Quarry Field Research Articles

Block method of mining quarry fields as a tool to reduce environmental impact in conditions of intensification of production

Relevance. The intensification of open-pit mining in the coal basins of the Russian Federation is accompanied by an increase in negative impact on the environment. Directly in Kuzbass, the environment is exposed to the impact of the coal industry, especially when conducting open-pit mining using deep mining systems, with external dumping, which is accompanied by the withdrawal of a large amount of undisturbed land. The block method of mining quarry fields, well known in mining, has been rarely implemented in existing and planned quarry fields. The general line of its application is the lack of a unified approach to the design of block parameters, including environmental and economic assessment of the impact of this technological solution on the environment. Aim. Reduce environmental payments of mining enterprises with justified parameters of blocks for the development of quarry fields of promising inclined and steeply dipping coal deposits. Methods. Systematic generalization of the actual situation of mining operations in open-pit mines using the block method of mining quarry fields, the method of options and technical and economic modeling using spreadsheets. Results and conclusions. The authors have proposed the ecological and economic criteria for assessing the application of the block method of quarry field development. This allows us to study the patterns of change in environmental indicators. Using the example of the Krasnobrodskoe open-pit mine, the costs of environmental payments for the use of land resources, emissions and dusting are calculated for two options different from the design documentation. Based on the calculation results, the authors proved the efficiency of applying the block procedure for developing promising coal deposits, allowing us to reduce the costs for environmental impact by 22.5 and 63%, respectively, when changing the length of the initial block along the bottom from 2.2 to 1.4 km. From which it follows that the combined ecological and economic indicators allow us to fully assess the feasibility of applying the method for calculating block parameters, which is generally reflected in reduction in the costs for negative impact on the environment.

Theoretical substantiation of water inflow into the mined-out space of quarries mining hard-rock building materials

This paper covers topical issues of groundwater and surface water inflow depending on the quarry field spatial dimensions, which leads to an increase in the costs of dewatering and drainage. The spatial dimensions of a quarry field are one of the key indicators in determining the appropriate depth of mining the deposits of hard-rock building materials. The theoretical research is performed using the following methods: statistical and analytical research method for analyzing the hydrological characteristics of non-metallic deposits and their parameters; graphic-analytical method for determining the area of the quarry walls from which water flows due to groundwater and atmospheric precipitation; technical-economic method for assessing the patterns of changes in costs for dewatering the quarry depth; and method of options for selecting the type of water drainage equipment. As a result, patterns have been obtained that characterize the change in the normative inflow of atmospheric precipitation depending on the quarry field area and the change in the unit costs for dewatering depending on the type of the studied quarry field. The practical significance of the conducted research is to use the obtained results of developed design solutions, tested and implemented in the scientific-technical (project) documentation for the mining conditions of Sofiivskyi, Mykytivskyi, Boleslavchykskyi, Chaplinskyi, and Lyubimivskyi fields of non-metallic hard-rock minerals.

О ПРОБЛЕМЕ ЭКСПЛУАТАЦИИ ВОССТАЮЩИХ ДРЕНАЖНЫХ СКВАЖИН ПРИ ОСУШЕНИИ МИХАЙЛОВСКОГО МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЯ (КУРСКАЯ МАГНИТНАЯ АНОМАЛИЯ)

The results of a study of the functioning of the drainage complex of the Mikhailovsky iron ore deposit at the KMA are presented. Due to the significant size of the quarry field, as well as to reduce the volume of overburden, its drainage is carried out using a combined surface and underground method. It has been established that currently the average annual inflow to the mine drainage varies within the range of 2150...2830 m3/h, of which most of the drainage water comes from the Bathonian aquifer (the main water supply reservoir - more than 70 % of the water inflow) along with watering by precipitation, the supra-Callovian aquifer complex and ore-crys talline fractured waters. The relative stabilization of the regime of aquifer complexes and the volume of water inflows into the MGOK quarry over the past decades has been established. The negative impact of the mining enterprise is shown, which led to the formation of depressions on a regional scale and a significant depletion of groundwater reserves in the lower aquifer complex. The main production problems in the operation of the underground drainage complex have been identified, related to the difficulties associated with the operation of the quarry, as well as periodic disruptions to the normal operation of rising drainage wells, up to the complete failure of some of them. For the first time, field studies (downhole video recording) revealed previously unstudied deformations of the casing columns of raised drainage wells. The causes of deformations have been established, and specific measures have been developed to improve the reliability of raised drainage wells. Directions for the development of further research are outlined. The research results can be used for drainage by rising drainage wells not only in the KMA, but also in other fields with similar geological and hydrogeological conditions.

