Truck–Shovel vs. In-Pit Crushing and Conveying Systems in Open Pit Mines: A Technical Evaluation for Selecting the Most Effective Transportation System by System Dynamics Modeling

Abstract

Backgrounds: The transportation system within any mining project, which is responsible for delivering extracted ore to the crushing units or wastes to the wasting dumps as the destinations, poses a significant challenge in mining processes. On one hand, there are various transportation systems, notably the Truck–Shovel, the traditional method, and relatively newer and less common In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (IPCC) systems. On the other hand, choosing the most suitable system for a specific mining project depends on various factors, with technical aspects being one of the most critical. While there is extensive research on the Truck–Shovel system from a technical perspective, there is relatively limited research on IPCC systems. Methods: This research aims to carry out a comparative analysis of different transportation systems, encompassing Truck–Shovel, Fixed In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (FIPCC), Semi-Fixed In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (SFIPCC), Semi-Mobile In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (SMIPCC), and Fully Mobile In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (FMIPCC) systems. To achieve this goal, a technical index is introduced, which is based on three elements: the availability and the utilization of the system, as well as the consumption of power. This index will be developed as a system dynamics model, enabling the observation of each system’s performance throughout the operational lifespan of the mine. Results: Ultimately, based on the proposed method, the most effective transportation system based on the defined technical index can be identified at any time of the project. In this research, the Truck–Shovel system generally selected as the most preferred transportation system, except for two different periods. Conclusions: This study could successfully perform the selection among different transportation systems. Nevertheless, it was modeled and performed in a deterministic environment, but still the stochastic nature of the processes can be another topic of research.