This is one of the main areas of concern for the mining industry at present and as such mine operators are increasingly adopting alternative means of tailings disposal to minimise the impact of the mining operation on the external environment and. Its global reputation for innovation and quality spans more than 160 years. So mining and minerals processing are among the most developed branches of the national economy. Furthermore, you also need to make sure that you prevent the excess water from affecting your site. Best practices for automation and control of mine dewatering systems author. On some projects groundwater is a minor impediment that can be dealt with on an adhoc basis. The application of simple, practical tried and proven techniques resonate at the heart of any large scale mining operation.
Poorly controlled groundwater will have negative impacts on the safety, efficiency and economics of mining operations. While in some operations such as thickenig, the sods concentration of the pulp is the criterion, in others such as ef fluent treatment, it is the clarity of the supernatant that is of major concern. Mine dewatering and water management at barrick goldstrike mine in the carlin trend, nevada johnny zhan, ph. Mine dewatering can be achieved by pumping continuously from a series of dewatering wells around the mine and by installing pumps in special sumps on the mine floor to remove surface water. Be better placed to troubleshoot pumping and piping problems on site as well as look at ways of improving an existing sites operation and reliability. Synopsis synopsis water management for mining approaches to groundwater control examples of mine dewatering technology open pit underground shafts 3. Flooding of mine pits affects production operations, causes irreparable damage to mine equipment, and decreases productivity and pit wall stability. The scroll conveyor bowl centrifuge is the most suitable type for dewatering sewage sludge. One type of demand side management initiative on a mine dewatering system is load shifting. Thinking that there might be a more efficient way of dewatering the mine area, huber retained a consultant, golder associates, inc. When mining below the water table groundwater is an inevitable challenge. The complexities involved in mine dewatering systems employed by anglo american kumba iron ore operations, requires a structured methodology to design. Therefore, pumping network is one of the most important parts of the. The method is very similar to the wellpoint method of dewatering.
Review on dewatering pumping network for underground coal mine. Optimization of dewatering systems for mineral processing. Review on dewatering pumping network for underground. Aquatech took immediate action, designing a dewatering system that would pump at three separate locations throughout the mine using the clients hdpe pipelines. A phased approach to mine dewatering article pdf available in mine water and the environment 121.
Underground dewatering and drainage is necessary to ensure that mining operations continue unhindered. Technology data sheet mine dewatering groundwater eng. Mine dewatering operations must optimize the locations and pumping rates of these dewatering wells, as well as. Pdf a phased approach to mine dewatering researchgate. Look for highhead drainage pumps to do this quickly and efficiently. Construction sites are dewatered for the following purposes. Epa hardrock mining conference 2012 denver, co, usa, april 35, 2012. The purpose of a dewatering system for underground and open pit coal mine is to control ground water levels and to reduce pore water pressure in the ground so dewatering systems are also important.
Flow system to evaluate the pumping rate to dewater the mine. This paper describes one mining companys successful effort to reduce its groundwater withdrawal, yet increase the effectiveness of its mine dewatering system. Mine dewatering can be achieved using a range of groundwater control techniques, depending on the geology and the type of mine. Hydrogeological condition gold mining business antam pongkor require dewatering system to prevent flooding at work front. Ancient methods constructing ditches and dikes sheeting combined with pumping from sumps pumping from deep sheeted sumps dug outside the working area recent methods well points. Synopsis definition of mine dewatering open pit surface water control open pit dewatering techniques underground mine dewatering techniques groundwater investigation techniques. In many circumstances, these pits are excavated below the water table. Itt goulds pumps is a leading manufacturer of pumps for a. Deep wells vertical sand drains combined with deep wells. The sulzer xj 900 brings stateoftheart hydraulic design, an ie3 motor and innovative solutions to common mine dewatering challenges.
The seepex mine dewatering unit is engineered for efficient separating of oversized solids and conveying of mine water. Some technical aspects of open pit mine dewatering by v. Jan 31, 2018 learning what is dewatering, it can help you with your construction, preparing the excavation site. Mine dewatering is an essential part of resource extraction, as it lowers the water table around the mine or quarry.
Wet classification is a construction process that looks at the size of particles that make up the underlying soil in a project site and the flow of fluids through those particles. Potential effects evaluation of dewatering an underground mine on surface water and groundwater located in a rural area. To understand the mine dewatering systems, it is necessary to know the natural conditions and structure of deposits being mined. Definition of mine dewatering dewatering and groundwater control forms a vital part of many mining projects. A significant amount of energy is required to dewater mining shafts from fissure and service water. When a mine extends below the water table groundwater will, due to gravity, infiltrate the mine workings.
