MUHAMMAD WAJAHAT AMIN (INTERNEE, MINE PLANNING) OPEN PIT MINING TOPICS

PRODUCTIVITY RATE: THE FOLLOWING ARE THE ANTICIPATED CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE RESEARCH STUDY: DETERMINATION OF A MINING FLEET HARMONIZED WITH THE RECENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. DEVELOPMENT OF MODELS FOR FLEET MONITORING AND PIT PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT. MODELS TO INCLUDE. o QUEUING MODEL. o HAUL ROAD DESIGN MODEL o DIRECT TIPPING MODEL. PRODUCTIVITY RATE DEPENDS UPON THE VOLUME OF MATERIAL AND DURATION OF TIME.

CONTD… DUMP TRUCK CYCLE TIME. THE CYCLE TIME OF DUMP TRUCKS AT NOP INVOLVES THE FOLLOWING: TRAVEL TIME FULL; SPOTTING TIME AT DUMPING SITE; DUMPING TIME AT THE WASTE DUMP OR AT THE CRUSHER; TRAVEL TIME EMPTY; WAITING TIME AT THE LOADING MACHINE; SPOTTING TIME AT LOADER; AND LOADING TIME.

PRODUCTIVITY RATE DEPENDS UPON THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS: REDUCE COSTS AND INCREASE PRODUCTION. COMPLY WITH MINING PLANS AND PERFORMANCE TARGETS. OPTIMISE MINE DEVELOPMENT PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT. ACHIEVE HIGH FACE UTILISATION. INCREASE CONTROL

EQUATION FOR MINE LIFE AND PRODUCTION RATE: TAYLOR EXPRESSED HIS EQUATION FOR DETERMINING A MINE’S LIFE IN SEVERAL FORMS: TAYLOR EXPRESSED HIS EQUATION FOR DETERMINING A MINE’S LIFE IN SEVERAL FORMS: LIFE = 0.2 (RESERVES) 0.25 PRODUCTION RATE = (RESERVES) 0.75

CUT-OFF GRADE: CUT-OFF GRADE IS THE MINIMUM GRADE REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR A MINERAL OR METAL TO BE ECONOMICALLY MINED (OR PROCESSED). MATERIAL FOUND TO BE ABOVE THIS GRADE IS CONSIDERED TO BE ORE, WHILE MATERIAL BELOW THIS GRADE IS CONSIDERED TO BE WASTE. ALTHOUGH IN A VARIETY OF UNITS CAN BE USED, THE CUT-OFF GRADE IS USUALLY EXPRESSED AS: G/T (GRAMS PER TONNE) $/T (DOLLARS PER TONNE) % (PERCENT METAL) THE CUT-OFF GRADE CAN BE DETERMINED THROUGH A VARIETY OF METHODS, EACH OF VARYING COMPLEXITY. CUT-OFF GRADES ARE SELECTED TO ACHIEVE A CERTAIN OBJECTIVE, SUCH AS RESOURCE UTILIZATION OR ECONOMIC BENEFIT.

HAULAGE DISTANCE: AS FAR AS IS ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE, ALL GEOMETRIC ELEMENTS OF HAULAGE ROADS SHOULD BE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SAFE, EFFICIENT TRAVEL AT NORMAL OPERATING SPEEDS. THE ABILITY OF THE VEHICLE OPERATOR TO SEE AHEAD A DISTANCE EQUAL TO OR GREATER PAGE 5 OF 49 THAN THE STOPPING DISTANCE REQUIRED IS THE PRIMARY CONSIDERATION.

SHARP CURVE DESIGN-WIDENING ON CURVES: SWITCHBACKS OR OTHER AREAS OF HAULAGE WAYS REQUIRING SHARP CURVES MUST BE DESIGNED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE MINIMUM TURNING PATH CAPABILITY OF THE VEHICLES. FIGURE ILLUSTRATES THE TURNING RADIUS OF VEHICLES IN EACH WEIGHT CLASSIFICATION. THE RADII SHOWN IN THE ACCOMPANYING TABLE ARE THE MINIMUM NEGOTIABLE BY ALL VEHICLES IN EACH CLASSIFICATION. RESPONSIBLE DESIGN DICTATES THAT THESE MINIMUMS BE EXCEEDED IN ALL EXCEPT THE MOST SEVERE AND RESTRICTING CONDITIONS. FIGURE ALSO ILLUSTRATES THE ADDITIONAL ROADWAY WIDTH NEEDED BY A TURNING TRUCK. WIDTHS REQUIRED BY VEHICLES IN EACH WEIGHT CATEGORY VARY WITH THE DEGREE OF CURVE.

