Rio Tinto centralises copper, coal optimisation

A NEW phase of Rio Tinto’s industry-leading “Mine of the Future” technology and innovation programme has been launched with the opening of the Processing Excellence Centre (PEC) in Brisbane, Australia. The programme is driving greater value by optimising the performance of key international copper and coal operations.

PEC is a world-first, state-of-the-art facility that centralises and enhances monitoring and operational performance by examining in real time processing data from seven Rio Tinto operations spread across the globe. An expert mineral processing team operating out of the facility shares technical initiatives and solutions to colleagues on mine sites in Mongolia, the United States and Australia about how to maximise productivity and improve performance.

Enhancements have increased the recovery of copper and gold at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia

Technical data is monitored and analysed in real time, allowing processing improvements to be immediately introduced and operational performance to be optimised. A trial phase of the PEC has already led to various procedural enhancements, such as adjusting the flotation process, which increased the recovery of copper and gold at Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia.

The PEC is linked to copper processing at Oyu Tolgoi and Rio Tinto Kennecott in the United States as well as five coal sites in Australia. Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh officially opened PEC on Tuesday, 11 March.

“The Processing Excellence Centre marks another important step in the rollout of our exciting Mine of the Future programme,” Mr Walsh said. “By continuing to develop and deliver a suite of next-generation systems and technologies for our operations, we are ensuring that Rio Tinto continues to lead the industry in delivering considerable value through technology. These innovations will significantly improve productivity, be better for the environment and be safer for our people.”

The ground-breaking facility will allow Rio Tinto to focus on optimising mineral processing across a broad range of sites, anywhere in the world. “We've been able to assemble a world-class team to work with live data and tackle improvements in processing,” Rio Tinto head of innovation John McGagh said. “The PEC provides significant capability to the business by drawing on a global network of industry experts from operations, suppliers, and consultants.”

Rio Tinto has been working with JKTech, Schneider Electric, Metso CISA, iGATE and The University of Queensland through the Rio Tinto Centre for Advanced Mineral Sorting to develop the Centre.