1

DRAW CONTROL AT KOFFIEFONTEIN MINE

Linda A. Hannweg * and Gert J. van Hout †

* Geotechnical Officer
De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited

PO BOX 80, KOFFIEFONTEIN, 9986

(053) 205 5115 (TEL)
(053) 205 5028 (FAX)
lhannweg@debeers.co.za

† Geotechnical Engineer
De Beers Corporate Headquarters

Private Bag X01, Southdale, 2135

(011) 374 7675 (TEL)
(011) 374 7675 (TEL)
gvanhout@debeers.co.za

May 2001
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DRAW CONTROL AT KOFFIEFONTEIN MINE

LA HANNWEG and GJ van Hout
South Africa

ABSTRACT: In a first for the diamond industry, Koffiefontein Mine in the Free State, South Africa,
opted for the Front Cave Mining Method to extract a 90 metre high block of kimberlite ore. Block
caving, because of its high initial capital requirements, resulting in a negative internal rate of return
(IRR), was ruled out as a feasible mining method for Koffiefontein Mine.
Front Caving is essentially a combination of the traditional block cave and sub-level cave mining
methods, but uses two or more levels of retreating drawpoints. Two extraction levels, in the case of
Koffiefontein Mine, are spaced 12m apart vertically, with the upper 478m level (48 Level) acting as the
undercut/extraction level, and the lower 490m level (49 Level) as the extraction level. Caving is achieved
by undercutting a small column of ore, which is then drawn, on both the 48 and 49 Levels, until the
planned extraction percentage is achieved. The next column of ore is then mined by advancing the
undercut (48 Level), and the process is repeated until the entire ore block is depleted to the contact.
Caving-by-gravity techniques of mining rely on closely controlled draw of the caved ore to ensure proper
caving action and to minimise the dilution of ore with waste material from the open pit. This paper
discusses the need for, and implementation of, a draw control system at Koffiefontein Mine - a
computerised production management system, and a draw control system based on linear programming,
to allow control over the draw rate and mining sequence – a major factor in all production planning to
optimise production efficiency, ore recovery and cave management.

KEYWORDS: draw control, Koffiefontein Mine, Front Cave, Caving

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1. INTRODUCTION

The Koffiefontein Diamond Mine is located in the south-west portion of the Orange

Free State, 137km south-west of Bloemfontein and 107km south-east of Kimberley.

Mining of the kimberlite pipe commenced in 1878, but ceased several times from 1892

to 1913 and from 1919 to 1931 due to World War I. It reopened in 1970 as an opencast

operation and converted to an underground operation in 1981 with the development of

levels 27 to 60. Due to the downturn in the diamond market, the mine closed in 1982.

In 1987 the mine re-opened with a sub-level open-stope mining method, but the mining

method was immediately converted to the blast hole open stoping, compound-ring

method1.

Koffiefontein mine is a low grade, marginal mine and the forecasted ore dilution due to

pit sidewall failures when extracting the kimberlite pipe to lower levels resulted in an

investigation into an alternative mining method. Reducing the waste influx to the

underground drawpoints is vital to ensure a viable future when deepening the mining

operations. It was appreciated at the start of the blast hole open stoping that early waste

dilution would be a problem, but the method enabled the mine to get production, and

hence revenue, quickly. If a block cave or front cave was started instead, the build up

period would have delayed the production start-up and the required initial capital

investment was considered too high. Blast hole open stoping on the 37 level was later

replaced by sub-level caving in an attempt to cut off the increasing quantities of waste

rock reporting to the drawpoints from the open pit.

The susceptibility to slope failures demanded a revision of the mining method at depths

below 37 level. Several miming methods were evaluated and front caving provided a

technically sound, financially viable option.

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Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic section through the mine.

Front caving was selected above other methods for technical and financial merits. The

Front Cave layout constitutes two levels with 4m wide by 4.2m high tunnels spaced at

15m centres. The upper level, 48 Level, acts as the main undercut level. The lower

level, 49 Level, is the main extraction level and lags the upper level by 12 to 24m. The

vertical inter-level spacing is 12m. The extraction tunnels run north-south and are

staggered between the two levels to enhance rock mass stability.

