Open Pit Research Articles

Perancangan Sistem Penyaliran Tambang Pada PIT XYZ PT Karya Bhumi Lestari Jobsite PT Kartika Selabumi Mining Desa Kedang Ipil Kota Bangun II Kabupaten Kutai Kartanegara Provinsi Kalimantan Timur

Water is one of the things that is very influential in the mining process, mining water is water that is at the location and/or comes from the process of mining activities, both mining and processing, including runoff water in the mining area. Surface runoff water is rainwater that overflows into mining areas and is not a result of mining activities. The open pit mining method will cause the formation of a large basin so that it has the potential to become a water storage area, both from surface runoff and groundwater. During extreme weather conditions with high rainfall, water from surface runoff can inundate the ground floor and cause the mining front to become muddy, which can hamper mining activities. Handling waterlogging in mining forts requires good pumping performance, as well as re-planning the mine drainage system for the mine progress area. So that mining activities run smoothly and the mining front is free from puddles of water after rain, the drainage system must be well designed. Based on research that has been carried out, the total area of ​​the Catchment Area is 52.14 Ha with a runoff discharge of 82,567.79 m³/month. The planned discharge using the MF-290 Pump with RPM 1600 is, 290.00 m³/hour or 123,540.00 m³/month. After comparing the MF-290, MF-385 and DND-200 pumps, the MF-290 pump was selected for use. This is because the fuel consumption of the MF-290 is smaller so it saves costs and it is also deemed sufficient to use the MF-290 pump. Pump Ratio on the MF-290 pump April 6.71. May 3.93, June 6.44, July 6.36 and August 8.83, which means the pump is safe to use because the ratio is >1.

Advancing sustainability: An integrated decision support framework for fleet selection in open pit mining construction

The process of selecting and configuring equipment fleets for open-pit mining is complex, requiring consideration of both quantitative and qualitative criteria. This paper presents a novel comprehensive framework for selecting loading/hauling fleets in open-pit mining projects. Through an extensive review of the literature, a total of 21 selection criteria are initially identified. With guidance from local experts, these criteria are shortlisted into five primary groups: site conditions, managerial, social, and environmental criteria. The ranking of the identified selection criteria is carried out by employing the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) methods, utilizing a questionnaire survey. The most crucial criteria in selecting loading/hauling equipment are identified as the equipment's operating cost, productivity, repair and maintenance costs, and soil condition. An optimization module is developed to optimize the selected fleet, while adhering to sustainability principles and project constraints. The optimization module considers social, economic, and environmental sustainability variables to determine the optimal number, size, type, and capacity of fleets needed to complete the work within the allotted time. As a case study, the proposed framework is validated by experts in these types of projects. The framework's ability to effectively select fleet units for sustainable loading/hauling fleet is confirmed through this validation method.

Large dump critical zone of interest identification and slope failure prediction using realistic 3D numerical modelling

Dump failure is one of the most catastrophic hazards in the opencast mining industry and involves sudden and violent failures. Therefore, susceptible region identification is essential for slope failure mitigation in the large dump. This study proposed a sustainable approach for large dump critical zone of interest (CZI) identification, stability monitoring and slope failure prediction. UAV close-range photogrammetry survey and structure-from-motion (SfM) approach were used for the dump realistic 3D model reconstruction. 3D numerical modelling was employed for dump stability analysis. In this investigation, the dump critical zone, slope factor of safety (FOS), displacement and slope failure prediction were analysed using the 3D numerical modelling. The results indicate that maximum displacement was found in the critical zone I. However, the dump was stable under static conditions. Dump critical slope failure time is predicted using the inverse velocity method. The results of this investigation are reliable and establish the scope of UAV photogrammetry for realistic 3D modelling. In addition, the slope stability state and failure model were consistent with field observations. The proposed approach can be used for the mine, hill, and roadcut slopes. UAV technology and 3D modelling approaches have substantially reduced data collection time and expense.

