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By J S. Dunlop

At its most basic level, minerals project management may be broken down into a series of logical chronological phases, described in this paper as: exploration, discovery; scoping and pre-feasibility; feasibility and approval; project financing and commissioning; operation; expansion and closure. Each phase has its own peculiarities and challenges, any one of which can potentially upset the forward progress of a minerals project.Reference is made to each of these project phases based on the authorÆs many years of first-hand experience, in an attempt to identify issues within the project management spectrum where additional caution may be warranted. Left un-addressed, these issues can cause undue delays in the project timeline, ultimately delaying approval at significant project cost.Finally, reference is made to the Mine ManagerÆs Handbook recently published by the AusIMM which is an excellent project management resource, considered to be very relevant for minerals treatment plant managers, whether the context be constructing, operating, expanding or shutting down.CITATION:Dunlop, J S, 2013. Mineral project management - A perspective from four decades in the industry, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 13-27 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 15, 2013

This modern plant consists of a battery of 72 Otto Wilputte Compound Under-jet Ovens with extensive plant for the recovery by-products. The ovens produce 9000 tons of furnace coke per week together with some 17,000,000 cub. ft. of coke oven gas, which is used for heating purposes throughout the works and for heating the ovens.Coal is supplied from the, company's colliel'ies and is stored under a Coal Handling Bridge of 264 ft. span and 365 ft. overall, capable of handling 250 tons per hour. The coal storage space of 1600 ft. can. be extended to a maximum of 2800 ft.Preparation of the coal for coking involves fine grinding which is carried out as follows:-Coal is dumped from rail waggons on to a conveyer belt which delivers it to a 12 ft. x 22 ft. Bradford Breaker, with a capacity of 400 tons per hour. The coal, then approximately 4 in. in size, passes, to the mixing bins; and after careful blending is reduced in the,hammer mills to a fineness suitable for the ovens.The fire coal is elevated to the main storage bin over the battery for subsequent charging by electric larry car. The average cokingtime is 15 hrs. 36 mins. At the end of ,this period the doors, are removed and the coke pushed from the oven by a mm. The coke, is, then quenched with fresh, water and sent to the Blast Furnace in 50-ton Copper Waggons.The gas is exhausted from the ovens by Brown Boveri turbine, exhausters of 23,000. cub, ft, per min. capacity. Exhaust steam from these is used for various. purposes in the By-Product plant. After removing the last traces of tar by Electrostatic Precipitators', the gas is bubbled through sulphuric acid, the ammonia forming ammonium sulphate, which is subsequently washed, dried and bagged for sa,le as a fertilizer. The gas then goes to the Benzol Scrubber Towers, where benzol and other derivatives are recovered and later redistilled and purified. The cleaned gas is then piped to the main works for heating purposes, being used with tar to fire the steel furnaces, and also the soaking pits and reheating furnaces.BLAST FURNACES.The company is at present operating two Blast Furnaces of 800, and 1000 tons nominal daily capacity respectively. The latter was...

Jan 1, 1938

Of late there have been various papers published on this subject by various authorities, in which certain definite factors influencing slime settlement have been brought forward. As the principles set forth by these writers are of great interest, and have, in most cases, been generally accepted, the author will review them in the hope that by discussion some more knowledge may be brought to bear on many points connected with the subject.The definition of slime at the present time is not a standard one, and varies according to different authorities, some defining slime as ore crushed to such a fineness that it will pass through a screen of standard size, say 150 or 200-mesh, in water (1, 2);others as that part of the finely-crushed material which is in the physical condition which causes it to remain in. suspension in water, and possesses pr?perties which render it almost unleachable (3). Authorities seem divided on this point, but of late American writers seem to prefer the former definition. On the contrary, B L Gardiner describes slime as a mixture of small particles of crushed ore of varying sizes which, when mixed with water, tend...

Jan 1, 1912

A new lead refinery with a capacity of 230,000 tons per year commenced operation at Port Pirie in October, 1959. This plant superseded the refinery which had operated from 1933 with the advent of the continuous lead refining process. The incorporation of new equipment following local metallurgical developments, together with the overseas demand for lead of extremely low antimony content createddifficulties in operating the original plant. The new refinery project was undertaken to cover this disability and to gain the full advantage of the new processes.Desilverising and softening are carried out in units identical in size to those used previously. Metallic zinc is recovered from the entire output of desilverised bullion by vacuum distillation. Final refining is carried out by batch treatment with caustic soda yielding lead of purity previously unattainable at Port Pirie.These two processes replace continuous dezincing by oxidation, a high temperature process which caused large quantities of lead and antimony to be recirculated. The final stage is a batch process; therefore the product composition can be checked before casting. Individual batches can be adjusted to produce special alloys to consumer's specification.Improved casting equipment allows the quantity production of pigs of good physical characteristics either as 56 lb bars or 2000 lb pigs.This, together with the high purity of the lead, assures the Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty. Ltd. (RH.A.S.) position in world markets.Automatic control systems are extensively employed, particularly on the vacuum dezincing unit.The anticipated financial benefits have been achieved mainly by a reduction in the tonnage of recirculated materials, a smaller labour force, and reduced maintenance requirements.INTRODUCTIONIn December 1956 a decision was made to build at Port Pirie a lead refinery on a completely new site, and in October 1959 the new refinery was brought into operation. This plant superseded the lead section of the old refinery which...

