Retrogressively in-situ ore body chemical mining system and method

A system and apparatus for mining a sought-for mineral from an ore body lying in a substantially horizontally extended attitude within a geological formation having an overlying formation comprising:

• a. a first fluid conductor bore hole extending substantially horizontally into said ore body from a point under said overlying formation;
• b. a second fluid conductor bore hole disposed substantially parallel to said first fluid conductor and extending into said ore body adjacent said first fluid conductor;
• c. a body of permeabilized ore environmental to the distal ends of said first and second conductors;
• d. means whereby a lixiviant may be introduced through one of said bore holes to travel within said permeabilized ore body to said second bore hole, from which mineral products are removed;
• and,
• e. a third horizontally extending fluid conducting bore hole within the ore body for removing therefrom chemically evolved gases.

A method for winning sought-for mineral values from a substantially laterally extending ore body which comprises the steps of:

• a. penetrating said ore body by at least two bore holes which extend generally horizontally and into said ore body from the region of penetration to a distal region at which winning of sought-for mineral values is to be commenced, said bore holes being lined by means sufficient to prevent direct fluid flow communication therebetween;
• b. permeabilizing, through said bore holes, a first zone of the ore body in the environment of the distal ends of said bore holes to render the ore body in said first zone ore permeable to fluid circulation;
• c. mining said first zone of the ore body by injecting a lixiviant through one of said bore holes and into said permeabilized first zone of ore while withdrawing product fluids containing the sought for mineral values through the other of said bore holes until said first zone of ore is depleted to a desired extent of said sought for mineral values;
• d. isolating said first zone of the ore body from said bore holes;
• and
• e. successively repeating steps b, c and d with respect to successively retrogressively located zones of said ore body circumjacent to said bore holes.