Flow through tilt flume testing for beach slope evaluation at Chuquicamata Mine Codelco, Chile

Pirouz, Behnam; Seddon, Keith; Pavissich, C; Williams, Paul; Echevarria, J

doi:10.36487/acg_rep/1363_35_pirouz

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The testing of each combination of equations involved validating the predicted launder slopes against some relevant data. The data used for validation was gathered in three separate flume trials by the author and his colleagues; The first two sets of data were gathered at the Peak gold mine and the Sunrise Dam gold mine (Fitton 2007), and the third set was gathered at the Chuquicamata copper mine (Pirouz et al 2013).…”

Section: Validating Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

A launder design method for thickened tailings

Fitton¹

2015

Proceedings of the 18th International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings

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In mountainous terrain, thickened tailings slurries are often transported by gravity flow in open channel launders (also called channels or flumes). These launders are typically constructed of concrete, and can run for many kilometres, as they transport the tailings slurry from the mine to a tailings storage facility at a lower elevation. Some of the large copper mines of Chile and Iran feature such launders, with some notable examples being Andina, Chile (57 km, carrying some 70,000 dry tonnes per day), Chuquicamata, Chile (15 km with 200,000 dry tonnes per day), El Teniente, Chile (86 km, 130,000 tpd) and Sarcheshmeh, Iran (16 km, 60,000 tpd). The main advantage of such launders is the ability to avoid pumping of the slurry. In mines such as these, the cost of pumping such vast amounts of tailings would be considerable. Launder cross-sections can come in many shapes, with common geometries being rectangular, trapezoidal and U-shaped. Circular pipes flowing partially full also function well as launders, and can offer certain advantages over the more common open-topped concrete sections. This paper presents a simple method for designing launders for the gravity transport of tailings slurries. The method applies to both Newtonian and non-Newtonian slurries, and works on the basis that the slurry flow maintains sufficient velocity to avoid deposition of solid particles in the launder. With inputs of flow rate, slurry concentration, rheology, particle specific gravity and particle size distribution, the design method calculates cross-sectional dimensions for a launder of rectangular, trapezoidal or circular cross-section, and then calculates a minimum slope required for the total transport of the slurry.

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Section: Validating Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

A launder design method for thickened tailings

Fitton¹

2015

Proceedings of the 18th International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings

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“…It is noted that recent flow-through flume testing at the Chuquicamata mine (Pirouz et al, 2013) found that plug flow prevailed when the slurry exhibited a sufficiently high yield stress. This sets a new challenge for practitioners in designing storages for such thick tailings, requiring a new approach to such flow regimes.…”

Section: 7mentioning

confidence: 99%

Paste and thickened tailings – myth busting and clarification

Fitton¹,

Seddon²

2013

Proceedings of the 16th International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings

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It is the contention of this paper that there remains considerable confusion regarding the mechanisms and benefits of thickened tailings schemes. The terminology and interpretation of terms like 'thickened tailings' and 'paste' receive some consideration, in light of some observed contradiction in the industry. It is also noted that a number of tailings related misconceptions prevail amongst tailings practitioners. This paper attempts to clarify some of these issues, with the intention of dispelling some tailings myths. The subject of tailings beach slope prediction is one particular topic that deserves some consideration in the interests of clarity. A large portion of this paper is devoted to this topic, which has been approached from a number of directions over the past 40 years. Various prediction methods have been presented. Some prediction methods are analytical, with no need for any flume testing. Others have relied on a deposition test in a flume. The use of different types of flumes and deposition tests, either for providing validating data or input data, has created a great deal of confusion over what works and what does not, what is relevant and what is not. There has also been further confusion created by the presentation of the results, with some workers presenting fitted data as predictions. This paper discusses the mechanism of tailings deposition, with a view to evaluating the applicability of some of the approaches that have been presented. Various flume types and their relevance to the process are then discussed. Deposition tests and trials are also discussed in terms of the beach slopes that have been observed. Finally, some protocols are proposed for making the presentation of data more consistent and transparent.

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“…Fitton (2007) carried out a numerical analysis of different width-to-depth (w/d) ratios for a limited number of such channels, and after comparing the predicted results against experimentally measured data, recommended 5.5:1. In this present study some effort has been made to back-calculate the width-to-depth ratio (w/d) for each of the self-formed channels that were observed in a series of flume experiments that were recently carried out at the Chuquicamata copper mine by ATC Williams (Pirouz et al, 2013).…”

Section: Channel Aspect Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

A tailings beach slope model featuring plug flow

Fitton¹,

Slatter²

2013

Proceedings of the 16th International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings

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It has been observed that plug flow can occur in the open channels that naturally form on a tailings beach if the tailings slurry is sufficiently thickened. Plug flow occurs when a yield stress fluid develops an unsheared zone (or plug) in the centre of a channel, pipe or other conduit. It is caused when the yield stress of the slurry is greater than the shear stresses that are acting on it. This paper presents a new tailings beach slope prediction model that incorporates a plug flow model. The beach slope model is validated using flume data from Chuquicamata, Sunrise Dam and Peak Gold Mine, as well as a range of full scale beach data from some 29 real tailings beaches. It has been found that reasonably accurate predictions are achieved.

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Flow through tilt flume testing for beach slope evaluation at Chuquicamata Mine Codelco, Chile

Cited by 7 publications

References 2 publications

A launder design method for thickened tailings

A launder design method for thickened tailings

Paste and thickened tailings – myth busting and clarification

A tailings beach slope model featuring plug flow

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