ABSTRACT
The use of high pressure water as a tool to cut and mine material is becoming more common. However, there is no good model to predict the required performance of a jet system. In order to develop a standard method of evaluating projected performance, a specialized piece of equipment has been developed. A short series of traversing tests is used to identify the operational parameters for the jets to effectively cut the material. From this experimental series it is possible to define a system for effectively removing material, and to determine a production rate for a given waterjet system.
Considerations in the operation of the equipment must be directed toward insuring that the material is removed in a controlled particle size. The reasons for this include the safety precautions required to insure that no water hammer pressures are generated during mining, as well as the simple logistical concerns for effective material removal and feed stock parameters for subsequent processing. The considerations of particle size require a proper evaluation of the path which the high pressure cutting lance must follow as it passes over the surface of the material and sequentially along the cut. Special precautions must be taken to insure complete material removal without the risk of engendering extra large fragments of debris. The operation of the system is demonstrated using an example.
