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By Dalzell R. W

A Conveyor Belt Fire Test Program was initiated in 1985 by the Approval and Certification Center (A&CC), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), U.S. Department of Labor. The purpose was to evaluate the effect of entry air velocities on the burning properties of mine conveyor belts and assess fire test data from large- and small-scale tests. Belts meeting the fire-resistant standards of MSHA and agencies of other countries were tested in small- and large- scale fire tests.

Jan 1, 1988

By Hannan J. C

In New South Wales, development applications for major coal mining proposals are determined by the Minister for Planning and Environment and applications for mining leases and other mineral titles are dealt with by the Minister for Mineral Resources. The environmental conditions placed on the development consent, the coal mining lease and the approvals and licences under the pollution control legislation, amount to a substantial component of any new project's planning and commissioning considerations.An outline is presented of the framework within which various approvals are granted and conditions for environmental management are imposed upon mining projects. The principles and concerns, as perceived by the regulatory authorities, on which the majority of approval conditions are based are also outlined.No attempt has been made to analyse the extent to which these principles or standards are achieved in practice, nor to discuss the degree to which some of the conditions are achievable with the current status of technology and economics in the coal industry.

Jan 1, 1987

By Sarkar B. C, Sen A. K

India is well endowed with vast reserves of banded hematite ore, about 12 billion tonnes, estimated by some conventional methods. Various authors have assessed this huge reserve using some advanced geostatistical methods. A Banded Iron Formation (BIF) belt named the `Singhbhum-Keonjhar-Bonai' belt in India has been chosen as a case study. In this paper, the experiences of Chiria iron ore, in particular, have been described. This study will finally create a dynamic mineral inventory after standardising the geostatistical parameters which will help to cater for the needs of the stringent quality requirements of the Indian steel industries.

Jan 1, 1995

By R Zhou, B J. Monaghan, S J Chew, R J. Longbottom, D J. Pinson, H Li, P Zulli, G Zhang, L Lu

Steelmakers are increasingly motivated to use iron ore resources with a wider range of grades and mineral types that were previously considered unsuitable or uneconomical for sintering. In this respect, specific issues, which now require further investigation and understanding, include the sintering of ore types with:- overall higher gangue content- elements that cause problems in the steel manufacturing operations- distinctive sintering performance compared with traditional hematite-rich iron ores. Laboratory-based investigations of the sintering performance and the behaviour of gangue impurities during sintering is an important step towards the successful utilisation of these resources in steelmaking.In terms of laboratory-based sintering investigations, there are two generally accepted experimental scales utilised prior to undertaking industrial-scale trials, which include: bench-scale tablet (compact) testing and pilot-scale pot testing. The former has the advantages of flexibility and more precise control of sintering conditions; but it is difficult to simulate the heterogeneity of a sinter bed. The latter, which is carried out in pots with diameters between 150–500 mm, simulate the commercial sintering process and conditions quite well, but is time-consuming and labour-intensive due to operational complexity. It is therefore desirable to establish a smaller scale pot testing facility that avoids the disadvantages of the normal sintering pot but can provide comparable information.To explore the feasibility of small-scale pot testing, a ‘millipot’ facility was established to examine the sintering performance of iron ores and other non-traditional ferrous materials. The millipot has a diameter of 53 mm and height of 400 mm. The facility has the capability to monitor the sintering temperature at a number of locations (axial, radial) within the sinter bed and to adjust the suction (‘windbox’) pressure. This paper describes the development of the millipot facility and operational procedures, together with initial tests undertaken in order to match its performance with industrial sintering performance.CITATION:Li, H, Zhou, R, Pinson, D J, Zulli, P, Lu, L, Longbottom, R J, Chew, S J, Monaghan, B J and Zhang, G, 2017. A millipot set-up for sintering investigation of iron ores, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 85–90 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By B P. Wrench, M J. Gowan, P J. Chapman

