Design of a Mine Dewatering Filtration System

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2015-12-07
Authors
Johnston, Corbin
Schmidt, Jenna
Scott, Blair
Cunningham, Troy
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Vale requires an additional filtration component to be added to the dewatering system in the Birchtree mine to reduce wear of the dewatering pumps. The water used throughout each level in the mine drains down through a series of settling reservoirs to the 4040 level, where it is pumped to an intermediate sump on the 2340 level, and then subsequently pumped to the surface and removed from the mine. The settling reservoirs, or sumps, are useful for filtering out larger particles, but the smaller particles often remain in the water stream. During high flow times, the water does not always remain in the settling reservoirs long enough to sufficiently filter out even the larger particles. These solid particles cause excessive wear on the dewatering pumps, resulting in maintenance costs of approximately $312 000 a year. Vale has requested a design that will eliminate all solid particles greater than 800 microns from the water stream before it enters the dewatering pumps. Swift Consulting has designed a system that will successfully remove all particles greater than 84 microns from the water stream. The system involves draining Sump 3 and installing the Elgin Hyper-G Dual-Deck Shaker, an apparatus that consists of a set of vibrating coarse and fine screens that removes solid particles and allows the water to continue on through the discharge pipe. Sump 2 will remain operational for use in case of overflow or shaker maintenance. A teed joint with control valves will allow control of the flow direction to either the shaker or Sump 2. The water discharged from the shaker will exit through a pipe that leads directly into the clear water reservoir, from which the water enters the dewatering pumps. The solids simply fall into a pile off the end of the shaker screen, and, once the pile grows sufficiently large, can be moved to another area within Sump 3 or another solid storage location selected by Vale. This system will be able to handle up to 700 gpm, and the total capital cost of the system, including parts and the labour cost of installation, is $61:950, […]
Description
Keywords
Citation