Ore Sorting · 2023
Simulating Bulk Sorting in a Panel Cave
Block model grades and drill core composites compared as the basis for estimating bulk sorting potential at Cadia East.
- Project
- Cadia East
- Location
- New South Wales, Australia
- Application
- Bulk ore sorting
- Samples
- Exploration drill core grades
- Compared against
- Block model grades
PaperSimulating Bulk Ore Sorting Performance of a Panel Cave Mine: A Comparison between Two Approaches · Minerals
Read the paperContext
Conceptual studies decide whether bulk sorting is worth a costly on-site sensor trial. They can be built on a block model or on drill core grades, and the two do not always agree.
The Work
Grade heterogeneity and sorting performance were estimated for the three active panel caves at Cadia East, from block models and from drill core composites at three matching scales, and translated into a change in net smelter return.
Results
Block modelling smooths the grade variability in the drill core, most where drilling is sparse, so it tends to understate sorting potential. Where drilling is clustered and not representative, block models can give the more realistic estimate. Heterogeneity falls as the sorting scale increases, whichever approach is used.
