Mine site electrification planning by computer simulation
A mine site electrification planning apparatus includes a model component to simulate mine site operations under a mine site electrification plan. A simulation control component may provide configuration data to the model component that are descriptive of varying distributions of zero greenhouse gas emitting (ZGHG) mining assets for which the mine site electrification plan is simulated. An optimization control component may identify the configuration data associated with the simulated mine site electrification plan that meets an economic optimization criterion related to physically implementing the mine site electrification plan.
1 . A method, comprising:
receiving, at a simulation controller, a future event list that includes a plurality of mining events, related to electrification of a mine site, that are to be simulated;
receiving, at the simulation controller, configuration data that includes a plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment locatable at the mine site;
determining, by the simulation controller and based on the future event list and the configuration data, for a plurality of phases during the electrification of the mine site, respective configurations of work machines and supporting equipment, of the plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment, that meet one or more performance metrics for the mine site; and
controlling, during a mining operation, dynamic energy transfer equipment to switch between internal power sources and external power sources for one or more work machines in respective phases, of the plurality of phases, according to the respective configurations of work machines and supporting equipment.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the respective configurations of work machines and supporting equipment that meet the one or more performance metrics for the mine site comprises:
simulating respective mining events, of the plurality of mining events, using the plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment locatable at the mine site to determine the respective configurations of work machines and supporting equipment for the plurality of phases.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of phases include a series of transitional deployment phases in which greenhouse gas producing technologies are gradually replaced with net-zero greenhouse gas producing technologies.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the plurality of phases including establishing what mining operations occur in each phase, of the plurality of phases, and determining phase boundaries for the plurality of phases.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising physically relocating the one or more work machines or supporting equipment at the mine site by deploying new assets at the mine site during the mining operation.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising physically relocating the one or more work machines or supporting equipment at the mine site by changing locations of at least one of charging stations or fuel stations during the mining operation.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising physically relocating the one or more work machines or supporting equipment at the mine site by changing locations of battery swap stations during the mining operation.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising physically relocating the one or more work machines or supporting equipment at the mine site by changing at least one of models, configurations, or number of hauling machines or loaders during the mining operation.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more performance metrics comprise at least one of a truck productivity, an energy charger usage, a trolley usage, or a site-level energy usage.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the respective configurations of work machines and supporting equipment that meet the one or more performance metrics for the mine site comprises determining the respective configurations further based on:
physical site dynamics that model physics of mining; and
site evolution dynamics that model changing site characteristics that are products of mining.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the physics of mining include at least one of gravity or rolling resistance of vehicles.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the changing site characteristics include at least one of pit expansion, mine face changes, or route changes.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of mining events include a mine face change event and an elevation change event.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration data includes one or more of number, power, or locations of battery chargers or fuel cell chargers, number, power, or locations of trolley segments, usage of trolley power including propulsion or charging, models, configurations, or number of hauling machines, models, configurations, or number of loaders, task or machine assignment strategy including open or locked, charging frequency, battery replacement state of health, charger locations, or movement timing.
15 . A method, comprising:
performing a mining operation by:
receiving, at a simulation controller, a future event list that includes a plurality of mining events, related to electrification of a mine site, that are to be simulated;
receiving, at the simulation controller, configuration data that includes a plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment locatable at the mine site;
determining, by the simulation controller and based on the future event list and the configuration data, for a plurality of phases during the electrification of the mine site, respective configurations of work machines and supporting equipment, of the plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment, that meet one or more performance metrics for the mine site; and
during the mining operation, controlling dynamic energy transfer equipment to switch between internal power sources and external power sources for one or more work machines in respective phases, of the plurality of phases, according to the respective configurations of work machines and supporting equipment.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising physically deploying net-zero greenhouse gas producing technologies by changing at least one of models, configurations, or number of hauling machines or loaders at the mine site during the mining operation.
17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising physically deploying net-zero greenhouse gas producing technologies by deploying new assets at the mine site during the mining operation.
18 . A method, comprising:
performing a mining operation by:
receiving, at a simulation controller, a future event list that includes one or more mining events, related to electrification of a mine site, that are to be simulated;
receiving, at the simulation controller, configuration data that includes a plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment locatable at the mine site;
determining, by the simulation controller and based on the future event list and the configuration data, for a first phase of the mining operation during the electrification of the mine site, a first configuration of work machines and supporting equipment, of the plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment, that meets one or more performance metrics for the mine site in the first phase; and
controlling, during the first phase, dynamic energy transfer equipment to switch between internal power sources and external power sources for one or more work machines according to the first configuration of work machines and supporting equipment.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
determining, by the simulation controller and based on the future event list and the configuration data, for a second phase of the mining operation during the electrification of the mine site after the first phase, a second configuration of work machines and supporting equipment, of the plurality of configurations of work machines and supporting equipment, that meets one or more performance metrics for the mine site in the second phase; and
controlling, during the second phase, the dynamic energy transfer equipment to switch between the internal power sources and the external power sources for the one or more work machines according to the second configuration of work machines and supporting equipment.