Research

Strategic Mine Planning

Commencing in 1996, David has made numerous contributions to the literature on the topic of strategic mine planning. Please refer to the list of publications below for more details.

Critical Minerals

In 2020, David co-founded the Critical Minerals Consortium. The mission of the Consortium is to improve understanding of minerals criticality and to provide advice, ideas and expertise to assist policy makers. Special advisors to the Critical Minerals Consortium are Stephen McIntosh and Professor Robin Batterham. Key collaborators in the Consortium include Assoc. Professor Mohan Yellishetty, Assoc. Professor Gavin Mudd, Dr Stuart Walsh, and Dr Tim Werner.

Underground Mine Plan Optimization

David completed his PhD on ‘Underground mine plan optimisation’ in October 2019. The research addresses several topics relating to the planning of underground mines, with a focus on underlying mathematical models:

  • Transition from open pit to underground mining

  • Underground mine plan optimization (decompositions)

  • Solving the level development problem (modeled as Prize collecting Euclidean Steiner tree (PCEST) problem.

Publications

Whittle, D. and M. Yellishetty (2023). A response to questions raised concerning Australia’s Critical Minerals List. Melbourne, Australia, Critical Minerals Consortium.

Whittle, D. (2023). Critical next steps for critical minerals. Melbourne Branch Meeting. Melbourne, AusIMM

Yellishetty, M. and D. Whittle (2023). Critical Next Steps for Critical Minerals. Future Mining. Australia, Executive Media. 2: 19-21.

Yellishetty, M., D. Whittle, D. Morfesi and E. Scanlan (2023). A response to questions raised in the Critical Minerals Strategy 2023 Discussion Paper. Melbourne, Australia, Monash University, MinterEllison, Australia India Chamber of Commerce.

Yellishetty, M., D. Whittle, R. Hu and M. Shaibani (2023). The lithium battery value chain. Australia's Role in the Global Lithium Supply chain. E. Potts, Innovation News Network: 22-25.

Whittle, D. and M. Yellishetty (2023). Critical Minerals: A criticality assessment approach. Critical Materials and Sustainability Transition: A forward looking analysis. A. Işildar and E. v. Hullebusch. In pre-press production, Taylor & Francis.

Yellishetty, M. and D. Whittle (2022). How Australia can refine its critical minerals approach. Australian Resources & Investment.

Whittle, D. and M. Yellishetty (2022). Critical minerals: The challenges that lie ahead. Australian Mining.

Whittle, D., M. Brazil, P. Grossman, H. Rubinstein and D. A. Thomas (2021). "Minimum Steiner trees on a set of concyclic points and their centre."

International Transactions in Operational Research.Whittle, D. (2020). "Mining the periodic table." Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels 68(11&12): 348-348.

Whittle, D., M. Yellishetty, S. D. Walsh, G. Mudd and Z.-H. Weng (2020). Minerals Criticality Assessment from an Australian Perspective. ALTA 2020. A. Taylor. Perth.

Whittle, D., M. Brazil, P. Grossman, H. Rubinstein and D. A. Thomas (2021). "Minimum Steiner trees on a set of concyclic points and their centre." International Transactions in Operational Research.

Whittle, D., M. Yellishetty, S. Walsh, G. Mudd and Z.-H. Weng (2020). A submission to: Inquiry into the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade. Melbourne, Critical Minerals Consortium.

Whittle, D., M. Yellishetty, S. D. Walsh, G. Mudd and Z. Weng (2020) "Critical Minerals Assessment: A White Paper from the Critical Minerals Consortium."

Whittle, D., M. Brazil, P. A. Grossman, J. H. Rubinstein and D. A. Thomas (2020). "Solving the prize-collecting Euclidean Steiner tree problem." International Transactions in Operational Research.

Whittle, D. (2019). Underground mine plan optimisation. (Doctor or Philosophy). University of Melbourne, Melbourne.

