Rapid Measurement and Estimation of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity of Mineral Slurries
type: CreativeWork
description: Large strain consolidation (LSC) behaviour of mineral slurries regulates the performance of tailings management and reclamation plans. The hydraulic conductivity-void ratio relationship primarily influences this behaviour, dominating the long-term performance of fine-grained slurries with higher initial water contents. However, the determination of this function can be very challenging and time-consuming, considering the long duration of the conventional tests and significant variation in hydraulic conductivity values with the wide range of void ratios. This study focuses on identifying or creating a rapid method to evaluate the large strain consolidation parameters, especially the k-e relationship, of fine-grained soils by (i) establishing a relationship between the consolidation parameters and more easily measured properties and (ii) designing a self-weight consolidation setup to evaluate the k-e relationship using Instantaneous Profiling Method (IPM). For parts (i), a total of 79 k-e data sets of fine-grained soils are examined. When applying these new equations to the k-e data set, 94% of the predicted k values are within an order of magnitude of the measured data points. This is likely sufficient for this method to be used as a screening tool for tailings treatments. For part ii) The design of a prototype consolidometer is introduced and the consolidation behaviour of various fine-grained soils are evaluated. The prototype is designed as an alternative experimental setup to conventional laboratory tests and aims to rapidly assess the k-e equation for fine-grained soils. The test column was instrumented with tensiometers and capacitance-based sensors to determine pore water pressure and volumetric water content, respectively. Also, a robotic arm is connected to the sensor probe for more detailed profiling. The collected data is then utilized to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the tested fine-grained soils and polymer-amended fluid fine tailings using the…
abstract: Large strain consolidation (LSC) behaviour of mineral slurries regulates the performance of tailings management and reclamation plans. The hydraulic conductivity-void ratio relationship primarily influences this behaviour, dominating the long-term performance of fine-grained slurries with higher initial water contents. However, the determination of this function can be very challenging and time-consuming, considering the long duration of the conventional tests and significant variation in hydraulic conductivity values with the wide range of void ratios. This study focuses on identifying or creating a rapid method to evaluate the large strain consolidation parameters, especially the k-e relationship, of fine-grained soils by (i) establishing a relationship between the consolidation parameters and more easily measured properties and (ii) designing a self-weight consolidation setup to evaluate the k-e relationship using Instantaneous Profiling Method (IPM). For parts (i), a total of 79 k-e data sets of fine-grained soils are examined. When applying these new equations to the k-e data set, 94% of the predicted k values are within an order of magnitude of the measured data points. This is likely sufficient for this method to be used as a screening tool for tailings treatments. For part ii) The design of a prototype consolidometer is introduced and the consolidation behaviour of various fine-grained soils are evaluated. The prototype is designed as an alternative experimental setup to conventional laboratory tests and aims to rapidly assess the k-e equation for fine-grained soils. The test column was instrumented with tensiometers and capacitance-based sensors to determine pore water pressure and volumetric water content, respectively. Also, a robotic arm is connected to the sensor probe for more detailed profiling. The collected data is then utilized to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the tested fine-grained soils and polymer-amended fluid fine tailings using the…
author: Babaoglu, Yagmur
language: en
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:34:32Z
provider: Carleton University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Carleton University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/42427

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.22215/etd/2021-14655