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THE following paragraphs represent an endeavour to describe, briefly the equipment used for the manufacture of sulphuric acid and superphosphates by the Corporation.SULPHURIC ACID PLANTS.Two separate units are in operation, No. I Plant working on sulphur dioxide generated from pyritic ore, No. 2 Plant working on sulphurous gases obtained from the Huntingdon-Heberlein desulphurizing process. The latter plant is unique in being the first installation for the successful use of these gases.

Jan 1, 1918

By Holmes RJ, Sowerby BD, Watt JS

Major improvements have taken place in mineral and coal processing in the last decade. The development of nuclear on-line sensors that continuously analyse the material being processed has led to better control of metalliferous mineral processing and increased recovery of valuable minerals. The recent development of on-line techniques for analysis of coal is expected to be of similar Importance. Australian developments in on-line nuclear gauges are reviewed. These include systems for in-stream analysis of mineral slurries with comments on plant operating experience; on-line determination of ash in coal using low energy Y-ray transmission and pair production techniques; in-stream determination of solids weight fraction and ash content of coal in slurries with variable voidage; and on-line determination of moisture in coal, iron in high grade iron ores and sulphur in lead sinter.

Jan 1, 1986

By D Henderson, M Germain

The beneficiation of iron ore deposits to yield haematite and magnetite concentrates for steel making processes typically require the use of one or a combination of wet processing techniques based on gravity, magnetic or froth flotation processes. With the need for more cost-effective technologies with a lower water demand, a re-examination of dry processing techniques has been initiated. For example, a dry processing capability may offer an advantage where suitable quality and quantity of process water hinders the development of a particular resource. This paper describes recent laboratory test work for the production of high grade concentrates using dry electrostatic techniques for -300 ¦m haematite and magnetite ores and compares them with magnetic separation techniques.

Jan 1, 2009

By J E. Wajon

This paper discusses the background, requirements, need and content of plans for management of drinking water self-supplied to mining-related operations, including construction camps, especially in remote areas of Western Australia. The paper discusses the importance of cooperation between regulators, the mine site operator and the consultant in preparing a plan fully compliant with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines to protect the quality and safety of drinking water supplied to mine sites. The paper outlines some of the issues that need to be addressed in preparing a drinking water quality management plan, such as hazard identification, risk assessment, the multiple-barrier approach and the concept of critical control points. Data requirements, monitoring, incident management, training and reporting are also covered.CITATION:Wajon, J E, 2013. Drinking water quality management for mining operations in Western Australia, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013 , pp 321-328 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 26, 2013

By H Utama, hi, A Suw

PT. Indo Muro Kencana (PT.IMK) is gold and silver mine located in Central Kalimantan province, Indonesia. Mining activities in PT.IMK is conducted in Bantian pit area by applying surface mining method and using combination of excavator and hauler (articulated dump truck and rigid haul truck) as the transportation for ore to the crushing plant and waste material to the waste dump. Current blasting practice is ore-waste blasting. Ore-waste blasting is the term where the ore and waste rock are blasted in the same blasting process. Blasting is conducted by using nonel initiation system. By multiple pits operation, monthly powder factor is varied from 0.23 kg/t to 0.27 kg/t. Emulsion blend with density 1.15 g/cc is used as bulk explosive. At this stage, the concept of geoblast is proposed as an engineering tool for Drill and Blast engineering practice in PT.IMK. In addition, there is a need to maintain rock fragmentation by blasting, to maintain monthly powder factor, and to maintain excavator’s productivity. Next, the concept of scaled depth of burial (Chiappetta and Treleven, 1997) and the concept of blastability index (Lilly, 1986) are proposed as geoblast’s tools to improve blasting practice in PT.IMK. It is expected that rock fragmentation by blasting, explosive consumption and excavator’s productivity will be maintained by integration of geoblast and drill and blast engineering. Furthermore, the objective of this paper is to integrate geoblast and drill and blast engineering in order to create an engineering guideline in PT.IMK. Additionally, blasting trials with air decking application is proposed in order to support the geoblast’s improvement. It is planned that these blasting trials will be conducted in 2022. In conclusion, it can be seen that integration of geoblast and D&B engineering in PT.IMK is relevant to improve current drill and blast current practice and applicable to maintain rock fragmentation by blasting.

