Titan 3330™ Pass Matching

The Challenge

An existing customer, operating the Titan 3330 Load Haul Optimization system in Central Queensland, had observed continuous production improvements for the initial six months after installation. After that point, production rates appeared to plateau, creating a challenge for both the CR Digital Analysis and Improvement (A&I) team and the miner to drive further advances. The challenge was defined to understand the bottlenecks within the load haul circuit and execute a plan to increase production to new levels

The Solution

CR Digital’s A&I Team worked with the miner to unleash the full benefits of the data collected by the industry-leading Titan 3330 Load Haul Optimization system installed on their CAT 6040 backhoe. The solution developed focused on two key elements of the production circuit, simplifying the project and enabling the site to easily control allocated resources.

A Pass Matching analysis was completed using Titan 3330 data on the Orion Data Analytics platform. Outcomes of that analysis indicated that operators were preferencing 5 to 6 bucket passes, where the 6th pass was statistically a partial bucket. Partial bucket passes typically extend truck fill times while underutilizing the capacity of the bucket, resulting in an overall decrease in production rate. Pass Matching data and insights were discussed with site trainers to build a mentoring program that would optimize loading practices.

Truck loading data from the first 6 months of operation, accurately acquired by the Titan 3330 system, was analyzed using the Orion Data Analytics results indicated that a significant portion of trucks were not loaded to full capacity before leaving the dig unit, leaving critical tonnes of material in the bench. Combining this observation with the Pass Match analysis conducted, an operator mentoring program was put in place to maximize the payload of each truck. Ultimately this program reduced the number of underloaded trucks per shift and further boosted production.