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Online Analysis for mining and minerals industryIICA, 11 May, 2016

MINERALS DOWN UNDER

Mike Millen | Group Leader, (On-line Analysis),Minerals Resources

Introduction

• CSIRO ( general comments)

• Mining and Minerals processing industries (challenges)

• On-line Analysis (OLA) Group

- what we do

- how we operate

- how we co-operate

- how we make impact

• Some examples of developments by OLA

• Few words on technology transfer & industry engagement

Investing in Australia’s mineral future | Nick Cutmore2 |

3 |

64% of our people hold

university degrees over

2000 hold doctorates

over 500 hold masters

CSIRO

Darwin

Alice Springs

Geraldton 2 sites

Atherton

Townsville2 sites

Rockhampton

Toowoomba

Gatton

Myall Vale

Narrabri

Mopra

Parkes

Griffith

Belmont

Geelong

HobartSandy Bay

Wodonga

Newcastle

Armidale2 sites

Perth3 sites

Adelaide3 sites Sydney 5 sites

Canberra 7 sites

Murchison

Cairns

Irymple

Melbourne 5 sites

Werribee 2 sites

Brisbane6 sites

Bribie Island

People ~5000

Sites ~50

Flagships 9

Budget $1B+

We develop 832postgraduate research students with our university partners

CSIRO: positive impact | Presentation title | Presenter name

Our operating model

4 |

SUPPORT SERVICES

Year in review: Annual performance 2013-14

NATIONAL FACILITIES & COLLECTIONS

Infrastructure and biological collections managed by CSIRO for the benefit of research and industry.

IMPACT SCIENCE

Nine National Research Business Units with a focus on the biggest challenges facing the nation.

CSIRO SERVICES

Commercial, customer-centric products and services for industry, government and the community.

DIGITAL PRODUCTIVITY AND SERVICES (DATA 61)

BIOSECURITY ENERGY

Business units (formerly Flagships)

5 |

OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE

FOOD AND NUTRITION

AGRICULTURE

MINERAL RESOURCES

MANUFACTURINGLAND AND WATER

CSIRO: positive impact | Presentation title | Presenter name

Presentation title | Presenter name6 |

Industrial drivers• Industrial Automation

- Mining, security, petroleum, mineral processing and manufacture- Revolution in mining: automation, selective mining, ore sorting

• National Priorities (CSIRO)

- Better utilization of Australia’s resources, lower environment impact , energy efficiency

-The resources industry currently contributes 9% of Australia’s GDP and 48% of Australia’s exports.

(However, both decreasing productivity and a softening demand threaten this contribution)1

On-line analysis for precision processing

7 |

SmeltingElectrowinning

Elution

Flotation/concentration

Grinding

Crushing

SortingMine/stockpile

Tailings disposal + water recovery

ProductAcoustic monitoring

Gamma activationX-ray diffractionX-ray fluorescenceMicrowave res.

Neutron analysis

On-stream monitoring for ore-sorting, plant monitoring and assay | James Tickner

Feed monitoring

Dat

a an

alyt

ics

and

mac

hin

e le

arn

ing

Investing in Australia’s mineral future | 8 |

Mining Program Goal

Rapid resource characterisation

Down hole tools…

Intelligent mining and ore management

Mine mapping…

Process productivity

On-line analysers…

To develop and implement transformational technologies that support the long term productivity, efficiency and safety of the

mining industry

………….enabling ore differentiation for selective mining, reducing the cost of miningand processing, enabling the extraction of previously uneconomic ores and

removing people from hazardous areas.

