Numerical simulation of freeze-thaw and large strain consolidation of thickened tailings

Nam H. Pham, David C. Sego, Abdelkader Hammami, Jianmin Kan

In the proceedings of: GeoRegina 2014: 67th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: Uranium Tailings Management

ABSTRACT: Freeze-thaw changes the micro-structure of tailings in a positive way. It creates micro channels for fluid flow that enhance the hydraulic conductivity and decrease the compressibility of tailings. As a result, tailings consolidation is accelerated, and higher solids content are reached. A MATLAB based numerical model was developed at the University of Alberta to assess the effect of freeze-thaw on tailings settlement. The MATLAB model simulations indicate that for a 12m thickened tailings deposit filled over 3 years, it is expected to observe an additional settlement of 1m as a result of freeze-thaw. In addition, the model indicates that lower excess pore water pressure (PWP) values should be expected for the frozen and thawed deposit when compared to unfrozen one. The model also shows that the solids content at the bottom 3m of the deposit are at or greater than 77% and the undrained shear strength islarger than 5 kPa (Junqueira et al., 2011).

Please include this code when submitting a data update: GEO2014_347

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