Hydraulic hoisting system and method
AssigneeCementation Canada Inc.
InventorsAlun Price Jones, Stephen Korski, Roy Stephen Slack
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a hydraulic hoisting system for moving material from an underground position to a surface level. In most cases, the system will be used to move fragmented rock or ore generated during the normal operation of a mine to a position on or near the surface of the Earth so that the rock or ore can be further processed. The system is a conduit loop for continuous flow of circulating fluid from near or at the surface to underground; a slurry preparation unit for mixing the material with a portion of the fluid to form a slurry; and an injection unit for injecting the slurry into the conduit.
Claims19
A hydraulic hoisting system for hoisting material from underground, the system comprising:
- a conduit loop for continuous flow of circulating fluid from near or at the surface to underground comprising a downcomer conduit, a transitional segment, and a riser conduit;
- a pump positioned in the conduit loop to energize the circulating fluid prior to entering the downcomer conduit,
- a slurry preparation unit for mixing the material with a portion of the fluid to form a slurry;
- and
- an injection unit positioned at the intersection of the transitional segment and the riser conduit or in the riser conduit of the conduit loop near the intersection of the transitional segment and the riser conduit for injecting the slurry into the conduit loop at a delivery pressure rating that exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the circulating fluid in the conduit loop at the position of the injection unit.
A method for hoisting material from underground comprising the steps of:
- providing a looped continuous flow of circulating fluid from near or at the surface to underground through a conduit loop comprising a downcomer conduit, a transitional segment, and a riser conduit;
- passing the fluid through a pump prior to entering the downcomer conduit;
- preparing a slurry comprising material and fluid at an underground location;
- injecting the slurry at a delivery pressure rating that exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the circulating fluid in the conduit loop at the position of an injection unit into the looped continuous flow of circulating fluid for transport to at or near the surface;
- and
- separating the slurry into a material component and a fluid component at or near the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.