SOFTWARE
Unleashing innovation in
MINE PLANNING RPMGlobal on advances that are helping mine planners stay ahead of the curve By Lorrie Fava
M
ine planning is being transformed by recent advances in technologies, ranging from rugged devices in the field for monitoring equipment operation and scanning rock faces, to optimization software in the engineering office. The digital transformation sweeping the industry is enabling engineers and planners to spend less time on tedious detail work and instead consider a broader range of scenarios than was previously feasible. An exciting next phase of technological breakthroughs is emerging, relating to mine planning workflows. With recent advances in decision-support software for all aspects of the mine planning cycle, every step of an existing mine planning workflow can now be examined with a fresh perspective, rooting out any aspects that are found to be legacy issues from technology of a prior generation. As an example, consider at a high level the well-established planning process for a surface mine. From a block model, a sequence of pushbacks is designed, comprising the ultimate pit. Building on these pushbacks, a long-range schedule is subsequently generated. RPMGlobal’s Schedule Optimization Tool, SOT, generates the ultimate 40 | CANADIAN
MINING JOURNAL
Often the optimization software may produce a solution that the planner initially finds to be counterintuitive After a thorough revie this can be an occasion for reali ing that a conventional practice is actually limiting value in the case at hand
pit and the strategic life-of-mine schedule in one process. Why might a planner then feel the need to formulate pushbacks from such a solution? Every time technology advances, this type of question can be posed across the planning cycle, in relation to individual steps of the process and more broadly. Gradually at times, and occasionally with step changes, new planning methodologies will emerge. Several planning engineers and advisors are providing leadership in the industry by developing and sharing innovative workflows. Their expertise is being applied to the development of study roadmaps that aim to maximize the value derived from a mining property, exploiting the latest optimization software tools. For underground mining, the study roadmap will commonly include iteratively optimizing financial models, geological and structural models, stope designs, access designs, and schedules, with increasing detail as study of the property progresses. It’s important to know at any given stage what aspects of the plan require a more detailed formulation. Is it sufficient to know that a plant
upgrade will be required after year 10, or is it important to have more clarity on the timing of the upgrade, because it impacts other aspects of the plan? Sensitivity analysis can be undertaken at a strategic level in a consistent and much less time-intensive manner than was possible with prior technologies. Again taking an example from SOT, the planning engineer can evaluate the optimal timing for a plant upgrade that will increase capacity, relax blending constraints, and improve recoveries, assessing dozens of alternative scenarios in a matter of hours. Often the optimization software may produce a solution that the planner initially finds to be counterintuitive. After a thorough review, this can be an occasion for realizing that a conventional practice is actually limiting value in the case at hand. It is inevitable that in parallel with the development of these innovative workflows there will be a progression towards more facilitation of such processes on the software side, and towards the establishment of new best practices on the engineering side. www.canadianminingjournal.com
