AUGMENTING TRADITIONAL MINE-TO-MILL WITH CLOUD-BASED SIMULATION AND RECONCILIATION CAPABILITIES

C. CARRASCO1, M. GAHONA1, D. LA ROSA2, G. SHAPLAND2, N. BEATON2, & *E. AMINI2

1BHPAv. de la Minería 501, Antofagasta, Chile 2CRC ORETechnology Transfer Centre, Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies (QCAT)1 Technology Crt., Pullenvale, QLD, 4069, Australia (*Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SAG Conference Vancouver, Canada September 22 – 26, 2019

ABSTRACT

Mine-to-mill (M2M) optimisation is a mature methodology that has demonstrated significant benefits to operations globally. One drawback to the approach is that the audits conducted to calibrate the blasting and comminution models only capture an instant in the operation’s life. This can limit scenarios where there are complex ore paths or long-term schedules to be considered.

The authors have developed a methodology to simulate concentrator performance for each block in the life-of-asset model using different blast designs. This enables a site to understand where and when the potential for throughput increases can occur, as well as making M2M sustainable in the long term. In this paper, the authors describe the approach and tools used in this project.

Keywords
Mine-to-mill, M2M, IES, modelling, optimisation, Cloud-based simulation