Hongjiang Wang

Unsaturated flow and solute transport in a porous column using spherical ore particles

This paper dealt with the development of a two-dimensional (2D) mathematical model for column leaching and confirmed the important simulation parameters through experiment. The unsaturated state of the variably saturated flow column and the solute transport of copper ions were studied during leaching. The fluid flow problem was handled using the Richards equation on the premise of an ambient pressure column air, where the van Genuchten formulas were applied to define the nonlinear relationships of pressure head with the retention and permeability properties. The ore column permeability test gave a varied hydraulic conductivity, which was analyzed in the model. In the solute transport problem, the copper ion concentration was solved using the advection-diffusion-reaction equation whose reaction term was determined by the joint analysis of experimental copper leaching rate and the shrinking core model. Particle- and column-scale leaching tests were carried out to illustrate the difference and connection of copper extraction in both processes. This fluid flow and solute transport coupled model was determined through the finite element method using the numerical simulation software, COMSOL Multiphysics.

Temperature Effects on Rheological Properties of Fresh Thickened Copper Tailings that Contain Cement

Cemented paste backfill (CPB) is an economic and environmental friendly technique applied in underground mining for supporting surrounding rock and replacing the pillar. However, little is known about the temperature effects on CPB in mines having a large temperature fluctuation. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of temperature change on the rheological properties (e.g., shear stress and apparent viscosity) of CPB with copper mine tailings. Specifically, a series of rheological tests were conducted on 6 CPB samples using a Brookfield R/S+ Rheometer under various temperatures (2°C, 10°C, 20°C, 30°C, 40°C, and 60°C). Our results showed that both shear stress and apparent viscosity of these tailing samples increased with temperature rising from 2 to 60°C. Likewise, temperature has a significant impact on the Bingham yield stress of thickened tailings. The yield stress decreased from 122u2009Pa (2°C) to 112u2009Pa (20°C) and then increased to 152u2009Pa (60°C). Moreover, the pipeline transport pressure drop of CPB at various temperatures was calculated, illustrating an obvious effect on the paste pipeline transport. Compared with 20°C, the pressure drop under 2°C and 60°C increased by 11% and 22%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that the temperature plays an essential role in determining rheological properties of CPB and its engineering application in mines particularly with naturally fluctuating temperatures.

The Seepage Characteristics of Heterogeneous Body With Different Spreading Solution Modes and its Applications

As the dump was a typically heterogeneous body, the seepage was different with varied spreading solution modes. The phenomenon of lamination that occured in the site was simulated using three layers in an indoor experiment, and the seepage effect comparison experiment of the inside spreading solution model and the top spreading solution model have been carried out. In the inside spreading solution mode, the phreatic planar flew without infiltration and the parallel layer motion model was used to calculate the seepage coefficient and equivalent seepage coefficient of each state respectively. In the top spreading solution model, the phreatic planar flew with an even infiltration on the surface, and the vertical layer motion model was adopted to calculate the above coefficient. The results showed that the seepage coefficient of the inside model was larger than the top model in the heterogeneous body, The ratio of them was between 1.42 and 3.07. On the basis of these results, the following new technologies were discussed: installing a few small diameter mechanical pore sand piles with every lamination in the using dump; drilling some holes one-off in the unused dump. These two methods could changed the top spreading solution into the inside model, thus the seepage in the dump was improved.

Investigation of the Sedimentation Property of Backfill Material on the Basis of Rheological Test: A Case Study of Iron Tailings

Sedimentation of filling materials could cause pipe blocking accident in mines. However, few quantitative characterization studies have investigated the sedimentation characteristics of filling materials. In this study, the sedimentation property of iron tailings with a cement-sand ratio of 1u2009:u20094 and mass concentration of 73%∼82% was investigated based on rheology measurements. Results showed that shear stress increased as shear rate rose from 0u2009s−1 to 120u2009s−1. The shear stress increased as the filling material concentration increased as well. However, when the shear rate was reversed from 120u2009s−1 to 0u2009s−1, the shear stress presented an increase-constant-decrease change pattern as the mass concentration increases in the rheological curve. Accordingly, the sedimentation performance of iron tailings filling material was divided into three types: intense sedimentation (the ascending rheological curve) in the mass concentration range of 73%∼76%, slight sedimentation (the constant rheological curve) in the mass concentration range of 77%∼79%, and almost no sedimentation (the descending rheological curve) in the mass concentration range of 80%∼82%. The associated mechanism involving slurry mass concentration-rheological curves-sedimentation performance was illustrated. A correlation between the pipeline rheology and filling material sedimentation performance was established, which provides a practical guide to avoid pipeline blocking while transporting the filling material.

Correlative mechanism of hydraulic-mechanical property in cemented paste backfill

Hydraulic characteristic is a good indication of binder hydration, which determines the strength development of cemented paste backfill (CPB). Therefore, the hydraulic characteristic should be communicated with the mechanical property to provide an advanced knowledge that can help mine workers make a rational strategy and reduce the mining cycle. An experimental program was performed to obtain the hydraulic (monitored by suction and volumetric water content) and mechanical properties (unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test) of CPB at the 28 days curing age. According to the monitoring and testing results, the relationships between the hydration reaction rate and volumetric water content (VWC), suction and VWC, suction and UCS were established. The hydration degree showed a liner rise as the VWC decreased. Curves of the VWC and UCS were featured with a nonlinear reduction and nonlinear growth (both are exponential functions) as the suction rising, respectively. These established relationships validated the strong correlative mechanism of hydraulic and mechanics behavior for CPB. Also, the results of the present research indicated that the hydraulic characteristics and mechanical property were strongly coupled. These correlations and couplings will be of great importance to understand the hardening process of CPB and bring to a safe CPB field operation.