Application of ARENA simulation system to compare truck-shovel operation in dispatching and non-dispatching modes

摘要

Truck-shovel operation is a popular material handling system in surface mines because of its flexibility for large volume earth moving. In a typical mining operation, trucks are assigned to a shovel in either dispatching or non-dispatching mode. This paper describes truck-shovel system using ARENA simulation system. Using the concept of "Expected Delay Time" to minimise the waiting times of trucks, the simulation results show a clear improvement in the mine productivity with a dispatcher, especially when the truck fleet size is around the optimum value.