May/June 2013 - The ASIA Miner

Mine Design
Geobank geological data-handling software, integrating
coal database management with
three-dimensional geological modelling, gridding,
seam block modelling, resource categorization,
resource reporting, pit optimization, pit
design and plotting. The software is also suitable
for other stratified resources.
Post-mining Design from Carlson Software
With its center in Maysville, Kentucky, USA,
Carlson Software draws its mine design
credentials from its background in surveying,
and now offers a complete software
suite that covers data collection, surveying,
engineering design and drafting, mine planning
and modelling, construction estimation
and machine control. The company claims
to be the largest provider of design software
for mines in the U.S., with increasing applications
in other countries.
From its initial focus on U.S. coal mining,
Carlson Mining software is now used in designing
operations for minerals such limestone,
trona, clay, phosphate and other sedimentary
deposits, with routines for block modelling
gold, silver, copper, nickel, iron and other orebodies
having been added to its capabilities.
The company also offers a basic version of its
mining package, allowing access to computerized
design for operators who only need a
low-cost tool for simple mining practices.
Aside from mine operating design, Carlson
said its Natural Regrade software is unique as
a tool for reclaiming mine sites, regrading surface
mines back to natural land-forms. Natural
Regrade provides an affordable and natural
way to achieve sustainability, with its GeoFluv
fluvial geomorphic design method bringing
back natural landforms while establishing stability
against erosion and enhancing water
quality. The software enables users to build
with on-site materials, save costs on material
moving, reclaim steep slopes in a stable way,
handle water and sediment naturally, and produce
a self-maintaining, natural-looking result.
New features include the ability to visualize
vegetation growth in 3-D at various stages
throughout reclamation.
Mintec Adds New Plug-ins
Mintec took the opportunity afforded by MIN-
Expo to launch MineSight 7.5 which, it said,
provides better visualization and compatibility
between products. Version 7.5 includes improved
versions of MineSight 3-D, Schedule
Optimizer, Torque, Basis and Data Analyst.
The Tucson, Arizona, USA-based company
followed this in December with the 2013 update
to MineSight, version 7.6, which features
new plug-ins such as a surface
resloping tool for MineSight 3-D’s engineering
open-pit CAD. This allows engineers to
reduce a shape, such as a waste dump, to a
desired final slope while balancing cut and fill
requirements. MS3D also includes plug-ins
for auto cut generation, used to create cuts
starting from polygons, polylines or solids,
and Digline Generator, used to assign a mining
sequence for cuts on every individual
bench of each phase.
Maptek Vulcan 8.2 was released to customers in November 2012. Standout features include new rapid pit design tools and improved
grade estimation.
Mintec’s new activity and resource-based scheduler, MineSight Atlas, is one of several products scheduled for release in 2013.
Mintec reports it also has four new products
scheduled for release early this year. MineSight
Implicit Modeler is a mathematical tool for geologists
to take drillhole, polygon, point and
fault-plane data, and then interpret new geological
scenarios. MineSight Performance
Manager is used to assess and report on mining
performance in near real time, as well as
providing analytical tools that can answer why
something has happened. MineSight Atlas is a
complete package for manual scheduling and
stockpile blending, while the company describes
MineSight Stope as being not only a
design tool, but also a very quick first-pass
scheduling tool for underground engineers to
look at alternatives for stope locations.
Maptek Moves Off-shore
Australia’s Maptek released the latest version
of its Vulcan geological modelling and
mine planning software at the end of last
year. The company noted that a customer
request for generating strategic pit and
dump designs led to the development of a
new rapid pit design tool, which has been
released in Vulcan 8.2. Mine planning engineers
can quickly create mid-bench based
designs, it said, as well as generating
phases and reserve reports, and can evaluate
multiple designs in the same amount of
time previously needed for a single design.
“The new tool helps engineers to quickly create
and analyze different pit designs, allowing
them to look at many more alternatives before
producing a final design,” said Steve Uecker,
Maptek’s Vulcan client experience manager.
Maptek reports that AuruMar, the South
African-based joint venture established between
AngloGold Ashanti and De Beers to
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