MEAI OCT 2009

Mining Engineers' Journal 3 October 2009

Shri V.D. Rajagopal Chairman

Prof. Dr. - Ing M.A. Ramlu Member

Prof. Sushil Bhandari Member

Shri S.V. Satyanarayana Member

Shri B.K. Mohanty Member

Shri Dipesh Dipu Member

Shri Suresh Chandra Member

Dr. A.K. Raina Member

Dr. K.K. Sharma Member

Shri A. Sangameswara Rao Member(A.S. Rao)

EDITORIAL BOARD

EDITOR

Dr. K.K. Sharma (Tel : 040 - 23517205)

PUBLISHER

Shri A. Sangameswara Rao(A.S. Rao)

Secretary General,

Mining Engineers' Association of India

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Editorial 05

News from the Mining World 06

From President's Desk 07

MEAI News 33

Conferences, Seminars, Workshops etc., 38

TECHNICAL PAPERS1. Comments on Draft - Mines and Minerals 14

(Scientific Development and Regulation) Act, 2009

- V.D. Rajagopal

2. Estimation of reserves using Voxel modelling technique 16

- Mrinmoy Chakraborty & S. Karunakar Rao

3. Manning best practice in Australia 20

- Stephen Williams, Mani Rajagopalan,

Bronwyn Meadows Smith & Nicola Farrell

4. Downtime analysis of mining equipment 29

- M.E. Michael Arputharaj

Vol. 11 No. 3 MONTHLY October - 2009

C O N T E N T S


EX - OFFICIOIMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTIMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTIMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTIMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTIMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENTShri R.P. Gupta - 93529 50025Shri R.P. Gupta - 93529 50025Shri R.P. Gupta - 93529 50025Shri R.P. Gupta - 93529 50025Shri R.P. Gupta - 93529 50025

PAST PRESIDENTSPAST PRESIDENTSPAST PRESIDENTSPAST PRESIDENTSPAST PRESIDENTSShri Meda Venkataiah - 99002 56797Shri R.N. Singh - 98190 89120Shri T.V. Chowdary - 99493 59969

ELECTEDProf. Sushil Bhandari - 98296 71949Shri Y.C. Gupta - 94142 34746Shri C.S. Dhaveji - 94220 63909Shri M. James - 94442 89405Shri Santosh K Pattanayak - 99370 53927Prof. Gurdeep Singh - 0326-2206372Shri S. Chandrasekaran - 94433 91000Shri B.R.V. Susheel Kumar - 98480 94373Shri D.L. ChoudhuryShri K. Madhusudhana - 99002 56759Shri M. Srinivasa ShettyShri K.U. Rao - 98491 77677Shri M.C. Thomas - 93345 11343Dr. T.N. Venugopal - 98452 17692Shri P. Dharma Rao - 040-23396691

NOMINATED MEMBERSShri. B. Ramesh Kumar - 98480 99868Shri S.N. Mathur - 94273 08502Shri V. Lakshmi Narayana - 94402 79811Shri C.P. Parihar - 98874 82007Shri Sohan Singh Rathore - 94141 59605

MINING ENGINEERS' ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

Regd. Office : Rungta House, Barbil (Orissa)

National Head Quarters & :Permanent Secretariat

Vice Presidents :

Dr. S.K. Sarangi - 94370 23134Shri A. Bagchhi - 99899 98600Shri T. Victor - 98221 23498

Secretary General :Shri A. Sangameswara Rao - 98498 70397(A.S. Rao)

Jt. Secy & Treasurer :Shri Koneru Venkateswara Rao - 92987 59625

Shri V.D. RajagopalMEAI - President

98491 22817, 94408 17700

COUNCIL MEMBERSCOUNCIL MEMBERSCOUNCIL MEMBERSCOUNCIL MEMBERSCOUNCIL MEMBERS

Chapter Chairman Secretary

Ahmedabad R.L. Bhatt S.G. Patel

Barajamda Arun Misra Shailesh Verma

Bailadila A.K. Gupta K.K. Basu

Bangalore R.H. Sawkar D.R. Veeranna

Belgaum M.P. Itnal Dr.P.T.Hanamgond

Bellary-Hospet D.Y. Mane Nagesh Shenoy

Bhubaneswar S.R. Singh J.K. Hota

Goa K.D. Kulkarni Kishore B. Haldankar

Himalayan Arun Sharma R.K. Sharma

Hyderabad A. Shivashanker A. Kundu

Jabalpur C.V. Singh -

Jodhpur V.S. Mathur P.R. Dave

Nagpur - M. K. Prasher

New Delhi Prof. B.B. Dhar D.K. Chawla

Rajasthan A.K.Kothari Dr. S.S. Rathore

Raipur Rajoo Joshi P.Y. Dhekne

Rayalaseema P.V. Krishna Yadav S. Ramamoorthy

Sukinda Dr. Vinod P. Sinha H. Behera

Tamil Nadu Dr. L. Ajay Kumar K.B. Thondaiman

Veraval-Porbandar N.K. Nuwal Shiva Moorthy Swamy

PAST PRESIDENTS & SECRETARIES

Period President Secretary/Secretary General

Mining Engineers' Association1957-64 B.L. Verma Late B.N. Kanwar1964-67 N.S. Claire Late R.C. B. Srivastava1967-68 L.A. Hill Late S. Chandra1968-69 Late H.L. Chopra M.G. Jhingran1969-70 S.S. Manjrekar V.S. Rao1970-71 Late R.C.B. Srivastava M.G. Jhingsan1971-72 R.K. Gandhi B. Roy Chowdhury1972-73 I.N. Marwaha D.D. Sharan1973-75 Late R.S. Sastry M.S. Vig1975-76 G.L. Tandon K.K. Biran

Mining Engineers' Association of India1975-76 G.L. Tandon K.K. Biran1976-78 D.L. Patni A.K. Basu1978-80 R.C. Mohanty Late S.K. De1980-81 M.K. Batra R.C. Dutta1981-82 D.K. Bose S.B. Mukherjee1982-84 P.R. Merh M.K. Srivastava1984-86 V.S. Rao L.S. Sinha1986-88 M.A.Khan D.K. Sen1988-90 Saligram Singh A. Panigrahi1990-93 M. Fasihuddin B. Mishra1993-95 K.K. Biran S. Chandrasekaran1995-97 N.S. Malliwal Dr. P.V. Rao1997-99 T.V. Chowdary CLVR Anjaneyulu (S.G.)

1999-2001 -do- -do-2001-2003 R.N. Singh -do-2003-2007 Meda Venkataiah -do-2007-2009 R.P. Gupta CLVR Anjaneyulu & A.S. Rao

Aarvee Associates, Architects,Engineers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-049)8-3-833/50, Phase-I, Kamlapuri Colony, Hyderabad-73.ACC Ltd (LIM - 25)Raw Materials & Mines Planning Division,ACC Thane Complex, LBS Marg,Thane - 400 604. (Maharashtra)A.P. Mineral Dev. Corp.Ltd., (LIM-12)Pancom Business Centre 2nd & 3rd Floors,8-3-945, Ameerpet, Hyderabad - 16, A.P.Aravali Minerals & Chemical Industries (P) Ltd.(LM-048)B-132, Mewar Industrial Pvt. Ltd.,Madri, Udaipur - 313 003.Associated Mining Co., (LIM-19)Nanak House, Narmada Nagar,Bilaspur - 495 001., ChhattisgarhAssociated Soapstone Distributing Co. (P) Ltd. (LM-057)24, Akashwavi Marg,Post Box No. 3, Udaipur - 313 003.Bharat Alloys & Energy Ltd., (LIM-36)6-2-913/914, 3rd Floor, Progressive Towers,Khairatabad, Hyderabad - 500 004.M/s Designer Rocks (P) Ltd., (LIM-32)# 201, Archana Apartments,Behind Shoppers Stop, Begumpet, Hyderabad-05.Grasim Industries Ltd., (LIM-26)202 & 203, 2nd Floor, May Fair,S.P. Road, Secunderabad - 500 003.Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd., (LIM-3)Ambuja Nagar, Kodinar (Taluk)Junagadh (Dist.), Gujarat - 362 715Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd., (LIM-6)Prakash Complex (P.O), Bomno. 28,Veraval - 362 265. GujaratGujarat Mineral Dev. Copr Ltd. (LIM-18)Kanij Bhavan, 132 Ft. Ring Road,University Ground, Vastrapur, Ahmedabad - 52.Gujarat Sidhee Cements Ltd., (LIM-4)Regd. Office, Sidheegram (P.O),Veraval-Kodinar Highway,Tal : Veraval, Dist. Junagadh, GujaratGulf Oil Corporation Ltd. (LIM-9)(Formerly IDL Industries Limited.)Kukatpally, Post Box No.1, Sanathnagar (IE) P.O.Hyderabad - 500 018. A.P.India Cements Ltd. (LIM-16)Sankarnagar (P.O) Tirunelveli - 627 357. T.NIndian Rare Earths Ltd., (LIM-35)Plot No. 1207, Veer Savarkar Marg,Prabhadevi, Mumbai - 400 028.J.K. Cement Works Ltd (LIM - 058)Kailash Nagar, Nimbahera,Dist. Chittargarh (Rajasthan)Jubilee Granites India Pvt. Ltd., (LIM-23)EGA Trade Centre, No. 6C, 6th Floor,New No. 318 (Old No. 809), Poonamallee Highroad,Kilapauk, Chennai - 600 010.Kariganur Mineral Mining Industry (LIM-41)Embitee Complex, Bellary Road, Hospet - 583201.Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd., (LIM-33)Bevinahalli 583 234, Dist. Koppal (Karnataka)Krishna Mines (LIM-27)23, Sri Puram, Tirunelveli - 627 001. TamilnaduMadras Cements Ltd., (LIM-17)Ramasamyraja Nagar,Kamarajar (Dist.) - 626 204, Tamilnadu.Manganese Ore (India) Ltd., (LIM-37)(A Govt. undertaking)3, Mount Road Extension, P.B. No. 34,Nagpur - 440 001. (Maharashtra)M.P.L. Parts & Services Ltd., (LIM-14)12, Dr. Nair Rd., T. NagarChennai - 600 017. Tamilnadu.MSPL Limited (LIM-30)Baldota Enclave, Abheraj Baldota Road,Hospet - 583 203 (Karnataka)Mysore Minerals Limited (LIM-45)#39, M.G. Road, Bangalore - 560 001.National Aluminium Co. Ltd, (LIM-1)'NALCO Bhavan'P/1, Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar - 751 013NMDC Ltd., (LIM-20)10-3-311/A, Castle Hills, Khanij Bhavan,Masab Tank, Hyderabad - 500 028.

LIFE INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS

Contd. on page 3


Obulapuram Mining Co. (P) Ltd. (LIM-54)(Mine located in A.P.), Off.: Ennoble House,Raghavachari Road, Bellary, (Karnataka)Panduronga - Timblo Industries (LIM-056)Subhash Timblo Bhavan, P.O. Box No. 242,MARGAO-403601, GOA.Pearl Minerals Ltd., (LIM-39)R.L. Puram, Chimakurthy Mandal,Prakasham Dist. - 523 226. (A.P.)Priyadarshini Cement Ltd., (LIM-5)No. 34, Green Tower, Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad-73.Radials International (LIM-29)80/1, Block-II, W.H.S.,Kirti Nagar, New Delhi - 110 015,Rajgarhia Group of Industries (LIM - 050)H-279, Udyog Vihar, Sukher,Udaipur - 313 004 (Rajasthan)R.K. Marbles Pvt. Ltd., (LIM - 52)17, Old Fatehpura, Near Seva Mandir,Udaipur - 313 101, Rajasthan.Rajasthan State Mines & Minerals (LIM-053)CA Govt. of Rajasthan Enterprise)4, Meera Marg, Udaipur - 313 004 (Rajasthan)Sandvik Asia Limited (LIM-46)Mumbai - Pune Road, Pune - 411 012.Sesa Goa Ltd., (LIM-11)Sesa Ghor 20, EDC Complex,Patto, Panjim, GOA - 403 001.Shree Cement Ltd. (LIM-051)Bangur Nagar, P.B. No. 33,Beawar - 305 901. (Rajasthan)Shri Sharda Cold Retreads (P) Ltd., (LIM-24)15 & 16, Industrial AreaKorba, Chhattisgarh.Shree Engineering Services (LIM-15)7, Naveen Bazar, Raipur - 492 001.Sagar Cements Ltd., (LIM-21)8-2-472/B/2, Rd. No.1,Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500 034.South India Mines & Minerals Industries (LIM-2)315, Narayana Nagar,Sankaranagar (P.O) - 627 357 Tamilnadu.South West Mining Ltd. (LIM-40)Vidya Nagar (Toranagallu)Dist. Bellary (Karnataka) 583 275.Sri Kumarswamy Mineral Exports (LIM-43)No. 87, S.V. Colony,Club Road, Bellary (Karnataka)Sudarshan Group of Industries (LIM-047)425 Sector 11, Hiran Magri,Udaipur (Rajasthan) - 313 002.Tata Chemicals Ltd., (LIM-7)Mithapur, Okhamandal, Gujarat - 361 345.Tata Iron & Steel Co, Ltd (LIM-8)Mines Division, Noamundi - 833 217Singhbhum (West) Jharkhand.Terra Reserves DeterminationTechnologies (P) Ltd., (LIM-055)(A member of Terra World Holdings)Plot No. 15, Madhuvan Enclave, Street No.4,Habsiguda, Hyderabad - 500 007.The K.C.P. Ltd., (LIM-22)Macherla - 522 426, Guntur Dist. A.P.Thriveni Earthmovers (P) Ltd., (LIM-31)22/110, Greenway Road,Fairlands, Salem (TN) 636016.Tungabhadra Minerals Pvt. Ltd. (LIM-42)#322/3, 2nd Floor, Sree Sapthagiri Enclave,College Road, Hospet - 583201 (Karnataka)UltraTech Cement Ltd., A.P. Cement Works, (LIM-28)Bhogasamudram (Vill.)Tadpatri (Mandal) Anantapur Dist., A.P.Ultra Tech Cement Ltd. (LIM-10)Unit - Narmada Cement - Jafarabad Works,P.B. No. 10, Jafarabad - 365 540.Dist. Amreli, Gujarat.Veerabhadrappa Sangappa & Company (LIM-44)# 2/138, Bellary Road, Sandur,Dist. Bellary (Karnataka)V. Thirupathi Naidu (LIM-34)Railway & PWD Contractor,Basaveshwara Badavane,College Road, Hospet - 583 201.VS Lad & Sons (LIM-38)Prashant Nivas, Krishnanagar,Sandur (Dist. Bellary) - 583 119, KarnatakaW.B. Engineers International Pvt. Ltd., (LIM-13)C-22, Liberty Society, North Main Road,Koregaon Park, Pune - 411 001.

LIFE INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS

Contd. from page 2

(Dr. K.K. SHARMA)

EDITORIALEdelweiss (a financial services company) has predicted in a report that the Indian miningindustry is likely to touch $30 billion by the end of 2012 fiscal as the country has significantamounts of natural resources and should develop as a world class mining industry. Indiahas vast mineral resources, globally it is the largest producer of sheet mica, 3rd largestproducer of coal, 4th largest producer of iron ore and 5th largest producer of bauxite. Nodoubt that mining companies have been affected by the global economic slowdown butanalysts feel the economy is going to pick up and will provide many opportunities in theyears to come. However the report has also emphasized the need to bring in a moreconducive regulatory framework and attract further investment in exploration, minedevelopment and infrastructure in order to extract the full potential of the industry. Thepresent mining sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP is only 3% of the total, howeverthe ministry proposes to take it to 9% in near future.

