geomet for process design 8 8 2012 kv

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and

how it might support Process Design

Presented by Simon Michaux | 8 August 2012

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 2

Geometallurgy is about cross-

discipline integration..

a team-based approach to support a rock-based manufacturing process

Everyone has to change their perception and their language describing

the mining process to create a new discipline

Economic justification of geomet

More intelligent full scale test (DWT) sampling to produce

a result that works well as opposed to works OK

Fit for purpose quantification of variability in a processing

context

Used as a design tool to determine the most efficient style

of circuit

Risk management of process performance of designed

plant

More sophisticated modeling of economic net position

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 3

Geomet can be used to turn a Type 4 into a Type1 operation

NPV makes the first few years critical to successful operation

Plant design

capacity

Fast run up to

full capacity

Slow run up to

partial capacity

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 4

The efficiency in which capital, labour, materials,

services, and energy are utilised to generate a

unit of product

Multifactor productivity

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Experimental Estimates of Industry Multifactor Productivity, 2010-11, ABS, Cat no:

5625.0.55.002, Canberra.

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

Ind

exe

d 2

00

0-0

1 =

10

0

Topp et al. (2008) ABS (2011)

It now takes 40% more inputs to generate a single unit of

mineral product

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Experimental Estimates of Industry Multifactor Productivity, 2010-11, ABS, Cat no: 5625.0.55.002, Canberra.

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 5

About 2-3% grade was the operational threshold

Bingham Kennecott

(Grade=0.2-0.57%)

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 6

Economic goal posts are shifting for future deposits (compared to 30 years ago)

Huge low grade deposits

Operating on an economy of scale never been seen

before (4MT blasted rock a day, 60% of which is

ore!)

Energy & water shortages

Penalty minerals present in deposit that prevent

efficient processing

Ever decreasing grind sizes

Economic penalties for carbon footprint

Challenging site locations with social issues are

influencing decision making of final outcome

Geomet in the short term is about risk mitigation, reducing costs and extracting more profit.

In the long term it could be used for mine sites to start at all and to stay in business.

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 7

The pickle and the rub for our clients

NPV

Capital Cost

If this ratio is too low, then the project doesnt start

Projects are paid for by net profit from high grade parts of

the deposit processed in the short term. There seems to

be no Plan B if there are no high grade parts!

So what is the

real NPV?

What is the real

needed plant

size?

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 8

Geometallurgy is about cross-

discipline integration..

The rock is the Rosetta Stone for the mining process. All stages of

mining measure it and design from those measurements.

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 9

Rename Geometallurgy: Leveraging Rock Properties

(LRP)

The geologists view of rocks

Geologists have a predisposition to describe rocks in terms of their genesis.

The language is interpretative, often influenced by exploration and at times

poetic..

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 10

The mineral processing view of rocks

A bulk feed material for a manufacturing process that should be described in

terms of its processing characteristics and variability relative to specification.

Tell me what my feed is relative to size not what the rock used to be

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 11

Challenge of scale-dependent views W

ha

t th

e g

eo

log

ists

se

e a

t co

re s

ca

le

Wha

t the

grin

din

g a

nd

flota

tion

circ

uits

se

e

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 12

Geometallurgy is process defined data relationships

The Holy Grail:

the multi-shell geomet

block model as

a stand alone complex

Everyone has a definition

Geomet is ore response behaviour

data interrelationships

Rename Geometallurgy: Leveraging Rock Properties

(LRP)

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 13

Trends Rankings Calibrations Behaviors

Assays

Rock type

Alteration

Hardness

Mineralogy

Texture..

Ci Index

A*b values

Grind Index

Recovery

Texture-based

finite element

modelling

Turning data into processing attributes

Geometallurgical dataset building

Indirect

proxies

Direct

Proxies Direct

Measures

Linking

Models

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 14

For a given job, where are you in the mining cycle?

Very different approaches

& methodologies

Resource Model

Geomet passed into block models

Issues of additivity and intrinsic vs.

derived attributes

Process Mill Design

Key output built on long term models

Crucial decisions usually driven by

engineering

Deposit Valuation

Understanding economic implications

of geomet changes to resource

model and operational outcomes

Linking geomet variability with

conditional simulation

Risk mitigation

Life of Mine Simulation

Total site footprint

Mine closure and environmental

rehabilitation

Geomet for long term variability

Conceptual Study

Pre-feasibility

Feasibility

Process Design

Life of Mine Footprint Simulation

Geomet for scheduling

Scheduling & Life of Mine Planning

Geomet for operations

Detailed Study Process Design

Commissioning start up

Operation and production

Expansion

Life of Mine Simulation

Total site footprint

Mine closure and environmental

rehabilitation

Process Operation

Show stoppers & penalties in feed

stream (clay, Cl, Fl, As, etc)

Predicted variability in ore hardness

Metal reconciliation

Maintenance schedule

Environmental site impact & rehabilitation

Dust generation

Acid Mine Drainage

Tailings management

Geomet for Enviro Impact

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 15

Support Mine Design

Sup

po

rt M

ine

Sch

ed

ulin

g

Economic Scenario Assessment

Blo

ck M

od

el

Ge

ne

rati

on

Process Design

Envi

ron

men

tal

Imp

act

The geomet plan..

Conceptual Study

Pre-Feasibility Study

Feasibility Study

Detailed Study

Geomet Study

Economic Scenario Study

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 16

Geomet test scope 1500-2000m of half drill core

siteDiscontinuous destructive tests

Develop process defined efficiency ranking

1000s of data points for a single study

Each sample has multiple

tests/signatures from the same spatial

point (2m interval of core)

Data collected by client and assay lab

(ALS Chemex)

Each comminution Ci test is of the

order of $50

Data analysis is a couple of weeks

once data collected

Geometallurgical capability at Ausenco and how it might support Process Design | 8 August | 17

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00

Axb

BMWi @212 mm cls

Ernest Henry

18

A*b as a function of BMWi Ernest Henry

KSpar dominant

324

Carbonate-magnetite

236

246

377

428

211 481

290