< SOCIETY FOR

(URGY
MINING, METALLURGY,
AND EXPLORATION, INC.
BASICS OF PASTE BACKFILL SYSTEMS
F. w. Brackebusch
Mine Systems Design
Kellogg, Idaho
F. A. Edwards
Dynatec Engineering Limited
Richmond Hill, Ont., Canada
For presentation at the SME Annual Meeting
Reno, Nevada - February 15-18, 1993
PREPRINT
NUMBER
93-143
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1. DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION OF PASTE
BACKFILL
Paste is a high density mixture of water and fine
solid particles with a relatively low water content
(10-25%) such that the mixture has a consistency as
measured by the ASTM slump cone test from slightly
greater than zero up to nearly 12 inches (305mm).
Particles of different size classes will not segregate or
settle when the paste is not being agitated or when
it is stationary in a pipeline. Cement may be a
component of paste. Larger particles of aggregate
can generally be added to a paste without greatly
changing the pipeline transport characteristics.
A paste may bleed water slightly when it is allowed
to be motionless for periods of up to several hours,
but the solids do not become so dense that the paste
cannot be easily re-fluidized. The dividing line
between the definition of a high density slurry and a
paste is not sharp. It is a practical matter that must
be considered when designing a pipeline
transportation system. If the pipeline is very short,
there is very little risk of plugging the pipeline with
a high density slurry when flow is stopped for short
time periods. With longer pipelines the mixture
must remain stable without motion for periods as
long as several hours to avoid pipeline plugging.
The fine particles in a paste mixture can be
composed of mine tailings or naturally-occurring
clays, silts and fine sands. The mineralogy of the
particles thus can have a wide variety from quartz
and feldspar to clays, micas and even salts.
Tailings from the milling or processing operation of
a mine are the most common source of solid
material for paste back-fill in the mining industry.
The use of tailings will be emphasized in this paper.
Paste backfill would generally be used in
underground mines but could be used for waste
disposal in open cast and strip mines.
The moisture content or density of a paste for a
given slump consistency depends on the size
distribution of the particles. The finer the particles,
the more surface area that must be wetted thus
yielding higher moistures and lower densities for a
given consistency. With larger particles, the surface
area is smaller resulting in lower moistures and
higher densities for a mixtures of the same given
consistency. The specific gravity of the particles also
affects the density of the mixture when expressed by
weight. In practice, paste mixtures range from 73%
solids by weight to 90% solids by weight.
Paste mixtures are non-newtonian fluids. Viscosity
is a measure of the resistance to movement between
adjacent layers of fluid, or the resistance of the fluid
to flow. Newtonian fluids exhibit constant viscosity
regardless of the flow rate and the yield stress, which
1
must be overcome before flow commences, is zero
for newtonian fluids. Paste mixes are generally
classed as Bingham plastic fluids which have a
significant yield stress but have a relatively constant
viscosity as flow rate increases. However,
experiences with pipeline transportation of pastes
have shown that the theories of paste flow are not
well understood. Viscosity can either increase or
decrease with time or flow rate depending on the
characteristics of the paste. Attempts to develop
predictive models for paste rheology have so far
been relatively unsuccessful.
2. PREPARATION OF PASTE MIXTURES
Tailings from a milling operation are usually
discharged as a dilute slurry. Excess water may be
recovered for recycling in the milling operation by
use of a tailings thickener, but the tailings slurry is
always too wet to be considered a paste. Therefore,
dewatering of the tailings slurry is usually the first
step in preparing a paste backfill mixture. Fine
particles, often referred to as "slimes", must not be
lost during the dewatering operation so a
conventional gravity thickener becomes the
equipment of choice for the first stage of dewatering.
If more than a sufficient amount of fine particles are
present in the tailing stream, part of the stream can
be processed with a hydrocyclone and the overflow
discarded thus removing some of the water and
increasing the thickening and filtration rates. This is
called partial classification. Cyclones cannot
generally be used solely as the first stage of
dewatering because slimes are lost in the overflow.