Embankment dams constructed mainly of sand or non-plastic fine soils are susceptible to liquefaction, particularly in high-rainfall, high-seismicity environments where there is sufficient water to saturate the materials and sufficient energy from an earthquake to cause liquefaction. This paper shows the process adopted to review the stability of an existing cross-valley, centreline-raised cyclone tailings sand embankment dam.The study showed that two-dimensional stability analyses did not sufficiently capture the potential for instability, overestimating the depth of the critical failure surface. Instead, three-dimensional modelling was required to provide a reasonable representation. Post-liquefaction stability analyses carried out using the three-dimensional model indicated an adequate factor of safety (FoS). The FoS under seismic conditions was still considered to be a concern based on pseudostatic analyses (but noting the limitations of the analysis method).Earthquake-induced settlements were estimated using an empirical approach based on case history records (Swaisgood, 2003). The post-earthquake event settlement was estimated to be in the order of 600 mm, which is considered to be acceptable for the embankment, taking account of the proposed long-term freeboard of more than 8 m under operating conditions and 2 m under the probable maximum flood condition.CITATION:Chapman, P J, Wrench, B P and Gowan, M J, 2015. Review of static and seismic stability of a cross-valley sand tailings embankment in a high-rainfall, high-seismicity setting, in Proceedings Tailings and Mine Waste Management for the 21st Century , pp 163–172 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 27, 2015

By J Karlovšek

Civil engineering infrastructures are often subjected to different types of natural and mechanical activities. These influences may result in serviceability or even in stability of structures due to material deformations, increased water content within the materials used or the formation of internal or adjacent cavities that may threaten the infrastructure. Construction practices can lead to development of such defects in the form of cavities. In civil engineering it is crucial to detect these variations in material properties and to detect the presence of defects. However, as they are often hidden from view, these attributes may be difficult or impossible to target with traditional testing methods. For these reasons rapid geophysical methods, such as ground penetrating radar (GPR), are increasingly being used. At the University of Queensland (UQ) GPR is used for detection of voids and cavities which have been caused by an over excavation of the earth pressure balance machine (EPB) operating in a closed mode.A variety of numerical simulations using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods and preliminary experiments have been carried out in order to specify information about the nature, type, size, location and other characteristics of targets to be detected by GPR. In doing this the difficulty of interpreting GPR data, which is mainly due to the complexity of the factors involved in multiple possible solutions of the observed features, can be overcome.

Mar 8, 2011

By P Scholtz

Sustainability is one of those fuzzy words like innovation: everybody has an idea what it means, but if one starts asking for concise definitions then it becomes clear that everybody puts their own nuance on the meaning of these words. It’s not because these are difficult words per se, but rather because our understanding of them is highly dependent on the environment we work, live and play in. To remove any ambiguity and aligned with the risks that are faced by the human population today, the definition for sustainability that will apply for this paper is: generating value in the short term without destroying value in the long term.CITATION:Scholtz, P, 2018. Sustainable post-closure development – is it achievable?, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 58–59 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By A F. D C Varajpo, R C. Weba, C Volkmer-Ribeiro, C A. C Varajpo, N S. Gomes

This study relates to the spongillite deposits from the region of Jopo Pinheiro, in the north-west of the State of Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. The deposits occur in shallow ponds (with a maximum depth of 3.5 m) on a karstic planation surface developed on rocks of the Spo Francisco Neoproterozoic Supergroup. Cenozoic detritic covers are associated with this surface. The field study of spongillite deposits from the Preguita and Avipo deposits revealed sedimentological and pedological similarities between the different deposits. They have a lenticular shape and contain different layers of sedimentary spicules intercalated with layers of quartz sand and clay minerals. Representative samples from the different layers investigated by X-ray diffraction, differential and gravimetric thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy showed a range from three to 80 per cent of amorphous silica (opal) corresponding mostly to the sponge spicules in the sediments. Optical microscopic investigation determined that the spicules predominantly belong to the sponge Metania spinata. This species is represented by smooth megascleres (alpha type), prickly megascleres (beta type) measuring 240 to 450 mm in length, as well as the spiny microscleres; whereby the smooth megascleres are larger and thinner. The morphological variation of the spicules as well as the presence of more fragmented spicules towards the base of the deposits, portray a variation in texture and in the state of their preservation along the profile, suggesting environmental variations at the time of their formation and deposition.

Jan 1, 2008

By B Bamford

High speed diamond cutting has extensive applications in civil and mining engineering. A project involving the diamond sawing of black granite is investigating the nature of the diamond cutting process. A sawing machine was devised to adjust the cutting load and measure cutting speed. Cuttings were collected for size distribution analysis. The surface produced by interaction between diamond. grits and the rock was subjected to microscopic investigation. Increasing load prompts the proportional increase in the cutting rate. But the mean size of cuttings shows little change. The photomicrographs of the cutting tracks indicate neither patterns of crack formation nor signs of the ductile behaviour of the rock. A diamond cutting model for hard rock is formulated on these observations. Diamond cutting is a process of surface failure, which advances in four stages. The polycrystalline characteristics of a hard rock and the action of high-speed diamond grits guarantee the creation of crack nuclei which develop into cracks in various directions. This network crisscrossing cracks enable the stripping of this surface layer from the rock.