Mining of non-metallic mineral deposits in the context of Ukraine’s reconstruction in the war and post-war periods

Purpose. The research purpose is to study the conditions for mining deposits of metamorphic and igneous origin to produce crushed stone products in conditions of limited electricity supply. Methods. The research uses an integrated approach, including data analysis on quarry field spatial dimensions and the overburden rock thickness, which provides the basis for identifying deposits into basic groups. For the identified groups of deposits, taking into account the hydrological characteristics of non-metallic deposits and their parameters, patterns have been determined that characterize the change in the normative atmospheric precipitation inflow, based on the quarry field area and the change in the specific costs for water drainage depending on the studied quarry field type. Based on data on technical characteristics of mobile and semi-stationary units and aggregates, the parameters of physical-mechanical properties of granites and diorites, technical-technological solutions for the formation of complexes for processing raw materials for the production of crushed stone products are proposed. Findings. Problems arising during mining operations under conditions of limited electricity supply, which is caused by mass attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, have been revealed. A systematization of deposits of igneous and metamorphic origin for mining of rock building materials, which are the basis for the production of crushed stone products, has been developed. The rates of water inflow into the mined-out space depending on the quarry field spatial parameters and the depth of mining operations have been studied. Technological schemes of the apparatuses of a complex for processing raw materials for production of crushed stone products and the apparatuses of a complex for processing siftings are proposed. Originality. Dependences of possible water inflow into the mined-out space of the quarry and change in energy consumption for water drainage have been determined, taking into account the accepted classification criteria, namely the quarry field spatial dimensions, the overburden rock thickness and the quarry depth. Practical implications. The obtained data on the possible water inflow into the mined-out space of the quarry and change in energy consumption for water drainage make it possible to assess the efficiency of pumping units. The proposed technical-technological solutions on formation of complexes for processing raw materials to produce crushed stone products have been developed in accordance with the fundamental provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On approval of the National program for the development of the mineral resource base of Ukraine for the period up to 2030”.

GEOFILTRATION MODELING OF WATER FLOWS TO PRODUCED PRIMARY DIAMOND DEPOSITS AND INJECTION IN ASSOCIATED AREAS

Safe development of primary diamond deposits in Western Yakutia requires constant monitoring of the hydrogeological regime of the exposed aquifer complexes within the quarry and mine fields of the deposits, as well as in the adjacent areas of drainage water injection. Over the entire period of development of the Alakit-Markhinsky, Daldynsky, Mirninsky and Nakynsky kimberlitic fields, about 400 million m3 of highly mineralized drainage water from quarries and mines were involved in the pumping-injection process. Complex cryohydrogeological conditions of the territory, i.e., lithological-facial specifics, continuous distribution of permafrost, structural confinement of kimberlite fields, fault-block structure of individual pipes, influence the dynamics of occurring changes and make the cryohydrogeological conditions of each individual pipe unique and having no complete analogues. In order to predict successfully and implement subsequently technical solutions aimed at controlling inflows of all types formed within mine and quarry fields, the Yakutniproalmaz Institute elaborated a program for the development, constant maintenance and updating of hydrogeological “digital twins” of all key mining deposits. The developed models take into account the influence of both natural factors and the applied schemes for opening and draining deposits, which impose their own limitations. The filtration problem was solved out using the licensed program FEFLOW, which performs modeling of hydrogeological conditions by the finite element method in a multilayer strata for areas of arbitrary configuration with boundary conditions of type I, II, III changing according to the known law in the presence of filtration heterogeneities in plan and section, as well as vertical filtration. The creation and constant updating of permanent digital models made it possible not only to acquire a modern tool for forecasting water inflows, but also helped to improve the planning process in terms of drilling drainage and injection wells, purchasing pumping equipment, etc. Deviation of predicted values from those actually observed within the short-term forecast for the period of use 2021–2023 ranged from 5 to 10%.

