NEWSLETTER August 2007

Transcription

1 AUSTRALIAN COAL PREPARATION SOCIETY LIMITED ABN NSW Branch PO Box 2315 DANGAR NSW 2309 Tel: Fax: NEWSLETTER August 2007 August AGM & Technical Presentation Date: Wednesday 15 th August 2007 Venue: Returned Services Club 1a York St, Singleton NSW Please note: the meeting is being held at the RSC NOT the RSL details of the club and a map is available on the ACPS website Presenters: Dr Roe-Hoan Yoon (Virginia Tech) Alan Dunn & Brian Bannister (Transfield Services) Start Time: 5:30pm (Drinks & Nibbles) Sponsor: Total Coal Processing Topics: Dr Roe-Hoan Yoon Coal Preparation Research at the Centre for Advanced Separation Technologies The Centre for Advanced Separation Technologies (CAST) is a consortium of seven universities in the U.S., which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. It has been conducting research to develop advanced technologies in the areas of fine coal dewatering, desliming, density tracers, and flotation models. The presentation will summarise the progress made to date Dr Roe-Hoan Yoon is a Professor at the Department of Mining and Minerals engineering, Virginia Tech, Virginia. Dr Yoon s primary research interests are fine particle flotation, column flotation, chemistry of sulfide mineral flotation, fine particle dewatering, and colloid and surface chemistry. For his contribution to flotation research, Dr Yoon received the Gaudin Award (2003) and Richards Award (2007). He served as co chair of the Centenary of Flotation Symposium, Brisbane, To date, Dr Yoon has published more than 290 technical papers, and is credited to many patents. The Microcel flotation technology is on of his inventions.

2 Alan Dunn (Senior Planner) & Brian Bannister (Qld Operations Manager, TSEG) The Transfield Services Approach to Shutdowns Alan Dunn is a Senior Planner who has been employed by Transfield Services for more than 15 years with extensive experience in Project Controls in Shutdowns and Projects. Transfield Services has a seven-phase process for the management of Shutdowns. Alan s presentation will provide an overview of the key elements in this process. These include the staging plan approach; project controls, including planning and scheduling methodology and workpacks; the readiness review process; HSE Preparation and QA/QC Preparation. Brian Banister has a degree in Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering and also has a Master of Applied Science. Brian began his career through a traineeship done at the BHP Newcastle Steelworks. He has also worked in the physical testing and evaluation section of the ACIRL, Maitland operation. Brian has worked for 27 years in manganese and coal processing in maintenance and operational management roles. And also as Construction Manager in the heavy construction industry in the Hunter Valley. Brian will give detailed case study of a BMA CHPP shutdown in the Bowen Basin. Transfield Services Engineering Group (TSEG) currently executes on average six CHPP and Dragline shutdowns per year in the region. The talk will run the practical application of the seven phase process.

3 The sad news of the passing of a dear friend John Arnold 5/12/42 2/1/07

4

5

6 Membership renewals for the financial period are now due. Whilst the response has been faster this year, there are still outstanding memberships that have not been updated thus far. To renew your membership payment on line it is very easy. Just visit Click Membership Click New Memberships or Membership Renewal Click Log In Now Enter your first name and surname and your membership number (If you have forgotten your membership number, enter your address and your membership number will be sent to you within a few minutes) Follow the steps to update your current financial status. If all of the above should fail, please contact the ACPS Secretariat on (02) and we will assist you with your enrolment or renewal. Members Please Note It is important to remember that you need to be a financial member for your company to appear in the Trade Directory. Members also receive a 20% discount on all items (including text books) in the online shop and also substantial discounts on courses. In the case of courses, the membership saving is always more than the cost of membership. It is also important to note that Society Members who do NOT renew their membership, will not receive further newsletters whilst unfinancial. CALL FOR SPONSORS Membership Chairman s Dinner The last major event of the ACPS calendar is the Chairman s Dinner to be held in November. This year the dinner is going to be held at the Tamburlaine Vineyard, in the Hunter Valley on the 14 th November. We are looking for expressions of interest for sponsorship of this event. As with the past few years, this year s event is going to prove to be a memorable one, and we are hoping the event will be well attended once again. Sponsorships will be $ GST which will include signage on the evening, preferential seating and frequent mentions throughout the evening. Further details will be added in upcoming newsletters, but for those interested in sponsoring this wonderful event, please contact the ACPS Secretariat on (02)

