Concrete, Tailings, Ventilation
Concrete
Heat of hydration of concrete must be controlled in order to ensure appropriate development of maturity and strength, to limit peak temperatures which can damage the product, and to minimize the risk of thermal cracking.
NGI has developed advanced modelling tools to model concrete hydration in your actual application environment so that you can mitigate risks and monitor quality.
Tailings
Tailings consolidation in partially frozen or unfrozen management facilities can be complicated to analyse. We have developed advanced methodologies to build models of complex in-situ conditions from which we forward look to determine rates of consolidation and future facility capacity. Our models can couple ground thawing with dissipation of excess pore-water pressures and from changes in void ratio we can assess settlements.
Ventilation
Ventilation in mine shafts and underground workings can greatly impact nearby ground freezing performance. Not only does it add extra heat loads to the refrigeration system, it can soften the ground and potentially lead to unwanted seepage or ground destabilization.
Our thermal models couple ventilation effects (flow rates, temperatures) on walls and shaft / tunnel liners so that all sources of heat are included in the freezing analyses.
