Chalcopyrite Test Heap Monitoring - North America

Objective

Support a technology demonstration project for the leaching of a low grade chalcopyrite ore.

Approach

Design, install and maintain an in situ monitoring system to record the temporal changes of temperature, oxidation-reduction potential, electrical conductivity, oxygen availability, pore pressure, operational variables (pressure, temperature, ORP, air and solution flow) and weather conditions (wet and dry bulb temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, solar radiation, total precipitation, etc.). As part of this monitoring program, a tridimensional electrical resistivity survey was conducted to determine the wetting patterns developed within the heap and understand the effect the level of agglomeration on solution-to-ore contact.

Results

• Develop a clear understanding of the critical variables for the leaching of chalcopyrite
• Assist client to develop an operational strategy to control ore temperature
• Identify the causes for limited oxygenation of the heap profile
• Identify the effect of quality of agglomeration on solution distribution
• Identify changes for future design improvements for the optimization of chalcopyrite leaching