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By J Wesseloo and Y Kim, Y Potvin, G Mungur, D Grant

At the previous MassMin conference held in Sudbury in 2012, the authors proposed a new framework going beyond dilution and equivalent linear overbreak sloughing (ELOS) for stope reconciliation in relation to the planned stope design. More specifically, the new process investigates performance outcomes including rock overbreak (OB) and fill overbreak (FOB), rock underbreak (UB) as well as geomechanical and operational aspects such as blasting, fragmentation and other production data.Based on the findings of the original 2012 study, a comprehensive data gathering program has been undertaken involving design and reconciliation data from 43 stopes mined between September 2012 and October 2014 at BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam (OD) operation. The new database structure was based on four types of data:stope definition and performance datastope geometrygeotechnical parametersoperational parameters.The new database allows a more in-depth investigation of stope performance. It is now possible to quantify and analyse UB and OB performance from each wall individually as well as the crown. In this paper, the influence of several parameters on recent stope performance at OD is analysed. The underlying reasons for stope wall performance outcomes are discussed in this paper.CITATION:Potvin, Y, Grant, D, Mungur, G, Wesseloo, J and Kim, Y, 2016. Practical stope reconciliation in large-scale operations part 2, Olympic Dam, South Australia, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 501–510 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By P Mackenzie, S Askraba

Pyritic black shales present several challenges to mining operations due to their reactivity. The risk of predetonation of explosives in blastholes, spontaneous combustion of fractured rock and the generation of acid rock drainage must be managed for safety, operational and environmental reasons. At the Mt Tom Price iron ore mine there is a need to differentiate between reactive and non-reactive shale in order to assess risk and make decisions on materials handling. The current approach uses a combination of stratigraphic information and sulfur analysis of blasthole samples. The time taken for sulfur analyses can be a constraining factor on mine production. A new instrument developed by ANSTO Minerals overcomes some of the current limitations on material characterisation. The IOR MeterÖ measures the intrinsic oxidation rate (IOR) of samples of broken rock by circulating air through a sample and monitoring the oxygen concentration over time. The intrinsic oxidation rate is given by the rate at which oxygen is consumed per unit mass of sample, in units of kg(oxygen) kg-1(sample) s-1. Up to eight samples can be measured simultaneously and the turn-around time can be less than 12 hours. Initial trials of the IOR MeterÖ were undertaken at the Mt Tom Price mine in July 2004. The measured IOR of samples from a blasthole pattern spanning different geological layers containing black shale, correlated strongly with the expected reactivity of those layers. The correlation between position in the geological sequence (detailed stratigraphy) and IOR MeterÖ results were much stronger than that between stratigraphy and sulfur content. The new characterisation technique offers the prospect of improving the ability to identify and predict the behaviour of reactive black shales and to differentiate more precisely between different materials. Mine planning, operations, safety and environment all stand to benefit from the success of further trials of the technique.

Jan 1, 2005

By K Verbeken, D Seveno, A Maslov, I Bellemans

Recycling and decarbonisation current metallurgical processes is key for our planet’s future and in both cases, digital twinning will play an important role. However, the various modelling techniques being used for digital twinning require a lot of input values on variables such as viscosities, diffusion coefficients and surface energies that need to be known as a function of temperature, atmosphere and composition, but which are not widely available, such as in databases, for molten slag phases. The need for more accurate data on physical slag properties is clear and will be extremely relevant for making more realistic and quantitative simulations. Some of these properties are difficult to determine, which is inherent to the very high pyrometallurgical temperatures. Therefore, this work focuses on some aspects related to determining electrical conductivities, viscosities and surface tensions of slags via a combined experimental-modelling method. Besides experimental work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be used to investigate oxidic slag physical properties. With MD simulations, one can follow the time evolution of a system (consisting of atoms or molecules) by integrating Newton’s equation of motion. The input for an MD simulation mainly consists of a force field as well as initial positions, velocities and mass of each atom. The determination of the transport properties in existing literature of MD simulations in oxidic systems, is typically based on incorrect assumptions. For example, to determine the ionic conductivity, the frequently-used Einstein-Stokes equation fails to take into account all ionic types and neglects correlated motion. Furthermore, the viscosity determination via the Einstein-Stokes formula also assumes independent motion of the different ions. This paper gives a brief overview of the opportunities and challenges related to the use of MD simulations for oxidic slag systems.