The secretary of Federation of Indian Mineral Industries B. Prasad said, “Despite thepresence of large mineral deposits, mining companies continue to face many hurdles ashigh risk and size of the capital required is not available in India. Thus, most of thedeposits so far are chance discoveries. This category of minerals will require latest andstate-of-the-art technology for exploration.” Govt. of India has already approved the NationalMineral Policy in March 2008, which should facilitate the foreign direct investment (FDI)in the sector. The Union Cabinet has also approved the setting up of an independentdispute resolution tribunal to be known as the Mining Administrative Appellate Tribunal.As per the new mineral policy, zero waste mining will be the national goal and improvedand latest technology available will be adopted for exploration of minerals.

According to Steel Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh, Indian steel industry has shown aremarkable degree of resilience from its inherent strength of cost competitiveness andalso due to the stimulus announced in the last 8-10 months. As a result it moved to thirdposition in the world steel production, after China and Japan during the first five monthsof 2009. While addressing the 3rd. Steel Summit organized by the ASSOCHAM, he saidthat due to various timely stimulus measures adopted by the Govt., the steel industry inIndia came out of the shadows of the economic slowdown and recorded a growth ofnearly 3% in January to March quarter of 2009, followed by 5.3% increase in steelconsumption and 3.4% growth in steel production during Q-1 of current fiscal. Thisperformance has put the steel sector of the country as one of the best in the world.

A condolence meeting was organized for the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Late Dr.Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in MEAI Head Office on 06-09-09 at 11:30 hrs. which waschaired by Shri V.D. Rajagopal, President MEAI. Glowing tributes were paid to Late Dr.Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy by several members and the following resolution was readby the President, which was unanimously passed.

“The members of the Mining Engineers’ Association of India place on record theirprofound sense of sorrow at the sudden and untimely sad demise ofDr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, the most dynamic Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh anddearest to the entire mining community on 02-09-2009. The members of MEAI prayfor the peace of the departed soul and convey their deep and heartfelt condolencesto the bereaved family and pray to the Almighty God to give strength and courage tothe bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.”

It was also resolved that a copy of the Resolution be delivered to the members of thebereaved family.

MEJ extends Deepawali greetings to all MEAI members, subscribers, readers andtheir families.


IRON & Steel➠ Global steel markets may recover in 2010

The experts of World Steel Association forecast demandfor steel resumption in the second half of 2009 and thedemand growth in 2010. CEO of World Steel IanChristmas said, “The market will recover but this growthwill be weak and I can not say how fast the recovery willbe.” In 2010 the consumption growth is expected only inthe BRIC countries, some Middle East countries likeIran and Iraq, Turkey, North Africa and some countriesof the ASEAN and Latin America. In big consumingregions such as EU and NAFTA, the consumption at thelevel of 2009 or even fall is forecast

World Steel consumption Dynamics (m.t.)

2009 2007 2008 2009 E 2010 F

1120 1200 1179 1020 1070 E-EstimationF- Forecast

➠ Decline in iron ore exports from KarnatakaAccording to Simpson, Spence & Young report, iron oreand mineral exports from Karnataka declined by 50% in2008-09 owing to 60% decline in global market pricessince September 2008. For the period April – February2008-09, Karnataka iron ore and minerals export includinggranite amounted to Rs. 5016.1 crore against Rs. 10,197crore export earnings in 2007-08.

➠ Indian steel production recovers in June- Secretary SteelDuring 3rd Steel Summit organized by ASSOCHAM thesteel secretary Shri P.K. Rastogi said, “In the month ofApril 2009, domestic steel production grew by 3.7%which fell to 1.1% in the month of May 2009. However,the growth rate increased to 5.3% in the month of Juneand is an indicator that henceforth it would continue togrow. Average growth rate of steel production betweenApril to June 2009 works out at 3.4%.” He also said, “Asregards to steel consumption in the month of April, thegrowth in steel consumption grew by 0.1% as against7.5% in May 2009 which came down to 3.8% in themonth of June. In April to June, the steel consumptionrecorded a growth rate of 5%.” He added, “Steel importsgrew at 21% in the month of April 2009 which fell by23% in June 2009 in which India imported 0.5 m.t. ofsteel.”

➠ Steel ministry wants curbs on iron ore exportsThe Steel Ministry is in favour of restricting iron oreexports to China, South Korea and Japan to ensureavailability of the raw material to domestic steel

NEWS FROM THE MINING WORLDcompanies. Steel Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh said,“Iron ore is a key input in steel making. Iron ore shouldbe conserved for the domestic consumption. Iron oreexports should be encouraged only in value added formand that too in a limited quantity. The government willensure that reserves of iron ore are made available todomestic steel makers at reasonable prices.”

➠ NMDC to sell iron ore 33-45% cheaper to Japanese millsNMDC Ltd. signed contracts to supply iron ore toJapanese steel mills at prices between 33% and 45%lower than a year earlier. The new rates will be applicablefor the entire fiscal year that began April 1, as told byShri S. Venkatesan, NMDC, Director (Production). Asper the new term contract, NMDC will charge $71.60/tfor lumps and $61.60/t for fines. The company will export3.4 m.t. of iron ore to Japan in this fiscal year.

➠ ArcelorMittal’s Rs. 40,000 crore project put on holdfor 2 yearsArcelorMittal has put on hold its proposed Rs. 40,000crore steel plant in Orissa’s Keonjhar district for atleasttwo years, as the global demand for steel is stagnating.However, the company will go ahead with its plans inJharkhand, and has secured iron ore mines and coallinkages to the project. An e-mail reply to BusinessStandard said that the company was not expecting itsprojects in India to start before 2014. The e-mailed replysaid, “We have paused our growth projects at presentfor obvious reasons. The projects in India are greenfieldones that have considerable lead time, as they involveland acquisition, environmental concerns, etc. But weremain committed to our investment in India.”

➠ Essar buys SPS steel assets for Rs. 600 croreEssar Steel Ltd acquired Pune based Shree PrecoatedSteel Ltd’s steel business assets for Rs. 600 crore andalso took over its debt of Rs. 175 crore to become thecountry’s largest colour coated steel producer. Thecompany will have an annual capacity of 0.4 m.t. andlargest cold roller mill with an annual capacity of 2 m.t.Essar Steel’s CEO, Shri Jatinder Mehra said, “We haveplanned to increase the total steel production of theHazira plant from 4.5 m.t. to 9.6 m.t. in this fiscal. Theacquisition of Shree Precoated Steel’s business wouldhelp us to expand our foot print in all segments of steelproduction, such as colour coated steel and galvanizingline.”

➠ Building of $4 bn steel plant in Brazil by WiscoAs reported in Metal Bulletin (MB) report, Wuhan Iron &Steel (WISCO) of China proposes to build a steel plant

(Continued on page 8)


From the President’s Desk

Dear Members,

I would like to share with you my deep sense of grief on the sudden demise of one of the most beloved leaders of free India.Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who met with a ghastly fatal helicopter accident on 02.09.2009, was a sweet and affectionateperson who rose from a simple beginning to become a great leader of the masses. A doctor by profession, he entered politicsand was elected to the State Assembly and also to the Parliament. The crowning glory of his spangled political career camewhen he was chosen the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on 14.05.2004.

Dr.Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was an astute politician and a charismatic mass leader who carved for himself a niche in the Stateand Center politics by his exemplary devotion and dedication to the upliftment of the downtrodden and neglected segments ofthe society. He always struggled to secure the rights and fulfill the aspirations of the poor.

During his 31 year long political career he served the people in multiple capacities, both in the Government as well as in theCongress Party. He held important ministerial portfolios related to Rural Development, Health, Education etcetera. While hewas the Leader of Opposition in the eleventh state assembly, he undertook the historical PADAYATRA, which endeared himto the people of all classes in the entire State. With his quintessence of a politician he had his vision focused on the presentand the future generations as well.

On the agriculture front, he pioneered and successfully introduced free Electric supply to the farmer community. Severalirrigation projects were grounded by him as part of the JALAYAGNAM. His innovative AAROGYA SREE Programme providedfree medical aid to the poor who could not afford the high costs. The Old Age Pension Scheme gave the much needed reliefto the old and infirm.

Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy took keen interest in the mineral field also from his early days. He was one of the pioneers todevelop the Mangampet Barytes deposit which is now the largest single mine in the world. Being a Mining Entrepreneur, hewas the first to recognize the potential in the Bauxite Deposits of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari Districts and wasinstrumental in attracting about Rs.40,000 crore in the Alumina and Aluminium Industry coming up in the area. Dr. Reddyrecognized the importance of extracting Titanium from the Beach Sands of East Coast involving an investment ofRs. 4,000 crore. The Bauxite and the Beach Sand projects are expected to contribute significantly to the socio - economicadvancement of the tribal people and the coast based communities. Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy took personal interest toinitiate mining and beneficiation of low grade iron ore deposits of Kadapa, Kurnool, Anantapur and Chittoor districts of A.P.which resulted in the formation of a Joint Venture between the A.P Mineral Development Corporation and the National MineralDevelopment Corporation, envisaging an investment of Rs. 1,000 crore. Dr. Reddy was impressed with the activities of theMining Engineers’ Association of India by gracing the Seminar on “Technology Upgradation in Geology and Mining” conductedat Hyderabad on 2nd and 3rd October 2005. His contribution to the growth of mineral based industries in the State of A.P. issignificant.

He will be remembered, forever, for his commitment to the development of the State, in particular and the country in generaland service to the people. His legacy will continue to inspire all in the generations to come.

Perhaps, he was the only politician in India who possessed the true winning smile. We are truly and honestly saddened tohave lost that WINNING SMILE forever.

Sincerely yours,

(V.D.Rajagopal)

V.D. RAJAGOPAL M.Sc., B.L.

President

MINING ENGINEERS' ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

F-608, Raghavaratna Towers, ('A' Block),

Chirag Ali Lane, Abids, Hyderabad - 500 001.


in Rio de Janeiro state (Brazil), which will be located inthe Acu Super Port Industrial district. The estimatedinvestment is likely to be $4 billion.

➠ China produced 267m.t. crude steel in H-1According to the data released by the State StatisticsBureau China produced 258.8 m.t. of pig iron, 266.58m.t. of crude steel and 316.48 m.t. of steel products infirst half (H-1) of the year. In June 2009 alone, theproduction of these products were 48.9253 m.t., 49.3891m.t. and 62.1399 m.t. respectively which was a record.Average daily production of crude steel, in particular,posted a record high of 1.6463 m.t. in June 2009comperated with 1.5648 m.t. for the same period in theprevious year.

➠ Wuhan steel finalises iron ore deal with CentrexMetals of AustraliaAs per Global Mining News report Chinese steel makerWuhan Steel has finalized a deal with Australia’s CentrexMetals Ltd., for the development of iron ore resourcesin southern Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. Wuhan Steel willspend $175.6 million for a 15% stake in Centrex bymeans of placements and a 60% equity in the jointventure. With estimated reserve of iron ore over 2 b.t.grading about 30%Fe, the JV has a designed miningcapacity of 20 m.t.p.a. over two phases in five years.

➠ OMC mulls long term raw material supply pacts withsteel unitsOrissa Mining Corporation is exploring the possibility ofentering into a long term raw material supply agreementwith the steel players who have signed MoUs with theOrissa government in a move aimed at securing suppliesof raw materials like iron ore and chrome ore for thosecompanies. The secretary at Steel and Mines Departmentof Orissa Government Ashok Dalwai said, “The steelprojects in the stake are facing problems in getting rawmaterial like iron ore even though 28 out of the 49 steelplayers, that had entered into MoUs with the StateGovernment, have resumed partial production.”

➠ India to reach 124 m.t. by 2011-12 - MinisterShri A Sai Prathap Indian Minister of State for Steel in awritten reply in the Rajya Sabha informed “National SteelPolicy 2005 has projected India’s steel productioncapacity at 110 m.t. by 2019-20, however, based on theinvestment scenario in the steel sector, it has beenfurther assessed that the steel production capacity inthe country is likely to be 124.06 m.t. by the year 2011-12" He informed that the details of some of the majorsteel investments are as under –

(Continued from page 6) (in million tonnes)

Company Existing Brown- Green- Totalfield field

SAIL 12.84 12.00 0.00 24.84

RINL 2.90 3.40 0.00 6.30

Tata Steel 6.80 3.20 3.00 13.00

Essar Steel 4.60 3.90 6.00 14.50

JSW Steel 6.90 4.10 0.00 11.00

JSPL 2.40 4.80 3.25 10.45

IspatIndustries 3.00 2.00 0.00 5.00

BhushanPower 1.20 0.00 2.80 4.00& Steel

BhushanSteel Ltd. 0.80 0.00 5.20 6.00

Others +Secondary 23.00 0.00 5.97 28.97Steel

Total 64.44 33.40 26.22 124.06

➠ Posco proposes to set up 4.5 lakh tonne galvanizedsteel plantPosco is looking at fresh investment in India in additionto its proposed steel project in Orissa. The companyproposes to set up a galvanized steel plant in westernIndia with an annual production capacity of 4.5 lakh tonneto cash in on the opportunity offered by a boomingautomobile market in the country. The construction ofthe plant is expected to begin in September 2010 andbecome operational in 2012.

➠ Steel Ministry wants captive iron ore mines allottedfasterThe Steel Ministry has asked the Mines Ministry toadequately equip the empowered committee to accordprior approval for mineral concessions on behalf of theCentral Government. In a letter, the Steel Ministry toldthe Mines Ministry that it is highly imperative that ironore linkage in the form of captive mines be made availableto the steel plants since a number of projects in thesteel sector are getting delayed due to non-allotment ofmines to them either due to dilatory tendencies of thestate government or due to other reasons.


CHROMITE➠ Prospects for increasing chrome ore export prices

by IndiaAccording to Metal Bulletin Daily (MBD) report, India islikely to increase its chorme ore export prices for August2009 amid a shortage and rising international ore pircesof ferro-chorme. India’s April – July floor price was$200/t fob for friable chorme ore and $195/t fob forconcentrates on 54% Cr2O3 basis. In the last 3 months,export prices of ferro-chrome have increased to 80-82cents/lb. cfr from 58 cents, while the prices in thedomestic market have increased to Rs. 50,000 ($1033)/t from Rs. 43,000/t. For April – July, there were no exportof chrome ore from Orissa Mining Corporation, as floorprices were too low.

➠ JSL secures supplies with Turkish chrome minesJSL (earlier Jindal Stainless) has acquired chrome oreassets in Turkey. The acquired mines, at a cost of $6million by JSL, will meet captive chrome orerequirements of the proposed stainless steel plant inOrissa and also serve the demand of Asian, Europeanand American markets. JSL director (finance) ArvindParekh said, “Prices of ferro chrome have shot up in thelast few weeks thereby making it imperative forcompanies to focus on raw material security. Chromeore from Turkey will mainly be shipped to India for captiveuse and the surplus will be sold in open market.” Thetotal chrome ore reserve from 6-7 different locations couldbe more than 2 m.t. JSL has already started open castmining in these blocks and would make additionalinvestments in geophysical and geo-mapping to identifyunderground reserve which may be completed in 5-6months. JSL is in the process of setting up 8-lakh tonnestainless steel project in Orissa which would almostdouble its total domestic capacity to 15 lakh tonne.Phase -1 of the project, which saw installation of ferrochrome and power plant, besides a coke oven plant isover and construction of stainless steel plant has begun.The plant would get commissioned by mid- 2012.

