seg regional lecturer innovation in exploration and mining...kwan et al., 2015...

SEG Regional Lecturer Innovation in Exploration and Mining

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Innovation in Exploration and

Mining

César Aguirre M

SEG Regional Vice President Lecturer 2016

Ouro Preto, May 18, 2016

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Innovation in the Mining Industry

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Innovation: Things have Changed

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New Gadgets in Mining Exploration

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Innovation, the new gadgets

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TERRA Portable XRD Handheld XRF Analyzer


Innovation in Exploration and Mining:

• Less Cost (mining, transporting and processing)

• Less Energy Consumption

• Lower Environmental Footprint

• Less Waste

• Safer

• Socially Acceptable

• Process Efficiency

• Gain Strategic Advantage

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Phases in R&D

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Discovery Research Development Demonstration Implementation

Projects are divided into phases:

Milestones at the end of each phase and stage gate review (go/no-go

decision points)


Innovation Horizons

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Incremental Innovation

Bolt-on Innovation

Disruptive Innovation

This Presentation

McKinsey, 2013


Key Technical Innovations in the Cu Industry

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Bulk mining at

Bingham

Canyon &

Chuquicamata

…

Froth

Flotation

Better

Smelting

& Refining

….which opened

up the “Age of

the Giant

Porphyries”

Airborne

geophysics

post- WW2 led

to raft of new

discoveries

Expanding demand led to economies

of scale

Development

of a good

geological

model for

Porphyries

SXEW

for Oxide

Deposits

Computer

controls

modelling and

scheduling

Low cost

mines in new

countries

Better

work

practices Improved

recoveries

65% to

85%

Improved

transportation

2009 $/tonne

ore

Sources: USGS, Brook Hunt, CRU

MinEx Consulting estimates (for 1900-1974)

Includes, transportation, smelting & refining and marketing costs


Innovations in Exploration

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Airborne SQUID Magnetic Gradiometer

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SQUID = Superconducting Quantum Interference Detector

• Nb ring cooled down with liquid He to 3K

• 10,000 times more sensitive compared to conventional systems

• Also applications to EM and Gravimetry under development

5 cm

SEG Regional Lecturer Innovation in Exploration and Mining 14

Volcanic dykes and pipes

Magmatic Rocks

Airborne SQUID Magnetic Gradiometer

Supracon und IPHT: Aiborne Magnetic SQUID (Operational)


Airborne Inductive Induced Polarization

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• The chargeability and resistivity is interpreted from “Negative Transients” of VTEM surveys and are called AIIP (Airborne Inductive Induced Polarization) CSIRO/AMIRA

Chargeability and Resistivity, Tullah-Tasmania

Kwan et al., 2015

Geologyforinvestors.com


Multi-Parameter Airborne Geophysics

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HD Digital Video

LiDAR Digital Terrain

FALCONTM Gravity Gradiomter

Gamma Ray Spectrometry

Time Domain Electromagnetics Magnetics

Fugro.com


Borehole Magnetic Tensor Gradiometry

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MTG helps to better constrain mag

inversion models with a Tensor

Gradiometer measurements rather than

extrapolation from surface and downhole

corrected TMI (DET CRC)

6 Independent Components


Borehole Gravity Meter

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Scintrex Copper Ball

Sensor

From Chris et al., 2013 and Seigel et al., 2007


Atomic Dielectric Resonance Radar

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• Surface Ground System of TDEM

• Coherent pulse of energy emitted from an antenna into the ground

• Measures: Dielectric Permittivity (rocks and elements) has to be calibrated

with Lab measurements of rocks and core holes

• Electromagnetic waves pass through the different materials with their dielectric

permittivity properties that slow down the signals

• Detects Sulfide Layers-Coal Beds-Geotechnical applications

Adrok ADR Technology, 2016


Muon (µ) Tomography

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• Muons are “heavy” electrons 207me- (fundamental particle) • Cosmic Muons atenuated due to high density objects • Ore delineation (mass contrast) Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni… • Muons can penetrate up to 2,000m through rocks with a density of

2.7gr/cm3

Muon Detector

1.5

m

µ µ µ

Ore

Bryman, 2016 (UBC)


3D Reflection Seismics

• Applied in the oil industry (the most important exploration tool) • Key to success is the combination with borehole seismics • Need software advances to be applied in complex terranes (FTB) • Potentialy could identify ore and structural architecture • Different acustic contrast to reflect seismic waves

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Diamond Exploration, Diavik Ni Exploration, Kambalda Au Exploration, (Driefontein)

Witwaterstrand

Malhemir, 2012

VCR


Coiled Tubing Drilling

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• Coiled Tubing Drilling

• Measurement While Drilling (MWD)

• Lab-At-Rig (XRF, XRD)

• Developed by DET CRC (Australia)

DET CRC, 2016


Exoskeletons

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HULC FORTIS


Augmented Reality

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iGeology 3D (BGS) OCULUS

Outcrop Mapping


Drones or UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)

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AL3 S1000 LIDAR

E-Bee Phoenix Aerial Systems (LIDAR)

Drone and Magnetometer


Big Data, Cloud Storage, IoT and Software

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Lee et Prouwse, 2014


Self Organizing Maps

• A segmentation and vizualization technique to explore relationships between disparate data sets

• Based in Vector and Cluster Analysis

• Handle non-linear relations

• Simplifies complexity

• Output 2D maps representing nD data; structures maintaining relationships between inputs

• SOM uses Kohonen algorithm

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2D Self-Organized Map representation of

samples: Colors indicate similarity or

dissimilarity of adjacent nodes


Quantum Artificial Intelligence is coming...

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Quantum Computers + Artificial Intelligence = Quantum Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have

warned that AI is “our biggest existential

threat”

The D-Wave 2X Quantum computer is up to

100 million times faster (108) than the same

problem running on a single-core conventional

computer.

“I think I can safely say that nobody

understands quantum mechanics.”

Richard Feynman

Superposition &

Entangelment


In a near future…

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+ Mechanical &

Bio-mechanical =

CYBORG

QAI

Energy from

Aerobic or

Anaerobic

metabolism

FUTURE GEOSCIENTIST?

SEG Regional Lecturer Innovation in Exploration and Mining 30

seg regional lecturer innovation in exploration and mining...kwan et al., 2015...

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