The loading operation represents a substantial part of the costs of a mine operation and directly influences the entire production cycle, since the transportation process depends on it. There are different reasons that can interfere with this operation having maximum productivity, which is why it is essential to know and be able to analyze each one of them, so that better results can be achieved.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to analyze the factors that impact on loading productivity, keep reading!

REASONS THAT INTERFERE WITH THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE LOADING OPERATION

Combining loading and transportation equipment: The right combination of loading and transportation equipment should be one with a number of passes between 3 and 6. When the matching between loading and transportation equipment results in a number below 3 passes, there may be some adversities, such as:

• Idleness of loading equipment or excessive demand for trucks;
• Impact on asset availability, as the passes may have loads that damage the truck’s structure;
• Impact on the average load, as fewer passes may be made than necessary to load the truck.

When the matching results in a number of passes above 6, the loading time becomes high, generating very high queue times in relation to the cargo fleet. When there are long queue times and idleness, the operation may be experiencing a train effect.

Loading dock: The operating conditions of the loading dock need to be wide enough for the loading equipment to maneuver, with space for the truck to receive the load and a cleaning area for auxiliary equipment. When there isn’t enough width, the positioning and development of the loading equipment’s activities are hampered, which ends up having an impact on the safety of operations. Therefore, the better the conditions of the loading plazas, the better the results will be in terms of both the performance of the loading and transportation fleet and the safety of operations.

Characteristics of the material mined: The type of material to be loaded also has a positive or negative influence on loading times. The competency of the rock, the quality of the explosive blasting and the mechanical blasting situations all influence the operation. Large variations in granulometry influence both loading and transportation operations, as well as requiring the intervention of auxiliary equipment to clear the loading square.

Turning angle: The basic cycle of excavators is referred to a turning angle of 90°, increasing the angle increases the cycle time and decreases the productivity of the excavator. Thus, a productive turning angle is between 70° and 90°.

Operator skills: It is essential that loaders are trained to adjust the bucket so that it can be filled in a single pass and that no material is left over when it is filled

Mining bench height: If the bench is too low, the excavator bucket will not be filled completely, and if the height is too high, there will be problems digging out the material at the top of the bench.

HOW TO ANALYZE THE FACTORS THAT IMPACT ON LOADING PRODUCTIVITY?

1 – Take a macro view of monthly loading productivity:

2- Benchmark the productivity of your fleets to identify which one has the lowest productivity:

3 – Monitor the charging time and idle time of the charging equipment on a monthly and daily basis:

4- Monitor loading times and idleness hourly:

5- Explore loading times by region of the mine:

HOW CAN FAST2 MINE HELP ANALYZE LOADING PRODUCTIVITY?

To help with this mission, Mining Control has various reports and dashboards that allow you to analyze and monitor the loading operation over different time horizons and check the reasons that impact it. It measures all the times involved in the loading operation and also has real-time maps that allow you to monitor the operation.

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