CSIRO has developed an Internet-based simulation tool that predicts the motion of particles inside grinding mills, providing insight into the way mills work and enabling huge energy savings from smarter and more energy efficient design. webGF-Mill assesses the design and function of the grinding mills used at mines to crush ore.

CSIRO Mathematician Dave Morton said: "Improving mill design is important because of the amount of energy that mills use. Typically, grinding mills are very inefficient".

An average mill around 10m in diameter consumes roughly the energy required to supply 10,000 average Australian households. Unfortunately, only 5 percent of this energy is consumed by the processes that actually break the rocks inside the mill. As well as decreasing costs for mining companies, improving mill performance has the potential to significantly reduce global consumption of fossil fuels and thus provide important environmental benefits.

webGF-Mill, uses sophisticated simulation techniques to predict the collective motion of large numbers of particles. These methods, developed by CSIRO mathematicians, provide tools for studying the flow of granular materials such as minerals, powders and cereals.