Case Study #6: Underground Mine Layout and Timing

Underground Project Manager
The Underground Project Manager (MPD) file should be defined before stating with Underground Mine Layout and Timing using the Underground Project Manager command under Underground menu. It allows user to define Equipments, Timing Calendar, Panel Attributes as well as other essential parameters to be used in the timing.

Mine Layout Options
Using the Advanced Projections command in the Basic Mining Module, there are several ways the user can generate mine projections. These different techniques will be based upon personal preference and management’s direction. Whether or not to include the centerlines, pillars, and perimeters on the map are up to the user. The Advanced Mine Module timing routines require that some information is kept on specific layers. The pillars must be drawn on the PILLARS layer and the perimeter of each section must be drawn on the PERIM layer. These are the defaults set in the Advanced Projections option under the Basic Mine Module.

1. Starting point of the belt
2. Number of entries to the left of the belt
3. The number of entries to the right of the belt

After responding to the initial prompts the Panel Settings dialog box appears. This dialog box allows the user to specify how the mine projections will be drawn. Several different variations are possible. Entry spacing and length can be varied, separately or together.

A nice feature of Carlson is that it allows the user to draw the rooms on one or both sides of the panel at the same time the panel is drawn. The rooms perimeter on the left or right side can also be joined to the panel perimeter so the timing blocks will match for the panel and the rooms.

In addition to the configuration of the pillars, the user has the option of what to display, pillars, centerlines, perimeter, as well as chamfer, angled blocks, bracketed pillars, stoppings, and ventilation.

As you can see there are several options to present mine projections with Carlson.

Once the panels have been laid out, they have to be “placed”, or have extended entity data attached to them, so that they will relate to each other. Carlson has three different methods of placing panels: Place Panel, Pick & Place, and Auto Place by Text. Of these three techniques only Place Panel builds a network topology, or precedence relationship, between the panels as they are placed. With the other two techniques, Pick & Place and Auto Place by Text, there is no relationship built as they place the panels. This allows the user to actually mine through panels that overlay each other, which could be helpful in laying out mining though overlying strata.

Place Panel
To place panels, the panels must be previously drawn with the perimeter drawn in the PERIM layer and the pillars, which are optional, drawn in the PILLARS layer. The program subtracts the sum of the areas of the individual pillars in the PILLARS layer from the area of the perimeter drawn in the PERIM layer to calculate the extraction ratio. The extraction ratio is then applied to the perimeter area to calculate the tonnage in the panel.

In the Advanced Mine Module under the Underground dropdown box you will find Place Panel. When the user selects Place Panel the first prompt is:

Use Quick Place mode (yes/<no>)?  Quick place mode is an option that lets the user place panels without entering specific information in the panels other then the panel name. It is a way to get the panels placed quickly. If the user has drawn the pillars and does not intend to retreat mine, the Quick Place mode may be the best way to get the panels placed.

If the user chooses the Quick Place mode the following prompts appear:

Start new mine plan? (yes/<no>)?  The user will always respond with yes for the first panel. Next, as long as the panels being placed are adjacent, the response is negative. Panels that are part of the same mine plan, but are physically separated can be placed as new mine plans and connected later.

The next prompt is: Direction of panel is defined by (<Perim>,Text, PIck, Segment)?

• Perim – The user defines the starting side of the polygon and the direction of mining is perpendicular to the first side of the polygon. If the panel is laid out using the Advanced Projections in the Basic Mining Module the perimeter is automatically drawn to match up with the requirements for the Perim option.
• Text – The direction of mining through the polygon can be set by the direction of the text.
• PIck – The user chooses two points to set the direction of mining in the reverse order of mining. The first point is picked inside the polygon, the second point is picked on the beginning side of the polygon. The direction is from the beginning side through the first point picked inside the polygon.
• Segment - Pick the starting side of the polygon and any side that parallels the direction of mining of the panel.

