Design and simulation of an automatic dewatering system for Tiira mine.

Abstract

Underground mining is the method where by the mineral is removed through Shafts or tunnels and ore can be recovered through sublevels, Tiira Gold Mine is also among the small scale mines in Uganda located in Busia district in Eastern Uganda at approximately 200 km east the Kampala (Hester et al. 2009). It is currently operated by Green Stone Resources Ltd (GRL). The mine extends to 55 meters deep and this has exposed the mine to ground water ingress into the mine. This has caused problems like lowered rate of production and failure to reach targeted production and complicity in ore handling from the mine among others. In addition, With appropriate regard to both theory and practice effective dewatering can be accomplished under almost any field conditions (Wolkersdorfer, 2008). Pumping may be required to maintain water levels at a specific. elevation to control the discharge and for treatment if' needed (Johnson and Younger, 2000, Demchak et al.2004). It should be promoted and those challenges minimized. To develop an efficient dewatering system, a set of procedures should be followed. Sources of water have to be identified through analysis of borehole and hydrological data and it was found that ground water is the major source of water into the mine due to the fractured aquifers and the rock fissures cracks and faults. The pumping network design depends on the rate of flow and the total dynamic head which is the sum of the static head, frictional losses and minor losses. Knowing the total dynamic head, the capacity of' the pump can be determined using the pump characteristic curve. The rate of flow was found to be 991.97 Gpm and a head of 240.43 ft. The automatic system is based on the sump capacity which is the distance between water level and the top part of the sump and will be accomplished by Arduino and Proteaus software. The biggest benefit of automation is that it saves labor, it is also used to save energy and materials and to improve quality, accuracy and precision.