Integrated use of lignite resources to provide fuel for the energy sector of Ukraine in the war and post-war periods

The object of research is technological processes for the complex development of lignite resources, including extraction, processing and the possibility of further use of derived products in the energy sector. The problem solved in the work is related to the underestimation of the complex use of lignite resources of Ukraine to provide fuel for the energy sector, which is suffering significant damage as a result of military operations. In the course of research, the current state, prospects for the development and use of lignite as an energy resource at thermal power plants (TPP) were analyzed. Using the example of the Myronivka lignite deposit, new technological solutions for its complex development are proposed, which include the following stages: – development of technological schemes for conducting mining operations with the possibility of selective extraction of minerals; – identification of promising areas of lignite processing technologies with the involvement of carbonaceous clays; – calculation of technical and economic indicators, social and economic efficiency of field exploitation. It is proposed to determine the rational parameters of the overburden zones during the extraction of at least two minerals in the deposit with the use of internal dumping of overburden rocks in the produced space. In order to minimize the impact of field waterlogging, various options for draining the quarry field will be considered based on three-dimensional modeling. Based on the methodology of expected operating costs, a preliminary economic assessment of the attractiveness of the proposed technological solutions was calculated for a conventional mining enterprise. Graphs of the dependence of mining costs and cost on the productivity of the cut and the overburden ratio were constructed, which made it possible to assert the feasibility of comprehensive development of lignite deposits of Ukraine. It has been established that the expansion of lignite raw materials due to accompanying minerals (coal clay) will lead to an increase in production by mass from 30 to 100 %, and in some cases even more.

ВЛИЯНИЕ РЕЛЬЕФА НА УДАРНО-ВОЗДУШНЫЙ ВОЛНОВОЙ ЭФФЕКТ ПРИ ВЗРЫВНЫХ РАБОТАХ В КАРЬЕРЕ

The heterogeneity of the relief of the surface of the location of the main mining structures during blasting leads to an increase in the impact of the air-blast effect on the protected objects adjacent to the quarry field. A correction is proposed that takes into account the volume of the disturbance actually covered at a distance (r, m) in comparison with the disturbance covered by it due to the relief inhomogeneity along the path of air-blast propagation. The ratios of corrections for the relief are presented depending on the type of heterogeneity and its location relative to the protected object. Research methods: analytical estimates and experimental studies of air-blast disturbances of explosions of contact and buried charges in open-cast mining; geometric modeling of the actually covered volume of perturbation on the path of air-blast propagation due to the inhomogeneity of the relief during the explosion of an additional equivalent charge.

Establish of the optimum parameters of the Pinyazevytsky granite deposit mining system

Purpose. To conduct an analysis of the mining and geological features of the occurrence, the current state of development and the establishment of optimum parameters of the Pinyazevytsky granite deposit mining system elements. Methodology. Analytical, statistical, grapho-analytical, experimental research in the conditions of operating quarries, technical and economic analysis and forecasting were used during the research. Findings. The conducted research made it possible to analyze the mining and geological features of the occurrence and the current state of development, the analysis of the Pynyazevytskyi granite deposit mining system was carried out and their optimal parameters were substantiated.The average thickness of the mineral is 100.3 m. On the basis of the mining and geometric analysis of the quarry field, the average exploitation ratio of the overburden on the deposit was 0.07 m3/m3. Based on the calculations, the following parameters of the field development system elements are determined in the work: the minimum width of the working platform during the development of rock and dead-end dump truck turning is 27 m, and when the dump truck turns in a circle – 34 m; the width of the working area when working with rock and using the EKG-5A excavator is 51 m. The calculated maximum permissible height and slope angles of the ledges are: height of the ledge 15 m; the slope angle of the working ledge is 80°; the angle of stable slope is 75°. The width of the working area during the development of loose excavated rocks is calculated using the Volvo EC-240 excavator and is 39 m with ledges 5 m high. Originality. Conducted an analysis of the current state and features of the Pynyazevitskyi granite deposit development, substantiating the optimum parameters of the mining system elements for the open-pit mining of industrial mineral deposits. Practical value. The results of the research made it possible to establish the characteristic features of the mining enterprise, which significantly affect the mining of mineral deposit and the establishment of optimum parameters of the mining system elements for the mining of industrial raw materials for the production of aggregates.

