Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02640018 2008-09-30
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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING A SIZED ORE FEED
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to mining and more particularly to processing
a sized ore feed.
2. Description of Related Art
Surface mining operations are generally employed to excavate an ore deposit
that is found near the surface. Such ore deposits are usually covered by an
overburden of rock, soil, and/or plant matter, which may be removed prior to
commencing mining operations. The remaining ore deposit may then be
excavated and transported to a plant for processing to remove commercially
useful products. For example, the ore deposit may comprise an oil sand
deposit from which hydrocarbon products may be extracted.
In the example of an oil sand ore deposit, such as the Northern Alberta Tar
Sands, the ore deposit comprises about 70 to about 90 percent by weight of
mineral solids including sand and clay, about 1 to about 10 percent by weight
of water, and a bitumen or oil film. The bitumen may be present in amounts
ranging from a trace amount up to as much as 20 percent by weight.
Consequently, since oil sand ore deposits comprises a relatively small
percentage by weight of bitumen, it is generally more efficient and cost
effective to at least partially separate the bitumen from the ore as soon as
possible after excavation, since significant energy costs are incurred in
transporting the ore over long distances.
In commonly owned Canadian Patent Application CA 2,567,644, a process
line for mining an oil sands ore body is disclosed. The process line includes
an excavator for mining oil sands ore, a comminutor for receiving mined ore
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from the excavator and comminuting the mined ore to conveyable size and
transferring the comminuted ore to a mobile conveyor for transporting the
comminuted ore. The comnninutor supplies conveyable ore to the mobile
conveyor, and the mobile conveyor is periodically moved in an arc about a
discharge end to locate another portion of the ore body within operational
reach of the mobile conveyor until substantially all of the ore body within
operational reach of the conveyor has been mined. In one disclosed
embodiment the ore is transported to a mobile slurry facility located
proximate
a mine face of an oil sand deposit. Operation of the disclosed process line
requires that the overburden be removed, either prior to commencing
excavation or as the conveyor advances in the operational arc. Following
mining of the ore deposit, the slurry facility may be relocated to a
subsequent
mine face for excavation of a subsequent portion of the ore body.
Accordingly, the disclosed process line facilitates successively mining
generally circular sectors of the ore deposit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a method for
processing a sized ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The method
involves disposing a processing apparatus in a processing apparatus position
relative to the ore deposit, and disposing a first mobile conveyor to receive
a
sized ore feed at a receiving location located along a length of the first
mobile
conveyor. The first mobile conveyor is operable to convey the sized ore from
the receiving location to a discharge end of the first mobile conveyor. The
method also involves disposing a second mobile conveyor to receive the
sized ore from the discharge end of the first mobile conveyor at a transfer
location selected from a plurality of transfer locations available along a
length
of the second mobile conveyor and to convey the sized ore from the transfer
location to the processing apparatus. The first and second mobile conveyors
are oriented at an operational angle between the length of the first mobile
conveyor and the length of the second mobile conveyor. The method further
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involves moving at least one of the first and second mobile conveyors to vary
at least one of the operational angle and the transfer location wherein moving
the at least one of first and second mobile conveyors involves (a) in a first
type of movement, causing the operational angle between the first and
second mobile conveyors to be varied while the transfer location is maintained
substantially constant, (b) in a second type of movement, causing the transfer
location to be varied while the operational angle between the first and second
mobile conveyors is maintained substantially constant, and (c) in a third type
of movement, causing both the transfer location and the operational angle to
be varied, to permit successive portions of the ore deposit within operational
reach of the receiving location to be received for conveying along the first
and
second mobile conveyors to the processing apparatus while the processing
apparatus is located in the processing apparatus position.
The ore deposit may include at least one portion within operational reach of
the receiving location that is not to be excavated and moving at least one of
the first and second mobile conveyors may involve varying at least one of the
operational angle and the transfer location to move the receiving location
around the at least one portion that is not to be excavated.
Receiving the sized ore feed at the receiving location may involve receiving
the sized ore feed proximate at least one of a plurality of receiving
locations
along the length of the first mobile conveyor.
Receiving the sized ore feed at the at least one of the plurality of receiving
locations may involve receiving the sized ore feed at a hopper mounted for
movement on a track extending along at least a portion of the length of the
first mobile conveyor.
Receiving the sized ore feed may involve receiving ore from an excavator and
comminuting the ore to produce the sized ore feed.
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Receiving the ore from the excavator may involve receiving the ore in a load
carrying container and transporting the ore to a connminutor for comminuting
the ore.
Disposing the processing apparatus may involve disposing the processing
apparatus at an angle to a mine face of the ore deposit to provide clearance
between the second mobile conveyor and the processing apparatus when
moving the second mobile conveyor.
In a first operational stage disposing the first mobile conveyor may involve
disposing the first mobile conveyor to position the receiving location of the
first
mobile conveyor at a distal mine face location with respect to the processing
apparatus position, disposing the second mobile conveyor may involve
causing the second mobile conveyor to be disposed to discharge the sized
ore into a feeder of the processing apparatus, and moving at least one of the
first and second mobile conveyors may involve causing the second mobile
conveyor to successively move toward the mine face about the feeder while
causing the first mobile conveyor to progressively advance into the ore
deposit while excavating a first portion of the ore deposit within operational
reach of the receiving location.
Disposing the second mobile conveyor to receive the sized ore from the
discharge end of the first mobile conveyor may involve disposing the second
mobile conveyor to receive the sized ore at a transfer location proximate an
end of the second mobile conveyor that may be distally located with respect to
the discharge end of the second mobile conveyor.
In a second operational stage disposing the second mobile conveyor may
involve causing the second mobile conveyor to be disposed generally parallel
to the mine face, and moving the at least one of the first and second mobile
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conveyors may involve causing the first mobile conveyor to be laterally
translated while successively moving the transfer location along the second
mobile conveyor toward the feeder of the processing apparatus while
maintaining the operational angle substantially constant to permit excavation
of a second portion of the ore deposit within operational reach of the
receiving
location.
Maintaining the operational angle substantially constant may involve
maintaining an operational angle of about 90 degrees.
In a third operational stage disposing the second mobile conveyor may
involve causing the second mobile conveyor to be moved to position the
transfer location on an opposite side of the feeder of the processing
apparatus, and moving the at least one of the first and second mobile
conveyors may involve moving the first mobile conveyor to place the
discharge end of the first mobile conveyor at the transfer location, and
causing the first mobile conveyor to be laterally translated while
successively
moving the transfer location along the second mobile conveyor away from the
feeder of the processing apparatus while maintaining the operational angle
substantially constant to permit excavation of a third portion of the ore
deposit
within operational reach of the receiving location.
In a fourth operational stage moving the at least one of the first and second
mobile conveyors may involve causing the first and second mobile conveyors
to be disposed at an operational angle of about 180 degrees such that the
first
and second mobile conveyors may be generally in-line with each other to
permit excavation of distally located portions of the ore deposit within
operational reach of the receiving location.