Jan 1, 1963

The oxidation of ferrous sulphate to ferric sulphate with air and oxygen in a gas lift percolator was investigated with initial Fe2+ concentrations in the range 0·01 M to 1·0 M,temperatures in the range 20-80°C, and pH in the range oto 2.The rate of formation of Fe3+ was found to be well described by the rate expressionEquation 1and a consistent mechanism is proposed.The presence of Cu2+ was found to cause an increased rate of oxidation, the effect being greater with Cu2+ concentrations increasing in the range 0·001 M - 0·01 M in 0·2 M Fe2+. The effect of other solutes containing Ni, Zn, Mn, Co, Hg, Cl, Mo, NH4, As, Cr, or Na at a concentration of 0·001 M in 0·2 M Fe2+ was negligible.

Jan 1, 1972

By M Dickie

During the 1980s and early 1990s low cost gold treatment plants were at the forefront of the Australian engineering and mineral processing business. This opportunity was the result of a high gold price and innovative design by emerging engineering companies in an expanding market. The low cost approach to gold plant design and project execution resulted in smaller and shorter life projects becoming viable and the multiplicity and fast track approach of the projects resulted in sharp learning curves. From the mid 1990s to the early 2000s the relatively low commodity prices and resultant reduction in minerals opportunities also resulted in innovative design in both small and large plants, albeit on a reduced scale. The innovation was associated with alleviating capital cost pressures for large capacity low-grade (eg NewcrestÆs Cadia) or small-scale (eg JubileeÆs Cosmos) projects to either improve NPV or to enable the project to be won and profitable in the competitive lump sum environment. Between 2004 and 2008 the engineering market became less competitive from an engineerÆs perspective due to the high demand for engineering services in a high price commodity market. The need for innovation remained but was driven overtly by shortages in water, power and personnel and long equipment lead times. This paper discusses some of the factors that contribute to the capital cost of a project and the scope for improving the likelihood of financing and increasing the project net present value (NPV). Case studies with recent large copper concentrator projects will be used to demonstrate how a value driven approach to project and plant layout can result in significant improvement in NPV.

Jan 1, 2009

The cost of power is an important matter to mining companies generally and this thought that the members of the Australasian Institute of Engineers, as well as the engineering and mining professions generally would be interested in any proposal for the reduction of that cost has led to the presentation of this paper.The writer trusts that the description will be found clear and increase the interest in this interesting subject. In the up of the electrical arrangements touched on in this paper, the author has had the able assistance of his friend Mr. Mars, to whom he offers his hearty thanks. The selection of the best class of power plant for a mine is a very difficult and large problem and it is quite out of place to dogmatise that anyone of the many systems that offer is better than another, eg that the all electrical is better than the partly direct steam-driven and partly electrical, or that a gas plant is better than a steam plant. Such a selection is one that calls for very careful and close consideration, in each particular case, of a large number of before it is possible to arrive at a proper decision.

Jan 1, 1912

By Ruxton B. P, Rhodes J. M

Two Rb-Sr ages are discernible in data concerning the leucocratic granite which is the youngest pre-sedimentation phase of the crystalline basement complex at Rum Jungle, Northern Territory, Australia. Whole-rockdata suggest that intrusion of this unit took place at about 2400 my ago, with a probable initial ratio around o·707; whole rock-potassium feldspar tie-lines indicate redistribution of strontium at about 1800 my ago. The former age correlates with other measurements on rocks which form basement to the mantling Pine Creek Geosyncline; the latter correlates also with isotopic evidence for regional metamorphism and emplacement of some younger intrusive granites elsewhere within the geosyncline. A few K-Ar ages, from scattered localities, conform generally with the later event or events which appear to have some connection with the structural deformation clearly observable both in the complex and the surrounding metasediments. It is these younger events which appear to match the residual evidence for the earliest detectable concentration of uranium minerals in the Alligator Rivers district.

Jan 1, 1977

This paper describes a proposal to reopen the Sylvia gold mine for underground exploration and development for an initial production of 10 000 tpa. A combination of trackless mining equipment and railtrack would be utilised for development with ore extraction being carried out by undercut and fill methods. The use of the smallest LHD units for mucking, and rail track for the main haulage together with airleg drilling will form the basis for development and stoping. The proposal has been subjected to an environmental impact assessment report to evaluate the impacts of the proposal on the natural and social environment in the area.

