Systems and methods for improved raffinate injection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024026493-A1
Application number	US-202318480377-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 3, 2023
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Jan 25, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method comprising determining an ore map for a heap to identify a location of a recoverable metal-bearing material in the heap, wherein the metal-bearing material comprises iron and at least one other metal value, delivering a leaching solution from a leaching solution source to a leaching solution regulating system, wherein the leaching solution comprises an effective amount of citric acid and hydrogen peroxide, regulating at least one of a pressure, a mass flow rate, or a volumetric flow rate of the leaching solution to achieve a target operational condition, wherein the target operational condition is selected to optimize a set of operational parameters to maximize recovery of the at least one other metal value, delivering the leaching solution at the target operational condition from the leaching solution regulating system to the subsurface leaching distribution system, and delivering the leaching solution at the target operational condition from the subsurface leaching distribution system to the location of the recoverable metal-bearing material under a surface of the heap to leach and recover the at least one other metal value.

First claim

1 . A method for recovering a metal value from a metal-bearing material, comprising:
determining an ore map for a heap to identify a location of a recoverable metal-bearing material in the heap, wherein the metal-bearing material comprises iron and at least one other metal value; delivering a leaching solution from a leaching solution source to a leaching solution regulating system, wherein the leaching solution comprises an effective amount of citric acid and hydrogen peroxide; regulating at least one of a pressure, a mass flow rate, or a volumetric flow rate of the leaching solution to achieve a target operational condition, wherein the target operational condition is selected to optimize a set of operational parameters to maximize recovery of the at least one other metal value; delivering the leaching solution at the target operational condition from the leaching solution regulating system to the subsurface leaching distribution system; and delivering the leaching solution at the target operational condition from the subsurface leaching distribution system to the location of the recoverable metal-bearing material under a surface of the heap to leach and recover the at least one other metal value.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the leaching solution regulating system comprises a plurality of leaching solution regulating modules.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein each leaching solution regulating module comprises a meter configured to detect a pressure or flow rate of the leaching solution.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein each leaching solution regulating module comprises a regulator configured to set a pressure or flow rate of the leaching solution to the target operational condition.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the metal-bearing material is chalcopyrite.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of operational parameters comprises at least one of minerology, chemistry, permeability, and remaining recoverable metal values.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the ore map comprises adding flow data, irrigation data, and a remaining mineral prediction from a machine learning model to obtain information by section and by date for the heap.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining x,y,z coordinates for the location of the recoverable metal-bearing material in the heap.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the effective amount of citric acid is about 1 g/L to about 10 g/L and wherein the effective amount of hydrogen peroxide is about 0.5% to about 10% by weight.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the location of the recoverable metal-bearing material to render the area susceptible to further leaching, wherein the treating comprises delivering a treatment solution to the location of the recoverable metal-value material, and wherein the treatment solution comprises citric acid.

11 . A system, comprising:
a recoverable metal-bearing material in a heap, wherein the metal-bearing material comprises iron and at least one other metal value; a leaching solution regulating system configured to regulate a flow of a leaching solution to a target operational condition, wherein the target operational condition is selected to optimize a set of operational parameters to maximize recovery of the at least one other metal value, and wherein the leaching solution comprises an effective amount of citric acid and hydrogen peroxide; and a subsurface leaching solution distribution system fluidly coupled to the leaching solution regulating system, the subsurface leaching solution distribution system comprising a subsurface injector configured to deliver the leaching solution to the recoverable metal-bearing material under the surface of the heap to leach and recover the at least one other metal value.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the set of operational parameters comprises at least one of at least one of minerology, chemistry, permeability, and remaining recoverable metal values.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the effective amount of citric acid is about 1 g/L to about 10 g/L and wherein the effective amount of hydrogen peroxide is about 0.5% to about 10% by weight.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the metal-bearing material is chalcopyrite.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one metal value comprises copper, nickel, zinc, silver, gold, germanium, lead, arsenic, antimony, chromium, molybdenum, rhenium, tungsten, iron, ruthenium, osmium, cobalt, rhodium, iridium, palladium, platinum, uranium, or rare earth metals.

16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the subsurface injector is further configured to deliver a treatment solution to the at least one location of the recoverable metal-bearing material to render the at least one location susceptible to further leaching, wherein the treatment solution comprises citric acid.

17 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the subsurface injector is inserted into a bore formed in the heap, the bore filled with at least one material configured to provide stability and sealing for the subsurface injector.

18 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of sensors distributed along a length of the subsurface injector.

19 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising an ore map determined by adding flow data, irrigation data and a remaining mineral prediction from a machine learning model to obtain information by section and by data for the heap.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the at least one location of the recoverable metal-bearing material in the heap is in x,y,z coordinates of the heap.

Assignees

• Freeport Minerals Corp

Inventors

• Lyons Sarah
• Robertson Joanna M
• Clayton Casey J
• Sanchez Richard Melecio
• Crossman Raquel
• Issoe Luciano Kiniti
• Ni Tianfang
• Klesov Oleksandr
• Gerdes Luke
• Alam Muneeb
• Zenner Chase
• Dean Jr John Warren

Classifications

• G01F15/006

  characterised by the use of a particular material, e.g. anti-corrosive material (G01F15/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01F1/74

  Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid · CPC title

• G01F15/066

  involving magnetic transmission devices · CPC title

• G01F15/005

  Valves (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• G01F15/003

  using electromagnetic, electric or electronic means (G01F15/002, G01F15/02 take precedence) · CPC title