AIMS 2006 Seminar

Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer

Simon Treasure
AAMHatch
s.treasure@aamhatch.com.au

Abstract

Reporting tonnages of stockpiled material is critical to a mining operation. Whilst mine

surveyors routinely utilise a variety of terrestrial and airborne surveying techniques to
report stockpile volumes, the determination of a stockpile's density, to derive a tonnage,
is a less routine exercise. This paper examines the application of a "Humbolt Nuclear
Moisture/Density Gauge" to accurately determine stockpile densities. Recent density
determinations of a variety of materials are presented in context.

Biography of the Author

Simon Treasure is a project manager in AAMHatch’s Surveying Business Unit. Simon

has extensive surveying experience in the mining environment having completed
numerous control, cadastral, engineering and construction surveys for a number of
mine related project developments in Western Australia.

More recently, Simon has completed a project with BHPBilliton to determine the
densities of iron ore stockpiles, which is the focus of this paper.

Simon Treasure is a Member of the Institution of Surveyors Australia.

Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

Background

Context

In a mining operation, the stockpiles contain the ready-for-sale-or-shipment product.

Mined products are invariably valued in terms of their mass. A reliable mass or tonnage
of stockpiles is essential information for mining companies to satisfy three needs:

• The stockpile is a tangible asset that is an important component of reports to the

board, financial institutions and shareholders. The valuation of the material held in
stock can influence the valuation of a company’s current capital value.

• In a complex operation, stockpiles of different grades and consistencies of material

may require blending before shipment. Those managing the operation need to be
confident of what tonnage of each stock they have at any particular time.

• Those charged with loading and delivering of the product must have confidence in
the stock-on-hand, particularly in loading ships for export. The cost of demurrage
for ships on stand-by is very high.

Clearly, there is a business and operational need for reliable and timely knowledge of
the tonnage of stockpiled product. In some operations, this can be easily achieved by
measuring trucks on weighbridges. More complex operations find the task more
complex.

The Problem

The problem of determining reliable stockpile mass is well known. The material is in
constant change, often they are inaccessible, direct measurements of mass are subject to
systematic and cumulative error.

In those operations in which material is delivered to stockpiles by vehicles which are

subject to static weighing, stockpile mass can be well monitored. When material is
delivered by conveyors and weighed by dynamic weightometers, the errors can become
problematic.

In operations which deliver products to ships, delivery mass is reliably determined by

ship displacement. Delivery mass of product in wheeled vehicles can be reliably
measured by weighbridges.

The problem may be defined as follows:

How can we measure the mass of constantly moving stockpiles so that the three needs
defined above may be satisfied?

Common Practice

Tonnage = volume x specific gravity (density)

Common practice is to measure the volume of stockpiles at regular intervals and apply
specific gravity to deduce mass.

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Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

Measurement of stockpile volume at a particular instant has been largely solved by the
use of aerial photogrammetry, pioneered at Port Kembla in the nineteen sixties. Other
methods are terrestrial surveys by point measurement or swathe scanning. Modern
methods can yield typical accuracy of one or two percent of volume.

Specific gravity is commonly determined in a variety of ways. There are empirical

methods of weighing a filled container of known volume. This method will not take
account of the variation of density caused by compaction within a stockpile. Some
operations have determined specific gravity, by deduction - using a combination of
known delivery mass, volume surveys and interim weightometer measurements over
long periods to achieve figures that fit the ‘knowns’. There could be no more empirical
method than this! Other reported methods include drilling samples in the un-mined
materials and application of bulking factors.

Density gauges have not been commonly used in Australia in recent decades.

Rational

From the preceding narrative, it can be seen that the need for knowing reliable stockpile
tonnage is an important one; and that the common methods of determining tonnage rely
on empirical or indirect methods of finding one of the critical parameters – specific
gravity.

In a world that is increasingly focused on transparency and accountability, it would

seem to be a matter of responsibility for those entrusted with measurement to find a
more defendable method of measuring the specific gravity of stockpiled materials.

This paper describes some of the work being undertaken to achieve this objective.