Nov 29, 2022

Mining operations have been carried out at Mt. Lyell for the past century. Until the 1970's the location of the mines in relation to the surface topography has enabled the mines to drain their copious inflows of water by gravity. Deeper mining has forced the Company to undertake pumping of increasing inflows of water. A major pumping facility is being established near the base of the known ore reserves with a view to serving the future requirements of the mines. The system has a design capacity of 600 litres per second. Run of mine water will be treated in Vertical Flow Settlers to produce clear water and thickened mud, each of which will be disposed of separately. The clear water will be pumped by six 1000 kW conven- tional centrifugal pumps. The thickened mud will be removed by a Hydraulic Displacement System. The rising mains for both the mud and the clear water are stainless steel cased bore- holes.

Jan 1, 1982

By M Hawkins

The Clem Jones Tunnel (formally known as the North-South Bypass Tunnel), a A$2.88 billion road tunnel project in Brisbane, Queensland, was successfully completed almost seven months ahead of schedule. The project included two parallel 4.7 km long road tunnels, 740 m of intermediate roadway access ramps and two auxiliary ventilation tunnels. The tunnels incorporate intelligent tunnel systems, best practice fire and life safety standards and typical civil tunnel elements.Over the duration of the project the Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) and AECOM (formally Maunsell) design joint venture (MPB) were Lead Designers to the Leighton Contractors and Baulderstone Bilfinger Berger Joint Venture (LBBJV). Construction of the toll road commenced in September 2006 and was completed in March 2010, with the tunnel opening then. Contributing to the success of this project was the continued support the lead designers gave throughout the construction period.This paper will focus on some of the structural elements that contributed to the success of the project – in particular the cable tunnel structure, a small precast, culvert shaped element under the pavement of the mainline tunnel, and the fit-out of the Gibbon Street shaft which were designed to be constructed in a combination of precast and in situ concrete.The cable tunnel was incorporated early in the design phase and runs the length of much of the tunnel. This paper will outline the challenges faced by the designers with implementing this system which provided significant construction advantages, among which were being able to install a separate ventilation duct during construction and to start fitting out the mechanical and electrical conduits and drainage system while tunnelling was still underway.The Gibbon Street shaft had a length and width of 20 m by 40 m and an overall depth of 38 m. A 20 m high structure of precast and in situ concrete was constructed in the base to accommodate mechanical and electrical equipment and provide a take-off access for the southern ventilation tunnel. The construction purpose for this structure was to provide a junction between the tunnel boring machine (TBM) and the roadheader-style tunnels, a staging platform for commencing the roadheader tunnelling, and a platform where the TBMs could be dismantled and removed.The design was assessed and reviewed many times throughout the construction process to address the needs of each of these stages. Innovative use of precast concrete was used to minimise construction time.Additionally, the designers provided support to the construction team from the time of design completion through to the tunnel opening. This meant that the changes to the design and adjustment of construction loadings could also be assessed. The fi nal outcome resulted in an efficient construction sequence and a project that has provided an excellent outcome for the client, stakeholders and community.

