MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Introduction:

MineSight offers a complete suite of software solutions for mine planning as shown in the MineSight
Planning Spiral below.

Since the last users seminar, Mintec, Inc. has been working closely with many clients to improve the use and
application MineSight Schedule Optimizer (MSSO). This workshop reviews the latest and greatest features in
MSSO which include:

Integration with MineSight.

Reporting and Charting.

Material Mapping & Stockpile Handling.

Multiple Constraints and Multi-Period Scheduling.

Haulage and Equipment Considerations.

Miscellaneous.

Integration with MineSight

A lot of effort has been put into making sure that a fully integrated software package is capable of
completing most of the common short term mine planning tasks. For example, haul profiles and cut designs
digitized in MineSight can be easily stored into the database from which MSSO can access the information.
Therefore, importing/exporting data to ascii and running macros to post process the information is no
longer necessary. Similarly, data validation is highly minimized so considerable amounts of time can be
saved by using MSSO. Thus, engineers can spend more time analyzing schedules instead of exporting/
importing and validating data.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

MSSO, MSIP, and MSH read/write information to the MineSight Planning Database (MSPD) which provides
an integrated package in which the duplication of work or the validation of results from one tool to another
one is minimal.

Cuts can be prepared in MineSight 3D (MS3D), imported into the MSPD and scheduled with MSSO.
Depending on the level of detail required for the mine plan, cuts can be created manually or automatically.
The picture below shows an example of cuts created manually.

There are tools within MineSight such as the Autoslicer which can target cuts based on distance, tons,
volume, etc., while following a mining direction

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Similarly, the cut generation tool allows you to create rectangular looking cuts for less detail plans.

Once the cuts are digitized, they can be imported dynamically into the MSPD via MSIP or through the
importcutstomspd script. Similarly, the mssoDigline and the mssoDirection attributes are assigned to the cuts
via the Digline generator. These attributes define and represent the cut mining sequence for an excavator.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

The picture below shows the cuts displayed in MSIP after running the digline generator.

The importcutstomspd script, allows you to write cuts to the database while assigning cut attribute information.

The digline generator populates the mssoDigline and the mssoDirection attributes in the database.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Another important aspect of software integration is the generation of haul profiles. Once the user has
digitized the road profiles, they can be imported into the database via MSHaulage. Any modifications to the
haul network can be easily edited in MS3D and re-imported to the database. Therefore, importing/exporting
data to ascii and running macros to post process the information is no longer necessary. This saves time
and reduces potential for mistakes. The picture below shows a typical haul network digitized in MS3D,
imported to the database and used by MSSO.

One of the latest enhancements in MSSO includes the viewer integration, which allows displaying, filtering,
animating and adding precedence for the cuts via the MS3D viewer. This option can be found on the main
menu as shown below:

The filter cuts option brings up a dialog panel which allows the user to filter the cuts displayed in the viewer
by period, mining area, level and phase.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

The animate cuts option allows the user to display the cuts in MS3D and automatically create an animation
that could reflect visually the cut mining sequence for the schedule. This option is best appreciated with a
live demonstration.

One of the advantages of having the viewer integrated with MSSO is the ability to add cut precedence
interactively from the viewer. This option will add a constraint in the schedule in which the selected cut will
be mined after the preceding cuts have been mined out.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Graphical examination of the schedule can also be visualized in MS3D with the End-of-Period Map Tool.

The End-of-Period Map tool can be accessed from MSIP. This tool allows the user to create surfaces or solids
based on a period or sequence attribute from the MSPD.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Reporting and Charting

Scheduling results can be presented and summarized in the form of tables and charts. MSSO offers flexible
and powerful reporting capabilities via the standard reports and the advanced reports. The standard
reports have three main tabs (full, summary, stockpiles) on the right side. On the left side, the user can
turn on/off the attributes that need to be displayed (cut name, level, phase, grades, etc.). This allows the
user to build their reports a la carte. Once a report is built, the template can be saved and used later. The
advanced reporting and charting allows the user to create quick pivot and detail reports based on the
database attributes. In addition to that, the user can create new reporting fields which can be derived from
calculations based on formulas and other attributes. Similar to the standard report, the advanced reports
also allow the user to save templates for future use.
The table below shows a summary report by period:

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Charts can be easily created with MSSO as shown below:

In addition to the standard reports and charts, MSSO has Advanced Reports which can be created
interactively with pivot and calculated fields.

Gantt charts can be easily created in MSSO to examine activity based projects.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Activities start/end dates can be moved dynamically (as long as they do not violate any precedence
constraints) to quickly evaluate its impact on the schedule.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

The critical path can be displayed in the Gantt chart as shown below:

Material Mapping and Stockpile Handling

Schedule materials can be mapped to their corresponding destination. For manual mapping, the user can
check on the corresponding schedule destination for the appropriate material type. Similarly, materials can
be manually mapped in MSSO via the advanced button and one or more materials can be mapped by
destination and period. If one material is mapped to multiple destinations (ex. low grade material can go to
the plant or stockpile), the program selects the best economic destination. As for stockpile reclaiming, the
user can specify manual reclaim or no reclaim by period. Otherwise, the program automatically reclaims the
stockpile material if it is more beneficial than feeding the mill from the pit. Some of the latest enhancements
on stockpile handling include opening balance, and additional options for reclaim types (Average, LIFO,
FIFO, Any)
In the table below, Mineral Low and Med are mapped to the crusher only in period 9, while they can go to
both crusher and stockpile in period 10.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

In addition to that, the user can also take advantage of the advanced material mapping which provides a
color scheme that identifies if material has been mapped completely, partially, distributed or not mapped.

