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Date submitted2024-05-15
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Date accepted2024-11-07
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Date published2025-04-14
Metacarbonate rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Khapchan series (southeastern part of the Anabar Shield): mineral and chemical composition, metamorphic conditions
The mineral composition of metacarbonate rocks (silicate marbles and carbonate-silicate rocks) of the Khapchan series (southeastern part of the Anabar Shield) was studied, and the PT (pressure and temperature)-parameters of their formation were established. Silicate marbles contain calcite, dolomite, forsterite, clinohumite, spinel, enstatite, diopside, pargasite, meionite, phlogopite, and feldspars. Carbonate-silicate rocks are composed of calcite, quartz, feldspars, diopside, grossular, marialite, and vesuvianite. Carbonate-silicate rocks are significantly enriched in SiO2, Al2O3, FeO, Na2O, K2O, TiO2 and contain less MgO, CaO than silicate marbles. A difference was revealed in PT-parameters determined for silicate marbles (temperatures 700-900 °C and pressure no more than 8 kbar) and for carbonate-silicate rocks (temperatures 680-820 °C, pressures 8-15 kbar). Silicate marbles have a primary sedimentary nature, as evidenced by their rare-element composition and the presence of fragments of host terrigenous rocks. There is no doubt about the primary sedimentary nature of carbonate-silicate rocks, which are very similar in REE distribution spectra and in rare-element composition to silicate marbles. A number of features indicate that metacarbonate rocks have undergone metasomatic alteration. Thus, in silicate marbles, reaction rims are observed around orthopyroxene, forsterite, potassium feldspar, as well as quartz veins bordered by accumulations of phlogopite, feldspars, and diopside. In carbonate-silicate rocks, the development of secondary marialite on potassium feldspar has been established; the rare-element composition of garnet may indicate its metasomatic origin.
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Date submitted2024-05-03
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Date accepted2024-11-07
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Date published2025-04-02
Assessment of ancylite ore dressability by flotation method
For more than 50 years, most rare earth elements were extracted from carbonatite deposits, which can contain different rare earth phases, but the main extracted minerals are bastnaesite, monazite and xenotime. Many studies focused on the improvement and development of dressing circuits for ores of these minerals. However, in some carbonatite complexes, rare earth deposits are composed partly or mainly of ancylite ores. This type of rare earth ores was very poorly studied in terms of dressability – previous experiments with ancylite ores are rare and not productive enough. Ancylite is the main concentrator of rare earth elements in most carbonatite complexes of the Devonian Kola Alkaline Province (northwest Russia). Dressability of ancylite ore from the Petyayan-Vara carbonatite field in the Vuorijärvi alkaline-ultramafic complex was assessed using the flotation method. The complex is one of the most potential rare earth deposits associated with carbonatites in the Kola Region. Petrographic and mineralogical studies demonstrated the occurrence of abundant iron and barite oxide inclusions in ancylite, which imposes restrictions on physical separation of these three minerals. The study of petrogeochemical and mineralogical composition of fractions formed during mechanical grinding of ores to a size less than 2.0 mm showed that even at this stage of sample preparation, the finest-grained fractions (less than 0.071 mm) were enriched in ancylite (to 19 vol.% or more with a content of 15 vol.% in ore). Three classes of reagents were considered as collectors in flotation experiments: fatty acids, alkyl hydroxamic acids, and amino acid derivatives. The reagent from the amino acid derivative class was highly efficient. The use of such a collector in combination with sodium hexametaphosphate depressant made it possible to obtain a flotation concentrate in an open circuit with total rare earth oxides content 33.4 wt.% at 64.7 % extraction.
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Date submitted2023-06-25
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Date accepted2024-11-07
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Date published2025-02-25
Study of wormhole channel formation resulting from hydrochloric acid treatment in complex-type reservoirs using filtration and X-ray computed tomography methods
- Authors:
- Andrei A. Аbrosimov
The primary function of hydrochloric acid treatment (HAT) is to create the maximum number of high-conductivity channels in the near-wellbore zone of the reservoir to restore its permeability and enhance hydraulic connectivity between the undisturbed part of the formation and the well. The objective of this study is to physically model HAT on core samples from the Orenburg oil and gas condensate field and to research the impact of such treatment on the structure of the pore space of rocks related to complex-type reservoirs. The complexity of the rock's pore space and the low permeability of the formations are distinguishing features of the study object. For this reason, HAT is a widely applied method for production intensification, necessitating the verification of acid injection rates, where the success criterion is the formation of high-conductivity filtration channels (wormholes) in the near-wellbore zone. These channels significantly expand the drainage area of wells, thereby bringing additional reservoir sections into development. The study examined the characteristics of filtration channel development resulting from acid treatment. Their structure was characterized and analyzed using X-ray computed tomography. The complex study confirmed the accuracy of the selected injection rate and provided practical recommendations for enhancing the efficiency of HAT.
