Australia-based schedule firm Orelogy Consult’s Evorelution scheduling software has been used to save unnecessary capital expenditure for iron-ore specialist Polaris Metals.

Polaris commissioned Orelogy to undertake a scheduling study, using Evorelution to develop optimal haulage routes in relation to waste dump optimisation. Polaris’s Carina iron-ore project is part of Mineral Resources’ business portfolio.

The scheduling of the Polaris Carina iron-ore project started in May and was completed in June, which also included recommendations made by the software.

“Before using Evorelution this year, we were under the impression that we would require a fleet of 16 trucks and four diggers to achieve our production targets for the next 12 months,” explains Polaris technical services superintendent Craig Harris.

However, Evorelution indicated that the project needed only 13 trucks and three diggers.

The software is a fully featured openpit scheduling solution that delivers practical, high-value schedules throughout the life cycle of a mine. It enables clients to make efficient decisions regarding scheduling, while reducing costs and increasing resource use, says Orelogy.

“It is capable of handling a lot more vari-ables and parameters in a much shorter time than traditional scheduling software,” adds Harris.

“Our easy-to-use software puts planning back in an engineer’s hands. After just a few days of training, employees will begin to enjoy using our cloud-based service. “The advanced algorithms of Evorelution will make the complicated calculations,” Orelogy tells Mining Weekly.

The software provides information about the viability of the project and also provides data relating to ways in which the company could reduce costs.

Generating multiple schedules from a single simulation run, Evorelution uses a single dataset to schedule across the planning horizon and this helps ensure the consistency of tons and grade throughout the mine life, according to the company.

“This is a great example of what Evorelution can do,” says Orelogy Consult MD Steve Craig.

“We were able to deliver the clarity that our client was looking for while providing short-term and life-of-mine planning using the same data set . . . it was quite a good result,” he adds.

The software is currently being used on African projects for mining companies such as Swakop Uranium, PMI Gold, Equatorial Resources, Peak Resources and Endeavour Resources, says Craig.

“Orelogy Consult is using Evorelution to undertake scheduling on several projects in Namibia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and the Republic of Congo,” he adds.

Orelogy has completed a couple of these projects, which include bankable feasibility study scheduling work for the Husab uranium project, in Namibia, and the Obotan gold project, in Ghana.

Evorelution’s integrated approach can also create better haulage routes, allowing a client to create a solid base line for contract haulage negotiations.

Harris says the Orelogy team is engaging and proactive in keeping their clients informed on the progress of their projects.