Whittle, D., Brazil, M., Grossman, P. A., Rubinstein, J. H., & Thomas, D. A. (2018). Combined optimisation of an open-pit mine outline and the transition depth to underground mining. European Journal of Operational Research, 268(2), 624-634. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.02.005

Sweatman, W., White, K., Albrecht, A., Peron, M., Pudney, P., & Whittle, D. (2018). Mining sequencing to control blend quality. ANZIAM Journal, 58, 33-66.

Whittle, D., Brazil, M., Grossman, P. A., Rubinstein, H. & Thomas, D. A. 2016, 'Determining the open pit to underground transition: A new method', in Seventh International Conference & Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Sydney, Australia.

Whittle, D, 2011. Open Pit Planning and Design, in SME Mine Engineering Handbook (ed: P Darling), pp 877-902 (Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc.) 

Whittle, D and Ebrahimi, A, 2007. Hybrid Pits – Linking Conditional Simulation and Lerchs-Grossmann through Set Theory in Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning – Uncertainty and Risk Management Models, Spectrum Number 14, pp 323-328 (Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)

Whittle, D, Whittle, J, Wharton, C, and Hall, G, 2006. Strategic Mine Planning 8th Edition, Gemcom Software International Inc., Vancouver

Whittle, D, and Cahill J, 2001. Who Plans Mines? In Proceedings of Strategic Mine Planning 2001, pp 15-18 (Whittle Technology Ltd and Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)

Whittle, D, 2000c. Strategic mine planning and a decision making behaviour model presented at Whittle North American Strategic Mine Planning Conference, Breckenridge, August.

Whittle, D, 2000b. Proteus Environment: Sensitivity Analysis Made Easy presented at Whittle North American Strategic Mine Planning Conference, Colorado, August.

Whittle, D, 2000a, Assigning Costs in Whittle Four-X presented at Whittle North American Strategic Mine Planning Conference, Colorado, August.

Whittle, D, 1999b. Scenario branching and optimisation in life-of-mine simulation presented at Application of Computers in the Mining Industry Conference 1999, Colorado School of Mines, October. 

McRostie, D, Whittle, D, 1999. Risk Analysis using the Whittle Proteus Environment in Proceedings of the Third Biennial Conference: Strategic Mine Planning, pp 111 – 118 (Whittle Programming: Melbourne)

Whittle, D, Wooller, R., 1999, Maximizing the Economic Performance of Your Comminution Circuit through Cut-off Optimisation, International Journal of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Environment, Volume 13, Issue 4, pp147-153.

Whittle, D, 1999a. Factors that influence mine design and project value, paper presented at the conference Strategic Mine Planning – A Financial Perspective, Melbourne, Aug. (Reprinted in Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels (India) Vol. XLVII)

Whittle, D, Vassiliev, P, 1998. Synthesis of Stochastic Recovery Prediction and Cut‑off Optimization presented at the AusIMM Mine to Mill Conference, Brisbane, Oct.

Whittle, D, 1997b. The Relationship Between Economic Design Objectives and Reserve Estimates presented at the AusIMM Resources to Reserves Inputs Seminar, Melbourne, 9-Sep.

Whittle, D and Vasiliev, P, 1997. Construction Economic Ore Body Models for Open Pit Optimization, in Proceedings of 2nd Regional APCOM, Moscow, pp511-514.

Vasiliev, P and Whittle, D, 1997. Construction of Economic Ore Body Model While Solving Open Pit Optimization Problem in the Proceedings of International Symposium – Exploitation of Mineral Resource Deposits and Underground Construction in Complicated Hydrogeological Conditions, Belgorod (in Russian).

Whittle, D, 1997a. Accrual Accounting Concepts v Four-D Concepts in the Treatment of Costs inProceedings of the Optimizing with Whittle Conference, Perth, pp 179-187.

Srinivasan, S and Whittle, D, 1996. Combined Pit and Blend Optimization presented at SME Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ. (Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc.) Reprint No. 96‑69.