Elexon Mining is exhibiting at Massmin 2016. This once-every-four-years exhibition is the premier mass mining event. Our team will present a number of papers on the technologies we have developed, and our booth is set up to help attendees learn more about the benefits of our products.

It’s fantastic to see the growth in awareness of Smart Marker and Cave Tracker, and to also hear our collaboration partners include our products in their research papers.

The upcoming Cave Tracker paper to be delivered by Dylan Whiteman on Wednesday 11th May is generating a lot of excitement, especially as he has some ‘hot off the press’ data to share with the audience.

Read more about Massmin: http://www.massmin2016.com/

Rio Tinto joins forces with CRCMining, Newcrest Mining and Elexon Electronics in the development of a cutting-edge, real-time tracking system for material within block caves, on target to be operational in 2014.

Read more on CRCMining’s website.

China’s exponential growth has been driving the growth in the resource industry, but the country’s consumption of minerals is slowing. The resource industry is moving from a price driven expansion strategy to a cost driven business approach.

Controlling costs and risks is gaining importance during this cycle of the resource industry. This in effect is resulting in mining companies looking into innovative ways in which it can improve its extraction efficiency – especially in the underground mining sector. There is usually a higher cost involved in underground mining, when compared to surface mining. In order to replace low-cost surface operations, large-scale underground mass-mining methods are gaining importance. Underground mining, however, comes with its own set of technical challenges and uncertainties, as it is not easy to see what you are doing.

“We know that the ore body is there, but the question is, how are we going to extract it in a cost efficient manner and are we extracting the targeted ore body? Leaving ore behind and extracting low-grade material which originates from outside the targeted ore body, can have a massive impact on short-term profits and the mine’s net present value,” Elexon Product Manager Simon Steffen says. “Excessive ingress of low grade material is an important reason for underground mines being shutdown as operations have become uneconomical,” he adds.

The team at Elexon have identified the potential of maximising revenues and the issue of uncertainty, which exists in the sector. They have since been working on solutions to improve extraction predictability and efficiency. Underground extraction in low-cost caving operations is a field where decisions are based mainly on experience and intuition, as the rock mechanics are still not fully understood.

“The data that our solutions provide these mines enables the operators to make decisions based on facts and measurements, while improving and streamlining its processes,” Steffen says. “We are focusing on developing solutions for improving extraction efficiencies and economies which are based on rugged electronic systems that can survive the underground mining environment.”

The team at Elexon’s mission is to provide solutions, which will give the mines the right information at the right time necessary to exercise a large degree of control over the extraction process. The technology solutions Elexon has developed and are currently developing include, the Smart Marker, the Network Smart Marker, 3-D Smart Marker and the Cave Tracker. Over the next 6-months, Elexon is due to release its Networked Smart Marker System. Meanwhile, the Cave Tracker and 3-D Smart Marker System which is undergoing development, is set for release in about two-years. This growing suite of solutions will be highly complementary and will provide measured feedback about the critical areas of cave mining.

The Smart Marker System measures blast efficiency and reveals ore flow post-extraction, while the Networked Smart Marker System focuses on measuring real-time cave development and propagation. The 3-D Smart Marker System will allow for real-time, micro flow tracking, Steffen says, while the Cave Tracker will be able to provide the mine operator with real-time data about macro ore flow in an underground mine.

“These technology solutions are essential to the future of mining to ensure that operations remain feasible,” concludes Steffen.

Elexon is a pioneer in electronically measuring ore recovery to assist underground mines in improving their extraction performance. Elexon’s mining solutions are used globally with clients across Australia and around the globe – including mines in Canada, Indonesia, Chile, Sweden and the USA. Dylan Whiteman, the Project Manager for Elexon Mining’s Smart Marker System and Cave Tracker System, talks about his role and the innovative technology used by these products.

What does your role at Elexon entail?
As the project manager I am responsible for delivering Elexon’s new projects to our clients on time and within budget.

It is very challenging to develop innovative electronic solutions for underground mines, as it involves equal measures of research and development. This requires the team to work very closely with mining companies and their mine sites, to trial the new technologies and products, which we are developing.

My work ranges from system requirements specification and architecture design to project financing, as well as planning and recruitment. The role extends to the first sales of new systems where the benefits, performance and installation details are discussed with new clients.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
It would have to be the challenging nature of underground monitoring. What we are doing has never been done before in the mining industry – so it is very exciting.

We are helping to provide answers to fundamental questions about underground rock-flow and ore-recovery. No one has been able to answer these questions before.

How does the technology Elexon creates differ from similar products available on the market? What makes it unique?
The products we develop, are unique. There are no other products for the mass mining industry, which are capable of being buried deep underground and tracked in real time over many years to measure ore flow and recovery.

There really is no other company that can do what we do.

How can the solutions Elexon is creating assist resource companies improve the way in which they operate?
Our solutions offer improvements to the mining industry in the areas of safety, ore recovery, process control and efficiency.

Miners are of course already very safety conscious, but the ability to monitor underground ore movement during production helps to further improve the level of safety. One example is by being able to monitor cave propagation on a day-by-day basis.

Improvements to ore recovery are being brought about by the ability to observe how the ore is actually flowing during extraction.

If ore is not moving as predicted it becomes possible to change draw or blast strategies. We can then observe how these changes have affected the ore flow. This offers mine managers and operators a level of process control that has never been available before.

Essentially our products offer a set of eyes into the mine.

Which resource companies are currently using Elexon’s technology?
Companies currently using our technology include, Newcrest, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, LKAB and Xstrata at various locations around the world. We are also in discussions with other resource companies that are interested in our products.

What do you enjoy doing if not working on Elexon’s unique technology solutions for the mining industry?
I enjoy music and spending time with my young family. I also enjoy hiking – but our young ones are a little too small for this yet!