Applied Mineral Inventory Estimation presents a comprehensive applied approach to the estimation of mineral resources/reserves with particular emphasis on the geological basis of such estimations, the need for and maintenance of a high quality assay data base, the practical use of a comprehensive exploratory data evaluation, and the importance of a comprehensive geostatistical approach to the estimation methodology. Practical problems and real data are used throughout as illustrations: each chapter ends with a summary of practical concerns, a number of practical exercises and a short list of references for supplementary study. This textbook is suitable for any university or mining school that offers senior undergraduate and graduate student courses on mineral resource/reserve estimation. It will also be valuable for professional mining engineers, geological engineers and geologists working with mineral exploration and mining companies.
Over the past century, open pit mines have steadily increased their production rate. Larger equipment and new technologies make it possible to mine larger batches of materials in a shorter time. Low commodity prices have forced companies to decrease their unit cost, by using new technologies and improving productivity. In the late 20th century, with companies facing low commodity prices and competing with strong rivals globally, larger equipment with lower unit costs ensured survival. As a result, mine geometry and mining equipment have dramatically increased in size. To date, in terms of productivity, the mining industry continues to adhere to the 'bigger is better' mentality. There are indications that this strategy may not always be advantageous. This paper will discuss on-going research into understanding the effects of equipment size on surface mining. The research includes investigation of mine and mill construction and operating costs, mine productivity, mine design, and economic optimisation. It identifies the significant variables that need to be considered and suggests an approach to quantify their impact on the mine. The paper also proposes a new view to mine planning and equipment selection with respect to the sensitivity to equipment size factors.
For ageing open pit mining operations where the economic viability of another pushback is questionable, mine life can be extended by increasing the wall slope. If the steepening is started where ore intersects the pit wall, the capital outlay for waste stripping is minimal. Such a venture must be conducted safely, and a basic requirement would include loading equipment capable of working remotely.In the application described, alternatives in the choice of loader included equipment available on site, or the purchase and assembly of used equipment. Only electric cable shovels were in use at the operation, and it was thought that these would be more capable of digging high muck piles at the productivity demanded by an increasingly efficient mill, and in a challenging environment less suited to a rubber tired loader or hydraulic front shovel. A decision was made to convert an older electric cable shovel to remote controlled operation and to include the application of semi-robotic control.The conversion was completed successfully and is described, along with methods developed for remote operation of a shovel, and the application of various sensors for semi-robotic operation. A plan of operations to mine out several completed double benches and make two quadruple benches with wide catchment berms is depicted. On completion of this task, the working benches developed would be wide enough to operate at near full production.Prior to moving the remote controlled shovel back into the pit, a large wall instability became active, eventually closing the operation. The instability could have been safely mined using the remote controlled shovel.
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