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Date submitted2024-03-22
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Date accepted2024-09-24
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Date published2025-02-25
Behaviour of cerium (III) phosphate in a carbonate-alkaline medium
- Authors:
- Tatyana E. Litvinova
- Stepan A. Gerasev
The article investigates the behaviour of rare earth metals in carbonate-alkaline systems. The results of experimental studies on rare earth element extraction from phosphogypsum, a large-tonnage industrial waste forming in production of phosphoric acid are presented. Using the liquid phase leaching method, it was possible to extract more than 53 % of rare earth elements from old phosphogypsum and more than 69 % from fresh phosphogypsum due to solid phase treatment with a 4 mol/l potassium carbonate solution at temperature 90 °C. The behaviour of model cerium (III) phosphate in a carbonate-alkaline medium is characterized: a solubility isotherm is obtained as well as the dependences of the degree of cerium extraction into solution on temperature, carbonate ion concentration, interphase ratio, stirring intensity, and pH. The ability of soluble rare earth element complexes to precipitate over time was established, which was confirmed using cerium and neodymium as an example. Within 240 h after the end of the experiment, approximately 25 % of cerium and 17 % of neodymium were precipitated from the liquid phase. A similar property was recorded in representatives of the light group and was not noted in elements of the heavy group. The ability to self-precipitate in future can serve as a basis for developing an alternative approach to separating rare earth metals into groups after extraction in a carbonate ion medium. Also, based on the analysis of experimental data, the mechanism of cerium (III) phosphate dissolution in a carbonate-alkaline medium was characterized. An assumption was made that rare earth metal phosphates dissolve sequentially passing into an insoluble carbonate and then into a soluble carbonate complex.
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Date submitted2023-08-31
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Date accepted2023-12-27
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Date published2024-11-12
Geochemical studies of rocks of the Siberian igneous province and their role in the formation theory of unique platinum-copper-nickel deposits
- Authors:
- Nadezhda А. Krivolutskaya
The Norilsk deposits, unique both in their geological structure and reserves of nickel and platinum, have attracted the attention of researchers for several decades. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain their formation. Two of them are the most widely accepted: the model of ore formation in an intermediate chamber from picritic melt enriched in sulphides and the formation of sulphides in situ through the assimilation of sulphate-bearing sediments by tholeiitic magma as it rises to the surface. The main questions regarding the genesis of these deposits are: the composition of the parental magmas that formed the ore-bearing massifs; the relationship between intrusions and effusive rocks; and the extent and role of assimilation of host rocks by magmas. These issues are discussed in the article using a large amount of analytical data obtained by the author during the study of the magmatic rocks and geological structures in the Norilsk area. Based on these data, it was concluded that none of the proposed models could fully explain all observed geological features of the deposits as well as the appearance of the unique sulphide ores. In order to solve the problem of the genesis of the Norilsk deposits, it is necessary to analyse the evolution of P3-T1 magmatism over time in the Siberian large igneous province, especially in its eastern part, and to determine its association with ore-forming processes; and its investigating it is a priority task for understanding sulphide ore formation. Solving this task should be based not only on geophysical data but also on studies of the geochemistry of igneous rocks within the province.
