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Stochastic Mining Supply Chain Optimization
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Book Synopsis Stochastic Mining Supply Chain Optimization by : Iain Farmer
Download or read book Stochastic Mining Supply Chain Optimization written by Iain Farmer and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The mining value chain comprises many inter-related components. When the individual components are optimized separately the value that can be generated from the enterprise suffers. Global optimization of the mining value chain requires a shift away from conventional methods of optimization and towards the simultaneous optimization of all related aspects, including: the mine's extraction sequence, material destination decisions, material transport decisions, and equipment capacities. Further, if these decisions are to be robust, they must be made while considering sources of uncertainty. The contributions included in this thesis are meant to help industry practitioners plan and evaluate mining projects under uncertainty. Specifically, the simultaneous integration of capacity decisions in long-term scheduling is meant to provide a tool that generates a NPV-optimal mine sequence and destination policy that is also synchronized with equipment capacities selected while being robust to two sources of uncertainty. Further, a schedule-based method of pushback design is developed in an effort to construct pushbacks from an optimal mine sequence. The method is applied in order to preserve as much of the sequence's optimality as possible while generating an operational mine plan." --
Book Synopsis Advances in Applied Strategic Mine Planning by : Roussos Dimitrakopoulos
Download or read book Advances in Applied Strategic Mine Planning written by Roussos Dimitrakopoulos and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-01-17 with total page 784 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a collection of papers on topics in the field of strategic mine planning, including orebody modeling, mine-planning optimization and the optimization of mining complexes. Elaborating on the state of the art in the field, it describes the latest technologies and related research as well as the applications of a range of related technologies in diverse industrial contexts.
Book Synopsis An Application of Simultaneous Stochastic Optimization in Mining Complexes and Integrating Mine-to-port Transportation by : Mélanie LaRoche-Boisvert
Download or read book An Application of Simultaneous Stochastic Optimization in Mining Complexes and Integrating Mine-to-port Transportation written by Mélanie LaRoche-Boisvert and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A mineral value chain or mining complex is an integrated system representing all components of a mining operation for the extraction, transportation and transformation of material, from sources (open pit and underground mines) to customers or the spot market. Simultaneous stochastic optimization aims to optimize all components of a mineral value chain, including extraction schedules for the mines, stockpile management, processing and transportation scheduling, jointly to capitalize on the synergies that exist within the system. Additionally, the simultaneous stochastic optimization approach incorporates material supply or geological uncertainty using equally probable geostatistical (stochastic) simulations of the attributes of interest of the deposits. The incorporation of material supply uncertainty allows the approach to manage the related major technical risks.The first contribution of this thesis is the application of simultaneous stochastic optimization at a three-mine open pit gold mining complex, incorporating material supply uncertainty using stochastic simulations of the gold grades of each deposit. The case study maximizes the net present value of the operation by generating life-of-mine schedules for each deposit considered and stockpile management plans, which maximize gold production and minimize the associated costs. The study also assesses the impacts of material hardness on the processing facilities, notably the SAG mill, and the recovered gold. This assessment indicates that the SAG mill is the bottleneck of the operation; due to the lack of availability of soft material in the considered deposits, the throughput of material at the SAG mill is significantly lowered. The second contribution of this thesis is a new stochastic mathematical programming formulation jointly optimizing long-term extraction scheduling and mine-to-port transportation scheduling for mining complexes under supply uncertainty. Mine-to-port transportation systems represent an important component of certain mining complexes, such as iron ore mining complexes, ensuring that extracted products reach their intended clients. This component of the mineral value chain has not been included in previous simultaneous stochastic optimization formulations, ignoring the interactions between the transportation system and the other components of the mining complex. The proposed model simultaneously optimizes extraction scheduling, stockpile management, mine-to-port transportation scheduling and blending under material supply