About CEMI

Innovative R&D Initiatives

The Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), located in Sudbury, Ontario, is continuing its R&D efforts to facilitate the delivery of step-change research initiatives which are deemed critically important to the mining industry. It strives to establish excellence in strategic areas of research: deep mining, mineral exploration, integrated mine engineering, environmental and sustainability as highlighted in the 2009 Annual Report (visit www.miningexcellence.ca to access the report and additional details on these).

The three major initiatives being pursued this year focus on; energy savings through use of Ventilation on Demand (VOD); rapid mine excavation through Underground Mine Construction (UMC), with focus on associated ground control requirements; and risk identification and management for mining complex deep ore-bodies (GeoRisk).

In 2009, federal funding of $4.25 million dollars was received to install, test and measure the efficiency of novel Ventilation-on-Demand technologies to decrease energy costs and increase productivity. This funding, in conjunction with funding by our industrial partners Vale Inco and Xstrata Nickel, has allowed VOD to be assessed more vigorously. The initiative will evaluate sensor reliability and density; determine whether mobile equipment can transmit exhaust quality-related information in an operating U/G environment to better define ventilation needs; compare the relative costs of installing VOD at the outset of a mine or retrofitting an existing operation; and develop a better business model that can assess the incremental cost/benefit of various stages of VOD. Glenn Lyle, R&D Program Director for CEMI, leads this project, primarily sponsored by Vale Inco, Xstrata Nickel, NRCan, and Canada Mining Innovation Council (CMIC).

Additionally, Dr. Peter Kaiser, President and CEO of CEMI, is working with Rio Tinto on a Strategic Research Project in Underground Mine Construction, specifically, in the pre-operational construction phase of new mines. The focus is on high-speed mechanical shaft sinking and tunneling. Issues include innovative support installation systems and new support design methods, particularly when mining at depth or in highly stressed ground. Rio Tinto has committed $1 million dollars to addressing ground control issues related to mechanized excavation at depth.

The GeoRisk Project will help to identify, mitigate and manage risks associated with complex deep ore bodies in order to create safer workplaces; reduce development timelines; and control fault slip ground movement. The project addresses risk issues of concern to both investors and mining company management alike when accessing deep ore bodies in complex geological settings. These issues include geotechnical, safety and economic risks associated with major capital investments and higher operating costs in deep underground mines, particularly those subjected to "above-normal" geotechnical challenges. GeoRisk core contributors include Mira Geoscience, MIRARCO, Golder Associates, Vale Inco, Xstrata Nickel, Lassonde Institute, Itasca Canada, Queen's University and Laurentian University.

The value proposition here is that investor risk must be reduced if long-term investments are to flow to deep Canadian mines. R&D Program Director Damien Duff anticipates innovations to include better site characterization, risk assessment in early mine design, advanced energy release controls, and optimal mining techniques. The project is now being expanded to include a specific focus on addressing the issue of fault slip rock burst controls.

In this regard, CEMI has been hosting a series of Experimental Design Workshops for its proposed International Fault Slip Control Research Initiative (IFSCRI), a multi-million multi-year program intended to develop a globally-recognized research initiative to improve fault slip control techniques in underground mines under the direction of Damien Duff. Involving the input of research and industry leaders in seismicity, geophysics, structural geology, data integration and modeling as well as mine engineering, these multidisciplinary roundtable sessions are intended to provide valuable insights into the novel research and technology R&D projects needed to better understand how to control the energy release associated with fault slip in underground high-stress ore bodies.

This collaboration is helping to develop safer, more sustainable mines for the future. CEMI welcomes interested participants to learn more and get involved in this and other exciting initiatives. These projects and others will be showcased during the CIM conference in Vancouver.