Overview:
Mining and extraction operations produce valuable materials that are incorporated into products and serve as the foundation for the infrastructure networks that connect markets throughout the world. Energy costs to extract these materials are rising and, in some cases, groundwater resources are being consumed beyond a sustainable level. At HGL, we understand the need to reduce costs to bring these materials to market safely, sustainably, and at a price point that keeps world economies vibrant.
We have tailored PBMO™ to support open earth mining operations, as well as gas extraction from shale beds and coal seams. The PBMO™ toolkit provides optimal methods for managing mine operations to achieve significant and practical operational improvements pertaining to site-wide mine water management, impacts from mine dewatering, and maintenance of optimal schedules and operational productivity. PBMO™ can incorporate uncertainties such as changing market demands, variation in ore quality, and hydrogeological responses to extraction, as well as other management criteria, to produce optimal and contingent plans. Automated optimal design search strategies provided by PBMO™ facilitate the rapid generation of optimal designs in concert with various management preferences and constraints.
See animation below describing a specific application of PBMOTM to support mine dewatering operation optimization:
PBMO™ Mine Dewatering and Aquifer Depletion Management Optimization Example (Runtime 7:20)
Applications/Benefits:
- Site-wide Mine Water Management
- Optimizing Costs versus Impacts from Mine Dewatering
- Optimizing Dewatering Operation for Coal Seam Gas Production
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