Cave Mining 2040 Masterclass

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1 Sustainable Minerals Institute Sir James Foots Building Cnr College and Staff House Road St Lucia QLD 4072 Australia Director Professor Neville Plint BSc (Hons), PhD, MBA (distinction) Wits CRICOS PROVIDER NUMBER 00025B Cave Mining 2040 Masterclass October 19 and 20, 2017 POST UGOPS2017 Conference The Future of Caving Mining Options Venue and Location THE STAR GOLD COAST BROADBEACH ISLAND BROADBEACH 4218 QLD T + 61 (07) LUKA.DECASTRO@STAR.COM.AU THESTARGOLDCOAST.COM.AU Event Sponsors Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) JKTech Pty Ltd Masterclass Host and key contact Gideon Chitombo (SMI Operational Excellence Group; Mass Underground Mining) g.chitombo@uq.edu.au Invited Attendees (Free Registration): These are representatives (Max 2 per company) from current cave mining 2040 Horizon 1 project prospective sponsor companies as per list comprising: Existing Operations; New Operations and METS as well as Current designated service providers (Researchers). NOTE: FOR GENERAL REGISTRATIONS (Non-Invited): See AusIMM UGOPS2017 Conference Web Site (Workshops) W2 The PROGRAMME Sustainable Minerals Institute The University of Queensland T E enquiries@smi.uq.edu.au Brisbane QLD 4072 Australia F W

2 Background and Justification This special workshop branded as Cave Mining 2040 Masterclass, is an aftermath of the April 3 5, 2017, Cave Mining 2040 Horizon 1 (CM2040 H1) project development meeting held in Sandton, South Africa. The Sandton meeting had been intended as the CM2040 H1 project kick-off meeting. However during and by the end of that meeting, it was evident that the scopes of work associated with a number of the currently identified Study Areas (Appendix 1) had not been equally embraced by different interest groups or stakeholders in terms of project outcomes and milestones. The purpose of the October Cave Mining 2040 Masterclass is therefore to objectively discuss, scrutinize, and prioritize the CM2040 H1 study areas reviewed to date. The outcomes of the current study areas are also meant to provide industrial solutions for known challenges preferably using existing knowledge and technology (low hanging fruit) and where feasible, explore completely new ways of doing things (potential disruptive innovations and new knowledge). Currently submitted and reviewed scopes of work will then be modified accordingly by the eventual project sponsors. Prospective Stakeholders Current prospective stakeholders or sponsors broadly speaking fall into three categories: 1. Existing major mining and major METS companies committed to the application of Cave Mining options for the foreseeable future (i.e. +20 years) and for a much wider range (geological/geotechnical) of future and mainly large footprint deposits. 2. Mid-size mining and METS companies already applying and/or servicing cave mining operations and interested in addressing specific or known cave mining challenges in their own projects either presently being constructed and/or in advanced stages of planning and expected to become operational over the next 4-10 years. The preference is to use existing and corroborated knowledge, equipment, and enabling technologies and mining layouts. 3. Companies who see value in being part of the cave mining 2040 networking forum primarily with the view to either better understand current best practice and lessons learned as well as the most likely future direction of the cave mining industry. 2 P age

innovative ways to ensure that cave mining continues or becomes a major source of future metals recognizing that no single organization

3 Value Added from the Cave Mining 2040 Collaboration Cave mining 2040 is thus being developed to help accelerate the development of industrial solutions to known and/or envisaged challenges endemic to the cave mining industry, develop new applied knowledge and new or innovative ways to ensure that cave mining continues or becomes a major source of future metals recognizing that no single organization has the capacity to provide solutions to future challenges associated with increasing depth of mining and harsher mining conditions. 3 P age

4 The forecast benefits a minimum 25% improvement in the current performance of cave mining measured either by reduced cave establishment time and capital and operating costs, or by maintaining a steady-state production tonnage with minimum disruptions. Industrial solutions to presently identified caving challenges by initially applying and/or adapting existing industry technologies, methodologies and knowledge, as well as outcomes from previous cave mining collaborative research projects. Establishing the foundation for subsequent research to devise improved operating methods and provide the pre-development basis for subsequent Horizon projects. Early knowledge and/or site demonstration of some of the untaken Transformational Prototype Technologies for cave establishment, cave engineering / pre-conditioning as well as semi- to continuous production and material management systems from draw points to the mill. Examples of some of these technologies were presented at the December 2016 and April 2017 and are included in the Appendix 3 of this masterclass 2040 agenda. Transfer of detailed knowledge about present operational practices through workshops and master classes (see Appendix 4 for examples) and supplemented by mine visits, mainly to sites operated by sponsor companies. Whilst the Cave Mining 2040 project will be focused initially on the main cave mining options, which are block (conventional and macro), panel and sublevel caving, in time all large-scale metalliferous underground mining methods are expected to benefit from the outcomes of this collaborative research. 4 P age

