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By P. N. Harris

On 23rd November, 1982, a party of 80 members of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy left the Wanderers Club grounds at 07hOO, and were driven in two luxury coaches to the stainless-steel mill of Southern Cross at Middelburg. Southern Cross is a trade name adopted by MS & A (Middelburg Steel and Alloys), who operate two Alloy Divisions (at Middelburg and Krugersdorp) and one Steel Division (at Middelburg). METAL '83 The International Precious Metals Institute has scheduled a seminar on the platinum -group metals for Williamsburg, DB.A., on 10th to 13th April, 1983, and has announced its keynote speakers for each of the seminar's five sessions. Metee '83 METEC - the International Exhibition for Metallurgical Technology and Equipment with Congress - which was to have been held in Dusseldorf from 14th to 20th May, 1983, has been cancelled, and will probably take place in June 1984. Sampling Sampling and sample preparation are crucial activities in many areas of chemical engineering, in the energy and food industries, in metallurgical processes, and in mining and mineral engineering.

Jan 1, 1983

To the members of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy We have audited the annual financial statements set out on pages 251 to 257. These financial statements are the responsibility of the institute's Council. Our responsibility is to report on these financial statements. We have conducted our audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. These standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance that, in all material respects, fair presentation is achieved in the financial statements. The audit included an evaluation of the appropriateness of the accounting policies, an examination, on a test basis, of evidence that supports the amounts and disclosures included in the financial statements, an assessment of the reasonableness of significant estimates, and a consideration of the appropri¬ateness of the overall financial statement presentation. We consider that our auditing procedures were appropriate in the circumstances to enable us to express our opinion presented here. In our opinion these financial statements fairly present the financial position of the institute at 30th June, 1998, and the results of its operations for the year then ended in conformity with generally accepted accounting practice.

Jan 1, 1998

Book news 1. Book reviews ? Prospecting in areas of desert terrain. London, The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, 1985. 283 pp. £28 (members £25,20). Reviewer: J.S. Mostert This publication records the proceedings of a con¬ference convened to deal exclusively with prospecting in areas of desert terrain. The meeting, organized jointly by The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (London) and the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Morocco, was held in Rabat from 14th to 17th April, 1985, and generated considerable international interest. Exploration cam¬paigns and case studies of successful discoveries in the desert areas of more than 14 lands are described. Since large areas of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia are characterized by and and semi-arid terrains, this publication should be of considerable interest to explorationists and mining engineers engaged in the search for and development of mineral deposits in southern Africa. The fact that the desert terrains of southern Africa are host to a number of important base-metal (Aggeneys, Gamsberg, Prieska, and O'Okiep) and diamond deposits (Orapa, Jwaneng) has ensured continued interest in these areas from the viewpoints of exploration and mining.

Jan 1, 1985

Contribution by G. Narsimhan It was with much pleasure that I went through D.F. Malan's excellent paper. The following explanatory and critical note has been the result of my deep study of the paper. Although by qualifications and experience I have been a chemical engineer, involved over four decades with problems in the modeling and simulation of transport-limited (heat and mass) chemical reactions in multi-phase systems, I have of and on interested myself in challenging problems in extractive metallurgy. This is the first time I have veered of to continuum mechanics, at the age of 71! Author's reply. I thank Professor Narsimhan for his extensive contribution to the paper. It provided me with the stimulus to derive an extended model. However, there are some inaccuracies in his arguments that need further discussion. Professor Narsimhan's main concern is that there is not a good enough fit between the derived viscoelastic Kelvin model and the experimental data supplied by Güler1 (see Figure l1 on page 218 of my paper). I will therefore explain the choice of a viscoelastic model in more detail and also make specific comments on the arguments given in his contribution.

Jan 1, 1996

By M. I. Brittan

SYNOPSIS The key reactions of the copper segregation process have been studied with a view to establishing the kinetics of the system. The investigation was carried out using two refractory copper ores from the Zambian Copperbelt in a small-scale, fluidized bed, chloridization reactor. The rate of chloridization of the copper in the ores is compared with the rate of volatilization of the cuprous chloride produced and with the rate of reduction of the cuprous chloride to form segregated metallic copper. In conjunction with available data on the rate of production of hydrogen chloride in a segregation system and with due regard to the conditions applicable in a TORCO reactor, it is concluded that the chloridization reaction is the major rate limiting step of the process. Factors influencing the rate of this extraction step and aspects of its mechanism are examined. The findings have confirmed the validity of the existing theory of segregation and provide insight as to the viability of the system of reactions involved in the copper segregation phenomenon. Experimental results which relate to observations made in the course of TORCO plant operation and segregation studies are discussed.

