School of resources and environmental engineering, wuhan university of. Thickened tailings deposition for closure nicholas thompson and pepe moreno 11 july 2017 this paper was first presented at the 20th international seminar on paste and thickened tailings in beijing, china on 16 june 2017. If the depositional sequence allows, it may even be possible to begin closure of portions of the impoundment concurrently with the final years of deposition. Codelco thickened tailings pilot plant taken from engels et al, 2012 parallel testing programmes. Experimental boxes filled with marine sediments capped with mine tailings were placed on the seabed and subject to colonization for six and twelve months. Frequently, tailings are cycloneclassified before deposition.
The dam was used for the disposal of platinum tailings, and made use of the ringdyke method of tailings deposition. The tailings may be discharged from a single pipe outlet or from a number of reduced diameter. Tailings deposition into open pit consolidation modelling. Technologies for speeding up the consolidation process have proven effective in benchscale tests. Aug 20, 2019 david anstey is a senior tailings engineer with more 18 years experience working in australia and canada as a geotechnical and mine waste engineer. Laboratory study of surface paste disposal for sulfidic tailings. In our tailings storage facility designs we place great emphasis on the post deposition behaviour of tailings and have developed specific tests to provide the data. The influence of depositional methods on the engineering properties of tailings deposits dr. Oil sands mining operations generate large quantities of fine tailings that can take many years to consolidate into solid ground under normal environmental conditions. Paste tailings could become an advantageous alternative to conventional impoundments used for slurry tailings. In situ tailings characteris tics and the potential for liquefaction during. Mine tailings deposition practices, liquefaction potential.
Riftxone rift software rift td tailings deposition. The tailings are hydraulically deposited from the crest of the starting dike. Oct 02, 2014 previous post twenty fourteen child theme how to actually add full width to post content and images next post modelling a tailings deposition using civil 3d kriging perimeter deposition. Abstract the strategic implementation of a thickened tailings system for an existing conventional tsf can be beneficial. Ioii this paper presents an overview of typical metalliferous ore tailings properties, tailings deposition methods and tailings dam construc tion practices.
Historically, with conventional low thickened tailings deposition, beach slopes could be expected to be in a typical range of 0. Operational tailings management for successful closure. Prediction methods through simple and semiindustrial testing i. Surface paste disposal spd of tailings is a recent technique for the management of mine tailings. Tailings transport testing and design in assosiation with thrid party vendors and engineering companies. Assist in the quality control requirements of the tailings dam embankment construction by. Arnel pelaez tailings cost and quality control engineer. Prediction of tailings beach slopes and tailings flow profiles.
Deposition modeling of high density tailings using smoothed particle hydrodynamics a thesis submitted to the faculty of graduate and postdoctoral affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree masters of applied science by yagmur babaoglu b. Section 3 presents the need for a lifeofmine riskbased approach to tailings management, and briefly describes this approach. Mine tailings disposal methods include cross valley or hillside. Segregates on deposition nonsegregating the thickening continuum. Wide variability in the deposition velocity and lack of adequate deposition models preclude reliable estimates of the rate. Riftxone rift td tailings deposition modelling software.
It also allows for control of the beached characteristics of the tailings to shed water at closure while reducing earthworks costs. It is the beach slope relating to subaerial deposition that is the main focus of attention. Tailings are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore. Large quantities of tailings approximately 70 million tonnes per annum will be stored in an aboveground tailings storage facility tsf. Geotechnical properties of mine tailings and implications. The mechanisms of tailings deposition and evolution of tailings beach slopes are investigated from both geotechnical and hydraulic engineering perspectives. It consists in dewatering by thickening and filtering the tailings before deposition to obtain a selfsupporting and homogenous tailings stack. Tailings storage facility conceptual closure plan alternatives assessment es2 three conceptual closure options were evaluated for this study. Tailings are distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material that overlies an ore or mineral body and. The application of the seismic cone penetration test scptu in. Appendix f1 tailings storage facility design report. Introduction background the subject of this paper is a tailings dam that was. This report describes the design of the proposed tailings storage facilities in support of the environmental impact statement eis and the commitments made therein associated with tailings.
