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Operations Research in Underground Mine Planning: A Review

Author

Listed:
  • Akshay Chowdu

    (Department of Mining Engineering and Management, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701)

  • Peter Nesbitt

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401)

  • Andrea Brickey

    (Department of Mining Engineering and Management, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701)

  • Alexandra M. Newman

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401)

Abstract

At the time of this writing, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the average American-born human will need millions of pounds of fuels, minerals, and other extracted resources in his or her lifetime. Mining is a critical global industry, spanning all but one continent (Antarctica), with the highest-producing countries being China, the United States, Russia, Australia, and India. Increasingly, this demand is driving mining companies to explore and pursue deeper mineral deposits as near-surface deposits deplete. Correspondingly, there has been a significant rise in industry interest in applying operations research techniques to improve underground mine planning. Newman et al. [Newman AM, Rubio E, Caro R, Weintraub A, Eurek K (2010) A review of operations research in mine planning. Interfaces 40(3):222–245] present a review of such techniques, applied to both open pit and underground mining operations. We focus here on the advancements since that publication and concentrate on underground applications in metalliferous deposits, such as copper, iron, and gold.

Suggested Citation

  • Akshay Chowdu & Peter Nesbitt & Andrea Brickey & Alexandra M. Newman, 2022. "Operations Research in Underground Mine Planning: A Review," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 52(2), pages 109-132, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:52:y:2022:i:2:p:109-132
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.2021.1087
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Renaud Chicoisne & Daniel Espinoza & Marcos Goycoolea & Eduardo Moreno & Enrique Rubio, 2012. "A New Algorithm for the Open-Pit Mine Production Scheduling Problem," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 60(3), pages 517-528, June.
    2. Whittle, D. & Brazil, M. & Grossman, P.A. & Rubinstein, J.H. & Thomas, D.A., 2018. "Combined optimisation of an open-pit mine outline and the transition depth to underground mining," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(2), pages 624-634.
    3. Zhen Song & Håkan Schunnesson & Mikael Rinne & John Sturgul, 2015. "Intelligent Scheduling for Underground Mobile Mining Equipment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-21, June.
    4. King, Barry & Goycoolea, Marcos & Newman, A., 2017. "Optimizing the open pit-to-underground mining transition," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 257(1), pages 297-309.
    5. W. Brian Lambert & Andrea Brickey & Alexandra M. Newman & Kelly Eurek, 2014. "Open-Pit Block-Sequencing Formulations: A Tutorial," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 44(2), pages 127-142, April.
    6. Marcus Brazil & Peter Grossman & J. Hyam Rubinstein & Doreen Thomas, 2014. "Improving Underground Mine Access Layouts Using Software Tools," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 44(2), pages 195-203, April.
    7. Christopher Alford & Marcus Brazil & David H. Lee, 2007. "Optimisation in Underground Mining," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: Andres Weintraub & Carlos Romero & Trond Bjørndal & Rafael Epstein & Jaime Miranda (ed.), Handbook Of Operations Research In Natural Resources, chapter 0, pages 561-577, Springer.
    8. K. Sirinanda & M. Brazil & P. Grossman & J. Rubinstein & D. Thomas, 2016. "Gradient-constrained discounted Steiner trees II: optimally locating a discounted Steiner point," Journal of Global Optimization, Springer, vol. 64(3), pages 515-532, March.
    9. Dónal O’Sullivan & Alexandra Newman, 2014. "Extraction and Backfill Scheduling in a Complex Underground Mine," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 44(2), pages 204-221, April.
    10. Lorenzo Reus & Mathias Belbèze & Hans Feddersen & Enrique Rubio, 2018. "Extraction Planning Under Capacity Uncertainty at the Chuquicamata Underground Mine," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 543-555, November.
    11. Franceschini, Fiorenzo & Maisano, Domenico & Mastrogiacomo, Luca, 2016. "A new proposal for fusing individual preference orderings by rank-ordered agents: A generalization of the Yager's algorithm," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(1), pages 209-223.
    12. Martinez, Michael A. & Newman, Alexandra M., 2011. "A solution approach for optimizing long- and short-term production scheduling at LKAB's Kiruna mine," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 211(1), pages 184-197, May.
    13. Alexandra Newman & Candace Yano & Enrique Rubio, 2013. "Mining above and below ground: timing the transition," IISE Transactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(8), pages 865-882.
    14. Peter Nesbitt & Levente Sipeki & Tulay Flamand & Alexandra M. Newman, 2020. "Optimizing underground mine design with method-dependent precedences," IISE Transactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(6), pages 643-656, November.
    15. Barry King & Alexandra Newman, 2018. "Optimizing the Cutoff Grade for an Operational Underground Mine," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 48(4), pages 357-371, August.
    16. Foroughi, Sorayya & Hamidi, Jafar Khademi & Monjezi, Masoud & Nehring, Micah, 2019. "The integrated optimization of underground stope layout designing and production scheduling incorporating a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II)," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
    17. Alexandra M. Newman & Enrique Rubio & Rodrigo Caro & Andrés Weintraub & Kelly Eurek, 2010. "A Review of Operations Research in Mine Planning," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 40(3), pages 222-245, June.
    18. Levente Sipeki & Alexandra M. Newman & Candace A. Yano, 2020. "Selecting support pillars in underground mines with ore veins," IISE Transactions, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(10), pages 1173-1188, October.
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