Analyzing the Electricity Consumption and Costs of Electrical-Powered Machines When There is Orepass Failure in Underground Mine

AbstractIn underground mining environment where the loss of orepasses is a dominant factor, the mine may face a challenge of improving the loading and hauling operations. Some of the options will be to rehabilitate the lost orepasses, or developing the new ones. When the rehabilitation cost is high, alternative strategies should be applied to compensate for the orepasses failure. One of the possible options is to use diesel or electric Load-Haul-Dumps (LHDs). The use of diesel-powered LHDs will increase heat and gas emissions which increase environmental concerns and ventilation costs, while adoption of electric-powered vehicles needs to be analysed. Therefore, this study was conducted at an existing underground mine in Sweden, to determine the electricity consumption and costs of electric-powered LHDs when there is a loss of orepasses. The AutoModTM discrete event simulation tool was used during the analysis. The results show that, electric-powered LHDs have significant cost saving when used in case of orepass loss to move materials compared to diesel-powered units. However, the source of electricity to fully adopt electric-powered units may need further financial justifications to evaluate the impacts to the environment. Keywords: Electricity costs; production rate; discrete event simulation; loading operations

Analyzing degradation of ore pass walls in Kiirunavaara mine using scanning data

Ore passes play a vital role in underground mining operations by facilitating the gravity-driven movement of ore from production levels to lower levels. Failure of the ore pass has serious consequences, including possible production disruptions and substantial financial investments in reconstruction or rehabilitation. Failure mechanisms are often associated with rock mass quality, stress conditions, and wear of the ore pass walls. This study investigated the degradation of ore pass walls using scanning data at LKAB’s Kiirunavaara mine in Sweden. Geotechnical information obtained from various sources aided in further understanding the ore passes’ conditions. The study revealed variations in the ore pass growth rates, highlighting potential stability concerns and the correlation between throughput and pass growth. The findings underscore the need for continuous monitoring and regular inspection to manage wall degradation. The paper proposes potential rehabilitation measures to ensure the stability and safety of ore passes in mining operations

How can an AR video game improve the understanding of mines for the general public.

El objetivo de este proyecto es demostrar si, tomando como base un videojuego desarrollado en VR y dirigido a estudiantes de Ingeniería de Minas, se puede emular una experiencia adecuada de simulación o aprendizaje en AR/MR con usuarios generales sin conexión alguna con las minas. El proceso consiste en crear assets para la mina interactiva, desarrollar los escenarios donde se muestran diferentes partes de la mina y, finalmente, evaluar el juego con usuarios de diferentes orígenes y contextos. La evaluación final ha sido de gran ayuda para la revisión del producto, ya que mostró sus limitaciones actuales ante el público en general. Los principales problemas encontrados son los siguientes: problemas de navegabilidad a través del juego, necesidad de un propósito durante la experiencia de aprendizaje, y la pregunta de si sería accesible y útil para todos los públicos. Sin embargo, a pesar de estas limitaciones, también se han demostrado sus posibilidades con estudiantes nuevos de Ingeniería de Minas, y el claro potencial que tiene el proyecto para mejorar el aprendizaje de un público bastante amplio.<br /

Phanerozoic parasitism and marine metazoan diversity: Dilution versus amplification

Growing evidence suggests that biodiversity mediates parasite prevalence. We have compiled the first global database on occurrences and prevalence of marine parasitism throughout the Phanerozoic and assess the relationship with biodiversity to test if there is support for amplification or dilution of parasitism at the macroevolutionary scale. Median prevalence values by era are 5% for the Paleozoic, 4% for the Mesozoic, and a significant increase to 10% for the Cenozoic. We calculated period-level shareholder quorum sub-sampled (SQS) estimates of mean sampled diversity, three-timer (3T) origination rates, and 3T extinction rates for the most abundant host clades in the Paleobiology Database to compare to both occurrences of parasitism and the more informative parasite prevalence values. Generalized linear models (GLMs) of parasite occurrences and SQS diversity measures support both the amplification (all taxa pooled, crinoids and blastoids, and molluscs) and dilution hypotheses (arthropods, cnidarians, and bivalves). GLMs of prevalence and SQS diversity measures support the amplification hypothesis (all taxa pooled and molluscs). Though likely scale-dependent, parasitism has increased through the Phanerozoic and clear patterns primarily support the amplification of parasitism with biodiversity in the history of life. This article is part of the theme issue 'Infectious disease macroecology: parasite diversity and dynamics across the globe'

