Discrete Simulation and Animation for Mining Engineers

John R. Sturgul holds a BS in mining engineering (with honors) from Michigan Technological University, Houghton, USA; an MS in mathematics from the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA; and a Ph.D in mining engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. He also holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Petrosani, Romania. Recognized as the world’s leading authority on the application of discrete system simulation to mines, Dr. Sturgul is currently a professor of mining engineering at the University of Adelaide, Australia. He has been actively engaged in mine simulation and animation for more than 30 years. His work in this field has taken him to more than 60 countries and earned him numerous awards in Chile, Romania, the United States, Spain, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, Greece, and Australia, where he received the Ray Page Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Simulation Society. His model of the Lihir gold mine, located on an island northeast of Papua New Guinea, was the first example of a mine initially designed using a simulation model. He published the first textbook on the subject in 2000, and now this new textbook explains the details of constructing such models.

• What is PROOF Animation? Drawing a Layout. More on Layouts I. More on Layouts II. Some PROOF Icons. More PROOF Icons. Introduction to the GPSS/H Simulation Language. The GENERATER Block and Transactions. ADVANCE and TRANSFER Blocks. Making.ATF files. QUEUE/DEPART Blocks. SEIZE/RELEASE Blocks. Arithmetic in GPSS/H. ENTER/LEAVE Blocks. Other forms of the TRANSFER Block. The TEST Block. Standard Numerical Attributes (SNAs). FUNCTIONS. PARAMETERS. More on Parameters. TABLEs. LOGIC Switches and the GATE Block. Misc. Statements. The SELECT and COUNT Blocks. Variables and Expressions. The BUFFER Block. The ASSEMBLY Block. MATCH, GATHER and PREEMPT Block. MACROs. A Few More PROOF Icons. SAVEVALUES.

"… essential reading for those mining companies thinking of improving, innovating and generally increasing their production – or at least finding where the bottlenecks are. … very detailed and lays out the methodology for developing solutions to typical mining problems – truck/shovel interactions, truck haul cycles, queuing at dumps/hoppers/shovels – the bread and butter of cost reduction in mining."—Shane Bennett, PT Kaltim Prima CoalThe book has the perfectly recognizable "Sturgul style". … very well written book, specially entertaining and educational, but complete and professional at the same time. Anyone who wants to learn about simulation in mining should read this book. It is fantastic for students, but professional mining engineers at work will also find "precious ore" in the book to solve their real life problems."—Marcelino Cortina, COO at Treelogic (Spain)"… an interesting book to introduce new users in the computer simulation word. It clearly states the benefits of computer simulation and how it helps to answer questions about how different parameters values or small/big changes in the system can affect the final performance."—Veronica Gil-Costa, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina"Easy to read and understand. … presented in the style that Dr. Sturgul would use in any of his Mining classes. … step-by-step instructions are easy to follow."—Allen Cooper"… aimed at giving the reader profound insights into the simulation of discrete mining systems. Having many years of experience, Sturgul uses an entertaining and interactive approach to teaching simulation. Readers will enjoy solving real-life problems using the knowledge gained from reading this book."—Vladimir Borissenko, Commissioning Process Engineer, Bozshakol Mine, KAZ Minerals PLC"Highly applicable in the real world, very descriptive, easy to follow, and peaks the interest of the user yielding a double benefit. With this book the student is likely to both become interested in the industrial mining process while at the same time learn about it. … an excellent tool to get students to understand and apply simulation in the mining process."—Mario Candia, Independent Consultant for Mining and Soil Mechanics"… knowledge worthy for all mining industry students and professionals. The presentation is flawless and exhaustive for both students, beginners, and practitioners of mining simulation and has a place in the history of cutting edge mining applications."—Paul Appiah"I would recommend current and future mining engineering students to read the book and try out the exercises, even if your university does not have a dedicated course on the subject. These skills will only enhance your presentations and skills base. For more experienced engineers, these tools can be a great help, even at later stages within a mineral industry career."—The AusIMM Bulletin Magazine, June 2016