Remote Operated Vehicle for Deep Lead Alluvial Mining

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Solution Overview

Problem

Deep lead gold deposits beneath a basalt layer are challenging to access and extract due to the need for intensive underground labor and high costs associated with drilling and water-jet methods, which are environmentally and economically unsustainable.

Innovation Solution

A deep lead suction dredging process involving drilling a borehole, assembling a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) from components lowered through the borehole, and using it to extract alluvial deposits from beneath the rock layer, with the option of processing the material at the surface and backfilling the excavated zone with mineral-depleted material.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If water-jet methods are used to break up alluvium and pump slurry to surface, then extraction can be achieved, but the volume of overburden extracted increases significantly and costs rise

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveextraction capabilityVSAvoidoverburden volume

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The mining system is segmented into multiple boreholes distributed across the deposit area, with each borehole extracting material from a specific zone. This allows selective extraction of gold-bearing alluvium while leaving non-mineralized overburden in place, reducing the total volume of material that must be processed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different extraction strategies to different locations based on local gold concentration. Boreholes are spaced and operated to target zones with higher gold content, while minimizing extraction in areas with low-grade overburden, thereby reducing overall overburden volume while maintaining productivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If small diameter drilling (200 mm and less) is used to penetrate basalt cover, then drilling cost is reduced, but the sample volume becomes too small for reliable grade determination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrilling costVSAvoidgrade determination accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of relying on a single large-diameter core sample for grade determination, the system uses multiple small-diameter boreholes to create a statistical representation of the deposit. The collective data from multiple samples provides reliable grade determination while maintaining the cost advantages of small-diameter drilling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If intensive underground labor methods are used to extract thin gold-bearing wash layers, then dilution from overlying sand and clay is minimized, but labor costs and operational complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrade consistencyVSAvoidmining system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces intensive manual underground labor with automated borehole-based extraction using mechanical drilling and slurry pumping equipment. This substitution maintains grade consistency by precisely targeting the gold-bearing layer while reducing operational complexity and labor requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Measurement precision

If drill holes are spaced closely to detect narrow bedrock gutters, then detection accuracy improves, but the cost of the drill pattern becomes prohibitive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeposit boundary detectionVSAvoidexploration cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses a moderate-density drill pattern that provides sufficient detection capability for economic decision-making without the prohibitive cost of extremely close spacing. By combining moderate spacing with selective follow-up drilling in high-priority zones, the system achieves adequate detection accuracy at reasonable cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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

This method allows for efficient extraction of gold-bearing alluvial deposits with reduced labor and environmental impact, minimizing the volume of overburden extracted while maximizing the recovery of gold, thus improving the economic viability and sustainability of deep lead mining operations.

Implementation Method 1

a suction dredge, to extract the alluvial material with the remote operated vehicle

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSuction: Suction

Data Source

PatentUS9989664B2Process for mining alluvial deposits

Publication Date: 2018.06.05 VDL GOLD

AI summary

Disclosed herein is a remote operating vehicle (ROV) for use in a subterranean mining process, such as to extract material from beneath a rock layer. The ROV may be provided as a number of components each including their own umbilical cord. Each of the components may be lowered through a borehole and assembled together to form the ROV underground. Also disclosed herein is a device and method for in-line monitoring of a mining material to determine the presence of a material of interest in the mining material. The device includes conductive plates that are spaced apart. The device detects the presence of a material of interest as it passes through the spacing between the conductive plates.