Key TALPAC Concepts: Optimisation Analysis, Marginal Economics
Technical Description
The optimum number of trucks in a fleet is a balance between productivity and cost. The fleet size optimisation carries out a series of production analyses for a range of truck fleet sizes. The results are summarised in a table displaying the fleet size, the fleet production and the discounted average cost.
The results can also be displayed on a graph. The optimum fleet size is that with the lowest unit cost of production. The optimum fleet size will not necessarily have the highest production or provide the required output.
Tasks
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⇒ Create a copy of the Base Waste Contract haulage, hit the <F2> key and rename it Workshop 10 Fleet Size.
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⇒ Make a copy of the base haul cycle, and call it Workshop 10 Haul.
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⇒ In Workshop 10 Haul, change the pit ramp distance to 2,000 m. Remember to change both the forward and reverse segments of the pit ramp.
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⇒ Configure the rest of this haul system to have the same loader, truck, material and roster templates. Make sure you save this haul system after you have selected the appropriate items.
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⇒ Do a Full Simulation and note the number of trucks.
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⇒ Now determine the optimum number of trucks for the contractor's fleet. Choose the Optimisation button.
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⇒ Choose the Fleet Size radio button and then click on OK.
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⇒⇒ Plot a graph of the Fleet size versus the marginal cost.
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⇒ Compare the optimum with the truck match determined in the full simulation in the previously in this workshop.
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⇒ Export the Results Table by going to File|Export, click on the brows button and choose a name and location for the file. Make sure the Excel 5File (.XLS) radio button is chosen and then click on OK. Open up your results file in Excel and examine the data.
Questions
1. What is the marginal cost of assigning one more truck than the optimum?
2. Why are the marginal economics important, and not just the average cost?
3. What is the optimum fleet size?
1 0 . F L E E T C O M P A R I S O N
Key Concepts: Haulage Systems
Technical Description
The contractor wishes to investigate the cost benefits of moving to larger equipment for the waste removal contract. A new haulage system is going to be configured for the larger equipment. New truck and loader templates will be created.
Tasks
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⇒⇒ Add a new Haulage System, called Workshop 11 Comparison. This will have the Tutorial roster, the tutorial waste, and the Base Haul Route from the Basic Waste Contract haulage system.
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⇒⇒ Create a new template for both the truck and loader, the details of the larger equipment items in which the contractor is interested are as follows:
Item Shovel Truck
Name Demag H 285 S Dresser 510E
Type Hydraulic Shovel Rear Dump Trucks
Capacity 16.0 cu.m heaped 136.14 tonne payload
Availability 90% 85%
Capital $2,000,000 $1,300,000
Salvage Value 10% 10%
Life in Years 8 8
Life in Hours 35000 35000
Depreciation type Straight line Straight line
Depreciation Rate 15% 25%
Total Operating Cost $222.73 $163.50
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⇒ With this equipment each loader pass takes 30 seconds. Also for the trucks the spot time at the loader is 30 seconds. The spot time at dump is 30 seconds and the dump time is 30 seconds.
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⇒⇒ Use the Total Operating Cost checkbox to enter the operating cost
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⇒ Compare the discounted average cost for the equipment fleet above with the equipment fleet used in the workshop 10. In determining the discounted average cost, use the optimum truck fleet size for each option.
Questions
1. Which equipment fleet would you recommend the contractor purchase?
2. What factors affect this decision?
1 1 . T H E E Q U I P M E N T D A T A B A S E
Key Concepts: User Defined Equipment
Technical Description
The equipment database contains a large range of trucks and loaders used in surface mining operations.
The data supplied in the equipment database represents standard equipment and has been verified by the appropriate manufacturer. For equipment that is not in the database or that has been modified, the user is able to set-up their own equipment items.
Tasks
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⇒⇒ Access the equipment database from either View|Equipment Database or the Equipment Database button on the toolbar.
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⇒⇒ Use the Type, Manufacturer and Class drop down list to view a truck and a loader to see the data that is stored in the database for each equipment type.
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⇒ Create a user defined equipment item by copying a standard item of equipment to a new name. To copy an item from the standard database to a user database go to Edit|Copy Equipment.
Rename your copy of the Komatsu HD785-5 to My Mines 785-5.
Question
1. What role would User Defined equipment have at your operation?
1 2 . I M P O R T I N G A H A U L C Y C L E
Key Concepts: Importing a Haul Cycle From a Text File
Technical Description
In a previous workshop we have created a haul cycle by manually typing in the required details for each segment. In TALPAC you can also import this data directly from a text file. In turn this text file can be automatically generated in another system, such as a design package or a fleet monitoring / dispatch system.
