Mining Education and Innovation – Page 22

Rio Tinto unveils its Processing Centre of Excellence – by Cole Latimer (Mining Australia – March 13, 2014)

March 14, 2014

http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/home

Rio Tinto has unveiled the latest component of its Mine of the Future program – the Processing Centre of Excellence.

Based in Brisbane, Rio says this “is a world first, state-of-the-art facility that ehances monitoring and operational performance by examining in real time processing data from several Rio Tinto operations spread across the globe”.

Known by some colloquially as ‘the excellent centre for excellent excellence’, it will be operated by a team in Brisbane, that will provide processing solutions and initiatives to mine sites in Mongolia (at Oyu Tolgoi), the US (at Kennecott), and across Australia (at five different sites).

A massive interactive screen while show, and analyse, technical data in real time, “allowing processing improvements ot be immediately introduced and operational performance to be optimised,” the miner said in a statement.

Early trials have already led to improvements such as adjusting the flotation process for gold and copper recovery at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia.

‘Future mine’ research [South Africa] needs to begin now – Wits – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly.com – March 13, 2014)

March 14, 2014

http://www.miningweekly.com/page/americas-home

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Research into South Africa’s ‘mine of the future’ needs to begin immediately, says University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Mining Engineering head Fred Cawood.

The programme for the mine of the future needs to be broken into various phases, with the immediate goal being to mine more for less in order to provide cash flow for more intensive research.

The underground mining environment needs to be better understood and technology already widely used on surface, including satellite technology, needs to be migrated underground.

For that purpose, a digital mine mock-up is being established at the Wits School of Mining Engineering to assure safety and generate the cash for more profound longer-term research. Cawood’s view is that mechanisation should follow optimisation and be accompanied by the introduction of a new mining layout.

Amur Will Use Zeppelins to Ship Ore From Remote Siberia Mine – by Firat Kayakiran (Bloomberg News – March 10, 2014)

March 10, 2014

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Amur Minerals Corp. (AMC), a copper and nickel explorer in Russia’s Far East, plans to fly equipment to its Siberian operation by zeppelin to bypass snow-clogged roads.

Amur will use two airships from Worldwide Aeros Corp. to carry loads of as much as 250 metric tons, the company said today in a statement after signing a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. manufacturer. The aircraft will also be used to transport production from the mine.

Zeppelin manufacturers need mining contracts to revive their business, 77 years after the U.S. Hindenburg airship crash ended most buyer interest for decades. With better designs and a buoyant gas that can’t ignite, makers such as Aeros and Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. are hammering out their first sales deals with the mining industry to complement truck and rail transport.

The airships can be used on rough terrain because they take off and land vertically. For Amur, their use will reduce the estimated $140 million expense of building a 320-kilometer (200-mile) road to the nearest rail station, as well as “substantially” cutting freight costs, it said.

NEWS RELEASE: Digital Investment to Disrupt and Drive Mining and Metals Industry over Next Three Years, Accenture Survey Shows

March 6, 2014

TORONTO; March 5, 2014 – North American metals and mining companies’ investment in digital has increased over the past three years, and will continue to rise as companies seek to disrupt traditional business models to maintain their competitive position, control costs and stay viable, according to an Accenture (NYSE: ACN) survey of mining executives in Canada and the United States.

One-quarter of mining executives surveyed said their overall digital investment in the past three years has doubled or more. Almost all companies surveyed (93 per cent) are satisfied with their digital investment and the associated business outcomes. In the next three years, 33 per cent will significantly increase their digital investment, 63 per cent will increase their spending modestly, while only 5 per cent will keep spending the same. No companies surveyed are planning to cut back on digital investments in the next three years.

Nine out of 10 executives surveyed said that a business strategy that incorporates digital technology will revolutionize the way they do business to a degree similar to the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, and will provide a significant source of value to the business. Companies that do not embrace digital will lose their competitive position and may face extinction, according to 88 per cent of respondents.

“Now more than ever, North American metals and mining companies are turning to digital, a new frontier for metals and mining companies to improve operations, productivity and identify growth opportunities,” said Jose J. Suarez, Managing Director, Mining (North America) at Accenture.

FedNor invests in snag-removing robot – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – March 5, 2014)

September 5, 2018March 5, 2014

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Penguin Automated Systems got a big shot in the robotic arm this week. The Greater Sudbury firm received $1 million from the federal government, via FedNor, to develop and commercialize its new Hang-up Assessment and Removal Robotic System, designed for use in the mining industry both here and abroad.

Greg Rickford, minister of state for science and technology and for FedNor, announced the funding on Monday, much to the delight of Greg Baiden, chief executive at Penguin ASI.

