Pumping-Injection Well Construction in Open-Pit Mine Dumps
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Solution Overview
Problem
The construction of pumping-injection wells in open-pit mines is prone to collapse and leakage due to loose materials and poor cementation, leading to difficulties in forming large-diameter holes and increased costs, affecting normal production and water resource management.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a pumping-injection well system with nested steel and concrete pipes, rubble barriers, and layered sump construction, including a water barrier, permeable, isolation, filter, and ecological layers, to stabilize the wellbore and enhance water collection and filtration, reducing installation difficulties and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pumping-injection well construction methods are used in open-pit mine dumps, then the wellbore stability is poor leading to collapse and leakage, but changing the construction method increases construction complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The wellbore is divided into multiple sections with different liner types (steel liner in upper unstable zone, concrete liner in lower stable zone). This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for its specific geological conditions, improving overall wellbore stability while managing construction complexity through modular installation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs nested liner structures where steel liners are installed within concrete liners in certain sections. This nesting approach provides enhanced protection against collapse and leakage by combining the advantages of both materials, with the steel liner providing tensile strength and the concrete liner providing compressive strength and chemical resistance
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional pumping-injection well construction methods are used, then large-diameter hole formation is difficult and costs increase, but alternative methods may affect normal mine production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary wellbore preparation including installing liners and creating expansion spaces before the dumping operation proceeds. This preliminary action ensures that the wellbore is stabilized in advance, making subsequent large-diameter hole formation easier while minimizing disruption to mine production schedules
Solution Approach 2:
The construction method adapts to the dynamic dumping process by installing liners and structures in coordination with the progressive filling of the dump. This dynamic approach allows construction activities to proceed alongside mining operations rather than requiring complete shutdown, maintaining productivity while enabling complex wellbore formation
3Reliability
If pumping-injection wells are constructed after groundwater reservoir completion, then collapse and leakage accidents are prone to occur, but constructing during dumping operation requires coordinated layout method
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary wellbore stabilization measures including liner installation and expansion space creation before the dumping operation completes. This preliminary action ensures wellbore stability is established in advance, preventing collapse and leakage accidents that would occur if construction were delayed until after reservoir completion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent develops a universal coordinated layout method that can accommodate pumping-injection well construction at various stages of the dumping operation. This multi-functional approach provides flexibility in construction timing by offering standardized procedures that work whether construction occurs during early, mid, or late stages of dumping, maintaining both reliability and adaptability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method ensures stable and efficient water collection and filtration, reducing the risk of collapse and leakage, while lowering installation challenges and costs, and improving the water collection efficiency and stability of the slope.
Implementation Method 1
a circular groove on the steel pipe at the bottom of each of the intermediate pipes is configured to engage with a circular protrusion formed on the steel pipe at the top of the intermediate pipe therebelow or the bottom pipe, so as to connect the pipes as a whole from bottom to top by gravity
Implementation Method 2
concrete straight pipes each having an identical diameter and permeable to water are respectively arranged on an outer side of the bottom pipe, an outer side of each of the intermediate pipes, and an outer side of the top pipe
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein is a method for constructing a pumping-injection well of a groundwater reservoir in a dump of an open-pit mine. The pumping-injection well includes a bottom pipe, intermediate pipes, and a top pipe in sequence from bottom to top connected from bottom to top. The method includes: arranging a rubble barrier around the pumping-injection well, and installing the bottom pipe of the pumping-injection well at a designed position of the pumping-injection well as a center of circle; continuing to install an intermediate pipe on the bottom pipe, and pile up a rubble pile; continuing to stack multiple intermediate pipes, and starting the construction of the groundwater reservoir; discarding discarded materials from the open-pit mine to form a dump; continuing to stack intermediate pipes to build an inverted trapezoidal surface sump around the pumping-injection well; and installing the top pipe and a well cover to form a complete pumping-injection well.