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4th International Platinum Conference : Platinum In Transition 'Boom or Bust'

Date 11 October 2010
- 14 October 2010
Location Sun City, Rustenburg, South Africa
Location Sun City, North West, South Africa
We are no longer accepting registration for this event

Platinum mining in South Africa was for many years the younger brother of gold mining in South Africa.

Both industries have similar mining methods and require similar skills. Skilled people moved from one area to another as the health and profitability of one area improved over the other. Both industries have operated in a boom or bust mentality with operating costs continuously squeezing up against selling price of the product and hence cutting margins.

Early this decade things looked to be changing with platinum sales exceeding gold sales for the first time. This, together with the argument that platinum was a commodity rather than a store of wealth looked to create a more stable narrow reef mining environment.

Then in early 2008 there was a massive increase in the platinum price followed in late 2008 by a more massive decline in platinum price. We know that as a mining industry we have to change and progress but this boom or bust scenario generates the thinking that ‘when prices are low we cannot afford to change and when prices are high there is no need to change’.

For Platinum in Transition—Boom or Bust the SAIMM is looking to promote change.

Firstly, to make the 2010 conference more inclusive with a ‘cradle to cradle’ approach to the platinum business and that means the business associated with all the minerals mined in association with platinum.

The conference will cover all aspects from exploration, feasibility studies, mine development, mining, metallurgy, customers and customer demands to recycling and interaction with society. Secondly, to learn from this latest boom and bust experience and through increased understanding continue to build a strong viable mining industry that will benefit all stakeholders.

Sponsors

The SAIMM and the conference organising committee would like to thank the following sponsors for their invaluable contribution:

Platinum Sponsor:

Sandvik
Atlas
Minova
Nkwe

Corporate Sponsors:

ANGLO_LOGOgoodquality
Murray_Roberts
 

Palladium Sponsor:

RSV
Tranter
 


Cocktail Sponsor:

Sandvik
 

 

Exhibitors:

FLS
Mintek
TWP_Projects_RGB
Derrick_Corp
IMP_Logosmall
Mine_Quest
Cidra
Multotec
SRK
AEL2
 

 

Advertiser Sponsorship:

Pyromet2
duraset

Pens & Pads Sponsorship:

Flomin1
 


Lanyard Sponsorship:

 

Minopex

 

 

Banner Sponsor:

GroundProbe_logo_with_white_background_High_Res
 


Media Partner:

Mining_Weekly
Inside_Mining
Mining_News

 

Sponsorship Packages

Exhibition / Sponsorship

The following sponosrship opportunities are available:

Platinum Package - R60 000
Corporate Package - R51 000
Palladium Package - R41 000
Conference Bag Package - R37 000
Exhibitor Package - R31 000
Cocktail Package - R30 000
Advertiser Package - R17 000
Pend & Pads Package - R10 000
Lanyards Package- R10 000
Technical Visit Package - R7 000

Companies wishing to sponsor or exhibit should contact the Conference Coordinator.

Jacqui Van Der Westhuizen
Conference Co-ordinator
SAIMM, P O Box 61127
Marshalltown
2107

Tel: (011) 834-1273/7
Fax: (011) 833-8156 or (011) 838-5923

Co-ordinator Email: jacqui@saimm.co.za
Event Website: http://www.saimm.co.za

Sponsorship package details can be downloaded in the download section below

 

Preliminary Programme

The Preliminary Programme may be downloaded from the download section below

 

Registration Fees

Registration

Early Bird Fees
Before 14 July 2010

Registration Fee
After 14 July 2010

SAIMM/ GSSA Members

R 7 300

R 8 300

Non - Member

R 8 300

R 9 400

Student / Retired Members

R 2 000

R 2 000

One Day Registration

R 2 850

R 2 850


Please note:
Non-members are entitled to free membership of the SAIMM, up to 30 June 2011, for attending this event


Registration Fees:
*Prepayment is required for all Registration Fees on or before the date of the event.
*Delegates who have not paid will not be permitted to attend the event
*Conference registration may be downloaded from download section below

 

Call for Papers

Prospective authors are invited to submit titles and abstracts of their papers, in English, and to indicate the topic under which the paper should be categorised.