Moving at least one of the first and second mobile conveyors may involve
moving both the first mobile conveyor and the second mobile conveyor while
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varying the operational angle to permit excavation along a generally linear
mine face portion of the ore deposit.
The processing apparatus position may be a first processing apparatus
position and the method may further involve, on completion of excavation of
the successive portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the
receiving location, relocating the processing apparatus to a second
processing apparatus position to permit excavation of further portions of the
ore deposit while the processing apparatus may be located in the second
processing apparatus position.
The first type of movement may involve rotation of the first mobile conveyor
generally about the transfer location, the second type of movement may
involve lateral translation of the first mobile conveyor and the transfer
location
along the second mobile conveyor, and the third type of movement may
involve rotation of the first mobile conveyor generally about the transfer
location combined with lateral translation of the first mobile conveyor and
transfer location along the second mobile conveyor.
The first type of movement may involve rotation of the first mobile conveyor
generally about the transfer location, the second type of movement may
involve rotation of the transfer location generally about an ore-receiving
intake
of the processing apparatus, and the third type of movement may involve
rotation of the first mobile conveyor generally about the transfer location
combined with rotation of the transfer location generally about the ore-
receiving intake.
The method may further involve varying the operational angle at least
between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees.
The processing apparatus may include an apparatus for producing a slurry.
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In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for processing a sized ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The
method involves disposing a processing apparatus in a first processing
apparatus position relative to the ore deposit, and disposing a first mobile
conveyor to receive a sized ore feed at a receiving location located along a
length of the first mobile conveyor, the first mobile conveyor being operable
to
convey the sized ore from the receiving location to a discharge end of the
first
mobile conveyor. The method also involves disposing a second mobile
conveyor to receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first mobile
conveyor at a transfer location disposed at one of a plurality of transfer
locations available along a length of the second mobile conveyor and to
convey the sized ore from the transfer location along the second mobile
conveyor to a discharge end of the second mobile conveyor aligned to convey
the sized ore to an intake of the processing apparatus, the first and second
mobile conveyors being oriented at an operational angle between the length
of the first mobile conveyor and the length of the second mobile conveyor,
and excavating in a generally straight line along a generally linear mine
face.
Excavating involves advancing the receiving location along the generally
straight line by a combination of (a) causing the second mobile conveyor and
the transfer location to rotate generally about the intake of the processing
apparatus while maintaining alignment of the discharge end of the second
mobile conveyor with the intake, and (b) causing the first mobile conveyor to
rotate about the transfer location on the second mobile conveyor to vary the
operational angle while maintaining alignment of the discharge end of the
first
mobile conveyor with the transfer location on the second mobile conveyor, to
permit successive portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the
receiving location as it advances along the generally linear mine face to be
received for conveyance along the first and second mobile conveyors to the
processing apparatus while the processing apparatus is located in the
processing apparatus position.
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The method may further involve, in response to a determination that at least a
portion of a particular mine face portion should not be excavated, causing the
second mobile conveyor to rotate about its discharge end away from the
particular mine face, and causing the first mobile conveyor to move to follow
the second mobile conveyor while causing the first mobile conveyor to rotate
about the transfer location so as to: (i) decrease the operational angle
sufficiently to permit the first mobile conveyor to clear the particular mine
face,
and (ii) place the first mobile conveyor into a position from which it can
advance in cooperation with the second mobile conveyor to facilitate mining of
a different mine face portion, spaced apart from the particular mine face
portion.
The method may further involve temporarily suspending receiving of the sized
ore while the first and second mobile conveyors are repositioning.
The method may further involve moving the receiving location along the
different mine face portion in a second generally straight line, wherein the
second generally straight line is not parallel to the second mobile mining
conveyor.
20.
The processing apparatus may include a mobile slurry apparatus.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for processing a sized ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The
method involves disposing a processing apparatus in a processing apparatus
position relative to the ore deposit, and disposing a first mobile conveyor to
receive a sized ore feed at a receiving location located along a length of the
first mobile conveyor, the first mobile conveyor being operable to convey the
sized ore from the receiving location to a discharge end of the first mobile
conveyor. The method also involves disposing a second mobile conveyor to
receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first mobile conveyor at a
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transfer location along a length of the second mobile conveyor and to convey
the sized ore from the transfer location to the processing apparatus, the
first
and second mobile conveyors being oriented at an operational angle between
the length of the first mobile conveyor and the length of the second mobile
conveyor, and moving the first mobile conveyor and the second mobile
conveyor to vary the operational angle and the transfer location by (a)
rotating
the first mobile conveyor about the discharge end of the first mobile conveyor
such that the operational angle between the first and second mobile
conveyors is varied while the transfer location is maintained substantially
constant, (b) rotating the second mobile conveyor generally about an ore-
receiving intake of the processing apparatus such that the transfer location
is
moved in an arc while maintaining alignment of the second mobile conveyor
with the ore-receiving intake of the processing apparatus, and (c) laterally
translating the first mobile conveyor along the second mobile conveyor such
that the transfer location along the second mobile conveyor is laterally
translated while the operational angle between the first and second mobile
conveyors is maintained substantially constant, to permit successive portions
of the ore deposit within operational reach of the receiving location to be to
be
excavated and received for conveying along the first and second mobile
conveyors to the processing apparatus while the processing apparatUs is
located in the processing apparatus position.
The ore deposit may include at least one portion within operational reach of
the receiving location that is not to be excavated and wherein the method
further comprises moving the first and second mobile conveyors to vary at
least one of the operational angle and the transfer location to move the
receiving location around the at least one portion that is not to be
excavated.
The receiving location may include at least one of a plurality of receiving
locations along the length of the first mobile conveyor.
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The method may further involve receiving the sized ore feed at a hopper
mounted for movement on a track extending along at least a portion of the
length of the first mobile conveyor.
The method may further involve excavating ore from the ore deposit using an
excavator, and receiving excavated ore from the excavator at a comminutor
and comminuting the ore to produce the sized ore feed.
The method may further involve transporting the ore between the excavator
and the comminutor using a plurality of load carrying containers.
Moving the first mobile conveyor and the second mobile conveyor to vary the
operational angle and the transfer location may involve moving the receiving
location along a linear mine face in a generally straight line, wherein the
generally straight line is not parallel to the second mobile mining conveyor.
The method may further involve, upon completion of excavation of the
successive portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the
receiving loaation while the processing apparatus is located in the processing
apparatus position, relocating the processing apparatus to a subsequent
processing apparatus position, and relocating the first and second mobile
conveyors to cooperate to convey excavated ore to the subsequent
processing apparatus position, to permit excavation of further portions of the
ore deposit within operational reach while the processing apparatus is located
at the subsequent processing apparatus position.
The processing apparatus may include a mobile slurry apparatus.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a process
line apparatus for processing a sized ore feed excavated from an ore deposit.
