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By E. Brzychczy

Artificial intelligence techniques are ever more frequently implemented in the modern world. One of their numerous uses is supporting enterprise management. Intelligent techniques and intelligent information technology (IT) systems can be implemented in mining-related issues as well. The author of this article concentrates on supporting the process of planning mining operations by intelligent systems and techniques. The author also underlines the importance of knowledge accumulation in a mining enterprise (especially tacit knowledge) as well as its efficient storing and using. Additionally, the author provides a short description of characteristics of intelligent IT systems and indicates their capabilities in planning mining operations. She presents two solutions, namely: an advisory system which supports the process of planning preliminary works and exploitation works in hard coal mines, and a method of modeling and optimizing mining operations. Finally, the author indicates a few possible future development trends of intelligent systems - the intelligent systems of decision support.

Aug 1, 2013

By Amir Zavichi

Today, with the necessity of timely, on-budget and high quality completion of projects, proper use of construction equipment is essential to ensure project success. Construction equipment places a large monetary burden on the project and if not utilized efficiently, it can result in economic losses. Cranes are one of the most important and expensive operational devices on construction sites. They play a central role, and often activities that rely on crane services fall on the project?s critical path. Currently, material-handling scheduling is done by the crane operator or by an on-duty superintendent using his/hers personal judgment, making the process manual and timeconsuming. Thus, developing an optimal schedule, which considers different dynamic constraints in construction job site, may not be possible based on the current practice. This leads to longer operation times and a negative impact on project cost. This paper presents the latest results of an ongoing study, which aims to design and implement a nearreal time crane operation decision support system to be utilized directly by the crane operator or as an aid for the superintendent in scheduling optimal operation services. This system has several advantages such as maximizing the efficiency of crane operations, guaranteeing the best operation possible to reduce the crane?s travel time, reducing crews and equipment idle time, and minimizing the dependence on subjective human judgments.

Aug 1, 2013

By V. Chatain

The environmental assessment of historical mining sites contaminated with various inorganic species, as also the determination of remediation targets require a better knowledge of pollutant-bearing phases. The objective of this paper was to investigate the operational fractionation of arsenic (As) in an As contaminated (ca. 3 wt%) soil collected from a gold mining site in France, where mining activities and smelting processes of gold ores took place until 2004. Single and sequential chemical extraction procedures were performed to evaluate the potential mobility of As according to the fractions to which it was associated in the contaminated soil, and also the part of As sorbed onto soil particles. These procedures used provided information on the nature of As fixation processes in the mining soil studied. Results showed that As appeared mainly sorbed (ca. 72%) with iron on the soil particles, in particular amorphous iron oxyhydroxides. These results confirmed a potential risk of arsenic mobilization under acidic and/or reducing conditions, which frequently occur in mining environment. This research evidenced the importance of the knowledge of As-bearing phases to better predict the mobility of this pollutant and in turn improve the management of As contaminated sites.

Aug 1, 2013

By Karol Kostúr

This paper briefly describes the current state of underground coal gasification (UCG) processes globally and in the Slovak Republic. Recent results of laboratory and technical tests are presented. In addition, on site measurements have added new knowledge of UCG technology. A series of laboratory tests based on physical models shows promise for managed UCG process control.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. Chamanara

The gross vehicle weight (GVW) of an ultra-class mining truck comprises the unsuspended weight below the struts plus the suspended empty vehicle weight, plus the payload. Theoretically, one third of the suspended total weight is supported by two front struts and two thirds by two rear struts. However, since the payload position is not fixed when placed in the truck body and varies from load to load, compounded by uneven haul road profiles, the truck structure experiences higher than normal stresses, which manifest in the reduction of the life of the truck via structural fatigue. The downstream effects are a decrease in production and increase in operational and maintenance costs. In order to control the dynamic forces causing the high stresses on the truck structure, both the haul road conditions and the load distribution in the truck body need to be investigated. The latter aspect is the prime focus of this paper. A field test has been conducted in an oil sands mine where the Caterpillar 797B trucks are loaded by a Bucyrus 495 shovel. The strut pressure readings are collected using the data-loggers on the trucks as well as the truck velocity associated with each reading. Rack, roll and pitch are the main key performance indicators (KPIs) that are calculated to study the adverse effect of an unbalanced payload and consequently the truck structure. Finally, the shovel bucket load passes within the truck body are simulated and a new method is suggested to improve the truck payload balance.

