Search Documents

By H. M. Woodrooffe

Three of the world's largest phosphate deposits are located in the USSR. These have an estimated reserve of 2,600 million short tons of elemental phosphorus. The best known lies in the Khibiny Massif, an alkalaic rock formation some 600 square miles in area with mountain peaks rising to an altitude of 3300 ft above the surrounding terrain. The Khibiny Massif is north of the Arctic Circle in the Kola Peninsula at a latitude of 67° 30' north and a longitude of 35° 30' east. It is connected by rail to Murmansk, 100 miles northwest, and Leningrad, 900 rail miles south.

Jan 12, 1972

By Robert W. Bergmann

Twenty years ago, the standard voltage for stripping machines was 4160 v and few people even thought of using a higher voltage. It was adequate for the machines of the day, which seldom exceeded 2500 hp, and higher voltages were considered to be too expensive and even dangerous. Then, in 1956, a 4500-hp machine was placed in operation and it was determined, with some reluctance, that it should operate on 7200 v. The next step, to 14,400 v, was taken in 1964 and the latest, but perhaps not final, step was made in 1967, when voltage was increased to 25,000 v. Today, 4160 v is considered almost obsolete and 7200 v is generally considered standard. However, a few mines are using 14,400 v and some eight machines soon will be operating on 25 KV, indicating that the technical and safety problems have been solved and that there must be some merit to the higher voltages. Thus, it is logical to question, "How do I determine the best voltage for my operation?"

Jan 12, 1972

By John H. Smith

Because of increased pressure from federal and state regulatory agencies, most acid flows will require some sort of treatment prior to being discharged to receiving streams. In many industries, the volumes of liquors are large and their acid content varied. Development of a waste treatment process minimizing equipment cost and utilizing land efficiently is mandatory. Methods of acid neutralization with lime have been known for years, however, the volume and characteristics of the resultant precipitated solids can create a disposal problem. Also, when standard lime treatment is used, the settling characteristic of the precipitated solids is normally slow. In some instances, the necessity of added dissolved solids removal, such as iron, needing aeration, add to the problem of concentrating neutralized solids.

Jan 12, 1972

By S. W. Zanolli

The history of labor relations in the coal industry of the United States is a study of its collective bargaining. This study of collective bargaining is largely the history of the United Mine Workers of America and its contractual relations with the various coal mining employers who have produced this country's coal over the years under a free enterprise system. There have been other unions in the picture from time to time and some coal miners have mined coal without representation by any union. Even today some 25% of the nation's coal is produced outside of the collective bargaining relationship with the UMWA. However, more than 100,000 coal mine wage employees - well over 75% of the total in the industry - are covered by labor agreements negotiated for them by the UMWA. Practically all of these work in bituminous mines.

Jan 12, 1972

By Donald E. Crowell

Due to falling metal prices and depletion of ore reserves, lead- zinc mining in the Leadville, Colo., area gradually came to a halt in the 1950's. Exploration work continued, however, and by 1969 sufficient ore had been blocked out to warrant sinking a shaft and erecting a new concentrator to treat 700 tpd. The new shaft and concentrator were to be located in Iowa Gulch several miles east of Leadville at an elevation of 11,100 ft. The Leadville project is a joint venture between Newmont Mining Co. and Asarco, with Asarco being the operator. Design work began in the fall of 1969. Engineering was done by Torkelson Engineering Co. of Salt Lake City in conjunction with the central engineering department of Asarco. The plant was constructed by Stearns-Roger Corp. Construction began in the spring of 1970 and the plant went onstream in April 1971.

Jan 11, 1972

By C. E. Gerity

Near Bunker, Mo., in the New Lead Belt, Ozark Lead Co. operates a 6000 tpd lead-zinc mine. Mined ore is transported to the surface in three mechanized and automated steps. The mine is developed by a rectangular-shaped sublevel haulage drift 15 ft high by 28 ft wide, driven on strike below the ore zones. Ore transfer raises were driven from the sublevel at locations near the shaft, 1500 ft distant, and on subsequent 1000 ft centers. These 6 x 5-ft raises are slashed to obtain maximum storage below dump points. These dump points are located on each mining level and are of steel and concrete construction. Spiral 12 X 24-ft inclines driven from the sub-level provide access to these levels for equipment and mine utilities.

