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By Shosei Serata, Bruce Gardner

A system of three new field instruments has been developed to measure, in situ, the three basic classes of geomechanical parameters: material properties, stress state, and creep deformation. The significance of this development is that it represents a successful adaptation of recent computer technology to underground rock mechanics work, opening up new possibilities in underground mining methods. The system was developed to meet the application requirements of the stress control method of mining, a method which is based on the actual geomechanical conditions of the underground, rather than upon conventional linear-elastic, idealizations of ground conditions. These instruments enable in situ measurement not only of elastic, but also post-elastic, yielding, and failure conditions of geological materials, establishing the stress control method on a truly scientific foundation. In order to evaluate the present status of this field instrumentation system, case examples of underground mine openings designed with the stress control method are reviewed and analyzed, in terms of the effectiveness of the three instruments for informing and guiding the site-specific application of stress control design.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. S. Stachulak

Installation of a computerized mine monitoring and control system in two planned construction phases began in 1983. Phase one consisted of providing a central monitoring station located on surface for monitoring underground CO detection in Frood Mine's heated area. The implementation of this project annualized labour savings of $200,000. The cost of installation of an early fire warning system was $100,000. There are several CO sensor monitoring carbon monoxide trends through mine heated areas. To obtain an early warning, it is not good enough to know that a fire has started, but it is also necessary to know where the fire is located.

Jan 1, 1989

By Jonathan M. Berkoe

Design engineers and metallurgists have long recognized the need for better methods to calculate a wide range of fluid dynamic effects in smelters and hydro- metallurgical facilities. Examples can range from the capture of fume in the secondary hoods of a copper converter, to controlling the thermal effects of heat transfer resulting from metal and slag flows within a furnace. With the advent of relatively low-cost, high- speed computers and user-friendly, commercially available computerized fluid dynamic (CFD) programs, these calculations can now be made. Use of CFD increased the understanding of both hot gas and molten flows in smelter facilities and has already led to design improvements in converter fume control hoods as well as improved management of heat transfer in electric furnaces. This paper will present two representative CFD applications to metals industry facilities. To date, Bechtel has implemented CFD results on four continents.

Jan 1, 1999

By Walter J. Pachucki

Mining equipment maintenance costs account for a major portion of a mine’s total operating expense. A reduction of maintenance costs while providing required equipment availability translates directly into increased profit for a mine. Therefore, having in place a successful maintenance program can be management’s most direct route to increased profits. One key element of a successful maintenance program is a practical and effective recordkeeping and information system. In recent years, many mining operations have invested in the development or purchase of computerized maintenance information systems. Computerized maintenance information systems can serve as a valuable tool in managing mining-equipment maintenance. They can also be a costly, frustrating waste of time. Why are some systems successful at one operation but a failure at others? Should all mines use computerized maintenance information systems? How does management decide what maintenance software is best for their operation? In an effort to to answer these questions and to better understand what is required to make a mining maintenance information system successful, a study was recently conducted on maintenance information systems used in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1991

By C. Jardine

The concept of the system is to minimize costly unscheduled breakdowns of equipment by replacing components earlier than their "life" expectancy. Periodic unit services are scheduled according to pre-set constraints. Service sheets are generated by matching a job and component master listing based on assigned cyclic component lives. The system can provide accountability of all man-hours reported and history information can be selectively retrieved. By reducing unscheduled equipment shutdowns, this system allows for better utilization of manpower and an overall improvement in equipment reliability and availability.

Jan 1, 1979

By C. Jardine, D. Freudenreich

The system concept is to minimize costly unscheduled equipment breakdowns by replacing components earlier than their life expectancy. Periodic unit services are scheduled according to preset constraints. Service sheets are generated by matching a job and component master listing based on assigned cyclic component lives. The system can account for all man-hours reported, and history information can be selectively retrieved. By reducing unscheduled equipment shutdowns, this system allows for better manpower utilization and an overall improvement in equipment reliability and availability.

Jan 1, 1982

By Rae Simpson

"This paper provides insight into the elements of computerized maintenance systems and identifies some of the factors which influence their effectiveness. The paper describes what to expect in terms of benefits and problems, the nature of effective computerized maintenance systems, some of the systems available and a process for selecting a system for your organization.The paper will be of interest to mining company executives and maintenance or computer personnel who are involved with, or contemplating, the introduction of computerized maintenance systems.IntroductionIn the drive to improve profits in an increasingly competitive world, mining companies are now using some of the most sophisticated equipment available. The introduction of large and complex equipment such as drag lines, haul trucks, and high-capacity milling equipment has resulted in order-of magnitude improvements in productivity. However, this productivity is now, more than ever, dependent on the continued operation of the equipment. A prolonged breakdown of a critical component can have a significant effect on companies' bottom-line results. As more technologically sophisticated equipment is introduced, maintenance costs become an increasingly important factor for mining companies.Fortunately, sound modern management principles are being used more often in maintenance departments. Progressive maintenance managers are turning to computers to help manage the myriad of details associated with running a maintenance organization.Some maintenance departments in larger mining operations would find it difficult, if not impossible, to operate at current productivity levels without their computer systems. Unfortunately, some other companies gain very little from their computerized systems and would probably be better off without them.How can you be sure that computerized maintenance will improve the maintenance picture for your company? What benefits can you expect to achieve? How do you go about selecting a maintenance system for your organization? These are some of the questions facing industry managers and executives today. In the following sections, we will provide some guidelines and insights to help address these challenges."

