Waste Thickening Complex Construction

PROJECT START: 

2019

COMPLETION DATE:

2023

THE CURRENT SITUATION AT THE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE:

Liquid containing process waste from enrichment at the amount of 67,650 m3/h and a solids concentration of 3% in the effluents is discharged through underground chutes into a pumping station. From there, it is pumped with slurry pumps to a slurry storage reservoir at a height of over 52 meters which has a length of 2000 meters. A considerable amount of electrical power is used to pump such a volume.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

To decrease power consumption for pumping of tailings.

To increase the slurry reservoir lifetime.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DECISIONS MADE:

In order to reduce power consumption done by large-capacity technological processes, the decision has been made by our company’s experts to implement tailings thickening technology to decrease the volume of effluents transferred to the slurry reservoir.

The developed technology of slurry tailings thickening involves processing the entire volume of tailings pulp in radial thickeners using flocculants. As a result, the discharge of clarified water from the thickeners is returned to the circulation system of the complex and used for the process needs of the enterprise. The thickened tailings are then pumped into the tailings storage facility.

This engineering solution reduces the transportation route of fresh water for the enrichment process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY:

Check out industrial wastewater treatment services from M HEAVY TECHNOLOGY.

Tailing slurry pulp with a solids content of 3.49% flows through self-flowing slurry channels from the ore-dressing plant РОФ-1 to the booster pumping station ПНС-1. In this pumping station, the project replaces the pumping equipment with low-pressure pumps. Overall ten pumping units are planned to be replaced. The slurry is then pumped into the Tailings Distribution Chamber (КРХ). From the Tailings Distribution Chamber, the tailing slurry is distributed to four radial high-capacity thickeners, with a diameter of 60 meters each, where under the action of the flocculant, the solid phase is precipitated to the bottom part. Subsequently,  the slurry is fed to a common sump (tank) of the Slurry Pump Station through unloading pumps. After this stage, the thickened slurry is pumped into the tailings storage facility.

The final product – thickened slurry – contains 50-55% solids and has a volume of 1963.86 m3/h.

Clarified water, which drains from the thickeners with a solids content of 150 mg/l, flows naturally into the receiving chamber of the Reverse Water Supply Pumping Station (RWSPS), from where it is fed with water pumps for the technological needs of the enterprise.

The payback for the adopted technological solutions is within a period of 10 years.

ESTIMATED COST OF IMPLEMENTATION

145 000 000 Euro.