Dilution

Elimination is a loss of quality of a mineral occurring from a decrease in the content of a useful component or useful component during its extraction as compared to their content in the balance reserves .

The dilution is expressed in a decrease in the content of the useful component or useful component in the mined rock mass compared to their content in the mass due to the addition of waste rock or substandard mineral, as well as the loss of part of the useful component or useful component during mining, transportation or processing (for example, in the form of losses of enriched fragmented mass, during leaching of a useful component, etc.).

Dilution is characterized by a dilution ratio (quality loss ratio) $p$ ${\ displaystyle p}$ $p$ , which is equal to the difference between the content of the useful component in the cleared balance sheet reserves ( $c$ ${\ displaystyle c}$ $c$ ) and in the extracted mineral ( $a$ ${\ displaystyle a}$ $a$ ) related to the content of the useful component in the extinguished balance sheet reserves ( $c$ ${\ displaystyle c}$ $c$ ):

$p={\frac {c-a}{c}}.$ ${\ displaystyle p = {\ frac {ca} {c}}.}$ $p = {\ frac {c-a} {c}}.$

This coefficient, when developing ore deposits in favorable mining and geological conditions, is up to 10%, with complex occurrence it reaches 35-40%.

In some cases, deliberate dilution of the enriched material may be carried out, for example, in order to circumvent export restrictions (see HEU-LEU ).

Literature

Dilution - Mountain Encyclopedia. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by E. A. Kozlovsky . 1984-1991.
LEARNING - Geological dictionary: in 2 volumes. - M .: Subsoil. Edited by K. N. Puffengoltz et al. 1978.

Dilution

Literature

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