ISSUE NO.

110 — September 2011

C A L E N D A R
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The Evolution of Mining Trucks is Changing

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Exposibram 2011
Interactions and Productivity at Minesites
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September 26 – 29, 2011

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ExpoMinas
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Belo Horizonte, Brazil

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www.ibram.org.br The mining industry is constantly As mines evolve towards larger equipment,
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Visit PAH/Runge at Booth G17

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developing and introducing new relatively stationary loading tools, such as

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technologies to make operations more excavators, rope shovels and draglines, do

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XXIX International Mining

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Convention not have much interaction with each other.

efficient, safer and ultimately improve the
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October 26 – 29, 2011

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Mundo Imperial bottom line. From mining equipment and Yet trucks must interact with one another on
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Acapulco, Mexico a regular basis and the evolution towards

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processing plants to the mine plan itself,

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www.tcexpo.com.mx larger and newer technology creates

technology in the mining industry has
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Visit PAH/Runge at Booth 549A

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evolved throughout the years and must interactions that were not seen with the
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Northwest Mining Association previous generations of mining haul trucks.

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continue to evolve to meet the needs of this

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Convention
dynamic environment.
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November 28 – December 2, 2011

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John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino Making the Transition

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Resort
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Over the past decade there have been

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Reno, Nevada
numerous changes in the way high The evolution of the mining industry in
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www.nwma.org
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Visit PAH/Runge at Booth 869 production, low cost mines have operated. order to develop larger equipment is an
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arduous process. Some mines are unable

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In addition to more efficient processing

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Runge North American

technologies and improvements towards to grow past a certain size due to varying
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Software Training Courses

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human relations, the most notable and site factors that are too insurmountable for
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Xeras Financial Modeling

the anticipated economic benefit of the
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obvious change has been the increase in

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1-Day Introductory Course larger equipment to overcome. Thus

equipment size. Following the general
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Denver: November 30
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concept of “bigger is better,” larger minesite equipment evolution falls into

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2-Day Intermediate Course

three categories: mines with hard
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Denver: December 1–2 equipment – often referred to as “ultra

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class” equipment – has emerged and constraints; mines with soft constraints;
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Runge North American Professional

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Development Courses become commonplace among the major and greenfield mines with minimal
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mining companies of the world. Nearly all constraints.

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Mining for Non Miners

major greenfield projects are now planned
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Denver: November 8–9

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with mining equipment specifications for The first category includes the mining
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Truck and Shovel Mining Systems

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Denver: November 15–16 trucks with a minimum 240 t payload, and operations that do not have the ability to
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often specifying trucks with a payload of accommodate larger type equipment to

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Dragline Mining Systems

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USA City TBA: November 2–3 290 t and above. With the increases in coincide with their own evolution. A number
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Mining Economics truck size classes, rope shovel and of mines have expanded in size but are not
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Denver: November 17–18 able to grow beyond the 240 t class size
hydraulic excavator manufacturers are now
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For additional information or to seeing near constant demand for the due to various conditions specific to their
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register, please contact Diane Kincaid

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at 403-217-4981 or largest equipment that they have to offer. site. Mine design, mining selectivity, pit
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dkincaid@runge.com.au
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Copyright 2011 by Pincock, Allen and Holt, a division of Runge Inc. All Rights Reserved.
layout, crusher dump widths, shop size Because they can design their mines ultra class trucks and the timing of the

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and bay door widths all act as hard greenfield projects resulting in a

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to accommodate the largest

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capital constraints to mines growing to equipment available, their cost/t will veritable disconnect. Numerous major

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larger size equipment. These reasons ultimately be the lowest. Although the surface mining projects exist on the

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are why it is cost prohibitive, geologically horizon in countries such as Australia,

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capital investments will be very high,

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and/or physically impossible to operate this will be quickly recouped by having Chile, Indonesia, Pakistan, Peru, the

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with trucks over 240 tonnes. lower operating costs and higher Philippines and the US (in Alaska), but

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these projects are all slow to develop

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levels of production. With

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The second category consists of infrastructure built specifically for the and equipment procurement is one of

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mines that were initially designed to ultra class equipment, the the final steps after final project

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accommodate 240 t size trucks and for approval.