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Date submitted2023-03-01
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Date accepted2024-06-03
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Date published2025-02-25
Lamprophyres of the Peshchernoe gold deposit, their geological position, material composition, and metasomatic alterations (Northern Urals)
The article presents the first data on biotite-hornblende lamprophyres discovered at the Peshchernoe gold deposit. We consider the geological position of lamprophyre dikes in the deposit structure and the relationship of these rocks with tectonically weakened and mineralized zones. The data on the structural position of mineralized zones, faults, dike bodies, metasomatic halos, and host volcanogenic-sedimentary rocks confirm the tectonic nature of the Peshchernoe deposit alteration system. Lamprophyre dikes are pre-ore, as evidenced by the superimposed metasomatic mineral associations. We assume that dikes of andesitic rocks, lamprophyres, and subsequently hydrothermal fluids, including ore-bearing ones, were intruded along the fault zone of northeastern strike at different geological times. The description of mineralogical and chemical transformations of lamprophyres, which occurred as a result of alteration, is given. Two stages of metasomatism are distinguished: carbon dioxide (beresitization-listvenitization) and subsequent alkaline (sodic metasomatism). During carbon dioxide metasomatism, dark-coloured minerals are replaced by chlorite, albitization and sericitization of plagioclase occur, and ferruginous dolomite is formed under the influence of a significant supply of CO2. Alkaline (sodic) metasomatism is superimposed on the mineral metasomatic paragenesis of the first stage. We consider metasomatic zoning during sodic metasomatism, manifested in one of the spessartite dikes. Chlorite and relics of magmatic dark-coloured minerals are replaced by magnesite, the supply of Na leads to the appearance of newly formed albite, and the supply of S leads to the formation of pyrite, which concentrates iron from other minerals. As a result of the sodic metasomatism, iron content in carbonates decreases in the direction from the outer metasomatic zone to the inner one. We conclude that it was the alkaline-sulphide sodium solutions that performed the ore-bearing function, and beresitization and listvenitization prepared a favourable environment for ore deposition.
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Date submitted2023-05-21
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Date accepted2024-05-02
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Date published2024-08-26
Assessment of the influence of lithofacies conditions on the distribution of organic carbon in the Upper Devonian “Domanik” deposits of the Timan-Pechora Province
The study of high-carbon formations was instigated both by the decreasing raw material base of oil as a result of its extraction, and by the progress in development of low-permeability shale strata, primarily in the USA, Australia, and China. The most valuable formations occur in traditional hydrocarbon production areas – the West Siberian, Volga-Ural and Timan-Pechora, North Pre-Caucasian and Lena-Tunguska oil and gas provinces. Specific features of the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous high-carbon formation occurring in the eastern marginal part of the East European Platform are: heterogeneous section due to intense progradation of the carbonate platform from west to east; succession of lithofacies environments that determined the unevenness of the primary accumulation and secondary distribution of organic matter (OM); possible migration or preservation in the source strata during the subsidence stages of the moving parts of bitumides, which determined the prospects for oil and gas potential. The distribution pattern of the present OM content was investigated depending on lithofacies conditions and lithological composition of rocks in the “Domanik type” Upper Devonian-Tournaisian deposits in the Timan-Pechora Province (TPP), its transformation degree to bring it to the initial content of organic carbon and further estimation of the share of stored “mobile oil” in oil and gas source formation. The study was based on the analysis of the data set on organic carbon content in core samples and natural exposures in the Ukhta Region in the Domanik-Tournaisian part of the section including more than 5,000 determinations presented in reports and publications of VNIGRI and VNIGNI and supplemented by pyrolytic and bituminological analyses associated with the results of microtomographic, macro- and lithological studies and descriptions of thin sections made at the Saint Petersburg Mining University. For each tectonic zone of the TPP within the investigated high-carbon intervals, the content of total volumes of organic carbon was determined. The data obtained allow estimating the residual mass of mobile bitumoids in a low-permeability matrix of the high-carbon formation.
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Date submitted2023-05-31
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Date accepted2023-12-27
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Date published2024-04-25
Velocity structure of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle in the Pechenga ore region and adjacent areas in the northwestern part of the Lapland-Kola orogen by the receiver function technique
- Authors:
- Andrei G. Goev
The article presents a study of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle in the Pechenga ore region, as well as areas adjacent to it in the northwestern part of the Kola region. Applying the receiver function technique to data acquired by three broadband seismic stations, we obtained one-dimensional seismic velocity distribution models to a depth of 300 km. The stations are located in the northern parts of Finland and Norway, as well as in the Pechenga region of the Russian Federation. Despite the stations being in relatively close proximity (within 100 km of each other), the velocity models turned out to be significantly different, which indicates structural discontinuity within the lithosphere. Thus, Finland station data set revealed a gradient crust-mantle transition, which is not present in the other two models. At depths of about 150 km, a low-velocity zone was discovered, associated with mid-lithospheric discontinuity, which was not found beneath the Pechenga ore region. Furthermore, the crustal structure of the Pechenga region has an anomalously high Vp/Vs ratio to a depth of about 20 km. Considering the fact that the Pechenga (Nikel) seismic station was installed in close proximity to major copper-nickel deposits, this anomaly can be interpreted as a relic of Proterozoic plume activity.
