Greenfield Canadian Potash

Analyzing geomechanical and hydrogeological properties for a greenfield mine operation.

2008 - 2014
Saskatchewan, Canada
BHP Billiton

RESPEC was contracted by BHP Billiton (one of the largest mining companies in the world) to perform a thorough geomechanical and hydrogeological analysis of a greenfield Canadian potash project. This effort included a comprehensive laboratory testing program to define the material properties of critical salt and nonsalt units. Numerical modeling was performed to investigate the response and provide a comparative analysis of many aspects of the mine design, from production panels (where access needs to be maintained for only a few months) to the shaft pillar (where access is required for several decades). RESPEC also conducted a study to examine the different mechanisms and causes for inflows into underground salt and potash mines and provided recommendations for methods to mitigate and/or prevent mine-threatening inflow events.