Comparison of mechanical excavation and drilling : A discrete event simulation approach

The scope of this study covers the comparison of mine development using conventional drill and blast method, which is the continuation of a long tradition in mining, and mechanical excavation, which is performed by a continuous mining development machine. The aim of the study was to analyze both excavation methods and compare them with each other using discrete event simulation. This allowed creation of initial scenarios, which then can be further analyzed and extended to a more robust version. Before the construction of the model regarding development of the mine and simulation runs a literature review was conducted. The software AutoMod was chosen for creation of the model, which is trying to depict the most important factors that influence the real system operation specified in the study. Moreover, additional add-ons such as AutoView allowed furthering analysis of the results obtained from the base case scenario. In this study, the advancement rate was the primary focus. The modular mining machine parameters are conceptual as the machine is still yet to be subjected for further development and in-situ testing. The drill and blast data was taken from one of Boliden’s mines as to represent the real system case scenario. Major findings were that, when only taking into consideration the advancement rates, the Modular Mining Machine was much faster than drill and blast method for 3 km long tunnel. Moreover, the advancement rate for two 2.5 km long tunnels was almost the same when excluding the time of moving the machines between both tunnels.Validerat; 20130614 (global_studentproject_submitter