Integrated Optimization of Production Scheduling and Haulage Route Planning in Open-Pit Mines

In mining, deposits are divided into blocks, forming the basis for open-pit mine planning, covering production and haulage route planning. Current studies often stage optimization and lack the consideration of road capacity, leading to suboptimal solutions. A novel approach integrates production scheduling and haulage route planning through a bilevel optimization model. The upper-level model integrates ore mining constraints to establish a mixed-integer production scheduling model, minimizing haulage costs. Spatiotemporal correlation constraints for block mining are determined using a two-stage algorithm. The lower-level model incorporates road capacity, forming a haulage route optimization model based on multicommodity network flow. A solution algorithm with a distance penalty strategy facilitates feedback between the upper and lower levels, achieving optimal solutions. Tested on a real open-pit coal mine with over 5 million blocks, this approach reduces haulage costs by 10.06% compared to stage optimization. Additionally, this approach allows for adjusting haulage demand in both temporal and spatial dimensions, effectively preventing road congestion. This study advances rational mining processes and enhances the efficiency of open-pit mining haulage systems.

A novel framework for integrating environmental costs and carbon pricing in open-pit mine plans: Towards sustainable and green mining

As the worldwide need for mineral resources continues to grow, there is an increasing emphasis on mitigation of the environmental consequences of the mining sector, necessitating a shift towards sustainable and green mining practices. This paradigm requires the meticulous integration of environmental considerations throughout all stages of planning and operation in open-pit mining. Therefore, this research introduces an innovative integrated framework for long-term mine planning, strategically combining economic and environmental considerations in open-pit mining operations. The methodology integrates carbon pricing into the decision-making process, addressing potential financial risks and introducing two distinct scenarios: one focused on minimizing environmental costs and the other on maximizing adjusted Net Present Value (NPV). The application of this integrated framework to an open-pit iron mine in the Middle East region yielded insightful results. The integrated framework's impact on block sequencing, greenhouse gas emissions, and financial outcomes was assessed, highlighting the divergent strategies employed in the two scenarios. The minimization scenario demonstrated it was feasible to attain 90.54% of the global warming impact and 90.48% of environmental costs while achieving 96.25% of the adjusted NPV compared to the maximization scenario. Sensitivity analyses further underscored the adaptability of the framework to varying carbon pricing scenarios. This research validates a sustainable approach to mine planning, emphasizing a balance between economic returns and ecological responsibility, and provides valuable insights for decision-makers in the mining industry.

Research on ecological restoration and green reclamation technology of goaf in phosphorus mines

The subsidiary of Yunnan Phosphate Group Co., Ltd., Kunyang Phosphate Mine’s mining area is the subject of study. The mining of open-pit phosphate mines has caused significant damage to the ecological environment. Therefore, carrying out ecological restoration and green reclamation of the ecosystem in the mining area has become the top priority for current development. This article establishes an evaluation system for ecological restoration indicators, selecting four indicators including vegetation coverage, soil and water conservation, restoration of native plants, and Plant Species Diversity Index to assess the effects of ecological restoration and green reclamation of phosphate mines. The techniques of reconstructing soil ecological structure using phosphate tailings substrate and improving acidic soil with soil conditioner and calcium-magnesium phosphate compound fertilizer were applied. A series of other measures were taken, including: drafting scientific ecological restoration plans; employing physical, chemical, and biological methods for ecological restoration and green reclamation; selecting suitable plant species for planting; enhancing planting techniques; and strengthening post-restoration ecological monitoring and regulation. After ecological restoration and green reclamation, the Ecological Remediation Effect Index (EREI) for the years 2020, 2021, and 2022 were 48.40, 87.38, and 93.23 respectively, indicating significant improvement in the ecological environment. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered during the ecological system restoration process of the mine and the future development directions were summarized, providing practical and guiding significance for ecological restoration and green reclamation of abandoned mining areas both domestically and internationally.

BENCH HIGHT AND SLOPE ANGLE ON LITHIUM ORES OPEN PIT MINES

The fundament of the open pit geometry, both, on metallic and non-metallic mineral raw materials, consists of benches that allow mining operations to be carried out in the contour of the open pit mine. On lithium pit mines, formed benches of a certain height and slope angle, must ensure physical stability of the open mine pit and smooth running of mining work to excavate, load and transport the overburden and mineral resources out of the contour of the lithium open pit mine. The bench height and slope (bank) angle depend on the geotechnical situations, water impact and conditions of utilizing mining mechanization in digging, loading and transporting the overburden and mineral raw material. Key words: lithium, open pit mine, bench height, bench slope angle

Study on the sliding mechanism of the external dump slope in the open-pit mine with wind-blown sand base

