SUMIT integrates novel technologies to develop data collection, information and energy management strategies, as well as control systems and smart engineering techniques, to assist in reducing investor risks while enhancing the competitiveness of the province's underground mines and its associated supply and service sector.

Ontario's known mining camps are mature and individual mines are deep. This poses challenges associated with fault-slip caused rock bursting, including increased costs associated with energy, productivity and maintenance.

In 2010, CEMI submitted a funding application to the Ontario Research Fund and in June of 2011 was awarded $2.24 million towards a total project value of $6.7 million for the SUMIT program. Press Release

The Challenge

The program focuses on three major challenges associated with deep underground mining:

• FAULT SLIP CONTROL: Superior mine design and planning; improved ground behaviour and energy release control when mining at depth; unprecedented integration and multi-disciplinary usage of data.
• RAPID UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT: Rockmass behaviour and machine performance assessment in response to the use of mechanized excavation and material handling systems, through enhanced data collection/management strategies.
• MINE SUSTAINABILITY: Reduced mining footprint and improved cost effectiveness through new energy optimization techniques and strategies.

Approach

CEMI's patron mining companies (Vale, Xstrata Nickel and Rio Tinto), in addition to providing significant cash and in kind contributions to this project, have agreed to allow us to use their underground mines as "living laboratories" for the SUMIT project, thereby maximizing the chances of research success and providing valuable real-world outcomes for all stakeholders.

Cutting edge data integration and dissemination techniques are being developed to not only ensure the near real time distribution of relevant datasets to designated researchers but to speed up the research outcome delivery process itself. Global leaders in information technology have been contracted to provide system design advice and will likely remain involved over the course of the entire SUMIT project.

Further, significant cash and in kind contributions are also being made to this project by Laurentian University, Queen's and the University of Toronto, as well as CEMI itself.

The Team

Under the management of experienced staff at CEMI, solution teams of well known researchers from three of Ontario's most renowned mining universities (led by Dr. Peter Kaiser at Laurentian University; Dr. Mark Diederichs at Queen's University and Dr. Paul Young at the University of Toronto), will work collaboratively to address research questions. They, in turn, will be supported by additional researchers located at the universities of Carleton, Waterloo, Alberta and British Columbia, and in excess of 75 person years of student training will be created leading to a large number of scientific and engineering publications being generated.

Expected Outcomes

Tools and guidelines will be produced for use by industry and researchers alike to assist in addressing the technology needs of deep underground mines leading to better risk management practices and enhanced investor confidence.

Time Frame

The project has a four year duration, with work already commenced at Vale's Coleman Mine in Sudbury, Ontario. Initial test datasets have been collected and field testing has been conducted using numerous types of equipment of relevance to the broader SUMIT experiment. Early results are promising and will be used to optimize our plans going forward.