Rio Tinto expands Mine of the Future™ programme with new technologies in underground tunnelling and mineral recovery

 

 

Rio Tinto head of Innovation John McGagh said "Rio Tinto is head and shoulders above the rest of the industry in our technology and innovation programmes. Mine of the FutureTM is becoming a reality today, with full-scale rollout of automation of mine equipment and large-scale tests of tunnelling, mineral recovery and exploration technologies. Being ahead of the pack gives Rio Tinto a competitive edge in the global mining landscape by generating more efficient and cost-competitive methods of finding, extracting and processing mineral resources and providing new, engaging and diverse employment opportunities."

 

 

Shaft and tunnel boring systems

 

 

Rio Tinto is expanding trials of new shaft and tunnel boring systems, aimed at significantly reducing the time taken to excavate underground, with the announcement of a second tunnel boring trial. Rio Tinto is working in partnership with Atlas Copco on the trial, which will start in 2013 at Rio Tinto's Kennecott Utah Copper (KUC) mine in Salt Lake City.

 

 

The Atlas Copco Tunnel Boring System at KUC is expected to allow Rio Tinto to tunnel more than 10 metres a day - nearly twice the rate of conventional methods.

 

 

The first tunnel boring trial, run in partnership with Aker Wirth, will begin this year at the Northparkes copper and gold mine in New South Wales. Locations are currently being considered for a shaft boring system trial.

 

 

Mr McGagh said "More mining is moving underground as deeper ore bodies are identified and open pits come to the end of their lives. Constructing underground mines can be technically challenging, expensive and a slow process. These trials mean we can test the technology to allow us to mine deeper and more safely, with the potential benefits of greater efficiency and speed of underground mine construction which would increase the value of the projects." 

 

 

Innovation in mineral recovery

 

 

Rio Tinto is working on ways of improving rates of ore recovery from mature and complex deposits. 

 

 

As part of the mineral recovery programme, Rio Tinto is taking a cue from non-mining industries in its development of world-class mineral sorting technology by forging a new partnership with a leading global supplier of automated sensor-based systems used in recycling and food processing.

 

 

The partnership with Norwegian company TOMRA Sorting Solutions will develop commercial-scale systems for separating minerals from rock waste.

 

 

This work will include scaling up Rio Tinto's iron ore and copper sorting technologies - which extract saleable ore from waste rock - to sort up to 1,000 tonnes of rock an hour.

 

 

Rio Tinto is also partnering with UK-based e2V to develop machines to improve the efficiency of mineral recovery from previously discarded ore. The machinery uses large-scale microwave and radio frequency generators and is expected to set a new world standard in mineral recovery.

 

 

The partnership will enable Rio Tinto to scale up its mineral recovery technologies such as Copper NuWave?, which is expected to be trialled later this year at Kennecott Utah Copper in the United States.

 

 

Mr McGagh said "We are developing machines that use digital and sensing technologies to detect and separate the mineral from rock waste so that we can improve rates of recovery from what is currently being treated as waste rock. This technology has the capability of being a potential game-changer in the mining industry.

 

 

"There is increasing minerals demand around the world - especially from emerging markets. As minerals become harder to mine, from deeper mines in more remote areas, it's innovation from modern science and technology that's the key to meeting this challenge in a safe and environmentally-friendly way."

 

 

Automated mining systems

 

 

Rio Tinto yesterday announced that the Automated Train System will be deployed throughout the Pilbara marking the world's first automated long-distance heavy-rail network.

 

 

The first driverless train will be launched in 2014, with the AutoHaulTM   automated train programme scheduled for completion a year later.

 

 

In November 2011, Rio Tinto announced plans to increase the fleet of driverless haul trucks at its iron ore operations in Western Australia to 150 following a successful two-year trial at the West Angelas mine.

 

 

The broader operational deployment of the autonomous trucks marks a step forward in the development of the Mine of the FutureTM vision. Implementing autonomous haulage on this scale means more material can be moved more quickly and safely, creating a direct increase in productivity.

 

 

Rio Tinto head of Pilbara Operations Greg Lilleyman said "These 150 new trucks will work with our pioneering Operations Centre that integrates and manages the logistics of 14 mines, three ports and two railways. These technologies are revolutionising the way large-scale mining is done, creating attractive hi-tech jobs, allowing us to expand quickly and efficiently and helping us to improve safety and environmental performance."

 

 

Rio Tinto is also trialling autonomous production drills designed to provide a reliable and repeatable process in blast-hole drilling.

 

 

The intent of the integrated system is that automated blast-hole drill rigs will precisely position the blast holes, conduct live rock analysis, dictate to the explosives delivery vehicle the correct charge for each hole and provide data supporting three dimensional mapping systems to provide detailed imaging of each deposit. A number of critical system components have already been successfully tested in Rio Tinto operations.

 

 

Operations Centre

 

 

Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore mining and infrastructure has been controlled remotely for the past 18 months from the Operations Centre in Perth. The Centre has more than 400 employees overseeing and ensuring the synchronisation of the mine, rail and port systems in the Pilbara region.

 

 

The benefits of the Operations Centre include increased efficiency, improved safety, decreased variability and better identification of performance issues across the iron ore business in Western Australia.     

 

 

Advanced exploration technologies

 

 

Work is continuing on the development of the VK1airborne gravity gradiometer, an exploration tool with the potential to assist Rio Tinto find future tier one ore bodies. The system detects small changes in the earth's gravitational field which can indicate the presence of mineral deposits.

 

 

The first complete system was initially flown in August 2010, and undertook several test flights throughout 2011. A second improved system was constructed in 2011 and has just commenced flight testing near Perth. Once the system approaches target performance, the 2012 plan will extend the test flight programme to the Pilbara.

 

 

About Mine of the FutureTM

 

 

Launched in 2008, Rio Tinto's Mine of the FutureTM programme introduces next-generation technologies for mining operations that aim to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve health, safety and environmental performance.

 

 

About Rio Tinto

 

 

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

 

 

Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.

 

 

About Atlas Copco

 

 

Atlas Copco is an industrial group with world-leading positions in compressors, expanders and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. With innovative products and services, Atlas Copco delivers solutions for sustainable productivity. The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 170 countries. In 2011, Atlas Copco had 37,500 employees and revenues of SEK81 billion (EUR9 billion).

 

 

Atlas Copco's Mining and Rock Excavation Technique business area provides equipment for drilling and rock excavation, a complete range of related consumables and service through a global network. The business area innovates for sustainable productivity in surface and underground mining, infrastructure, civil works, well drilling and geotechnical applications. Principal product development and manufacturing units are located in Sweden, the United States, Canada, China and India.

 

 

About TOMRA Systems ASA

 

 

TOMRA Sorting Solutions is one of two business areas of TOMRA Systems ASA. TOMRA is a global provider of sensor-based solutions for optimal resource productivity.

 

 

TOMRA was founded on an innovation in 1972 of reverse vending machines for automated collection of used beverage containers and have lately advanced and developed superior technology within sensor based material sorting systems. The group has 1,800 employees and is active in more than 50 markets worldwide with more than 140,000 installations, 200 of which are in the mining industry. It had total revenue of around €450 million (NOK3.5 billion) in 2010 and is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.