Aug 1, 2013

By C. Ayora

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain and Portugal) contains one of the largest reserves of pyrite in the world with mining activities dating back to prehistoric times. About one hundred abandoned mine wastes and galleries release a huge acidity and metal load to the Tinto and Odiel rivers. Once the mining activity is over, polluting discharges can persists for decades or even centuries with no specific responsible entity. In-situ passive remediation technologies are especially suitable for these orphan sites. The concept is to insert a reactive porous material in the natural flow path of contaminated surface and ground waters, and it is implemented through infiltration ponds and reactive barriers, respectively. Calcium carbonate pea-size gravel is the common alkalinity supplier to neutralize acidity and precipitate metals. These remediation systems have been traditionally implemented in coal mines. However, the acid drainages from the Iberian Pyrite Belt contain metal concentrations one to two orders of magnitude higher than those from coal mines and require special designs to avoid quick clogging or passivation (coating) of the grains of reactive material. To overcome these problems, a Dispersed Alkaline Substrate (DAS) mixed from fine-grained limestone sand and a coarse inert matrix (e.g. wood chips) was developed. The small grains provide a large reactive surface and dissolve almost completely before the growing layer of precipitates passivates the substrate. The high porosity and the dispersion of nuclei for precipitation on the inert surfaces retard clogging. However, limestone dissolution only raises pH to values around 6.5, which is sufficient to precipitate the hydroxides of trivalent metals (Al, Fe), but it is not alkaline enough to remove divalent metals. Magnesium oxide, which hydrates to Mg hydroxide upon contact with water, buffers the solution pH between 8.5 and 10. A DAS system replacing limestone with caustic magnesium oxide has been tested to be very efficient to remove divalent metals (Zn, Cd, Mn, Cu, Co, Ni, Pb) from drainage previously treated with limestone.

Aug 1, 2013

The Nak?azdli First Nation and the municipality of Fort St. James are located in the Stuart Lake/Nak?al Bun area and are not unfamiliar to mining. These northern British Columbian communities have been associated with the historic Pinchi Lake Mercury mine and today are closely linked with British Columbia?s newest mine, the Mt. Milligan mine. Prior to the construction of Mt. Milligan, community health and social service providers were concerned about potential impacts that would occur from new mineral development activities. This concern has led to a partnership between the above communities and researchers with expertise in the area of mining and health. This paper describes: the current mining and health environment with a focus on British Columbia; mining trends in the Stuart Lake/Nak?al Bun area; the current community-based health research project funded by the Vancouver Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and; a suite of community-based health recommendations to mining companies on key issues to consider when developing projects near municipalities and Aboriginal communities in Canada, based upon one of the newest mines under development in Canada.