COPPER➠ Radomiro Tomic mine of Codelco to add 200,000 tpa

of copper productionCodelco proposes to develop a second expansion of itsRadomiro Tomic mine, which would add 200,000 tpa ofcopper fines and 3000 tpa of molybdenum production inthe near future. In order to achieve this, the copperproducer in Chile will construct a 100,000-150,000 tpdconcentration plant near the Radomiro Tomic sulphidedeposit. This second phase of the project is possiblefollowing Codelco's recent discovery that resources inRadomiro Tomic reach around 6 m.t. with average coppergrade of 0.4%. Codelco is developing this sulphide projectwhich consists of extracting and transporting upto

100,000 tpd of copper sulphides from the mine to theChuquicamata refinery plants. The project, with aninvestment of $370 million, is 64% complete and isexpected to be finished by May 2010. The project willextend the life of Radomir Tomic mine for another 20years, but the Codelco said that mineral resources allowthe unit to be operational for the next 50 years.

➠ Investment by Chinese firm in Zambian copperprojectsAccording to Global Mining News report, Chinese firmproposes to invest about $3.6 billion in copper explorationand mining in Zambia, reflecting growting interest of Chinain the country’s mineral wealth, a senior investmentofficial said. Zambia Development Agency (ZDA)spokeswomen Margaret Chimanse said Zambia andZhonghui Mining Group signed an investmentagreenment. The $3.6 billion will be invested by Zhonghuiin the first five years from 2009 and it is likely to beincreased depending on economic factors affecting thecopper industry. Margaret Chimanse said that theChinese firm also plans to construct a major coppersmelter in Kitwe, 350 km. north of the capital Lusaka,and that exploration of minerals by Zhonghui in the northwestern and copper belt provinces of Zambia had alreadystarted.

BAUXITE➠ Bauxite resources upgraded by Cape Alumina

According to Metal Bulletin Daily (MBD) report, CapeAlumina has raised the bauxite resource on its proposed7 m.t.p.a. Pisolite Hills project in Queensland, Australiaby 30% to 130 m.t. The bauxite resource upgrade willform a pivotal component of the bankable feasibilitystudy due to commence in September 2009, accordingto Cape Alumina. CEO of Cape Alumina, Paul Messengersaid in a statement, “We see potential for an initial 12-15 year operation at Pisolite Hills at a target productionrate of 7 m.t.p.a. There is a growing market for theresource as the bauxite is suitable as a blending feedfor the new breed of low-temperature Bayer – processrefineries in China.”

➠ Hindalco profit drops 31%Hindalco Industries of Aditya Birla has reported a 31%drop in its first quarter net profit, though better thanmarket expectations. The company informed that its netprofit in the April – June period dipped to Rs. 480.56crore, compared to Rs. 696.76 crore in the same periodlast year. Hindalco’s revenue fell 16% to Rs. 3,899.49crore in the same period.

GOLD➠ AP enters JV for gold exploration

Andhra Pradesh is joining hands with NMDC Ltd. to


explore gold and iron ore deposits in the state. The StateGovernment is planning a joint venture of AP MineralDevelopment Corporation and NMDC Ltd. on a 50:50sharing basis. This was decided at a meeting reviewedby the Chief Minister Late Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy,with the Union Minister of State for Steel, Shri A. SaiPrathap.

COAL➠ Tata Steel to start production of coal in Mozambique

in 2011.As per News report of London Commodity, Tata Steeland its Australia – based joint venture partner Riversdalewill star t production at Bengal coal project inMozambique in 2011. The first stage production willcommence in 2011 whereas the second stage productionof development is expected to start in 2014. The Bengalcoal project is likely to yield over 20 m.t. of the dry fuelevery year.

➠ Additional build up of 13.9 b.t. of coal reserves inIndiaAccording to London Commodity News report, IndianGovernment has identified new coal deposits of anestimated 13,909 m.t. in the last three years. Ministerfor Coal Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal said that continuousexploration activities in the country have establishedadditional resources for coal. The inventory of geologicalresources of Indian coals has risen by 13,909 m.t. dueto establishment of additional coal resources. Out of13,909 m.t., 3228 m.t. is from Orissa, 3074 m.t. fromChhattisgarh and 2814 m.t. from Jharkhand. The depositsin A.P., M.P. and Maharashtra are estimated to be 1,781m.t., 1,223 m.t. and 1,078 m.t. respectively.

➠ Jindal to acquires Kiepersol coal mine of South AfricaAs per News report of London Commodity Jindal Steel& Power has bought the Kiepersol thermal coal mine in

South Africa. Kiepersol is a mothballed, undergroundmine which produces mid-low volatile content thermalcoal used mostly for power generation, the sources said.The mine was sold by a group of private shareholders toJindal for an undisclosed price.

➠ Jharkhand coal idles because of no rail linkVast thermal coal reserves that can yield up to 100m.t.p.a. are lying untapped in Jharkhand apparently dueto absence of rail connectivity over a 100 km stretch.

This is the position when the country is hunting for coalabroad to avert the probable power shortage. CMD ofCentral Coalfields Ltd. R.K. Saha told Business Line,“Tori-Shibpur – Hazaribagh rail connectivity was slatedto be ready almost a decade ago for evacuation of coalfrom the rich North Karanpura coalfields. The CoalMinistry has already awarded 28 blocks with an estimatedannual production capacity of 60 m.t. to captive users,mostly power utilities including NTPC. The rest, with anestimated production capacity of 40 m.t. was offered toCoal India Ltd. However, the rail connectivity project didnot progress beyond the drawing board stage.” Accordingto him, the logistics shortcoming is severally affectingevacuation from CCL’s mines in the area and holding updevelopment of at least two large open-cast minesMagadh (20 m.t.) and Amrapali (12 m.t.) – both linked toNTPC’s proposed power plants at Tandwa (1,980 m.w.)in Jharkhand and Barh – I (1,980 m.w) in Bihar.

➠ Coal availability in the worldCoal is required for electricity generation, steelproduction or conversion into liquid fuels. It is a fuel onwhich our society is largely dependent. The InternationalEnergy Outlook 2009 has revised the coal reserveposition of the world. The current report states that coalconsumption in the world will increase by 49% from 2006to 2030, however last year's report stated 50% increase.

Proved coal reserves at the end of 2008 (million tonne)

Country Anthracite & Sub-bituminous Total Share of R/Pratiobituminous & lignite total 0/0 *

USA 108,950 129,358 238,308 28.9 224

Russian Federation 49,088 107,922 157,010 19.0 481

China 62,200 52,300 114,500 13.9 41

Australia 36,800 39,400 76,200 9.2 190

India 54,000 4,600 58,600 7.1 114


Ukraine 15,351 18,522 33,873 4.1 438

Kazakhstan 28,710 3,130 31,300 3.8 273

South Africa 32,408 - 30,408 3.7 121

Poland 6,012 1,490 7,502 0.9 52

Brazil - 7,059 7,059 0.9 >500

Source : BP Statistical Review of World Energy June/2009

* R.P. Ratio - if the reserves remaining at the end of the yearare divided by the production in that year, the result is thelength of time (in years) remaining reserves would last ifproduction were to continue at that rate.

➠ Govt. of India pushing for early tabling of coal reform billsThe Government of India has speeded its plan for anindependent regulator for the coal sector and to allowprivate entry into coal mining. Coal Minister ShriSriprakash Jaiswal told Business Standard, “A Bill willbe made soon for setting up a coal regulator. Also, theBill to allow private players to mine coal might be re-introduced in the next session of Parliament. It shouldhappen in 4-6 months. But if Parliament sends the Billsto the standing committee, it might take longer.”

➠ Coal Minister Calls meeting with states for coal blockauctioningCoal Minister Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal convened ameeting of states to fine tune the policy to allocate coaland lignite blocks for captive use. But the Federation ofIndian Mineral Industries (FIMI) and the domestic minersopposed the move saying it would lead to an increase inprices of the dry fuel. The minister had convened ameeting on August 10, 2009 to formulate a policy toamend the existing act through which coal and ligniteblocks are allocated.

➠ Lump sum payment for coal auctionThe Coal Ministry is considering a proposal to opt for alump sum payment route for auctioning coal blocks toprivate companies, instead of production and profit sharesystem being followed in case of handing out oil or gasconcession acreages, according to a note prepared bythe coal ministry. According to the note, the bid amountwill be realized in installments over 10 years. Bidderswill be asked to make their offer above the floor priceworked out on the basis of the governemnt’s estimateof coal reserves in a block. “This is a transparent method.It will free the government from monitoring production

and sale that leaves scope for corruption. Otherwise anoperator will sell 100 trucks and show only 50,” CoalMinister Shri Sriprakash Jaiswal told to Times of India.

When asked about a report that L.N. Mittal hascomplained about the delays in getting coal and iron oremines for his Rs. 50,000 crore steel project each inJharkhand and Orissa Shri Jaiswal said, “We are comingout with a new policy for captive coal blocks, everyonewill have to bid if they want coal blocks.”

➠ CIL invites foreign mining bidsNavratna PSU Coal India has invited initial bids forselecting strategic partners for undertaking coal miningactivities in foreign countries.

➠ Coal ministry notifies strict norms for undergroundgasificationThe Coal Ministry has notified stringent guidelines forcarrying out underground coal gasification (UCG).Normative time ceilings have been announced to ensurethat Syngas production from the captive block willcommence within 36 months (42 months in case thearea is in a forest land) from the date of issue of thelatter of allocation. Any slippage in meeting the deadlines, unless previously agreed due to special reasonsto be recorded in writing, may lead to the forfeiture ofbank quarutees or / and allocation cancellation of theprevious approval under section 5(1) of the Mines &Minerals Act, 1957 or mining lease. According to theWorld Energy Council and the coal ministry, there areabout 52 m.t. of coal reserve for USG in the country.The coal ministry expects the UCG to be carried outthrough joint venture.

➠ Singareni seeks banker to fund Rs. 3000 crore plant.Singareni Collieries Company (SCCL) is in talks with aclutch of banks – including SBI, SBH, Axis bank, IDBIand Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) – to raiseRs. 2100 crore to part fund the state owned mining firm’s


investment in a 600 mega watt thermal power plant inthe state. The project is estimated to cost over Rs. 3000crore. While nearly three – fourths will be funded througha bank loan, the balance will come from internal accruals,according to JV Dattatreyulu, director operations SCCL.

DIAMOND➠ NMDC resumes diamond mining in Panna

Paving the way for domestic production of one lakh caratof rough diamonds, NMDC’s diamond mine in M.P. hasbeen re-opened by the Steel Minister Shri VirbhadraSingh. Panna diamond mines (at Ramkheria andMajhgawan) were commissioned in 1968-69. Ramkheriagravel deposit mine was exhausted and closed long backbut the Majhgawan mine was lying idle since 2005 dueto problems related to environmental clearance andapproval of the adjoining Gangau wildlife sanctuary.NMDC intends to reach a mining capacity to produce1,00,000 carats of diamonds in the next fiscal. Thecompany has assured to comply with conditions laiddown by the Supreme Court and other statutoryauthorities involved.

➠ Dull Indian diamond trade gets Chinese sparkleA number of Indian firms are busy setting up diamondprocessing units and retail outlets across China as theybet on Asian markets to more than make up for the dropin demand from traditionally large consumers, the US,Europe and Japan. “Indian and non-resident Indiandiamond businessmen are setting up retail shops inShanghai, Beijing and urban areas of Southern China”,says Pravin Sankar Pandya, Chairman Diamond India(DIL), an amalganmation of 58 Indian diamondmerchants. According to him, the demand for polisheddiamond from China and other oriental markets such asTaiwan, Korea, Singapore and Hong kong will be at parwith the US in another five years. India’s polisheddiamond exports were $4,666.25 million during April –June 2009, almost 5% lower than the year – ago figure,according to data published by Gem & Jewellery ExportPromotion Council, the apex body of the country’sdiamond industry. To sell diamonds in China, a companymust set up processing units in that country, points outSumit Shah, MD of Renaissance Jewellery. Like India,it offers cheap labour, and unlike India , it has modernprocessing equipment. Those who have set up shopsthere include Shrenuj & Co., Gitanjali Group and SheetalGroup. (China started sending persons in largenumber to India to learn cutting and polishing ofdiamonds long ago and now by providing facilitiesto Indian traders, the major part of industry may shiftto China from India. Probably such facilities couldbe provided to the Indian traders in India also –Editor)

GRANITE➠ Steep fall in granite exports

Indian granite exports have declined 33% between 2006-07 and 2008-09. Its export revenues fell sharply in 2007-08. According to data provided by CAPEXIL, the valueof granite export from India was Rs. 2738 crore in 2008-09, compared with Rs. 4086 crore in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the export value stood at Rs. 3367 crore.

In terms of volume, the country exported 30 lakh tonnesof granite in 2008-09, compared with 31 lakh tonnes in2006-07. In 2007-08, it was 34.12 lakh tonnes. “The USmarket has fallen by about 80%, while the Europeanmarket has fallen between 30-40%,” said Shri R.Veeramani, Founder President, All India Granite andStone Assocaition (AIGSA). “About 85 – 90% of the totalgranite production in the country is for exports,” he added.The export of polished granite blocks and slabs morethan halved in 2008-09 at 2.75 lakh tonnes comparedwith 5.52 lakh tonnes in 2007, while in 2007-08 it was4.13 lakh tonnes. Export revenue in this segmentdeclined 51.9% - more than the sector as a whole to Rs.862.63 crore in 2008-09 from Rs. 1791.98 crore in 2006-07. In 2007-08, it was Rs. 1332.56 crore.

OIL & NATURAL GAS➠ AP Government forms corporation for oil and gas

explorationAndhra Pradesh government has formed a joint venturecompany ‘AP Gas Infrastructure Corporation (APGIC)’in association with AP Industrial InfrastructureCorporation (APIIC) holding 51% stake and APGeneration Corporation (APGENCO) the remaining 49%.The joint venture is aimed at optimizing the utilization ofoil and gas in the Krishna-Godavari basin and createemployment potential in the state. The new companywill also be involved in related fields in upstream, mid-stream and downstream activities in the oil and gassector.

GENERAL➠ State Geological Programming Board Meeting

A meeting of the State Geological Programming Boardwas conducted on 05-09-2009 at APMDC ConferenceHall. Smt. Y. Srilakshmi, IAS, Secretary, Industries &Commerce, Govt. of A.P. was in the chair. At the outsetShri V.D. Rajagopal, Director, Dept. of Mines & Geology,Govt. of A.P. and MEAI President, welcomed theparticipants. The GSI, IBM, AMD, NMDC, APMDC,MECL and Rio Tinto and Debeers (MNC's) presentedsummaries of their works completed so far.

➠ Rungta mines plans cement plant in OrissaIron ore mining firm Rungta Mines (RML) plans to setupa 1 m.t.p.a. cement plant in Orissa, with an investment


of around Rs. 600 crore, a top company executive said.RML is in talks with the Orissa government for allocationof limestone reserves to execute the cement project.

➠ SC clears Rs. 5000 crore for forestsThe Supreme Court has given an order that raises hopesof rapid afforestation in the country by making availablethe key ingredient for it – Money. The court directed apanel of experts to release Rs. 1000 crore every yearfor five years for reclaiming forest land devastated bymining and other industries. The Panel – CompensatoryAfforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority,or Campa – has collected about Rs. 11,000 core overfive years from entities conducting non-forest work inforest areas. Spurred on by this order, the Ministry ofEnvironment & Forests intends to increase the areaunder forest coverage from 19%, which has been forseveral years, to 33% which has been the target for halfa century. Shri Jairam Ramesh Minister of State(independent charge) for Environment & Forest told toBusiness Standard, “We will use this money to treblethe pace of reforestation. After this order, money is nota problem. What we need to look at is management. Wewill need innovative management techniques to achievethis goal.”

