Abstract:
Brief introduction to the problem. The paper examines the influence
of varying operation parameters such as equipment heterogeneity, payload,
and travel times, on unit emissions and unit costs in earthmoving
and like operations. The need to minimise cost and maximise production
of earthmoving and like operations has led to such operations being
heavily scrutinised. With environmental issues becoming more important,
there is now a need to additionally scrutinise and minimise emissions.
Cycle times and production were measured in a cut-and-fill case
study operation; average fuel burn data are converted to idling and nonidling
emission fractions; and queuing theory is used for the theoretical
evaluation of production for varying operation parameters. It is demonstrated
that the optimum fleet sizes in terms of minimum unit costs and
minimum unit emissions coincide in earthmoving operations. The result
is independent of any specific operational parameters. The paper concludes
that the traditional way of undertaking earthmoving operations,
namely configuring to give minimum unit costs, will also result in minimum
unit emissions. And that configuring differently to that will lead to
unnecessary emissions. The result carries over to quarrying and surface
mining operations.
Keywords:
Earthmoving; Optimal
cost and emissions;
Production; Quarrying;
Surface mining
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