Energy Saving in Mining Production

Abstract

Introduction.Mining is a rather energy-intensive industry because of severe conditions of technological processes with energy consumption optimized by engineering modernization, for instance, by producing settable mixes and processing their components to obtain the required size and activity.Problem Statement. Reducing energy consumption while escalating production, energy efficiency of technological processes and cost reduction in energy supply are relevant problems for mining industry, which determine the competitiveness of a mining corporation.Purpose. The research aims at determining the effect of disintegration and increased activity of ore minerals on energy consumption by mining enterprise.Materials and Methods. Efficiency of mechanical activation is conditioned by difference in strength of concrete based on basic and activating binding materials. Efficient combination of technologies has been found as optimal solution taking into consideration variable factors, including energy consumption. The range of optimal values of binding materials has been found by solving the equations describing the obtained regularities.Results. The research presents the results of industrial experiment aiming at replacing the binding components of concrete mixes by the activated blast-furnace slag. The quantitative indicators and regularities of electric energy consumption necessary to activate components of settable mixes have been determined. The obtained data have been used to simulate mix design at one of Norilsk enterprises. The general regularities of mechanical activation efficiency have been established and a concept and an algorithm of efficient energy consumption while activating mining production wastes have been formulated.Conclusions. For the demographic factors of the development, the mining industry will increase energy-intensity of industrial processes. When transiting to underground deposit mining, production of settable mixes will result in increased energy consumption. Efficient energy consumption in energy-intensive industrial processes becomes especially important. In the specified conditions, optimized energy consumption facilitates the recovery of costs for mining diversification.

Enhancement of the rock mass quality in underground iron ore mining through application of resource-saving technologies

“…Further mining of complex-structured ore deposits by underground methods applying current technologies of ore mining and its processing inevitably leads to not only an increase in ore production costs, but also deterioration of the environment in the region (alienation of land for external waste dumps) [16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

“…Efficiency of mining complex-structured iron ore deposits can be increased by applying highly efficient resource-saving technologies using self-propelled equipment and selective mining of reserves, which in combination enable enhancement of quantitative and qualitative indicators of extraction [36][37][38][39][40][41].…”

Enhancement of the quality of marketable iron ore products of Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin

“…Since 98.5% of iron ore products are used for the needs of ferrous metallurgy, requirements to the quality of the mineral resources base depend on requirements to steel, cast iron, as well as on technological features of steelmaking [9,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25].…”

Mathematical modeling of processes of technogenic deposits development

“…In the context of increasing demand for non-ferrous metals, the issues of strengthening the state of the mineral resource base due to the involvement of substandard metal-containing raw materials of technogenic origin are of particular relevance [1,2]. Studies on this topic use information about the current state of the issue and use the methods of analysis and systematization of new information for proof.…”