However, cyclone overflow can be dewatered in a
thickener and re-mixed with the cyclone underflow to
form a paste. For a common milling operation with
quartz, carbonates, and feldspars as the predominant
mineralogy, the underflow from the thickener should
be 65-70% solids by weight.
The thickener underflow should be a stable slurry.
A stable slurry does not exhibit segregation of
particle sizes or rapid settling of larger particles. A
stable slurry can be easily pumped with centrifugal
pumps, and pipeline velocity is not so critical as with
dilute slurries. Filtration is generally the final
dewatering step in preparation of a paste backfill.
Many different types of dewatering filters can be
used including disk and drum vacuum filters,
horizontal belt vacuum filters, belt filter presses, and
hyperbaric disk filters. Capital and operating costs
are the criteria used for filter selection. The product
of the final dewatering step is a moist filter cake
which can be handled with belt conveyors.
Commonly, some storage of filter cake is necessary
to level out surges in the paste preparation process.
Storage of large quantities of filter cake should be
avoided because the material is often sticky and
causes problems with bulk material handling
equipment.
It is possible to avoid the filtration step in the
preparation of paste backfill. The thickener
underflow slurry can be mixed directly with a
suitable dry alluvial material to produce a paste
mixture. Moisture content and particle size
distributions of the components are the determining
factors to be considered. Also, as mentioned above,
in some cases it is possible to cyclone the tailings,
thicken the overflow, dewater the underflow on a
gravity screen, and re-mix the two components to
produce a paste, thus avoiding the filtration step.
The components of a paste mixture including filter
cake, cement, aggregate, and water must be mixed
thoroughly to produce a homogenous paste for
pipeline transportation. A paste mixing plant is very
similar to a concrete batch plant. Components must
be weighed accurately and supplied rapidly to the
mixing process. A batch mixing process is easier to
control and thus usually preferable to a continuous
mixing process. High intensity mixers developed by
the concrete industry are suitable for mixing paste
backfill.
Precise control is necessary to operate a paste
backfill plant. Small variations is moisture content
will result in large variations in pipeline friction.
Modem instrumentation and PLC control have made
paste backfill a practical backfill material.
After mixing, the paste backfill can be discharged
into a vertical pipeline or into a conventional
concrete pump hopper. Practical pumping distances
range up to 3,280 feet (1,000m) and vertical
dropping distances are unlimited. A horizontal leg
at the bottom of a vertical pipeline can also
transport paste up to 3,280 feet (1,000m) with energy
supplied by the vertical column of paste.
3. PASTE MIX SPECIFICATIONS AND DESIGN
The most important requirement to produce a paste
is the presence of a sufficient amount of fine
particles. In most cases, pastes must contain at least
15% by weight of particles less than 20 microns in
diameter. Mineralogy and particle shape will affect
the amount of fine particles necessary.
A program of laboratory and pilot scale testwork is
necessary to determine the suitability of a material
to be used for paste backfill. Table 1 contains an
outline showing most of the testwork that could be
performed to determine if a material is suitable fur
a paste mixture. Experienced engineers can perform
simple mixing tests and, with the knowledge of the
particle size distribution, can make judgments about
the suitability of a material.
2
Table 1
Testwork to determine suitability for paste backfill
Laboratory phase
Grain size distribution by laser
Mineralogy and density
Grain shapes
Compaction curves and optimum density
Liquid and plastic limits
Porosity
Permeability
Abrasiveness
Bin Flowability
Slump vs. water content
Thickening tests
Filtration tests
Cycloning tests
Paste mixing - visual observation
Pipe column flow tests
Strength tests
Pilot plant phase
Thickening at plant site
Filtration at plant site
Slump vs. mixing power requirement
Full scale pumping loop test
Experience to-date has shown that it is difficult to
scale paste flow characteristics from small scale tests
to full scale pipeline conditions. This generally
results in the necessity of performing full scale
pumping tests.