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The apparatus includes a processing apparatus disposed in a processing
apparatus position relative to the ore deposit, and a first mobile conveyor
disposed to receive a sized ore feed at a receiving location located along a
length of the first mobile conveyor. The first mobile conveyor is operable to
convey the sized ore from the receiving location to a discharge end of the
first
mobile conveyor. The apparatus also includes a second mobile conveyor
disposed to receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first mobile
conveyor at a transfer location selected from a plurality of transfer
locations
available along a length of the second mobile conveyor and to convey the
sized ore from the transfer location to the processing apparatus. The first
and
second mobile conveyors are oriented at an operational angle between the
length of the first mobile conveyor and the length of the second mobile
conveyor. The apparatus also includes provisions for moving at least one of
the first and second mobile conveyors to vary at least one of the operational
angle and the transfer location, the provisions for moving further including
provisions for selectively causing (a) a first type of movement in which the
operational angle between the first and second mobile conveyors is varied
while the transfer location is maintained substantially constant, (b) a second
type of movement in which the transfer location is varied while the
operational
angle between the first and second mobile conveyors is maintained
substantially constant, and (c) a third type of movement in which both the
transfer location and the operational angle are varied, to permit successive
portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the receiving location
to
be to be excavated and received for conveying along the first and second
mobile conveyors to the processing apparatus while the processing apparatus
is located in the processing apparatus position.
The ore deposit may include at least one portion within operational reach of
the receiving location that is not to be excavated and the provisions for
moving at least one of the first and second mobile conveyors may include
provisions for varying at least one of the operational angle and the transfer
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location to move the receiving location around the at least one portion that
is
not to be excavated.
The receiving location may include at least one of a plurality of receiving
locations along the length of the first mobile conveyor.
The first mobile conveyor may be operably configured to receive the sized ore
feed at a hopper mounted for movement on a track extending along at least a
portion of the length of the first mobile conveyor.
The apparatus may include an excavator for excavating ore from the ore
deposit, and a comminutor for receiving the excavated ore from the excavator
and comminuting the ore to produce the sized ore feed.
The apparatus may include a load carrying container for transporting the ore
between the excavator and the comminutor.
The processing apparatus may be disposed at an angle to a mine face of the
ore deposit to provide clearance between the second mobile conveyor and
the processing apparatus when.moving the second mobile conveyor.
The first mobile conveyor and the second mobile conveyor each may include
a plurality of conveyor sections, each conveyor section including provisions
for moving the conveyor section, and alignment provisions for aligning the
plurality of conveyor sections.
The provisions for moving at least one of the first and second mobile
conveyors may include provisions for moving both the first mobile conveyor
and the second mobile conveyor while varying the operational angle to permit
excavation along a generally linear mine face portion of the ore deposit.
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In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a process
line apparatus for processing a sized ore feed excavated from an ore deposit.
The apparatus includes a processing apparatus disposed in a processing
apparatus position relative to the ore deposit, and a first mobile conveyor
disposed to receive a sized ore feed at a receiving location located along a
length of the first mobile conveyor, the first mobile conveyor being operable
to
convey the sized ore from the receiving location to a discharge end of the
first
mobile conveyor. The apparatus also includes a second mobile conveyor
disposed to receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first mobile
conveyor at a transfer location selected from a plurality of transfer
locations
available along a length of the second mobile conveyor and to convey the
sized ore from the transfer location to the processing apparatus. The first
and
second mobile conveyors are oriented at an operational angle between the
length of the first mobile conveyor and the length of the second mobile
conveyor, and the first mobile conveyor and the second mobile conveyor are
operably configured to move to vary at least one of the operational angle and
the transfer location by (a) rotating the first mobile conveyor about the
discharge end of the first mobile conveyor such that the operational angle
between the first and second mobile conveyors is varied while the transfer
location is maintained substantially constant, (b) rotating the second mobile
conveyor generally about an ore-receiving intake of the processing apparatus
such that the transfer location is moved in an arc while maintaining alignment
of the second mobile conveyor with the ore-receiving intake of the processing
apparatus, and c) laterally translating the first mobile conveyor along the
second mobile conveyor such that the transfer location along the second
mobile conveyor is laterally translated while the operational angle between
the
first and second mobile conveyors is maintained substantially constant, to
permit successive portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the
receiving location to be to be excavated and received for conveying along the
first and second mobile conveyors to the processing apparatus while the
processing apparatus is located in the processing apparatus position.
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The ore deposit may include at least one portion within operational reach of
the receiving location that is not to be excavated and the first and second
mobile conveyors may be operably configured to vary at least one of the
operational angle and the transfer location to move the receiving location
around the at least one portion that is not to be excavated.
The receiving location may include at least one of a plurality of receiving
locations along the length of the first mobile conveyor.
The first mobile conveyor may be operably configured to receive the sized ore
feed at a hopper mounted for movement on a track extending along at least a
portion of the length of the first mobile conveyor.
The apparatus may include an excavator for excavating ore from the ore
deposit, and a comminutor for receiving the excavated ore from the excavator
and comminuting the ore to produce the sized ore feed.
The apparatus may include a load carrying container for transporting the ore
between the excavator and the comminutor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for processing an ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The
method involves disposing a processing apparatus in a processing apparatus
position relative to the ore deposit, and disposing a first conveyor to
receive a
sized ore feed at a first receiving location located along a length of the
first
conveyor, the first conveyor being operable to convey the sized ore from the
first receiving location to a discharge end of the first conveyor, the first
conveyor comprising a plurality of first conveyor sections each having
respective moving provisions for moving the respective first conveyor section
in response to control signals. The method also involves disposing a second
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conveyor to receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first conveyor
at a transfer location disposed at a first position along a length of the
second
conveyor and to convey the sized ore from the transfer location to the
processing apparatus, the first and second conveyors being oriented at an
operational angle between the length of the first conveyor and the length of
the second conveyor, and moving the first conveyor relative to the second
conveyor by activating the moving means on the first conveyor to: (a) vary the
operational angle between the length of the first conveyor and the length of
the second conveyor, and (b) move the transfer location from the first
position
to a second position along the length of the second conveyor, to permit
successive portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the first
receiving location to be received for conveying along the first and second
conveyors to the processing apparatus while the processing apparatus is
located in the processing apparatus position.
The method may further involve receiving the sized ore feed at the first
receiving location located along the length of the first conveyor, and
receiving
a further sized ore feed at a second receiving location, spaced apart from the
first receiving location on the first conveyor, the first conveyor being
operable
to convey sized ore from the first and second receiving 'locations to the
discharge end of the first conveyor.
The method may further involve disposing a first excavator and first
comminutor within operational reach of the first receiving location to provide
the sized ore feed to the first receiving location and disposing a second
excavator and second comminutor within operational reach of the second
receiving location to provide the further sized ore feed to the second
receiving
location.
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The method may further involve simultaneously receiving the sized ore feed at
the first receiving location and the further sized ore feed at the second
receiving location on the first conveyor.
The first and second receiving locations may involve first and second movable
hoppers, respectively.
The ore deposit may include a portion within operational reach of the first
receiving location that is not to be excavated and wherein moving the first
conveyor involves varying at least one of the operational angle and the
transfer location to move the first receiving location around the portion that
is
not to be excavated.
