Ensuring the credibility of thickening technology

Abstract

Advances in thickening technology over recent years have made possible the production of tailings at underflow densities that were previously unattainable. The potential in terms of increased water recovery within the plant and TSF storage efficiency in above ground storages is a major factor in the increasing interest by mine operators in adopting the technology in new operations as well as retrofitting existing operations. There are a number of practical issues related to being able to consistently achieve design underflow densities from the new generation of thickeners in particular. There is also evidence that in a number of cases the predictions of beach slopes for high yield stress tailings may be overly optimistic when compared with field observations. The extra costs involved in thickening tailings must be balanced against the benefits to be gained from the technology and it is necessary to ensure that the designed product can be produced consistently. The downside of not meeting design targets could significantly affect the credibility of the technology and delay ongoing implementation.

Realistic beach slope prediction and design

“…The relatively poor correlation of beach slopes achieved in practice compared to initial design values has been noted (Jewell, 2010). In some cases this may indeed be the direct result of inadequate slope forecasting methods.…”

Putting beach slope prediction into perspective

“…One of the challenges faced in expanding on this topic is that in many cases the original predictions are not readily available. However, in a recent paper (Jewell, 2010) this issue was discussed in terms of a design prediction for a major, but unnamed copper project as follows:…”