➠ Shri Siddharth Rungta elected asFIMI PresidentShri Siddarth Rungta, President,Rungta Mines Ltd., Chaibasa hasbeen elected as President ofFederation of Indian MineralIndustries (FIMI) in its 43rd AnnualGeneral Meeting on 18th August 2009.

➠ Bharat Refractories merged with SAILSteel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) has taken over stateowned Bharat Refractories (BRL) and merged it with thecompany. The merger is effective from April 1, 2007 withthe approval of the ministry of corporate affairs, acompany official said. BRL makes high temperaturebearing refractory materials used in inner linings of blastfurnaces. The merger will help SAIL to utilize the excesscapacity of BRL for its present and future requirementof refractories. Already SAIL consumes about 85% to90% of BRL’s production.

➠ No selling of surplus coal from captive blocksSteel, power and cement companies may not be able toearn profit by selling surplus coal from their captiveblocks as per a policy being worked out in the coalministry. Over 200 coal blocks with reserves of over 40billion tonne have been allocated to various public andprivate sector companies. As per current guidelines,

surplus coal generated by a captive block has to betransferred to the nearest CIL subsidiary. The price tobe paid for the surplus is determined by the coalcontroller on case – to-case basis. The country’s coalproduction has reached close to 500 m.t. in 2008-09.Companies may have to sell surplus coal below 20% ofthe government-determined price. The government –determined price of coal is already between 40 – 50%lower than the market rates.

➠ 5th longest tunnel in the world being driven in A.P.Srisailam Left Bank Canal Tunnel of Alimineti MadhavaReddy Project envisages carrying 113.28 cumecs ofwater from Srisailam reservoir to the plains of Nalgondadistrict (A.P.) through Tunnel-1 about 43.9 km. long. Sincethe proposed alignment of tunnel passes through R.F. of'Wild Life Sancuary Project Tiger' therefore in order tosave environment, and wild life, the work of Tunnel-1 isto be executed by Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) fromboth ends. No blasting is to be done. The first TBM fromoutlet end of Tunnel - 1, was commissioned by Hon'bleChief Minister Late Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on 24-03-2008. This project once commissioned shall provide30 TMC water for drinking as well as for irrigation potentialof 3 lakh acres.

The Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) Tunnel Project isthe 5th longest tunnel in the world with 10m. excavateddiameter and 9.2m. finished diameter with a length ofabout 43.9 km The shape of the tunnel will be circularwith flat invert portion, the carrying capacity is 4000cusecs which can also get enhanced upto 5570 cusecs.The tunnel boring commenced from outlet end in May2008. Similarly, the tunnel boring work is scheduled tocommnce for inlet end in October 2009.

The contract for execution of the works, was awarded inOctober 2005 to Jaiprakash Associates Ltd., a companyof Jaypee Group, who have extensive experience oftunneling and construction of hydro power projects. Theproject is estimated to cost about Rs. 2500 crore, and islikely to be commissioned in 2013.

➠ Jaypee Balaji cement plantJaiprakash Associates Ltd. propose to set up a cementplant 'Jaypee Balaji Cement Plant' of 5 m.t.p.a. capacityalong with 50 m.w. coal based captive power plant nearBudawada village, Jaggayyapeta Mandal (Krishna dist.,A.P.). Limestone for the plant will be provided from thecaptive limestone mines. The project will be implementedat a cost of Rs. 1650 crore, of which about Rs. 75 crorewill be incurred towards environmental management. Theplant is likely to be commissioned in 2013.

(Continued on page 15)


We are aware that Government of India constituted Anwar-ulHODA Committee to suggest changes to the National MineralPolicy keeping in view the low GDP in mineral sector whencompared to the average GDP of all the sectors in India.After thorough debate on the subject with various stakeholdersas well as respective State Governments, Anwar-ul HODACommittee submitted its recommendations and consequentlyNational Mineral Policy 2008 has been announced by the GoI.Now GoI has come out with the draft Mines and Minerals(Scientific Development & Regulation) Act, 2009 and is placedin the website at: http://mines.gov.policy/MMSDRACT.pdf

The new Act is intended to decentralize the powers and cutshort the delays in granting mineral concessions for thedevelopment of mineral sector in the country. In fact, thepurpose of appointing Anwar-ul HODA Committee is to suggestnew mineral Policy keeping in view the bottlenecks in theexisting policy for the development of mineral sector. But, ascould be seen from the proposed new Act, some of the powersare again centralized, though in some areas the proposalsare very good. Therefore, it is time to appropriately react sothat the Government may take the views positively and modifywhenever the proposals are contributed for the developmentof the mineral sector. With a view to focus attention on theissues, some of these issues are highlighted in the presenttopic.

(I) Maximum and Minimum extents for grant of MineralConcessions:

Hitherto, the maximum extents for grant of RP, PL and MLwere 10,000 Sq.Km, 25 Sq.Km and 1 Sq.Km respectively.These are enhanced to 10,000 Sq.Km, 5000 Sq.Km, 500Sq.km and 100 Sq. Km in respect of RPs, Large AreaProspecting Licences, Prospecting Licences and MiningLeases respectively by introducing one more tier in betweenRP and prospecting licence in the name of Large AreaProspecting Licence (5000 Sq.Km). Grant of such huge extentamounts to blocking of areas by a few entrepreneurs and thenew entrepreneurs may have to suffer a lot for want of areas.This needs to be debated upon. It would have been idealisticto enhance the present limits by one time with the provisionfor GOI to relax on case to case basis.

(II) MINIMUM EXTENTS:Similarly, minimum extent proposed for PL is 1 Sq.Km (1000

COMMENTS ON DRAFT - MINES AND MINERALS(SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT & REGULATION) ACT, 2009.

* V.D. Rajagopal

* President MEAI, Director of Mines & Geology, GoAP. Vice-Chairman-cum-Managing Director, APMDC.The above comments were presented in the National Seminar on

'Challenges in the Changed Scenario of Mining' on 13-09-2009 at Bangaluru.

hectares) and for ML it is 10 hectares. Here also, the smallentrepreneurs get adversely affected since there are manysmall deposits which are available in less than 10 hectaresarea. If this system is introduced the deposits available within10 hectares cannot be exploited. Many small deposits ofminerals like quartz, feldspar, dolomite, limestone etc., areavailable in small leaseholds and if such deposits areprohibited it amounts to untapping valuable minerals. Hence,present minimum limits of 4 hectares in case of beddeddeposits and one hectare in case of vein type deposits maybetter be continued.

(III) POWERS TO IBM :Under the new Act, the IBM is getting powers to even stopmining operations by following the same powers as are therewith the Mines Safety Department, to prohibit mining ifconsidered dangerous, merely on the basis that miningoperations are a threat to conservation and environment. Thiswill result in undue hardship to the entrepreneurs. This mayalso be debated upon.

(IV) BIDDING PROCESS:Another area causing concern is about a stipulation that themineral rights are to be disposed of by way of bidding. If thisis introduced only some of the few rich entrepreneurs willblock the areas by taking rights in the bidding and the smallentrepreneurs cannot think of entering the field of mining. Theconcept of bidding will lead to total collapse of the systemand would help develop capitalism in the country. Therefore,this is a serious issue to be debated upon.

(V) RESERVATION FOR PUBLIC SECTOR:Another area where the new proposals brought out byGovernment of India is taking away the enabling provisionsfor reservation of mineral bearing areas in favour of PublicSector undertakings. This may result in complete closure ofpublic sector undertakings in future. When very importantstrategic minerals are available the same need to be exploitedby PSUs for the benefit of the Nation. Under new Policy thismay not be possible.

(VI) CONSTITUTION OF STATE AND CENTRALTRIBUNALS:The Government of India is contemplating to constitute CentralTribunals to settle issues relating to non-disposal of mineralconcession applications by the State Governments with in


the stipulated time limit. It is good if such powers are vestedwith the State Level Tribunals instead of Central Tribunals toavoid carrying on litigations to National Headquarters.Moreover, the litigations from the Central Tribunals go to theHigh Courts situated in the National Headquarters. By thisprocess the mining entrepreneurs may have to go round theNational Headquarters for each and every issue. When theconcept of the New Act is to decentralize - will it not amountto centralize the process, and thus defeat the purpose of newMineral Policy?

(VII) CREATION OF NATIONAL MINERAL FUND & STATEMINERAL FUND :

Though this is an admirable move instead of National MineralFund, it is better to confine to State Mineral Fund for effectiveimplementation.

(VIII) RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER OFRECONNAISSANCE LICENCE AND PROSPECTINGLICENCE :Transfer of lease involves large-scale speculation. GOI iscontemplating to introduce a very liberal transfer policy. Thisalso needs to be debated.

(IX) RESTRICTIONS ON ALLOCATION OF MINERALBEARING AREAS :One more area the GOI would have touched is “MineralExclusive Areas” to be reserved just as the Reserve Forests.But unfortunately this was not taken up.

(X) GRANT FOR LEASES IN FOREST AREAS :In the new policy it is now envisaged that only after takingforest clearances areas must be notified for grant. This maylead to non-clearances for forest areas and the scope ofgranting leases in forest areas may considerably get reduced.Instead of stipulating a time limit of say one year in-principlethe applications for grant of leases in forest areas may beconsidered and final grants can be extended after getting forestclearances under F.C Act’1980 by the applicants.

(XI) APPROVAL OF MINING PLANS:The new act envisages delegation of powers for approval ofmining plans only to IBM. Hitherto the State Directorates areapproving the plans for selected group of minerals. Thisamounts to only centralization of powers.

CONCLUSION:It is time that all the stakeholders concerned with mining shallgo through the draft Mines and Minerals (ScientificDevelopment & Regulation) Act, 2009 and give theirsuggestions wherever they feel such amendments come inthe way for the development and growth of mining sector,since the purpose of any change is only to achieve maximumgrowth in mining sector.

Let us be proactive and air our views to the Policy Makers fortheir reconsideration.

➠ RINL signs a JV with MOILRashtriya Ispat Nigam (RINL) has entered into a jointventure with Manganese Ore India (MOIL) to form a‘RINMOIL Ferro Alloys (Private) Ltd.”, to produce ferroalloys. The two partners will have equal stakes in thejoint venture company. RINL which is currentlyimplementing a project to raise steel making capacityto 6.3 m.t., would require nearly 70,000t of silicomanganese, another 15,000t of ferro silicon annually,after the expansion. In addition it would also need about2000t. of ferro manganese, the supply of which is likelyto be ensured by the new venture.

➠ FIMI AwardsFederation of Indian Mineral Inudstries (FIMI) in its 43rd

Annual General Meeting on 18-08-2009 at Balroom, HotelShangri-La, New Delhi gave away the following awardsfor the year 2008-09.

(i) Fimi Excellence Award (2008-09)Bala Gulshan Tandon Excellence AwardJilling Langalota Iron Ore & Manganese Mineof Essel Mining & Industries Ltd. (Orissa)

(ii) Fimi Environment Award (2008-09)a) Abheraj Baldota Environment Award :(Mechanised Mine)Wadi Cement Limetone Mine ACC Ltd.

(b) Gem Granite Environment Award :(Mechanised Mine)Devapur Limestone Mine APMDC Ltd.

(c) Misrilall Jain Environment Award :(Mechanised Mine)Naubasta Limestone Mine, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd.

(d) Subh Karan Sarawagi Environment Award :(Mechanised Mine)Pale Iron Ore Mine Chowgule & Co. Pvt. Ltd.

(iii) Fimi Social Awareness Award :(a) Sita Ram Rungta Social Awareness Award :Aditya Limestone MinesGrasim Industries Ltd. Chittorgarh (Rajasthan)

(b) NMDC Social Awareness Award :Vikram Cement Grasim Industries Ltd. Neemuch (M.P.)

(Continued from page 13)

In the Stone Age, all men were sculptures- Enrique Jardiel Poncela

Every Business is built on friendship- J.C. Penney

A happy marriage is the union of two forgivers- Ruth Bell Graham


INTRODUCTIONOre reserve estimation is to asses the quantity and tenor of amineral that may be profitably and legally extracted from themineral through mining and/or mineral benefication. Estimationof the resource require analysis and synthesis of the data todevelop a model, which involves compilation of geologic andassay data, delineation of the ore reserves, compositing ofthe samples into larger units such as mining bench height,thickness or minable vein width, modelling of the gradedistribution based on the histogram and cumulative frequencyplots of grades, evaluation of the spatial variability of thegrade using experimental variograms, selection of theresource/reserve estimation method and estimate the quantityand grade of the mineral resource.

Estimation of the reserve or modelling of the ore body can beachieved by traditional geometric methods by calculating onthe plans, sections and interpolation or gridding methods, andcalculating not only the volumes but also defining the shapeof the ore body.

Since late 1950’s computerized evaluation of the mineraldeposits have been in use and has become more sophisticatedand easier to use the commercial software in the public domain.Computerized deposit modelling provides a means of tailoringa mine plan based on the end-use specifications. The basicstrategy involves the creation of the borehole database thatincludes results of the various physical and chemical properties

ESTIMATION OF RESERVES USING VOXEL MODELLING TECHNIQUEMrinmoy Chakraborty1 and S.Karunakar Rao2

AbstractOre reserve estimation is the statistical/mathematical method of calculating the volume of an ore body in a given area. Itinvolves very long process of drawing sections and fences and there by estimating their presence in volume according to theirgrade. But with the advancement in the technology, Voxel modelling has become one of the effective methods in the visualizationand the estimation of the reserves. The study of voxel model throws a light on various aspects of the models and perspective tohelp in the volumetric estimation of the reserves. It will also deal with the enhancement in visualization of the grades in theore minerals.

Geosoft Target TM is one of the software which provides us the platform to work with the Voxel model. It also has a capabilityto draw sections, striplogs and fence diagrams. In this paper we are going to precisely cover the various aspects of voxel modellingand its benefits in the estimation of the ore and the effects of various gridding methods on reserve estimation using somepractical and illustrative examples. The paper also covers aspects of integration of various dataset namely, Remote sensingImages, Geophysical data (airborne/ground), Geochemical data apart from basic drill hole data. It also discusses the mathematicalaspects of various gridding methods for better understanding and application.

1. Business Head, DATACODE, Nagpur, India. E mail: [email protected] 2. DATACODE, Nagpur, IndiaThe paper was presented during International Conference on 'Advanced Technology in Exploration and

Exploitation of Minerals' on 14-15th February 2009 at Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

as functions of the depths. Once the database has beencreated, visualizations such as cross sections, fence diagramsand block diagrams may be quickly generated to check thevalidity and geological reasonability of modelling .The nextstep later involves the calculation of the volumetric and optimalpit design based on the series of user defined parameters.

The process of creating a spatial array of estimations isreferred to as modelling. These array may be two dimensionalor three dimensional. The two-dimensional array is also referredto as Grid Model; the dependent variable (Z) is the function ofthe horizontal (X, Y) co-ordinates. In three dimensional array(also referred to as Solid or Block Model), the dependentvariable (g) is a function of the horizontal (X, Y) and verticalco-ordinates (Z). The parameters that are being estimatedmay be thickness of the ore, the grade of the ore or someproperty that is useful for the evaluation of the resource. Gridsare used to model statigraphy contacts isopachs, while solidsare useful in the geochemistry, ore grades and geo-technicalproperties.

