Powering Australia using mirrors in the outback

25th Sep 2014

Fresh from creating a world record back in June, CSIRO are taking their solar savvy to the bush.

At a time when electricity demand is falling across much of Australia, the opposite has been true for many mining centres in remote areas, where energy usage has been increasing.

These regions enjoy some of the bluest skies in the world, making them ideal for the use of solar thermal technology.

The problem is that at the moment the cost is too high.

Solar-thermal tower technology uses many mirrors (heliostats) that track the sun, concentrating its energy by reflecting light towards a receiver fixed on top of a tower. However conventional heliostats are expensive to install in remote areas due to the large number of components that need to be assembled on site, leading to higher electricity costs.

Until now.
By changing the way heliostats are manufactured and controlled, our solar scientists are aiming to avoid the high cost of installation and maintenance in remote areas, providing an affordable renewable energy solution for the Aussie outback.

But that’s only part of the story.

We’re also working to improve the other components of the overall parts of the solar thermal system such as receivers, turbines and, perhaps most importantly, storage. Thermal energy can be stored relatively cheaply compared to some other technologies, so there is great potential for large scale power generation regardless of when the sun is shining.

Solar electricity can be transported through the grid from our country’s sunniest areas into cities and suburbs, and by making use of storage this can happen at the times when demand (and prices) are highest. This can have a positive impact on electricity prices by reducing peak demand caused by the use of air-conditioners on hot days.

To read the full story, click here.

Source: CSIRO

Underground mine transformed into trampoline wonderland

24th Sep 2014

An abandoned 176-year old underground mine has been transformed into a trampoline park. And it looks amazing!

Blaenau Ffestiniog’s slate mine in North Wales boasts three trampolines positioned between 6 to 54 metres above the floor (with safety nets included).

The trampolines are hung within two vast chambers connected by walkways and slides.
To cater for the extra adventurous, the highest slide stands at 18 metres.

As if this wasn’t cool enough, Bounce Below lights up the walls of the mine with a techni-coloured light display that illuminates the cavern, creating a dreamlike affect for bouncers.

To read the full story, click here.

Source: www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/

Treasure hunters recover $1.4m in gold from 1857 shipwreck off US coast

02nd Jun 2014

A deep-ocean exploration company in Florida says it has recovered nearly 1,000 ounces of gold, worth $1.4 million at current gold prices, on a reconnaissance dive to an historic Atlantic Ocean shipwreck.

The dive confirmed that the ship, SS Central America, had not been disturbed since 1991 when another company stopped recovery work, Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration, announced on Monday.

The ship, which sank in a hurricane in 1857 with 21 tonnes of gold aboard, sparked a US banking panic at the time, which lasted several years.

The 280-foot sidewheel steamship carried gold from the California mines, as well as the personal wealth and belongings of its 477 passengers, most of whom were lost when the ship sank.

The two-hour reconnaissance dive in mid-April took place as the company’s research vessel, Odyssey Explorer, was travelling from the United Kingdom to Charleston, South Carolina.

To read the full story, click here.

Source: abc.net.au

Robotic trucks taking over Pilbara mining operations in shift to automation

02nd Jun 2014

The three iron ore heavyweights in the Pilbara have launched into the new world of automated mining, where the people are leaving the dirty work to the mechanical monsters in the pit.

With the decade-long mining boom pushing up wages and costs to unrealistic heights and ongoing scrutiny of safety in the mines, it is not hard to see why.

Tim Day has been in charge of rolling out BHP’s automation program at its brand new Jimblebar mine in the Pilbara.

He says there are several drivers for the change.

“The single biggest reason is safety,” Mr Day said.

“On a mine site, one of the issues we have is that we expose operators to machinery for long periods of time. We have fatigue issues, so it takes our people away from the front line.”

The dangers of mining are all too real.

A recent Department of Mines study analysed the deaths of 52 miners over the past 12 years, finding worker fatigue and inexperience with mining risks to be the biggest cause of accidents.

However, while miners are keen to sell the technology as a ticket to safer mine sites, it is also a ticket to cutting costs.

“It should also actually introduce a lot more hours onto the machines, so you can actually use the machinery more because you don’t need lunch breaks, you don’t need crib times or shift changes,” Mr Day said.

And what productivity and efficiency gains essentially boils down to is lower costs for producers and greater returns for investors.

With reduced costs on accommodation, flights and site penalties, some estimate each autonomous truck saves a million dollars per year.

The saving, Mr Kirchlechner says, is essential to remaining cost competitive on the world stage.

“As the world is becoming more global, capital is mobile, so we are always competing for capital,” he said.

“And because the industry is becoming so capital intensive, and because capital costs have risen so quickly, it’s really putting pressure on companies to become more productive.”

For the full article, and background of the automation technology, click here.

Source: abc.net.au

Queensland Economy Update

05th Dec 2013

A record $37.9 billion was spent by minerals and energy companies in Queensland last financial year.

The 2012-13 postcode analysis of wages and salaries paid, goods and services purchased and community contributions from 40 of the state’s leading minerals and energy companies was released today by Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Michael Roche.

Direct spending by resources companies reached most Queensland Local Government Areas and generated an additional $37.7 billion in ‘second round value-add’ economic activity, according to an analysis prepared by independent economics experts, Lawrence Consulting.

‘What this confirms is that once more the minerals and energy sector was responsible directly and indirectly for one in every four dollars in the state’s economy and almost one in every five jobs,’ Mr Roche said.

‘From a starting point of 43,000 direct employees – excluding contractors – an additional 400,000 full-time equivalent jobs were generated, with almost half those in the Brisbane region.

‘This is the result of the very high levels of expenditure, their capital intensity and the resources sector’s significant reach across other industry sectors in Queensland such as construction and transport.

