SURFACE PRODUCTION SCHEDULING:

MATERIAL MOVEMENT
Version 7.00
January 11

Gemcom Software International Inc. Tel +1 604.684.6550

1066 West Hastings Street, Suite 1100 Fax +1 604.684.3541
Vancouver, BC Canada V6E 3X1 www.gemcomsupport.com
Copyright © 2010 Gemcom Software International. All rights reserved.
Gemcom Software International publishes this documentation for the sole use of MineSched licenses.
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Contributors
Aaron Loffler
Gemcom Software International
Perth, Western Australia

Products
MineSched 7.0
Surpac 6.1

Document release date

January 2011
 Table of Contents
Overview ...................................................................................................................................4
Data storage and familiarisation .............................................................................................6
Task: Setup data management hierarchy.............................................................................................. 6
Task: Set your working directory ........................................................................................................... 6
Data review ............................................................................................................................................... 6

MineSched scenario management ........................................................................................ 11

Opening a scenario ................................................................................................................................ 11
Task: Open a scenario ......................................................................................................................... 11

Material movement .................................................................................................................14

Stockpiles ............................................................................................................................................... 14
Task: Add stockpiles to the schedule .................................................................................................. 14
Analysing stockpile results ..................................................................................................................... 18
Task: Create the schedule and view the results .................................................................................. 18
Task (optional): Create a custom DTM for animation .......................................................................... 21
Task: Report the stockpiles ................................................................................................................. 22
Changing the material network ............................................................................................................... 24
Task: Change the material movement at a date ................................................................................. 24
Task: Change the material movement at a stockpile event ................................................................. 28
Moving material between stockpiles ....................................................................................................... 30
Task: Move the material between two stockpiles ................................................................................ 30
Stockpile balances .................................................................................................................................. 34
Task: Add existing stockpile balances ................................................................................................. 34
Processes ............................................................................................................................................... 39
Task: Add a process to the schedule .................................................................................................. 39
Task: Process a set number of ounces per period .............................................................................. 44

Where to next?........................................................................................................................49

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Overview
Surface production scheduling can be challenging because there are many options available for moving
resources around to various locations of the excavation at short notice. The schedule is usually designed
to achieve a constant production rate, target grade at a process point or points, or combinations of both.
This tutorial is designed to give beginners a working knowledge of surface production scheduling in
MineSched without complex scheduling scenarios. This tutorial also provides a brief exploration of the
concepts within MineSched used to initially set up a schedule.
This tutorial is an extension of the surface scheduling setup tutorial. It covers material movement,
stockpiles, and processes. Subsequent tutorials in this series will extend the schedule further to look at
targeting options, parameters to make the schedule practical, short-term polygon sequencing, and
different output result types.

Requirements
This tutorial assumes that you have a reasonably advanced knowledge of Surpac. If you are a new
Surpac user, you should go through the Introduction to Surpac, Block Modeling, and the Mine Design
tutorials before proceeding with this tutorial.
This tutorial is the second in a series of tutorials designed to teach the common functionality within
MineSched. You will use the results from this tutorial to complete the next tutorial.
To complete this tutorial, you need an understanding of surface scheduling techniques and you must
have completed the Surface Production Schedule: Initialisation tutorial.
You will also need:

• Surpac V6.1.4 or higher installed on your computer

• MineSched V7.0 installed into your version of Surpac
• the data set accompanying this tutorial
You can use the data you finished with from the previous tutorial or new data is supplied with this
tutorial.

Objectives
The objective of this tutorial is to give you a basic understanding of how to set up a surface production
schedule and report on it. This tutorial focuses on the material movement aspects of scheduling. It is not
intended to be exhaustive in scope but will show the workflows needed to achieve results. You can then
refine and add to these workflows to meet your specific scheduling requirements.

