Improving backfill efficiency and worker safety

Victaulic explains how diverter valves are changing the playing field Over the past decade, mine owners have increased the use of backfill systems to manage waste and enhance ore recovery in underground mines, and automated systems are now playing a significant role in helping to improve efficiency and worker safety. The internal rotating plug has three flow positions, with two primary outlets for directing paste or hydraulic backfill through the reticulation system to fill the appropriate stopes and a third, clearly marked, drain outlet for flush water diversion and emergency backfill dumping. The open stopes ranged from 500 cubic metres to 2,700 cubic metres, with an average size of 1,500 cubic metres, requiring between 100,000-110,000 cubic metres of backfill per year. Because of the relatively flat dipping nature of the orebody, the hanging walls required topping up with a flowable mixture of sand, cement, and water to prevent hanging wall failure.