Computer design of underground mine dewatering systems

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 86, No. 970, 1993

E.M. De Souza, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, and R. Penner, Barrick Goldstrike Mines Inc., Elko, Nevada

Water is encountered at the majority of underground mines, both over their lifetime and during each stage of development and production. The dewatering system is one of the most important and costly components of an underground mining operation and it is often not well designed and analyzed. An effective design of a mine dewatering system will greatly reduce its energy cost as well as improve working conditions and reduce production costs. A computer-based system, called Qpump, has been developed to assist the underground operator to effectively design and/or assess over-all and local mine dewatering systems. The design features and principles used in the development of Qpump are introduced and an example which illustrates typical applications is presented.

Keywords: Underground mining, Dewatering systems, Computer applications, Qpump.