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Italian Canadian gold mining water evaporation solution
This gold mine is situated within the Kivalliq region, north of Rankin Inlet in Canada. This high-grade gold facility is a long-life-producing asset for our client with a current mine life of 9 years (until 2032). Consisting of underground and open-pit mining, the mine has seven gold deposits. Six of the gold reserves in the mine plan are carried out through twelve open pits and two underground mining operations. For over 30 years, our client has been operating in the Canadian Arctic, with commercial production commencing in 2019. They have implemented measures to reduce emissions to air, water and land whilst minimising their footprint. With on-site camp facilities available for all staff, the mine can cater to almost 500 people whilst keeping environmentally sustainable.
Type - Gestion de l'eau
Industrie - Exploitation minière
Application – Underground Water Balance Control
Climate Type – Sub-Arctic
Product – Water Evaporation System Package
Volume throughput m3 + GPM – 450 m3/hour (2,000 GPM)
Business Challenge
Our client urgently required a water management solution that could support the site’s water balance control as well as manage the excess brine generated by the site's Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant, all whilst working with the site’s limited storage space for brine. The gold mine challenges were also intensified by the site’s limited accessibility with the site only accessible by air, resulting in additional logistical challenges as well as high costs for traditional water and brine disposal methods.
Choosing Minetek
To meet the water management requirements of our client, Minetek supplied five Water Evaporators. These evaporators can process up to 4.0mm in diameter solids and evaporate water with a pH level ranging from 1.8 to 14+, including brine or caustic water. Furthermore, Minetek units can evaporate up to 50% of spray as pure water vapour, returning the remaining volume of droplets to the feed pond, a capability that sees a single evaporator unit remove up to 500m3 per day when operated for 24 hours with ideal wind and relative humidity. Having successfully delivered more than 500 projects across 25+ countries, Minetek was able to work with the client on a solution to the site’s logistical challenges, opting to air freight in a water evaporation system that is cost-effective, efficient in all climates and efficient in even the most challenging remote locations.
Résultats
Minetek was able to successfully work with the mine to scope, design and manufacture a 5 x Stainless Steel Mechanical Evaporation solution with a total system capacity to process 2000 GPM (450m3/hour) of wastewater. The evaporators were air freighted to the site in the extreme north of Canada to meet urgent delivery requirements and overcome logistical accessibility challenges. The system was designed in alignment with our client's goal of volume reduction for brine water management and water balance control, operating 24 hours a day with an evaporation efficiency rate of 30%, the system is evaporating 600 GPM (136m3/hour) and 864,000 GPD (gallons per day). With Minetek's water evaporators, the mine is able to reduce the volume of brine wastewater by a significant volume per year.