SHAHJALAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

University Ave, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM AND MINING ENGINEERING

PRODUCTION PLANNING, TRANSPORTATION

AND WASTE DUMPING

Surface Mining
PME 324
Course Teacher

Md. Numan Hossain

Lecturer,
Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering,
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh

Presented By GROUP 06

Noushad Ahmed Khan (Mahi) Imamul Hossain Piyash

Reg. No.: 2020336020 Reg. No.: 2020336030
Syed Ali Mortuza (Naeem) Mehedi Hasan Mottakin
Reg. No.: 2020336024 Reg. No.: 2020336041
MD. Kibria
Reg. No.: 2020336044
 Surface mining production refers to the extraction and
processing of mineral resources from the earth’s surface.
This method involves removing layers of soil, rock and
other materials to access valuable minerals or energy
resources. The production process encompasses various
stages, including exploration, planning, extraction,
transportation, and processing.
PRODUCTIO
N Surface Mining Production

Exploration Processing Transportation

Extraction Planning
 Pit Planning & Design

 Major engineering task in surface mine development

 Factors for pit planning and design:
Natural and geologic factors
Geologic conditions
Ore types
Hydrologic conditions
Topography
Metallurgical conditions
Economic factors
Ore and tonnage
Stripping ratio
Cutoff grade
Operating cost and investment cost
Production rate
Market conditions
 Pit Planning & Design

Technological factors
Equipment
Pit slope
Bench height
Haul road grade
Property lines and pit limits*

*Determination of ultimate or final pit limits is the most important issue in surface mine development
 Pit Planning & Design

 Objectives of pit planning

Defer stripping requirements as long as possible
Follow a logical and achievable startup schedule that minimizes the risk of delays
in positive cash flows
Maximize pit slope design, while minimizing slope failures
Examine economic merits of production rates and cutoff grades alternatives
Mine the ore body at minimum production cost per unit of metal
Maintain operational viability (bench width and haulage access)
Maintain sufficient ore exposure to counter uncertainty of reserve estimation
 General Considerations

 Land reclamation plans as part of EIS

Land Distributed by mining be reclaimed to its pre – mining condition or better
Posting a sizeable bond to cover the reclamation cost
Careful planning, surveying, and mapping required during mine development
Preserving surface drainage may require stream relocation or diversion
Maintaining wildlife

 Provision of topsoil stockpiles and waste dumps

Convenient access
Topsoil stockpiles for reclamation
Separate location for each category (topsoil, potential ore, tailings)
Interface with production operations is avoided
 General Considerations

 Advance stripping for access to the deposit

Geometry of mineral deposit and overburden
Production rate of the mine
Pre – production expenses effect the cash flow
30 – days supply of ore must be available ahead of shovel
Climate – (summer – stripping, winter – mining ore)
In – house or contracted out stripping
 Equipment Selection

 Factors effecting equipment selection

Geologic Structures (folds, faults, etc.)
Production rate and mine life
Possible future uses of specialized equipment
Pit geometry effects size and type of equipment
Metal and non – metal mines
Coal Mines
Dimension stone quarries
Removal of material at least possible cost
Size of ore body
Distribution of values or core grades inside the ore body
Consolidation and compaction of overburden
 Transportation in surface mining refers to the movement of
extracted materials, equipment and personnel within the
mining site, between the mining site, and other locations.
Efficient transportation is crucial in surface mining
TRANSPORTATI operations to ensure smooth workflow, minimize
downtime, and optimize productivity while maintaining
ON safety and environmental standards. Various transportation
methods and technologies are utilized depending on the
scale of the operation, terrain, distance and other factors.
 Activities included in Transportation processes in surface mining

 Haulage* of Ore and Waste: Transporting the extracted ore and waste materials from the mining
area to the processing plant or waste disposal sites. This can be done using trucks, conveyor belts, or
other hauling equipment.
 Personnel Transport: Moving workers, technicians, and supervisors to and from different areas of
the mine sites, as well as between the mine site and support facilities such as offices,
accommodation, and dining areas.
 Equipment Transport: Moving heavy machinery and equipment within the mine site for various
mining operations, maintenance, and repairs.
 Material Handling: Transferring materials between different stages of the mining process, such as
from the extraction point to the processing plant or from the processing plant to storage facilities.
 Supply Chain Logistics: Managing the transportation of supplies, spare parts, fuel, and other
resources needed for mining operations from the external suppliers to the mine site and vice versa.

*haulage: movement of extracted ore, waste rock, or other materials

 Transportation Equipment used in Surface
Mining

Fig.: Haul Fig.: Wheel

Trucks Loaders
 Transportation Equipment used in Surface
Mining

Fig.: Fig.: Conveyor

Excavators Systems
 Transportation Equipment used in Surface
Mining

Fig.: Fig.:
Draglines Shovels
 Transportation Equipment used in Surface
Mining

Fig.: Rail Fig.: Water

Systems Trucks
 Hindrances encountered during Transportation in surface mining operations

 Terrain Challenges: Surface mining sites often have rugged terrain, steep slopes, or
uneven ground, which can make transportation difficult and require specialized
equipment or infrastructure to navigate safely.