Receiving the sized ore feed may involve receiving ore from an excavator and
comminuting the ore to produce the sized ore feed.
The method may further involve moving the second conveyor to a new
location to provide access to a new section of the ore deposit, and varying at
least one of the operational angle and the transfer point to put the receiving
= location of the first conveyor within operational reach of successive
portions of
the new section of the ore deposit.
The second conveyor may include a second conveyor moving provisions for
moving the second conveyor to the new location.
The method may further involve varying the operational angle at least
between about 90 degrees and about 180 degrees while maintaining
operational alignment between the first conveyor and the second conveyor at
the transfer point.
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The method may further involve, in response to a determination that at least a
portion of a particular mine face portion should not be excavated:
repositioning the second conveyor to rotate generally about its discharge end
away from the particular mine face, and repositioning the first conveyor to
move to generally follow the second conveyor and to rotate generally about
the transfer location so as to: (i) decrease the operational angle
sufficiently to
permit the first conveyor to clear the particular mine face, and (ii) place
the
first conveyor into a position from which it can cooperate with the second
conveyor to facilitate mining of a different mine face portion, spaced apart
from the particular mine face portion.
The method may further involve temporarily suspending receiving of the sized
ore while the first and second conveyors are repositioning.
The processing apparatus may include a mobile slurry apparatus.
The method may further involve relocating the processing apparatus to a
second processing apparatus position to permit excavation of further portions
of the ore deposit while the processing apparatus is located in the second
processing apparatus position.
The method may further involve relocating the first and second conveyors and
relocating an excavator and comminutor to cooperate with the first and
second conveyors and the processing apparatus to excavate the further
portions of the ore deposit.
The processing apparatus position may be initially disposed proximate an
unexcavated mine face of the ore deposit.
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The method may further involve disposing the processing apparatus an angle
to the mine face of the ore deposit to provide clearance between the second
conveyor and the processing apparatus when moving the second conveyor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for processing an ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The
method involves disposing a processing apparatus in a first processing
apparatus position relative to the ore deposit, and disposing a first conveyor
to
receive a sized ore feed at a first receiving location located along a length
of
the first conveyor, the first conveyor being operable to convey the sized ore
from the first receiving location to a discharge end of the first conveyor,
the
first conveyor having at least a first set of moving provisions for moving the
first conveyor in response to control signals. The method also involves
disposing a second conveyor to receive the sized ore from the discharge end
of the first conveyor at a transfer location disposed along a length of the
second conveyor and to convey the sized ore from the transfer location along
the second conveyor to a discharge end of the second conveyor aligned to
convey the sized ore to an intake of the processing apparatus, the first and
second conveyors being oriented at an operational angle between the length
of the first conveyor and the length of the second conveyor, and facilitating
excavation in a generally straight line along a generally linear mine face by
a
combination of varying the operational angle and by translating the transfer
location along the length of the second conveyor, to permit successive
portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the first receiving
location as it advances along the generally linear mine face to be received
for
conveyance along the first and second conveyors to the processing apparatus
while the processing apparatus is located in the processing apparatus
position.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for processing an ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The
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method involves disposing a processing apparatus in a processing apparatus
position relative to the ore deposit, and disposing a first conveyor to
receive a
first sized ore feed at a first receiving location located along a length of
the
first conveyor, the first conveyor being operable to convey sized ore from the
first receiving location to a discharge end of the first conveyor, the first
conveyor having at least a first set of moving means for moving the first
conveyor in response to control signals. The method also involves disposing
a second conveyor to receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first
conveyor at a transfer location along a length of the second conveyor and to
convey the sized ore from the transfer location to the processing apparatus,
the first and second conveyors being oriented at an operational angle
between the length of the first conveyor and the length of the second
conveyor, and facilitating excavation of successive portions of the ore
deposit
by moving the first conveyor, including: (a) rotating the first conveyor about
the discharge end of the first conveyor such that the operational angle
between the first and second conveyors is varied, and (b) translating the
first
conveyor along the second conveyor such that the transfer location along the
second conveyor is translated, to permit successive portions of the ore
deposit within operational reach of the first conveyor to be to be excavated
and received for conveying along the first and second conveyors to the
processing apparatus while the processing apparatus is located in the
processing apparatus position.
The method may further involve receiving the first sized ore feed at the first
receiving location, and simultaneously receiving a second sized ore feed at a
second receiving location, spaced apart from the first receiving location, the
first conveyor conveying sized ore from the first and second receiving
locations to the discharge end of the first conveyor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for processing a sized ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The
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method involves disposing a processing apparatus in a processing apparatus
position relative to the ore deposit and disposing a first mobile conveyor to
receive a sized ore feed at a receiving location located along a length of the
first mobile conveyor, the first mobile conveyor being operable to convey the
sized ore from the receiving location to a discharge end of the first mobile
conveyor. The method also involves disposing a second mobile conveyor to
receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first mobile conveyor at a
transfer location along a length of the second mobile conveyor and to convey
the sized ore from the transfer location to the processing apparatus, the
first
and second mobile conveyors being oriented at an operational angle between
the length of the first mobile conveyor and the length of the second mobile
conveyor. The method also involves moving at least one of the first and
second mobile conveyors to vary at least one of the operational angle and the
transfer location to permit successive portions of the ore deposit within
operational reach of the receiving location to be received for conveying along
the first and second mobile conveyors to the processing apparatus while the
processing apparatus is located in the processing apparatus position.
Receiving the sized ore feed at the receiving location involves receiving the
sized ore feed proximate at least one of a plurality of receiving locations
along
the length of the first mobile conveyor. =
Receiving the sized ore feed at the at least one of the plurality of receiving
locations may involve receiving the sized ore feed at a hopper mounted for
movement on a track extending along at least a portion of the length of the
first mobile conveyor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
method for processing a sized ore feed excavated from an ore deposit. The
method involves disposing a processing apparatus in a processing apparatus
position relative to the ore deposit, and disposing a first mobile conveyor to
receive a sized ore feed at a receiving location located along a length of the
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first mobile conveyor, the first mobile conveyor being operable to convey the
sized ore from the receiving location to a discharge end of the first mobile
conveyor. The method also involves disposing a second mobile conveyor to
receive the sized ore from the discharge end of the first mobile conveyor at a
transfer location along a length of the second mobile conveyor and to convey
the sized ore from the transfer location to the processing apparatus, the
first
and second mobile conveyors being oriented at an operational angle between
the length of the first mobile conveyor and the length of the second mobile
conveyor, and moving at least one of the first and second mobile conveyors to
vary at least one of the operational angle and the transfer location to permit
successive portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the
receiving location to be received for conveying along the first and second
mobile conveyors to the processing apparatus while the processing apparatus
is located in the processing apparatus position. In a first operational stage
disposing the first mobile conveyor involves disposing the first mobile
conveyor to position the receiving location of the first mobile conveyor at a
distal mine face location with respect to the processing apparatus position,
and disposing the second mobile conveyor involves causing the second
mobile conveyor to be disposed to discharge the sized ore into a feeder of the
processing apparatus. Moving at least one of the first and second mobile
conveyors involves causing the second mobile conveyor to successively
move toward the mine face about the feeder while causing the first mobile
conveyor to progressively advance into the ore deposit while excavating a
first
portion of the ore deposit within operational reach of the receiving location.
