Tailings Dam Heightening Project And Safety Management Measures Research

After "September 8th Especially Serious Xinta Tailing Pound Dam Break Accident in Xiangfen of Shanxi" safety issues of tailing ponds quickly drew national as well as industrial attention.To strengthen safety management of tailings pond,the nation on one hand intensified inspection and management of existing tailings pond to eliminate safety risks;on the other hand,it toughened control of the number of newly built tailing ponds.Based on analysis of the typical construction and current safety conditions of tailing ponds,this paper concludes that on the basis of sufficient expounding and proving over the current conditions of tailing ponds,heightening of tailings dam provides the following advantages:(1)meets the production needs of mines and reduces the number of newly built tailing ponds;(2)in the process of heightening design,engineering measures can be taken to improve the safety level of tailing ponds and alleviate safety risks of existing tailings pond.Heightening the tailings dam would be the best choice for many mining enterprises.This paper takes the tailings pond of Hongxing Mining Co.,Ltd.as an engineering case.Based on sufficient expounding and proving from aspects including surrounding environment,terrain and geology,the reliability of the flood drainage system,the stability of the dam,etc.,the paper reaches the conclusion that the tailing pond in question fulfills the conditions of tailing dam heightening.After analysis of reconnaissance data and status evaluation data,heightening design is conducted with actual onsite conditions given due consideration,covering: refuse dump and fill dam management,later-phase fill dam,flood drainage system,safety observation facility,tailing pond's auxiliary facilities,etc.Flood calculation with water level empirical formula and flood routing calculation through the water balance method give rise to the conclusion that once the tailing dam is heightened,its flood control capacity will meet the requirements of regulations.Based on seepage and dam stability analysis of the most unfavorable cross section of the dam by using the seepage plane formula method and Autobank software calculation method,the paper comes to the conclusion that the heightened tailing dam will satisfy the requirements on dam stability.The heightening project practice reveals that the tailings pond's beach width,pond water level and the rate of phreatic line burial depth and tailing outer slope are the main factors that influence the stability of the dam.In order to ensure the safety of tailing ponds,this paper suggests that mining enterprises establish safety management units to conduct comprehensive safety management of the tailing ponds and also take water and soil conservation and environmental protection measures.