Mini-Dredgers Roll Out World-First Autonomous SlurryCat® Technology for Tailings Management

By TNA Editor

Introduction

Australia’s Mini Dredgers Pty Ltd has launched the first of its fully autonomous SlurryCat® mine tailings management systems capable of delivering around-the-clock operations in the most challenging mine waste environments.

The solutions provider is delivering safer tailings dam management and faster mine rehabilitation through its proprietary Slurry Hunter™ tailings technology in multiple operations in Australia, PNG, Chile and Brazil.

When deployed the autonomous SlurryCat® removes human operators from the tailings dam while delivering greater efficiency and savings for mine operators, as well as improved safety and environmental outcomes for communities.

Mini Dredgers says the autonomous SlurryCat® can concentrate in-situ tailings volume, recover entrained tailings water for recycling while increasing the efficiency of tailings recovery or tailings placement.

Monitoring and Detection with AI

Tailings are part of virtually all mining and refining operations. If not managed correctly, they can become a high safety risk that creates legacy issues for the local community and the environment. The SlurryCat® technology solution works to make tailings dams safer and smaller by rapidly dewatering and consolidating the tailings for future deposition or tailings extraction at a fraction of the cost of traditional capital-intensive alternative systems.

The new autonomous SlurryCat® can be program to maximize tailings pumping and will deliver even greater efficiencies. The autonomous machine can operate independently based on a preprogramme or remotely assigned operational plan to traverse the tailings dam in the most effective and efficient way before returning to a designated home position.

More Information: https://www.dredgingservices.com.au/contact-us/