Stockpile material can be automatically reclaimed to multiple destinations based on economics, or it can be
manually reclaimed based on user defined input.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

The stockpile report shows the stockpile balance, material reclaimed from the stockpile, and material sent to
the stockpile as shown below.

Manual stockpile reclaim can be defined by period and controlled with upper and lower limit constraints.

Multiple Constraints and Multi-Period Scheduling

Several types of constraints can be used with MSSO. Tonnage targets can be specified by period, by mining
area, by phase. Similarly, clients had requested the ability to target on volume as well, and this is one of the
latest features included in the program. In addition to that, the user can specify ratio constraints, equipment
hour requirements, vertical advanced rate and min/max number of cuts mined per period.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

In some cases it may be necessary to have detail control on the schedule. In response to that need, MSSO
offers advanced controls that allow the user to mine, dont mine, or mine completely cuts, diglines, levels,
pushbacks, and mining area by period.

Once there are multiple constraints that need to be satisfied in one period or throughout the life of the
mine, it is likely that the constraints could conflict with one another. At first the program will give a no
feasible solution found for period X message. So, the user can review the reports and gain an understanding
of what the conflict may be. However, if there are multiple phases and destinations, troubleshooting this
manually make take some time and iterations. The great news is that with Multi-period scheduling the user
can specify a period examination window and the program will make adjustments over multiple periods
to find a solution. For example, if the conflict was that there is too much waste to get to the ore in period 5,
the program will examine the stripping in the previous years and adjust as needed to find the best feasible
solution. Thus, Multi-period scheduling allows the user to create faster and better schedules.
MSSO allows the user to solve multiple periods or period by period or a combination of both.

The multi-period window allows the user to specify how many periods can be solved together.

Multi-period scheduling helps the user create better schedules in less time.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

Haulage and Equipment Considerations

Most of the scheduling tools available in the industry today solve the mining pattern and the equipment
requirements as two separate problems. First a mining pattern that satisfies quantities/qualities is found, and
then truck/shovel hours are calculated for that mining pattern to simulate the material movement. However,
the calculated truck/shovel hours may exceed the amount available for a period. The opposite can be true as
well; the calculated truck/shovel hours may be lower than the available hours. For example, the calculated
number of trucks required to move the material is 29 trucks. But, there are only 25 trucks available, so
adjustments to the mining pattern are needed. On the other hand, if the calculated number of trucks is 21,
then we are not taking advantage of the other 4 trucks available. The current solution for this problem is to
adjust the mining pattern and recalculate equipment until an acceptable solution is found. However, this
process can be iterative and time consuming. In order to address this issue, MSSO formulates the mining
pattern and the equipment requirements as one problem. So, once MSSO finds the best feasible solution, it
would satisfy not only quantities and qualities but also equipment constraints.
However, for different types of scenarios MSSO offers the following options:
1) Schedule without equipment: The program will find a mining pattern to satisfy quantity/quality
constraints without calculating or taking into consideration haulage hours.

2) Schedule then assign equipment: The program will find a mining pattern to satisfy quantity/quality
constraints and the haulage hours will be calculated to satisfy that mining pattern. In the example
below, the total tons per period are balanced at an average of 6,900 ktons per period approximately,
but the truck requirements vary from 21 to 28 trucks.

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MineSight Schedule Optimizer: Latest and Greatest Features

3) Schedule with equipment: the program will find the best feasible mining pattern to satisfy both:
quantity/quality requirements and equipment constraints. Notice that the truck hours constraint can
be defined by the user by period, by phase, by destination.

In the example below, the total tons and the number of trucks are balanced to meet project constraints and
ensure that the material movement is feasible with the available equipment.

Equipment requirements like truck hours are highly dependent on cycle times. Cycle times can be entered
in MSSO as average cycle times, detail cycle times or both. For average cycle times, the user can specify the
cycle time between a bench/phase and a destination/lift as shown below:

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However, if detailed haul profiles are available, MSSO will use this information to calculate the truck hours.
Also, MSSO could use a combination of both. For example, we could have detail haul profiles/detail cycle
times for the first 5 periods, and average cycle times from period 6 forward.

Miscellaneous
There have been several enhancements that may go unnoticed, but that are worth mentioning. For
example, there have been improvements in the program to speed up the cut loading process and the
database update. Similarly, MSSO can now take advantage of 64-bit computers and CPLEX or Lindo 7
engines. In addition to that, some attention has been paid to small details that improve the workflow of
the program. For example, the interface now has a project canvas which helps visualize with a diagram the
scheduling routes.

Some of the windows are now dockable and can be organized by the user. Other features that are currently
in development include solid scheduling, partial or percentage cut mining, bench lead/lag constraints, etc
In addition to the standard report, the user can build advanced reports from previously saved templates and
display multiple tables/charts in one document.

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A convenient archive/retrieve archive feature is available to the users now and it is very helpful to exchange
MSSO files with peers or for record keeping purposes.

Similarly, there is a new option for documenting project notes along with the MSSO files as shown below:

Conclusion

This workshop discussed some of the greatest and latest enhancements within MSSO such as
Integration with MineSight, Reporting and Charting, Material Mapping and Stockpile Handling,
Multiple Constraints and Multi-Period Scheduling, Haulage and Equipment Considerations, and
other miscellaneous features.

These enhancements allow the users to create better schedules by using more powerful analysis
tools such as the multi-period scheduling or the haulage integration. Similarly, the amount of
time required to complete a mine plan is reduced which allows the engineer to evaluate other
alternatives or produced more detailed plans.

We hope that the information presented in this workshop was interesting and useful. If you would
like to try some of our tools with your data, we will be glad to assist you, so you can take full
advantage of the available tools within MineSight for Short Term Planning.

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