Load-Haul-Dump (LHD) machines are used to transport the ore from loading points at

the end of the extraction drifts to ore passes located outside the orebody.

As the draw zone associated with the loading points has a limited reach and the

depletion of an ore column happens over a considerable time period, the loading points

must remain static both in space and time. However, due to the large volume of ore

fragments gravitating down through the small tunnel openings and the relatively weak

kimberlite rock mass, the brow at the loading points tend to wear away rapidly. This

brow erosion must be kept to a minimum to maintain the rock mass integrity and to

ensure safe loading from loading points which are fixed till the column has been

depleted. It is not within the scope of this paper to describe in detail the support for

these loading points, also called Semi Permanent Drawpoints (SPD), but its design is

very similar to the support type employed at Henderson Mine. The support installed at

the SPD’s has successfully managed to protect the brow of the loading points and recent

inspections of the brows at loading points that have ceased production showed very

little deterioration.
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Once a column is depleted the associated SPD will be destroyed and a sequence of

drill/blast/load 2m wide blast hole ring’s around the extraction drift is repeated until the

undercut face has been retreated to the next SPD position in that drift.

The following Front Caving layout2 resulted from a number of planning sessions held at

the mine involving all affected disciplines, as well as input from Dr. D.H. Laubscher:

 The Front Cave mining method would be ideal if three production levels were to be

developed – the bottom level being a scavenger level to recover any ore not

extracted on the upper two levels. Koffiefontein could not financially justify the

third level, and a compromise was made to develop only two production levels: 48

and 49 Levels were planned with 4m wide drawpoint drifts (see Figure 2).

 The undercutting should start against the north contact of the mudstone and retreat

northwards. By starting at the mudstone, the mining sequence will be from poor to

better rock mass and caving is expected to progress more rapidly. There will be no

development in the mudstone which would present major development and

maintenance problems due to its poor Rock Mass Rating (RMR).

 The drawpoint drifts will be oriented in a north-south direction, that is perpendicular

to the long axis of the pipe. This will ensure maximal tunnel stability in the

kimberlite zone close to the contact. Figure 3 illustrates the Front Cave mining

sequence.

2. WHY THE NEED FOR A DRAW CONTROL SYSTEM?

It was recognised that there is a need to control the extraction process, to gain maximum

ore recovery with minimum waste dilution, particularly at the time of near exhaustion.

Careful control of the production will ensure that the secondary fragmentation process3
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within the cave takes place, resulting in acceptable fragmentation size blocks reporting

at the drawpoints, reducing secondary blasting and occurrence of hang-ups.

The need for a very strict draw control system at the mine became more crucial due to

the reduction in extraction levels from three to two. This reduced the flexibility of

”draw”, as the production section would not be able to return if ground was left behind.

Other benefits for a draw control system can be highlighted by listing the following:

 To identify priority drawpoints

 To minimise production delays

 Ensure the draw horizon is strictly maintained and that the ore is drawn from the

correct drawpoints in a controlled manner.

 Estimate the cave profile and the ore-waste interface.

 Make as accurate as possible a forecast of the carats mined.

The following operating parameters affecting draw control were established for the

front cave before it came into full production:

 Side dilution entry will commence at 20 per cent draw and will amount to

approximately 10 per cent of the ore column volume. Side dilution is sourced from

the previously mined area and occurs as a result of the ground left behind from the

previous block. Its appearance is rapid due to its close proximity to the drawpoints

 Top dilution entry will commence at 52 per cent draw and the waste content will

gradually increase as the column is drawn down. The dilution entry and rate of

influx are determined from the ore recovery chart based on the following parameters

(after Laubscher3); ore column height, height of interaction, swell factor and draw

control factor.
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 From the ore recovery chart the draw cut off percentage can also be determined. The

maximum tolerable instantaneous waste in the head feed is 20 per cent, resulting in

a draw cut off percentage equal to 81 per cent of the column reserves.