10 | Investing in Australia’s mineral future | Nick Cutmore

On-line analysis (OLA) group

We are a Science Driven Technology Innovations

Group

24 staff (3 teams) + students

1. Radiofrequency & acoustics

2. Nucleonics

3. Productisation

Core business

• Development of on-line measurement technologies

• World leader in development of on-line analysis systems


Air cargo scanner

Nucleonics – science team 1

Team ( 8 staff)

Team leader (manager/business development)

Physicists and engineersDevelop new measurement technology

X-ray, gamma ray and neutrons interaction with matter

Modeling skills (Condor)

Software skills

Data analytical

(business/customer skills)


Radio Frequency and Acoustics – science team 2


Particle size analyser based on ultrasonic's

Team ( 8 staff)

Team leader (manager/business development)Physicists and engineersDevelop new measurement technologyRadio waves, passive and active acousticsRF engineering - build high power systemsSoftware skillsData analytical (business/customer skills)

Productisation team (engineering team)

• Team ( 6 staff)

In house design

• 2 mechanical engineers

• 3 electronic/electrical engineers

• 1 software engineer

Target

Design laboratory

to an advanced pre-commercial prototype


Prototype acoustic analyser

Development path

• Our industry advisors/clients provide focus for potential impact

• Industry demonstration projects demonstrate client and commercial value and leverage the technology development

• Strong METS partnerships are critical in achieving impact



Technologies developed in last 7 years

1. Moisture analyser2. Air Cargo3. Elemental analyser4. Particle Size analyser5. Acoustic Emission

analyser

How we work partners

universities...

...collaborate in R&D aligned with medium-long termUNSW, Wollongong

METS companies ...

...for the commercialisation of technologies and the delivery of services for impact

Industry companies...

...partner with industrial in the co-development and trial of technology

Complimentary R&D organisations:e.g.CRC Ore II (October 2015)


CRC Ore II - (optimizing resource extraction)

• “The ‘Millennium Super Cycle’ of commodity pricing from 2003-2011 resulted in an unprecedented period of accelerated growth in production and investment for the global minerals industry across a broad range of commodities”.1

• More tonnes to the mill is no longer the most effective approach to sustain growth

• Advent of grade engineering

- sorting

• - differential blasting

• 1 new initiatives to transfer mining - CRC Ore

Participants

• Research (CSIRO, universities)

• Industry

• METS (mining equipment and technology services)


High Tonnage Ore Sorting

MINERALS DOWN UNDER FLAGSHIP

Using Magnetic Resonance

High Tonnage Mining- Challenges

High Tonnage Ore Sorting | David Miljak20 |

• Cutoff grades have fallen to meet metal demand.• Technology advances have allowed processing of lower grade cutoffs over time• Current high tonnage mining model is exposed to energy and water costs / constraints.

R. Schodde, MinEx Consulting, 2010 MEMS conference

Copper GradeCopper grade (%)

Where to next?

Ore Sorting Technology


Nickel ore sorting, Applied Sorting Solutions, http://www.appliedsorting.com.au/

Modern ore sorting:• successful at low tonnages on selected applications…

BUT• stretched technology

Technological Advance

Mechanical separation

SensorsComputers

Bulk handling

“When, either through ignorance or carelessness, the miners while excavating have mixed the ore with earth or broken rock...it should be examined, and that part of the ore which is rich in metal sorted from that part of it which is devoid of metal”.. Agricola, De Re Metallica 1556

Hand ore sorting 16th century, De Re Metallica, Book VIII.

CSIRO Sorting: Exploiting In-Situ Variability


• Measurement on primary conveyors (continuous flow), installed close to mining process • Independent batches of rock measured (as low as 0.5 tonne)• Rely on deposit inhomogeneity at small scale to provide ore grade variability• Divert ore batches using conventional technology.

“conventional” ore handling

groups of rocks measured at the same time

primaryconveyor

fast, bulk sensor

No suitable sensing technology available !

Bulk Ore Sorting


Bulk sorting

• Rapid analysis of grade of conveyed material in few-ton lots at 1000’s of tons per hour

• Diversion of high/low grade material

Magnetic resonance (copper minerals)• Newcrest trial at Cadia (NSW) in 2013• Detection of chalcopyrite with resolution of better

than 0.05 wt%• Measurement of grade variability over 6 months

on few-second timescale

- CSIRO & partner entered agreement to exploit the technology

On Line Magnetic Resonance | David Miljak24 |

Research / science challenges• How do we develop practically realisable large volume magnetic

resonance measurement systems relevant to industry?

