Gold Dredging

Throughout the years a wide variety of material tests have taken place in order to permit prospective gold mining organizations to examine several features of intended mine areas. These tests fluctuate depending on the proposed process of extraction. When it comes to dredges, particularly wheel excavator equipped dredges, the subsequent tests for estimation are necessary:

A full granular metric curve that is representative of the whole ore body is necessary, mainly if the body could have material that is further than the potential of the dredge to excavate or carry.

To produce the information in the right way in order to present the granular metric curve, test holes need to be dug and all the material from these test holes sized.

Normally, the test hole or casing that is used to take the samples need to be sized to provide accommodation no less than the maximum ring size of the dredge pump that is able to pump the material.

When it is possible the utilization of a 14 inch pipe size mining dredge, a sample tube that is not less than 12 inches in diameter should be driven, with all material held inside the tube tested for dimension. This can be done by using a tube and auger testing device. Not including the accessibility of this kind of equipment, test holes can be dug with a backhoe, dragline, or, if the soil conditions allow it, a front end loader. A test pit can also be dug out by hand. This requires a suitably reinforced test hole though.

Sizing
All the material that is taken from a test hole needs to be sized, especially if there is any suggestion of material that might be too large in size to pass through the dredge pump. If this oversized material is revealed, more testing should be done in order to institute the percentage of material that goes beyond the capabilities of pumping. This information should then be utilized to later on outline the choice of the right size of equipment.

Subsequently, the deposit needs to be tested for any signs of clay or silt, as well as for indications of cementation that could have an effect on excavation rates as well as the choice of the processing equipment.

If the material can be effortlessly dug to bedrock with a backhoe or dragline, it is safe to suppose that a bucket wheel dredge will be able to adequately complete the excavation phase of mining. If cementation is stumbled upon, an analysis of the degree effectiveness of the test machine is necessary. This test needs to be balanced against the excavation capability of the wheel excavator equipped dredge to be used. The occurrence of clay might involve the using of a flushing system on the wheel excavator to assure constant dredge production.

Besides the likely need for a flushing system, the presence of clay will weigh a great deal on the selection of processing equipment.

Fitting testing of the ore body has need of at least three test holes. These holes need to be located at the upstream, midway point, and downstream point of the deposit. If we were to assume that the study of material from these holes shows that a dredge is appropriate for excavation and hydraulic transport of the material, it is practical to suppose that the whole project will lend itself to exploitation with a dredge. In the case that outcome shows a dredge is not suitable, more testing will be needed. Other options such as increasing the size of the dredge and if this is not possible then leaving a certain area of the deposit may be taken into consideration.