Research supporting Grade Engineering Implementation :
A significant component of the CRC ORE has been the design and execution of a Research and Development program that supports and enhances Grade Engineering®. The design of this program has taken both a top down and bottom up view of the contemporary pre-concentration landscape and has incorporated the following principles:
- Determine the technical requirements of an integrated pre-concentration system across the mining value chain and identify the gaps in the commercial technology landscape
- Consider how the principles of pre-concentration can be incorporated into the design of existing upstream mining equipment and methodologies, in order to prepare a more ideal ore for pre-concentration and optimise it's value in use
- Establish research projects to develop technologies that address these gaps and do not compete with existing commercial offerings
- Reduce the cycle time for development of new technology by utilising virtual design and rapid prototyping techniques
- Improve the speed and sustainability of new technology uptake within mining companies by addressing the non-technical barriers
The resultant integrated R&D program is outlined in the following diagram which maps the R&D portfolio on the VC along with the research participants that delivered the research.
A great deal of the research portfolio supports the implementation of Grade Engineering solutions into the mining VC to gain a better understanding of the impacts it may have . A detailed description of this portfolio can be accessed through the Table of Contents. The overlaying structure of the Table of Contents ranges from developing new techniques in the fields of measuring and modelling Ore Heterogeneity at multiple scales through the mining VC, embedding Grade Engineering solutions into specific points in the mining VC, simulating and predicting production and economic impacts of Grade Engineering solutions across the mining VC and embedding Grade Engineering solutions into on-site production, business and management systems that manage the mining VC.
Table of contents: