A Canadian iron ore mining facility operates a tailings disposal system that handles solid tailings in a pumped slurry that moves through five pipelines to a tailings deposition area. As the tailings deposition area expanded farther away from the mine, the demands on the pumping system increased. As part of an overall tailings management project, Barr was asked to evaluate the capabilities of the then-existing system to provide a baseline for future pipeline extension development plans. Barr also evaluated the installed pumps, which were experiencing limitations, to recommend improvements for better operation. Barr inspected and documented the pipelines and supporting systems, and system stakeholders, including engineering, maintenance, and operations staff, were interviewed to develop an inventory of issues that identified problem areas within the process. To gain greater insight into the operating problems, Barr modeled the pipelines in AFT Fathom and evaluated numerous scenarios to answer the client’s operational questions regarding potential impacts the proposed changes to the pumps would have on their performance. This analysis also allowed Barr to identify root causes of the problems and provide long-term solutions.