SME MINEXCHANGE 2026

Topic: SME Young Leaders – Transforming Global Mining Leadership: Excelling in Remote & Hybrid Teams 

Details: The mining industry is undergoing a major transformation, driven by global shifts and digital innovation. Remote and hybrid work models are now standard, challenging traditional ideas of teamwork, communication, and leadership. Professionals are no longer confined to offices or site-based environments. Nowadays, teams can be distributed across several locations, time zones, and cultures. For young leaders, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity: maintaining cohesion and productivity while pioneering more flexible, inclusive leadership styles. Agility, empathy, and digital fluency are now essential. This presentation explores key strategies for leading in global, remote, and hybrid mining environments. Drawing from real-world experience, it highlights skills like digital communication, trust-building, inclusive decision-making, and mentoring. It also covers tools to drive engagement, accountability, and innovation—whether leading virtual engineering teams, coordinating field operations, or managing cross-functional projects remotely.

Date: Monday, February 23, 2026

Time: 2:05 pm

Room: 155E

Topic: Development of a DEM-CFD Coupled Power Model for Vertical Stirred Mills

Details: Vertical stirred mills are increasingly used for fine grinding applications in the mineral processing industry due to their high energy efficiency. Consequently, modeling power draw has attracted significant interest, as evidenced by prior work, including analytical models. In this contribution, a DEM-CFD coupled model is presented to determine power draw under different operating conditions. These conditions include grinding media filling level, shaft speed, fluidization, and variations in grinding compartment configuration. An extensive test program on a specially equipped test mill was conducted to validate the model.

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Time: 10:05 am

Room: 155C

Topic 1: Metallurgical Performance of a New Coarse Particle Flotation Technology in its First Industrial Trial in a Copper Concentrator

Details: Metso developed and launched a new Coarse Particle Flotation technology at the end of 2025. This pneumatic flotation cell relies on slurry fed onto the top of a deep froth to achieve effective separation of even the least liberated particles. A demonstration plant, with a capacity of 22 to 28 tonnes per hour and including this cell, was installed in a copper concentrator in Chile for final tail scavenging duty. The metallurgical performance at industrial scale, depending on operating conditions, will be presented.

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Time: 2:25 pm

Room: 155C

Topic 2: Designing a Simplified Cleaner Circuit with a Concorde Cell for a Future Copper Concentrator

Details: The Concorde Cell is a high-intensity pneumatic flotation technology designed for fines and ultrafines. This case study evaluates the potential of integrating the Concorde Cell into a conventional circuit through pilot plant testwork. Operating as a cleaner scalper, the Concorde Cell upgraded a 2.8% Cu feed to concentrates of 25–28% Cu, achieving stage recoveries of 60–80%. When used as a recleaner of the cleaner scavenger mechanical cells, it produced a final concentrate grade with 90% stage recovery. Simulations indicate that the cleaner circuit can achieve a 25% Cu grade at 95.5% stage recovery.

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Time: 4:25 pm

Room: 155F