Pneumatic Backfilling With Crushed Rock at the Sullivan Mine
J. W. REYNOLDS
Use of crushed waste rock recovered by sink-float separation from normal ore production for backfill is. an established procedure at Comminco's Sullivan mime, Kimberley, British Columbia. Need for a safe method of placement in voids which were difficult to reach by gravity methods led to a co-operative venture with Radmark Engineering Ltd. in the development of a workable pneumatic transportation system for rock material. This paper reviews work done to date in a current program, and in includes comments on the nature of the fill so placed, options for cementing such fill, implications for other aspects of mining and references to other applications of the system by other organizations who exchanged experiences with the Sullivan mine staff during the five-year period reviewed.
Keywords:
Air, blowpipe, hydraulic drive system, Kimberley, British Columbia, rock, stope, Feeders, particles, Pipe, Rock, Rocks, stope, stopes, Systems, wear
