Analytical solutions for the flow depth of steady laminar, Bingham plastic tailings down wide channels

Abstract

At mid to high concentrations, fine mine tailings are non-Newtonian, and their rheology is commonly expressed as Bingham plastic. Discharges of such fine materials in tailing storage facilities form shallow channels. In this short communication, exact analytic expressions to relate the volume flow per unit width and the flow depth are derived for a Bingham plastic in terms of a newly-defined dimensionless parameter. Simplified approximations, valid for the near-plug and quasi-Newtonian fluid limits are proposed.