Mining and metals

• Supported by plant operations and maintenance personnel, our engineers evaluate alternatives to extend the life of equipment.
• With a view to sustainable development, cost optimization, and schedules, our team can efficiently deliver brownfield engineering projects, evaluating all options by favoring equipment refurbishment and modifications rather than making complete replacements at the "end of useful life".

Our staff have extensive experience in key mine-to-port components such as bulk material handling engineering and design, marine infrastructure design and repair (including in northern climates), as well as rail spur design and loading and unloading facilities.

For example, when a stacker’s mechanical failure was preventing the unloading of a vessel at a high cost to our client, CIMA+ quickly developed a rolling repair procedure after review and analysis.
In the framework of another project, we designed the structure, foundations, and electrical system of a train car unloading station located at the hub exit of the site. The project included conveyors, buffer silo and hopper to allow the concentrated ore to be transported to the railway leading to the marine terminal.

After completing more than 1,000 projects in northern areas, we understand all the obstacles and constraints that our mining clients face.

Limited transportation of goods | We plan for a one- to two-month yearly window of transportation and we design with the materials already on site.

Design for northern climate | We comply with all applicable standards pertaining to buildings in northern regions.

Modularization strategies for constructability | Used to maximize on-site assemblies

When one of your critical pieces of equipment is failing, we can help you resolve the issue in a timely and cost-appropriate manner. Our team of engineers is here to negotiate with manufacturers and provide you with a clear picture of your equipment’s condition and their warranties.

• Mine sites consume a lot of power with major downsides including increased carbon emissions and operating costs.
• CIMA+ has partnered with major utilities to conduct power studies for mining facilities. Our engineers will go on site and study your operations to investigate where changes can be made.
• Changes can include efficiency in operating equipment - our mechanical and electrical engineers can help you reduce the power consumption of unreliable equipment.
• Our process engineers can help you with identifying more optimized processes to reduce the power input into the process – examples include ore sorting before it enters the mill to reduce gangue ore from being processed.

• Onsite assistance to manage the construction of any asset.
• We have offices across Canada with project managers at each location.

We can meet your water engineering needs by:

• Conducting water-runoff studies
• Ensuring the operation is using recycled water to reduce freshwater requirements
• Connecting your facilities to water treatment plants by balance of plant engineering
• Ensuring tailings management

CIMA+ can conduct scoping studies, preliminary economic analysis (PEA), pre-feasibility study (PFS), and feasibility studies (FS).

The scoping studies start with the development of a lab-scale flowsheet. After determining the correct and representative sample in conjunction with the geologists, the mineral processing or metallurgical engineers will conduct test work on the ore to develop the process design criteria and flowsheet. CIMA+ will:

• Determine the testwork program to be completed
• Work with recommended labs for the best program results considering commercial and technical pros and cons
• Liaison with equipment vendors to ensure the ideal technologies are evaluated
• Evaluate the testwork and determine the Process Design Criteria
• Determine a block flow diagram or high-level flow sheet
• Calculate the capital and operating cost estimates

Due to the substantial costs of developing mining operations, companies in this industry face many challenges. Their infrastructure must be tailored to extensive production levels and require multiple infrastructure assets, such as:

• Electrical distribution networks
• Ore transformation or transformation plants
• Maintenance garages
• Mine tailings facilities
• Water management and treatment systems
• Transportation systems (road, rail and marine)
• Workers’ camps
• Bridges
• Dams
• Utilities
• Communication systems
• Substations

The location of the mines, often far from major cities or in the arctic regions with cold weather and rugged terrain, also brings its own set of challenges.

The materials that the mines need must often be transported in pieces on barges that only operate a few months a year. The northern climate requires equipment that can operate at -50 degrees Celsius and the use of the heat generated by the machinery.

Even located at hundreds of kilometres from the local power grid, mines must process ore, which requires considerable energy.

• CIMA+ often works with clients to define the project or prepare a scope of work. If you know what you want the end-result to be, but don’t know how to get there, let the experts at CIMA+ help you.
• We can also prepare reports to take your project to the next step, as well as construction execution plans.

We can support operations with:

• Standard operating procedures
• Onsite training
• Commissioning support
• Extra assistance (secondments)

• Full sampling campaign to evaluate the process.
• Recommendations of current technology for process improvement.
• Assistance in retrofit projects to modify the process.
• Metallurgical test work programs to evaluate optimization opportunities.
• Equipment tuning for optimal operation.

• At CIMA+ we are familiar with the latest technology available. We have knowledge across many markets of technology that can be used for other applications. For example, a technology used for the online analyzer project to measure potassium in feed to a oil sands plant was applicable to be used in a potash plant project.
• If you have an idea of what you want to do, we invite you to get in touch with us.