Open Pit Mine Production Research Articles

A variable neighbourhood descent algorithm for the open-pit mine production scheduling problem with metal uncertainty

Uncertainty is an inherent aspect of the open-pit mine production scheduling problem (MPSP); however, little is reported in the literature about solution methods for the stochastic versions of the problem. In this paper, two variants of a variable neighbourhood descent algorithm are proposed for solving the MPSP with metal uncertainty. The proposed methods are tested and compared on actual large-scale instances, and very good solutions, with an average deviation of less than 3% from optimality, are obtained within a few minutes up to a few hours.

Long term production planning of open pit mines by ant colony optimization

The problem of long-term production planning of open pit mines is a large combinatorial problem. Application of mathematical programming approaches suffer from reduced computational efficiency due to the large amount of decision variables. This paper presents a new metaheuristic approximation approach based on the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) for the solution of the problem of open-pit mine production planning. It is a three-dimensional optimization procedure which has the capability of considering any type of objective function, non-linear constraints and real technical restrictions. The proposed process is programmed and tested through its application on a real scale Copper–Gold deposit. The study revealed that the ACO approach is capable to improve the value of the initial mining schedule regarding the current commercial tools considering penalties and without, in a reasonable computational time. Several variants of ACO were examined to find the most compatible variants and the best parameter ranges. Results indicated that the Max–Min Ant System (MMAS) and the Ant Colony System (ACS) are the best possible variants based on the required less amount of memory. It is also proved that the MMAS is the most explorative variant, while the ACS is the fastest method.

Dangerous and Harmful Factors in the Process of Open-Pit Mine Production and Prevention Countermeasures

All sorts of natural and man-made hazards will be appear in open-pit mining process. this paper analyzes the key factor of safety in production in open-pit mining process. Finally some preventive measures have been given.

A mixed integer linear programming model for short-term open pit mine production scheduling

Short-term production scheduling in open pit mines usually generates a scheme to enable mining operations to deliver the budgeted tonnes and grades to the mill while following the long-term mine plan. The goal of this paper is to develop and test an optimisation model for short-term open pit mine production scheduling. A multidestination mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed, which minimises the overall cost of mining operations including mining, processing, haulage, rehandling and rehabilitation costs. The model is solved by branch-and-cut algorithm using TOMLAB/CPLEX optimiser. The model incorporates buffer and blending stockpiles, horizontal directional mining, and decisions on ramps while controlling technical constraints. A monthly production schedule in an iron ore mine is developed over 12 months to illustrate the practicality of the developed model. Three scenarios with different mining horizontal directions are considered. The scenario with minimum number of drop-cuts is selected as the best practical schedule.

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A diversified Tabu search approach for the open-pit mine production scheduling problem with metal uncertainty

This paper presents a metaheuristic solution approach based on Tabu search for the open-pit mine production scheduling problem with metal uncertainty. To search the feasible domain more extensively, two different diversification strategies are used to generate several initial solutions to be optimized by the Tabu search procedure. The first diversification strategy exploits a long-term memory of the search history. The second one relies on the variable neighborhood search method. Numerical results on realistic large-scale instances are provided to indicate the efficiency of the solution approach to produce very good solutions in relatively short computational times.

A hierarchical open-pit mine production scheduling optimisation model

A hierarchical open-pit mine production scheduling methodology linking the optimal strategic open pit mine plan to the optimal medium-term production schedule is presented. The main objective of this paper is to develop, implement, and verify a mathematical programming framework for the optimal medium-term open-pit mine production scheduling using Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). The objective of the medium-term mine production schedule is to minimise operating costs, including waste rehabilitation, processing, mining, haulage, and rehandling costs. To verify the proposed hierarchical model, an iron ore case study is presented. The results are interpreted and analysed to verify the applicability of the model in terms of mining practice. The main contributions of the medium-term production scheduling optimisation model are: multiple destinations modelling including stockpiles, processing plants, and waste dumps; decision making on selection of routes/ramps to minimise the haulage costs; and modelling stockpiles using MILP.

Large-scale multi-period precedence constrained knapsack problem: A mining application

We study an extension of the precedence constrained knapsack problem where the knapsack can be filled in multiple periods. This problem is known in the mining industry as the open-pit mine production scheduling problem. We present a new algorithm for solving the LP relaxation of this problem and an LP-based heuristic to obtain feasible solutions. Computational experiments show that we can solve real mining instances with millions of items in minutes, obtaining solutions within 6% of optimality.

A strengthened formulation and cutting planes for the open pit mine production scheduling problem

We present an integer programming formulation for the open pit mine production scheduling problem. We strengthen this formulation by adding inequalities derived by combining the precedence and production constraints. The addition of these inequalities decreases the computational requirements to obtain the optimal integer solution, in many cases by a significant margin.

Long-term open pit mine production planning: a review of models and algorithms

Long-term production planning (LTPP) is a large-scale optimization problem that aims to find the block extraction sequence that produces the maximum possible net present value (NPV) whilst satisfying a variety of physical and economical constraints. The economic feasibility of a mine is highly dependent upon careful LTPP. As the mining industries extract deeper and lower grade ores, LTPP is becoming a key item that can result in ceasing operations or continuing the project. Mathematical programming models are well suited to optimizing LTPP of open pit mines. These mathematical models have been studied extensively in the literature since the 1960s. The result of this study shows that there are two approaches for dealing with LTPP problems: (1) deterministic and (2) uncertainty-based approaches. This paper first discusses the deterministic algorithms and then, after an introduction to uncertainty associated with mining projects, reviews uncertainty-based algorithms. The advantages and disadvantages of these algorithms are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.