Jan 11, 1972

By H. R. Peterson, G. J. Lipovetz, W. F. McDermott

One of the major improvements in ore grinding economics in North America has been the introduction of autogenous grinding. Pickands Mather & Co. has been active in the development of autogenous grinding since 1957. This early work led to the application of autogenous grinding to the Wabush mines ore in 1965, with the installation of six 24 ft diam by 8 ft long, 1750-hp mills. Development work recently completed in 1971 on another ore has led to the decision to install five 36 x 15-ft, 12,000-hp mills when this project goes ahead. Between these two decisions lies a tremendous amount of research, development and application of autogenous grinding to a variety of ores. The Pickands Mather Metallurgical and Research Laboratory in Hibbing, Minn., has tested ores from 9 different deposits in its pi- lot plant facility. Some of these deposits have as much difference within their own ore types as there is between the various deposits. Therefore, it is safe to say that over twenty different ore types have been tested and flowsheets developed for commercial applications. Of the nine projects, three are in operation. These are Wabush mines in Labrador, Canada,' Savage River mines in Tasmania,' and The Griffith mine in Red Lake, Ont., Canada.'

Jan 11, 1972

By C. W. Baxter

Eveleth Taconite Co. was formed in 1963 to mine and beneficiate taconite on the Mesabi Range. Its Thunderbird mine is located mid-way between the cities of Eveleth and Virginia, Minn. The program for blasting restraints here is unique not only on the Mesabi Range but possibly in the world. The ore is a hard siliceous taconite. Its structure varies from bedded to massive with prominent vertical jointing. The jointing of the top or outcrop of the orebody is a challenge for the blasting practices as it is the source of an estimated 75% of the secondary breakage.

Jan 11, 1972

By James M. Link

The design and construction of cross-country pipelines for fluids such as crude oil appears relatively simple compared to the complex problems encountered in slurry systems. Considerable effort has been expended in hydraulic research laboratories in an attempt to improve the understanding of slurry behavior. This effort has been rewarded with considerable success and is best illustrated by the large number of slurry systems now planned or under construction. However, slurry transport in pipelines is still, in many instances, more of an art than a science. In order to minimize the risk factors in the construction and operation of large scale slurry systems, studies are frequently conducted in pilot scale test loops such as the one at the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute. The pilot scale projects are designed to provide the basic engineering data necessary to design slurry transport pipeline systems. Usually three slurry solid concentrations are pumped at various line velocities and optimum slurry densities and velocities are determined. Critical velocities, friction head losses, power requirements, and so forth, are also determined from measurements and calculations. Wear tests are also strongly recommended and anticipated pipe wear rates in inches per million tons of solids reported.

Jan 11, 1972

A development which could prove significant was the announcement on September 18 by Lone Star Industries, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., that the Snyder process which utilizes shock phenomena to break down ore in seconds, is operational. J. R. Kringel, chairman and president of Lone Star, says this about the process: "This new approach to the comminution of ores not only provides better mineral liberation at lower capital and operating costs, but it also makes a significant contribution toward the more efficient utilization of the country's rapidly depleting mineral reserves." The Snyder process consists of loading the material into a chamber, introducing a compressible working fluid such as steam under 300-500 psi, or as low as 80 psi, and then opening a millisecond-action discharge valve, causing the material to become entrained in the expanding fluid. The mixed fluid moves through a duct toward a discharge zone at near-sonic velocity, and is subject to a variety of extreme shock phenomena which accomplish the desired size reduction and mineral liberation.

