Scenario evaluation through Mine Schedule Optimisation

Abstract

The Schedule Optimisation Tool (SOT) is a software that identifies the sequence (schedule) of mine development and the ore production activities that maximise the Net Present Value (NPV). A case study exercise in a live mine planning process found that SOT added over a hundred million dollars of value to the orebody. SOT has been enhanced to allow automated generation and evaluation of mine design parameters. The first enhancement allows the automated evaluation of schedules over a range of operational resource constraints. Heuristics can be used to seed the starting point of the search; for example, by prioritising production from specific stopes based on their mineral grades. The second enhancement allows a user‐specified ranking to be applied as a seeding heuristic. A third enhancement allows automated application of sequencing rules for primary and secondary stopes. SOT provides substantial assistance to the mine planner, allowing for strategic decisions based on a thorough evaluation of mine design parameters.