MINING MINING MINING MINING MINING 
IMAGING AHEAD OF MINING 
BENEFITS 
Project Fact Sheet 
• Expected energy savings of 2.7 
trillion Btu 
• Improved mine planning 
• Better product quality by 
reducing the unintentional 
introduction of anomalous 
material 
APPLICATION 
This new technology can be used 
for both underground and surface 
mining operations. 
NEW IMAGING SYSTEM WILL IMPROVE MINE PLANNING AND 
PRODUCE BETTER QUALITY PRODUCT 
The mining industry would greatly benefit from economical methods to image the 
ore bodies ahead of the mining process. The crosswell technology, Radio 
Imaging Method (RIM), was developed to meet this need, but could be improved 
by using more sophisticated interpretational software. This project will use RIM 
acquired data to test new interpretational software. 
RIM is an electromagnetic (EM) system that was developed to detect and map 
anomalous geologic conditions far in advance of the mining face. The elements of 
RIM are deployed on each side of the ore seam of interest that forms a natural 
waveguide for transmission of electromagnetic waves. Until recent hardware 
improvements, it was not possible to use a superior imaging algorithm with it. This 
project will analyze actual RIM data with a sophisticated finite difference imaging 
scheme and traditional tomographic methods. This new imaging scheme will 
accept data from RIM to produce an image of the distribution of electrical 
resistivity. This graphical map can delineate the interface between bounding rock 
and an ore seam, or show the presence of an anomaly within the seam ahead of 
the mining face. This project will also examine the possibilities of using the 
Internet to allow mining engineers to determine the applicability of RIM with the 
new software for specific geologic situations. By allowing mining operations to 
see beyond the mining face, this technology will improve mine planning, increase 
energy efficiency, decrease equipment wear, and produce a better quality product. 
SYNCHRONIZED RIM 
RIM transmits electromagnetic waves on one side of the geologic target 
and uses a receiver on the other side to collect data about the geolgic mass. 
OFFICE OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES 
ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Project Description 
Objective: To use the Internet, instrumentation advances, and newly developed 
modeling and analysis software to accurately image the volume of material ahead 
of mining, thereby improving the quality of mined ore, reducing wear of mining 
machinery, facilitating mine operations, and reducing costs. 
Progress and Milestones 
This project includes the following milestones: PROJECT PARTNERS 
Sandia National Laboratories 
Albuquerque, NM 
CONSOL Inc. 
Library, PA 
• Complete collection of RIM in-mine data 
• Collect ground-truth data to compare with RIM data 
• Complete imaging using both tomographic algorithms and the newly 
developed finite difference imaging scheme 
Kennecott Exploration 
Salt Lake City, UT • Investigate and report on the feasibility and logistics of developing a web 
site that would allow engineers to determine the applicability of the RIM 
system for a specific geologic situation Stolar Horizon, Incorporated 
Raton, NM 
West Virginia University 
Morgantown, WV 
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, 
PLEASE CONTACT: 
Office of Industrial Technologies 
Clearinghouse 
Phone: (800) 862-2086 
Fax: (360) 586-8303 
clearinghouse@ee.doe.gov 
Visit our home page at 
www.oit.doe.gov/mining 
Office of Industrial Technologies 
Energy Efficiency 
and Renewable Energy 
U.S. Department of Energy 
Washington, D.C. 20585 
November 1999