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This software and documentation is proprietary to Gemcom and, except where expressly provided otherwise, does not form part of any contract. Changes may be made in products or services at any time without notice. Gemcom publishes this documentation for the sole use of Gemcom licensees. Without written permission you may not sell, reproduce, store in a retrieval system, or transmit any part of the documentation. For such permission, or to obtain extra copies please contact your local Gemcom office or visit www.gemcomsoftware.com. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, we assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damage resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Gemcom Software International Inc. Gemcom, the Gemcom logo, combinations thereof, and Whittle, Surpac, GEMS, Minex, Gemcom InSite and PCBC are trademarks of Gemcom Software International Inc. or its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Contributors Staff of Gemcom Software, North America with additions by James Willoughby Product Gemcom Whittle
Table of Contents
Getting Started ................................................................................................................................. 4 Running a Whittle Project and Examining Nodes ................................................................................ 5 Basic Slope Set .................................................................................................................................. 7 Basic Data for Pit Shell Generation node ............................................................................................ 8 Operational Scenario node ...............................................................................................................11 Pit by Pit Graph node .......................................................................................................................13 Schedule Graph nodes ......................................................................................................................14 Bench Schedule node .......................................................................................................................15 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................17
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Getting Started
Welcome to Gemcom Whittle! When you are ready to experience the full strength of Whittle, we recommend our training program to achieve maximum results from this powerful tool. To get you started, this document provides a very basic tutorial, giving you an overview of Whittles capabilities. You will be able to run a full open-pit optimization on a sample set of data. You will have the opportunity to examine initial results, modify parameters of the project and to produce outputs. We are confident you will understand why Whittle is the world's most popular and effective pit optimization and analysis solution for open cut mines. 1. After Whittle is installed, open the sample project, Marvin1.fxp, when prompted. 2. Expand the project tree in the left panel by hitting the + button. Each level of the tree contributes input to the design of the pit. 3. For each level (or node) examine the Description tab on the right side of the screen. The Description tab explains the objectives of each node.
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2. After the run is complete, examine the contents of each node. a. Click the + button to expand nodes on the left side of the screen. b. On the right side you can find the results for each node by hitting the Output, Report, and Messages tabs. 3. Specifically examine the graph of the outputted net present value (NPV) values and ore/waste tonnages from multiple pit shells. a. To see this graph click on the Pit by Pit Graph node of on the left side of the screen, and, in the pane on the right, select the tab Graph. The Graph tab becomes available after you have 'run' the node. You have already done this by selecting the Run All command.
The displayed graph shows the tonnages of ore and waste (the coloured yellow and gray bars respectively) In addition, the NPV results for each pit are displayed in the form of lines (the NPV for the best case is shown in blue, the worst is the red line, while a specific case based on a defined pushback sequence is shown in green).
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b. Hit the Display graph detail button (the magnifying glass) to get a more detailed look at these results.
The tonnages and NPVs shown on the graph are each for a specific pit shell (each pit shell is identified by a unique revenue factor). NPV and tonnages are measured in the Y axis. The X axis shows the pit number. The results that you see on the graph are explained in more detail on the Description tab of the Pit by Pit Graph node. c. When finished examining the graph, click OK. 4. Click on the two most upper nodes in the project, Marvin Copper and Marvin block model. These two nodes describe the project and the block model in use. You should not change these nodes when working in this tutorial.
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5. Click Accept in the lower part of the screen. Notice that the ticks underneath Basic Slope Set disappear. 6. With Basic Slope Set selected, click the Run to the selected node from the trunk button.
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4. Both the price and the selling cost of your elements are specified on the Selling tab. Try changing the following; a. Change the Au price from 12.00 to 13.00. b. Change the Cu price from 0.907 to 1.10 c. Click Accept.
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5. The Optimization tab is used to produce nested pit shells. Pit shells are created for each revenue factor that you have entered in the Output area. Try altering the revenue factors to get fewer nested pit shells (in the original run, 54 pits would have been produced). a. To change the revenue factors, highlight the first set of fixed factors (0.5 to 0.9 using 41 fixed factors). Click Edit. b. In the popup menu, change the step size from 0.01 to 0.015, and click OK. (Now a pit will be produced for 27 revenue factors instead of 41). c. Click Accept. 6. Try running all of the changes youve made by right-clicking on the Basic data for pit shell generation node on the left panel and select Run To. 7. When the run is complete, examine the Output tab. The tonnages and the ore/waste distributions for each revenue factor (each pit) are displayed in the table.
8. To get an idea how these pits will look in 3D, highlight the Basic data for pit shell generation node, and click the Start Three-D viewer button.
a. In the Select data to display form that pops up, leave all of the options selected and click OK. b. When the model file is loaded, the three-d viewer will open up. To see the outlines of the different pits select the Show Pit option.
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c. Click Invert to show the 3D pit with a white background, instead of a black background.
d. To look at all the various pits, use the up and down arrows under Show Pit. e. To change your viewing perspective, click on the pit, hold down the mouse button and drag. f. When you are finished viewing, click the Close button.
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b. Click Add and enter a cost of $1.10 starting in year 7 (in this project, year 7 is equivalent to period 7). c. Click OK.
3. Using the Time Costs tab, you can alter the initial capital cost and the discount rate for the project. a. Change the Initial Capital Cost to $300,000,000. b. Change the discount rate of the project to 4%. c. Click Accept.
4. On the Limits tab you can change the mining and processing limits over the life of the mine. a. Change the Processing Method Limit for the Mill process to 25,000,000.
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b. Click Accept
5. Use the Run To command to calculate the results from these changes.
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4. In the popup choose to select all items, and then click OK.
5. Click OK again. 6. Next move the three rock types up in the Values to display in output list by highlighting them and clicking the Up button.
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The three new values (Tonnage of MX mined, Tonnage of OX mined, and Tonnage of PM mined) should appear below Total tonnage mined as seen in the following image.
7. Accept the changes. 8. Use the Run To command to return the output for this node. 9. After the run is complete, examine the Output tab. The newly populated columns appear in the table.
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Conclusion
Conclusion
After completing this tutorial, you have performed a preliminary open-pit optimization. In the Marvin1.fxp sample project there are additional nodes that you have not yet run. These nodes represent additional scenarios for the block model. For each scenario, you can use different parameters. In addition you might even consider a reblocked block model. The additional nodes in this project involve more advanced Whittle modules, such as stockpiling options and pushback sequencing using the Milawa algorithm. To run the other nodes, click the Run all nodes button and examine the results. We hope that you found this basic introduction to Whittle informative. Gemcom invites you to understand why Whittle is the worlds most trusted strategic mine planning software used to determine and optimize the economics of open pit mining projects. To further inquire about the functionality of Whittle, for purchasing enquiries, or to register for an upcoming training program, please contact our sales and customer service team. You can find our most up-to-date contact details at http://www.gemcomsoftware.com/ in the 'Contact Us' section.
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