Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material – Tunnel recovery of fluid material
Patent
1976-01-28
1978-02-28
Purser, Ernest R.
Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material
Tunnel recovery of fluid material
299 11, 299 17, E21C 4500
Patent
active
040763110
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to the hydraulic underground mining of bituminous sands, oil shales and other friable mineral deposits. Accordingly, the invention resides in the provision of a tunnel complex at or near the base of the deposit, in which tunnels are driven parallel one with the other, and spaced a substantial distance apart. An exemplary distance would be in the region of 2,000 feet. Hydraulic excavators are driven outwardly from the sides of the tunnels until the excavator heads are in a position substantially midway between adjacent tunnels. The excavators are arranged in a multiple array at spaced intervals along the tunnels, these intervals being adjusted such that there is interaction during operation, between adjacent excavator heads. The excavators may be positioned in two or more tiers by insertion into the deposit at differing angles from the operating tunnel, such that interaction between excavators is in two dimensions, horizontal and vertical. By systematic and programmed reciprocating movement of the individual excavators over a progressively enlarging "active zone", interacting between excavators is increased to three dimensions, horizontal, vertical, and lateral, thus effectively extending the "active zone" and increasing the volume of material being excavated. The ejector head, in addition to being provided with a multiplicity of nozzles through which fluid may be ejected at high pressure, also includes an intake or suction nozzle through which the fluidized sand, or slurry may be removed from the "active zone". The excavating nozzles are additionally spaced around the excavator head so that, at any time, certain nozzles are excavating below the intake nozzle to provide and evacuate a space into which oversized material can accumulate without plugging the intake. The nozzles being additionally spaced at predetermined angles relative to the excavator head so that they excavate both ahead of the intake nozzle and laterally thereof. In this manner, the excavation is both advanced, and expanded laterally.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2682396 (1954-06-01), Haworth
patent: 2783972 (1957-03-01), Fehlmann
patent: 2822158 (1958-02-01), Brinton
patent: 3153290 (1964-10-01), Saito
patent: 3934935 (1976-01-01), Lambly et al.
patent: 3957308 (1976-05-01), Lambly et al.
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