mike mosser energy efficiency

Energy-Efficient Technology for Mining

Mike MosserNational Energy Technology Laboratory

U.S. Department of Energy

August 23, 2007

Outline

DOE Mining R&D Program Snapshot

Utah / DOE R&D partners

Energy-Efficient Mining Technologies Available

U.S. Mining Energy Bandwidth

Need for further mining R&D

Mining Program Objectives

Objectives: Increasing Energy Efficiency in Mining

Reduce mining energy requirements Invest in mining technology needs Reduce environmental impact (e.g. Reduce greenhouse gases and

other emissions) Reduce mining operation costs Improve worker health and safety Improve productivity

Mission: To strengthen America's energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality in public-private partnerships with the mining industry pertaining to coal, metals and industrial minerals.

Analytical and Roadmap R&D DocumentsMining Industry Vision (1998)Targeted Roadmaps

• Crosscutting Technologies Roadmap (1999)• Mineral Processing Technologies Roadmap (2000)• Exploration and Mining Technologies Roadmap (2002)

Energy and Environmental Profile of theU.S. Mining Industry (2002)Mining Industry Energy Bandwidth Study (2007)

Exploration and Mining

Technology Roadmap

Mineral Processing Technology Roadmap

Snapshot of the Mining Portfolio

47 Cost shared projects

146 Industry partners

19 University partners

56% Cost share

$27.3 Million DOE funds

$34.8 Million Cost share

6 “R&D 100 Awards”

16 patents

7 projects commercialized, and 8 expected to be commercialized in less than 2 years.

Cumulative Energy Savings by 2020 = 841 TBtu or $5.04 B

Mining Project Industrial Partners

Utah Partners:

• CONSOL• Joy Mining Machinery• Kennecott Utah Copper• SUFCO• University of Utah• Utah Engineering Experiment Station

Radio Imaging Methods (RIM) • Description:

Forward imaging with confirmation will reduce the risk of interrupting production because of adverse geologic conditions, allow drilling in targeted areas, and the ability to extract cleaner coal.

• Benefits: – Reduce energy use 2.7 TBtu/yr by 2020.

– $3.59 M savings by 2020.

– 7% energy savings.

• Commercialization: – Commercialized In-Mine RIM-IV, Down-Hole RIM-IV, and RIM-based risk reductions to the

coal mining industry.

– RIM Surveys conducted at 40 US mines includes 200 surveys, 60 World Wide mines includes 300 surveys

– RIM Surveys conducted in Utah at Sufco, Skyline (Arch Western Coal); Genwal Mine and West Ridge Mine (Andelex Resources).

– Horizon Sensor applied to Sufco Mine.

Advanced Drillstring Radar Navigation for Horizontal Directional Drilling

• Description: Create, demonstrate and validate a functional drill-string assembly outfitted with a commercial version of Drill-String Radar.

• Benefits: – 31 trillion Btu saved by 2020

– $178 million saved by 2020

– 10% reduction in drill energy for undulating coal beds

– Ave. 20% reduction in energy for ventilation

– 10% reduction in mining energy due to better anomaly detection and confirmation

– Ave. 60% coal mine methane recovery for fuel source.

• Commercialization: – DSR and LAR prototype testing at Sufco Mine

– HS and DeltaEM Gradiometer testing at Emery Mine (Consol). The DeltaEM technology was a part of that MSHA void-detection program. (void detection – Horizon sensor)

– DSR and DTS field tests at Deer Creek Mine (Pacificorp).

Effective Conveyor Belt Inspection System

• Description: A low-cost automated belt inspection system (real-time detection) that will decrease the frequency of unexpected belt failures and increase overall belt availability. Detects vulcanized splices in underground conveyor belts, in real-time.

• Benefits: – $3.5 M/yr savings in 2020

• Commercialization: – 16 early systems in daily use at 7 different mines, including San Juan Mine, NM, 20

Mile Mine, CO, and Dugout Canyone Mine, CO., Robinson Run, WV, Blacksville # 2, WV, Bailey/Enlow Fork Mine PA, Loverage Mine, WV, McElroy Mine, WV

– Total inspected belt length exceeded the 3 million mile mark in late 2006, and has guided the replacement of countless splices reducing unscheduled belt downtime.

