Design concept for the expansion of JEB Tailings Management Facility

Greg Misfeldt, Hung Vu, Mike Tremblay, Vincent Laniece

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

Session: Uranium Tailings Management

ABSTRACT: The JEB Tailings Management Facility is the repository for tailings generated from processing uranium ore at the McClean Lake Operation, a uranium mine and mill complex operated by AREVA Resources Canada Inc. in northern Saskatchewan. The JEB TMF has approached its approved storage capacity. AREVA undertook the studies to provide approximately 4.5 million m3 of additional tailings storage volume. This paper provides the overall design concept and presents a technical design summary for various components of the JEB Tailings Management Facility Expansion project. A validation program, to be undertaken as part of validating key design assumptions on the performance of the expanded JEB TMF are also presented and discussed. RÉSUMÉ L'installation de gestion des résidus (IGR) de JEB est le stockagedes résidus générés par le traitement du minerai d'uranium à l'usine de McClean Lake, une mine d'uranium et complexe de l'usine exploitée par AREVA Resources Canada Inc. dans le nord de la Saskatchewan. L'IGR de JEB approche sa capacité approuvée. AREVA a entrepris les études pour fournir environ 4,5 millions de m3 de volume des résidus supplémentaires au cours des 25 prochaines années. Ce document présente le concept général et un résumé technique pour divers composants du projet d'expansion de l'IGR de JEB. Un programme de validation, à entreprendre dans le cadre de la validation des hypothèses principales du concept sur les performances de l'IGR de JEB élargie sont également présentés et discutés. 1 INTRODUCTION The JEB Tailings Management Facility (TMF) is located at the McClean Lake Operation, a uranium mine and mill complex operated by AREVA Resources Canada Inc. (AREVA) in northern Saskatchewan (Figure 1). The JEB TMF has operated since 1999 and approached its approved storage capacity. AREVA undertook the studies to provide approximately 4.5 million m3 of additional tailings storage volume. Figure 1. Aerial view of JEB tailings management facility and McClean Lake Mill Various alternatives to obtain additional tailings storage capacity were considered, including: 1) the conversion of existing open pits at the McClean Lake Operation, 2) expansion of the current JEB TMF, and 3) construction of a purpose built TMF. This paper focusses on the assessment of additional tailings storage capacity which can be realised through expansion of the JEB TMF while continuing to meet the original physical stability and long-term environmental performance objectives (AREVA 2011). Components of the proposed expansion project include the TMF expansion embankment, soil-bentonite liner, surface water storage facilities; and a closure soil cover system. A validation program, to be undertaken as part of validating key design assumptions on the performance of the expanded JEB TMF are presented and discussed. 2 BACKGROUND Uranium was first discovered in the Beaverlodge area in the Athabasca region of northern Saskatchewan in 1934. Tailings management practices have evolved steadily since the first major mill began operating in that area in 1953 (Barsi and Misfeldt, 2006). Each generation of tailings facility has resulted in design modifications to address highlighted concerns, which in turn has resulted in an enhanced degree of confidence in both the operational and decommissioned performance of each subsequent generation of tailings facility in northern Saskatchewan. Tailings management practices in northern Saskatchewan had little engineered controls in

RÉSUMÉ: sign concept for the expansion of JEB Tailings

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Cite this article:
Greg Misfeldt; Hung Vu; Mike Tremblay; Vincent Laniece (2014) Design concept for the expansion of JEB Tailings Management Facility in GEO2014. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.

@article{GeoRegina14Paper372,author = Greg Misfeldt; Hung Vu; Mike Tremblay; Vincent Laniece,title = Design concept for the expansion of JEB Tailings Management Facility ,year = 2014}