TWO-DIMENSIONAL GRIDDINGThe first step in the modelling process is to super impose animaginary grid over the project area. This grid defines theresolution of the subsequent model in a manner analogous topixels within a digital image specifically as pixel becomessmaller, smaller features are resolved at the expense of the


FIG 1- Two-Dimensional Grid where the randomlyobserved data are spread with the grid nodes

computer memory and speed. It is useful to represent thedata by determining its value at points locally equally far apartat the nodes of a grid as shown in the Figure 1.

THREE DIMENSIONAL BLOCK MODELLINGBlock modelling is simply the three dimensional version ofgridding. The original data points typically consist quantitativedown hole data (ex: geochemistry, ore grades, physicalproperties etc) an imaginary 3D-lattice (matrix blocks) isconstructed and computed for each block or voxel. Voxel is ablende of the words Volumetric and Pixel, voxel is a volumeelement representing a value on a grid in three dimensionalspaces.

FIG 1- Block Model showing a voxel

The process of converting a geometric object from continuousgeometric representation into a set of voxels that bestapproximates the continuous object. The theory that dealswith these topological issues is called 3D- discrete topology.

FIG 2- An example of a discrete curve(shaded pixels) that intuitively seperates itstwo sides even without containing all those

pixels pierced by the continous line

FIG 3- The three types of voxel adjancenciesin 3D-discrete space (1) The six voxels that are

6-adjacents to the voxel at the center (not seen) (2)The eighteen voxels that are 18-adjacent to the voxel at

the center (3) 26- adjacent to the voxel center.

The 3D-discrete space is a set of integral grid points in a 3D-Euclidean space defined by their Cartesian co-ordinate (X, Y,Z). A voxel to the unit cubic volume centered at the integralgrid point. The voxel value is mapped into [0, 1]: the voxelsassigned “1” are called the black voxels representing opaqueobjects and those assigned “0” are the white voxelsrepresenting the transparent background. Outside the scopeof the paper are non-binary approaches where voxel value ismapped onto the interval [0,1] representing either partialcoverage, variable densities or graded opacities.

Two voxels are 26-adjacent if they share a vertex, an edge ora face. In the Figure 4, every voxel has 26 such adjacentvoxels: eight share a vertex ( corner) with the center voxel (Fig 4(1) ) , twelve share an edge ( fig 4(2) ) and six share aface ( fig 4(3) ). Accordingly face-sharing voxels are definedas 6-adjacent, and edge sharing and share-sharing voxelsare defined as 18-adjacent. The prefix N is used to define theadjacency relation where N= 6, 18 or 26 we say that that asequence of voxels having the same value (e.g., “black”) isan N-path if all consecutive pairs are N-adjacent. A set ofvoxels A is N-connected if there is an N-path between everypair of voxels in A. An N-connected component is a maximalN-connected set.

MODELLING STRATEGIESThe selection of the proper modelling technique (gridding orblock modelling) as well as the algorithms e.g. Inversedistance weighting, triangulation, polynomial trend, kridgingetc represents the biggest hurdle for the novice user. Gridmodels are commonly used to produce color – coded contourmaps by averaging the regions between the cells. In fact mostcomputer contouring uses gridding as a preliminary, behindthe scenes, step-towards producing the contours. These arehowever many more things that can be done with gridsincluding volumetrics. Many types of mineral deposits, suchas clay, consist of “layercake” geology in which an economicresource is sandwiched between two non-economic layers. Ifthe grade of the material does not vary, laterally or vertically,the deposit can be effectively modelled by gridding the topand bottom of the ore layer. Conversely, if the grade varieslaterally and/or vertically, then a block modelling method,


constrained by upper and lower grids (the top and base of theunit) should be used. General guidelines are graphicallysummarized as follows.

Volumetric calculation by taking a suitable exampleIn this paper an example from Pre-Cambrian Schist Belt is

taken where in the ore reserve estimation for Iron has beendone. A series of boreholes were spread along the area at aregular interval on the surface maps to know the concentrationof Iron. The voxel models for estimation of the ore are takeninto consideration and the outputs generated are as givenbelow.

FIG 4- Showing the different modeling strategies

FIG 5- Plan Map of the area with reference to the elevation using Kridging


The Plan map was prepared to the scale of 1: 5000 meters,elevation of the area was considered and gridded using theKridging method. The lowest relief regions are represented bythe blue colour that are mostly found in the southern parts ofthe area. The highest relief regions are represented by thepink colour that are widely spread across the northern regionsof the area.

FIG 6- Section Map along the plan arearepresenting the topography and the bar graph

representing the Fe concentrations along the section

The section map represents the topography along the sectionand the profile is represented along with it. The scale of thesection is 1:1500 meters, the bar graph is the representationof the of the Iron concentration varying vertically down in thedepth.

FIG 7- Voxel model of the Fe ore reserve along the area

Figure 8 represents the model generated by the voxel griddingtechnique for the concentration of the Fe around the studyarea. The least concentrations are represented by the blueand the higher concentrations by the pink colours. The volumecalculation of the ore done in terms of cubic meters is shownin the report with their minimum and maximum values.GRIDVOL GX is used to calculate the volume of space definedby a grid surface, above and below a base of reference. ThisGX can help to determine the volume of material defined bygrid surfaces in topographic applications. Some geophysicalapplications also make use of volumes under anomalies toderive physical properties.

The volume of the grid is simply displayed on the defaultoutput as a floating point number. This output can be piped toanother application if desired. The volume is calculated bysumming the product of the grid cell area times each non-dummy grid point.

CONCLUSIONSExploration of minerals is a game of gambling in which orereserve estimation is one of the challenging tasks ofexploration which is being employed with the differentmethods, so to estimate the accurate amount of the reserveto be estimated with the variation in the grade. This is followedby the process of drawing profiles, sections fences to knowtheir extents and the shape of the ore body. The estimation ofthe quantity of the ore with the amount of the over burdenalso estimates the total costs of the mining and hence thevolumetric calculations plays an important role. Many typesof modelling techniques have come through to fulfill these inthese requirements. Voxel modelling which is volumetricelement in the computational work has been considered asone better technique to achieve the desired results.

The voxel models constructed in this paper gives a clearpicture about how this method can be used for the calculationof the volume with the drawing of the sections and can beused to its best level with your applicable knowledge. It alsoavoids the series of long mathematical calculations andincreases the accuracy of the calculations by avoiding theerrors in them.

REFERENCESHortman, H L, Seeley.W.Mudd Memorial Fund of AIME (1992) SME MiningEngineering Handbook Published by SME, pp 334-360

Min Qi, Bao-lin Zhang, Guang-he Liang, Jie Wang, Xin-ping CaiDataScience Journal, Volume 6, Supplement, 2007. 3D modeling andvisualization of geology volume based on geophysical field data.

Volume Graphics, IEEE Computer, Vol. 26, No. 7 July 1993 pp 51-64

Reed, J P, Volumetric Analysis & Three-Dimensional Visualiz-ation ofIndustrial Mineral Deposits, RockWare Inc.

Yamamot, J K, 1999. Quantification of Uncertainty in Ore-ReserveEstimation: Applications to Chapada Copper Deposit, State of Goias,Brazil Natural Resources Research, Vol. 8.

McInerney, P M, Guillen, A, and Lees, T, creating realistic 3d geologymodels rapidly,using geophysics

Mauro De Donatis, Giuliano Gallerini, and Sara Susini, 3D ModellingTechniques for Geological and Environmental Visualisation and Analysis

Sheelagh, M, Carpendale, T, Cowperthwaite, D J, and Fracchia, F D,Extending Distortion Viewing From 2D To 3D, Simon Fraser University.


INTRODUCTIONBest practice mines deliver their corporate goals by efficientlyand effectively implementing their mine plan. From the authors’experience, these best practice mines have the followingsimilarities:

• Sound mine planning and mine operationalpractices.

• Appropriate equipment and manning levels.

• Good information collection and reporting.

• A continuous improvement culture which isoutcome focused.

For manning best practice in the Australian mining industry,the result derived from performance evaluation andbenchmarking studies can provide insight into the key driversof manning requirements on mines and enable determinationof appropriate manning levels.

In the Australian mining industry in recent years the shortageof skilled and experienced labour has been acute. Labourshortages have been spread across all organisational levels,from trades based roles through to engineering and seniormanagement positions. This has resulted in equipment beingunderutilized due to a lack of available drivers or operators;and maintenance departments with half of their availablepositions unfilled.

MANNING BEST PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIAStephen Williams 1 , Mani Rajagopalan 2 , Bronwyn Meadows Smith 3 and Nicola Farrell 4

AbstractThis paper examines manning best practice in the Australian mining industry. In particular, the paper considers a range ofmining operations and their manning levels as measured by operational benchmarking. The benchmarking results presentedcover 15 open pit and 37 underground studies in Australia. The data was collected as part of AMC’s benchmarking andoperational improvement studies conducted between 1999 and 2008. The results examine overall manning levels in mining,processing and administration functions. Manning levels for a range of mining methods, including open pit and undergroundmethods, are segmented. Productivity measures such as ore tonnes per man day and metres developed per man day arepresented and where direct relationships can be established, the relationships are described.

Finally, the paper considers perspectives on best practice with regard to manning in the Australian mining industry and thelimitations in application of this type of analysis in a global context.

1. Manager Business Analysis / Principal Mining Engineer, AMC Consultants Pty Ltd, 19/114 William Street,Melbourne E mail: [email protected]

2. Senior Mining Engineer, AMC Consultants Pty Ltd, 19/114 William Street, Melbourne.3. Knowledge Manager / Senior Mining Analyst, AMC Consultants Pty Ltd, 19 / 114 William Street, Melbourne.

4. Mining Analyst, AMC Consultants Pty Ltd, 19 / 114 William Street, Melbourne.

The paper was presented during International Conference on 'Advanced Technology in Exploration andExploitation of Minerals' on 14-16 February 2009 at Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

In the Australian context, labour represents a substantialcomponent of most mine’s operating costs. Total labour costscan amount to 15 % to 37 % of total operating costs forunderground mines, see Figure 1. While total labour costs foropen pit mines can range from 12 to 26 % of total operatingcosts, see Figure 2.

Beyond direct salaries, on-costs can also be substantial. On-costs include salaries, state and federal labour related taxes,superannuation, worker’s compensation and entitlements. Inaddition, many Australian mines are located in remote areasaway from the larger cities or regional centres. These minesare often operated on a fly-in/fly-out basis with commutingand remote allowances further increasing the resultingoperational expenditure.

The impact of recent tightening of the credit market andweakness in mining commodity prices suggest that the labourshortages seen in recent years may, at least in part, decline.It is also anticipated that upward pressure on salaries andspiralling on-costs may have stalled. This creates a climatewhereby the analysis of appropriate manning levels andindustry best practice in this regard becomes even morecrucial.

THE BENCHMARKING DATABASEOver the past decade AMC Consultants Pty Ltd (AMC) has


conducted over 60 detailed benchmarking studies atAustralian and international open pit and underground,metalliferous and coal mines. A number of longitudinalbenchmarking studies, where annual or biannual performanceis assessed over a number of years, have also beenundertaken. AMC have developed detailed databasescataloguing mining practices, manning levels, technologies,costs and productivities.

The data gained through conducting these studies has enabledidentification of the key drivers of best practices, hence thedevelopment of a benchmarking model which is acomprehensive and practical mine performance evaluationand reporting structure.

The Benchmarking ProcessThe initial stage of the benchmarking is information gathering.Information collected as part of the AMC process includesdetailed cost data, equipment productivity data and manninglevels.

FIG 1 – UNDERGROUND: Labour Cost as aPercentage of Total Operating Cost

FIG 2 – OPENPIT: Labour Cost as aPercentage of Total Operating Cost

The benchmarking team conduct a site visit to gain a thoroughunderstanding of the activities involved and the operationalissues specific to the mine. The knowledge of the peopleworking on the mine site is as important as the data itself inconducting meaningful analysis. During the site visit the teamliaise directly with key members of the operation’s workforce,collect primary data and observe all of the activities whichare to be analysed and which may affect the benchmarkingstudy.

For the benchmarking process to produce meaningful results,the data used must be accurate and consistent across theoperations in the AMC database. To ensure this comparabilityof data, information is collected using standard templateswhich contain clear definitions of the data required.

Cost and physical data is collected at the lowest possiblelevel and allocated to the physical asset or individual activitysuch as a truck, or to the survey department, or perhaps,costs associated with an individual drill rig. Operationalmanning data is collected in the context of the organisationalstructure and labour roles. Through the processing of data inthis way, costs, productivities and manning are able to belinked for meaningful comparison.

Processing of Manning DataAMC have used standard manning templates based on typicalorganisational structures found at operating mines. Standardclassifications are used for the collection and processing ofdata to allow meaningful comparison across a range ofoperational scales. These are shown for mining personnel atunderground mines, mining personnel at open pit mines andfor processing and general and administration personnel, inTables 1, 2 & 3, respectively.

Manning productivities are compared on a tonnes per manday basis as tonnes per man shift can be distorted by differentlengths of shift. One man day is considered equal to 24 hours.Also, maintenance personnel are allocated on an equipment/activity basis to ensure the total manning associated withindividual operational activities are captured and reflected.Manning numbers are allocated in this way to ensure resultsare representative of underlying performance and comparableto other operations.

TABLE 1Underground Mining Manning Classifications

MINE DEPARTMENTMINE SUPERVISION & CONTROL

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT & SUPPORTPrinciple / Primary Contractor

ManagerSuperintendent/Senior EngineerShift Supervisor/EngineerTechnician/Other


TECHNICAL SERVICESPrinciple / Primary Contractor

ManagerSenior EngineerEngineerSurveyorTechnician/Other

MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT & SUPPORTPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Superintendent/Senior EngineerShift Supervisor/EngineerTechnician/Other

GEOLOGY / GRADE CONTROLManagerSenior GeologistGeologistTechnician/OtherTotal

MINE OPERATIONSDEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPMENT FACE DRILLING - TWIN BOOMPrinciple / Primary Contractor Operator/Other

DEVELOPMENT FACE DRILLING - SINGLE BOOMPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Operator/Other

CHARGE UPPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Operator/Other

GROUND SUPPORTPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Operator/Other

SERVICES / OTHERPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Operator/Other

PRODUCTIONPRODUCTION DRILLING

Principle / Primary ContractorOperator/OtherOther ContractorOperator/Other

CHARGE UPPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Operator/OtherOther ContractorOperator/Other

GROUND SUPPORTCABLEBOLTER

Principle / Primary ContractorOperator/Other

MATERIALS HANDLINGLOAD

Principle / Primary ContractorOperator/OtherOther ContractorOperator/Other

TRUCKPrinciple / Primary Contractor


SHAFT OTHER/UNALLOCATEDPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Operator/Other

SURFACE HAUL (MINE TO ROM)Principle / Primary Contractor

Operator/Other

BACKFILLPrinciple / Primary Contractor

Operator/Other

GENERAL MINE SERVICESPrinciple / Primary Contractor


TABLE 2Open Pit Mining Manning Classifications

MINE DEPARTMENTMINE SUPERVISION & CONTROL

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT & SUPPORTPrinciple / Primary Contractor Manager Superintendent/Senior Engineer Shift Supervisor/Engineer Technician/Other

TECHNICAL SERVICESPrinciple / Primary Contractor

ManagerSenior EngineerEngineerSurveyorTechnician/Other


MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT & SUPPORTPrinciple / Primary Contractor

ManagerSuperintendent/Senior EngineerShift Supervisor/EngineerTechnician/Other

GEOLOGY / GRADE CONTROLManagerSenior GeologistGeologistTechnician/Other

MINE OPERATIONSOPERATIONSDRILLING

Principle / Primary ContractorSupervisorOperator/OtherOther ContractorOperator/Other

BLASTINGPrinciple / Primary Contractor

SupervisorOperator/OtherOther ContractorSupervisorOperator/Other

LOADINGPrinciple / Primary Contractor

SupervisorOperator/Other

HAULINGPrinciple / Primary Contractor


ANCILLARYPrinciple / Primary Contractor


MINE SERVICESPrinciple / Primary Contractor


TABLE 3Processing and General and Administration Manning

ClassificationsPROCESSINGPROCESSINGSUPERVISION&CONTROL

ManagerSeniorMetallurgists/Superintendents

Metallurgists/SupervisorTechnician/Other

OPERATIONSOPERATIONS OTHER/UNALLOCATED

Principle/PrimaryContractorSupervisorOperator/Other

TOTALOPERATIONSPrinciple/PrimaryContractor


MAINTENANCESenior Engineer/SuperintendentEngineer/SupervisorTechnician/Other

GENERAL&ADMINISTRATIONENGINEERING&INFRASTRUCTURE

ManagerSupervisor/ProfessionalOther

HUMANRESOURCESManagerOther

OCCUPATIONALHEALTH&SAFETYManagerOther

GENERAL&ADMINISTRATION/UNALLOCATEDSupervisor/Professional

Other

THE DATABASEAMC’s underground benchmarking database presentsproduction, cost and performance results from 37 undergroundoperations in Australia. The data was collected as part ofAMC’s ongoing benchmarking studies conducted since 1999.Operations range in size from 150 ktpa to 8.9 Mtpa of ore anda full range of mining methods are represented. Theunderground database includes gold, base metals and uraniummining operations.

