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.
Seamless Integration of Site Data for Improved Mining Analysis Now Available for IMAT: Seamless Integration of Site Data for Improved Mining Analysis... Read More
Now Available from ITASCA: Innovative Machine Learning Tool for FLAC3D/FLAC2D V9.2 Experience the Future of Geotechnical Modeling with ITASCA Software V9.2: Introducing Machine Learning Models... Read More
Experience the Future of Geotechnical Modeling with ITASCA Software V9.2 Experience the Future of Geotechnical Modeling with ITASCA Software V9.2: Introducing Machine Learning Models and... Read More
Upcoming Events
23Sep
Getting Started with FLAC2D/FLAC3D
Live Online Introductory Training Course.
September 23-24, 2025....
Read More
14Oct
Getting Started with 3DEC
Live Online Introductory Training Course.
October 14-15, 2025...
Read More
2Dec
NEW TRAINING: Meshing in ITASCA Software
This introductory training course offers a comprehensive foundation in geotechnical modeling, enabling participants to identify various...
Read More