Equipment Sizing in Mining

Carlos Enrique Arroyo Ortiz1, Adilson Curi2, and Pedro Henrique Campos1
1 Federal 2 Federal

University of Minas Gerais, Brazil University of Ouro Preto, Brazil

Abstract. The choice of fleet type and sizing to be used in mining operations is surely important, for taking this decision the engineers need to have enough information in order to get the most benefit and efficiency of each piece of equipment. In this process, technical, geometrical, geographic and, uppermost, economic variables are involved. Furthermore, the market offers a different range of brands, models and capacities of equipment, which can deliver similar results of those which are expected. At the moment, there is a shortage of reliable and appropriate systems to evaluate the type and the sizing of a fleet, because most of them allow the work with just one piece of equipment at a time and not with the whole fleet, so it is needed to do a manual calculation. One solution is the use of a stochastic and deterministic simulation for it is possible to determine the quantity and type of equipment used in an activity in a deterministic way and simulate possible combinations of them all. In this scientific work, it is intended to use the software Arena to evaluate and determine the appropriate fleet selection in an iron ore project. Keywords: Simulation, stochastic and deterministic simulation, fleet selection, MPES 2013.

1 Introduction
The computer simulation of systems (Simulation) is the use of mathematical techniques used in computers, imitating the behavior of almost every type of operation or real-world process through the exercising of models. According to Pegden (1990): "the simulation is a process of designing a computational model of a real system and conducting experiments with this model in order to understand its behavior and / or evaluate strategies for its operation," Therefore, it is a broad process involving the construction of a model and also all the experimental method followed. It is tried to describe the behavior of the system, build theories and hypotheses, considering the observations made, and, also, use the model to predict future behavior, i.e., the effects produced by changes in the system or in the methods employed in an operation.
870 C.E. Arroyo Ortiz, A. Curi, and P.H. Campos

According to Banks, the simulation also has a functional applied level, like: Communication environment for describing the operation of a system; An analysis tool to determine the critical elements and estimate perfor mance measures; A planning system of operations for works, tasks and resources; A control mechanism and a training tool; The simulation is increasingly used by professionals in various sectors allowing verify or forward appropriate solutions to everyday problems. Its increasing use comes from the easiness of use, sophistication of environments and development of computational models. This growth demonstrates the importance and recognition given to the simulation model, companies and national and international industries in order to save resources and anticipate problems.

2 Objectives
Propose models which represent the system in the process of loading and haulage in an open pit mine, simplified both in its structure and in its operation, in order to provide not just solutions in selection and sizing of equipment depending on the type, size, and style brand, but also their possible combinations, taking into account the optimization criteria of higher productivity using less resource and time. The simulation models generally allow evaluating and solving problems that would require large investments in trying to implement experimental solutions.

Through the implementation of a model that represents a system, it is possible to estimate the future behavior of this system, for this it is given the name of simulation. The simulation may be understood as a numerical technique for conducting experiments on a computer, which involve certain types of logic models that describe the behavior of a system over extended periods.

3 Problem
Usually, in the mining industry, the process of selection and sizing equipment is done based on successful experiences and equipment information, or combination of loaders and haulage equipment operating in similar ore deposits or in the same mining method. But it is known that, eventually, the fleet work improperly and the high cost of investment makes the fleet change unfeasible, or, if feasible, then one should wait for the replacement period. In addition to this problem, the team in charge of making decisions have to deal with another aspect: the great number of choices of brands, models, capacities and prices. Facing this reality, it is necessary to use tools to make quick analysis of different scenarios equiprobable.
The Use of Simulation in Fleet Selection and Equipment Sizing in Mining 871

4 Methodology
For the preparation of this work, it was done a literature review about the state-ofart use of computer simulation concerning the selection and sizing fleet, finding that there are software and specific systems equipment suppliers that somehow restrict some analysis by the users. This is because the suppliers database has included just its own equipment. For the independent analysts, this doesnt meet the expectations, because you cannot test and observe the results between different equipment. After the literature review, it was conducted the recompilation of equipment information, primarily: technical specifications of income, costs, schedules and capacities, as well as information of the operation of the mine, in which the development of a deterministic model, using electronic charts, was taken place. With the stochastic model, the software Arena was used, as it is considered, at the time, one of the most complete and user-friendly software in simulation of models.