The text file import facility in TALPAC can be quite sophisticated, and in this workshop only a small portion of the functionality will be used. For more advanced requirements please refer to the help documentation, or contact Runge.
Tasks
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⇒⇒ In the Talpac8\Tutorials directory there is a flat text file called “Test XYZ Space.txt”. Open this file with a text editor and inspect the layout. This file represents the co-ordinates of a haul route.
Close the file after inspection.
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⇒⇒ In TALPAC add a new Haul System called “Workshop 13 Import”.
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⇒⇒ Go to File|Import Haul Cycles From a Text File.
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⇒ Click on the Add button and create a new template called Tutorial.
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⇒ Click on the Browse button and find the file Test XYZ Space.txt.
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⇒ Leave the First Import Line as 1, and also leave the Comment Character as ! Now click twice on the Next Line button, so that line 3 of the file is shown in the viewer.
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⇒ Set the Import Data Type radio button to X,Y,Z co-ordinates.
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⇒ Enter appropriate field numbers for the entities. This is:
• X coord 2
⇒ All other fields should have a 0 value. This means that you will be accepting the defaults shown for those fields.
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⇒⇒ When complete, check the Reverse all segments setting load to “Empty” tick box , and then click on OK.
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⇒⇒ Inspect the results in TALPAC. Check that two haul cycles Baso1 and Baso2 have been imported.
Questions
1. Why is the new haul cycle called “Baso1”?
2. How can this feature be used in your situation?
3. How else can the import facility be used?
1 3 . T A L P A C O P T I O N S
Key Concepts: Project Options, Customising TALPAC, Project Management, Feedback, Project Properties
Technical Description
There are many variables and Options used in TALPAC that are not contained within any of the templates that we have looked at so far. As well there are a number of ways of customising TALPAC and other features of which you should be aware.
Tasks
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⇒ Go to File|Project Properties. View the information available, click on the View Templates List and Select a User Database buttons and examine the options available.
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⇒⇒ Using the Help pull down menu, select Feedback. If you click on the Email button an email to Runge’s support desk is automatically generated with the feedback form included as an
attachment.
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⇒ These following items are stored in the View pull-down menu. The main items are:
• In Project Options there are the following: Truck Travel options; Loading options; Cash flow options; Optimisation options; and, Bucket construction ratings;
• In Customise TALPAC the items available are: General Options, Distribution Details and Set Colours; and
• In Project Management you can see all of the created Haulage systems in this project, create new haulage systems, and run simulations on all of the haul systems.
Questions
1. When should you change the options settings?
2. How can you tell the location of the current user database?
3. How can the project manager interact with mine planning?
A A n n s s w w e e r r s s
WORKSHOP 1: TALPAC Overview 1. What is in a TP7 file?
The TP7 file is the data file stored in your working directory that contains all of the data and settings for the current project.
2. What are the 5 components of a haulage system?
Material, Roster, Loader, Truck and Haul Cycle.
3. What is a TALPAC project?
A TALPAC project is the collection of saved Haulage Systems that are in the same TP7 file.
4. Why would you want to print out the ALL PARAMETERS sheet?
For reference and auditing. For example it is useful to print this file to have as a backup of the important TALPAC configuration settings. This is haulage system specific.
5. What are the options available on the right click of the mouse when a template name is highlighted?
6. What types of Haul Segments can be used?
7. What is the difference between adding to a template list, and editing a template?
Editing a template overwrites the data that already existed in the template. Adding a new template to the list means that a new template is created, and so all the original templates still remain.
WORKSHOP 2: THE MATERIAL TYPE 1. What is the Loose Density in the loader bucket?
1.83 t/m3 (See the figure below)
2. How would you use your own site specific fill factors?
Change the Global variables table.
3. What else will affect the filling of the bucket?
Fragmentation, operator experience, weather conditions, visibility, bucket geometry.
WORKSHOP 3: THE SHIFT ROSTER
1. What are the total annual working hours for the loader?
4099 (See the figure below)
2. What are the total fleet operating shifts for the year?
464 (See the figure below)
WORKSHOP 4: SELECTING A LOADER 1. What is the total Operating cost per hour?
The total operating cost for each loader is $183.34/operating hour.
2. Why can the template name be different to the database equipment name?
You may want to model variations of the same basic equipment.
3. What does the default bucket payload represent?
The amount of material that is actually in the bucket, not the bucket capacity.
