Abstract:
Pushbacks are mainly designed to have quick access to the high-grade zones of the deposit to improve revenues in the early years as much as possible and to reduce the risk of investment. Mining using pushbacks to provide a safety zone for the project, so that when the market is not favourable, the operation could be aborted with minimum loss. In theory, maximizing the number of pushbacks will help boost the economics of the project. However, due to operational and economical constraints, there is a limited number of pushbacks that we can realistically select for the life of a mine. Mine designs often contain too many pushbacks. Although they provide quick access to high-grade ore, they are not executable and eventually are mined together. It is important to know that pushbacks are effective only if the number of active pushbacks in each period is limited. Parameters to consider when selecting the number of pushbacks are, the life of mine, shape of orebody and grade distribution, smooth and realistic strip ratio throughout the mine life, if applicable the interaction with the underground operation, safety, and the minimum mining width.
Session: Mining & exploration: Operations: Mine planning and optimization II
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