Jan 1, 1987

By R L. Brathwaite

As part of an investigation of the deep structure of the Waihi Basin, an extensive set of resistivity measurements was recently collected by DSIR Geology & Geophysics. The objective of this work is to map deep resistivity changes throughout the Waihi area in order to contribute to a better understanding of the regional geophysical structure. This research is also aimed at improving techniques for locating 'deposits of epithermal mineral resources, and helping to establish their origin and genetic relationship to fossil geothermal systems.   The results indicate that the basin south of Waihi is underlain by an extensive layer of low resistivity, modelled as a 5ohm-m layer several hundred metres thick. Lake sediments (mudstones), as exposed in the south western part of the basin, near Waitawheta, are the most likely source of this low resistivity layer, although hydrothermally altered clays and/or elevated temperatures are other possible causes. Strong northeast trending anisotropy is also observed, implying structural links from Waitawheta through to Golden Valley. The observed resistivity pattern is consistent with a æburied calderaÆ or æfaulted depressionÆ structural model for the basin, as inferred from gravity and magnetic data.

Jan 1, 1991

GOOD ventilation is recognized as an essential for the preservation of health, and laws have accordingly been framed in many countries for the provision of adequate ventilation in factories and places of public resort as well as in mines.Apart from the legislative enforcement of hygienic measures as a matter of public 'policy, the ventilation of mines has an important economic aspect, since it affects to a large extent the industrial efficiency of the workmen, and consequently the cost of mineral production. Until recent years the ventilation of metal mines has not generally received much consideration, and the importance of pure air has been sometimes overlooked. To the absence of explosive gases in such mines, and to the cost of the installation and working of mechanical ventilators, may generally be attributed disregard of adequate ventilation. In this paper it is not proposed to furnish statistics on the mortality and morbidity of miners, or a treatise on the medical aspect of the rock-dust problem, to further elaborate which would be superfluous, the deleterious effects of the latter having been...

Jan 1, 1912

Mineralogical analysis of a nickeliferous laterite from the Rockhampton region shows that the nickel is largely associated with the manganese wad and opaline silica. The laterite also contains an appreciable chromite content (about 12 per cent Cr2O,) although this tends to be poorly liberated.Leaching with hydrochloric or sulphuric acid, at atmospheric pressure at the boiling point is non-selective with respect to iron dissolution.The degree of dissolution increases as the acid concentration and retention time are increased; cobalt dissolution requires less aggressive conditions than does the dissolution of an equivalent amount of nickel.Leaching with sulphuric acid at elevated temperatures and pressures leads to a minimum amount of iron dissolution, is rapid, and requires a reduced acid addition rate. Nickel and cobalt recovery from the clarified leachate would be simplified because of the leach selectivity.Pressure leaching appears to be the most practical route for treating the Rockhampton laterite. The economics of processing would be made more attractive by the recovery of a chromium concentrate from the leach residue. This would typically contain about 45 per cent Cr2O, and could be used as a source of chromium chemicals.

Jan 1, 1986

By I Thomson, L D. Black, R G. Boutilier

The social license to operate (SLO) began as a metaphor for the ability of communities to stop mining projects. Soon people began to speak of levels of social license and the ability of communities to raise costs without completely stopping exploration or mining activities. Today the concept has spread to other industries and is evolving towards becoming a general management perspective on the socio-political rights and responsibilities of the corporation. The business case underpinning the SLO perspective on management is the need to assess and manage socio-political risk. For mining companies, socio-political risk has been steadily rising for several reasons, including the efforts of non-government organisations (NGOs) to pre-empt government policy options; the entry of mining companies into jurisdictions weak in the rule of law; and the weakness of global economic and financial regulation. In this perilous world beyond the comfort zone of effective government, mining companies must build their own socio-political stability by engaging directly with stakeholders to develop a strong SLO. In order to become a practical management perspective, the SLO needs to be measurable, which amounts to measuring the socio-political risks and opportunities presented by stakeholders. We present the results of efforts since 2009 to develop a globally reliable and valid measurement tool at the project and industry levels, validated in studies in Australia, Bolivia, Mexico and the USA. A factor analysis suggested four factors that mine management can address to raise their SLO level. The most chronically neglected factor involves the political right of the corporation to foster more equitable social contracts locally and regionally in both developed and developing countries. We conclude with recommended steps to earn and maintain the social license at the project and industry levels.CITATION:Boutilier, R G, Black, L D and Thomson, I, 2012. From metaphor to management tool - How the social license to operate can stabilise the socio-political environment for business, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 227-238 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

The sulphide ores of the principal lodes of the Boulder Mines are mainly composed of a schistose guess with a varying proportion of silica and lime, containing tellurides of gold, silver and mercury, associated with iron pyrites. It is a great difficultyto obtain pure and homogeneous samples of the tellurides for analysis, and from a number of tests made with excellent specimens it was found hardly possible to procure two to agree in analysis, the precious metals being found to be combinedwith tellurium in most varying proportions indeed, a close inspection of a partially crushed specimen will reveal, even to the naked eye, the various shades of colour characteristic...