When the direction of mining has been set. The program prompts for the name of the panel, offering a name that can be accepted or overwritten. When the name is entered, the program draws the green “backbone” line according to the direction of mining and places the name of the panel at the beginning of the line. The user clicks the right button to complete this process for mining straight through a panel.

To mine around a corner the user left picks the mouse button and repeats the above steps for setting the direction.

Once the panel has been placed, the program prompts the user for the entry to branch from. The program is asking for the point along the “backbone” line to start the next panel. Once the user selects the starting point for the next panel the process repeats.

Using the Quick Place mode does not give the user access to the Edit Section Data dialog box during the panel placing process. If the pillars are not drawn when using the Quick Place mode the user will have to return to the Edit Section Data dialog box to enter the extraction ratio after placing the panels. Most users prefer to enter this information when the panel is being placed, so they usually do not use the Quick Place mode.

If the user chooses not to use the Quick Place mode there are two additional panel direction options available: Azimuth and Pick internal point.

Pick and Place
Pick and Place places and times the panel as it is placed, drawing the timing blocks when the panel is placed. In addition to timing as it goes, this option allows the user to test the schedule before placing the panel in the mining sequence, providing real time feedback while scheduling the mine. This technique does not automatically build precedence between panels automatically. Precedence can be added to the panels in the precedence part of the Edit Section Data dialog box. Once all of the individual panels have been placed, the user runs the schedule to get the complete mine timing report.

• Perim (default)
• Text
• Pick
• Auto
• Segment

• Panel Name - is a required field. The program will offer a name which can be overwritten.
• Panel Start – Is an optional field
• Owner – is an optional field, if filled out indicates the property owner for the entire panel and will be available in production reports.
• Starting Date – is not optional for the first panel assigned to any unit. After the first panel this field is optional and will be calculated.
• Number of shifts – is a required field, and overwrites the setting in the equipment definition file if the shifts are less than the equipment file.
• Retreat Recovery – If recovery is different on retreat than advance it can be inserted here.
• Entry width – if no pillars are drawn in the perimeter the default is 20 feet. Otherwise, it is picked up from the pillar layout.
• Panel Attributes – can be anything the user wants to use such as; ash, sulfur, btu, etc. The user can use fixed values for these or refer to a grid.
• Prompt for Retreat Options check box – if this is checked it indicates the shape of the retreat perimeter differs from the advance perimeter. If checked, a separate set of prompts will appear giving the user the option to specify the shape of the retreat perimeter and extraction ratios for the pillars mined inside and outside the advance perimeter.
• Advance Difficulty Factor – the difficulty factor used on the advance can differ from that used on the retreat. Normal difficulty is (1), greater than one reduces productivity, less than one speeds up production. The difficulty factor can be a factor or a grid.
• Retreat Difficulty Factor  - can be specified separate from the advance rate.
• Equipment Name – is selected from the defined equipment list.
• Advance Extraction Ratio –the extraction ratio is the sum of the mined out area outside the pillars divided by the area of the perimeter. This factor is usually 1.0 for longwall panels, but for continuous miner sections is usually near .50.
• Retreat Extraction Ratio – this factor is percentage of the remaining pillars left on the advance. This factor can be up to 100 percent for the remaining pillars, as opposed to a number less than 1 minus the advance extraction ratio.
• Advance/Retreat radio button – if the user left clicks in the panel after it has been assigned on the advance to schedule it the radio button will gray out the advance button highlighting retreat button.
• Portion to mine - options include:
• Whole Perimeter  - to mine the entire perimeter.
• Distance – the distance displayed in the box to the left of the radio button is the distance to the spot where the user left clicked in the perimeter to Pick & Place the panel. This is useful if the user want to know the distance to a point inside the panel. When this option is selected, a pinpoint is placed at the distance selected, allowing the user to schedule other panels.
• Moving time (shifts) – the move time in shifts the panel is delayed prior to starting.
• Test – this option lets the user try the settings and get feedback before applying them.
• Report Options – this button gives the user two reporting options, one for an abbreviated timing report and the other for the full report.
• OK – applies the selection and schedules the panel showing the timing.
• Cancel – breaks out of the procedure and returns the user to the command prompt.

