Implementing SIC at an Underground Operation

Nevada Gold Mines, Carlin Underground, Nevada, USA

Overview

The project undertaken at Nevada Gold Mines’ (NGM) Leeville and Portals mines serves as an example of how to harness rich fleet management system data for underground short interval control (SIC). Situated in the Carlin trend of Nevada, these operations are notable for their high level of technological adoption, including the extensive use of Caterpillar’s MineStar Command for autonomous hauling. 

MTS was tasked with enhancing the utility of the site’s Micromine Pitram data. Pitram, acting as the primary Fleet Management System (FMS), captures a continuous stream of data regarding equipment movements, task statuses, and production tonnages. The primary objective was to transform this raw data into a set of visualisation tools designed for Short Interval Control (SIC).

What is Short Interval Control?

Short Interval Control is a management framework focused on breaking down a shift into smaller, manageable blocks—typically one to two hours although for operations with much more real time data, this can be less. By monitoring performance at these frequent intervals, supervisors can identify variances from the plan in real-time and take corrective action before a shift is lost. Without this visibility, a site often remains in a reactive mode, only discovering production shortfalls during the end-of-shift report.

Solution

MTS harnessed the site’s Pitram data alongside planning information to build a comprehensive dashboard suite in Power BI for short interval control. The solution prioritised three specific areas of the operation:

1. Asset Status and Location: In underground mining, physical visibility of the fleet is limited. MTS developed tools to provide a clear, real-time overview of where key assets were located and their current operational state (e.g., loading, hauling, or experiencing mechanical downtime). This reduced the time spent by supervisors trying to locate equipment and allowed for more dynamic re-assignment of machinery to priority headings.

2. Material Flow and Inventory: The project addressed the tracking of material types through the mine’s internal logistics chain, specifically ore passes and muck bays. Maintaining accurate data on these levels is essential for preventing bottlenecks. By visualizing the flow of ore versus waste, the site could ensure that the processing plant received a consistent feed and that ore passes were neither overfilled nor left empty, which would disrupt the haulage cycle.

3. Heading Development vs. Plan: Mining operations rely on a strict sequence of development to ensure future production. By comparing actual development progress against the mine plan within the SIC tools, the management team could identify specific headings that were lagging. This allowed for the reallocation of resources to critical path activities, ensuring that the mine stayed on schedule for its long-term production targets.

By focusing on data visibility and structured dashboards (mobile and desktop), the project enabled the Leeville and Portals operations to move toward a more proactive management style. The resulting tools provided a bridge between the high-level mine plan and the granular, minute-by-minute activities of the underground workforce.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How can Micromine Pitram data be used for short interval control underground?

  At two Nevada Gold Mines operations, Leeville and Portals, MTS combined Pitram fleet management data with planning information to build a Power BI dashboard suite for short interval control. Pitram already captured equipment movements, task statuses and production tonnages. The mobile and desktop dashboards turned that stream into views supervisors could act on during the shift, not after it.

• How do supervisors track equipment location underground without line of sight?

  Fleet visibility is limited underground, so MTS built Pitram-based views showing where key assets were and what state they were in: loading, hauling or down for mechanical reasons. Supervisors spent less time searching for equipment and could reassign machines to priority headings mid-shift, instead of waiting for radio calls or the next shift change.

• How can ore pass and muck bay levels be monitored with FMS data?

  The short interval control tools tracked material types through ore passes and muck bays, showing ore and waste flow separately. That matters because an overfilled or empty ore pass disrupts the haulage cycle. With levels visible during the shift, the site could keep ore passes balanced and send a more consistent feed to the processing plant.