Polar Division, Norilsk Nickel Mining and Metallurgical Company (Talnakh, Russia)

Galaov R. B., Chief, Mining and Geology Department, Phone: +7 (3919) 40-61-10
Nagovitsyn Yu. N., Head of Department, Geodynamic Safety Center
Pliev B. Z., Deputy Chief Engineer, Oktyabrsky Mine

VNIMI Inter-Industry Scientific Center (Saint-Petersburg, Russia)
Andreev A. A., Head of Norilsk Division

Gipronickel Institute (Saint-Petersburg, Russia)
Vil’chinsky V. B., Head of Mining Laboratory, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

The research work was conducted, inter alios, by A. N. Ksenafontov, Head of Technological Department, Oktyabrsky Mine; A. A. Kisel’, Top Specialist of the Geodynamic Safety Center (GSC); A. A. Bazin, Top Specialist, GSC; K. V. Smolov, Deputy Chief Engineer, Mining and Geology Department.

Polar Division of the Norilsk Nickel Mining and Metallurgical Company extracts ore from the rockburst-hazardous Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky copper–nickel ore deposits. Mining is carried out at great depths from 650 to 1400 m below surface, with concurrent extraction of all types of ore (massive rich, disseminated and cuprous), which predetermines severe conditions of excavation support. Aside from the complicated mine-technical situation, the underground excavation stability is affected by the following factors:
• mature jointing represented by 3–4 systems of variously oriented joints governing the pronounced blocky structure;
• extremely intense jointing in the zones of tectonic faulting and at the faulting boundaries;
• weakening of surfaces of joints by serpentine, chlorite and other minerals that reduce cohesion over the surfaces, especially when water penetrates to the joints from the mine due to natural or induced water inflows.
In the given mine-technical and mining-and-geological conditions reckoned among extremely difficult, conventional types of support and support technologies available for deep excavations frequently appear low-effective. The article highlights main trends and results of the pilot projects on reengineering of underground excavation support types and technologies for deep mines in the extremely complicated mining-and-geological and rockburst-hazardous conditions.

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2. Rekomendatsii po krepleniyu i podderzhaniyu razvedochnykh, podgotovitelnykh, nareznykh i ochistnykh vyrabotok na rudnikakh «Oktyabrskiy», «Taymyrskiy» i «Komsomolskiy» Zapolyarnogo Filiala Otkrytogo Aktsionernogo Obshchestva «Gorno-Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat «Norilskiy nikel» (Recommendations on support of survey, preparation, cutting and purification excavations at Otyabrskiy, Taimyrskiy and Komsomolskiy mines of Polar Division of «Norilsk Nickel MMC» JSC). Norilsk, 2013, 19 p.
3. Reglament tekhnologicheskikh proizvodstvennykh protsessov po vozvedeniyu krepey na rudnikakh Zapolyarnogo Filiala Otkrytogo Aktsionernogo Obshchestva «Gorno-Metallurgicheskiy Kombinat «Norilskiy nikel» (Regulations of technological industrial processes on support setting at mines of Polar Division of «Norilsk Nickel MMC» JSC). Norilsk, 2004, 60 p.