Jan 11, 1972

By F. K. Spragins

Growing demand for conventional crude oil in North America in the face of diminishing sup- ply is bringing about increased interest in synthetic fuels. With one commercial plant already in full production, another in the planning and engineering stage and still others being seriously considered, the Athabasca tar sands are proving to be a leading center of interest. Here, and in the closely related deposits, reserves in place total over 700 billion barrels.' When and if fully developed, Athabasca tar sands could make both Canada and the United States substantially independent of all off-shore supplies of crude for many years to come. Its product, a high-quality, low-sulfur synthetic crude, is beginning to enter the market place at a most favorable time. Oil Deposit The main body of Athabasca tar sands, about 250 miles northeast of the city of Edmonton, are centered in an area of something over 12,000 sq mi. The deposit runs as high as 250,000 bbl per acre and the average richness is placed at 100,000 bbl per acre. Of the over 700 billion bbl in place, 400 billion bbl of raw oil are considered recoverable from which 300 billion bbl of upgraded synthetic crude are expected to be produced.' In the deeper zones, thermal stimulation is considered the best approach to recovery, while in the shallow areas several surface mining techniques are deemed practical.

Jan 10, 1972

By C. P. Davenport, Garth Duell

What are the projected electrical power needs of the nation and of the Northwest during the next 15-20 years? No one who has researched the subject has reached a substantially different result than the following simple conclusion: electrical power requirements are doubling every decade. There are some who question the necessity of a power company's need to install capacity every ten years equal to what it has done during its entire previous history; there are even those who would argue that such growth should be arbitrarily curtailed. However, a power company must, by law, meet its responsibilities of providing the energy the public expects when the switch is thrown.

Jan 10, 1972

By John V. Beall

Many Americans will judge the energy crisis by the picture shrink on their TV screen. And they are right to make this assessment considering the large areas of the country with marginal generating capacity, (See Fig, 1). The Federal Power Commission (FPC) recommends 20-25% reserve generating capacity above peak summer loads and 15-20% as minimal. The New York metropolitan area is the most concentrated power service area in the United States, and a spot check with Consolidated Edison, serving this area, revealed that on Friday, August 18, the company was operating at 5% reserve.

Jan 10, 1972

By John W. Straton

The President of the United States signed Public Law 91-173 on December 30, 1969 and the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 became law. The Bureau of Mines was required to promulgate regulations to implement the law. Unfortunately, some stipulations of the Act were not technologically possible. The USBM employed many new inspectors and had to instruct both old and new personnel in the requirements of the law. Mine operators and mine workers also had to be informed. There was a fair measure of inconsistency during this period. Progress is being made, however, and it is becoming easier for mining personnel to know what needs to be done. There are some unresolved questions, however, and there still appears to be an appreciable lack of uniformity in the application of the law by the many federal inspectors.

Jan 10, 1972

By Cleland N. Conwell

Coals are found in all parts of Alaska, ranging in geologic age from Carboniferous to Tertiary, and grading from lignite through anthracite. Only the Matanuska and Nenana coal fields have been extensively developed. Nenana Field Today roughly 94% of the coal mined in Alaska comes from the Nenana field near Healy. The coal-bearing horizons in the Nenana field are found in a sedimentary sequence of Tertiary age approximately 2800 ft in thickness. The sediments rest directly on schists of possible Precambrian age. Individual coal beds in the field have been designated by both letters and numbers, starting with the alphabetical designations from A to G, and the numbers 1 to 6. Of these coals, the principal beds that are mined are F, 1, 2, and 3. These vary greatly in thickness, e.g., bed 1 ranges to over 50 ft, and beds 2 and 3 to 30-40 ft.

Jan 10, 1972

By Walter Mueller

Transition in the underground coal industry, begun with the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, should be completed midway in the 1972-80 period. Surprisingly, many of the far reaching effects of this act have been, for the most part, beneficial to the industry from the standpoint of health, safety and basic operating standards. Production has dwindled, but the next few years will see production declines level out. Average declines of approximately 27% have been recorded since passage of the 1969 act, with costs increasing an average of $1.50 per ton throughout the industry. Nationwide averages presently are in the range of 14 tons per man-shift, and by 1980 this may be further reduced to a 10-ton per man-shift average for the industry. But in spite of the many temporary set-backs affecting the industry, the marketing opportunities are clearly visible. Due primarily to the energy squeeze facing the U.S. over the near term, the 'underground coal operator is and will be enjoying unusual leverage in selling his product.