In
a second operational stage disposing the second mobile conveyor involves
causing the second mobile conveyor to be disposed generally parallel to the
mine face. Moving the at least one of the first and second mobile conveyors
involves causing the first mobile conveyor to be laterally translated while
successively moving the transfer location along the second mobile conveyor
toward the feeder of the processing apparatus while maintaining the
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operational angle substantially constant to permit excavation of a second
portion of the ore deposit within operational reach of the receiving location.
Maintaining the operational angle substantially constant may involve
maintaining an operational angle of about 90 degrees.
In a third operational stage disposing the second mobile conveyor may
involve causing the second mobile conveyor to be moved to position the
transfer location on an opposite side of the feeder of the processing
apparatus. Moving the at least one of the first and second mobile conveyors
may involve moving the first mobile conveyor to place the discharge end of
the first mobile conveyor at the transfer location, and causing the first
mobile
conveyor to be laterally translated while successively moving the transfer
location along the second mobile conveyor away from the feeder of the
processing apparatus while maintaining the operational angle substantially
constant to permit excavation of a third portion of the ore deposit within
operational reach of the receiving location.
In a fourth operational stage moving the at least one of the first and second
mobile conveyors may involve causing the first and second mobile conveyors
to be disposed at an operational angle of about 180 degrees such that the
first
and second mobile conveyors are generally in-line with each other to permit
excavation of distally located portions of the ore deposit within operational
reach of the receiving location.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
process line apparatus for processing sized ore excavated from a bitumen
containing ore deposit. The apparatus includes a processing apparatus
disposed in a processing apparatus position relative to the ore deposit, and a
first mobile conveyor disposed to receive a sized ore feed at a receiving
location located along a length of the first mobile conveyor, the first mobile
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conveyor being operable to convey the sized ore from the receiving location to
a discharge end of the first mobile conveyor. The apparatus also includes a
second mobile conveyor disposed to receive the sized ore from the discharge
end of the first mobile conveyor at a transfer location along a length of the
second mobile conveyor and to convey the sized ore from the transfer
location to the processing apparatus, the first and second mobile conveyors
being oriented at an operational angle between the length of the first mobile
conveyor and the length of said second mobile conveyor, and provisions for
moving at least one of the first and second mobile conveyors to vary at least
one of the operational angle and the transfer location to permit successive
portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the receiving location
to
be received for conveying along the first and second mobile conveyors to the
processing apparatus while the processing apparatus is located in the
processing apparatus position. The receiving location includes at least one of
a plurality of receiving locations along the length of the first mobile
conveyor.
The first mobile conveyor may be operably configured to receive the sized ore
feed at a hopper mounted for movement on a track extending along at least a
portion of the length of the first mobile conveyor.
=
in accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
process line apparatus for processing sized ore excavated from a bitumen
containing ore deposit. The apparatus includes a processing apparatus
disposed in a processing apparatus position relative to the ore deposit, and a
first mobile conveyor disposed to receive a sized ore feed at a receiving
location located along a length of the first mobile conveyor, the first mobile
conveyor being operable to convey the sized ore from the receiving location to
a discharge end of the first mobile conveyor. The apparatus also includes a
second mobile conveyor disposed to receive the sized ore from the discharge
end of the first mobile conveyor at a transfer location along a length of the
second mobile conveyor and to convey the sized ore from the transfer
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location to the processing apparatus, the first and second mobile conveyors
being oriented at an operational angle between the length of the first mobile
conveyor and the length of the second mobile conveyor, and the first mobile
conveyor and the second mobile conveyor being operably configured to move
to vary at least one of the operational angle and the transfer location to
permit
successive portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the
receiving location to be to be excavated and received for conveying along the
first and second mobile conveyors to said processing apparatus while the
processing apparatus is located in the processing apparatus position. The
receiving location includes at least one of a plurality of receiving locations
along the length of the first mobile conveyor.
The first mobile conveyor may be operably configured to receive the sized ore
feed at a hopper mounted for movement on a track extending along at least a
portion of the length of the first mobile conveyor.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to
those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description
of
specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying
figure.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention,
Figure 1 is a plan view of a process line apparatus for processing sized
ore
in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic view of a mine site;
Figure 3 is a side view of a mobile conveyor used in the process line
apparatus shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a side view of an exemplary processing apparatus used in
the
process line apparatus shown in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a side view of an excavator and a comminutor used in the
process line apparatus shown in Figure 1; and
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Figure 6 ¨ 12 are a series of plan views of operational stages during
excavation
an ore deposit; and
Figure 13 is a plan view of an operational stage during excavating
an ore
deposit in accordance with an altemative embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Process line
Referring to Figure 1, a process line apparatus for processing sized ore
excavated from an ore deposit 100 is shown generally at 102. The apparatus
102 includes a processing apparatus 116 located in a processing apparatus
position relative to the ore deposit 100.
The apparatus 102 also includes a first mobile conveyor 104 disposed to
receive a sized ore feed at a receiving location 106 located along a length of
the first mobile conveyor. The first mobile conveyor 104 is operable to convey
the sized ore from the receiving location 106 to a discharge end 108 of the
first mobile conveyor.
The apparatus 102 further includes a second mobile conveyor 110 disposed
to receive the sized ore from the discharge end 108 of the first mobile
conveyor 104 at a transfer location 112 along a length of the second mobile
conveyor. The second mobile conveyor 110 conveys the sized ore from the
transfer location 112 to the processing apparatus 116.
The first and second mobile conveyors 104 and 110 are oriented at an
operational angle y between the length of the first mobile conveyor and the
length of the second mobile conveyor. The first mobile conveyor 104 and the
second mobile conveyor 108 are also operably configured to move to vary the
operational angle y and/or the transfer location 112 to permit successive
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portions of the ore deposit within operational reach of the receiving location
to
be to be excavated and received for conveying along the first and second
mobile conveyors to the processing apparatus 116.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 the receiving location 106 comprises a
hopper 132 for receiving the sized ore feed from the comminutor 126 and the
transfer location 112 comprises a hopper 134 for receiving sized ore from the
discharge end 108 of the first mobile conveyor.
In the embodiment shown, the apparatus 102 also includes an excavator 124
for excavating the ore from the mine face 120, and a comminutor 126 for
producing the sized ore feed. The comminutor 126 generally crushes larger
chunks of the excavated ore to produce an ore feed having a maximum
portion size that is conveyable by the first and second mobile conveyors 104
and 110.