Jan 1, 1992

By P T. Stoker, A Allman, D P. Carville

Classification of mineral resource estimates is one of the most important responsibilities of the Competent Person. In recent years, classification decisions have been driven more by the detailed block-by-block attributes generated by the now widely applied geostatistical estimation methods, and less by a general geological overview. This is increasingly resulting in æspotted dogÆ outputs, in which blocks of Inferred Resources or unclassified material separate blocks of Measured and/or Indicated Resources, or individual drill holes are surrounded by annuli of Measured and Indicated Resource blocks. Not only are such outputs potentially misleading, since they ignore fundamentals such as continuity of geology and mineralisation between drill holes and the imprecise nature of resource estimation, they can also cause substantial problems for engineers undertaking mine designs and estimating ore reserves, particularly for underground mines. Competent Persons for mineral resources must keep in mind the purpose of their work, and should use their experience and judgement to avoid or smooth out æspotted dogÆ classifications, providing a result commensurate with the level of geological and resource estimation confidence. For their part, ore reserve Competent Persons must understand the resource estimation and classification process, and should question resource classifications that are not consistent with the level of geological and resource estimation confidence.

Jan 1, 2006

By H Arvidson, B Spence, S Helm

Mining is the art of disturbing ground. All phases of a mine’s life cycle from exploration to building and operating a mine, through closure, has a physical impact on the earth. There is currently increasing public and stakeholder awareness owing to a wide range of issues including heritage protection, environmental stewardship, and social impacts therefore ground disturbance must be conducted in a way that honours and respects all agreements, regulations, legislation, and social expectations. A comprehensive ground disturbance permitting process has been developed through consultation with major mining companies and Traditional Owner groups. It operates from strategic business planning through to closure and rehabilitation. Adherence to the principles and process of permitting helps to minimise risk by ensuring that mining companies conduct their business in an inclusive, professional, reliable, and consistent manner that stakeholders reasonably expect, and that mining companies can be proud of. Built on a geographical information system, supplemented with a specialist database, this process allows request, review, and approval by subject matter experts, to operate in a common environment that is transparent, facilitates collaboration, improves efficiencies, and reduces the risk of error or omission. The application of new technology can effectively highlight changes that naturally occur in today’s dynamic ESG domain and provides the perfect platform to record actual disturbance against authorised and planned allowances. The social license to operate demands that strong governance of the ground disturbance process, described herein, can be demonstrated to any interested stakeholder, and mining companies recognise that this principle is central to the betterment of the mining industry.

Sep 18, 2023

By C MacRae, N Wilson

CSIRO Minerals has recently developed an electron microprobe (EMP) based imaging (or mapping) method for characterising ilmenite concentrates. The method requires an electron microprobe analyser to collect elemental X-ray maps which are then processed via an in-house developed software module (CHIMAGE). The type of information readily available from EMP mapping includes; primary phase identification, modal analysis of phases, chemical analysis of individual phases, textural information (eg the alteration stages in the formation of leucoxene or pseudorutile from primary ilmenite and the development of macro-porosity), and the identification of coatings or pore-fill material. All of these parameters will impact on the choice of future downstream processing options considered for any particular ilmenite concentrate. The method has been demonstrated to be a sensitive analytical tool for assessing the distribution of aluminosilicate minor impurities in ilmenite feedstocks from the West Coast of Australia and also for characterising the complex chrome-spinel gangue phases common in East Coast ilmenite concentrates from the Murray Basin.

