In many circumstances, these pits are excavated below the water table. Most of the mining activity is concentrated on open pit. Pdf determination of the operating parameters of an open. They do it best when suspended from underneath a single. Mine dewatering open pits are developed in the mining industry for the extraction of minerals, raw materials, and aggregate. Some of these issues can be resolved at the initial stages of the. 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. Mine dewatering is the action of removing groundwater from a mine.
Epa hardrock mining conference 2012 denver, co, usa, april 35, 2012. The complexities involved in mine dewatering systems employed by anglo american kumba iron ore operations, requires a structured methodology to design. Pdf a simple approach to managing dewatering in an open pit. Us9188389b2 systems and methods for dewatering mine. Dewatering and groundwater control is an important part of many open pit and underground mines. Dewatering is essential for the safe and efficient operation of quarries and open pit mines that extend below groundwater level. Dewatering of mines international mine water association. 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. 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. In most mining operations, water is obtained directly. Large amounts of water on a construction site stops progress in its tracks. You can use several dewatering methods, and you need to appropriately discard the excess water. Optimization of dewatering systems for mineral processing. Some technical aspects of open pit mine dewatering by v.
Review on dewatering pumping network for underground. Pit dewatering therefore, is an essential activity in. Construction sites are dewatered for the following purposes. Flocculation of sludge is the step in the process where destabilized particles are agglomerated in aggregates called flocs. Water sources often need to be shared by multiple users, while leaving enough water for ecosystem functioning. Pdf optimization of dewatering systems for mineral. 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. Dewatering can also refer to the process of removing water from the soil by wet classification. Dewatering free download as powerpoint presentation. Pdf the construction of an excavation often means penetrating the local or regional water table.
Mine dewatering can be achieved using a range of groundwater control techniques, depending on the geology and the type of mine. 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. 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. 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.
Mine dewatering and water management at barrick goldstrike mine in the carlin trend, nevada johnny zhan, ph. When a mine extends below the water table groundwater will, due to gravity, infiltrate the mine workings. Dewatering open pit mines and underground mines is different. These pumps are engineered to increase mean time between failures mtbf with reduced maintenance and repair costs. When mining below the water table groundwater is an inevitable challenge.
Jan 31, 2018 learning what is dewatering, it can help you with your construction, preparing the excavation site. Nov 23, 20 synopsis definition of mine dewatering open pit surface water control open pit dewatering techniques underground mine dewatering techniques groundwater investigation techniques. 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. 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. A combination of sludge conditioning, gravity dewatering and pressure dewatering is utilized to increase the solids content of the sludge. Potential effects evaluation of dewatering an underground. The flygt 2201 pump leverages the worldfamous bibo pump design and has been serving the mining industry for. In one embodiment, one or more of the dewatering wells may originate outside the perimeter of the mine. Dewatering problem persists for discontinued and abandoned mines also 2. Mine dewatering is usually undertaken for several reasons.
The application of simple, practical tried and proven techniques resonate at the heart of any large scale mining operation. Valve solutions for mine dewatering systems request pdf. 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. Weir minerals the answer to this question of course. Effectively managed dewatering processes typically employ continuous water level monitoring. 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. Thinking that there might be a more efficient way of dewatering the mine area, huber retained a consultant, golder associates, inc. Therefore, pumping network is one of the most important parts of the.
So mining and minerals processing are among the most developed branches of the national economy. The design of mine dewatering systems in poland by jacek s. Use of numerical groundwater modelling for mine dewatering. Besides, mining water pumps are mostly used as rescue and emergency pump, therefore, the selection of it is really important. Flocculants, with their very high molecular weights long chains of monomers and their. The compact design enables easy transport of the complete unit and allows quick retrofit into existing dewatering systems. In this way, you will have a secure construction site. One type of demand side management initiative on a mine dewatering system is load shifting. Mining or mining work is frequently located in remote places that are difficult to access. A significant amount of energy is required to dewater mining shafts from fissure and service water. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. In fact, the case study emergency response to avoid flooding in open pit mine. Details of wellpoint method for excavation dewatering.
