Mathematical programming applications in block-caving scheduling: a review of models and algorithms Online publication date: Thu, 13-Aug-2015
by Firouz Khodayari; Yashar Pourrahimian
International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering (IJMME), Vol. 6, No. 3, 2015
Abstract: Production scheduling is one of the most important problems in a mining operation, as it has a significant impact on a project's profitability. As open-pit mines go deeper, because of the massive amount of waste removal, which is required to extract the ore, as well as high operational costs per tonne, underground mining has become more attractive. Among underground mining methods, block caving could be a good alternative because its high rate of production is similar to that of open-pit mining, and it has the added advantage of low operational costs. Relying only on manual planning methods or computer software based on heuristic algorithms will lead to mine schedules that are not the optimal global solution. Block-caving scheduling has been the subject of a lot of research. Most studies have applied mathematical programming, simulation and stochastic approaches. This paper reviews mathematical programming applications in block-caving scheduling, highlights and suggestions for future works.
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