CEMI’s Mining Innovation GPS (MI-GPS)

Mining is a system, not a collection of technologies. This is most obviously true in the processing plant where the entire process is an integrated system, but it less obvious in raw production and in tailings management. Improving these processes has to be approached systematically so that any new change allows the whole system to work better, safer, cheaper than before. Mining innovation is not about developing technical solutions; it is about implementing new ways of doing things that improve business results – profitability and productivity, as well as safety. New technological solutions become successful innovations only when they can make a significant impact on the business needs of the operation, as well as solving an operational problem. A good technical solution has limited value if it improves operating performance, or reduces cost, by only 1-2%, especially when there more critical and costly issues that need to be changed. An innovation that requires a large capital investment is of little value to a mine that has only a few more years of ore production left; there is too little time left to recoup the cost of the investment. Mining innovation is more about business solutions than technological solutions.

Agreeing on the problem and finding possible solutions is only part of the innovation process. The first step is to identify and prioritize the issues that have the biggest impact on the business, then focus on solving these. Even then, just assembling a list of possible technological options is not the second step; not all solutions are technological – organizational solutions can also solve business problems too, often more cheaply than anything else. A list of technological options is like having a roadmap; it cannot help if the destination is unknown – and in innovation the solution or destination is not always obvious. What is always known, is that we have to leave where we are, change what we are doing, because it is no longer sufficiently safe or profitable. We have to go in a new direction, and some options are better than others. The choice of direction has to be driven by the impact on the business, in order to avoid implementing changes that are beneficial but have little impact on the profitability of the business.

Deep Metal Mining

Time is the forgotten commodity in metal mining today; the lean production techniques implemented during Industry 3.0, and which make Industry 4.0 possible, are virtually unknown in the mining industry. The focus has been on safety, cost reduction and increasing scale; lean manufacturing is now critical. It is important to distinguish between incremental and large-scale change; external organizations cannot address the former, only internal departments can affect incremental improvements. Deployment of operating-cost improvements and capital-cost innovations both require investment, but the latter are best suited to new mines with a long mine-life to recoup the investment, while older mines must focus on operating-cost innovations with shorter payback periods.

Matching Constraints and Characteristics.

Here are some system constraints in deep underground mines along with the desirable characteristics that can address each constraint.

Deep mines have higher logistical costs that must be offset by higher revenue generation achieved by higher throughput and higher value. Continuous and autonomous ore flow, ore sorting with waste diversion, and fines recovery and dense medium hoisting can all contribute to greater value generation. Autonomous operating systems require many fewer few people underground, dealing with abnormal situations and re-supplying the autonomous equipment. In ultra-deep mines, people will wear suits providing comprehensive PPE (CPPE); providing protection against all air-borne hazards such as heat, humidity and dust as well as physical hazards, plus hands-free voice-video-data communications.

Finally, the greatest delay in bringing mines into production is obtaining permits and approval for new tailings management systems. Implementing new approaches that prevent both the catastrophic failure of tailings storage facilities and the gradual escape of fugitive toxic dust is essential. Mines that can prove they can implement a progressive, self-sustaining mine closure systems that eliminate all negative impacts on human health and local ecologies in the long term, can restore the industry’s credibility, make tailings facilities easier to approve and so accelerate the opening of new mines.

CEMI has supported its partners to develop technologies that achieve all of these objectives.