Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
John T. Crawford
Manager of Operations Control, Mining
Kennecott Minerals Company
Salt Lake City, Utah
The net value is calculated for a limit design is developed with a single
block considering it as ore; if it is run from a given set of data for initial
positive the value is assigned to block. surface topography, mineral and metallur-
If the net value as ore is negative, the gical information, slope angles and eco-
net value as waste is calculated and nomics. Successive runs using the same
assigned to the block. If a cutoff data will yield the same design.
grade constraint is used, the block
grade must be above cutoff or the.block The single run strategy was used com-
is treated as waste. Normally, ore monly during the early development of
blocks have positive net values and computerized methods for open pit limit
waste blocks are negative. analysis. The extensive capability of
the computer was realized as the techni-
The pit limit design is developed by ques gained acceptance and usage
simulating'the mining and its associated increased. Demands increased that open
geometry. The simulation is based on pit limit analysis and design be viewed
inverted frustrum-shaped removal incre- from a multiple alternative perspective.
ments (F'igure 2 ) . The geometry of the The computer put such approaches on a
increments is generated from the dimen- timely basis. As a result, geveral
sions and locations of frustrum bases strategies .of multiple computer runs
and the slope angles. have been developed. These strategies
have enabled open,pit limit analysis '
Variable Mineral and Metallurgical Data mental expansion of the preceding one,
Nonuniform changes in mineral and metal- the-time and cost for generating a series
lurgical data in various zones of a of concentric pit limit designs are sub-
block model could produce erratic non- -stantially reduced. Fewer blocks are
concentric pit limit designs. involved in developing each pit limit
design increment as compared to the
Each run in a nonsequential set whole. Sequential series are the most
always starts from a common initial sur- common computer usage strategy because
face topography. All changes in data of this.
and interactions will have equal poten-
tial effect on each model block. It is There are three areas where sequential
assumed in nonsequential runs that the runs can be particularly useful:
interactions between the initial surface
topography and other variables could 1. Ore reserve ,sensitivity
affect the resulting pit design surface. 2. Intermediate range mining p,lans
Using a common initial surface topogra- 3. Property boundary constraints
phy assures that results of a run are
independent of other runs. If a set of Ore Reserve Sensitivity. The sensitivity
nonsequential runs exhibits a concentric of ore reserves to key economic or re-
pattern in the results, then subsequent lated variables such as mineral and
runs of a similar type can be treated as metallurgical data, metal prices, costs,
sequential unless unusual circumstances and cutoff grade, can be determined using
occur. sequential series. The incremental
changes for the selected variables are
Sequential Series sequenced so the pit limit design size
progressively increases in a concentric
Sequential series of runs are those pattern, thereby increasing the quantity
in which apit limit design serves as the of reserves. The change in ore reserves
initial surface topography from which a because of a change in a selected vari-
subsequent design is developed. The able is the sensitivity. The metal
original initial surface topography is prices, ore grade and recoveries are
used to generate only the first pit increased; costs and cutoff grade are
limit design in the series. To use se- decreased. The net values of the blocks
quential series reliably, it should be generally have to be reevaluated for
reasonably established beforehand that each change in a variable.
the results will be a series of concen-
tric pit limit designs. As variables and block net values are
changed, the cutoff grade can be held
Ordinarily, this can be achieved when constant or be allowed to vary as a
mineral, metallurgical, or economic data, function of the net value. Use of a
or interactions are changed in orderly constant cutoff grade will moderate the
increments. The block net values or the incremental change in pit limit design
economic constraint on the removal incre- size and ore reserve quantity for a
ments ( NV) increase or decrease in a change in a selected variable.
progressive manner. An orderly increase
or decrease of a variable will yield suc- Intermediate Range.Mining Plans. A logi-
cessively larger sized pit limit designs. cal extension of applying
- . - - open
- pit
- limit
The mining of removal increments by one analysis to ore reserve sensitivity is
criteria will have no effect on the next the preparation of intermediate range
increments to be mined by a.new criteria. mining plans. Ope,n limit analysis pro-
duces pit limit designs which optimize
The principal advantage of sequential relationships between mineralization,
series is a systematic approach to ob- metallurgy, slope angles, costs and metal
taining results. The results are direct- prices for a given economic criteria.
ly related to the increments of change In a process similar to evaluating ore
in the selected variable. Because each. reserve sensitivity, variables, normally
successive pit limit design is an incre- economic, are changed incrementally to
628 16th APCOM SYMPOSIUM
2. Trsde-of£ between open pit and mining costs, ore grade and metallurgy.
underground economics Some blocks mined by open pit would not
be mined by underground. Examples are
Multiple Ore Processes and Waste Dump open pit waste blocks and ore blocks out-
Leaching. The block net value is used side underground mineable zones. These
to handle multiple ore processes and blocks would be given net values of zero
waste dump leaching. for the underground option.
INDEX
LEVELS
v
'-'
' % PILLAR
FIGURE 2
GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION
O F SINGLE REMOVAL
I.NCREMENT - FRUSTRUM
SURFACE
/ INTERCEPT
/
/
1 PREVIOUS
INCREMENT
/
P I T WALL
SLOPE ANGLE
R A D l US
OF BOTTOM
.16th APCOM SYMPOSIUM
FIGURE 3
ORIGINAL SURFACE
FIGURE 5
INTERMEDIATE. RANGE M I N I N G PLANS
STEEPENING AT PIT LIMIT'