Pitwall Design and Performance at Suncor North Steepbank Extension Mine
Joanna Chen
In the proceedings of: GeoVancouver 2016: 69th Canadian Geotechnical ConferenceSession: ENERGY RESOURCES - II Mining and Tailings
ABSTRACT: To balance the risks of slope instabilities versus efficient ore recovery and financial return in oil sands mining operations, the Observational Method was applied to the final pitwall design at the Suncor North Steepbank Extension Mine. This design approach provides flexibility for Suncor to economically mine the ore body while effectively managing their risk of pitwall instability. The risk management framework adopted for the final pitwall design includes an Alert Level Offset between the Operational Pit Limit and the Infrastructure Limit. Hazard zoning outlines areas with increased risk of potential block-slides and provides guidelines to pit slope safe mining operations. Performance monitoring provides opportunities to monitor and assess the final pitwall performance, provides advance warning of a potential pitwall movement and triggers the implementation of stabilization measures to minimize the risk to personnel and equipment and the impacts on mine production. The final pitwall performance so far demonstrates that the advantages of mining and effectively managing the risk of steeper pitwall slopes provide benefits that outweigh the occasional occurrence of relatively large but operationally manageable pit slope movements.
RÉSUMÉ: Pour pour design final de paroiéconomique. Le modèle de gestion du risque utes zones où le risque associé aux glissements de blocs est plus élevé et fournit un protocole pour opérer la mine de manière sécuritaire. Un processus de surveillance est en place pour évaluer la stabilité finale des parois, pour alerter en cas de mouvement, et déclencher la mise en place de mesures de stabilisation pour minimiser le risque pour le personnel et construction et la gestion efficace du risque associé à des parois plus escarpées est plus avantageuse et que .
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Joanna Chen (2016) Pitwall Design and Performance at Suncor North Steepbank Extension Mine in GEO2016. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.
@article{3834_0715150015,
author = Joanna Chen,
title = Pitwall Design and Performance at Suncor North Steepbank Extension Mine,
year = 2016
}
title = Pitwall Design and Performance at Suncor North Steepbank Extension Mine,
year = 2016
}