Distribution of the main operational costs due to the size of the loading and haulage fleet: Brazilian reality

Abstract

Throughout the history of mining, the increase in the size of trucks and excavators allowed the mining of materials located in areas farther away from the dumping points at a reduced cost. Therefore, in pre-feasibility studies, it is possible to carry out several simulations, considering a production target to be reached and the use of trucks with capacities from 30 to 500 tonnes for the operation phase of a mine. In this study, a production target was set and for each of the fleet size considered, the main operational costs of loading and haulage materials were estimated, such as machine operators cost, diesel consumption and tire replacement. The results showed that the increase in the volumetric capacity of excavation or haulage fleet does not necessarily imply reduction of operational costs. Moreover, it can be concluded that labour costs are more significant for small fleets (up to 100 tonnes) than for large ones (more than 100 tonnes) in Brazil, showing that the automation of these small fleets may be an economical alternative in the future.