Importing the Block Model

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Block Model File

To import the block model, select the option New Project on the left panel of MiningMath (Figure 1).

Afterwards, the file name input field is shown in red, indicating a mandatory field. (Figure 2) Browse for and select the CSV formatted file. Press Next to advance.

Project Naming

In the next window, shown in Figure 3, the Model Name must be entered.

Optionally, the destination folder (Model Folder) can be changed as well as the Scenario Name, and a Scenario Description can be added.

File Access Permissions

Read permission is required to import your CSV file, while write permission is necessary for SSMOD file. Ensure that the user or group has appropriate permissions in that folder. For more information on configuring file and folder permissions, please refer to the relevant section in the Windows documentation or contact your system administrator.

Decimal separator

MiningMath does not recognize CSV’s using semicolon (;) as a decimal separator. To change it on Windows, go to:

'Control Panel' > 'Clock, Language, and Region' > 'Region' > 'Change date, time, or number formats' > 'Additional Settings'

Next, change the List Separator to the comma sign (,). Press OK and OK. Finally, you will need to change the separator on the CSV. On Excel, you will need to open it, convert text to columns, and then save it again.

Imported Fields & Validation

Upon clicking Next, the following window will provide a statistical summary of information for the block model that will be imported (Figure 4).

Check the parameters carefully.

Geo-reference system, Origin, Dimension and Rotation

Upon clicking Next, the CSV file will be imported into MiningMath, and show data related to the block model geo-reference system, that can be only coordinates. The next steps are to place the rotation degrees (Azimuth rotation), origin accordingly with your mining package, and the block dimension as illustrated in Figure 5. The number of blocks is automatically calculated after the origin and dimensions are provided.

The origin of this project was x=3,475, y=6,480, and z=285, and the block dimensions were 30 meters in each coordinate.

Rotated models

MiningMath supports the use of block models that have been rotated using an Azimuth rotation (Figure 5).

The amount of rotation degrees can be passed as depicted in Figure 6.

After importing, you can see the rotated model in the Viewer tab (Figure 7). The detailed steps with mathematical formulations for the rotation procedure can be seen here.

Working with rotated and non-rotated models

If you need to work with more than one pit (multi-mine) in a single project, and you have, for example, one rotated pit and one non-rotated pit, you should follow these steps:

Unrotate the rotated model, converting it into a regular model.
Combine your models into a single block model.
Run your scenarios.
Rotate the results back.

Field Type Assignment

When Next is selected, the following form will appear (Figure 8), showing correlations between the imported CSV file header and the available field types in MiningMath.

You must associate each imported column to one of the options located just above the table, for instance: block coordinates X, Y, and Z to Coord. X, Y, and Z field types. For more details on how you can correlate each column, access this link. You can also keep the original data from your previous Mining Package, by using this approach.

If you do not already have an Economic Value function, when importing your block model, you will be directed to the Scenario tab. Then, click on the Function tab to calculate your Economic Value function in the internal calculator as explained here.

Notes

MiningMath has mandatory variables (columns) to be assigned to the proper Field Type:
1) Coordinates (X, Y, Z).
2) Average
3) Economic Values (at least two)
Validating data screen might be overlooked, but it is very important to validate one's data based on minimums and maximums. Read more.
Each column imported should be assigned to the proper field type in order for MiningMath to treat each variable accordingly. Read more.
Typically, MiningMath recognizes some columns automatically when their headers are similar to the Field Type name. Otherwise, the MiningMath will automatically assign them to the Field Type sum.
To enable the Next button, the user needs to assign each one of the mandatory variables to their respective Field Type.

Grade, Dimension and Origin

After clicking Next, it will demand grade units. As you can see in Figure 10, the copper grade has been defined as a percentage (%), while gold grade was defined as PPM, which stands for parts per million and, in turn, is equivalent to g/ton.

View Your Model and Surfaces

After filling in the required fields, the options View Model and Scenarios will be enabled. Before setting up your first scenario you can view it by clicking in the Viewer and Load scenario. Select all the tooltip options and click in load. This option also allows you to view surfaces created, just place them in the scenario folder before loading and do the first validation.

Warning message

A warning message can appear as no scenario was run before. Just press ok, check your block model and proceed to set up your project.

Evaluate your model

After importing your model, you can view it in the Viewer tab as depicted in Fig. 11-14. This should help you answer questions such as:

Where are the high grades distributed?
Does the process economic values, above zero, match with the regions identified in the last question?
How are waste economic values distributed? Are maximum and minimum values reasonable when you compare them with the process?

MiningMath

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