Dr Angus Paterson, a founding member of Paterson & Cooke, will be presenting two papers at the 6th International Mining & Industrial Waste Management Conference being held in Limpopo, South Africa from 29 – 31 October 2018. Here’s a little taste of what’s in these two papers.

Comparison of the Pumping Requirements of Conventional, Thickened and Paste Tailings

A.J. C. Paterson

Paterson & Cooke, Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

The pipeline transport of low solids concentration tailings is generally well understood and based on many years of operational experience. These systems operate at low pressures and mostly use centrifugal slurry pumps and low pressure piping. The deposition piping arrangements are a combination of spigot piping and single point discharge, and their operation is reasonably straightforward to ensure consistent beach angles. However, changes in mineral processing technology have resulted in finer grinds, and driven by the need to reduce water consumption, mine tailings streams are being transported and deposited at higher solids concentrations. The combination of finer particle size and higher solids concentration increases the yield stress and viscosity of the slurry, which affects the pump and pipeline system and deposition methods. This paper discusses the impact of increasing concentration on the flow behaviour of mine tailings and highlights the important differences between conventional, thickened and paste tailings systems, and how these affect the overall economics of the system.

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 The Test Work Requirements for the Preparation and Transport of Thickened Tailings

J. D. V. Wickens

Paterson & Cooke, Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

The behaviour of thickened and paste tailings is dominated by the rheology of the material that is thickened, pumped and deposited onto the residue storage facility. De-watering and transporting these materials requires a thorough understanding of the properties of the material that effect the behaviour of the deposited tailings. These include the tailings characteristics, the fluid characteristics as well as the viscous properties and shear history of the material. Conducting flow behaviour tests on thickened material that has not been properly prepared may result in large errors in the selection of the pump and pipeline components. This paper discusses the tests necessary to obtain meaningful data that can be used for the selection of appropriate de-watering technologies, and pump and pipeline requirements, as well as providing samples that are representative of the product that will be deposited onto the facility by taking into account the shear history of the material.

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