A paste backfill can be engineered to yield the
necessary strength for the intended application.
Strength is increased by increasing cement content,
reducing moisture content (stiffer mixes) and by the
addition of aggregate. In many cases, mine backfill
with unconfined compressive strength of 100-300 psi
(0.7-2.1 mPa) is adequate. This can be achieved
with 3-5% by dry weight of Portland cement.
4. ADVANTAGES OF PASTE BACKFILL
SYSTEMS
In underground mines the introduction of hydraulic
sandfil1 systems over 40 years ago improved ground
support and reduced labor and material costs. Paste
backfill systems offer advantages over hydraulic
sandfil1 systems:
1. Greater strengths can be achieved with less
cement.
2. It is not necessary to decant water from
stopes being filled with paste as it is with hydraulic
sandfill.
3. Generally, all of the tailings can be used for
paste, but with hydraulic systems only the coarse
. i
particles can be used. Often there is a shortage of
coarse particles, so a paste system solves a material
balance problem.
4. Because of reduced porosity, paste backfill is
more dense than hydraulic sandfill and has a higher
confined strength. In some mines more than 30% of
the weight of the ore is sold as a product, and the
entire tailings stream can be disposed of
underground.
5. Slimes draining from hydraulic sandfiII
operations often pose housekeeping problems, cause
wear on mine dewatering pumps, and pose safety
problems if dumped in ore passes. These problems
are solved with paste backfill.
6. The mining cycle time is less with paste backfiII
system because strength is achieved earlier than with
hydraulic sandfilI.
7. With paste backfill a stope can be filled
continuously without worrying about liquefaction and
washout of the lower barricade. Thus the mass flow
rate can be less with paste fill because of fewer stops
and starts than is typical with hydraulic systems.
With stiff mixes, barricades can actually be
eliminated or simple barricades such as piles of
waste rock can be used.
8. A paste backfill system facilitates the use of a
mechanized undercut-and-filI mining system which
increases safety, reduces dilution, and can be used
with nearly any orebody shape. A paste backfill
system allows flexibility in mining methods. For
example, vertical retreat mining can be used for the
more massive parts of an orebody and mechanized
undercut-and-filI can be used in irregular or narrow
parts.
RockfiII systems are used in some mines requiring
backfill. Rockfill systems are generally used because
of the unavailability of hydraulic fill because the mill
is distant from the mine or the milling operation
grinds too fine to produce a permeable hydraulic
sandfiII. Paste backfill systems have the following
advantages over rockfill systems:
1. Pipeline transportation is less expensive than
transporting rockfill which requires fill raises and
truck or rail transportation.
2. Rockfill is also more expensive than paste
because most of the rock must be mined due to the
fact that development waste is usually insufficient. .
3. Tailings impoundment costs are higher with
rockfiII because all tailings must be impounded, and
reclamation costs arise because of an open pit
rockfiII mine.
3
Paste systems require higher capital investments than
hydraulic sandfilI systems and roughly similar
investments to rockfill systems. In most cases
considered so far, the investment in a paste fill
system can be easily justified by reduced operating
costs and increased productivity. The only reason a
paste system cannot be justified in the cases studied
was insufficient reserves to recover the pay back of
capital.
5. APPUCATIONS - CASE HISTORIES
5.1 Lucky Friday mine - Idaho, USA
Paste backfill is prepared by dewatering flotation
tailings from a lead-zinc concentrator. The tailings
are partially classified with a hydrocyclone to
increase thickening and filtration rates. After
thickening to 65% solids, a standard vacuum drum
filter produces filter cake with 13% moisture. The
filter cake is stored in a bunker and reclaimed, when
necessary, with a bucket-chain excavator. A PLC-
controlled batch process is used to mix paste with a
consistency of 8-10 inch (203mm - 254mm) slump.
Components are weighed and a high intensity mixer
delivers product to a concrete pump which pumps
the paste about 200 feet (6Om) to a vertical shaft.