Auto Place Panel by Text
The Auto Place Panel by Text command gives the user the ability to place panels by drawing text in the panel perimeters on the PANELNM layer. The requirement for drawing the perimeter in the PERIM layer is the same. The prompts are set out below.

Command: auto_place
Assign zero retreat extraction (Yes/<No>)?
Advance difficulty <1.0> :
Retreat difficulty <1.0> :
Retreat recovery ratio for remaining pillars <1.0> :
Entry width <20.0> :

Panel Attributes
The default panel attributes option lets the user assign attributes by value or grid. Certain key or reserved words are available to the user that Carlson recognizes. Choose the Keywords Help button to see them:

Define Equipment
Define Equipment is where the user adds and edits the production rate of the equipment, it can be accessed from Underground Project Manager. Production rates are input for the entire spread or section. This rate can be modified as a function of time, mining height, or strip bench. The Rate/Shift, Hours/Shift, and Rate/Hour back-calculate, allowing the user the ability to fine tune the production rate. If the toggle to "Define Crews and Units" is on it gives user an ability to define Labor Crews and Units (combination of Crew and Equipment) separately.

The user can specify the minimum and maximum mining heights. Where mining occurs below the minimum mining height out of seam dilution is added to make up the desired minimum height. When the maximum mining height is selected key strata is combined with non-key material where the key strata exceeds the maximum mining height. A cost per hour can be input and it will be multiplied by the hours worked. Maintenance frequency is scheduled in the same units as the Rate/Shift. The delays apply to the entire spread or section in shifts for both Routine and Main Maintenance Frequencies. The recovery factor is designed to be used with elliptical cross-sectioned entries developed with boring machines.

Calendar
The Editing Calendar is a quick and simple way to schedule a production Equipment or Unit (group of a Equipment and Labor Crew working on it). This should be thought of as an equipment, as opposed to a crew scheduling technique. Equipment needs to be added before the calendar is applied. The calendar can be applied to a single unit or all of the equipment. To apply the calendar to several units select the calendar and the unit and Apply the calendar to the unit. Once the calendar is created two different reports can be generated. The first report is the annual unit calendar and the second is a yearly report of what is working and when.

Pin Points
Pin points are break points set in a panel to indicate where the mining temporarily stops to facilitate mining in other areas. When mining resumes in the panel with the pin point it resumes at the pin point. Pin points allow the user to layout fewer panels.

Underground Timing
The Underground Timing option is selected after the panels have been placed, and the equipment and calendar have been defined. Panels are assigned to equipment in the sequence to be mined. Panels can be selected by name from the unassigned list or screen picked. The unassigned panel list can be sorted by name or direction of mining. Delays can be scheduled between panels in days or shifts. The starting date and number of shifts per day are assigned in the designated boxes. Once the run is set up, left click on the Calculate button. Two reporting options are then available. An abbreviated timing report can be viewed or the detailed timing report can be formatted. The user has a wide range of timing options that impact the presentation of the timing map.

Once the report options are selected the map is timed out.

When the report times the map it also develops a report. The report formatter allows the user to customize the report. By moving available variables across to the used variables side in the order from top to bottom the user can set the order in the report. This order also drives the sub-totaling option to create various report styles. The report can be displayed on the screen, printed, made part of the drawing, or exported to Excel or Access. The order set up in the report format from top to bottom is the order in the report from left to right. There is a line editor in the screen display that allows the user to add lines and edit the report prior to printing.

This is an example of exporting the report to a spreadsheet. Totals can be exported to spreadsheets as an option. If totals are exported they show up in bold font. This report can also be imported into the Microsoft Access database for additional reporting options.