ЭФФЕКТИВНОЕ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ГЕОРЕСУРСНОГО ПОТЕНЦИАЛА ГЛУБОКИХ РУДНЫХ КАРЬЕРОВ И ОБОСНОВАНИЕ ВЫБОРА СРЕДСТВ МЕХАНИЗАЦИИ ПО ПРИРОДНО-ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКИМ ЗОНАМ МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЯ

The scientific paper reviews operation and operating conditions of deep pits. The division of the quarry field into natural-technological areas and their classification have been made. The work also provides schemes of division of the open pit field into conventional natural-technological zones and of complex mechanization of natural-technological zone by the cyclic action equipment. The dependence of the rate of mining decline on the width of the working site has been maintained. Strategic technical solutions to help manage mining manufacture and complex continuous planning and design of mining operations as well as division of working space into pit zones, have been elaborated. A nomogram for determining the parameters of excavation blocks based on the rate of decline of mining works for different sizes of excavators and a structural scheme of complex mechanization of natural and technological zones by cyclic-flow technology have been provided.

Substantiation of resource-saving technology when mining the deposits for the production of crushed-stone products

Purpose. Scientific substantiation of the expedient depth of mining the non-metallic deposits of rocky minerals on the basis of mathematical and statistical methods, which will ensure resource-saving and rational use of natural resources. Methods. To solve the purpose set, the following methods are used: graphical-analytical – when optimizing the maximum depth of mining the deposits of building materials, and the method of mathematical modeling – for determining the maximum depth of mining the non-metallic deposits with internal dumping. By means of statistical processing according to systematized types of deposits, the patterns of a change in the maximum depth of mining the basic deposits, depending on the main parameters of the quarry field, have been studied. Findings. A new methodology, which is distinguished by taking into account in-pit dumping, has been developed for calculating the maximum depth of granite quarries, which most of all influences the efficiency of mining operations and the value of economic indicators while ensuring the maximum economic effect with the achievement of a rational maximum depth of mining the deposit. A new, theoretically substantiated methodology has been created for determining the maximum depth of mining the mineral deposits for the production of crushed-stone products while providing the resource- and land-saving during the quarry operation. Originality. For the first time for these deposits, the dependence of their maximum mining depth on the main parameters of the quarry field and the place of internal dumping of overburden rocks has been determined. This has become a determining factor in the appropriate mining of deep non-metallic deposits of building materials with internal dumping, which provides a minimal land disturbance. Practical implications. The research results have been tested and implemented in working projects for mining the Liubymivske, Chaplynske, Pervomaiske, Mykytivske, Trykratske and Novoukrainske granite deposits; as a result of additional mining of mineral reserves, their additional increment in the volume from 1 to 48 million m3 is possible, which will ensure 5-40 years of sustainable operation of the mining enterprise.

Geology in and around Charleston, IL: Rocky Branch Conservation area & Charleston Quarry Field Trip

A field trip guide for Rocky Branch Conservation area and Charleston Quarry, in and around Charleston, Illinois. This field trip occurred during the 44th Biennial Convention at Charleston, IL on September 23rd, 2017.

Management of Excess Mined-Out Space of Quarry Fields of Coal Open Pit Mines

Regardless of the applied technology of coal mining, a technogenic resource of the open pit is formed – excess mined-out space. Excessive mined-out space should be understood as a part of the internal space of a pit that is not used for placing overburden in dumps. The excess mined-out space in the plan is limited by the following: on the flanks of the quarry field and along the uprising by the limiting contour of the quarry, along the inclination – by the possible position of the slope of the dump layer, as close as possible to the working area. The lower boundary corresponds to the position of the formed dumps, the upper one – to the marks of the dominant relief. The article presents a method for reducing the excess mined-out space by means of the patterns of spatial development of objects “quarry field – dump of overburden”.