Mar 8, 2011

By M P. Simpson, J L. Mauk

The Golden Cross, low-sulfidation, epithermal deposit shows a number of features that are directly or indirectly related to boiling hydrothermal fluids. Occurrences of lattice calcite and their quartz pseudomorph equivalents in veins, and occurrences of adularia in veins and in the surrounding altered rocks in the vicinity of ore, are both direct evidence of deposition in the presence of boiling hydrothermal fluids. Loss of carbon dioxide causes calcite deposition (platy variety) near the level of first boiling, while adularia deposits due to the attendant pH increase along the cooling flow path. Indirect evidence of boiling include crustiform-colloform quartz banding, late massive calcite veins, clay-carbonate alteration in the shallow and peripheral parts of the ore zone, and the restricted vertical interval of precious metal mineralisation. The colloform quartz banding strongly resembles the banding in amorphous silica deposits found in geothermal surface pipes. This implies that fluids ascending the Empire Vein structure were saturated in amorphous silica. If so, then they must have undergone phase separation, which initiated at considerable depth (e.g. =1000 m) and very hot temperatures (e.g. =300¦C). On the basis of stable isotope data, late massive calcite veins appear to have deposited from CO2-rich steam-heated waters. Calcite deposited along heating paths as these waters descended into the upflow zone during late stage collapse of the hydrothermal plume. In active systems, such steam heated waters form by deep boiling. The high CO2 contents of these waters promote hydrolytic alteration and the formation of clay-carbonate alteration. Reaction path modelling using CHILLER and a deep, Broadlands-Ohaaki water as an analogue, shows that minerals deposit along boiling flow paths over discrete spatial intervals. Calcite and adularia deposit near the site of first boiling, followed by gold and then by amorphous silica. For deep boiling starting at 300¦C, these minerals deposit over a path length that exceeds 1000 m. The distribution of banded quartz and gold at Golden Cross are consistent with such a boiling model. However, the elevation of first boiling must have fluctuated over 500 m to account for the coincidence of lattice quartz (pseudomorphs of platy calcite) and adularia, crustiform-colloform silica and gold over distances of a few centimeters in veins. We deduce that a downward propagating boiling front and expansion of two-phase flashing in a flowing water column occurred during episodes of high vertical permeability and fluid flux in the Empire vein structure.

Jan 1, 2000

Prior to 1980 the thought of the occurrence of high-level epithermal gold mineralisation occurring in eastern Queensland would have been more of a dream than a reality. In a world-wide sense the understanding of the processes and tectonic settings for epithermal gold were only beginning to be developed. Although epithermal gold deposits had been mined in the past in Queensland the significance of these deposits in a regional sense had not been appreciated. A number of companies had made cursory examinations of epithermal regions in the Mt Coolon and Cracow regions. Since the mid 1980's the search for epithermal gold mineralization in Queensland was truly on and over 30 tonnes of gold from this style of deposit has been discovered.

Jan 1, 1989

By J Lainé, M Badawi, A C. de Araujo, Y Foucaud, C Veloso

Flotation is the one of the most used techniques for the mineral separation of non-ferrous ores worldwide. However, the increase of the complexness along with the decrease of ores liberation sizes ought to become important challenges for mineral processing, including flotation. It now appears necessary to better understand the fundamentals of the flotation process, particularly the adsorption of flotation reagents at the liquid/mineral interfaces, to propose further improvements. Flotation relies on different phenomena: surfactants adsorption, on one hand, and collision, adhesion, and transport of particles with bubbles, on the other hand. For acknowledging the reagents adsorption mechanisms, molecular modelling tools borrowed from chemical and material sciences, are increasingly used. Atomistic simulations were successfully applied to study the flotation reagents interaction with various mineral surfaces, eg of two common minerals from iron ores, kaolinite, and magnetite surfaces, or with fluorite surface, a tungsten ores common gangue mineral.

Aug 24, 2022

A quantitative chemical model of the rocks of the Broken Hill lode environment is presented to illustrate a stratiform orebody in a meaningful form to scientists interested in environmental control on the chemicalcomposition of sediments.Even though this study was restricted by the narrow range of rock analyses available it is obvious that significant chemical differences exist between the various rock units and also that some association of metallic sulphides with Ca, Mn, Fe, and P is indicated.Correlation of this evidence with that from other mining fields may point out more definite chemical relationships and elucidate the puzzle of the mode of formation of many stratiform orebodies.