Jan 10, 1972

By Robert Sisselman

If we are lucky," says Hollis M. Dole, Assistant Secretary of the Interior, "coal, uranium and hydropower will provide us with maybe a third of the energy we require in 1985. The other two- thirds will have to be made available in liquid and gaseous form." Luck, however, may have run out, for if the facts and figures relating to supply and demand of natural gas over the next 20 years prove accurate, the United States may fall short in its attempts to bring the energy crisis under control. By the year 1990 the world will need to consume a minimum 150 quadrillion Btu of energy with gas requirements running as high as 42-43 trillion cu ft. By 1990, the U.S. alone will require 45-46 trillion cu ft. To meet anticipated demand, this country will have to overcome a deficiency of about 20 trillion cu ft since, by all pragmatic estimates, it will produce only 15-20 trillion cu ft of gas. The importation of natural gas into the U.S. will help but will not solve the problem. Adequate gas supplies will have to be supplied domestically. The Arctic, with its predicted huge reserves of gas, combined with imports of liquid natural gas (LNG) may provide as much as 15% of the 45-46 trillion figure, however, such reserves will not come into play as quickly as originally thought. The Alaskan gas fields, for instance, will provide a substantial supplement to domestic gas needs, but only after 1976.

Jan 10, 1972

The most extensive oil shale development program ever undertaken in the United States has been that carried out by Colony Development Operation at Para- chute Creek in western Colorado. Field development goals were completed this spring, with the remainder of the $24 million joint venture program, primarily engineering, environmental and economic analysis, due to be finished by the end of 1972. Upon completion of the overall program, a decision concerning a commercial venture is expected. This program points up the increasing attention being focused on oil shale as a source of crude oil and energy for the U.S. at a time when the nation's supply of oil produced by conventional methods is far from adequate to meet the demand. The oil shale reserves of the Green River formation in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming are the largest hydrocarbon reservoir. The Piceance basin of Colorado, alone, contains some 80 billion bbl of shale oil recoverable by modern methods in reserves more than 30 ft thick and containing at least 30 gal of oil per ton. The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that the total shale oil reserves of the Green River formation in the states of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming is more than 600 billion bbl of oil in deposits containing at least 25 gal per ton of shale oil.

Jan 10, 1972

By S. H. Shepard

During the past year, a number of significant events have occurred in the nuclear industry. These include a surge in nuclear power plant orders, delays in nu- clear plant licensing and construction, increased environmental concern and the new Atomic Energy Commission nuclear fuel policy. These events, particularly the AEC stockpile release policy, have lead us to take this opportunity to update National Nuclear Corp.'s (NNC) appraisal of the outlook for the U.S. uranium industry.

Jan 10, 1972

Surface mining of coal is widely condemned as a despoiler of the countryside and wastrel of land and natural resources. Yet the fact has been as widely ignored that the ingenuity of those engaged in developing the methods and equipment utilized in surface mining have made several hundred million tons of coal available for utilities and industry which could never have been mined by any other method. While doing this, the surface mining companies have recovered nearly 100% of the coal in the mining area instead of approximately 50% as is common in underground methods. Efficiency has been increasing constantly, thereby maintaining low cost to the customer. Mining has provided economic health in many areas by virtue of the direct payrolls and by the attraction of other industries to enjoy low cost, dependable fuel supplies. Surface mining of coal generally falls into two categories: contour mining, which is the result of mining in hilly or mountainous terrain where the hillside or slope limits the width of the area which can be surface mined; and area mining, which results from the surface of the land being approximately parallel with the coal seam so that a wide area may be mined in a succession of pits or open cuts.

Jan 10, 1972