Bhp Billiton Innovation Pty Ltd

Merab Menabde

Gary Allan Froyland

Peter Mitchell Stone

The scheduling of extraction of a resource within a mine is disclosed which comprises obtaining drill hole grade data relating to the resource and creating a plurality of different block models, with each block in each model having a resource grade and each of the block models honoring the drill hole grade data. An extraction schedule is determined based on a cut-off grade policy to increase expected net present value of the mine. The cut-off grade policy can be a variable cut-off grade and the scheduling using the variable cut-off grade is converted from a non-linear representation to a linear representation and a mixed integer programming formulation is used for simultaneous optimization of the extraction schedule and the cut-off grade.

Method, apparatus and computer program for scheduling the extraction of a resource and for determining the net present value of an extraction schedule

The present invention relates to the field of extracting resource(s) from a particular location. In particular, the present invention relates to the planning, design and processing related to a mine location in a manner based on enhancing the extraction of material considered of value, relative to the effort and/or time in extracting that material. The present application discloses, amongst other things, a method of and apparatus for determining slope constraints, determining a cluster of material, determining characteristics of a selected portion of material, analysing a selected volume of material, propagating clusters, forming clusters, mine design, aggregation of blocks into collections or clusters, splitting of waste and ore in clumps, determining a selected group of blocks to be mined, clump ordering and identifying clusters for pushback design.

System and method(s) of mine planning, design and processing

The present invention relates to the field of extracting resource(s) from a particular location. In particular, the present invention relates to the planning, design and processing related to a mine location in a manner based on enhancing the extraction of material considered of value, relative to the effort and/or time in extracting that material. The present application discloses, amongst other things, a method of and apparatus for determining the removal of material(s) from a location, determining the removal of material(s) of a differing relative value from a location, determining a schedule corresponding to a risk and/or return basis, determining aggregated block ordering for the extraction of material from a location, determining a schedule for extraction of dumps and determining a mine design.

System and methods(s) of blended mine planning, design and processing

A method, system and computer program for modelling an optimal mine plan is disclosed. The life of mine is divided into a plurality of increasing lengths of time (FIGS.and) and performing optimisation steps, with each step being performed once for a predetermined time period for the remaining life of mine. Material may be stockpiled or may be sent direct to product or to waste without any stockpiling. A decision (blockin FIG.) is made as to which material is sent to product in each time period for the remaining life of mine. In each predetermined time period, material with a grade greater than a marginal grade that is not sent to produce is sent to stockpile and all material less than a marginal grade is sent to waste (). In the remaining life of mine, after the predetermined period, it is required that all material not sent to produce be sent to waste and determining an initial movement of material to and from the stockpile and to and from the mine to product over the life of mine in increasing lengths of time.

Mining optimisation

The present invention relates to the field of extracting resource(s) from a particular location. In particular, the present invention relates to the planning, design and processing related to a mine location in a manner based on enhancing the extraction of material considered of value, relative to the effort and/or time in extracting that material. The present application discloses, amongst other things, a method of and apparatus for determining slope constraints, determining a cluster of material, determining characteristics of a selected portion of material, analysing a selected volume of material, propagating dusters, forming clusters, mine design, aggregation of blocks into collections or clusters, splitting of waste and ore in clumps, determining a selected group of blocks to be mined, clump ordering and identifying clusters for pushback design.

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Cheltenham, Australia

Merab Menabde