Abstract:

Cemented paste fills (CPF) are composed of full-stream (usually) tailings, water, and binder. The fines in the tailings and binder create a matrix which supports the coarser particles as well as allowing the CPF to be transported via pipelines. However, what happens when the usual supply of tailings is disrupted and the only viable source of ‘tailings’ aggregate is significantly coarser than the usual tailings? This paper summarizes observations of a project conducted as part of an operational necessity to replace tailings fines with binder.

The project was conducted at Newmont Porcupine’s Hoyle Pond (HP) mine in Timmins, Canada. Tailings for HP are harvested during the summer and a surplus is stockpiled for use during the winter. Due to operational constraints, insufficient tailings were stockpiled. In order to keep up with mine production HP utilized a CPF whose mix consisted of silty sand, binder, and water. This paper explores the development of the blend in comparison to the operation’s usual blend, operational observations during the CPF pours, and provides a comparison of the performance between its standard paste mix design and the project’s colloquially named “super paste.”

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Ms. Lesly Betancourt Gonzalez