High static magnetic field

Protons of hydrogen atom

Shielded lab apparatus

CSIRO Capability

Expert system ~ minutes

“Zero Field”

Transition metals e.g. copper

Constrained shielding

On-Line Analyser ~ 1-5 sec

Conventional Magnetic Resonance

Magnetic Resonance for Industry

H1

Sensitivity

Cu63 As75

Some elements give“free internal magnetism”

CSIRO Sorting : Science


Magnetic Resonance (MR)Challenges for CSIRO• Radio spectroscopy for selected Cu, Fe, As minerals • Discovery of mineral resonances• Massive engineering scale-up• High radio power sensor• Noise rejection• Practical installation constraints.

magnetic loop sensor

radio excitation

radio detection

cubanite

chalcopyrite

tenorite

cuprite

covellite

Frequency (MHz)

10 20

chalcocite

MR belt analyser (for Chile)


CSIRO Sorting : Commercialised Impact Detail


Ore sorting applied to one 20Mt p.a. operation, 0.5wt% grade, 100kt Cu :Mill 25% less

• 39000t CO2e mitigation per annum

• 78 GWh electrical savings per annum

• 20% water usage reduction, tailings

Mine 25% more; mill 25%

• 25% production increase (25kt Cu), for same capital and operating intensity.

• Value > $100M p.a.

AUSTRALIAMt Isa, Ernest Henry

Olympic DamProminent HillCadia, Telfer

625kt, 65% Aust production

WORLDChile, Peru, China, USA..

15Mt total

Escondida 1Mt

CSIRO Sorting : Industry Engagement


Highlights

• Cu-as-chalcopyrite detection limit (3-sigma) 1200ppm, resolution 350ppm.

• Lot size ~ 7 tonnes• Excellent static blind verification result

0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.70.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

MONM

SEDL

VOLL

MONL

VOLM

MONH

VOLH

SEDM

MIX

SEDH

Cu-as-chalcopyrite, assay (wt%)

Cu-a

s-c

halc

opyrite

, M

R (

wt%

)

0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 24:000

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

time (hh:mm)

Cu-a

s-c

halc

opyrite

(w

t%)

9/6/13

On stream slurry analysis

MINERALS DOWN UNDER FLAGSHIP

Using X-ray analysis

Slurry analysis - froth flotation

• Ore is moved around plant in slurry from (40 wt%)

• Water + ground particles

• Air bubbles fed into tank

• Chemicals added

• Chemistry makes mineral particles attach to bubbles

• Bubbles flow up to form froth

• Analysis is required by metallurgists


Commercial XRF (x-ray florescence) system used in mineral processing

• Measure the slurry elements by XRF (x-ray fluorescence)

• System by Thermo (Adelaide)

• Combined sampler and analysis station

• Widely used in minerals processing

• Slurry (40wt% solids)

• Hand up to 22,000 m3/hr


CSIRO working with - Thermo Research driver

• On-stream, real-time analysis is essential for plant monitoring, fault-detection, optimisation and control

On-stream trace element analysis | James Tickner32 |

100%10%1%0.1%100ppm10ppm1ppm100ppb10ppb1ppb

Fe SiTiMnCrPbMoCdPGEs, AuCrustal

abundancesBi

Commercial, on-stream XRF

Laboratory analysis on prepared samplesSynchrotron

Target of this research

Base metals

Precious metals

Environmental

Iron

Precious metals – gold and PGMs (platinum, palladium )

• Both commodities mined commercially at low levels• Feed grades of a few ppm

• Tailings grades of 0.1-0.5 ppm

• No existing on-stream commercial analysers available• Sampling + lab assay with few day turn-around times

