In this study a mathematical method called PSPD (profile side-pore diffusion) based on the work of Bouffard and Dixon [10] is proposed for simulation of solute transport through the pores of a HEAP, considering the reaction terms. The obtained governing equations are converted into dimensionless forms and are solved by writing a computer program based on an implicit finite difference method. The solution of the model results in the outlet acid concentration profile. In order to check the accuracy of the proposed model and also for determination of effective diffusivity of sulfuric acid in copper oxide ore particles, two experimental setups are constructed, one for measurement of the effective diffusivity and the other for measuring the rate of leaching. The effective diffusivity is obtained by two different methods which reconfirm each other. The copper oxide ore of Sarcheshmeh copper complex, situated in Kerman province in Iran, was used for experimentation. The effects of different factors such as particle size, acid solution flow rate and initial acid concentration are examined on the rate of leaching in two columns of different heights.Comparison of the calculated data with experimental data under the same operating conditions shows a good agreement between them and hence validity of the proposed model was confirmed. The results show that the extraction time of copper is influenced mostly by increasing the acid solution flow rate and decreasing the column height due to decreasing the advection time.

To construct copper HEAP leaching structures, a stepped HEAP of ore is placed over an isolated sloping surface and then washed with sulphuric acid. The isolated bed of such a HEAP consists of some natural and geosynthetic layers. Shear strength parameters between these layers are low, so they form the possible sliding surfaces of the HEAPs. Economic and environmental considerations call for studying such slides. In this study, firstly, results of the laboratory tests carried on the materials of the HEAP leaching structures bed are presented. Then, the instability mechanisms of such structures are investigated and proper approaches are summarized for their stabilization. Finally, stability of the Miduk copper HEAP is evaluated as a case history, and appropriate approaches and their effects are discussed for its stabilization.

In machine learning and data analysis, clustering large amounts of data is one of the most challenging tasks. In reality, many fields, including research, health, social life, and commerce, rely on the information generated every second. The significance of this enormous amount of data in all facets of contemporary human existence has prompted numerous attempts to develop new methods for analyzing large amounts of data. In this research, an Incremental HEAP Self-Organizing Map (IHSOM) is proposed for clustering a vast amount of data that continues to grow. The gradual nature of IHSOM enables environments to change and evolve. In other words, IHSOM can quickly adapt to the size of a dataset. The HEAP binary tree structure of the proposed approach offers several advantages over other structures. Initially, the topology or neighborhood relationship between data in the input space is maintained in the output space. The outlier data are then routed to the tree's leaf nodes, where they may be efficiently managed. This capability is supplied by a probability density function as a threshold for allocating more similar data to a cluster and transferring less similar data to the following node. The pruning and expanding nodes process renders the algorithm noise-resistant, more precise in clustering, and memory-efficient. Therefore, HEAP tree structure accelerates node traversal and reorganization following the addition or deletion of nodes. IHSOM's simple user-defined parameters make it a practical unsupervised clustering approach. On both synthetic and real-world datasets, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated and compared to existing hierarchical self-organizing maps and clustering algorithms. The outcomes of the investigation demonstrated IHSOM's proficiency in clustering tasks.

There are some artificial and natural materials on foundation of HEAP leaching structures. Geomembrane liner is the most important artificial isolated layer of these structures, which its thickness is about 1 to 2 mm. Foundation overall settlement of such structures changes the primary length of the geomembrane layer. If the strain of geomembrane become more than the allowable one, the layer will be failed and acid will leak out of the HEAP foundation. In this paper, foundation of the HEAP leaching structures is modeled with a hyperbolic curve and the length of geomembrane liner is determined before and after loading. Next, acceptable overall settlement of HEAP foundation is computed according to the allowable strain of geomembrane materials. Then, a design chart is presented for quick estimation of acceptable overall settlement of these structures. Finally, the abovementioned approach is utilized to determine foundation overall settlement of the Tarom HEAP leaching structure as a case study. The analysis shows that geomembrane liner of this case will not be failed due to the foundation overall settlement.