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The O'Hara cost estimator

Quick guides to the evaluation of orebodies, O'Hara (1980)

The O'Hara cost estimator

The typical open pit:
43,000 tpd (39 kt/day) of ore and waste
Depth of about 400 to 500 ft(120 to 150 m)
2200 ft (670 m) wide
4700 ft (1430 m) long
Pit benches are typically 40 ft (12 m) high
overall pit slope (excluding roads:
about 57' in pits with competent rock
44' in pits with oxidized or altered rock

In-pit haulage road gradients averaging 9%

The O'Hara cost estimator

Daily tonnage:
T = tons of ore milled/day
To =tons of ore mined/day
Tw = tons of waste mined/day
Tc = tons of ore passing the primary crusher/day
Tp = To + Tw = total material mined/day
Assumed: The mill operates three 8-hour shifts per
day and 7 days/week

The O'Hara cost estimator

Many open pit mines operate 7 days/week, but
others may operate only 5 days/week.

The cost guides in this section are based upon this

assumption that the mill capacity is 71% of the daily
mined ore tonnage.

The O'Hara cost estimator

Personnel numbers (Nop):
The number of mine personnel Nop required in open
pit mines using shovels and trucks for loading and
hauling the ore.

The O'Hara cost estimator

Personnel numbers (Nml):
The number personnel Nml required to operate mills
treating T tons of low-grade ore

The O'Hara cost estimator

Personnel numbers (Nsv):
The number of service personnel Nsv required for
open pits mining low grade ore

The O'Hara cost estimator

Personnel numbers (Nat):
The number of administrative and technical
personnel Nat required for a mining and milling plant

The O'Hara cost estimator

Total personnel numbers:

Do not include the personnel required for smelters,

refineries, mine townsite services, concentrate
transport, or offsite head offices

The O'Hara cost estimator

Mine associated capital casts

Mine site clearing:

For the pit, the required area Ap in acres (4047 m2)

The clearing costs depend upon the topography,

the type of cover, and the total area

The O'Hara cost estimator

Mine associated capital casts

Preproduction waste stripping:

For the pit, the required area Ap in acres

Ts: The tons of soil that must be stripped

Tws: The tons of waste rock that must be stripped

The O'Hara cost estimator

Mine equipment

(a) Drills:

This formula includes a 25% allowance for drilling and blasting supplies
and accessory equipment

The O'Hara cost estimator

Mine equipment
standard diameters:
4, 5, 61/2, 77/8, 9, 97/8, l05/8, 121/4. 133/4, 15, and 171/2 inches
(or 102, 125, 165, 200, 229, 250, 270, 310, 350, 380, and
445 mm)

The O'Hara cost estimator

Mine equipment

This formula includes a 25% allowance for drilling and blasting supplies
and accessory equipment

The O'Hara cost estimator

Mine equipment

(b) Shovels:
S: The optimum shovel size (cubic yards)

Ns: The number of shovels (It should be rounded down)

(The total costs of the fleet of shovels supplemented by

auxiliary bulldozers and front end loaders)

The O'Hara cost estimator

Mine equipment

(c) Trucks:
t: Truck size (tons)

Nt: Number of trucks required

average haulage distance and gradient outside the pit is

less than the inside