suggest that we’ve hit the bottom.”

“Global markets are fragile but the fact that we’re seeing some greater stability in commodities, oil prices, gas prices, iron ore prices – I think we have probably hit the bottom.”

This was supported by JP Morgan, which – while not being bullish – has finally ended its bearish position.

Earlier this week it put a buy position on mining stocks.

MORE M&A?

While seemingly a minimal movement,

JP Morgan’s note did shine a light on renewed positivity in the market.

This dial has been shifted by the growing level of mergers and acquisitions in the market; always a tell-tale sign of either the top or the bottom of the cycle.

In April Alamos Gold and AuRico announced a merger worth US$1.5 billion.

This is all while broad speculation continues that former Xstrata boss Mick Davis is looking to finally deploy his US$5.6 billion war chest held by his company, X2 Resources.

Glencore was recently making heavy overtures for Rio Tinto’s coal mines, with CEO Ivan Galsenberg stating: “How we’ll get and how soon we can reach an agreement, I don’t know, but it’s something that clearly makes a lot of economic sense.”

Carl Ichan has bought an 8 per cent stake in Freeport McMoran, the operators of the Grasberg mine; while George Soros has grabbed a chunk of Barrick Gold.

So why is the M&A market heating up?

According to JP Morgan, because it has nowhere else to drop after the ham-

IS A NEW ERA OF MINING FINALLY AHEAD?

AUSTRALIANMINING

mering commodities have endured.

“In price relative terms, mining is back to its levels from 10 years ago, when the Chinese commodity super-cycle was just starting,” it said.

The World Bank is also predicting a new round of M&A, seeing mid-sized operators as the main targets.

These companies “may take the lead in mergers and acquisitions or become interesting targets for the more capitalized companies of the sector that are looking for growth that isn’t more exploration or greenfield projects,” World Bank manager for energy and extractive industries Paulo de Sa told Bloomberg.

Looking ahead JP Morgan sees stability, although there may be a little weakness and punishing of underperforming operators earnings.

THE METAL’S RETURN

The question of when mining will begin its upswing again is one of contention.

Current predictions range from the last quarter of 2015 through to mid-2016, with some even positing a 2017 recovery timeline.

According to JP Morgan, there is likely to be “some additional EPS cuts for miners near term, but again, not a step change.

“We believe that the bulk of EPS downgrades are behind us given the latest consensus projections of -44% year-onyear EPS growth for miners in 2015.”

Westpac’s chief economist said the price of iron ore won’t see a recovery until at least 2016.

Westpac economist Justin Smirk said with demand out of China unclear coming into the New Year, and high volumes of iron ore being exported to the country, price volatility would continue.

He added that the start-up of Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill mine later this year could also have a downward effect on the price of iron ore as the operation is poised to be a large, cheap supplier.

Smirk said adjustments would come as some of the marginal Chinese miners left the market but this was not happen-

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OCTOBER 2015

COAL IS LIKELY TO REMAIN UNSTABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE

ing “as fast as some people anticipated”.

According to IBISWorld the 2015/16 financial year is pegged to quickly ratchet up, growing 7.1 per cent, with expectations for this upwards trend to continue into the following financial year with 2016/17 predicted to record an 8.4 per cent increase in revenues as recovery continues.

Its reports into the next few years have outlined how “growing output is forecast to support division growth in the next five years, which is forecast at a compound annual rate of 4.2 per cent, to reach $285.4 billion in 2019/20”.

However, taking the whole resources sector into view, some pundits believe we still have a way to fall.

“We’re near the trough for coal, iron ore, and base metals,” BIS Shrapnel senior manager infrastructure and mining, Adrian Hart, told Australian Mining.

“Coal is still likely to see another 12 to 18 months before stabilisation, but when it comes to oil and gas there is still a way to fall, and it will damage the [Australian] economy for years,” he said.

“The investment downturn will continue in oil and gas, and will hurt the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

“It reached a peak of $40 billion, and is slated to fall to $16 billion at the trough, and we aren’t yet near that point.”

Grant Thornton’s Brock Mackenzie was similarly cautious.

“It’s always hard to call the bottom without the benefit of hindsight however things are still extremely difficult for the mid and junior caps and I would be extremely cautious in terms of calling the bottom as my feeling is things remain very difficult,” he stated.

While the market is low for metals now, it appears unlikely to go any lower.

A mixed future is ahead depending on the commodity, but overall the worst is over for miners, and the time is now for savvy investors. AM

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Liebherr-Australia Pty Ltd. 1 Dr. Willi Liebherr Drive Para Hills West, South Australia 5096 Phone: (08) 8349 6888 E-mail: info.las@liebherr.com www.facebook.com/LiebherrMining www.liebherr.com.au

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The Group 01.07.15 11:36

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MINERALS PROCESSING

MAKING HYDROMET HEADWAY AN INNOVATIVE PROCESSING METHOD IS PROVING SUCCESSFUL FOR OZ MINERALS.

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s base metals prices stagnate, many miners are looking to innovative methods to increase production.

One area that many operators are looking to for cost savings and efficiency increases is that of minerals processing.

OZ Minerals began trials to slash costs and boost productivity by implementing more efficient minerals processing at its Carrapatenna operation.

The miner developed a hydromet demonstration processing plant to verify scalability for its site late last year, and has now seen positive results from the trials.

“The first trial results from the hydromet demonstration plant indicate that the process is scalable and is already returning copper-in-concentrate levels of more than 55 per cent,” OZ Minerals stated.

“This compares favourably to globally produced concentrates with copper-inconcentrate grades that typically average less than 30 per cent,” OZ Minerals said.

It added that impurity elements were below penalisable levels.

“This is a great set of first results for OZ Minerals and the copper industry in South Australia,” OZ managing director Andrew Cole said.

He went on to state that “the successful completion of this demonstration trial will allow up sot produce some of the best and cleanest copper concentrate in the world, with virtually no impurities”.

The new pilot plant builds upon laboratory scale test work, where a final product exceeding 55 per cent copper-

in-concentrate from a starting concentrate grade of 30 to 35 per cent.

According to OZ Minerals, the system involves processing copper concentrate containing chalcopyrite and bornite. It then converts these two minerals into chalcocite by leaching out the iron and other impurities.

“On the back of these promising results,” Cole said, ”we will continue to feed samples of concentrate through the plant over the next few months to build on our technical understanding and confidence in the process.”

The trials come as South Australia throws its support behind its copper industry, launching a new strategy to ramp up production.

Speaking before members of the South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME), state treasurer and resources minister Tom Koutsantonis announced the next phase of consultation was underway.

“There is widespread agreement that South Australia’s geology and geography does put us in the box seat to supply copper to the world’s fast growing economies,” Koutsantonis said.

“The Directions Paper on the Copper Strategy seeks the views of industry, regional and Aboriginal communities, and other stakeholders on how we tackle some of the issues that could prevent South Australia from reaching its full potential as a copper producer.

“In the weeks ahead, we will be looking to the community, landowners, producers, explorers, researchers, innovators and suppliers to provide their guidance AUSTRALIANMINING

on the final design of this long-term strategy.”

As part of the strategy the South Australian Government has pledged $10 million to found a joint study of the hydromet process between OZ Minerals and Orway Mineral Consultants, with work carried out by Adelaide University.

OZ Minerals will contribute $8 million to the research.

Speaking on the this plan and the trial results, Cole added that “this is crucial research that could help maximise the value of South Australia’s cop-

per resources for generations to come”.

“When considered in the context of the South Australian Copper Strategy, it is a very exciting time for the industry.”

With current cooper production around 300,000 tonnes per annum, the SA government wants to triple production by 2030 to become a major contributor to Australia, positioning itself as the third largest copper producer in the world.

At present South Australia has three active copper mines; Olympic Dam (BHP), Prominent Hill (OZ Minerals) and Kanmantoo (Hillgrove Resources). AM

FIRST TRIALS ARE PROVING POSITIVE FOR THE MINER

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OCTOBER 2015

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AM1015_016

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2015-10-09T09:28:55+11:00

MINERALS PROCESSING

MAKING AN IMPACT ON SITE NEW VERTICAL IMPACTOR CRUSHER ROTORS HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED.

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n a push to increase operators over- experienced maintenance staff to change all uptimes, Metso has launched a full set of wear components in around new rotors for its vertical shaft im- twenty minutes, providing both cost and time savings. pactor (VSI) crushers.

According to Metso’s global product The company has released its Orange series rotors for its Bar- manager for Barmac VSIs, Tuomas Takalo, this wear life increase is enormous. mac VSI crushers.

“We have test the new primary comThe parts have been designed with easy wear component replacement and ponents in real-life quarry conditions, achieving greatly enhanced wear life; higher wear life in focus.

“These new rotors can help to signifi- tip life was increased by as much as 30 cantly increase machine uptime through to 50 per cent,” Takalo said. “[These] longer intervals between wear improved wear part life and rapid mainpart changes will help our customers to tenance operations,” Metso stated.

“Change-out of a rotor’s primary wear increase their production output capaccomponents via the machine’s service ity,” he added.

Adam Lane, Metso’s Australasian Bardoor has never been simpler.”

Another major focus in the design mac product specialist explained that of the rotors was the reduction of wear the features have been welcomed by parts by 30 per cent, and reducing over- the Australian and New Zealand fixed He went on to add that occupationall components by a quarter through in- and mobile plant operators that have al health and safety staff and managtegrating several components and using installed the technology.

“So far everyone has been very im- ers have also been positive regarding fewer fixing points.

As a result hard-facing during main- pressed by the Orange rotor; many quarry the safety aspects of the machine, due tenance A M 0 is9 no 1 5longer _ 0 0required.

0 _ GRA 1 personnel 2 0 1 5are - saying 0 8 - it’s 1 7the T 1new 4 :bench2 1 : 5 the 5 +reduction 1 0 : 0 in 0 ‘hot works’ and repairs because of the rotor.

The new retaining bar system allows mark in VSI technology,” Lane said.

“This is an important factor when it comes to safety and the minimisation of recordable incidents.

“I’m really pleased that this innovation is helping our customer to improve the safety of their personnel.” AM

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OCTOBER 2015

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125 YEARS OF QUALITY Boart Longyear’s 125th Anniversary is dedicated to the people who built – and continue to build – this fine Company. www.boartlongyear.com/shareyourstory #BLY125 #BLYstory

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AM1015_018

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2015-10-09T09:33:00+11:00

MINERALS PROCESSING

NEW MINERAL RECOVERY METHODS DISCOVERED NEW MINERAL PROCESSING METHODS ARE ALLOWING MINERS TO SQUEEZE EVERY CENT OUT OF THEIR ORES.

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s the commodity downturn bites into miners’ value, and share prices tumble, operators are looking to innovative methods to get more out of their existing operations.

This includes looking at ways to better unlock their existing resources through innovative processing.

Two new methods have been developed to improve recovery procedures for uranium and platinum, opening up the potential for mining previously unviable deposits.

The new

UNVIABLE ORES COULD NOW BE ECONOMICAL

method for processing uranium gives miners access to formations that were considered unrecoverable.

Scientists at Murdoch University have discovered the dissolution mechanism for brannerite, which was previously ignored and discarded as waste material due to its difficulty in recovery.

Dr. Aleks Nikoloski and PhD candidate Rorie Gilligan uncovered the counterintuitive ap-

proach for the mineral, which currently accounts for 15 per cent of uranium unrecovered, after nearly a decade of research.

“The traditional wisdom in extractive metallurgy is that if you use more aggressive corrosive conditions, say by increasing the acid concentration, minerals will dissolve allowing the metal to come out, but it’s not the case with brannerite because of its chemical properties,” Nikoloski explained.

“While it can be extracted with high temperatures, high free acid concentrations and long leaching times, the process isn’t efficient or economical.

“By gaining an understanding of the chemical processes of brannerite, we have found a dissolution mechanism that supports effective extraction under relatively mild conditions.”

The scientists used a number of early studies from the 1950s and 1960s as a foundation for the extraction process.

“We took these as a starting point and applied more current knowledge,” Gilligan said.

“We started by considering how brannerite behaves in the standard sulfuric acid/iron sulfate media and then looked at how it behaved when we introduced other substances, such as phosphates and fluoride, which are known to occur in natural deposits.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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OCTOBER 2015

“There was no research into how these interacted with brannerite, so by taking a step-bystep approach we were able to better understand the mineral’s chemical processes.”

The researchers said early results exceeded expectations.

“At first I couldn’t believe the results. We were getting an extraction rate of 80 to 90 per cent for a mineral that was supposed to be refractory,” Nikoloski said.

While these initial recoveries are high, it is not yet known how high the cost outcomes will be on the uranium industry.

A new cheaper method for recovering low-grade platinum metals has also been found.

Researchers at the Western Australian School of Mines, in collaboration with South Africa’s Stellenbosch University, have shown that the traditional smelting methods can now be replaced with low cost direct leaching.

The process now opens up deposits that were considered too small to extract using conventional smelting and refining methods.

The Munni Munni PGM deposit in the Pilbara, Panton in the Kimberley, and Fitfield in Central New South Wales – Australia’s largest platinum

group metals deposits – were not “large enough to support the capital costs of building a smelter,” Curtin University chair of extractive Metallurgy professor Jacques Eksteen said.

“In WA, for instance, the deposits are just too far out…the logistical costs would kill you.”

“PGMs tend to form a complex range of minerals, we’re talking about 30 to 40 different minerals, and they each have different resistance to leaching, making it hard to find a unique solution for all deposits,” Prof Eksteen said.

However by using direct leaching “we found we could recover economic levels of platinum metal, then we were able to recover it from solution,” Eksteen said.

The leaching itself is a two stage process that uses biological leaching to remove the copper and nickel typically found in platinum group metal deposits, and then using cyanide to extract the PGMs. Following this, the metals are adsorbed from the solution using activated carbon, and then eluted from the carbon in a concentrated form, after which they can be released one by one.

Research is continuing and is now focused on developing reagents for improved recovery rates and higher selectivity. AM

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

THE AUSTRALIAN MINING PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS WE REVEAL THOSE WHO ARE A CUT ABOVE WITH THE LATEST MINING PROSPECT AWARDS.

