Production strategy associated with quality requirements in iron ore open pit mines under price sensitivity

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Iron ore is an important resource for Canada. Iron ore production of Canada was 42.8 Million tonnes with a value of $5.334 Billion in 2013. Global iron ore prices declined from $187 per tonne in 2011 to $68 per tonne in early 2015. This jeopardizes future operations of iron ore producers. The sustainability of present operations and development projects can be managed by (i) extracting iron ore more efficiently and (b) reducing project costs. In this scope, New Millennium Iron Corp. has decided to collaborate with Prof Kumral's team to carry out a research aiming to advance in scheduling such that (1) quality characteristics of iron ore are considered, (2) internal dumping option is incorporated and (3) semi-mobile crusher is performed. Thus, operation efficiency can be increased and the associated costs can be decreased. The quality of iron ore depends upon many variables such as iron, alumina, silica, lime and phosphorus. Therefore, the research will start a multivariate analysis of quality parameters. The scheduling will be then formulated as maximization of net present value of a project under the constraints of meeting quality requirement. A new waste disposal management system is also planned. In this context, internal dumping option will be incorporated into the scheduling to reduce material handling, transportation and mine closure costs. The goal is to confine the blocks containing environmentally harmful elements into former production areas. Thus, possible environmental problems can be avoided. Furthermore, embodying a semi-mobile crusher into production system will be investigated to further reduce loading and hauling costs. This needs to understand interaction between blasting performance and crushing. New Millennium Iron Corp. has grown into an emerging producer controlling one of the largest iron ore resources in the world. Recent developments in the iron ore market make the company fulfill the cutting-edge production approaches. McGill researchers will assist this objective through initiating new production schedules. This ENGAGE project will also help New Millennium Iron Corp. in establishing long-term research collaboration with the applicant's research team.