5 AGENDA Day 1 (Cave Mining 2040 Masterclass) FIRST SESSION: 8:30 am 10:30 am Welcome and Opening (Gideon Chitombo) 1. Introductions and emergency evacuation procedures. 2. The purpose of the October Cave Mining 2040 Masterclass 3. Project development status Guest Speaker and Overall Masterclass Mediator: Paul Harper (CEO and Principal Consultant Enthalpy Pty Ltd) The fundamentals of large scale underground metalliferous operations including cave mining from a mining business perspective: What make a cave mining business successful i.e. Criteria To Evaluate Success. Morning Break (10:30am 11:00am) SECOND SESSION: 11:00am 1:00pm Current Study Areas (Based on December 2016 Customs House Brisbane and April 2017 Sandton South Africa workshops). Gideon Chitombo and Geoff Dunstan (As CM240 H1 Project development consultant): 1. Total Deposit Knowledge _Cave mining (TDK) 2. Caving Engineering 5 P age

6 3. Cave Establishment 4. Sublevel Caving: An Integrated Approach to Blasting, Fragmentation and Flow Modelling in Sublevel Cave Mines 5. Mine Design for new and emerging technologies 6. Macro Block Design and Sequencing Optimization 7. Ground Support Strategies for High Stress Caving Mines 8. Cave Front Tracking using Active and Passive Microseismic Data Also see Appendix 1 and Appendix 2) Lunch Break (1:00pm 2:00pm) Day 1 PM (2:00 pm Start to COB) Open discussions on current study areas To include or cover: The Industry Challenge or Need The Known-unknowns Solutions and Opportunities Essential scopes, milestones and deliverables Targets (short term and long term) PRINCIPAL FACILITATOR: Iain Ross (Principal Mining Engineer, CaveConsult Pty Ltd) Requested Opening remarks based on own experience: What constitutes a successful modern caving operation i.e. the underlying principles of contemporary cave mining? 6 P age

7 Current Study Areas Note: Each study area to be introduced (10 min) by a selected Panel member emphasising and based on own viewpoint, the significance of the study area with respect to achieving the underlying objectives of the Cave Mining 2040 Horizon 1 project. Nominated Panel members: (Pending availability): Simon Hanrahan (SRK), Colin Moorhead, Alex Campbell, Geoff Dunstan (Caveman Consulting), James Lett, Eric Strom, Dieter Haage, Angelo Leonforte (AECOM), Stephen Boyce, Codelco Chile representative 1. Total Deposit Knowledge _Cave mining (Colin Moorhead and Simon Hanrahan) 2. Caving Engineering (James Lett / Sarah Webster) 3. Cave Establishment (Stephen Boyce / Geoff Dunstan) 4. Sublevel caving (Alex Campbell) 5. Mine Design for New Technologies (Angelo Leonforte) COB: 6:00pm 7 P age

8 Day 2 (Masterclass) Continuation of open discussions on current Study Areas Day 2 AM (8:00am Start) 6. Ground Support for High Stress environments (Lars Bergkvist) 7. Cave Front Tracking (Eric Strom) 8. Macro-Block Design and Sequencing (Simon Hanrahan) 10:30am (Morning Break) 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Masterclass Conclusions (Paul Harper and Iain Ross Way Forward Project management and Funding models Finalisation of recommended Scopes of work Project interim ESC Chairman and proposed activities leading commencement date 8 P age

9 Appendix 1 Current Study Areas and Designated Service Providers Total Deposit Knowledge (TDK) _ Cave Mining Effectively this is a Cave Mine Design and Planning study area incorporating uncertainties associated with the key geoscientific properties of a given mineral deposit (ore and waste). TDK is the foundation upon which cave mining will be transformed and heads the critical path to achieving this outcome by systematically converting geoscientific observation into mining uncertainty, to use as a feasibility study tool and ultimately to influence subsequent cave establishment and operational decisions. The ultimate objective (vision) is to develop JORC-equivalent, 3D mining uncertainty mine planning models of an ore deposit (ore and associated/adjacent waste rocks). Current designated service provider: SMI / JKTech 9 P age