Aug 1, 2013

By Vilkul Yuri

Operation of the iron ore deposits of Krivbass which has been going for 130 years, has led to serious problems related to reaching great depths in open pit and underground mining. Extraction of the huge volume of rock mass (about 9 billion m3) resulted in mass violations of the natural state of the subsurface. At present most mining operations are carried out either by combined open pit and underground mining or by open pits in areas underworked by underground mining. Now the process of movement of the strata underworked by underground mines is not completed ? work fronts of open pits approach the areas of possible funnel, terrace and fissure formation, movement continue to develop. With deepening mining operations the remaining reserves are worked off under layers of incumbent rocks of > 900 m. Significant underground voids arise from mining "blind" deposits at large depths. Heaving of voids over the mined area lasts for decades; it may result in not only unpredictable time of funnel emerging and area development of movement synclines, but also the threat of air blows in mines. Forced caving of incumbent rocks as a way of controllable backfilling is difficult to achieve for economic and technical reasons. This is much more expensive and dangerous than stoping. Furthermore, the mining practice does not know examples of enormous volume backfilling under a km thick rock layer. Currently, RMI "KNU" is conducting research and pre-design work directed at creating a specialized pilot Geoinformation System (GIS) of continuous remote monitoring of rock mass in areas of underground voids influence in Krivbass area. Implementation of this system will enable to determine promptly in time and space the areas of the beyond cut off stress condition, to inform about possible occurrence of events that may result in accidents and to improve safety of mining along with other systems of forecasting and controlling the stress condition in rock mass. RMI "KNU", with a large number of professionals from many Ukraine?s leading mining research centers, has developed a research and design work program that includes the following principal stages: 1. Analyzing geomechanical conditions of combined mining of magnetite quartzite and rich ore deposits; determining mechanisms of moving of rock strata underworked by underground mining and places of hazardous area monitoring. 2. Investigating anthropogenic factor influence on the safe state level of rock strata underworked by underground mining (laboratory studies). 3. Developing processing techniques for continuous remote monitoring of rock mass in areas of underground cavity influence. 4. Modeling the state of rock mass based on results of pilot GIS hardware measurements. 5. Developing an expert diagnostics system for rock mass state in areas underground void influence. 6. Experimental investigation and testing the GIS, its improving for efficient application. After testing the pilot GIS it is supposed to be implemented at all mining enterprises as an integral part of iron ore mining and processing technology in the Krivbass area.

Aug 1, 2013

By X. Wu

Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are widely used for tunneling in urban areas because of their high advance rate, precise as-built profile and minimal impact to buildings and traffic on the ground. For a tunnel built by a TBM, there are strict requirements on alignment control and safety. To meet these requirements, it is important to monitor the position of the TBM. In the current practice, the TBM position data, including advance distance and line and level deviations, are reported manually to the managers on a daily basis. To interpret and analyze the position data, the managers also need to refer to various construction drawings. This practice is untimely, inefficient, and error prone for decision making. To improve the current practice, an automatic approach for real-time as-built tunnel product modeling and visualization is proposed, based on TBM position and orientation data autonomously sourced from the Virtual Laser Target Board (VLTB) TBM Guidance System developed at University of Alberta. Related information of the tunnel project, such as the as-designed alignment, soil layers, the ground, existing utility lines, is also visualized together with the model of the as-built tunnel. The modeling algorithm is presented step by step. Its application in a real-life drainage tunnel project is discussed and limitations are also identified.

Aug 1, 2013

By F. Vahdatikhaki

Simulation techniques have offered significant boosts toward a cost-and-time-optimized planning of construction projects by enabling project managers to effectively comprehend the behavior of projects. Using historic data from projects of like nature, simulation considers uncertainties involved in a project through accommodating the stochastic modeling parameters. However, the heavy reliance on the statistical data and not taking into account the context-specific features of the project cause the degradation in the realism and accuracy of the simulation models. Similarly, the extent to which a historic pattern could be retrofitted to new projects will decrease in line with the growing uniqueness of the projects and the novelty of construction methods. Furthermore, the existing real-time simulation frameworks are not capable of distinguishing the transient environmental changes, with minimal long-term impacts on the productivity, from the influential changes that will greatly impact an operation. In addition, existing simulation tools are devoid of location awareness, resulting in the inability to consider safety threats in their representation of the project. To address these issues, this research proposes a framework based on the integration of new tracking technologies used in Automated Machine Guidance (AMG) with simulation-driven 4D modeling methods. The proposed framework automates the adjustment of the simulation model based on the updated data from the site, and thus transforms simulation from a predictive tool used at the planning phase to a proactive monitoring platform usable throughout the planning and construction phases. A prototype is developed to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Aug 1, 2013

