A Practical Model for Short-Term Open-Pit Mine Production Scheduling Based on Goal Programming Approach

Qaedrahmat, Saeideh; Gholamnejad, Javad; Dabagh, Ali

doi:10.22044/jme.2025.16402.3200

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

¹ Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

² Yazd University

10.22044/jme.2025.16402.3200

Abstract

The scheduling of short-term production in open-pit mining requires determining an optimal extraction sequence for blocks to fulfill multiple goals over a short-term monthly, weekly and daily planning horizon. These goals include meeting required limits on ore grade, production tonnage, waste removal, and slope constraints. One of the key objectives of Short-Term Production Scheduling (STPS) is to ensure a stable and continuous supply of ore to the processing plant, while minimizing operating costs through measures such as reducing unnecessary equipment movements and variation in feed quality. However, one of the major obstacles to the operational feasibility of STPS is the limited working space available for equipment, as well as the excessive equipment movement between benches within each scheduling period. To tackle these challenges, this paper employs an Integer Goal Programming (IGP) with a new constraint that limits active benches per period, enhancing the practicality of production schedules. Unlike previous GP-based STPS models, it improves operational feasibility by ensuring extraction continuity and minimizing equipment movement. The model was tested on a copper deposit using GAMS software. The results show that by applying this new constraint, the average number of active benches per month was reduced from 14 to 10 )36% reduction) and the number of extraction periods per bench from 6 to 4 (33% reduction) without violating the existing constraints such as ore grade, tonnage, or slope. This approach improves equipment efficiency, reduces fuel consumption, reducing equipment relocation costs, promoting operational continuity of extraction and enhances operational feasibility in real conditions.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Simulation & Optimization

References

[1]. Dagdelen, K. (2001, June). Open pit optimization-strategies for improving economics of mining projects through mine planning. In 17th International Mining Congress and Exhibition of Turkey (Vol. 117, p. 121). https://www.academia.edu/28773315/Open_Pit_Optimization_Strategies_for_Improving_Economics_of_Mining_Projects_Through_Mine_Planning.

[2]. Matamoros, M. E. V., & Dimitrakopoulos, R. (2016). Stochastic short-term mine production schedule accounting for fleet allocation, operational considerations and blending restrictions. European Journal of Operational Research, 255(3), 911-921.

[3]. Mann, C., & Wilke, F. L. (1992). Open pit short term mine planning for grade control—a combination of CAD techniques and linear programming. In Proceedings of the 23rd Symposium on Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry. Tucson, Arizona, USA: SME/AIME.

[4]. Alarie, S., & Gamache, M. (2002). Overview of solution strategies used in truck dispatching systems for open pit mines. International Journal of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 16(1), 59-76.

[5]. Smith, M. L. (1998). Optimizing short-term production schedules in surface mining: Integrating mine modeling software with AMPL/CPLEX. International Journal of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 12(4), 149-155.

[6]. Silva, K. S., Moura, M. M., Lanna Saliby, E., Fleurisson, J-A. (1999). Short term mine planning: Selection of working sites in iron ore mines. Proceeding of Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry. 763-770.

[7]. Charnes, A., Cooper, W. W., & Ferguson, R. O. (1955). Optimal estimation of executive compensation by linear programming. Management science, 1(2), 138-151.

[8]. Charnes, A., & Cooper, W. W. (1957). Management models and industrial applications of linear programming. Management science, 4(1), 38-91.

[9]. Charnes, A., & Cooper, W. W. (1977). Goal programming and multiple objective optimizations: Part 1. European journal of operational research, 1(1), 39-54.

[10]. Zhang, Y. D.; Y. P. Cheng, and J. Su., Application of goal programming in open pit planning, International Journal of Surface Mining and Reclamation 7.1 (1993): 41-45.

[11]. Chanda, E. C. K. (1990). An application of goal programming to production planning in the crushed stone industry. International Journal of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 4(3), 125-129.

[12]. Youdi, Z., Qingziang, C., & Lixin, W. (1992, April). Combined approach for surface mine short term planning optimization. In Proceedings of 23rd APCOM Symposium (pp. 499-506). https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=fa&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Combined+approach+for+surface+mine+short+term+planning+optimization&btnG=

[13]. Chanda, E. K. C., & Dagdelen, K. (1995). Optimal blending of mine production using goal programming and interactive graphics systems. International Journal of Surface Mining and Reclamation, 9(4), 203-208.

[14]. Smith, M. L., & You, T. W. (1995). Mine production scheduling for optimization of plant recovery in surface phosphate operations. International Journal of Surface Mining and Reclamation, 9(2), 41-46.

[15]. Smith, M. L. (1999). Optimizing inventory stockpiles and mine production: an application of separable and goal programming to phosphate mining using AMPL/CPLEX. CIM bulletin, 92(1030), 61-64. https://pascal-francis.inist.fr/vibad/index.php?action=getRecordDetail&idt=1832418.

[16]. Esfandiari, B., Aryanezhad, M. B., & Abrishamifar, S. A. (2004). Open pit optimisation including mineral dressing criteria using 0–1 non-linear goal programming. Mining Technology, 113(1), 3-16.

[17]. Sattarvand, J. Niemann-Delius, C. (2006) A mine extraction simulation software for short-term production planning of open pit mines. MPES 2006.

[18]. Jafari, A. Ebrahimi Danjkalahi, A. Gholam Nejad, J. (2011). Presenting operational mathematical model based on integer programming for short-term production planning of open pit mines (Technical Note). Scientific-research journal of mining engineering. 5(10). 81-90. [In Persian]. https://sid.ir/paper/117136/fa.

