In May we celebrate the noted African American inventor, Elijah McCoy. He was issued more than 57 patents for his inventions during his lifetime. His best known invention was a cup that fed lubricating oil to machine bearings through a small bore tube. Machinists and engineers who wanted genuine McCoy lubricators might have used the expression "the real McCoy."
To create an environment suitable for people mining at depth as well as supporting the mining process itself, large quantities of energy and water are consumed. In an era of scarcity of natural resources and the associated rising cost thereof, we need to design responsible and efficient energy management systems.
Information is key. From protecting people, to efficiently implementing the visions of a mine plan, access to real-time information is critical. The focus is on capturing, storing, accessing and most importantly using information efficiently.
The underground environment is tough on machines and equipment as well as people. The focus is on improving the reliability of machines and allowing mining to move towards a higher level of automation thus reducing risk exposure of people.
Mines are complex and require planning of a number of interacting roles and functions within an uncertain geological environment. The focus is on improving short and long term planning to enhance safety, improve the overall recovery of the natural resource, while creating a sustainable long term future.
Understanding the orebody is critical for planning and scheduling a mine for efficiency and safety. The focus here is on enhancing our understanding of the orebody to improve mine plans and schedules.
The greatest obstacle to creating new realities - the acceptance of change. Creating a platform that inspires, empowers and enables people to embrace change, is crucial to the success of our vision.
The physical activities in the mine must link closely to the mine plan and be carefully scheduled to make the best use of scarce resources. The focus is on improving planning, scheduling, resourcing and execution to achieve the optimum mine plan.
How we break rock is fundamental to our current mining methodology. Changing the way we mine therefore requires that we rethink how we break rock. The focus here is on developing new methods and enabling a new mining paradigm.
Because 'People are the Business...Our Business is People', we are passionate about prioritising the well-being of people in the new mining paradigm. The focus is ensuring that safety and protection are fundamental to all aspects of mine design and execution.
Moving people, materials and equipment on shared vertical and horizontal transport systems is a formidable challenge. The focus here is on developing logistics systems and processes that allow for safe and efficient transportation of all three.
From the 10th - 12th of April 2012, AngloGold Ashanti was host to the Technology and Innovation Consortium TBM Design Workshop. The workshop assembled the finest skills and expertise in tunnelling.
The purpose of the workshop was to find a technical, workable solution for the application of Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) in the new proposed mine design. Some of the well-known experts and industry leaders that attended the workshop include the University of Trondheim, Ruhr University, WITS, ETH Zurich, CEMI, Herrenknecht and Implenia.
Technology and Innovation Consortium March Workshop
Since its initial workshop in December 2011, the AngloGold Ashanti Technology and Innovation Consortium was host to a follow-up workshop for Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the project in March of 2012. While the initial December workshop focused on ideas generation, the March workshop was geared towards turning concepts into feasible projects.
AngloGold Ashanti offers hope for SA Mining
AngloGold Ashanti will begin trial work on a new mining method at its Great Noligwa operation that could unlock millions of ounces sterilised by low grades, reverse the declining gold production trend, and ensure that workers are kept as safe as possible.