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Overview Data review

Workflow

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Data storage and familiarisation Data review

Data storage and familiarisation

There are four basic data requirements for completing the MineSched surface production setup:

• the pit designs and topography

These are normally as DTMs. However, you can also perform scheduling with Whittle shells.
• a block model containing grades and material class definitions
• any data files created to complete the previous tutorial in this series
• the scenario file from the previous tutorial
Many files are also created during the scheduling process, such as reports, parameter files, log files, and
animation files. Because so many files are created, it is important to manage your data so that you can
easily locate, access, and analyse it.
Some of the parameter options within MineSched allow you to store filenames using a relative path or an
absolute path. Using a relative path means that the schedule data will be transportable between various
data storage systems and that it can be operated from several different locations. This makes it very
important to store your data logically to facilitate this functionality as well as assisting other users to
understand and locate your data.

Task: Setup data management hierarchy

Unzip the tutorial data. The files required for scheduling are already contained in their designated
directory.

• The dtm folder contains the pit and topography dtms and string files.
• The mdl folder contains the block model.
• The polygons folder will contain various string files created for scheduling.
• The Scenario folder will contain files for managing the MineSched production scenarios.
If you have your own files, you can copy over the files or create the directory structure yourself as shown
below.

Task: Set your working directory

Change your working folder to the newly created Scenario folder. You may need to refresh the Surpac
Navigator to see the changes made in Windows Explorer.

Data review
You reviewed the data in the in the previous tutorial. However, it is included here again for reference.

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Data storage and familiarisation Data review

1. Open the files pit_design1.dtm and pit_stage_a1.dtm. Using DTM properties, change the colour
of the stage A pit.

The files show a final pit design and an initial stage A for this pit. The Stage A subpit is developed
first to quickly establish cash flow for the project then the remainder of the pit is mined.
2. Open the block model and display it.
3. Run a block model summary.

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Data storage and familiarisation Data review

The block model contains four attributes.

Attribute Description

grade The quality value of the commodity.

Material The MineSched material class.
sg The specific gravity or density of the block.
type The rock type, air, oxide, transition, or fresh.
4. Cancel the form when finished.
5. Graphically constrain the block model to show only the blocks where the grade > 1.

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Data storage and familiarisation Data review

6. To get an indication of grade distribution, colour the model by the grade attribute. Select a cutoff
range that corresponds to the mining grade ranges selected for profitability.

Grade Range Description

<1 Waste
1 to 3 Low Grade
>3 High Grade

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Data storage and familiarisation Data review

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MineSched scenario management Opening a scenario

MineSched scenario management

In MineSched, you can create and manage many scenarios related to the same data. Scenarios are
typically slight variations of the scheduling parameters for the same dataset. This may include a
comparison between using one type of equipment to another or re-assigning the sequence of mining.
You can access scenarios using the Surpac or MineSched interface. However, best practice is to have a
single directory that stores your scenario files. You can store multiple scenarios there. This methodology
allows you to keep file references the same between scenarios and only vary the parameters that are
applicable to method of scheduling.
When running MineSched, each scenario will create its own Results folder which will also be stored
under the scenario directory. The Results folder stores MineSched system files only. Because each
scenario stores a separate Results folder, there will be no overwriting of files relevant to each scenario.
Through this scheduling process, you will produce several scenarios as you build the schedule up to a
complete functional schedule.

Opening a scenario
For every schedule there must be at least one scenario file.

Task: Open a scenario

1. In Surpac, make sure your current working directory is set to Scenario.
2. Choose MineSched > Open and select the Current folder scenarios option.
3. Open the Surface_production_scenario_1.

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MineSched scenario management Opening a scenario

MineSched will open the Scenario History Window which shows all of the scenarios that have
recently been opened.
4. Select the Surface Production Scenario 1 scenario file, and apply the form.
MineSched will open the scenario with the last screen that was presented when the scenario was
previously saved. In this case, it will be the Dashboard view in the Create Schedule step.

5. Make a second copy as a new scenario in order to keep the previous scenario unedited in case
you need to return to it later. Choose Scenario > Save As.

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MineSched scenario management Opening a scenario

6. Save the scenario as Surface_Production_Material_Movement_1.minesched_prod.

The new scenario is ready for use. MineSched has made a copy of the results folder to maintain
the data structure for each individual scenario.