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maintenance and servicing of the
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which the logical step is 290 t trucks. ○
equipment will be fit for purpose with

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Estimates in crusher dump widths, the proper tooling and working areas The second category of mines, which
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shop bay doors and haul profile widths are looking to operate larger

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needed for such large equipment.
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are typically conservative enough that This will result in more efficient and equipment to achieve higher
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this step is not impractical and would higher quality maintenance and production and lower cost/t, are
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not require significant capital making a gradual transition by

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repairs than the previous cases of the
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investment to widen or extend these mine and the shop space retro-fitted keeping their smaller trucks during the
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distances. These projects often reap to accommodate equipment that it transition stage. Older equipment is
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the benefits of the larger equipment was never originally intended. being slowly phased out as the cost/t
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quicker, as there is minimal capital advantages of the larger equipment
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investment required for the new trucks These three cases illustrate the are proven. Yet significant operating
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to integrate themselves with the existing evolution of the surface mining hours are spent running mixed-size
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mining operation. Many sites are even industry to take on larger equipment class fleets. Therein the issue of haul
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able to accommodate the ultra class- and a few limitations that are present truck interactions lay, between
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size trucks as replacements for the 240 within this initiative to achieve the dramatically different fleet sizes.
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t trucks when the pit geometry is lowest possible cost/tonne. Of these

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suitable. In these cases, the mine will cases, however, the second case is Fleet Interaction
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make investments towards the most common. Only a small

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infrastructure for greater shop space percentage of mines have evolved With minesites now running mixed
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and maintenance areas, but the from 50 t class trucks up to the 240 t fleets of older 240 t class equipment
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production increase and reduction in class and cannot grow any larger due and either 290 t or ultra class
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cost/t – with equipment having to mine design and infrastructure equipment, there are a number of
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payloads over 60% higher than the limitations. As for the greenfield sites, interactions that were not present
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original fleet – quickly offsets this these ultra class suitable operations when it was a single fleet of 240 t
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capital investment. The rate of return trucks. The larger equipment not only
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are many in number but take time

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will almost always be higher for larger before moving into active production. has higher horsepower engines than
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equipment than smaller equipment This is due to the size of the capital the smaller equipment, but the ratios
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when operating on the same deposit investment required for the ultra class of power to weight are higher. Like
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with a typical mine life. equipment fleets and supporting battleships and airplanes, the larger
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infrastructure, as well as the the mining truck the faster it can go.
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The third category is the mines that Looking at the leading two 240 t class
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difficulties in logistics due to remote

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have not yet been developed. locations of some of the major mining haul trucks over the past
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Greenfield operations with production greenfield projects, and the general several years, the average power per
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potential that would require ultra class politics and timing of the operation to gross vehicle weight (GVW) is 6.4 hp./t.
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trucks and rope shovels are in the best coincide with favorable commodity The average power per empty vehicle
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position to have the greatest and prices. There is currently a gap, in a weight (EVW) is 14.9 hp./t. Looking at
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fastest return on their investments. sense between the technology of the the current leading three truck types
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 dumping areas. This new haul

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with 290 t+ payload, the average power/ needed is a tool that can account for

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GVW is 6.7 hp./t and the average the varying performance of the smaller profile evaluation tool is called Haul

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power/EVW is 16.2 hp./t. This means trucks in relation with the larger trucks. Network.

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Minesites typically have numerous Haul Network will use truck

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that the newer trucks are capable of

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running faster, especially loaded uphill, active loading faces and multiple performance curves, weights and user

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than the trucks they are intended to dumpsites. The dispatch operator inputted fuel consumption data from

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replace. This creates situations where knows in real-time which loader or the same database that TALPAC

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mines have their new, 290 – 360 t dozer has gone down for unplanned currently uses. With Haul Network

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payload mining trucks being slowed on maintenance, and knows to route multiple dumping and loadsites, as

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the ramp by the smaller and older 220 – trucks to another loading or dumping well as stop signs, speed limited

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240 t mining trucks. The result is a higher site. Yet planned truck interactions to areas, fuel refill locations and other

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cost / t and longer cycle times for the new avoid larger trucks from having their areas of truck congestion, can be

