There was a retrospective, but celebratory, tone at the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) annual general meeting, Oct. 6.
The Sudbury-based mining industry research initiative marked the completion of two major projects in the last year: the Rio Tinto Centre for Underground Mine Construction (RTC-UMC) and the six-year Smart Underground Monitoring and Integrated Technologies for deep mines (SUMIT) program which wrapped up in June.
CEMI summarized the year's progress on several fronts, and the two projects were among many to highlight their focus on deep mining, and making mines safer and more productive.
SUMIT, a $6.7-million project, prioritized rock mass characterization to assess risks, enhancing mine development to speed up construction and increase profits, and sustaining deep mines and related energy and environmental challenges. Its results were announced in June.
The goal of the RTC-UMC was to improve the design capability of large scale, high-stress mine sites, with safety as a top priority.
“We continue to help mines solve their challenges by making the future happen, sooner,” said CEMI president and CEO, Doug Morrison in summing up their goal.
Morrison said Sudbury's futuristic mines are what drew Rio Tinto to Sudbury for their research centre.
“A lot of developing they are making with these deep mines is already being done in Sudbury, it’s development we've already made in Northern Ontario,” said Morrison. “It builds on our achievements, but Rio Tinto's involvement also teaches us about how we have to develop in the future.”
This sentiment was echoed by Fred Delabbio, who was the general manager of underground technology and innovation at Rio Tinto for the duration of the project.
“Back in 2008, CEMI was selected after a global search because of Peter (Kaiser) and his team's outstanding track record, and ability to listen,” said Delabbio via a video connection.
While the two projects are over, their outcomes are not.
“What I'd like to do is remind everyone that together, we create these investments,” said Shannon Katary, CEMI's marketing and communications director. “It's been a centre with an impact, and a lasting one.”
The Rio Tinto results are worth celebrating, according to Jacques Tshisens, the company’s principal advisor, geotechnical engineer and technical support for copper and diamonds.
“It gave us an understanding of geotechnical challenges which allowed us to confidently predict the footprint of our mines,” said Tshisens, who looks forward to one day sharing the data with other mining companies.
“It's important to share with the industry what Rio Tinto has benefited from learning,” said Tshisens, “it just depends on how they want to share it eventually.”
For now, Rio Tinto will now become a member of CEMI's biggest project, their Ultra Deep Mining Network (UDMN).
While wrapped up, SUMIT lives on in its results; a spin-off company, the growth of existing businesses, new patents for new products, and guidelines and software tools for mine designers and operators.
