Energy Saving in Mining Production

Introduction. Mining is a rather energy-intensive industry because of severe conditions of technological processes with energy consumption optimized by engineering modernization, for instance, by producing settable mixes and processing their components to obtain the required size and activity.
Problem Statement. Reducing energy consumption while escalating production, energy efficiency of technological processes and cost reduction in energy supply are relevant problems for mining industry, which determine the competitiveness of a mining corporation.
Purpose. The research aims at determining the effect of disintegration and increased activity of ore minerals on energy consumption by mining enterprise.
Materials and Methods. Efficiency of mechanical activation is conditioned by difference in strength of concrete based on basic and activating binding materials. Efficient combination of technologies has been found as optimal solution taking into consideration variable factors, including energy consumption. The range of optimal values of binding materials has been found by solving the equations describing the obtained regularities.
Results. The research presents the results of industrial experiment aiming at replacing the binding components of concrete mixes by the activated blast-furnace slag. The quantitative indicators and regularities of electric energy consumption necessary to activate components of settable mixes have been determined. The obtained data have been used to simulate mix design at one of Norilsk enterprises. The general regularities of mechanical activation efficiency have been established and a concept and an algorithm of efficient energy consumption while activating mining production wastes have been formulated.
Conclusions. For the demographic factors of the development, the mining industry will increase energy-intensity of industrial processes. When transiting to underground deposit mining, production of settable mixes will result in increased energy consumption. Efficient energy consumption in energy-intensive industrial processes becomes especially important. In the specified conditions, optimized energy consumption facilitates the recovery of costs for mining diversification.