The use of cemented paste backfill (CPB) is becoming increasingly more common at underground mines worldwide. Part of any CPB design includes the specification of the (typically) shotcrete barricades that retain the CPB within the stope during filling. Newmonts Tanami Operations (NTO) has started an in situ barricade stress monitoring program. The data from this program will provide a basis for comparison of several models that can be used to model the capacity of these barricades. These models vary in complexity from analytical solutions to 3D numerical models. Part of the comparison will include a discussion detailing the required material inputs and how these inputs were obtained. Analysis of this comparison will provide additional understanding on what parameters affect the ultimate capacity of a shotcrete barricade.
Mavres Petres mine is an underground mine, located in Chalkidiki, northern Greece, that is owned and operated by Hellas Gold; a wholly owned subsidiary of Eldorado Gold Corporation. The mine extracts a highgrade lead and zinc orebody using drift and fill mining method. Backfill is an integral part of mining cycle at Mavres Petres mine. Filtered coarse tailings mixed with cement are used for making cemented hydraulic backfill in a surface batching plant. The paper will discuss and present an overview of the backfill optimisation efforts at Mavres Petres mine, which includes recent changes and upgrades in the backfill plant, improved mix design, backfill quality control, and backfill delivery and placement in order to improve the operational efficiency, product consistency, safety and economic viability of the mine.