The abstracts should be no longer than 500 words and should be submitted to the Conference Co-ordinator

Jacqui Van Der Westhuizen
Conference Co-ordinator
SAIMM, P O Box 61127
Marshalltown
2107

Tel: (011) 834-1273/7
Fax: (011) 833-8156 or (011) 838-5923

Co-ordinator Email: jacqui@saimm.co.za
Event Website: http://www.saimm.co.za

 

Topics

Papers are invited that integrate the following topics:

• Risk management and safety initiatives
• Environment and sustainability
• Impact of increasing cost utilities
• Exploration and ore body delineation
• Project valuation and funding
• Current and future mine design and layout
• Current and future mining operations
• Mineral processing, smelting, and refining
• New technologies for mining and processing
• Mining Charter and legislation
• Platinum marketing, uses and applications

 

Key Dates

26 February 2010 Submission of abstracts

26 April 2010 Provisional acceptance of abstracts

28 June 2010 Submission of papers

8 October 2010 Pre-conference Tour – Zimbabwe Tour

8-9 October 2010 Pre-conference Tour – Eastern Limb Tour

11–13 October 2010 Conference

14 October 2010 Post Conference Tour – Western Limb Tour


Contact

Jacqui Van Der Westhuizen
Conference Co-ordinator
SAIMM, P O Box 61127
Marshalltown
2107

Tel: (011) 834-1273/7
Fax: (011) 833-8156 or (011) 838-5923

Co-ordinator Email: jacqui@saimm.co.za
Event Website: http://www.saimm.co.za

Who should attend

The conference is aimed at the full spectrum of players in the platinum business.

It will address the most pressing concerns of persons involved in the production of platinum from exploration geologists to mining and process personnel. It will also be of great value to people who market platinum, use platinum i.e. jewellers and industrialists as well as Investors, mining companies and those involved in market analysis.

 

Accommodation

Conference accommodation may be booked with the confrence venue by completion of the Accommodation Reservation form that may be downloaded in the download section below

 

Technical Tours

PRE- CONFERENCE TOUR

Tour 1 - 8 October 2010

Zimbabwe

8 October 2010

Zimbabwe

Cost: R10 000.00 (includes flights and accommodation)

Tour of Zimplats—The tour would include a site visit to the mining operations in Ngezi. There are
three mines situated in Ngezi about 140 km from Harare. The tour will extend to the concentrator at
Ngezi and the Selous Metallurgical complex which comprises a concentrator and smelter.

Included in the tour would be an opportunity to see the village where the mine’s employees are
housed and some of the infrastructural investments that Zimplats has made for the benefit
of the local community

 

Tour 2– 14 October 2010

Western Limb

Approximate cost R650 per person (including transportation)

Eland mine
Eland mine is currently mining UG2 Ore from our opencast operations down to a depth of ~60m on a strike length of
some 5 km. Underground sinking commenced with Kukama Decline last year and Nyala Decline in Jan 2010.

A typical visit to Eland Platinum Mmine would include visits to the following areas:
1. Underground – Kukama or Nyala decline
2. Opencast Area – West, Central or East Pit.
3. Concentrator

Thembelani 2
The Thembelani 2 Mine, Anglo Platinum, was approved during the fourth quarter of 2006. Project execution commenced
thereafter and has since reached the 44% completion stage.

The Project includes the mining of the Merensky ore body in the decline shaft section of Thembelani 1 Shaft. The Project is
strategically important to mine as it improves the value contribution of Thembelani 1 Shaft and introduces a new man
and material shaft closer to the mining clusters.

THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
The scope of the project comprises the following:

• One Man and Material Shaft from surface to 33 Level.
• One Ventilation Shaft from surface to 31 Level.
• Development of Capital footprint development for Merensky (27 to 33 level) plus associated level infrastructure and
services.
• Two Surface refrigeration plants (R134A and Ammonia) plus potable and waste water lines.
• Installation of the surface permanent electrical supply from and including Eskom 88/33 kV in-feed Substation,
Frank Consumer Substation and the Paardekraal 2 Shaft Main Substation infrastructure.
• Decline Chairlifts and chairlift extensions from 27 to 33 level.
• Decline Conveyors and conveyor extensions from 27 to 33 level.
• Decline Material Shafts from 27 to 33 level.
• Development of the 33 level pump station, settling system and mud press excavations plus construction and
equipping of the associated infrastructure and services.

The visitors will be exposed to the following:
• Shaft sinking operations in 8.7 diameter vertical shaft.
• Methodology and lessons learned of the shaft reef pillar extraction and associated backfilling operations.
• Shaft compensating tower excavation.
• Lateral ore reserve development operations and temporary kibble hoisting operations, surface and underground
installation, in the 6.5m diameter vertical ventilation shaft.
• Construction operations of a surface refrigeration plant.
• Installation of the surface permanent electrical supply from and including Eskom 88/33 kV in-feed Substation and
Consumer Substation.
• Hoisting and related engineering support operations at sinking shafts.
• Introduction to safety management systems as utilised for Greenfields project operations.

Base Metal Refinery
The visit will include a general overview of the plant including a walk through the leaching, solvent
extraction and electrowinning areas. The visit will also include a view of the new nickel
electrowinning tank house utilising technology developed in-house for direct plating of Ni on Ti
blanks, automation and aerosol abatement, which should be under cold commissioning.

 

Abstracts

  • The following abstract have been accepted:

    Statistical size analysis of potholes: an attempt to estimate geological losses ahead of mining at Lonmin’s
    Marikana mining district
    Dennis Hoffman, Lonmin, South Africa

    Proposed Development of the Kalahari Platinum Project
    J Lewins, Platinum Australia Limited, Australia

    Total primary milling cost reduction by improved liner design
    Johan Dahner, Alfred Van den Bosch, Magotteaux SA and Magotteaux Belgium, South Africa and Belgium

    Does Thickening Save Water?
    A J Vietti, J C J Boshoff, A Cope, Paterson & Cooke, SRK Consulting and Anglo Platinum

    A proposal for accurate consistent continuous feed into electric arc furnaces in the Platinum Industry
    J Kirsch, Clyde Bergemann Africa (Pty) Ltd, South Africa

    Application of borehole radar to pothole identification and delineation ahead of the working face in
    Platinum Mines
    Carina Kemp, Petro Du Pisani, Mduduzi Shokei and Lynsey Bretti, Geomole Pty Ltd, Geosciences
    Resource Group

    How applicable is Industrial Engineering in mining?
    T S Hattingh and O Keys, Centre for Mechanised Mining Systems, University of the Witwatersrand,
    South Africa

    Human Factors in mine mechanisation,
    T S Hattingh, T J Sheer and A G du Plessis, Centre for Mechanised Mining Systems, University of the
    Witwatersrand, South Africa

    Platinum in the South African economy
    L Stilwell, RSV, South Africa

    Application of Fundamentals in Optimising Platinum Concentrator Performance
    M M Valenta, Metallicon Process Consulting (Pty) Ltd, South Africa

    Mine Optimisation and its application using the Anglo Platinum Mine Optimisation Tool
    G Lane and A M Smit, Anglo American Platinum, South Africa

    The Effect of Grind Size on Paste Thickening of PGM Ores
    M Mulligan, FLSmidth Minerals (Pty) Ltd, South Africa

    Flotation process optimisation through rapid in-line grade measurement as an alternative to sampling
    surveys that deliver outdated results
    Karen Keet and Francois E. du Plessis, Blue Cube, South Africa

    Consumable unit cost versus metallurgical performance: The impact of grinding media on grinding chemistry
    and PGM recovery
    Christopher J Greet, Magotteaux Australia Pty Limited, Australia

