Technical Papers

Depressurising an Underground Ore Body at the McArthur River Mine in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract:

Pre-mining depressurising of a deep ore body at the McArthur River mine in northern Saskatchewan was considered to decrease the risk associated with mining near 5 MPa water pressure and increasing the amount of ore that can be extracted. Based on a limited amount of field data, a three-dimensional finite element ground-water flow model was developed to predict the amount of water that would have to be pumped from surface wells or extracted with underground drainholes to meet this goal and the associated magnitude and extent of drawdown that would propagate to the surface over the life of the operation and its impact on surface-water resources.

Citation:

Liu, H., J. Hatley, R. Bashir, and L.C. Atkinson. 2008. “Depressurising an Underground Ore Body at the McArthur River Mine in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada.” Proceedings of 10th International Mine Water Association Congress (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, June), paper no. 206. Ostrava: VSB – Technical University of Ostrava.

Authors:

Houmao Liu

Link to Full Text:

Depressurizing an Underground Ore Body.pdf

Latest News
  • Itasca has announced the release of FLAC2D v9 Itasca has announced the release of FLAC2D v9, revolutionizing the way we analyze and predict...
    Read More
  • 6th Itasca Symposium on Applied Numerical Modeling The next Itasca Symposium will take place June 3 - 6, 2024, in Toronto, Canada....
    Read More
  • Itasca International Inc. announces the Selection of its New CEO Itasca International Inc. announces the Selection of its New CEO ...
    Read More

Upcoming Events
29 Oct
Getting Started with 3DEC
Objectives of the training: Understand the 3DEC numerical approach and the types of problems it can solveKnow how to manipulate the 3DE... Read More
5 Nov
Python in Itasca Software
Objectives of the Training:Ability to use Python to extend modeling capabilities with the Itasca codes.... Read More
19 Nov
Getting Started with FLAC2D/FLAC3D
This training is an introduction to continuous modeling with FLAC2D and FLAC3D. At the end of the course, participants will master the ... Read More