The Challenge
At a major coal facility, the reclaimer system is critical for maintaining a steady coal feed to downstream operations.
However, ever-changing, massive stockpiles make reclaiming largely blind, leading to air reclaiming and high-speed digging that reduce throughput and accelerate wear.
Opti-Num was engaged to analyse historical reclaimer performance, quantify inefficiencies, and develop a data-driven control algorithm to improve reclaim accuracy. A related opportunity was identified in stockpile modelling, which could enhance material traceability, planning alignment, and production forecasting.
Key challenges included limited control system documentation, complex reclaimer behaviour, and inconsistent data availability for stockpile reconstruction.
The Solution
Opti-Num followed a phased approach to uncover inefficiencies and build a tailored solution for reclaim control optimisation:
- Phase 1 – Baseline Analysis
- Historical reclaimer data (torque, speed, position, slew/travel paths) was processed and visualised in interactive 3Dplots to identify periods of non-productive reclaiming. Metrics such as time spent reclaiming “air” were established and monetised to show improvement potential.
- Phase 2 – Intelligent Control Algorithm
- A simple, adaptive control strategy was developed using torque thresholds to dynamically adjust reclaimer setpoints and avoid non-productive passes.
- Phase 3 – Stockpile Modelling (Proposed Future Work)
- A conceptual model was proposed to track stockpile inputs/outputs using a Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) logic. By reconciling planned vs actual extraction volumes, this approach could support production forecasting and profitability estimation.
The Outcome
The reclaimer optimisation effort delivered clear technical and operational improvements:
- Potential Improved Throughput - If deployed, the Algorithm was shown to significantly reduce ineffective reclaiming, leading to increased throughput.
- Simple, Adaptive Control – Simulation showed that a simple replacement of rigid reclaim logic, with dynamic setpoints aligned to real load conditions would allow better control from operators.
- Operational Transparency – 3D visual tools allowed provided never-before seen insight into reclaimer performance, highlighting inefficiencies.
- Strategic Insight – Stockpile modelling offers a pathway to improved traceability and alignment with mine planning, with clear financial implications.
- Scalable Framework – The analysis and algorithm can be adapted to other reclaimer configurations or sites facing similar inefficiencies.
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