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Installing an energy recovery system (ERS) on a mining haul truck has the potential to save a significant amount of fuel by recovering energy while descending into the pit and reinjecting this energy to reduce fuel usage for acceleration... more
Installing an energy recovery system (ERS) on a mining haul truck has the potential to save a significant amount of fuel by recovering energy while descending into the pit and reinjecting this energy to reduce fuel usage for acceleration and ascent out of the pit. This chapter presents an initial investigation into the technical and economic feasibility of such an ERS for diesel-electric drive mine haul trucks. A simulation model incorporating the haul route, the truck and drive system characteristics, and the ERS is employed to evaluate the changes to fuel used and impact on payload for an ERS of a specific technology and size on a given pit depth, from which cost savings and fuel savings per tonne of material moved are inferred. Lithium-ion batteries and electrolytic double-layer capacitors were found to be generally infeasible due to, respectively, poor charging rate and cycle life, and low energy density. Both lithium-ion capacitors and electromechanical flywheels promise fuel efficiency improvements of greater than 10% for a large range of pit depths. Electromechanical flywheels are judged the most cost-effective option, with an expected payback period of less than 1.2 years.
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In operations that use the sublevel stoping mining method, production scheduling takes into account factors, including ore reserve envelopes, ore grade averages, equipment capacity, feed controls to the mill, and geotechnical... more
In operations that use the sublevel stoping mining method, production scheduling takes into account factors, including ore reserve envelopes, ore grade averages, equipment capacity, feed controls to the mill, and geotechnical restrictions, across the scheduling horizon. Mathematical programming is one of the most effective methods for enhancing the decision-making process in regard to the most viable production schedule in light of a given set of limitations. The majority of research on sublevel stope mining focuses primarily on a single objective of optimisation, which is to maximise the net present value (NPV). Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations are becoming more prevalent in the mining industry. This includes aspects relating to deforestation, land disturbances, gas emissions, community relations, and water usage, among many others. Institutional and other kinds of investors are becoming more interested in the work that resource companies do regarding thei...
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Research Interests: Engineering and Truck
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In 2001, the Catholic University of Chileundertook a maintenance benchmarking studyof six open pit copper mines having mill capac-ities varying between 18,000 t/d and 156,000t/d, and collectively responsible for 58% ofChilean copper... more
In 2001, the Catholic University of Chileundertook a maintenance benchmarking studyof six open pit copper mines having mill capac-ities varying between 18,000 t/d and 156,000t/d, and collectively responsible for 58% ofChilean copper production. This paperdescribes the methodology used to conduct thestudy, as well as the overall results. Key per-formance indices were selected to measure theeffectiveness, efficiency, and development ofthe maintenance process. Using a balancedscorecard philosophy, these indicators weredivided into client satisfaction, financial, inter-nal process, and learning and growth indices. Maintenance was found, on average, tobe responsible for 44% of mine productioncosts. Percentage planned maintenance ofequipment fleets was found to be low by worldstandards, averaging 35%, 56%, and 44%,respectively, for blasthole drill, shovel, and haultruck fleets. Fleet availabilities were found to besignificantly influenced by the percentage ofplanned maintenance achieved, while...
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The determination of a cut-off grade is considered to be one of the main steps in the design and strategic planning of mining operations. This is due to its role in distinguishing between waste material and valuable ore. This becomes... more
The determination of a cut-off grade is considered to be one of the main steps in the design and strategic planning of mining operations. This is due to its role in distinguishing between waste material and valuable ore. This becomes increasingly important as the mining industry is facing lower grades within an uncertain market. The implementation of pre-concentration systems prior to main processing has significant potential to increase the sustainability and resource utilisation of mining operations, which can result in the reduction of mine cut-off grade. This paper reviews the technical concepts of integration of pre-concentration systems into underground mines and presents a novel method for underground cut-off grade calculation. The proposed model is implemented on a sublevel stoping operation to illustrate the impacts and advantages of the underground pre-concentration integration. The outputs of this study and investigation of various scenarios prove an increase in the profitability, efficiency and sustainability of the underground operations.
