How Do They Do That? In Situ Mining
Copper Applications in Mining & Extraction
In-situ mining is designed to co-exist with other land uses, such as agriculture. The in-situ mine will typically consist of a series of injection wells (A) and recovery wells (B). The wells are built with acid-resistant concrete and a PVC casing. At the level where the drill hold penetrates the copper-bearing rock (C), perforations in the casing allow a weak acid solution to be pumped into the ore to dissolve the copper. Then the copper-rich solution is drawn up through the recovery wells for processing at a nearby SX-EW (Solvent Extraction, Electrowinning) facility. 
This article is reprinted with permission from the publication, On CU,January – March, 1997,Vol. 1, No. 2.
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| On CU is the quarterly publication of BHP Copper, The Broken Hill Proprietary Corp., Ltd. © 1997 BHP Copper |
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Also in this Issue:
- How Do They Do That? How Copper is Made
- Traditional Pyrometallurgical Treatment of Concentrate
- How Do They Do That? In Situ Mining
- Millions of Dollars Saved With Non-Traditional Shutdown Procedures
- How Do They Do That? Bringing Copper to Market
- Big Blue Goes Copper
- How Do They Do That? Wringing Sulfuric Acid out of Sulfur Dioxide Emissions