The analysis and prediction of geo-permeability of high man-made dumps at opencast mines in Kuzbass

The article reviews some basic methods of permeability analysis in dumps composed of coarse refuse rocks and proposes the authors’ procedure of permeability determination on a laboratory scale. With a view to predicting water flow regimes in high waste dumps in Kuzbass, using the authors’ procedure, the coefficients of permeability are determined for two main types of coal-hosting rocks under normal loads up to 5.0 MPa which conforms with the dump height of 300 m. The correctness of the results is confirmed by the field investigations of the dumps. The numerical modeling of the test flow regimes using RS2 software allowed obtaining reliable coefficients of permeability of refuse rocks. The validate values of the permeability were used to predict water flow regime and slope stability of dumps in similar geological conditions.