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Date submitted2023-02-07
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Date accepted2023-06-20
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Date published2024-02-29
Origin of carbonate-silicate rocks of the Porya Guba (the Lapland-Kolvitsa Granulite Belt) revealed by stable isotope analysis (δ18O, δ13C)
- Authors:
- Dmitrii P. Krylov
- Ekaterina V. Klimova
Carbonate-silicate rocks of unclear origin have been observed in granulites of the Porya Guba of the Lapland-Kolvitsa Belt within the Fennoscandinavian Shield. The present work aims to reconstruct possible protoliths and conditions of metamorphic transformation of these rocks based on oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios combined with phase equilibria modeling. Isotope analysis and lithochemical reconstructions suggest that carbonate-silicate rocks of the Porya Guba represent metamorphosed sediments (possibly marls) with the isotopic composition corresponding to the Precambrian diagenetically transformed carbonates (δ18O ≈ 17.9 ‰, SMOW and δ13C ≈ –3.4 ‰, PDB). The chemical composition varies depending on the balance among the carbonate, clay, and clastic components. Significant changes of the isotopic composition during metamorphism are caused by decomposition reactions of primary carbonates (dolomite, siderite, and ankerite) producing CO2 followed by degassing. These reactions are accompanied by δ18O and δ13C decrease of calcite in isotopic equilibrium with CO2 down to 15 ‰ (SMOW) and –6 ‰ (PDB), respectively. The isotopic composition is buffered by local reactions within individual rock varieties, thus excluding any pronounced influence of magmatic and/or metasomatic processes.
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Date submitted2022-10-31
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Date accepted2023-04-21
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Date published2024-02-29
Study of the properties and action of polyelectrolytes in the treatment of the dressing plant’s discharges
The organization of intrafactory water circulation at mining and processing enterprises, when production wastes and discharges are not sent to an external tailings dump, is an urgent environmental and economic task. Returning even a part of water into the technological process after preliminary treatment will significantly reduce the volume of polluted water discharged into tailings, which will reduce energy costs for waste transportation and the negative environmental impact. One of the wastes sent to the tailings during the ore dressing wastes from the Kovdor deposit to the tailings dump is the discharge of thickeners for the preparation of apatite flotation feed. In order to choose the effective discharge cleaning regime, the authors have evaluated the action of polyacrylamide flocculants. It has been discovered that the apatite and calcite particles interact more effectively with the anionic flocculant. This fact determines its advantage for the treatment of suspended particles. The influence of the residual concentration of a flocculant on the apatite flotation, where a part of the returned treated water goes, has been assessed. Compared to flotation with recycled water, there is a decrease of P2O5 extraction into apatite concentrate of equal quality. In order to obtain the required enrichment indicators on the treated water, it is necessary to adjust the collector (tall oil fatty acids) and depressor (liquid glass) costs.
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Date submitted2022-12-01
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Date accepted2023-01-19
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Date published2023-12-25
Inclusions of diamond crystals in the tourmaline of the schorl-uvite series: problems of genesis
The mineralogical and geochemical features of diamond-bearing tourmaline crystals (schorl-uvite series) from garnet-clinopyroxene rocks of the Kumdy-Kol deposit (Northern Kazakhstan) have been studied in detail. The formation of the main rock-forming minerals (garnet + K-bearing clinopyroxene) occurred in the diamond stability field at 4-6 GPa and 950-1000 °C. Crystallization of K-bearing clinopyroxene at these parameters is possible in the presence of an ultra-potassic fluid or melt formed because of crustal material melting in subduction zones. Tourmaline crystals (up to 1 cm) containing diamond inclusions perform veins crosscutting high-pressure associations. The composition of individual zones varies from schorl to uvite within both a single grain and the sample as a whole. The potassium content in this tourmaline does not exceed 0.1 wt.% K2O, and the isotopic composition of boron δ11B varies from –10 to –15.5 ‰, which significantly differs from the previously established isotopic composition of boron in maruyamaite crystals (δ11B 7.7 ‰ in the core and –1.2 ‰ in the rim) of the same deposit. Analysis of the obtained data on δ11B in the tourmalines from the diamond-grade metamorphic rocks within the Kumdy-Kol deposit suggests the existence of two boron sources that resulted in crystallization of K-bearing tourmaline crystals (maruyamaite-dravite series) and potassium-free tourmalines of the schorl-uvite series.
