3.

0: WATER AND
SLURRY
TRANSPORTATION
Part 1: WATER TRANSPORTATION
Discussion Questions
1. Define Mine Dewatering
2. What are the disadvantages of wet working
environment
3. What are the sources of water in open pit mine
4. Describe any three mine dewatering
methods/techniques
5. Outline sources of water in underground mine
Water in open pit mines
Water in Underground mines
.

3.1: MINE DEWATERING

3.1.2: Definition of Mine
Dewatering
 Mine dewatering is the process of controlling and
managing surface water and groundwater to allow
mining in relatively dry conditions, to improve
geotechnical stability and to improve the efficiency of
mining methods

 Most open pit and underground mines extends below

groundwater level.

 Poorly controlled groundwater can impact the safety and

efficiency of mine operations.
Benefits of Mine Dewatering
 More efficient working conditions: Reduced
downtime due to pit flooding

 Reduced blasting costs: lowering groundwater

levels in advance of working will provide dry blast
holes, reducing the need for more costly emulsion
explosives
Benefits of Mine Dewatering
 Lower haulage costs: Dry ore and waste rock weigh
less than wet material, so dewatering of rock
provides a haulage cost saving.

 Improved slope stability and safety: lowering of

groundwater levels and reduction in pore water
pressures can allow steeper slope angles to be used,
while maintaining or increasing geotechnical factors
of safety.
 Wet working conditions are to be avoided for the
following reasons:
- Unsafe working conditions
- Difficulty of ore handling
- Increased explosives cost
- Possible slope instability
- Reduced operating life of machinery
- Nuisance factor
- Possible floor heave
There are three aspects to the design and
implementation of mine dewatering system;

An understanding of:

• Hydrogeology

• Dewatering technology

• Environmental sensitivities and regulation

3.1.3: SOURCES OF WATER IN
OPEN PIT

Rainfall water
Snow melt
Mining operations
Seepage from pit walls
3.1.4: WATER MANAGEMENT FOR
SURFACE MINING
Summary of mine dewatering methods
In-pit pumping – Used to pump from sump
areas within the pit.
Perimeter dewatering wells – used to
intercept lateral groundwater flow into the
pit and to lower groundwater levels in
advance of mining.
Pit Slope Depressurization Drains. – This is
achieved by small diameter angled or sub-
horizontal drains drilled outwards through
the pit slopes
 IN PIT PUMPING
 Pumps located within the deeper parts of the pit

 Submersible pumps or surface suction pumps may be

used. In deeper pits booster pumps may be needed
to lift the water from the pit.

 Drains and ditches feed water to the sumps.

 Water produced from in-pit pumping may have a

significant sediment content and may need
treatment by settlement lagoons
PERIMETER DEWATERING
WELLS
 Vertical wells are installed around the perimeter of
the open pit and are pumped by electric
submersible pumps

 Wells need to be located to take account of

structural geology and location of aquifers

 Once they have been developed, wells should

produce clean water, hence minimizing water
treatment requirements.
PIT SLOPE DEPRESSURIZATION
DRAINS
 Even when an open pit is dewatered by wells or in-pit
pumping, high pore water pressures may remain in the
pit slopes, reducing geotechnical stability

 This is achieved by small diameter angled or sub-

horizontal drains drilled outwards through the pit
slopes

 The drains act as pressure relief wells and bleed water

off by gravity. The water is collected in drains or ditches
and fed to the in-pit pumps
 EXCLUSION METHOD
 Physical cut-off walls are installed around a site to
exclude groundwater from shallow alluvial deposits, or
to seal off preferential flow along permeable strata
.

3.2: UNDERGROUND MINE

DEWATERING TECHNIQUES
3.2.1: Underground mine water
problems
• Water in underground mines can cause various problems for
various magnitudes
• Where the excellent drainage exists , water causes few
problems
• Lack of drainage results in severe inundation.
• Therefore water in underground mines must be handled
properly to minimize damages, production interruptions
caused by mine water and to create a comfortable working
environment
3.2.2: Sources of water entering
underground mines
• Seepage of source water in shallow mines with minimal
overburden.
• Seepage of surface water through the broken
overburden in deeper mines where caving is practiced
and breaks occur to the surface
• Draining of water collected in exploration drill holes into
the mine when holes are penetrated during mining.
• Release of water collected in abandoned mines when
they are accidentally cut into.
• Water inflow from natural fractures or joint system.
 
3.2.3: Underground Mine
Dewatering Techniques

 The water entering the mine is passed along roadways

(by pumping or gravity) to a deeper part of the mine
(sump) or shaft bottom, to be pumped out via shaft.

 In deeper mines there may be a need for staged

pumping to get the water out of the mine
3.2.4: Underground Mine
Dewatering Techniques
 In hard rock mines drain holes may be drilled out from
workings

 In order to minimize water treatment requirements it is

important to reduce generation of ‘dirty water’ (that
has run along the floor/walls) and segregate ‘clean
water’ (that has come straight from drain holes)
PART 2: SLURRY TRANSPORTATION
Discussion Questions
• What is a SLURRY?
• What are the physical properties of Slurry?
• What are the advantages of slurry transportation
system?
• What are the two classes of Slurry?
• Elaborate Laminar, transitional and Turbulent
flows?
• What is a Pump? What types of pump can be used
for Slurry Transportation?
.