By V. Budinsky

In recent years the global mining industry has addressed its social and environmental responsibilities and numerous factors have contributed to this. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important part of mining company strategy for practical implementation of the goals of sustainability, transparency, accountablity and good relationships with stakeholders:- investors, employees and communities. A key stakeholder for all mining companies is the local community which is affected by the mining operations. Companies must identify the emerging social and environmental trends, study the interests and concerns of various communities, address their needs and maintain a positive relationship. The CSR programmes of Czech coal mining companies are focused on surrounding community initiatives and sustainable responsible business. Mining in the Czech Republic is subject to strict rules and regulations and supervised by the State Mining Authority. Mining projects undergo rigorous approval procedures which encompass all operational measures at the different planning levels ? such as public participation in the authorisation process for mining projects, the application of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, environmental sustainability programmes, innovative solutions and flexible options offered by the mining company. One very important part is the preparation of the mining-technology preconditions and developing the integrated planning process in which all socially and politically relevant subjects in the mining operation surroundings are included. In an in-depth debate, all stakeholders may jointly develop the concept, in accordance with democratic principles. The optimally conducted dialogue process needs broad communication bases, including setting up theme-related joint taskforces, together with good moderation and the highly qualified support of technical experts. Using a case study of Severoceske doly a.s. Chomutov (SD Company) and the Czech Coal Group ? Czech leaders in the extraction of brown coal, this paper aims to examine the community development approaches and the CSR effectiveness of large scale mining companies. This paper brings a review of CSR and other such voluntary initiatives in the mining industry's proactive steps to contribute to societal well-being in a meaningful way. Key studies are provided by the projects ? Region with Better Perspective?, ?Stop Dust for Healthy Brezno Village?, ?Clever Heads for the North? and ?Coal Safari?. CSR issues are managed throughout all stages of the mine operation and beyond, long after the mine closes (e.g. post-closure programmes of new landscape, alternatives for reclamation including generation of lakes in former surface mines, conceptualization of industrial heritage). Communities need to be given the opportunity to help themselves through participation in CSR projects rather than being recipients of financial gifts from the company. A fair balancing of interests is the basis of any successful cooperation.

Aug 1, 2013

By Hong-wei Ma

With social development and technological advancement, mine rescue robots used in complex environments have developed as a research hotspot. This paper reviews the progress of research on coal mine rescue robots, and key technologies of rescue robot design are put forward, such as mechanical structure, self-navigation and self-orientation, multi-sensor information fusion, multi-robot cooperation, and wireless communication technology.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. K. Debnath

Mining being a site specific activity, land becomes the prime requirement for starting, successful execution and closure of any mining project. Many important mining projects are not progressing satisfactorily just because land is not easily available or environmental/social issues are not addressed properly. This is especially true in the case of open-pit mining, which requires large areas for mining, dumping of waste and additional land for other mine facilities. Mine closure & post mining land use exercises, though funded generously, may not achieve their objectives owing to uneven land profile after mineral extraction is over. One of the prominent solutions to these issues is application of steep angle conveyors in large open pit mines that will result in more space for internal waste dumping and enhanced slope stability of the dump. Additionally, such applications will result in economic extraction of mineral in deep open pits. Land reclamation exercise may start concurrently during early years of mine development as mineral evacuation is limited to a specific part of the mine. Surface mining facilities can also be advanced along with the pit by using modular/portable structures. The paper presented here attempts to address specific land related issues by developing suitable schemes and plans that can be practically implemented in open pit mines using advanced technology i.e. steep angle conveyors.

Aug 1, 2013

By Du Xinfeng

The resource quantity of the low rank coalbed methane (CBM) accounts for 47% of the total resource quantity of CBM in China. Compared with the exploration and development of the high rank CBM in Qinshui Basin, China and the low rank CBM in Powder River Basin, USA and Albert Basin, Canada, the exploration and development of the low rank CBM are still in the initial test stage. In this paper, on the basis of analyzing the mining geological conditions such as that the Huanglong Jurassic Coalfield is largely situated in the hills and gullies zones, and the coal reservoir has the features such as the low metamorphic degree, large coal seam thickness, simple coal matrix texture, high permeability and small CBM content and so on, it discusses the key technologies such as the development pattern of CBM, well location arrangement, drilling and well completion technology and fracturing technology and so on. It indicates that the underbalanced drilling and the cavity well completion based on the reservoir protection will be the development directions of the CBM development technology in this area.

