Recycling options include dust control, process circuit water, cooling water systems or washdown water. 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. Dewatering and groundwater control forms a vital part of many mining projects. Ejector system ground freezing deep bored wells with pumps. Mine dewatering can be achieved using a range of groundwater control. Every mine site has unique considerations, whether it be high fresh water costs, permitting, stability issues or the threat of seismic. Its global reputation for innovation and quality spans more than 160 years. A system and method for efficiently and effectively removing water from mine areas is presented. 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. 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. The dewatering system currently employed at the mine includes from 30 to 50 nominal 5inch diameter pumping wells screened in the principal coal unit. Results the investigation proved that a dewatering well system.
Gcs provides comprehensive services in terms of feasibility evaluations as well as detailed design, management and monitoring of dewatering systems. In the past it was done by using a shadoof, digging deeper dikes so that gravity would remove the water. The design of mine dewatering systems in poland by jacek s. The scroll conveyor bowl centrifuge is the most suitable type for dewatering sewage sludge. Some technical aspects of open pit mine dewatering by v. Epa hardrock mining conference 2012 denver, co, usa, april 35, 2012. Balance drum system pressureequalizing holes 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. Use of numerical groundwater modelling for mine dewatering. Data gathered during this exercise were used to design a more effective and efficient system for dewatering the mined area than the older, highcapacity well system. Most of the mining activity is concentrated on open pit. Groundwater engineering provides complete mine dewatering solutions. The act of taking water from a mine that is being operated has been done since neolithic times.
Methods of dewatering surface water control sump pumping wellpoint systems with suction pumps. 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, and the ph value is usually very low. Technology data sheet mine dewatering groundwater is a common problem when mining, and developing a mine below groundwater level presents many challenges. In many circumstances, these pits are excavated below the water table. Tailings dewatering systems from cde global to work with our customers towards zero tailings. 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. With more than 40 years of dewatering experience, and over.
It presents the short characteristics of particular dewatering. To understand the mine dewatering systems, it is necessary to know the natural conditions and structure of deposits being mined. The dewatering wells are installed on approximate 200ft centers in lines about 1,000 ft ahead of the mine highwall, which corresponds to a useable life of approximately one year. Elimination of caving and upheaval in vertical shaft excavations and reduction of. 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. Effectively managed dewatering processes typically employ continuous water level monitoring. These systems were developed in an attempt to overcome the sludge pickup problem occasionally experienced with rotary vacuum filtration. Dewatering of mines international mine water association. Pit dewatering therefore, is an essential activity in. Pdf a phased approach to mine dewatering researchgate. Total costs include both the capital costs for wells, pumps, and waterdisposal facilities and the operating costs for pumping, treatment. A combination of sludge conditioning, gravity dewatering and pressure dewatering is utilized to increase the solids content of the sludge. 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. This paper describes the steps necessary to plan an effective dewatering system for a.
Synopsis definition of mine dewatering open pit surface water control open pit dewatering techniques underground mine dewatering techniques groundwater investigation techniques. 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. The private well inventory is summarized in table 1 and figure 3. The approach is a phased investigation that builds.
Mine dewatering is usually undertaken for several reasons. Such systems are ripe for wider application on mine sites, where they offer potential benefits to the mine operator in the form of reduced energy costs, reduced. Data requirements, major phases of modelling, and practical use of the model as a predictive tool for evaluation of the mine dewatering requirements and associated environmental impacts are discussed. 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. Mine dewatering and water management at barrick goldstrike mine in the carlin trend, nevada johnny zhan, ph. This paper describes one mining companys successful effort to reduce its groundwater withdrawal, yet increase the effectiveness of its mine dewatering system. Definition of mine dewatering dewatering and groundwater control forms a vital part of many mining projects. Itt goulds pumps is a leading manufacturer of pumps for a. Simulation of mine dewatering and groundwater flow paths. Construction sites are dewatered for the following purposes. 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. Also, asphalt mix batch plants and concrete batch plants, including mobile operations of this type, are required to obtain coverage under the permit.
Aquatech took immediate action, designing a dewatering system that would pump at three separate locations throughout the mine using the clients hdpe pipelines. 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. Proposal of criteria for selection of dewatering methods. So mining and minerals processing are among the most developed branches of the national economy. Coal mining dewatering scheme pdf underground coal mines dewatering systems. Optimizing dewatering processes in mining operations. Tailings management sustainable and complete dewatering.
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. The design of mine dewatering systems in poland imwa. Review on dewatering pumping network for underground. The sulzer xj 900 brings stateoftheart hydraulic design, an ie3 motor and innovative solutions to common mine dewatering challenges.
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. Recycling, provided the water quality is suitable for its intended use. Mine dewatering can be achieved by pumping continu. Poorly controlled groundwater will have negative impacts on the safety, efficiency and. Flooding of mine pits affects production operations, causes irreparable damage to mine equipment, and decreases productivity and pit wall stability. Underground dewatering and drainage is necessary to ensure that mining operations continue unhindered. Pdf the construction of an excavation often means penetrating the local or regional water table.
Deep wells vertical sand drains combined with deep wells. On large dewatering systems selecting the correct pump discharge valve combination will ensure that the pump system is operated as close as possible to the optimum operating point. Potential effects evaluation of dewatering an underground. Dewatering canadian mining journalcanadian mining journal. Mine dewatering and water management at barrick goldstrike. 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. These pumps are engineered to increase mean time between failures mtbf with reduced maintenance. Technology data sheet mine dewatering groundwater eng. Mine dewatering open pits are developed in the mining industry for the extraction of minerals, raw materials, and aggregate. In one embodiment, one or more of the dewatering wells may originate outside the perimeter of the mine. Best practices for automation and control of mine dewatering systems author. Horizontal drainage system connected to a deep well or a gravity collection pipe. The success of dewatering studies is heavily reliant on the. Hydrogeological condition gold mining business antam pongkor require dewatering system to prevent flooding at work front.
Minerals, except fuels, that may discharge stormwater or mine dewatering water from a point source to surface waters or conveyance systems that discharge to surface waters. Most open pit and underground mines will extend below groundwater level and poorly controlled groundwater can impact the safety and efficiency of mine operations. Mine dewatering solutions from groundwater engineering. Pdf determination of the operating parameters of an open. Proposal of criteria for selection of dewatering methods in surface mining jacek libicki poltegorengineering ltd.