Low Capital Investment Options to Support Mining Activities Paste backfill has become known as a superior ground support tool and mine waste disposal method, albeit usually one with a higher initial price tag when compared to hydraulic or rock fill. The capital costs associated with the implementation of a permanent paste backfill plant can put … Read More
A recurring problem in mining projects is the collection and interpretation of data which is applicable to backfilling operations in general. The basis for design is therefore compromised by external factors, so the design expectations must be tempered to give confidence to Mine Management that the design is robust. From an underground geotechnical engineering perspective, … Read More
Over the years there has been an increasing trend for resource companies to develop mining projects in cold regions and areas of permafrost. The arctic presents unique engineering challenges. Many of the sites are in remote areas where road access is difficult. These regions bring about challenges related to labour, equipment, logistics and costs. This … Read More
A paste backfill system seldom operates at a fixed operating point and the system always needs to accommodate considerable variability in materials depending on what ore is being mined and the performance of the process plant. It is therefore important to design a flexible backfill system that accounts for varying backfill rheology while ensuring that … Read More
The global trend of decreasing metalliferous ore grades and increasingly complex mineralogies is leading to finer grind sizes to achieve the necessary liberation for ore beneficiation. The impact of this is expressed throughout the ore processing cycle, including mine backfill; by leaving lower fractions of coarse material suitable for hydraulic fill and, in particular, influencing … Read More
The 19th International Conference on Transport & Sedimentation of Solid Particles (T&S) was held in Cape Town in September 2019 and it was a great success. It’s the first time the conference has been hosted in Africa since its inception in 1971 and Paterson & Cooke (P&C) co-hosted the event together with Wroclaw University of … Read More
Despite the best intentions during the engineering and design phase, things can go amiss in a pastefill system and the pipeline ends up becoming plugged. The first step is to safely empty the boreholes as quickly as possible and attempt to clear the line with water. After ‘saving’ as much of the system as … Read More
Slurry pipelines are conventionally designed to operate without a deposit on the pipeline invert – i.e. the minimum operating velocity is greater than the deposition velocity. Largely this approach has been adopted due to concerns regarding potential blockage of a pipeline operating with a deposit. A typical slurry pipeline design duty envelope is shown in … Read More