 Draw control must be strictly controlled on the upper level, as waste drawn into the

drawpoints on the 48 Level will cut off the 49 Level resources. Currently it is

planned to extract 40 per cent of the mineable resource from the upper level and 60

per cent from the lower level. Limiting the extraction on the upper level is due to

the fact that the associated draw ellipsoid does not fully develop as a result of the

adjacent unmined block. Also 48 Level draws ore from columns that are less

matured than the ones that 49 Level produces from.

 The undercut is mined in a breast fashion – when drawpoints on the eastern side are

reaching maturity, drawpoints at the West Side will only be commencing extraction.

This allows for a blending of diluted ore from the East Side with undiluted ore from

the West Side. As the West Side starts to mature, so the East Side will be reaching

draw cut off and the undercutting of the next block commences. This sequence will

also ensure that, at all times, there are enough drawpoints available to achieve call

while other drawpoints are being prepared to come into production when the most

mature ones become depleted.

The ore columns should be drawn down uniformly across the cave to ensure the ore-

waste interface is maintained. Poor draw control practices lead to premature waste

dilution with the possibility of waste either cutting off payable ore or diluting payable

ore to such an extent that it becomes unpayable.

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If draw control is mismanaged and premature dilution occurs on the 48 and 49 Levels,

higher dilution will continually be drawn as the undercutting blast hole ring’s are

retreated toward the next series of semi-permanent drawpoints. In that case, the

following contingency plan should be applied:

 Progress with the flat undercut, drawing only a limited tonnage to ensure a

successful undercut between the contaminated area and the next semi-permanent

drawpoints. This would ensure that the undercut is maintained, preventing cave

inhibition.

 Drawing should then commence on the 49 level only. If dilution reoccurs, it is

drawn onto the lower level and not carried on the undercut face contaminating the

remaining ore blocks.

The interface between waste, from the expected pit sidewall failures, and the top of

broken ore within the cave is designed to be maintained at an East-West angle of 25

degrees for the following reasons:

 A horizontal interface would imply that all semi-permanent drawpoints (SPD’s)

would have to be retreated simultaneously once the first strip is depleted. This

would result in a loss of production for a long period as undercutting and SPD

construction takes approximately 6 weeks.

 An angle less than 25 degrees would have the same, but less severe effect, on

production loss.

 A steeper angle would result in less beneficial geotechnically conditions as it would

increase the probability of the overlying waste mixing with the ore material through

toppling and sliding.

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 A compromise between geotechnical issues and availability concerns was achieved

by selecting a 25 degree angle. This was calculated by making a careful estimate of

the draw-down versus availability of the new line of SPD’s.

Maintaining a constant angle in the cave is essential and can sometimes overrule other

constraints. As a drawpoint matures to the end of its life, it will begin to draw more and

more waste until it becomes uneconomic to continue mining. If adjacent drawpoints are

still mining at low waste contents, there may be a necessity to continue to extract ore

from the high waste drawpoints to maintain the correct shape to maximise extraction

from the more economic drawpoint.

Investigations are currently been carried out to replace the concept of a constant angle

with a constraint that controls the depletion difference between columns. It is easier to

derive a depletion percentage as the angle calculation requires a greater understanding

of the swell factor and density of the material within each column.

The draw cut-off percentage is a crucial parameter for the Front Cave at Koffiefontein

Mine as extra recovery of a few per cent has a huge financial benefit. The development

of the draw control programme was necessary to ensure maximum extraction of the ore

resource. Two main factors determine the allowable draw cut-off percentage:

 Negative financial impact by waste dilution

 Treatment plant’s inability to treat diluted ore. The plant can only manage a

maximum of 20 per cent instantaneous waste in the head feed after which diamond

production losses occur.

If good draw control practices are adhered to, at least 81 per cent of the resource can be

expected to be extracted, and if waste blending is achieved maybe even a figure

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approaching 100 per cent. An extra recovery (above 81%) of only a few per cent easily

pays back the cost of installing a state of the art draw control system.