5 Deterministic Simulation
In this type of simulation, cycle time is considered as being fixed. It is shown in Figure 1 the necessary elements for the deterministic simulation in the cycle of loading and haulage, between the points of loading and dumping.[2]
Fig. 1 Required data for the determinist model

5.1 Deterministic Cycle

As mentioned, in this cycle it will be processed loading time, fully loaded truck haul time, empty truck haul time and dumping time, to which will be used abacus degradability and delay of each type of haulage equipment. The determination of the cycle time, loaded and empty, can be determined in two ways:
872 C.E. Arroyo Ortiz, A. Curi, and P.H. Campos

1) Using the variables of transport routes (slopes, lengths and resistance to traction on each way) and the weight of the equipment loaded and empty. With this information and using abacuses aforementioned, one estimates the maximum and average speeds. At this stage, it is necessary to be careful for the estimated speeds do not exceed safe speed limits, information provided in the technical specifications of each device. 2) Using the laws of kinematics of uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion of Newtonian mechanics, where the mass and acceleration are constant, therefore the speed and distance is obtained with the following expressions: (1) (2) Both the acceleration and the truck speed depend on some parameters such as resistance to traction, slopes, coefficient of adhesion between the tires and the surface. Beyond these parameters, according to the number of equipment, there is a possibility of generating queues and delays.

6 Stochastic Simulation
For the implementation of stochastic simulations, in addition to the information mentioned in Figure 2, it is necessary to know the probability distribution function of the variables related to loading cycle times and transportation, as well as maneuvers, delays and training of operators, because the distribution functions represent the real system. In Figure 2 are mentioned also the information needed to generate the simulation model.[4]
Fig. 2 Required data for the stochastic model

V V a *t 0
2 2

S V 1 a.t o
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6.1 Stochastic Cycle

In this cycle, analysis can be made for different existing routes. For that, you must record cycle times in order to find the distribution of the variable, the study of this distribution being different for each type and size.

7 Match Factor
The time also depends on the compatibility of loading equipment and haulage equipment (match factor), because with it we can also determine the number of transport units for each loading unit. The compatibility factor is determined using the following expression. According to Gentry et.al, 1992 the number of transfer must be between 4 and 6, so the choice for the capacity of the loader bucket is chosen after selecting the transport unit. [2]

FA .. . =
truck cycle time

(3) To determine the Match Factor (FA) it is considered the following variables: N = Total number of haulage units. n = Total number of loading units. T = Cycle time of each haulage unit t = Cycle time of each loading unit. x = Number of haulage units per loading unit p = Number of buckets necessary to fill a truck. The optimal number of haulage units will occur when the match factor is = 1. When the FC is less than 1, then there is surplus of loading units and its efficiency is 100% and when FC> 1, then it means that there are excess haulage units and its efficiency is 100%.

8 Deterministic Simulation Study Case

The necessary data relating to production rates of ore and waste for one year, the number of working benches, tracks, number and type of loading and transport equipment (technical specifications), fill factors, efficiencies, operating costs per hour and all the data necessary to generate the simulation are shown in table 1. To determine the loading time, it was considered the number of necessary loader-buckets to fill the truck, measured in the field, and those provided by the manufacturer, and for determining the haulage cycle, it was considered speed factors as well as the maximum speed (loaded and empty).
874 C.E. Arroyo Ortiz, A. Curi, and P.H. Campos

Thus, it was possible to determine the cycle, to determine the number of trucks needed for the system and the compatibility factor ranging between 0.90 and 1.1 for the different scenarios. From these results, it was estimated the annual capacity of the fleet and the number of equipment as being 4 loading units and 9 trucks. Likewise, it was possible to determine the annual costs of haulage and loading equipment.

