Grant: Alliance Grants

Mining produces huge volumes of waste material called tailings, which must be stored forever, usually behind large dams. If a tailings dam breaks, as one did in British Columbia in 2014, the tailings can flow long distances and cause major safety, environmental and economic consequences. To help manage these risks, Canadian and international standards require engineers to produce maps that show the potential impacts of a tailings dam breach. Despite recent advances, the methods that are available to do these types of studies still need improvement. This research project aims to address this need. The project team includes researchers from two universities (Queen's University and the University of British Columbia) and industry participants from four leading consulting firms (BGC Engineering Inc., Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd., Knight Piésold Consulting Ltd. and WSP Canada Inc.) and three large mining companies (Imperial Oil Resources Ltd., Rio Tinto Ltd. and Suncor Energy Inc.). The work will combine field observations, computer simulations and laboratory experiments using world-class research facilities, including a 60 m long flume and a new centrifuge facility at Queen's University. The project will train 15 students, position Canadian firms at the forefront of this topic and, ultimately, improve the safety and sustainability of mining operations in Canada and around the world.