Jun 19, 2024

Copper Extraction from Scrap Cables by Biotechnological Means

Sep 13, 2010

This paper briefly discusses the negotia- tion of the more important provisions in agree- ments for exploration and mining rights with Pacific countries. LAND RIGHTS Land rights are complicated and sometimes controversial in many of the Pacific countries. In some countries, a company will have to deal with land owners directly; in others, the government will act as intermediary. Inevit- ably, a company will have to deal with both. Mining companies need to be sensitive to the culture and particular interests of the land owners and of their history in defending their rights. The issues are too complicated to be dealt with here. Some mining companies have spent, and will continue to spend, considerable time trying to understand them. It will " require patience, perseverance, sensitivity and unflagging optimism. The better advised companies will ensure that their local repre- sentatives get to know the land owners, under- stand their concerns, and will pursue a policy of keeping them informed on a regular basis of all of the company's activities and proposed activities. Good community relations are the keystone for good mining operations in the Pacific. Most countries will require the submission of an environmental impact statement so that they will know in advance what effects a pro- posted mining operation are expected to have on the environment and how it is intended to deal with them. They will also want to approve the company's environmental reclamation and rehabilitation plan. Let's face facts right away - mining, by its very nature, is not going to improve the environment. There will be waste discharges, emissions and deposits. They will affect the land, air and water and hence human, marine and animal life and vegetation. There will be sounds and odours and the esthetics of mining operations, though perhaps pleasing to geolo- gists and mining engineers, will not please Others.

Jan 1, 1987

The conclusions reached by den Tex after a study of the fabric of some rocks from Broken Hill have been used to support the epigenetic hypothesis for the origin of the ore, first by Edwards (1959, p. 70) and then by Stillwell (1962, p. 131) in his criticism of Segnit's (1961) views. Den Tex claimed that the petrofabric study provided "independent evidence that the ore, at least in its present form, post-dates all events of a diastrophic nature in the area concerned".Repetition of this claim by Edwards and by Stillwell and the lack of any criticism of den Tex's work for more than three years implies its general acceptance by geologists in Australia. Therefore it appears necessary to examine parts of den Tex's paper in detail to show that his, conclusions are unwarranted. The major weaknesses in his study are that1. the petrofabric study was inadequate to warrant any major conclusions, and2. the petrofabric data allow alternative conclusions.Den Tex made a single visit to the field, collected six carefully selected specimens and presented quartz and· biotitepetrofabric diagrams for two specimens, quartz-diagrams alone for three more and included three diagrams of the orientation of c-axes and fractures in one specimen. It is not reasonable to come to firm conclusions about the origin of such a complex area as Broken Hill on such inadequate data, despite den Tex's claim (p. 87, lines 22 and 23) that "a thorough investigation of the quartz-fabric of the wall rock was undertaken".Den Tex's interpretation of each diagram is open to criticism, and alternative (and to my mind, preferable) interpretations may be made. It is impossible to evaluate den...

Jan 1, 1962

By Wright G. N

Curragh Queensland Mining Limited, a co-venture of Australian and overseas interests, operates an open cut coal mine 13 km north of the township of Blackwater in Central Queensland, refer attached location map.

Jan 1, 1992

By Misra V. N, Cheng C. Y

Two types of Mt Tom Price hematite iron ore from Hamersley Iron P/L were tested using a Humboldt Wedag Jones P40 wet high intensity magnetic separator (WHIMS). The parameters tested were magnetic intensity (7000, 9000 and 11 000 Gauss), groove plate type (8R and 12R) and gap width (2.5 and 1.8 mm). It was found that at 9000 gauss magnetic intensity, reasonably high-grade and recovery in the concentrate were obtained. At 2.5 mm plate gap width, the 12R groove plate performed slightly better than the 8R groove plate. Further testwork is recommended to optimise the magnetic intensity, feed flowrate and pulp density, wash water pressure and flowrate with 12R and 8R groove plates at 2.5 mm gap width.