‘This is another reminder of the investment that every Queenslander has in the future of a diversified and vibrant minerals and energy sector,’ he said.

Mr Roche said coal industry spending represented just over half the sector’s $37.9 billion cash injection to Queensland in 2012-13 with oil and gas ramping up to a 31 percent share and metals contributing 14 percent.

‘Oil and gas industry spending of $11.7 billion was a big factor in offsetting the well-publicised cost cutting and investment slowdown in the coal industry,’ he said.

‘The challenges facing the Queensland coal industry are well documented as the transition from investment to production takes hold.

‘In 2014, the first exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are scheduled from new processing plants on Curtis Island.

‘That will be another milestone in the transition timetable as Queensland comes off a decade of massive investment in the state’s future.

‘In 2013-14, we expect to see another 12 months of strong investment from oil and gas but it remains to be seen whether this will be sufficient to offset continuing belt-tightening in the coal sector.

‘The Queensland story for the next few years is about translating a golden period of investment into sales of minerals and energy resources along with the expertise and the technology developed to win them.’

An ABS Statistical Division breakdown of resources sector spending across Queensland in 2012-13 revealed an almost 81 percent jump to $2 billion on the Darling Downs and a 13 percent increase in the Brisbane region to $16.5 billion.

‘The increase in gas exploration and development expenditure is obvious on the Darling Downs while goods and services purchases were the drivers for Brisbane’s improved result,’ he said.

The Mackay region – comprising the city of Mackay and the northern Bowen Basin coal region – endured a 12 percent drop in spending as a result of the coal industry’s belt tightening while the North West also felt the sting of soft global markets, high production costs and a high dollar.

‘The state’s resources diversity has delivered a record economic contribution to the people of Queensland but there’s also a salutary reminder that our hard won reputation as a minerals and energy supplier of choice should not be taken for granted,’ Mr Roche said.

‘I urge all Queenslanders to visit the QueenslandEconomy website (www.queenslandeconomy.com.au) and learn about the connections between their towns, their regions and their state’s leading export sector.

‘There’s a wealth of new and accessible information including royalties paid and the nature of community contributions for every local government area.

‘Just type in the name of your town or its postcode and let the technology do the work,’ Mr Roche said.

Source: www.qrc.org.au

Hope for algae-powered future

06th Aug 2013

First, the bad news: because of climate change and worsening water pollution, algae, the world’s fastest-growing photosynthetic organisms, are proliferating worldwide. A few of these are of the toxic blue-green variety.

The good news is that some strains of algae can be converted into an alternative source of renewable energy that is commercially viable.

“Newly trialled native species provide real hope,” says Evan Stephens of Queensland University’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience and manager of the Solar Biofuels Research Centre.

“There are roughly 350,000 species of algae – more than all higher plants – around the world,” he says. By isolating strains from native Australian waters, and then screening them against a set of criteria for producing fuel, scientists can breed new and improved varieties.

“By new strains, we mean algae varieties that have not been previously isolated, characterised and identified for fuels,” Dr Stephens says.

Genetic engineering helps scientists determine traits that may improve yields and other qualities. “But in most cases we can go back and rescreen libraries of isolates for these characteristics which are naturally occurring,” he explains.

To read the full story, click here.

Source: theage.com.au

Minerals Downunder App out now

05th Aug 2013

The Minerals Downunder iPad app is now available for download from the app store.

Minerals Downunder provides an overview of:

• Mineral formation
• How valuable mineral deposits are discovered
• Where they are found in Australia
• How rich ore is retrieved from the ground
• How minerals are extracted from the ore
• How minerals are changed into everyday products

It also looks at the important issues of environmental management and sustainability.

Find some interesting information about one of the most exciting metals to be mined in Australia – gold!

The package concludes with some ‘Fascinating Mine Facts’ and contains an extensive glossary.

Australian scientists in nanotechnology breakthrough

11th Jan 2013

Scientists at the CSIRO and RMIT University have discovered a new two-dimensional nano-material that could pave the way for the creation of even smaller computing devices that offer big improvements in processing speed.

The material is made up of layers of crystal known as ‘molybdenum oxides’, which have unique properties that encourage the free flow of electrons at ultra-high speeds.

Speaking to CIO Dr Serge Zhuiykov, a scientist at the CSIRO, said the team had created layers of material as thin as 10 nanometres, significantly thinner than the current electronic industry benchmark of between 20 and 30 nanometres for silicon-based chips.

To read the full article, click here.

Source: www.cio.com.au

STAQ E-newsletter

05th Dec 2012

Find out what’s been happening at the Science Teacher’s Association of Queensland with their December e-newsletter.

Includes information on the STAQ Senior Science Conference, Annual General Meeting, 60th Queensland Science Contest and much more.

Follow this link to view: STAQ December E-newsletter

South Americans learn skills in outback Queensland

23rd Oct 2012

In parts of South America there has been wide conflict, particularly in Peru, where many people have been killed during public protests about mining.

Tensions have also been high in South Africa, where striking platinum miners have finally struck a wage deal, following five weeks of bloodhsed and unrest.

University of Queensland Professor David Brereton, who works with the Sustainable Minerals Institute, says he was approached by the Australian Ambassador in Peru to run the study tour to Mount Isa.

He says he hopes that by observing the relationship between Australian Aboriginals and mining companies, the South Americans will take lessons back to their home countries.

Seventeen representatives of government and Indigenous organisations from Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia arrived in Mount Isa on Sunday.

They visited an Indigenous training group near Camooweal called Myuma and also toured Xstrata’s copper operations in Mount Isa.

Follow the link to listen to the audio interview – ABC reporter Emma Cillekens with Professor Brereton, Fransisco Cevallos Paez from Ecuador and Yohannaliz Vega Auqui from Peru.

Source: ABC North West Queensland