Mining Check-up

When was the last time your mine had a check-up?

Mine safety, efficiency, and profitability rely on a continuous investment in mine infrastructure.

By Chad Tomlinson and Timo Tikka

Mine infrastructure includes mineral processing equipment, fuel facilities, communications, ventilation, dewatering systems, as well as, the steel and concrete that support the infrastructure. And just as we’d expect building, bridges, and roads to undergo regular inspections and updates, the same care is required of mine infrastructure. As the infrastructure ages, mine owners are challenged to keep their systems operating efficiently and safely, while limiting the expenses required to keep the mine up and running. The key to balancing both safety and efficiency? An asset integrity program.

Just as a city relies on buildings, bridges and roads to properly function, mines rely on critical infrastructure to enable them to remain profitable.

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What an asset integrity program looks like At its core, asset integrity is a condition assessment: inspecting the infrastructure to determine whether it’s enabling the mine to operate correctly and efficiently, and putting proactive measures in place to ensure it continues to operate as desired; and if it’s not operating as desired, determining what actions are necessary to resolve the problem. This also serves as a health and safety risk assessment to ensure that the asset is safe for workers to use and to protect the owner from future liability (for example, inspecting railing and guarding systems). The assessments can encompass everything from visual inspection, structural/mechanical analysis, and material testing, to 3D laser surveying and prototype development.

Evaluate the integrity of critical equipment and infrastructure (system components) in the operation.

There are five essential goals of an asset integrity program:

Take preventative action to keep the infrastructure in working order (coating, cleaning, pipe rotation, etc.)

Identify critical system components that need replacement or significant upgrades

Develop annual sustaining capital and operational budgets that consider critical system component upgrades

Allow early planning and budget authorization to execute these projects during the year required

This entails thorough yearly, monthly, and sometimes even weekly inspections of systems and equipment to ensure they are functioning properly. Most countries have regulations regarding how often inspections should be conducted, although the level of regulation varies from country to country. However, mine owners will find it valuable to build out a program that specifically identifies critical infrastructure for their operation and optimizes the inspection and preventative maintenance programs.

Why an asset integrity program is essential It takes a significant effort and commitment to continually maintain infrastructure in its most optimal condition. Shutting critical infrastructure down for preventative maintenance has an impact to the production and revenue of a mine. However, since the loss and downtime after failure is often far more substantial, it is highly beneficial to take a proactive approach. It's not unusual for mines to remain in operation for several decades, which in some instances has resulted in equipment and infrastructure being operated far beyond their intended design life. Therefore, the longevity of mining operations makes it critical to have an asset integrity program in place." Waiting to update or replace the outdated infrastructure once it breaks down can have disastrous consequences. Serious mining accidents and fatalities can and have occurred due to the malfunctioning or complete breakdown of some essential piece of infrastructure.

If one critical component breaks down, it could put the mine out of production for months while repairs are conducted. The breakdown could potentially cause damage in other areas of the mine as well, resulting in even longer production delays. Establishing a comprehensive asset integrity program early in the life of the mine will provide long-lasting financial benefits. Proper planning can allow mine owners to anticipate and address infrastructure issues before they become significant enough to result in major productivity loss. It can also help identify synergies in the operation and therefore allow inspections or proactive maintenance to occur in parallel with other outages to minimize the production impacts.

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Be proactive, not reactive Consider how we systematically care for our cars and bring them to auto shops for inspections; we do this as a preventative measure. Although the upfront time and costs associated with these efforts can sometimes be daunting, we recognize that long-term benefits are worth the short-term inconveniences. Similarly, mine owners could see significant financial benefit and increased reliability in developing a robust asset integrity program. Reducing the potential for a catastrophic failure that could significantly impact production, or worse, pose substantial risk to worker health and safety, will be worth it in the long run.

"The key to balancing both safety and efficiency? An asset integrity program."

Draw on experiences at other operation to provide new solutions and ideas

Focus on components requiring upgrades or replacements

Unbiased evaluations

Mine staff can continue to focus on daily operations

Internal vs. external programs Equally important to having an asset integrity program in place is determining who will be responsible for executing it. Whether a mine owner chooses to hire an external consultant or dedicate an internal team to the task, the audit of mine assets requires dedicated resources that are not focused on the day-to-day operations of the mine.

4 benefits of using external resources: