Mineral hauling is the backbone of the mining supply chain, but there’s a critical factor that significantly influences its efficiency and safety: moisture content.
Excess moisture in mined materials isn’t just extra weight; it creates several challenges:
- Reduced flowability: Caused by the compaction of materials due to an increase in their cohesion forces linked to an increase in moisture content. This often results in blockages, clumping, and difficulty in loading/unloading.
- Increased arching tendencies: The presence of moisture causes the material to stick along the opening of silos causing bridge like structures. This enables only part of the material to flow while the rest remains on the lining of the silo.
- Increased rathole tendencies: The formation of ratholes is typical in stockpiles and funnel flow silos and hoppers with small discharge outlets when handling cohesive materials. Ratholes may be stable or unstable. In the case of a stable rathole, the material “hangs up” and forms a steep, almost vertical wall, leading to flow stoppage and loss of live storage capacity.
- Accelerated Equipment Wear: Contributing to corrosion and abrasion in trucks, conveyors, and transfer points(Cabrejos, 2017).