uncertainty. It aims to minimize the costs associated with meeting quantity and quality demand for the products at the port, managing the risks associated with the material supply uncertainty using stochastic simulations of grades. The model is applied to an iron ore mining complex consisting of two open pit mines, each with a waste dump, a stockpile and a loading area, connected to a single port by a railway system. Material is transported by two trains. At the port, demand for two products are considered, each with quality constraints relating to five elements. Stochastic simulations of the five elements considered are used to represent the material supply uncertainty. By optimizing the extraction and the mine-to-port transportation jointly, the case study is able to determine that only the first train is necessary to transport material to meet demand at the port for the first three years of mine life; for the remainder, the second train is also needed. As such, the second train could be allocated to another operation for better use during the first three years of operation or its purchase could be delayed. The model provides decision makers with a realistic use of the mine-to-port transportation system"--
Book Synopsis Ore Reserve Estimation and Strategic Mine Planning by : Roussos Dimitrakopoulos
Download or read book Ore Reserve Estimation and Strategic Mine Planning written by Roussos Dimitrakopoulos and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-11-15 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mining business faces continual risks in producing metals and raw materials under fluctuating market demand. At the same time, the greatest uncertainty driving the risk and profitability of mining investments is the geological variability of mineral deposits. This supply uncertainty affects the prediction of economic value from the initial valuation of a mining project through mine planning, design and production scheduling. This book is the first of its kind, presenting state-of-the-art stochastic simulation and optimization techniques and step-by-step case studies. Quantification of geological uncertainty through new efficient conditional simulation techniques for large deposits, integration of uncertainty to stochastic optimization formulations for design and production scheduling and the concurrent management of risk are shown to create flexibility, options and oportunities, increase asset value, cashflows and return on investment. New approaches introduced include resource/reserve risk quantification, cost-effective drilling programs, pit design and long-term production scheduling optimization with simulated orebodies, ore reserve classification, geologic risk discounting, waste managing and demand driven scheduling, risk assessment in meeting project production schedules ahead of mining, risk based optimal stope design, options valuation when mining. Applications include commodities such as gold, copper, nickel, iron ore, coal and diamonds.
Book Synopsis Supply Chain Optimization, Management and Integration: Emerging Applications by : Wang, John
Download or read book Supply Chain Optimization, Management and Integration: Emerging Applications written by Wang, John and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2010-11-30 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our rapidly changing world has forced business practitioners, in corporation with academic researchers, to respond quickly and develop effective solution methodologies and techniques to handle new challenges in supply chain systems. Supply Chain Optimization, Management and Integration: Emerging Applications presents readers with a rich collection of ideas from researchers who are bridging the gap between the latest in information technology and supply chain management. This book includes theoretical, analytical, and empirical research, comprehensive reviews of relevant research, and case studies of effective applications in the field of SCM. The use of new technologies, methods, and techniques are emphasized by those who have worked with supply chain management across the world for those in the field of information systems.
Book Synopsis Special Issue on Robust and Stochastic Optimization in Production Systems and Supply Chain Management by :
Download or read book Special Issue on Robust and Stochastic Optimization in Production Systems and Supply Chain Management written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Stochastic Optimization Models in Finance by : William T. Ziemba
Download or read book Stochastic Optimization Models in Finance written by William T. Ziemba and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2006 with total page 756 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A reprint of one of the classic volumes on portfolio theory and investment, this book has been used by the leading professors at universities such as Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie-Mellon. It contains five parts, each with a review of the literature and about 150 pages of computational and review exercises and further in-depth, challenging problems.Frequently referenced and highly usable, the material remains as fresh and relevant for a portfolio theory course as ever.