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Material movement Stockpiles

Material movement
You handle material movement in MineSched by using three location types: stockpiles, processes, and fill
locations. In this tutorial, you will look at stockpiles and processes. Another tutorial will allow you to
explore fill locations. Each location type has its own properties and rules that you must observe when
using them.
In this tutorial, you will add stockpiles for different material classifications, add a process plant, and look
at the properties of these locations and the different ways you can use them.

Stockpiles
A stockpile location is as a place that has no specific spatial block locations. However, the stockpile as a
whole can have coordinates that you use for animation purposes and reporting block mining destinations.
You can send material to a stockpile from a mining location or another stockpile. Material movement
through stockpiles is dynamic as material, and you can add and remove them over time.

Material movement properties of stockpile locations

You can send material to a stockpile from a mining location or another stockpile. You can send material
from a stock pile to another stockpile, a process location, or a fill location.
You can set quality targets and material ratio targets on stockpile locations that are immediately
downstream from mining locations. You can also set material ratio targets between stockpile locations
and other locations if they are immediately downstream from mining locations.
Use process locations if you want to set quality targets at further stages downstream from the mining
locations (i.e. multi-stage blending).
You create stockpiles by dragging them onto the Canvas in the locations section of the Setup Schedule
step. After you create a stockpile, you can then edit its properties. You cannot define material movement
rules until you have added the movement arrows to the Canvas.

Task: Add stockpiles to the schedule

1. Drag three stockpiles onto the Canvas. These stockpiles will represent the three material types you
want to track through the schedule.
2. Rename the stockpiles to WASTE_DUMP, LG_STK, and HG_STK. Change the colours so they
are appropriate for the material classes.

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Material movement Stockpiles

3. After you have added the stockpile locations to the Canvas, you can define the material movement.
Define the material movement by dragging an arrow from STAGE_1 to WASTE_DUMP. This will
automatically switch the properties panel to the material movement grid and add an entry.

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Material movement Stockpiles

4. The material movement rule is automatically entered into the grid. Change the material class in the
grid entry to WASTE.

5. Notice that the arrow annotation has been changed to reflect the material class(es) that apply to
that material movement arrow on the Canvas. Also, the colour has been changed to match that of
the defined colour in the material class data grid.
6. Alternatively, you can add a material movement rule to the grid that will update the Canvas. Add
the following rule to the grid and observe the changes in the Canvas:

Note that the material classes label does not fit on the length of the arrow, so MineSched will
shorten it. The material classes label will be revealed if the length of the arrow is changed when the
locations are moved.

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Material movement Stockpiles

Alternatively, consider using the wildcard builder and change the entry to LG_*.

7. Complete the material movement by adding the arrows and/or grid entries to send the correct
material classes to the correct stockpiles.

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Material movement Analysing stockpile results

8. Save the scenario. In the next section, you will create the schedule and view the results by creating
a dashboard chart, looking at standard reports, and graphically animating the stockpiles.

Analysing stockpile results

To see the results of the use of stockpiles, you must create a schedule and analyse the results (e.g.
graphical results and reports) to determine the properties of the stockpiles at given points in the schedule.
At this stage, material flows only to the stockpiles. There are no targets, rules, or processes that will affect
this material movement.

Task: Create the schedule and view the results

1. Go to the Create Schedule step, and create the schedule.
There should be no difference in the schedule from the previously created schedule in the last
tutorial. In terms of mining, nothing has changed. The only difference is that you have defined the
destination of the material. Previously, the material was not sent to any specific destination, and
only the material mined was reported.
2. Add a chart or charts to represent the grades and tonnages of the two ore stockpiles. An option for
a stockpile report is available.

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Material movement Analysing stockpile results

The chart represents the balance of each stockpile at the end of the period. As material is not
being drawn from the stockpiles, the balance of the stockpile will be ever increasing. The chart
shows both Low Grade and High Grade separately.
3. Go to the Publish Results step. Look at graphical results, and create a custom report to report the
movement of materials through the stockpiles.
4. Create the Outputs for the Graphical results.

