Belgorod National University, Belgorod, Russia:

V. N. Tyupin, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, tyupinvn@mail.ru

The heap leaching technology of gold, silver, copper, uranium and nickel enjoys increasingly wide application both in Russia and abroad. Extraction of metal components from leaching piles reaches extremely high results. For the further increase in metal content of pregnant solution and to reduce losses, it is recommended to use blast energy. The article presents calculation formulas for blasting design patterns such that to stimulate leaching and ensure safe distance between explosive charges and insulating film. Numerical values of blasting parameters are obtained from these formulas. Commercial tests prove high efficiency of blasting stimulation of heap leaching. Blasting induces dynamic deformation of a leaching pile, with closure of old channels and loosening of the pile nearby mudding areas. Furthermore, the dynamic excitation by stress and seismic waves in a saturated pile can promote growth and initiation of microcracks. Metal content of pregnant solutions increases by 2 times on average while production output (loss reduction) of metals grows by 15–20 %. The anticipated economic efficiency of blasting stimulation per one leaching level is: 9.8 MRub for uranium, 0.7 MRub for gold (prices as of 2000). The analysis of production blasting efficiency shows that, given the design parameters of drilling-andblasting, further leaching is ecologically safe owing to allowable distance between explosive charges and insulating film. The theoretical formulas of blasting design patterns can be used in stimulation of heap and in-situ leaching in any geological conditions after analysis of geotechnical parameters and physicotechnical properties of leaching pile to be blasted.

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