RM Scheduler has been specially designed to optimize the extraction of industrial minerals deposits such as limestone, gypsum, talc, aggregates and clay.

The capabilities and terminology used in RM Scheduler have been tailored to meet the needs of non-metalliferous applications. You can choose to maximize your raw material resources available for blended products, or, choose to maximize the profit from mining those materials. RM Scheduler not only tells you the optimal limits of the quarry but will also tell you the optimal sequence by which the quarry should be mined to either deliver a consistently blended product or to deliver the highest net present value on your investment. An optional stockpile management system is also available to optimize the re-handling of off-spec materials and minimize the use of expensive imports or additives. If you need to improve quality and cost control, and extend the life of your quarry, then RM Scheduler has the answer.

The user is guided through the operation of each module with a flow sheet style menu which gives a clear indication of the processing path and the options available at each step. These options include new 2D and 3D charting tools, contouring and visualization tools allowing the user to quickly validate and present the results of an optimization. RM Scheduler is also supplied with the Data Source Drivers for easy import and export of block models from Datamine, Vulcan, Medsystem, Surpac, Micromine and generic text and SQL database files.

Features:

Mining Limits

• Maximize blendable material resources, or
• Maximize cashflow.

Mining Sequence

• Satisfy quality targets for blended product over life of quarry, or
• Maximize net present value.
• Locate the optimal blended pit at any point in time.

Stockpile Management

• An integral part of RM Scheduler.
• Stockpiles can contain external materials not related to the mine/quarry production. (e.g. for applications such as cement).

Costs

• Vary costs by rock type, depth and end product.
• Minimize costs of re-handling and additives.

Many Different Views of Data

• View surfaces as 3D images, contours or model sections.
• View models in plan or section.
• View results in reports, spreadsheets and charts.

On-screen Digitizing

• Straightforward slope region definition.
• Accurate positioning of pit limits.
• Interactive pushback limit definition.

Quality Plotted Output

• High quality bench and section plots.
• Import data from many external sources e.g. CAD.
• Easy to use with many smart features.
• Detailed Pushback Control- Apply a minimum footprint.
• Avoid impractical narrow toes being generated.- Single contiguous zones created that are practical to mine.

Integral Case Management

• Organizes your project work.
• One document contains multiple scenarios.
• Comparisons are faster and easier.

Easy Report Generation

• Simple report format.
• Detailed breakdown of results.
• Always available and in front of the user.

Pit Optimization for Industial Minerals Quarries

The design and scheduling of raw materials quarries poses special problems - problems which need special solutions. RM Scheduler has been designed specifically for industrial minerals applications like limestone, aggregates, talc, clay, gypsum, diamonds and sands. It is not just the economics of mining these deposits that is critical to their successful exploitation, it is also a matter of blending qualities, size distributions, color indices, particle strengths and other qualitative and quantitative measures.

Blended Products Pose Special Problems

When the over-riding production criteria is to produce a consistently blended product, designing the extraction sequence using economic criteria, i.e."phases" or "nested pits", can actually worsen the fluctuations in qualities and prematurely shorten the life of the quarry. RM Scheduler allows you to define the targets and tolerances for multiple quality variables (SiO2, MgO, Moisture, Al2O3, LSF, Color, etc) and will then sequence the extraction of the quarry to meet these targets and ensure that you maximize the life of the quarry.

Maximizing the Cashflow Doesn't Mean that the Pit is Optimized

Conventional pit optimization programs are designed to find the pit limit which maximizes the cashflow - the ultimate pit. This is a useful piece of information but it is a long way from being the ultimate answer. When economics are the determining factor in what to mine and when to mine (instead of blending), it is vital that the time value of money is considered, just as you would in assessing any long-term investment. RM Scheduler will find the optimal pit which delivers the highest practical net present value on your investment.

RM Scheduler Top

• Key benefits of RM Scheduler:
• Maximizes the life of raw materials quarries for blended products;
• Keeps quality deviations within specified limits for the life of the quarry;
• Locates the optimal blended pit at any point in time;
• Minimizes costs of re-handling stockpiles;
• Minimizes costs of imports and external additives;
• Maximizes profits ( = value - mining cost - processing cost);
• Maximizes net present value (discounted cash flow);

ULTIMATE PIT OPTIMIZER

• Optimize resource or cashflow (Lerchs Grossman);
• Multiple slope regions and sectors;
• Interactive definition of slope region boundaries and surfaces;
• Handles multiple rock types;
• Handles multiple qualities and products;
• Pit limits controlled by internal and external, depth limited polygons;
• Nested pit generation.

OPTIMIZING SCHEDULER

• Use generated pit phases and optimal pit, or
• Import user designed pit(s) for scheduling;
• Variable calendar periods;
• Production rates set per material type/process and per period;
• Multiple user defined scheduling targets;
• Rate and ratio targets e.g. waste removal rate, stripping ratio, material blending ratio;
• Targets varied by period;
• Target relaxation option;
• All feasible schedules analysed;
• Optional optimal NPV schedule generated;
• Contour pit surface at any selected period in schedule; Report and chart schedule statistics;
• Export schedule to MS Excel™ or Lotus™ Exported block model includes optimal block sequence, and period numbers.

STOCKPILE OPTIMIZER

• Define multiple stockpiles by material type, quality, capacity, reclaim rate and rehandling costs;
• Vary product prices, extraction costs, processing costs and discount rates over time;
• Multiple products;
• Multiple processes;
• Time dependent processing capacity, blending, quality and output constraints;
• Generate optimal strategies for each time period;
• Chart all major statistics;
• Export statistics to a spreadsheet program;