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Submarine mine tailings management
Author(s) -
Stronach James A.,
Robert S.,
Gardiner M.,
Zhang Yuangao,
Schriek Willem S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450780421
Subject(s) - tailings , slurry , submarine , geology , mining engineering , environmental science , tailings dam , environmental engineering , oceanography , materials science , metallurgy
The placement of mine tailings at depth in the marine environment is reviewed. This review considers first the engineering aspects of a pipeline system which transports tailings slurry from a process plant to the coast and then to a location at a depth of typically 200 m on the continental slope. Next, the fluid dynamic behaviour of the tailings, once discharged from the end of the pipe, are discussed, and a numerical model is presented which simulates the fate of both the dissolved and solids component of the tailings slurry in the marine environment. This latter model can be used to estimate the environmental impact of a proposed deep sea tailings placement system.