System and method for determining changes to a heat profile of a stockpile

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12353196-B2
Application number	US-202217850855-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2022
Priority date	Jun 27, 2022
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

The method may comprise receiving historical data (e.g., mineralogy data, irrigation data, raffinate data, heat data, lift height data, geographic data on ore placement and/or blower data); training a predictive model using the historical data to create a trained predictive model; adding future assumption data to the trained predictive model; running the forecast engine for a plurality of parameters to obtain forecast data for a mining production target; comparing the forecast data for the mining production target to the actual data for the mining production target; determining deviations between the forecast data and the actual data, based on the comparing; and changing each of the plurality of parameters from the forecast data to the actual data to determine a contribution to the deviations for each of the plurality of parameters.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for determining a temperature profile of a stockpile comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, adjustments to process parameters to create adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, a heat profile of one or more layers of a stockpile, based on the adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile at different depths of the one or more layers, based on the adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, changes to the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile during a timeframe;
determining, by the one or more processors, trend data based on the changes to the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile during a timeframe;
managing, by the one or more processors, the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile at different depths of the one or more layers, based on the trend data; and
controlling, by the one or more processors, a raffinate application rate based upon the trend data and the adjusted process parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the heat profile of the stockpile comprises:
estimating, by the one or more processors, the heat transfer at a surface of the one or more layers of the stockpile;
estimating, by the one or more processors, the heat transfer within the one or more layers of the stockpile; and
estimating, by the one or more processors, the heat generation within an interior of the one or more layers of the stockpile.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the estimating the heat transfer at the surface of the one or more layers of the stockpile is based on at least one of evaporation, convection, shortwave radiation exchange or longwave radiation exchange.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the estimating the heat transfer within the one or more layers of the stockpile is based on advection of raffinate moving down through the stockpile and advection of air within the stockpile.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the estimating the heat generation within the interior of the one or more layers of the stockpile is based on at least one of exothermic chemical reactions or endothermic chemical reactions.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the estimating the heat generation within the interior of the one or more layers of the stockpile is based on oxidation of pyrite and sulfide ores.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying, by the one or more processors, the process parameters based on the trend data of the heat profile.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile comprises section-level estimates of the heat profile.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the process parameters comprise at least one of type of thermal film, timeframe, depth of a lift in the stockpile, raffinate application flowrate on a surface of the stockpile, raffinate temperature, air application rate, air wet bulb temperature, rate of the evaporation of raffinate, shortwave infrared radiation absorptivity, longwave infrared radiation absorbed at the surface of the stockpile, longwave radiation emitted from a surface of the stockpile, exothermic heat generation within the stockpile, heat transfer by convection at the surface of the stockpile or average temperature at an end of the timeframe.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the type of film includes at least one of thermal film, clear film, colored film, coated film or a layer of insulating material.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the raffinate application flowrate comprises a flowrate per unit area of the raffinate on the one or more layers of the surface of the stockpile.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the raffinate temperature is used for overall heat balance.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the air application rate comprises a flow rate of air being injected per unit area and measured at a base of a newest lift in the stockpile, wherein the air travels up through the stockpile and exits from the surface.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the air wet bulb temperature is based on the air injected into the stockpile as the air tends toward 100% humidity within the stockpile.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the evaporation percentage is based on at least one of a percentage of raffinate flow rate going in at the surface of the stockpile or an independent evaporation rate.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the shortwave infrared radiation absorptivity and emissivity is based on incoming solar radiation that is reflected out and absorbed at the surface of the stockpile.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the exotherm heat generation is based on rate of energy produced as a result of oxidation of ores and minerals within the stockpile.

18. The method of claim 9 , wherein the heat transfer by convection at the surface of the stockpile is based on at least one of heat loss directly to the air or heat loss through a thermal film cover.

19. An article of manufacture including one or more non-transitory, tangible computer readable storage mediums having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the one or more processors, adjustments to process parameters to create adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, a heat profile of one or more layers of a stockpile, based on the adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile at different depths of the one or more layers, based on the adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, changes to the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile during a timeframe;
determining, by the one or more processors, trend data based on the changes to the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile during a timeframe;
managing, by the one or more processors, the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile at different depths of the one or more layers, based on the trend data; and
controlling, by the one or more processors, a raffinate application rate based upon the trend data and the adjusted process parameters.

20. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more tangible, non-transitory memories configured to communicate with the one or more processors,
the one or more tangible, non-transitory memories having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the one or more processors, adjustments to process parameters to create adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, a heat profile of one or more layers of a stockpile, based on the adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile at different depths of the one or more layers, based on the adjusted process parameters;
determining, by the one or more processors, changes to the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile during a timeframe;
determining, by the one or more processors, trend data based on the changes to the heat profile of the one or more layers of the stockpile during a timeframe;
managing, by the one or m

Assignees

• Freeport Minerals Corp

Inventors

• Richardson Steven Chad
• Freeman Robyn
• Gerdes Luke
• Tinsley Margaret Alden
• Geislinger Dana
• Sanyal Akaash
• Gaddie Travis
• Alam Muneeb
• Crossman Raquel
• Ni Tianfang
• Demieville Cory A
• Klesov Oleksandr
• Issoe Luciano Kiniti

Classifications

• G05B19/4183

  characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification · CPC title

• G05B19/41885

  characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system · CPC title

• C22B3/04

  by leaching (C22B3/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• G06Q50/02

  Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining · CPC title