Back to Basics was the focus of the 14th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference (MillOps 2018), held in Brisbane, Australia, on August 29-31 August.
Attracting a record-breaking attendance of 570, delegates enjoyed hearing from 55 global experts on ways of improving operational performance and driving value in mineral processing plants, including extractive metallurgy, process control and environmental issues.
The conference structure, consisting of short presentations followed by a moderated discussion led by a subject matter expert, allowed for rich discussions on global challenges and opportunities in the industry.
Several comminution-focused sessions were held, including one moderated by former CEEC Medal winner, Aidan Giblett, Senior Technical Advisor Mineral Processing, Newmont Mining Corporation. He noted that many of the presentations focused on process optimisation, with a theme largely on improving liners and wear rates.
Other presentations highlighted the value of sound metallurgical test work, regular plant surveys, modelling to forecast and improve plant performance, intelligent technology, and the importance of good classification for optimal production.
CEEC has selected 15 conference papers of interest to our network, so keep visiting our Resource Centre over the coming months to check out this research.
The award for the conference’s Best Paper went to Baas, D. and Gurieff, L.M., for ‘Developing flotation circuit control and automation for the Phu Kham Copper-Gold Operation concentrator’. PanAust’s Senior Advisor Process and Control, Dirk Baas, also shared the company’s Phu Kham operational improvement story and learnings at CEEC’s Mineral Processing and Innovation Workshop in Brisbane at the start of the week’s events.
The Best Presentation was awarded to ‘The evolution of the Cadia 40-foot SAG mill to treat the Cadia East orebody: a case study of incremental change leading to operational stability’, presented by Waters, T., Rice, A., Seppelt, J., Bubnich, J., and Akerstrom, B.
The 2018 CEEC Medal was awarded to winners at the conference on Friday 31 August and CEEC thanks the organisers, speakers and participants for a positive contribution to industry.
You can visit the MillOps 2018 website to view the conference proceedings.
CEEC CEO Alison Keogh catches up with the team from Orway Mineral Consultants at the AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference in Brisbane, Australia.