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Product
Gemcom Whittle 4.3
Table of Contents
Introduction - Gold tutorial
Prerequisites
Importing
4
4
5
11
15
Optimisation
19
Mining Tab
19
19
20
20
Processing Tab
22
Selling tab
23
Optimisation tab
24
Output tab
24
Operational Scenario
28
Sensitivity analysis
30
33
Create pushbacks
Congratulations
35
40
In this tutorial, we will work with a validated block model from a general mine planning package such
as Surpac, GEMS or other. This block model has been created in the format .mod and also has a
corresponding .par file.
Prerequisites
You can find these data files in <your projects folder>\tutorials\gold
l
l
l
Page 4 of 40
Importing
Importing
1. Open Whittle from the desktop icon or Start > All Programs > Gemcom Software > Whittle [ver]
2. From the project selection dialog, choose Create a new project.
This will start the Project Wizard which will guide you through the import process.
5. Now select Whittle block model, and specify the location of the .mod and .par files.
The .mod and .par files can be anywhere on your network.
Page 5 of 40
Importing
6. On Model File to import click browse, and select your .mod file.
By default, these files will be installed in the \projects directory of your Whittle
installation. The Project Wizard will assume the corresponding .par file is in the same
directory and has the same name as the .mod file.
7. If required, on Parameters File to import click browse button and select your .par file.
8. Click Next.
9. Continue clicking Next without entering any values until you come to the Processes page
(not the Process Description page).
10. Click the Add button, to add a process.
11. Edit the row renaming it to MILL.
Note: Renaming the row to MILL is important for a later stage of this tutorial.
Page 6 of 40
Importing
No more information will be added until we have validated the model. You could finish
here and create the project but in this tutorial we will continue clicking through the pages
of the Project Wizard to identify the features of the wizard and their functions.
12. Click Next to display more pages of the wizard until the Next button becomes unavailable.
Page 7 of 40
Importing
The next few pages of the Project Wizard show summary information for the grade
element and allow editing of element names. You do not have to enter any information in
these pages.
13. Click Finish.
The Define Element Type Codes page is displayed.
Page 8 of 40
Importing
Page 9 of 40
Importing
Page 10 of 40
3. Click on the Dimensions tab to visually check the block size and model origin.
4. Click the Report tab of the Block Model node to check the totals against the validation
report from the GMP.
A sample validation report from Surpac is provided in the same folder as the
training.mod file. Its file name is training_rpt.txt.
Page 11 of 40
d. In the 3D Visualiser, select the Show Topography box and the Show XZ Plane
box.
e. Rotate the view by clicking and dragging the mouse.
f. Zoom the view by holding down the wheel button of the mouse and moving
the mouse forward or backward.
g. Click Invert (in the lower left of the window) to give the 3D Viewer a white background.
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Page 12 of 40
Note: We have used an inverted view for many screen captures in this
document so that you will save ink if you print.
Your view should look like the following. We will explore the 3D viewer later.
For now, it is enough to visually check the model.
Page 13 of 40
Page 14 of 40
In the Profiles tab, we will create two new slope profiles in addition to the default slope
profile.
4. Us the Add Profile button to create two new profiles specifying the slope angles as:
l Profile 1 - Slope 45 degrees.
l Profile 2 - Slope 60 degrees.
Page 15 of 40
Now we want to split the model into two slope regions and assign each of our two
profiles to a different region.
5. Use the Add button in the Slope Regions section, to add a second slope region.
6. Split the regions up using the Z value of the model. Change the values so the following
regions are defined, then use the drop down box in the Slope Profile column to assign
the slope profile.
Region
Min X
Max X
Min Y
Max Y
Min Z
Max Z
Slope Profile
90
40
16
35
Profile 1 (45.0)
90
40
15
Profile 2 (60.0)
9. Click the Report tab of the Slopes node to briefly check the slope errors.
Tip: Slopes are created between blocks in the block model and therefore cannot
exactly define the entered slope angle. However, normally the difference is small.
Page 16 of 40
We have defined two different regions for applying our slopes, so we should see the two
profiles listed for those regions in the Messages tab.
Page 17 of 40
Page 18 of 40
Optimisation
Optimisation
Mining Tab
l
Before entering the cost information, we need to build up the mining cost model. In this tutorial, we
have the following information:
l
l
There are a number of ways to represent this data. In this tutorial, we are going to use the range
function to enter an equation that will describe the mining cost adjustment factor.
Represent mining cost varying with depth using the range function.
This function is a standard function of the form R(IZ,MCAF,level,MCAF,level) which describes the
mining cost adjustment factor (MCAF) between two levels.
Two methods we will explore in this tutorial are described below.