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Material movement Analysing stockpile results

5. Go to the animations section, and click the Stockpile tab.

Using this panel, you can choose how you want to display the stockpiles during the animation. Two
important options are the shape to use and the coordinates of the stockpile in the animation.
Shape
MineSched has two built-in shapes called cone and flat cone. The flat cone is a standard cone with
the top cut off. Alternatively, you can use your own dtm if you have a shape in mind. You should
create the dtm and centre it over the coordinates 0, 0, 0. If using a custom dtm, the next field
becomes active allowing you to choose the dtm file. For scaling purposes, you should also enter
the static volume of the stockpile.
6. Complete the stockpile animation grid as shown below:

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Material movement Analysing stockpile results

7. Animate the schedule. In the What to Display panel, make sure you select the check box to
animate the stockpiles.

TIP: In the image above, the schedule is animated with the file pit_and_topo1.dtm. This is done by dragging
the dtm file into Graphics prior to scheduling. You can also create unique views, including splitting the
viewports to give multiple views by making sure you clear the check box to Rescale the animation prior
to scheduling.

In a later tutorial in this series, the waste dump will be changed to a defined fill location.

Task (optional): Create a custom DTM for animation

1. Create a custom DTM with a less regular shape. Make sure it is centred around the coordinates
0,0,0.
2. Type the filename and the volume into the animation, and re animate the schedule.

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Material movement Analysing stockpile results

Task: Report the stockpiles

In this part of the tutorial, you define a report that you can use to analyse the material at each stockpile.
You can use this report to see the effects of different parameters and options, of which you will find more
information about later in this tutorial.
To facilitate this, you will set up the report to provide results for locations that have not yet defined as well
as those already defined.
1. Go to the Custom Reports section of the Publish Results step.
2. Add a new report, and rename it to report_stockpiles.

For this report, you need to see the type of movement that will occur at each stockpile. You do not
need to provide an overall report of all the stockpiles at the same time since these values are
already reported in the mining report.
3. Define the report to give the material added, removed, and the remaining balance to each stockpile
(ignore the waste dump).
You will also report the grade added to the stockpiles. The dashboard view shows the grade of the
overall balance so you will look at the grade added during each period.
To report only the stockpiles, you need to select these in the Global Location Filter. To report for
each individual stockpile select the check box to report each location individually. Custom titles
have been used here but feel free to investigate different title types.

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Material movement Analysing stockpile results

4. After you have defined the report, create the report, and view it. There is no need to create a
template or format the data because the report will change as you add more locations later in the
schedule. The report below has been formatted to make it easier to read.

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Material movement Changing the material network

As there is nothing drawing material from the stockpiles, the columns indicating material removed
will be blank. You will use this report to view the outcome of changes you make in the schedule in
the next section.

Changing the material network

You can change the material network at any time during the schedule. The changes can occur at dates or
at given events. In this section, you will look at dates and at stockpile events. You can also change
material flow at pit events, for example when stage 1 is complete.

Task: Change the material movement at a date

In this example, you will change the material movement to redirect the low grade material class from the
LG_STK to LG_STH_STK from the 01/01/2010. There are a number of reasons why you may do this; for
example, after this date the northern stockpile becomes unavailable due to weather restrictions or other
environmental concerns.
To begin, you need to create the new southern stockpile LG_STH_STK.
1. Go to the Locations section of the Setup Schedule step, and drag a new stockpile into the
Canvas.
2. Change the name to LG_STH_STK and the colour of the stockpile to match the existing LG_STK.

TIP: The naming convention chosen makes it easier to group locations using wildcards. For example, if you
want to group the Low Grade stockpiles, you could use LG_*, or if you want to group all of the stockpile
locations, you could use *_STK. If the new stockpile was named SOUTH_STK_LG, this would not be
possible.

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Material movement Changing the material network

3. Define the material movement such that the low grade material is also sent to this new stockpile.

4. Add the date to the new entries to initiate the material movement to start at 01/01/2010. With a
blank value in the date/event field, MineSched considers these rules from the start of the schedule.

5. Create the schedule.

6. Go to the Custom Reports section of the Publish Results step. Edit the global location filter to
include the new stockpile.

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Material movement Changing the material network

7. Create and view the report.

Have the changes you made had the desired effect?

The answer is no. It is important to realise that the rules you added are simply new rules that come
into effect at that date. You have not changed the old rules. As of 01/01/2010, you are sending the
Low Grade material to both stockpiles at the same time.