Implementing a Production Schedule at LKAB?s Kiruna Mine

LKAB's Kiruna Mine, located in northern Sweden, produces about 24 million tons of iron ore yearly using an underground mining method known as sublevel caving. To efficiently run the mills that proc...

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SURFACE MINE PRODUCTION SYSTEM USING PIT SHELL SIMULATOR

Mineral Resources EngineeringVol. 10, No. 02, pp. 185-203 (2001) Technical PapersNo AccessNUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SURFACE MINE PRODUCTION SYSTEM USING PIT SHELL SIMULATORS. FRIMPONG, E. ASA, and R. S. SUGLOS. FRIMPONGSchool of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Search for more papers by this author , E. ASASchool of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Search for more papers by this author , and R. S. SUGLOSchool of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Search for more papers by this author https://doi.org/10.1142/S0950609801000609Cited by:2 PreviousNext AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsRecommend to Library ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail AbstractSurface mine production systems involve complex, multi-faceted and costly sequence of processes that must be planned, designed and evaluated to promote well-conditioned decision processes. Strategic and tactical mine plans are used to provide a long-term production vision and the resource requirements for meeting specific periodic mine and plant capacities. The schedule and sequence of material movement must respond quickly to changing technical, safety and economic constraints within the surface mining environment. Many production planning, scheduling and resource allocation methods are based on simplistic methodologies without rigorous technical and economic basis. These methods fail to consider the random processes governing critical production variables. With increasing demand for efficient schedules for low-cost bulk production requirements, the need for efficient tools is critical. In this study, the authors develop an innovative pit shell simulator to address these problems. Rigorous geometric formulations of the ellipsoidal approximations of the pit shells geometry, their planar expansions and vertical interactions are modeled to mimic material displacement dynamics in an open pit operation. Numerical simulation techniques are used to provide solutions to the time-dependent geometric models in random multivariate states. The pit shell simulator is used to solve the Pine Valley open pit mine production schedule for the first three years of production. The simulator provides the schedule and sequence of all the cuts from various quadrants in the four pit shells within the optimised pit layout. The simulator results show that, in order to maximize the mine value, the mine must produce 304,000, 180,000 and 140,000 tonnes of ore respectively for years 1, 2 and 3. The total materials within this period also include 72,000, 80,000 and 190,000 tonnes of stockpiles and 30,000, 80,000 and 30,000 tonnes of waste materials respectively for years 1, 2 and 3. This results in a maximum NPV of $27,000 at a discount rate of 12 percent over the 3-year duration.Keywords:Surface mine productionshovel excavationkinematics and kineticsdynamic simulatornumerical modeling FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited By 2Advanced Analytics for Surface Mine PlanningJorge Luiz Valença Mariz and Ali Soofastaei23 February 2022Modelling open pit dynamics using discrete simulationH. Askari-Nasab, S. Frimpong and J. Szymanski1 Mar 2007 | International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, Vol. 21, No. 1 Recommended Vol. 10, No. 02 Metrics History KeywordsSurface mine productionshovel excavationkinematics and kineticsdynamic simulatornumerical modelingPDF download

A NEW METHOD OF TRUCK NUMBER CALCULATION FOR SHOVEL-TRUCK SYSTEM

Mineral Resources EngineeringVol. 08, No. 04, pp. 391-404 (1999) No AccessA NEW METHOD OF TRUCK NUMBER CALCULATION FOR SHOVEL-TRUCK SYSTEMJ. M. CZAPLICKIJ. M. CZAPLICKIMining Mechanisation Institute, Silesian Technical University, Akademicka 2, 44-101 Gliwice, Poland Search for more papers by this author https://doi.org/10.1142/S0950609899000360Cited by:2 PreviousNext AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsRecommend to Library ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail AbstractA brand new method of truck number selection with division onto operating trucks and reserve has been considered. All major technical and stochastic properties of the equipment involved and random properties of the exploitation process were taken into account. Some new stochastic phenomena occurring in this process were found and their effects were included. FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited By 2Discrete event simulation to design open-pit mine production policy in the event of snowfallF. Manríquez, N. Morales, G. Pinilla and I. Piñeyro26 September 2018 | International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, Vol. 33, No. 8References10 February 2010 Recommended Vol. 08, No. 04 Metrics History PDF download

The Problem Of Production Planning In Open Pit Mines

The variables in open pit mine production planning interact in a circular fashion, that is, without knowledge of one variable the next variable in the circle cannot be determined. Fixing or assuming the values of one or more variables along this circle will lead to inferior planning. An efficient plan will require simultaneous solution to the variables in the circle. However, such a solution is not easy to obtain due to the complexity and shear size of the problem. During the last three decades, partial solutions have been found using operations research techniques and heuristic algorithms. In this paper, a recently developed method which utilizes a combination of a heuristic algorithm and a dynamic programming formulation is described. This method brings the required simultaneous solution to the problem. An actual example is also given to illustrate the new method.