RL toe
IZ
Mining Cost
MCAF
300
290
35
1.5
290
280
34
1.5
280
270
33
1.5
270
260
32
1.5
260
250
31
1.5
250
240
30
1.5
240
230
29
1.5
230
220
28
1.55
1.03
220
210
27
1.6
1.07
210
200
26
1.65
1.10
200
190
25
1.7
1.13
190
180
24
1.75
1.17
180
170
23
1.8
1.20
170
160
22
1.85
1.23
160
150
21
1.9
1.27
150
140
20
1.95
1.30
Page 19 of 40
Optimisation
For more examples using the Range function, see the Expression Button help topic in the Whittle
help.
In other words, the line should read MCAF = -0.0333 *IZ + 1.9667 and your graph should look like the
one below:
We can then use the range function and nest the line of best fit within the range function.
What we want to represent can be described as the following:
Up to the 230RL (level 29) use the equation MCAF = -0.0333 *IZ + 1.9667, for level 29 and thereafter
use a value of 1 (up to the top of the model).
As an equation, we can express this as:R(IZ,-0.0333*IZ+1.9667,29,1)
The expression builder can be used to build expressions using a range of standard
functions, variable, and special functions.
Page 20 of 40
Optimisation
3. Type or copy the preferred expression, for example R(IZ,0.0333*IZ+1.97,29,1), into the expression builder dialog, then click the Check
Expression button.
4. If there are no errors, click OK in the expression builder to complete the Mining tab.
Your formula should now be shown in the Block mining cost adjustment factors section
of the Mining tab.
Or
Page 21 of 40
Optimisation
5. If the Rock-type mining CAFs are not set to 1 then set them each to 1.
7. Click Yes.
This dialog box confirms that you would like to copy the mining information down the
project tree to the economic analysis node. Because we want to analyse our pitshells
using the same criteria as was used to create them, we will always answer yes to this
question in this tutorial.
Processing Tab
1. Click on the Processing tab and enter the information as shown below.
The Processing Paths have used the rock types in the model file and have been assigned
to the process MILL that we specified in the import wizard.
Page 22 of 40
Optimisation
Tip: You can use the Up and Down buttons to the right of the screen to order the
processing paths in a logical order.
2. If you see a blank table, manually create processing paths, assigning each rocktype to the
available process MILL by clicking the Add button on the right hand side and entering
the information in that dialog box.
Selling tab
1. On the Selling tab, enter the Price to be obtained for the gold, in this case $800/oz or
$25.72/gram.
You can enter either value, just make sure that:
1. The units are correct for the entered price and
2. You have set the element units as grams on the Formats tab of the Block
Model node.
This selling price does not include royalties. If royalties are payable, reduce the selling
price or add a selling cost.
Note: Selling prices are scaled by the revenue factor. Selling costs are not.
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Page 23 of 40
Optimisation
Optimisation tab
1. Click Default on the Optimization tab.
We will produce approximately 50 nested pitshells at varying prices depending on the
revenue factors specified here. The revenue factors scale the entered selling price to
produce different pits that are optimal for different prices.
2. Click Accept.
3. Run the optimisation using the Run To command from the toolbar icons.
Output tab
Before analysing the results, we need to check the MCAFs were applied correctly.
Page 24 of 40
Optimisation
Then we will examine the output pitshells visually. Click on the New Pit Shells node and start the 3D
Viewer.
Page 25 of 40
Optimisation
As you hover over the blocks in the visualiser, the information will be shown in the
information window.
6. Check the MCAFs have been applied correctly.
7. Examine the pitshells visually by using the check box Show Pit and scrolling up and down
using the spinner directly to the right of the pit number or using the up and down arrows
on your keyboard.
You might also like to view the gold grades in an XY plane whilst viewing the pitshells.
8. Change the options as shown and use the left mouse button to orbit the view.
Tip: Left click to orbit, right click to pan, hold mouse wheel button down and move the
mouse forward or backward to zoom.
Note: The edge of the pit is right to the edge of the model. In this tutorial, we will
accept this. In reality, you would either extend the model in the GMP or use the
reblocking functionality in Whittle to do the extension. For more information, see the
Whittle help on Advanced Reblocking or contact your local Gemcom office for training
options.
9. Click the red X in the top right to close the viewer.
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Page 26 of 40
Optimisation
10. In the Pitshells node select the Output tab and view the range of pits created.
We now need to determine the final pit and create some pushbacks for the deposit. Before going to
that stage, we will quickly examine the sensitivities of the deposit.
Page 27 of 40
Operational Scenario
Operational Scenario
The next step is to enter financial information into the New Operational Scenario node.
1. Select the New Operational Scenario node.
Notice that the Mining, Processing and Selling tabs are identical to those on the Pit
Shells node.
2. On the Time Costs tab, enter the following:
l Capital cost for project $50 million.
l Discount rate 8%.
3. On the Limits tab, enter the mining limit as 10,000,000 (tpa), the milling limit as 1,000,000
(tpa) and change the element limit units to the project units of grams.
We must do this even though we are not using this limit in this scenario. We also need to
set the throughput factors to 1 (the zeros are caused from the .par file which has been
exported from a GMP package).