Case Study #6: Underground Mine Layout and Timing

Underground Project Manager
The Underground Project Manager (MPD) file should be defined before starting with Underground Mine Layout and Timing using the Underground Project Manager command under Underground menu. It allows user to define Equipments, Timing Calendar, Panel Attributes as well as other essential parameters to be used in the timing.

Mine Layout Options
Using the Advanced Projections command in the Basic Mining Module, there are several ways the user can generate mine projections. These different techniques will be based upon personal preference and management’s direction. Whether or not to include the centerlines, pillars, and perimeters on the map are up to the user. The Advanced Mine Module timing routines require that some information is kept on specific layers. The pillars must be drawn on the PILLARS layer and the perimeter of each section must be drawn on the PERIM layer. These are the defaults set in the Advanced Projections option under the Basic Mine Module.

1. Starting point of the belt
2. Number of entries to the left of the belt
3. The number of entries to the right of the belt

After responding to the initial prompts the Panel Settings dialog box appears. This dialog box allows the user to specify how the mine projections will be drawn. Several different variations are possible. Entry spacing and length can be varied, separately or together.

A nice feature of Carlson is that it allows the user to draw the rooms on one or both sides of the panel at the same time the panel is drawn. The rooms perimeter on the left or right side can also be joined to the panel perimeter so the timing blocks will match for the panel and the rooms.

In addition to the configuration of the pillars, the user has the option of what to display, pillars, centerlines, perimeter, as well as chamfer, angled blocks, bracketed pillars, stoppings, and ventilation.

As you can see there are several options to present mine projections with Carlson.

Once the panels have been laid out, they have to be “placed”, or have extended entity data attached to them, so that they will relate to each other. Carlson has three different methods of placing panels: Place Panel, Pick & Place, and Auto Place by Text. Of these three techniques only Place Panel builds a network topology, or precedence relationship, between the panels as they are placed. With the other two techniques, Pick & Place and Auto Place by Text, there is no relationship built as they place the panels. This allows the user to actually mine through panels that overlay each other, which could be helpful in laying out mining though overlying strata.

Place Panel
To place panels, the panels must be previously drawn with the perimeter drawn in the PERIM layer and the pillars, which are optional, drawn in the PILLARS layer. The program subtracts the sum of the areas of the individual pillars in the PILLARS layer from the area of the perimeter drawn in the PERIM layer to calculate the extraction ratio. The extraction ratio is then applied to the perimeter area to calculate the tonnage in the panel.

In the Advanced Mine Module under the Underground dropdown box you will find Place Panel. When the user selects Place Panel the first prompt is:

Use Quick Place mode (yes/<no>)?  Quick place mode is an option that lets the user place panels without entering specific information in the panels other then the panel name. It is a way to get the panels placed quickly. If the user has drawn the pillars and does not intend to retreat mine, the Quick Place mode may be the best way to get the panels placed.

If the user chooses the Quick Place mode the following prompts appear:

Start new mine plan? (yes/<no>)?  The user will always respond with yes for the first panel. Next, as long as the panels being placed are adjacent, the response is negative. Panels that are part of the same mine plan, but are physically separated can be placed as new mine plans and connected later.

The next prompt is: Direction of panel is defined by (<Perim>,Text, PIck, Segment)?

• Perim – The user defines the starting side of the polygon and the direction of mining is perpendicular to the first side of the polygon. If the panel is laid out using the Advanced Projections in the Basic Mining Module the perimeter is automatically drawn to match up with the requirements for the Perim option.
• Text – The direction of mining through the polygon can be set by the direction of the text.
• PIck – The user chooses two points to set the direction of mining in the reverse order of mining. The first point is picked inside the polygon, the second point is picked on the beginning side of the polygon. The direction is from the beginning side through the first point picked inside the polygon.
• Segment - Pick the starting side of the polygon and any side that parallels the direction of mining of the panel.