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t’s that time again, the Australian Mining Prospect Awards. Now in its 12th year, the awards are continuing to recognise and reward excellence and innovation in the mining industry.

And innovation has again been at the forefront of the awards, with the difficult task of paring back the myriad of entries to only a handful taking up much of our time here at the magazine.

Safety developments have also been a major component of this year’s award, as has a greater

social licence to operate.

Mass layoffs, commodity price drops, mines not going ahead, cost cutting, and the continual shrinking of exploration budgets combined with a wider share market slaughter have all haunted the year.

In the 12 months since our last Australian Mining Prospect Awards the situation remains almost as grim as it did back then.

Yet, we are finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

While commodity prices are still unstable the job cuts have

slowed as miners are now operating more efficiently and smarter.

Miners, and our mining industry, still prevail.

And that’s why we every year Australian Mining takes the time to recognise, reward, and celebrate those who are operating more efficiently, who have gone that extra mile, who have developed that new piece of equipment or technique that is making mining that much easier.

It is the people and companies like these finalists highlighted in the following pages,

However one of the least is the number of explorers that have applied, considering the heavy reduction in exploration and in turn the number of geologists in the industry.

Yet despite this the quality of the entrants is still high.

It certainly is a mixed state for the mining industry.

So instead of worrying about the current state of the industry – who is shrinking, growing or suffering – let’s focus on those that are making a difference on site and off, every single day. AM

SOCIAL PROGRAMS WERE RECOGNISED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION

INNOVATION WAS IN FOCUS ON THE NIGHT

AUSTRALIANMINING

as well as the many others who entered our awards, who are demonstrating what an innovative and forward thinking industry mining really is.

This year, despite the doom and gloom pervading the industry, it has still seen a high number of entries into the awards, with around 100 nominations across 13 different categories.

Despite the current markets challenges faced in the coal mining sector, we’ve still received a high number of entries in this category.

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OCTOBER 2015

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2015-10-09T09:35:27+11:00

PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

COAL MINE OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by SEW-Eurodrive GLENCORE – Clermont

ANGLO AMERICAN – Moranbah North

STANWELL/DOWNER – Meandu Mine

CENTENNIAL COAL – Mandalong

Glencore’s Clermont open cut is not your typical coal mine.

Over the last 18 months Clermont Open Cut has positioned itself as one of the top performers in the Australian mining industry.

The mine possesses one of the best safety records in the country, having recently achieved in excess of 3.5 Million man hours (804 days) without a lost time injury and only incurring one medical treatment case within this time.

Clermont has introduced innovative solutions in order to increase productivity, reduce downtime and consistently deliver in excess of 12Mt pa of high quality thermal coal.

A focused cost saving culture has helped deliver a 34 per cent reduction in FOR cost over the last 18 months on top of a 47 per cent reduction achieved in 2013.

Clermont strengths are inherent to its organisational culture, which is derived from an engagement strategy developed to include all employees and contractors.

In turn, all are encouraged and empowered to challenge the status quo and push boundaries.

Furthermore this engagement strategy has delivered a resilient operation that can withstand challenging market conditions while delivering exceptional value to its stakeholders.

The Moranbah North mine was opened in 1998 and commenced longwall operations in 2000.

In late 2011 the site was impacted by a fall of ground in the conveyor drift, causing significant production constraints and leading to a major shift in the way the mine operated.

In 2012 it implemented a complete operational restructure to improve safety and diversify the underground environment, taking the mine’s production output to the highest it has ever seen and recording the best safety results in its history.

Its current TRIFR is only .87, which is around a 92 per cent reduction in the rate from its height in 2010, and well below the industry average of 4.35.

The mine has also run eight years Lost Time Injury Free at its CHPP, and five years LTI free at its warehouse.

This high level safety performance has been combined with better engineering has led to a continual improvement in production output, from 6.8 million tonnes ROM with 1.25 longwall moves to a project 6.9 million tonnes with an extended duration longwall move this year.

It is also running a number of industry initiatives such as specifically designed shotcrete and underground intrinsically safe tablets.

The Meandu Mine is a coal mine owned by the Stanwell Corporation and operated by Downer.

The site is forward looking, and has invested in new innovative technology across the board.

It is working with Ground Probe for field trials of the Work Area Monitor (WAM) Radar, and is also in partnership with Hitachi Australia as it supports the Hitachi Autonomous Truck trial with access and planning.

It has also procured the world’s first Hitachi EX8000 in Backhoe configuration and first fleet of EH5000 trucks.

The EX8000 achieved 13.99 Million bcm for its first full financial year with utilisation of 70.5per cent and average dig rate of 2632bcm/hr. The 32 year old Dragline moved 17.28 Million bcm with utilisation of 85.5 per cent and dig rate of 2558bcm/hr.

The site’s “One Team Approach” supports an inclusive work environment and open communication between the management team, client, and workforce.

This culture has helped create an excellent site safety record achieving a TRIFR of zero in April and May this year.

Importantly, production has been high while maintaining flexibility of coal supply to meet variable demands driven by the fluctuating electricity market with minimal coal rehandling.

The Mandalong mine is an underground coal mine operated by Centennial Coal supplying domestic and export markets. The mine commenced longwall extraction in January 2005, with longwalls 1 to 17 being extracted in 2015, using four MB650 continuous miners for the thick seam longwall.

Its vision is to be the safest, most productive, and sustainable coal operation in Australia.

The mine produced almost 6 MT in 2014 with similar targets in 2015, whilst creating minimal environmental impact, and is proud of this performance. Coal is delivered via dedicated conveyors to domestic power customers as well as private haul road and rail to the port of Newcastle for export.

Mandalong has a strong culture based on everyone at the mine working together to continually improve performance, growing from a design capacity of under 4MTPA to the current levels approaching 6MTPA. There is open communication with relevant stakeholders on the predicted and actual subsidence impacts from mining. With over 10 years of extraction experience, the mine has a proven record of minimising and accurately predicting subsidence.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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OCTOBER 2015

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

HARD ROCK MINE OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Atlas Copco

DORAY MINERALS – Andy Well

NORTHPARKES

Doray Minerals is an Australian-based high-grade gold producer, developer and explorer with substantial exploration upside.

The company controls two high-grade Western Australian gold assets – the operating Andy Well Gold Project (Andy Well) and the development-ready Deflector Gold Project (Deflector).

Doray’s complementary project portfolio provides increased scale, liquidity, and market presence, and a potential re-rating based on its strengthened market positioning.

Doray is one of the highest grade and highest margin gold producers in Australia from the Andy Well Gold Project and is in a strong financial position.

The Deflector Gold Project is currently under construction and Doray aims to be producing gold from Deflector in 2016.

The company is focused on reaching production targets at Andy Well, delivering strong financial results, developing the Deflector Project, accelerating exploration and reaping rewards for shareholders.

There is substantial exploration upside with the potential for additional deposits, and a highly prospective regional exploration project portfolio in WA and South Australia is already delivering results.

Northparkes Mines (Northparkes) is one of Australia’s leading copper and gold producers, and has been a proud farmer since its inception.

The fourth largest copper producer in Australia, Northparkes is located 27 kilometres north of the township of Parkes in Central West NSW. It is managed and operated by China Molybdenum Co. (CMOC), after it was acquired b in 2013.

In 1997, Northparkes was the first mine in Australia to implement the highly efficient block cave mining method, which is now used around Australia.

In 2014 – its twentieth year of operation – Northparkes celebrated a new production record of 6.1 million processed tonnes, 80 per cent of which were mined by automated loaders, whichhave shown to work at a lower operational cost than manual operations.

Since 2012 Northparkes has improved its safety record by half from 18 people injured in 2012 to 9 in 2014.

Northparkes’ Emergency Response Team were also overall winners in the 2014 Victorian Mines Rescue Competition and its Farming Manager was a finalist in the Australian Cropping Farmer of the Year Awards.

EXPLORER OF THE YEAR CRADLE RESOURCES

ROX RESOURCES

Cradle Resources is a junior explorer who has re-discovered the Panda Hill Niobium Project and established it as a world class niobium project.

With only three niobium mines in the world, it is on track to be the fourth.

A PFS was issued in 30 March 2015, which indicated a NPV10(after tax) of USD$450 with an IRR of 57% and CAPEX of USD$197M. The resource was significantly expanded post the PFS in April 2015.

The final Feasibility Study is underway and expected to be finished, with Reserves, by Q4 2015.

Historically, Panda Hill was explored in the 50s and early 60s for niobium; including trial mining of approximately 200Kt. Apart from some small-scale exploration for phosphate in the 1980s, it has been forgotten as a potential niobium producer. With significant drill testing and metallurgical testwork, Cradle has secured funding to DFS level and expect to start project development in mid 2016.

To date 20,000m of RC and diamond drilling has been undertaken culminating in a JORC Resource of 178Mt @ 0.5% Nb2O5 (Measured, Indicated and Inferred). This is equivalent to a 15M oz gold deposit at 2.5g/t Au (incorporating recovery).

Additionally some 170 metallurgical tests have been undertaken on 4t of core samples.

Only 1/3 of the carbonatite has been drilled by Cradle, and an exploration target of between 200Mt to 400Mt at a grade of between 0.3% and 0.6% Nb2O5 has also been established.

Rox Resources is a junior exploration company and discovered its first nickel sulphide deposit (Camelwood) at Fisher East in December 2012, and has since discovered three additional deposits (Musket, Cannonball and Sabre).

The Fisher East ultramafic belt and the style of nickel sulphide mineralisation is very similar to the other well known nickel sulphide belts in WA such as Kambalda, Leinster, Cosmos, and Forrestania.

Fisher East is a new nickel sulphide camp discovered by Rox in December 2012, with new discoveries still being made. Current JORC 2012 resource is 3.6 Mt @ 2.0% Ni (for 72,100t of contained Ni metal). The discovery was a product of nickel sulphide targeting work done by Will Belbin and Ian Mulholland on the Fisher East ultramafic belt 500km north of Kalgoorlie in WA. Initially a VTEM survey was flown that showed a number of anomalies, that were then tested

by RAB/aircore drilling. Follow-up RC and diamond drilling (10,000m RC and 30,000m diamond) has defined the resources so far. New discoveries continue to be made along the 25km strike length of prospective nickel-bearing ultramafic rock held under tenure by Rox, and the resource potential could easily exceed 200,000 tonnes (and ultimately >500,000t) of contained nickel.

The company has completed a Scoping Study on the project and it is shown to be technically low-risk and financially robust at predicted nickel prices in the next two to three years.

The cost base is similar to other nickel sulphide mines such as those operated in the Kambalda district by IGO, MCR and PAN. Rox is currently undertaking a Pre-Feasibility Study.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Sponsored by Metso

AIR SPRINGS

CONTITECH

NEW HOPE GROUP

RIO TINTO AND JACOBS ENGINEERING GROUP

A frequent problem of conducting sealing and testing operations within pipelines is the need to cut throughput for the duration of the work.

Further downtime can be caused by the need to transport and install solid mechanical barriers with bracing to ensure safety during maintenance.

A solution to these issues is provided by rapidly deployed Pronal ORJT and ORJ inflatable elastomer stoppers from Air Springs Supply, which give pipeline engineering and maintenance staff an easily transportable and secure way to conduct sealing and testing operations, preventing spillage.

Standard conveyor belt and pneumatic conveying systems had proven inadequate for the job at Sibelco QMAG’s magnesia products processing plant where dust and spillage were unacceptable and extremely tight routing was absolutely essential.

A flexible position for three loading and three discharge points was also necessary due to the configuration and footprint of the plant’s relatively small transporting circuit which is quite close to populated areas.

Sibelco QMAG contacted ContiTech, who installed trialling their unique SICON conveyor belt system.

New Hope Group established the Acland Pastoral Company (APC) in 2006, as a farming, grazing and land management enterprise based at the New Acland mine and part of the work conducted for the New Acland mine

by APC is progressive rehabilitation of mined land.

At any one time the mine will have approximately 175 ha of open area and as soon as the mine progresses, rehabilitation of previously mined areas follows. Within two to three years of the mined areas being rehabilitated cattle are moved onto these areas to graze.

Rio Tinto is constructing a second port facility (CLB) adjacent to its existing operations at Cape Lambert, located on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. The construction footprint includes significant marine and terrestrial aspects acorss a massive parcel of land, with significant environmental risks associated with the work. Rio Tinto and the project EPCM, Jacobs, created a robust management program and developed new monitoring technology, as well as implemented unprecedented scientific studies and also brought in industry leading management practices.

ENVIROMIST/UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG

CARBINE RESOURCES LIMITED

SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

GLOBAL AQUATICA

Bulk Material Engineering Australia (BMEA) is a licensed consultancy of the University of Wollongong and facilitates the technology transfer process between the research activities of the University and the industries that benefit from that research. It formed a collaboration with Enviromist, who have developed dust suppression applications. Through this collaboration, a new range of high-energy dryfogging nozzles has been developed to solve large and difficult dust emission problems, such as primary crusher ROM Bins.

Carbine Resources: The Mount Morgan Gold & Copper Mine comprises a large tailings resource with significant metal credits. A major environmental legacy also exists at site due to the pyrite within the tailings causing acid mine drainage.

The central issue with the tailings at Mount Morgan is the high operating costs for extraction of metals, primarily due to high cyanide consumption caused by the presence of excess soluble copper. The use of ion exchange technology extracts the copper from leaching solutions, which results in copper barren slurry that can be treated to recover gold.

Significant Environmental Services is a small operation that works directly to clients in the mining industry.

It works in all aspects, from partnering with the development team during feasibility phase through to working closely with the operational team into production and mine closure phases, and considers it position in a mining company or role in a project team to be “Acting Environmental Manager”.

Compared to larger consultancies, it focuses on assisting small to medium mining companies, and specialising in LOM services.

Acid mine drainage is the most common mine water pollution in the world, and there are presently no other methods of totally eradicating it from a mine site. The Australian government predicts there are over 20,000 acid mine drainage contaminating sites in Australia with no solution.

BioAqua converts the acidic water into drinking quality for release or recycling. The contaminants are converted into valuable recyclable products which are sold so the mine actually profits from eradicating their acid mine drainage.

