Mine Engineering and Design
The mining of metals and minerals is becoming increasingly important to our society. Metals that have never been used before play a
key role in the transition to a greener economy. As the demand for mining products rises, environmental concerns are reshaping the
mining industry.
Based on our industry domain knowledge, we can help clients at every step and in any scale of a mining project. Starting from
geology and exploration planning, as well as environmental permitting, long before the actual mining activity can begin, all the way to
mine closure and environmental monitoring. GMEC’s expertise also covers the whole value chain from the rst ore process after
mining to further beneciation, smelting and end-product rening and manufacturing, to end-of-life recycling.
The complexity of mining projects makes their overall evaluation demanding.
At GMEC we guide mining developments in early-stages to carefully consider a variety of concepts to nd the optimal project
implementation alternative. Economies of scale brought by large-scale production may no longer be the only solution. In the future,
limiting the size of a mine may be optimal to meet the environmental terms. A smaller scale implementation solution may not bring
the best nancial prot, but it can provide other advantages. For example, capital markets are increasingly concerned about the longterm sustainability of mining, and access to capital is increasingly dependent on this.
Opportunities to improve resource efciency
The mining industry has several opportunities to increase resource eciency. For instance, the full potential of waste as raw material has not yet been realised. AFRY is committed to identifying and developing technological solutions that result in more effective recycling operations, waste reduction and elimination, and repurposing waste streams into new products.
Based on our extensive process understanding, we offer solutions for handling and reusing process and waste water, as well as how to handle the overall environmental challenges associated with mining. When the mine is operational, maintenance and process
optimisation is key to ensure that operations are running at maximum capacity with minimal impacts. Our expertise also includes maintenance engineering and smart solutions to maximize mine productivity over time.
Deep experience in design and execution of complex industrial projects
With us you get access to wide experience and deep technology and cross engineering discipline knowledge that help mining clients to realise their investments in set time schedule and within budget.
A full range of engineering services, ensuring that your project is delivered safely on scope, time, quality and budget.
Our unique operating model combines our global competence with local know how enabling us to create the best available solutions
to our clients. Safety and sustainability aspects are high on our agenda in all engineering disciplines.
Whether you’re looking for support with a small feasibility study or a partner for a large and complex project, you can depend on us. Working closely in one team you get access to the multi-disciplinary engineering services covering all project lifecycle phases. Taking one engineering partner covering all disciplines will increase eciency and minimize mistakes and time used for data transfers.
Our engineering services include all investment project phases, from feasibility studies to project development (e.g. pre-engineering,
FEL) to detailed engineering and eld engineering in project implementation phase and nally to operational phase support via our
local oce network. Our role as engineering partner can vary from EPCM contractor to owner’s engineering partner or detailed
engineering supplier for machine or technology providers.
- Process engineering
- Plant and layout design
- Piping and Mechanical engineering
- Process automation, instrumentation and ICT engineering
- Process electrical engineering
- Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Civil & structural engineering
- Building including architectural design, electrication, re, safety & security
- Sustainability services
- HSE services
Reducing complexity of mining investments
The complexity of mining investment projects is considerable, and the overall evaluation of planned investment is considered extremely dicult. Initial data for strategic mine planning is crucial, and incorrect data can lead to very misleading judgements if not recognised in the evaluation process.
Thus, early-stage mine development should evaluate multiple different concepts for mine operations, in order to nd the most optimal alternative for the entire mine lifecycle. But what aspects need to be taken into consideration when mining project evaluation is conducted in the early mining project development phase?
Mining strategy selection depends on the planned mining concept (open pit or underground) and deposits size as well as investors’ capabilities, and how the mining operations are planned and implemented.
Large deposits require a series of multistage mining strategies and evaluations.
Commonly, a multistage implementation approach of mining operations is developed if the ore deposit is large enough. Usually, multistage operations are initiated from a smaller starter pit with high cash ow, and later the pit is extended using pushbacks to a much larger pit. Likewise, waste stockpiling and tailings disposal areas are designed in stages.
Multistage mining strategies are commonly applied to ore deposits that have a high waste rock to ore ratio (lots of waste rock material requires excavation in order to access the “deeper” ore). In such cases, the underground mine trade-off can be compared to
large open pit pushbacks. Multistage mining operations require a high level of engineering understanding of the technical and economic feasibility of the chosen mining concept.
At the more detailed strategy level, traditional strategic mine planning includes a series of multistep processes to evaluate the tradeoffs of different open pit scenarios. Typically, a detailed open pit plan is generated based on pre-analysed cut-off grades, with the intention of achieving desired goals, such as a target feed to the processing plant while maintaining a smooth material flow to simulate the operation of a mining fleet. A detailed open pit plan is then used to calculate mining equipment numbers, sizing of the processing equipment and operational hours. All of them are the main inputs to the operative cost models that calculate more detailed mining costs and overall economics already in development phase.
Opportunities to improve resource efciency
The mining industry has several opportunities to increase resource eciency. For instance, the full potential of waste as raw material has not yet been realised. AFRY is committed to identifying and developing technological solutions that result in more effective recycling operations, waste reduction and elimination, and repurposing waste streams into new products.
Based on our extensive process understanding, we offer solutions for handling and reusing process and waste water, as well as how to handle the overall environmental challenges associated with mining. When the mine is operational, maintenance and process
optimisation is key to ensure that operations are running at maximum capacity with minimal impacts. Our expertise also includes maintenance engineering and smart solutions to maximize mine productivity over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Explore our FAQs for valuable insights about our services, expertise, sustainability, and global reach. Feel free to contact us for any additional information or specific inquiries; your satisfaction is our top priority, and we’re here to help at all times.
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