SAMPLING , ANALYSIS AND LAB ASSAY
data file to actually putting the information to work in a meaningful way during the logging process ,” Buto and Ravella said .
“ As well , we now offer an industry-leading structural logging package to build a comprehensive view of the deposit ’ s key structural features , which is then incorporated into the results delivered .”
While acknowledging these benefits , the pair are cognisant of what must change for companies to feel the full benefits of XRF technology .
“ Fundamentally this is not about adding another tool to the logging process , it is about changing the workflow that has been the practice of the industry for over 100 years , and incorporating full data consistency in the logging process ,” they said .
This is not to say Boart Longyear has lacked success in breaking this practice .
It has moved from a TruScan trial with Newcrest Mining ’ s exploration teams to full adoption at several of the company ’ s sites . Other Tier One miners , meanwhile , are trialling TruScan units and , based on the current trial results , Buto and Ravella expect these majors to convert to “ full adoption ” in 2021 .
They concluded : “ We have analysed hundreds of thousands of metres of drill cores and chip samples since TruScan was released . The results have been a more consistently logged and complete dataset , coupled with better field-level decision making that maximises the dollars spent on the logging process and drilling programs to produce results .”
Orexplore Technologies Ltd ’ s XRF-based GeoCore
X10 plays in the same exploration field as Boart ’ s TruScan technology .
The GeoCore X10 analyses the element concentrations and minerals contained in a drill core , as well as provides a visualisation of the rock ’ s internal structure in 3D . This speeds up the chemical laboratory analysis process , enabling miners to accelerate their own decision-making process , according to the company .
Orexplore is soon to be spun off from Swick Mining Services , but , last year , it sealed its first infield commercial agreement to deploy its GeoCore X10 instrument .
Under the September 2020 agreement with St Barbara Ltd , some 1,500 m / mth of core would be scanned over a six-month period at the Gwalia gold mine in Leonora , Western Australia .
The company will conduct technical assessment over several potential benefits of the detailed core analysis and high volume of data generated by the GeoCore X10 , Orexplore said . This commercial arrangement followed a three-month trial of GeoCore X10 at Sandfire Resources ’ DeGrussa copper mine in Western Australia , plus a five-month paid program in Europe with Boliden .
Australasia and Europe have also proved to be fruitful regions for Minalyze and its Minalyzer CS drill core scanner .
Another proponent of XRF technology , the Minalyzer CS is used for analysis of mineral chemistry , structure , density and photography . When combined
with Minalyze ’ s minalogger . com cloud-based software , companies can visualise results and , with software tools , generate additional datasets like structures , the company claims .
Towards the back end of 2020 , Minalyze signed a contract with the Geological Survey of Queensland to carry out a significant project scanning historical core , with work starting in January .
As a MinEx CRC research project partner , the company also provided input on the Australian National Drilling Program ( NDI ). Together with its collaboration partner SGS , Minalyze supplied Minalyzer CS units to the NDI in the Northern Territory , with the project successfully completed before the end of 2020 .
On top of contracts with Glencore and Fortescue in Australia , the company also sold a Minalyzer CS instrument to LKAB for core analysis at the Kiruna iron ore mine , in northern Sweden , Minalyze CEO , Annelie Lundström , told IM . “ We are installing a second instrument for a project at one of their other mines in Malmberget ,” she added .
Automating XRF analysis
Minalyze is also lending its expertise to projects looking at applying machine learning to the drill core assaying process .
“ This is where we use the dataset geochemistry and images generated by the Minalyzer CS to perform assisted – and even automated – logging ,” Lundström said .
Drill core XRF-scanners and mobile core labs
Blast hole and R / C drill samplers and Analyze While Drilling XRF Sampler-Analyzer robots
Slurry samplers and slurry XRF-analyzers
Increasing production efficiency in mining and processing www . ima . fi