Study of the Operating Cost of the Electric Pump for Mine Dewatering: Case of the SOMAÏR Uranium Mine

Abstract

This study focuses on the operating cost of the electric pump used to extract water from the Artois mine owned by Société des Mines de l'AÏR. Exploitation of the SOMAÏR Artois mine uranium deposit is to be increased from the 20 m level to the 80, 100 or 120 m level; in the current phase of certain pits, access to the uranium deposit can only be achieved by a means that can draw off the water encountered. It is therefore essential to set up a drainage system to manage and evacuate the various water inflows. The main source of incoming water is the nearby water table, which is drained directly onto the mining unit.  The current drainage system has two sumps capable of storing the various water inflows without incident. The energy balance for the three (3) years of pumping was drawn up using the electricity consumption data received. Peaks appear in August for the year 2021, followed by January 2020 and May 2022. The results show that specific energy is high, resulting in higher power consumption than water production. According to the graph of performance curves P = f(Q), the power ratings obtained for flows corresponding to the 24 m head are 25 kW at a flow rate Q = 49 l/s for pump 261; 35 kW, at a flow rate Q = 59 l/s for pump 259 and 35 kW at a flow rate Q = 105 l/s for pump 234.