Optimizing tailings deposition concentration at Minera Yanacocha, Peru

摘要

Minera Yanacocha commissioned a new gold mill and processing plant in 2008. The new facilities included a tailings pumping system from the plant to a tailings storage facility (TSF) located within a heap leach facility. The location of the TSF resulted in a requirement for reducing the amount of water sent to the facility, to reduce the infiltration of water from the tailings into the leach pad. Preliminary designs for the tailings pumping system included piston diaphragm pumps for delivering high solids concentration tailings to the facility. Paterson & Cooke were contracted to carry out the detailed design of the pumping system. The initial step was the evaluation of the design concentration and pumping requirements, with respect to the requirements at the TSF, to evaluate the optimum pumping concentration. This paper presents the trade-off analysis carried out in the design of the Yanacocha pumping system, as well as providing details of the subsequent design and implementation.