SURFACE MINING

Introduction to Mine Scheduling

By

Dr. B. Besa
The University of Zambia
School of Mines
CONTENTS

Mine scheduling Definition

Mine scheduling
Types of Mining Schedule
Inputs to mine schedule
Open Pit Production Scheduling
Underground Production
Scheduling
Mine Scheduling Outputs
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 MINE SCHEDULING DEFINITION

A mining schedule tell us when

things occur during the project life;
 It can be constructed by applying
production constraints to the mining
sequence;
 Basis for preparing and controlling the
mine’s development and production;
 A schedule determines the cash flow
($$$) associated with mining.
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EXAMPLE OF A MINING SCHEDULE

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 MINE SCHEDULING
 Important because a $ received today is
more valuable than a $ that we might
receive in a year’s time;
 Labour and equipment requirements are
estimated, performance rates and standard
costs are applied and then the mine’s
progress and viability can be planned and
monitored;
 Usually an iterative process;
 'a list of tasks to be performed, especially
within a set period'; or as a 'plan of
procedure for a project’ 5
 TYPES OF MINING SCHEDULE
 Production schedules
1. Long Term or Life of Mine (10+ years)
2. Medium Term (5 years approx.)
3. Short Term (3 months – 2 years)
4. Extremely Short Term (down to a shift, or for specific jobs)
 Exploration drilling schedules
 Development schedules
 Production drilling schedules
 Equipment schedules
 Labour schedules
 Filling schedules
 Consumable schedules
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 Special project schedules
 Operational
Strategic Mine Tactical Mine Mine Planning
Planning Planning

Order of Pre- Feasibility

Magnitude Feasibility Study
Study

3-Month Plan
Strategic Life-of-Mine Budget/ 1-Month Plan
Review Plan Re-Forecast 1-Week Plan
1-Day Plan

Multiple Base & Plus

options/scenarios Cases 7
 INPUTS
 The following are the inputs for the mine
schedule:
1. The scope of the work to be done from Mining
Layout Designs;
2. Rates at which this work is normally
prepared, from Key Performance Indicators
(KPI);
3. Labour working hours and rosters from
Strategic Planning module;
4. Plant capacities, from the Strategic Planning
modules;
5. Production schedules, Ore reserves, tonnes
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and grades, recoveries and dilutions;
 LONG TERM SCHEDULE
 This schedule is used to feed information to the
calculation of the mine’s NPV and cut-off grade
calculations;
 It provide target dates for ore reserve
exploration drilling schedules, including
development required to access these exploration
drilling sites;
 It is general in nature and are usually schedules
on a yearly basis because of the lack of long term
information and detailed design;
 It is based on the known Proved and Probable Ore
Reserves of the mine;
 Usually updated annually or after a major drilling
program; 9
 MEDIUM TERM SCHEDULE
 This is the main planning schedules indicating
when planning and designs of accesses to new areas
of the mine need to be completed;
 Indicate when new stoping areas need to be
designed and brought into production, hence when
the exploration drilling to prove up these new areas
needs to be done;
 More detailed than the long term ones with
individual stope ore blocks nominated, each with
their own tonnes and grades and dilution and
recovery factors;
 Usually updated quarterly;

 In case of underground mine, the ore tonnes 10

produced from the development headings are shown.

 EXPLORATION DRILLING SCHEDULE
 Fairly simple schedules indicating when
drilling needs to be done to satisfy the key
dates indicated on the long term and medium
term production schedules.
 Shows when drilling sites are required and
hence the development needed to access the
sites.
 Shows various types of exploration drill
rigs required, the labour needed to operate
these rigs and the drilling rates per shift for
each of these rigs.
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 SHORT TERM SCHEDULE

 Provide the main monthly and

quarterly operating targets;
 Detailed in tonnes, grades, dilutions and
recoveries for each stope;

