Semi-mobile in-pit crushing and conveying vs. truck-shovel systems: Long-term scheduling with road and conveyor networks integration

In-pit crushing and conveying systems (IPCC) integrate crushing and conveying directly into the transportation of the extracted material from the pit, minimizing the need for extensive truck fleets and haulage infrastructure that is typical in Truck Shovel systems (TS). This approach reduces truck-related costs and environmental impacts while enhancing operational efficiency. The current study optimizes long-term scheduling in open-pit mining operations by comparing IPCC and traditional TS systems. Our methodology employs two mathematical models optimization model to determine optimal crusher locations or crusher panels and establish a practical long-term extraction sequence. Through a comprehensive case study involving pushbacks and analyzing different road and conveyor network configurations, we examine the capital and operational costs across four scenarios for the in-pit crusher: without any in-pit crusher, with an ore in-pit crusher, with a waste in-pit crusher, and with both ore and waste in-pit crushers. Results include comparisons of Net Present Value (NPV), tonne-kilometers traveled, total kilometers traveled, and the number of trucks required. Significant improvements in NPV are observed in scenarios with both ore and waste crushers, reflecting reduced hauling distances and operational costs. The waste crusher scenario also demonstrates substantial savings, while the ore crusher scenario shows moderate improvements compared to the base case without any in-pit crusher.