Particle fountain

[Enola Straight]

In TNG ep. "The Quality of Life", an experimental mining tequnique has a powerful vertical forcefield between the orbital facility and a point on the planet's surface.

Though not elaborated on in the episode itself nor the ST Encyclopaedia, I assume that transporter technology is employed on a massive scale.

I theorize that first a phaser/disruptor is fired upon the target area to pulverise/liquefy/vaporize the ore. A massive molecular resolution transporter converts the ore slurry into the matter stream, from which the target elements and/or compounds can be extracted and rematerialized...all this on a continuous basis, instead of the discrete batches technique commonly found in traditional transporters.

Any flaws in my theory?

[Dalton]

Tractor beams?