This paper provides a brief overview of the history of the Chaffers
Dewatering Project which was successfully commissioned in August
1993. Until the end of 1992 the `Superpit' and the deep mines of the Golden
Mile had all been dewatered by a staged pumping system from the 28
level in the Lake View Shaft, which was removed at that time when the
Lake View Mine was absorbed into the Superpit. Feasibility analysis had indicated that adaptation of oil industry
technology offered the greatest potential for a low cost solution to the
problem of dewatering the open pit and deep mines. A KCGM engineer
and one of the authors visited the Jackson oilfields to look at the deep
well pumping technology in use there in early-1991. In the final analysis a new dewatering station was established in the 23
level crushing station of the Chaffers Shaft using conventional plunger
pumps, but the rising main was screwed 178 mm OD (7 inch) casing the
suspended from the surface to a depth of 686 metres, and was installed
using oilfield personnel and methods. Only the second installation of its
kind in Australia, the project achieved the dewatering objective at about
half of the capital cost of the more conventional approach and at lower
operating costs as well.