Abstract
In 2018 the decision was made at Agnico Eagle’s Fosterville mine in Australia to transition from CRF (Rockfill) to cemented paste. A new higher grade of ore was discovered, and efficiencies needed to be found to maximize safety and productivity; cemented paste was chosen to satisfy the requirements.
While some efficiencies and productivity gains were realized by switching to paste, a study was initiated to investigate the benefits associated with automating the underground distribution system. A trade off was done using automated diverter valves to be controlled from surface vs the standard manual changeover stations – where workers would be sent underground to manually rotate elbows at the different stations in order to direct the paste to the chosen stope.
Factors considered in the study included worker safety, frequency of stope changeovers, and reaction time to system anomalies – for instance how to deal with blockages in a timely and safe manner. Based on findings, a decision was made to implement the remotely actuated diverter valves.
The end results mirror those of the study – real gains as follows:
- Automated Diverter Valves installed at Fosterville Gold Mine have been shown to improve the productivity of underground paste crews & have contributed to increased revenue for the operation.
- You cannot put a price on safety. There have been no reported injuries at Fosterville Gold Mine with respect to the switching of reticulation when using the automated diverter valves.
- The successful use of Automated Diverter Valves at Fosterville Gold Mine has led Agnico Eagle to implement this backfill strategy at other facilities around the globe.
- This type of equipment is in line with Agnico Eagle’s emphasis on leveraging technology to promote productivity & move towards the goal of increased safety through a connected mine.
Automation in various mining systems has proven to be valuable from realized productivity gains to increased safety, underground paste reticulation systems are no exception.