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Impact bag inflators contain energetic components that have finite lives as either a function of age or environment, or a combination of both. Because of their application these inflators are required to operate safely and at very high... more
Impact bag inflators contain energetic components that have finite lives as either a function of age or environment, or a combination of both. Because of their application these inflators are required to operate safely and at very high levels of reliability, in many cases after significant periods of storage and installation, and often in less than benign environments. Historically, there has been limited data available that provided assurance of the ongoing technical integrity of inflators through life leading to, at best, the tacit acceptance of higher levels of risk associated with the continued operation of these items. At worst, there is the possibility of unsafe operation of inflators. This paper proposes an ongoing program that builds on existing initial design certification and production acceptance test activities by conducting performance monitoring activities (termed surveillance activities) on items that have experienced both typical and more severe environments over the...
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Abstract The mining industry continues to face the problem of depleting grades and the subsequent significant variation in economic, environmental and technological characteristics have been observed. This has raised the importance of the... more
Abstract The mining industry continues to face the problem of depleting grades and the subsequent significant variation in economic, environmental and technological characteristics have been observed. This has raised the importance of the production scheduling process due to its significant role in the profitability and efficiency of any mining operation. Among underground mining methods, sublevel stoping are a commonly used method in large-scale mining. It is a versatile and productive method that is primarily used for steeply deeping orebodies with regular shape, defined ore boundaries and competent ore and host rock. The sequence and extraction of stopes is critical in maximizing profitability, which requires careful consideration over the mine life. This is mainly due to geotechnical considerations within stoping envelopes to achieve stable ground conditions through subsequent backfilling. This in turn significantly raises the complexity of the scheduling process. This paper reviews previous studies related to production scheduling optimisation of sublevel stope mines using mathematical programming and recommends suggestions for future works.
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Shovels, haul trucks and conveyors are used in surface mines for material haulage of which trucks are have been most widely used. This paper presents a comprehensive comparison study in terms of the operating efficiency of trucks and... more
Shovels, haul trucks and conveyors are used in surface mines for material haulage of which trucks are have been most widely used. This paper presents a comprehensive comparison study in terms of the operating efficiency of trucks and conveyors as applied in surface mining operations. Three key time usage metrics are used to assess the efficiency of both haulage systems namely: Utilised Time, Operating Time and Valuable Operating Time. The notion that measurement of equipment performance should focus on a multi instead of a singlefactor approach is proposed. Comparison of the two systems based on these measures indicates that although trucks lend themselves to high flexibility and lower upfront capital outlay, conveyor haulage offers a better measure of performance on all the three metrics of measuring equipment performance. This opportunity lies in the high Valuable Operating Time achievable with the conveyors compared to the trucks. The results of analysis on 308,912 load records a...
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A 1/20 scale experimental dozer push test rig was designed and constructed to quantify the expected production rates (loose cubic metres per hour) for dozers operating in hard rock bulk push applications. The particle size distribution of... more
A 1/20 scale experimental dozer push test rig was designed and constructed to quantify the expected production rates (loose cubic metres per hour) for dozers operating in hard rock bulk push applications. The particle size distribution of the material employed in the test rig was modelled on a fragmented muckpile representative of that for a typical surface copper/gold mine overburden. A commercially available road base material was found to be highly representative of site conditions. Buckingham Pi theory was applied to mathematically develop factors for scaling up dozer productivity parameters, including blade loads and push times. Dozer production rates were investigated for various dozing distances and slope angles. A series of instantaneous productivity curves were produced which are applicable for use in hard rock dozer push operations. Currently, it is difficult to estimate dozer push productivity in hard rock environments due to dozer productivity correction factors that are...