By H. A. D. Kirsten

The effects of the mining of deep-level tabular reefs are usually evaluated by use of continuum, elastic mining simulation analyses. This paper gives the results obtained from a series of analyses in which stopes of limited span are considered to be excavated in a non-linearly non-elastic, jointed and fractured rockmass. In particular, the theoretical influence of soft backfill in these conditions is evaluated. It is shown that the stress distribution and behaviour of the rockmass, alternately taken as an intact-elastic and as a fractured non-elastic medium, are completely different. The relevance of the energy-release rate commonly calculated in mining-simulation analyses, and the efficacy of its correlation with seismicity and the associated rockbursts, are reviewed. In deep-level mining operations, it is not practically feasible to obviate releases of seismic energy. The fact of their occurrence should therefore be accepted and, rather than considering the reduction of energy release as the primary objective, efforts should be concentrated on minimizing the effects of such release. Analytical results are given to demonstrate that this approach is not only correct, but also the only feasible solution to the rockburst-seismicity problem in deep mines.

Jan 1, 1989

By P. van Niekerk, V. J. Solomon

Improvements in the drilling and blasting techniques used in the stopes of narrow reefs have caused the clearing of broken rock to become the major cause of delay in the achievement of a regular cyclic operation. This paper discusses the development of a scoop in accordance with a predetermined set of performance parameters. The test results obtained to date have shown that the basic objectives have been achieved within tolerable limits of variation.

Jan 1, 1979

By M. Helm

Over the last 40 years, numerous investigations have focussed on the preg-robbing capacity of carbonaceous material during gold ore processing. Various techniques have been applied to characterize the physical and chemical properties of the carbonaceous material in efforts to predict its preg-robbing capacity. The present study, which forms part of an ongoing investigation, is specifically designed to increase the understanding of preg-robbing in ores containing carbonaceous material. In excess of 100 samples from 13 gold mines located in major gold provinces of the world have been incorporated into the present study. These samples were characterized using industry standard metallurgical techniques and were shown to have gold adsorption capacities ranging from a few grams to many hundreds of grams of gold per ton of ore. Further analysis showed that the crystalline nature of the carbonaceous material, which is related to its geological history, is important in determining the preg-robbing capacity of an ore. This finding builds on the common understanding that the preg-robbing behaviour of an ore is related to the amount (or abundance) of carbonaceous material present in that ore. In this study, Raman spectroscopy was used to evaluate the physical nature of carbonaceous material. This is a tool which has been successfully applied by researchers for the characterisation of carbon materials, with respect to crystallite size and lattice defects. Raman analysis of the samples included in this study showed varying degrees of disorder in the carbonaceous materials from the different deposits. Comparison of the Raman spectra with the gold loading capacities of the samples indicated a direct relationship between the structure of the carbonaceous material and its capacity to preg-rob gold. From this, a simple and robust method has been developed based on the Raman spectra of the sample and carbonaceous material content to predict the preg-robbing capacity of an ore. The potential exists to develop a predictive tool using Raman spectroscopy for characterising the preg-robbing capacity of an ore. Such a tool would have potential application in projects ranging from the early stage of exploration through to more detailed feasibility studies and mining operations. The result of applying the predictive method outlined in this paper would be the effective and proactive management of the deleterious influence of carbonaceous material on gold recovery in mining operations.

Jan 1, 2009

By S. S. Makgato

In this study, coke oven tar additions over a range of 0?8 wt.% were evaluated as a possible substitute for imported coal fractions. The coke oven tar used was collected from tar decanters in the byproducts section of the coking plant. The moisture content in the tar varied depending on the residence time and water carryover from the coke oven tar separators to the storage tanks. Moisture contents of 1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 6 wt.% were investigated in order to evaluate the effect on coal blend, carbonization, and coke properties. At 6 wt.% moisture content with 6 wt.% coke oven tar, although the coke quality improved the yield showed a 4% decrease. On the other hand, 1 wt.% moisture content with coke oven tar of 6 wt.%, increased the yield by 1% and the coke quality improved. However, the latter process was characterized by an excessive increase in wall pressure and pushing energy, both of which are detrimental to the oven walls. The optimum moisture content in coke oven tar was found to be 3 wt.% with a coke oven tar addition of 6 wt.% in the coal blend. With these conditions, the coke properties improved and wall pressure and pushing energy were acceptable. However, a decrease in coke yield of up to 2% was observed. Despite this, coke oven tar addition is considered to be a viable option based upon economic factors of a reduction in the quantity and cost of imported coking coals that is required to achieve the same optimum final coke product. Keywords coal substitution, coke oven tar, tar moisture, coal blend, coke, coke quality.

