Applications of reactive transport modeling for assessing the effects of heterogeneities and internal structure on mass loadings from waste rock piles
department or school: Science, Faculty of
department or school: Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Raymond, Katherine Elizabeth
issued: 2020-04-28T17:02:27Z
issued: 2020
related degree: Master of Science - MSc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Design strategies for waste rock piles (WRPs) to mitigate or reduce the potential for poor drainage quality which have associated environmental and economic liabilities are an important consideration for mining operations. Due to their size and complexity, conceptualizing internal processes and forecasting drainage quality from WRPs has proved challenging. Reactive transport modeling (RTM) is a tool that can help improve understanding of complex interactions of physical and geochemical processes within WRPs and compare the effects of pile design on drainage water quality. In this thesis, RTM is used to investigate the effect of physical and chemical heterogeneities, pile construction methods and scale on mass loadings in drainage from full-scale WRPs through a series of stylistic models. RTM is also applied to a laboratory-scale model to simulate an engineered cover system as part of the long-term design plan for the Tio Mine, Quebec, Canada. Results from the stylistic models indicate that heterogeneity and structural features in WRPs can cause significant variations in effluent quality, when compared to a homogeneous case. Simulated peak loadings are reduced due to the presence of heterogeneities and internal structure, at the same time prolonging the release of poor-quality drainage. The results also indicate that pile construction methods (e.g. end- and push-dumping) affect drainage release in different ways; however, these differences vanish for larger multi-lift piles. Simulations suggest that multiple lifts and the presence of buried traffic surface homogenize mass loadings, independent of construction methods. Simulations also indicate that peak mass loadings from waste rock piles are reduced by a factor of 2-3 when heterogeneities and structure are considered, which has implications for the design of water treatment systems. These results were put to practice in simulations of a laboratory-scale model, where heterogeneities proved essential for capturing eff…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/74198
note: APPLICATIONS OF REACTIVE TRANSPORT MODELING FOR ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF HETEROGENEITIES AND INTERNAL STRUCTURE ON MASS LOADINGS FROM WASTE ROCK PILES by Katherine Elizabeth Raymond B.Sc., The University of Waterloo, 2015 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Geological Sciences) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2020 © Katherine Elizabeth Raymond, 2020 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, a thesis entitled: Applications of Reactive Transport Modeling for Assessing the Effects of Heterogeneities and Internal Structure on Mass Loadings from Waste Rock Piles Submitted by Katherine Raymond, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geological Sciences. Examining Committee: Prof. K. Ulrich Mayer, The University of British Columbia, Geological Sciences Supervisor Prof. Roger D. Beckie, The University of British Columbia, Geological Sciences Supervisory Committee Member Prof. Bruno Bussière, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mines and the Environment Supervisory Committee Member Prof. Bern Klein, The University of British Columbia, NBK Mining Engineering Additional Examiner iii Abstract Design strategies for waste rock piles (WRPs) to mitigate or reduce the potential for poor drainage quality which have associated environmental and economic liabilities are an important consideration for mining operations. Due to their size and complexity, conceptualizing internal processes and forecasting drainage quality from WRPs has proved challenging. Reactive transport modeling (RTM) is a tool that can help improve understanding of complex interactions of physical and geochemical processes within WRPs and compare the effects of pile design on drainage water quality. In this thesis, RTM is used to inve…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2020-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0390006
language: eng
degree discipline: Geological Sciences
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/74198