Vulcan 9.1 preview

Maptek Vulcan 9.1 contains new tools for underground scheduling, stope access design, implicit modelling, pit optimisation and more. Vulcan software, says Maptek, “provides the mining industry with the most advanced 3D geological modelling, mine design and production planning solutions.” It is in use across the globe with applications ranging from exploration, through geological modelling, design and planning to rehabilitation. Intuitive tools help operations all resource types and mining techniques improve productivity. The primary new features of Vulcan 9.1 are Gantt Scheduler for underground, the second phase of the Implicit Modelling capability and Level Designer for stope access design. Maptek Vulcan 9.1 also contains major enhancements to Borehole Geophysics, Stratigraphic and HARP Modelling tools and Pit Optimiser.

Eric Gonzalez, Vulcan Product Manager provides a preview of the upgrades and their impact.

“Vulcan 9.1 delivers improvements across the board. We want to ensure customers spend less time in processing data, allowing more time for critical analysis and decision making. For example, with Pit Optimiser, a calculation that took four hours now takes three minutes in Vulcan 9.1.

“Where previous versions of Vulcan had to simplify data to solve the problem, the new version will run a calculation in minutes.

“Pit optimisations are considerably faster. Improved analysis and viewing tools allow more scenarios to be run in the same timeframe. The result is a superior design based on ‘what if’ scenarios.

“With the new Gantt Scheduler users can create, sequence, allocate resources, animate scenarios and report activities efficiently and transparently.

“With Implicit Modelling, users can set up large, multi-domain geology models with confidence that all the downstream processes can handle the complexity and size of the data. Enhancements take advantage of computing GPU. There’s virtually no limit on what can be run.

“Underground mine engineers will benefit from the faster, streamlined approach to long term strategic planning and detailed design tasks. The introduction of the Gantt Scheduler sets a new standard in integrating design and scheduling.

“Underground mine design is fully automated. Click a button and create the mine design at a strategic level. Users can change parameters and get an alternative design in seconds. These scenarios would take days to run manually.

“Vulcan 9.1 continues the direction Maptek set several years ago. We provide powerful tools that support geologists, mine engineers and other professionals in achieving their design and modelling goals.

“Both Pit Optimiser and Level Designer provide quick previews before running calculations in detail. Users can decide which designs are worth developing.

“Pit Optimiser quickly runs multiple scenarios. Users can identify the most effective design without spending days on it.

“Level Designer, when coupled with Stope Optimiser, allows users to run totally different layouts without designing each level in detail. A combination of scenarios can be chosen for the final design.

“New Implicit Modelling builds on tools delivered in Vulcan 9. Geologists have more control over the process and can have confidence in the results.

“Vulcan 9.1 delivers tighter integration of geological modelling, mine design and scheduling. Gantt Scheduler is linked directly with Stope Optimiser and Level Designer tools.

“With Pit Optimiser everything is created directly in Vulcan. No need to regularise and manipulate models. No need to import/export data for processing.

“In other upgrades, stratigraphic modelling allows users to combine different modelling methods into a ‘hybrid’ approach which makes best use of their available data.

“A new interface streamlines interpretation of geophysical information in borehole databases. CAD data is now handled by graphics card drivers for improved performance, building on support for triangulations and block models introduced in Vulcan 9.

“Vulcan 9.1 is in the final stages of beta testing. Release to customers is scheduled for November.”