A Computer Solution To The Queuing Problem At A Mine-Mill Interface ? Introduction

This paper describes a case study where solutions were sought to the truck queuing that occurred at a central processing plant. Ore from three production shafts at Falconbridge Limited's Sudbury Opera¬tions is hauled by three trucking contractors to Strathcona Mill. On return trips, the classified mill tailing is carried back to the mines for backfilling. The ore feeder at the mill handles three times the tonnage designed for and the situation is not expected to improve. Excessive truck queuing and consequent mine production interruptions are therefore of great concern. During the study, stochastic models were formulated and programmed for the IBM/AT personal computer. Basic information sought from the models were truck waiting time and ore production interruptions. The existing system was tested, not only to verify the validity of the models, but also to understand the causes of the problem. Several alternatives were simulated and a simple solution selected for implementation.