Classification of oil sands ore and waste on the basis of technical and economic criteria

根据技术和经济标准对油砂矿石和废物进行分类

• 批准号: RGPIN-2014-05121
• 负责人: Thorley, Ursula
• 金额: $ 0.96万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2015-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=566967
• 关键词: Classification; oil; sands; ore; waste

The proposed research program will investigate the classification of mined oil sands material as ore or waste on the basis of technical and economic criteria. The oil sands are the largest commodity in the Canadian mining industry in terms of both waste material mined and ore material processed. They are also the largest source of tailings waste in Canada. Oil sands mining operations are subject to static criteria when determining whether mined material is ore or waste, i.e. whether material should be sent to the processing plant for bitumen recovery or sent to a waste dump. These criteria are uniform for all operations and established by a provincial regulation, Alberta's Interim Directive 2001-7. The definition of ore by regulation is unusual internationally, and unique to the oil sands within Canada. The research program will produce an analysis of the impact of the current prescribed oil sands mine planning system versus an engineering approach to defining mining pit limits and mined material classification as ore or waste. The analysis will define the impacts of the two methods on project economics, bitumen resource conservation and utilization, and environmental impact, including accrued environmental liability. The research will include sub-activities exploring the costs associated with oil sands mining. The focus will be on linking environmental impacts and their associated costs (terrestrial and aquatic reclamation and tailings treatment) to the specific material qualities of processed ores. The research program will address concerns related to oil sands reclamation liabilities expressed by the public, non-governmental organizations, other oil sands stakeholders, and First Nations. The research has the potential to inform and influence regulations related to oil sands mining. If the hypothesis of the research program is correct, it is anticipated that the analysis will form the basis for policy reform recommendations. Improved environmental performance of oil sands operations with respect to tailings waste production is a long-term objective of the research. The anticipated outcomes of the research program include: -Improved understanding of the costs associated with oil sands land reclamation by extending the applicant’s current research in this area -Improved understanding of the costs associated with oil sands tailings treatment methods, and the first work in the public domain in this area -The first work in the public domain to attempt to quantify tailings waste production associated with different material qualities (bitumen grade, fines content, clay content, etc.) of oil sands materials -An analysis of the impact of the existing regulations on: economic performance of oil sands operations; waste production by oil sands operations (mined and tailings waste); accrued liability related to tailings; and bitumen resource utilization and conservation -A critical review of the existing regulations with respect to their ability to meet stated goals of responsible resource development and resource conservation. The research program will provide training in advanced mine planning methodologies for 5 HQP. These HQP will develop: -Advanced knowledge of the principles of strategic mine planning -Practical skills in the application of mining software -Advanced knowledge of mining systems and the relationships between activities in the system -The ability to create sophisticated mining cost models, including models that incorporate explicit consideration of externalities into the mine planning process -The ability to develop mine plans that incorporate principles of sustainable planning -The ability to critically assess the influence of regulatory and other constraints on mine planning outcomes.

拟议的研究计划将根据技术和经济标准调查开采油砂材料的矿石或废物分类。油砂是加拿大采矿业中最大的商品，无论是开采的废料还是加工的矿石。它们也是加拿大最大的尾矿废物来源。油砂开采作业在确定开采的材料是矿石还是废物时，受静态标准的约束，即是否应将材料送往加工厂进行沥青回收或送往废物倾倒场。这些标准对所有作业都是统一的，并由省级法规，阿尔伯塔省2001-7临时指令建立。法规对矿石的定义在国际上是不寻常的，对加拿大的油砂来说是独一无二的。该研究计划将对现行规定的油砂矿山规划系统的影响进行分析，而不是采用工程方法来确定矿坑界限和开采材料分类为矿石或废物。分析将确定这两种方法对项目经济、沥青资源保护和利用以及环境影响（包括应计环境责任）的影响。这项研究将包括探索油砂开采相关成本的子活动。重点将是把环境影响及其有关费用（陆地和水生的开垦和尾矿处理）同加工矿石的具体物质质量联系起来。该研究项目将解决公众、非政府组织、其他油砂利益相关者和原住民对油砂复垦责任的担忧。这项研究有可能为与油砂开采有关的法规提供信息和影响。如果研究计划的假设是正确的，预计分析将成为政策改革建议的基础。提高油砂作业在尾矿废料生产方面的环境绩效是本研究的一个长期目标。研究计划的预期成果包括：-通过扩展申请人目前在该领域的研究，提高了对油砂土地复垦相关成本的理解-提高了对油砂尾矿处理方法相关成本的理解，这是该领域首次在公共领域开展工作-首次在公共领域尝试量化与不同材料质量（沥青等级、细粒含量、粘土含量）相关的尾矿废物生产-分析现行法规对油砂作业经济效益的影响；油砂作业产生的废物（采矿和尾矿废物）；与尾矿有关的应计负债；以及沥青资源的利用和保护——对现有法规是否有能力实现负责任的资源开发和资源保护的既定目标进行批判性审查。该研究项目将为5个HQP提供先进矿山规划方法方面的培训。这些HQP将发展：-对战略矿山规划原则的高级知识-对采矿软件应用的实用技能-对采矿系统和系统中活动之间关系的高级知识-能够创建复杂的采矿成本模型，包括在矿山规划过程中明确考虑外部性的模型——制定纳入可持续规划原则的矿山计划的能力——批判性评估监管和其他约束对矿山规划结果影响的能力。