Page 1 thickened tailings deposition for closure nicholas thompson and pepe moreno 11 july 2017 this paper was first presented at the 20th international seminar on paste and thickened tailings in beijing, china on 16 june 2017. Depending upon your requirements, our technicians can provide a standard testing service or undertake specialised testing. Studies on thickened tailings deposition in flume tests. Pdf a study on geotechnical characterization and stability of. Tailings deposition into open pit consolidation modelling and deposition concept 1 introduction mcarthur river mine mrm is planning to utilise the existing pit void, approximately 385 m deep, for long term storage of the tailings and potential acid forming paf waste rock at closure. Tailings deposition into open pit consolidation modelling and deposition concept 1 introduction mcarthur river mine mrm is planning to utilise the existing pit void, approximately 385 m deep, for long term storage of the tailings and potential acid forming paf waste rock at. Today, the universal disposal method for tailings is the tailing pond. It should also be noted that tailings dam engineering is continually evolving. Numerical analysis and geophysical monitoring for stability.
Modelling a tailings deposition using civil 3d kriging. Polymermodified tailings deposition ongoing testing and. Macrofaunal colonization of mine tailings impacted. Our field and laboratory testing capabilities include soils, geosynthetics, concrete, ore and mine tailings and aggregate. Produce various iterations and scenarios of the tailings deposition model, water balance, and water quality model. Tailings are slurried with water and pumped to tailing ponds for settling. Thickened tailings deposition for closure nicholas thompson srk consulting australasia pty ltd, australia pepe moreno srk consulting australasia pty ltd, australia abstract the strategic implementation of a thickened tailings system for an existing conventional tsf can be beneficial. The information gathered, which includes the best methods for construction of a stable structure, maintenance of water conservation, control of air and water pollution, and provision of adequate land reclamation, applies generally to the disposal of all conventional mill tailings. An alternative involves reshaping the tsf during operations using tailings to create the closure landform by modifying the deposition strategy to dispose tailings in targeted areas in the latter stages of the mine life, significantly reducing postoperations earthworks and. The advantage to a pilot thickening trial is that parallel tests associated with transportation and deposition of tailings can be conducted relatively easily. The predominant method of tailings disposal is by pumping and subaerial deposition of an aqueous slurry typically at 3045% initial solids concentration by mass and an initial gravimetric moisture content, w, of 233122% to a surface tsf.
With the decrease in void ratio, the coefficient of consolidation almost kept constant for the fine iron tailings, whereas for the fine copper tailings, the coefficient of consolidation gradually. Hamish oversees all company survey, drafting and modelling requirements and standards. Laboratory study of surface paste disposal for sulfidic. Challenges that would need to be explored and assessed before implementing such a strategy relate to the change from conventional to thickened tailings deposition and include characterising the slurry, adjusting the disposal methodology to include central discharge, assessing the impact of depositing thicker tailings over the existing beach. Golder has been involved in research, testing and realworld application of polymer technology to extend the life of tailings storage facilities. Based on lessons learned from the investigations of the recent mount polley and fundao tailings dam failures in british columbia, canada and minas gerais, brazil respectively, government agencies, regulatory bodies and industry are improving how tailings dams are designed, built and maintained. Tailings deposition planning using minesight3d software for solids modelling and deposition simulation. Compared to the copper tailings, the iron tailings showed higher compressibility, lower permeability, lower strength, and lower cyclic resistance.
The choice between these methods can dramatically effect how the tailings deposit and settle within the impoundment. With innovative products, global field support and industry leading technical expertise, basf mining solutions provides sustainable solutions which increase productivity, recovery and flexibility throughout the mining operations including leaching, solvent extraction, flotation, solidliquid separation and tailings management. Laboratory testing was conducted on mine tailings beds of various ages and thicknesses, depos. Geomembrane liner, concrete and bituminous pavement testing. Dynamic profiles of tailings flows are also discussed. Previous post twenty fourteen child theme how to actually add full width to post content and images next post modelling a tailings deposition using civil 3d kriging perimeter deposition.
