Numerical Simulation of Three-dimensional Seepage Field in a Tailing Pond under Multiple Operating Conditions

Numerical Simulation of Three-dimensional Seepage Field in a Tailing Pond under Multiple Operating Conditions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Numerical Simulation of Three-dimensional Seepage Field in a Tailing Pond under Multiple Operating Conditions Botao Fu, Jingjing Pei, Huaijun Ji This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4608858/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Nov, 2024 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Establishing strong seepage stability for tailings dams is crucial for ensuring their safety and mitigating the risk of failure. This study developed a three-dimensional seepage numerical model using finite element numerical computation for four different elevation conditions (5070 m, 5081 m, 5159 m, and 5213 m) encompassing the pond area and dam body. Seepage calculations were conducted under normal and flooding conditions, and the tailings pond’s seepage stability was assessed for various stacking scenarios. The spatial distribution pattern of the infiltration surface and the hydraulic stability of the tailings pond were evaluated, which provides insights into the three-dimensional infiltration stability. Examining the seepage stability under different accumulation conditions revealed distinct spatial distribution patterns of the infiltration surface and hydraulic ratio drop values. The findings indicated that the maximum permeability slope at 5070 m elevation ranged from 0.66 to 0.75 at normal operation water level and maximum flood level. Most hydraulic ratio drop values at 5081 m were below 0.2, while the anti-seepage lining sections at 5159 m and 5213 m showed larger values, and maintained the overall hydraulic ratio drop within safe limits. Consequently, the dam body's permeability was deemed secure, and no infiltration damage was anticipated with the proposed design of seepage control and drainage facilities. Moreover, sensitivity analysis of the tailing sand's permeability coefficient demonstrated that variations between 0.2 and 5 times the given parameter align with the seepage control requirements for the tailings dam. Additionally, local geomembrane breakage was found to have minimal impact on the tailing pond's seepage field and the dam body's permeability stability, which provides a scientific foundation for analyzing and designing the seismic static-dynamic stability of the tailings pond. Physical sciences/Engineering/Chemical engineering Physical sciences/Engineering/Civil engineering Tailings pond Three-dimensional numerical simulation Seepage field Infiltration line Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Nov, 2024 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 19 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 07 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 31 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Aug, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Aug, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 01 Aug, 2024 Editor invited by journal 25 Jun, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 25 Jun, 2024 First submitted to journal 19 Jun, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4608858","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":326077985,"identity":"4def2264-dcf5-47fb-b00f-b77c7d0003da","order_by":0,"name":"Botao Fu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Geosciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Botao","middleName":"","lastName":"Fu","suffix":""},{"id":326077986,"identity":"8ea83c12-cac7-4412-867f-641c8e6ff59f","order_by":1,"name":"Jingjing Pei","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAzklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgYDiQogLQHEPMRrOUOaFpCuNlK0mLM3NxRYzrNLnB/dwPjgbRuDvDkhLZY9BxsMJLclJ268c4DZcG4bg+HOBgJaDG4kgrQcSNw4I4FNmreNIcHgACEt9x8CtcwBa2H/TZyWG8AQk2w4kDhfIoGNmSgtlj1Ah0kcSzbeIHOwWXLOOQnDDYS0mLMff2YsUWMnO39288EPb8ps5Ak7jIGBzRgUJQYHGBsYILFDWAvzww9AhnwDYcWjYBSMglEwQgEA4NBBh/EzNy8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Geosciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jingjing","middleName":"","lastName":"Pei","suffix":""},{"id":326077987,"identity":"b0f8c3b1-fe54-4769-bebd-30438d1a14ed","order_by":2,"name":"Huaijun Ji","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Geosciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Huaijun","middleName":"","lastName":"Ji","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-20 03:31:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4608858/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4608858/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-75988-9","type":"published","date":"2024-11-14T15:58:04+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":69285055,"identity":"25f40497-c4f8-4ac9-b7c5-e36ee274645a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-18 19:23:31","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1938336,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4608858/v1_covered_e17e81d7-2281-47ec-bf80-74257c72fa77.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Numerical Simulation of Three-dimensional Seepage Field in a Tailing Pond under Multiple Operating Conditions","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Tailings pond, Three-dimensional numerical simulation, Seepage field, Infiltration line","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4608858/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4608858/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eEstablishing strong seepage stability for tailings dams is crucial for ensuring their safety and mitigating the risk of failure. 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Most hydraulic ratio drop values at 5081 m were below 0.2, while the anti-seepage lining sections at 5159 m and 5213 m showed larger values, and maintained the overall hydraulic ratio drop within safe limits. Consequently, the dam body's permeability was deemed secure, and no infiltration damage was anticipated with the proposed design of seepage control and drainage facilities. Moreover, sensitivity analysis of the tailing sand's permeability coefficient demonstrated that variations between 0.2 and 5 times the given parameter align with the seepage control requirements for the tailings dam. 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