“The funding is really helpful,” said Baiden, reached on Tuesday. “The timing is really great for our business. It’s going to help us create a new product that is in need around the world today, so it’s really quite something.”

Penguin’s remote-controlled hangup assessment and removal system is designed to address safety hazards in managing rock hangups, as the robot will be able to enter confined spaces, measure, drill and load explosives for remote detonation.

Exciting new gold mechanisation achieving more success – AngloGold – by Martin Creamer (MiningWeekly.com – February 19, 2014)

February 20, 2014

http://www.miningweekly.com/page/americas-home

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The demonstrably successful new AngloGold Ashanti gold-mining technology has produced 40 kg of gold from ore with enormously valuable gold grades of more than 200 g of gold for every ton mined.

The South African Technology, as it has been called, has so far mined only in no-go areas, which have been bypassed for conventional mining on the grounds of being excessively hazardous.

Revealing this after presenting a magnificent set of results with every metric excelling with the exception of the lagging gold price, AngloGold Ashanti CEO Srinivasan (Venkat) Venkatakrishnan told Mining Weekly Online that the company was now rolling out the technology on five sites using locally produced raise-boring equipment (also see attached video).

“We continue to invest in the South African technology piece,” he said, describing it as the “single key we have to improve productivity, which is the answer to a number of issues within the South African mining industry”.

[Northern Manitoba] Students drill down into minerals and mining – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – February 19, 2014)

February 19, 2014

The Thompson Citizen, which was established in June 1960, covers the City of Thompson and Nickel Belt Region of Northern Manitoba. The city has a population of about 13,500 residents while the regional population is more than 40,000.

Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada brings its Mining Matters to Thompson and Nelson House

Students and teachers in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) and Thompson learned about minerals and mining from Feb. 10-14 as Mining Matters, in partnership with Vale’s Manitoba Operations, swept through Northern Manitoba to present its Mining Rocks Earth Science program, sponsored by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto.

“This is incredible,” said Barbara Green Parker, the aboriginal education and outreach programs manager for Mining Matters, a charitable organization in existence since April 30, 1997 that seeks to spread knowledge about Canada’s geology and the careers available in the country’s minerals industry. “This is the largest Mining Matters program that we have ever done. We are maximizing our exposure in Northern Manitoba. It’s a phenomenal amount. We’re very pleased to be in such high demand.”

Parker was in NCN at Nelson House on Feb. 10-11, presenting the Mining Rocks program to students from Grades 4 to 8 at Otetiskwin Kiskinwamahtowekamik Elementary School on Monday and to high school students at Nisichawayasihk Neyo Ohtinwak Collegiate on the morning of Feb. 11, with the afternoon dedicated to a teacher training workshop.

Mining industry slump forces students to look overseas for work (CBC News Sudbury – February 13, 2014)

February 13, 2014

http://www.cbc.ca/sudbury/

A downturn in the minerals industry is affecting students looking for work. More than 250 mining students from across Sudbury gathered at Cambrian College on Wednesday to take part in Mining Day, an annual conference where hopeful mining sector workers meet with industry professionals.

Those professionals included representatives from Cementation Canada, the Ministry of Labour, Redpath, Sandvik, Stantec, Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, the Technica Group and Vale.

The fourth annual event also brought together educators from Cambrian College, Collège Boréal, and Laurentian University. With the mining industry in a downturn, one official said students should apply for opportunities overseas.

“You shouldn’t be thinking of just staying and working in Sudbury,” said Claudine Beausoleil, a spokesperson with Laurentian’s engineering school.

“The best thing to do is go out, to go out to Indonesia, Africa, all over the world to learn new trades. It’s good for them to learn all the different kinds of mining.”

Laurentian University’s president has brought ‘a buzz’ to the institution – by Jonathan Migneault (Northern Ontario Business – February 5, 2014)

February 11, 2014

Established in 1980, Northern Ontario Business provides Canadians and international investors with relevant, current and insightful editorial content and business news information about Ontario’s vibrant and resource-rich North.

2014 Top 5 Northern Leaders: Dominic Giroux

Dominic Giroux never aspired to be the president of Laurentian University, or any university, for that matter. But nearly five years into his tenure as president, many of his colleagues could not imagine him doing anything else.

“You know how people want to be around things that are really buzzing? Dominic brings that buzz to the institution,” said Carol McAuley, Laurentian’s vice-president of administration.

Giroux said his appointment as university president, in April 2009, happened organically. The board’s decision to hire him for the top spot was a departure from the direction other Canadian universities had taken. Giroux does not have a PhD, and in 2009 he was 34 – he is 38 today – which made him the youngest university president in Canada.