AMC’s open pit benchmarking database presents production,cost and performance results from 15 open pit operations inAustralia. The data was collected as part of AMC’s ongoingbenchmarking studies conducted from 2001. Operations rangein size from 780 ktpa to 25.4 Mtpa of ore. The total materialmovement ranges from 7 Mtpa to 112 Mtpa. The open pitdatabase includes gold, base metals and iron ore miningoperations.


For the analysis of appropriate manning levels, an extractfrom the underground and open pit benchmarking databasehas been taken. The extracted data has been reviewed toconfirm the reliability of the sub-set and in some cases outliershave been removed. Outliers include missing data, zero figuresand data that was not sufficiently detailed to support theanalysis. Each graph presented indicates the size of the dataset. Where sufficient data has been available and a trend isapparent, a trend line has been plotted with the correspondingequation for the line and the coefficient of determination. Sometrend lines have been further adjusted to fix an intercept sothat a more meaningful relationship between variables isestablished.

BENCHMARKING RESULTSUnderground MiningThe underground manning data is processed into three broadclassifications: mining, processing and general andadministration. The proportion in each of these classificationsis shown in Table 4 and in Figure 3.

TABLE 4Breakdown of Manning – Underground Mining

Classification Minimum Maximum Median

Mining personnelincluding supervision 42% 85% 61%and control, operatio-nsand maintenancepersonnel

Processing personnel 8% 42% 23%

General and admin-istration personnel 3% 38% 16%

FIG 3 – UNDERGROUND: MedianPercentage of Personnel by Area

The relationship between ore tonnes mined and total miningpersonnel is shown in Figure 4. This data suggests that aminimum number of between 60 persons are required for eventhe smallest of underground operations.

FIG 4 – UNDERGROUND:Ore Tonnes vs Mining Personnel

Mining personnel can be further divided into two broadclassifications: supervision and control and operations andmaintenance (refer Table 1). The proportion of each is shownin Figure 5 and it indicates that operations and maintenancepersonnel constitute 39% to 79% of the total mining workforce.The remainder of the mining personnel are in supervision andcontrol roles.

FIG 5 – UNDERGROUND: Mining Personnelby Percentage of Supervision & Control,

Operations & Maintenance

Figure 6 examines the relationship between annualdevelopment metres and total mining manning numbers. Thetrend line, informed by 27 mines in the current dataset,indicates that a minimum of 51 persons are required, with anadditional 35 mining personnel on average for each additional2,000 metres developed.


FIG 6 – UNDERGROUND: Lateral DevelopmentMeters vs Mining Personnel

A commonly used measure of underground mining productivityis the ore production per unit of worked time, typicallymeasured as tonnes per man-shift or tonnes per man day. InFigure 7, this measure has been compared against the totalmining personnel levels. Poor correlation in these two variablessuggests that whilst mines may have larger numbers of miningpersonnel, they are not necessarily more productive. Otherfactors also driving productivity beyond overall levels ofmanning, such as mining method, degree of automation,geology, ore body geometry or ground controls.

Another productivity measure is the metres per man day oflateral development. This relationship is shown in Figure 8compared against the total numbers of mining personnel. Theresultant trend line demonstrates a low correlation betweenthese two variables. Results cluster around 0.15 and 0.20metres developed per man day. Factors such as groundcontrol, drive dimensions and equipment used would impacton the relationship between the meters developed and thenumber of people required.

FIG 7 – UNDERGROUND: Ore Tonnes perMan-Day vs Mining Personnel

FIG 8 – UNDERGROUND: Meters Developedper Man-Day vs Mining Personnel

Finally, the relationship between underground mining method,ore production and mining personnel is plotted in Figure 9.Mining methods have been segmented into stoping methods,caving methods and narrow vein mining methods. Asexpected, due to the small tonnage involved in narrow veinmining, these operations cluster at the lower limits of theproduction range. Alternatively, caving methods which involvemining higher volumes, cluster at the higher end. Operationsdemonstrate greater productivity with more tonnes mined perman day. While no trend line has been shown there appearsto be a clearly defined lower boundary in which no minesoperate, suggesting that a minimum manning level existsirrespective of the size of the operation.

FIG 9 – UNDERGROUND: Ore Tonnes vs MiningPersonnel vs Mining Method

Open Pit MiningThe open pit manning data is processed into three broadclassifications: mining, processing and general andadministration. The proportion in each of these classificationsis shown in Table 5 and in Figure 10.


TABLE 5Breakdown of Manning – Underground Mining

Classification Minimum Maximum Median

Mining personnelincluding supervisionand control, operations 39% 82% 60%and maintenancepersonnel

Processing personnel 8% 34% 16%

General andadministration 3% 35% 24%Personnel

FIG 10 – OPENPIT:Median Percentage of Personnel by Area

The relationship between ore tonnes mined and miningsupervision and control personnel is shown in Figure 11. Thetrend line developed for this data suggests that a minimumnumber of between 20 and 30 persons are required for eventhe smallest open pit operation.

The relationship between total material mined and miningoperations and maintenance personnel is shown in Figure 12.The trend line for this data suggests that as the total materialmined increases, mines can continue to require more andmore staff. In larger operations, better economies of scaleare expected, resulting in an anticipated increase in productivityper unit personnel. The results based on the current datasetof 15 operations, suggest that larger mines are not necessarilymore efficient in the use of operational and maintenancepersonnel.

The proportion of supervision and control and operations andmaintenance personnel for the benchmarking dataset is shownin Figure 13, indicating that operations and maintenancepersonnel range from 38% to 90% of the total miningworkforce. The remainder of the mining workforce are insupervision and control roles.

FIG 11 – OPENPIT: Ore Tonnes vs Mining(Supervision & Control) Personnel

FIG 12 – OPENPIT: Material Mine vs Mining(Operations & Maintenance) Personnel

FIG 13 – OPENPIT: Mining Personnel Percentage ofSupervision & Control, Operations & Maintenance


Figure 14 shows the relationship between ore tonnes per manday and the total number of mining supervision and controlpersonnel. It is generally anticipated that most mines produce1,000 to 2,000 tonnes per man day with the best performingmines producing 3,000 or higher tonnes per day. The trendline of these results, informed by a current dataset of 10operations, demonstrates poor correlation between ore tonnesper man day and the total number of mining supervision andcontrol personnel. This suggests that the ore tonnes per manday may not have any significant relationship to the numberof supervision and control personnel required in an operation.

FIG 14 – OPENPIT: Ore Tonnes Per Man-Day vsMining (Supervision & Control) Personnel

Finally, Figure 15 shows the relationship between materialmined and the total number of mining operations andmaintenance personnel. The trend line shows a correlationbetween these variables, indicating that the better performingmines produce more than 3,000 tonnes per man day. Observedproductivity drops may be attributable to high tonnageoperations such as large open pits which have deep pits,long haul distances due to large, widely spaced wastestockpiles and slower haul rates due to long ramp climbs. Allof these factors impact on personnel numbers.

FIG 15 – OPENPIT: Material Mined Per Man-Day vsMining (Operations & Maintenance) Personnel

Ore ProcessingFor the analysis of processing manning numbers theunderground and open pit operations have been combined.Process plant supervision and control plus maintenancepersonnel have been included in these figures. Results hadbeen coded by commodity and are shown in Figure 16. Thereis no clear trend line for this data although most operationsline in a band between 20 and 80 persons. Numbers ofprocessing personnel are likely to be linked to other factorssuch as the processing technology, complexity of the ore,plant design and plant control philosophy.

FIG 16 – UNDERGROUND & OPENPIT:Ore Processed vs Processing personnel

General and AdministrationFor the analysis of general and administration manningnumbers the underground and open pit operations have alsobeen combined and are shown in Figure 17. Results havealso been coded by commodity to determine if there are anytrends in the data. Overall the results do not appear to displayany trends despite the coding. Results may be distorted bysome general and administration personnel being located offsite or the use of contractors who have not being in theorganisational counts.

FIG 17 – UNDERGROUND & OPEN PIT:Ore Tonnes vs Control & Administration personnel


BEST PRACTICEBest practice mines deliver their corporate goals by efficientlyand effectively implementing their mine plan. Best practicemines having the following similarities:

• Sound mine planning and mine operationalpractices.

• Appropriate equipment and manning levels.

• Good information collection and reporting.

• A continuous improvement culture which isoutcome focused.

In the context of AMC’s benchmarking manning results, whatassistance can these results provide in determining appropriatemanning levels?

The AMC benchmarking database demonstrates that forunderground mining, a minimum number of approximately 60supervision and control personnel are required. Operationsand maintenance personnel constitute from 39% to 79% ofthe total mining workforce, with the remainder in supervisionand control. The metres of lateral development mined per manday demonstrates a correlation to numbers of miningpersonnel, with approximately 35 extra mining personnelneeded for each additional 2,000 metres developed, but mayalso be influenced by other factors. In terms of mining methodused, a minimum manning level exists irrespective of thesize of the operation and greater productivity is observed,with more tonnes mined per unit personnel. However, minesthat have larger numbers of mining personnel do notnecessarily produce more ore.

The AMC benchmarking database demonstrates that for openpit mining, a minimum number of approximately 20 supervisionand control personnel persons are required. Operations andmaintenance personnel range from 38% to 90 % of the totalmining workforce. As the total material mined increases, minesare not necessarily being more efficient in their use ofpersonnel and volume increases do not necessarily result inan increase in the number of supervision and control personnelrequired. The data suggests that the better operations producemore than 3,000 tonnes per man day.

Furthermore, the AMC benchmarking database demonstratesthat for processing, no clear relationship to manning level isobservable, with numbers of processing personnel likely tobe linked to other factors. In terms of general andadministration manning numbers, no clear trends are apparentwith distortion suspected due to the off-site location of somestaff.

The benchmarking results provide guidance by indicating arange of manning numbers and trends which are likely to beappropriate for the scale and type of a range of mining

operations. However, as a number of other factors also haveinfluence, so the benchmarking results should be used withcaution when determining appropriate manning levels.

Appropriate manning levels are not just a ‘numbers game’where having the lowest manning levels reflects best practice.Individuals get work done within the context of the organisationand insufficient levels of manning can result in not all thework that needs to be done, getting done. For a miningoperation this can mean inadequate maintenance beingperformed, lack of supervisory personnel to manage a keycontractor or a shortage of planners to update short, mediumor long term plans. Clearly these are undesirable outcomeswith potentially significant detrimental impacts on factors suchas safety or efficiency.

Appropriate manning levels are strongly related to the way inwhich work is organised. Factors such as role clarity,organisational structure, workplace processes, use ofinformation technology such as mine automation, and workcomplexity all influence manning levels.

Furthermore, the skill levels of the individuals within particularwork roles are important in determining manning levels. Anunder skilled workforce will require more support includingmentoring and work place training. This is likely to increaseoverall manning numbers, but produce better outcomes.

When the manning results are reviewed with productivity andcost data they are helpful in identifying areas for potentialbusiness improvement. When benchmarking is conducted ona periodic basis, the productivity data can be used as aformative tool for continuous improvement.

For manning best practice in the Australian mining industry,the result derived from performance evaluation andbenchmarking studies can provide insight into the key driversof manning requirements. This can lead to the developmentof a best practice approach incorporating sound mine planningand mine operational practices, appropriate equipment andmanning levels and an outcome focussed, continuousimprovement culture.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe authors would like to thank the management of AMCConsultants Pty Ltd for permission to prepare and presentthis paper.

The authors would also like to thank their colleagues at AMCConsultants Pvt. Ltd. who have either directly or indirectlycontributed to this paper.

REFERENCESAMC Consultants Benchmarking database.


The Breakdown analysis helps to determine the root case ofhigh frequency of failures and delays in doing repair works.Objectives of Maintenance :The key functions of maintenance department are to

• have equipment available as specified by the

production programme.

• guarantee that it will produce at a specified rate

• guarantee that it will not breakdown

These services must be provided over the life of theequipment. The challenge is to achieve this at minimum cost.Unplanned breakdowns conflict with these objectives andimpose higher cost on the organization. The higher cost arisesfrom production loss, time lost in travelling to and fromequipment, possible restriction in accessing the componentsdue to the circumstances of the failure, delays in obtainingspare parts, labour, tools or workshop space, the possibleneed to work over time to return the equipment to service andforegone planned maintenance on other equipment due to pre-assignment of maintenance resources.

Ideally all maintenance should be performed in a plannedmanner. Planned maintenance assists a mine to focus onsystem availability through synchronization of majorequipment maintenance. For example fewer interruptions to

DOWNTIME ANALYSIS OF MINING EQUIPMENTM.E.Michael Arputharaj*

AbstractThe performance of machine depends on its availability. To increase availability, machine downtime has to be reduced. Propermaintenance management is essential to reduce the frequency of failures. The break down analysis is a valuable tool inmaintenance management. Breakdown analysis helps to identify the root causes of high frequency of failures and reduce themachine downtime and thus increasing the availability of the equipment. This paper aims at analysis of breakdowns in caseof a shovel. Both the traditional and alternative methods are used in downtime analysis. Finally the merits of down timeanalysis are brought out.

Key words : Performance, Availability, Utilization, Down time analysis, Mean time to repair.

* Executive Engineer, Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, Tamilnadu

production will result if shovel down time is programmed tocoincide with crusher downtime.

Approaches for Downtime Analysis :Maintenance downtime is the product of two factors: thefrequency of failure in a particular failure code category andthe associated mean time to repair. In order to determine thosefailures that contribute to the majority of unplanned equipmentdowntime, the traditional approach has been to plot histogramsof downtime categorized by failure code. The problem withthis approach is that it does not adequately represent theinfluence of the two previous factors.

