Simulación numérica de flujo gravitacional en bateas de extracción mediante DEM.
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Date
2024
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Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
La investigación de las operaciones de block caving ha dependido tradicionalmente de modelos físicos y el uso de marcadores, que, aunque aportan información valiosa, tienen limitaciones como la escala a la cual se puede trabajar y la incapacidad para captar la complejidad del comportamiento del material dentro de un elipsoide en condiciones reales. En este contexto, el Método de Elementos Discretos (DEM) emerge como una alternativa, la cual permite simular interacciones entre partículas individuales. Sin embargo, se debe tener en consideración que las simulaciones con el método DEM requieren equipos de alta capacidad y dependen en gran medida de la calidad de los datos de entrada.
Este estudio se enfoca en la simulación del flujo gravitacional en bateas de extracción mediante el DEM, con el objetivo de desarrollar un modelo numérico que considere la heterogeneidad de tamaños de bloques en operaciones de hundimiento. Para ello, se realizaron tres experimentos: los dos primeros sin material cohesivo, comparando los resultados con un modelo físico de referencia, y un tercero donde se añadió cohesión para formar bloques de mayor tamaño, replicando las etapas iniciales del caving en el campo cercano.
En la primera fase, se compararon los datos de las simulaciones físicas con los resultados de los modelos numéricos. Se observó que el modelo numérico reproduce de manera satisfactoria la dinámica del flujo de material, con similitudes clave respecto al modelo físico. Sin embargo, al usar partículas poliédricas, los resultados variaron debido a la mezcla entre el material socavado y el primario. Posteriormente, en la segunda fase de este trabajo se probaron distintos valores de cohesión entre ellos 6, 7, 7.5 y 8, donde un hallazgo destacado es que una cohesión de valor 7 es adecuada para generar un equilibrio entre la formación de bloques de gran tamaño y una propagación inicial consistente del colapso en la zona superior de la batea sin generar interrupciones significativas en el flujo del material.
Este trabajo sienta las bases para futuros estudios, donde se sugiere el uso de partículas poliédricas para mejorar la precisión geométrica del material socavado, además de incluir esfuerzos en las paredes del modelo para simular mejor las tensiones presentes en el entorno minero.
The study of block caving operations has traditionally relied on physical models and the use of markers, which, although providing valuable insights, have limitations such as the scale at which they can operate and the inability to capture the complexity of material behavior within an ellipsoid under real conditions. In this context, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) emerges as an alternative, allowing for the simulation of interactions between individual particles. However, it should be noted that DEM simulations require high-capacity equipment and are highly dependent on the quality of input data. This study focuses on simulating gravitational flow in extraction drawpoints using DEM, with the objective of developing a numerical model that considers block size heterogeneity in caving operations. To achieve this, three experiments were conducted: the first two without cohesive material, comparing the results to a reference physical model, and a third where cohesion was added to form larger blocks, replicating the initial stages of caving in the near field zone. In the first phase, data from physical simulations were compared with the results of numerical models. It was observed that the numerical model satisfactorily reproduces the material flow dynamics, showing key similarities to the physical model. However, when using polyhedral particles, the results varied due to the mixing of caved and primary material. Subsequently, in the second phase of the study, different cohesion values were tested, including 6, 7, 7.5, and 8. A key finding was that a cohesion value of 7 is appropriate for achieving a balance between the formation of large blocks and consistent initial propagation of the collapse in the upper part of the drawpoint, without causing significant interruptions in material Flow This work lays the foundation for future studies, where the use of polyhedral particles is suggested to improve the geometric accuracy of caved material, along with incorporating stress on the model walls to better simulate the tensions present in the mining environment.
The study of block caving operations has traditionally relied on physical models and the use of markers, which, although providing valuable insights, have limitations such as the scale at which they can operate and the inability to capture the complexity of material behavior within an ellipsoid under real conditions. In this context, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) emerges as an alternative, allowing for the simulation of interactions between individual particles. However, it should be noted that DEM simulations require high-capacity equipment and are highly dependent on the quality of input data. This study focuses on simulating gravitational flow in extraction drawpoints using DEM, with the objective of developing a numerical model that considers block size heterogeneity in caving operations. To achieve this, three experiments were conducted: the first two without cohesive material, comparing the results to a reference physical model, and a third where cohesion was added to form larger blocks, replicating the initial stages of caving in the near field zone. In the first phase, data from physical simulations were compared with the results of numerical models. It was observed that the numerical model satisfactorily reproduces the material flow dynamics, showing key similarities to the physical model. However, when using polyhedral particles, the results varied due to the mixing of caved and primary material. Subsequently, in the second phase of the study, different cohesion values were tested, including 6, 7, 7.5, and 8. A key finding was that a cohesion value of 7 is appropriate for achieving a balance between the formation of large blocks and consistent initial propagation of the collapse in the upper part of the drawpoint, without causing significant interruptions in material Flow This work lays the foundation for future studies, where the use of polyhedral particles is suggested to improve the geometric accuracy of caved material, along with incorporating stress on the model walls to better simulate the tensions present in the mining environment.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al título de Ingeniero/a Civil de Minas.
Keywords
Industria minera, Minería por derrumbe, Modelos matemáticos