Five Year Research Strategy
(2010 – 2015)
The published research priorities are developed once a 5 years strategic project direction has been established. See below.
| Underground Mining |
| The Underground Technical Committee enjoys a strong, widely-representative participation of underground industry producers, addressing existing and emerging issues faced by the industry. Using collective intelligence and selective scoping studies, priorities are maintained to direct research funds into key strategic areas to support productivity improvement and sustainability. |
| Program | Strategy |
| Improved Health and Safety | Hazard awareness, OH&S management tools; escape and rescue options |
| Management of Mining Conditions | Regional issues; new characterisation and design tools |
| Higher Productivity Mining | New underground mining technology; automation, training |
| Equipment Systems and Reliability | Root cause analysis, increased asset utilisation |
| Sustainability | Knowledge building; assessment tools; case studies and best practice |
| Open Cut Mining |
| The Open Cut Technical Committee is well supported with a strong cross section of expertise covering geology and operations, maintenance, environment and safety. The committee has spawned environment and safety task groups which overlap with the underground and coal preparation areas, and seeks to proactively develop projects for emerging industry concerns and opportunities. |
| Program | Strategy |
Improved Health and Safety
- Whole body vibration
- Removal from danger
- Earth moving equipment
- Behavioural safety management
| Remote control and automation Tyre management Collision avoidance Training and management
|
Productivity of Mining Operations
- Automation and sensing
- Operating techniques
- Planning and modelling
| Develop semi automation and sensing Planning, optimisation and training tools
|
Efficiency and Reliability
- Condition monitoring
- Reduction in peak stresses
| Management and elimination of peak stresses
|
| Geology
| Development of advanced techniques to process and interpret geophysical data
|
Environmental Management
- Licence to operate
- Closure
- Water management
| Community impact Landform Manage use and handling
|
| Coal Preparation |
| The Coal Preparation Technical Committee provides a unique forum where company representatives, with accountability for production, research and improvement, work together to drive leading research on the most relevant technical challenges. Coal preparation research will be directed towards improvements to recovery and plant capacity. Research will therefore continue to focus on maximising yield, reducing production and maintenance costs, minimising emissions, reducing water consumption and the use of lower quality water without adversely impacting on process efficiency. |
| Program | Strategy |
| Recovery improvement | Efficiency at higher throughput; fine coal sizing; screening |
| Higher productivity unit operations | Increased hours, TPH, efficiency and durability |
| Adaptation from other industries | Sensors, models, processing equipment |
| Measurement drives operations | Improved flotation prediction; flow rate; density |
| Sustainability | Technical transfer; organic efficiency; water quality and usage; tailings and rejects; energy efficiency |
| Technical Coal Marketing |
| The Technical Market Support Committee enjoys a wide representation from metallurgical and thermal sectors of the coal industry. This committee addresses technical issues that are likely to significantly affect the value-in-use of Australian coals. It is a challenge to predict the direction of future end-user technologies and the impact this may have on required coal properties. |
| Program | Strategy |
| Current and emerging markets |
Understand value in use; emphasis on quality parameters.
Rapid turn-around projects in response to emerging market issues.
|
| Maintain critical R&D infrastructure |
Encourage research providers to upgrade facilities.
Encourage R&D projects to attract and develop students
|
| Potential area of future research | Sustainability of coke oven/blast furnace operations |
| Mine Site Greenhouse Mitigation |
| The Mine Site Greenhouse Mitigation Committee has strong representative participation of industry producers with members with strategic policy and technical roles in companies which allows strategic and technical approaches to this evolving issue for the industry. Using collective intelligence and selective scoping studies, priorities are maintained to direct research funds into key strategic areas to support measurement, mitigation, sustainability and regulatory issues. The underlying aim is to influence the developing regulatory regime and maintain the ‘right to mine’. |
| Program | Strategy |
| Measurement of fugitive emissions | Develop decay curves; Refine methods for measurement |
| Capture of emissions | Scope and test options |
| Use or destruction of mine gas | Demonstration |
| Avoid unachievable regulatory constraints. | Liaise with bodies representing industry, eg state minerals councils, ACA. |
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