Method and system for mining
AssigneeNovamera Inc.
InventorsStephen Douglas Butt, Allan R. Cramm, Jeronimo De Moura Junior, Mohammed Mokhtar Ebeid Said
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for mining narrow vein deposit of ore, the narrow vein deposit having a hanging wall and a foot wall, the method comprising: drilling a pilot hole into the narrow vein deposit along a path substantially centrally between the hanging wall and the foot wall to a depth within the vein; following the pilot hole with a larger diameter drilling assembly to fragment the ore into drill cuttings; circulating the drill cuttings to a wellhead; and collecting the drill cuttings for processing to recover the ore therefrom.
Claims8
A method for mining a narrow vein deposit of ore, the narrow vein deposit having a hanging wall and a foot wall, the method comprising:
- operating a pilot hole drill head to drill a pilot hole with a pilot hole diameter into rock containing the narrow vein deposit along a path to a depth within the vein;
- surveying the narrow vein deposit from the pilot hole, wherein surveying includes removing a portion of the pilot hole drill head to create an opening in the pilot hole drill head, running the downhole survey tool through a pilot hole drilling assembly, moving at least a portion of a downhole survey tool out through the opening into an extended position and operating the downhole survey tool while in the extended position;
- based on surveying, determining a trajectory and thickness of the narrow vein deposit;
- drilling a borehole into the narrow vein deposit with a hole opening drilling assembly, the borehole having a diameter larger than the pilot hole diameter to fragment the ore in the narrow vein deposit into drill cuttings;
- circulating the drill cuttings with a fluid flow up to a wellhead;
- and
- collecting the drill cuttings for processing to recover the ore therefrom.
A mining system for mining a narrow vein deposit of ore, the system comprising:
- a drilling rig;
- a pilot hole drilling assembly including a drill head for drilling a pilot hole in the ore, a downhole survey tool for locating a hanging wall and a foot wall of the narrow vein deposit relative to the pilot hole, wherein the downhole survey tool is configured for extension through an opening created by removal of a core barrel in the pilot hole drill head, and a directional assembly for directing the drill head along a path relative to the narrow vein deposit;
- a hole opener assembly including a hole opener drill configured to drill a borehole into the narrow vein deposit with a larger diameter than the pilot hole to fragment the ore into drill cuttings;
- and
- a fluid circulation subsystem to move a fluid through the well to circulate the drill cuttings from the borehole to a well head.
A method for mining a narrow vein deposit of ore, the narrow vein deposit having a hanging wall and a foot wall, the method comprising:
- operating a pilot hole drill head to drill a pilot hole with a pilot hole diameter into rock containing the narrow vein deposit along a path to a depth within the vein;
- surveying the narrow vein deposit from the pilot hole, wherein surveying includes pulling the pilot hole drill head up a distance from a bottom of the pilot hole and thereafter, moving at least a portion of a downhole survey tool out through an opening in the pilot hole drill head into an extended position and operating the downhole survey tool while in the extended position;
- based on surveying, determining a trajectory and thickness of the narrow vein deposit;
- drilling a borehole into the narrow vein deposit with a hole opening drilling assembly, the borehole having a diameter larger than the pilot hole diameter to fragment the ore in the narrow vein deposit into drill cuttings;
- circulating the drill cuttings with a fluid flow up to a wellhead;
- and
- collecting the drill cuttings for processing to recover the ore therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.