When the direction of mining has been set. The program prompts for the name of the panel, offering a name that can be accepted or overwritten. When the name is entered, the program draws the green “backbone” line according to the direction of mining and places the name of the panel at the beginning of the line. The user clicks the right button to complete this process for mining straight through a panel.

To mine around a corner the user left picks the mouse button and repeats the above steps for setting the direction.

Once the panel has been placed, the program prompts the user for the entry to branch from. The program is asking for the point along the “backbone” line to start the next panel. Once the user selects the starting point for the next panel the process repeats.

Using the Quick Place mode does not give the user access to the Edit Section Data dialog box during the panel placing process. If the pillars are not drawn when using the Quick Place mode the user will have to return to the Edit Section Data dialog box to enter the extraction ratio after placing the panels. Most users prefer to enter this information when the panel is being placed, so they usually do not use the Quick Place mode.

If the user chooses not to use the Quick Place mode there are two additional panel direction options available: Azimuth and Pick internal point.

Pick and Place
Pick and Place places and times the panel as it is placed, drawing the timing blocks when the panel is placed. In addition to timing as it goes, this option allows the user to test the schedule before placing the panel in the mining sequence, providing real time feedback while scheduling the mine. This technique does not automatically build precedence between panels automatically. Precedence can be added to the panels in the precedence part of the Edit Section Data dialog box. Once all of the individual panels have been placed, the user runs the schedule to get the complete mine timing report.

• Perim (default)
• Text
• Pick
• Auto
• Segment

• Panel Name - is a required field. The program will offer a name which can be overwritten.
• Panel Start – Is an optional field
• Owner – is an optional field, if filled out indicates the property owner for the entire panel and will be available in production reports.
• Starting Date – is not optional for the first panel assigned to any unit. After the first panel this field is optional and will be calculated.
• Number of shifts – is a required field, and overwrites the setting in the equipment definition file if the shifts are less than the equipment file.
• Retreat Recovery – If recovery is different on retreat than advance it can be inserted here.
• Entry width – if no pillars are drawn in the perimeter the default is 20 feet. Otherwise, it is picked up from the pillar layout.
• Panel Attributes – can be anything the user wants to use such as; ash, sulfur, btu, etc. The user can use fixed values for these or refer to a grid.
• Prompt for Retreat Options check box – if this is checked it indicates the shape of the retreat perimeter differs from the advance perimeter. If checked, a separate set of prompts will appear giving the user the option to specify the shape of the retreat perimeter and extraction ratios for the pillars mined inside and outside the advance perimeter.
• Advance Difficulty Factor – the difficulty factor used on the advance can differ from that used on the retreat. Normal difficulty is (1), greater than one reduces productivity, less than one speeds up production. The difficulty factor can be a factor or a grid.
• Retreat Difficulty Factor  - can be specified separate from the advance rate.
• Equipment Name – is selected from the defined equipment list.
• Advance Extraction Ratio –the extraction ratio is the sum of the area of the pillars divided by the area of the perimeter. This factor is usually 1.0 for longwall panels, but for continuous miner sections is usually near .50.
• Retreat Extraction Ratio – this factor is percentage of the remaining pillars left on the advance. This factor can be up to 100 percent for the remaining pillars, as opposed to a number less than 1 minus the advance extraction ratio.
• Advance/Retreat radio button – if the user left clicks in the panel after it has been assigned on the advance to schedule it the radio button will gray out the advance button highlighting retreat button.
• Portion to mine - options include:
• Whole Perimeter  - to mine the entire perimeter.
• Distance – the distance displayed in the box to the left of the radio button is the distance to the spot where the user left clicked in the perimeter to Pick & Place the panel. This is useful if the user want to know the distance to a point inside the panel. When this option is selected, a pinpoint is placed at the distance selected, allowing the user to schedule other panels.
• Moving time (shifts) – the move time in shifts the panel is delayed prior to starting.
• Test – this option lets the user try the settings and get feedback before applying them.
• Report Options – this button gives the user two reporting options, one for an abbreviated timing report and the other for the full report.
• OK – applies the selection and schedules the panel showing the timing.
• Cancel – breaks out of the procedure and returns the user to the command prompt.