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Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

Nuclear Moisture/Density Gauges

Overview

Modern nuclear density gauges are small transportable devices that contain two
radioactive sources used to measure material density and moisture content. The Gamma
source (Cs-137 Cesium 137) is located in a metal probe that is pushed into the
stockpiled material. Detector tubes at the base of the unit, measure the number of hits
by radiated packets of energy that arrive at its location. Knowing the probe depth and
the number of hits, the specific gravity can be resolved. The number of hits over a set
duration (one minute) is proportional to the specific gravity. More hits reflect less
dense material.

The second radioactive source is the Neutron source (Am-241 Americium/Beryllium).

It is mounted on the under side of the unit and measures the moisture content over the
same duration. The moisture content is required to convert the wet density readings to
dry density values.

The gauge used in the surveys described in this paper is the Humboldt 5001 series
Nuclear density gauge.

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Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

Benefits/Limitations

In the operational sense, nuclear density gauges offer a number of benefits for
measuring stockpile densities, viz:-

• Results can be generated quickly.

• The units are very mobile. Fully packaged for shipping, the Humboldt 5001 series
weighs 41kg; it can be freighted to any site with ease.

• The operation of the gauge can be done completely by hand without the need for
expensive earthworks equipment.

However, as with all measurement technologies, nuclear density gauges also have their
limitations. The following features of the device may limit its use on a particular site or
stockpile:-

• The probe can only be inserted to a maximum depth of 300mm. Density

measurements taken while the stockpile is being formed is the most reliable
technique to determine the average density of the stockpile. However, this process
may be disruptive to ore handling operations.

• The gauge contains two radioactive sources. Strict laws and regulations control the
operation and licensing of such radioactive sources. Untrained personnel cannot
operate the equipment, unless under direct supervision.

• Exposure to radiation is capped at a level for radiation workers. If the cumulative

exposure to radiation is nearing the upper limit for a calendar year, that operator
must discontinue operation of the gauge till the year has lapsed.

Safety Considerations

Transportation and operation of a nuclear density gauge requires adherence to stringent

safety rules, which differ from state to state. In Western Australia, a Radiation
Management Plan (RMP), specific to the operation of the gauge, must be submitted to
the State Radiological Council before the commencement of any works.

The gauge needs to be secured when not in use. It also needs to be monitored for
radiation leakage, achieved using a hand-held Geiger Mueller detector at the exterior
surface of the transport case.

Experience suggests that a thorough understanding of the operational limitations of

nuclear density gauges, as well as the safety requirements which accompany their use,
is critical for successful operation. This is illustrated in the following case study.

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Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

A Case Study – Determining The Specific Gravity of Iron Ore Stockpiles

A large project was recently undertaken for BHPBilliton in the Pilbara region of
Western Australia. The project involved the determination of density factors for all pre-
crushed and post-crushed iron ore stockpiles. Some valuable lessons were learnt from
this work that will be applied to future stockpile density surveys.

Project Objectives

The project objective was to validate the current specific gravity values used in the
mining company’s materials/stocks inventory and financial accounting calculation,
whilst providing a greater understanding generally, of all product stocks.

The client company had in mind the objective of making more robust its compliance
with its own internal financial regulations and standards, the various rules for financial
governance in relations to Australian law and also the Sarbanes Oxley compliance to
the Weight/Volume Determination of Production Inventory.

Scope of Work

The scope of work involved the measurement of densities on 113 stockpiles of varying
grade and consistency at a number of mine sites and port facilities.

The project also required that sufficient readings were taken on each stockpile to yield
a density that was indicative of the whole stockpile.

Considerations

The gauge used in the survey was a Humboldt 5001 series nuclear density gauge.

Since the radioactive source is housed in a probe that can only be penetrated 300mm,
the readings would be contained to the outer surface of the stockpile. The readings
needed to be adjusted by some practical method to represent a density of the whole
stockpile.

Stockpiles created by truck dumps provided three separate zones of material that could
not be ignored. Any stockpile that displayed more than one zone of compaction
required the results be weighted, proportionate to each zones representation in the
stockpile.

Refer to typical sections below.