Jan 1, 2001

James Barnes is Managing Director of James Barnes & Associated Ltd which is a company that has invested ten years of development to provide developers with a transparent, user friendly consultation framework that identifies who needs to be consulted, how they are to be consulted and procedures required to manage the risks associated with getting all the wrong! Despite the assertion above, this paper is not about to provide delegates with the answer to whom they ought to consult or identify the expectations that Maori might have in regard to the consultation process. It would be a very brave person indeed who would venture an opinion on such a sensitive subject. There are no short cuts to finding out what expectations Maori might have on any given situation. Nothing can be taken for granted. What this paper will attempt to do however is provide practical insights into what might be on the minds of Maori interests as they deal with the issues associated with mineral resources, particularly those under Treaty of Waitangi Claim. The Treaty of Waitangi has a significant bearing on the current debate between Maori and the Crown regarding ownership of mineral resources in New Zealand. The Waitangi Tribunal is currently hearing a case presented by a number of Iwi over the ownership of oil and gas resources in Taranaki and Hawkes Bay. Others will follow. The Crown and Maori have never been able to settle differences over ownership rights without resorting to legal action and it looks like this scenario is about to be repeated in regards to minerals. The Crown has a duty to actively protect the Maori interest. This is a fundamental expectation in the relationship between Maori and the Crown. In the case of minerals, Maori have yet to see the Crown do its duty. The impact on developers has become evident through Maori objections to consent applications as the issues of mineral right remain unresolved.

Jan 1, 2000

By D J Maconochie

The use of rock bolts as permanent support has been prohibited by client specifications in several recent large tunnel projects in Australia. The justification for this appears to lie in concerns with proper and verifiable installation procedures rather than concerns with the intrinsic durability of the corrosion protection systems. However, in civil tunnels, preventing the use of permanent rock bolts for long-term support results in the use of cast in place concrete lining which in some instances would otherwise be unnecessary.

Mar 8, 2011

Copper, zinc, lead, and silver in the discordant magmatic-hydrothermal orebody of the Conrad Mine, N.S.W., all have a relatively high mean abundance. Any single concordant sulphide orebody containing the same metals has a similar order of mean abundance of only one or two of these, particularly copper, copper and zinc, or zinc and lead.The relative abundances of the metals in the Conrad orebody vary more widely than in concordant orebodies, and the lead-zinc-silver and copper-zinc-lead relationships are significantly different.INTRODUCTIONIn previous investigations of metal abundances in sulphide ores, the basis of selection of the orebodies was their form, and to some extent their geological setting, rather than hypotheses concerning their origin. In all cases they were generally concordant with the bedding of the sedimentary or meta-sedimentary rocks enclosing them, and most occurred in volcanic-sedimentary sequences. Their mineralogies were simple, and they were copper, copper-zinc, zinc or lead-zinc rich in composition. Most were of the type ascribed by several authors to exhalative-sedimentary processes.In one of these investigations (Stanton, 1958), it was pointed out that since the metals in ores of this type showed similar abundance patterns and behaviour, it would clearly be of interest to examine, and to compare with them, orthomagmatic and vein types, unquestionably derived from their igneous rock associates.The present investigation is concerned with a single orebody, of clearly discordant type, and of indisputable hydrothermal origin. The abundance and behaviour of copper, zinc, lead, and silver have been determined and compared to similar data fOl!' the concordant type. Such a comparison tests the possibility that metal abundance patterns of base metal ores may be indicative of the mode of ore deposition.

Jan 1, 1963

By M Bannear, C Stanton

Since 2008, Arrium has been developing and commissioning a new low-grade hematite ore benefication plant (or OBP) at its Iron Baron mine site.The Iron Baron mine, which was closed in the 1990s, could not consistently yield the high-grade hematite required for pelletising. However, in todayÆs market, the 12 Mt of waste dumps represent a significant low-grade hematite resource, ideal for benefication.Initially, an internal scoping study and several sampling campaigns were conducted to determine the ability to upgrade the available low-grade dump material to a product suitable for export. Test work was conducted at Mineral Technologies (formerly CPG), and included high intensity magnetic separation, spiralling and jigging. Due to promising results from a wet processing circuit, Arrium engaged Mineral Technologies to design a flow sheet that could provide 1 Mt/a of a mixture of high-grade lump (-32 + 8 mm) and fines (-8 mm) products for export.With construction of the plant completed in late January 2012, Arrium, in conjunction with Mineral Technologies, began two commissioning phases. Each phase ended with a toll gate to prove the plantÆs capacity to reach rate and desired grade. After an initial period of running on water, feed solids were introduced to the plant and troubleshooting of bottlenecks began. The first toll gate, whereby the plant was required to run for 24 hours at an average feed rate of 200 t/h (80 per cent of design rate), was completed on the 1 March 2012. Further troubleshooting and resolving of issues allowed the plant to steadily increase feedrate while maintaining good availability and grade. The second toll gate required the plant to run for 72 hours at an average feed rate of 200 t/h while meeting grade, yield and water consumption targets. Sampling campaigns were conducted during this period to track the performance of key equipment. Completion of the test, and full handover of the plant to Arrium, was completed on the 21 April 2012.Although the formal commissioning phases had been completed, ongoing optimisation of the OBP continued, ensuring that all major equipment was working to produce the optimum yield and grade. Sampling campaigns were conducted on the jigs and spirals, with results and correlations used for operations documentation.Overall, with successful completion of the final acceptance tests, the commissioning of the Iron Baron OBP has been established as a major success achieving all production and quality targets as per the original design intent.This paper will focus on the successful commissioning and ramp-up performance of the plant however reference will also be made to the key development stages involved with the development of the project.CITATION:Stanton, C and Bannear, M, 2013. ArriumÆs Iron Baron hematite beneficiation plant - a success from start to finish, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013 , pp 547-552 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 12, 2013

