01 / Blending
Mill feed blending
Blend by head grade, arsenic, sulphur, talc, hardness and abrasion to keep mill feed stable within the day and across the schedule.
Gold · Mine to mill
Gold Mining Software: Mine-to-Mill Optimiser
Optimise gold recovery through mill feed blending, processing and stockpiles. BlendOpt is a configurable optimisation platform for mining value chains. Used as gold mining software, it optimises the mine-to-mill chain: which ore is crushed directly and which is stockpiled, how ROM stockpiles are reclaimed, and how the crusher and mill are fed, to maximise recovered ounces while respecting grade, arsenic, hardness and capacity constraints.
Configured for goldMine-to-mill model
Powered by BlendOpt
- ROMmine schedule
- StocksROM reclaim
- Crushercapacity & outages
- Millfeed blend
- Goldrecovered oz
Customer result
Excel → digital twin
A fragile mill feed spreadsheet replaced by an optimised model of crusher, mill, stockpiles and recovery.
Recovery calcs30+
Mill feedDaily schedules
CircuitsHIG, flotation, CIL
BlendOpt customer resultParadyn Systems
What BlendOpt optimises
What BlendOpt optimises in a gold operation
Starting from your mine schedule, BlendOpt decides how ore is stockpiled, blended, crushed and milled to recover the most gold.
02 / Process
Recovery and throughput models
Use your own recovery, throughput and cost formulas, including HIG, flotation and CIL, written in readable notation rather than buried in spreadsheet cells.
03 / Stockpiles
ROM stockpile management
Classify and reclaim ROM stockpiles by grade and deleterious elements, including operations with very little inventory capacity.
04 / Scheduling
Crusher and mill scheduling
Build crusher and mill feed schedules that respect planned outages and equipment capacities.
05 / Scenarios
Scenario testing
Quantify the benefit and risk of changes to the operation before committing to them.
06 / Uncertainty
Planning under ore variability
Plan with predicted or historical variability in ore properties, not just average grades.
Customer results
Gold mine-to-mill results
From a gold miner that moved its mill feed planning out of a spreadsheet and into BlendOpt. Each result links to the gold mill feed scheduling case study.
Excel → digital twin
a fragile mill feed spreadsheet replaced by an optimised model of crusher, mill, stockpiles and recovery
Gold mill feed scheduling case study →
30+ recovery calculations
moved into maintainable, human-readable models that planners trust
Gold mill feed scheduling optimisation →
Daily mill feed schedules
optimised against grade constraints and crusher and mill capacity
Read the gold mill feed case study →
Configured for gold
BlendOpt for gold mining and processing
The BlendOpt solution has been engineered to manage the complexity of the gold mine-to-mill value-chain and can support decision making in the following areas.
- 01Highly flexible recovery, throughput and cost modelsCalculations that optimise profits and take into consideration head grade, arsenic, abrasion, hardness, sulphur and other properties.
- 02Scenario testingQuantify the benefits and risks associated with hypothetical changes to the operation.
- 03Planning under uncertaintyFactor uncertainty in directly, using either predictive or historical data on the variability of physical and chemical material properties.
- 04Stable intra-day feed blendsImprove the stability of intra-day feed blends, with benefits to concentrate grade and total recovery.
- 05Small inventory capacityOptimise under small inventory capacity conditions.
BlendOpt configured for goldMine-to-mill model
- InputsMine schedule
Starts from the schedule produced by your planning tools.
- Ore propertiesGrade & deleterious elements
Head grade, arsenic, sulphur, talc, hardness and abrasion.
- InventoryROM stockpiles
Classified and reclaimed by grade and deleterious elements.
- EquipmentCrusher & mill
Capacities and planned outages.
- ProcessRecovery & throughput
Your own models, including HIG milling, flotation and CIL.
- OptimisationMost recovered ounces
Or profit, within grade, deleterious element and capacity limits.
Collaborative mathematical optimisationParadyn IP
Integrated planning for gold
Gold mine-to-mill planning in depth
To remain competitive, respond quickly to changes in market conditions, and maximise revenue outcomes it is important to consider a holistic strategy for value creation as well as improve the coordination of operations planning across the mining value-chain. The BlendOpt software application collaborates with you by utilising your expert knowledge and decision making with mathematical optimisation in order to find ideal plans and schedules for your gold operation.
Plans for mining, grinding, and processing are difficult to align with recovery and NPV objectives if each planning activity is developed separately instead of holistically. In practice, value-chain optimisation is only achievable through integrated planning. By integrated planning, we mean coordinated planning of processing, inventory, logistics, maintenance and sales decisions, starting from the mine plan. While the importance of integrated planning is recognised, its execution is difficult without the right tools to support this process.
BlendOpt is the first mathematical optimisation software tool that supports gold mine to mill integrated planning. Starting with a mine schedule, the BlendOpt Collaborative Mathematical Optimiser (CMO) discovers strategies for how ore should be blended, milled and processed, maximising recovery and throughput while managing costs. Mathematically optimised plans are created using algorithms that test thousands of possible plans in search of the highest profit from the data provided.
Previous mine value-chain optimisation software has historically been unable to accurately model the problem and did not contain algorithmic techniques that could solve the problem in a timely fashion or address the multitude of mining value-chain constraints. In addition, any results generated were difficult to analyse, thereby limiting what insights could be gained to inform practical improvements to business strategy, or tactical and operational decision making.
If you’d like to learn more, read our gold mill feed scheduling case study, where BlendOpt was used by a gold miner to optimise their planning processes.
PDF Download the articleOptimise gold recovery through mill feed blending, processing and stock inventories (PDF)
FAQ
Gold mining software FAQ
Where BlendOpt, configured for gold, fits among your mining software, and what it models.
What does gold mining software do?
Gold mining software covers geological modelling, mine design and scheduling, fleet management, and mine-to-mill optimisation. BlendOpt covers mine-to-mill optimisation: configured for gold, it starts from your mine schedule and decides how ore is stockpiled, blended, crushed and milled to recover the most gold.
What is a gold mill feed optimiser?
A mill feed optimiser chooses the blend of ore sent to the mill in each period to maximise recovered ounces or profit, within grade, deleterious element and capacity limits. BlendOpt optimises every period together, so today's blend does not leave tomorrow short of good feed.
Can BlendOpt replace our Excel mill feed planning spreadsheet?
Yes. In the gold mine-to-mill case study, a spreadsheet with more than 30 recovery calculations that produced infeasible stockpile plans was replaced by a BlendOpt model of the crusher, mill, stockpiles and recovery.
Which gold processing routes can BlendOpt model?
Recovery, throughput and cost models are configurable, so BlendOpt can represent your circuit. Existing gold models include HIG milling, flotation and CIL.
Does BlendOpt use our existing mine schedule?
Yes. BlendOpt starts from the mine schedule produced by your planning tools and optimises the downstream stockpiling, blending and processing decisions.