Development of a DFN-based probabilistic block theory approach for bench face angle design in open pit mining

In open pit mining,uncontrolled block instabilities have serious social,economic and regulatory consequences,such as casualties,disruption of operation and increased regulation difficulties.For this reason,bench face angle,as one of the controlling parameters associated with block instabilities,should be carefully designed for sustainable mining.This study introduces a discrete fracture network(DFN)-based probabilistic block theory approach for the fast design of the bench face angle.A major advantage is the explicit incorporation of discontinuity size and spatial distribution in the procedure of key blocks testing.The proposed approach was applied to a granite mine in China.First,DFN models were generated from a multi-step modeling procedure to simulate the complex structural characteristics of pit slopes.Then,a modified key blocks searching method was applied to the slope faces modeled,and a cumulative probability of failure was obtained for each sector.Finally,a bench face angle was determined commensurate with an acceptable risk level of stability.The simulation results have shown that the number of hazardous traces exposed on the slope face can be significantly reduced when the suggested bench face angle is adopted,indicating an extremely low risk of uncontrolled block instabilities.

Coordinated Mining Procedures of Open Pit Mines Based on River Management

This paper primarily concerns the effective coordination of the procedures and methods employed in open pit mining operations under the background of river management.The central objective of this study is to identify a viable approach for ensuring rational and efficient development of open pit mineral resources while simultaneously protecting and restoring the ecological environment of the river.This approach should facilitate the realization of a harmonious symbiosis between mining and river management.The intricate mutual influence relationship between river management and open pit mining is first analyzed in depth,which provides a solid foundation for the subsequent coordination strategy development.In light of the aforementioned considerations,a set of coordination procedures for open pit mining based on river management conditions is proposed.These procedures emphasize the integration of river protection into the overall layout of mining at the planning stage.The implementation of scientific mining schemes,accompanied by rigorous control of the scope and depth of mining operations,has proven to be an effective means of reducing the impact of mining activities on river environments.This approach has also facilitated the achievement of a balance and coordination between mining and river management.

Geopolymer-based modification of blasting sealing materials and optimization of blasting block size in coal seams of open pit mines

This research proposes the utilization of a geopolymer-based blasting sealing material to improve the profitability of coal sales and reduce the rate of coal fragmentation during blasting in open pit mines.The study first focused on optimizing the strength of the sealant material and reducing curing time.This was achieved by regulating the slag doping and sodium silicate solution modulus.The findings demonstrated that increasing slag content and improving the material resulted in an early rise in strength while increasing the modulus of the sodium silicate solution extended the curing time.The slag doping level was fixed at 80 g,and the sodium silicate solution modulus was set at 1.5.To achieve a strength of 3.12 MPa,the water/gel ratio was set at 0.5.The initial setting time was determined to be 33 min,meeting the required field test duration.Secondly,the strength requirements for field implementation were assessed by simulating the action time and force destruction process of the sealing material during blasting using ANSYS/LS-DYNA software.The results indicated that the modified material meets these requirements.Finally,the Shengli Open Pit Coal Mine served as the site for the field test.It was observed that the hole-sealing material’s hydration reaction created a laminated and flocculated gel inside it.This enhanced the density of the modified material.Additionally,the pregelatinized starch,functioning as an organic binder,filled the gaps between the gels,enhancing the cohesion and bonding coefficient of the material.Upon analyzing the post-blasting shooting effect diagram using the Split-Desktop software,it was determined that the utilization of the modified blast hole plugging material resulted in a decrease in the rate of coal fragmentation from 33.2%to 21.1%.This reduction exhibited a minimal error of 1.63%when compared to the field measurement,thereby providing further confirmation of the exceptional plugging capabilities of the modified material.This study significantly contributes to establishing a solid theoretical basis for enhancing the blasting efficiency of open pit mines and,in turn,enhancing their economic advantages.

Study on the Application of Real-Time Drone Monitoring in Ordos Open-Pit Coal Mine

In the process of intelligent mine construction in open-pit mine, in order to improve the safety monitoring ability of mine transportation system, solve the problems of large human interference and blind Angle detection by existing conventional monitoring methods, this paper establishes an open-pit mine monitoring data set, and proposes a real-time intelligent monitoring model based on UAV. The reasoning component with strong computing power and low power consumption is selected, and the lightweight object detection model is selected for the experiment. A quantitative standard of dynamic energy consumption detection by evaluation algorithm is proposed. Through experimental comparison, it is found that YOLOv4-tiny has the highest comprehensive grade in detection accuracy, speed, energy consumption and other aspects, which is suitable for application in the above model.

