Background - H2020 project

The goal was to develop an innovative expert system for:

1. Obtaining reliable drill hole samples, in a fast and cost-effective manner, of  better quality than those obtained by current techniques. The sonic technique was chosen for its development potential toward the reduction of drill hole costs and the improvement of the quality of the cores;
2. Obtaining mineralogical data, systematically and directly on site at the mines, meaning also chemical data as a help for the determination of the mineral associations and adding information on the core samples mechanics.

The innovation of the  SOLSA « expert system » consists in the combination of the different techniques used in drilling and analysing the chemistry and mineralogy of the core samples. Data received from the whole expert system will contribute to improve the reliability of the 3D models on full interpretation of these data sets. Having access in real time to data on chemistry, mineralogy, textures, grain sizes, discontinuities, and phase quantifications will provide precious information to define new and innovative geo-metallurgical proxies in order to increase the efficiency of the raw material industry.

Regarding the exploitation plan, the design, purchase and assembling of instruments for building the SOLSA prototypes for drilling and mobile field analyses were achieved. Lab analyses using the techniques XRD, XRF, Raman, hyperspectral spectroscopy and hyperspectral imagery contributed significantly to the filling the database library. The benchtop analyser prototype was assembled and installed in a trailer named MODULAB where all devices are fixed on solid frames protected from vibrations by silent blocks. It was certified as compliant and is equipped with safety sensors in order to prevent any break-down.

Several major tests were performed on the different modules:

• May 2018: Drilling tests at Giesbeck on 3 blocks (1 m3 size each) of fresh peridotites from New Caledonia.
• Sept. 2018: Field tests on SODICAPEI bauxite mine, located in Villeveyrac in southern France. 2 weeks of drilling were done to test the quality of cores and the performance of the SOLSA expert system. During that stage, the scanner and benchtop analyser were used for the first time in real field conditions for determination of the mineral association of the core samples.
• April 2019, a further drilling field test was performed again at Villeveyrac. The test focused on deeper holes to compare the performance of the drilling system to other techniques used in lateritic terranes.
• October 2019: Field drilling tests were performed in Poland for measuring the performance of the rig in sediments.
• March 2020: drilling tests started in New Caledonia on nickel laterites but were stopped due to the COVID 19 crisis. The drill rig was returned to France one year after without having been authorized to perform the tests.

In parallel, other tests were done regularly in the MODULAB to finalize the combination of the analytical instruments and measure the reliability of the solution.

The software and database part of the system, used to drive the instruments, store and interpret the data, were achieved and a master software was developed and implemented with a Graphical User Interface facilitating access by the end user.

Regarding the dissemination plan, the SOLSA Consortium had four major communication actions:

1. publications,
2. participation in national and international conferences with invited, oral and/or poster presentations, session convenors,
3. booths, 
4. knowledge transfer and education.

During the project, some 30 articles were published in peer-reviewed journals, 40 papers were presented at international conferences, 5 workshops and 3 dissemination events (booths...) were held, and SOLSA participated in 3 cluster events with other H2020 and EIT-KIC projects.

See the link at the bottom of the page to the public deliverables

Comparison with conventional techniques has highlighted the following progress, with a first coarse evaluation of gains:

DRILLING: 40% win on drilling campain price

Regarding the exploration stage, the Sonic drilling technique potential was evaluated at 60 m per day. It shows potential to be faster, cheaper and provide a core quality similar to that from diamond drill holes of HQ diameter.

Sonic drilling is a technique that uses no or little water, having a positive environmental impact, but also a better recovery of the samples;

MINERALOGY: 100x win

Mineral composition is currently not systematically determined. When necessary, some samples are selected for detailed mineralogical analyses but the selection of such samples is based on chemical data only, with questions persisting in terms of representativeness, suitability regarding schedule and delay. SOLSA will characterize the whole core.

CHEMISTRY: 8 times faster and divide the number of lab analyses by 2 to 4

There is no question of suppressing conventional chemical analyses carried out according to mining codes but samples can be composited in order to reduce the number of such analyses

OPEN DATABASE: 3x win - related to specific spectral, raman and hyperspectral databases

All data (spectra and other signals) are filed in an open database that will enrich the current libraries used by the scientific community.

IMPROVEMENT OF ORE PROCESSING

This unfortunately could not be quantified because of the COVID 19 crisis.The additional information will lead to the definition and regionalization of the different types of ores (and waste rock), which can contribute to optimal process plant feeding.

In addition, the solution proposed by the project contributes to demonstrate the willingness of open innovation of European companies and universities, combining advanced research with economic issues.