Wind-blow sand (WBS) is widely distributed in the “Desert Gobi” region. This study is aimed at exploring the mechanism of how different thicknesses of the WBS layer influence the slope movement of external dumps in open-pit mines. To achieve this aim, the slope of the external dump in the open-pit mining area of Panel 3 in Daliuta Coal Mine was taken as the research object. First, similar simulation experiments were performed for investigating the failure modes and deformation characteristics of the external dump slopes under three geo-morphological conditions: loess base, 10-m-thick WBS base, and 20-m-thick WBS base, respectively. The following results were obtained from the experiments. For the slope with a loess base, its failure is mainly caused by circular sliding from the dump to the interior of the loess layer. For the slope with a 10-m-thick WBS base, the sliding mode involves circular sliding from the dump area to the interior of the WBS layer, linear sliding along the WBS base, and shearing along the foot of the dump area. For the slope with a 20-m-thick WBS base, the sliding mode is circular sliding from the dump area to the interior of the WBS layer. Besides, the sliding area of the dump slope expands as the WBS layer thickens. Furthermore, the results of similar simulation experiments were verified by the finite difference software FLAC3D based on the strength reduction method, and an equation of relationship between the safety factor of the dump slope with a WBS base and the thickness of the WBS layer was derived.

FUEL CONSUMPTION OF BELAZ DUMPERS AND CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS USING THE EXAMPLE OF OPEN PIT 'TURIJA' OF THE BROWN COAL MINE BANOVIĆI

This work sets out the methodology and presents the calculation results of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere of the BelAz dump truck at the Open Pit "Turija" BCM Banovići d.d., based on the fuel consumption monitoring data. Properly determined fuel consumption enables the calculation of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted and preventive measures, as well as the choice of its reduction strategy. Data collection took six months, then the data were analyzed, and thus the results were given for all dump trucks by months. Key words: fuel, open pit mining, BelAz dump truck, maintenance, Coal Mine Banovići, carbon dioxide

FUEL CONSUMPTION OF BELAZ DUMPERS AND CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS USING THE EXAMPLE OF OPEN PIT 'TURIJA' OF THE BROWN COAL MINE BANOVIĆI

This work sets out the methodology and presents the calculation results of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere of the BelAz dump truck at the Open Pit "Turija" BCM Banovići d.d., based on the fuel consumption monitoring data. Properly determined fuel consumption enables the calculation of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted and preventive measures, as well as the choice of its reduction strategy. Data collection took six months, then the data were analyzed, and thus the results were given for all dump trucks by months. Key words: fuel, open pit mining, BelAz dump truck, maintenance, Coal Mine Banovići, carbon dioxide

Interannual and spatial variations in acid-soluble trace elements in snow: comparison with the mineralogy of dusts from open pit bitumen mining

There is ongoing concern about trace element (TE) emissions to the global environment from the dusts generated by open pit mining of coal, iron ore, stone quarries, and aggregate extraction. However, the chemical composition and acid solubility of these dusts is highly variable. Here, TEs were determined in snow collected in 2016 and 2017 in the vicinity of open-pit bitumen mines in northern Alberta, Canada. Acid solubility was assessed quantitatively by comparing TE concentrations in acid and acid digests. The mineralogical composition of the particles extracted from the snow was examined using SEM-EDS. The data is reproducible from one year to the next. TE concentrations were greater throughout the industrial zone compared to the reference location (UTK), with the midpoint between the two central upgraders being especially impacted. Regardless of their geochemical class (lithophile: Al, Be, Cs, La, Li, Sr, Th; chalcophile: As, Cd, Pb, Sb, Tl; or enriched in bitumen: Mo, Ni, V), all TEs showed strong, positive correlations with Y, a conservative element which serves as a surrogate for the abundance of mineral particles. The ratio V:Ni in the snow is less than the corresponding values for bitumen and petcoke, but similar to that of local road dust. The ratio La:Al in snow is elevated, relative to the earth’s crust, suggesting an enrichment of heavy minerals monazite and zircon. The predominance of quartz and other stable silicates helps to explain the limited chemical solubility of the dusts, and predicts a low bioaccessibility of these TEs in the environment.