ABSTRACT Generating short- and long-term mine production schedules in isolation and independently from each other means that only a local optimum can be achieved when each scheduling phase is carried out. The globally optimal solution... more
ABSTRACT Generating short- and long-term mine production schedules in isolation and independently from each other means that only a local optimum can be achieved when each scheduling phase is carried out. The globally optimal solution however, can be achieved when integrating scheduling phases and accounting for the interaction between short-term and long-term activities simultaneously. This paper addresses the task of integrating short- and long-term production plans by combining the short-term objective of minimising deviation to targeted mill feed grade with the long-term objective of maximising net present value (NPV) into a single mathematical model. A case study is presented which compares the present values of the same stope data set scheduled via separate long and short-term models and than by the proposed integrated model which applies a predetermined penalty for each tonne of metal deviation to target for the respective ore tonnage being processed. This allows an operation to obtain a globally optimal scheduling regime when taking into consideration the cost and loss of value resulting from fluctuations in grade to the mill over the short-term.
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Truck/shovel operations constitute 50 - 60 per cent of the cost of open pit mining operations. Mining companies, therefore, are constantly seeking to close the gap between actual truck/shovel productive capacity and maximum potential... more
Truck/shovel operations constitute 50 - 60 per cent of the cost of open pit mining operations. Mining companies, therefore, are constantly seeking to close the gap between actual truck/shovel productive capacity and maximum potential truck/shovel capacity. This paper analyses the performance of a mixed truck/shovel fleet in an open cut coal mine in Australia. It analyses operating delays, and proposes a novel graphical means of determining trucklimited or shovel-limited operations. A goal seeking algorithm is advanced in order to maximise truck/shovel match factors (MF) and hence optimise fleet productivity.
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ABSTRACT As open cut mines become progressively deeper, mining operations face increased operating costs and technical challenges. In-Pit Crusher Conveyor (IPCC) systems offer advantages in the form of continuous operation, reduced labour... more
ABSTRACT As open cut mines become progressively deeper, mining operations face increased operating costs and technical challenges. In-Pit Crusher Conveyor (IPCC) systems offer advantages in the form of continuous operation, reduced labour requirements and decreased energy consumption resulting in lower cost per bank cubic metre. Nevertheless, IPCC systems are associated with high capital costs, lack of flexibility to adapt to changing mine plans and low effective system utilisation. This paper investigates alternative IPCC configurations for pre-stripping application in an open pit coal mine. It demonstrates that system redundancy in the form of introducing parallel conveyor lines with spreaders is capable of improving IPCC productivity by 9·4 - 12·6%. Parallel conveying systems have higher Equivalent Unit Costs (EUCs) than do single conveyor IPCC configurations. Nevertheless, introducing redundancy into IPCC systems enables higher production and associated coal revenue. Using an indicative metallurgical coal price and stripping ratio, it was demonstrated that parallel conveyor IPCC systems can provide higher profit than single conveyor line IPCC alternatives. © 2013 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and The AusIMM.
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ABSTRACT Asset-intensive companies face great pressure to reduce operation costs and increase utilization. This scenario often leads to over-stress on critical equipment and its spare parts associated, affecting availability, reliability,... more
ABSTRACT Asset-intensive companies face great pressure to reduce operation costs and increase utilization. This scenario often leads to over-stress on critical equipment and its spare parts associated, affecting availability, reliability, and system performance. As these resources impact considerably on financial and operational structures, the opportunity is given by demand for decision-making methods for the management of spare parts processes. We proposed an ordering decision-aid technique which uses a measurement of spare performance, based on the stress-strength interference theory; which we have called Condition-Based Service Level (CBSL). We focus on Condition Managed Critical Spares (CMS), namely, spares which are expensive, highly reliable, with higher lead times, and are not available in store. As a mitigation measure, CMS are under condition monitoring. The aim of the paper is orienting the decision time for CMS ordering or just continuing the operation. The paper presents a graphic technique which considers a rule for decision based on both condition-based reliability function and a stochastic/fixed lead time. For the stochastic lead time case, results show that technique is effective to determine the time when the system operation is reliable and can withstand the lead time variability, satisfying a desired service level. Additionally, for the constant lead time case, the technique helps to define insurance spares. In conclusion, presented ordering decision rule is useful to asset managers for enhancing the operational continuity affected by spare parts.