Ultimate pit optimization with ecological cost for open pit metal mines

The ecological costs of open pit metal mining are quantified, which include lost value of direct eco-services, lost value of indirect eco-services, prevention and restoration costs, and cost of carbon emission from energy consumption. These ecological costs are incorporated in an iterative ultimate pit optimization algorithm. A case study is presented to demonstrate the influence of ecological costs on pit design outcome. The results show that it is possible to internalize ecological costs in mine designs. The pit optimization outcome shifts considerably to the conservative side and the profitability decreases substantially when ecological costs are accounted for.

Overburden management in open pits: options and limits in large limestone quarries

The management of overburden is an important task in open pit exploitations. Site topography and morphology as well as geological and geotechnical properties of natural and remoulded materials are the most important factors affecting the disposal phase. Economic and environmental requirements must be followed in order to achieve the best reclamation results, keeping into account site constraints such as slope stability, hauling and dumping issues, and interactions with groundwater. This paper deals with the above mentioned issues, illustrating a rational approach applied on the case of a large limestone quarry where the thickness of the overburden is relevant and the spoil material has to be dumped in a flooded pit. The proposed multidisciplinary approach led to the selection of most suitable methods for excavation, transportation and disposal. The selection was based on a detailed laboratory and site characterisation that defined favorable and adverse factors to be considered during the preliminary study of a large quarrying project.

Dynamic management system of ore blending in an open pit mine based on GIS/GPS/GPRS

Using GIS, GPS and GPRS, a dynamic management system of ore blending in an open pit mine has been designed and developed. A linear program was established in a practical application. The system is very good at automatically drawing up a daily production plan of ore blending and monitors and controls the process of mining production in real time. Experiments under real conditions show that the performance of this system is stable and can satisfy production standards of ore blending in open pit mines.

Monitoring dispatch information system of trucks and shovels in an open pit based on GIS/GPS/GPRS

Using GIS,GPS and GPRS,an intelligent monitoring and dispatch system of trucks and shovels in an open pit has been designed and developed.The system can monitor and dispatch open-pit trucks and shovels and play back their historical paths.An intelligent data algorithm is proposed in a practical application.The algorithm can count the times of deliveries of trucks and load- ings of shovels.Experiments on real scenes show that the performance of this system is stable and can satisfy production standards in open pits.

Monitoring and Assessing Method for Blasting Vibration on Open-pit Slope in Hainan Iron Mine

A type of velocity sensor CD 1, an auto recording instrument on blasting vibration YBJ 1 and a random signal and vibration analysis system (CRAS) were used to monitor the particle vibration induced by blasting at open pit slope in Hainan Iron Mine. The attenuating rules of blasting ground vibration on slope were developed. By means of the analysis and calculation of the blasting vibration data at open pit slope and the vertical particle vibration velocity assessment method based on the concept of vibration strength, the empirical attenuating equations which can be used for predicting and estimating the damage of slope were derived.

A new framework for evaluation of rock fragmentation in open pit mines

The main purpose of blasting in open pit mines is to produce the feed for crushing stage with the optimum dimensions from in situ rocks. The size distribution of muck pile indicates the efficiency of blasting pattern to reach the required optimum sizes. Nevertheless, there is no mature model to predict fragmentation distribution to date that can be used in various open pit mines. Therefore, a new framework to evaluate and predict fragmentation distribution is presented based on the image analysis approach. For this purpose, the data collected from Jajarm bauxite mine in Iran were used as the sources in this study. The image analysis process was performed by Split-Desktop software to find out fragmentation distribution, uniformity index and average size of the fragmented rocks. Then, two different approaches including the multivariate regression method and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory(DEMATEL) technique were incorporated to develop new models of the uniformity index and the average size to improve the Rosin-Rammler function. The performances of the proposed models were evaluated in four blasting operation sites. The results obtained indicate that the regression model possesses a better performance in prediction of the uniformity index and the average size and subsequently the fragmentation distribution in comparison with DEMATEL and conventional Rosin-Rammler models.

Optimization of transport passage with dragline system in thick overburden open pit mine

According to the characteristics of opencast coal resources and dragline technology system application in China,the structure and shifting step of transport passage are optimized in this paper.Typical coal transport passage is analyzed in aspects such as the internal dump occupation,dragline operation efficiency,coal transport distance,upper stripping distance and shifting quantities.The middle passage should be given priority in thick overburden open pit mine because the dragline system is only responsible for part stripping task.According to characteristics of middle passage,the transport passage is divided into parallel climbing,vertical climbing and horizontal transport.In addition,the transport passage structure optimization model and shifting distance optimization model are established in this paper.The case study in Heidaigou open pit mine shows that,the parallel climbing height is accounted for about 60%of the total height,and reasonable shifting distances of the first mining area and the second mining area are 240 and 320 m.Sensitivity analysis shows that,the total passage height has important influence on the shifting step,so it is with the stripping height and passage construction cost to the passage structure.