This study area is crucial for developing processes that can greatly improve the predictability of cave mining outcomes in respect of caveability and fragmentation including forecasting cave

10 This study area is crucial for developing processes that can greatly improve the predictability of cave mining outcomes in respect of caveability and fragmentation including forecasting cave performance and the likelihood of major seismicity events. The study will be preceded by a critical review of rockmass conditioning processes, as practiced to date in some cave mining operations and elsewhere in the resources sector (e.g. petroleum and shale oil/gas industries). Current designated service provider: SMI led International team Cave Establishment The objective is to enable a paradigm shift in accessing future deep ore deposits and in developing large mining-footprint mines, by focusing on safety, speed, efficiency and in reducing the up-front capital requirement. Integral to this overall study area is the opportunity to implement existing but untried methodologies to reduce the amount of horizontal and vertical development, drilling and blasting of high lift draw bells potentially removing the requirement to develop undercut levels to initiate caving and post conditioning blasting for block caves thereby achieving early high rates of production. Current designated service provider: Polymathian and METS (See appendix 3 for an example) 10 P age

11 Note: At both the December 2016 workshop in Brisbane UQ Customs House and at the Sandton South Africa kick-off meeting, Komatsu discussed and presented technologies on their TBM they believe could significantly improve aspects cave establishment. Atlas Copco and Sandvik also discussed technologies in their respective armoury of existing technologies, which they believe if adopted by the industry, could equally help meet a number of the technological requirements being sought also in the areas of rapid cave establishment and increased productivity. Mine Design for New and Emerging Technologies Redesigning the extraction level layout is required to maximize ore recovery, enable cost-effective use of emerging technologies, reduce the amount of required horizontal and vertical mining development, and ensure efficient and cost-effective implementation of automated production systems resulting in more cost-efficient and effective transport of ore from draw points to the mill (ore processing). Current designated service provider: Caveman Consulting Pty Ltd (via UQ PhD research) Ground Support Strategies for High Stress Caving Mines 11 P age

12 Effective management is crucial of the increased stresses and potential for large magnitude seismicity that may be encountered as much deeper cave mines are established. The proposed outcomes are: 1. Identification of the key geotechnical and mining parameters controlling ground support performance. 2. Practical ground support design guidelines for operating caving mines in high stress ground. 3. Validated design methodologies and interpretation tools for the advanced analysis of ground support performance. Current designated service provider: John Hadjigeorgiou, Georock/University of Toronto & Matt Pierce, Pierce Engineering/Itasca Cave Front Tracking using Active and Passive Microseismic Data Knowledge of where the cave is at any time is important for miner safety (to limit risk of catastrophic air blast) and for production (to know in advance if the cave is moving towards waste rock). One of the most useful techniques currently used for cave front tracking is passive microseismic monitoring - using clouds of event locations to infer the cave movement below. However this relatively simple technique is not very accurate, and does not work in low-stress environments. This study area aims to leap ahead by using the latest ideas on ambient seismic noise, active seismic monitoring and integration of numerical stress modelling with seismic event locations and mechanisms. The Institute of Mine Seismology (IMS) proposes to bring together 5 new and complementary techniques to meet the objective of the study i.e. a much-improved method of continuously tracking the cave, with a resolution of less than 10 m, in near-real time a dramatic improvement over the current situation. Current designated service provider; Institute of Mine Seismology (IMS) 12 P age

13 Macro-Block Design and Sequencing Optimization Macro block cave sequencing currently refers to the incremental extraction of relatively large mining blocks ( block caves), generally adjacent to one another. This methodology has several economic and scheduling benefits over conventional panel and block cave methods. However, there are several complex geotechnical and mining factors that need to be considered when undertaking such sequencing, including: 1. Mine scale sequencing of multiple macro blocks with respect to in situ and induced 2. stresses, rock mass conditions and geological structure. 3. Size of macro block extraction level footprint and block height. 4. Geometric interaction of macro blocks both lateral and vertically. 5. Cave propagation geometry with respect to draw strategy and interaction with 6. existing macro blocks including the potential for ore overhangs and chimney or 7. independent caving mechanisms. 8. Material flow behavior, ore recovery, and dilution entry with respect to existing 9. macro block cave boundaries and cave propagation geometry. 10. Extraction and undercut level excavation stability during block transition. It is crucially important to develop macro block mining strategies for caving large foot-print deposits, that take into account in situ and induced rock-mass conditions and geological structures, while maintaining extraction level stability, delaying ingress of waste in the form of fines, and reducing up-front Capex. Current designated service provider: Itasca Australia 13 P age

