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The O'Hara cost estimator

Quick guides to the evaluation of orebodies, O'Hara (1980)


The O'Hara cost estimator
The typical open pit:
43,000 tpd (39 kt/day) of ore and waste
Depth of about 400 to 500 ft(120 to 150 m)
2200 ft (670 m) wide
4700 ft (1430 m) long
Pit benches are typically 40 ft (12 m) high
overall pit slope (excluding roads:
about 57' in pits with competent rock
44' in pits with oxidized or altered rock
In-pit haulage road gradients averaging 9%
The O'Hara cost estimator
Daily tonnage:
T = tons of ore milled/day
T
o
=tons of ore mined/day
T
w
= tons of waste mined/day
T
c
= tons of ore passing the primary crusher/day
T
p
= T
o
+ T
w
= total material mined/day

Assumed: The mill operates three 8-hour shifts per
day and 7 days/week
The O'Hara cost estimator
Many open pit mines operate 7 days/week, but
others may operate only 5 days/week.




The cost guides in this section are based upon this
assumption that the mill capacity is 71% of the daily
mined ore tonnage.
The O'Hara cost estimator
Personnel numbers (N
op
):
The number of mine personnel N
op
required in open
pit mines using shovels and trucks for loading and
hauling the ore.
The O'Hara cost estimator
Personnel numbers (N
ml
):
The number personnel N
ml
required to operate mills
treating T tons of low-grade ore
The O'Hara cost estimator
Personnel numbers (N
sv
):
The number of service personnel N
sv
required for
open pits mining low grade ore
The O'Hara cost estimator
Personnel numbers (N
at
):
The number of administrative and technical
personnel N
at
required for a mining and milling plant
The O'Hara cost estimator
Total personnel numbers:







Do not include the personnel required for smelters,
refineries, mine townsite services, concentrate
transport, or offsite head offices
The O'Hara cost estimator
Mine associated capital casts
Mine site clearing:
For the pit, the required area A
p
in acres (4047 m
2
)
The clearing costs depend upon the topography,
the type of cover, and the total area
The O'Hara cost estimator
Mine associated capital casts
Preproduction waste stripping:
For the pit, the required area A
p
in acres
T
s
: The tons of soil that must be stripped
T
ws
: The tons of waste rock that must be stripped
The O'Hara cost estimator
Mine equipment
(a) Drills:
This formula includes a 25% allowance for drilling and blasting supplies
and accessory equipment
The O'Hara cost estimator
Mine equipment
standard diameters:
4, 5, 6
1/2
, 7
7/8
, 9, 9
7/8
, l0
5/8
, 12
1/4
. 13
3/4
, 15, and 17
1/2
inches
(or 102, 125, 165, 200, 229, 250, 270, 310, 350, 380, and
445 mm)
The O'Hara cost estimator
Mine equipment
This formula includes a 25% allowance for drilling and blasting supplies
and accessory equipment
The O'Hara cost estimator
Mine equipment
(b) Shovels:
N
s
: The number of shovels (It should be rounded down)
S: The optimum shovel size (cubic yards)
(The total costs of the fleet of shovels supplemented by
auxiliary bulldozers and front end loaders)
The O'Hara cost estimator
Mine equipment
(c) Trucks:
N
t
: Number of trucks required
t: Truck size (tons)
average haulage distance and gradient outside the pit is
less than the inside