Location
New York, New York
Date
16 Apr 2004, 8:00am - 9:30am
Abstract
The integrity of a mine plug impounding more than 30 million gallons of acidic mine drainage water (AMD) was investigated using a combination of technologies. A two-phase investigation program was adopted which allowed the full depth of the mine plug to be explored without release of detrimental AMD. The condition of the concrete, support rock, rock/concrete interface, and drainage pipes and valves was evaluated. Phase 1 included (1) a review of plug design documents and construction data, (2) review of data from other mines on acid attack of concrete, (3) detailed visual inspections, (4) use of nondestructive testing techniques to assess the condition of the concrete, and (5) geochemical testing of seepage and drain pipe waters. Phase 2 explored uncertainties identified during Phase 1 and included (1) coring into the concrete plug and adjacent rock, (2) cross-hole sonic logging, (3) laboratory testing of concrete and rock samples, (4) operational testing of valves, and (5) measurements of the thickness of pressurized piping components. While several minor defects were detected, none were significant enough to affect the mine plug's performance. The investigation confirmed the integrity of the mine plug after 13 years of operation.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
5th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
University of Missouri--Rolla
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2004 University of Missouri--Rolla, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Pujol, Alberto; Busby, Rob; and Rosenbaum, Steve, "Mine Plug Integrity Evaluation" (2004). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 15.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/5icchge/session06/15
Mine Plug Integrity Evaluation
New York, New York
The integrity of a mine plug impounding more than 30 million gallons of acidic mine drainage water (AMD) was investigated using a combination of technologies. A two-phase investigation program was adopted which allowed the full depth of the mine plug to be explored without release of detrimental AMD. The condition of the concrete, support rock, rock/concrete interface, and drainage pipes and valves was evaluated. Phase 1 included (1) a review of plug design documents and construction data, (2) review of data from other mines on acid attack of concrete, (3) detailed visual inspections, (4) use of nondestructive testing techniques to assess the condition of the concrete, and (5) geochemical testing of seepage and drain pipe waters. Phase 2 explored uncertainties identified during Phase 1 and included (1) coring into the concrete plug and adjacent rock, (2) cross-hole sonic logging, (3) laboratory testing of concrete and rock samples, (4) operational testing of valves, and (5) measurements of the thickness of pressurized piping components. While several minor defects were detected, none were significant enough to affect the mine plug's performance. The investigation confirmed the integrity of the mine plug after 13 years of operation.
