The use of animation in the simulation of coalmine production systems

The use of an essentially discrete-event simulation languages has been shown to effectively simulate the behaviour of a coal transportation system in a mine which has continuous characteristics. The technique of representing coal flow as a series of entities enables the use of high quality animation to be included in the simulation which improves the display at the human/computer interface. The results of this preliminary study provide the necessary stimulus to continue the work to include aspects of real-time operation and the analysis of several spatially distributed control stations. In addition, the authors propose to explore the use of simulation as an aid to management decision-making with respect to mine planning and plant sizing. Finally, the inclusion of feedback in the simulation to effect control is an interesting development in a manufacturing process and offers considerable potential for further study. The authors envisage an extension of current animation of the process to include a visual perspective of the feedback control structures which are at present hidden