Paterson & Cooke recently hosted another successful Backfill Design & Operation Course in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, from 28 to 31 July, 2025.
Course Content Overview
This popular annual course was first launched in Spain in 2014, and has since been hosted regularly in Sudbury, Canada, with additional sessions held internationally upon request.
Typically spanning three days, the course features a combination of technical lectures, real-world case studies, and hands-on laboratory demonstrations. An optional fourth day offers participants a guided site visit for practical exposure.
This year, delegates had the unique opportunity to tour both the surface and underground operations at Agnico Eagle’s Macassa Mine, where they explored the site’s paste backfill system in action.
The aim of the course is to provide attendees with an appreciation of the requirements for designing and operating a safe, cost-effective and reliable backfill system. The course objectives are to:
- Introduce the fundamental concepts of geomechanics and material properties
- Examine the various elements that go into engineering a backfill system, including testing, plant and process design, reticulation and barricades
- Relate to operational aspects of a backfill system including quality assurance, cost reduction, operational management plans, risk control and new technology
The course is presented by our senior staff, with contributions from guest speakers, who are always on hand to share their extensive knowledge.
It covers, among other topics:
- A backfill overview
- Backfill selection considerations
- Material testing
- Key equipment selection
- Plant design principles & realisation
- Plant design pitfalls
- Reticulation system design & operation
- Backfill binders & admixtures
- Backfill Geomechanics
- Barricades
- Backfill placement & monitoring
- Quality control & reconciliation
- Economics & life cycle planning
- Backfill system management & integration
A Course Favourite: Laboratory Demonstrations
One of the highlights of our course is a visit to the Paterson & Cooke Canadian backfill laboratory. As part of our global network of testing facilities, this laboratory plays a crucial role in advancing our backfill engineering services.
At Paterson & Cooke, our laboratories deliver specialized, high-quality testing and analysis to support efficient, cost-effective mining operations. From material handling to final stope deposition, we provide end-to-end backfill testing services that ensure strength, stability, and optimized performance underground.
Here, we put theory into action—demonstrating the key principles covered in the course and showcasing how real-world backfill testing is conducted. It’s a rare opportunity to witness how our experts tackle the complexities of backfill test work.
Our laboratory demonstrations include:
- Material characterization, including particle size distribution, solids density testing and other common parameters
- Dewatering test work, including our bench scale thickening unit
- Filtration test work, including vacuum filtration and pressure filtration using P&C’s own designed benchtop unit equipped with cake washing and membrane squeeze capabilities
- Rheology test work, including cemented paste test work
- Unconfined compressive strength testing
Backfill Design and Operations Course
What Our Delegates Had to Say
We received the following feedback from our course delegates:
“Wow, you guys know your stuff.”
“Good high-level course on nearly all aspects of backfill as advertised.”
“Top class course!”
“Well structured with fantastic speakers. Good opportunity to meet other professionals.”
“Information was fantastic and well suited for my work to better inform and educate in my position.”
“Great course packed with both technical & practical advice. I learned a lot and appreciated the level of effort put in by the P&C team."
If you were unable to join us on this course, keep an eye on our Courses & Training Page to view upcoming courses.
Find out more about our Mine Backfill solutions.
