Mines Production Quality Control in

Baltic Oil Shale Deposits

MENT OF M
RT I
PA

NI

S. SABANOV, E. REINSALU, I. VALGMA, V. KARU

NG
DE

Department of Mining, Tallinn University of Technology

sergei.sabanov@ttu.ee; ere@cc.ttu.ee; ingo.valgma@ttu.ee; veiko.karu@ttu.ee

The mineable oil shale bed of Baltic Basin consists of kukersite layers and limestone interlayers. The basic parameter of run-off-mine (ROM) quality is heating value and grain-size structure.
Heating value can vary considerably within location in the basin (Estonian or Leningrad deposit). Distribution of grain-size and heating value directly depend of mining technology: at breakage,
transporting and processing. This team-work study of Department of Mining, Tallinn University of Technology and Eesti Põlevkivi Ltd. - Oil Shale Mining Company aims at developing oil shale
production quality management technique and understanding effects of parameters of energy distribution under using different technologies.
The enrichment process is dominant function in quality control of oil shale. Thanks to feature of Estonian oil shale bed structure the oil shale has possibility to enrichment by gravitational
methods. The improvement of the process on the stage of oil shale fine grain enrichment showed principal possibility to increase the heating value and reduce losses.
Nowadays, on account of using imperfect enrichment process of oil shale the fine grain 0.01-3.00 mm go to waste with other coarse size. Application of the achievements of modern enrichments
system allowing to collect the fine grain of oil shale can add to production 3-10 % of highly productive material.
Oil shale production quality control allows realize correct choose of technology for achievement of oil shale quality enhancing.

ROM:
x < 300 mm, y = 1;
Rock mass grain-size distribution in concentration plant describe formula QROM = 1778 kcal/kg,
y= A x n + d (3) QwROM = 5,85 MJ/kg
y - screen underflow; x – grain size, mm; A and n – parameters of
distribution: A - dustity, dust range, part of fine grain less 1 mm, n -
granularity range; d - pieces splitting in way at face to factory. Fine grain: 1. Dry screening, x = 25 mm Coarse size
For drilling-and-blasting method the share of not enriched fine grain 0-25 mm x < 25 mm 25…300 1 – 0.37 = 0.63
0…25 = A x n
+ 
make 30-40% (Fig.1) and heating value on 3 - 6 MJ/kg (layers A-F) higher   Q25…300 =
than heating value of rock mass (Fig. 2, Table 1). Under good quality  (QROM - 0…25Q0…25 )/25…300
condition of commercial deposit it gives possibility to use not enrichment oil Q0…25 = Q exp(-kx) + QROM = = (1778-0.372274)/0.63
700exp (-0.01325) + 1778 = = 1475 kcal/kg = 6.18 MJ/kg
shale. But using this method about 5% (Fig.1, Table 1) of fine grain less 1 = 2274 kcal/kg = 9.52 MJ/kg
mm which include clay material will complicate enrichment process. Qw 25…300 = 4.98 MJ/kg
Qw0…25 = 7.42 MJ/kg
Energy distribution by blast breakage describe formula Coarse concentrate: 2. Coarse concentration 25…300 mm
Qx = DQ exp(-kx) + QROM c c = 0.19
Qx – class 0…x (mm) heating value, x – grain size, mm; DQ and k - Coarse waste:
Qwc.c= 11.5 MJ/kg c w 0.63 - 0.19 - 0.03 = 0.41
parameters of distribution: D Qx – effect of selective crushing, k – 0.03 - slime
distribution parameter, QROM – heating value of ROM, weighed average of Qwc.w = 2.0 MJ/kg
heating values extracted layers and interlayers. 3. Wet screening, x = 5 mm

Extra fine: To fine concentration

x < 5 mm 5…25 0.37 – 0.16 = 0.21

1.00
0…5 = 0.045 0.11 0.16
0.9 Qw0…5 = 7.94 MJ/kg Qw 5…25 = 7.01 MJ/kg
0.8
0.7
Undersize