In one embodiment the ore deposit 100 comprises a bituminous ore, having a
substantial portion of mineral solids such as sand and clay, water, and a
bitumen and/or oil film. Bituminous ore may comprise up to about 20 percent
bitumen by weight, and processing the ore involves separating the bitumen
from the sand, clay, water and other trace constituents. Processing of
bituminous ore may involve a plurality of processing steps such as producing
a bitumen ore slurry. In other embodiments the ore deposit 100 may
comprise other minerals and/or constituents that are to be extracted from ore
excavated during in an open pit or strip mining operation, for example.
Alternatively, the process line apparatus 102 may be used to remove an
overburden layer overlying an ore deposit.
Referring to Figure 2, a schematic view of a mine site in accordance with one
embodiment of the invention is shown generally at 150. The mine site 150
has boundaries 152 beyond which it is not permitted or not desired to
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excavate the ore deposit. In this embodiment, the processing apparatus 116
is initially located at a first processing apparatus position '154 for
excavating a
first ore section 156 of the ore deposit in mine site 150. When the first
section
156 has been excavated, the processing apparatus 116 is relocated to a
second processing apparatus position 158 for mining a second section 160 of
the ore deposit. Subsequent sections 164, 168, and 172 are then excavated
by relocating the processing apparatus 116 to respective processing
apparatus positions 162, 166, and 170. Each subsequent processing
apparatus position 154, 158, 162, 166, and 170 provides access to a section
of the ore deposit such that the entire ore deposit between the boundaries
152 of the mine site 150 may be excavated and processed. Each time the
processing apparatus is relocated, the first and second mobile conveyors 104
and 110, the comminutor 126, and the excavator 124 are also moved to
excavate subsequent sections 160, 164, 168, and 172. In this embodiment
the sections 156, 160, 164, 168, and 172 are generally of rectangular shape
but in other embodiments the sections may be otherwise shaped or irregularly
shaped. As described later herein, the sections 156, 160, 164, 168, and 172
may also include some portions (not shown in Figure 2) that comprise low
grade ore or obstacles that it is not desired to excavate.
First and second mobile conveyors
Referring to Figure 3, an exemplary mobile conveyor in accordance with one
embodiment of the invention is shown at 200. The mobile conveyor 200
includes a plurality of conveyor sections, including a first conveyor section
202, a plurality of intermediate conveyor sections 204 and 206, and a
discharge conveyor section 208. The conveyor sections 202 ¨ 208 are
connected together end-to-end by pivot joints (not shown) and the sections
support a continuous conveyor belt 210 for conveying the sized ore along the
mobile conveyor 200.
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Each conveyor section 202 ¨ 208 includes at least one support 212 having
crawler tracks 214 for moving the conveyor section. In this embodiment dual
tracks 214 are provided facilitating movement of the conveyor sections in both
transverse and longitudinal directions. The dual tracks 114 have the
advantage of providing additional stability when it is desired to move the
mobile conveyor 200 in the longitudinal direction.
In general the supports 212 and/or crawler tracks 214 may be independently
height adjustable to accommodate changes in terrain height between
conveyor sections 202 - 208. In the embodiment shown each conveyor
section 202 ¨ 208 includes an alignment gauge 216 for producing an
alignment signal representing a misalignment condition between adjacent
conveyor sections. The alignment gauge 216 produces signals representing
lateral and/or height misalignment conditions between adjacent conveyor
sections. The alignment gauge 216 may include a string pot (otherwise
known as a cable extension transducer), for example.
The mobile conveyor 200 also includes a hopper 218, which may act as the
receiving location 106, for example. The hopper 218 may be mounted for
movement along a track (not shown) extending at least partway along the
length of the mobile conveyor 200, to permit the receiving location 106 to be
successively disposed at different locations along the mobile conveyor as
required. Alternatively the conveyor 200 may be configured to provide a
plurality of spaced apart locations at which the hopper may be located. In
other embodiments, an additional hopper (not shown) may be included to
permit sized ore to be simultaneously receiving at more than on receiving
location.
In this embodiment the discharge conveyor section 208 includes an upwardly
inclined conveyor portion 220 that acts as the discharge end 108. The
discharge conveyor section 208 also includes an alignment sensor 222 that
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produces a signal for monitoring a location of the discharge end 108 with
respect to a receiving location (such as a hopper 224 located on another
conveyor section 168). The alignment sensor 222 produces a feedback
signal for controlling the movement of the crawler tracks 214 on the discharge
conveyor section 208 by monitoring the relative location of the discharge end
108 with respect to the hopper 224. The alignment sensor 222 may be an
optical sensor, for example.
Generally, the mobile conveyor 200 also includes a controller (not shown) for
activating the crawler tracks 214 in response to the alignment signals
produced by the alignment gauges 216 and the feedback signal produced by
the alignment sensor 222. In operation, the controller produces control
signals for driving the crawler tracks 214 and the supports 212 to maintain
the
conveyor sections 202 ¨ 208 in a generally straight line condition with the
discharge end 108 aligned over the hopper 224. The mobile conveyor 200
may be moved about the discharge end 108 by moving the first conveyor
section 202, thereby causing the conveyor sections 204, 206 and 208 to
subsequently move to maintain the conveyor 200 in a straight line. Should
the conveyor be required to move over uneven terrain, the controller may also
produce height adjustment signals in response to the alignment signals
produced by the alignment gauges 216 to cause the supports 212 to be
adjusted to maintain the conveyor sections 202 ¨ 208 in a generally level
condition. The mobile conveyor 200 may also be laterally translated and/or
longitudinally repositioned by causing each of the conveyor sections 202 ¨
208 to be moved substantially in the same direction and by the same amount.
By using conveyor sections 202 ¨ 208 as modular units, the first and second
mobile conveyors 104 and 110 may be easily assembled as required for
excavating a particular ore deposit 100 and by adding one or more conveyor
sections, may be extended to provide a greater operational reach, if required.
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Suitable mobile and/or portable conveyor sections are manufactured by
FLSmidth RAHCO Inc. of Spokane, WA, USA and FAM of Magdeburg,
Germany.
Processing apparatus
Referring to Figure 4, an exemplary embodiment of a slurry processing
apparatus for processing a bituminous ore is shown at 253. The slurry
apparatus 253 includes a slurry box 256 having an inlet chute 254. The slurry
apparatus 253 also includes a transfer conveyor 250 and a hopper 118, which
together act as a feeder for the slurry apparatus 253. The hopper 118 is
located to receive sized ore from the discharge end 114 of the second mobile
conveyor 110 and the transfer conveyor 250 conveys the sized ore to the inlet
chute 254 of the slurry box 256. In this embodiment the slurry box 256
includes a sizing roller screen 260 such as that described in commonly owned
Canadian Patent Application 2,476,194 entitled "Sizing Roller Screen Ore
Processing". The sizing roller screen 260 screens and crushes the ore into a
convenient size for producing the slurry.
