Ore Sorting · 2023
XRF Sensors Underground in Cave Mines
Bucket-mounted XRF sensors evaluated for grade monitoring or bulk sorting at the drawpoints of a panel cave.
- Project
- Cadia East
- Location
- New South Wales, Australia
- Application
- Grade monitoring and bulk sorting
- Samples
- Conveyor belt-cut samples
- Compared against
- ICP-AES and fire assays
PaperDeployment of XRF Sensors Underground: An Opportunity for Grade Monitoring or Bulk Ore Sorting in Cave Mines · Minerals
Read the paperContext
Cave mines monitor grade by sampling drawpoints by hand, which is slow, hazardous and hard to keep representative. XRF sensors on the buckets of production loaders could measure grade as the ore is drawn, or divert waste underground.
The Work
Drawpoint sample grades and planning software forecasts were reconciled with mill feed grades over ten months. Cave areas with sorting potential were linked to the extraction level layout, and belt-cut samples were tested on a lab-scale proxy of a bucket-mounted XRF system.
Results
Drawpoint samples underestimated mill feed grades over the period. The lab-scale XRF system tracked copper grades well and gold grades less closely, a promising result for sensors underground. Sorting would need sensors at only a limited number of drawpoints in the caves where it pays.
