02/12/2015 Tailings planning with Muck3D Carlo Cooper MineBridge Software Inc. Remembering why we plan + We plan so we achieve our goals and objectives + Safety to humans * Safety to the environment + We plan so we do not fail. + We plan so we can minimise costs without compromising integrity. * We plan so we are not surprised.02/12/2015 How do we plan effectively? * By repeatedly asking the question “What if my assumption is wrong” * By being critical of design assumptions. * By recognising that things change and adapting to it. * By understanding that planning is an ongoing process. * By adapting an observational approach. What are the main outputs? * An understanding of the state of a structure at the end of its life/post- closure. * Aset of steps that show how a facility is developed. * Critical points in a facility life (e.g. transition between facilities, rate of rise approaching limits, etc.) * Consideration of mitigation strategies for potential issues before they eventuate. + Input into Operation & Maintenance docs, looking for signs of impending issues. * Visualisations of scenarios.02/12/2015 Tailings staging/planning * Modelling from a volumetric viewpoint. + Understanding requirements to store target volumes. * Understanding construction effort. * Understand pond behaviour. * Understand rate of rise of pond, tailings, dams. + Identify failure modes. + Understand what’s needed for tailings transportation & pumping. Key concepts * Solids are generally easy to store. Water is the problem. * Beach steeper than terrain -> need elevation to pour from. « Terrain steeper than beach -> need containment. + More water -> more effort for dam (design wise, elevation/construction effort). * For thin lift deposition, required area = f (inflow rate + drying time)02/12/2015 Planning in 3D * We do this by building 3D models of the TSF and other waste structures over time. * These are simplified models of complex behaviour, but we capture the key behaviours and model them. * Level of detail & effort we go into depends on planning timeframe. * The outputs are only as good as their inputs. Which brings us to Muck3D... * Muck3D is a 3D design tool, designed to support the development of 3D tailings volume models. * Provides a range of tools to enable rapid prototyping of design concepts for tailings, general mine waste, & dams. * Tailings deposition models are tightly coupled to the pond management strategy. * Given the level of uncertainty in input parameters, and the likely operational deviation from any prescribed plan, we deal with uncertainty by evaluating many different scenarios, rapidly.02/12/2015 Using 3D models effectively * To make this a practical exercise, we need to dumb down complex processes. + Keep the level of detail to a minimum. * Operations are simplified. + Beaches are reduced to linear or compound linear slopes. * Consolidation behaviour simplified. * Ahigh level of analytical accuracy (e.g. consolidation) is generally not warranted or practical since plans are rarely the way things pan out. Ways we can use 3D models Capacity calculations: * Determination of the total capacity of a facility. + Remaining space for current containment elevation. Scheduling: « Identifying state of a facility at a point in time. * Determines effort required over a time period to build/operate.02/12/2015 Key inputs * Good topographic & bathymetric survey data. * Assumptions for tailings dry density, beach slopes. * Tailings production data. * Water management data. * Dam designs. * Understanding of what site Ops will actually do. Topo & bathymetric data * Lidar is great. * Bathymetric data should be collected at the same time to create a nice surface that ties in properly. * Satellite photogrammetric data is an option where Lidar data isn’t available. * SRTM data is old, 90m grid, only available between 6ON and 60S but better than nothing, especially for conceptual design. + Bathymetric data should be thoughtfully collected, focusing on areas that give us useful information.02/12/2015 Collecting bathymetric data * Section lines that green give us good information about BBW slopes. * Orange ones less so — we want to be perpendicular to the tailings contours. * Red doesn’t tell us a lot — at this stage of the life there are little to no tailings out here. Estimating slopes * For a single stream can vary around the perimeter and can vary over time. + Where there are multiple streams entering a TSF, the areas of interaction between then can make it hard to assess true beach slopes. * Operational decisions can impact variability in slopes in different parts of a TSF.02/12/2015 ®, Slope varies with time rom eum) Ms lopes from the same tailings line02/12/2015 Slopes from the same tailings line Section 1: 4.03 - 4.27% Section 2: 3.31 - 4.02% Slopes from the same tailings line Section 3: 3.0- 3.26% Section 4; 3.98-4.16%02/12/2015 ‘Beach slopes from a CTD deposit Working with slope prediction models * Predict beach slopes/profiles based slurry density, flow rates, and rheological parameters. * Fitton (2014) shows different slope prediction models and how they compare to measured tailings slopes. * He concluded that none of these models perfectly predict beach slopes. 