Jan 1, 1968

By W J. Botha

The Palaeoproterozoic Transvaal Supergroup in the northern Cape Province of South Africa hosts high grade (>60 per cent Fe) hematitic and specularitic iron and manganese mineralisation. The mineralisation is primarily exposed along the western margin or in the central part of a major interference fold structure known as the Maremane dome. The bulk of South AfricaÆs iron ore production is currently provided by two active mines, Kumba Resources megaton Sishen iron ore mine on the northern end of the dome, and the smaller Assmang Beeshoek mine on the southern closure. The undeveloped Sishen South deposit, which contains ~400 Mt of high-grade hematite ore, is located approximately 9 km towards the southwest of Postmasburg. It forms a linear extension of the Beeshoek mine and as such contains comparable laminated, breccia and conglomeratic iron mineralisation. The Transvaal Supergroup sediments were deposited in two distinct fault-controlled basins on the Archean Kaapvaal craton. Basement rocks in the western Griqualand West basin are formed by a carbonate platform sequence (Campbellrand Subgroup), which is overlain by a thick sequence of banded iron formation of the Asbesheuwels Subgroup. A major unconformity separates these rocks from the red-bed Gamagara Formation, which is correlated with the base of the Olifantshoek Supergroup. Diamictites and lavas of the Postmasburg Group have been thrust over these units from the west. The mineralisation process is related to regional scale supergene iron enrichment of Kuruman banded iron formations along the unconformity. During regional tectonism associated with the Kheis orogeny (2400 - 1700 Ma) the Maremane dome was uplifted, and the basal dolomite units thus exposed to erosion and karstification. The overlying banded iron formations collapsed into karst sinkhole structures where leaching of silica and enrichment of hematite occurred. Although the exact mechanism of the mineralising process remains unclear, karstification preserved components of the original concordant laminated and massive ores. These ores were subsequently eroded and deposited as conglomeratic and gritty ores down-dip of the Maremane dome in alluvial fan systems. A thin veneer of recent calcrete or Tertiary Kalahari clay beds masks the subsurface geology and most of the orebodies, thus ground geophysical gravity surveys proved excellent exploration tools to penetrate the surficial cover. These surveys were used extensively for delineation drilling and to deduce the subsurface geology and structural development of the area. Finally Sishen South orebodies were modelled with ModelVision software in an attempt to obtain an exploration template for the surrounding area.

Jan 1, 2005

A study of literature on the epidiorite dykes which transgress the Broken Hill lode and its wall rocks reveals a considerable diversity of thought regarding the time of emplacement of such dykes. In this paper it is deduced that the epidiorite dykes were formed at a late stage and were probably post-ore. Detailed mapping, sampling, and correlation of data from over 100 exposures substantiates this deduction. Physical disruption of the epidiorite dykes is indicated and some interaction of the epidiorite and ore at the time of intrusion is inferred.Further petrological study may confirm this.

Jan 1, 1968

Iron ore in the Middleback Range area has a density and susceptibility contrast with adjacent rocks, and gravity and magnetic methods are applicable to exploration for it. The gravity method is satisfactory whether the ore mineral is hematite, magnetite, or limonite; the magnetic method is suitable for detecting ores which contain magnetite, such as some hematite ore, magnetite ore, and possible ore in the form of magnetite-bearing schists. jaspilites, and carbonate rocks.Geophysical exploration began in 1948 and is still in progress. The methods which have been used are aeromagnetic (83 per cent), ground magnetic (13 per cent), gravity (3 per cent), and others (1 per cent). Ground magnetic surveys have been made wherever aeromagnetic surveys recorded large anomalies. The gravity method is being used to investigate those parts of the area considered most favourable for ore occurrence.Qualitative and quantitative interpretation of the geophysical data has been made and the rocks causing selected anomalies tested by bores.Magnetite in the Middleback Group rocks produces the major magnetic anomalies in the area. The average magnetite content of magnetite-jaspilite, which is the commonest rock type, is 33 per cent by weight and that of magnetite-carbonate at the Iron Duke-Iron Duchess is 50 per cent. These rock types also contain hematite and the average total iron content of the former is 35 per cent and of the latter 50 per cent.INTRODUCTIONThe geology and iron ore resources of the Middleback Range area were described by Miles (1954). Since 1954, much drilling, mapping, and quarrying has been done but there is no published report of this work.The rocks which constitute the Middleback Range, Camel Hill-Cooyerdoo line, Katunga Hill-Iron Knob, and Ash Range (Fig. 1) belong to the Middleback Group of Middle Precambrian or late Archaean age. Most outcrops of the Group are jaspilites, formerly called banded hematite (or magnetite) quartzite. The high grade hematite deposits...