TIP: In the example above when the same material is being sent to two different stockpiles at the same time, it
is sent at a defined ratio. In the report above, you can see that equal amounts are being sent to both
stockpiles each period. That is, a 1:1 ratio is being honoured. This is defined in the material movement
grid.

Changing this ratio will change the distribution of material to the two stockpiles.

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Material movement Changing the material network

8. To correct the schedule, you need to stop material from flowing to the original LG_STK at the same
date. You do this by setting the ratio to zero for that stockpile at that date. Return to the Locations
section and add the following material movement rules. You need to do this in the grid, as it cannot
be done graphically.

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Material movement Changing the material network

9. Create the schedule, create, and view the report.

Task: Change the material movement at a stockpile event

It is common practice in some mining operations to limit the physical size of a stockpile. The size of the
stockpile may be limited due to the size of the ROM pad or for safety reasons. You can change the
material movement when the capacity of a stockpile reaches a maximum.
You will use the same stockpiles created in the previous task. In this case, you will change the material to
be moved from the pits to the LG_STH_STK after the LG_STK has reached a maximum capacity of
1,000,000 cubic metres. Maximum and minimum capacities are always in cubic metres because tonnage
can vary due to variable specific gravities.
1. Set the maximum capacity of the stockpile. The maximum capacity is a parameter of a location and
is specified in the Parameters section of the Setup Schedule step.

TIP: When assigning parameters in this section, notice that the parameter field will only show you the
parameters that are relevant to the location type you select.

For example MAX_CAPACITY will not appear in the list of parameters when you choose a mining
location. If you cannot find the parameter you are looking for it is because it is not applicable to the
location(s) you selected. To see a list of all possible parameters, choose the Parameter drop-down list
when the Locations field is blank.
2. Change the material movement rules to make use of the MAX_CAPACITY specification. You can
use the Event Builder to assist with this. Once again, you are sending material to both stockpiles at
the same time. You need to stop sending material to the first stockpile at the same time by setting
the ratio to zero.

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Material movement Changing the material network

3. Create the schedule, and create the report and view it.

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Material movement Moving material between stockpiles

4. The average sg of the ore is approximately 2.8 (varies with oxide, transitional or fresh material) so
you can see that MineSched is changing the stockpiles over correctly. To truly validate this, try
changing the report to write the PROD_VOL instead of PROD_MASS, and create and view the
report again.

TIP: The MAX_CAPACITY event is currently a one-time-only event. That is, it is an event that is referenced to
be able to manually change the flow of material. It is desirable to design the schedule to minimise the
multiple handling or constant changing of materials flows. For more information on this, please contact
your local support consultant.

Moving material between stockpiles

In some cases it is desirable to move material from one stockpile to another stockpile or to a fill location.
In this section of the tutorial, you will look at how this is accomplished.

Task: Move the material between two stockpiles

In this example, you can assume that the low grade material is mined to a stockpile that is local to the
mine. However, it is then hauled several kilometers to another stockpile on the ROM pad near the mill.
This is the most common example of where material is moved from one stockpile to another.
1. Change the Canvas view to facilitate the new movement. The stockpile names can remain the
same.

2. Delete the previous material movement rules, and create a single new material movement rule that
links LG_STK to LG_STH_STK as shown above. You can explicitly define to which the material
class that this material movement rule applies. This is good practice; however, as there is only low
grade material on LG_STK, using * between the two stockpiles is still acceptable.

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Material movement Moving material between stockpiles

3. After you have defined the material movement, create the schedule, create the report, and view it.

As you can see no material is being added to the LG_STH_STK, and no material is being removed
from the LG_STK even though the material movement has been defined to do so. This is because
a resource is required to move material between these two locations.
4. Go to the Resources section of the Setup Schedule step, and add a new resource called
HAULAGE. This resource will have a capacity of 5000 tonnes per day.

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Material movement Moving material between stockpiles

5. Drag the resource onto the LG_STK stockpile location to assign the production rate to it. The
MAX_RATE will be 5000.

Note: You cannot drag the resource to any other stockpiles. A resource can only be assigned to a stockpile if a
valid material movement rule exists that would make the use of a resource on a stockpile applicable.
6. After you assign the resource, create the schedule, and create and view the report.