Comparison of vibrations induced by excavation of deep-buried cavern and open pit with method of bench blasting

The measured data of vibrations induced by excavation of deep-buried cavern and open pit with method of bench blasting were analyzed by Fourier Transform and Wavelet Transform,and the characteristics of vibrations induced under these two circumstances were studied.It is concluded that with the similar rock condition and drilling-blasting parameters,vibration induced by bench blasting in deep-buried cavern has a higher main frequency and more scattered energy distribution than that in open pit.The vibration induced by bench blasting in open pit is mainly originated from the blast load,while the vibration induced by bench blasting in deep-buried cavern is the superposition of vibrations induced by blast load and transient release of in-situ stress.The vibration induced by transient release of in-situ stress increases with the stress level.

Numerical investigations of rock bridge effect on open pit slope stability

In this study,the effect of rock bridges on rock slope stability was investigated by incorporating nonpersistent joint networks in numerical models,and the critical profiles of an open pit mine were analysed.Parallel deterministic networks of infinite and finite lengths,ubiquitous joint network model and Veneziano joint network model were used in order to simulate the rock fractures.Materials were modelled based on the generalised Hoek-Brown and equivalent Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria.The parallel deterministic infinite and the ubiquitous joint network models produced lower safety factors.The introduction of rock bridges along discontinuity planes in the parallel deterministic network and Veneziano joint network models significantly contributed to the stability and strain distribution,which should be considered in stability analysis of rock mass in open pit by rock slope practitioners.The results show the significance of joints in hard rock behaviour and the joints should be included in order to attain practical and realistic simulations.

Reserve estimation of an open pit mine under price uncertainty by real option approach

Reserve estimation is a key to find the correct NPV in a mining project. The most important factor in reserve estimation is the metal price. Metal price fluctuations in recent years were exaggerated, and imposed a high degree of uncertainty to the reserve estimation, and in consequence to the whole mine planning procedure. Real option approach is an efficient method of decision making in the uncertain conditions. This approach has been used for evaluation of defined natural resources projects until now. This study considering the metal price uncertainty used real option approach to prepare a methodology for reserve estimation in open pit mines. This study was done on a copper cylindrical deposit, but the achieved methodology can be adjusted for all kinds of deposits. This methodology was comprehensively described through the examples in such a manner that can be used by the mine planners.

Cap rock blast caving of cavity under open pit bench

A laser technique based scanning system was employed to make a comprehensive scanning through borehole forunmapped cavity under open pit bench,then the three-dimensional data will be obtained,and these data were used for theoreticalanalysis and numerical simulation to analyze the stability of cap rock.Acoustic emission techniques were also adopted to carry outlong term real time rupture monitoring in cap rock.Therefore,a complete safety evaluation system for the cap rock was establishedto ensure safe operation of subsequent blasting processes.The ideal way of eliminating collapse hazard of such cavity is cap rockcaving through deep-hole blasting,thus,two deep-hole blasting schemes named as vertical deep-hole blasting scheme and one-timeraise driving integrated with deep-hole bench blasting scheme were proposed.The vertical deep-hole blasting scheme has moreexplosive consumption,but the relatively simple blasting net work structure can greatly reduce workloads.However,the one-timeraise driving integrated with deep-hole bench blasting scheme can obviously reduce explosive consumption,but the higher technicalrequirements on drilling,explosive charging and blasting network will increase workloads.

PRINCIPLES FOR OPTIMUM DESIGN OF OPEN PIT MINES

ＰＲＩＮＣＩＰＬＥＳＦＯＲＯＰＴＩＭＵＭＤＥＳＩＧＮＯＦＯＰＥＮＰＩＴＭＩＮＥＳＳｈｉＺｈｏｎｇｍｉｎ，ＦｅｎｇＺｈｏｎｇｒｅｎ，ＸｕＣｈａｎｇｙｏｕＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＭｉｎｅｒａｌＲｅｓｏｕｒｃｅａｎｄＥｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔＥｎｇｉｎｅｅｒｉ...

