Underground mine scheduling under uncertainty
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Authors
Nesbitt, Peter
Lamas, Patricio
Goycoolea, Marcos
Pagnoncelli, Bernardo K.
Newman, Alexandra
Brickey, Andrea
Blake, Lewis R.
Subjects
OR in natural resources
Stochastic integer programming
Optimization-based heuristics
Project scheduling
Underground mining
Stochastic integer programming
Optimization-based heuristics
Project scheduling
Underground mining
Advisors
Date of Issue
2021-01-12
Date
12 January 2021
Publisher
Elsevier
Language
Abstract
Underground mine schedules seek to determine start dates for activities related to the extraction of ore, often with an objective of maximizing net present value; constraints enforce geotechnical precedence between activities, and restrict resource consumption on a per-time-period basis, e.g., development footage and extracted tons. Strategic schedules address these start dates at a coarse level, whereas tactical schedules must account for the day-to-day variability of underground mine operations, such as unanticipated equipment breakdowns and ground conditions, both of which might slow production. At the time of this writing, the underground mine scheduling literature is dominated by a deterministic treatment of the problem, usually modeled as a Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP), which precludes mine operators from reacting to unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, we propose a stochastic integer programming framework that: (i) characterizes uncertainty in duration and economic value for each underground mining activity; (ii) formulates a new stochastic variant of the RCPSP; (iii) suggests an optimization-based heuristic; and, (iv) produces implementable, tactical schedules in a practical amount of time and provides corresponding managerial insights.
Type
Article
Description
17 USC 105 interim-entered record; under review.
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.01.011
The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.01.011
Series/Report No
Department
Operations Research
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funding
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
National Agency for Research and Development (ANID)
National Agency for Research and Development (ANID)
Format
14 p.
Citation
Nesbitt, Peter, et al. "Underground mine scheduling under uncertainty." European Journal of Operational Research 294.1 (2021): 340-352.
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.