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Material movement Moving material between stockpiles

Material is now being moved as expected.

7. Create an animation for the schedule and include the new stockpile. You will need to give the new
stockpile coordinates for animating.

8. Create the graphical results and animate the schedule.

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Material movement Stockpile balances

Stockpile balances
When you implement a scheduling package on site, some packages may already exist. The stockpiles
from the other packages will have an existing quantity and quality for which you to account. You can enter
existing stockpile balances against individual stockpiles, or you can store them in a .csv file that you can
reference.

Task: Add existing stockpile balances

1. Remove the LG_STH_STK you created earlier and any other functionality that you added. Delete
the location from the Canvas. Delete the HAULAGE resource. Delete the MAX_CAPACITY
specification in the Parameters section.
2. Go to the Locations section of the Setup Schedule step. The stockpile balances of any given
stockpiles are stored as a property of the stockpile.
3. Select the HG_STK, and make sure the properties panel on the right is active.

4. When you initially created a stockpile, the default setting is for there to be no starting balances.
There are two options for adding starting balances to a stockpile. You can enter them into a data

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Material movement Stockpile balances

grid within the MineSched interface, or you can add them to a .csv file that you reference within the
interface. You will look at both methods.
5. Click the Data grid option.

6. The data grid is populated like any grid in MineSched. You must enter a value for each material
class that can be stored on the stockpile and for each quality. This is the HG_STK, so you can add
only HG material classes to this stockpile. Fill in the Data grid as shown below.

There is a Copy settings to all button that will copy the contents of this grid to both of the other
stockpiles, LG_STK and WASTE_DUMP. Since none of the materials listed above exist in the
other stockpiles, there is no reason to copy these values to the other stockpiles.

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Material movement Stockpile balances

7. Create the schedule. Then remove the LG_STH_STK from the global location filter.
8. Create and view the report. Below is a comparison of the previous report and the new report to see
that the starting balances have worked correctly. This was assembled using two reports and a
template.

The starting balances have worked correctly. There was 952,500 tonnes initially in the stockpile
and then 6,840 was added in the first period which gives a total of 959,340 tonnes which
corresponds to the value reported in MineSched.
9. Alternatively, you can handle start stockpile balances using a .csv file. Go to the Locations section
of the Setup Schedule step.
10. Change the HG_STK stockpile balances property from Data grid to External CSV file.

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Material movement Stockpile balances

11. The tutorial data set contains a .csv file. Browse into the scenario directory, and choose the
start_stockpile_balances.csv file.

12. The format of the file is similar to that laid out in the grid except that the first column must be the
location. A Header line is acceptable in this file as shown below.

13. As this file contains information for more than one location, in MineSched click the Copy settings
to all button, so the .csv file will be referenced by the other stockpiles. Even though the waste
dump stockpile will have these settings, there will be no effect because the WASTE_DUMP is not
listed in the .csv file. When you select this option, a warning appears.

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Material movement Stockpile balances

14. Create the schedule and create and view the report.

The use of stockpiles in MineSched can be very dynamic and flexible. Targets can also be set on
stockpiles, which is explored in the next tutorial in this series. Additional to material movement and the
use of stockpiles is the addition of processes to the material movement network.

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Material movement Processes

Processes
MineSched uses the following definition to differentiate between stockpiles and processes: You must
push material to a stockpile, while a process pulls material from mining locations, stockpiles or other
processes. Process rates define the quantities.
In this part of the schedule, you will add a process and look at some different options and properties of
processes.

TIP: The difference in definition of processes and stockpiles sometime makes it more useful to model a process as a
stockpile or model a stockpile as a process. This can sometimes be a difficult concept to grasp. Contact your
local support office if this functionality is applicable to your schedule.

Task: Add a process to the schedule

1. Drag a process into the Canvas and position it. Change the name of the process to MILL.

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Material movement Processes

2. Define the material movement from the LG_STK and the HG_STK to the MILL. Defining the
material classes is optional as the two stockpiles only contain ore material classes.