Auto Place Panel by Text
The Auto Place Panel by Text command gives the user the ability to place panels by drawing text in the panel perimeters on the PANELNM layer. The requirement for drawing the perimeter in the PERIM layer is the same. The prompts are set out below.

Command: auto_place
Assign zero retreat extraction (Yes/<No>)?
Advance difficulty <1.0> :
Retreat difficulty <1.0> :
Retreat recovery ratio for remaining pillars <1.0> :
Entry width <20.0> :

Panel Attributes
The default panel attributes option lets the user assign attributes by value or grid. Certain key or reserved words are available to the user that Carlson recognizes. Choose the Keywords Help button to see them:

Define Equipment
Define Equipment is where the user adds and edits the production rate of the equipment, it can be accessed from Underground Project Manager. Production rates are input for the entire spread or section. This rate can be modified as a function of time, mining height, or strip bench. The Rate/Shift, Hours/Shift, and Rate/Hour back-calculate, allowing the user the ability to fine tune the production rate. If the toggle to "Define Crews and Units" is on it gives user an ability to define Labor Crews and Units (combination of Crew and Equipment) separately.

The user can specify the minimum and maximum mining heights. Where mining occurs below the minimum mining height out of seam dilution is added to make up the desired minimum height. When the maximum mining height is selected key strata is combined with non-key material where the key strata exceeds the maximum mining height. A cost per hour can be input and it will be multiplied by the hours worked. Maintenance frequency is scheduled in the same units as the Rate/Shift. The delays apply to the entire spread or section in shifts for both Routine and Main Maintenance Frequencies. The recovery factor is designed to be used with elliptical cross-sectioned entries developed with boring machines.

Calendar
The Editing Calendar is a quick and simple way to schedule a production Equipment or Unit (group of a Equipment and Labor Crew working on it). This should be thought of as an equipment, as opposed to a crew scheduling technique. Equipment needs to be added before the calendar is applied. The calendar can be applied to a single unit or all of the equipment. To apply the calendar to several units select the calendar and the unit and Apply the calendar to the unit. Once the calendar is created two different reports can be generated. The first report is the annual unit calendar and the second is a yearly report of what is working and when.

Pin Points
Pin points are break points set in a panel to indicate where the mining temporarily stops to facilitate mining in other areas. When mining resumes in the panel with the pin point it resumes at the pin point. Pin points allow the user to layout fewer panels.

Underground Timing
The Underground Timing option is selected after the panels have been placed, and the equipment and calendar have been defined. Panels are assigned to equipment in the sequence to be mined. Panels can be selected by name from the unassigned list or screen picked. The unassigned panel list can be sorted by name or direction of mining. Delays can be scheduled between panels in days or shifts. The starting date and number of shifts per day are assigned in the designated boxes. Once the run is set up, left click on the Calculate button. Two reporting options are then available. An abbreviated timing report can be viewed or the detailed timing report can be formatted. The user has a wide range of timing options that impact the presentation of the timing map.

Once the report options are selected the map is timed out.

When the report times the map it also develops a report. The report formatter allows the user to customize the report. By moving available variables across to the used variables side in the order from top to bottom the user can set the order in the report. This order also drives the sub-totaling option to create various report styles. The report can be displayed on the screen, printed, made part of the drawing, or exported to Excel or Access. The order set up in the report format from top to bottom is the order in the report from left to right. There is a line editor in the screen display that allows the user to add lines and edit the report prior to printing.

This is an example of exporting the report to a spreadsheet. Totals can be exported to spreadsheets as an option. If totals are exported they show up in bold font. This report can also be imported into the Microsoft Access database for additional reporting options.