Jan 1, 1901

The Gippsland Basin, southeastern Australia, has an Upper Cainozoic history of episodic change of hydrology and the related environment, reflected in the geomorphology and surficial deposits of the onshore basin and the hydrodynamically controlled accumulations of petroleum of the offshore basin. Succeeding this episodic pattern, man through a number of activities, has had a sudden and major impact on the hydrology and the related environment. Activities include those directly affecting the groundwater system, such as extraction of fossil fuels with the consequent threat of land subsidence; irrigation and clearing of vegetation and the consequent effect of salinisation; change of land use and installation of septic tanks with resulting nitrate pollution; damming of streams and the consequent reduction in the frequency of floods with degradation of the biological Environment; de-snagging streams and construction of cutoffs with increased stream erosion, modifying wetlands including drainage, with the consequent degradation of their ecosystems; and increase in phosphate and nitrate inputs to the coastal lakes with the risk of their eutrophication.

Jan 1, 1992

The Peelwood district of New South Wales is located some 65 miles south of Bathutst on the Tuena-Crookwell road. A number of occurrences of lead-zinc-copper ore are known from this district but only three mines, Peelwood, Cordillera and Mt. Costigan, have achieved any significant production. The purpose of the paper is to describe the mineral composition of sulphide ores from these three localities.HISTORYNo published information on the geology of the Peelwood area is available. Came (1899) reports that, at the time of cessation of mining operations in 1888, the Peelwood mine had produced some 600 tons of copper metal and regulus, the Cordillera mine had yielded 9000 tons of ore at the recoverable grade of 2·5 per cent Pb, 2·5 per cent Cu, 90z/ton Ag and 1 dwtjto:p. Au, but that no production figures were available from Mt. Costigan. No further work was carried out on these properties until 1951 when the Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia instigated a programme of geological mapping and exploratory diamond drilling (Whitten, unpublished data, 1953). The Peelwood district was recently mapped by Mutton (unpublished thesis, 1960) from whom the following geological summary account was taken.GENERAL GEOLOGYAll rocks in the Peelwood area belong to a series of interbedded fine grained sediments and volcanics that are thought...

Jan 1, 1961

Professor Skeats said: I wish at the ,outset to express my appreciation of the h0!-l0ur conferred on me by my election as President of this Institute for the ensuing year. The selection of a geologist for this position by a body of mining engineers andmetallurgists may be taken as an indication of the recognition that the subject is one which may play a useful part in the great metal industry. Among the records of primitive man the finding of implements of bronze and of iron indicated one of the important, advances made in human civilization, and shows that...

Jan 1, 1924

Solid Energy New Zealand Limited has grown significantly since becoming a State Owned Enterprise in 1987. Exports, profit, turnover, output per employee are all trending upwards. The company has identified the management of Health and Safety as a key capability to sustain future growth, and to add value to the business. It has set a target of being the best practice in managing Health and Safety.   This paper examines the company's activities in the Health and Safety area, and how it sees that value can be added by preventing and containing losses through accidents involving people, property, process and the environment. Solid Energy is confident that a Planned approach to managing Health and Safety can achieve this. It will explore historical events, strategic changes, Health and Safety systems, Benchmarking, Performance Measures, initiatives, progress to date and challenges for the future.

Jan 1, 1997

Mining is taking place at increasing depths of cover on the Southern Coalfield beneath predominantly massive sandstone strata. Within the next twenty years, there will be longwall mining at depths greater than 600 m. As the Sydney Metropolitan area continues to expand and as coal mining approaches these urban areas subsidence will continue to become an increasinglY important aspect of coal mining research. Investigations, commenced in the mid 1960's, allow prediction of subsidence in the Southern Coalheld with reasonable confidence. The work is showing that the characteristics of thc subsidence troughs over the deeper mining at Appin differ from the characteristics of mine subsidence at less cover.The longwall mining at Appin Colliery has resulted in a maximum measured subsidenee of 730 mm. The maximum strains were small because of the large radii of curvature of the subsidence profiles. There was no damage to any of the buildings in the township of Appin.

Jan 1, 1982

Study on Dynamic Characteristics of Inertia Cone Crusher and Its Application

Sep 13, 2010