Review of Solution Methodologies for Open Pit Mine Production Scheduling Problem

Abstract

ABSTRACT The open pit mine production scheduling problem determines a sequence of three-dimensional, notional block extraction that maximises net present value (NPV) of future cash flows and satisfies technical and operational constraints such as precedence between blocks and resource availability. Since the 1960s, researchers have developed a variety of mathematical models that address block extraction at the strategic, tactical and operational levels, and the complexities associated therewith, e.g. risk and uncertainty, inventory strategies, environmental concerns and downstream processing. Given that these mathematical models are computationally complex, i.e. they are generally categorised as NP hard, a significant portion of the literature is dedicated to the development and performance of solution approaches spanning from exact and heuristics to recent meta-heuristic methods. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of recent contributions (from 2012 to early 2019) and discusses proposed future studies.