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Date submitted2022-06-20
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Date accepted2023-01-10
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Date published2023-08-28
Laboratory, numerical and field assessment of the effectiveness of cyclic geomechanical treatment on a tournaisian carbonate reservoir
Results are discussed for evaluation of effectiveness of the cyclic geomechanical treatment (CGT) on a Tournaisian carbonate reservoir. Analysis of laboratory experiments performed according to a special program to assess permeability changes for Tournaisian samples under cyclic changes in pore pressure is presented. The main conclusion is the positive selectivity of the CGT: an increase in permeability is observed for samples saturated with hydrocarbons (kerosene) with connate water, and maximal effect is related to the tightest samples. For water-saturated samples, the permeability decreases after the CGT. Thus, the CGT improves the drainage conditions for tight oil-saturated intervals. It is also confirmed that the CGT reduces the fracturing pressure in carbonate reservoirs. Using flow simulations on detailed sector models taking into account the results of laboratory experiments, a possible increase in well productivity index after CGT with different amplitudes of pressure variation was estimated. Results of a pilot CGT study on a well operating a Tournaisian carbonate reservoir are presented, including the interpretation of production logging and well testing. The increase in the well productivity index is estimated at 44-49 % for liquid and at 21-26 % for oil, with a more uniform inflow profile after the treatment. The results of the field experiment confirm the conclusions about the mechanisms and features of the CGT obtained from laboratory studies and flow simulations.
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Date submitted2022-08-22
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Date accepted2023-02-02
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Date published2023-08-28
Wodginite as an indicator mineral of tantalum-bearing pegmatites and granites
- Authors:
- Viktor I. Alekseev
In the composition of tantalum-niobates, the tin-bearing wodginite group minerals (WGM) were found: wod-ginite, titanowodginite, ferrowodginite, ferrotitanowodginite, lithiowodginite, tantalowodginite, “wolframowodginite”. We reviewed the worldwide research on WGM and created a database of 698 analyses from 55 sources including the author's data. WGM are associated with Li-F pegmatites and Li-F granites. Wodginite is the most prevalent mineral, occurring in 86.6 % of pegmatites and 78.3 % of granites. The occurrence of WGM in granites and pegmatites differs. For instance, titanowodginite and “wolframowodginite” occur three times more frequently in granites than in pegmatites, whereas lithiowodginite and tantalowodginite do not appear in granites at all. The difference between WGM in granites and pegmatites is in finer grain size, higher content of Sn, Nb, Ti, W, and Sc; lower content of Fe 3+ , Ta, Zr, Hf; higher ratio of Mn/(Mn + Fe); and lower ratio of Zr/Hf. The evolutionary series of WGM in pegmatites are as follows: ferrowodginite → ferrotitanowodginite → titanowodginite → “wolframowodginite” → wodginite → tantalowodginite; in granites: ferrowodginite → ferrotitanowodginite → “wolframowodginite” → wodginite → titanowodginite. WGM can serve as indicators of tantalum-bearing pegmatites and granites. In Russia the promising sources of tantalum are deposits of the Far Eastern belt of Li-F granites containing wodginite.
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Date submitted2022-11-02
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Date accepted2023-03-02
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Date published2023-04-25
Environmental damage from the storage of sulfide ore tailings
The mining industry is one of the most challenging in ensuring environmental safety. During the last century, the Karabash Copper Smelting Plant was processing sulfide ores and depositing the tailings into storage facilities that now occupy an area of more than 50 hectares. To date, abandoned tailings are a significant source of natural water, air, and soil pollution in the Karabash city district. The article comprehensively examines the environmental impact of the Karabashmed copper smelter, one of the oldest metallurgical enterprises in Russia. The effects of seepage from the two Karabashmed tailings facilities on water resources were assessed. We revealed that even outside the area of the direct impact of processing waste, the pH of natural water decreases to values 4-5. Further downstream, the infiltration water from the tailings pond No. 4 reduces the pH of river water to 3.0-3.5. The presented results of environmental engineering surveys are derived from sampling water and bottom sediments of the Ryzhiy Stream and the Sak-Elga River, sample preparation, and quantitative chemical analysis. The study revealed significant exceedances of the maximum permissible concentrations for a number of chemical elements in the impact zone of the copper ore processing tailings.
