MINE COSTING
Evaluating rules of thumb using conveyor costs
CostMine analysts investigate 4 ‘rules’
By Sam Blakely and Scott Stebbins
R
ules of thumb are often used in the mining industry as methods of providing approximate answers for different portions of mining activities. But do these “rules” work? Are they outdated? To answer these questions, we decided to focus on conveyor costs and the associated rules of thumb widely used in underground mining. We intend to show how Sherpa for Underground Mines, a software tool available from CostMine, can be used to bolster confidence in items like de la Vergne’s rules of thumb (or to make determinations in more project-specific
28 | CANADIAN
MINING JOURNAL
mine production exceeds 5,000 tons. (Source: Al Fernie)
problems) in a way not possible without Sherpa’s speed and engineering capabilities. We chose de la Vergne’s compilation of conveyor cost rules of thumb to assess using Sherpa for Underground Mines. The majority of these rules are echoed below: 1 An underground mine is more economically served by a belt conveyor than railcars or trucks when the daily
2 As a rule, a belt conveyor operation is more economical than truck haulage if the conveying distance exceeds 1 km (3,280 ft.). (Source: Heinz Altoff) 3 The ton-mile cost of transport by belt conveyor may be as low as one-tenth the cost by haul truck. (Source: Robert Schmidt)
4 The installed capital cost of a long belt conveyor system to be put underground is approximately equal to the cost of driving the heading in which it is to be placed. (Source: Jack de la Vergne) www.canadianminingjournal.com
