Controlling heat loads from cemented mine backfill

摘要

During stope placement and the early stages of hydration, cemented backfill generates relatively large amounts of heat and may create relatively high, undesirable temperatures in the underground environment. In a series of investigations using scaled stope models instrumented with thermistors, the heat generated by cemented backfill during hydration has been successfully quantified. Heat transfer to the hanging wall, orebody, footwall and cross-cut and production drifts was assessed during the backfill curing process and relationships between cement content, cure time, and heat generation were developed. Having determined the potential heat contribution from cemented backfill, the author proposes the incorporation of post-consumer glass as an alternate, equally effective and lower cost binder agent strategy for cement in backfill that may lead to cement consumption reductions and reductions in heat load. Testing, using scaled stope models, has been implemented in order to demonstrate the reductions in heat load from 'glassfill'. The results of this work will assist mine operators in predicting the heat generated by cemented backfill, and introduce glass based backfill as an effective means of controlling backfill heat in the underground environment.