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

MINERALS PROCESSING OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Tyres4U CHUTE TECHNOLOGY – Transfer chutes

CARBINE RESOURCES LIMITED

CHUTE TECHNOLOGY – Dust and spillage prevention

COLUMBUS GROUP

TW Woods Construction has a renowned reputation for structural steel and materials handling equipment for all sectors of heavy industry and mining. TW Woods delivers transfer chutes fit for purpose and the versatility of the fabrication skills allows the designer scope to create the most appropriate chute geometry for the application without undue constraints imposed by manufacturing techniques.

Falling resource prices mean producers must step up production to survive and flourish. But some coal and iron ore producers are finding that their efforts to achieve substantial increases can be frustrated by bottlenecks that emerge when they accelerate one part of the production chain only to find that problems then emerge in another. During the good times with high prices it was sometimes ok to tolerate production and loadout system that limped along at partial capacity. This was because of bottlenecks that were not always obvious at lower production rates, but they showed up at higher production throughputs when the choking points slowed down the entire operation to the pace of the slowest part. The Chute Technologies partnership employs a combination of three 21st century materials handling technologies to boost production outputs in existing processing plants by as much as 50 per cent.

Carbine acquired the project in order to develop an innovative flowsheet that could unlock the remaining value associated with the mineral resources at the mine. A novel flowsheet is required as traditional processing technologies have been proved to be uneconomic. The work to date has resulted in Carbine being awarded the Austmine 2015 Award for Innovation in Mining. The Mount Morgan Gold & Copper Mine comprises a large tailings resource with significant metal credits. A major environmental legacy also exists at site due to the pyrite within the tailings causing acid mine drainage. Since closure in 1991, several companies have assessed metallurgical flowsheets to potentially unlock the remaining value within the tailings without success. The use of ion exchange technology extracts the copper from leaching solutions, which results in a copper barren slurry that can be treated to recover gold at significantly lower operating costs. In summary, Carbine’s has developed a flowsheet that can reduce operating costs associated with excess cyanide consumption; improve gold recoveries compared to historical operational performance; provide an additional revenue stream via the production of copper; and assist with site remediation via removal of acid forming pyrite from within the tailings.

Chute Technology’s dust and spillage process plant conveyor technology packages are employing the best current technologies developed from proven installations in alumina, iron and other mineral ores and coal handling facilities at mines, energy plants and ports – tackle dust problems at their source rather than attempt to control dust after it has been created and dispersed into the atmosphere.

The same technologies can be applied to inlet, hood, chute, spoon, enclosure and saturation zones to address widespread spillage hazards, with their cost, downtime and safety issues.

Good designs such as these – either new or retrofitted – demonstrate that environmentally sensitive production need not necessarily come at a cost to output.

In fact, these chute improvement technologies have achieved major increases in production, exceeding 50 and even 80 per cent in some cases, while solving waste and spillage problems.

The packages – which apply to completely new plants and problem areas within existing plants – deploy technologies whose availability and application may have been too fragmented or unmanageable.

The traditional drill, blast and break out followed by rock milling before final grinding is not the most efficient approach in hard rock mining, particularly as it can be somewhat wasteful in chasing rich deposits like narrow gold seams.

By water slicing away just that part of the resource that is wanted, it saves so much time and resources by focusing on what is wanted and rejecting the rest.

So here there is water cutting, with logical shaping and ‘right’ sizing of the cut elements. This is where the concept of tetrahedrals and octahedrals is important.

Any complete solid surface can be ‘perfectly’ built up or here cut away by using the optimised water jet arrays, angled in and out, from the abrasive rich, extra high pressure water jets, to produce typical 4mm x 4mm tetrahedrals and octahedrals, upfront.

No other break up is used.

The tetrahedrals and octahedrals are small enough to be moved in slurry and fed directly into ball mills for final grinding.

The cutting fluid waste from the cutting process can also be used at the point of mining for online assaying to efficiently focus the task for overall greatly improved efficient profitability.

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

AIR SPRINGS SUPPLY – Airstrokeair springs for belt scrapers

CHUTE TECHNOLOGY – Multidirectional underground chute

In Australia, Air Springs Supply has achieved A multidirectional rotating underground coal chute ISO9001: Quality Management Systems certisystem that can be installed in less than a single fication, for its dedication to continuous quality shift at a typical mine has been developed by improvement and customer service.

Chute Technology in what the Australian technology A simply engineered alternative to metal springs or and manufacturing partnership believes is a world torsion bars from Air Springs Supply helps to prevent first. breakdowns of mineral and industrial processing belt The cost-saving universal chute – which can rotate scrapers and to extend the life and productivity of output through 160 degrees left or right – can entire belt systems. remove completely the need to customFlexible pneumatic Airstrokeair spring actuators from manufacture individual chute types to fit the Firestone – including compact and easily installed confined spaces and particular angles of individual Style 16 types – adjust to different load requiremines. ments simply by varying the air pressure contained This provides a new level of efficiency for within them. operators and, in turn, productivity gains down the These tough rubber-and-fabric bellows (identical in line. construction to the airbags proven in truck and train The versatile bolt-in system – comprising a suspensions) are suitable for applications requiring complete integrated structure from head end to flexible force and continuously supple performance conveyor outlet – features a rotating outlet beneath to flex with irregular loads. the head that can be angled to any position Airstroke air springs provide force evenly over the required to facilitate product flow. surface upon which they are acting, rather than In addition to radically reducing the labour required imposing sharp point loads. for manufacture and installation, the chute’s ability Further, they will undulate over irregular loads to be installed in a fraction of the time of custom passing beneath them, flexing with the load profile chutes minimises downtime by keeping production if necessary, rather than fighting irregularities in the moving when chutes wear out. load and causing jerking, jamming and strain on the This is a brilliantly simple breakthrough in cost and production line. time saving at a time when the mining industry By preventing material buildup, belt scrapers help needs it most to maintain production. keep the belt from drifting off track, prevent erratic The benefits are obvious when you look at loads on the motor, eliminate uneven wear on pulley the basic concept, but we don’t know of bearings and damage to return idlers, as well as anywhere else in the world where it has been A M 1to0minimise 1 5 _ 0 belt 0 0 stretching. _ TYR 1 2 0 1 5 - 0done.

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HERCULES ENGINEERING – Herculon sliding guided bearings A challenge facing developers and operators of buildings and processing plant is ensuring their structures can flexibly cope with internal movement and production stresses caused by heavy and changing loads, vibration and other common factors.

Often movement within such structures is caused by factors such as climate, thermal movement, shrinkage, changing uses and operation of heavy plant including conveyors, motors, turbines and reticulation systems found throughout mining and related industries.

A no-maintenance, cost-efficient solution to many such issues is offered by Hercules Engineering through its range of Herculon Type D Bearings (HLD/ SG, HLD/FF & HLD/FX)), which are proven on a wide range of applications in materials handling and processing facilities.

Typically used under beams, slabs, pipe networks, pressure vessels and tank rooms, conveyors, ducts and small span bridges, Herculon HLD Bearings are part of a comprehensive range of Hercules composite slip joints and structural bearings incorporating engineered high performance combinations of engineered thermoplastics and metal facing surfaces.

They are engineered to minimise production downtime and maintenance by accommodating the vertical and horizontal stresses imposed by the shuddering and vibration of heavy motors, screens, processing equipment and the varying loads imposed by tanks, pipes and pressure vessels as they are loaded.

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR ACTION DRILL & BLAST

ABERGELDIE COMPLEX INFRASTRUCTURE

EXECUTIVE RISK SOLUTIONS

Throughout its operations across Australia, drill and blast contractor Action Drill & Blast has consistently demonstrated its commitment to acting in its clients’ best interests at all times.

Through its unique integrated drill and blast service offering, equipment, explosives supply, and teams’ experience and expertise, ADB has proved time and again that it can get more efficiency out of drill and blast personnel, equipment, and products than its clients can by themselves.

The company’s expertise and smart thinking has initiated and implemented customised design enhancements to its drill rigs. These innovations, undertaken in partnership with OEMs to guarantee quality, have significantly increased drill capability removing the need for clients to source larger, more costly equipment.

As an integrated, independent contractor, ADB has no ties to a particular explosives manufacturer, providing the company with the freedom to focus on ways to save clients’ money through best-for-project solutions.

The Southern Coalfields Ventilation Shaft (SCVS) was constructed at a mine, 45km north-west of Wollongong. The 5m finished diameter (6.2m drilled) shaft reaches a final drilled depth of 517m, the deepest blind bored vent shaft to date in Australia.

The Abergeldie project team had to develop an alternative methodology to deal with the specific strata conditions encountered on site. Whilst drilling the shaft, sizeable material was coming away from shaft wall as a result of stress relieving.

To counteract the loss of drill rig stabilisation from stress relieving and improve cleaning of the fallen material from the shaft floor, tooth cutters were installed to on the cutter head to replace the disc cutters previously used. The tooth cutters provided a larger, more stable, platform for the Drill Head Assembly (DHA) working like a sheep’s foot roller in breaking up the loose material.

The installation of the liner was a technically complex process involving the fitting of a ‘stem’ of liners weighing in excess of 8000 tonnes.

ERS was engaged in 2012 to provide Security and Emergency Response services to the Roy Hill Construction Project. In so doing, ERS was recognised as a provider of a unique capability, optimised for the remote operations required as part of the project.

ERS’ approach to the geographical constraint spanning some 300 kms and ranging from industrial port facilities, rail corridor and open pit mining was based on a risk assessment and analysis of current capabilities versus incident scenarios and latent threats.

The solution resulted in the creation of three person Emergency Response teams, equipped with RIVs and light fire tenders, spread incrementally across the project and tasked with patrolling key infrastructure nodes and responding to incidents.

This tailored solution to the project has made ERS instrumental in maintaining an active emergency response posture.

ERS has also been charged with training Roy Hill and contractor personnel, and organising both routine and full scale emergency scenarios and exercises.

COMMUNITY INTERACTION OF THE YEAR GLENCORE – Clermont Mine

MINE SAFETY INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA

ANGLO AMERICAN – Grasstree mine

HERITAGE ADVICE AUSTRALIA

MINING FAMILY MATTERS

In Clermont, as in many rural towns, Rugby League has a special place in the heart of locals. The Clermont Bears have been established for over 100 years and work hard to ensure that they are not only a ‘footy club’ but a community organisation providing much needed fitness opportunities and family friendly social events. The introduction of women’s team as well as a tough economic climate reducing sponsorship has meant that the club has had to find new ways to fundraise. In 2014 out of collaboration between the team captain and the Clermont mine general manager the Glencore Challenge was born.

The Glencore challenge began as an invitational event open to all Glencore Coal sites, and this year is expanding to all mines in the region. Clermont Mine is the major sponsor of the event covering all initial costs so that any additional fundraising directly benefits the Clermont Bears.

Mark Parcell is director and senior consultant of Mine Safety Institute of Australia. Over the past few years Parcell has shown unwavering support not only to the families of the Pike River disaster, but has made a personal commitment to ensure the lessons from that terrible tragedy have and can be passed on to current and future participants within the industry. Parcell, along with others has done a series of safety presentations throughout QLD, NSW and New Zealand on the tragedy and last year released a powerful learning tool by way of DVD to ensure that the lessons from Pike River are understood and learnt. It is of a credit to him to have initiated these campaigns, collaborating with government, experts and family members with the DVD providing the mining industry with such a valuable resource.

Three employees at Anglo American’s Grasstree mine have recently project managed a full upgrade to the Community Gym Facility. Being a small mining town with a 50% FIFO population, having a quality fitness facility is important to those who spend most of their spare time in a camp room. More of our full time residents have also joined up and started using the facility.

The old facility was in poor condition and the “shed” got to the point where the roof was leaking, there was no insulation (think 40 degree summer days!) and the equipment was starting to wear at an increasing rate.

Grasstree mine committed $400,000 to the full gym upgrade and offers a 50% reimbursement for Gym Memberships to all employees. Local contractors were engaged to conduct all of the major works during the upgrade.

Established over five years ago, Heritage Advice Australia provides a one-stop shop for resource and construction companies, State and Local Government entities and major infrastructure/ land developers looking to secure their mandatory Aboriginal heritage approvals required in order to make their critical projects happen. We provide high level strategic advice, negotiate Native Title and heritage agreements, and work collaboratively with over 20 Native Title groups and the companies whose project areas are on Native Title land areas. They further enable their relationships to grow through heritage surveys, reconciliation action plans, cultural heritage management plans, community development plans, cross cultural awareness training and drafting Aboriginal employment and tender documents.

In early 2015, South Australian-based Mining Family Matters joined forces with Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Services to create the Rock Solid Suicide Prevention Program, a national initiative aimed at boosting emotional resilience and preventing suicide in the male-dominated resources industry.

The initiative was in response to growing concerns about the rate of depression and suicide among mining and resources workers, particularly those doing fly-in, fly-out (FIFO).

In South Australia, the Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee (MAQOSHC) fully funded a pilot program for the state’s mines and quarries. Under the pilot program, comprehensive workshops were delivered by an expert Wesley LifeForce trainer to representatives from nine SA mines and quarries including Heathgate Resources and Iluka.

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

MANAGER OF THE YEAR JESSICA BARBER

DAWID PRETORIUS

MARIA JOYCE

Jessica Barber is an ambassador and role model for women in non-traditional industries through her ongoing positive portrayal of the benefits of engineering as a career choice for women. At just 33, Barber is an experienced professional within the mining industry with an outstanding safety record, excellent employee relations and strong leadership skills. Throughout her career, she has challenged stereotypes and taken on new opportunities in nontraditional roles. Shehas been with BHP Billiton Iron Ore for just under six years and during this time she has held Technical and Operating Superintendent positions, Manager Mining Production roles for both the Mt Whaleback Mine and Mining Area C operations as well as her current role as Transformation Lead. She has demonstrated that career progression is open to anyone.

