Increasing the Energy-Efficient Extraction of Amber in the Rivne-Volyn Region of Ukraine

Abstract

The current state of development of the mining industry for the extraction of useful minerals in the Rivne-Volyn region is characterized by the presence of a significant number of industrially significant amber deposits, both being exploited and those that are not being developed due to the inability to extract them using traditional methods. The exploitation of such deposits is hindered by complex geological conditions, the significant distance from bodies of water, and the need to preserve the surface layer of soil, which requires additional reclamation work. The most promising way out of this situation is the introduction of the hydro-mechanical method of extracting minerals, which does not require reclamation work since the extraction of the useful mineral occurs without destroying the surface layer of soil by using hydraulic energy. However, the experience of using hydro-mechanical technologies for amber extraction from sand deposits indicates limiting factors - low productivity and highwater consumption. The latter factor is significant because water in regions where amber deposits are located is limited. The identified limiting factors for the hydro-mechanical extraction technology depend on the speed at which the useful mineral flows to the surface. If the extraction technology parameters can provide the maximum possible speed for the specific conditions of a deposit, this will allow overcoming existing limitations, reducing energy consumption and water usage, increasing productivity, and bringing new promising deposits into exploitation. Previous researchers have studied the process of amber flow during hydro-mechanical extraction from sand deposits exclusively experimentally. Therefore, there are no scientifically substantiated models that establish the relationship between the speed of particle flow and the physical and granulometric characteristics of the deposit, as well as the frequency of oscillations of the working element and the air flow rate. This makes it impossible to determine rational flow rates for amber and air consumption that would ensure the best results for new deposits without conducting numerous experiments.