Flooding of mine pits affects production operations, causes irreparable damage to mine equipment, and decreases productivity and pit wall stability. 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 comparison of the dewatering of underground and open. Mines cannot afford to use blanket methods when dealing with ground water. The sulzer xj 900 brings stateoftheart hydraulic design, an ie3 motor and innovative solutions to common mine dewatering challenges.
Mine dewatering operations must optimize the locations and pumping rates of these dewatering wells, as well as. Synopsis definition of mine dewatering open pit surface water control open pit dewatering techniques underground mine dewatering techniques groundwater investigation techniques. The principal usefulness of this manual to design personnel will be those portions devoted to selecting and specifying dewatering and groundwater control systems. Mine dewatering is an essential part of resource extraction, as it lowers the water table around the mine or quarry. A strategic approach to the design and implementation of an. A system and method for efficiently and effectively removing water from mine areas is presented. Technology data sheet mine dewatering groundwater is a common problem when mining, and developing a mine below groundwater level presents many challenges. Mine dewatering can be achieved by pumping continu. Dewatering of tailings with flottweg decanters mineral. 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. These systems were developed in an attempt to overcome the sludge pickup problem occasionally experienced with rotary vacuum filtration. 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.
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. White cast iron impellers with rubber coated volutes provide long pump life in demanding mining applications. 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. 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. Tailings dewatering systems from cde global to work with our customers towards zero tailings. Epa hardrock mining conference 2012 dewatering system passive 12. 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. It is essential to target the actual inflows and not divert or seal off. 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. Cationic flocculants represent the large majority of the chemicals used in sludge dewatering. Horizontal drainage system connected to a deep well or a gravity collection pipe. Flow system to evaluate the pumping rate to dewater the mine. Specific advice about mine site dewatering is available in the water quality protection guidelines mining and mineral. Technology data sheet mine dewatering groundwater eng.
The scroll conveyor bowl centrifuge is the most suitable type for dewatering sewage sludge. Deep wells vertical sand drains combined with deep wells. Look for highhead drainage pumps to do this quickly and efficiently. Dewatering canadian mining journalcanadian mining journal. For open pit or underground mining dewatering, goulds can help. Outotec solutions for tailings dewatering optimized offering with large portfolio for different demands of tailings treatment.
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. Mine dewatering and water management at barrick goldstrike. A phased approach to mine dewatering article pdf available in mine water and the environment 121. Hydrogeological condition gold mining business antam pongkor require dewatering system to prevent flooding at work front. 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. 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. Underground dewatering and drainage is necessary to ensure that mining operations continue unhindered. 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. The portions of the manual dealing with design considerations should fa. On some projects groundwater is a minor impediment that can be dealt with on an adhoc basis. Optimizing dewatering processes in mining operations.
To understand the mine dewatering systems, it is necessary to know the natural conditions and structure of deposits being mined. Synopsis synopsis water management for mining approaches to groundwater control examples of mine dewatering technology open pit underground shafts 3. Best practices for automation and control of mine dewatering systems author. 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. Review on dewatering pumping network for underground coal mine. Dewatering methods for excavations at construction sites. 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. Definition of mine dewatering dewatering and groundwater control forms a vital part of many mining projects. 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. 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. To ensure stability of mine walls during and after excavationin.
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. Furthermore, you also need to make sure that you prevent the excess water from affecting your site. This paper describes one mining companys successful effort to reduce its groundwater withdrawal, yet increase the effectiveness of its mine dewatering system. The method is very similar to the wellpoint method of dewatering. The seepex mine dewatering unit is engineered for efficient separating of oversized solids and conveying of mine water. Poorly controlled groundwater will have negative impacts on the safety, efficiency and economics of mining operations. Coal mining dewatering scheme pdf underground coal mines dewatering systems. 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. Openpit dewatering pumps pull water out from the bottom of a construction excavation area. 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. Potential effects evaluation of dewatering an underground mine on surface water and groundwater located in a rural area. The design of mine dewatering systems in poland international.
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