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: $ 0.83万
• 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: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=611453
• 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.

拟议的研究方案将根据技术和经济标准调查开采的油砂材料作为矿石或废物的分类。就开采的废料和加工的矿石而言，油砂是加拿大采矿业中最大的大宗商品。它们也是加拿大最大的尾矿废物来源。 在确定开采的材料是矿石还是废物时，油砂开采作业要遵守静态标准，即材料是应该送到加工厂进行沥青回收，还是应该送到垃圾场。这些标准对所有业务都是统一的，并由省级法规艾伯塔省的临时指令2001-7确定。根据法规对矿石的定义在国际上是不寻常的，而且是加拿大境内油砂所独有的。 该研究计划将对当前规定的油砂矿山规划系统与将采矿坑界限和开采材料分类定义为矿石或废物的工程方法的影响进行分析。该分析将确定这两种方法对项目经济、沥青资源节约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与油砂开采相关的成本的子活动。重点将是将环境影响及其相关成本(陆上和水上填海以及尾矿处理)与加工矿石的特定材料质量联系起来。 该研究计划将解决公众、非政府组织、其他油砂利益相关者和第一民族表达的与油砂回收责任有关的问题。这项研究有可能为与油砂开采相关的法规提供信息并产生影响。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。改善油砂作业在尾矿废物生产方面的环境绩效是这项研究的长期目标。 该研究计划的预期成果包括： -通过扩大申请人目前在这一领域的研究，提高对与油砂土地开垦相关的成本的了解 -更好地了解与油砂尾矿处理方法有关的成本，以及这一领域公共领域的第一项工作 -公共领域的第一项工作，试图量化与不同材料质量(沥青等级、细粒含量、粘土含量等)有关的尾矿废物产生。油砂材料 -分析现行条例对以下方面的影响：油砂作业的经济效益；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；以及沥青资源利用和养护 -严格审查现有条例是否有能力实现负责任的资源开发和资源节约的既定目标。 该研究计划将为5个HQP提供先进的矿山规划方法培训。这些HQP将发展为： -关于战略地雷规划原则的高级知识 -挖掘软件应用的实用技能 -关于采矿系统和系统内活动之间的关系的高级知识 -能够建立复杂的采矿成本模型，包括将对外部性的明确考虑纳入采矿规划过程的模型 -制定纳入可持续规划原则的采矿计划的能力 -有能力严格评估管制和其他制约因素对地雷规划结果的影响。