Research and Technology
Our Approach
BHP Billiton aims to create long-term value through the discovery, development and conversion of natural resources and the provision of innovative customer and market focused solutions.
BHP Billiton Technology aims to enhance the realisation of this purpose.
Value and growth can come from the development of new deposits, through extension of current deposits, from significant improvements in current operations and through ensuring our products and our markets are well matched. The scope of technology development activities covers the full resources value chain, from exploration and mining through to downstream minerals processing and product utilisation.
All work is undertaken in accordance with our Charter and Sustainable Development Policy. Such an approach also accords with our stewardship activities (read more: Stewardship).
The timeframes for technology development vary greatly, depending on the magnitude of the technology change being sought and the opportunities and difficulties encountered during the journey. Typically, when targeting new or step-change technologies that may have an impact in greenfield or brownfield applications, the development profile spans three to ten years. By contrast, continuous improvement activities pertaining to operating sites are often carried out on site and range from a period of months to a year or two. The development of the skills and the knowledge base, necessary for the optimum matching of our products to our customers’ processes, is ongoing. To be effective in this area, deep understanding is often needed and a sustained commitment over a long timeframe is required.
Current Activities
Enhancing discovery
Ore bodies are becoming more difficult to discover, and the ability to detect deposits occurring at depth requires new technologies.
The FALCONTM exploration system is a geophysical technology that has been developed by BHP Billiton over several years and is now in deployment phase. It is an airborne gravity gradiometer (AGG) system that measures minute changes in the Earth's gravity field where mineral deposits occur.
The GEOFERRETTM exploration tool is a rapid, deep-penetrating ground electromagnetic system that is specially designed for the detection of conductive, deep, mineral deposits. It is particularly useful for understanding extensions of existing deposits.
The FALCONTM and GEOFERRETTM systems are two technologies that we have developed to enhance our potential for discovery of ore bodies.
Mining smarter
Ore bodies are not homogeneous in their spatial distribution, their grade or their ability to be processed. The downstream customer of the mine – the ore processing plant – is best designed and best operated if it receives a consistent feedstock. Having a mine plan that integrates knowledge of the orebody with the needs of the processing plant is a key means of optimising value. This and related questions needed an innovative approach beyond what was available to the industry. Implementation of our advances in this area has generated very positive outcomes for our operations.
Skills in the mining area, more specifically when applied in geotechnical research and development, have also contributed significantly to the safety of our operations. Development of improved methods for rapidly and accurately understanding structural geology at our mine sites enables improved wall and slope stability to be achieved.
- Geotechnical studies for better design of high walls in open pit mining can improve both production and safety outcomes
Extending mine life
In ensuring the maximum value is obtained for our business, BHP Billiton strives to improve the economic life of its operations. In doing so, the Company is committed to improving the environmental and social impact of its mining activities.
It is quite common in the history of a mine that, as the operation ages, production becomes more challenging. This may, for example, be due to a decrease in ore grade or a change in the mineral type. To deal with these situations, it is advantageous to have available or to develop technologies that can accommodate such changes.
In a recent addition to our Escondida copper operation (Chile), the known technology of heap leaching of sulphide ores has been implemented. Enhanced heap leaching of copper ores is a technology which has been the subject of development in the Company for a number of years, and the objective is to improve performance such that it can be even more widely applied to lower-grade ores of differing mineral types in the future.
Some of the skills and technology developed to enhance mineral extraction is also now being applied to water treatment needs in our South African coal operations.
- From left to right: Heap leaching R&D starts with studies in columns in a laboratory; may move to a demonstration scale heap; before full scale operation; all with the goal of producing copper metal.
Adapting to a changing world in nickel
Although world demand for nickel is strong, the available sources are changing. The outlook for discovery of high-grade massive sulphides appears poor, so attention is being directed to using lower-grade disseminated sulphides and also laterite deposits.
Laterite deposits represent the larger portion of world nickel occurrence but currently provide the smallest share of production. For the past decade, BHP Billiton has been developing improved laterite technologies to address anticipated challenges from future resources. The Company currently operates highly successful laterite nickel operations at Cerro Matoso (Colombia) and Yabulu (Australia).
A new project at Ravensthorpe (Australia) is under construction and uses an acid leach process, which combines the best available technology for pressure leaching together with an in-house improvement that adds an atmospheric leach section to the flow sheet. Overall the process is termed Enhanced Pressure Acid Leaching (EPAL).
Matching our products with our customers’ needs
To ensure that mined resources are fully utilised, our Technical Marketing Team engages our customers to address any issues related to achieving the best results when using our ores. For example, steel mills typically convert fines from iron ore to a material called sinter, which must have the size and strength necessary for good performance in a blast furnace. By gaining a deep understanding of this sintering process over many years and working very closely with our customers, we have contributed to a change in patterns of use of iron ores from large deposits. Goethitic ores, which were once regarded as of marginal use as minor components in blends, are now regarded as highly desirable.
External Partnerships
BHP Billiton works with a very large network of universities and research organisations across the globe to improve technology availability. China, Russia, India, the USA, Canada, Chile, the UK, South Africa and Australia are some of the countries involved. Sometimes we follow a one-on-one arrangement with the research institution in support of specific Company initiatives. Often, however, the connection is part of a multi-participant collaborative effort targeted at achieving advances for the industry. This is often the case with environmental initiatives – such as with FutureGen (USA) and Coal21 (Australia), which focus on improved greenhouse gas outcomes.
In developing external partnerships we are also sensitive to the need to contribute to the ongoing health of the research and teaching sectors. Our people serve as members of boards and advisory groups for many organisations, and we support research chairs in a number of centres and give targeted support to industry-related events and conferences.
These collaborations serve to enhance innovation across the industry as well as within BHP Billiton.