Dawid Pretorius has over 20 years’ experience in the mining industry in both technical and leadership roles. Born and educated in South Africa, he completed a BSc Honours in Geology also obtained a Masters Degree in Mineral Resource Throughput Management. Currently Pretorius is the General Manager (GM) at Glencore’s Clermont mine, a position which he has held since May 2011. He has been instrumental in leading the site to exceed industry benchmarks in relation to safety, cost and production during his tenure. He rolled out a safety strategy based on direct engagement of coal mine workers focussing on Visible Felt Leadership.

This strategy has been fundamental to Clermont achieving its current safety record, having recently surpassed 3.5 Million man hours (804 days) without an LTI.

Around 12 months ago Maria Joyce took on the challenge of the General Manager’s role for MEC Mining. Through this position she is responsible for the leadership, mentoring, and technical output of all of the Australian based consultants based both in the office and on site (35 permanent staff and additional sub-contractors). Joyce champions the culture within MEC Mining and this is something that she holds close to her heart. Her team is like a tight knit family; they support each other through the good and bad times, collaborate and treat one another with the respect and integrity each individual deserves. The second major focus in her role that sets her apart from others in the industry is her strength in maintaining quality client relationships, from pit engineers working in the Bowen Basin all the way through to company CEOs across the world.

YOUNG ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR DANNIELLE WALZ Dannielle Walz is recognised for launching the TAA Initiative which gives free computer training to the unemployed to help them gain further employment.

Itis aimed at tradesman being made redundant from the resource sector. She then developed the free Company Productivity Assessment, which hundreds of employees have taken in the Bowen Basin. The purpose of this questionnaire is for both employees and employers to gain greater insights into better understanding why people communicate the way they do and how you can communicate with others more effectively. With the results, it gives companies and employees insights how to immediately improve interpersonal communications and connect with co-workers more effectively.

MICHAEL TRUSLER After working as a civil engineer in North Queensland, Michael Trusler was fed-up spending hours sourcing plant and equipment for projects. Trusler knew he wasn’t the only one tired of spending time on this task so Trusler wanted to turn this obstacle into an opportunity, and create a one-stop shop for all hire equipment needs. Getting approval for funding was huge, it made him realise that the concept would make an impact on the mining and construction industry.

Building a business at 25 has contributed to his professional development. One of the biggest challenges, which Trusler now sees as an achievement is trusting others to help control the company. His background is civil engineering.

PHILLIP HYDE Phillip Hyde has achieved excellence in both on and off the job training.

He has successfully completed the theory for his apprenticeship program and has undertaken a variety of training courses through Centennial Coal to compliment this training.

Hyde was granted sponsorship to commence his Engineering Diploma (Mechanical) in the first year of his apprenticeship and has successfully completed this course and has commenced his Advanced Diploma of Engineering (Mechanical).

Hewas also awarded a scholarship from APT Training to complete modules from the Certificate IV Fluid Power course to extend his knowledge in hydraulics and pneumatics.

CHRIS CATANIA

TAREQ VAN OOSTROM

PATRICK WALTA

Christofer Catania’s journey started with MEC Mining in July 2011. In 2014; he had just taken on the role of a Senior Mining Consultant and led Evolution Mining through the operational start-up of their Mt Carlton operation in north Queensland, assisting the project in operational mine planning, systems and the like. In the last 12 months, Catania is one of MEC’s key Team Leaders, he has eight direct reports and two sub contractors at any given time.

He project Lead MEC’s first ever Pre-feasibility Study for Cockatoo Coal’s Baralaba North Mine. This year, Catania also presented his first technical talk at the Australian Copper Conference in Brisbane, where he addressed the audience and shared his insights into Staged Start-Up for Copper Open Pits.

Tareq Van Oostrom has built on his appetite for challenge through the various locations and roles provided to him whilst completing the Downer Mining Graduate Program. Although Van Oostrom’s achievements through the Graduate Program are commendable, his more recent achievements in his full-time role as short-term Truck & Shovel Engineer are where he has achieved the most for the mine site and in his own personal development.

Since grasping the Truck & Shovel role at Meandu he has actively taken control of elements of the high-precision GPS and fleet-management system. by investigating and implementing tools of the system to monitor volumes and machine efficiencies.

Patrick Walta is a qualified metallurgist, mineral economist and board executive with experience across both technical and commercial roles within the mining and water treatment industries.

He became Executive Director of the ASX listed Carbine Resources Limited in 2014 following the takeover of a subsidiary of the private mineral resources group Raging Bull Mining. His role at Carbine involves the development of all facets of the Mount Morgan Gold & Copper Project, as well as general management of the listed Company.

Walta has been responsible for driving the vision of restarting operations at Mount Morgan into what could potentially become one of the lowest cost gold operations in Australia.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

CONTRIBUTION TO MINING

Sponsored by Nautitech Mining Systems WA VIRTUAL MINERS MEMORIAL

PLANTMINER

MINING ORG.

JIM YOUNG

GINA RINEHART

The Western Australian Virtual Miners Memorial Group has established a physical and a virtual memorial to people who have been killed in the mining industry due to a workplace accident. The physical memorial is located at the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and the virtual memorial will cover the entire state. The other half of the virtual memorial will be dedicated to those who have lost their lives due to the various medical conditions of Miners’ Silicosis. Compiling and researching the names to be included on the memorial has been a challenge which is ongoing. The wall currently contains the names of 1484 individuals including two women. It is envisioned that over the coming years new eligible deaths may come to light from families researching their family histories provision has been made to allow these names to be added. Also if a name has been engraved incorrectly the correction can also be added. There is a dedication ceremony every year on the anniversary of the launch where any new deaths will be dedicated.

A recurring issue in the mining and construction industry was the time it took for project managers, site foremen, or estimators to search for and engage with equipment hire companies who had hire items ready and available locally to the searcher’s job site. The process was long and arduous, which meant canvass calling hire companies out of Yellow Pages and Google.

There was no online portal similar to realestate.com.au or carsales.com.au where a searcher could seamlessly search for hire items for free and directly contact the hire company. As a result of the above problem, PlantMiner.com.au was built and launched in May 2013.

The major innovation is the quote request function, which uses an algorithm that matches relevant equipment based on item specifics and location. If a searcher carrying out a large project has procurement needs for more than one item, they have the ability to enter the full project scope including timelines and equipment required.

Sirous Amini has been reocngised for the role he has played in promoting and aiding the development of his country’s mining and minerals industry.

A member of the Iranian Mining Organisation and translator and contributor to the Iranian Geosciences and Mining Magazine which is currently published monthly by the Iranian Geological Survey, Sirous Amini, has been nominated for his contribution to growing the field of mining in his nation.

Amini has been crucial in working towards translating and compiling papers on the latest discoveries in the field of geology, mining and geotechnics as well as preparing magazine series like the most famous male and female geologists and miners for the GSI magazine, as well as actively working to raise the profile of the industry in Iran and its capabilities.

Jim Young started as a tyre fitter/serviceman with Thiess in 1981, then Sedgman with construction of the CHPP. He worked for 28 years with Rio Tinto and six years with Stanwell and during this time Young was promoted to Operations Supervisor at CHPP which lasted for around a decade before becoming Contracts Manager, responsible for all the non-core maintenance contracts onsite.

He was also involved in setting up the first Autonomous Komatsu truck trial which took two years to complete resulting long term co-operative relationship agreement.

He has Influenced and had input into training/mentoring new personnel on the only CHPP type in the world at that time; three major projects at Kunioon late I990’s, 2005 and 2006; Meandu Exploration’s 1st drilling; and a change of mine contract to relationship approach with Downer EDI Mining.

Gina Rinehart is well recognised both within and outside of the industry.

Later this year Rinehart will commence the biggest iron ore project in Australia at the Roy Hill mine. She is the biggest defender of mining industry, she started the Mining and Related Industries Day, which is held anually, and sponsors of mining and industries day award, She is also the author of two books, ‘Northern Australia’, and her new book ‘From Red Carpet to Red Tape and Then Some’.

Her two books support the mining industry. She has turned her mind to vision and policies as to how our country can cope best and address the problems facing it and she founded and also chairs ANDEV, Australians for Northern Development and Economic Vision.

Rinehart also chairs Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd (HPPL), Australia’s most successful private mining company.

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General communications and the reporting of incidents occurring around the coal face has traditionally been hampered by the need for mine employees to physically walk back to the crib room and pick up the phone in order to make requests such as for parts or emergency help. A new combination of powerline modem and Wi-Fi comms technology solves this communication lag that can often come at a critical time, by enabling immediate comms from the face.

officer to identify any production delays such as conveyor stoppages or storage bins being full.

This has been achieved by connecting a NLT Wi-Fi access point to the powerline modem in the continuous miner. This creates a wireless comms zone or ‘bubble’ around the machine. Workers located within the bubble can use phones and messaging systems and cameras to communicate with workers on the surface in real time – either for emergencies or just day to day comms.

“People can be seen if cameras are available, or heard at any given point including people around the continuous miner because they have access to the Wi-Fi bubble. Previously this was not possible due to a lack of communications” - Brad Price, Ensham

The continuous miner driver can communicate directly with the surface control NAUTITECH is wholly Australian, our technology is designed and manufactured in house. / The First widely adopted methane shutdown system. / The First broad band power line modem to take real time data from the face. / The First electronic diesel engine packages for hazardous areas. / The First thermal camera for use in hazardous areas.

Ensham’s Electrical Engineering Superintendent Brad Price says the new underground communications system is a world first for underground coal, and since being installed has been faultless.

To discuss a trial of a BPLM-Wi-Fi package at your site, please contact Ervin Hung on 02 9899 6857 or ervin@ntms.com

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

OH&S & MINE SAFETY ENERPAC – UltraSlim torque wrenches

HEAT TRAP SOLAR

The compact, durable and simply maintained UltraSlim torque wrenches are designed specifically for limited access applications commonly found in the oil and gas industry, in particular blowout preventers used in onshore or offshore drill rigs .

The UltraSlim can also be used in other industries such as construction, mining, energy, marine and civil construction where space is limited. The new UltraSlim torque wrenches feature a tapered design, narrow radius and top-mounted handle to help facilitate access to very tight spaces. They can easily be mounted over bolts in narrow access applications.

In addition to its compact size, UltraSlim wrenches provide superior accuracy with plus or minus three percent across the full stroke.

Use of flushing fluids above 37.8C can cause further harm and injury to operators.

This technology solution is to recirculate cooled water in the deadleg between our chiller and the shower preventing loss of water, eliminating danger from casual water discharged from anti scald valves and eliminating conditions for prolific bacteria growth in stagnant water.

The chillers have sufficient capacity to operate for 15 minutes or more as required in the Standards.

Temperature of potable water supplied to emergency safety showers in factories, industrial plants and minesites in Australia and other parts of the world often exceed the recommended safe “tepid” water temperature range of 15.6°C to 37.8°C.

ENERPAC – Stacker reclaimer lift for G&S Engineering

SCHAEFFLER AUSTRALIA

G&S Engineering has used an Enerpac EVO Synchronous Lifting System for the complex task of accurately lifting and positioning components of a 515t stacker reclaimer while balancing a 60m boom to replace the centre bearing.

“The EVO system was excellent to operate,” said Steve Gordon, Shutdowns Project Manager, G&S Engineering.

The latest version of the Enerpac EVO system gave G&S load manoeuvring vertically and horizontally using one system to control the entire load, while providing a smoother overall operation.

“We used the minimum flow rate available which provided extremely smooth movements. There was no ‘bobbing type movement’ at the end of the boom, which ensured that the loads on the jacking points remained constant,” Gordon said.

Schaeffler’s FAG SmartCheck vibration monitoring technology has demonstrated its worth in a major Australian application.

The compact, robust and easily installed FAG SmartCheck online measuring system from Schaeffler Australia Pty Ltd was deployed by Sunstate Cement Ltd in a short-term condition monitoring initiative on a tube mill that ultimately avoided the need to replace a trunnion end drive bearing.

Sunshine State’s three tube mills have a production capacity of 60-100 t/h of products such as fly ash blend and GP cement, production which is safeguarded against disruption by FAG condition monitoring.

BRADKEN Bradken has taken leaps and bounds in providing improved safety features in its industry leading Advanced Processing Technology (APT) dragline rigging pins by developing a design that features a recessed heavy duty lifting lug with a large cavity space for fast and safe pin removal.

It was becoming a common practice for mine site operations to swing large hammers and even use hydraulic rams to remove the dragline rigging pins from the assembly, as they were not easily able to with a crane.

Bradken’s APT dragline rigging pins are the only available option on the market that can take a fully closed latched hook.

NAUTITECH – Thermal camera Underground mining operations visibility is often challenged to operator line of site and the need for personnel to work in close proximity to the operating equipment.

The core safety focus is to eliminate vehicle to personnel incidents.

The issue confronting operations is the environmental limitations that come with being underground in confined areas.

Continuing to operate large machinery in limited areas exposes employees to risks of crushing, pinning or being run over causing serious injury or death.

A mine site should continually focus on lowering the risk to its employees and should see the introduction of this technology as an additional layer of protection.

A mining site approached Nautitech Mining Systems (Nautitech) to utilise our thermal Cameras on mobile machinery initially on shuttle cars to provide additional visibility in blind spots without being impacted by the environmental conditions.

The thermal image of a pedestrian in a blind spot can be witnessed in the operator’s peripheral vision.

KCL INDUSTRIES

CUSTOM MINING PRODUCTS – QDS Duckbill Ejector/Underground pallet handling

NIVEK INDUSTRIES – Tracked elevating device

Master Seat Suspension(“MSS”) is the seating solution for underground and heavy vehicles as it eliminates the human element in seat adjustment with its unique self load adjusting Patented technology: The MSS System is fully self-contained and designed to not allow dirt and water to egress into the system, Self-adjusting for operators’ weight and reactive to downward forces.

The MSS System was developed to drastically reduce back and lower back injuries by stopping one off High amplitude shock vibration from unforseen road conditions or debris on the roadways.

The QDS Duckbill Ejector attaches to an LHD underground loader and is operated using the controls in the cabin.

The 4 pallet QDS Duckbill Ejector was designed to significantly reduce manual handling and product damage.

It was also designed to improve pallet handling in underground mining conditions and allow machine operators to unload one pallet at a time in different locations.

Two hydraulically operated pusher plates provide the unique eject and retract functions allowing pallets to be loaded and unloaded in a controlled and safe manner.

