ACID
MINE DRAINAGE BEHAVIOUR IN LOW TEMPERATURE REGIMES - THERMAL PROPERTIES
OF TAILINGS
Mine Environment Neutral Drainage at CANMET-MMSL |
MEND Report 1.62.2
July 1998
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Acid
mine drainage (AMD) mitigation strategies in cold regions should
be able to take advantage of cold temperatures and permafrost conditions.
The chemical reactions that cause AMD are slowed down at lower temperatures
and frozen material has very low hydraulic conductivity. A review
of the important physical and chemical processes that could affect
AMD potential in permafrost environments is reviewed in MEND 1.61.2
(1996). This MEND report recognized that there is a lack of information
available on the thermal properties of mine waste materials (waste
rock and tailings). In order to provide some information that examines
this issue, a laboratory research program was initiated at the University
of Alberta and Norwest Mine Services Ltd. was contracted to manage
the laboratory work, evaluate the data, and report on the results.
The
main objective of this report is to present the results of laboratory
research on the thermal properties of saturated mine tailings. The
focus of the testing was for determining the thermal conductivity
and unfrozen water content of saturated mine tailings samples. Additionally,
the unfrozen hydraulic conductivity and the amount of unfrozen water
provides an indication of the order of magnitude decrease in hydraulic
conductivity that is realized after freezing. Estimates of frozen
hydraulic conductivity are reviewed in this report.
The
work presented here was carried out under the auspices of Environment
Canada and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
through a contract (# KA601-6-5182/001/XSB) with Public Works and
Government Services Canada. Mr. Benoit Godin with Environment Canada
in Whitehorse, Yukon was the Science Contracting Officer and the
contract administrator was Mr. Tom Morrissey with Public Works and
Government Services Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Français
| Contact Us
| Help | Search
| Canada Site
Home | What's
New | CANMET-MMSL
| MMS Site
| NRCan Site
|