    Cost effective solid-liquid separation for platinum concentrates
    D Pepper, FLSmidth, South Africa

    Development and implementation of a platinum asset valuation curve at Venmyn
    G Njowa, C Musingwini and A Clay, Venmyn, Sandton, Johannesburg; School of Mining Engineering,
    University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Sustainable ore reserves generation at variable stoping rates for a UG2 conventional mining layout
    L J Mohloki and C Musingwini, Independent consultant, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg,
    South Africa

    Corrosion of copper coolers in PGM smelters
    B M Thethwayo and A M Garbers-Craig, University of Pretoria, South Africa

    An evaluation of steels selected for use within electric arc furnaces
    Leslie Cornish, Mike Grant, Bradley Williams, Ian Wilsenach and Humphrey McAllister, DST/NRF
    Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials and School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, University of the
    Witwatersrand Enviroplus Design

    The estimation of platinum flotation grade from froth image features by using artificial neural networks
    C Marais and C Aldrich, University of Stellenbosch

    Hydropower technology can assist in meeting the Safety and Health ‘2013 Milestones’ and saving energy,
    Peter Fraser, Hydropower Equipment (Pty) Ltd, South Africa

    Is the EPCM still relevant?
    H W Read, RSV, South Africa

    Refrigeration and cooling concepts for ultra deep platinum mining
    Lukas MacKay and Steven Bluhm, Impala and BBE, South Africa

    Simultaneous Mining and Mineral Processing Enterprise Optimisation For The Platinum Industry
    Gerald Whittle, S Burks, Whittle Consulting Pty Ltd, AUSTRALIA

    Spatial information management from multi-disciplinary data
    M Woodhall, GMSI, South Africa

    Working Cost Containment – A Significant Challenge in the South African Platinum Mining Industry
    J G Taylor and G Njowa, MineQuest Consult (Pty) Ltd, SOUTH AFRICA

    Stirred milling – new comminution technology in the PGM industry
    C Rule, Anglo Platinum, South Africa

    A healthy future: platinum in medical applications
    Alison Cowley, Johnson Matthey, United Kingdom

    The Application of Modifying Factors to the Merensky Reef and UG2 Chromitite Layer
    S Rupprecht and K Lomberg, University of Johannesburg and Coffey Mining, South Africa

    Optimising concentrate allocation to Anglo Platinum smelters
    G A Georgalli and D K Anderson, Anglo Platinum, South Africa

    A Systematic Approach to the Optimisation of eXtra Low Profile (XLP) Mine Productivity for Narrow
    Reef Platinum Mines.
    Mike Andrews and Rod Pickering, Sandvik

    Hard Rock Room & Pillar Mining Best Practice Industry Workshop
    Rod Pickering, George Annandale and Alex Du Plessis, Sandvik

    Leading the next boom? Competitive Eastern Limb platinum supply.
    J McGill, Colorado School of Mines, CSIR

    Impact of Maintenance Philosophy and Infrastructure on South African Mechanised Mining Operations
    A Smit, Sandvik

    Geological Interpretations from the PGE Distribution in the Bushveld Reefs
    R Grant Cawthorn, University Of Witwatersrand

    Stratigraphic correlations of the Sheba’s Ridge area, South Eastern Bushveld Complex, South Africa
    F J Stevens and J A Kinnaird, Anglo Platinum

    Effluent Treatment: What role can the use of modified waste/biomass play in the local Platinum Industry
    – A Review
    T Ramahali and T Mahlangu, University of Pretoria

    Energy consumptions for Kell hydrometallurgical refining versus conventional pyrometallurgical smelting and refining of
    PGM concentrates
    K S Liddell, B Muller, T Newton, M Adams

    Implementing Strategies to Improve Mill Capacity and Efficiency through Classification by Particle Size Only,
    With Case Studies
    N Barkhuysen, Derrick Corporation

    Is there some commonality with respect to structure in the Bushveld Complex and the Great Dyke?
    M K C Roberts and V Clark-Mostert, TWP