Current Belt Inspection System

Development of a Novel Dry Coal Processing Technology

• Description: Employ a novel, dry deshaling technology near the extraction point of surface mining operations in order to improve energy efficiency/economics of transporting and processing coal.

• Benefits: – Ability to remove high-density rock in an amount equal to

37.4% of the total coal.

– Installation at a Kentucky mine site projected to save $5.5 M/yr.

– Sulfur and Mercury content was reduced by 40-65% at a mine site in the Gulf Coast.

• Commercialization: – Eriez Manufacturing, working in conjunction with University of Kentucky,

has recently sold a commercial unit of its FGX separator, a pneumatic table concentrator, to a Gulf Coast Lignite mining operation. The mining operation does not wish to be named at this time. The purchase order was for a 240 ton per hour unit at a cost of $768,000.

Improving Energy Efficiency in SAG Mills

• Description: Use of advanced SAG mill simulation software to determine charge motion inside the mill.

• Benefits:

– 2-11% reduction in SAG mill energy use

– 15-17% in energy use by grinding

– 100% for unscheduled downtime

• Commercialization:

– SAG mill simulation and design optimization were successful for Cortez Gold, where an estimated $1.5 million will be saved annually through reduced operating costs and unscheduled mill shut-downs.

GranuFlow Process in Coal Prep Plants

• Description: CQ Inc. of Homer City, PA has been performing tests to utilize the Granuflow process in coal preparation plants. Granuflow uses a bitumen emulsion to displace water from fine coal, agglomerating the coal prior to dewatering and thereby improving coal recovery in coal preparation facilities.

• Benefits: – Ability to recover coal fines (currently 2 Billion is impounded

annually + 50 M tons added each year)

– The process can add more than $1 million in annual profits for operators producing metallurgical coal, and add between $600,000 and $3 million for coal market values ranging from $50 to $100 per ton.

– $7.1 M/yr savings in 2020

• Commercialization: – Three full-scale demonstrations in Pennsylvania and Alabama recently

confirmed previous test results and established operating parameters for future commercialization.

Smart Screens for Mining

• Description: Controls the flow and confines the energy to the screen panel rather than shaking the entire support structure.

• Benefits: – The motors reduce weight by 80% and energy by 50 to 95%.

– $79.3 M/yr savings in 2020.

• Commercialization: – To date 44 units have been installed at three iron ore plants in Minnesota, Minntac,

Keetac and Ispat.

– Two units have been sold and are in operation in a Russian plant. One unit was sold to a Mexican plant and eight more sales are pending.

– Twelve units were sold and commissioned in South Africa and one unit was provided to a test facility in Canada.

– This technology has applications in mining, oil field services, food processing, pharmaceutical, and defense industry.

Wireless Communications

• Description:

Wireless through-the-earth communications have not been research since the mid-1970’s. There are technical barriers associated with through the earth – two-way voice communications which need to be developed for underground mining in order to improve mine productivity, reduce energy consumption, improve mine safety and provide a personal communication system which all employees can utilize.

• Benefits: – Technical barriers must be achieved to apply through the earth

communication that penetrates up to 1200-1400 ft. of overburden and has voice to voice function.

– Improvement in safety and health, and productivity.

• Commercialization: – The Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) recently selected the 7 premier

through-the-earth communication systems to demonstrate at a CONSOL mine, in which case the Transtek and Los Alamos National Laboratory projects were selected.

– Transtek was the only wireless system to perform successfully and was able to communicate voice-to-voice up to 270 ft from the surface. Los Alamos National Laboratory is also working on a through-the-earth communication system which has recently been licensed to Vital Alert, and is continuing on its commercialization path.

Why Mining?

