Haynes, M & Fanni, R 2025, 'Development of a laboratory wind tunnel to test tailings erosion mechanisms', in S Knutsson, AB Fourie & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2025: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-14, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2515_90
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/2515_90_Haynes/)
Abstract: A laboratory-scale wind tunnel was developed to quantify the wind erosion potential of mine tailings. The tailings, which were classified as a low plasticity silt, were planned to be deposited as a slurry within a tailings storage facility (TSF), where it would dry and be rewet from rain and subsequent deposition. Therefore, the tailings sample was prepared as a slurry and tested under various scenarios to simulate conditions expected at the site: (i) a dried continuous surface with turbulent airflow; (ii) a dried continuous surface with laminar airflow; (iii) a moist degraded surface; and (iv) a dried degraded surface. Sensors were installed within the wind tunnel to estimate the quantity of soil being eroded by mechanisms of saltation, creep, abrasion/attrition and suspension. Relationships were developed to relate wind speed at a 10 m height (a typical measurement available at the site) to the quantity of eroded material, including total suspended particles, and particulate matter below 10 and 2.5 μm. The results of the testing informed the calibration of parameters for air-quality numerical modelling which were used to assess the risk of dust emission from the site under conditions relevant to various stages throughout the lifecycle of the TSF.

Keywords: tailings, dust, wind tunnel, desiccation, wind erosion