Aug 1, 2013

By Mahmoud Ahmed

Three-dimensional models are in increasing demand for design, maintenance, operations and construction project management. Point-clouds are the main output of automatic data collection using laser-scanners and photogrammetric technologies. Pipe-works may comprise 50% of the value of important construction projects such as industrial and research facilities. We have developed a practical and cost-effective approach, based on the Hough-transform and judicious use of domain constraints, to find, recognize and reconstruct/model 3D pipes within point-clouds fully automatically. The developed approach allows pipe growing within a 3D point-cloud. It samples the point-cloud to sequential orthogonal slices, detects pipe?s cross-sections within sampled slices and grows the pipe along the cross sections centerlines. It is validated using laser-scanner data from construction of the Engineering-VI building on the University of Waterloo (UW) campus. The system works on a typical laptop. Recognition and localization results are within a few millimeters. The presented approach opens the gate to broad applications of pipe-network modeling.

Aug 1, 2013

By Sang-Kyun Woo

The electric power conduit (EPC) in Korea has been constructed since 1978. Facing the challenge of safety and sustainability of the EPC, it is urgent to develop an inspection strategy and maintenance system for the structure based on the concept of life-cycle management. This paper introduces the newly developed mobile inspection and diagnostic system of the EPC. The novel aspect of this particular system is the integration of non-destructive mobile inspection techniques with BIM (Building Information Modeling) and LBS (Location-Based Service). BIM is an ideal tool and platform for developing an inspection and diagnostic system, and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a useful tool to construct USN (Ubiquitous Sensor Network) for LBS. The goal of this research is to establish an EPC inspection and diagnostic system concept based on BIM and LBS using RFID. In this research, a BIM model of OPENTBM tunnel for EPC will be established to show the integration of 3D CAD with the inspection data. An EPC?s maintenance database, which includes the deterioration types of the structure, inspection records, and repair methods, was designed to interact with the BIM. The system will be implemented by the BIM with the related database, in which the construction geometry and all related information are stored. The proposed system was designed to utilize the inspection and diagnostic system under the USN environment using RFID in EPC directly.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. Ingelson

Conflict over mineral development and its impacts on indigenous peoples occurs in many countries around the world. Canada, Bolivia and Peru have experienced mine development for centuries in areas where indigenous communities have been and continue to be affected by the mining industry. On a global basis the mining industry continues to face the challenge of implementing meaningful consultation programs with indigenous peoples. Many governments around the world have adopted sustainable development as a policy and one important element of sustainable development is minimizing social conflict. John Moffet and Francois Bregha (Moffet & Bregha, 1996), in their analysis of the role of law reform in promoting sustainable development, noted that stakeholder participation can reduce this type of conflict. Social conflict can result in expensive litigation and costly project delays for mine developers. Meaningful consultation with indigenous peoples in areas where mine development is proposed can be a critical factor in securing a social licence to operate. A report released by the United Nations in 2005, outlined the elements of a concept called ?free, prior informed consent? (FPIC) that promotes more sustainable development. FPIC provides that mineral exploration and mining should not proceed unless the mining company has secured the consent of the relevant indigenous group(s). This paper employs a comparative approach to evaluate the extent to which three active mining nations, Canada, Bolivia and Peru, require consultation with indigenous residents and adhere to the principle of FPIC. The comparative approach assists in the identification of those consultation elements in the legal regimes of each country that can minimize social conflict in mineral exploration and mine development and therefore contribute to more sustainable development. First, we examine the legal requirements to consult with and accommodate indigenous communities in Canada, a country with a long history of mineral development over a large geographic area that has entrenched in its Constitution the protection of indigenous peoples? rights. We then turn to an analysis of Bolivia, one of the most indigenously conscious mining jurisdictions that has followed the Canadian lead in entrenching constitutional protection for indigenous peoples. Third, the approach to consultation with indigenous peoples in Peru, a nation that has not adopted the Canadian and Bolivian approaches to constitutional protection of indigenous peoples rights, is considered.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. Grimod

