Introduction

Heap leaching is a mining process to extract minerals from the ore by sprinkling a leach solution on a pile (heap) of ore. As the leaching solution percolates through the ore, the minerals are dissolved and then later are extracted from the leachate collected at the base of the heap. This process is conceptually depicted in Figure 1.

The placement of the ore can result in segregation and stratification of layers with different textures. This variability in texture influences the flow paths of the leaching solution and has an effect on the amount of the leaching solution retained or released by the ore as the application rate changes.

The objective of this example is to illustrate how SEEP/W can be used to study the processes observed in heap leaching.