Gold heap leach simulation and optimization using a multiphysics model

Minerals and Metallurgical Processing

Volumn 27, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 196-204

  Garcia, S ^a   Ramon, C ^a   Esplin, A ^a   Gebhardt, J E ^b   Hernandez, A ^b   McBride, D ^c   Cross, M ^c  

^a Minera Yanacocha SRL   (Peru)

^b Process Engineering Resources Inc   (United States)

^c SWANSEA UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Gold gold ores; Heap leaching; Modeling and simulation

Indexed keywords

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS; COMPUTER PROGRAMMING; LEACHING;

CALIBRATION AND VALIDATIONS; HEAP LEACHING; INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS; MODEL AND SIMULATION; MULTI-PHYSICS MODELING; OPERATING CONDITION; OPERATING PARAMETERS; SIMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION;

GOLD ORE TREATMENT;

EID: 78649234333     PISSN: 07479182     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/bf03402443     Document Type: Article

References (19)

1. Bailey, C., Taylor, G.A., Cross, M., and Chow, P., 1999, "Discretisation procedures for multi-physics phenomena," J. Computional & Applied Math., Vol. 103, pp. 3-17.
2. Bartlett, R.W., 1998, Solution Mining, 2nd Edition, Gordon & Breach Science Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 325 pp.
3. Bear, J. 1972. Dynamics of Fluids in Porous Media, Elsevier, New York.
4. Bennett, CR., Cross, M., Croft, TN., Uhrie, J.L.. Green, CR., and Gebhardt, J.E., 2003a, "A comprehensive copper stockpile leach model: background and model formulation," Hydrometallurgy2003, CA. Young etal., eds., The Metallurgical Society, Warrendale, PA, pp. 315-319.
5. Bennett, CR., Cross, M., Croft, T.N., Uhrie, J.L., Green, CR., and Gebhardt, J.E., 2003b, "A comprehensive copper stockpile leach model: background and model sensitivity, " Copper 2003 - Cobra 2003 Hydrometallurgy of Copper, P.A. Riveras, D. Dixon, D. Dreisinger, and J. Menacho, Eds., MetSoc, Quebec, Vl: pp. 563-579.
6. Bennett, CR., McBride, D., Cross, M., Gebhardt, J., and Taylor, D., 2006, "Simulation technology to support base metal ore heap leaching," Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy (Trans. Inst. Mm. Metall. C), Vol. 115, No. 1, pp. 41-48.
7. Brooks, R.H., and Corey, T.A., 1964, Hydraulic Properties of Porous Media, Hydrology paper No. 3, Civil Eng., Colorado State Univ.
8. Celia, M.A., Bouloutas, E.T., and Zarba, R.L., 1990, "A general mass-conserved numerical solution for the unsaturated flow equation," Water Resources Research, Vol. 26, pp. 1483-1496.
9. Cross, M., Bennett, CR., Croft, T.N., McBride, D., and Gebhardt, J., 2006, "Computational modeling of reactive multi-phase flows in porous media: applications to metals extraction and environmental recovery processes," Minerals Engineering, Vol.19, pp. 1098-1108.
10. Esplin, A., Garcia, S., Gebhardt, J.E., Hernandez, A., McBride, D., and Cross, M., 2007, "Evaluating options for gold heap process optimization using a comprehensive process model, " SME Annual Meeting, Preprint 07-006:1-4
11. Garcia, S., Ramon, C, Gebhardt, J.E., Hernandez, A., McBride, D., and Cross, M., 2008, "Gold heap process optimization using a comprehensive model," Hydrometallurgy 2008, CA. Young et al., Eds., Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME), Littleton, CO, 717-723.
12. Gebhardt, J.E., Hernandez, A., McBride, D., and Cross, M., 2006, "Gold heap leach process simulator: a tool for process optimization," Hydroprocess 2006, E.M. Domic and J.M. Casas de Prada, Eds., Gecamin, Ltda., Santiago, Chile, pp. 101-112.
13. Hao, X., Zhang, R., and Kravchenko, A., 2005, A mass-conservative switching method for simulating saturated-unsaturated flow," J. of Hydrology, Vol 311, pp. 254-265.
14. Kirkland, M.R., Hills, R.G., and Wierenga, P.J., 1992, "Algorithms for solving richards' equation for variably saturated soils, " Water Resources Research, Vol. 28, pp. 2049-2058.
15. McBride, D., Cross, M., Croft, N., Bennett, C.R., and Gebhardt, J., 2005a, " Modelling variably saturated flow in porous media for heap leach analysis, " Computational Analysis in Hydrometallurgy, D.G. Dixon and M.J. Dry, Eds., MetSoc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, pp. 45-59.
16. McBride, D., Cross, M., Croft, N., Bennett, C.R., and Gebhardt, J., 2005b, "Computational modelling of variably saturated flow in porous media with complex three dimensional geometries," Int. J. of Numerical Methods in Fluid Flow, Vol. 50, pp. 1085-1117.
17. Pan, L., and Wierenga, P.J., 1995, "A transformed pressure head-based approach to solve richards' equation for variably saturated soils," Water Resource Res., Vol. 31, pp. 925-931.
18. Tindall, J.A., and Kunkel, J.R., 1999, Unsaturated Zone Hydrology for Scientists and Engineers, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 624 pp.
19. Van Genuchten, M.T., 1980, "A closed form of equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils," Soil Sci. Am. J., Vol. 44, pp. 892-898.