Optimization of road traffic for smooth and efficient operation of open pit mining in Shwe Taung coal project

Shwe Taung coal project in the northwestern mountainous area in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar involves three open pit mines. Coal is hauled from the mines by unmade mountain roads to a port on the Chandwin River. Coal is loaded on barges and is shipped by the Chandwin River to a cement plant. The local climate governs specificity of mining and haulage. During the monsoon season which lasts for 4 months (from June to September), it often rains heavily. For this reason, mining is only carried out when there is no raining, to ensure required safety. Furthermore, in the summer season (from February to May), coal shipment to consumers is terminated due to fall of water level in the river. In the meanwhile, for the continuous operation of the consumer—coal-fuelled cement plant system during the whole year, it is required to build up a stock of coal in the monsoon period. This study is aimed to analyze the processes of coal mining and handling with a view to optimizing road traffic toward efficient and smooth operation of open pit mines of Shwe Taung coal project. The calculated road traffic routine and regime allow minimization of fuel consumption by motor vehicle transport and optimization of number of coal haulage machines, which favors smooth and efficient operation of open pit mines on the mountainous terrain of Shwe Taung coal project.

Sis Mue. Optimization of road traffic for smooth and efficient operation of open pit mining in Shwe Taung coal project. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2021;(5):146-156. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2021_5_0_146.

Sis Mue, Graduate Student, National University of Science and Technology «MISiS», 119049, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: sism.msmu@gmail.com.

1. Puchkov L. A., Kaledina N. O., Kobylkin S. S. Global energy consumption: Forecasts and reality. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2016, no. 1, pp. 4—6. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2016.01.01.

2. Sis Mue Mining industry in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar: State-of-the-art and automation upgrade potential. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2018, no. 10, pp. 213–218. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236-1493-2018-10-0-213-218.

3. Vlasova T. V., Arshinova M. A., Kovaleva T. A. Fizicheskaya geografiya materikov i okeanov [Physical geography of continents and oceans], Moscow, Prosveshchenie, 1986, pp. 258–265.

4. Kurakova L. Geologiya Yugo-Vostochnoy Azii. Indokitay [Geology of Southeast Asia. Indochina], Leningrad, 1969, pp. 158–159.

5. Kurakova L. Indokitay, Birma. Prirodnye rayony i landshafty [Indochina, Burma. Natural areas and landscapes], Moscow, 1967, pp. 89–91.

6. Andreeva L. I., Ushakov Yu. Yu. Performance analysis of open pit mining vehicles. Tekhnologicheskoe oborudovanie dlya gornoy i neftegazovoy promyshlennosti. Sbornik trudov XV Mezhdunarodnoy nauchno-tekhnicheskoy konferentsii [Process Equipment for Mineral Mining and Petroleum Industry: Proceedings of XV International Conference], Ekaterinburg, 2017, pp. 422–429. [In Russ].

7. Kuzhelev A. I. Enhancing performance standards of open pit mining vehicles. Advances in science and technology Sbornik statey XI mezhdunarodnoy nauchno-prakticheskoy konferentsii [Advances in science and technology. XI International Conference and Workshop Proceedings], Moscow, 2017, pp. 83–85. [In Russ].

8. Chistoeva Yu. E., Tyulenev M. A. Prospects for open pit dump trucks of low capacity. Rossiya Molodaya. Sbornik luchshikh statey VIII Vserossiyskoy, 61 nauchno-prakticheskoy konferentsii molodykh uchenykh [Young Russia: Collected Papers of VIII All-Russian 61st Conference and Workshop of Young Scientists], Kemerovo, 2016, pp. 120. [In Russ].

9. Buyalich G. D., Furman A. S. Analysis of transport process of open pit dump trucks. Mining Equipment and Electromechanics. 2017, no. 5, pp. 40–42. [In Russ].

10. Stenin D. V., Stenina N. A. Influence of mining equipment performance on dump truck efficiency. Mining Equipment and Electromechanics. 2019, no. 2, pp. 10—14. [In Russ].

11. Miao H., Jinsheng Z., Dexin N. GA-based resource transportation scheduling optimization of open-pit mine. 2017 International Сonference on Smart Grid and Electrical Automation (ICSGEA), Changsha. 2017, pp. 247—250. DOI: 10.1109/ICSGEA.2017.9.

12. Shrivastava A., Goswami S. Rao L. M. Monitoring the utilization of dump truck in coal mines using internet of thing (IoT). 2019 Global Conference for Advancement in Technology (GCAT), Bangaluru, India. 2019, pp. 1—4. DOI: 10.1109/GCAT47503.2019.8978465.

13. Rao L. N. Mine machinery-II for mining. 1st edition. Planet publishing house, 2016. 280 p.

14. Gangadhar Advanced opencast mining methods. 1st edition. Planet Publishing House, 2016. 280 p.

15. Tekhnicheskie kharakteristiki gruzovykh avtomobiley SCANIA dlya gornodobyvayushchey promyshlennosti. Available at: http://scaneland.ru/pdf/gornie_raboti_liflet.pdf (accessed 22.11.2019). [In Russ].

16. Samosvaly scania — stroitel'nye / kar'ernye. Available at: https://scanauto.ru/catalogmotor-vehicle-scania/trucks-scania/tipper-scania/ (accessed 22.11.2019). [In Russ].

17. Kobylkin S. S., Kobylkin A. S., Balovtsev S. V., Kharisov A. R. Science-based solutions on the development of instructions for an emergency response plan for open-pit mines. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2020, no. 6-1, pp. 84—98. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236-1493-202061-0-84-98.