Performing calculations to support mine production increase planning, including the determination of the required number of additional mine dump trucks and the assessment of the mining transport system’s capacity. The simulation model created with the MineTwin tool has made it possible to provide reasoned answers to the following questions:
- How many additional mine dump trucks will be needed for increased production
- What impact will the additional skip hoist construction have on the equipment fleet?
- How will different equipment operating schedules influence mine productivity?
Period: May 2023 – August 2023
Industry: Mining
Client / Partner: The world’s largest fluorite ore mine Las Cuevas (Mexico)/ AVA Solutions
Project objective
Performing calculations to support mine production increase planning, including the determination of the required number of additional mine dump trucks and the assessment of the mining transport system’s capacity
The main stages of work and characteristics of the system
- Problem definition and data collection
- Configuration MineTwin to accommodate specific mining rules and mine topology
- Testing and verification of the simulation model — comparing key financial and operational indicators with real historical data
- Simulation various scenarios and conducting sensitivity analysis on the model’s input parameters
- Users’ training
System input data
- Geometric and geological features of the mine
- Schedules, technological operations execution order and durations
- Technical characteristics and limitations of current and prospective equipment and transport
The main structural elements of the system
- Input data file of scenario in MS Excel format
- Simulation model on the MineTwin platform
System output data
- Mining volume for each scenario
- Utilization of equipment types
- Mine production volumes with different fleet sizes and equipment operating schedules
- Sensitivity of the model to random variables (the probability of breakdowns and the duration of their elimination, fluctuations in the duration of technological operations, etc.)
Project result
- Calculated the required number of additional trucks for increased production
- Evaluated the throughput of the mining transport system when implementing various measures to enhance the technical availability of mine shaft No. 6
- Determined the impact of using different equipment operating schedules on mine productivity
- Estimated the reduction in the fleet of mine dump trucks due to the construction of an additional skip hoist, resulting in a shorter delivery distance
- Established a competence center to utilize the simulation model for weekly decision support