3. DRAW CONTROL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

A draw control programme capable of the following was thus required to control the

draw of ore from the Front Cave:

 Allocate dynamic calls on a shift by shift basis ensuring that the long-term draw

control strategy was being adhered to.

 Model the pipe into different ore resource blocks.

 Ore resource blocks must be allocated to draw points.

 Different quantities (tonnages) of vertical virgin, vertical wedge and other sources

must be ascribed to the different programme ore resource blocks.

 Drawpoints to be denoted by a sequence of numbers and letters.

 Base ore resource tonnages can be adjusted throughout the life of the mine. This

would facilitate resource adjustment should it be necessary to carry out remnant

extraction mining during the later life of the mine.

 Automatic optimal call distribution facility throughout the block so that high and

low extraction areas are pulled to maintain uniform draw down.

 Facility to divide the ore resources into horizons.

 Be able to produce three-dimensional longitudinal and cross sections of statistical

extraction data.

 Be able to produce a block plan as per strategic draw control exercise

 Be able to produce a three-dimensional digital ground model of extraction data.

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 Be able to accept daily data from a standard vehicle management system. This will

reduce the necessity for manually booked tally sheets.

As there was no package available on the market to satisfy the above-mentioned criteria,

Koffiefontein Mine, in collaboration with head office, developed a Mixed Integer

Linear Programme (LP) based application. This draw control package meets the criteria

set out above and has many other benefits over other existing applications considered to

be draw control programs. The system has been described by Guest et al4. As the

system proved to be highly successful, Premier Diamond Mine also decided to

implement it for the block caves.

4. VEHICLE MONITORING SYSTEM

As good Draw Control practice requires correct and ‘real time’ production data, a

vehicle management system (VMS) was developed for Koffiefontein to become an

integral component of the Draw Control System. The VMS, a productivity monitoring

and vehicle dispatching system, was set up to provide continuous real-time data to the

control room computers. The draw control linear programme needs to communicate the

shift production calls for each drawpoint to the VMS, and also capture from VMS the

previous shift production tonnages produced from each drawpoint.

Both systems independently maintain their shift calendars. The VMS has an internal

real-time shift calendar for all mini-shifts (night, morning and afternoon shifts). The

Draw Control system will be based on whole day shifts and also be able to report using

the mine’s production calendar. Exceptional shifts (extended weekend shifts) will be
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manually added by system operators for both systems. Interfacing between the VMS

and the Draw Control system is simplest if done on a daily basis.

Planned production and actual production tonnage are stored in specifically named files.

The planned and actual files contain an entire shift day’s tonnages. The files reside in

one location on a central fileserver. The draw control system manages the import of

actual data files. The two programmes interface with each other and update the draw

control tally information on a continuous basis. The vehicle monitoring system is the

most crucial component of an integrated Draw Control System as it feeds the

‘real’/actual underground data into the other components.

6. RESULTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DRAW CONTROL SYSTEM

Implementing the combined LP Draw Control System and vehicle monitoring system at

Koffiefontein, has enabled better control and management of the ore resource resulting

in a more efficient draw and recording process.

The flow charts in Figure 4 illustrate the improvement in the reporting/recording

system. Figure 5 shows a graph drawn during the implementation of the vehicle

monitoring system. Manual reports were compared to VMS results and plotted per

shift. Major variances were seen during the implementation phase, however vast

improvements can be seen since the systems have been fully up-and-running. A graph

(as in Figure 5) drawn for March 2001, would show a single line – no difference

between what the miners report and what the VMS records.

The ‘theoretical’ cave profile is checked every two weeks by plotting a graph of the

tonnages drawn from the cave. This is done in an attempt to ensure that the 25 degree

angle of broken ore in the cave is maintained. Figure 6 shows an example of this graph.
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7. CONCLUSION

The need for a strict draw control system at Koffiefontein Mine resulted from the need

to maximise ore recovery and limit the waste dilution from pit sidewall failures but

became crucial after the decision to develop only two extraction levels. The flexibility

of draw was reduced and the production section would not be able to return to the level

and extract what was left behind.