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 EXPLORATION DRILLING SCHEDULE
 Fairly simple schedules indicating when
drilling needs to be done to satisfy the key
dates indicated on the long term and medium
term production schedules.
 Shows when drilling sites are required and
hence the development needed to access the
sites
 Shows various types of exploration drill rigs
required, the labour needed to operate these
rigs and the drilling rates per shift for each of
these rigs.
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 DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

 Drawn up to satisfy the targets for

production from various areas and stopes, as
shown on the production schedule
 Typical development performances for
underground
1. Decline (single heading): 30 – 50 m/week
2. Decline (two headings): 50 – 60 m/week
3. Access development (multiple headings: 60
– 80 m/week)

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 PRODUCTION DRILLING SCHEDULE
 Shorter term schedules
 Give number and type of production drill rigs,
their location, layout required and drilling rates
are shown;
 Its aim is to complete as much of the production
drilling as possible within each stope prior to
that stope commencing production;
 Stope drilling costs can be added at a standard
rate and the cost per stope calculated;
 Aim is to have stopes ready for production when
scheduled and to have the production drilling 15
crews continuously occupied.
 EQUIPMENT SCHEDULE
 Prepared mainly from production,
development and drilling schedules;
 Some equipments can be shared between
activities;
 Estimates to be made for general
servicing equipment;
 Provide vital information for estimating
requirements for maintenance.

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 LABOUR SCHEDULE

 Prepared from earlier schedules. It will

show;
 The number of production makers;
 Exploratory drillers
 Development crew members
 Production drillers and
 Maintenance labour required and
working rosters for each;
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 LABOUR SCHEDULE

 Estimates have to be made of the

requirements for production blasters,
timberman, pipefitters, safety and
hygiene, manpower and supervisors;
 Standard earning rates for each of the
above labour categories can then be
applied to the numbers required for each,
and overall labour costs estimated at
various times;
 Use of contractors to be taken into
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account;
 FILLING SCHEDULE

 Prepared for mines that fill their

extracted stopes or operate systems
requiring fill as part of the production
cycle;
 The volume of fill required at various
times is calculated by reference to the
short and medium term production
schedules;

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 CONSUMABLES SCHEDULE

 Criticalconsumable requirements are

usually prepared to indicate to suppliers
when and how much of these are
required;
 Such as explosives, fuel, power, etc...

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 SPECIAL PROJECT SCHEDULES
 Used for preparation, development, installation
and commissioning of major infrastructure
components at mines
 Critical path for the complete project is
determined and resources required for each
time segment calculated
 Updated regularly and used as one of the
project management tools to control the project
to meet its targets in terms of time and cost

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OPEN PIT SCHEDULING

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 OBJECTIVES
 The following are the objectives of open pit
scheduling;
1. Providing a steady and balanced ore feed to
the mill;
2. Maximising the NPV of the project;

3. Providing a steady, balanced work load for the

ore and waste mining equipment fleets;
4. Maintaining haul road access to working
benches and maintaining an effective sump;
5. Providing time in the mining cycle for grade
control and for opening up a box cut on a new23
bench;
 SCHEDULING
 Scheduling is integral to the design and
operation of an open pit mine.
 It encompasses the process of

 deciding which bench to extract

 when to extract it and
 how this fits into the overall pit design is
increasingly becoming more complex due
to the advent of economic theory and
advanced computer optimisation software.
 Scheduling of open pits often utilises the
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concept of a pushback;
UNDERGROUND SCHEDULING

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 AIMS
 The objective of this schedule aim to:
1. Providing a steady and balanced ore feed to the mill
or a steady blended product for direct shipping
2. Maximising the NPV of the project by accessing
higher grades early and always filling the mill with
the best available feed
3. Providing a steady, balanced workload for the
development and production equipment
4. Deferring development as long as possible
consistent with access for exploration, infill drilling
and stope development
5. Setting development rates which are unit multiples
of the capacity of a standard development crew or
fleet
6. Minimising the number of active working areas to
reduce the cost of supervision and services; 26
 SCHEDULING
 Minimising the time development has to be kept open
in recognition that there is a maintenance cost for
development;
 Maximising the size of stopes or stoping blocks while
keeping a minimum number of active stopes to protect
against stope outages (failure);
 Providing time in the development and stoping cycle for
surveying, infill drilling, planning, ground support, and
production drilling;
 Sequencing the stopes from bottom up or from top down
according to the mining method and filling
requirements;
 Minimising the requirement for crown and bridge
pillars;
 Minimising broken stocks which tie up working capital
and ore at risk of re-cementing insitu. 27
 SEQUENCING

