Workshops and Short courses
Note: Change of Date of Workshop Sampling Errors and Creative Accounting to 29 May
Pre-Conference Workshop
Monday 26 May 2008 - FULLY BOOKED
QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF RC DRILL SAMPLING |
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Many geologists currently supervising RC drilling programmes need a better grounding in the fundamentals of good sampling and the associated QAQC approaches to demonstrating it. RC drill sampling constitutes a large proportion of the sampling data available to many resource estimates. Ultimately, the reliability of sampling is a factor in the resource estimate reliability.
The course is intended for geologists involved in the design and supervision of RC drilling programmes. It will also benefit resource geologists, managers and others who must make decisions based on drilling data. It is strongly focused on giving participants a set of practical tools for the design and implementation of effective sampling programmes, based on understanding of the underlying theory.
This course will suit those with little background in sampling theory, who wish to get an accelerated start in applying better science to the critical operation of RC drill sampling. Presenters will be Michael Stewart and John Vann of Quantitative Group (QG). CVs for Mike and John are available on the web at www.qgroup.net.au/ourpeople.asp
Cost: A$1,250 (inc. GST A$1,375) - FULLY BOOKED
This short course requires minimum numbers to be viable. Please register early to ensure your place.
Cancellation Policy: QG reserves the right to cancel if a minimum of 8 participants are not registered by Friday 9th May 2008.
Further information is available from Lisa Palmer,
Telephone (+61 8) 9433 3511, Facsimile (+61 8) 9433 3611.
Note: Change of Date
Post-Conference Workshop:
Thursday 29th May,
2pm – 9pm (includes meal)
SAMPLING ERRORS AND CREATIVE ACCOUNTING
Practical Sampling in Difficult Situations
In association with the AusIMM SAMPLING 2008 Conference, Perth, May 27 - 29
This workshop requires minimum numbers to be viable. Please register early to ensure your place.
So you think that your sampling is good enough? Pierre Gy says:
“the failure of what is aptly called a mining or metallurgical venture can nearly always be attributed to unaccountable sampling errors”
Following the successes of the “Critical Issues in Sampling” Workshops (base metals and gold 2004, and Coal 2005), this advanced level, interactive workshop will address sampling issues across exploration, mine planning, development, extraction, processing, blending, metallurgical accounting and shipping of end product.
It is designed to help you (quality managers, resource managers, geologists, mine planners, metallurgists, process engineers, laboratory managers, contract managers, equipment suppliers, analysts), to gain a better understanding of sampling in difficult situations, and to discuss work in progress to develop improved practice.
The Workshop will address sampling in four areas:
- Exploration and EIS
- Mining and processing (including geometallurgy)
- Shipping product
- Laboratory analyses and metallurgical accounting
Short (10 minute) presentations by experts and industry practitioners on current work and developments will be interspersed with extensive peer to peer discussions between participants and presenters.
Workshop Leaders will include Ralph Holmes (CSIRO), Francis Pitard (USA), consulting companies, operating companies and sampling equipment manufacturers. Industry geologists, engineers, metallurgists and quality managers are invited to participate. This will be a very interactive workshop. If you have relevant work to describe or discuss please contact the convenors.
Cost: A$900 (inc. GST A$990)
Further information is available from the Workshop Convenors David Pollard and Geoff Dunlop at sampling@internode.on.net, phone (+61 8) 8362 5545, Fax (+61 8) 8362 0126
Post-Conference
Short Course: Friday 30 May 2008
Economic Consequences of the In Situ Nugget Effect -
A new one-day short course by Francis Pitard
Theory, Predictability, and Strategies for many ores including Gold, Iron ore, Lateritic Nickel, Diamonds, Cement, Copper cathodes, and impurities such as Arsenic and Molybdenum in ores.
The in-situ nugget effect is well recognised in gold ores. A similar situation also occurs in many other ores, such as alumina and silica in iron ores, cobalt in lateritic nickel, etc.
Nugget effects in deposits require the use of bulk samples in order to be representative. However, the cost and turn around time is significant. Francis Pitard analyses the problems, and makes some recommendations.
Course Content:
- Historical views and nature of the Nugget Effect
- Definitions and notations
- In situ Constitution Heterogeneity leading to the In Situ Nugget Effect
- The difference between Nugget Effect and In Situ Nugget Effect
- Estimation of the Variance of the Nugget Effect
- Components of the variographic random variance
- A theoretical approach to quantify the In Situ Nugget Effect
- Gy’s Sampling Theory to the rescue
- Estimation of the mineral of interest maximum particle size
- Estimation of the mineral of interest clustering effect: The key to a true vision of hidden difficulties for feasibility studies
- The Low Background mineral of interest content
- A valuable influx from C.O. Ingamells’s views on how to sample a mountain
- Methods for estimation of the Low-background constituent of interest content
- The concept of Most Probable estimated mineral content
- When the Most Probable estimated mineral content divorces the expected average content
- Interactions between the In Situ Nugget Effect and economical ore cutoff grades
- Relationship between mining resources recovery success, selected ore grade cutoffs, and the In Situ Nugget Effect: Ignoring this relationship can lead to false economics and financial disaster.
- Effect of the In Situ Nugget Effect on the estimated average ore grade
- Effect of the In Situ Nugget Effect on the estimated ore reserves
- Solutions from sampling diagrams
- Case study #1: Arsenic impurity
- Case study #2: Molybdenum by-product
- Case study #3: Coarse gold and clustering of fine gold
- Case study #4: Cobalt content of a Nickel Laterite deposit
- Case Study #5: Alumina and silica in iron ore
- Case study #6: Impurities in cathodes
- Case study #7: Silica in cement
- Case study #8: Impurities in alumina
- The special case of sampling diamonds in Kimberlite pipes
- (Note: case studies will be considered according to participant interests.)
- Economic consequences of a large In Situ Nugget Effect
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- Open discussion
Francis Pitard is a consulting expert in sampling, statistical process control, and Total Quality Management. He is President of Francis Pitard Sampling Consultants and provides consulting and teaching services in many countries. He had six years of experience with the French Atomic Energy Commission and fifteen years with Amax Extractive R&D before starting his own consultancy.
For more than 20 years FPSC has provided professional sampling consultation services and educational programs to many of the world's leading companies engaged in such diverse activities as base metals, precious metals, coal mining, steel and aluminium smelting, petroleum exploration and production, chemical manufacturing, environmental monitoring and power generation, etc.
His courses in the USA are presented by the Colorado School of Mines, and he presented short courses for many years for the Australian Mineral Foundation. His clients include many major Australian mining companies, and major mining companies in North and South America and South Africa.
FPSC is a recognized international expert in all aspects of Total Quality Management, Sampling, Statistical Process Control, and the practical application of statistical methods for problem solving.
Cost: A$1,350 (inc. GST A$1,485)
Further information is available from David Pollard at sampling@internode.on.net, phone (+61 8) 8362 5545, Fax (+61 8) 8362 0126
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