Underground Mine Drainage Design
Underground mine drainage design is an invaluable tool used to provide effective water management solutions for a variety of different industries. In underground mining operations, large volumes of water are created when deep excavation or tunneling operations are required. Water management that handles this water in an effective manner is essential to the safety and efficiency of these operations, and the underlying mine design must be tailored to the specific location and ground water.
Mine drainage design strategies are developed to ensure that water is managed in a manner that minimizes disruption to production operations and reduces costs. The primary objectives of drainage design include:
• Maximizing the amount of water that can be recovered from the area
• maximizing water quality prior to leaving the mine operation area
• minimizing the cost of the drainage system
• minimizing surface and underground water contamination
• maximizing safety for the equipment, personnel and environment
Depending on the specific mine drainage requirements, there are a number of different design strategies that can be employed. The design may include tributaries, underground pipelines, sumps, pumps, channels, dams and other infrastructure. Tributaries involve the interception and collection of incoming surface water, while underground pipelines are used to supply and return drainage water. Sumps provide storage and/or separation of water within the mine, while pumps are used to move the collected water away from the mine to remote areas. Channels and dams can be used to control the water flow and prevent flooding.
The design of a mine drainage system profoundly affects the quality of the water that is discharged in the area. Primary considerations must be given to the effluent and inlet concentrations, chemical composition and stability of the effluent, suspended-solids levels and temperature of the water. Flow, head and power requirements must also be taken into account when designing the drainage system.
Depending on the chemical composition of the water and other contaminants that may exist, proper treatment systems must be established to ensure that the water discharges are suitable for the environment. This includes the construction of sedimentation ponds, biological treatment systems, constructed wetlands and chemical precipitation and oxidation basins.
Overall, when proper design and construction of the drainage system is taken into consideration, long-term management costs will be minimized while providing effective water management solutions to the facility. The design must take into account all of the above factors as well as surface and subsurface characteristics of the site, local hazardous material regulations, standard environmental management practices, and so on. All of these considerations will ensure that the design strategy is suitable for the environment, operational safety and maintenance of the mine operations.
