Syncrude tailings pond
| Syncrude tailings pond | |||||
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| Coordinates | 57 ° 4 '30 " N , 111 ° 38' 40" W | ||||
| Data on the structure | |||||
| Construction time: | under construction or in operation | ||||
| Building volume: | 540 million m³ | ||||
| Data on the reservoir | |||||
| Water surface | approx. 12 km² | ||||
| Storage space | approx. 1 billion m³ | ||||
As Syncrude tailings pond , an approximately 12 square kilometers will be settling tank of oil sands processing plant "Mildred Lake" of the Canadian oil company Syncrude in the Canadian province of Alberta , respectively. It is best known for the dam that surrounds the basin. With a volume of 540 million cubic meters, this “syncrude tailings dam” is considered to be “the largest dam on earth”, measured in terms of the dam volume, but not in terms of the volume of the maximum accumulated water.
function
The Syncrude tailings pond is just one of several large sedimentation basins north of Fort McMurray , just one of several with similar sized dams and only one of several operated by Syncrude. These basins take the waste water and the mineral components contained therein, fine grain ( quartz - and other mineral grains, clay particles), which in the extraction of bitumen from the oil sands are obtained in the treatment plants. Such residues are commonly called tailings in mining . The mineral grains and particles settle at the bottom of the basin after the introduction. Similar to sedimentation in natural still waters, the older, underlying sediment is compacted and drained by the load of younger sediments. In the case of the sedimentation basins, the compacted, relatively water-poor sediment is called mature fine tailings (MFT).
The function of the “Syncrude tailings dam” is therefore not comparable with a dam , but rather with a dike . Nevertheless, it is ranked number 1 in relevant lists of the largest dams. Because the treatment plant is still in operation, the sediment layer at the bottom of the basin is constantly increasing. Therefore the dam or dyke has to be raised at regular intervals and is still increasing in volume.
See also
literature
- Earle J. Klohn: Tailings Dams in Canada. Geotechnical News. Vol. 15, special edition, 1997, pp. 117–123 ( PDF 4.2 MB)
Web links
- What is the biggest dam in the world?
- Megadams: Pros, Cons, and Consequences
- World's Largest Dams
- Cleanup approach still a relative mess
- Syncrude Oil Sand Mine, Alberta, Canada
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bernd Schröder: The Canadian oil sands complex. Part 2 - Syncrude Sweet Blend: Environmental Damage and Energy Security. In: Telepolis. May 1, 2008, accessed on 1 June 2015. (In this paper, the tailings are misdiagnosed as "waste" referred to. While it is in overburden (ger .: overburden but is) to material that has a deposit covered and cleared must be, In order to be able to mine the deposit at all, tailings refers to the residues of the processing of the mined material of the deposit. In the "Syncrude tailings pond", however, tailings should not settle in the "Syncrude tailings pond". Nevertheless, there is the possibility that the dam or dike that the Basin encloses, consists to a large extent of overburden.).