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truck fleet as compared to the numbers production reduced, due to not being analyzed to determine the haul
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used to justify their purchase. able to overtake smaller trucks on a network which trucks can be routed.
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ramp, is something that needs to be The user will then, in conjunction with
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Additionally, loading times will be analyzed before the shift commences. TALPAC, be able to both route trucks
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increased with the new, larger trucks if This is in addition to knowing when to avoid interactions that may reduce
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matched with the existing small sized different trucks are leaving the loading productivity and to optimize each
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loading equipment. If new loading and dumping areas and where to loading area with the proper number
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equipment is purchased, the older, route the trucks so that they are not of trucks to minimize both truck and
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smaller trucks will be subjected to two- slowed by each other on the return trip shovel wait times. Extremely visual in
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pass loading, which can be damaging to the loading areas. To provide a nature, the network will have a vibrant
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to all structural and suspension solution for this issue of determining graphical interface that can interpret
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components of the trucks. This offset of when trucks will interact with one multitudes of x-y-z strings to create
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loading times created from two to five- another and how to avoid impacting easy-to-use haul profiles, while
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pass loading, depending on the truck the production of the truck fleets by simultaneously overlaying these
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and shovel matches, will create routing smaller trucks away from profiles on the existing mine layout.
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queuing at the dumpsites. Spotting and larger trucks, while still integrating This process creates a very clean and
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positioning at the loader in the event of them within the mine plan, a new visual interpretation of the haul
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double-sided loading will require more mine profile evaluation tool is about to profiles from the various loading
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careful attention and, in general, truck emerge. sites in the pit and how they route to
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queuing at the loading areas will need the different dump sites located
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to be more closely monitored to prevent Technology Solutions around the mine. Leveraging from
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over-trucking. These interactions would future versions of TALPAC, Haul

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not be as prominent with a single-size Runge Ltd., a leader in technology Network will provide a robust
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class fleet with equivalent engine and software services, has provided complement to the existing standard
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power ratings. In some cases the the industry with a line of software for haul simulations. Once the
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fleets can be separated to reduce packages to assist with all phases profiles have been processed by
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these impacts. of mine planning and financial Haul Network they can be exported
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modeling since the 1980s. TALPAC, to TALPAC to take advantage of the

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The number of new truck interactions the flagship software used for truck many detailed functions TALPAC has
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due to mixed fleets create longer and loader production simulations, to offer for specific haul route
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loading times and a greater number of has also evolved to adapt to the simulations. Having both software
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trucks operating at once until the ever-changing mining environment. programs available will give the user
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smaller fleets are phased out. These The latest product in development is a great deal of flexibility to approach
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interactions can have an adverse effect designed to remedy the issues more complicated haulage
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on the return on investment of the new, derived from having multiple truck scenarios with greater confidence in
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larger sized equipment fleet. What is types and multiple loading and the results.
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33
Available to the industry for over 30
years, TALPAC software is considered
the industry standard for calculating
truck travel time. Yet its main limitations
are that it cannot account for truck
interactions and multiple load and
dumpsites. While TALPAC is continually
improved with new versions and
database updates released regularly,
Haul Network and TALPAC combined
will provide the next step towards
complete haul profile analysis and
simulation. The future functionality will
not be limited to sites with various truck
types either, as it can be used for
running truck fleets with equivalent truck
types as well. This will create a
powerful package of software programs
that build on the existing industry
standard for truck and loader
productivity simulations.
The mining industry continues to
evolve and as mines and equipment
grow, so must the technology behind
them. Runge complements its
flagship TALPAC software with a
new, highly visual haul profile
development tool, Haul Network.
Now, minesites that have evolved to
use truck fleets spanning multiple
size classes can optimize their
productivity. Haul Network helps
make this possible by calculating
areas of congestion and potential
truck interaction and allows mines to
route their hauls accordingly to
achieve the lowest possible cost/t.
From the deepest copper and
sprawling iron ore mines in South
America to the mammoth surface
coal and oilsands deposits in North
America, from underground diamond
mines and remote gold mines in
Africa to enormous coal and uranium
mines in Australia, all mines around
the world will benefit by using
accurate tools for truck cycle time
calculations and haul profile
analysis.
This month’s article was provided by
Jonathan Baucom, Mining Consultant
for Runge Inc. jbaucom@runge.com.au.
Jonathan’s article also appears in the
September 2011 issue of World Coal.

Metal Mine Haul Profile Network

Pincock, Allen & Holt is a consulting and engineering firm serving the international mineral
resource industry. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Contact Pincock,
Allen & Holt • 165 S. Union Blvd., Suite 950, Lakewood, Colorado 80228 • TEL
303.986.6950 • FAX4 303.987.8907 • www.pincock.com. Pincock Perspectives is published as
a free information service for friends and clients.

Consultants for Mining and Financial Solutions

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