TIP: You can only change the material movement for processes at a date if the date is at the beginning of a
period. It makes no sense to change the material movement mid-way through a reporting period since
there is no way to reconcile the numbers effectively as the number is a summary for the whole period.

If you need to change the material movement for a process at a date that is part way through a period, it
is recommended that you change the period definition such that the date of the change is also the date of
the start of a new period. This means that you can use the report to reconcile the amounts correctly.
3. Define the MILL throughput in the properties of the MILL location. Go to the properties panel and
add a mill process rate.

There is now enough information defined to create the schedule,

4. Add a new chart to the dashboard. In the Dashboard view, click Add Chart, and select Added to
Process.

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Material movement Processes

5. Right-click in the chart area to customise it.

6. Create the schedule and view the results.

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Material movement Processes

7. Create the graphical results, and animate the schedule.

8. As material is drawn from the stockpiles, the animation shows these growing and shrinking as
material moves through the stockpiles.
9. Go to the Custom Reports section, add the MILL to the global location filter for the stockpiles
report, and create and view the report.

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10. The reporting fields for this report will not change. Create a suitable template like that shown
above.

TIP: When you define the process rate for a process location, material is drawn from the source locations at that rate.
In this example, the rate is split evenly between the two source stockpiles. If a single stockpile does not have
enough material, then the shortfall is made up from the other stockpile if enough material is available. When you
define targets on the process location, material is drawn in the quantities required to best meet the quality
targets. The next tutorial in this series explores this in more detail.

The rate is given as a 24-hour per day rate that works every day of the year. Processes do not honour Global
Holiday Calendars because it is usually costly to shut a mill down for a period of time. When you create a
calendar and make it a global calendar, MineSched does not assign the calendar to the MILL.

However, sometimes it is desirable to create a calendar that does influence the process. From time to time a

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process may be shut down for servicing. In these cases, you can drag a specific calendar onto the MILL to
assign it.

Task: Process a set number of ounces per period

Some mining operations define their milling rate as a quantity of product per period. For example, ounces
of gold, tons of copper, tons of concentrate or any number of quality aggregates. In this task, consider the
following requirement:
The operation requires a production of 300,000 ounces per year.
The MILL has a recovery factor of 90% that you have already accounted for in the User Calculations
panel of the Models section in the Define Geology step.

1. Add a new calculation to provide the number of recovered ounces. On troy ounce = 31.1034768
grams.

The MILL rate can only be in the units of either VOLUME, MASS, or any Aggregated Quality. In
this case, the only Aggregated Quality is GRADE_AGG, so you cannot use the
RECOVERED_OUNCES user calculation you have just created. The RECOVERED_OUNCES
calculation will be used for charting and reporting.
The requirement is for 300,000 recovered ounces per year but this must be expressed as a daily
rate of grams that is unaffected by the recovery.
Daily Mill Rate of GRADE_AGG = 300,000 * 31.1034768 / 0.9 / 365 = 28,405

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2. Add this rate to the MILL, and change the Units to GRADE_AGG

3. Create the schedule. Change the Dashboard chart for the process to display the recovered
ounces.

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4. In the Custom report, change the report to display the recovered ounces and grades.

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The report is correct for the MILL and shows that exactly 300,000 ounces are being produced each
year. What is wrong with this report?
In reality, the report should show the tonnages for the stockpiles and the ounces for the MILL.
5. Change the report to show the appropriate units. This can only be done with two groups in the
report definition.

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6. Depending on how you formatted your template, you may need to make adjustments.
7. Save the schedule.

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Where to next? Processes

Where to next?
In this tutorial, you explored the following:

• adding material movement rules to MineSched

• the functionality of stockpiles
♦ material ratios in stockpiles
♦ moving material between stockpiles
♦ dates and material movement
♦ stockpile events
♦ animating stockpiles
• The functionality of processes
♦ adding processes
♦ processing with different process units
♦ the effects of calendars on processes
In the next tutorial, you will add targets to this schedule and explore the properties of both quality targets
and material ratio targets and their effect on mining.
The data for the next tutorial in this series is provided. However, you can use the data from this tutorial by
copying it over the data supplied with the next tutorial.

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