The Project
AR3’s Koppamurra project is a large clay hosted rare earths prospect in South Australia. The mineral resource contains valuable magnet elements which are essential in high strength permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicles.
WGA has been partnering with AR3 since 2020, providing expertise in drilling data management, metallurgical test work program management, cost estimation, and preliminary engineering.
Understanding the key drivers of profitability is crucial for evaluating a rare earths project’s success. This requires identifying the critical factors that will impact a project’s financial viability throughout its operational life. Traditionally, preliminary cost estimates rely on established plant designs and operating expenses from other regions. However, this data may not be readily available in Australia or the West, posing a challenge for local project evaluations.
Technical Solutions
WGA’s Data Analyst team supported AR3 in conducting a comprehensive test work campaign to understand the process set points. From there, we were able to develop the flowsheet and cost estimate based on the met test work and pilot results.
Since profitability calculations involve many factors, we focused on getting the most value from test work investment. We achieved this by developing a multi-scenario analysis to quickly assess different situations and identify the key drivers of profitability. Thousands of automated cases identified the most profitable scenarios with the support of the WGA data science team. The advantage over the automated approach is:
- Rapid calculation of thousands of scenarios in python code.
- Output into easy to interpret excel interface.
- Focus on the key levers.
WGA identified operating costs as the main lever for boosting profitability through our multi-scenario analysis. In our ongoing support of the AR3 project, we’re focusing on minimising and recycling reagents in the flowsheet development to address this key factor.
Client Outcomes
We partnered with AR3 to develop a comprehensive mass balance model and profitability analysis. This powerful collaboration streamlined flowsheet development, significantly reducing the time it takes to bring their project to market.
Key technologies
- Process engineering
- Mass balance optimisation
- Python script
- Machine learning
Key Personnel
The Economic Evaluation of Rare Earth Projects is included in the following sectors & services.
Click on one to find out more about that sector or service.