Nov 1, 2013

Branch Minutes of the General Meeting held at President Steyn Gold Mine canteen on Wednesday, 10th May, 1978, at 4.00 p.m. Erratum We apologize to Mr J. G. Taylor for the error in one of his qualifications. Bio-engineering monograph The selection of papers presented at the International Bio-engineering Conference at the University of Cape Town organized by the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineers and held in April 1977, and which are appearing in The South African Mechanic al Engineer during April to June this year, will shortly be available in book form. Mathematics The Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications is planning the following conferences and symposia: The Nand F Proposals in Relation to Mathematics, 1st July, 1978: London School of Pharmacy. NIM reports Report no. 1917 The instrumental neutron-activation analysis of granites from the Bushveld Complex. (31st Mar., 1978.) Report no. 1951 Potentialities and limitations of four-parameter equations for the correlation of formation constants of metal-ion complexes in aqueous solution.(15th May, 1978.) Report no. 1963 An evaluation of the methods used at the National Institute for Metallurgy for the analysis of base-metal concentrates. (28th Apr., 1978.) Report no. 1964 The separation, by anion exchange, of noble metals on substituted cellulose. (28th Apr., 1978.) Guide To The Preparation Of Papers For Publication In The Journal Of The South African Institute Of Mining And Metallurgy The following notes have been compiled to assist authors in the preparation of papers for presentation to the Institute and for publication in the Journal.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. A. L. Napier

The evaluation of stress distributions and deformations in the vicinity of tabular mine layouts has been carried out routinely for many years using the displacement discontinuity boundary element method (DDM). In this approach, mine layouts are approximated as irregular shaped planar cracks (or slits) where the ?width? of the crack, corresponding to the excavation height, is assumed to be negligible compared to the in-plane, lateral dimensions. Early implementations of this approach have employed square element tessellations with constant displacement discontinuity component values. This is generally restrictive when considering the analysis of irregular pillar layouts or the intersection of fault planes with excavations. This paper describes a general revision of this approach in which triangular or quadrilateral element shapes are introduced in conjunction with higher order variations of the displacement discontinuity shape functions. This facilitates an accurate evaluation of detailed stress and displacement components close to excavation surfaces and allows the investigation of local damage and failure behaviour associated with particular geological structures such as weak parting bands or weak layers. A method to embed these features in an efficient and accurate multi-level solution scheme is described. This formulation can be extended to allow the analysis of shallow-depth pillar layout problems, facilitating the assessment of the interactive response and stability of shallow depth pillar layouts. A simple deformation model is introduced to facilitate the assessment of pillar failure and bursting potential in shallow mine layouts. The computational techniques described here have been implemented in a computer code called TEXAN (Tabular EXcavation ANalyser) and are illustrated by the simulation of a particular multiple reef pillar mining problem in a shallow depth platinum mine.

Jan 1, 2007

By Maggi Loubser

"In a technologically advanced era, where process control is accurately maintained within the smallest error margins, and accuracy and precision are continuously improved, sampling is still left to the lowest paid employee in the company without training him or her properly to understand the relevance and importance of the task. In this paper the objectives of sampling in a process control environment is discussed and an attempt is made to link it to the theory of sampling. Some of the practical problems associated with implementing theoretical sampling principles in an industrial environment will be elucidated and some examples given on how compromises are made. Different methods of sampling will be discussed with real life examples from different manufacturing industries."

Jan 1, 2014

Instability in rockpasses at deep levels often initiates as a result of stress induced fracturing of the rock on the walls of the pass. This may then progress to a stage at which the geological structure of the rock mass becomes dominant and permits large joint-defined blocks and slabs to become unstable. In this paper, a technique is described in which jointing parameters and their variabilities?orientations, spacings and lengths?are taken into account in estimating the extent of failure that may develop around a typical unsupported deep level gold mine rockpass. The results of this prediction are compared with the results obtained from a review of pass performance in the gold mining industry.

