Open Collections

Abstract

Bathymetric surveying is required to map the underwater floor of tailing storage impoundment reclaim ponds. This information is combined with traditional surveys to develop full impoundment storage capacities. These evaluations provide critical data for water management and deposition planning during active mining operations. At some large Tailing Storage Facility (TSF) reclaim ponds, bathymetry surveys have been performed by a crew operating manned boats equipped with sonar. To reduce personnel exposure on these ponds, Copperstone Technologies has developed an autonomous vehicle, HELIX Neptune, that is capable of traversing solid ground, wet tailings, and water via a screw-drive propulsion system and remote control with autopilot. This paper will describe the motivations, methods, and results of the application of the HELIX Neptune autonomous vehicle at Freeport-McMoRan Sierrita Inc.