Linear programming approximations for modeling instant-mixing stockpiles

Eduardo Moreno, Felipe Ferreira, Marcos Goycoolea, Daniel Espinoza, Alexandra Newman, Mojtaba Rezakhah

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Stockpiles are a crucial part of mine planning. However, they are often ignored in longterm planning due to the difficulty of correctly evaluating their impact in mine scheduling. This difficulty arises mainly because materials of different grades are mixed in a stockpile, and the final grade of the material leaving the stockpile is a complex non-linear function of the material inside the stockpile. In practice, computational software uses different (usually linear) approximations for estimating this grade, but it is not clear how good these approximations are. In this paper, we discuss different optimization models to approximate the real impact of a stockpile on long-term mine planning. We discuss the properties of these models and compare the quality of the approximations computationally. We show that it is possible to obtain good upper and lower bounds on the resulting grade of the stockpile, and realistic and accurate estimations of the behavior of the stockpile. We also discuss how to extend these models to address different minerals and their corresponding grades.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationApplication of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry - Proceedings of the 37th International Symposium, APCOM 2015
EditorsSukumar Bandopadhyay, Snehamoy Chatterjee, Tathagata Ghosh, Kumar Vaibhav Raj
PublisherSociety for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME)
Pages582-587
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9780873354172
StatePublished - 2015
Event37th International Symposium on Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry, APCOM 2015 - Fairbanks, United States
Duration: 23 May 201527 May 2015

Publication series

NameApplication of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry - Proceedings of the 37th International Symposium, APCOM 2015

Conference

Conference37th International Symposium on Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry, APCOM 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityFairbanks
Period23/05/1527/05/15

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Linear programming approximations for modeling instant-mixing stockpiles'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this