Undersize

0.6
4. Fine concentrating x = 5…25 mm
Slime  = 0.03
0.10 0.5
0.4
0.3 0.5…5 mm
 = 0.12
0.2
0.1
Fine concentrate: Fine waste:
0.01
0.1 1 10 100 1000
0.0
0 50 100 150 200 250
f c 0.11 f w 0.21 - 0.11- 0.03 = 0.07
Size, mm Size, mm
0.03 - slime
Qwf.c= 11.4 MJ/kg Qwf.w = 2.6 MJ/kg
Layers A…F2, blasting Layers A…F2, blasting
Layers A…F1, blasting Layers A…F1, blasting
Average by cutting with Surface Miner Average by cutting with Surface Miner
5. Dewatering Slime  = 0.03
Fig. 1. Particle distribution in run-of-mine; left – in logarithmic and right – in normal scale. x < 5 mm 0.5…5 mm
= Sand  = 0.12
+0.16 0.5…5 mm
+0.03  = 0.13
14
+0.03 = 0.21 6. Production trimming
Heating value of untersize, MJ/kg

Heating value of undesize, MJ/kg

19

17
12
15
Mud < 0.5 mm  = 0.08
10 13

11

8 9

7
6
5
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Production Waste
Grain size, mm
Grain size, mm Q = 11.5 MJ/kg,  = 0.28 Fine, < 25 mm, = 0.07
Undersize A…F2 Undersize A…F1 Bed A…F2 Bed A…F1
A BCa BCy EFa EFy
Qw = 8.4 MJ/kg,  = 0.24 Coarse, > 25 mm,  = 0.41

Fig. 2. ROM energy distribution: left – blasting, right mechanic breakage (with Surface Miner). Total: Total
Qw = 10.1 MJ/kg,  = 0.52  = 0.48

Table 1. Parameters of grain-size and energy distribution in ROM

Fig. 3. Oil shale fine grain enrichment process
Extraction method
Distribution Formula
Cutting by Ripping (after The stage in the process of enrichment of fine grain which could allow increasing heating value and
parameters symbol Blasting
Surface Miner crushing) reduce loses are presented on Figure 3. ROM represents of size x ≤ 300 mm and has heating value
Particle distribution 5.85 MJ/kg. On the first stage of enrichment process the dry screening separate material on fine
Dustity, dust range A 0.03 – 0.06 0.06 – 0.021 0.1 – 0.2 grain 0-25 mm and on coarse size 25-300 mm. According to formula (3) the fine grain x =25 will
Granularity range n 0.5 – 0.6 0.3 – 0.5 0.4 make 37 % from total value with energy distribution 9.52 MJ/kg for dry content and 7.42 MJ/kg for
Pieces splitting in way moisture (Fig. 3). Coarse size x = 300 makes 63 % and has energy distribution equal 6.18 MJ/kg for
at face to factory
 0.05 – 0.15 insignificant dry content and 4.98 MJ/kg for moisture, correspondingly. Further, fine grain 0-5 mm will separated
Energy distribution by wet screening and transport to dewatering for improve heating value and to fine concentration. 3
Effect of selective % of slime received under process of fine concentration going to dewatering. Coarse size will
crushing, MJ/kg
Distribution parameter
Struktuuriüksuse
Q
k 0.006 – 0.05 0
nime sisestamiseks
3.0 – 5.8
avada slide master 0 No data,
clearly 0
separated on productive oil shale 11.5 MJ/kg - 19 %, and 3 % of slime going also to dewatering.
Waste from coarse concentrate make 41 % with 2.1 MJ/kg of heating value. 9 % of mud obtained
Heating value of ROM QROM Geological characteristic, depended at site after dewatering has 9.68 MJ/kg can be added to production in case of highly effective and low costs
modern filter press and settling centrifuge equipment.