Table 1 Necessary data for the deterministic calculation

ITEM DESCRIPTION Production rate 2,400,000 t / year Productive time 8 hours per shift 2 shifts per day 6 days per week 50 weeks per year Working benches 2 Equipment capacities Loading equip: 2m3 Truck: 15t Fill factor 0.8 Operating cost / hour Loading equip: 45 Haulage equip: 35 Distances (m) Bench Crusher: 2300 Bench Low-grade ore pile: 1450 Bench Waste dump: 1650 Material density 1.6 t/m3 Efficiency 100%

8.1 Stochastic Simulation Study Case

The generation of the stochastic simulation model was performed with the program Arena, as it offers the use of random variables quickly and easily. For the construction of the model, it was necessary the use of some data contained in Table 1 (see 7) and more information given in table 02, which contains the information of loading cycles and transport of one open pit mine. The determination of the number of loaders was estimated dividing the annual production required between the annual production of each loader. In the simulated model, were considered trucks with different average speeds and capacities and loading equipment also with different capacities.
The Use of Simulation in Fleet Selection and Equipment Sizing in Mining 875 Table 2 Necessary data for the stochastic simulation

ITEM DESCRIPTION Loading times Maneuver: 28s Dump: 32s Deviation: 20s Haulage times Spot time: 28s Load time: 40s Deviation: 18s

9 Model Description in ARENA

The 4 different scenarios simulated can be seen in table 3.
Table 3 Different Scenarios of simulation

Loader capacity (m3) Number of loaders Truck capacity (t) Number of trucks Scenario 01 2 4 15 9 Scenario 02 3 3 18 9

Scenario 03 4 2 25 7 Scenario 04 5 2 30 7 The module CREATE was used to introduce all the entities or the haul trucks into the system at the same time. The module DECIDE was used to split the entities into two different working benches. The time spent by the truck to get to the working benches was input in the module STATION. After this, it was used the module DELAY performing the Spot Time, the module PROCESS as being the Loader and performing the Load Time and also another DECIDE, this time to split the trucks into three different places: The Crusher, the Low-Grade Ore Pile or the Waste Dump. Again, the full haul time was input in the module STATION. The following steps were made for each branch/place: The module PROCESS was used as being the Crusher and performing the Dump Time. The module COUNT was used afterwards to count the number of dumps and the number of tonnage dumped. After this, the trucks return to the working benches and the empty haul truck time was input in another STATION module. Figure 3 and Figure 4 show the display of the process in ARENA.
876 C.E. Arroyo Ortiz, A. Curi, and P.H. Campos Fig. 3 Process of loading Fig. 4 Process of split and dump The Use of Simulation in Fleet Selection and Equipment Sizing in Mining 877

10 Results
With the results given by the stochastic and deterministic simulation, it is possible for one to estimate the behavior of the different combinations of loading and haulage equipment, due to the utilization of the loaders and due to the costs of material moved in metric tons per hour, for each one of the combinations. The results are shown in table 4.
Table 4 Results of the different scenarios

Loader utilization Cost per ton of material moved ($/t) Scenario 01 0.83 0.84 Scenario 02 0.75 0.98 Scenario 03 0.80 0.76 Scenario 04 0.73 0.81

11 Conclusion
In using stochastic and deterministic simulation, it is possible to generate models of systems, as this one is, a system of loading and haulage of waste and ore in an open pit mine. In the determinist simulation, with the knowledge of the load and haulage cycle, and the production rate, it is possible to determine the necessary number of loaders and trucks to meet the production required, due to the operational parameters, technical specifications and the geometrical characteristics of the pit. However, just with the stochastic simulation it is possible to insert the probability distribution functions and deviation of the loading and haulage cycle times, allowing one to generate different scenarios as being shown in the results. It is also important to mention that the data base must