Book Synopsis Fundamentals of Supply Chain Theory by : Lawrence V. Snyder
Download or read book Fundamentals of Supply Chain Theory written by Lawrence V. Snyder and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-07-01 with total page 956 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensively teaches the fundamentals of supply chain theory This book presents the methodology and foundations of supply chain management and also demonstrates how recent developments build upon classic models. The authors focus on strategic, tactical, and operational aspects of supply chain management and cover a broad range of topics from forecasting, inventory management, and facility location to transportation, process flexibility, and auctions. Key mathematical models for optimizing the design, operation, and evaluation of supply chains are presented as well as models currently emerging from the research frontier. Fundamentals of Supply Chain Theory, Second Edition contains new chapters on transportation (traveling salesman and vehicle routing problems), integrated supply chain models, and applications of supply chain theory. New sections have also been added throughout, on topics including machine learning models for forecasting, conic optimization for facility location, a multi-supplier model for supply uncertainty, and a game-theoretic analysis of auctions. The second edition also contains case studies for each chapter that illustrate the real-world implementation of the models presented. This edition also contains nearly 200 new homework problems, over 60 new worked examples, and over 140 new illustrative figures. Plentiful teaching supplements are available, including an Instructor’s Manual and PowerPoint slides, as well as MATLAB programming assignments that require students to code algorithms in an effort to provide a deeper understanding of the material. Ideal as a textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in supply chain management in engineering and business schools, Fundamentals of Supply Chain Theory, Second Edition will also appeal to anyone interested in quantitative approaches for studying supply chains.
Book Synopsis The Stochastic Optimization of Long and Short-term Mine Production Schedules Incorporating Uncertainty in Geology and Equipment Performance by : Matthew Quigley
Download or read book The Stochastic Optimization of Long and Short-term Mine Production Schedules Incorporating Uncertainty in Geology and Equipment Performance written by Matthew Quigley and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Mine production scheduling consists of defining the extraction sequence and process allocation of mineralized material over some length of time. These decisions can be made at different time steps, which will entail varying objectives subject to different technical and operational constraints. Long-term mine production scheduling usually takes place at an annual scale for the entire life of mine and aims to maximize the net present value of the project while satisfying the mining and processing capacities. Short-term mine production scheduling consists of developing an extraction sequence on a shorter time scale, either months, weeks, or days. The goal is typically to maximize compliance with the production targets imposed by the long-term plan while considering more detailed operational constraints. Historically, these optimization frameworks have relied on the assumption of perfect knowledge of highly uncertain inputs. Developments in the field of stochastic mine planning have shown that incorporating uncertainty into the optimization of mine production schedules can add significant economic value while also minimizing the risk of deviating from production targets. This thesis will explore the benefits that stochastic mine planning can offer when applied to both long and short-term production scheduling problems.For the first exercise, the long-term mine production schedule of a rare earth element (REE) project is generated under geological uncertainty using a stochastic optimization framework. The uncertainty in REE grades is modelled using an efficient joint-simulation technique to preserve the strong cross-element relationships. The proposed approach avoids the use of the conventional total rare earth oxide grade. The stochastic long-term schedule is benchmarked against a deterministic schedule generated using an industry standard optimizer. The stochastic solution generates a 20% increase in expected NPV, ensures better utilization of the processing plant, and delivers a superior ore feed in terms of satisfying mineral and REE blending targets.For the second exercise, a formulation is proposed that simultaneously optimizes the short-term equipment plan and production schedule under both geological and equipment performance uncertainty. The proposed approach rectifies certain limitations of previous work in stochastic short-term planning by: incorporating a location-dependant shovel movement optimization; generating more realistic equipment performance scenarios; developing a new approach to facilitate more practical mine designs; and proposing model improvements to allow for a more efficient optimization of very large problem instances. The model is applied to a large copper mining complex and is compared to a more traditional approach, where the same formulation is implemented using averaged inputs for geology and equipment performance. The stochastic solution is more effective in mitigating the risk of deviating from tonnage targets at each processing destination, and the integration of equipment performance variability allows the stochastic optimizer to generate a block extraction sequence that is far more likely to be achieved." --
