Dewatering method and system
AssigneeWeir Minerals Australia Ltd.
InventorsNils Richard Steward, Dean Stephenson
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Abstract
The present invention relates to methods for dewatering tailings and systems for performing same. In certain aspects, the invention relates to methods of producing a dewatered tailings residue or a stackable tailings residue, comprising subjecting tailings to hydrocyclonic separation to produce one or more partially dewatered underflows and a final water-rich overflow; separating the final water-rich overflow, by centrifuging, into a recovered water stream and a low-water residue; and mixing together the low-water residue and at least part of the one or more partially dewatered underflows to produce a dewatered tailings residue or a stackable tailings residue.
Claims14
A method of producing a dewatered tailings residue, comprising:
- feeding tailings comprising a waste material that is the end result of a consecutive processing system in a mining operation, to a hydrocyclone at a feed inlet pressure ranging from 0.5 MPa to 1.5 MPa,
- subjecting the tailings to hydrocyclonic separation to produce one or more partially dewatered underflows and a final water-rich overflow;
- separating the final water-rich overflow, by centrifuging, into a recovered water stream and a low-water residue wherein at least 96% of the solids contained in the final water-rich overflow are recovered in the low-water residue;
- and
- mixing together the low-water residue and at least part of the one or more partially dewatered underflows to produce the dewatered tailings residue, wherein the dewatered tailings residue has a solid content of 75 wt % to 90 wt %.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.