WORKSHOP 5: SELECTING A TRUCK 1. What is the total operating cost per hour for the truck?
The total operating cost for each truck is $134.48/operating hour.
2. When would you use the different truck types in the same simulation?
If you were simulating a fleet that had more than one type of truck.
WORKSHOP 6: SETTING-UP A HAUL CYCLE 1. When is a new segment required?
Whenever there is a change to the conditions which control velocity. Thus gradient, rolling resistance and Speed restrictions.
2. How many segments are required?
See the figure below.
3. What other methods are available for constructing a haul route in TALPAC?
Importing data from a text file.
4. What is the benefit of using real names for segment titles?
So the user can visualise, and hence validate, the haul cycle data.
5. What is the relationship between final and maximum speeds for segments?
If a certain segment has a maximum speed, then the preceding segment should have the same speed set as the final speed for it. Otherwise the truck may enter the next segment at an excessive speed.
WORKSHOP 7: PRODUCTION ANALYSIS 1. Why is it useful to have different calculation types?
Mine planning requires different scenarios and options to be investigated. This means that different functionality is required. As well this is useful to calibrate the model in Quick estimate (deterministic) mode first.
2. What is the vertical height difference that the load is being elevated through?
60m.
3. Why can you get different results in successive runs?
Due to the stochastic distributions used in simulation.
4. How long does it take to reach the production target?
approx. 1.06 Years
WORKSHOP 8: INCREMENTAL ANALYSIS AND RESULTS TABLE 1. What is the key information?
Key Information is what you need to see, and so depends on the purpose of the simulation. In this instance, cost, time, productivity, fleet size and length of haul would be key.
2. How many variables are available for inclusion in the results table?
250.
3. When should you consider purchasing another truck?
In year 3. But what else should be considered?
WORKSHOP 9: FLEET SIZE OPTIMIZATION
1. What is the marginal cost of assigning one more truck than the optimum?
$2.97 / bcm.
2. Why are the marginal economics important, and not just the average cost?
Average costs disguise the impact of individual truck assignment.
3. What is the optimum fleet size?
The run with the lowest fleet discount cost.
WORKSHOP 10: FLEET COMPARISON
1. Which equipment fleet would you recommend the contractor purchase?
The larger fleet is the pure cost choice, but is this correct?
2. What factors affect this decision?
Cost of capital, changes to working hours, flexibility of contract.
WORKSHOP 11: THE EQUIPMENT DATABASE 1. What role would User Defined equipment have at your operation?
You can set up the specifications for the Truck and Loader which exactly match your configuration, rather than relying on the standard data.
WORKSHOP 12: IMPORTING A HAUL CYCLE 1. Why is the new haul cycle called “Baso1”?
Set by the variable on line 2 of the import file. Otherwise it will be imported and called the same as the import file name.
2. How can this feature be used in your situation?
Eg From the mine design package a string can be digitised which represents the haul route. This string can then be exported to a text file as a series of X,Y, Z points. From there it can be
imported directly into TALPAC.
3. How else can the import facility be used?
To import complete Haul Systems.
WORKSHOP 13: TALPAC OPTIONS 1. When should you change the options settings?
Only after consideration of what they are doing. It is also suggested that if these are changed, then make sure that changes are properly recorded. The ALL PARAMETRS print outs, and user defined reports in the Results Tables are two good ways of doing this.
2. How can the project manager interact with mine planning?
Can make the analysis of multiple simulations easier and more straight forward.
3. How can you tell the location of the current user database?
Under View | Project Properties the location and name of the current user database is shown.
T T a a l l p p a a c c C C o o m m m m a a n n d d s s
Embedded Buttons
View All Parameters Optimisation Calculation
View Loading Analysis Incremental Analysis
View Project Manager Calculate Full Simulation
or Quick Estimate
Edit Haulage System Edit Loader Template
Edit Material Template Edit Truck Template
Edit Roster Template Edit Haul Cycle
Toolbars
Save Help
Print Insert haul segment
Print preview Delete haul segment
Equipment database Paste copied or cut segments in reverse
Edit haul system Reverse all haul segments
Edit material Undo last change
Edit roster Redo last change
Edit loading unit Export haul cycle
Edit truck Select rolling resistance
Edit haul cycle Set speed to maximum
View project manager Set curve data
Add template Set truck load to empty
Edit template Set truck load to full
Delete template Copy template
Set load time spot time or truck numbers to automatic
Function Keys
F1 Help F9 Run Quick Estimate
F2 Edit F10 Run Full Simulation