Extreme hazard, downtime and expense are some of the problems associated with removing belly plates from bulldozers and tracked vehicle requiring maintenance of internal components.

Made of hundreds of kilos of steel, these plates are often weighed down further, traditional maintenance processes require the mechanics to crawl underneath the giant machines to loosen the plates, resulting in crush injuries and even deaths.

TED(TM) (Tracked Elevating Device), a battery operated, remote controlled belly plate jack; removes the need for personnel to place themselves under suspended.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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AM1015_000_KIM

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2015-09-29T16:35:27+10:00

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PROSPECT AWARDS FINALISTS

INNOVATIVE MINING SOLUTION

QUATTRO PROJECT ENGINEERING

LC

KCL INDUSTRIES – Master Seat Suspension

Paste backfill is a critical stage in the production cycle of many underground mines.

Quattro Project Engineering has designed a control system that addresses several of the main risks inherent with underground paste backfill.

Part of this control system is the Quattro Diverters, QD4 and QD2. The QD4 is a 4-position, hydraulically actuated control station that diverts full pipe bore flow. This enables flow diversion to a different section of the mine, allows for flush/ dump sequence and system isolation.

The QD2 is a 2-position, pneumatically actuated diverter that diverts full pipe bore flow.

To optimise hydraulic excavator or shovel productivity, the operator needs to know each bucket payload before they dump it in the truck.

The LC TITAN 3330 Hydraulic Excavator Production Monitor uses highly sophisticated instruments and algorithms to calculate and display the excavator payload of each bucket accurately, in real time and during motion, before it is dumped in the truck. This real time measurement is completely stable, carefully filtered, fully compensated for the high vibration digging environment and doesn’t intrude on the normal operation of the excavator in any way.

The mining industry has been long associated with a high incidence of lower back disorders and pain and exposure to whole body vibration. KCL Industries has developed Master Seat Suspension (MSS) as a solution for underground and heavy vehicles as it eliminates the human element in seat adjustment with its unique self-load adjusting patented technology; MSS seating also uses a unique combination of various gel foams to minimise WBV exposure. It was developed to drastically reduce back and lower back injuries by stopping one off High amplitude shock vibration from unforseen road conditions or debris on the roadways.

HEDWELD – Trilift Tyre Handler

CUSTOM MINING PRODUCTS – Drill Water Capture system

CQMS RAZER – DecaEdge

The Trilift(R) TH15000 Workshop Tyre Handler designed as a maintenance tool for the safe removal and installation of wheel assemblies from a range of earthmoving and plant equipment. OEM Hedweld worked closely with Komatsu in Western Australia to trial this machine. The trial demonstrated that the TH15000 is 60-75% more cost, time and labour efficient than traditional methods. This innovation in workshop tyre handling is a valuable asset, providing improved safety and efficiency.

The Drill Water Capture system was developed as a reliable alternative to dry and mist drilling. Designed to capture over 1800 litres/hour, the Drill Water Capture system collects and separates the spent drill water from the fines.

Captured water is delivered directly to the pump while the fine pieces of coal and rock are discharged onto the ground.Around 95 per cent of the drilling water captured, it weighs less than 10 kg, and has no moving parts.

CR, a global leader in cast lip GET systems has designed, manufactured and delivered to customers the World’s first and largest Cast Lip GET system.

The Cast lip is Stronger, lighter and doubles lip life.

The specially designed GET system has 10% stronger noses, dynamic locking systems and suits both load and floor cleaning duties.

Less penetration force means less stress on the machine, so less wear and tear, and less fuel burn.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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OCTOBER 2015

MACLEAN ENGINEERING – Water Cannons

MINEARC SYSTEMS – Compressed Air Management System

At Newcrest’s Telfer operation in Western Australia, sub-level caving is used to access the lower portion of the underground ore body.

Initially the approach to cleaning the relatively shallow stopes at Telfer had been to use metal scrapers to push the ore and spoil from the top drive to the bottom, where it could be moved by a bogger to underground trucks.

But through innovative redesign, major re-building and successful onsite trialling a modified MacLean WC3 Water Cannon is now performing this task vastly more efficiently by utilising what is essentially a world first process for operations such as these.

Using the ‘AquaBlasta’ (Maclean WC3 water cannon) has transformed stope cleaning at Telfer from the most inefficient stage in the process to the most efficient.

MineARC’s new Compressed Air Management System (CAMS) marks the beginning of a new era in refuge chamber technology. This ground breaking piece of equipment was launched in July 2015 after more than a year of research, development and testing conducted by MineARC’s engineering team.

CAMS is a breathable air system unique to the market, offering a range of new features aimed at reducing running costs and improving operational safety during an emergency. Aside from providing clean breathable air through a superior four-phase filtration process, some of the major benefits of CAMS include greater optimisation of mine air services; a guarantee against over-pressurisation of the refuge chamber; increased gas toxicity monitoring; flood protection; and an overall reduced service time during filter change-out. Third-party testing has shown that over a 12-month period, CAMS can equate to significant financial savings of around 95% in mine air usage, and service time can be conducted up to five times faster than industry standard.

ANGLOAMERICAN – Grosvenor Mine – tunnel boring machine Selecting TBM technology for construction of the tunnels was driven by wanting to achieve the highest levels of safety, quality and productivity in the varying underground geology and gassy conditions while concurrently being able to install pre-cast segments as final lining.

The first tunnel, 160m deep and 798m long, was completed in 20 weeks with an average production of 40m/week.

Based on the experience gained during this first construction phase, the second tunnel of 988.40m long was constructed in 13.5 weeks, with an average 70.6m/week, achieving breakthrough three weeks ahead of schedule.

This is the first time TBM technology has been made compliant to an advanced coal mine legislation.

CUSTOM MINING PRODUCTS – UG Intensifier Pump A new two-speed underground pump that can tension mega and cable bolts more than six times faster than conventional air powered hydraulic pumps is being introduced to Australia by Custom Mining Products.

The new Enerpac Underground Intensifier Pump – incorporating Enerpac ZA4 pump components proven globally – is designed to radically streamline one of the most common sub-surface construction and maintenance tasks encountered in coal and minerals extraction.

The pump – which contains no exposed aluminium components and is designed for use in potentially explosive atmospheres – can tension up to 60x 8m mega bolts an hour to swiftly secure roof and rib structures.

AM1015_000_ENE

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1

2015-09-25T10:49:26+10:00

ENERPAC Pneumatic Torque Wrenches

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AM1015_040

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SAFETY

ZERO GLARE GETTING DRIVERS THROUGH THE DARK INTERNATIONAL VEHICLE LIGHTING EXPERT HELLA IS ENLIGHTENING THE SCIENCE OF HEADLIGHTS.

D

riving lights have come a special focus on heavy machinery for whole bunch of mines, because tradilong way in the mining in- several years, having moved beyond con- tionally equipment would have had haldustry, with a range of de- ventional halogen lighting which histor- ogen lighting on it, 20 years ago they velopments to enhance the ically dominated the market, and the moved to HID, and they’re always lookproductivity of nightshift short-lived preference for High Inten- ing for more and more light which has brought them to LED,” he said. and underground workforces. sity Discharge (HID) lamps.

Without a system for dipping headHella’s head of product management Naturally, we all want to see where we are going. It’s essential to ensuring safe Ian Campbell said that as mining compa- lights in heavy mining vehicles, but high work in a dark workplace, but what kind nies and machine manufacturers looked demand for more brightness, Hella have for more light on the subject, they have developed the traditional lighting pack of light do we really need?

Hella F N 1have 1 1been 3 _ developing 0 0 0 _ S their A F range 1 moved 2 0 1from 3 - halogen 1 0 - 1to5 HID T 0 9to: LED. 2 1 : 2 to 2 include + 1 1 : some 0 0 new features.

At the most AIMEX convention the “The feedback we’ve had from a of mining specific LED lights with a company released the details of their new line of RokLUME Zeroglare LED lights.

The RokLUME 380 and RokLUME 280 Zeroglare lights feature unparalled brightnessesof 7000 and 3800 lumens respectively, and also come in five different light distributions.

However perhaps the most important feature of the Zeroglare range is a sharp horizontal physical cutoff of unwanted disability glare.

Disability glare, the term we use to refer to unwanted light that dazzles drivers and “disables” their vision, is a major problem for drivers expected to maintain their concentration throughout a long shift.

Campbell says the main distraction for drivers struck by disability glare is the pain influence caused by unwanted headlight glare.

“If you need to squint or look away, that’s the same reflex as pain, and that’s the danger, if you’ve got a 400 tonne haul truck doing 60 kilometres per hour, you Leading the way in high visibility impact protection, New want the operator looking at the road, Safepad Edges are designed to cover protruding or hazardous not looking away,” he said. edges. Made from high quality EVA foam, Safepad products are Hence the focus on ensuring that disdurable and reduce worksite injuries and costs. Typical uses ability glare is removed from the top include cornices, flanges, ducting, braces, stairways and beams. section of the beam, and that the line of brightness has a sharp physical cutoff www.safepad.com.au to ensure full brightness all the way to sales@safepad.com.au the uppermost edge of the light beam.

The other major new feature is a move (+61) 8 9474 6886 to a different colour temperature, designed to enhance worker productivity.

EDGES NEW

AUSTRALIANMINING

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OCTOBER 2015

Traditionally lighting companies have cited a 6700 Kelvin as a suitable colour temperature. However, this is quite a blue light, which has a particular psychological effect on people.

The 6700k temperature is the kind of light put out by most LEDs on the market today, but the blue light is very similar to the kind of light put out by the midday sun.

That type of light is quite stimulating when perceived by humans, who react with more psychological activity than at other times of the day.

While this might seem like an ideal situation for ensuring workers remain alert, after more than two hours this can actually have the effect of keeping workers overstimulated for too long, resulting an attention deficit and fatigue.

Conversely, yellow, warmer light colours, such as those put out by halogen lights, can simulate the light of sunset, which has the effect of letting workers subconsciously know that nightfall is imminent, and it’s time to go to sleep.

Hella has spent some time working with researchers in Sweden in order to determine the correct colour temperature to keep drivers alert and aware, which Campbell says is around 5000k, fractionally lower than the full daylight of 5500k.

Zeroglare also comes in 1800k colour temperature for minimal back scatter in snow or fog use.

Hella produces the Zeroglare feature in their RokLUME range, which is also complimented by their ability to take severe punishment in the form of vibration.

With high-quality manufacturing materials considered during the development stage of the RokLUME worklights, features include a high impact resistant hardened polycarbonate compound lens, stainless steel bracket and premium grade anti-corrosion aluminium housing. AM

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MINESITE VEHICLES

NEW MECHANIC TRUCK BODIES DESIGNED FOR OPERATORS THAT NEED MORE LIFTING CAPACITY.

I

MT has developed a new body design for its Dominator III mechanics truck.

According to the company the new body design accommodates the IMT model 12000 telescopic crane without a front stabiliser for operators that do not require 100 per cent lift capacity in all load zones.

“Since its release, the IMT Dominator III mechanics truck has been serving a unique niche customer with mid-range lifting needs,” Jim Hasty, IMT’s

general manager, said.

“Our new body design is the result of listening to our customers’ needs, and demonstrates our unyielding commitment to providing reliable and durable products that help them get their work done.”

The machine is designed for operators that need more lifting capacity than the previous Dominator II vehicle’s 4.53 tonne maximum but do not require the 6.35 tonne capacity of the Dominator IV mechanics truck.

It is designed to support the

IMT 12000 telescopic crane, which provides nine metres of reach.

The new Dominator III body will be available in both 3.35 metre and 4.26 metre lengths, replacing the existing 3.96 metre version.

With two side pack configurations for each body length – a right front raised with the left side all raised and an all raised version – customers have four configuration options to choose from.

Standard features of the new telescopic crane design include ten degrees of negative boom

New mining equipment hire business CIMIC Group announces the launch of a new mining equipment hire business, FleetCo. Supplying a diverse range of mining equipment on hire, FleetCo offers the customer the value of a new service combined with the advantage of an established, proven team. FleetCo’s services will include flexible equipment contracts and comprehensive, tailored maintenance support.

FleetCo’s extensive mining fleet supporting up to Ultra Class requirements will be backed by the assurance of competitive rates, quality equipment, reliable supply and industry-leading maintenance services.

CIMIC Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Marcelino Fernández Verdes says FleetCo uses existing business resources to provide a new and flexible service to clients that is well suited to today’s market.

FleetCo General Manager Bernie Fahey adds that the extent and diversity of equipment combined with their flexible packages support excellent scalability for operations of all sizes from short to long-term contracts.

AUSTRALIANMINING

angle for increased versatility and capacity to be reached easier from ground levels; a fully proportional piston grip radio remote control; a flip sheave boom tip for added lift height in tight quarters; a planetary winch that allows for faster hoisting and lowering speeds and smoother overall operation; and a patented boom hook stow that allows the boom hook to be stowed more easily and faster.

The new body also features increased accessibility to tools by providing front vertical com-

partments with single doors, and incorporates a shelf hanger bracket systems for quick adjustment of compartment shelves.

It also comes with an energy absorbing boom stow that protects the top of the body compartments from damage if too much pressure is exerted from stowing the crane; high-intensity LED compartment lighting; and a multiplex electrical system with programmable logic for increased reliability.

The new bodies are slated to be begin shipping in December.

Mining truck maker wins grant Haulmax has been awarded a $3 million grant to help develop two new explosives units for the surface mining industry, with hopes that this could lead to 60-80 long-term jobs.

The funds will assist in the design and build of two units, with the project 18 months in and prototypes being developed for an international company.

Managing director Kelly Elphinstone said the project is currently creating between 20 and 40 new positions at the north-west Tasmanian company.

“Obviously if we do a good job, the end goal is to secure a longer-term supply contract, which will hopefully even-

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OCTOBER 2015

tuate in significantly more quantities of these units being produced out of Burnie on a yearly basis,” she said.

“If that does eventuate, we’re probably looking at anywhere from 60 to 80 positions,” she said, adding that the local supplier base would see significant benefits.