Jan 1, 1999

Though many mining and mineral processing companies have embraced the principles of sustainable development (SD), there is still a significant challenge of applying these in a practical sense, either in plant design or as part of day-to-day operations. The high-level nature of sustainability concepts often do not translate easily into workable activities or business case evaluations. This makes it difficult for engineers and company decision makers to understand whether their actions are making a contribution to sustainable development and a long-term business case. While several organisations have their own SD tools that can, to a degree, help identify these opportunities, they are largely ad-hoc and lack the necessary thoroughness to defensibly value these opportunities. Recognising these serious shortcomings, the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing (CSRP) has undertaken the development and trial applications of SUSOP« (SUStainable OPerations), a new concept that is somewhat analogous to HAZOP and the wider risk and safety frameworks used in projects today. The key goal of the SUSOP« research project is to produce a holistic, systematic and rigorous framework for project development, capturing, recording and evaluating SD opportunities and constraints against a chosen sustainability structure (eg Five Capitals). SUSOP« is being developed through an iterative process with input from research institutions and engineering companies. This integrated approach ensures that SUSOP«, in its final form, will have the academic rigour and industry realism required to assist the resource sector contribute to societal sustainability by embedding the concepts and processes into the design and operation of their assets in a meaningful and practical manner. SUSOP« has created much traction with both engineering companies and mining and minerals operators. This conference paper presents an overview of the SUSOP« framework and its current suite of processes as well as highlighting, through practical case studies, its capability to incorporate SD considerations at different phases of an engineering project's development.

Jun 1, 2010

As the chief field of the gold dredging industry in Otago is the district traversed by the Molyneux River (called above Cromwell the Clutha) and its tributaries, a brief reference to the geology of that region and the origin of its alluvial gold will not be out of place. The prevailing rocks are metamorphic schists, chiefly mica and quartz schists, pr.obably of Silurian age. Though these rocks do not contain many payable quartz reefs, gold appears to be distributed in small quantities all through them,chiefly associated with the quartz lamime and lenses. The river drift, however, contains numerous pebbles of quartzite, quartzoze conglomerate, and fme-grained slate. Seeing that these rocks are hardly known to occur in situ within the watershedof the Molyneux River, though Devonian and carboniferous rocks of similar character occur to the north-east and south-west, it seems probable that the schists were at one time overlaid by carboniferous and Devonian rocks, and that these have been removed by denuding agencies. Be this as it may, it is certain that the schists themselves have been greatly eroded by the action both of water and of ice, and that the resulting drifts have themselves, in many cases, been sorted and re-assorted by the same agents.Consequently the drifts are very varied in character and often developed on a grand scale. In geological age they vary from Early Tertiary (though some may be older) to Recent.

Jan 1, 1903

By R L. Brathwaite

Previous paleodepth studies of low-sulphidation epithermal Au-Ag deposits in the Coromandel region indicated that economic gold mineralisation was generally limited to a depth zone of 100 to 400 m below the paleosurface. Notable exceptions are Waihi and Karangahake, where ore shoots extended to depths of about 750 and 900 m respectively. These studies have been extended to include Au-Ag, Hg and Sb epithermal deposits in Northland and the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The main paleodepth indicators used are sinters and hydrothermal eruption breccias, hydrostatic pressures estimated from homogenisation temperature measurements on fluid inclusions, and hydrothermal alteration mineralogy. Also the occurrence of lacustrine and fluvial sediments is an indicator of the paleosurface at their time of deposition. Selected paleodepth indicators have been compiled and mapped in a GIS environment. The distribution of the paleodepth indicators are used to define regional variations in erosion levels, and may be useful in predicting areas most likely to preserve the optimum depth window for gold deposition. In the Coromandel region, regional stream sediment geochemical data has also been used to broadly define erosion levels in terms of Zn, Pb and Cu representing deeper base metal zone mineralization and Hg and Sb representing shallower cinnabar and stibnite mineralisation. The interpretations of paleodepth and potential reconstruction of paleosurfaces are limited by the paucity of data, poor age control on the paleodepth indicators and the epithermal deposits, and marked relief and complex stratigraphy in the volcanic terranes.

Jan 1, 2003

Study on Influence that Styrene-Phosphoric has on the Surface Property of Rutile Minerals

Sep 13, 2010

The early history of the mine is traced from the beginning of shaft sinking in 1886 to the purchase by the Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd. in 1949. A necessary preliminary to mechanisation of the Borehole Seam was development of the Young Wallsend seam, andthis development is described. Surface reorganisation and coal handling arrangements are dealt with in detail. Then follows a description of the Borehole Seam mechanisation, the provision of power supply for this purpose, arid pumping arrangements in themine.INTRODUCTIONStockton Borehole Colliery is in the Parish of Teralba, between the townships of Teralba and Boolaroo, and about 12 miles from Newcastle. The colliery holding, a freehofd area of 2,560 acres, was apparently an original land grant when acquired by Teralba Co-operative Coal Company who decided to mine for coal and named the mine "Teralba Colliery." Shaft sinking was commenced in 1886 but was delayed by financial and water troubles to such an extent that it was not until 1901 that the Borehole Seam was reached.Coal was won until 1904 using a single 16 ft. diameter shaft, ventilation being achieved by means of a wooden boxing down one side of the shaft. This collapsed, and operations ceased until the mine was taken over in 1906 by a company known as "Borehole Colliery Limited," the principal stockholder being the Stockton Coal Company. It renamed the mine "Borehole Colliery." This new company immediately commenced sinking a 13 ft. diameter air shaft. In 1908 the Stocktol1 Colliery at Stockton was abandoned, and during the following year much of its equipment was transferred to Borehole Colliery. The name was again changed becoming "Stockton Borehole Colliery." From this period on, coal was produced from the Borehole Seam by...