• Recoveries typically range from 65 to 85%• $150-500 m of product per concentrator lost to tailings annually

• Target• 5% recovery improvement worth $50m annually per plant

• Installed instrumentation cost of <$1-2m

• Global annual production (2011): Gold 2500 tons, PGMs 484 tons

33 | On-stream analysis of precious metals | James Tickner

X-ray fluorescence (XRF)


Challenge: X-ray fluorescence analysis at low concentration


X-ray source

X-ray detector

Sample

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

102

103

104

105

106

Energy, keV

Co

un

ts/b

in

Careful optimisation of:• X-ray source• Detectors• Geometry• Filters …

30ppb for Platinum, >250 ppb for Au

The solution : X-ray optics


dq

l

Bragg’s law: Reflection from crystal occurs

when l = 2d sinq

Energy

Energy

Highly-oriented pyrolitic graphite

Results


0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

102

103

104

105

106

Total count rate = 1.6 kcps

Signal = 3063.3

Background = 1166.8

Error = 21.2 ppb

Energy, keV

Counts

/bin

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

104

105

106

107

Total count rate = 80.0 kcps

Signal = 342.0

Background = 37351.2

Error = 567.6 ppb

Energy, keV

Counts

/bin

Signal = 342Background = 37351Error = 570 ppb

Signal = 3063Background = 1166Error = 21 ppb

Without“crystal focus”

With“crystal focus”

CSIRO advanced field prototype

For plant optimisation and control:

• Problem: • Need sub ppm precision!

• Solution:• Feed analyser installed MGK

North (South Africa):

– XRF: ±70 ppb (1sd) in 1 hour

• Tailings analyser installation next week:

– XRF: ± 30 ppb(1sd) in 1 hour


Impact (realised and potential)


0 20 40 60 80 100

1

2

3

4

5

Recovery (%)

83%71%Gold Copper

5 days’ data from Au/Cu plant

12% improvement = $270k/day

32% improvement = $700k/day

• Analyser installed in flotation plant• Measures Pt, mineralogy and particle

size in feed stream• During 2013 plant audit, analyser was

critical in optimising floatation parameters, resulting in ~15% improvement in recovery, valued at approximately $150M pa

R & D focus now

• In-stream gold analysis at ppb levels (UltraTrace) • Move to direct analysis on plant pipes• Plug and play type instrument• New service model – no on site servicing ; if unit fails return to base; use spare at plant


400mm * 200mm diameter1.5 * 2m platform

Machine learning for plant optimisation

• Use machine learning on historical plant data to develop ‘virtual expert’

• Consortium approach:

• CSIRO

• Thermo Fisher (instrumentation)

• Innodev (software + integration)

• Amazon Web Services (cloud computing)

• Anglo American

• Other miners

• Field demonstration of new technology planned for Q4 2015


Real-time plant data

Historical plant data

Data aggregation and integration

CSIRO Secure Portal

Modeling & analysis

Cleaning & feature ID

Display & reporting

Industrial engagement

• Design and build prototype instruments for industrial evaluation• Feasibility

• Lab demonstration

• Industrial installation

• In house design

• Outside design & manufacture

• Funded by clients to demonstrate stage

• Clients get early access to commercial unit


Commercialisation routes1. Standard licensing2. Joint ventures3. Spin-off4. Co development with

manufacturing partner

Summary

• Industry shift towards more sophisticated monitoring & control

• Effective control ⇒ rapid, accurate, on-stream measurement

• Key instrumentation: some available, rapidly developing• Low grades (current DLs in tens-hundreds of parts-per-million range)

• Increased production costs

• CSIRO delivers impact through:• Development of underpinning science

• Design of new measurement techniques and instruments

• Industry engagement

• Development and installation of industrial prototypes

• Commercialisation


online analysis for mining and minerals industry€¦ · irymple melbourne 5 sites werribee 2 sites...

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