The grant was awarded under the Tasmanian Jobs and Growth programme, which grants totalling $91 million to be awarded between 2013/14 and 2016/17, administered by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

Haulmax specialises in long-distance haulage trucks for the mining industry.

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MINESITE VEHICLES

PUNCHING ABOVE ITS WEIGHT

cellent traction and a comfortable ride, keeping operators able to work at their best.

Also, heavy buttressed sidewalls help to reduce sidewall damage in severe operating conditions.

BKT tyres are available in NEW MID-TIER MINING TYRES ARE standard and cut resistant comENTERING THE MARKET. pounds.

All of BKTs engineering and yre wear is not the um cost options that have the most exciting sub- capacity to stand up to punish- testing is performed in referject in the canon of ment and beat the cheaper op- ence to top-tier brands, keeping them out of the same field mining company con- tions on wear rates.

TFI Tyres is the Australian as cheaper Chinese tyres. cerns, but it is an imBKT have developed a wide portant cost saver in distributor of BKT tyres, and has been moving into the min- range of Off The Road (OTR) the long run.

The key question that is normal- ing industry for two years, with tyres so that the proper tyre can ly asked is whether procurement a growing business in the mid- be matched to any vehicle, service or operating conditions. should seek expensive, high-qual- range market.

The OTR tyres are designed Later in 2015 BKT will reity, long-wearing tyres, or take the easy option with Chinese lease two large industrial tyres and produced to meet the comproducts that, although much designed for dump trucks, load- monly accepted international cheaper, often fail to make the ers and bulldozers: the 2700 R49, standards.

One of the world’s biggest grade and may wind up costing and the 35/65 R33.

BKTs Earthmax tyres have a manufacturers of tyres, BKT the company more in maintenance fees with downtime and range of features that help them manufacture over 2200 types to stack up to the competition of product across four factofrequent changes.

Indian manufacturer BKT is in the Australian mining mar- ries in India with the help of answering the call for the mid- ket, including stronger casings nearly 6000 employees.

BKT is known as a responsifield of the heavy industry tyre with multilayer steel belt, specially developed cut resistant com- ble corporate citizen in the remarket.

Conventionally an agricultural pound materials, extra-deep lug gion, providing accommodation supplier, BKT have swung into pattern to offer more life and for workers and sponsoring lotheAmining M 1 0 1market 5 _ 0 with 0 0 _a new U B I resistance 1 2to0cuts 1 5 and - 0impacts.

9 - 3 0 T cal 0 9 community : 0 6 : 1 4initiatives + 1 0 : 0and 0 Lug geometry also ensures ex- services such as schools. AM range of multi-purpose, medi-

T

AUSTRALIAN WEATHER DATA AND FORECASTING SERVICES FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY

UBIMET can assist with reducing the impact of weather on mining projects with world leading forecasting services and products.

We service a variety of industries with accurate real-time forecasts allowing your business to make important decisions with confidence.

UBIMET owns and operates Australia‘s most extensive Lightning Detection and Tracking System.

Please visit ubimet.com/industries/mining for more information or contact our Australian Sales team at sales.au@ubimet.com or on (03) 8488 7610.

AUSTRALIANMINING

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DESIGNED FOR DUMP TRUCKS

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PRODUCTIVITY

BRIDGING THE PRODUCTIVITY GAP NEW AVENUES ARE NEEDED TO FIX MINING’S EFFICIENCY FAILINGS.

T

he productivity gap in mining has come as a surprise for everyone except those working in the industry.

Mining is now 28 per cent less productive than it was a decade ago, with Australia sitting in the unwanted position of second least productive mining region in the world.

McKinsey’s MineLens Productivity Index (MPI) reports released earlier this year highlight the general decline.

The report found productivity across Australian mines peaked at 104 points in 2007, and slumped to a rating of around 88 points in 2013.

Australia was in a unique position in which it was insulated from this decline in efficiency by soaring Chinese demand, and artificially high prices.

However, as the market saw, this growth could not be sustained indefinitely, and the

resulting downturn has wiped billions of dollars from miners.

Solving this productivity crisis is crucial, not just for miners, but for the Australian economy as a whole.

But the proper steps are not being taken.

In Ernst & Young’s Productivity in Mining: Now comes the hard part report, it stated that many of the executives interviewed said productivity is the number one challenge in mining, and firmly on their agenda.

“The popular tagline of the mining sector is that the miners are serious about productivity: we suggest that most are reducing costs and increasing volumes but there are precious few with legitimate claims to improving core productivity,” PwC stated.

E&Y added: “Many found that productivity decreased as operations got larger, and that it was difficult to manage the complexity of these larger op-

erations, particularly given the additional challenge of high turnover and lack of experienced staff in focusing on driving efficiency.

Mining seems almost set up to fail, so what can it do?

It needs to go beyond the basics.

“Our view is that mining companies should move beyond point solutions, and adopt an end-toend solution to transform the business,” E&Y stated.

FEW MINERS ARE LEGITIMATELY WORKING TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

AUSTRALIANMINING

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“There is a need to ensure that each part of the business is optimised, not on its own but as part of a business system.”

This wider, holistic view was supported by the Boston Consulting Group, which stated, “As the supply of ‘low-hanging fruit’ is exhausted it has become increasingly necessary to go beyond traditional approaches to productivity improvement.”

This was echoed by E&Y which said that “many productivity initiatives to date have focused on cost cutting…but our participants have acknowledged that what needs to be done is now more complex”.

So what about the boots on the actual ground?

Efficiency in contract management is one of the major avenues for dramatic shifts in productivity, BCG stated.

“Companies need to consider two additional pillars of performance: effective management systems and people excellence,” it said.

“One effective, though often neglected avenue to productivity is contractor management.”

This could constitute contract consolidation, with one miner demonstrating that by combining four different auxiliary equipment leases it was able to create savings of 15 to 25 per cent of its annual expenditure.

On the other hand segmenting contracts that require different services or capabilities on

the basis of the scope of their component parts creates new efficiency opportunities.

“On average, applying multiple levers [to contractor management] can generate a total savings of 10 to 20 per cent of the contracted costs,” BCG stated.

Another avenue is the machine-run mine.

Automation is being touted as the saviour of mining, but it will not be the panacea for the current productivity woes.

Big Data is aiding this push, allowing for greater granular view on operations and more precise decisions to be made thanks to more detailed data.

But it can’t fix every problem.

“A well run mine that implements automation becomes a well run mine that is automated, while a poorly run mine that implements automation simply becomes a poorly run mine that has automation,” Rio Tinto’s Lilleyman Group Executive and head of technology and innovation told Australian Mining.

“Productivity is a CEO issue and therefore needs the CEO to lead and drive end-to-end transformation to solve the issue,” E&Y added.

There are a number of avenues available for miners to increase productivity, apart from the traditional slash-and-burn, belt tightening mentality, and as the industry currently sits at a point where it has little more fat to cut, these avenues must be taken if it is to grow. AM

AM1015_000_LAS

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2015-09-24T14:32:10+10:00

Three times longer life, 7.5% total drilling cost saving and increased penetration rates were the key findings from this recent independent DTH hammer trial.

Our new DTH hammers lasted three times longer than the four industry standards at this trial.

We pitted our new LaserBond DTH hammers against four

That’s over three times longer life under these aggressive

well known market leading brands at a hard rock mine site

conditions. Xtega’s own report said there was an

in southern Australia.The trial was set up, run and organised

“irrefutable decrease in the rate of abrasive wear which

by independent mining consultants Xtega – not us – with

gives the LaserBond hammer increased life”. Additional

four Atlas Copco D65 rigs. The rigs were running identical

benefits are improved mechanical availability, increased

settings and working on adjacent holes under identical

efficiency, higher impact and penetration rates, better site

conditions, literally within metres of each other. Crews were

and operator safety and less downtime for changeouts.

rotated to experience and report on the characteristics

Don’t take our word for it. Get the report summary and

and performance of the hammers in the trial. In this mine

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site’s very aggressive ground conditions the LaserBond

Our game-changing LaserBond® DTH Hammers have the

Hammers drilled 10,726m whereas the industry standard

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hammers drilled an average of only 3,514m before failure.

Find out more at www.laserbond.com.au/hammertrial

Just pick up the phone or email us now to arrange your own risk free trial.

LaserBond Limited | www.laserbond.com.au Sydney | Adelaide | Freecall 1 300 527 372 International +612 4631 4500 | Fax +612 4631 4555 Email info@laserbond.com.au

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AM1015_046

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PIPES AND VALVES

PIPING POWER UNIQUE ENERGY GENERATION TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES UNIQUE SUPPORT.

M

any countries, a volatile and changing enviincluding Aus- ronment requires much plantralia, are look- ning, consideration and problem ing to a new solving.

Located in a highly active source of enseismic zone the plant expeergy.

National Geographic identi- riences shifts in ground level, fies that geothermal energy is both subtle and extreme, on a now produced in over 20 coun- regular basis.

While the power plant’s buildtries, with the United States the ings and infrastructure are deworld’s largest producer.

A particularly challenging aspect signed to absorb these movements, of designing geothermal power other necessary components of plants is securing a viable loca- the plant don’t afford the same flexibility. tion for the production wells.

Piping systems, which are cruOnce a location is chosen and a power plant built, exploration cial, pose difficult design probcontinues to determine geother- lems when taking into account mal potential in the surround- seismic shifts and flexibility.

So a key challenge was choosing areas.

Forty one volcanoes are found ing the right pipe joining method.

Once steam is captured at on the island of Java alone, making it abundant with geothermal the production wells, piped to resources, and holding the high- the power plant and harnessed est potential for energy produc- to produce energy, it is cooled tion. The island’s capabilities and piped back to the injecand demands make it the per- tion wells in the form of confect home for one of Indone- densate and brine.

As the distance between the sia’s largest geothermal power power plant and the injection plants, Wayang Windu.

A Star Energy site, Wayang wells could be several kilomeWindu is a flash steam power tres, it is crucial for the pipeline plant listed as one of the largest to meet the challenges associplants in the world, with Units ated with a long outdoor pip1 and 2 currently operating at a ing system.

At Wayang Windu there are capacity of 227 MW and plans essentially three separate pipto build Unit 3 underway.

While the plant continues to ing systems.

After steam leaves the proboom and the need of geothermalAenergy M 1 0 is 1 abundantly 5 _ 0 0 0 _clear, M A T duction 1 wells 2 0 it 1 5is - piped 0 9 - as 2 3 construction of plants in such steam or as a two-phase fluid

(a mixture of steam and water) to separators which isolate the steam and harness it to generate power, while piping the leftover water, or brine, back to the injection wells.

After the steam passes through the turbines and generates power, it is cooled and piped back to the injection wells in the form of condensate. Separately a pipeline system extends throughout the field to allow the circulation of fluids to lubricate the well drilling activities.

Primarily condensate, the liquid is pumped around the system where drilling or well repair work is ongoing; hence design flexibility T 1 3 : 1 is 0 vital. : 3 4 + 1 0 : 0 0 Altogether almost 30km of

outdoor piping was installed.

Outdoor piping of this length in this location poses several risks and challenges during system design and installation.

Due to rough terrain and an altitude ranging from 1700 to 2200 metres above sea level, the piping systems at Wayang Windu needed to be flexible enough to accommodate the inevitable joint misalignment during assembly, while withstanding any seismic movements once installed.

As an outdoor piping system, it was also exposed to temperature changes and inclement weather.

While several options were considered, a galvanised mechanical piping system was chosen

to handle the different weather conditions.

Welding, the default pipe joining method, which requires the melting and fusing of pipe ends with a molten filler metal was not appropriate for use in this case. While the process of welding produces a strong and permanent joint, particularly in extreme or critical applications, its limitations include safety concerns, time constraints, increased costs, weather susceptibility during installation, and shortage of skilled and experienced welders, and reduced access to equipment for maintenance.

Welding also produces rigid joints that will not be able to provide the necessary flexibili-

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OCTOBER 2015

Proven Installation Support

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PIPES AND VALVES

ty to accommodate uneven terrain and seismic shifts.

Moreover, welding does not allow for easy maintenance. As exploration continues, the injection wells may have to relocate, so caution is taken to ensure the piping system could account for extensive rerouting. If the injection well moves, the pipes that link the well to the plant must follow. The ability to reroute the piping was a demand that couldn’t be compromised. Welding these pipe sections would have resulted in the need to totally dismantle and re-construct the systems, dramatically increasing cost, time, and creating extensive waste in materials.

On the other hand, the mechanical pipe joining systems are an optimal way to effectively maintain piping systems.

The ease of installation, disassembly, and reinstallation make mechanical pipe joining systems a fast and simple way to frequently access piping systems to perform both routine and unscheduled maintenance.

Compared to alternative pipe

joining methods, grooved-end pipe joining installation is simple, fast, and easy.

Consisting only of a housing, a gasket, and bolts and nuts, the installation of a groovedend system is up to ten times faster than other pipe joining methods and can save up to 45 per cent of man hours.

Requiring only a hand wrench for installation and boltpad-toboltpad verification for correct installation, machinery transportation, and lengthy joint inspections can be eliminated.

Pipes can also be grooved offsite and shipments can be coordinated to further improve jobsite efficiency, reduce downtime, and reduce overall costs A mechanical pipe joining system has also allowed more flexibility in supply of new piping systems.

Production targets were achieved by simply repositioning some of the previously installed grooved pipes, eliminating unnecessary delays with new pipe deliveries. This has “saved the day” on several occasions.

During dry season, surrounded by dense jungle, welding could have resulted in hazardous fumes and safety issues similar to those faced by operators in dry Australian conditions, where fire is a serious hazard.

The flame and sparks can create a fire hazard necessitating a fire watch during and following the work.

There is a real risk the fire could destroy property and expose workers to noxious fumes and result in potential burns and eye damages. Ventilation and fume mitigation equipment, personal protective gear and other safety measures are often required for worksites and can add to overall cost and installation time.

