The work on this case study is published in the SME Journal of Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration . The block model, geotechnical and economic data were provided by AMTC (University of Santiago, Chile). To showcase the gains achievable by OptimalSlope, two independent designs were carried out using Geovia Whittle: first employing planar pitwalls as per traditional methodology, and secondly adopting the optimal pitwall profiles from OptimalSlope. The results are summarised in the table below. A representative 2D cross-section was assumed for the design of the pitwall in each mine sector. The Factor of Safety (FoS) of the profiles calculated by OptimalSlope was verified by stability analyses performed by Rocscience Slide 2 and FLAC3D.
The work on this case study is published in the CIM Journal. The block model, geotechnical and economic data for the mine were provided by Kinross. To showcase the gains achievable by OptimalSlope, two independent designs were carried out (one for the traditional pitwalls and one for optimal pitwalls) using Datamine. Due to the complex geology the pit was divided into five geotechnical sectors, each requiring a different pitwall profile. The results are summarised in the table below. The Factor of Safety of the profiles calculated by OptimalSlope was verified by stability analyses performed by Rocscience Slide 2 and FLAC3D.
The work is published Open Access in the proceedings of the International Slope stability in Mining Conference 2021 in Perth. The block model and economic data for the mine were taken from MineLib, a publically available repository of open pit mine data. This means that the design and calculations reported in the paper can be replicated by anyone. The two independent designs were carried out using Geovia Whittle. The results are summarised in the table below. The Factor of Safety of the profiles calculated by OptimalSlope was verified by stability analyses performed by Rocscience Slide 2 and FLAC3D.
The work on this case study is published in Mining Technology. This paper investigates the financial and environmental consequences stemming from the introduction of a carbon levy applied to mining and processing activities. The Marvin copper deposit (block model data publicly available from MineLib repository) was adopted as a case study. Several pit optimizations were performed based on four different values of carbon tax and adopting either traditional planar or non-linear optimal pitwalls. It emerges that the relationships between carbon tax value versus NPV, amount of ore extracted, and carbon emissions exhibited linearity in both cases of planar and optimal pitwall profiles. Moreover, the adoption of optimal profiles realizes gains up to 215 million AUD, without compromising the safety of the UPL.