A new approach for classifying unplanned repairs andmaintenance is through the use of log dispersion plots. Theresulting graphs enable failures to be readily classifiedaccording to whether they are acute (requiring substantialrepair time), chronic (excessive failure frequency) or acombination of both. The graphs provide a detailedrepresentation of the failure and provide useful informationconcerning optimum stock level of spares. In addition thegraph enables a better prioritization of maintenance problemsso that limited maintenance resources can be more effectivelyemployed. Different failures occurred during August 2000-December 2001 in a shovel have been categorized into fivefailure codes as shown in Table-1. Those failure codes arebody, engine, hydraulic system, bucket and final drive.

Table –1 Various Failures in Shovel during August 2000-December 2001

S.NO. FAILURE MACHINE DATE OF TIME OFCOMPONENT FAILURE REPAIR (In Hrs.)

1. Bucket tip reconditioning Bucket 25.09.2000 288

2. Centre boom pin cut Body 19.10.2000 96


3. Stick cylinder crack Hydraulic system 31.10.2001 144

4. Stick cylinder gun metal bush failure Body 09.11.2001 432

5. Side landing gear failure Final drive 26.02.2001 48

6. Slow movement Hydraulic system 26.03.2001 24

7. Center boom pin cut Body 05.04.2001 19

8. Control unit cannibalized Hydraulic system 16.04.2001 6

9. Control unit reconditioned Hydraulic system 19.04.2001 24

10. Landing gear flange bolts cut Final drive 30.04.2001 72

11. Black smoke coming from engine Engine 08.05.2001 6

12. Black smoke coming from engine Engine 09.05.2001 6

13. Control valve failure Hydraulic system 06.06.2001 6

14. Turbo leakage Engine 13.07.2001 168

15. Hydraulic system failure Hydraulic system 25.08.2001 6

16. Engine downed from machine dueto balance weight end play over Engine 26.10.2001 168

17. New landing gear assembly mounted Final drive 12.11.2001 24

18. Oil leakage through turbo charger Engine 23.11.2001 30

19. Head along with piston replaced Engine 26.11.2001 12

20. Heavy black smoke noticedturbo charger replaced Engine 28.11.2001 24

21. Hydraulic system failure Hydraulic system 04.12.2001 78

22. Hydraulic oil leakage Hydraulic system 29.12.2001 54

The contribution of each failure code towards the total down time has been given in Table-2.

Table –2 Component Wise Failure Analysis

S.No Machine Number of Mean time to Down time Percentage of Log (N) LogComponent Failures repair hour in hour total down time (MTTR)

(MTTR)

1. Body 3 182.23 547 31.53 0.477 2.261

2. Engine 7 59.14 414 23.86 0.845 1.772

3. Hydraulic system 8 42.75 342 19.71 0.903 1.631

4. Bucket 1 288.0 288 16.60 0.000 2.459

5. Final drive 3 48.0 144 08.30 0475 1.681


2.b. Alternative ApproachTotal downtime for a particular failure code ‘i’is the product oftwo factors: the number of unplanned failures associated withthat code ni, and the mean time necessary to diagnose andrepir it. MTTR - total downtime can be given by

Downtime = ni *MTTRi

The X-Y plot of the mean time to repair each failure, MMTRI,versus the number of unplanned failures n

i a family of

hyperbolae can represent curves of constant downtime. Itcan be seen that the most costly failures (failures consumingmost downtime) are those associated with codes 1 and 2.Thus the prioritization scheme used in the traditional approachis preserved, however, a clearer picture is available as towhich factor-failure frequency or mean time to repair isdominant.

The disadvantage of this graph is that constant downtimecurves are hyperbolae, which are difficult to plot. A solutionto this is to take the logarithm of the above equation. Thus.

Log (downtime) = log (ni) + log (MTTRi)

If an X-Y graph is prepared of log (ni) against log (MTTRi), thecurves of constant downtime and log (downtime) now appearas straight lines having gradient equal to –1.

This log dispersion plot considerably simplifies the processof identifying those failures which contribute most of theunplanned downtime, whilst continuing to permit thevisualization as to which of the factors MTTR1 or ni is dominant.Repairs necessitating lengthy mean repair times can beconsidered acute problem. These failures that frequently

2. a. Traditional Approach :Failure codes have been ranked in descending order as it isthe common practice. In accordance to the duration of thedowntime accumulated against each code, a histogram ofthe downtime duration (Fig.1) enables to identify the criticalfailure code.

reoccur (i.e. high n) are chronic problems. By determiningthreshold value for MTTR and n, log dispersion plot can bepartitioned into four quadrants. The upper quadrants denoteacute failures, whilst the right hand quadrants denote chronicfailures. The upper right hand quadrant is the region of acuteand chronic failure.

2.c Determining Limit Values :Thresholds can be either absolute values determined by minepolicy, or relative values, which depend on the relativemagnitude and quality of the repair data. One approach fordetermining relative threshold values is to use average valuesas follows. The total downtime consumed by unplanned failuresis given by

D=Sdi

Wheredi is the total downtime due to the i th failure code. The totalnumber of unplanned failures is

N=Sni

Letting Q be the number of distinct failure codes used tocategorize their repair data, the threshold limit for acute canbe defined as

Limit MTTR = D/N

Let the threshold limit for the chronic failure be determined asLimit n=N/Q

The division of the log dispersion plot into quadrants allowsus to classify the failure codes into distinct categories asshown in the Figure.2

The failure code 1 (body), though comes under non-chroniccategory, has contributed to the total down time in the largestway. This is due to lack of spare part (centre boom pin). Sincethe failure codes 2 (engine) and 3 (hydraulic system) arechronic, the maintenance practice must be made more


stringent for engine and hydraulic system. The bucketreconditioning work might have been done when the shovelwas not available for work due to some other break down.Thus stoppage of machine due to time consumingmaintenance works can be reduced.

3. Improving Equipment availability:To improve equipment availability, efforts can be directed toeither reduce or eliminate the number of unplanned failures orto reduce the time necessary to diagnose and repair equipmentfailures.

3.a Determining the Root Causes of Failure or RepairDelays:Once a prioritized list of failure codes has been identified,hypothesis can be made about the possible cause or causesof each problem. Experienced maintenance and operatingpersonnel are indispensable to this process, since familiaritywith the machine, the operating environment and maintenanceand operating practices is required. A list of possible rootcauses is illustrated.

The process of repairing the unplanned failure begins with anoperator notifying the maintenance department that themachine is faulty. Time is then required for maintenancepersonnel to reach to the machine, examine the faultycomponent and diagnose the problem. If a spare part isrequired, more time is lost in collecting and transporting thesame from the warehouse to the machine. If the spare part isnot immediately available, the machine may have to remainidle until a suitable component is obtained. When the sparepart arrives at the machine, active repair work begins. Thefinal work involves testing the machine to verify that it hasbeen repaired and brought back to its normal operating state.

Although not necessarily exhaustive, these root causes canbe grouped according to whether they are of inspection,maintenance, operation, design, material quality ormaintenance resource problems.1. Inspection

a. Insufficient inspection frequency.b. Inadequate inspection procedures.c. Poor quality inspection.d. Difficulty in accessing the component / diagnosing

the fault.

2. Maintenancea. Insufficient inspection frequency.b. Inadequate inspection procedures.c. Poor quality predictive maintenance.d. Poor quality component installation.

3. Operationa. Incorrect operation or operator's abuse.

4. Designa. Original component or design inadequacy.b. Modify component or design inadequacy.

5. Materialsa. Variation in component quality-(single supplier.)b. Variation in component quality-(many suppliers.)

6. Resourcesa. Delay in getting spares.

3.b Actions to be taken:The following actions may be taken to reduce the number offailures and to mitigate the delay in repair works.1. Inspection

a. Increase inspection frequency.b. Revise inspection procedures and training.c. Revise preventive maintenance or inspection

supervision.

2. Maintenancea. Increase predictive maintenance frequency.b. Revise installation producers and training.

3. Operationa. Design warning system for operator's abuse.b. Design warning system for impending failures.c. Implement operator precautions.

4. Designa. Modify or adopt machine or component design.

5. Materialsa. Change component supplier.b. Standardize component suppliers.

6. Resourcesa. Analyze procedure for reconditioning spares.b. Revise spare stocking policy.c. Contract extra labour.

Following the assignation of root causes to each failure code,a set of actions should be formulated to eliminate or mitigatethe factors causing unplanned downtime. Some maintenanceactions will involve an investment on the part of contractingcompany or mine. An estimation of the expected reduction indowntime allows a cost benefit evaluation of implementingthe maintenance action plan to be made. If the cost savingsare projected over a five year period for example, an NPVcan be calculated for maintenance project. The advantage ofthis approach is that it permits senior management to evaluatemaintenance projects along with competing projectalternatives.

Finally, an important prerequisite for applying the methodologyis the availability of sufficient maintenance record of goodquality. Indeed maintenance need no longer be perceived acostly overhead, but as a strategic tool to maximize assetutilization.

Conclusion :The breakdown analysis is a valuable tool in maintenancemanagement of mining equipment, that too in the year ofglobalization resulting in cut-throat competition. The alternativeapproach has an edge over the traditional way of doingdowntime analysis.

The views expressed in this paper are of the author and notnecessarily of the organization he belongs to.


I – GOA CHAPTERMEAI, Goa Chapter conducted a technical session on ‘Recentdevelopment in transport trucks for open cast mines’ on 4th

August 2009 at hotel Kenilworth.

MEAI NEWS

Session in progress (L-R) S/Shri Ajit Dewan,Parag Gohel, Ashwin Naik, Aashish Tondon,K.D. Kulkarni, A.K. Megharaj, A.B. Panigrahi,

T. Victor and Kishore B. Haldankar.

In the above technical session 95 members participated, ShriA.K. Megharaj, Director of Mines Safety (Goa Region) wasthe Chief guest and Shri A.S. Panigrahi, RCOM, IBM (GoaRegion) was the guest of honour. M/s. Tata Motors introducedtheir latest especially designed trucks CONSTRUCKS. Therewas a live demonstration of the new trucks and was followedby a detailed technical presentation. Shri Megharaj and ShriPanigrahi addressed the gathering and there was activeinteraction.

The session was followed by dinner and the entire sessionwas hosted by M/s. Tata Motors.

II – HYDERABAD CHAPTERMEAI, Hyderabad Chapter conducted its first Executive Body(2009-11) meeting on 26-08-2009 at 17.30 hrs. in the HRDConference hall of NMDC Ltd. Masab Tank, Hyderabad. ShriA. Sivasankar, Chairman, presided over the executive bodymeeting, which was followed by technical paper meeting.

At the outset Shri Sivasankar welcomed the members to themeeting and outlined the future programme to conduct monthlytechnical meetings and organize atleast two visits outside,one to Singareni Collieries and other to some limestone quarry.

After the executive body meeting, the technical paper meetingstarted. In this meeting the dignitaries on the dais were S/Shri A. Kundu, Secretary, V.D. Rajagopal, MEAI President, V.Veda Kumar (Head, Indian Operations, Robo Silican Ltd.)

President, A. Sivasankar, Chairman (Hyderabad chapter),Ramesh Kumar, Former CMD, NMDC, N.K. Nanda, Director(Technical-NMDC) and V.K. Sharma, Director (Commercial,NMDC). About 70 members and invitees attended the meeting.Flower bouquets were presented to all dignitaries on the dais.

Before presentation of technical paper S/Shri B. RameshKumar (Former CMD-NMDC) and V.D. Rajagopal (MEAI,President, Director of Mines & Geology, Govt. of A.P. andVice-Chairman-cum-MD of APMDC) gave blessings to ShriA. Sivasankar, Chairman, MEAI, Hyderabad Chapter and histeam and valuable suggestions.

Shri V. Veda Kumar, Head (Geology & Mining), IndianOperations, Robo Silican Ltd. Hyderabad presented a veryinteresting talk on ‘Vertical sounding with electrical resistivelyvis-a-vis core drilling - A comparison’ The paper generated lotof interest and many questions were asked from the audience.

In the end a memento was presented to Shri V. Vedakumar,by Shri B. Ramesh Kumar and the meeting ended with voteof thanks proposed by Shri A. Kundu.

III – Veeraval Porbandar ChapterMEAI, VP Chapter organised a workshop on 'SafetyObservation Tour and Behavioural Safety' on 05-09-2009 atthe Regional Training Centre of M/s. Ambuja Cements Ltd.,Ambuja Nagar, (Gujarat). The workshop was attended byDirector and Dy. Director Mines Safety, (Udaipur Region),President Ambuja Cement Ltd., President UltraTech CementLtd and 44 members from various cement, chemical andbauxite industries of Saurashtra region.

At the outset Shri N.K. Nuwal, Chairman, MEAI, V.P. Chapterwelcomed the guests and members and emphasized the needof safe working since the mining industry involves high risk.He pointed out that the safety is a journey and there is nodestiny.

Shri N.K. Nuwal (in centre) addressing the gathering


Shri S.K. Udaiwal, Head-Regional Training Centre conducteda lively workshop on Safety Observation tour demonstratingsafety leadership which requires pro-active approach toencourage safe method of work. This could be achieved byintervening and correcting unsafe methods of working beforethey become an incident. He said that safety is the job for allthe line managers and not simply of safety officers.

2. Shri B.J. Sridhar (LM-2123)General Manager, Pearl Mineral Pvt. Ltd.,Res. No. : 55/6 B, R.L. Puram,Chimakurthy – 523 226. Prakasam District, A.P.

3. Shri V.S. Mathur (LM – 116)485/17E,Chopasani Housing Board,Jodhpur – 342 003. Rajasthan

4. Shri S. Srinivasan, (LM-320)Asst. Vice-President (Geological Services),Vanpic Ports Pvt. Ltd., Plot No. 96, Road No. 2,Meenakashi Banjara Ville, Banjara Hills,Hyderabad – 500 034.

5. Shri Govind Singh (LM – 1032)C/o. Shri Laxmi Prasad Singh,Devipur Kheshami, Domchanch Bazar,Koderma (Jharkhand) – 825 418.

6. Shri S. KrishnamurthyDirector of Mines Safety,Flat No. 206, Marvel Mansion, Amba Theatre Road,Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad – 500 028.Cell No. : 96425 96224

7. Shri S. Bharath (LM-2023)Dy. Manager (Resources),Indian Rare Earths Ltd., Manavalakurichi,Kanyakumari – 629 252, Tamilnadu.Tel. No.: 04652 – 261856, Mobile : 9360138217,Email : [email protected]

8. Shri P. Saravanan (LM-3176)Ganesh Nilaya, Near TCH College,Gavisiddeswara Nagar, Jambunath Road,Hospet, Bellary – 583 201. Karnakata

9. Shri K.S. Sreenivasan (LM-2971)Mines Manager,Sociedade De Fomento Industrial Pvt. Ltd.Vila Flores Da Silva, Eramso Carvalho Street,Post Box. 31, Margoa, Goa – 403 601.

10. Shri Yogest Gulabrao Kale (LM – 1774)Flat No. 001, “Chandragupta Appts”,Plot No. 13 & 14, Mangaldham Co-op Society,Takli (Seem), Nagpur – 440 016.

11. Shri Ram Abhilash (LM – 1917)Dy. Director of Mines Safety,Bilaspur Region, SECL Campus,Seepat Road, Bilaspur – 495 006. (C.G.)