1002/12/2015 Accuracy of slope predictions + Almost never rac the slopes perfect + Somatime the dference been predited vs atl con be enormous + Consequence ofthis stat the ‘operations ean not + Thisplotis eeated fom several : y comparisons presented byFiton (2014). i va Types of facilities modelled in 3D * Paste + Filtered/dumped * Cross valley/down valley + Co-disposal + Inpit disposal * Integrated tailings + waste rockFacility examples Down-valley thickened tailings Ring dyke, conventional ABE qi Facility examples Trucked, filtered tailings Central discharge 02/12/2015 1202/12/2015 Planning horizons * Short range (< 1 year) * Mid range/business planning (< 5 years) * Long range ( thm2 of catchment are02/12/2015 Storage criteria ‘Total storage volume (solids) 35Mm3- Operating pond volume. 2Mm3- — asi Downstream slope avast ‘Crest width 20m earn Lm eb eal Pee, Sites to evaluate 4 ses have been chosen to evaluate ina high evel For exch option, we wil See what Rakes to store target volumes. 24Site 1 70m igh dom Toe of dam in aval mteialin the vale “os of dam n stream with <12 km? catchment feeding Site 2 Catchment area around 4. km ‘Dyke max height: 52m 02/12/2015 2502/12/2015 Site 3 ‘catehment area: “5. kn? Case study: Minera Centinela02/12/2015 About the project * Northern Chile (approx. 155 km NE of Antofagasta) + 2000 m above sea level + 95,000 tons per day * Copper tailings * High-density Thickened Tailings (3 x 60m diameter) + Operating since Q4 2010 Basic assumptions (Luppnow et al, 2008) * Design tailings slope: 4% + Target storage volume: 480 Mm3 + Max deposition elevation: 2268 masl + Main containment dam ultimate elevation: 2217 masl a02/12/2015 a The terrain Base grade of TSF Base topography/section location 2802/12/2015 How it should have developed First 1 Mm3 of tailings Deposition extents Proposed mitigation methods (Luppnow et al, 2008) * Design consultant identified the possibility of low density tailings & flat beach slopes. * Options for mitigation were emergency storage areas and multiple deposition points, respectively. + The emergency storage area was the starter dam at the north end of the TSF. * Assumed volume was 10 x 4 hr events in the first year of operations (approximately 0.1 Mm3) 2902/12/2015 Performance * Actual thickener performance: 62% underflow * Achieved beach slopes: 0.5 — 1.2% * Off-spec tailings storage at starter dam filled rapidly. 3002/12/2015 Thickness of deposited tailings 0.7 Mm3 (approx. 10 days) 4.7 Mm3 (approx. 74 days) 3102/12/2015 Communication Communication needs to be clear + Once we've developed plans, we need to communicate what we've found. * Consumers of this can include: + Technical reviewers + Site personnel + Non-technical management + Regulatory agencies * The public 3202/12/2015 Different stakeholders want to see different things Tools for communication * 3D images from design tools. * High quality ray traced images * Simple animations * Flyover * Time-based * ‘Professional’ 3D animations * Virtual reality + Photo-spheres 3302/12/2015 3D printed models * Different 3D printing materials allow for demonstration of different features + Plaster printers allow for full colour air photos/thematic overlays to be included to highlight different features. * Transparent plastic materials can represent water bodies. * Different options can be shown on a single topographic surface. One last thing... Always remember Why we plan and make sure you use it as an opportunity to make the safest, most efficient designs. 3402/12/2015 Ask us questions anytime Carlo Cooper, MineBridge Software Inc. carlo@minebridgesoftware.com http://www.minebridgesoftware.com References + Fitton, 6, (2014) The accuracy of talings beach slope predictions, In Proceedings of 17% International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Talings (Paste 2014) RJ Jewel, AB. Fourie, 5.P. Wells (eds), 8-12 June 2014, Vancouver, Canada, Australian Center for Geomechanics, pp 47-58. + Luppnow,D., Moreno, J. and Berna, L. (2008) Esperanza Project - Drivers for Using Thickened Tallings Disposal, in Proceedings of 12° international Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tallngs, {Paste 2008) A.B. Fourie, Ri. Jewel, P Slatter, and A. Paterson (eds), 5-9" May 2008, Kasane, Botswana, Australian Center for Geomechanics, pp 189-198. + USGS (2004), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, 3 Arc Second scene SRTM_u03_s022w069, Unfilled Unfinished 2.0, Global Land Cover Facility, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, February 2000 35