01 / Definitions
Stockpile definitions
Set the quality ranges that decide which material goes to which stockpile, for example by ash, head grade or Cu:S ratio, so the plant always has useful blending material.
Customer case study · Coal · Stockpiles
Stockpile Optimisation Software for Mining
BlendOpt is a configurable optimisation platform for mining value chains. Configured for stockpile optimisation, it decides how ore and coal should be split into stockpiles, how big each stockpile needs to be, and when to stack and reclaim from each one, so plant feed and products hit their quality targets at the lowest rehandle cost.
Customer resultCoal ROM stockpile strategy
Powered by BlendOpt
Outcome
+$24M a year
Improvement in 12-month forecast revenue after the client implemented new stockpile definitions and a moderate capacity change.
CapacityModerate change
DefinitionsSeveral changes
Forecast horizon12 months
Coal · ROM stockpilesCase study below
What BlendOpt optimises
What BlendOpt optimises in your stockpiles
Taking the mine schedule as an input, stockpiles are optimised together with the processing plant and sales across the whole planning horizon, not one period at a time.
02 / Capacity
Stockpile capacity and sizing
Work out how large each ROM and product stockpile needs to be, weighed against rehandle cost, space and haulage.
03 / Scheduling
Stacking and reclaim scheduling
Decide what to stack, what to reclaim and when, across the whole schedule, instead of solving one day or one month in isolation.
04 / Blending
Blending from stockpiles
Combine stockpiled and direct-feed material to keep plant feed and product quality consistent, even when the mining schedule cannot change.
05 / Degradation
Material degradation
Limit how long oxidising or fluidity-sensitive material sits on the ground, and account for stockpile age in every blend.
06 / Long term
Long-term and low-grade stockpiles
Decide which material to hold for later processing or future markets, and value that decision in NPV rather than this month’s tonnes.
Customer results
Stockpile optimisation results
Results BlendOpt customers have measured from better stockpile definitions, capacities and reclaim, in coal and copper.
+$24M / yr
forecast revenue from new stockpile definitions and a moderate capacity change
Read the case study below →
Cu:S 0.4 → 0.03
mill feed variability after new ROM stockpile definitions and optimised reclaim
Copper mine-to-mill case study →
35% → <5%
coal specification violations from optimised stockpiling and CHPP strategy
Coal quality consistency case study →
The whole value chain
Stockpiles in the context of the whole value chain
A stockpile decision changes what the plant is fed, what products can be made and what they are worth.
BlendOpt takes the mine schedule as an input and models every stockpile, the processing plant, logistics and sales contracts together, so a change to one stockpile is valued by its effect on the whole operation. See how this works for coal blending, gold mill feed, lithium stockpiles and integrated mine planning and scheduling, or how BlendOpt is configured for metals mine-to-mill optimisation.
Stockpiles in the chainEvery stockpile, valued.
BlendOpt model
- Mine planROM input
- Stocksdefinitions & size
- Plantfeed quality
- Logisticsrail, road & port
- Marketproducts & contracts
Optimisation objective
Blending flexibility that pays
Extra stockpiling is weighed against rehandle cost, space and degradation, and only recommended where it adds value to the whole operation.
Customer case study · Coal
Case study
ROM stockpile strategy
$24M a year from new stockpile definitions
A coal operation used BlendOpt to test its ROM stockpile capacities and definitions, then implemented the recommended changes.
- +$24Mforecast revenue a year
- Moderatecapacity change
- Severaldefinition changes
Before BlendOpt
See the value unlocked →
Value given away
The mine was often forced to sell products that exceeded their quality requirements, with few options to change the mining schedule.
Full case study
PDF
Download the case studyStockpile optimisation (PDF)
The challenge, solution and value unlocked for a coal mine’s stockpile strategy, as a PDF.
Recommendation 01
Modified stockpile capacity
A moderate change in ROM stockpile capacity, weighed against rehandle costs.
Recommendation 02
New stockpile definitions
Several changes to the rules that decide which material goes to which stockpile.
01
The challenge
The mine wanted to know whether changing its ROM stockpile capacities would lift its margin. It was often forced to sell products that exceeded their quality requirements, giving away value, and it had few options to change the mining schedule.
Site technical services believed that stockpiling selected materials might help. They wanted to understand:
- how large the stockpile capacity needed to be, and
- whether changing the stockpile definitions would add value.
Any extra stockpiling had to be weighed against rehandle costs, and some materials could not be stockpiled for long because their quality degraded quickly through oxidation and loss of fluidity.
02
The solution
BlendOpt was used to run a range of scenarios comparing stockpile capacities and definitions under different value-chain conditions, weighing the value of extra blending flexibility against rehandle costs and the limits on how long material could stay on the ground.
03
The value unlocked
Acting on BlendOpt’s recommendations, the client implemented a moderate change in stockpile capacity along with several changes to its stockpile definitions, improving its 12-month forecast revenue by $24M a year.
FAQ
Stockpile optimisation FAQ
How stockpile definitions, capacity, stacking and reclaim change what an operation can blend and sell.
What is stockpile optimisation?
Stockpile optimisation is deciding how mined material is divided between stockpiles, how large those stockpiles are, and when material is stacked and reclaimed, so the operation gets the most value from its ore or coal. Done well, it smooths plant feed, reduces off-spec product and creates blending options that the mine schedule alone cannot.
What are stockpile definitions?
Stockpile definitions are the rules that decide which material goes to which stockpile, usually quality ranges such as ash, grade or a ratio like Cu:S. Changing them changes what can be blended later. In one coal operation, new definitions plus a moderate capacity change added $24M a year in forecast revenue.
Does more stockpiling always add value?
No. Stockpiling costs money in rehandle and space, and some material degrades on the ground through oxidation or loss of fluidity. BlendOpt weighs those costs against the value of the extra blending flexibility and only recommends stockpiling where it pays.
Can stockpiles be optimised without changing the mine schedule?
Yes. BlendOpt takes the mine schedule as an input, and many operations have little freedom in the mining sequence anyway. In the coal consistency case study the mining schedule was fixed, and optimised stockpiling and CHPP strategies alone cut specification violations from about 35% to under 5%.
Which commodities does BlendOpt support for stockpile optimisation?
BlendOpt is used for coal, copper, gold, lithium, manganese and mineral sands, and any operation where material quality varies and has to be blended to a target.