14 Sublevel caving An integrated approach to blasting, fragmentation and flow modelling in sublevel cave mines Results from full scale experiments are to be used to quantify and further understand the impact of design criteria on blast performance, fragmentation and gravity flow in SLC mines. This data will then be used to determine mine design improvements and calibrate selected predictive models to improve the accuracy of mine scale cave flow simulation. The following work is to form the basis of this applied study area: 1. Measurement of the isolated extraction zone evolution in real time. 2. Quantification of the effect of ring burden and powder factor on blast performance, fragmentation and gravity flow behavior. 3. Quantification of the impact of drive height on recovery and draw zone geometry. 4. Interpretation of the effect of blast performance and fragmentation on gravity flow mechanisms and recovery patterns. 5. An improved understanding of design criteria that increases ore recovery and operational efficiency. 6. Benefits of high precision electronic detonators and the more recent Wireless boosters in SLC blasting Current designated service provider: UQ PhD research (Alex Campbell) based on Glencore in-kind contribution (full scale test results) 14 P age

15 Appendix 2 Other Study Areas discussed to date for consideration Caving Risks and controls This would be body of knowledge for managing risk for the major geo hazards endemic to cave mining using concepts such as the Bow-tie Method. A component of this study area is also to investigate the feasibility to develop tools for quantitative risk assessment or forecasting of hazards such as air-blasts, rock bursts and potentially mud-rushes. Hard rock underground operations outside the Cave Mining 2040 group of sponsor companies would need to be involved in this study area. Flow Dynamics based on full scale sensor data In the last few years, a generation of smart or electronic gravity or disturbed flow markers have emerged and increasingly replacing the conventional passive and metallic markers. The more recent ones and designated as flow cave trackers and as the name implies, are intended the track the actual 3D flow pathway of caved material. There is therefore the opportunity to use the results from such markers 15 P age

16 to better understand flow dynamic particularly associated with increased block heights outside current practice. Open Automation Platform A topic that had been proposed as a priority area at the May 2016 workshop was Open Automation Platform. This, would enable effective interoperability of different automated cave mining processes including equipment from different manufacturers (OEMs) e.g. production and materials handling systems. As this topic is currently of interest to the global mining industry, the options discussed to date have included: 1. The cave mining 2040 collaboration (group), become members or form strategic links with some of the current international leader organizations for defining mining standards for data exchange including IREDES (for International Rock Excavation Data Exchange Standard) and the GMSG (for The Global Mining Standards & Guidelines). 2. Also form links and/or an association with the new AMIRA International P1025 "Interoperability" project. According the AMIRA International 2015 Newsflash posted on their website The project aims to identify and leverage the many disparate past and present initiatives aimed at interoperability, develop a set of guiding principles for improved interoperability and determine whether increased efforts are needed to support the evolving requirements of mining companies for major technology based transformations. 16 P age

17 These two options may evade the high cost and time that would be needed to custom develop and validate a system uniquely for cave mining. However the advantage would be that a basic open protocol could be developed for current cave mining layouts, standard equipment and processes relatively quickly and thus simplifying the issue of interoperability. The decision taken to date is that the Cave Mining 2040 Horizon 1 project should in the short-term only keep a watching brief through its eventual members. 17 P age

18 Appendix 3 Examples of Transformational Methodologies and Technologies applicable for Cave Establishment and Cave Engineering (Courtesy of Orica) 18 P age

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21 Appendix 4 Examples of workshop and masterclass topics which represent some of the endemic issues being faced or still being debated within the cave mining industry community 1. True risks associated with cave mining and why only a few cave mines have made stated plan. 2. Milestones and lessons learned from contemporary cave mining practices (moderately strong rock masses at moderate depths) 3. Balancing the needs of Mine Owners and what the METS / OEM can offer: The goals for the mechanised cutting system, guidance on the preferred infrastructure to support such systems What the industry thinks a fully mechanised or automated mine might look like What the transitioning phase might look like (human/machine interaction) Future trade-off; diesel vs electric loaders; drill and blasting vs machine mining (rock cutting; sources of energy 4. Gaining societal acceptance of future cave mining 5. Why Real Options Analysis (ROA) is not widely adopted in the cave mining industry 21 P age

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