 Weather Conditions: Adverse weather conditions such as heavy rain, snow, or high
winds can affect transportation routes and increase the risk of accidents or delays.

 Equipment Breakdowns: Mechanical failures or breakdowns of hauling equipment

such as trucks, loaders, or conveyor belts can disrupt transportation and lead to
downtime in mining operations.

 Traffic Congestion: Congestion on haulage routes, especially in large mining

operations with multiple vehicles moving simultaneously, can slow down transportation
and effect productivity.
 Hindrances encountered during Transportation in surface mining operations

 Material Handling Issues: Challenges related to loading and unloading materials, such as
spillage, blockages, or equipment malfunctions, can impede the flow of materials and cause
delays.

 Environmental Restrictions: Compliance with environmental regulations, such as

restrictions on noise level, dust emissions, or protected habitats, may limit transportation
activities and require additional measures to mitigate environmental impacts.

 Safety Concerns: Safety hazards such as vehicle collisions, rollovers, or pedestrian accidents
can occur during transportation, requiring strict adherence to safety protocols and training for
personnel.

 Supply Chain Disruptions: Disruptions in the supply chain, such as shortages of fuel, spare
parts, or other essential resources, can affect transportation logistics and hinder mining
operations.
 Waste Dumping in surface mining refers to the disposal of
waste materials generated during the mining process.
When the desired minerals or ores are extracted from the
earth’s surface, there is often a significant amount of
overburden (the material lying above the ore deposit) and
waste rock that needs to be removed to access the
WASTE valuable minerals. These waste material is typically
transported to designated dumping areas, such as waste
DUMPING rock dumps or tailings storage facilities, for safe and
environmentally responsible disposal.

Waste Dump may be classified as internal and external

dump. External dump is created outside the pit whereas
internal dump is created inside back of the mining area.
 The overburden of waste and uneconomic mineralized rock is required to be removed to
mine the useful mineral resource in a surface mining operation.

 In this process, a dump is formed by casting the waste materials and dumping it in
nearby area. The dump so formed is known as mine waste dump.

 These waste rock dumps are heterogeneous in terms of grain size and structure.

 Natural gravity sorting of rock poured from a haulage truck onto a waste dump face
may result in a vertical size of distribution.

 Finer materials tend to remain near the top and coarse materials roll down the face
toward the toe of the dump.
 Fig.: Waste
dumps

Dumping methods of materials

End Free Mixing with

Dumping Dumping Tailings

Push Dragline
Dumping Spoiling
 End Dumping: Dumping rock over dump face resulting in some particle size segregation
down slope towards the toe of the rock pile, with particle size generally increasing.

 Push Dumping: Dumping from trucks, followed by levelling and pushing by tractors and
shovels resulting in particle size segregation: finer at the top and coarser at the toe of the
dump slope.

 Free Dumping or Plug Dumping: Dumping in small piles on the surface of the rock pile,
grading the material, and compacting in layers or lifts in dense layers with no real particle
size segregation.

 Dragline Spoiling: Deposited on the surface without construction of lifts and minimal
compaction resulting in dense layers with no real particle size segregation because of
relatively low overall height of the spoil piles, typically used in coal mining.

 Mixing of waste rock with tailings.

 Method of construction in lift section

• Construction in lifts depends on the geotechnical properties of dump material, cost

of haulage, ease of final grading, etc.
• Surface slope of top of the dump depends on run – off water, drainage and safety.
• The control of run – off water and drainage recharge is also very important in design of
mine waste dump.
• As the dump is composed of blasted rock materials, proper dust control and dust
suppression methods should be used.

Fig.: Construction of mine waste dump in

lifts
 General type of Fills

o Valley Fills: Fills the valley partially or completely.

o Sidehill Fills: Sidehill fills are constructed on sloping terrain and do not block any
major drainage course.
o Cross – valley Fills: It is a different type of valley fill.
o Heaped Fills: This type of fills are stacked or piled fills, consisting of mounds of waste
with slopes formed on all sides.
 Types of slope failures in mine
dump
 Factors affecting dump stability

 Height of the dump: Dump height typically ranges from 20 m to more than 400 m.

 Volume:
Small dumps are considered to contain less than 1 million .
Large dumps have more than 50 million .
Medium sized dumps have volumes in the range of 1 to 50 million .

 Slope Angle: The normal range of dump slopes is between 26˚ to 37˚.

 Foundation Slope and Degree of Confinement: The foundation slope and degree of
confinement afforded by shape of the foundation also affects dump stability.
Thank
you