Reference no: EM132658373

Question 1: Maintenance costs for a new piece of mining equipment are expected to be $20,000 in the first year, rising by $2,500 per year thereafter. The machine has an expected life of 10 years and interest is 5% annually. To evaluate bids from outside firms for a maintenance contract you need to know the present value of these costs. What is this value?

Question 2: What is meant by the term cash flow? For the table below determine the yearly cash flows and the total cash flow. If a discounting rate of 8% is used what is the Net Present Value?

Question 3: A coal stripping company currently operates three dozers for reclamation work. To reduce costs three alternatives are being considered for the future: rebuild the present equipment, purchase new dozers and employ a contractor. Details of the alternatives are given below:

If interest is 5% annually, which alternative should be selected?

Question 4. A Truck is purchased for $200,000 and is planned to have an operating life of 8 years working 5,000 hours per year. What is the hourly owning cost of this machine, assuming the company requires a 12% return on investment, using

a) The average investment method
b) The equivalent lease cost method

Question 5. A system of mining requires 3 operators at any one time. The mine operates on a three shift basis per day, 6 days per week. Allowing for availability the mining system operates 5,000 hours per year. Each worker costs $105,000 per year. Assuming all personnel are required on service shifts, an absenteeism rate of 5%, determine the hourly cost of labour.

Question 6. Undertake both a declining balance and straight-line depreciation of an item of capital expenditure of $10 million. The declining balance depreciation rate is 30%, effective tax rate is 40%, cost of capital is 10% and straight-line depreciation rate is 20%.

Question 7. The table below details three possible alternatives to replace existing machinery. The life of each alternative is 5 years. Assuming the cost of capital is 10%, depreciation for tax purposes of capital expenditure is allowable at 30% on a declining balance basis and the effective tax rate is 45%. Determine the preferred alternative.

Question 8. An item of equipment is to be purchased for $950,000. The anticipated operating costs, maintenance costs and salvage values for each year are detailed in the table overleaf. Determine the economic life of the equipment. It may be assumed that the cost of capital is 10%, depreciation for tax purposes of capital expenditure is allowable at 30% on a declining balance basis and the effective tax rate is 50%.

Question 9. A truck powered by a diesel engine working at a 100% load factor is operated at a mine. If fuel consumption for this truck is 0.3 l/kW and the truck is rated at 1,600 kW what is the level of fuel consumption per hour and the cost of fuel per hour for the following conditions:

a) Load factor low = 0.2
b) Load factor medium = 0.35
c) Load factor high = 0.6 Assume cost of diesel is $ 1.20 /l.

Question 10. A large rear dump truck working in a coal mining operation under good conditions has a current purchase price of $ 600,000, including $ 80,000 for the initial cost of six tyres. What is the net capital cost?

If the repair factor is 0.25 x 10-4 and for good conditions the job factor is 0.8, determine the estimated repair cost per operating hour?

If major overhaul costs are estimated at 15% of the net capital cost and this occurs every 20,000 hours determine the major overhaul cost per operating hour?

If maintenance labour costs are $50/ person hour, a single maintenance person is required and the maintenance labour requirement is estimated at
0.8 person hours per operating hour determine the maintenance labour cost?

Determine the total maintenance cost?

Question 11. An excavator has a purchase price of $1,200,000, has a rating of 1,900 kW, an estimated life of 10 years an annual operating usage of 4,000 hours. A return on investment of 10% is required. For the following conditions determine the owning cost, total operating and total cost per operating hour for the excavator.

a) Fuel cost $1.20/l, load factor 0.5, fuel consumption of 0.3 l/kW per hour
b) Lubrication @ 25% of fuel cost
c) Wear cost allowance = $ 19.75 per hour
d) Repair factor of 0.25 x 10-4, job factor of 1
e) Major overhaul every 10,000 hours, at 15% of capital cost
f) Maintenance labour costed on maintenance ratio of 1.25 hours/operating hour, personnel costing $45,000/ person year. Single operator required per shift, 3 shifts per day at an operator cost of
$98,000 per person year

Question 12. For the project outlined in the Table determine the Net Present Value of the project. The cost of Capital is 8%.

Question 13. Define the following terms:
a. CAPEX
b. Indirect costs
c. Salvage value
d. OPEX
e. Balance sheet
f. Debt: equity ratio
g. Discount rate
h. Inflation
i. Internal rate of return
j. Net present value
k. Opportunity cost

Question 14. Three fans are to be installed at a mine site; one immediately at a price of $560,000, one in five years at an estimated cost of $610,000 and the third in eight years at a cost of $680,000. Determine the total expenditure as a present value if the annual interest rate is 6%.

Question 15. Electrical power costs at a mine are estimated to be $850,000 in each of the next 12 years. Determine the present value of this expenditure at an interest rate of 12%.

Question 16. Tenders received from manufacturers indicate that a fan priced at $150,000 will cost $220,000 per year to run, whilst a fan costing $265,000 will require $190,000 per year in operating costs. If the costing period is five years with an annual interest rate of 10%, determine which fan is the most economical.

Question 17. A mine shaft is to be sunk at a cost of $200 million. The life of the shaft is estimated to be 25 years during which time the average planned rate of mineral production is
million tonnes per year. If the annual interest rate is 6%, determine
i. The equivalent annual cost of the shaft in $ per year
ii. Corresponding production cost in $ per tonne mined

Question 18. An underground airway is driven at a capital cost of $1.15 million. In its eight year life it is planned to pass an airflow of 1080 m3/s at a frictional pressure drop of 720 Pa. The main fans operate at an efficiency of 87%. The annual interest rate is 7% and the average cost of power is $1.25 per kWh, determine the annual cost of owning and operating the airway. (Hint air power = pressure x air quantity)

Question 19. How can inflation and risk factor be accounted in a standard discounted cash flow analysis?