Before his appointment to Laurentian he was assistant deputy minister with the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Northern College Aboriginal grads working in mining – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – February 6, 2014)

February 7, 2014

Northern College is experiencing another successful milestone in its legacy of miner training: nearly all recent graduates of its hard rock miner common core program are working, two-thirds of which have found employment in the Kirkland Lake area.

The success is thanks to a partnership between the college and AuRico Gold, which operates the Young-Davidson Mine 60 kilometres west of Kirkland Lake. Though the college has offered similar programs through partnerships with other mining companies in the past, this program is unique in that it was funded by the Mushkegowuk and Wabun Tribal councils and geared specifically towards Aboriginal students.

“With all the opportunities in mining and all the IBAs (impact benefit agreements), there are new opportunities there for the Aboriginal communities that weren’t there in the past,” said Bob Mack, Northern College’s vice-president of community, business development and employment services.

Sudbury firm wins key space contract – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – January 30, 2014)

January 30, 2014

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

It would be a stretch to say he’s over the moon, but Dale Boucher is certainly excited by the chance his company’s drilling equipment could get on board for a lunar mission.

It’s a possibility that edged nearer to a probability this week, as the Canadian Space Agency awarded a contract to Deltion Innovations of Sudbury to tailor its technology to moon-like conditions. “It’s not a flight contract,” said Boucher. “But what it does is get us one step closer to that.”

Deltion’s DESTIN drill, which takes core samples, was put through its paces in 2012 at a NASA experiment in Hawaii. The Mauna Kea volcano features terrain similar to the cratered ball that orbits earth, and the Sudbury-designed drill did its bit, so to speak.

“It was a practice run and our system passed with flying colours,” said Boucher, adding the unit worked in conjunction with a rover designed by Neptec Designs. Last month, Deltion formed a strategic partnership with this Kanata-based company.

Anglo chief warns on pace of innovation – by James Wilson (Financial Times – January 26, 2014)

January 28, 2014

http://www.ft.com/home/us

One of the world’s senior mining leaders has called on the sector to speed up innovation or risk being marginalised by groups that spend more on research.

Mark Cutifani, Anglo American chief executive, said research and development in mining was lagging behind the oil and gas sector at a time when there was an urgent need for larger and better deposits of many metals and minerals.

In 10 years the world would “have to pay to move twice the amount of waste to get the same minerals to market”, he said. “We need to do it differently. We need a better way. We need to innovate.”
Innovation in oil and gas has transformed the energy landscape in the US, with fracking and horizontal drilling unlocking vast reservoirs of shale gas previously considered uneconomic to develop. By contrast innovation in mining has been incremental. Many methods have changed little except for the size of equipment used.

“Our industry is damned by the fact that our spending on innovation, research and development is one-10th that of the petroleum industry,” Mr Cutifani said.

Government grants $15 million for deep mining research – by Jonathan Migneault (Sudbury Northern Life – January 22, 2014)

January 23, 2014

http://www.northernlife.ca/

CEMI will use funds to make deep mining more efficient

The Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) received $15 million in federal funding for its Ultra Deep Mining Network, announced Greg Rickford, Minister of State for Science and Technology.

Rickford made the announcement at Science North’s Vale Cavern, where representatives from CEMI and Vale said the funding will help address the challenges posed by mining deeper than 2.5 km.

The CEMI project was one of the winners of the government’s Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence. The $15 million for the Ultra Deep Mining Network was the largest grant awarded to the program’s four funding recipients.

“Clearly, Sudbury is going to be the face of ultra-deep mining research,” said Rickford. “We think this kind of research isn’t just important to improve the effectiveness of deep mining and safety, but it also creates jobs.” Douglas Morrison, CEMI’s president and CEO, said in addition to the government’s contribution Wednesday, the Ultra Deep Mining Network has received $31 million in funding from the mining industry.

Digging deep for deep mining – by Ben Leeson (Sudbury Star – January 23, 2014)

January 23, 2014

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The Centre of Excellence in Mining Innovation wants to go deep — as in more than 2.5 kilometres below the surface — and on Wednesday, got a strong hand in getting there.

CEMI was announced as a winner of the business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence program, receiving $15 million for its Ultra-Deep Mining Network proposal. Greg Rickford, federal minister of state for Science and Technology, announced the four winners during a press conference in the Vale Cavern at Science North.

“This is a fine example of exactly the kind of collaboration we like to support through the Business-led Networks of Centres of Excellence program,” said Rickford, MP for Kenora.

“It will bring together members of the business and research community to help solve critical challenges that affect the international competitiveness of Canadian mining companies.”