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2009 Dr. B. C. Paul Note- This slide set uses views taken from Mintecs MineSight software program and utilizes files created for Mintec Underground training or from their seminars for demonstration purposes.
What is MineSight?
It is a mine planning and design computer software package
It works in true 3D Cad making it suitable for complex underground metal mines and structures
This slide set and following assignment are intended to orient you only to basic operations of views and visualizing within the program.
Why MineSight?
There are multiple packages out there
MineSight Vulcan Datamine Gemcon Carlson
Knowing one makes picking up another easier since they do similar things with varying ease and efficiency.
Limitations Comments
Carlson is easiest to learn
Has very limited 3D visualization (its an autocad overlay) Was built for underground coal with simple deposit bedding
Applications are very focused on day to day cad mapping
Planning Optimization functions and routines are limited
Performance for true 3D metals, industrial minerals or more complex coal is poor
True 3D Packages
Datamine came out of a computer graphics company
Has some remarkable visual tricks including 3D movies Allows variable size blocks to be used for deposits
Very helpful for underground vein deposits
More True 3D
Gemcon
Functions highly broken down by modules Little simpler than some true 3D but lacks versatility and forces assumptions and approximations.
Vulcan
Part of a more comprehensive software company Prob better underground than surface Prob one of most windows like
Software design not strictly mine focused Prob most like MineSight Reputed to be one of the most unfriendly and hard to use
MineSight
Was born out of software development in Mining in the 1960s
Built up an independent 3D interface Prob the most comprehensive set of optimization programs in the business Still a Mining focused software company Built for and dominates open pit metal (We also have a number of alums there and get really good service) For flat 2D bedded deposits the flexibility (and required decision making that comes with it) resembles nuking an ant hill
Starting Up MineSight
Click Ok
More Features
Drop down Menus at the top Bring up options And function Icons provide Short cuts to many Of the most used Functions The information line Shows coordinates And distances etc. The message Window tells you What MineSight is Looking for next.
Note Clicking the Plus Expands and shows the files below
(Yes this works just like Windows Exploring)
Left click on the Completed Development Folder to pick it (it turns blue)
Note that the Bottom part of Data Manager Now shows you What files are In the folder.
Move Your Curser Up the Menu to Open (note that options turn blue as the curser
moves over the top)
When you get To open left Click it with your Mouse.
We See Our Shaft Coming from the surface and going down to 4 different shaft stations
From each Station on the shaft There is a cross-cut That moves toward The orebody
The shaft continues Down below the Bottom station to An ore pocket at the Base where ore Can be collected and Hoisted to the surface
I Wonder How the Ore Gets Down to that Ore Pocket at the Bottom of the Shaft
Move your curser To 3Drockpass in The lower window Of Data Manager And left click (pick It so it turns blue) Now right click for The pop-up menu Move your curser To open and Right click it
Equipment drives Around underground In the haulage Drifts. Note that the Cross-cuts from The shaft stations Provide access To the haulage Drifts. Note also that the Haulage drifts go Over to the ore Pass.
One Problem With Underground Equipment is Moving it from One Level to Another
Many mine Shafts are not Big enough to Allow fully Assembled Equipment to Move from one Level to another So the often Build ramps for Equipment to Drive from one Area to another We used our Open procedure To open 3D ramps.
Note that you can rotate the angle you view the mine from
Now hold down The left mouse Button and the Center button or Roller Move the mouse Down.
Note that you Zoom Out That didnt help us see much
Holding the same Left and center Mouse buttons down Move your mouse up
Much Better
Note that in most Underground Mining the mine working are put in underneath the orebody
We say that we Are putting our Development in The footwall. (you can imagine What would Happen if we Put them in the hanging wall And then mined Out a hole Underground that Things caved Into later ie Dropped out from Under you).
When We Rotate Around to Look At Things we find some views kind of blocked
Lets try some Tricks Move your mouse Over to 66 solid And make sure it Is blue (ie has Been picked by Left clicking). Now Right click to get The pop-up menu
Point your mouse To wireframe Only and left Click the radio Button.
Well I Can Definitely See Through that but Wireframes confuse some people
I might like to play With the color Just for grins and A little detour Left click the Global Color icon
(this looks pretty Much like the Standard color Pallet stuff most Windows Programs have)
If I Left Click on the box by Smooth Shading it Smoothes those rough edges
MineSight lets you Set up and name Files and folders for Things as you like So the naming Scheme for things Can very with the Designer.
Now Lets Think About Planning an Open Stope Mining Sequence to Get This Good Stuff
Open Stoping Takes Ore Out of the Ground leaving an open void behind
Here you see The first stope Of ore I dug Out. You can Also see it hits Some of the Juiciest ore blocks Around
(Ok you also Noticed that I Made my block Model partly Transparent so You could see What I was Wacking out)
I Think I Will Go After the Next Best Ore on the Top Level
Next I think I will Go to the best Ore on the level Below.
MineSight Has a Part Called Activity Planner that Can Keep Track of My Ore Grades from Stopes as I Mine them.
I think I will try Going in here next
And So I Continue to Sequence for the Best and Most Profitable Ore
Eventually We Are Left With a Series of Hollow Open Stopes in the Ground
The ground is Now supported By pillars that run Across the top of The open stopes (Called Crown Pillars)
The Value of the Ore Remaining in Pillars Determines What Happens Next
If the ore in the Pillars is valuable Enough the open Stopes are Filled with mixtures Of sand (or mill Tailings) and Cement
Wow!
Wait a minute The background Was black What happened?
Left click on it
The Lighting Tab lets you Adjust Lighting Effects on Your Mine Drawing
I bet you figured Out that I left Clicked my Viewer properties And changed the Background Color back before Going here to Play with the Lighting.
Of Course We Still Have Not Explained How We Got the Rest of the Way Over to the Ore Body to Mine It
Cross Cuts Are Developed From the Foot Wall Haulage Drifts to the Orebody
You Then Develop A Drill Drive Down the Center of the Deposit
From the drill Drive drilling Will be done Up into the Orebody to blast Down ore. The ore can be Pulled out using LHDs working From the Cross-cuts into The orebody
(If you suspect I Turned off the Ramp to clear up The view you Are right)
Stopes Are Started By Putting Up Slot Raises from the Drill Drifts
In order to blast Ore there has To be a place For the broken Rock to go. The first slice Of ore will be Blown into the Slot raise.
Once A Slice Has been Cut Out all Across the Orebody Later Slices are Blasted into that Void
There Are Variations of Open Stoping That Depend Mostly on Where the Drill Drifts are Located
Some varieties Put the drill drift On top of the Stope. Other have drill Drifts on the Sides of the orebody
Continued Work
Go to the plnore folder and open the file 66solid take a screen shot Rotate your workings around so you can see where they are relative to your ore body take a screen shot Now adjust your ore body to have a smooth, semitransparent surface so that you can see your mine workings from the hanging wall side of the orebody take a screen shot. Turn in your word document with your name and the required screen shots. Also go to the working directory for your project and find the file msAudit.txt and make a copy of this file to turn in. Note that this assignment is best submitted by e-mail attaching a word file and a copy of the msAudit.txt file.