Hydraulic Re-Mining Operations
Hydraulic Re-mining of a Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) is the most cost effective solution to reprocess material as well as environmentally sound. Paragon Projects specializes in creating a tailored turnkey design for optimal reclamation of your tailings storage facilities with our in-house design and manufacturing team.
Hydraulic re-mining in semi or near saturated conditions is possible and common, and a clear advantage over load and haul. High water table situations can be tackled with success. Hydraulic re-mining does not create, but rather reduces the airborne dust problem often associated with fine tailings dumps and dry mining techniques. This is becoming a more and more important factor as society becomes less tolerant of environmental impacts.
Setting up a hydraulic re-mining operation requires as much detailed planning as any other surface mining operation. The execution of the operation requires skills, the knowhow and a properly trained team with highly experienced leadership to demonstrate this unique skill.
The characteristics of the ore body will determine the pressure required to monitor the material. Most typical designed water reticulations are where low pressure water feeds the high pressure pumps and then boosted to between 25 and 30 bar, with calculated volumes to keep the material in suspension. The water cannons primarily breaks up the structure of the material mechanically through the contained energy in the jet stream. Depending on the required production targets Paragon Projects team will design, manufacture and supply the required water cannons, hydraulic mining equipment for the operations to meet the deliverables.
In virtually all cases the slurried material needs to be kept “contained” and gravity feeds to the installed satellite / discharge pipe reporting to the slurry pump station (designed, manufactured, constructed by the Paragon Projects team) which transfers the slurrified material to the main plant. The key to a hydraulic re-mining operation is a consistent flow rate and maximum slurry densities reporting to the main plant.