In operation, hot water is generally introduced at the inlet chute 254 and at
the
roller screen 260. The hot water reduces ore buildup in the inlet chute 254
and the roller screen 260. In some embodiments further additives and/or cold
water may be added as required. The combination of ore, water, and other
additives produces a slurry which is accumulated in the slurry box 256. The
slurry box 256 may be dimensioned such that, for an average ore feed rate
through the inlet chute 254, the slurry retention time in the slurry box is
approximately one minute. The slurry box 256 also includes an outlet 266 in
communication with a hydro-transport pump 268. The hydro-transport pump
268 is in communication with a hydro-transport pipeline 270, and pumps
bitumen slurry from the slurry box 256 through the hydro-transport pipeline to
a plant (not shown) for further processing of the bitumen slurry.
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In the embodiment shown, the slurry apparatus 253 also includes crawler
tracks 272 on the slurry box 256, and crawler tracks 252 on the transfer
conveyor 250 for relocating the slurry apparatus to subsequent processing
apparatus positions 154, 158, 162, 166, and 170 shown in Figure 2. In other
embodiments the slurry apparatus 253 may be at least partially disassembled
for relocation to a subsequent processing apparatus position.
A suitable mobile slurry apparatus is disclosed in commonly owned Canadian
Patent Application 2,610,169 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Creating a
Slurry".
In other embodiments, where the ore comprises minerals other than bitumen,
the processing apparatus 116 may include various other processing stages,
which may or may not produce a slurry of the sized ore.
Excavator and comminutor
The excavator 124 and comminutor 126 are shown in side view in Figure 5.
In this embodiment the excavator 124 includes a front attached shovel 300 for
excavating the mine face 120. The excavator 124 also includes a revolving
deck 302 and is mounted for movement on tracks 304. The excavator 124
generally excavates ore from the mine face 120 using the shovel 300 and
transfers the ore to a hopper 128 of the comminutor 126 by revolving the deck
302 and/or advancing the excavator 124 using the tracks 304. In other
embodiments the excavator 124 may comprise a dragline or other excavator,
for example.
The comminutor 126 includes a set of comminuting rollers 306 for
comminuting or crushing the excavated ore to produce a sized ore feed that is
suitable for conveying by the first and second mobile conveyors 104 and 110.
In one embodiment the comminuting rollers 306 are sized and spaced to
produce a sized ore feed having no chunks having a diameter of greater than
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about 350 mm. The comminutor 126 also includes an apron feeder 308 for
conveying the excavated ore from the hopper 128 to the comminuting rollers
306. The comminutor 126 also includes a discharge conveyor 309, having a
receiving end 310 and a discharge end 316. The sized ore feed is received
from the comminuting rollers 306 at the receiving end 310, and is conveyed to
the discharge end 316 where the sized ore is transferred to the receiving
location 106 of the first mobile conveyor 104.
In general the comminutor 126 includes controls and sensors (not shown) for
controlling the passage of ore from the apron feeder 308, through the
comminuting rollers 306, and to the discharge conveyor 309. For example,
various controls may be employed to slow down or speed up the apron feeder
308 and the discharge conveyor 309 to produce a generally even rate of sized
ore feed to the first mobile conveyor 104. Sensors may also be employed to
detect the occurrence of metal and/or large chunks, and to slow or halt the
ore
feed through the apparatus to appropriately deal with these occurrences. The
comminutor 126 may also include a screen (not shown) ahead of the
comminuting rollers 306 to reject oversize chunks of ore.
In an alternative embodiment, load carrying containers such as haul trucks
(not shown) may be employed during at least some of the excavation
operation. The load carrying container receives ore from the excavator 124
and transports the ore to the comminutor 126, thereby extending the
operational reach of the excavator. However in general, it is desirable to
limit
the use of haul trucks by generally maintaining the excavator 124 and
comminutor 126 within operational reach of each other to reduce overall
excavation cost.
Mininq operations
As described above in connection with Figure 2, the process for mining the
ore deposit 100 involves excavating subsequent rectangular sections 156,
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160, 164, 168, and 172 by moving the processing apparatus 116 to respective
processing apparatus positions 154, 158, 162, 166, and 170. The excavation
of each of the rectangular sections 156, 160, 164, 168, and 172 in accordance
with one embodiment of the invention is described further with reference to
Figure 6 to Figure 12 showing operational stages for excavating the ore
deposit.
First operational stage
Referring to Figure 6, in a first operational stage the processing apparatus
116 is located in a first processing apparatus position at a mine face 350 of
an
un-excavated section of the ore deposit 100. In this embodiment the
processing apparatus 116 is generally centrally located with respect to the
mine face 350 and the processing apparatus is oriented at an angle a
between the mine face 350 and a longitudinal axis 352 of the processing
apparatus, as shown at 354 in Figure 6.
The second mobile conveyor 110 is positioned such that the discharge end
114 is over the hopper 118 of the processing apparatus 116, and the second
mobile conveyor is oriented at an angle 13 to the longitudinal axis 352 of the
processing apparatus, as shown at 356. In general the angle 13 is selected to
provide operating clearance between the second mobile conveyor 104 and
the processing apparatus 116 during mining operations. In one embodiment
the angle 13 is about 108 .
The first mobile conveyor 104 is positioned such that the discharge end 108 is
proximate the transfer location 112, and the first mobile conveyor is oriented
at an operational angle 7 between the length of the first mobile conveyor 104
and the length of the second mobile conveyor 110, as shown at 358 in Figure
6. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6 the transfer location 112 is located
proximate a distal end of the second mobile conveyor 110 at a location
furthest from the discharge end 114. However, as described above, the
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transfer location 112 may be moveable along the length of the second mobile
conveyor 110 and may be located at any of a plurality of locations along the
length of the second mobile conveyor.
The comminutor 126 is located such that the discharge end 316 of the
discharge conveyor 309 is proximate the receiving location 106 of the first
mobile conveyor 104. The orientation of the second mobile conveyor 110 (i.e.
the angle (3) and the operational angle y between the first and second mobile
conveyors are selected to permit the excavator 124 to excavate the ore
deposit 100 at a distal mine face portion 360.
In general, the bitumen containing ore deposit is covered by an overburden
layer of sand, rock, and vegetation, which has little or no bitumen content.
The overburden layer is typically removed in advance to prevent conveying
ore to the processing apparatus 116 that does not carry any economic value.
The overburden may be removed in its entirety prior to commencing
excavation, or may be removed in sections ahead of the conveyor being
advanced to permit excavation of the corresponding ore deposit section.
Referring to Figure 7, in the first operational stage, the second mobile
conveyor 110 is successively rotated about the discharge end 114 such that
the transfer location 112 of the second mobile conveyor moves through an arc
376 towards the ore deposit 100. As the second mobile conveyor 110 is
rotated the operational angle y between the first and second mobile conveyors
is also successively varied to cause the receiving location 106 to advance
while the excavator 124 extends the distal mine face portion 360 to expose a
mine face 380. The comminutor 126 is also relocated to position the hopper
128 proximate a plurality of mine face locations along the mine face 380 while
maintaining the discharge end 316 of the discharge conveyor 309 at the
receiving location 106 of the first mobile conveyor 104.