Sources: EIA 2001, 1998 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey; U.S. DOE 2002, Energy and Environmental Profile of the U.S. Mining Industry

Energy Consumption (Trillion Btu)

Petroleum

Chemicals

PaperPrimaryMetals

Food Processing

Nonmetallic Minerals

Tobacco/Beverages

Furniture

Leather Machinery and Computers

Wood

TransportationFabricated Metals

Textiles/Apparel

Plastics/Rubber

ElectricalPrinting

Miscellaneous1

10

100

1000

10 100 1000 10000

Ener

gy In

tens

ity (T

hous

and

Btu

/$ G

DP) Energy-Intensive

Industries

Industrial Energy Intensity vs. Energy Consumption

MINING

Mining Energy Bandwidth

409

258

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400En

ergy

Con

sum

ptio

n (T

rillio

n B

tu/Y

ear)

Best Practice Energy Saving Opportunity (258 TBtu/yr)

R&D Energy Saving Opportunity (409 TBtu/yr)

Impractical Energy Recovery Opportunity

Minimum Energy Requirement

Current Energy Consumption= 1246 Trillion Btu/Year

Theoretical Minimum= 184 Trillion Btu/Year

Best Practice= 988 Trillion Btu/Year

Practical Minimum= 579 Trillion Btu/Year

Ene

rgy

Savi

ngs

Opp

ortu

nity

Source: Mining Energy Bandwidth Study (Draft 2007)

Energy Saving Opportunity in U.S. Mining Industry(Mining Focus Area)

420

119

126

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Energy Savings Opportunity (Trillion Btu/year)

Beneficiation and Processing

Materials Handling

Extraction


Energy Saving Opportunity in U.S. Mining Industry(Mining Process Equipment)


39

356

25

8

111

28

5

35

44

14

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Energy Savings Opportunity (Trillion Btu/Year)

separations

grinding

crushing

electric

diesel

ventilation

dewatering

drilling

digging

blasting

Extraction

Materials Handling

Beneficiation & Processing

Accessing Mining R&D Related Information DOE OSTI Site

Final Reports Portfolio Articles in Trade Journals

Mining Engineering Coal Age

Portfolio Presentations SME Annual Meeting

Industry Associations NMA SME

Website Mining Resources Site

http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/mining/resources

Includes real-time information on: Partners Status Photo library

• Commercialization• Outreach• Contacts

Contacts:

• Elliott Levine - (DOE-HQ)• Mike Mosser - NETL• Joe Renk - NETL• Roy Tiley - BCS• Majeed Aziz - BCS



Mining IOF Budget History

0

1

2

3

4

5

6Fu

ndin

g (M

illio

n D

olla

rs)

Fiscal Year

Presidents Request 1.7 3 4 2.119 1.6 2.353 1.4 1.06 0

Actual 1.7 2.7 3.5 5.014 5.484 4.574 3.994 1.06 0

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

NOTE: FY2007 House Mark is $1 million.

The Continued Need for Mining R&D Decrease production costs (e.g. reducing energy consumption)

Enhance productivity of workers and equipment safely

Open up new reserves (increasing geologic challenges)

Extend life of existing ore bodies

Respond to new government regulations on improving safety performance

Provide increased supply for a growing global appetite Developing world slowly moving from exporting their commodities to

consuming them.

Reduce Climate Change

** Important to improve industry/academia/government relationship in order to compete against foreign competition.

NETLwww.netl.doe.gov

Contact Us

EERE/ITPwww.eere.energy.gov/industry/mining/

Mike [email protected]

Elliott [email protected]

Joe [email protected]

http://www.netl.doe.gov/

EXTRA SLIDES

Crosscutting Roadmap

Crosscutting Roadmap (contd.)

Energy Saving Opportunity in U.S. Mining Industry

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Energy Savings Opportunity (Trillion Btu/Year)

separations

grinding

crushing

electric

diesel

ventilation

dewatering

drilling

digging

blasting

Coal

Minerals

Metals

Extraction

126 TBtu

MaterialsHandling119 TBtu

Beneficiation & Processing

420 TBtu
