Josh Stowe from our Denver office will be presenting a paper at the SME Conference in Denver entitled NEW APPROACHES AND TECHNOLOGY FOR TAILINGS PIPELINE DESIGN AND OPERATION. The conference is being held at the Colorado Convention Center from 24 - 27 February 2019. The paper was co-written by Josh and Dr Robert Cooke.

J. Stowe and R. Cooke; Paterson & Cooke, Golden, CO

The conventional slurry pipeline design approach is to select a pipeline diameter which ensures the pipeline operates in turbulent flow without a deposit for all expected operating conditions. Recent improvements in the understanding of slurry pipeline flows allows for the design of pipelines operating with a deposit on the pipe invert, allowing the system to operate at moderate velocities for high flow rates, optimizing system energy requirements and maximizing pipeline wear life. Tailings pipelines are increasingly operated at higher solids concentrations where there is a greater likelihood the pipeline will operate in laminar flow due to the higher tailings rheology. Historically slurry pipelines have been operated in turbulent flow but we now know that laminar flow pipeline operation is possible as there are several operational laminar flow tailings pipelines. While our understanding of laminar flow slurry pipelines is not complete, recent research provides guidance on how to approach the design of these pipelines.

Find out more about Paterson & Cooke's Tailings capability