CONT…

MATERIAL DIGGING:

CONT… SELECTIVE DIGGING REFERS A MACHINE’S ABILITY TO PENETRATE THE FACE AT ANY HEIGHT. HYDRAULIC BACKHOES ARE GENERALLY POSITIONED AT THE TOP OF THE FACE, ALLOWING THE MACHINE TO DIG BELOW GRADE VIA A DIGGING MOTION THAT MOVES TOWARD THE MACHINE, ENABLING SELECTIVE DIGGING CAPABILITY. THE TOTAL DIG TIME FOUND TO BE DEPENDANT UPON THE FRAGMENTATION & NUMBER OF BUCKET PASSES. NO CORRELATION WAS FOUND TO EXIST BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF BUCKET PASSES AND FRAGMENTATION. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE NUMBER OF PASSES IS DEPENDANT UPON OTHER MUCKPILE CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS, LOOSENESS AND ITS ABILITY TO RILL AS WELL AS OPERATOR DIGGING STRATEGY. A MULTIPLE VARIABLE MODEL DEVELOPED BASED UPON FIELD DATA TO RELATE EXCAVATOR TOTAL DIG TIME TO THE NUMBER OF BUCKET PASSES. PREDICTED TOTAL DIG TIMES CORRESPOND RELATIVELY WELL TO THOSE OBSERVED IN THE FIELD.

CONTD… OVERALL BENEFITS INCLUDE: OPTIMISED EQUIPMENT SIZING DECREASED SHOVEL AND HAUL TRUCK CYCLE TIMES REDUCED MAINTENANCE COSTS IMPROVED OPERATIONAL CONTROL IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY AND THROUGHPUT INCREASED MARGINS

SPOTTING: SPOTTING OF TRUCKS IS ELABORATED IN THE FIGURES;

CONTD…

MINERAL RESOURCE & RESERVE:

CONTD… A MINERAL RESOURCE A MINERAL RESOURCE IS A CONCENTRATION OR OCCURRENCE OF NATURAL, SOLID, INORGANIC, OR FOSSILIZED ORGANIC MATERIAL IN OR ON THE EARTH’S CRUST IN SUCH FORM AND QUANTITY AND OF SUCH A GRADE OR QUALITY THAT IT HAS REASONABLE PROSPECTS FOR ECONOMIC EXTRACTION. THE LOCATION, QUANTITY, GRADE, GEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND CONTINUITY OF A MINERAL RESOURCE ARE KNOWN, ESTIMATED, OR INTERPRETED FROM SPECIFIC GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE. MINERAL RESOURCES ARE SUB-DIVIDED, IN ORDER OF INCREASING GEOLOGICAL CONFIDENCE, INTO INFERRED, INDICATED, AND MEASURED CATEGORIES.

CONTD… A MINERAL RESERVE A MINERAL RESERVE IS THE ECONOMICALLY MINEABLE PART OF A MEASURED OR INDICATED MINERAL RESOURCE DEMONSTRATED BY AT LEAST A PRELIMINARY FEASIBILITY STUDY. THIS STUDY MUST INCLUDE ADEQUATE INFORMATION ON MINING, PROCESSING, METALLURGICAL, ECONOMIC, AND OTHER RELEVANT FACTORS THAT DEMONSTRATE, AT THE TIME OF REPORTING, THAT ECONOMIC EXTRACTION CAN BE JUSTIFIED. A MINERAL RESERVE INCLUDES DILUTING MATERIALS AND ALLOWANCES FOR LOSSES THAT MAY OCCUR WHEN THE MATERIAL IS MINED. MINERAL RESERVES ARE SUB-DIVIDED IN ORDER OF INCREASING CONFIDENCE INTO PROBABLE MINERAL RESERVES AND PROVEN MINERAL RESERVES.