Jan 1, 1988

Monitoring systems can have numerous uses in the mine. They can aid in the efficient management of the mine by providing environmental trend data, production and maintenance control, and communications. In some cases, they can provide justification to petition the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) fog a variance of one of the mandatory safety standards. They may also increase the gross revenues of the mine by increasing the amount of coal produced or increase profits by reducing the cost of producing that coal. No single system will satisfy the requirement of all mines. Some may require simple hard-wired status-reporting systems; others, multipurpose computer-based systems that collect, analyze, and store data and perhaps control some mine functions. Even though systems vary in complexity, they are all composed of three functional components. The first component is sensors that measure the environmental or production parameters and produce an electrical signal that is fed into the telemetry. The second is telemetry devices that receive the signal from the sensors and transmit it in either analog or digital format to the third com¬ponent, analysis and display equipment. This equipment receives the transmitted signal and either stores it for later analysis or displays it. The analysis-display equipment ranges from simple strip chart recorders with preset alarms to computers, cathode-ray tubes (CRT's), and line printers that can also provide production reports. 4.2 Uses of a Mine Monitoring System A list of potential uses for mine monitoring systems, including both production-related functions and those related to health and safety, was used to develop a questionnaire. It was presented to representatives of the mining community to determine their current monitoring priorities. The responses indicated that the industry's priorities fall into the following two categories: First priority- Production and haulage Maintenance Second priority- Ventilation Communication Fire monitoring Personnel The survey shows that production-oriented systems were the most appealing to the questionnaire respondents. Since even small improvements in production efficiency and maintenance can have a large financial impact, the desirability of monitoring systems that focus on these areas is understandable. The results are summarized in table 4-1. The function that scored 100 was viewed as the most beneficial monitoring function.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. Richard Maier

Short-range mine planning (less than five years) previously was accomplished using contour and isopac maps, pencil and paper, an abacus, and our lucky quarter. Through the use of both micros and mainframe time sharing, Glenrock Coal Company (GCC) has been able to virtually put the old equipment away (except the problem solving quarter). In the process, GCC has saved many man-days and eliminated the more tedious parts of mine planning, such as picking elevations off a map with an engineer's scale and repetitive calculations. These savings have allowed GCC to do a more extensive job of mine planning as well as offer more alternatives, making GCC better prepared for possible economic changes. Mine planning, simply, involves looking at what has been done and deciding what needs to be done using various constraints. The application of this concept is not as easy as it sounds. The need for experience and insight cannot be replaced by a machine, but machines can supplement a person's ability by doing the bookkeeping and the repetitive work. Through the application of computers and their accessories, GCC has brought mine planning to a more modernized state. The following paper will detail the development and use of one system as used at GCC. Please note: In the figures and tables following, some of the data has been altered to protect confidential information used in mine planning.

Jan 1, 1983

By Raj K. Singhal

Three principal activities are involved in planning and developing a surface mine. These are 1) definition of economic and technical feasibility, 2) design, procurement and construction, and 3) mining and reclamation. The last is the only activity which begins in the feasibility study and continues throughout the life of a mine. It is also the activity which depends heavily on use of computers. This paper deals with a method of selecting mining software and dwells on the recent progress, made in this area. Discussed also is the status of computerized equipment management and information systems: a microprocessor based technology applied to dispatch systems, monitoring of equipment health and performance, wireless data transmission to a centralized data processing unit, and mine- wide information and reporting system. Reference has been made to upcoming developments which offer the potential- of transforming the surface mine of the year 2000 into a "manless pit". Canadian achievements in all of these areas have been highlighted at appropriate places in the text.

Jan 1, 1989

By James E. Lonergan, Young C. Kim

Over the past two and one-half years, various emission control strategies for a coal-fired power plant have been jointly developed by the University of Arizona and the Homer City Owners. The objective of this work was to assist the Homer City management in their efforts to comply with SO2 emission regulations while continuing to use the relatively high sulfur coal from their captive mines as the primary source of plant fuel. One of the operational strategies studied was to have the captive mines minimize the sulfur variability of the run-of-mine coal on a short term basis. A mine production scheduling program called COMPF2 was developed to perform this task. This paper describes the application of this mine planning program at an underground coal mine. A comparison of the planning results with actual production figures showed the ability of this program to schedule production so as to minimize both the sulfur content and the sulfur variability of run-of-mine coal.