Jan 1, 1957

By B Leisemann, M Watkinson

Coal augering is an ideal method for recovering coal from the highwalls of open cut coalmines. Coal augering is a simple process whereby additional flights are added to the auger cutting head and auger holes are drilled at 1.9 m diameter up to 200 metres deep. Traditional monitoring was located at the mouth of the hole and if methane was encountered above two per cent, inert gas was delivered into the mouth of the hole to deplete the oxygen content at the auger cutting head below 12 per cent. The auger operator was asked the question ‘how do you know that this is the case?’ Trials were undertaken to prove that the oxygen content at the cutting head did drop below 12 per cent (the lowest limit for methane to ignite, also known as the oxygen nose point). Initial trials showed that the oxygen content in the mouth of the hole did not drop below 12 per cent and modifications were made to hold the inert gases in the mouth of the hole so that the auger flights could take this inert gas into the hole. In-hole monitoring, after completion of mining and after extracting the auger flights, showed that the atmosphere quickly returned to fresh air. In-hole monitoring was also tried during the augering process and yielded valuable results. This paper will discuss the results of the monitoring, information on the gas results obtained and the methodologies used to optimise the oxygen content at the auger face.CITATION:Watkinson, M and Leisemann, B, 2017. Inertisation of coal augering holes, in Proceedings Australian Mine Vent Conference 2017, pp 293–298 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 28, 2017

By S Hapugoda, A Poliakov, E Donskoi, L Lu

A significant amount of metallic iron in the world is produced in blast furnaces from iron ore pellets. To control the quality of pellets and to optimise pellet production, characterisation of both green and fired pellets is required. Optical image analysis (OIA) allows identification of different minerals, binder, remaining fluxes and porosity within pellets.For proper identification of the mineralogy, porosity and texture in pellets a high magnification is required, therefore each individual image covers only a very small portion of the pellet. At the same time the characterisation of pellets requires that the whole pellet is represented as a single object, so the size of the resulting overall image at high magnification can make it difficult to handle. A solution to this problem has been implemented within the CSIRO OIA package Mineral4 by combining images at different levels. Namely, to average out local irregularities, individual frames can be stitched during imaging into larger MosaiX images. Mineral4 further combines these MosaiX images into a single panorama image of the whole pellet.The proposed procedures allow the calculation of mineral and porosity spatial distributions, local gradients and abundance graphs based on the distance from the centre of the pellet. The ‘Pellets’ module of CSIRO OIA software also allows for characterisation of large irregularly shaped particles of lump ore and sinter.CITATION:Poliakov, A, Donskoi, E, Hapugoda, S and Lu, L, 2017. Optical image analysis of iron ore pellets and lumps using CSIRO software Mineral/Recognition, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 583–592 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

This paper describes new research and development currently being undertaken by the CSIRO Mining Technology Group to advance the automation capability of continuous mining equipment in underground coal mining operations. The effort aims at increasing the overall rate of roadway development as well as providing a safer working environment for underground mine personnel. The activity is funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) and forms part of a larger underground development initiative, known as the CM2010 project. The CM2010 is managed via a consortium of leading mining industry representatives through the Roadway Development Task Group (RDTG). The Task Group has identified three research areas requiring new development in order to realise the CM2010 project objectives: self-guiding (autonomous) continuous miner capability, an enhanced drilling and bolting process and improved mesh deployment. CSIRO's primary role in the CM2010 project is in the development of the autonomous continuous miner guidance capability.This paper reports on outcomes achieved at the half-way mark of a three year research and development project. It details the technical developments undertaken towards demonstration of a 'self-steering' capability to enable a continuous miner to automatically maintain a given mining heading and mining horizon under production conditions. A primary technical requirement of this automated functionality is the means to accurately determine both the location and orientation of the continuous miner in real-time. Testing and validation of the guidance system solution has been implemented using a combination of an instrumentation-grade inertial navigation unit and radar technology. Comprehensive performance evaluations have been conducted using a scale skid-steer mobility platform known as the Phoenix. Results achieved to the present stage of the project are highly promising and suggest that an automated self-steering functionality is achievable under production conditions. This new outcome represents an important move towards implementing a step change improvement for future underground roadway development.