Efficiency of stemming in open pit mining at Malomir Mine

Efficiency of stemming in open pit mining at Malomir Mine

Loosing of rocks by blasting without disintegration at open pit mines

Loosing of rocks by blasting without disintegration at open pit mines

Development and substantiation of rock unloading device with through-passing trucks

Different types of constructions of transshipment devices for combined schemes of automobile-conveyor transport are analyzed. A device of a new design was developed based on the identified shortcomings of known devices. The efficiency of the rock unloading device with through-passing trucks has been checked for the conditions of iron-ore mines in Kazakhstan. New device works because of rock weight force, which rotates bridges, that cover bunker for truck to move above it. Rotating bridges makes it possible to move rock down to bunker. After that, bridges close because of counterweight, which is a fence at the same time. The efficiency criteria of rock unloading device is volume reduce of mining capital works. Parameters were considered: width of the open-cast mine at the top and bottom, design depth of the mine, load capacity, turning radius and width of trucks, as well as the cost of extracting 1 m3 of rock. The dependence of reducing the costs of conducting mining capital works in deep open-cast mines during the construction of a transshipment point of combined automobile-conveyor transport with a through passage when unloading trucks from their carrying capacity have been established.

Development and substantiation of rock unloading device with through-passing trucks

Different types of constructions of transshipment devices for combined schemes of automobile-conveyor transport are analyzed. A device of a new design was developed based on the identified shortcomings of known devices. The efficiency of the rock unloading device with through-passing trucks has been checked for the conditions of iron-ore mines in Kazakhstan. New device works because of rock weight force, which rotates bridges, that cover bunker for truck to move above it. Rotating bridges makes it possible to move rock down to bunker. After that, bridges close because of counterweight, which is a fence at the same time. The efficiency criteria of rock unloading device is volume reduce of mining capital works. Parameters were considered: width of the open-cast mine at the top and bottom, design depth of the mine, load capacity, turning radius and width of trucks, as well as the cost of extracting 1 m3 of rock. The dependence of reducing the costs of conducting mining capital works in deep open-cast mines during the construction of a transshipment point of combined automobile-conveyor transport with a through passage when unloading trucks from their carrying capacity have been established.

A Clustering Approach for Atmospheric Phase Error Correction in Ground-Based SAR Using Spatial Autocorrelation.

When using ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GB-SAR) for monitoring open-pit mines, dynamic atmospheric conditions can interfere with the propagation speed of electromagnetic waves, resulting in atmospheric phase errors. These errors are particularly complex in rapidly changing weather conditions or steep terrain, significantly impacting monitoring accuracy. In such scenarios, traditional regression model-based atmospheric phase correction (APC) methods often become unsuitable. To address this issue, this paper proposes a clustering method based on the spatial autocorrelation function. First, the interferogram is uniformly divided into multiple blocks, and the phase consistency of each block is evaluated using the spatial autocorrelation function. Then, a region growing algorithm is employed to classify each block according to its phase pattern, followed by merging adjacent blocks based on statistical data. To verify the feasibility of the proposed method, both the traditional regression model-based method and the proposed method were applied to deformation monitoring of an open-pit mine in Northwest China. The experimental results show that for complex atmospheric phase scenarios, the proposed method significantly outperformed traditional methods, demonstrating its superiority.

Application of New Polymer Soil Amendment in Ecological Restoration of High-Steep Rocky Slope in Seasonally Frozen Soil Areas.

In seasonally frozen soil areas, high-steep rocky slopes resulting from open-pit mining and slope cutting during road construction undergo slow natural restoration, making ecological restoration generally challenging. In order to improve the problems of external soil attachment and long-term vegetation growth in the ecological restoration of high-steep rocky slopes in seasonally frozen areas, this study conducted a series of experiments through the combined application of polyacrylamide (PAM) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to assess the effects of soil amendments on soil shear strength, water stability, freeze-thaw resistance, erosion resistance, and vegetation growth. This study showed that the addition of PAM-CMC significantly increased the shear resistance and cohesion of the soil, as well as improving the water stability, freeze-thaw resistance, and erosion resistance, but the internal friction angle of the soil was not significantly increased after reaching a certain content. Moderate amounts of PAM-CMC can extend the survival of vegetation, but overuse may cause soil hardening and inhibit vegetation growth by limiting air permeability. It was observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that the gel membrane formed by PAM-CMC helped to "bridge" and bind the soil particles. After discussion and analysis, the optimum application rate of PAM-CMC was 3%, which not only improved the soil structure but also ensured the growth of vegetation in the later stage under the optimum application rate. Field application studies have shown that 3% PAM-CMC-amended soil stably attaches to high-steep rocky slopes, with stable vegetation growth, and continues to grow after five months of freeze-thaw action, with no need for manual maintenance after one year.

