Efficient and Repeatable Grade Control

One of the most common requests we receive is for assistance with grade control using GEOVIA Surpac or GEMS software.

Ensuring the processes that define grade control are efficient and repeatable is essential to driving an operation’s productivity. Since every site defines grade control differently through tasks and processes specific to that operation, there is no one correct way of implementing and performing these processes. Our team of mining professionals have collaborated with Surpac and GEMS clients all over the world to ensure they are working with a grade control framework that provides a clear understanding of grade variations, and allows for improved decision making to drive profitability.

Benefits of Better Grade Control

• Minimized dilution and maximized ore extraction
• Improved reconciliation between predicted and actual production
• Establishment of consistency of procedures and continuity of knowledge
• Increased collaboration between geology, planning and production
• Automation results in significant time savings

New and improved grade control procedures can be implemented at any stage in the lifecycle of a mine, whether it’s replacing a homegrown system, setting up a new area of the operation, or when you are about to start mining. Recently, our services team upgraded the grade control processes for an iron ore client. Our experts analyzed the client’s current grade control workflows, and then set up grade control polygon layers and workspaces. Where the operation had previously performed manual calculations for grade control, they could now use a short-term block model for grade calculation, vastly improving accuracy and efficiency.

Dynamic Shells in Surpac or GEMS can be used as part of any grade control workflow as it allows the geologist to create 3D grade contours within any domain for any cut-off and for any element. In addition, it can return solid or surface models to Surpac for use as 3D constraints in the block modeling system. The advantage of using Dynamic Shells is that experimental models can be created very quickly without requiring time-consuming manual techniques. Deleterious element grade shells can be superimposed over the commodity grade shells with ease, further permitting the optimization of the grade control process.

For more information, view our brochure on Grade Control. For project assistance in data interpretation, resource and block modeling, plotting or definition and updating of dig plans, contact us at GEOVIA.Services@3ds.com today.