Themes running through International Mining’s November issue article on software and mine planning include visualisation, integration and optimisation. In today’s world, visualisation capabilities are setting competing software systems apart.

Sadly, the original article had to be cut back, so here are some of the other considerations, starting with further comment on VentSim, the Standard version of which offers the full 3D interface, animation and dynamic colouring and:
■ Approximately 35 simulated data types
■ Incompressible flow simulation only
■ Contaminant tracking and simulation.

The Advanced version offers all Standard features plus:
■ Thermodynamic environmental simulation
■ Compressible airflows self adjusting fan curves
■ Financial simulation functions
■ Recirculation prediction
■ Diesel Particulate Matter spreading.

This program requires Windows XP or VISTA. It may work on Macs with Windows Dual Boot software. Microsoft NET 2.0 and the latest Direct X 9.0c must be installed. Many Windows XP and all VISTA systems will already have this.

Dr. Joop Nagtegaal says that Abaqus FEA software is unique in its capabilities to enable mining engineers to investigate design innovations from the drawing board to full production. “In the design stage, Abaqus models, which include rockmass volumes spanning several kilometres around the orebody and down to excavations just a few metres across, are used to compare and optimise engineering options,” he said. “Then, as the mine goes into production, large volumes of data from the field are incorporated with the analysis models to allow them to be calibrated to a precision not previously available.”

Seismic event forecasting is of course important where mining-induced seismicity is a concern. Dr. Stephan Arndt, Principal Engineer at the Beck Arndt Engineering (BAE) Perth office, said the vast amount of analysis required to create solutions today requires new technologies and methods.

“The size of the models we now use in mining is unprecedented,” said Arndt. “Distributed Memory Parallel (DMP) processing, using 32 CPUs with Abaqus FEA software, gives us the capacity to compare a number of different scenarios for mine-scale model simulations in a very short time. The level of detail achieved in these models allows us to calibrate deformation and rockmass damage, seismogenic potential and ground support performance. Abaqus has an important role to play in mining and our analysis methods are setting new standards in this industry.”

A different application of non-linear modelling is the design of ground support.

Deswik Software delivers mine planning applications and custom-made software development services. The company was founded by the original authors of the successful Mine2-4D and mineCAD products. The company says its aim is “to simplify, automate and improve the processes used in mine technical services departments, through the development and application of software and practical mining knowledge. Deswik Software believes in partnering with its clients to achieve the best mutual outcomes. The company draws on over three decades of experience in improving mine planning processes through software development and mine planning consulting.”

DeswikCAD provides mine planning tools suited to the coal and open pit markets. Written in the latest technologies, DeswikCAD provides the user with a simple, modern and intuitive CAD-style interface. The main features of DeswikCAD include:

■ Easy to manipulate CAD user interface

■ Fully featured CAD design editing tools

■ Integration with mining data sources (Datamine, Surpac, Vulcan, DXF, DGN, DWG)

■ Mine design tools

■ Graphical reporting capabilities

■ Powerful, yet simple plotting

■ Plugin and scripting interfaces to customise the core application and quickly modify data.

Dynamic mine planning

Runge has used five main categories to help customers enhance their decision making capability. It says that some of the key capabilities that customers have asked for and it has delivered are:

■ Information – Right data to the right people at the right time

■ Integration – Providing a framework and transparency to enable data driven decision making by providing visibility of data from enterprise to operation

■ Completeness – Integrating spatial and nonspatial data for a full picture of the business

■ Repeatability – Capturing, standardising and systematising corporate business process knowledge

■ Control – Bringing reliable, repeatable and transparent control of business process and information, reducing time wasted in locating information and improving information quality and reliability.

Turning to another trusted SAP partner, LodeOne is a qualified SAP All-in-One solution preconfigured to deliver the specialised industry functionality that primary metals and mining companies require to plan, automate, monitor and streamline end-to-end business operations. It is a turnkey solution for managing all facets of the business. Its aim is to maximise flexibility and minimise Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). The option of a fixed-cost, fixed-scope implementation dramatically reduces risk. On-demand or on-premise delivery accommodates virtually any budget. SAP Best Practices, based on thousands of SAP implementations, are included – and provide the ability to use only what you need today while preparing for the future.

Based on the worldclass SAP ERP solution and SAP NetWeaver technology, LodeOne is offered exclusively by Optimal Solutions, an award-winning SAP consulting firm.

Some of the improvements in MineMap’s recently recently upgraded mine design software, MineMap, are:

■ Enhancement of its existing easy use system

■ Simplified data management tools

■ Improved reporting

■ Improved integration with other external systems.

MineMap offers a fully integrated mine design package which includes; mining engineering, geology and surveying providing a comprehensive geological modelling and mine planning system for all commodities and operational situations including a world leading laminar modelling module for stratified deposits such as coal, iron ore, phosphate and mineral sands.

MineMap is currently developing its new Global Mining System (GMS), which will offer several enhanced features to its current fully integrated system providing a single mine management system that can be scaled to the clients specific needs (planned competition mid to late 2010). With the advent of GMS, clients will be able to scale/develop their Mine Management System to fit their needs as well as allowing a near seamless integration with other external systems as required through improved data management and integrated management systems.

With the development of GMS, MineMap aims to provide a mining design package that is still focused on the needs of the mining engineer, geologist and surveyor but takes into consideration environmental, safety and operational cost requirements which are integral parts of mine planning.

MineMap has recently reviewed several of its other packages/services including Express, BluePipe, MineSched (mine scheduler software) and Business/Project Optimisation System (allows whole of project optimisation and cost review), resulting in the commencement of upgrades for both Express and MineSched.

Express is MineMap’s Optimum Haul Road Design Package that aims to provide the ultimate cost benefit solution to haul road requirements, from the bottom of the pit to the top. Substantial cost savings should be obtainable, with the system providing the optimum road reserve.

BluePipe allows operators and mining contractors to take better control over their businesses through its On-Site suite of smart tracking and communications services. The On-Site suite combines cellular data communications technology, inexpensive compact transceivers and industry leading software to enable:

■ Preventative maintenance rather than costly repair providing greater asset uptime

■ Operator monitoring to maximise effective output and support operator retraining

■ Ore grade management based upon extraction locations

■ Asset efficiency metrics

■ Immediate action via in-cab communication devices to deliver tasking or corrective instructions directly to operators

■ Minimise waste through ensuring valuable ore is not discarded to the waste dump.

In addition to data collection tools, Century Systems has developed its own laboratory information management system, Century LIMS. Implementing Century LIMS, either alone, or in conjunction with other parts of the Century
Systems increases the efficiency of the lab by improving accuracy and turnaround times. It also has the capability to automatically post results back to Century’s database management platform, Fusion.

Fusion is another one of the features that helped win a recent contract with Kinross as it provides companies the ability to administer, configure, store and report on all of their data, centrally. The Century Systems data management solution does not require database or SQL expertise to administer and use the system. Tasks like QAQC reporting are also made easier because of the centralised data structure and Century’s newest application Report Manager.

Report Manager exponentially increases the efficiency of QAQC reporting when compared to manual or even other automated processes. The efficiency within Report Manager comes from being able to group oft run reports into activities that can be run as part of a single process. Report Manager can automatically insert QAQC charts and data into predetermined locations in your QC report template. The next version of Report Manager will provide a scheduling component that will reduce or eliminate the need for regular user input for QAQC reporting.