Draw Control at Koffiefontein centres around optimising tonnage rather than carats, as

this is a massive mining method where geotechnical constraints cannot be overruled by

financially more attractive scenario’s unless a full risk assessment exercise has been

conducted. In the planning stage, decisions should not be made based on NPV

attractive scenario’s that overlook the risks and associated costs by violating the

geotechnical well defined constraints.

The implementation of the integrated Draw Control System and Vehicle Management

System has improved the recording of tons loaded from underground drawpoints.

Production efficiency, ore recovery and cave management have been optimised, and are

improving with new ideas and concepts everyday.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The permission of the Director, Operations, De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited, to

present this paper is gratefully acknowledged.

The authors acknowledge the assistance of the General Manager-Geotechnical

Engineering, Alan Guest; Koffiefontein Mine Management; colleague Mr H. Grobler

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and all other persons who made valuable contributions and expressed constructive

criticism.

REFERENCES

1. Guest, A R, 1996. The Compound Ring- Post Implementation, in Proceedings

Massive Mining Methods, Randburg, The South African Institute of Mining and

Metallurgy, 1996

2. Preece, M, 1996. Front Caving – A solution to waste dilution at Koffiefontein mine

for the extraction of the 370m to 490m ore reserve. Massive Mining Methods,

Randburg. The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

3. Laubscher, D H, 1994. Cave mining, the state of the art, JS Afr Inst Min Metall,

October, pp 279-293

4. Guest et al, 2000. An application of Linear Programming for Block Cave Draw

Control, in Proceedings MASSMIN 2000, Brisbane, pp 461-468

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SUB LEVEL
SUB LEVEL CAVING
SOUTH CAVING NORTH
FRONT CAVE

Figure 1: Diagrammatic section through Koffiefontein Mine

NORTH

25

LEGEND

KIMBERLITE CONTACT
MUDSTONE CONTACT
UNDERCUT

SOUTH

Figure 2: Basic plan showing layout of 48 Level

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37 LEVEL
37 LEVEL

SOUTH SOUTH NORTH

NORTH

48 LEVEL
48 LEVEL
49 LEVEL
49 LEVEL

52 HAULAGE LEVEL 52 HAULAGE LEVEL

A B

37 LEVEL 37 LEVEL

SOUTH NORTH SOUTH NORTH

48 LEVEL 48 LEVEL
49 LEVEL 49 LEVEL

52 HAULAGE LEVEL 52 HAULAGE LEVEL

C D

37 LEVEL

SOUTH NORTH

48 LEVEL
49 LEVEL

52 HAULAGE LEVEL

E
Figure 3: Front Cave mining sequence A - Slot cutting B - Undercutting C – Caving progress

D – Holing into the pit floor E – Retreating the Undercut (Koffiefontein is currently at this stage)
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real time real time

LHD LHD re
end rea al
o f sh l tim
every hour ift time e
PLANT AS400 CCR MINER
as required y Shiftboss/Miner real time
a da
ce DISPATCH
on Underground Computer DISPATCH

DRAW CONTROL
OFFICER
GATEWAY PC PLANT
GATEWAY PC

once a day DRAW CONTROL

DATA INPUT once a day DRAW CONTROL
DATA INPUT

PRODUCTION
GEOTECH DRAW CONTROL once a week
PLANNING SYSTEM DRAW CONTROL once a week
DEVELOPMENT XLS LP SYSTEM
once a week once a week XLS LP
once a day
ORIGIN
S/BOSS PRODUCTION
CALL SHEET GEOTECH
ORIGIN
PLANNING

Figure 4: Flow charts showing the original (left) and improved (right) draw control systems.

48 Level (June 2000)

400
350
300
scoops loaded

250
200
150
100
50
0
N01

N02
N03

N04
N05

N06

N07

N08

N09

N10

N11

N12

N13

N14

N15

N16
N17

N18
N19

N20

N21

MINERS REPORT PRODMAN

Figure 5: Graph showing comparison between PRODMAN and Miners’ reports during August
2000. The same graph drawn for March 2001 is one line.
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Figure 6: Graph showing broken ground profile, as well as profile of waste rock in the pit.