Use of conventional Load Haul Dump (LHD) units and scrapers on an uneven mine floor underground leaves behind a significant portion of metal (or precious stones) contained in the already capitally developed and broken ore stocks. Depending on the mining method, this material is never recovered and hidden in various “camouflaging” reconciliation factors (i.e. it is purely wasted) when utilising conventional mining methods and equipment. The portion of metal or precious stones contained in the conventionally “unrecoverable” floor material is included in the initial calculations when a mining project is being evaluated and capital funds are sought for its development.
The underground mine floor vacuuming technology has been successfully introduced and used in South Africa for many years. Stationary Supersuckers have been successfully used to mine opals in Cobber Pedy Region in South Australia since the late 60-ties of the last century.
The application of the Ausvac Mining Pty Ltd fully Mobile Supersucker, a powerful giant vacuum cleaner previously not available in Australia (and possibly anywhere in the world), designed and constructed in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia in 2000 – 2003, and the development of a mine floor material recovery system through a number of hands-on trials on nickel and gold mines in Australia, has now enabled a cost effective reclamation of the “conventionally” unrecoverable material, allowing for a significant additional revenue and enhancement of the return on the invested capital.
Up to forty (40) tonnes per shift can now be recovered from the mine floor with two operators using the Mobile Supersucker. The attached Excel spread-sheet in the Services section of this website (with the current exchange rate, gold and nickel prices, which can be updated), clearly outlines additional extra revenue that can now be generated with very little mine managerial efforts.
Other applications of the Mobile Supersucker in an alternative access and hoisting system for high-grade low tonnage underground deposits, in underground and surface exploration winzing (originally designed for that purpose), mining of very narrow and ultra-high grade veins and in an efficient clean-downs of underground and surface sumps or inaccessible mill areas, often containing significant amount of precious metal or stones are also shown on the photographs attached in the Services section of this website.