The tailings will be covered with an earth fill cover except for a pondwetland area at the location of the final supernatant pond. Section 4 provides an overview of the key elements of management systems that are applied throughout the life of a tailings storage facility to ensure operating and closure objectives are met. Polymer technology increases a mines life through better. Tailings definition, the part of a projecting stone or brick tailed or inserted in a wall. Dewatering of tailings and deposition in the form of paste tail ings can be bene. Design and evaluation of tailings dams epa web archive. Estimate of settlement of a tailings dam founded on. The estimates were made using a simplified approach based on the collapse index and collapse potential findings from laboratory testing astm d5333 and were then corroborated by 2d finite element numerical modeling using geostudio software.
Tailings deposition is a modelling application that automates the estimation of tailings deposition for a given basin, dam, and spigot configuration. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. School of civil, environmental and mining engineering, the university of western australia, 35 stirling highway, crawley, wa 6009, australia. Considerations for tailings facility design and operation using filtered tailingseach project requires its own. This application greatly reduces the amount of time required to design and model a tailings fill plan. Evolution pattern of tailings flow from dam failure and the. Tailpro consulting works with specialist international consultants to provide an integrated solution. Atc williams recognise that standard testing procedures are, in many cases, not appropriate for the testing of mine tailings. Hamish has 20 years experience of tailings beach modelling and volume calculation using muck and ooze tailings deposition software, he is a proficient user of terramodel and autocad civil 3d. Deposition techniques tailings can be discharged using subaqueous below water or subaerial techniques above the water line, on the ground or on the tailings beach dpi 2003. With the rise of computer simulation software, plentiful fluid dynamics. Rift td is an advanced threedimensional digital terrain model, specifically developed to model tailings deposition.
An experiment was conducted to study and compare macrofaunal colonization of thin layers of mine tailings. The resistivity data is processed by the res2dinv inversion software. The tailings deposition area is a portion of the rivers flood plain in the lowlands. The kimberley diamond mines operation in south africa used the. Tailings are distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material that overlies an ore or mineral body and is displaced during mining without being processed. Wide client base in tailings related projects in base metals, precious metals, and oil sands. It is typically much easier to access tailings samples from the perimeter of the storage and a natural bias to relatively coarser results in the database may thus be introduced.
Rheological properties of thickened tailings and cemented. However, the stress range in the majority of tailings management facilities is extremely low and varies between 0. Ptfi has designed and constructed a system of levees to manage the deposition of what will ultimately be about 3 billion tonnes of tailings within tailings management controlled riverine. Best practices for tailings dam design klohn crippen berger. Missouri university of science and technology scholars mine. Sep 07, 2017 best practices for tailings dam design. Single point discharge of tailings subaerial technique jon engels introduction. Studies on thickened tailings deposition in flume tests using the computational fluid dynamics cfd method. Undrained strength of deposited mine tailings beds. Conventional tailings thickened tailings paste cake increasing solids concentration fully sheared yield stress. For conventional storage the tailings are generally discharged from spigotsoutfalls located along the embankments of the facility. Jobs job details water and tailings modelling specialist.
Macrofaunal colonization of mine tailings impacted sediments. Business drivers for the mine tailings facility owners can include a variety of sitespecific, materialdependant operational challenges, as well as more. For this particular tailings pile, the estimated erosion was almost one inch per year for an unprotected tailings soil surface. Considerations for tailings facility design and operation. Rift software mine magazine issue 72 september 2018.
In our tailings storage facility designs we place great emphasis on the post deposition behaviour of tailings and have developed specific tests to provide the data needed to optimise tailings management. Prior to testing the tt and cpb materials, the rheometer. Geotechnical properties of mine tailings and implications for. The application will calculate total volume for an individual cycle. Work closely with the water resources and tailings deposition team to keep the integrity of the information required to the different tasks involved in the conceptual and numerical modelling of water and tailings management. Coarse sands are used to buildup the tailing dam, while the slimes are deposited inside the pond. Reporting to the tailings facilities project manager, the tailings dam construction eit is responsible for the construction, maintenance and surveillance of the projects 30,000 mtpd tailings impoundment facilities and associated water management systems, working closely with the operations and environmental teams, as well as the engineer of record.