Tailings and Mine Waste 2009

Paste Pumping and Deposition Field

Trials and Concepts on Syncrude’s
Dewatered Mature Fine Tailings (MFT)
(Centrifuge Cake)
Rick Lahaie – Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Isaac Ahmed, Mark Labelle, Rob Brown – Golder Paste Technology Ltd.
Outline – Bench Scale to Pilot Testing
 Brief introduction to MFT centrifuge process
 All testwork was completed at Syncrude’s
Mildred Lake Operation
 Two phase approach, with the objective -
determine pumpability of MFT centrifuge
cake (paste)
 Bench scale rheological examination of
centrifuge cake at 50 to 60 wt.% solids
 Design field testing (flow loop) of a
positive displacement pumping system for
the centrifuge cake
 Preliminary deposition concepts
 Scope of MFT Centrifuge Field Trials

 Two pods of oilfield scale centrifuges were

MiSwaco operated in parallel by Syncrude
 Two Alfa Laval Lynx 40’s running in parallel
with the prime focus provide centrifuge cake
for:
 Transportation assessment – conveyor
and positive displacement pump / pipeline
studies (Golder PasteTec)
 Bulk materials for geotechnical and
Alfa Laval environmental studies
 Single MiSwaco 518 centrifuge used to
Advance MFT flocculation and MFT centrifuge
process understanding:
 Flocculant optimization studies
 Centrifuge operational parameter
assessments
 Overview – MFT Centrifuge Pilot Plant Set-up
Golder Paste Tec
Set-Up Stacker

Centrifuge Centrifuges
Cake
Deposits
Flocculant
Storage/Mixing

MFT Storage
Tanks

Interim MFT
Supply
Pond
Bench Scale Phase I

 Determine if MFT centrifuge cake can be pumped

 First phase bench scale rheology testing
 MFT centrifuge cake: 50 to 60 wt.% solids
 Centrate to less than 1 wt.% solids
 High flocculant content, 1300 g/tonne
 Low slump values, less than 5”
 Results show
 High yield stress, ranging from 600 to 1200 Pa
 Metal mine pastes have yield stresses of about
200 Pa
 High yield stress ~attributed to high flocculant
dosage. Metal mine pastes, 20 to 50 g/tonne
 Bench Scale Phase I

 Sampling of MFT centrifuge cake

 Target conditions
1400
9/12/2008 4:00 PM  Upset conditions
1200 Standard
9/12/2008 4:00 PM  Sheared / unsheared
1000 Sheared
Yield Stress (Pa)

800
 Yield stress values gives some
indication on ease of pumping
600

400
 To pump MFT centrifuge cake –
material must be sheared first
200
 By shearing the sample the yield
0
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% stress can be reduced significantly
Solids Content (w t%)
 Field Pumping Phase II – Equipment Set-Up

Overall Set-Up  Field equipment was set-up to pump the

MFT centrifuge cake
 Data captured is used to determine
pipeline friction loss
 MFT centrifuge cake pumping process
 Material discharged from the stacker
enters the paste / hopper truck
Piping & Instrumentation  The truck shears and discharges into
the pump truck
 Material is pumped via piston pump to
a deposition cell
 Pressure sensors and flow meter are
used to capture data in real time for
interpretation under different conditions
Field Pumping Phase II – Equipment Set-Up
Centrifuge Cake
Discharge 615 cm

Pipe Discharge

Pressure
Reducer Transducer #1 Pipe Clamps
Pipes Flowmeter

915 cm
Hopper
Pressure
Truck
Transducer #2
100 mm Ø

ANSI Flange
790 cm

2805 cm

Pumper Truck
3412 cm

Shearing with screw auger

and mixer
 Field Pumping Phase II – Data Acquisition

 Pressure differential and

1000 3.0 flow-rate
900
2.5
 Pump strokes can be
800

700
readily observed on
2.0
graph
Pressure (kPa)

600

Flow (m/sec)
500 1.5  Dataset is analysed and
400
1.0
follows the Bingham
300
plastic model
200
0.5
100  MFT centrifuge cake
0 0.0 has characteristics of
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (sec) paste
Transducer 1 (kPa) Transducer 2(kPa) FM (m/sec)
 Field Pumping Phase II – Data Analysis

 First step is to determine

80
relationship between
Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 pressure loss and flow
70
rate
Pressure Losses (kPa / m)

60
 The raw data collected
50
(previous slide)
40
represents one point on
30
each curve
20
 A series of runs at
10 different flow-rates at the
0 same material
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50
Flow Velocity (m/sec) consistency represents
one test
 Field Pumping Phase II – Pipe Friction Factors

 Using the Bingham Plastic

10 model, pipe friction factors
9 Test 3 Test 4
can be obtained
8
 Data presented is scaled up
Pressure Loss, (kPa/m)

6
to 350 mm diameter
5 schedule 40 pipe – from
4 field set-up of 40 mm
3
diameter pipe
2

0
0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00
Flow Velocity (m/sec)
Field Pumping Phase II – Transport &
Deposition

 MFT centrifuged cake (paste) was

pumped and deposited
 10 kPa/m for 8” pipe diameter (200
mm)
 5 kPa/m for a 14” pipe diameter (350
mm)
 Values presented are for 1 m/s flow
velocity
 Natural deposition angle was
apparent
 Mixer Discharge (Click to Start)
 Pipe Discharge (Click to Start)
 Deposition (Click to Start)
Deposition Concepts

 Subsequent dewatering of the cake by

natural processes; consolidation, desiccation
and freeze thaw via either / or:
 1 to 2 m annual layers or lifts, delivering a
trafficable surface that can be reclaimed
terrestrially;
 A very thick, potentially 30 m layer deposited
in the mined out pits where, with time,
consolidation further dewaters the cake to
deliver a deposit that can be reclaimed
terrestrially or by water capping.
Conclusion

 MFT centrifuge cake can be pumped, but it must

be sheared first – reduce yield stress
 MFT centrifuge cake like paste can be
characterized (rheology) using the Bingham
Plastic model
 Pipeline friction factors are relatively high but
can be pumped via positive displacement pumps
 When deposited the material showed little water
bleed - an advancing front is apparent with
surface cracking
 Syncrude is currently investigating all cake
transport alternatives - trucking with specialty
boxes, pumping, conveying and possibly direct
deposit from floating centrifuge barges for some
in-pit deposition.
Tailings and Mine Waste 2009

Thank you!
Questions / Comments

Rick Lahaie – Syncrude Canada Ltd.

Isaac Ahmed, Mark Labelle, Rob Brown – Golder Paste Technology Ltd.