Mine operators face numerous and varied technical challenges. Sometimes, responding to these challenges involves relying on established best practices in mining engineering. Other times, it requires drawing on the strong sense of innovation among professionals working in engineering, technology, research, or manufacturing. The presentations delivered during this session will address operational and production challenges in both surface and underground mining, as well as innovative solution pathways to meet these challenges.
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Mines
Challenges and Innovation in Surface and Underground Mining
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
9:30 a.m.
Coming soon
10:30 a.m.
Towards low-carbon mine heating for northern and Arctic mines
Conference details
Heating ventilation air is one of the most important energy needs of underground mines located in northern climates and is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels used for mining air heating, Glacies and B2Gold are collaborating on the development of a low-carbon heating technology based on a Spray Freeze Heating (SFH) process. This new technology uses the energy released when water changes to ice to electrify air heating. The process also makes it possible to recover low-temperature waste heat and paves the way for new thermal management strategies for underground mines, particularly for air conditioning and fog reduction in mining infrastructure.
During the winter of 2025–2026, Glacies operated a 15,000 SCFM pilot unit in Sherbrooke, Québec, to validate the thermal performance, control strategies and GHG emission reduction potential of the process in real-world winter conditions. The presentation will focus on the measured results of the pilot, the principles of scaling to industrial mine ventilation systems, as well as the main technical and operational learnings from the deployment. The prospects for integrating this technology into northern and Arctic mining operations, including B2Gold’s Goose project in Nunavut, will also be discussed.
11:20 a.m.
Future Vision for the Mining Industry: The Transformative Potential of Optics and Photonics
Conference details
The mining industry faces constant challenges to optimize operations, improve safety and reduce its environmental footprint. Optics-photonics, the science of light, offers a range of innovative solutions to meet these challenges. This presentation explores various advanced imaging modalities based on documented application cases and results obtained in the field and in the laboratory.
Through concrete examples from deployments and projects carried out with our partners, we will illustrate how these technologies are applied to mineral detection and identification, automated infrastructure inspection and process automation. Particular attention will be paid to sensor fusion and artificial intelligence, which transform these modalities into deployable decision-making tools. The goal is to spark discussions and stimulate interest from mining industry players, paving the way for future collaborations and the integration of these cutting-edge technologies into their operations.