    Effective process monitoring in underground mining
    Martin Johansson, Atlas Copco

    Fine tuning the numerous factors that impact optimal productivity in open-cast mining situations –
    K Landley, Atlas Copco

    UG–2 ore metallurgical variability
    Nigel Ramlall and Mike Bryson, Mintek

    Preliminary evaluation of the proposed mining method at Eland Platinum Mine
    G.S. Potgieter and D.F. Malan, Xstrata Alloys and Groundwork Consulting

    Meeting the reduced availability and rising costs of electrical power: Anglo Platinum ventilation and
    cooling strategies
    M. Biffi and D.J Stanton, Anglo Platinum

    Design and assessment of stope support system incorporating 3m cable anchors at Dishaba Mine.
    L van Aswegen, R.A Johnson, G.L Smith, Anglo Platinum Limited

    Measuring Rock Dumps from space? How new technology could change the way we measure rock dumps
    & tailings dams!
    J Crotty, B Ernst, A Machele, J Lategan, Anglo Platinum Limited

    Anglo Platinum’s approach to resource classification
    K Mohanlal, P Stevenson, Anglo Platinum Limited

    Platinum Group Metals: A unique case study in the sustainability of mineral resources
    G Mudd. Monash University

    Design of secondary fume extraction systems for six-in line furnaces
    Luthie Els, Olof Vorster, Chris Coetzee, Bart Pieterse, Consulto Enviro CC,Resonant Environmental
    Technologies (Pty) Ltd, Resonant Solutions (Pty) Ltd, Anglo Platinum Ltd

    The Merensky and Bastard Cyclic Units and the Platreef of the Bushveld Complex: Consequences of Main
    Zone Magma Influxes and Dynamics
    F J Kruger, GeoActiv (Pty) Ltd

    A Synergistic Energy Savings Model Applied to ‘Airless’ Mining and Water Consumption Reduction
    P Fraser, Hydropower Equipment (Pty) Ltd

    Application of DC-smelting technology for the platinum industry
    Rolf Degel, Klaus Schmale, Martin Köneke, SMS Siemag AG

    Development of High Resolution 3D Vertical Seismic Profiles
    Mark Gibson, Charles Pretorius & Quartus Snyman

    Increasing Profitability and Recovery Through Improved Productivity by the Application of Process Based
    Management Systems
    Chris Wilkinson, Mining Consultancy Services

    Inclined development rig
    P Fraser and F Le Roux

    The Brakspriut pothole
    A Page, Samancor

    Improving Safety and Security in Platinum Mining by utilizing newest Facial Recognition Technology
    Basia Nasiorowska, Interoptic Networks

    Energy Efficient Technology for Cleaning Up Sulphurous Off Gasses
    Kris Van Damme and Gernot Amlacher, MECS SULFOX bvba

    Application of Non-Invasive Passive Array Technology for Entrained Air and Flow Measurements along with
    Mass Balance Calculations at Platinum Processing Facilities
    Christian O’Keefe, Joao Felix and Robert Maron, CiDRA Minerals Processing, Felix Project Management and Consulting Services

    Review of Mechanisation within Lonmin
    J H K Hudson, G Webber, H Chirimumimba,A A van den Berg, G G Le Roux, Lonmin

    The potential effects of power train developments in the auto sector on PGM demand
    B Clarke, SFA Oxford

    Options for PGM supply outside of Africa
    S Trickey, SFA Oxford

    Recycling: volume, momentum and consequences for PGMs
    A Ryan, SFA Oxford

    Jewellery shocks from China and India
    J Watts, SFA Oxford

    Strategic Implications in the Platinum-Group: Privatisation vs Nationalisation
    S Forrest, SFA Oxford

 

Downloads

The following may be downloaded in the download section below:

1) First Announcement & Call for papers
2) Registration Form – Conference
3) Registration Form – One Day Conference
4) Hotel Reservation Form
5) Sponsorship Package Form
6) Technical Visit Information
7) Preliminary Programme
8) Final Circular
9) Conference Programme