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Date submitted2022-08-01
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Date accepted2022-11-17
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Date published2023-02-27
Use of machine learning technology to model the distribution of lithotypes in the Permo-Carboniferous oil deposit of the Usinskoye field
- Authors:
- Denis V. Potekhin
- Sergei V. Galkin
Permo-Carboniferous oil deposit of the Usinskoye field is characterized by an extremely complex type of the void space with intense cross-sectional distribution of cavernous and fractured rock. In this study, for this production site, the process of 3D geological modeling has been implemented. At the first stage, it provided for automated identification of reservoir volumes by comparing the data of core and well logging surveys; at the second stage, identification of rock lithotypes according to Dunham classification is performed on the basis of comparison of thin sections examination and well logging data. A large array of factual information enables the use of machine learning technology on the basis of Levenberg – Marquardt neural network apparatus toward achievement of our research goals. The prediction algorithms of reservoir and rock lithotype identification using well logging methods obtained on the basis of the training samples are applied to the wells without core sampling. The implemented approach enabled complementing the 3D geological model with information about rock permeability and porosity, taking into account the structural features of the identified lithotypes. For the Permo-Carboniferous oil deposit of the Usinskoye field, the volumetric zoning of the distribution of different rock lithotypes has been established. Taking into account the lithotypes identified based on machine learning algorithms, density and openness of fractures were determined, and fracture permeability in the deposit volume was calculated. In general, during the implementation, the machine learning errors remained within 3-5 %, which suggests reliability of the obtained predictive solutions. The results of the research are incorporated in the existing 3D digital geological and process model of the deposit under study.
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Date submitted2022-04-15
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Date accepted2022-11-17
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Date published2023-04-25
Uranium in man-made carbonates on the territory of Ufa
The paper presents the results of analyzing uranium content in man-made carbonates (scale crusts) on the territory of Ufa based on examination of 42 samples. The median uranium content in the investigated samples stands at 1.44 mg/kg, which is significantly lower than the background values (scales from the Lake Baikal water, a clarke of sedimentary carbonate rocks) and data on other settlements of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Low values of uranium content are probably associated with the effects of the three leading factors, i.e. specific subsurface geology of the territory (gypsum, limestone); types of water supply; water treatment processes for the centralized type of water supply. Spatial distribution of uranium in man-made carbonates is characterized with uniformity, which is disturbed in two cases, i.e. a change of the water supply type (from centralized to individual); and material of the vessels used for boiling the water. No significant differences were detected when comparing samples of man-made carbonates associated with different sources of water supply (the bucket and infiltration types of water intake) and the types of household filters.
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Date submitted2022-05-26
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Date accepted2022-11-17
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Date published2022-12-29
Renovation method of restoring well productivity using wavefields
A stagewise theoretical substantiation of the renovation vibrowave method of influencing the near-wellbore zone of reservoir for restoring well productivity is presented. The area of treatment by the proposed method covers the reservoir with a heterogeneous permeability with fractures formed by fracking. In this method a decrease in concentration of colmatants occurs due to a change in direction of contaminants migration. Under the influence of pressure pulses, they move deep into the reservoir and disperse through the proppant pack. The results of mathematical modelling of the propagation of pressure wave and velocity wave and the calculations of particles entrainment in wave motion are presented.
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Date submitted2022-08-20
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Date accepted2022-11-17
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Date published2022-12-29
Comparison of the approaches to assessing the compressibility of the pore space
- Authors:
- Vitaly S. Zhukov
- Yuri O. Kuzmin
Integral and differential approaches to determining the volumetric compression of rocks caused by changes in the stress state are considered. Changes in the volume of the pore space of rocks are analyzed with an increase in its all-round compression. Estimation of changes in the compressibility coefficients of reservoirs due to the development of fields is an urgent problem, since the spread in the values of compressibility factors reduces the adequacy of estimates of changes in the physical properties and subsidence of the earth's surface of developed fields and underground gas storages. This parameter is key in assessing the geodynamic consequences of the long-term development of hydrocarbon deposits and the operation of underground gas storage facilities. Approaches to the assessment differ in the use of cumulative (integral) or local (differential) changes in porosity with a change in effective pressure. It is shown that the coefficient of volumetric compressibility of pores calculated by the integral approach significantly exceeds its value calculated by the differential approach, which is due to the accumulative nature of pore compression with an increase in effective pressure. It is shown that the differential approach more accurately determines the value of the pore compressibility coefficient, since it takes into account in more detail the features of the change in effective pressure.
