Abstract
Effective management of tailings storage facilities (TSFs) is a critical aspect of sustainable mining operations, particularly post-closure. Cover systems are key elements for sustainability to help maintaining the long-term stability of the TSF, particularly when designed to reduce infiltration and oxygen ingress to limit the rates of sulfide oxidation, therefore reducing the potential for acid rock drainage (ARD) and metal leaching (ML).
We propose a novel modeling process applied to cover systems that harnesses the analytical strengths of Hydrus-1D coupled with the versatility of Python scripting and the data management and analysis capabilities of Power BI.
Our methodology provides an understanding of the cover's infiltration and degree of saturation, crucial for determining the efficacy of cover systems and their enhanced variants with additional low hydraulic conductivity layers.
Our research is expected to contribute to the body of knowledge in TSF management and closure and provides a foundation for future innovations in cover system design.
The practical application of our modeling approach is demonstrated through a theoretical example where the automated modelling approach is used to examine key variables of the cover system performance over a wide range of input values. These variables include hydraulic conductivity, soil water characteristic curves, cover thickness, and the influence of climatic conditions as boundary constraints.
The analysis results provide an understanding of the cover’s degree of saturation, crucial for determining the efficacy of limiting oxygen transport as well as relative rates of infiltration, crucial for predicting performance of systems designed to reduce the potentially impacted seepage (ARD/ML) downstream of the TSF.
The simulation outputs are graphically depicted using a 2D color gradient plot that dynamically represent the fluctuation of saturation levels across different temporal and spatial dimensions.
Authors
Ariel Terlisky, Senior Geotechnical Engineer | SRK Argentina
Imanol Vega, Geotechnical Engineer | SRK Argentina
Gastón Quaglia, Senior Geoenvironmental Engineer | SRK Canada
Jonathon Doherty, Senior Geoenvironmental Engineer | SRK Canada
Michel Noël, Principal Geotechnical Engineer | SRK Canada
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