As debate continues around the decision to increase royalties paid by Queensland coal miners, the industry supply chain is focused on delivering real, effective, and sustainable solutions to operations. In many ways, identifying and delivering industry and community value through our solutions is situation normal for RTI – Real Time Instruments.
For almost 20 years, the company’s AllScan, MoistScan, AshScan, and other analysers have been working to deliver cost savings and efficiencies for coal operations the world over. From China to the US, Canada to the DRC, Ukraine to Australia’s coal regions – RTI’s world-leading kit has been used as part of integrated solutions across the coal mining and processing sector, and in steel production, shipping, and power generation.
Working with its customers, RTI’s world-class research and development team, headed by Robin Sheehy, has etched for itself a niche market, deploying carefully calibrated analysers at specific process junctures, to achieve maximum results, via second-to-none visibility over operations and unrivalled capacity to make intelligent decisions in real time.
The latest from the RTI stable, the world-first AllScan n-Gen elemental analyser, which uses a neutron generator to replace the AllScan Californium isotope source, has just been deployed to its new home at a coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin.
This technology, developed in partnership with a Silicon Valley-based small business innovator, offers a safer, smarter and more sustainable means of delivering real time, in situ data to give operators greater control over everything from grade control, stockpiling, and tailing management to yield, productivity and cost control.
It is this kind of innovation, that is happening throughout regional Australia, that is enabling real and effective improvements to operations – and their bottom lines.
The n-Gen is just the latest innovation brought to the market by Sheehy and his team. Since RTI first began operations, the business has developed, and taken to market, the AllScan which uses PGNAA technology and, as previously mentioned, the man-made isotope, Californium. Used throughout the world, across Met and Thermal Coal applications, in power generation, and shipping, and in critical mineral mining and processing such as Nickel, Copper and Iron Ore, there have been more than 1200 AllScans deployed to sites globally.
Similarly, RTI’s MoistScan analysers have been deployed across similar applications, as well as in biofuel, food production, woodchip, particle board, and bagasse operations.
RTI’s new CEO, Jason Fisher, who took on the role in September this year, said there was a lot RTI – and businesses operating in the METS innovation space – could bring to the industry by means of technology accelerators and operational excellence.
With a breadth of experience, which spans as wide a reach geographically as it does in a skills sense, Jason understands the big difference small to medium businesses can make in the sector.
“We might be growing operators, but it is here that the real innovation emerges through the passion for, and commitment to, research and development of creative and agile solutions,” Jason said.
“As strategic partners to the industry and communities we operate in we believe in supporting innovation that transforms mining into a safer, smarter and more sustainable sector. RTI, and companies like ours, hold the key to unlocking intelligent and actionable data for operators of all sizes.”
The role emerging innovators play in making a critical difference to an industry constantly managing challenging conditions is gaining recognition across the whole industry.