MINING DAILY profiles each of the finalists in the 12 categories of the 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
The 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards aim to encourage, recognise and reward excellence in the Australian mining industry.
This year saw record amounts of entries in several categories, including Minerals Processing Plant of the Year, Innovative Mining Solutions and Excellence in Mine OH&S.
The winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony and dinner at Doltone House, Sydney on Wednesday 11 November 2009.
For tickets and further information please contact Heather Lawson on 02 9422 2791, or email heather.lawson@reedbusiness.com.au.
CRC Mining — Coil Tube Drilling project
CRCMining is a finalist in the 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards for its Coil Tube Drilling project, which is based on technology used in the North American oil and gas industry.
Fugitive methane emissions from coal mining account for a substantial portion of the mining industry’s carbon dioxide emissions.
In order to capture these fugitive emissions, the gases trapped in coal seams must be drained by drilling before mining starts.
However, high drilling costs are a major obstacle.
Instead of surface drilling, substantial amounts of gas must be drained by in-seam drilling as a result of environmental and geological constraints.
This technology will significantly enhance drilling performance and safety, reduce drilling costs by at least 15% and provide the ability to drill and drain gases from soft, unstable coals.
It also allows continuous, real-time geophysical mapping of the seam in advance of mining, in the form of a three dimensional image.
DuPont and Anglo Coal Australia - Dusgon
DuPont is a finalist in the 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards for its rail dust suppression system that was implemented at Anglo Coal Australia’s Callide Mine.
DuPont worked with local engineering partner, ESS Engineering, to design the system, which was installed at two rail load-outs at the mine.
The system treats the coal for train journeys after it is loaded by spraying the material with a Dusgon dust suppression agent in every wagon.
The system is fully automated and integrated with the coal loading procedure, taking the different types of rolling stock and train loading speeds into account.
The system was part of an integrated solution that covered the design, manufacture, installation and ongoing maintenance of rail wagon dust suppression systems using the dust suppression agents.
DuPont Dusgon products are proprietry aqueous polymer dispersions that have been specifically developed for mining applications and extensively tested under Australian conditions.
Rio Tinto Coal & Allied
Rio Tinto Coal & Allied, one of the largest land holders in New South Wales, has earned a spot as a finalist in the 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards for excellent environmental management.
Coal & Allied has an environmental management system in place at its Hunter Valley sites to ensure it continually improves its environmental performance.
The environmental management system is certified to the international standard ISO14001 and is independently audited on a regular basis.
The company also sets its own targets which are above the legislative requirements and are designed to improve its efforts to manage environmental impacts and build environmental sustainability.
As Coal & Allied’s use of the land is limited to the life of a mine, the company aims to understand and manage the environmental and cultural values of the land before, during and after mining
The company views sustainable development as an important part of effective environmental management.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore — Tom Price mine
Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s Tom Price mine joins the finalists in the 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
The company has developed a system that uses real-time static dust monitoring data to inform the process plant workers to initiate remedial dust control when levels become elevated.
The Osiris static dust monitors have been positioned in areas throughout the plant, where exposure to dust is likely and where workers spend the majority of their time.
The dust data collected is linked to the process plant controller’s operating screen via a programmable logic controller system.
Warning and alarm settings allow the plant controller to inform workers in the area when the dust has reached nuisance or potentially harmful levels.
This has ultimately resulted in a workplace that is less likely to expose personnel to potential harm.
It also means that emissions are controlled prior to release into the surrounding environment.
Xstrata North Queensland
Xstrata North Queensland is a finalist in the 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards for its commitment to the highest standards of environmental performance, community co-operation and sustainable development.
The miner says its operations are leading the way in industry-based remediation and rehabilitation research and development in the in the semi-arid sub-tropical regions of Australia.
The company is identifying the most effective methods to create sustainable, non-polluting landforms for when operations cease and the sites are rehabilitated.
Although a wide range of rehabilitation methods are already in use in Australia, the geological, biological and climatic conditions can vary significantly between sites.
Therefore, the company can not assume that these existing methods will be suitable for its sites.
As such, Xstrata North Queensland has commissioned six research and development projects that will provide information on how to best close the mine landforms in a manner that will ensure long-term sustainability and meet rehabilitation goals.
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