Jan 1, 2005

By G. A. Kordosky

The concept of selectively extracting copper from a low-grade dump leach solution followed by stripping the copper into an acid solution from which electrowon copper cathodes could be produced occurred to the Minerals Group of General Mills in the early 1960s.This simple, elegant idea has resulted in a technology by which about 2.2 million tonnes of high quality copper cathode was produced in year 2000. The growth of this technology is traced overtime with a discussion of the key plants, the key people and the important advances in leaching, plant design, reagents and electrowinning that have contributed to the growth of this technology. Some thoughts on potential further advances in the technology are also given.

Jan 1, 2002

By E. Eccleston

The ConRoast process for the production of platinum group metals involves the use of a fluidized bed reactor for the removal of sulphur from ore concentrates by roasting prior to smelting in a DC-arc furnace. Test work was carried out in 2007 at Hazen Research in Golden, Colorado to provide the data necessary for a commercial roaster to be designed by Technip. This paper discusses the rationale behind the test work, the goals for calcine composition to be used as smelting furnace feed, the results of various roaster operating parameters in terms of calcine composition (particularly residual sulphur and the fate of trace elements), and the impact of the results in terms of a commercial roaster design.

Jan 1, 2009

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B.Sc. Eng. (Extractive Metallurgy)degree The concepts behind support vector machines are very interesting both in theory and in practice, as they are based on a universal constructive learning procedure derived from the statistical learning theory developed by Vapnik. In this paper, their application to time series modelling is considered by means of simulated data from an autocatalytic reactor. In particular, reconstruction methods from non-linear dynamics are used to define a state space model for the process. Multivariate embedding techniques are compared to scalar embedding with respect to modelling. Keywords: System identification, Support vector machines, Multilayer perceptrons, Non-linear dynamics

Jan 1, 2003

By M. M. Oosterveld

Diamonds are mined from ancient raised beach deposits in southern Namibia where complex geological controls have resulted in patchy diamond distribution, largely related to irregularities (trapsites) in the bedrock. The distribution of the number of diamonds per sample is a discrete, reverse- J shape distribution which can be characterized by two parameters. These parameters have been transformed into a Beta and Theta Contribution which can be interpreted as reflecting the 'quantity' and 'quality' of the trapsites. The relationship of statistical parameters, obtained during the sampling of an ore deposit, to the geology of the deposit is an important element of ore reserve estimation. The large-scale regional trends in the contributions have been explained in terms of the geology.

Jan 1, 1987

By E. Keskinkilic

Drying, calcination, prereduction, and smelting are the main steps in conventional crude ferronickel production. Industrially, these steps are conducted using the rotary kiln-electric arc furnace (RKEF) process. In this paper, calcination characteristics of Sivrihisar laterite ores from the Central Anatolia region are investigated. The extent of elimination of chemically bound water and other volatiles was studied by experiments conducted at various temperatures in the 250?800°C range. Phase changes were examined using X-ray diffractometry. For the particle size used in the study, 300°C was determined to be almost sufficient for complete transformation of goethite to haematite, and 700°C was required for effective elimination of all volatiles in the ore.

Jan 1, 2012

One of the most critical and complicated steps in mine design is a suitable mining method selection based upon geological, geotechnical, geographical and economical parameters. Since there are many factors involved in mining method selection, the decision-making process is very difficult. In this paper, the Analytical Hierarchy Process, with 13 criteria, is used to develop a suitable mining method for the Golbini No. 8 deposit in Jajarm (Iran). Six alternatives (conventional cut and fill, mechanized cut and fill, shrinkage stoping, sublevel stoping, bench mining, and stull stoping) are evaluated. The studies show that the suitable mining method for this deposit in the present situation is the conventional cut and fill method.

Jan 1, 2008

Measurements of the rates of penetration at various throttle air pressures are presented as a function of thrust for three different rockdrills when drilling quartzites with strengths of 45 000 lb/in2 and 39 000 lb/in2, The rate of penetration at optimum thrust is shown to agree well with the predictions of theory and curves of air consumption as a function of throttle air pressure are presented. Man-held machines are shown to be under-thrusted at throttle air pressures above 40 lb/in2g. Measurements of bit wear as a function of distance drilled are presented graphically and discussed in terms of the theory developed in Part 1.