Relationship between particle size distribution and porosity in dump leaching
department or school: Applied Science, Faculty of
department or school: Materials Engineering, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Zhang, Shuo
issued: 2017-10-23T15:17:16Z
issued: 2017
related degree: Master of Applied Science - MASc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Fluid flow is a critical process involved in the valuable metals extraction from low grade ore in heap and dump leaching as well as the release of harmful substances from waste rock piles. The mechanisms by which fluids move through the porous media depend on the fluid properties and the intrinsic properties of the porous media, with permeability being one critical factor. Particle size distribution is a key factor that affects permeability by forming pores of different structure and size. The objective of this research was to assess the particle size distribution in heterogeneous packed ore/rock beds and quantify the effect of particle size distribution on porosity. In the studied mine site, the particle size distribution in the dump leach pad was determined by analyzing aerial images of multiple dump faces taken by a drone. Particles spanned a wide range in size from less than 2 cm in diameter to larger than 2 m in diameter, with a P80 to be 2 m. The spatial segregation of fine particles and coarse particles along the dump faces was observed, which may contribute to the formation of preferential flow. The effect of particle size distribution on porosity was quantified by two methods: the bulk density and CT-imaging techniques. Porosities under three particle sorting conditions were studied: narrow-sized particles, poorly sorted particles and well sorted particles. For narrow-sized particles, the porosity measured by the bulk density method decreased as the particle size was increased up to 0.151 mm after which the porosity remained constant in the range tested. The influence of the particle size on the porosity for the well sorted particles was similar to that of the narrow-sized particles from both of the methods. For poorly sorted particles, in both methods, porosity decreased as the fraction of the fine particles added was increased to a certain value, after which the porosity started to increase as the fraction of fine particles was further increased. The resu…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/63383
note: Relationship between Particle Size Distribution and Porosity in Dump Leaching by Shuo Zhang B.Sc, The University of Waterloo, 2015 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Materials Engineering) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2017 © Shuo Zhang, 2017 ii Abstract Fluid flow is a critical process involved in the valuable metals extraction from low grade ore in heap and dump leaching as well as the release of harmful substances from waste rock piles. The mechanisms by which fluids move through the porous media depend on the fluid properties and the intrinsic properties of the porous media, with permeability being one critical factor. Particle size distribution is a key factor that affects permeability by forming pores of different structure and size. The objective of this research was to assess the particle size distribution in heterogeneous packed ore/rock beds and quantify the effect of particle size distribution on porosity. In the studied mine site, the particle size distribution in the dump leach pad was determined by analyzing aerial images of multiple dump faces taken by a drone. Particles spanned a wide range in size from less than 2 cm in diameter to larger than 2 m in diameter, with a P80 to be 2 m. The spatial segregation of fine particles and coarse particles along the dump faces was observed, which may contribute to the formation of preferential flow. The effect of particle size distribution on porosity was quantified by two methods: the bulk density and CT-imaging techniques. Porosities under three particle sorting conditions were studied: narrow-sized particles, poorly sorted particles and well sorted particles. For narrow-sized particles, the porosity measured by the bulk density method decreased as the particle size was increased up to 0.151 mm after which the porosity remained constant in the range tested. The in…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2017-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0357233
language: eng
degree discipline: Materials Engineering
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/63383