7 ACPS Website The ACPS website ( is continually improving. You should take the time to visit the website and have a look around to see what useful information is there for you - our members. Can everyone please go to the website and check that your contact details are up to date. This will only take a short moment of your time but will save the ACPS a lot of time when it comes to getting information to our members. The past presentations of our technical meetings are gradually making their way onto the website. Members should look under Membership, then Members Only Area, then NSW Presentations and then select the year that you would like. The very well attended presentation by Donna Dryden last month in Sydney (AusIMM/ACPS joint meeting) is up and available for viewing by our members. If you have a presentation that you have done for the ACPS and know that it isn t up on the website, can you please it to the Secretariat for placement on the website (acps_nsw@acps.com.au). Even if it is in hardcopy, then you can still send it and we will be able to scan it to get up for our members. There are some presentations that are on the website with just the company or washery name, but there are no details of who presented it. If you visit the website, and find that you have given one of these talks and your details are not on the website, then please let the Secretariat know and we will fix it up. A Quick Congratulations! Bethany Yzabella Tate Born 19 th June 2007 To proud parents Karen Knott (CIBA) and her husband, Peter Tate. Wishing you all the best on behalf of the ACPS

8 Forward Programme 2007 Date Event Location 15 th August Technical Meeting Singleton E* September 18 & 19 NSW Sampling Course Nulkaba September 19 Technical Meeting Nulkaba October 17 th Technical Meeting Mudgee October 21 st 26th NSW Advanced Course Kurri Kurri November 14 th Chairman s Dinner Tamburlaine Vineyard, Hunter Valley E* - Early start (5:30pm for Drinks & Nibbles) IMPORTANT NOTICE The August General Coal Preparation Course that was to be held in Singleton has been cancelled due to the unavailability of the Course Directors. All registered persons will be contacted personally by the Secretariat to inform them of their options for future courses

9 Brief Synopsis on Upcoming Events Sampling Coal for Supply Chain Management A short course by Francis Pitard This course is for geologists, mining and mine planning engineers, metallurgists, metallurgical managers and laboratory supervisors. It will focus on sampling problems in underground and open pit coal mines and the washery, and how to overcome them. It will examine the problems of stockpiling, bulk sampling, sampling trucks, sampling at the loader, grade control and production scheduling, sampling for metallurgical reconciliation and superintendence issues. When: Tuesday September 18 th and Wednesday September 19 th 2007 Where: Potters Hotel and Brewery, 14 Orient St, Wine Country Dr NULKABA NSW 2325 Nearest Airport: Newcastle (Williamtown) Registration: $1,800 (including GST) for current ACPS members $2,200 (including GST) for non - members. The registration fee includes course notes as well as morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea for both days. Accommodation is available at Potters Hotel ( ) (when booking, mention that you are an ACPS presentation to secure a special room rate) Registrations for the Francis Pitard course are now available online. Please go to the ACPS website ( Click on Meetings, Events & Courses, then select NSW Sampling Courses from the drop down menu in the centre of the page A limited number of corporate sponsorships are also available for this event. Any organisations interested in taking up a sponsorship should contact the course director or the Secretariat for further details. Sponsors will be formally acknowledged during course proceedings. For all enquiries contact Noel Lambert ( , noellambert@harboursat.com.au) or the NSW Secretariat ( , acpsnsw@acps.com.au) The Bi-Annual ACARP Seminar will also be held at this time same venue on Thursday 20 th September. Please contact Peter Newling at pgn@bigpond.net.au or for details.

10 NSW MODERN COAL PREPARATION COURSE One Week Residential Course This course, which has been running for over twenty years, will provide a detailed understanding of the science and practice of coal preparation. Topics presented by speakers selected for their specialised knowledge and communication skills include: Coal characterisation Lease Evaluation Equipment Selection and Process Design Plant Optimisation Plant Management Materials Handling Course Fee: $3200 for members and $3600 for non-members incl GST (includes all accommodation, meals, and a 7 volume set of Coal Preparation Monographs). AMEX cardholders will pay an extra 2.5% fee. Who Should Attend Preparation Plant Operators, engineers, managers, support service and marketing personnel Venue: Is situated within the TAFE campus at Kurri Kurri and the accommodation is individual Conference Standard rooms with shared facilites. For further information contact the Secretariat ( ) Advertising VACANT POSITIONS section may be used by members to inform the membership of situations vacant. Charges for the placement of ½ page and ¼ page adverts with minimal editing will be $500 and $250 respectively per issue.

