Twin Metals Minnesota

Stockpile Facility Analysis Using Dynamic Simulation

Twin Metals Minnesota (TMM) partnered with MOSIMTEC simulation to answer vital questions about its Coarse Ore Stockpile (COS) and validate a major project.

This specific simulation was focused on stockpile facility sizing for TMM’s underground mining project pre-feasibility study. TMM aimed to reduce its project footprint and infrastructure height as much as possible while still maintaining target production throughput.

MOSIMTEC created a simulation of TMM’s ore flow system from crushers underground to the COS. The simulation model included a Temporary Rock Storage Facility (TRSF) and mill processing unit.

The design that MOSIMTEC wanted to test would be feasible with different operations:

• Active mining areas and a variable instantaneous underground production rate
• Conveyor reliability and availability rates
• Transfer rate from TRSF to COS, via Front-End Loader (FEL)
• Processing rate of the Production Mill
• System downtimes and schedule shifts

Through this simulation model, MOSIMTEC was able to verify that the underground system and surface stockpile facility parameters were capable of maintaining planned mill throughput, while reducing its project footprint.

“The simulation analysis provides TMM the analytic results to confidently move ahead with its design,” commented Glenn Barr, Director of Engineering at TMM.

The simulation model supported a path forward that provides a design criteria that is technically defensible, environmentally conscious, and minimizes cost to save potentially millions of dollars in capital expenditure.