POTASH IN UDORN AND THE ENVIRONMENT

1
POTASH IN UDORN AND THE ENVIRONMENT 1. POTASH
AN OVERVIEW 2. POTASH MINING AND THE
ENVIRONMENT 3. UNDERGROUND MINING AND SURFACE
SUBSIDENCE - CASE HISTORIES 4. UDORN THANI
POTASH MINING PROJECT - ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES Asst. Prof. Laa ArchwichaiDept. of
Geotechnology , KKU 12 Mar. 2003 RDI , KKU.
1300 - 1500 Hrs
2
UDON THANI POTASH MINE 1. Project
Characteristics - Potash Deposits 300 - 350
m. deep (South Field) ( 200 - 400 m. deep) ..
Sylvinite bed 6 km. North-South - 10 m.
thick - Gently dips east - Mine Extent -
25 km2 - Mine Site - 1.7 km2 - Mining
Method - Underground mining Room and
Pillar method. - Mining Life - 22 yrs( 25
-30 yrs) - Production Capacity - 2 mil.
tonnes/year
3
Udon Thani Potash Mine Site Layout
4
Udon Thani Potash Project Area.
5
- Reserves .. South Field - 300 mil.
tonnes .. North Field - 1,000 mil.
tonnes - Potash Processing - Flotation
Process(separation of potash from salt
and other mixture)2. Potash Flotation Process
-- gt see flow chart3. Environmental Management
System(EMS). ----gt Follow ISO 14001
.. EMS Concerns/Framework Planning
Allocation of Resources Assignment of
responsibilities On-going evaluation of
practices , procedures , processes and
performance
6
(No Transcript)
7
4. Legislations - National Environmental
Quality Act (NEQA , 1992) and existing
ones. - Environment - Health -
Safety5. Environmental Monitoring - Base
line monitoring program(spatial and temporal) -
On-going monitoring .. Discharges and
emissions from the development/operation.
(comply with regulations and standards) ..
Measurement of the impact
--------------------------
-
8
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 1. Subsidence 2. Salt
Water/Brine 3. Tailings/Mine Wastes 4. Salt
Emissions and salinization 5. Water
Management SUBSIDENCE - Shallow underground
mining and surface subsidence. .. Coal
mines/Case Histories. ---- Colorado Coal Mine ,
U.S.A. .. Salt Mine Surface collapse /Case
histories
9
2. SALT WATER/ BRINE - Sources -
Potash processing - Site runoff and surface
operation - Tailing pile runoff -
Groundwater pumping from mine construction
(Groundwater control and groundwater
lowering) - Storage Pond/Brine Pond -
Evaporation Process - Solid Residues(Salt and
solid mixture) - Condensate(lt 10 mg/L
salt) - Condensate Pond/Monitoring
Pond - Discharge Effluence(based on
standards)
10
3. TAILINGS MANAGEMENT (see Fact Sheet) -
Waste Generation 14,000 tonnes/day (small
sized tailings lt 1 mm. dia.) - Tailings Pile
Design - 1 km2 area - 40 m.
high - 32 degree slope angle - Backfill
after 6 years of operation4. SALT EMISSIONS
AND SALINIZATION (see Fact Sheet) - Sylvinite
- Sylvite (KCl) Halite(NaCl) 5. WATER
SUPPLY (SEE Fact Sheet) - Water Use -
Potable water - Cleaning water -
Production process
11
- Water Source - Groundwater (primary) -
Demand - 1,000,000 cu.m./year - Period of
use - During the construction phase of the
project. During the operation phase ,
no groundwater will be used. ----------------
----------------
12
MINE TYPES / MINING METHODS
Drift Mine Underground Mining shaft mines,
slope mines and drift mines
Surface mining Area surface mines ,Contour
mining , Open pit mining
Shaft Mine
Slope Mine
13
Room and pillar method --conventional mining
and continuous mining Conventional mining is the
oldest method and accounts for only about 12 of
underground ore output. In conventional mining,
the ore seam is cut, drilled, blasted and then
loaded into cars. Continuous mining is the most
prevalent form of underground mining, accounting
for 56 of total underground production. In
continuous mining, a machine known as a
continuous miner cuts the ore from the mining
face, obviating the need for drilling and
blasting. Longwall mining generally the deepest
mines, now accounts for about 31 of underground
coal production. There are about 100 longwall
operations in the United States, most of these
mines are in the Appalachians.
14
Room and pillar mining method
15
RPB Room and Pillar Basic
MRP Modified Room and Pillar
Room and Pillar Panel
16
Room and Pillar Blind
Room and Pillar Check Board
17
MINING MACHINES
Continuous miner
Different view of continuous miner
Mining machine
18
Roof bolting
Stress relief mining
Shuttle cars
Blast Drilling
19
Stress measurement
Potash working face
Booster fan ventilator
Conveyor feeding bunker
20
Transit van for personnel
Continuous miner
Conveyor with steel arch support
Exploration drilling
21
TUNNEL SUPPORTS
Tunnel support using rock bolting
22
Roof bolting
Continuous miner
Mining machine
23
GROUND SURFACE SUBSIDENCE AND DAMAGE
Mine map
Extent of the mine
24
Model of area of influence of subsidence
(comparative picture)
Potash mine in Canada
25
Subsidence of surface from underground workings.
26
Surface depression
Surface depression
Surface subsidence
Surface collapse
27
Surface subsidence
Surface collapse
Surface collapse
28
Structural damage from subsidence
Subsidence damage
Collapsed hole
Structural damage
29
Damage from surface collapse
Road damage from surface collapse
30
End of Presentation