Optimization of open pit mine production scheduling with in-pit waste disposal

加拿大的采矿业是北美增长最快的行业之一。从能源和矿业部门获得的收入帮助政府支持关键的社会项目，如医疗、教育和公共养老金。加拿大负有以可持续和最佳方式开发和利用其矿产资源的全球责任。露天采矿作业对当地环境的影响体现在其对景观和当地生态系统的改变上。外部库存和废物堆放占用相当大的空间，并涉及大量的运输费用。可以采取的一种选择是，在作业期间，将废料直接储存在坑内的空闲区域，以一种不会对生产产生太大影响的方式。本研究的主要目标是提出一种使用数学规划的方法，旨在优化生产计划，根据矿床的几何形状将废料处理在矿坑的采空区内。考虑在坑内处置废物的结果是：(i)限制对环境的影响，（ii）考虑到坑周围可用空间的限制，以及（iii）减少废物运输和修复的成本。在这个项目中，我们将使用数学规划开发一个理论框架，以优化生产计划和在采空区内的废物处理。我们将测试、校准和验证配方，并分析结果。在这个项目中，工业合作伙伴的专业知识将与大学研究人员的专业知识相结合，建立一个创造性的团队，以达到最佳效果。该研究将提供详细的主题培训，并将其作为主要交付成果，包括可应用于露天矿生产调度的优化配方和相关计算机代码。

The Canadian mining industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in North America. The revenue obtained from the energy and mining sector helps the government to support critical social programs such as health care, education, and public pensions. Canada has a global responsibility to develop and utilize its mineral resources sustainably and optimally.Open pit mining operations impact their local environment in terms of their modification of the landscape and local ecosystems. External stockpiles and waste dumps occupy considerable space as well as involve substantial transportation costs. An option that can be taken is to store waste material directly into the free areas inside the pit, during the operations, in a way that it does not affect a lot the production.The primary goal of this research is proposing an approach using mathematical programming that aims to optimize the production schedule in a way that waste material is disposed inside the mined out area of the pit based on the geometry of the deposit. The consequences of considering the in-pit waste disposal are (i) limiting environmental impacts, (ii) accounting for constraints in available space surrounding the pit, and (iii) reducing the cost of waste transport and rehabilitation.During this project, we will develop a theoretical framework using mathematical programming, to optimize the production schedule and waste material disposal inside the mined out area of the pit. We will test, calibrate and verify the formulations and analyze the results. In this project, the expert knowledge of the industrial partner will be combined with the university researcher's expertise to build a creative group to achieve the best results.This research will provide detailed training on topic and will include as its primary deliverable an optimization formulation and relevant computer codes that can be applied in the open pit production scheduling.