 Importance of sequencing;
1. control mining-induced stresses
according to geotechnical
requirements;
2. Maintaining ventilation and services
as required;
3. Provide a steady usage of backfill and
maximise the utilisation of backfill
material;
4. Minimise the need to remove
development waste from the mine. 28
 SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES
 Calculate diluted tonnes and grade for each
stope;
 Select mining sequence, defining primary and
secondary stopes and permanent pillars;
 Re-define stopes if necessary to suit the
schedule;
 Estimate production profile for each stope;

 Check the filling schedule and match the

stoping schedule if required;
 Schedule the necessary development;

 Check the required development rates and 29

modify stoping schedule if they are excessive;

 SCHEDULING (SUMMARY)

 Typical mine schedules may

include
1. Monthly ore and waste quantities
2. Average ore grade or coal quality
3. Machine hour requirements per month
4. Man-hour requirements per month
5. Truck/Equipment cycle times
6. Location of ore and waste mining
areas
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SCHEDULING RATES (2*12 HOUR SHIFTS, 7 DAYS/WK)

 Decline development
40m/wk average, 70m/wk best
 Level development
75m/wk per jumbo (3 faces available)
 Shaft sinking
35-40m/wk (strip and line); 15-20m/wk
(blind)
 Raiseboring
2m/day (200MPa rock)
 Trucking
2500 tonne.km/day (40 tonne truck)
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 SCHEDULING PROCEDURE (AFTER GEMELL 1998)

 Where applicable, divide underground

mine production in approximate terms
between development and stoping
 Schedule development (both waste and
ore) as fast as practicable until full scale
production is reached thus minimising
capital lead times
 Create equipment utilisation and
purchase schedules
 Create personnel schedules 32
 PRODUCTION SCHEDULES
 Highest level of scheduling
 Focus on grade, extraction sequences,
production quantities;
 Extend over a number of years
 Scheduled Items:
 Production targets. Backfill, development,
rising, diamond drilling, equipment
replacement, capital and operating
expenditures
 Restrictions:
 Capital expenditure, life of mine,
infrastructure, equipment life 33
 ACTIVITY SCHEDULES

 Contain sufficient details to allow U/G

personnel to perform work.
 Targets usually presented in production
meetings.
 Issues:

 Stope preparation: Access, support

services
 Stope production: Blasting, material
handling, backfilling
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 SCHEDULING CONCEPTS

 Activities:
1. Have start and end time = Duration
2. Correspond to physical work ( or
Process)
3. Activities can be represented by a
“Gantt Chart” (or Activity bars)
4. Activities may be divided into sub-
activities

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 3,000t @ 3t/m
1,000m @
200m/d

Slot &
rings
Drill
3,000t @
300t/d
Blast
Survey

Bog/Muck

B Fill
cure

Fill

Road

Stope X (TMP Yr 2+): 103t/d (i.e. 3,000t/29d stope cycle) 36

Stope X (TMP & OMP Yr 1-2): 300t/d, 19d pre- and post-bog/muck delays
 EXAMPLE OF GANTT CHART

Another Pit Slope Design - Gantt Chart

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12
Task or Activity

Review geology
Plan drilling programme
Diamond drilling
Core logging
Lab testwork
Data analysis
Failure mechanisms
Stability analysis
Slope design
Draft report
Report review
Final report

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 Scheduled physicals
 physical report items, by option
 visualisation, including plans
 non-physical report items
 Critical path

 Resource requirements

 mobile equipment, consumables

 Mine systems

 Approvals

 rigorous approvals process assumed

 Risk assessment

 Sustainability issues 38
END

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