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ABSTRACT Heavy mineral deposits of placer origin are mostly found as beach or dune deposits. Suction cutter or bucket-wheel dredgers are used to exploit such deposits when water is present for the maintenance of artificial channels and... more
ABSTRACT Heavy mineral deposits of placer origin are mostly found as beach or dune deposits. Suction cutter or bucket-wheel dredgers are used to exploit such deposits when water is present for the maintenance of artificial channels and dredge ponds. Production reconciliation of dredge mining is a complex process because slumping of material causes mixing of material to take place amongst resource blocks during mining operations. This paper reviews the applicability of sonar technology for the determination of material losses taking place in the dredge ponds, and also reviews the applicability of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in conjunction with sonar technology as a cost effective method to enhance dredge mine production reconciliation in the heavy minerals mining industry.
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ABSTRACT
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A decision-making framework to integrate maintenance contract conditions with critical spares management
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Research Interests: Business and Engineering
Publicly funded R&D consortia are an important worldwide governmental policy instrument, but there is a disconnection between desirable public policy and the actual mechanics of their design and maintenance. In countries such as... more
Publicly funded R&D consortia are an important worldwide governmental policy instrument, but there is a disconnection between desirable public policy and the actual mechanics of their design and maintenance. In countries such as Australia, these long-term concerns for effective design of publicly funded R&D consortia have prompted numerous policy interventions, which have been designed to bring industries, universities, and governmental agencies closer together in a triple helix model. However, the performance of R&D consortia that have resulted from policy interventions in Australia has been equivocal to date and more research is needed. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a longitudinal single-case study of the longest running and Australia?s first government and industry funded mining R&D consortium, CRCMining. This study reviews how CRCMining has evolved from an initial research-driven organisation into an industry-driven one by adapting its governance, funding, and IP s...
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This paper presents the results of the first application of a management evaluation system for benchmarking management practices in the construction industry. The system supports a National Benchmarking System recently established en the... more
This paper presents the results of the first application of a management evaluation system for benchmarking management practices in the construction industry. The system supports a National Benchmarking System recently established en the Chilean Construction Industry by incorporating qualitative management aspects in addition to quantative performance indicators. Different analysis were made to determine trends in the industry sector by correlating the qualitative evaluations from surveys with the performance indicators. Thirteen construction companies participated in the initial application of the benchmarking system. A correlation analysis found that safety performance was strongly related to companies having superior planning and control, quality management, cost control and subcontractor management policies. An factor analysis undertaken found that Central office priorities center on strategic management policies having longer term competitive impact, whilst site management emph...
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Energy saving has become an important aspect of every business activity as it is important in terms of cost savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction. This study aims to develop a comprehensive artificial intelligence model for... more
Energy saving has become an important aspect of every business activity as it is important in terms of cost savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction. This study aims to develop a comprehensive artificial intelligence model for reducing energy consumption in the mining industry. Many parameters influence the fuel consumption of surface mining haul trucks. This includes, but not limited to, truck load, truck speed and total haul road resistance. In this study, a fitness function for the haul truck fuel consumption based on these parameters is generated using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). This function is utilised to generate a multi-objective model based on Genetic Algorithm (GA). This model is used to estimate the optimum values of the haulage parameters to reduce fuel consumption. The developed model is generated and tested using real data collected from four large surface mines. It is found that for all four mines considered in this study, the haul truck fuel consumption...
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As mines become progressively deeper, mining operations face increased costs and challenges in more complex scenarios. For this reason, the mining industry is considering alternative mining systems to the tradtional truck and shovel... more
As mines become progressively deeper, mining operations face increased costs and challenges in more complex scenarios. For this reason, the mining industry is considering alternative mining systems to the tradtional truck and shovel haulage. Aspeacts such as energy costsl equipment and labour scarcity; and carbon footprint encourage the utilisation of In-Pit Crusher Conveyor (IPCC) systems. This paper therefore aims to review the recent history of IPCC applications in the mining industry and present the most recent systems installations. There are a few successfully documented cases of fully mobile crusher - conveyor applications. To be economically feasible, semi-mobiel IPCC systems require productive reates on excess of 8000 tonnes per day in today's mining industry. In addition, conveyors start to gain an econmic advantage for transport distances of 5 km or more.