Substantiation of the technological scheme of development of the outstripping overburden bench at quarry field curvilinear contour

The porpoise of the research is to develop technological schemes of overburden rocks extraction on the outstripping overburden bench with a further rational scheme choice in the curvilinear quarry contour conditions. Research methods – theoretical and experimental; graphic-analytical method; method of statistical and system analysis; method of technical and economic analysis for the selection of effective technological schemes for stripping operations. Research results. As a result of the research, possible options for the development of the outstrippingoverburden bench were considered. A comparative technical and economic assessment of possible options for the mining operations progress, taking into account the change in the length of the mining operations front, has been carried out. The selection and justification of the technological scheme for the outstripping overburden bench development with a rotary complex using a KU-800 excavator at the Motronivsky GOK quarry for the period of the mining operations front in the northern part of the quarry field has been performed. Scientific novelty. Possible directions of ensuring the required productivity of stripping operations on the outstripping ledge are proposed. The ratio of the prime cost of overburden development for the studied technological schemes has been established. The choice of a rational technological scheme with the lowest cost of stripping works has been made. Practical value. The performed research allow us to choose a rational scheme for performing stripping mining operations, taking into account the curvilinear contour of the quarry field and ensuring the required performance of stripping operations by ensuring the necessary advancement of the mining operation front on the above-ore and middle stripping benches. The expected technical and economic effect is expressed in a reduction in the overburden development cost due to the use of an efficient mining complex and a technological scheme for the overburden development.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of dust screens and the possibilities of taking into account their influence in software models

The variety of approaches used to reduce dust load from the enterprises of the mineral resource complex is wide. Often the normative methodological base shows a lag behind the development and implementation of new devices and methods of protection. The article considers an example of a granite quarry in the Leningrad region of Russia, on which the construction of dust screens was proposed. The impact of the enterprise’s facilities on the residential area has been assessed. The inverse subsurface nature of the movement of air and the spread of dust from quarry facilities is revealed. Proposed placement of a semi-permeable dust screen along the edge of the quarry provides comprehensive dust protection. An assessment was made of the negative impact of the facility on atmospheric air after installing a dust screen with various options for methodological accounting for the impact of such structures on reducing dust transfer outside the quarry field.

Experimental mining of three coal seams by transportless technology

In conditions of market economy and competition it is of great importance to reduce the cost of coal mining. It is especially important when mining coal at the complicated deposits of Kuzbass. In these conditions it is important to choose the technology of stripping and winning works, providing a minimum cost for them. There are two essential factors for achieving this goal: reduction of expenses on transportation of overburden and expenses connected with alienation of lands for external dumps and their reclamation. Therefore, promising technologies are those that ensure the placement of the maximum amount of overburden in the internal dump. This condition sets the task of expanding the scope and boundaries of application of transportless technology, which is used in Kuzbass both independently and in combination with transport technology. In particular, the combined technology is used at Chernigovets open pit mine, where the upper part of the quarry field, containing Kemerovsky seam, is mined using transport technology. The lower part up to 70 m high, which includes three flat seams: Volkovsky, Podvolkovsky I, Podvolkovsky II, on an experimental basis is mined by transportless technology (the volume of stripping works is 5-10 % of the total volume). A distinctive feature of the experiment is the performance of stripping and winning operations with a single dragline excavator, which eliminates the cost of maintaining the rope shovel and bulldozer. Therefore, the experience of using this technology is of practical interest for other open pits in the basin, as well as for any other quarries with similar mining and geological conditions.

Histogram Method for Determining the Location of the Internal Dump in Coal Open Pits

With the deepening of open pit mining, the volume of worked out space increases and, along with it, the potential capacity for storing overburden. At the same time, the pits completely allocated for the internal dumps are used only by the end of the period of the open pit operation. The known theoretical approaches to determining the location of the internal dump are little implemented in the practice of surface mining, which is explained by two reasons. First, standard design solutions are based on wellknown theoretical provisions; secondly, a formalized template approach to substantiating certain design developments in the field of dumping of internal dumps prevails, which pushes them towards their fragmentary rather than integrated implementation. With regard to the conditions of the Kuzbass open-pit mines, the article proposes a modernized interpretation for the formation of structural schemes of the sequence of quarry fields on the basis of constructive-and-parametric studies of a multivariate adaptation of the internal dumping mode.