Book Synopsis Dynamic Simultaneous Optimization of Mineral Value Chains Under Resource Uncertainty by : Maria Del Castillo Suarez
Download or read book Dynamic Simultaneous Optimization of Mineral Value Chains Under Resource Uncertainty written by Maria Del Castillo Suarez and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Mining complexes are mineral value chains where extracted material from different mines is transformed into sellable products through a set of processing streams. This value chain is governed by uncertainties at different levels, from the geological attributes of the orebody at the mine(s), to the different operational and processing components that lead the sellable products to the market. Stochastic simultaneous optimization formulations for industrial mining complexes have proven to be effective in generating reliable strategic plans that maximize net present value and, at the same time, manage and reduce risk. However, because of the uncertainties governing a mining complex, particularly the ones related to the geological attributes which define the supply of the system, it has become a priority to integrate flexibility mechanisms that allow a mining project to change and adapt as more information becomes available. Within this adaptability, optimizing the investment timing of high-magnitude capital expenditures throughout the life-of-mine is a priority, due to their high impact on the annual cash-flows and on their effects over the physical mining schedule. Additionally, to improve a mining complex's ability to meet production targets and overall performance, advanced mechanisms should be developed to ensure complex blending constraints are met, managing the geometallurgical variables of the deposit.This thesis presents a methodology to embed flexibility into mineral value chains, by allowing the strategic mine plan of a mining complex to dynamically consider possible options and alternatives for reacting and adapting to future changes. For this, first, a study on extraction capacity optimization is presented, followed by the development of a mechanism to deal with complex variables of the deposit to meet blending constraints and production targets. These two components are later integrated into a dynamic optimization model, which optimizes the mining complex's mine plan under geological uncertainty, integrating flexible investment alternatives, as well as operational modes.The dynamic model developed produces a unique initial extraction sequence, while keeping a viable flexible long-term plan for future investment decisions, as may be needed. The flexible long-term plan is obtained through a dynamic optimization which allows making transitioning plans upfront to facilitate change. This method introduces a new adapted multistage stochastic programming model which expands upon the two-stage framework by performing multiple recourse stages that are solved iteratively, allowing parallel designs to be generated in a scenario-tree structure. In this model, dynamic decisions over capital expenditures are made sequentially over time, based on information that becomes available over production time. The above model is subsequently extended to include alternatives over operating modes at different levels of the mineral value chain. More specifically, optimal operating modes are chosen per period, selecting blasting patterns at the mine, and processing relations of throughput and recovery at the plant. The practical implications of the proposed method are demonstrated through an application over a copper-gold mining complex, where the dynamic model presents a 10.5% increase in net present value compared to a traditional two-stage stochastic formulation.The dynamic mining complex formulation proposed is able to include flexibility into the optimization of the strategic plan of a mineral value chain. This enables possible developments within the feasible set of alternatives that can be taken, considering the mining complex's configuration, capacities, and constraints. The proposed model is able to generate feasible, operational schedules, while providing a wider view of the mining complex's performance, easing the transition to possible changes due to the periodic unveiling of uncertainty." --
Book Synopsis Stochastic optimization methods for supply chains with perishable products by : Michael A. Völkel
Download or read book Stochastic optimization methods for supply chains with perishable products written by Michael A. Völkel and published by Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH. This book was released on 2020-07-03 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deals with inventory systems in supply chains that face risks that could render products unsalable. These risks include possible cooling system failures, transportation risks, packaging errors, handling errors, or natural quality deterioration over time like spoilage of food or blood products. Classical supply chain inventory models do not regard these risks. This thesis introduces novel cost models that consider these risks. It also analyzes how real-time tracking with RFID sensors and smart containers can contribute to decision making. To solve these cost models, this work presents new solution methods based on dynamic programming. In extensive computational studies both with experimental as well as real-life data from large players in the retailer industry, the solution methods prove to lead to substantially lower costs than existing solution methods and heuristics.
