Jessica__Longworth
Finding the Best Path Forward for an Underground Copper Deposit
Introduction Project Stream: Conceptual / Preliminary Works Project Stage: Resource Development Plan Type of Mine: Underground Region: Queensland Commodity: Copper / Silver The Challenge The project team needed to determine the best development strategy for a Queensland copper-silver deposit, with potential throughput options of 0.5–1.0 Mtpa. The challenge was finding the right combination of mining method, cut-off grade, productivity and costs. Getting this balance wrong could result in a sub-optimal production strategy and potentially make the project uneconomic. The Approach MEC combined commercial mining software with an internally developed optimisation tool to assess [...]
Rapid Resource Evaluation for Copper-Gold Development
Introduction MEC Mining Case Study: Turning Complex Legacy Data into Clear Investment Insights Project Stream: Conceptual / Preliminary Works Project Stage: Resource Evaluation Type of Mine: Open Pit Region: International — South America Commodity: Copper / Gold The Challenge Our client required a rapid evaluation of multiple Resource models to assess their potential to support a defined production profile. The study mandate was to translate Spanish technical reports, import the available block models and assess the Resource potential against a target of 50 Mt @ 1% CuEq. Several factors made the assessment particularly challenging: Large and [...]
Cross-Discipline Collaboration Keeps Underground Design on Track
Introduction MEC Case Study: Solving a Technical Modelling Challenge for an Underground Gold Operation Project Stream: Execution Project Stage: Mine Design and Reserves Type of Mine: Underground Region: Western Australia Commodity: Gold The Challenge MEC's Underground Mining team was engaged to complete mine design work and volume calculations for an underground gold operation in Western Australia. During the project, the team encountered difficulties extracting usable surfaces from client-supplied wireframe solids. Without these surfaces, critical design work and volume calculations could not proceed, creating the potential for delays and additional information requests to the client. The Approach [...]