On evaluation of complex-structured coal deposits based on their typical geometric features

Information about the geological structure of Kuznetsky coal basin (Kuzbass) allows us to note that coal deposits developed by open-cast method are characterized by complicated conditions and have the following features: large length of deposits at significant depths of occurrence; coal series bedding of different thicknesses (from 1 to 40 m); different dip angles (from 3 to 90º); a significant number of dip and direction disturbances; different thickness of unconsolidated quaternary sediments (from 5 to 40 m); a wide range of strength values of rocks. In addition, there is a thickness irregularity and frequent variability of elements of occurrence of coal seams within the boundaries of a quarry field both in length and depth of mining. From the point of view of open-pit mining, such deposits are complex-structured. The factors listed above have a decisive influence on the choice of technical means, the order of development and the possibility of carrying out surface mining operations. Therefore, there is a need for a systematization of mining and geological conditions for the development of coal deposits, the purpose of which is to ensure a process of evaluation of complex-structured coal deposits for the development of coal-bearing zones by various complexes of equipment.

RETROSPECTIVE MONITORING OF CHANGES IN THE AREA OF THE DISTURBED GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE ZHEZHELIVSKE GRANITE DEPOSIT (BASED ON SPACE IMAGES OF DIFFERENT TIMES)

Brief information about Zhezhelivsky granite quarry and its products is given. The isochronous, mineralogical-petrographic characteristics of granites are briefly presented. Based on the analysis of satellite images from different times, a retrospective monitoring of the change in the area of the geological environment of granites disturbed by the development of the Zhezhelіvsky quarry of granites during the last 33 years was carried out. It is established that from 1987 to 2020 the area of the disturbed geological environment within the quarry field did not undergo significant changes.

ОЦЕНКА ГОРНО-ГЕОЛОГИЧЕСКИХ И ГОРНОТЕХНИЧЕСКИХ УСЛОВИЙ КАРЬЕРА «СЕВЕРНЫЙ» С ПОМОЩЬЮ МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКИХ МОДЕЛЕЙ

One of the most important indicators characterizing the operating conditions of the fields is the water cut. It negatively affects the way of mining and the possibility of effective use of modern mining technologies. The high water cut of the cover and ore-hosting rocks often serves as the main reason for a decrease in their stability and the manifestation of negative processes (quicksand properties of rocks, caving), as a result of which the safety of miners deteriorates and high-performance mining methods become inapplicable, which generally leads to a decrease in the technical and economic indicators of the open pit. Thus, the study of the regularities of the formation of water inflows in the “Severny” open pit, based on the use of factual material and the development of a sound forecasting methodology are relevant. Purpose of the study. Analyze and assess the mininggeological and mining-technical conditions of the open pit “Severny” using mathematical models. Research methodology. The work uses a modeling method to predict water inflow and calculate the drainage of a quarry field in difficult mining conditions. Devices simulating natural mining conditions were used: a device for electrohydrodynamic analogies (EGDA). Research results: An analogy has been drawn between the phenomenon of laminar steady-state filtration of water in rocks and the passage of current in an electrically conductive medium in the form of electrically conductive paper, less often in liquid electrolytes. The EGDA device was used to determine the water inflows into the quarry, taking into account the factors that complicate the calculations of groundwater filtration (for example, taking into account the movement of the walls of the quarry, the operation of drainage devices, the infiltration of atmospheric precipitation, the movement of water in neighboring aquifers of different permeability), modeling of objects with a complex configuration boundary contours. Conclusion. The modeling method has been improved, which makes it possible to substantiate the use of a specific mining method under certain hydrogeological conditions and to select the optimal drainage scheme to increase the operational reliability of the open pit. The conducted research, observation, study of the existing dam showed the technical feasibility of further development of the deposit with minimization of financial costs. In order to ensure the safety of mining operations, it is envisaged to conduct constant and systemic mining and technical monitoring of mining operations and study the state of the water protection dam and pit walls.

Influence of the parameters of the openings on the efficiency of open-pit mining

The article discusses the formation of workings in the conditions of rational use of subsoil resources. Studies of a quantitative assessment of the influence of the parameters of open-pit mining of mineral deposits on the volumes of overburden in the quarry field and on the area of disturbed lands are carried out. Research conducted for steeply dipping mineral deposits.