Book Synopsis A Study of Simultaneous Stochastic Optimization of Open Pit Mining Complexes by : Ziad Saliba
Download or read book A Study of Simultaneous Stochastic Optimization of Open Pit Mining Complexes written by Ziad Saliba and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Over the last several years advances in the field of mine planning have led to the development of cutting-edge simultaneous stochastic optimization frameworks for mining complexes. The latest methods consider mining operations as a resource-to-market integrated mineral value that transforms raw in-situ materials into sellable products, a mining complex. Simultaneous stochastic optimization frameworks make use of a paradigm shift that considers the value of the sellable products, as opposed to economic block values, to drive the optimization process and capitalize on the synergies between the central, interrelated components of a mining complex. These methods maximize the value of mining operations and manage technical risk by incorporating uncertainty directly into unified optimization formulations. This thesis studies the simultaneous stochastic optimization framework through two real-world case studies, applying the methods and assessing their characteristics and limitations. The second chapter of this thesis presents an application of a stochastic framework that simultaneously optimizes mining, destination and processing decisions for a multi-pit, multi-processor gold mining complex with challenging geochemical processing constraints. The framework accounts for supply and market uncertainty via stochastic orebody and commodity price simulations as inputs to a unified optimization model. The case study notably assesses the impacts of integrating market uncertainty as input that influences all components of the production schedule. Additionally, cut-off grade decisions are determined by the simultaneous optimization process, considering material variability and operating constraints while reducing the number of a-priori decisions to be made. This approach generates solutions that capitalize on the synergies between extraction sequencing, cut-off grade optimization, blending and processing while managing and quantifying risk in strategic plans. Which ultimately leads to more metal production and higher NPVs than traditional methods. The third chapter applies an extension of the generalized simultaneous stochastic optimization formulation that considers capital expenditure (CapEx) options as part of the life-of-asset planning process. Enabling the case study to consider environmental issues relating to tailings management and model a tailings facility expansion. The application at a multi-element open pit mining complex simultaneously optimizes the extraction sequence, cut-off grades, and downstream decisions from two open-pits with a set of stockpiling options, an autoclave and a tailings storage facility. The project bottleneck is the tailings facility volume because it stores both process tails, and potentially acid-generating waste rock from the mines. Results show that, when given the option, the optimizer chooses to make a significant CapEx investment to expand the tailings storage facility 25% by volume. This expansion allows for a meaningful expansion of both pit limits, 40% by mass, resulting in an extended metal production and revenue generation horizon that yields 14% more gold ounces and a 4% improvement in NPV for the mining complex. The framework provides decision makers with a realistic evaluation of the investment's impact on the mining complex." --
Book Synopsis Optimization and Inventory Management by : Nita H. Shah
Download or read book Optimization and Inventory Management written by Nita H. Shah and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-08-31 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses inventory models for determining optimal ordering policies using various optimization techniques, genetic algorithms, and data mining concepts. It also provides sensitivity analyses for the models’ robustness. It presents a collection of mathematical models that deal with real industry scenarios. All mathematical model solutions are provided with the help of various optimization techniques to determine optimal ordering policy. The book offers a range of perspectives on the implementation of optimization techniques, inflation, trade credit financing, fuzzy systems, human error, learning in production, inspection, green supply chains, closed supply chains, reworks, game theory approaches, genetic algorithms, and data mining, as well as research on big data applications for inventory management and control. Starting from deterministic inventory models, the book moves towards advanced inventory models. The content is divided into eight major sections: inventory control and management – inventory models with trade credit financing for imperfect quality items; environmental impact on ordering policies; impact of learning on the supply chain models; EOQ models considering warehousing; optimal ordering policies with data mining and PSO techniques; supply chain models in fuzzy environments; optimal production models for multi-items and multi-retailers; and a marketing model to understand buying behaviour. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for practitioners, instructors, students and researchers alike. It also offers essential insights to help retailers/managers improve business functions and make more accurate and realistic decisions.
Book Synopsis Stochastic Optimization Methods for Supply Chains with Perishable Products by : Michael A. Völkel
Download or read book Stochastic Optimization Methods for Supply Chains with Perishable Products written by Michael A. Völkel and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Author :Roussos Dimitrakopoulos Publisher :Springer Science & Business Media ISBN 13 :9401108242 Total Pages :513 pages Book Rating :4.4/5 (11 download)
Book Synopsis Geostatistics for the Next Century by : Roussos Dimitrakopoulos
Download or read book Geostatistics for the Next Century written by Roussos Dimitrakopoulos and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To honour the remarkable contribution of Michel David in the inception, establishment and development of Geostatistics, and to promote the essence of his work, an international Forum entitled Geostatistics for the Next Century was convened in Montreal in June 1993. In order to enhance communication and stimulate geostatistical innovation, research and development, the Forum brought together world leading researchers and practitioners from five continents, who discussed-debated current problems, new technologies and futuristic ideas. This volume contains selected peer-reviewed papers from the Forum, together with comments by participants and replies by authors. Although difficult to capture the spontaneity and range of a debate, comments and replies should further assist in the promotion of ideas, dialogue and criticism, and are consistent with the spirit of the Forum. The contents of this volume are organized following the Forum's thematic sessions. The role of theme sessions was not only to stress important topics of tOday but in addition, to emphasize common ground held among diverse areas of geostatistical work and the need to strengthen communication between these areas. For this reason, any given section of this book may include papers from theory to applications, in mining, petroleum, environment, geohydrology, image processing.