Dewatering a mine site, regardless if it involves a trickle coming out of a gardensize hose or a gusher blasting out of huge hoses or pipes, calls for the right equipment to handle the job properly and responsibly, and the units featured on the following pages are whats new in dewatering technology to help make mining safer. Specific advice about mine site dewatering is available in the water quality protection guidelines mining and mineral. Best practice, automation, cavitation, overheating, efficiency, failure, multistage centrifugal pump, control, schedule typical deep level mines use up to 27 ml water per day for mining operations. Weir minerals the answer to this question of course. Use of numerical groundwater modelling for mine dewatering. Most of the mining activity is concentrated on open pit. Dewatering methods for excavations at construction sites. Goulds pumps recognizes that the importance and extent of mine dewatering varies greatly and can range from a single pump back station at a sump to complicated dewatering schemes involving dozens of dewatering wells pumping several thousand gallons per minute. Horizontal drainage system connected to a deep well or a gravity collection pipe. You can use several dewatering methods, and you need to appropriately discard the excess water. Mine dewatering at open pit mine keywords modflownwt, mine dewatering background open pits are developed in the mining industry for the extraction of minerals, raw materials, and aggregate. Nov 23, 20 synopsis definition of mine dewatering open pit surface water control open pit dewatering techniques underground mine dewatering techniques groundwater investigation techniques.
In one embodiment, one or more of the dewatering wells may originate outside the perimeter of the mine. Pdf optimization of dewatering systems for mineral. Effectively managed dewatering processes typically employ continuous water level monitoring. The flygt 2201 pump leverages the worldfamous bibo pump design and has been serving the mining industry for. When mine dewatering pumps are unable to be used, the whole mine may be drowned, causing great damage to peoples health and loss of cost. White cast iron impellers with rubber coated volutes provide long pump life in demanding mining applications. A combination of sludge conditioning, gravity dewatering and pressure dewatering is utilized to increase the solids content of the sludge. Outotec solutions for tailings dewatering optimized offering with large portfolio for different demands of tailings treatment.
Mine dewatering can be achieved by pumping continu. Potential effects evaluation of dewatering an underground. In this way, you will have a secure construction site. Flocculants, with their very high molecular weights long chains of monomers and their. As mining works get deeper to provide access to ever diminishing supplies of minerals, mine dewatering is more in demand and the need to provide individual solutions to meet the unique operating characteristics of mines is greater. Pdf determination of the operating parameters of an open. Epa hardrock mining conference 2012 dewatering system passive 12. Total costs include both the capital costs for wells, pumps, and waterdisposal facilities and the operating costs for pumping, treatment and disposal of the water. It is essential to target the actual inflows and not divert or seal off.
Mine dewatering and water management at barrick goldstrike. Some of these issues can be resolved at the initial stages of the. Technology data sheet mine dewatering groundwater is a common problem when mining, and developing a mine below groundwater level presents many challenges. Tailings dewatering systems from cde global to work with our customers towards zero tailings. Dewatering can also refer to the process of removing water from the soil by wet classification. Valve solutions for mine dewatering systems request pdf. A strategic approach to the design and implementation of an. Dewatering problem persists for discontinued and abandoned mines also 2. Activated sludge cannot be dewatered economically by centrifuge unless mixed with primary sludge, but the batch and conical disc types show promise for thickening it. Dewatering from rock faces in mine shafts, quarries, or gravel pits often contains abrasives such as sand, clay particles, drill cuttings, and other potentially damaging objects. Dewatering of tailings with flottweg decanters mineral.
To ensure stability of mine walls during and after excavationin. Mine dewatering open pits are developed in the mining industry for the extraction of minerals, raw materials, and aggregate. Currently tailings are a composite of all processing plants wastes and represent varieties of mineralogy with a wide range of particle sizes rheology, process water, excess reagents and spillage. Weir minerals offers a full range of miningduty pumps that cover the whole spectrum from clear water to high solids content, in a wide range of designs to suit every dewatering and slurry application across openpit and underground projects. Mine dewatering is the action of removing groundwater from a mine. Pit dewatering therefore, is an essential activity in. For open pit or underground mining dewatering, goulds can help. Dewatering free download as powerpoint presentation. These pumps are engineered to increase mean time between failures mtbf with reduced maintenance and repair costs. Faced with a failing submersible system in combination with the spring thaw, a senior design engineer for a mine in northern ontario contacted aquatech in search of an emergency mine dewatering system to fight off. Valve solutions for mine dewatering systems by w schoeman, r pelzer and jc vosloo, centre for research and continuing engineering development crced, northwest university pretoria campus and consultants to temm international and hvac international.