Jan 1, 1964

By J M. Shekiro

In the chloride process to manufacture TiO2 pigment, feedstocks containing higher TiO2 contents (high-grade ores or HGOs) are favoured in order to minimise production of undesirable by-products. Most of today’s HGOs are produced through the smelting or reduction and leaching of ilmenite, processes which consume significant energy and/or produce large volumes of non-titanium materials that may have to be landfilled. In order to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of its TiO2 business, the DuPont Company, working with Kobe Steel Ltd, has developed an innovative process called TiRON for making HGO. Using a rotary hearth furnace, the process reduces ilmenite to a high TiO2 slag and metallic iron granules. The TiO2 slag is suitable for TiO2 pigment manufacture, and the iron is suitable for steel making. TiRON can process sand or rock ilmenite of varying compositions and particle sizes. Fossil fuel instead of electricity supplies the energy for the reduction. Dusts and off-spec materials are recycled. These process attributes, together with capital requirements estimated to be significantly lower, give TiRON substantial economic, environmental, and process flexibility advantages over conventional ilmenite upgrading processes. TiRON has been demonstrated at the semi-works scale, and preparations are being made to bring it to the pilot scale.

Oct 5, 2011

By T Roesch, M Neurohr, S Stratton

"Dwindling commodity prices are forcing today’s mining operations to increase output. Sometimes the solution is to upgrade the existing infrastructure; however, in most cases it has to be achieved with the same or reduced workforce and with the same equipment capacity through improved process efficiency and higher uptime.Measure, Manage and Improveis the mantra for this years’ Mill Operators’ Conference and while this in most cases relates to the above process efficiency, Siemens has set its focus on the availability and uptime aspect since unscheduled downtime is one of the biggest threats to any grinding operation. Pinion misalignments, resonance, unbalance and bearing and gear meshing faults in geared trains, as well as long-term changes in the condition of the mechanical components or structures and auxiliary systems in gearless systems are the main reasons for unscheduled downtimes in today’s mill drive trains. Our paper outlines the efforts that have gone into adapting conventional condition monitoring methods in conventional, pinion driven mill drive trains as well as gearless systems to capture the gradual deterioration of wearing parts or structural changes in the drive train not only on fixed speed application but also on variable speed applications with multiple operating points. The paper further explores the use of condition monitoring systems as a tool to assess spare thermal motor capacity to potentially push equipment beyond its nameplate rating, along with the process that was followed to correlate measured frequency spectra and envelopes to ambient and load data to understand the kinematics of the drive train.Citation:Neurohr, M, Stratton, S and Roesch, T, 2016. Advancements in Condition Monitoring on Mill Drive Trains for Proactive Maintenance and Early Fault Detection Purposes, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2016, pp 263–272 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Oct 10, 2016

By Y Tsukurimichi, D Asahina, T Endo, T Takemura

Scientific knowledge of Mars’ surface morphology and internal geological structure has been accumulated through satellite imagery and numerical topographic data using remote sensing technology, as well as seismic surveys by the on-site lander. Recent studies show that Marsquakes could be caused by the release of strain energy generated by the contraction of Mars. In particular, Marsquakes occur around the graben where many faults are existed and formed regularly spaced patterns. This implies that Marsquakes occur when the stress field of the Martian crust is an extension condition, and normal faults appear on the surface. We focus on the linear relationship between the fault spacing and the thickness of the mechanical layer as an approach to studying the internal structure from satellite images. Mechanical layer is a layer that composes of the same mechanical properties and is mainly bounded by lithology (Narr, 1991; Gross, 1993). The linear relationship between the thickness of the mechanical layer and the joint spacing has been studied and its slope is called the Fracture-Spacing Index (FSI) (Narr and Suppe, 1991). Soliva, Benedicto and Maerten (2006) showed that the stress drop zone (stress shadow) due to the fault activities affects the fault spacing. Figure 1 shows the approach used to estimate the thickness of the mechanical layer from the fault spacing on Mars. This paper aims to better understand the internal mechanical structure of Mars estimated by the geometrical pattern of faults on the Martian surface. We report the initial studies of this work. The lab-scale physical experiments and numerical experiments were presented to demonstrate the relationship between the thickness of the mechanical layer and the geometric pattern of fractures