During the wet season however, installation schedules would be interrupted by weather. Inclement weather, including thunderstorms and rain, present a host of issues that can wreak havoc THE PIPING CAN RUN TO with welding projects. WorkA M 1 0 1 5 _ 0 0 0 _ A L E 7KMS 1OUTSIDE 2 0 1 5 - 0 9 - 2 1 T 1 0will : need 3 2 :to4be4 covered + 1 0 :and 0 0 sites protected during these weath-

er conditions, and at the same time during cold temperatures, the pipe will often need to be preheated before used. As long as welding as a joining method is used in areas subject to weather change, project schedules will be subject to delays and overruns.

The extreme length of the pipeline and the remote location of the plant presented several challenges for installation.

Welders must cut, bevel and prepare the pipe lengths, align and clamp the joint then undertake two to three passes at each joint.

Furthermore, welding would also require welding machines and materials to be transported along the length of the pipeline as it was installed – an inefficient, expensive, labourdemanding and time-consuming endeavour To alleviate these extensive and costly problems, the engineer and contractor found a fast, simple, method for pipe join-

NEW JOINING SYSTEMS PROVIDED FLEXIBILITY

ing: Victaulic flexible couplings.

Chosen to be installed on the condensate, brine and drilling water pipelines, Victaulic flexible couplings allow for deflection caused by seismic shifts and thermal expansion and contraction of the pipeline.

Unlike welding which causes stress at the joint during these movements and can sometimes lead to leaks, flexible couplings are designed to absorb these stresses, creating a dynamic, self-adjusting pipeline.

Victaulic Style 77 flexible couplings are designed with crossribbed construction to provide a strong component for pressurised piping systems.

Independent testing conducted on the grooved system showed it provided exceptional functionality during and after earthquakes, and effective stress relief. AM

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AUSTRALIAN MINING ROADTESTS

TOUGH TABLET PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES A NEW RUGGEDISED TABLET HAS HIT THE MARKET, BUT IS IT UP TO MINING’S RIGOUR’S?

P

anasonic has a pedigree of ruggedised electronics – their Toughbook laptops are the stuff of remote mining site lore. Branko Miletic reviews the latest addition to this range, the Panasonic FZ-G1 Toughpad Tablet and finds that tough is as tough does, albeit with a few sensitivity issues.

THE OVERVIEW

The Panasonic FZ-G1 Toughpad Tablet comes from the same stable as all of Panasonic’s toughened computing range. In fact, to prove (or disprove) this, I pulled out the heavy artillery: A 10-year old who thinks computers are to be trodden on, a small dog that like to chew on everything within snout’s reach and a backyard filled with strategically-positioned really big rocks.

The first part of the test – and in fact the main part if you consider what the FZ-G1 Toughpad Tablet was designed for – was to see just how tough this piece of hardware actually was.

So after two weeks of abusing the tablet with everything that gravity could muster, I followed up this testing with some more ‘hard surface impact experiments’ as I called them.

Even exposure to water and mud does not seem to bother this tablet – which

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is more than can be said for some of its competitors.

In other words, the FZ-G1 Toughpad Tablet was thrown from a 1+metre height onto hard surfaces over and over again.

Thanks to its magnesium alloy chassis encased with ABS and elastomer corner guards, raised bezel for LCD impact protection, MIL-STD-810G specs and all-weather IP65 dust and water-resistant design, the result though was as expected and it passed with flying colours.

THE SPECIFICATIONS

The 10.1” Toughpad FZ-G1 Windows 8 Pro tablet runs Windows 8 Pro 64-bit.

Powered by a Gen 3 1.9 GHz Intel Core i5 v Pro Processor, the tablet also has an HD daylight-readable screen, 4 GB HD and boasts a USB 3.0, a USB 2.0 and10/100/1000 Ethernet ports.

From a user point of view, the near 8-hour battery life is ably complimented by the Panasonic Partition Recovery functionality on the HD which means it can be used for long periods of time and if a problem does a occur, it can be utlilised to reboot the entire system.

And it also has a stylus-type pen, which while I don’t particularly like to use, was quite useful for quick clinking from screen to screen.

All up, the tablet is as functional as

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any common tablet running Windows 8 with all the features of a Windowsflavoured machine.

THE RESULTS

Starting up was fast and easy. ConnectionA to asSseamless M my 1 0home 1 5 _Wi-Fi 0 0 0was _ S AB as with any other device and navigating

around the computer was as straightforward as any Windows device was meant to be.

Launching applications went smoothly and using the mobile device for both browsing and various other standard PC activities was almost instantaneous.

The ability to play music, videos and other multimedia comes standard with this tablet, while other options such as a GPS and microSD slot are available at extra cost.

For those that want to connect their Toughpad FZG1 to an AV device, [which was not tested] there is an HDMI port, integrated microphone and Realtek high-definition audio combined with a vanillastyle speaker.

Overall, the Toughpad FZ-G1 was everything a mobile tablet should be but encased in a strong magnesium alloy cocoon.

The only downside was the sensitivity of the screen, which was less than that on an iPad. However, the caveat here is THE RATING that this is the trade-off for all that ex· Ease of use: 4/5 tra toughness. While it was a bit ‘sticky’ · Speed: 4/5 when it came to swiping, the function of · Battery Life: 3/5 Panasonic’s Toughpad Tablet is not be · Functionality: 4/5 sensitive fingers 1 2 0 to 1 petite 5 - 0 little 9 - 2 8 T 1but 1 :rath1 1 : 3 · 6Overall + 1 0Rating: : 0 015/20 er to survive big physical shocks. AM

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General Enquiries

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

WELDING HELMETS

CALLED THE ‘GOOGLE DOCS OF GEOSPATIAL’

NEW MAPPING TECHNOLOGY The 4DMapper platform uses cloud technology to stream 3D geospatial data to browsers, enabling rapid access and cutting costs on GIS systems.

4DMapper geospatial data streaming enables delivery, measurement and sharing of massive geospatial datasets, allowing universal accessibility without installations or plugins. The latest release of the mapping technology includes mark-up and measurement tools enabling users to digitise, measure and collaborate on their 3D data.

Director Rob Klau describes 4DMapper as the ‘Google Docs of geospatial’, explaining that working with cloud technology enables rapid access to 3D data by streaming it to browsers.

Previously, this type of data was difficult to distribute and view,

requiring expensive hardware for storage and processing, expensive software licences and trained personnel. 4DMapper provides direct cost savings over traditional multi-licence installations, enabling large corporates to save millions on their GIS budgets.

Companies can either choose the subscription cloud service on AWS, or have the platform installed on their in-house local server. In addition to achieving significant cost savings, 4DMapper also helps expand the audience that can access geospatial data, allowing them to visualise, measure, collaborate, and contribute to decision-making processes.

4DMapper technology has the capability to automatically ingest high resolution UAV imagery, 3D digital terrain, scanner point clouds, GIS shapefiles, satellite imagery, subsidence monitoring or any data from the survey office or external sources.

VORTEX FLOW METERS ifm efector has launched a new range of space-saving vortex flow meters designed to inform the user quickly and clearly about the current volumetric flow.

Using the multi-colour TFT display that can be rotated electronically, the user can set the red/green colour selection for process values.

Installation of the vortex flow meters can be independent of orientation due to the optionally available rotatable G and R process connections. The compact device also features an integrated temperature measurement function.

Behind a bluff body integrated in the measuring pipe, the flowing medium generates swirling vortices depending on its velocity. These

The no-software solution only needs a browser. There is no data handling; once ingested, massive files are available in 3D immediately to multiple users.

Key advantages of the 4DMapper technology include ability to share projects by sending a URL; measurement tools enabling users to measure points, lines, areas and volumes; 3D digitising on the model allowed to be extracted as DXF; and multiple users allowed to mark-up, digitise and collaborate in real-time, viewing each other’s annotations.

According to Rob Klau, the 4DMapper technology allows all stakeholders in a mining operation to immediately view each other’s mark-ups on a high-resolution 3D model in real-time with live annotations visible to all, making the 4DMapper a very powerful tool in decision-making processes.

• 4D Mapper web.4dmapper.com

vortices are detected by a piezoceramic sensor with the number of vortices allowing the flow rate to be determined if the cross-section is known. This flow rate measurement principle, known as the vortex principle, is virtually independent of pressure and temperature fluctuations of the medium.

Recommended for use in cooling water circuits, the new SV type devices can be used for water with or without conductivity.

The current flow and temperature are output as standardised current signal (4...20 mA), frequency signal, switching output or via IOLink optionally. Combining the vortex principle with a simple design, the affordable sensors also feature intuitive menu-guided programming.

• ifm efector 1300 365 088

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Weld Guard protective product launches the new Weld Guard high impact helmet.

The new auto-darkening helmet, gives welders the flexibility to work with different processes such as MMA stick welding, MIG/MAG and TIG welding GIVES MORE WORK FLEXIBILITY (above 20 amps), offering variable controls that rapidly adjust the shade and is high impact resistant to from light to dark within three give users maximum protection.

The helmet is lightweight and milliseconds.

Weld Guard helmet offers comfortable for a full day’s work high protection and is an af- and allows magnifying lenses fordable option that can save to be fitted.

The Weld Guard high impact users both time and money by welding and grinding with one helmet comes with a two-year conditional warranty and is now helmet.

The helmet allows users to available to purchase from BOC conveniently switch from weld- Gas & Gears across Australia ing to grinding mode for pre and online. and post welding clean ups. The • BOC shell design offers full coverage www.boc.com.au

CAPABLE OF BEING A SECONDARY CRUSHER

CONE CRUSHERS Sepro Mineral System Corp. has launched the Sepro Blackhawk100 Cone Crusher for heavy duty mining and aggregate applications.

The Blackhawk100 Cone Crusher incorporates advanced technology with affordability to provide a reliable and simple to operate crushing solution.

The new cone crusher will meet the gap in supply of crushing equipment for small and medium sized projects.

With speed and eccentric throw of the 100 kilowatt cone crusher provides crushing capability and high capacity in a very compact design.

The Sepro Blackhawk 100 is capable of being applied as

a secondary or tertiary crusher as well as a pebble crusher.

Sepro Blackhawk100 is driven directly via a flexible coupling to the electric drive motor; this arrangement eliminates the need for sheaves and v-belts, allowing for a simplified operation and maintenance.

A variable speed drive package can be include to optimize the speed of the machine to the given liner profile, feed and production conditions.

The lock bolt design for holding the cone liner in place eliminates the need for a touch or burning ring.

If tramp materials enter the crusher, the hydraulic cylinder allows the release of the materials.

• Sepro Minerals Systems www.seprosystems.com

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

SERVO DRIVES

ITS VARIABLE SLOPE HANDLES LARGER DECK LOADS

NEW TWO AND TRIPLE DECK SCREENS Terex Minerals Processing Systems (MPS) has developed new screens.

The manufacturer recently added 5’ x 16’ and 6’ x 16’ two and three deck screens to their line of “V” Series horizontal screens.

Customers can enhance their operation by replacing their existing triple shaft screens with the “V” Series screens.

“The new Terex Cedarapids “V” Series horizontal screens increase production and handle applications not possible with traditional horizontal screens because they combine the efficient, high g-force El-Jay 3:1 oval stroke motion with variable slope operation to handle larger deck loads. The new design also features more steel in the rock zone with thicker side

plates and heavier decks for industry leading durability,” Terex stated.

The LJ-TSV screen has several new features to boost productivity.

The patented low maintenance vibration damper system and the patent-pending optional bottom deck deflector plates boost capacity.

Patent-pending variable slope handles larger deck loads and bigger screen openings to increase production.

The screens install up to 10° in 2.5° increments to best fit the application.

Ed Sauser, Product Manager at Terex Minerals Processing Systems stated, “We are excited to add more new models to the industry leading “V” Series screen line. Variable slope operation gives customers a product that handles more applications than other screens on the market. The increased capabilities,

WORLD FIRST PLUG-IN SOCKET KIT FOR TRUCKS Lucidity Australia announces the release of a new plug-in socket kit designed to reduce installation time and cost for transport operators. Lucidity’s new plug-in technology ensures transport operators only need to wire once when installing lighting and electrical elements on trucks and trailers.

Previously, an auto electrician was required for installing lighting and wiring hardware in trucks and trailers. Lucidity Australia’s new OMP plug-in socket kit is a complete solution that allows all lighting and electrical ele-

higher production, enhanced durability and ease of maintenance of the LJ-TSV screen make it an industry leader.”

Features include more steel in the rock zone with thicker side plates and heavier decks for industry leading durability; 8 mm Grade 50 side plates that are two times stronger than mm standard steel; and rugged computer-optimised decks with full-length bracing.

New maintenance-friendly features include patented low maintenance surge damper system; replaceable wire cloth seal strips for no-weld repair; bolt-on upper and lower spring guides; tool-less oil check sight glasses; bottom deck feed curtain; and optional magnetic deck wear liners. An optional bottom deck deflector plates boost screen efficiency.

• Terex Minerals Processing 03 8551 9300 www.terex.com

ments of a trailer to plug into a common series of connectors and can be adapted to operate multiple sockets on the front and rear of the truck. The OMP system is compatible with all current 12V and 24V plugs.

A world-first technology developed in Australia, Lucidity’s new OMP plug-in socket kit enables socket replacements without electrical knowledge, reducing maintenance time and costs for transport operators.

Key features of Lucidity’s OMP plug-in socket kits include ability to operate side and front markers, licence plate and work lamps, beacons and rear combination lamps; • Lucidity Australia www.lucidityaustralia.com.au

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Rockwell Automation announces the release of a new range of servo drives designed to offer cabinet space savings and deliver faster commissioning for large machines.

The new Allen-Bradley Kinetix 5700 servo drives from Rockwell Automation address the needs of machine builders that traditionally have used separate servo drives to meet high axis-count and power requirements for large custom machines, by allowing them to consolidate to a single platform.

Offering dual-axis servos, a large 1.6 to 60 kilowatt power range, and time-saving tuning technology, the Kinetix 5700 servo drive is a next generation platform that replaces multiple servo drives to help machine builders reduce cabinet space requirements by up to 70 percent, lower wiring requirements by as much as 60 percent, and achieve easier configuration and commissioning.

Gavin Black, product manager, Rockwell Automation explains that the Kinetix 5700 servo drive delivers new levels of simplicity, power and space savings to

DESIGNED FOR COMPACT SPACES

help machine builders develop leaner machines and get them to market faster.