Jan 1, 1983

By Thomas F. Joyce

N L Industries, Inc., MacIntyre Development produces ilmenite and magnetite concentrates from its own open pit operation at Tahawus in New York's Adirondack Mountain region. The ilmenite concentrate is used within the company for the production of titanium dioxide pigments and the magnetite concentrate is sold to heavy media processors. Current production is from South Extension mine, loading by by six-yard Marion electric shovels into 85 ton Lectra Haul trucks. Bench heights are 44' and are drilled with a Robbins Rotary 9 7/8" diameter hole on 25' spacing for a yearly production of 3.4 million total tons of rock. The ore deposit occurs in veins dipping on the average at 40 degrees to the west. The ore body, which is divided into three zones, outcrops at surface and continues to depths of 800'. Zone 1 is a high grade band of thickness 150-200' with an Fe/Tio2 ratio of 2. Below this band is Zone 2, a low grade band of thickness 50-100' with an Fe/Tio2 ratio of 2 and beneath that seperated by a band of anorthosite is Zone 3, a high grade band of irregular thickness 50-450' with an Fe/Tio2 ratio of 1.6.

Jan 1, 1973

By G. H. Blackwell

Sequences in open pit mining must be planned and regularly revised to incorporate changes in the variables which affect profitability. Interactive computer planning with colour graphic facilities is an effective tool for this purpose in the short and medium term. An interactive computer planning system for medium-size, low grade porphyry copper-molybdenum open pits is described. The planning system proved especially valuable during the critical stages of pushback mining when deep, inner pit ore was nearly depleted and the erratic grades of the next pushback provided ore and marginal material at a time of depressed metal prices.

Jan 8, 1993

By Allan E. Koski

Michigan is the second largest iron ore producing state in the United States. The Empire Mine, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 1994, is the largest iron ore mine in the state. The Empire Iron Mining Partnership is an iron ore mining, concentrating and pelletizing facility managed by The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co., a subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. The Empire Mine is located near Palmer, MI on the Marquette Iron Range in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The partnership includes Inland Steel Co., LTV Steel Co., Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. and Cleveland-Cliffs. Mine construction began in 1960. The first pellets were produced in late 1963. Successive expansions in 1967, 1974 and 1979 resulted in Empire reaching a present annual capacity of 8.1 Mt (8 million long tons) of pellets. In late 1993, a milestone was reached with the production of Empire's 152-Mt (150-millionth long ton) of iron ore pellets.

Jan 1, 1994

By A. E. Koski

This paper will review recent developments in the area of mine planning at the Empire Mine. It illustrates how one of the largest iron mines in North America has adapted computerized mine planning to meet the unique requirements of their mining operation.

Jan 1, 1994

By A. S. Dremukha

The problems of geological exploration are discussed on the basis of computerized modeling of, complex orebodies, as well as the task of data authenticity evaluation. The theoretical baseof modeling is solving the problem of determining the parametres of orebodies sizes distribution along random intersections by exploratory workings. The relationship is established between univariate distribution moments in the intersections and the moments of the orebodies sizes distribution in three dimentions. It is suggested to use the obtained results for compyter modeling of the orebodies accumulations and for imitation modeling of their exploration. The computer experiments with the models make it possible to establish the optimum parametres of exploration networls.

Jan 1, 1989

By Boris M. Vorobjev

The paper in question discusses a wide range of topics related to computerized coal mine monitoring systems starting with the history of development and application of computerized monitoring coal mine systems and finishing with modern trends in the design and updating of such systems. The paper focuses exclusively on methodological and technical aspects of computer-based coal mine monitoring systems and their applicability in both surface and underground coal mining operations.

Jan 1, 1989

By Alizeibek Saleimen Nader

The intensive use of computers for mineral application at Serrana's phosphate mine in Jacupiranga, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, began in the late seventies. The early hardware and software available are described in sufficient detail to allow comparisons between that solution and the new one, based on a personal computer and a new software package - PC MINE SYSTEM from GEMCOM SERVICES INC - that provides full color graphics capabilities plus mine design and planning tools. The process needed for adaptation to the new technology' and its impact on SERRANA S.A. DE MINERACAO are described. Finally, future enhancements to the System and mine control and planning are focused.

Jan 1, 1989

By Young C. Kim

Introduction and Objective of This Paper Computerized open pit mine models* are more and more used today for feasi¬bility studies as well as for long range mine planning. In fact, using these models is becoming an enforced practice due to various reasons. One main reason is its capacity to evaluate several designs in a fraction of time required by manual effort. Another reason is the necessity to evaluate several. pit designs due to ever decreasing grade of the orebody and increasing financial risk due to smaller profitability margin. In spite of today's accepted use of computer models, very little guidelines are available which the average practitioner can follow either to choose or to build the type of model best suited for his need. Consequently, the objectives of this paper are: 1. To review the current state of the art in the computerized open pit mine models. 2. To provide some suggestions for model selection. 3. To share our experiences in developing a model for a highly irregular copper ore deposit (see Appendix).

Jan 1, 1977

By Don Stainbrook

Over a period of many years a highly automated computerized system of ore control has been developed at the Newmont Gold Company, (NGC). It is the purpose of this paper to review the development of this system, describe the setting in which it functions and to mention some of the future developments and enhancements. Discussion of the evolution of the system in a historical perspective helps to understand its present status and illuminate some thinking about future directions of development.

Jan 1, 1989