Today’s post comes from long time GEOVIA user, Jaideep Bose, Head of Geomining (Asia) at global minerals and lime producer Lhoist, based out of Malaysia.
Looking back, throughout my career I have witnessed the positive impact of technology, particularly in the areas of resources estimation, geological/block modeling and pit design. I started using GEOVIA Surpac™ when I was working for Lafarge, for the estimation of reserves and calculation of stripping rations through to designing mine-to-mill concepts.
When you have a tool as powerful as Surpac, it’s easy to accumulate precise information on ore zones and waste zones within stratified deposits, in order to calculate strip ratio. Strip ratio is the most important input in the pit design phase, and can be used as a guide to maintain costs throughout the mining cycle.
As ore bodies become more complex, I believe a more innovative approach is needed to extract efficiently, safely and in an environmentally-friendly manner.
For example, one of the biggest challenges I have found is related to hydrological issues, as some ore bodies are situated near rivers where water tables are very high or close to the surface. Many quarries in Malaysia are prone to frequent flash floods and groundwater seepage.
The role technology can play in mitigating these issues is to input and integrate data from water tables into mine models in Surpac, allowing both the mine planner and geologist to analyze scenarios and provide input for further slope analysis.
The other challenge is around safety, and ensuring that this is a priority in the pit design and planning phase. If technology can help integrate safety norms which are also environmentally-conscious, the outcome will be good. For instance, the ramps in pit design should be ideally constructed 3.5 times the width of the widest vehicle and should have edge protection; many pits are devoid of edge protection. However, with the help of technology, we can build in safety parameters to ensure that these norms are in compliance.
I believe technology plays a huge role in better understanding a resource through to integrating safety in the mine design and planning phase. The potential for future innovation is even greater as we see the Internet of Things start to become more prevalent at mine sites.
Watch the interview below with Jaideep Bose to learn more:
Learn more about how Surpac can model water levels or read more User Spotlight posts.
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