3.2:SLURRY TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM
3.2.1:INTRODUCTION
• The transportation of solids in pipeline is
another mode of material handling that has
been receiving more and more attention in
recent years.
• Many successful applications have been
reported in a wide range of engineering fields.
• Some examples include: the disposal of waste
materials from utility plants, preparation
plants ,and sewer treatment construction
industry, the circulation of drilling mud in oil
well drilling operations etc.
Cont..
• The most spectacular applications, of slurry
transportation are found in the mineral
industry: Coal, iron and copper concentrates,
limestone, and phosphate have been
successfully transported through slurry
pipelines over long distances.
The major advantages possessed by slurry
transportation system are:

• High dependability
• Low operating costs
• Easy automation
• Low maintenance costs
SLURRY TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM
 In solids handling by pumping, we mix some solid
matter with some liquid carrier to form a slurry,
 Slurry is a mixture of a liquid and small solid particles.
SLURRY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
Cont….
 Transportation of bulk
materials in the form of
a slurry through piping
systems is a most
efficient and effective
mechanism.
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF
SLURRIES
 Density
The density of slurry it is a function of some
variables: the density of the solid particles, the
density of the liquid, the concentration of the solid
phase.
 Concentration
Amount of solids in the mixture by weight or by
volume.
 Viscosity
Is the measure of fluid’s resistance to flow. It
describes the internal friction of a moving fluid.
Fluid with high viscosity resists motion because its
molecular makeup gives it a lot of internal friction
 FLOW THROUGH PIPES
 Flow of slurries through pipes is characterized by Laminar
flow , transitional flow and turbulent flow

 Laminar flow
 The fluid particles move along smooth well defined
path or streamlines that are parallel, thus particles
move in laminas or layers, smoothly gliding over each
other.
FLOW THROUGH PIPES
Cont…
 Turbulent flow
The fluid particles do not move in orderly manner
and they occupy different relative positions in
successive cross-sections.
There is a small fluctuation in magnitude and
direction of the velocity of the fluid particles

 Transitional flow
The flow occurs between laminar and turbulent
flow
CLASSIFICATION OF SLURRIES

 Homogeneous slurries.
This type of mixtures flows like a single-phase fluid,
and has a uniform concentration of particles along
the pipe axis

In pipeline flow, homogeneous mixture behaves as

a pure liquid which has the same density, as a slurry
and the viscosity depending on the concentration of
particles.
 Homogeneous flow is encountered in slurries of high
solids concentration and fine particle sizes
CLASSES OF SLURRIES
Cont…
 Heterogeneous slurries.
This type of liquids behaves as a multiphase fluid.
Liquid and solid phases are separated after some
time.
There is no uniform distribution of particles across
the pipe cross-section.
Also particles can settle and form a stationary bed
at the bottom of the tube at low velocities.
Usually the size of the particles in heterogeneous
mixtures higher than in homogeneous.
It tends to be of lower solids concentration and
larger particle sizes than homogeneous slurries.
SLURRY PUMPS
Primary requirement for transport pumps
 High pressure rating
 Long life
 Reliable operation
SLURRY PUMPS Cont…
 Centrifugal pumps • Short distance
pipelines (<10km)
Impeller rotates to • Coarse particles
generate flow (<100mm)
Centrifugal pumps
commonly used for:
SLURRY PUMPS Cont…
 Positive Displacement • Long distance
(PD) pumps pipelines (>100km)
• Fine particles
(<6mm)
 Piston reciprocates in
cylinder to generate flow
 Positive displacement
pumps commonly used
for:
SLURRY PUMPS Cont…

Pump type selection depends on

pressure and flow requirements
ENERGY LOSS (HEAD LOSS)
 When a fluid is flowing  Liquid passing through a
through a pipe, the fluid pipe is likewise subjected
experiences some to internal friction and
resistance which lead to energy loss.
some of the energy (head)
of fluid to be lost.
ENERGY LOSS (HEAD LOSS)
 It is necessary, when designing pipeline systems, to
predict the magnitude of the loss and provide
sufficient power to the liquid at the beginning of
the pipe so that the required flow rate will be
delivered at the end.
TYPES OF ENERGY LOSSES
(HEAD LOSSES)
 Major Loss
 Loss of energy occurs due to friction between
the liquid and the pipeline.
 Minor losses
 Loss of energy due to change in velocity of flow
of the liquid as it moves through the entrance,
elbow, junction, obstruction, valve, exit etc.
 Due to change in direction (Elbow, T junction,
ENERGY LOSSES (HEAD
LOSSES)
 The resistance to flow in a pipe is a function of:
The pipe length, L
The pipe diameter, D
The mean velocity, V
The properties of the fluid
The roughness of the pipe, (the flow is
turbulent).
.

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