Stochastic Optimization for Long-Term Planning of a Mining Complex with In-Pit Crushing and Conveying Systems

Semi-mobile in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) systems can help reduce truck haulage in open-pit mines by bringing the crusher closer to the excavation areas. Optimizing a production schedule with semi-mobile IPCC requires integrating extraction sequence, destination policy, crusher relocation, conveyor layout, and truck fleet investment decisions. A mining complex with multiple mines and IPCC systems should be optimized simultaneously to find an optimal schedule for the entire value chain. An integrated stochastic optimization framework is proposed to produce long-term production schedules for mining complexes using multiple semi-mobile IPCC systems. The optimization model has flexibility to select the crusher locations and conveyor routes from anywhere inside the pits. The framework uses simulated orebody realizations to consider multi-element grade uncertainty and manage associated risk. A hybrid metaheuristic solution approach based on simulated annealing and evolutionary algorithms is implemented. The method is demonstrated using an iron ore mining complex.

Groundwater identification using geophysical tools and its implications for the stability of slopes in an open pit mine

The open pit mining development begins with the opening of pits with the rock mass excavation and formation of slopes and berms for ore exploration. Knowledge about the geological conditions represents an important step in this process, since rock masses generally have heterogeneous characteristics and the presence of discon- tinuities can become an aggravating factor in the safety of operations. The characterization and classification of these discontinuities, as well as the identification of the groundwater in the rock mass, has a great importance to ensure the safety of operations during the mine's production process, in addition to ensure the effectiveness of its decommissioning process. The use of DC resistivity geophysical method has been increasing to characterization and identification lithological types and presence of water, since it is a non-invasive research tool with fast ability to obtain data. DC resistivity together with visual investigation methods, such as obtaining the discontinuities orientation and their alteration characteristics, provides important information for the characterization of the rock mass. Given this importance, the present work aimed to use DC resistivity to identify the presence of water and its correlation with lithology and rock mass structure in order to identify how these variables influence the occurrence of ruptures. To this end, two-dimensional resistivity sections were designed and related to visual inspection data and kinematic analyzes obtained from structural data of the rock mass. The integration of these results indicated that the ruptures present in the investigated mine slopes are related to zones whose predominant lithology is volcanic breccia with the presence of water in the subsurface. These ruptures compromise the stability of the slopes and consequently make the decommissioning mine process difficult.

Stability evaluation of open-pit mine slope based on Bayesian optimization 1D-CNN

As mechanized open-pit coal mining intensifies, assessing and predicting slope stability has become increasingly important. To address the limitations of traditional mechanical calculations, numerical simulations, and physical experiments, this paper identifies the key factors impacting slope stability in open-pit mines and develops a multi-parameter sample data set. The study employs hyperparameters optimized using a Bayesian algorithm, introduces additional convolutional layers, and combines the Adam optimizer with dropout techniques to enhance the feature extraction and performance of one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1D-CNN). This leads to a Bayesian-optimized one-dimensional convolutional neural network (B-1D MCNN) model for predicting slope stability.The study evaluates the classification performance and accuracy of various models for slope stability, including BP neural networks, genetic algorithm-optimized convolutional neural networks, 1D-CNN, and B-1D MCNN, using accuracy, precision, and F1-score as metrics. The analysis also examines the influence of factor indicators and training set length on the model's output to assess its generalization capabilities.The research findings suggest that: (1) the B-1D MCNN model for evaluating slope stability demonstrates the capability to accurately depict the nonlinear correlation between influencing factors and slope stability. (2) Compared with other models, the B-1D MCNN model has shown enhancements of 10.96% to 27.85%, 10.26% to 28.55%, and 8.98% to 25.05% in terms of Accuracy, F1-Score, and Precision, respectively. (3) As the length of the training dataset increases, the performance of the model improves accordingly. (4) The B-1D MCNN model shows a generalization power of 87.5%.