12. Shri U.C. Tiwari (LM-922)H-1544 F/F, C.R. Park, New Delhi – 110 019.

13. Shri N. Anantha Goplan (LM – 2096)Asst. Director, Dept. of Geology of Mining,Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai – 600 032.

Presentation on Safety Observation Tourby Shri S.K. Udaiwal

Shri V. Shrikanth, AVP (Mines) of M/s. Ultra Tech CementsLtd. gave a presentation on 'Behavioural Safety' anddemonstrated few traits of human mind and pattern of thinkingand communication.

Presentation on 'Behavioural Safety'by Shri V. Srikanth

IV – Change of AddressThe latest addresses of MEAI life members, who have changedtheir jobs or residences are given below.

1. Shri G.L. Tandon (LM-019)PadmabhushanFlat No. 619 (First Floor), Sector A, Pocket B,Vasantkunj, New Delhi - 110 070.


14. Shri Dilip Bhargava (LM-665)Deputy General Manager (Maintanance),RMD, SAIL, Bolani Ore Mines,P.O. Bolani – 758 037, Dist., Keonjhar (Orissa)

15. Shri D. Ravi, (LM-2614)Asst. Geologist,Flat No. 204, H.No. 11-13-1257,Vasavi Colony, DSNR, Hyderabad-500 035.

16. Shri G.M. Rao (LM-2343)#402, Sindhuja Habitat, Plot No. 33,Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad-500 073.

17. Dr. Manish Kumar Jain (LM-2499)Asst. Professor, C/o. Sheela Kanuajia,10, Surya Vihar Colony, Bartand, Dhanbad - 826 004.

18. Shri K. SatyanarayanaRetd. Senior Mining Engineer,Gurukrupa, Ambedkar Nagar,Kadu – 577 548. Dist. Chikkamanguluru

19. Shri Jagadeeshwar, S.M. (LM-2357)Quarter No. 70/TS/IV, BIOMKirandul Complex, P.O. Kirandul – 494556Dist. Dantewada (Chhattisgarh)

20. Shri P.R. Parmar (LM-2325)Sr. Manager (Mines)Hindalco Industries Ltd., Post. Kusmi - 497 222.Dist. Surguja (Chhattisgarh)

21. Shri Rasik Lal Parmar (LM-1993)D-9, Hawa Magri RHBHiran Magri, Sector - 14,Udaipur – 313002 (Rajasthan)

22. Shri Ajay Kumar Jain (LM-2054)General Manager (Mines)KJS Cement Ltd., Near Railway CrossingP.O. Maihar – 485 771. Dist., Satna (M.P)

23. Shri Tej Bahadur Sahib (LM-0241)House No. 887/20,Kamat Nagar, Succor,Porvorim - Goa - 403 521.

24. Shri G. Harihara Iyer (LM-0814)145, Jal Yayu Vihar,JNTU, Hyderabad - 500 085.

25. Shri Agadi, R.Y. (LM-087)Sr. Geologist,Kalpavraksha Apartment,Opposite to B.V.B. Engineering College Gate,Vidya Nagar, Hubli - 580 031.Dist. Dharwad (Karnataka)

26. Prof. Arvind Kumar MishraAssociate Professor,Department of Mining EngineeringIndian School of Mines University,Dhanbad - 826 004 (Jharkhand)Mobile : 9471191122

27. Dr. Amitabh TripathiNMDC Ltd., BIOM, Bacheli Complex,Qtr. No. Type IV / DS / 38,Subhash Nagar, P.O. Bacheli,Dist., Dantewada - 494 553.(Chhattisgarh), Mobile : 94077 16351Email : [email protected]

28. Shri H.V. Nadagoudar (LM-2007)Senior GeolophysicistC/o. The Deputy Director, Dept. of Mines & Geology,68, Banashankari Krupa APMC Road,Sangameshwara Nagar, Belgaum - 590 010 (Karnataka)

29. Shri Neeraj Pareek (LM - 1805)B-10-, GMDC Colony, S.K.V. Nagar - Lakhpat Taluk,Dist., Kutch (Gujarat) - 370 601.

30. Shri A.S. Giri Rao (LM-073)#31/7-1, 8th Main, 11th Cross,Malleswaram, Bangaluru - 560 003.

31. Shri J.L. Mathur (LM-0493)C/o. Shri Kamal Kishore MathurUmaid Villa, 4-L-36, Jawahar Nagar,Jaipur - 302 004 (Rajasthan)Mobile : 92143 20039.

32. Shri P.V. Krishnaiah Yadavv (LM-1442)DGM - Mines & Chairman Rayalaseema chapter,M/s. Penna Cement Industries Ltd.,Boyareddypalli (Village) - 515 408.Yadiki (Mandal), Anantapur (Dist.,)

33. Shri K. Ramanjaneya Reddy (LM-2488)Manager (Mines)M/s. Penna Cement Industries Ltd.,Poyareddypalli Village, Yadiki Mandal,Dist. Anantapur - 515 408.

34. Dr. V.V. Samba Siva Rao (LM-2613)Asst. GeologistDept. of Mines & Geology,Buggaiah Compound,Tadipatri - Village & Mandal,Ananatapur Dist.

35. Shri Anil Kumar Verma (LM-2046)Qtr. No. E Star 07,P.O. Jaypee Nagar, Dist. Rewa (M.P) - 486 450,Mobile : 98937 00710Email : [email protected]


OBITUARY

With profound sense of sorrow and grief we regret toinform that Dr. Syed Mohmood Naqvi, an eminent EarthScientist and Vice President of the Geological Societyof India breathed his last on September 4, 2009.

Born in Amroha (UP) on August 28, 1941, SyedMahmood Naqvi obtained M.Sc. (Geology) in 1964 fromAMU Aligarh and joined NGRI as Jr. ScientificAssistant. He was awarded Ph.D.degree by AMUAligarh (1972) for his intensive studies on the structure,petrology, geochemistry, gravity field and tectonics ofthe Chitradurga Schist Belt, Dharwar Craton. Hesuperannuated as Acting Director of NGRI in 2003 andcontinued his research as CSIR Emeritus and INSASr. Scientist at NGRI. Dr. Naqvi was in Advisory Boardof Terra World Group of Companies dealing in minesand minerals.

Dr. Naqvi published over 250 research papers in nationaland international journals and authored 8 books/monographs including the latest book ‘Geology andEvolution of Indian Plate’. He was recipient of severalawards: Some of them being Gold Medal of GeologicalSociety of India (1978), Shantiswarup Bhatnagar Award(1983), National Mineral Award (1992), Amroha Gaurav(1994), Life-time achievement – National Mineral Awardfor Excellence (2006) and many others.

He was very fond of Urdu poetry and literature andardent admirer of Mirza Ghalib and Ahmed Faraz.Dr. Naqvi is survived by his wife, three sons, collegues,friends and admirers.

MEJ extends sincere condolences to the bereavedfamily.

Syed Mahmood Naqvi(1941-2009)

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B.E. in Mining Engineering with 1st

class unrestricted certificate ofcompetency





Diploma/Degree in MiningEngineering with 2nd Classunrestricted certificate orcompetency.

Over man unrestricted certificate ofcompetency.

Degree in Mining Engineering(restricted certificate of competency)

Dip / Degree with 2nd Class (restrictedcertificate of competency)

Diploma with Foreman Certificate ofcompetency

Diploma in Mining Engineering withSurveyor certificate of competency

Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Degree in Civil Engineering

Diploma/Degree in Civil Engineering

Experience

15-20 yrs in 1st class Coal Mine(open cast) deploying HEMMMinimum 5 MBCM excavation/annum.

10 years in 1st Coal Mine (opencast) deploying HEMM Minimum5 MBCM excavation/annum

5-10 years in 1st class Coal Mine(open cast) deploying HEMMMinimum 5 MBCM excavation/annum

5 years in open cast coal minedeploying HEMM

6 years (open cast mine withHEMM)

5 years experience in Bauxitemine using Ripper Dozer & otherHEMM

10 years as 2nd class Managerdeploying HEMM

5 years experience as foremanwith HEMM

5 years with Total Station Survey

10 years experience in HEMMrepair maintenance 200 HP andabove equipments.

Construction/Irrigations Project/Dam etc 10 yrs.

10 years in construction work atleast 5 yrs in .


CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS ETC.,

Printed by A.S. Rao, Secretary General, Mining Engineers' Association of India, Published by A.S. Rao, Secretary General,on behalf of Mining Engineers' Association of India and printed at Deepu Printers at 5-8-352, Raghav Ratna Towers (Ground Floor),

Chirag Ali Lane, Abids, Hyderabad - 500 001. and published at 5-8-352, Raghav Ratna Towers (Ground Floor),Chirag Ali Lane, Abids, Hyderabad - 500 001. Editor : Dr. K.K. Sharma

INDIA2009

5 - 9 October 2009 : International Seminar on "Prospects of MarineSediments as Resource Base for the growth of amnkind", Contact :Prof. C.V. Raman, Director (ISMS), Dept. of Geology, Andhra University,Visakhapatnam - 530 003. Tel.: 91-0891-2344709(O), 2500384(R), 98858-96620(Mob.), e-mail:[email protected]/[email protected]

19 - 21 October 2009 : International Conference on "Emerging trendsTechnologies Environmental Science and Engineering" organised atAMU Aligarh in Collaboration with College of Engineering The University ofToledo, Ohio, USA. Contact : Dr. Izharul Haq Farooqui, Organising Secretary,Dept. of Civil Engineering, AMU, Aligarh. Email : [email protected]

28 - 30 October 2009 : "International Seminar on Mineral ProcessingTechnology (MPT-2009)" at Institute of Minerals and Metals Technology(IMMT), Bhubaneswar. Contact : Shri P.S.R. Reddy, Convener, MPT-2009,IMMT, Bhubaneswar - 751 013. Tel.: +91 674 2581635/636/638/639. Ext.536, Fax : 0674-2581160/2581637, Email: [email protected]:www.immt.res.in/mpt2009

6 - 7 November 2009 : Investor's Meet & Conference on "Developmentof Mineral Resources & Mineral Based Industry in North - EasternRegion" at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre, Guwahati (Assam). Contact :Conference Secretariat, Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, FIMI House,B-311, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi -20. Tel.: +91-11-26814596, E-mail : [email protected] Website : www.fedmin.com

10 - 13 November 2009 : "Ninth International Mine ventilationcongress" at Hotel Crown Plaza, New Delhi, India. Organised by :Department of Mining Engineering Indian School of Mines University,Dhanbad - 826 004. For further details, please contact : Prof. D.C. Panigrahi,Convenor & head, Deptt. of Mining Engineering. Indian School of MinesUniversity, Dhanbad - 826 004. Email: [email protected], Web :www.9thimvc.org

12 - 13 November 2009 : "14th PA Drilling & Blasting Conference" ThePenn Stater Conference Center State College, PA USA.

15 - 17 January 2010 : International Conference on "Iron Ore Future -The Next Decade" Hotel Oberoi Grand, Kolkata. Contact : Prof. A.K. Ghose,Journal of Mines, Metals & Fuels, 6/2 Madan Street, Kolkata - 700 072. Tel.: 033-22126526, Email : [email protected]

22 - 25 January 2010 : 3rd Asian Mining Congress 2010 "Resurgence ofMining in Asia : Prospects and Challenges" & International MiningMachinery Exhibition (IME 2010)" organised by MGMI Kolkata. Detailscan be had from MGMI website : www.mgmiindia.com or from the MGMIoffice GN 38/4 Salt Lake Sector - V, Kolkata - 700 091.

4 - 7 February 2010 : "STONA 2010 - 9th International Granites andStone Fair" at Bangalore : Contact Chairman, STONA 2010 Fair SteeringCommittee, STONA#429/7, 12th Cross Sadashivnagar, Bangalore - 560080. Tel. : +91-80-23612541, Fax : 23610993, Email : [email protected]/a i g s a @ e b h a s i n . c o m / s t o n a @ s t o n a a i g r a . c o m ,Website:www.stonaaigra.com

4 - 7 February 2010 : "6th International Dyke Conference" for furtherdetails, please contact : Prof. Rajesh K. Srivastava, Deptt. of Geology,BHU, IT, Varanasi - 221 005.

7 - 8 May 2010 : Bhubaneswar, India Mine TECH' 10 Seminar on "MiningTechnology - Extraction, Beneficiation for Safe and SustainableDevelopment" contact : IMEJ Convener Prof. S. Jayanthu, Head, Dept.Mining Engineering, N.I.T. Rourkela. [email protected] [email protected]

ABROAD2009

5 - 9 October 2009 : "Argentina, 24th World Gas Conference" BuenosAires, Argentina Organisers: The CWC Group, Email:[email protected]; www.wgc2009.com

12 - 14 October 2009 : "Mill Operator's 2009 Adelaide, SA" Contact :Alison McKenzie Telephone : +16 3 9658 6123; Facsimile: +61 3 9662 3662.

14 - 17 October 2009 : "Mining Indonesia2009 - The 14th InternationalMining and Minerals Recovery Exhibition and Conference" JakartaInternational Expo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia. www.pamerindo.com

19 - 23 October 2009 : International Mine Water Conference Pretoria,South Africa. www.wisa.org.za/minewater2009.htm

20 - 22 October 2009 : "China Mining, Binhai International Convention"and Exhibition Center (BICEC), Tianjin, China.

26 - 30 October 2009 : "World Gold 2009" Johannesburg, South Africa.Contact : Leon Lorenzen Website : www.worldgold2009.orgza

27 - 29 October 2009 : "Mining and Energy" South Australia, Adelaide,South Australia. www.seedminingevents.com.au

27 - 30 October 2009 : China Coal & Mining Expo 2009, NationalAgriculture Exhibition Center, Beijing, P.R. China. www.chinaminingcoal.com/2009

28 - 31 October 2009 : WXXVII International mining Congress & ExhibitWorld Trade Centre, Veracruz, Mexico. http://www.expominmexico.com.mx/

1 - 4 November 2009 : Tailings and Mine Waste 2009, Alberta, Canada.www.ostrf.com/seminars

9 - 12 November : "Flotation 09" Capetown, South Africa, www.min-eng.com/conferences/

12 - 13 November 2009 : "14th PA Drilling & Blasting Conference" ThePenn Stater Conference Center State College, PA USA

16 - 19 November 2009 : "MEPS-2009 - 18th International Symposiumon Mine Planning & Equipment Selections" at Banff Alberta, Canada,Contact : Dr. Raj K. Singhal, P.O. Box 68002, Crow foot Postal Outlet, 28Crowfoot Terrdce NW, Calgery, Alberta, T3G 1YO, Canada, Fax : (403)-241-9460, Email : [email protected] Website : http://www.mpes-cami-swemp.com

21 - 23 November 2009 : "International Symposium on Mine Planning& Equipment Selection (MPES 2009)" Banff, Canada, www.mpes-cami-swemp.com

1 - 3 December 2009 : "7th Fennoscandian Exploration and Mining"Rovaniemi, Finland. www.lapinliitto.fi/fem2009

9 - 12 May 2010 : CIM Conference and Exhibition, Vancouver, BCCANADA, www.cimorg

11 - 12 May 2010 : Sampling 2010, Perth, WA Contact : The AusIMMEvents; Telephone: +61 3 9662 3166; Facsimile: +61 3 9662 3662

23 - 24 June 2010 : AusIMM International Uranium Conference 2010,Adelaide, SA Contact : The AusIMM Events Department; Telephone : +61 39662 3166; Facsimile: +61 3 9662 3662

MEAI OCT 2009

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Transcript of MEAI OCT 2009