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A clear understanding of the design status, the effect of any design change, and the performance of systems, equipment and facilities, is essential for effective asset management. Configuration Management (CM) provides a sound engineering... more
A clear understanding of the design status, the effect of any design change, and the performance of systems, equipment and facilities, is essential for effective asset management. Configuration Management (CM) provides a sound engineering framework for design identification, design change control, data management, and the audit of the safety status and performance of systems, equipment and facilities to assure their ongoing performance and safe operation. In this paper, the major elements of CM are explained. How a CM system can meet a number of the key requirements for asset management is also discussed. Two apparently disparate examples of the use of CM are provided: the first showing how CM can provide necessary data to assure safe and effective operation of military aircraft ejection seat systems, whilst the second outlines the industry requirements for the adoption of CM for the management of mine tailings dams. Properly implemented within an operation’s asset management system...
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Currently, operators and supervisors make many decisions related to repositioning draglines. Repositioning is a large component of dragline operation and refers to the dragline walking sequence, during operation. Repositioning costs can... more
Currently, operators and supervisors make many decisions related to repositioning draglines. Repositioning is a large component of dragline operation and refers to the dragline walking sequence, during operation. Repositioning costs can be reduced through operator feedback which can indicate the ideal route and time for relocation of the dragline in feasible dig and swing locations. This project develops a predictive algorithm to advise operators on how to improve dragline dig sequences in excavation blocks with dig and dump information provided. Repositioning and dig sequence improvements are suggested based on the current master mine plan and operation, using a search heuristic optimisation model-Genetic Algorithm. Fuzzy logic is applied to distinguish the start of an excavation block. Feasible optimized dragline digging sequences with reduced swing and positioning costs, are generated under the Genetic Algorithm. It indicates where to move the dragline within an excavation block....
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CRCMining has developed ValueTree ™ software to facilitate the modelling of performance driver trees. This software provides a platform for simultaneous analysis of cost and volume impacts of operating, maintenance and procurement... more
CRCMining has developed ValueTree ™ software to facilitate the modelling of performance driver trees. This software provides a platform for simultaneous analysis of cost and volume impacts of operating, maintenance and procurement decisions. Potential applications of the software include: continuous improvement; benchmarking; performance diagnostics; operations management; and linking reward and recognition to performance. It is anticipated that regular use of the software by operations and maintenance superintendents will encourage valuedriven, rather than cost-driven decisions. The software has been beta tested at two sites, and valuable feedback incorporated into improved functionality.
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This paper presents the results of the first application of a management evaluation system for benchmarking management practices in the construction industry. The system supports a National Benchmarking System recently established in the... more
This paper presents the results of the first application of a management evaluation system for benchmarking management practices in the construction industry. The system supports a National Benchmarking System recently established in the Chilean Construction Industry by incorporating qualitative management aspects in addition to quantative performance indicators. Different analysis were made to determine trends in the industry sector by correlating the qualitative evaluations from surveys with the performance indicators. Thirteen construction companies participated in the initial application of the benchmarking system. A correlation analysis found that safety performance was strongly related to companies having superior planning and control, quality management, cost control and subcontractor management policies. An factor analysis undertaken found that Central office priorities center on strategic management policies having longer term competitive impact, whilst site management emph...
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The development of short- and medium-term mine production schedules in isolation from each other has meant that only a local optimum can be achieved when each scheduling phase is carried out. The globally optimal solution, however, can be... more
The development of short- and medium-term mine production schedules in isolation from each other has meant that only a local optimum can be achieved when each scheduling phase is carried out. The globally optimal solution, however, can be achieved when integrating scheduling phases and accounting for the interaction between short-term and medium-term activities simultaneously. This paper addresses the task of integrating short- and medium-term production plans by combining the short-term objective of minimizing deviation from targeted mill feed grade with the medium-term objective of maximizing net present value (NPV) into a single mathematical optimization model. A conceptual sublevel stoping operation comprising 30 stopes is used for trialling segregated and integrated scheduling approaches. Segregated medium- and short-term scheduling using separate models achieved an NPV of $42 654 456. The final scheduling approach involved integrating the two scheduling horizons using the newl...