Inner Mongolia Heap-Leach Pad Leak Detection

Background

A non-ferrous heap-leach facility — overall lined area of 525,339 m², comprising leach pad, intermediate-, pregnant- and emergency-solution ponds. This campaign covered the pregnant-, intermediate- and emergency-solution ponds (62,423 m² total) on a double-composite liner.

Challenge

Verifying construction quality of the lower HDPE while also confirming overall integrity of the upper HDPE — beneath a gravel protection layer — across large pond areas, requiring careful coordination of inspection methods and on-site logistics.

Solution

Lower HDPE inspected by arc-method to identify surface defects; upper HDPE assessed by dual-electrode method after gravel placement. The complementary pairing covered both construction QA and post-cover integrity.

Results