The three companies - Anaconda Mining, ANDRITZ and Voith Turbo - have been selected to pitch their disruptive ideas at the #DisruptMining 2019 live finale, which takes place March 3 during the PDAC convention.
To determine this year's finalists and semi-finalists, the shortlisted submissions were first reviewed by a group from the University of British Columbia and then senior Goldcorp representatives.
One of the finalists, gold miner Anaconda Mining will be presenting its innovative, two-stage drilling method that can enable more economic mining of narrow-vein deposits. The technology, known as Sustainable Mining by Drilling (SMD), was developed in collaboration with Memorial University of Newfoundland.
ANDRITZ, a supplier of machines and automation solutions, has developed a continuous way of training AI to operate a mineral-processing facility using its digital twin. The AI is trained to respond to a variety of situations, making it capable of adapting to changing inputs and improving upset recovery time.
Voith Turbo, in turn, is showcasing its IoT application, BeltGenius, which creates a digital twin of belt conveyors, providing real-time insight into the behaviour of the operation. Resulting from a constant learning system, this information is used to identify potential risks and inefficiencies, allowing for greater uptime, more efficient energy use, predictive maintenance and optimisation of weight and speed.
"These finalists demonstrate breakthrough thinking and help build digital momentum in mining. The industry needs to help accelerate the development of these kinds of technologies," said Todd White, Goldcorp COO and executive VP of operations.
At the #DisruptMining live finale, co-hosted by KPMG, each finalist will present a short pitch video followed by a Q&A with the judges, in front of a live audience, demonstrating how their concept or technology has the potential to disrupt mining. Goldcorp has committed the opportunity to negotiate for C$1 million toward a proof of concept or direct investment in the winning technology.