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In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, on completion of the first operational
stage a first portion 378 of the ore deposit 100 has been excavated and the
second mobile conveyor 110 is oriented substantially parallel to the mine face
350 and the operational angle 7 between the first and second mobile
conveyors 104 and 110 is approximately 90 . The first portion 378 is defined
by a first exposed mine face 380, a second exposed mine face 382, and a
third exposed mine face 384. In this embodiment the first and second
exposed mine faces 380 and 382 are generally perpendicular to the length of
said second mobile conveyor 110 and the third exposed mine face 384 is
generally parallel to the length of said second mobile conveyor thus defining
a
generally rectangular excavated portion. However in other embodiments, the
excavated portion may have an irregular shape.
Advantageously, by operating first and second mobile conveyors 104 and 110
at a varying operational angle 7, a generally lineal portion of the mine face
such as the mine face 380 may be excavated along a boundary such as the
boundary 152 shown in Figure 2, for example.
In other embodiments more than one spaced apart receiving locations (not
shown) along the first mobile conveyor 104 may be simultaneously employed
to further increase the excavation rate and the sized ore feed rate, if
required.
Second operational stage
Referring to Figure 8, in a second operational stage the processing apparatus
116 remains located at the first processing apparatus position. The first
mobile conveyor 104 and the transfer location 112 are successively translated
in a lateral direction indicated by the arrow 390, while the angle 7 between
the
first and second mobile conveyors is maintained substantially constant (in
this
embodiment at an angle of about 90 ). Following each successive lateral
translation, excavation occurs at a second plurality of mine faces to define a
second portion 392. On completion of the second operational stage, the
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transfer location 112 is located proximate the discharge end 114 of the
second mobile conveyor 110. The second portion 392 is generally defined by
extending the third exposed mine face 384 to expose a fourth exposed mine
face 396, and by exposing a fifth mine face 394. In this embodiment the first
and second portions 378 and 392 are contiguously located rectangular
portions and share a common boundary 398 (shown as a broken line)
generally defined by the previously exposed mine face 382.
Third operational stage
Referring to Figure 9, in a third operational stage the processing apparatus
116 again remains at the first processing apparatus position. The second
mobile conveyor 110 is then rotated about the discharge end 108 to swing
through an arc of about 180 . Alternatively, individual conveyor sections may
be detached from each other, swung through 180 and then re-attached to
reconfigure the second mobile conveyor 110 for conveying in an opposite
direction. Conveyor modules such as those described above in connection
with Figure 3 are not generally configured for bi-directional conveying.
The first mobile conveyor 104 may need to be moved to permit the rotation of
the second mobile conveyor, whereafter the first mobile conveyor is then
moved to place the discharge end 108 at the transfer location 112, which is
initially located proximate the discharge end 108. Alternatively, if permitted
by
the terrain, the second mobile conveyor may be moved away from the
processing apparatus 116 for rotating, thereby permitting excavation to
continue using the first mobile conveyor 104. In this case the discharge end
108 of the first mobile conveyor 104 is located to discharge sized ore
directly
into the hopper 118 of the processing apparatus 116. When the second
mobile conveyor 110 has been reconfigured, it may be moved back into
operation as shown in Figure 9.
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Referring to Figure 10, in the third operational stage sized ore received at
the
transfer location 112 is conveyed to the discharge end 108. As described
above in connection with Figure 7 and 8 the first mobile conveyor 104 and the
transfer location 112 are again successively translated in a lateral direction
indicated by the arrow 390, while the angle 7 between the first and second
mobile conveyors maintained substantially constant. Referring to Figure 11,
following each successive lateral translation, excavation occurs at a third
plurality of mine faces to define a third portion 410. The third portion 410
is
generally defined by extending the fourth exposed mine face 396 to expose a
sixth exposed mine face 414, and by exposing a seventh mine face 412. In
this embodiment the second and third portions 392 and 410 are contiguously
located rectangular portions and share a common boundary 416 (shown as a
broken line) generally defined by the previously exposed mine face 394.
Referring to Figure 12, an alternative operational embodiment may include a
fourth operation stage following completion of the third operational stage. In
the fourth operational stage the first and second mobile conveyors 104 and
110 are disposed substantially in-line with each other to permit the sized ore
feed to be received at a mine face 422 proximate a distally located comer of
the section comprising portions 378, 392, and 410.
Advantageously, excavation of the first, second, and third portions 378, 392
and 410 as described above results in an extensive section of the ore deposit
100 being excavated while the processing apparatus 116 remains located in
the first processing apparatus position. By moving both the first and second
mobile conveyors 104 and 110, the process line 102 facilitates excavation of
lineal walls along the mine face and/or excavation of substantially
rectangular
sections of ore.
In one embodiment the first mobile conveyor may be about 240 meters in
length and the second mobile conveyor may be about 200 meters in length,
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which facilitates excavation of a section having a mine face of about 710
meters wide and extending about 270 meters into the mine face (i.e. in a
direction away from the processing apparatus position).
Referring to Figure 13, in another operational embodiment the first and
second mobile conveyors 104 and 110 may be operated to move around a
portion 440 of the ore deposit 100 that is not to be excavated. The portion
440 may include low grade ore having a bitumen content that is lower than a
minimum content for economical processing. Alternatively, the portion 440
may comprise a hard rock outcrop, or other obstacle around which it is
desired to excavate the ore while leaving the obstacle substantially intact.
Referring back to Figure 7, once the portion 378 has been excavated and it
has been determined that at least a portion of the mine face 382 should not
be excavated, the second mobile conveyor 110 is rotated about the discharge
end 114 away from the mine face 350. In this embodiment the first mobile
conveyor 104 is moved to follow the second mobile conveyor 110, such that
the conveyors return to the general location shown in broken outline in Figure
7. In general, the degree of rotation of the second mobile conveyor 110 away
from the mine face 350 should be sufficient to permit the first mobile
conveyor
104 to clear the mine face 350.
Referring back to Figure 13, the first mobile conveyor 104 is then rotated
about the transfer location 112 as shown in broken outline at 442.
During these movements of the first and second mobile conveyors 104 and
110, receiving of the sized or may be temporarily suspended until the
respective conveyors are repositioned.At this time the excavator 124 and
comminutor 126 may be moved into position for continuing excavation along a
mine face 446 of the portion 440. Operations then generally continue as
described above and excavation continues along the generally lineal mine
CA 02640018 2008-09-30
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face 446 and a further portion 448 is excavated while leaving the portion 440
un-excavated.
Advantageously, using first and second mobile conveyors 104 and 110
configurable at the varying angle y, facilitates mining around the portion
140.
Prior art process lines would require the portion 440 to be excavated and
removed to permit the conveyor to pass in its operational arc. Furthermore,
by permitting the portion 440 to remain unexcavated, it is not necessary to
remove the overburden above the portion 440. Removal of overburden
represents an un-recoverable cost in excavating an ore deposit since the
overburden has little or no economic value. Furthermore removing the need
to process low grade ore advantageously increases the proportion of bitumen
containing ore in the total volume of ore that is excavated, thereby improving
operational efficiency.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and
illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the
invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance
with the accompanying claims.