Comparison of mechanical excavation and drilling : A discrete event simulation approach

The scope of this study covers the comparison of mine development using conventional drill and blast method, which is the continuation of a long tradition in mining, and mechanical excavation, which is performed by a continuous mining development machine. The aim of the study was to analyze both excavation methods and compare them with each other using discrete event simulation. This allowed creation of initial scenarios, which then can be further analyzed and extended to a more robust version. Before the construction of the model regarding development of the mine and simulation runs a literature review was conducted. The software AutoMod was chosen for creation of the model, which is trying to depict the most important factors that influence the real system operation specified in the study. Moreover, additional add-ons such as AutoView allowed furthering analysis of the results obtained from the base case scenario. In this study, the advancement rate was the primary focus. The modular mining machine parameters are conceptual as the machine is still yet to be subjected for further development and in-situ testing. The drill and blast data was taken from one of Boliden’s mines as to represent the real system case scenario. Major findings were that, when only taking into consideration the advancement rates, the Modular Mining Machine was much faster than drill and blast method for 3 km long tunnel. Moreover, the advancement rate for two 2.5 km long tunnels was almost the same when excluding the time of moving the machines between both tunnels.Validerat; 20130614 (global_studentproject_submitter

Lastning och transport i underjordsgruvor

The research presented in this thesis addresses several aspects of loading operations inunderground mines, in particular tools and equipment selection. It also addresses the flexibilityof the fleet when subject to substantial disturbances, such as ore pass loss, and proposes integration of the scheduling system with discrete event simulation. The thesis begins with a study of discrete event simulation (DES) tools for loading operations in an underground mining system. The results show the benefits of using simulation but also the drawbacks.The thesis presents an analysis of energy consumption and exhaust gas emissions from diesel and electric LHDs. The results show the potential energy savings with the use of electric LHDs. Next, it focuses on the LHD operations affected by long-term ore pass loss (unavailability). It shows the effects on the production system (the ventilation requirements, production and waiting times when too many LHDs operate in the area affected by an ore pass loss) and highlights the need for a flexible solution and a mitigation strategy. Finally, the thesis studies the integration of ABB’s Ability Operations Management System (OMS) with the SimMine simulation model and how this affects LHD operations. The results show the benefits of using the joined platformas a testbed and decision support system

Rock mass transportation systems in underground mines: consequences and solutions when mining at greater depths

The research presented in this thesis addresses a number of challenges related to rock mass transportation in deep underground mines. In particular, high energy consumption and high exhaust gas emissions from diesel and electric LHDs, the effects of ore pass loss on the loading, hauling and dumping operations due to increasing stresses and increasing costs due to the longer vertical transportation of the rock masses. These critical challenges have been identified by a literature review and analysis of data collected from 15 international deep mines. In order to answer the formulated research questions, three studies on various issues related to rock mass transportation in deep underground mines were made, and the analysis was performed mainly using discrete event simulation. The thesis presents a study of energy consumption and exhaust gas emissions from diesel and electric LHDs with similar bucket sizes. The results show the possible energy savings and a decrease in CO2 emissions when using electric LHDs instead of diesel ones. The thesis also presents a study of the effects of ore pass loss on LHD operations and on the mine production. Maintaining the production with a lower number of operational ore pass structures by increasing the number of LHDs can have a negative effect on the production. This is because an increased number of LHDs in operation will results in increased waiting times for the LHDs and cause variations in the production rate. These variations can be large, causing severe consequences if not managed correctly. The results also show the importance of developing alternative plans for underground loading and hauling operations in case of an ore pass loss. Transportation of rock, especially when mining depth increases, is often associated with high costs and long transportation times. To decrease the amount of unnecessary rock transportation, near-to-face sorting plants may be one alternative. In the thesis, a study was performed on a possible reduction in rock mass transportation to the surface when using this technique. The results conclude that near-to-face sorting plants could lower the environmental effects generated by unnecessary rock transportation to the surface