Design of hydraulic transport systems for mining and processing plants

Introduction. Peculiarities of design of the hydrotransport system, which is part of the technological chain of ore processing are considered. A critical analysis of the characteristics of the slurry pipeline of the tailing facility of the mining and processing complex “Ryabinovy” (MPC “Ryabinovy”), located near the city of Aldan, was carried out.

Materials and methods. In the hydraulic calculations of two-phase flows, the initial data were the chemical composition of the tailings, the basic features of the processing plant, and the geodetic data of the place of tailing storage. Based on the theory of two-phase flows, the authors provide calculations of the characteristics of solid particles, flow and energy losses necessary for the design of slurry pipelines. The engineering tasks of calculating two-phase flows are the calculation of head losses during the hydrotransportation of various materials through slurry pipes, the determination of the maximum velocity at which the transported material is not yet deposited to the bottom of the flow and the choice of equipment for hydraulic transport. The dependence of specific energy losses of two-phase flows, at average velocity, below those recommended by regulations on the basis of experimental data obtained at the Department of “Hydraulics and Hydrotechnical Engineering”, NRU MGSU, is given. Solid particles transport is possible if the flow has sufficient energy for this without sediment formation at the bottom of the pipeline. The average speed corresponding to the sediment-free transport mode is the critical velocity of the two-phase flow.

Results. The recommendation on the choice of an effective mode of hydrotransport is based on the principle of minimizing energy losses. The deficit of flow energy in the slurry pipeline is revealed and the necessity to use the criterion on the need to exceed the average velocity over the critical velocity of the two-phase flow is shown.

Conclusions. The necessity of using the speed reserve coefficient to achieve an effective mode of transportation was formulated. Particular attention is paid to the calculation of head losses at a critical transport speed, which is the basis for the choice of pumping equipment.

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