Us9188389b2 systems and methods for dewatering mine. Water sources often need to be shared by multiple users, while leaving enough water for ecosystem functioning. Mine dewatering dr martin preene preene groundwater consulting june 2014 2. The design of mine dewatering systems in poland international. These systems were developed in an attempt to overcome the sludge pickup problem occasionally experienced with rotary vacuum filtration. Large amounts of water on a construction site stops progress in its tracks. Coal mining dewatering scheme pdf underground coal mines dewatering systems. A system and method for efficiently and effectively removing water from mine areas is presented. Flocculation of sludge is the step in the process where destabilized particles are agglomerated in aggregates called flocs. Dewatering of mines international mine water association. The portions of the manual dealing with design considerations should fa. In fact, the case study emergency response to avoid flooding in open pit mine.
In one embodiment, one or more directionally drilled dewatering wells are drilled into the geologic formation such that at least a portion of the dewatering well is positioned underneath the mine. Dewatering and groundwater control is an important part of many open pit and underground mines. The most relevant concerns with mine dewatering are related to acid mine drainage and the dispersal of contaminated water into other water fonts and the general environment becoming a serious source of pollution. The principal usefulness of this manual to design personnel will be those portions devoted to selecting and specifying dewatering and groundwater control systems. Optimizing dewatering processes in mining operations. Boost mine uptime while reducing maintenance costs flowserve offers a range of highpressure, ring section pumps capable of handling the head and flow requirements of mine shaft dewatering. Cationic flocculants represent the large majority of the chemicals used in sludge dewatering.
Groundwater can be controlled by means of one or more types of dewatering systems appropriate to the size and depth of the excavation, geological conditions, and characteristics of the soil. Dewatering is essential for the safe and efficient operation of quarries and open pit mines that extend below groundwater level. Pdf comparison of the dewatering of underground and open. Mine dewatering is usually undertaken for several reasons. They do it best when suspended from underneath a single.
Besides, mining water pumps are mostly used as rescue and emergency pump, therefore, the selection of it is really important. The compact design enables easy transport of the complete unit and allows quick retrofit into existing dewatering systems. Final tailings dewatering the only waste product is now a filter cake with dry solids content of 80%, effectively eliminating the requirement for tailings dams dewatering concentrate the filter press can also be applied in the processing of a variety of ores for the dewatering of the concentrate in preparation for further processing. Details of wellpoint method for excavation dewatering. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Pdf a simple approach to managing dewatering in an open pit. Aquatech pump and power is the leading provider of specialized dewatering and pumping solutions for all temporary fluid handling and transfer applications. Less risk of adverse environmental impacts because correctly engineered dewatering systems produce clean water with very little suspended solids, reducing the risk of water pollution.
The systems and methods include distributing a slurry of high permeability material on a sloped surface to define a high permeability layer and subsequently distributing a slurry of low permeability mine tailings on the high permeability layer to define a low permeability layer that is vertically above and in contact with the high permeability. Mining or mining work is frequently located in remote places that are difficult to access. Table of contentsdesign of an optimal dewatering systemsimulation of groundwater levelsoptimization of dewatering system using minosresults dewatering of a surface or underground mine can be a significant production cost. Libicki, chief geologist, poltegor, wroclaw, poland intro du ct ion poland belongs to the group of countries that has rela tively rich deposits of useful minerals. Mines cannot afford to use blanket methods when dealing with ground water. The design of mine dewatering systems in poland by jacek s. Dewatering open pit mines and underground mines is different. Openpit dewatering pumps pull water out from the bottom of a construction excavation area. Water pumping in mine dewatering process is one of the major components in terms of electrical power consumption in underground mines which generally use the power supply pump, especially underground gold mines, gold mining business, antam, indonesia. Pdf the construction of an excavation often means penetrating the local or regional water table. In most mining operations, water is obtained directly. Dewatering canadian mining journalcanadian mining journal.