Book Synopsis Supply Chain Optimization, Design, and Management: Advances and Intelligent Methods by : Minis, Ioannis
Download or read book Supply Chain Optimization, Design, and Management: Advances and Intelligent Methods written by Minis, Ioannis and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2010-12-31 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Computational Intelligence (CI) is a term corresponding to a new generation of algorithmic methodologies in artificial intelligence, which combines elements of learning, adaptation, evolution and approximate (fuzzy) reasoning to create programs that can be considered intelligent. Supply Chain Optimization, Design, and Management: Advances and Intelligent Methods presents computational intelligence methods for addressing supply chain issues. Emphasis is given to techniques that provide effective solutions to complex supply chain problems and exhibit superior performance to other methods of operations research.
Book Synopsis Stochastic Optimization of Stope Design and Long-term Underground Mining Production Scheduling for Sublevel Open Stoping Mining Operations by : Matheus Furtado E. Faria
Download or read book Stochastic Optimization of Stope Design and Long-term Underground Mining Production Scheduling for Sublevel Open Stoping Mining Operations written by Matheus Furtado E. Faria and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Underground mine planning defines the design of technically producible economic material volumes and development openings, the sequence of multiple underground activities, and the material destinations within a mineral deposit throughout the mine's life, aiming to maximize the net present value (NPV). Due to the existence of different mining methods and the inherent operational and computational complexities, this planning is commonly performed through a stepwise optimization process in which the stope layout is preliminarily designed. Subsequently, the network of developments interconnecting the production areas is conceived, defining the precedence of underground mining activities. Finally, the strategic underground mine production scheduling is optimized, the only step that accounts for the time value of money. Available optimization methods have been focused separately on each of the planning steps, which do not benefit from the synergies between the planning steps. Additionally, most of the previously mentioned methods are deterministic; that is, they neglect many sources of uncertainty, which has been extensively demonstrated to have a significant impact on the profitability and feasibility of mining operations. Therefore, this thesis proposes stochastic optimization methods for underground mines by employing a sublevel open stoping mining method and ultimately attempts to integrate the mine design and production scheduling into a single optimization framework. The first part of this thesis presents a stochastic optimization method of stope design along with the commonly used sequential underground mine planning framework. A set of geostatistical simulations is used to quantify the variability and uncertainty of grades within the mineral deposit. The proposed method aims to maximize the undiscounted profit while capitalizing on the upside potential in terms of recoverable metal of the generated stope layout. It also accounts for the development costs of potential production levels and stopes. The application of this stochastic approach at an underground gold mine achieved a 40% higher undiscounted profit and 21% recoverable metal when benchmarked against an industry-standard deterministic stope design software tool. The second part of this thesis presents an integrated stochastic optimization of stope design and long-term underground mine production scheduling by integrating time-dependent development costs and production targets. The mathematical model seeks to maximize the NPV from the scheduled stopes, as well as to minimize the shaft, drifts and crosscuts development costs and maintenance costs to keep the levels in operation while managing the risk of failing to meet yearly productions targets. Therefore, an optimal underground mine design is yielded as an output from the optimized production schedule. The method also opens new avenues to account for time-dependent sources of uncertainty that cannot be incorporated into the stope design optimization in the sequential underground mine planning framework. A case study at an underground gold mine demonstrates that the proposed method generates more selective stopes and physically different production levels, which correspond to an 11% higher NPV and a shorter life-of-mine by two years, as compared to the sequential optimization framework"--
