Newmont's Boddington Gold Mine tailings pipelines. Hydraulic design issues and comparisons with operating data

摘要

The design of the tailings disposal system at Newmont's recently commissioned 100,000 tonnes of ore per day Boddington Gold Mine included some unique challenges. Laboratory tests revealed the tailings settled rapidly, forming a very compact bed. This required special considerations for restart after an emergency shutdown and provisions for dumping the slurry from the pipelines if necessary. The design required uninterrupted deposition of tailings into the 15 km~2 dam concurrent with ongoing activities inside the dam such as mining, HDPE lining, wall construction and pipe relocation. Methods for managing slack flow in the dam distribution pipelines were also required. Design issues are discussed and some initial operating data presented.