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

加拿大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有助于政府支持关键的社会项目，如医疗保健、教育和公共养老金。加拿大负有可持续和最佳地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产生了影响，因为它们改变了当地的景观和生态系统。外部储存和废物倾倒占据相当大的空间，并涉及大量的运输费用。本研究的主要目的是提出一种利用数学规划的方法来优化生产计划，即根据矿床的几何形状，将废料处理在矿井的采空区内。考虑坑内废物处理的结果是：(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，我们将利用数学规划建立一个理论框架，以优化坑内采空区的生产计划和废物处理。我们将对配方进行测试、校准和验证，并分析结果。在这个项目中，工业伙伴的专家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，以实现最佳结果。本研究将提供详细的主题培训，并将包括可应用于露天矿生产调度的优化公式和相关计算机代码作为其主要成果。

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.