Dec 6, 2010

Recycling and Recovering Fine Particles from Auto Shredding Residue (ASR/SR) to Conserve Raw Materials and Protect Environment

Sep 13, 2010

By N Arrys, A Jani, S Shahin

Optimising pit slope stability and reducing strip ratio of a mining operation are two key tasks in geotechnical engineering. With a growing demand for minerals and an increasing cost associated with extraction, companies are constantly re-evaluating the viability of mineral deposits and challenging their geological understanding. Within Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO), the Structural Geology (SG) team investigate and collect critical data, such as point based orientations, mapping and geological inferences from adjacent pits to remodel deposits where previous interpretations have failed to account for structurally controlled slope failures. This work outlines the key methods utilised by the Structural Geology team which form the foundations of informed orebody knowledge and subsequent geotechnical design recommendations. This publication utilises the results from a recent analysis to highlight the benefits of this methodology and how it has impacted the economics of an operation through optimisation of a pit wall ‘cutback’ and crest relocation.

Sep 1, 2024

Woodlawn Mines began underground operations in 1986. At the time of going underground it was envisaged that there would be no 'contract' payment to the underground employees. This was a relatively unique step to make, especially as most major underground mines in Australia relied heavily on the contract system to motivate their workforce. (Obviously with varying degrees of success.) Woodlawn faced the task of motivating their employees through a multi-skilled system with a great emphasis on leadership and a genuine care for their employees. The 'proof of the pudding' is that Woodlawn has not lost any time over industrial issues since beginning underground operations in 1986. To achieve success in any operation the organisation must not only be advanced in its management principles but also be prepared to be innovative in the way it deals with physical problems, ie ground control, equipment selection and maintenance. Difficult ground conditions at Woodlawn have necessitated the deployment of two Cabolt Jumbos and the construction of cost-effective shotcrete systems. The shotcrete system now being built has been tested in a prototype form and is proving to be a safe and simple way to manage weak, low stress friable ground. Although the ground at Woodlawn has low stress component by virtue of the fact the ore can have a density of 4.5dm3, cable dowelling has become a necessity. The two cable dowel jumbos install high quality reinforced cables. The pressure of 'production' means that these machines must be consistently available for use and the training of maintenance personnel and operators ensures that a maximum of cable dowels can be installed over any given time span. In any modem mine ventilation is a primary concern and the major area of concern comes from the vehicles themselves. In our recent replacement for the standard 'Toro' loader, three engine options were considered. A relative newcomer to underground mining was accepted. The Detroit 60 series (DDEC) engine came with a great reputation and has lived up to this. The engine has an electronic management system that reduces particulates to a hardly visible minimum, provides great amounts of engine power and reduces fuel consumption by approximately 45 per cent. The operational benefits of such an engine are worth sharing through this conference.

Jan 1, 1995

By Y Xie, L O’Connor, S C. Dominy

Sheeted vein gold deposits are characterised by multiple subparallel veins and often free milling gold. Variability in gold grade and recovery parameters are enhanced by poorly designed sampling and test work protocols. Poor quality samples generally equate to an enhanced nugget effect. A sample can be described as being representative when it results in acceptable levels of bias and precision. Total sampling variability can be quantified by the relative sampling variance, which measures the total empirical sampling variance influenced by the heterogeneity of the lot being sampled under the current sampling / test work protocol. Effort should be made to minimise the relative sampling variance through Theory of Sampling (TOS) and quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) application. This contribution reports on a case study that exemplifies how high-quality grade and recovery data can be gained from a well-designed and planned drilling, sampling and test work program, followed by bulk sampling. Results across historical resource drilling, geometallurgical drilling, laboratory assay / test work, geometallurgical modelling and a bulk sampling/pilot processing study are reconciled. A whole core, entire-sample test work protocol was used to acquire fit-for-purpose gold grade and recovery data for inclusion into a Pre Feasibility Study reported in accordance with the JORC Code.CITATION:Dominy, S C, O’Connor, L, Xie, Y and Glass, H J, 2017. Geometallurgical sampling protocol validation by bulk sampling in a sheeted vein gold deposit, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 185–196 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017