Optimal Routes Analysis of Vehicles for Auxiliary Operations in Open-pit Mines using a Heuristic Algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem

Abstract This study analyzed the optimal routes of auxiliary vehicles in an open-pit mine that need to traverse the entire mine through many working points. Unlike previous studies which usually used the Dijkstra‘s algorithm, this study utilized a heuristic algorithm for the Traveling Salesman Problem(TSP). Thus, the optimal routes of auxiliary vehicles could be determined by considering the visiting order of multiple working points. A case study at the Pasir open-pit coal mine, Indonesia was conducted to analyze the travel route of an auxiliary vehicle that monitors the working condition by traversing the entire mine without stopping. As a result, we could know that the heuristic TSP algorithm is more efficient than intuitive judgment in determining the optimal travel route; 20 minutes can be shortened when the auxiliary vehicle traverses the entire mine through 25 working points according to the route determined by the heuristic TSP algorithm. It is expected that the results of this study can be utilized as a basis to set the direction of future research for the system optimization of auxiliary vehicles in open-pit mines.

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