11 Charity Bike Ride Event Coal Prep Society - Media Release Coal Prep People Became Stars for a Good Cause! The participants of the Peddle Push from Gunnedah to Maitland became Stars during 1 st May to 6 th May 2007 raising money for the Starlight Children s Foundation, doing their part to help bring magic and laughter into the lives of seriously ill children and hospitalised children and their families. The Peddle Push members, namely Greg Queenan, Peter Newling, Greg Irvine Brown, Robbie MacKay, Frank Bynon, Neil Hassett, Lee Wicks, Pat Newcombe all working in Coal Prep, (along with some family and friends - totalling 23, 6 of whom were support crew) cycled from Gunnedah to Maitland a distance of 296 km raising funds for the Starlight Children s Foundation Make a Wish programme over 5 days. Starlight s mission is to brighten the lives of all seriously ill and hospitalised children and their families throughout Australia, from the granting of fabulous and never forgotten wishes to fun and laughter with Captain Starlight, together as a group the Pedal Pushers will have made a difference in the life of seriously ill children and their families. This all started when the retiring Coal Prep Superintendent from Mt Owen Greg Queenan wanted to do something about his health, and rather than have a party to celebrate his 60 th he decided to invite a group of his mates to join him on a bike ride over a few days staying in pubs along the way, and initially all accepted the challenge never expecting that he would go through with it - he gave them fourteen months notice, so it was up to them to get fit and raise the $500 to cover expenses and have enough left over to grant one wish, valued at $ I sort approval from Starlight to raise funds for them so that we had a goal to work to, and ensure that we did not pull out said Greg.

12 We were thrilled to support the participants, their family and friends, said Holly Lawson, Starlight s State Branch Community Coordinator. They can feel proud that their generosity and compassion will brighten the lives of seriously ill children. Prior to leaving, some fund raising activities took place; to raise funds, allow people to know each other; and keep everybody focused on the ride. We soon realised that a target of $5, was going to be achieved and reset our target to $20, It was up to the individuals to do their own training and some training days were organised, however, nothing can prepare you for five days consecutive riding except to do five days consecutive riding, as we all eventually found out. The work we were doing prior to the ride got the attention of some of the Starlight Volunteer Ladies and they enquired if they could come along in any capacity, two became Peddle Pushers and two became support personnel. The journey to Gunnedah on the train was a good idea as nobody on the ride had a chance to see what they had let themselves in for until they started riding Greg said Staying in pubs created a good social backdrop to the ride; we had our own company of an evening along with the company of the pub patrons and with the support of the local Lions Club members where they assisted with fundraising and fellowship. All the refreshment stops were organised by the local Lions Clubs and rather than loosing weight we all on average put on 1 to 2 kg - thanks to the country ladies cooking! Some of the facilities were very basic but no one could question the hospitality and generosity of the local communities, for example; a bucket collection in the main street in Gunnedah raised $1, and we raised an average $1, in each town we stayed. Largely we had a great time 5 unforgettable days!, got a little fitter (I m not sure if the ride over the range at Murrurundi was harder than the 71 km across the Breeza Plains!), we raised the profile of the Starlight Children s Foundation and raised a net $50, enabling up to ten wishes to come true. (10 times the original target). As much as we have already given the Starlight Children s Foundation a cheque, if anybody wishes to donate funds to this cause they can forward to Greg Queenan their donation and he will issue a tax deductible receipt and pass the funds onto The Starlight Children s Foundation.

13 Please show your support and help make a seriously ill child smile. Greg s contact details are as follows; Greg Queenan 12 Logan Road, Rutherford. NSW 2320 and cheques can be made out to The Starlight Children s Foundation. A photo of the peloton on their final day of riding

14 From L R: Pat Newcombe, Neil Hassett, Lee Wicks (all of Mt Owen CHPP) and Terry Mills (Maitland Hospital Radiographer) Above (from L R): Pete Newling, Rob Mackay (Halley Mellowes) and Luke Queenan (Springvale Underground)

15 Vacant Position Senior Metallurgical Manager Brisbane Brisbane based; part time; interesting and flexible position with an innovative team Superior Coal Limited requires the services of an experienced metallurgist with a background in coal and mineral processing to join a leading team known for their abilities to produce viable, innovative solutions to the retreatment of coal tailings and rejects. Reporting to the Managing Director, the Senior Metallurgical Manager will be required to apply metallurgical knowledge and control to a number of different projects. The role requires someone who can think outside the square and use their expertise to apply proven technologies in an innovative manner, professionally prove the application, and then make it work in practice. Works will include assessing processing alternatives of new projects and translating these assessments into detailed testing regimes required to prove the viability of solutions. The compilation of comprehensive technical reports, review and interpretation of test results and assistance on proposals and contract administration will be required. The role will also incorporate investigating new technologies and assessing their practical application to specific situations, whilst identifying and removing risk. The successful applicant will understand coal and mineral beneficiation processes and procedures and be able to write comprehensive technical reports that can be readily understood by technical peers and financiers. Good time and cost management skills are essential, as well as an ability to consider projects and processing options and identify risks. Requirements: Tertiary qualification in mineral or coal beneficiation Min 20 years experience in coal and mineral processing A high level of computer literacy A positive can-do attitude Good interpersonal skills Lateral thinking A willingness to work in a team environment Flexibility in regards to approach and hours worked Coal industry experience would be a definite advantage. To apply, or for more information please contact: The Managing Director Superior Coal Limited PO Box 7149 Riverside Centre QLD admin@superiorcoal.com