[19]. Ben-Awuah, E., Askari-Nasab, H., Awuah-Offei, k. (2012). Production Scheduling and Waste Disposal Planning for Oil Sands Mining Using Goal Programming, Journal of Environmental Informatics. 20(1). 20-33.

[20]. Kumral, M. (2013). Optimizing ore–waste discrimination and block sequencing through simulated annealing. Applied Soft Computing, 13(8), 3737-3744.‏

[21]. L'Heureux, G., Gamache, M., & Soumis, F. J. M. T. (2013). Mixed integer programming model for short term planning in open-pit mines. Mining Technology, 122(2), 101-109.

[22]. Matamoros, M. E. V., & Dimitrakopoulos, R. (2016). Stochastic short-term mine production schedule accounting for fleet allocation, operational considerations and blending restrictions. European Journal of Operational Research, 255(3), 911-921.

[23]. Upadhyay, S. P., & Askari-Nasab, H. (2016). Truck-shovel allocation optimisation: a goal programming approach. Mining Technology, 125(2), 82-92.

[24]. Mohtasham, M., Mirzaei Nasirabad, H., & Mahmoodi Markid, A. (2017). Development of a goal programming model for optimization of truck allocation in open pit mines. Journal of Mining and Environment, 8(3), 359-371.

[25]. Upadhyay, S. P., & Askari-Nasab, H. (2019). Dynamic shovel allocation approach to short-term production planning in open-pit mines. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 33(1), 1-20.

[26]. Ben-Awuah, E., Askari-Nasab, H., Maremi, A., & Seyed Hosseini, N. (2018). Implementation of a goal programming framework for production and dyke material planning. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 32(8), 536-563

[27]. Whittle, J. (1999). A decade of open pit mine planning and optimization-the craft of turning algorithms into packages.‏ Proceedings of APCOM'99: Computer Applications in the Minerals Industries: 28 International Symposium., 15-24.

[28]. Maremi, A., Ben-Awuah, E., & Pourrahimian, Y. (2020). An automated production targeting goal programming framework for oil sands mine planning considering organic rich solids. Mining Technology, 129(2), 53-67.

[29]. Quigley, M., & Dimitrakopoulos, R. (2020). Incorporating geological and equipment performance uncertainty while optimising short-term mine production schedules. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 34(5), 362-383.

[30]. Salman, S., Muhammad, K., Khan, A., & Glass, H. J. (2021). A block aggregation method for short-term planning of open pit mining with multiple processing destinations. Minerals, 11(3), 288.

[31]. Martins, A. G., & Souza, M. J. F. (2023). Lexicographic goal programming approach for a short-term mining planning problem. Engineering Optimization, 55(2), 329-343.

[32]. Mohtasham, M., Mirzaei-Nasirabad, H., & Alizadeh, B. (2021). Optimization of truck-shovel allocation in open-pit mines under uncertainty: a chance-constrained goal programming approach. Mining Technology, 130(2), 81-100.

[33]. Bakhtavar, E., Saberi, S., Hu, G., Sadiq, R., & Hewage, K. (2023). Fuzzy cognitive-based goal programming for waste rock management with in-pit dumping priority: Towards sustainable mining. Resources Policy, 86, 104095.

[34]. Shamsi, M., Shojaei, S. F., & Akbarijoor, H. (2024). Optimization of short-term production scheduling in open-pit mines to minimize deviations from production targets. Scientific Journal of Construction Science and Technology, 4(3), 2–22. [In Persian].

[35]. de Carvalho, J. P., & Dimitrakopoulos, R. (2024). Simultaneous shovel allocation and grade control decisions for short-term production planning of industrial mining complexes–an actor-critic approach. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 38(1), 53-78.

[36]. Habib, N. A., Ben-Awuah, E., & Askari-Nasab, H. (2024). Short-term planning of open pit mines with Semi-Mobile IPCC: a shovel allocation model. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 38(3), 236-266.

[37]. Noriega, R., Pourrahimian, Y., & Askari-Nasab, H. (2025). Deep Reinforcement Learning based real-time open-pit mining truck dispatching system. Computers & Operations Research, 173, 106815.‏

[38]. Deressa, G. W., Choudhary, B. S., & Jilo, N. Z. (2025). Advanced bench design and technical challenges in open pit mining: a comprehensive review of stability and productivity. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 18(1), 28.

[39]. Moradi Afrapoli, A., & Askari-Nasab, H. (2019). Mining fleet management systems: a review of models and algorithms. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 33(1), 42-60.

[40]. Ramazan, S., & Dimitrakopoulos, R. (2004). Recent applications of operations research and efficient MIP formulations in open pit mining. SME Transactions, 316.

[41]. Ramazan, S., & Dimitrakopoulos, R. (2004). Traditional and new MIP models for production scheduling with in-situ grade variability. International Journal of Surface Mining, 18(2), 85-98.

[42]. Dagdelen, K., & Asad, M. W. (2002, February). Optimum cement quarry scheduling algorithm. In APCOM 2002: 30 th International Symposium on the Application of Computers and Operations Research in the Mineral Industry, 697-709.

[43]. Hochbaum, D. S., & Chen, A. (2000). Performance analysis and best implementations of old and new algorithms for the open-pit mining problem. Operations Research, 48(6), 894-914.

A Practical Model for Short-Term Open-Pit Mine Production Scheduling Based on Goal Programming Approach

References

References

Volume 17, Issue 4July and August 2026Pages 1457-1474

Volume 17, Issue 4
July and August 2026
Pages 1457-1474