By B McFadzean, N P. Lima, D A. Deglon

The reverse flotation of Itabirite iron ore is typically performed after a desliming step in which most of the sub-10 µm particles are removed. This is done to limit processing problems such as poor flotation recovery of SiO2 due to slime coatings and increased slurry viscosities, unmanageable froths and increased losses of hematite particles due to entrainment. However, the rejection of ultrafine particles contributes to large losses in iron recovery and may contribute to the instability of tailings dams. The aim of this study is to decouple the effects of ultrafine particles in the pulp and froth phases to better understand the processing capabilities of the fines fraction. The flotation test work was performed in a special-purpose continuously operated laboratory flotation cell that has a deep froth section to simulate plant-scale froth conditions. Five conditions of fines addition were investigated at three different froth heights and a solids concentration of 50 per cent. The behaviour of the pulp and the froth were decoupled using froth stability and froth recovery tests. This showed that, even though there is an exponential increase in froth stability at increasing fines quantities, the performance of the pulp has the overriding effect on the overall SiO2 recovery. Pulp zone, froth zone and overall SiO2 recoveries showed that overall recoveries increased by about 3.6 per cent for every 1 per cent decrease in fines content. This meant a large increase of 20 per cent in SiO2 recovery when going from undeslimed to deslimed feed. This was driven largely by increases in the pulp zone recoveries, which were about 4 per cent for every 1 per cent decrease in fines content. The froth recoveries, on the other hand, decreased by between 0.75 per cent and 2.5 per cent for every 1 per cent decrease in fines content, depending on froth height. This paper explores further insights into iron ore flotation processing at different slimes concentrations.

Aug 24, 2022

EIA is a test of a development proposalÆs legitimacy and asks two questions: not only æis the proposal competent?Æ but also ædoes the proposal have moral authority?Æ For reasons of miningÆs historic importance and of a scientific and technological industry culture, traditional EIA has focussed on the first on these, an increasingly misplaced priority in a changing world.This paper explains why competence alone is not enough and examines the second of the two questions: what is meant by a projectÆs moral authority, why does it matter, why has it taken so long to become an issue and what, in practical terms, can project proponents do about it.

Jan 1, 2004

By H von Blottnitz, A C. Keith

The influence of the life of a mine extends beyond its immediate vicinity both in geographic and temporal terms. Decisions around mine approvals are generally made based on economics, for the mine owner and immediate environmental and social impacts by governments and communities. The value from life-of-mine planning can also be viewed in a holistic frame across the entire value chain from mine to product user. This research examines the Carmichael Coal Mine in light of the holistic benefits and impacts along its value chain from the mine to relieving the lot of energy poor in India.CITATION:Keith, A C and von Blottnitz, H, 2016. Can Australian coal alleviate energy poverty in India – a case study, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2016 Conference , pp 52–56 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jun 28, 2016

Confirmation that acid drainage (AD) was a significant environmental issue for the Australian minerals industry came in 1992 with the first national workshop on the topic. Subsequently the extent of AD was documented in a national survey published in 1997. The recommendations arising out of that survey served as a platform for actions by government, industry and industry-support organisations such as the Australian Centre for Mining Environmental Research (ACMER) to enable more effective prevention and management of AD. This paper briefly documents the extent of AD in the industry, the government regulations and guidelines for AD management, industry initiatives, the role of ACMER and other organisations in assisting industry through research and technology transfer, and the efforts being made to deal with AD at derelict mines. Future management of AD in the industry will be assisted by the linkage of Australia (through ACMER) into the International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP) which is facilitating the interchange of knowledge on AD as well as coordinating global research on the topic.

Jan 1, 2003