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Date submitted2022-04-14
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Date accepted2022-07-21
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Date published2022-11-03
In-situ leaching of molybdenum and uranium by percarbonate and chloride-hypochlorite solutions
In-situ leaching of molybdenum and uranium is becoming an increasingly common process. The features of the material composition of ores, leading to a decrease in their filtration properties, were considered. Activation leaching with leaching solutions that have undergone electrophotochemical activation before contact with the ore mass were studied. Activation preparation of leaching solutions promotes the synthesis of clustered water molecules with collectivized protons and hydroxyl ions, as well as active forms of oxygen and hydrogen. Cell leaching of molybdenum from mature tailings of the Shakhtaminsk deposit was studied experimentally. After pre-oxidation with an active carbonate solution, a model borehole leaching was carried out with a chloride-hypochlorite solution. Molybdenum extraction on resin a was 85 % in 30 days. Experiments on the percolation leaching of uranium from the ores of the Uchkuduk and Sugraly deposits confirmed the potential possibility of a significant increase in the extraction of uranium by electrophotoactivated percarbonate solutions relative to aqueous solutions of sodium and ammonium carbonate. When leaching with carbonate solutions without an additional oxidizing agent, the extraction of uranium from the Sugraly deposit ore sample was 52 and 59 % (sodium carbonate and ammonium carbonate). The use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent made it possible to achieve 87-88 % extraction into pregnant solutions in 21 days without pre-oxidation. The performed studies confirm the processing capability of extracting uranium and molybdenum by percolation leaching in columns and borehole leaching.
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Date submitted2022-05-10
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Date accepted2022-09-06
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Date published2022-11-03
Flotation separation of titanite concentrate from apatite-nepheline-titanite ores of anomalous zones of the Khibiny deposits
Titanium raw materials are widely used for the synthesis of various functional materials – sorbents of radionuclides and rare earth elements, various additives, filler pigments, etc. Since most of titanium concentrates are imported, in line with the import substitution program, production of titanite concentrate from apatite-nepheline ores of the Khibiny deposits is a promising trend for supplying national industry with titanium raw materials. The article presents the results of laboratory studies of flotation separation of titanite concentrate from apatite-nepheline-titanite ores extracted from the upper ore horizon of the Koashvinskoye deposit, where titanite-enriched ores are concentrated. Recovery of titanite concentrate was accomplished using two reagent modes – a mixture of alkyl hydroxamic and carboxylic acids with the addition of distilled tall oil and a mixture of tall oils with the addition of polyalkyl benzene sulfonic acids. The results of the research showed that the first flotation mode, which allows a selective recovery of titanite into the concentrate (titanite content in the concentrate was 93.5 %) is the most efficient. It was shown that flotation separation of titanite concentrate is preferable compared to the chemical method based on sulfuric acid leaching.
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Date submitted2022-04-14
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Date accepted2022-07-21
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Date published2022-11-03
Technological mineralogy: development of a comprehensive assessment of titanium ores (exemplified by the Pizhemskoye deposit)
Technological mineralogy of titanium ores is the basis for assessing their complexity. It enables, from a unified standpoint, to trace the entire course of changes in mineral matter through operating procedures, including beneficiation, processing, and obtaining target industrial products. The study targets are Pizhemskoye ilmenite-leucoxene sandstones, which are distinguished by a complex polymineral composition. Along with the main ore components, there are other metals with different speciation (isomorphic admixture, independent mineral phases). The optimal set of mineralogical analysis methods for the predictive assessment of their further use is substantiated exemplified by titanium ores of the Pizhemskoye deposit, which are complex, noted for a variable content of iron oxides and contain rare earth metals. Examinations by X-ray phase analysis and scanning electron microscopy confirm that the main titanium phases of sandstones are pseudorutile and a polymineral aggregate, “leucoxene”. Considering the granulometric peculiarities of the magnetic and non-magnetic fractions of the gravity concentrate, the prospects of technologies for processing titanium raw materials are discussed. Along with the problems of obtaining high-quality raw materials, the transformations of mineral phases as a result of extreme impacts and their physicochemical properties as a consequence of isomorphic substitution of a part of Ti atoms with natural modifier agents (Fe and V) in the synthesis of titanium oxide nanostructures for industrial applications are considered (photocatalytic nanoreactor).
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Date submitted2022-06-02
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Date accepted2022-07-21
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Date published2022-10-05
Substantiation of the optimal performance parameters for a quarry during the stage-wise development of steeply dipping ore deposits
- Authors:
- Sergey I. Fomin
- Maxim P. Ovsyannikov
The use of stage-wise schemes in the development of deep quarries is one of the ways to increase the economic efficiency of mining a deposit and determining the optimal stage parameters remains an urgent task. Such parameters are stage depth, bench height, block length, etc. However, there is a wide range of values for these parameters. Therefore, to select the optimal values and evaluate the effectiveness of design solutions, it is advisable to use the net present value, which is an international notion. As a result of the analysis of data on deposits, a large number of variable indicators can be identified that presumably affect the efficiency of mining. The article proposes to divide all parameters of the quarry mining into two types: mine engineering and economic. The importance of each of them is determined by the measure of influence on the net present value. Thus, to assess the measure of influence of mining indicators, the average values of each of them are taken, and as a result of the alternating change of one parameter under study, the measure of its influence on the discounted income received is estimated. The results of the analysis of relevant factors, their evaluation and comparative analysis are important indicators that significantly affect the design decisions made and the effectiveness of the investment project.