Nov 29, 2022

The area (330 sq. miles) shown on the map of the Brocks Creek District (Fig. 1), was mapped by the Northern Territory geological party of the Aerial, Geological and Geophysical Survey of Northern Australia. This work was done in two stages:-(i) In 1935, an area of 30 sq. miles around the Golden Dyke mine was mapped by P. S. Hossfeld, Senior Geologist, and A. H. Voisey, Assistant Geologist. The results were described in a detailed report (10).(ii) In 1939, an area of 300 sq. miles in the Brocks Creek district was mapped by C. J. Sullivan (Senior Assistant Geologist), and V. M. Cottle and S. N. Kiek (Assistant Geologists) under the general supervision of P. S. Hossfeld (Senior Geologist).An outline structural map, together with some geological notes was published (1), but that map does not show the amphibolites, and the relationship between ore occurrence and general geology is not emphasised. The publication of the detailed maps and reportwas postponed indefinitely as a result of war. The original mapping was based on air photographs with a scale of approximately 1 in. to 1,200 ft., and all detail which could be shown at that scale was mapped. Features recorded included rock types, details of structure, mineralisation, and surface workings, creeks and soil boundaries. Underground mapping was also carried out. The present map is much simplified from the original, but it is hoped that it shows sufficient information to reveal close relationship between structure, granite, sills of amphibolite and gold occurrence. About 50 per cent. of the area is covered by deep soil or alluvium, and in these portions the geology of the underlying rocks was not determined with accuracy, though in many places strike trends could be deduced from air photographs.Because the A.G. & G.S.N.A. had published the geological notes and map referred to above, and because the publication of the detailed report and maps is still postponed indefinitely, approval has been given by the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics (which took over the affairs of the A.G. & G.S.N.A. at the termination of its operations) to the preparation of the present paper so that information would be available to the public.The views expressed in this report are those of author. The results of the investigation suggest that in areas where granites are predominantly concordant with bedding, ore deposits may be found at approximately the same stratigraphic horizon. It is thus important to correlate beds even though their relationship may have been obscured by faulting and folding.

Jan 1, 1950

In the first half of this century a mining industry was developed in Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule. World War II and the subsequent struggle for independence resulted in the destruction of most of the infras- tructure and much of the data. After independence, restrictions on for- eign investment and internal turmoil prevented re-establishment of a viable mining industry until the formation of the present Government after 1965 and the enactment of sound laws in 1967 to encourage foreign investment. Rebirth of the mining industry was followed initially by slow growth, but in the 1980's, spurred by the worldwide interest in gold, Indonesia has become the focus of an intense exploration boom for gold and other precious metals. 103 Contracts of Work for gold have been awarded since 1985 with Australian companies being the most predominant. Since 1985 three new gold operations have been commissioned and another two are nearing completion. Several more are undergoing feasi- bility studies. There is reason to predict that Indonesian gold produc- tion will grow to place the country in the ranks of significant producers during the 1990's.

Jan 1, 1988

By Osetzky D, Hesp W. R

The treatment of a hydrobiotite containing 0·64 per cent copper with various soluHons showed that a high percentage (up to 90 per cent) of the copper can be extracted under mild conditions (1 M BCI, 85°C) or withsaline solutions (20 per cent by weight NaCI or NH4F, 400°C). The latter results suggest that the copper is incorporated in the interstratified vermiculite of a vermicuHte-biotite mica and the solutions (NaCl and NH4F) which reacted with the vermiculite without attacking the biotite gave the highest extraction yields.In general, extraction yields with saline solutions increased with the temperature (between 100 and 400°C) and duration (3 or 6 days) of the treatment but were not appreciably affected by the initial pH of solutions.The results of RCI treatment especially may have a bearing on the hydrometallurgical treatment of refractory copper ores where copper is tied to gangue silicates.

Jan 1, 1977