The vertical pipeline in the shaft is vented so a
gravity flow situation exists. Paste is delivered to
stopes 5,100 feet (1,500m) beneath the surface and
as far as 2,000 feet (600m) horizontally from the
shaft. Pressures in the pipeline are less than 1,000
psi (7 mPa). A two phase flow system exists in most
of the shaft column with air being alternately taken
in and expulsed at the top. The paste backfilling
rate is 130 st/hr (120 t/hr) into horizontal undercut-
and-fill stopes. Pipelines are emptied after using
because cement is added by the surface backfill
plant.
5.2 Bad Grund Mine - Germany
Paste fill is prepared from tailings and float-sink
reject aggregate from a lead-zinc concentrator. The
first stage of tailings dewatering includes a
hydrocycIone and a thickener, and the second stage
is a vacuum belt filter. The paste backfilling process
is continuous as opposed to batch, and there is
minimal storage of solids. Approximately equal parts
of float-sink aggregate and tailings filter cake are
mixed in a continuous mixer to form a paste of
about 12% moisture and pumped about 260 feet
(80m) to a vertical shaft about 1,640 feet (500m)
deep. The stopes are located from 1,312 feet (400m)
to 7,545 feet (2,300m) from the shaft, and an
intermediate pumping station is necessary for the
more distant stopes. Portland cement is conveyed
pneumatically in a separate pipeline to the
backfilling sites and is injected into the paste
pipeline about 164 feet (5Om) from the end. The
cemented paste backfill is relatively stiff as placed in
the horizontal undercut-and-fill stopes, forming a
steep angle of repose. The backfilling rate is about
1,060 ff /hr (30m
3
/hr). It should be noted, that the
Bad Grund Mine closed in early 1992.
5.3 Other applications of paste or high density
backfill
At the Greens Creek Mine in Alaska, filtered
tailings, mixed with cement, is prepared in a batch
plant, hauled underground and mechanically placed
by spreading or ramming the fill tightly into drifts.
A paste systems similar to the one at the Grund
mine is used at the Bad Bleiberg mine in Austria.
Several mines in Africa are using high density fill
and research work continues on paste fill. Inco Ltd,
Ontario Division, uses high density fill prepared from
alluvial materials and metallurgical wastes. Inco is
currently developing paste systems using tailings and
alluvial materials.
6. DISPOSAL OF INDUSTRIAL WASTES
This paper does not address the regulatory aspects of
disposing waste in underground sites. The fact that
orebodies containing heavy metals have existed for
as long as billions of years without significant
migration into ground water systems is proof that
wastes could be stored permanently in appropriate
underground sites.
Industrial wastes meeting the requirements of paste
mixtures could be prepared and transported
economically with pipelines to underground sites for
permanent disposal.
7. CONCLUSIONS
Paste backfill is a relatively new technology, but it is
being used at producing mines. Many mines are
considering its use because of the economic and
environmental advantages.
To produce a paste, tailings slurry can be dewatered
with conventional equipment. Testwork is necessary
to optimize the dewatering system and to obtain data
for engineering design of the paste pipeline. Paste
backfill systems require state-of-the-art PLC controls
because only slight changes in moisture content
cause wide variations in viscosity. Paste backfill can
be delivered to underground voids in pipelines using
pumps or gravity flow.
REFERENCES
Lerche, R. & H. Renetzeder 1984. The development
of "pumped fill" at Grund mine. Hydrotransport 9:
rome.
Sultan, A A 1988. Sizing pipe for non-Newtonian
flow. Chern. Engr 12/19/88: 140-146.
Vickery, 1. D. & c. M. K. Boldt 1989. Total tailings
4
backfill properties and pumping. Innov. in Mining
Backfill Tech. Rotterdam: Balkema.
Whipple, R. & R. Patterson 1991. High density fill
at Garson mine. CIM 10th Underground Operators
Conf.