Rockfall drapery systems are commonly used as a simple, fast and cheap measure against the rock falling trajectories affecting very steep slopes. The system basically consists of a steel mesh, which is held on the top edge with a longitudinal cable fixed by means of a suitable number of anchors. The effect of this kind of intervention is to control the falls of the rocks, which are driven toward the bottom with slow velocity, or are stabilized on place. It can be used on any kind of slope to protect sensitive target in the mining industry, roads and railways, and inhabited areas. The falling blocks, typically smaller than 0.6 - 1.0 m in diameter, pile up into a trench (or into a ?pocket of mesh?) at the bottom. In comparison to other types of rockfall interventions, the simple drapery is cheaper, and its maintenance is easier, but on the other hand it cannot be considered the remedy for shallow instabilities, because it can only mitigate the effect of the falling trajectories. The design of simple draperies requires the analysis of several factors like the slope features (height, gradient, morphology), the geological and dynamic features (nature of the ground or rock, type of instability, erosion problem, blocks size), the environmental condition (presence of vegetation, aesthetical problem), the installation problem (accesses to the slope, safety for the workers, safety for the surrounding areas) and finally the performance required (temporary or permanent intervention, required maintenance, cost). Finally the most problematic design-step is the choice of the suitable mesh, the top longitudinal cable, and the top anchors type. Because of the highly variable nature of rockfall behaviour these structures cannot be standardized, but they have to be analyzed and designed for each case. Maccaferri has developed a new software application (MacRO 2) has a practical tool to define the mesh and the related supporting structure composed by up-slope cable and anchors. The software, based on the approach proposed by Muhunthan B. et al. (2005), allows designers to verify the top longitudinal cable, the anchors, and the mesh drapery, and to plan for maintenance procedures. Even if the method seems quite simple and rough, it is effective and lets the designer correctly foresee the materials and the geometrical features to be used on the interventions. This paper analyses the condition for the simple drapery installation, the main steps for the calculations, and it will present a case study in a U.S. mine. Nevertheless, even if the software allows a quick and simple calculation approach, onsite observations are always recommended in order to achieve a good design, with the ultimate goal of protecting property and human lives.

Aug 1, 2013

WMS an Operation Service and Tool WMS is a the new SNC-Lavalin solution to complete and support your site?s operation. It targets phases in the project cycle including mechanical completion, pre operational verification and commissioning. The goal is to track phases completion and electronically deliver a plan with hand over documents.

Aug 1, 2013

By R. Blazej

Machinery Systems Division (MSD) in the Institute of Mining Engineering at Wroclaw University of Technology specializes in belt conveying systems analyzing, calculating and design. Within the division operates the certified Laboratory of Belt Transportation (LTT) and Laboratory of Rollers. Since few years, a group of several people have begun work on developing a comprehensive system for the automatic evaluation of condition of conveyor belts working in the mines. Group uses both magnetic devices developed by specialized companies servicing belts and its own machine vision system developed for assessment of belts covers and edges during belt movement (up to 7 m / s) on the specially designed for this purpose the test conveyor. Recently they have got the research grant funded by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR) for development of the system for automatic diagnosing of conveyor belts? condition and aiding of rational belt management. On the basis of previously created diagnostic tool called ABCDE (Automatic Belt Condition Diagnostic Equipment) the five modules: vision-A magnetic-B, preventive-C, forecasting?D, and determining safety factor-E will be developed. They will automatically interpret data about conveyor belts? condition to indicate the extent and timing of repairs, to prevent failures and to select the optimum moments for their replacements. The system will use results of ongoing research & development and planned research concerning modeling of belt wear using evolutionary genetic algorithms. The reached stage of research can not yet allow to start the implementation work by potential users. It is therefore necessary to pursuit research in real scale, the development of new modules (C-E) and intensive testing of the system in working condition with system calibration to optimize the economic effects.

Aug 1, 2013