He adds that end users also benefit from high-performance machines that are easier to maintain and more flexible to enable faster changeovers.

It features Load Observer real-time tuning technology.

• Rockwell Automation 03 9757 1111 www.rockwellautomation.com

EXPLOSION-PROOF LIGHTS Larson Electronics has launched a new explosion-proof T6 rated UV fluorescent light fixture for hazardous environments.

Larson’s new EPL-24-2L-UVEYM-15C-EPP is a U.S./Canada U.L. approved Class 1 Division 1, Class 2 Division 1 & 2 explosion proof UV fluorescent light fixture, using a special ballast and bulb combination to produce ultraviolet light. This T6 rated lamp is suitable for hazardous locations where UV lamps are used to cure coatings and adhesives or as germicidal agents.

Emitting light in the ultraviolet spectrum, the new fixtures measure two feet in length and feature two lamps with their compact design ideal for use in space-constrained applications.

IS T6 RATED

Supplied made to order, the EPL-24-2L-UV-EYM-15C-EPP can be configured to produce UVA, UVB or UVC light, based on the specific need ranging from curing coatings or adhesives to pest management and germicidal applications.

The lamp provides operators in hazardous locations with a compact, reliable and affordable UV lighting solution.

• Larson Electronics www.larsonelectronics.com

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MINING JOBS

UPDATED DAILY TO SEE THE LATEST JOBS VISIT WWW.MININGAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

FRANNA OPERATOR/ YARDSMAN Perth TECSIDE Personnel is a national supplier of Recruitment Services to the Oil & Gas, Industrial, Engineering and Construction sectors. We have been established for over 10 years.

TECSIDE BLUE IS SEEKING THE SERVICES OF A FRANNA OPERATOR/YARDSMAN FOR AN ONGOING CONTRACT WITH A GLOBAL SUBSEA COMPANY WORKING AT THEIR NEW LARGE WORKSHOP. TO BE CONSIDERED YOU WILL REQUIRE: • Franna Crane License • A minimum of 1 year experience in a similar position • Excellent organisation skills • Ability to work with different trades • Excellent communication skills • EWP (Preferred) YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH: • Excellent hourly rate with penalties rates • Weekly pay with Tecside • Ongoing contract IF YOU HAVE THE RELEVANT QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE AS MENTIONED ABOVE; PLEASE CALL RYAN CORP ON 6436 2909 OR EMAIL YOUR RESUME TO RYANCORP@ TECSIDEBLUE.COM.AU REFERENCE NUMBER: 3049RC1

DRILL OPERATOR (COAL MINING) Global mining company are currently seeking experienced Drilling operators for their drill and blast department.

This is a great opportunity to work with an industry leader

at an established mine and these positions are ongoing at present.

To be considered for this role you must have: • Skilled in operating Atlas Copco Pit Viper is preferred • Prepared to work a 7/7 D/N roster • Dozer skill will be advantageous but not essential • Large diameter drill ticket and experience • Be living with in 100km radius of Brisbane airport You will need to supply current: • Coal board medical (must be with in the first 24 months) • An up to date resume • Standard 11 • Passport or Birth certificate and drivers licence • 2 x referees IF YOU FEEL YOU POSSESS THE REQUIRED ATTRIBUTES, AND YOU HAVE A STRONG FOCUS ON SAFETY THEN PLEASE APPLY BELOW REFERENCE NUMBER: 100833A CONTACT DETAILS: DAN DOBE, CHANDLER MACLEOD – 07 3003 7705

SHOTFIRERS Our Client is looking for a shot firer for an immediate start working on a 7/7 roster FIFO out of Brisbane. You will be responsible for delivering, loading and firing of bulk explosives in an open cut coal mine.

To be considered for this role you must have: • Min three years Shot Firing experience in a coal mine environment • Hold a current Qld Shot Firers License • Good knowledge of the explosives industry

• A focus on safety • Be living with in 100km radius of the Brisbane airport You must be able to supply: • Coal board medical (must be with in the first 24 months) • Current S11 • Passport or driver licence and birth certificate • 2 x contactable referees IF YOU FEEL YOU POSSESS THE REQUIRED ATTRIBUTES, AND YOU HAVE A STRONG DESIRE TO BE A PART OF A COMPANY THAT WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED, SUPPLY YOU WITH A COMPETITIVE REMUNERATION ON A POTENTIAL ONGOING CONTRACT WITH AN IMMEDIATE START PLEASE APPLY NOW! REFERENCE NUMBER: 100850A CONTACT DETAILS: DAN DOBE, CHANDLER MACLEOD – 07 3003 7705

DRAGLINE OPERATOR Chandler Macleod are looking for an experienced Dragline Operator for an immediate start.

This is a FIFO role out of Brisbane working a 7/7 D/N roster, flights and accommodation is provided. You will help provide leave coverage for the production mining team with in the dragline, drill and blast area.

To be considered for this role you must have: • Be residing with in 100km radius of the Brisbane airport • Previous experience on Marion Draglines 8050 and D11 Dozer You will need to supply: • Current Coal board medical (must be within the first 24 months) • Standard 11 • Passport or (Birth certificate and drivers licence) • 2 x contactable referees

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IF YOU FEEL YOU HOLD THE REQUIRED ATTRIBUTES, AND YOU HAVE A STRONG FOCUS ON SAFETY THEN PLEASE APPLY BELOW. REFERENCE NUMBER: 100820A CONTACT DETAILS: DAN DOBE, CHANDLER MACLEOD – 07 3003 7705

UNDERGROUND – NIPPER/JUMBO OFFSIDER Regional WA Broome & Kimberley Our Client is a leading mining contractor seeking experienced Underground Operators for positions at their remote mine site in the Kimberley. They currently have vacancies for Underground Nipper/Jumbo Offsider on a 2:2 FIFO roster from Perth or Darwin. The duties will involve operating a Sandvik Toro Truck, Integrated Toll Carrier, IT Loader and carrying out Service Crew works. Applicants will need to be able to demonstrate and prove their previous underground expereince, as well as their commitment and leadership towards health and safety on site. Applicants with the following qualifications will be very highly regarded – Working at Heights, Integrated Toll Carrier, IT Loader and Underground Dump Truck Recognition of Prior Learning. These are approximately 6 month positions. Must be available to start ASAP. Subject to full pre employment medical, DAS and police clearance.

REFERENCE NUMBER: 752J201435038 WORKPAC WWW.WORKPAC.COM

UNDERGROUND – AGI DRIVER Regional WA Broome & Kimberley Our Client is a leading

mining contractor seeking experienced Underground Agi Truck Operators for a position at their remote mine site in the Kimberley. The duties will involve operating an Hitachi AH300 truck that has been converted to an Agi truck for Underground concreting works. Applicants must have proven Underground experience and experience operating Agi trucks for underground or surface. Suitable applicants must be able to present copies of tickets and underground RPL’s on application. Successful candidates be able to demonstrate their commitment and leadership towards health and safety on site as this is paramount in the Underground environment.

This position is FIFO from Perth on a 2:2 roster, working 12 hour day and night shifts.

These are approximately 2 month positions working through till the end of December. Must be available

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MINING JOBS

then please apply below now.

Please support your application with a Cover letter and only short listed candidates will be contacted at this stage.

REFERENCE NUMBER: 102041D CONTACT DETAILS: DAN DOBE – 07 3003 7705

MOBILE PLANT OPERATOR – LEVEL 3

to start ASAP. Subject to full pre employment medical, DAS and police clearance.

REFERENCE NUMBER: 752J201435040 WORKPAC WWW.WORKPAC.COM

MOBILE PLANT OPERATOR – RD 797 CAT Regional QLD Mackay & Coalfields MULTI-SKILLED OPERATORS • FIFO exit Brisbane • 7 on 7 off • November/December start WorkPac currently have a number of opportunities for experienced Multi-Skilled Operators with solid coal mining experience. You will need to make yourself available for a start on the 26th / 27th November or the 3rd December. These roles are ongoing for 6 months at this stage, with a possibility of extension.

To be successful in these roles you will have the following: • 2 years + experience working within a production coal mining environment as a Multi-Skilled Operator - CAT 793 (minimum), D10 and D11 dozer as well as series 16 or 24 grader • Reside within 100 klms of the Brisbane Airport - this needs to be your permanent place of residence. Applicants outside of 100klms will not be considered • Current BMA or Standard 11 Statement of Attainment • Current Coal Board Medical (essential it is dated within the last 2 years) • RIIs/competencies to support your experience on dump trucks, dozers and graders Current drivers licence PLEASE NOTE: These roles are FIFO only and will only be offered to experienced MS Operators with proven

coal mining experience who reside within 100 klms of the Brisbane Airport. There are no entry level roles available.

REFERENCE NUMBER: 7226J20147923 DON’t DelAY YOuR APPlICATION AS THESE ROLES WILL Be FIlleD veRY quICklY. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: NICOle GRAY P: 53901322 e: NICOle.GRAY@WORkPAC. COM

CHPP OPERATOR/ MAINTAINER (MECHANICAL) Chandler Macleod are currently seeking Four experienced CHPP Operators/ Mechanical Maintainers for an immediate start. You will be working for one of the biggest mining companies in Australia and it’s a mine site that is well sort after plus the opportunity to work on a 7/7 day shift roster.

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Skills required: • Fixed plant fitter qualification • Fixed plant processing experience • Fixed plant maintenance • Minerals processing operations experience • CHPP Operations experience • Relevant processing RII qualifications • Maintenance management systems experience • Hydraulic system maintenance You will need to supply current: • Current coal board medical (must be with in the first 24 months) • Standard 11 • Passport or (Birth certificate and drivers licence) • 2 x contactable referees • licences and qualifications • Residence with in 100km radius of Brisbane airport If you feel you possess the required attributes, and you have a strong focus on safety

Regional QLD Mackay & Coalfields DUMP TRUCK OPERATORS • CAt 793 operators • 6 on 6 off • December to March • Moranbah area WorkPac currently has a number of opportunities for experienced Dump truck Operators with solid coal mining experience. You will need to make yourself available for a start early December with this role going through to the beginning of March, with a possibility of extension.

To be successful in these roles you will have the following: • 2 years + experience working as a Dump Truck Operator within a production coal mining environment – CAT 793 (minimum) • Current BMA or Standard 11 Statement of Attainment • Current Coal Board Medical (essential it is dated within the last 2 years) • RIIs/competencies to support your experience on dump trucks, dozers and graders • Current drivers licence REFERENCE NUMBER: 7226J20147922 DON’t DelAY YOuR APPlICATION AS THESE ROLES WILL Be FIlleD veRY quICklY. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: NICOle GRAY P: 53901322 e: NICOle.GRAY@WORkPAC. COM

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EVENTS

CONFERENCES, SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS EVENT SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@MININGAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

FUNDAMENTALS OF PROCESS SAFETY – MELBOURNE 12-16 OCTOBER MELBOURNE, VIC An event designed to help you learn the fundamentals of process safety and its management.

This must include staff at all levels from board members through engineers and other technical staff to plant and shift managers and supervisors. This intensive five-day course covers the fundamentals and aims to provide an understanding of the key principles of process safety and its management.

Learning outcomes include understanding the human, environmental and business consequences of poor process safety; creating awareness of and understand the key factors influencing the basis for process safety; understanding the hazards associated with process plant and how the risks can be controlled; understanding the key process safety requirements at each stage in the life cycle of process plant from conceptual design through to operation, maintenance and modification; and understanding the ways in which your work depends on the knowledge and expertise of others (i.e. interdependency and the need for overall organisational process safety management competence); as well understand your limitations and know how to acquire further knowledge and understanding of process safety management.

Delegates who successfully complete the assessment will receive an IChemE pass certificate in the Fundamentals of Process Safety.

Those who will benefit from attending are managers, supervisors, engineers, safety personnel, and others involved in the design, operation, modification or maintenance of major hazard or other process

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plant graduates and chemical engineers en route to achieving chartered status anyone who would like to develop an understanding of process safety. · IChemE April Hinde 03 9642 4494 austcourses@icheme.org www.icheme.org/fpsmel#.

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COO LEADERS RESOURCES SUMMIT 2015 14-15 OCTOBER HOTEL MERCURE, PERTH, WA The COO Leaders Resources Summit is Australia’s only tailored event held specifically for operational leaders to gather and interact as one over a range of important issues facing the industry.

The current challenges and opportunities will be highlighted through visionary keynote presentations, round-table sessions, interactive workshops, panel discussions and think tank sessions delivered by your most esteemed peers and thought leaders within the resources community.

Over the two day event, suppliers will also have the opportunity to meet and interact with these operational leaders through a series of pre-scheduled one on one meetings, which will take place in an intimate environment for a focussed discussion about the new drivers shaping the industry. · Media Corp International 02 8188 8500 www.cio-leaders.com

INTERNATIONAL MINING AND RESOURCES CONFERENCE (IMARC) 2015 9-13 NOVEMBER MELBOURNE CONVENTION CENTRE, MELBOURNE, VIC

IMARC is Australia’s only truly international mining event. Uniting the entire mining industry, IMARC is where mining leaders, policy makers, financiers, technical experts, innovators and educators are brought together under one roof.

IMARC has the continued support of Australia’s three leading industry associations, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), Austmine and Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA). The longstanding, Mines and Money Australia, the junior mining investment conference, will take place within the IMARC program.

Meet 2500+ Australian and international mining experts, CEOs, government representatives and other industry leaders from over 35 countries ready to discuss.

Support of the Victorian Government, as well as involvement from all of Australia’s states and territories.

The event features the Involvement of Australia’s three leading industry associations, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), Austmine and Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA).

Network with key decision makers and influencers through a range of structured events from round tables, one on ones and social hubs. · IMARC www.imarcmelbourne.com

QUEENSLAND GAS CONFERENCE 24-25 NOVEMBER BRISBANE CONVENTION CENTRE, QLD The Queensland Gas Conference and Exhibition (QGCE) is a conference and exhibition dedicated to the latest developments and issues surrounding CSG and LNG in Queensland. · REEDMININGEVENTS Warren Queenan 02 9422 2563 warren.queenan@ reedexhibitions.com.au www.queenslandgasconference.com.au

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