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Monitoring of Iron Tailings Saturation Using Water Moisture Sensors

Tailings and Mine Waste Conference (2023 : Vancouver, B.C.); University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

This research explores the importance of considering the unsaturated nature of tailings in the Brazilian mining industry’s tailings characterization efforts. It presents a case study involving two upstream-raised dams in Brazil, discussing the geotechnical campaign and material characterization conducted to understand the facilities’saturation conditions. The paper further discusses the installation of water content sensors to indirectly measure the degree of saturation, along with a brief overview of the calibration process implemented to enhance the precision of water content measurements in these sensors. The research demonstrates the significance of considering the calibration process when using such sensors in tailings engineering. The obtained results demonstrate that the sensor could accurately represent the expected saturation profile, with saturations close to 100% below the water table and gradually decreasing towards the surface. The case study and findings emphasize the importance of characterizing the unsaturated portion of tailings reservoirs to support further studies. Without adequate monitoring, the application of unsaturated soil mechanics can be approximate, particularly in climatic conditions similar to those in Brazil.

Text

2023-12-08

Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86821

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/