From exploration to mining: new geological strategies for sustaining high levels of copper production from the Mount Isa district. Mineral production at the Mount Isa copper and Ernest Henry copper-gold mines is worth more than $ 1 billion per year and this has underpinned the northern Queensland economy for a number of years. These resources are being depleted at a high rate, and no significant new discoveries have been made in over a decade. This project will provide some of the tools to defin ....From exploration to mining: new geological strategies for sustaining high levels of copper production from the Mount Isa district. Mineral production at the Mount Isa copper and Ernest Henry copper-gold mines is worth more than $ 1 billion per year and this has underpinned the northern Queensland economy for a number of years. These resources are being depleted at a high rate, and no significant new discoveries have been made in over a decade. This project will provide some of the tools to define new resources for the next generation, ensuring the prosperity of the region and bolstering the Australian economy. The timing is critical given the long lead time between discovery and production (in the order of 5 to 10 years). If successful the research may have major financial impacts at local, regional and national scales. It may also improve mine safety.Read moreRead less
Plate kinematics to plate dynamics: understanding plate boundary processes at the global scale. This proposal aims to create geodynamic models which can be used a basis for a new, smart resource exploration and extraction industry which uses simulation to help characterize regions where traditional geophysical imaging alone is not able to penetrate. It provides essential scientific underpinnings for
The Australian Computational Earth System Simulator Major National Research Facility (ACcESS).
Excavation Design and Sequencing in Highly Stressed Rock Masses. An increasingly large number of Australian underground mines are being operated in highly stressed rock mass conditions, where safe and economic mining is a real challenge due to rock mass instability. In the future, this problem will become more significant as extraction gets deeper with the discoveries of new deeper orebodies or the extension of current operations at depth. The aim of this research project is to provide the Austr ....Excavation Design and Sequencing in Highly Stressed Rock Masses. An increasingly large number of Australian underground mines are being operated in highly stressed rock mass conditions, where safe and economic mining is a real challenge due to rock mass instability. In the future, this problem will become more significant as extraction gets deeper with the discoveries of new deeper orebodies or the extension of current operations at depth. The aim of this research project is to provide the Australian mining industry with effective design tools to engineer the largest, most economical, yet stable excavations in rock. The research project will use a generalised framework for design where rock mass characterisation, excavation design, behaviour and dilution control will be studied in detail.Read moreRead less
Thick-skin continental deformation and the rheology of faulted continental lithosphere. We plan to study the way in which major, long-lived faults influence the large-scale deformation of continental lithosphere in response to plate and mantle derived stresses. We will develop realistic computer models of networks of faults embedded in the crust to examine the way large faults (e.g. the San Andreas fault in California) interact with the deep crust and shallow mantle and the way they interact w ....Thick-skin continental deformation and the rheology of faulted continental lithosphere. We plan to study the way in which major, long-lived faults influence the large-scale deformation of continental lithosphere in response to plate and mantle derived stresses. We will develop realistic computer models of networks of faults embedded in the crust to examine the way large faults (e.g. the San Andreas fault in California) interact with the deep crust and shallow mantle and the way they interact with each other. No one previous model has been able to incorporate all the important dynamics. The work will be used by structural geologists, planetary scientists and be a valuable tool in mineral exploration.Read moreRead less
Deep Coal Mining. The occurrence of progressively larger gas outbursts, coal bumps, and the potential for the catastrophic collapse of coal pillars is of increasing importance as mining drives deeper in seams rich in methane and other hydrocarbons. This study will address this issue by examining the roles of stress level, strain-rate, gas desorption rate, and drained and undrained gas and liquid pressures in the dynamic failure of coal, while simultaneously evaluating the promise and fidelity of ....Deep Coal Mining. The occurrence of progressively larger gas outbursts, coal bumps, and the potential for the catastrophic collapse of coal pillars is of increasing importance as mining drives deeper in seams rich in methane and other hydrocarbons. This study will address this issue by examining the roles of stress level, strain-rate, gas desorption rate, and drained and undrained gas and liquid pressures in the dynamic failure of coal, while simultaneously evaluating the promise and fidelity of a variety of hazard indices and precursive signals.Read moreRead less
Microstructural Analysis and Modelling of Copper Ore Agglomerates for Heap Leaching. The efficient extraction of valuable metals from mined ore can be considered as a problem of global concern as the world's reserves of such metals quickly diminish. For low grade copper ore, heap leaching has long been recognized as the most efficient mineral recovery procedure. This project aims to apply X-ray microtomography and micromechanical modelling to quantify the critical leaching properties of ore aggl ....Microstructural Analysis and Modelling of Copper Ore Agglomerates for Heap Leaching. The efficient extraction of valuable metals from mined ore can be considered as a problem of global concern as the world's reserves of such metals quickly diminish. For low grade copper ore, heap leaching has long been recognized as the most efficient mineral recovery procedure. This project aims to apply X-ray microtomography and micromechanical modelling to quantify the critical leaching properties of ore agglomerates and to formulate optimal heap leaching strategies. This will allow for better utilization of the Australia's low grade ore reserves. The procedures and methodologies to be developed will be applicable to other types of ore including gold, uranium and nickel.Read moreRead less
A computational approach to fracture of quasi-brittle materials across the scales. The mining industry is a significant contributor to the economy of Australia. Since only a small part of the input energy in mining is useful, improving the energy efficiency through simulation-based optimisation of rock fracturing processes will have a huge impact on reducing the costs of mining operations. Besides, the numerical prediction of rock mass failure in mining, and collapse of concrete structures under ....A computational approach to fracture of quasi-brittle materials across the scales. The mining industry is a significant contributor to the economy of Australia. Since only a small part of the input energy in mining is useful, improving the energy efficiency through simulation-based optimisation of rock fracturing processes will have a huge impact on reducing the costs of mining operations. Besides, the numerical prediction of rock mass failure in mining, and collapse of concrete structures under extreme conditions in civil engineering and defence will also benefit from the project. This will improve Australia's capability to deal with catastrophic events. Through advances in numerical simulation of fracture of geomaterials, the project will also enhance Australian research in computational failure mechanics.Read moreRead less
The Influence of particle shape fragmentation and compaction on 3D hopper flow. According to world-leading material scientist Patrick Richard, "Granular materials are ubiquitous in nature and are the second-most manipulated material in industry (the first one is water)". Our research will produce massive three dimensional computer simulations predicting and analysing the influence of particle size and shape on the morphology of industrial and natural granular flows. The results will have directl ....The Influence of particle shape fragmentation and compaction on 3D hopper flow. According to world-leading material scientist Patrick Richard, "Granular materials are ubiquitous in nature and are the second-most manipulated material in industry (the first one is water)". Our research will produce massive three dimensional computer simulations predicting and analysing the influence of particle size and shape on the morphology of industrial and natural granular flows. The results will have directly and immediately relevant applications in a range of Australian industries, including mass mining and minerals processing and will further make a major contribution to understanding and modelling a variety of geo-hazards.
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