Page 28 of 40
Operational Scenario
Page 29 of 40
Sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis
Note: You need to have the Advanced Analysis module to complete sensitivity analysis. If you do
not have this module, you cannot perform automatic sensitivity analysis.
We will examine the sensitivities of the deposit, using the revenue factor 1 pitshell Pit # 41, to give a
broad understanding of sensitivities. Later, we can examine sensitivities of specific schedules once we
have created them.
1. Add a Spider Graph node under the Operational Scenario using the right click Add
menu.
2. In the Values to vary section of the Definition tab, click the Add button and browse the
data selector for the following information:
3. Examine the Mining, Processing, and Output Groupings from the top left hand panel of
the Data Selector then choose the secondary grouping from the right.
For example, to select the mining capacity, you would select:
4. In the Values to display in output section, click Add/Edit and, in the Output section,
browse to the Discounted open pit value for Specified Case.
5. Click OK twice.
Page 30 of 40
Sensitivity analysis
6. Click Accept.
7. Run the Spider Graph node and examine the graph:
Page 31 of 40
Sensitivity analysis
You can see that for this project, the RF 1 pit is most sensitive to the following:
1. Price of gold.
2. Mining recovery.
3. Metallurgical recovery for FRESH material.
Page 32 of 40
You can see the upper and lower NPV expectations, and the different pitshells that they
occur at. From this graph, we will choose a number of likely pushbacks. This will enable us
to plot a specified schedule and base a final pit decision on some more realistic
pushbacks.
To get a more accurate NPV, we will choose a set of pushbacks to work with. The first will
come from the first section of the graph (pits 1-5) then a pushback from the next section
(6 29) then a pushback from the next tonnage jump (30-35).
Page 33 of 40
For this tutorial, we will use the middle of each section, 3, 18, 32, then use these
pushbacks to determine a likely final pit.
4. Copy the Pit by Pit Graph node by right clicking and selecting Copy Node, then paste.
You could also use CTRL-C, CTRL-V (making sure the navigation tree is highlighted in blue)
or the toolbar icons.
5. On the Schedule tab, enter the manual pushback definitions as below and use a fixed
lead of 7 as an approximation to the final mining schedule.
6. Click the Add button on the right hand side of the Specified Case Pushback Definitions
and enter the three pushbacks, separated by commas or spaces.
7. Click Accept to accept the changes and run the Pit by Pit Graph.
8. Examine the pit by pit graph, paying attention to the green line the specified case
which is the schedule we have defined, pushbacks 3, 18, 32 with a fixed lead of 7 benches
between pushbacks.
From this graph, we can see that pitshells 35 41 will all deliver a similar NPV with our
three pushbacks.
9. Again, we will select the middle shell, pit shell 38, as our final pit.
Page 34 of 40
Create pushbacks
Note: You need to have the NPV Practical Pushbacks module to perform this step. If you do not
have this module, please continue using pitshells 3,18,32 and 38.
We now want to ensure that we have a practical, but high value set of pushbacks selected for our
given final pit, pit #38. To do this, we will use the NPV Practical Pushbacks module to generate pit
shells that satisfy mining width constraints but also target maximum NPV for the given pitshell.
1. Rename the New Schedule Graph node to NPV Practical Pushbacks.
2. Enter the following information on the Schedule and Mining Width tabs of the NPV Practical Pushbacks node:
Final pit 38, Scheduling Algorithm Fixed Lead 7, Pushback Definition Auto, Number
Pushbacks = 4 (3 pushbacks + final pit).
Mining Width = 40m, Override default template to allow 4 x 2 block template with a
tolerance of 1.
Page 35 of 40
3. Now, run the NVP Practical Pushbacks node using the Run To icon and examine the
results.
Note: It might take several minutes for the system to finish processing the pushbacks.
The Output tab will show the schedule output information for each period. The Graph
tab will show the same information graphically as follows:
Page 36 of 40
Finally, the Summary tab will display the key indicators for the schedule including
expected NPV, and Internal Rate of Return.
Page 37 of 40
Now, we can use the 3D viewer to examine the shape of our pushbacks.
4. Click on the NPV Practical Pushbacks node and then click the 3D Viewer icon.
5. Click the Revised pit shells button to visualise the pit shells.
Page 38 of 40
Pushbacks 2 and 3 are very small and might be combined at design time, leaving three practical
pushbacks.
Page 39 of 40
Congratulations
Congratulations
You have now completed the introductory tutorial. This information is not designed to replace an
introductory training course given by a qualified Gemcom consultant, but it is provided to
demonstrate some of the basic features of the software. There are many more advanced analysis,
scheduling and specialised modules available to develop a robust mine plan for your operation, as
well as specialised techniques that will enable you to work efficiently and effectively.
For more information, contact your local Gemcom office to discuss product modules or training
options.
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