Copper Gold mine engages Plotlogic to improve short-term scheduling

Executive Summary

An underground copper gold mine in central NSW has deployed Plotlogic’s OreSense® Platform to increase the accuracy of its short-term scheduling and real time planning. The solution provides highly valuable timely information on grade, moisture, clays and hardness of ore before it reaches the plant. This information enables the client to blend a more consistent mill feed and results in less variance between plan and actual results. Where a variance does exist this can be flagged before the material reaches the processing plant to allow proactive rather than reactive adjustment of process, reducing metal losses.

Problem Statement

Prior to Plotlogic’s OreSense®, the mine operators had no means of accurately correlating differences between short-term schedules and actual results in near real time. With two to four independent sources of ore, it was unclear if such differences (eg a decrease in grade, an increase in hardness or an increase in clay) was caused by a drawpoint or a stockpile. This meant that there was no way of improving grade control and accuracy of models. Additionally, as the copper deposit has aged, more and more of the site’s budget was spent on the energy required for intensive comminution and recovery processes.

Solution

In September 2022, deployment of the Plotlogic OreSense® Platform commenced, to map the mines historical stockpiles which it had begun reclaiming and processing. In January 2023, the client added to the Platform to enable mapping of its underground drawpoints. The Platform is used by the site geology team as a lead indicator of grade, clays and moisture, leading it to create the most consistent feed grade possible. The system also provides critical intelligence on rock hardness, an important datapoint for right-sizing the energy requirements in the grinding process. Thirdly it provides geological information of material flow within the block cave itself to assist with improving models and forecasts.

Results

Plotlogic’s data is being used to measure the grade, clays and moisture content of ore being mined underground and from historical stockpiles. The data is ingested into the copper gold mines existing software, leading to a more consistent feed grade at the mine. As rock hardness results are proven to be accurate, its results will also start to be used in determining energy requirements in the comminution process. Mineralogy data from recently commenced open pits will also be incorporated to fill gaps in understanding of how this new ore source will perform in the plant.

Conclusion

Plotlogic’s OreSense® Platform has been successfully deployed at copper gold mine in central New South Wales and its results are being used to improve the consistency of feed grade resulting in better blending and greater understanding of optimum plant parameters for mixed ore source feed, and less variances between schedule and actual results.