Stability analysis of open-pit gold mine slopes and optimization of mining scheme in Inner Mongolia,China

The geological structure of the Changshanhao open-pit mine in Urad Middle Banner,Inner Mongolia,China is extremely complicated,and slope instability has frequently occurred in various forms,such as wedge sliding,bedding sliding,and toppling failure.In order to study the failure mechanisms of these slopes,the geological structure and mechanical rock properties were investigated based on field investigations and laboratory tests.Numerical models for the present mining area and final mining area of the original scheme were established to analyze slope stability.The results showed that the unique geomorphological characteristics of the mining area were generated by geological tectonism,and the north side of the stope is an anti-dip layered rock slope and the south side is a dip layered rock slope.Slope failure is the consequence of endogenic and exogenic integration,including physical and mechanical properties of the rock mass,geological structures such as faults and joints,and human-caused factors such as blasting and excavation disturbances.Then the original excavation scheme was redesigned mainly by optimizing the slope angle and decreasing the final mining depth to maintain slope stability.Finally,the Monte Carlo method was used to analyze the reliability of the slope angle optimization scheme.The open-pit mine excavation plan that meets the stability requirements was obtained eventually.

Improvement of Lagrangian relaxation performance for open pit mines constrained long-term production scheduling problem

Constrained long-term production scheduling problem(CLTPSP) of open pit mines has been extensively studied in the past few decades due to its wide application in mining projects and the computational challenges it poses become an NP-hard problem.This problem has major practical significance because the effectiveness of the schedules obtained has strong economical impact for any mining project.Despite of the rapid theoretical and technical advances in this field,heuristics is still the only viable approach for large scale industrial applications.This work presents an approach combining genetic algorithms(GAs) and Lagrangian relaxation(LR) to optimally determine the CLTPSP of open pit mines.GAs are stochastic,parallel search algorithms based on the natural selection and the process of evolution.LR method is known for handling large-scale separable problems; however,the convergence to the optimal solution can be slow.The proposed Lagrangian relaxation and genetic algorithms(LR-GAs) combines genetic algorithms into Lagrangian relaxation method to update the Lagrangian multipliers.This approach leads to improve the performance of Lagrangian relaxation method in solving CLTPSP.Numerical results demonstrate that the LR method using GAs to improve its performance speeding up the convergence.Subsequently,highly near-optimal solution to the CLTPSP can be achieved by the LR-GAs.

NPV risk simulation of an open pit gold mine project under the O'Hara cost model by using Gas

This paper analyzes an open pit gold mine project based on the O'Hara cost model. Hypothetical data is proposed based on different authors that have studied open pit gold projects, and variations are proposed according to the probability distributions associated to key variables affecting the NPV, like production level, ore grade, price of ore, and others, so as to see what if, in a gold open pit mine project of 3000 metric tons per day of ore. Two case scenarios were analyzed to simulate the NPV, one where there is low certainty data available, and the other where the information available is of high certainty. Results based on genetic algorithm metaheuristic simulations, which combine basically Montecarlo simulations provided by the Palisade Risk software, the O'Hara cost model, net smelter return and financial analysis tools offered by Excel are reported, in order to determine to which variables of the project is more sensitive the NPV.

A new generic open pit mine planning process with risk assessment ability

Conventionally, mining industry relies on a deterministic view, where a unique mine plan is determined based on a single resource model. A major shortfall of this approach is the inability to assess the risk caused by the well-known geological uncertainty, i.e. the in situ grade and tonnage variability of the mineral deposit. Despite some recent attempts in developing stochastic mine planning models which have demonstrated promising results, the industry still remains sceptical about this innovative idea. With respect to unbiased linear estimation, kriging is the most popular and reliable deterministic interpolation technique for resource estimation and it appears to remain its popularity in the near future. This paper presents a new systematic framework to quantify the risk of kriging-based mining projects due to the geological uncertainties. Firstly, conditional simulation is implemented to generate a series of equally-probable orebody realisations and these realisations are then compared with the kriged resource model to analyse its geological uncertainty. Secondly, a production schedule over the life of mine is determined based on the kriged resource model. Finally, risk profiles of that production schedule, namely ore and waste tonnage production, blending grade and Net Present Value （NPV）, are constructed using the orebody realisations. The proposed model was applied on a multi-element deposit and the result demonstrates that that the kriging-based mine plan is unlikely to meet the production targets. Especially, the kriging-based mine plan overestimated the expected NPV at a magnitude of 6.70% to 7.34% （135 M$ to 151 M$）. A new multivariate conditional simulation framework was also introduced in this paper to cope with the multivariate nature of the deposit. Although an iron ore deposit is used to prove the concepts, the method can easily be adapted to other kinds of mineral deposits, including surface coal mine.