Optimum open pit design: A case study

An important problem in open pit mine planning is that of determining the optimum ultimate pit limits of the mine. These limits are that contour which is the result of extracting the volume of material which provides the total maximum profit whilst satisfying certain practical operational requirements such as safe wall slopes. A number of optimization techniques are available for determining this optimal contour. Unfortunately, direct application of these techniques to large ore bodies cause considerable computational difficulties. In this paper, the authors present a strategy for resolving these problems. Results from a producing mine in Western Australia are used to demonstrate the power of this method.