National Mineral Resources University (Mining University), Saint-Petersburg, Russia:

Yu. G. Sirenko, Assistant Professor, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, sirenkoyg@mail.ru
E. R. Kovalsky, Assistant Professor, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Productive potash salt strata of Starobinskoe deposit are composed of alternate barren rocks and productive layers of comparatively small thickness. Belaruskali extracts sylvinite with long-pillar, room-and-pillar and hybrid mining systems. The article shows the economical and environmental shortages of the listed systems and technologies at Starobinskoe potash salt deposit, due to considerable loss of minerals in support pillars and owing to ore dilution under joint output of sylvinite layers and halite partings (barren rock). The authors present the developed and patented technologies of selective extraction of ore from complex structure strata using broken halite for complete- or partial-mechanized backfilling. Mining is carried out with shortwall faces. Design and technology are exemplified for two variants of selective extraction and backfilling using self-propelled equipment. The proposed variants differ mainly in sequence of slicing in the rooms. As supplementary equipment, it is offered to use continuous miners allowing high production and having convenient height. Haulage and piling of broken halite partings of sylvinite layers is carried out by a self-propelled car to be emptied onto the floor of the neighbor worked-out rooms. The article gives evaluation of overall economical and environmental effect of the variants presented by the authors for selective extraction of productive layers. It is emphasized that backfill using broken halite is interesting from the viewpoint of scientific substantiation of feasible reduction in the size and number of support pillars, which will increase sylvinite extraction factor.

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