Block Cave Underground Mine

October 2020

fcx.com
 Super Caves

160,000
PTFI GBC

140,000
TONNES PER DAY

120,000
Open Pits

100,000

80,000
PTFI DOZ PTFI DMLZ

60,000 San Manuel

Climax Henderson
Andina
40,000 Kiruna Olympic Dam
Palabora
Malmberget PTFI IOZ
20,000 Miami Premier
Ridgeway
Kidd Creek
Mount Isa Salvador
0
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 2040
*(after Brown 2004) 2
Open Pit to Underground Mine

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 PTFI Underground Mine complex

BIG GOSSAN KUCING LIAR GBC DMLZ DOZ

Top Elv: 3,268 Top Elv : 3,160 Top Elv : 3,502 Top Elv : 3,123 Top Elv : 3,648
Lowest Elv: 2,400 Lowest Elv : 2,605 Lowest Elv : 2,814 Lowest Elv : 2,587 Lowest Elv : 3,113
AREA : 0.14 Km² AREA : 1 Km² AREA : 0.8 Km² AREA : 0.5 Km² AREA : 0.4 Km²
Production : 7,000 tpd Production : 80,000 tpd Production : 130,000 tpd Production : 80,000 tpd Production : 20,000 tpd
Mining Method : Stopping Mining Method : Block Cave Mining Method : Block Cave Mining Method : Block Cave Mining Method : Block Cave

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Mining Orebodies & Sequences

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 What and Why Block Caving?

What : Block (gravity) caving is a bulk underground mining method, which allows large low-grade
deposits to be mined underground. This method involves undermining the orebody to make it collapse
under its own weight into a series of chambers from which the ore extracted. It is a useful technique to
extend the life of large deposits previously mined by open pits, and it is a method increasingly proposed
for new mines around the world.

Why : Block caving has a high production rate, which means high capital costs at the start of the project
but relatively low operating costs. This is why it is common at large copper porphyry deposits where
other than open pitting, block caving is the most economical way to mine

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Peele : Summary on Block-caving……

Block-caving, where applicable gives a lower

mining cost than any other underground method. It
is essentially for large scale work. In its different
forms it is applicable to deposits of various shape
and to ores of various strength, but has rigid
requirements and limitations. In unsuitable
deposits, or where carelessly conducted, the loss
of ore may exceed that of any other method;
systematic work careful supervision and good
judgment are essential to success.

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Peele : Mining Engineers' Handbook

 General conditions leading to use of caving methods……..Large scale work

a) Orebodies of large horizontal area… usually overlain by capping
b) Ore which is weak, or which if hard is thoroughly fractured
c) Deposits of cheap minerals or low grade ore in which loss of ore, or
contamination with waste, is less serious than for high grade ore

 Advantages of block-caving……Safe
a) Cheap
b) Centralized Production

 Disadvantages
a) Prep of block requires time and considerable outlay
b) Extraction is often low and there is constant danger of losing large
amounts of ore

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 Block – caving Uncertainty

 Predicting block cave performance is an uncertain process

 This is due to a number of factors:

• Limited knowledge:
• of orebody characteristics (grade, strength etc.), particularly up column
• of the fragmentation and flow processes; particularly up column

• Mining method that has little direct control on what appears at the
drawpoint (e.g. compared to more traditional mining methods where
the ore that is blasted is the ore that is extracted)

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 The evolution of cave mining

1898 2010 -2020

Before 1980s 1980s to 2010 Beyond 2020
First Block Cave

Production rates increased steadily….then plateaued from 1970s….and now face a step-change
2-8 ktpd 10-20 ktpd 20-40 ktpd 80-160 ktpd

The NEXT
Deep Level & Paradigm ?
High Capacity
Mechanised Cave mining
systems systems (super
Strong rocks caves)
moderate depths Massive
Grizzly and footprints
slusher systems Variable strength
Weak rocks rocks at
shallow depths increasing 10
depths 10
 Terminolgy

UNDERCUT X/CUTS (E-W)

UNDERCUT RINGS

UNDERCUT TUNNELS (N-S)

ACTIVE DRAWPOINTS STAGGERED

DRAWPOINTS

MINOR APEX

PRODUCTION PANELS (N-S)

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNDERCUT LEVEL FRINGE DRIFTL

AND THE EXTRACTION LEVEL

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 Terminology

Zone of Stress Pre-mining

Fracturing Conditions
(seismogenic zone)

Expansion Void
(Air gap)

Caved
Zone
Yielded Zone

(Modified from Duplancic & Brady 1999)

Direction of Advancing Undercut

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13
FAST CAVING

SOLID

CAVE RATE

DRAW = f (CAVE)

OVER DRAW CAVED

Cave Performance
Dec 2014
Caving Basics 13
Caving Process • Cave mining is based on the
principle that, once a
sufficiently large area of a block
has been undercut by drilling
and blasting, the overlying
30 block of ore will start to cave
under the influence of gravity.
Progressive spalling • The process will continue until
caving propagates through the
entire block to surface or to the
level above; i.e. DOZ

45 55 65

1. Develop undercut level 3. Drill and blast undercut rings

2. Develop production tunnels 4. Open troughs

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 Undercutting

The process of undercutting creates instability at the base of

the block being caved. Block cave mining is based on the
principle that when a sufficiently large area of a block has been
undercut by drilling and blasting, the overlying block of ore will
start to cave under the influence of gravity

At the start the cave will propagate vertically, while subsequent

mining from the initial block will result in a lateral extension of
the caved area. The Hydraulic radius recognize variation in
geometry particularly with respect to minimum span and will
give the highest HR for a circle.

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 Extracting

• The ideal shape of the drawbell is like a bell, so that ore can flow to the drawpoint. However it is a
compromise between strength and shape. The major and minor apexes must have sufficient strength
to last out the life of the draw. It needs to be established how much influence the shape of the
drawbell has on interaction
• The draw rate from the drawbells is an important factor in that it must provide space for caving; also it
must not be too fast to create a large air gap and possible air-blasts

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Hauling - Truck

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Hauling – Train

GBC Rail Haulage

 Autonomous rail system
 Remote Loading Chutes
 40T Electric Locomotive
 Ore Wagon size - 20m3, +/- 38 ton
 11 wagon for one locomotive
 120 Chutes
 Three gyratory crushers
 Restricted Railway Access

Bottom dump wagon

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Convergence Resulting in Costly Repairs
and Production Delays

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 Portable Tele-remote LHD

Stationed Tele-remote LHD

Autonomous LHD
Wet Muck Technology Evolution

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 Other Technology Implementation

Rail System Control Room

MineGem Control Room Minestar draw tracking system

 MineGem Remote control room

 Autonomous Production Rail System
 Remote control chutes and rock breakers
 Dispatcher
Traffic Control Room  Geotech Integrated Monitoring Center
 MineStar draw control tracking
 Traffic control Management
 Personnel tracking

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 a

Thank You 22