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Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

Top of stockpile

Zone 3
Zone 2
Zone 1

Natural Ground Surface

Figure 1 -Typical section of stockpile formed by truck dump

Rill (Zone3)

Reclaim faces (Zone 2)

Zone 1

Stacking Base Surface

Figure 2 -Typical section of stockpile formed by Stacker

Each stockpile also had unique characteristics which needed to be taken into
consideration when determining the average stockpile density, viz:-

• Material grade

• Material size

• Consistency of grade and size

• Moisture component

• Compaction

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Safety Considerations (Site Specific and Radiation Specific)

The importance and management of safety cannot be over emphasised. At each site and
each stockpile the scenario was different. The control of safety for general fieldwork
and the operation of the Humboldt had to reflect each new site.

All precautions at each site were made to ensure that the relevant authorities knew of
the team’s location, that safety procedures were in place, and that all non-essential
personnel were not exposed unnecessarily to the work site. This was done operating the
equipment in a safe manner, as covered by JHA and Take 5 procedures. Barricading the
area served to keep non-critical personnel out.

While the Humboldt was in operation a minimum 5 metres of clearance was

maintained.

Project Planning

Planning of all surveys occurred with the assistance of a site representative (invaluable
in the context of the project) as the restriction of access to site could have caused costly
delays.

Forward planning by the group with the assistance of the site representative was critical
to the timing of the project. Good planning aided the smooth transition of work within
each site and between each stockpile.

Calibration

The measurements of stockpile densities have two components: the calibration test of
the device using typical material from the stockpile, and the following readings taken
over the stockpile, at various locations.

The calibration test was a critical process to generate the final results. The test was
established to confirm the Humboldt measurement against a second method. The
second method was to weigh the material in a box of known volume. These two values
were used to compute one density reading and the gauge was used on the same material
to acquire the other.

The ratio between gauge and box readings where used to scale all Humboldt gauge
readings over the stockpile. The calibration was done at each stockpile with a typical
sample of material used.

Measurement

After the calibration, a number of readings at various locations were taken that best
represented the nature of the stockpile. These were taken at different compaction zones
so that results could be analysed and proportioned according to the percentage each
zone represented.

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Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

Data Processing and Interpretation of Results

Processing of results incorporated the weighting theory mentioned. The solution was
to: -

• Measure sufficient number of readings for each zone.

• Average the readings for each zone.

• Apply a weighting to the average zone readings relative to the percentage each zone
represented.

Of 113 stockpiles measured, 72 were sufficiently varied that the zoning technique was
applied. The remaining 41 stockpiles only provided access to the rill or a singular zone
of compacted material. All of these readings were averaged without the applying the
zoning technique.

There were approximately 1800 density readings taken. The average standard deviation
was 5.0%. This highlights the order of precision of the dataset, but the standard error
(accuracy) could not be determined as there were no known densities.

Outcomes

At the time of writing this paper, the final report for this project had only just been
compiled. It is likely that the density readings measured from this survey will be
compared to specific gravity readings which the mining company currently employs,
and, where significant differences exist, further investigation and analysis may be
required.

Ultimately, it is anticipated that the direct measurement of specific gravity of stockpiles

for this project will result in: -

• Improved accountability for the financial group. Reporting more accurate floor
stocks to directly affect the company asset value.

• More accurate tonnages will provide production supervisors with greater

confidence about materials left or required to fill stockpiles and shipment orders.

• Resolution of a long-standing density concern at modest cost.

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Measurement of Stockpile Density by Nuclear Densitometer AIMS 2006

Conclusion

The current processes of determining stockpile density by nuclear densitometer stem

from long standing work carried out by AAMHatch at Port Kembla, established over
the last 28 years. This time frame suggests the technique will always be a “work in
progress”. But with each new era comes the tools that can be applied to help resolve
such problems. The nuclear densitometer is just one component of the solution, yet the
results to date have been promising.

The key points learned from such a large project is that the results can be misplaced if
the theory to which they should be applied is not based on good fundamental thinking.
The nature of most stockpiles, either iron ore or other material, need to be considered
individually. Each stockpile has its own complexity that can only be accessed on-site.

The operational efficiency of the field process could be improved significantly and the
theory through which the observations are applied can always be honed. As with any
new technology and learning from it, there is a reinforcement that more is to be learnt.

This paper has been presented to share our experiences with the hope that others can
gain knowledge but also share their own. This technology and current procedures are
likely to develop slowly through ongoing experience. The long-term objective is to
formulate practises that deliver sound survey and processing results. The experiences
and the sharing of them are acknowledged as the most beneficial way forward.

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