Combined Leach-Circulation Calculation for Predicting In-Situ Copper Leaching of Primary Sulfide Ore

Primary copper-sulfide ore deposits that are well below the water table can be chemically mined by in-situ high-pressure leaching. The leaching is accomplished by pumping oxygen gas into the bottom of a large underground flooded column of rubblized ore. Part of the injected oxygen dissolves under the high hydrostatic pressure in the column. With a high enough injection rate, the excess oxygen gas induces a convective circulation of oxygenated solution within the rubble column, which transports dissolved oxygen throughout the system. At elevated temperatures, this results in a relatively rapid dissolution of the copper minerals. A method of calculating the leaching rates is presented. The calculation is done by means of a finite-difference computer code that couples all of the processes relating to copper leaching, convective circulation, and the injection, dissolution, and consumption of oxygen. Results of the calculation for a typical case show that over 70% of the copper can be extracted in less than six years with good efficiency in oxygen utilization.