Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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Recent surveys show that, to nobody's sur- prise, sales of the types of mobile primary production equipment used in conventional truck-and-shovel (T&S;) mining have slowed noticeably over the past year or two as proj- ect owners take a step back, draw a deep breath and scan the economic landscape for signs of a nascent commodities boom. Many of these same project owners are also taking a second look at their project plans, seeking mining methods and equipment that offer the highest prospect for prof- itability under current market conditions. Some will decide that tried-and-true T&S; might not be the most efficient solu- tion for their project after all. Others may determine that truck haulage will work for them—but only if they can drastically short- en haul distances and cycle times. Either path may open the door for consideration of in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC), a con- cept that has had some difficulty gaining traction as a primary production method, particularly in hard rock applications. Truck operations and maintenance, diesel fuel management, haul road plan- ning, and dispatch efficiency are familiar concepts to many mine operators. Con- trast that with the perceived complexity, downtime concerns and lack of supporting software planning solutions for IPCC mine layout, and it's easy to understand how producers might feel uneasy about adopt- ing a less-familiar mining system. But despite the industry's hesitancy, IPCC projects continue to propagate around the globe; for example, Sandvik alone has been involved in major IPCC projects in Brazil, Sweden and Thailand. Metso has been active in promoting IPCC in Mongolia and elsewhere, and Thiess RWE has con- ducted IPCC studies for customers in Africa, Asia, Australia and South America, among others. ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions has been building high-perform- ance mobile crushing plants for decades and has provided IPCC solutions for cus- tomers around the world. This level of interest in IPCC may indi- cate that mine operators are focusing more on ways to achieve lower cost per ton of material moved and less on production- system flexibility, which has been the hall- mark of T&S; mining. The advantages offered by IPCC opera- tions can be significant. Snowden Group, a Perth, Australia-based consulting engineer- ing company, has been involved in more than 30 IPCC studies. The company said IPCC potentially provides benefits such as: • High volume rock transport rates; • Relatively low operational costs; • Low exposure risk for operators; • High productivity; • Amenability to a high degree of mechani- zation and automation; and • Lower CO 2 emissions per site. Snowden's experts caution, however, that their experience with IPCC systems confirms that benefits may only be realized under specific circumstances. They recent- ly developed a list of general and specific concerns that require attention from min- eral producers interested in investigating the applicability of IPCC to their existing and future operations. Here are the factors that should be considered: What is the material movement rate of the mine? IPCC provides a competitive alternative to truck-and-shovel in terms of capex and opex when rock movement rates reach at least 30 million metric tons per 42 E&MJ; • JULY 2015 www.e-mj.com I P C C Precise Planning is Paramount for IPCC Success With advantages ranging from low opex and reduced environmental impact to higher overall safety, in-pit crushing and conveying can deliver on its promise—if all the right pieces are carefully put in place By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor Goldcorp, owner of the Peñasquito mine in Mexico, determined that installation of an IPCC system for waste haulage would eliminate the need to buy 35 more 300-mt-payload haul trucks over the life of mine, and would pro- vide significant greenhouse gas emissions savings. (Photo: Tenova TAKRAF)