Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combinat, Navoi, Uzbekistan:

U. U. Iuldoshev, Head of Mining Department, uu.yuldoshev@ngmk.uz

Currently, Muruntau open pit mine (Central Kyzylkum, Republic of Uzbekistan) has reached the depth of 600 m. The objective is set to continue opencast mining 400 m deeper so that the ultimate depth of the open pt is 1000 m, and the mine will become one the superdeep open pits in the world. It is also settled to preserve the current cyclical-and-continuous method of mining based on the combination of internal motor transport with conveyor lift and delivery of rocks to unloading points on the surface. Owing to high-rate expansion of pitwall limits during deeper level mining, it is impossible to install conveyors on the pit walls (as was practiced ever before). A single way out is to arrange hoists in inclined shafts driven outside the ultimate pit limits. Accordingly, the question is: where to place the hoists relative to the open pit boundaries. This article presents feasibility studies of 5 alternative arrangements of hoisting shafts: perpendicular and in parallel to pit walls and with differently directed approachways (from the north, west, etc.). As a result of the comparison, it is recommended to use the variant of parallel (longitudinal) arrangement of the hoisting conveyor northward of the ultimate pit limits.

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