Geoenvironmental / Tailings Engineering Publications (as Holly Rourke)
Assessing oil sands consolidation parameters relative to long-term reclamation
Rourke, H. and Hockley, D. 2018. Tailings and Mine Waste 2018. Keystone, USA.
The reclamation of tailings deposits is dependent upon long-term consolidation, which determines both the final storage volume and ultimate deposit strength. This paper presents a robust sensitivity analysis to examine the effects of material property functions and design variables on consolidation model results…[Read More]
Limitations to the geotechnical properties of polymer-amended tailings
Hockley, D. and Rourke, H. 2018. Presentation to COSIA 2018 Oil Sands Innovation Summit. Calgary, Canada
This study tested the following hypotheses:
- There are fundamental limitations to the ability of polymer-treated FFT to consolidate, to drain or transmit water, and to gain strength
- These limitations are due to colloidal and surface chemistry effects associated with FFT
- The addition of polymer as is currently practiced does not address surface chemistry effects and may even exacerbates the associated limitations
- The addition of both coagulant and polymer to FFT can produce materials with better geotechnical properties…[Read More]
The risks of excess water on tailings facilities and its application to dam break studies
Rourke, H. and Luppnow, D. 2015. Tailings 2015. Sydney, Australia.
This paper has reviewed available information on a number of tailings dam failures and proposes an alternative estimation of potential tailings release volumes as a function of supernatant water stored on the facility for use in dam-break analyses. In a broader sense, the paper seeks to shift the current risk paradigm from tailings dam heights to volumes of water stored and provides a basis for continuing research and discussion…[Read More]
Best Practice Guidelines for Landbridge Closure
Rourke, H. and Linero, S. 2014. Article in the AusIMM Bulletin on Mine Rehabilitation. Australia
This article describes a framework for developing industry best practice closure guidelines for landbridges. Landbridges are similar to haul roads in that they are used for transportation within mining areas, and like waste dumps can be constructed by end-tipping waste rock fill. However landbridges are unique structures that require special analysis because of their potential to impede watercourses…[Read More]
Liquefaction assessments of tailings facilities in low-seismic areas
Rourke, H. and Holmes, C. 2013. Tailings and Mine Waste 2013. Banff, Canada.
This paper evaluated two commonly used procedures developed by Robertson (2010), and Idriss & Boulanger (2008) for determining liquefaction potential and identified a gap between the methodologies for assessing the liquefaction potential for tailings facilities in areas with low seismicity that requires further research…[Read More]