US 12,031,382 B2
Method and system for mining
Stephen Douglas Butt, St. John's (CA); Allan R. Cramm, Baie Verte (CA); Jeronimo De Moura Junior, St. John's (CA); and Mohammed Mokhtar Ebeid Said, Paradise (CA)
Assigned to Novamera Inc., Oakville (CA)
Appl. No. 17/433,551
Filed by NOVAMERA INC., Oakville (CA)
PCT Filed Nov. 29, 2019, PCT No. PCT/CA2019/051720
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 24, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/172736, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 3, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/810,818, filed on Feb. 26, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0154567 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 10/32 (2006.01); E21B 7/28 (2006.01); E21B 21/06 (2006.01); E21B 43/29 (2006.01); E21B 47/002 (2012.01); E21C 27/22 (2006.01); E21C 41/26 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 10/32 (2013.01) [E21B 7/28 (2013.01); E21B 21/065 (2013.01); E21B 43/29 (2013.01); E21B 47/002 (2020.05); E21B 47/0025 (2020.05); E21C 27/22 (2013.01); E21C 41/26 (2013.01)] 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for mining a narrow vein deposit of ore, the narrow vein deposit having a hanging wall and a foot wall, the method comprising:
drilling a pilot hole with a pilot hole diameter into the narrow vein deposit along a path substantially centrally between the hanging wall and the foot wall to a depth within the vein;
following the pilot hole with a hole opening drilling assembly having a diameter larger than the pilot hole diameter to fragment the ore around the pilot hole into drill cuttings;
circulating the drill cuttings with a fluid flow up to a wellhead; and
collecting the drill cuttings for processing to recover the ore therefrom;
wherein drilling the pilot hole occurs with fluid circulation down through a pilot hole drilling assembly and up through the annulus, and wherein circulating the drill cuttings, during operation of the hole opening drilling assembly, includes pumping fluid in a reverse direction down through the annulus and up through the hole opening drilling assembly.