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Date submitted2022-03-03
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Date accepted2022-04-27
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Date published2022-07-26
Peculiarities of rare-metal mineralization and genetic relationship of mineral associations in the eastern rim of Murzinsko-Aduysky anticlinorium (the Ural Emerald Belt)
- Authors:
- Mikhail P. Popov
The paper presents features of the location and composition, as well as a generalization of data on the age of rare-metal mineralization developed at the deposits and occurrences of rare metals and gemstones in the eastern rim of Murzinsko-Aduysky anticlinorium, within the Ural Emerald Belt, which is a classic ore and mineralogical object and has been studied for almost two hundred years. With a significant number and variety of prospecting, research and scientific works devoted mainly to emerald-bearing mica complexes and beryl mineralization, as well as rare-metal pegmatites, scientific literature has so far lacked generalizations on the formation of numerous mineral associations and ore formations that represents a uniform genetic process in this ore district. The aim of the work is a comprehensive geological-mineralogical analysis of mineral associations of the eastern rim of Murzinsko-Aduysky anticlinorium and studying their age, formation conditions and characteristic features to determine the possibility of expanding and using the mineral resource base of the Urals through developing new prognostic and prospecting criteria for rare-metal and gemstone ore formations and creating the new devices for promising objects prospecting
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Date submitted2022-03-14
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Date accepted2022-05-13
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Date published2022-07-26
Unique titanium Deposits of Timan: genesis and age issues
The article critically analysesthe hypotheses about the formation, age, and sources of material of large Timan titanium deposits, which were previously considered ancient buried placers formed along the weathering crusts of the Riphean shales. We discuss an alternative hydrothermal-metamorphic hypothesis about the formation of these deposits and the source of ore material. It is established that the incoming zircon of different ages (570-3200 Ma), as well as two other geochronometers, rutile and monazite, underwent a thermal effect common for all varieties as a result of a hydrothermal process about 600 Ma ago. According to modern concepts, the closing temperature of the U-Pb system in rutile exceeds 500 °С, which suggests high-temperature conditions for the hydrothermal processing of rutile during the formation of the considered deposits in the Riphean.
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Date submitted2022-04-06
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Date accepted2022-06-15
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Date published2022-07-26
Geological and structural position of the Svetlinsky gold deposit (Southern Urals)
The paper presents the geological and structural position of the large Svetlinsky gold deposit in the Kochkar anticline (Southern Urals), localized in the zone of the Late Paleozoic (D 3 ) deep thrust of the western dip. The study confirms and clarifies the notion of its multiphase and polychronism. The thrust caused bending moments in its wings, subsidence of the lying crust, emergence of a shallow marine basin with rapid accumulation of terrigenous carbonate sediments (C 1 v), and formation of numerous landslide structures. The heating of rocks in the anticline core was accompanied by granitization and dome formation. A small Svetlinsky dome formed in the immediate vicinity of the thrust, creating a thermobaric gradient field (С 2 ). The zone of dome dynamic influence also includes the adjoining thrust area, complicated by a series of sub-vertical thrusts of sub meridional strike and numerous steeply dipping subparallel cracks of the latitudinal strike, synchronously filled with vein quartz and accompanied by hydrothermal metasomatic rock transformations. The formation of the gold deposit occurred during the post-collisional relaxation stage (from P 1 to, probably, the Early Jurassic). The association of gold mineralization with the Svetlinsky dome is indicated by the presence of native gold in Neogene ravine placers in the dome area and marbles of the Svetlinsky deposit, in association with fluorite, F-phlogopite, Cr-muscovite, pink topaz, pure quartz, and native sulphur. The presence of native gold in Neogene ravine placers in the dome area and marbles of the Svetlinsky deposit, in association with fluorite, F-phlogopite, Cr-muscovite, pink topaz, pure quartz, and native sulphur, indicates the association of gold mineralization with the Svetlinsky dome.