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1. Reviews A concise world atlas of geology and mineral deposits, by D. R. Derry. London, Mining Journal Books, 1980. (Reviewer: B. C. Alberts) The geology of the Western Cordillera of northern Peru, by various authors. London, Institute of Geological Sciences, Overseas Memoir 5. (Reviewer: C. E. Feather) 2. New books Influence of diffusion coatings on the strenth of steel, by G. V. Karpenko, V. I. Pokhmurovskii, V. B. Dasilov, and V. S. Zamikhovskii, second revised and updated edition by A. Aladjem. Aedermannsdorf (Switzerland), Trans Tech Publications, 1979. 200 pp. Sw. Fr. 68.00. Mechanical and corrosion properties, by G. S. Ansell, P. Haasen, J. Weertman, D. J. Fisher, U. Gramberg, and F. W6hlbier (editors). Heat-resistant and refractory steels, by K. L. Lanskaya. Aedermannsdorf (Switzerland), Trans Tech Publications, 1979. 266 pp. Sw. Fr. 86.00. Hardening of metals, by P. Feltham (editor). Aedermannsdorf (Switzerland), Trans Tech Publications, 1980. 316 pp. Sw. Fr. 78.00. Precious metals The 6th International Precious Metals Conference will be held in Newport Beach, California, from 7th to 11th June, 1982. Strata mechanics A symposium on Strata Mechanics is to be held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 5th to 7th April, 1982. Over the past thirty years, mining of coal and stratified mineral deposits has become increasingly capital-intensive, and the level of investment demanded by modern methods has led to demands for improved assessment of their likely performance.

Jan 1, 1981

By S. M. Spottiswoode, Linzer. L. M.

We report on further progress in improving seismic locations by using the so-called double-difference method (Spottiswoode and Milev, 1998 and Waldhauser et al., 1999). Double-differences are obtained either using picked arrival times or various measures of time differences obtained from waveform pairs. The double-difference method provides for much improved relative locations by reducing the effect of the errors in the wave velocity of ray paths between each event and each geophone. Further improvements are obtained by using known locations, such as blasts. One of the difficult problems that we have overcome is that of finding the best “weights” for the time corrections. Experience obtained in relative moment tensor inversions by Andersen (2001) suggests that use of median corrections is both more stable and more accurate, even while the locations of the individual events is based on weighted least-squares minimization. A hybrid location program with known reference events has been developed. Tests on a synthetic data set gave relative locations that were much less widely spread than the absolute locations. The use of known event coordinates (blasts) moved the relative locations back towards the real locations. These results are confirmed in preliminary analysis of data from a mine. The absolute locations are adjusted using blast events restricted to the line of tunnel development. Inter-event distances are distributed in a power-law fashion that suggests that the relative location accuracies are improved by a factor of three or more. Nous rendons compte des progrès faits dans l’amélioration des locations de séismes en utilisant la méthode appelée de double- différence (Spottiswoode and Milev, 1998 et Waldhauser et al., 1999). On obtient les double-différences soit en utilisant des temps d’arrivée choisis soit des mesures variées de différences de temps obtenues de doublets de forme d’onde. La méthode de double-différence fournit des locations relatives très améliorées en réduisant l’effet des erreurs dans la vitesse d’onde des trajectoires de rayon entre chaque évènement et chaque géophone. D’autres améliorations sont obtenues en utilisant des locations connues, telles que les coups de mine. Un des problèmes difficiles que nous avons surmontés est celui de trouver les meilleurs coefficients de pondération pour les corrections de temps. L’expérience obtenue dans des inversions de phases tensorielles relatives par Andersen (2001) suggère que l’utilisation de corrections médianes est à la fois plus stable et plus exacte, même lorsque la location des évènements individuels est basée sur minimisation pondérée de moindres carrés. Nous avons développé un programme hybride de location avec des évènements connus pour référence. Des tests sur des données artificielles ont donné des locations relatives qui étaient beaucoup moins étendues que les locations absolues. L’utilisation de coordonnées d’évènements connus (coups de mine) a ramené les locations relatives vers les locations réelles. L’analyse préliminaire des données d’une mine a confirmé ces résultats. Les locations absolues sont ajustées en utilisant des évènements de coup de mine restreints à la ligne du développement du tunnel. Les distances entre chaque évènement sont distribuées comme par loi exponentielle ce qui suggère que les degrés d’exactitude des locations relatives sont améliorés par un facteur de trois ou plus. Wir berichten über einen weiteren Fortschritt, die seismische Positionen unter Verwendung der zu sogenannten Doppel-Unterschied-Methode (Spottiswoode und Milev, 1998 und Waldhauser et al.,1999) zu verbessern. Doppel-Unterschiede werden entweder mit ausgewählten Ankunftszeiten oder verschiedenen Messungen von Zeitunterschieden erreicht, die von den Wellenformpaaren erhalten werden. Die Doppel-Unterschied-Methode liefert viel verbesserte relative Positionen unter Verringerung der Auswirkung von Fehlern in der Wellengeschwindigkeit von Strahlengängen zwischen jedem Fall und jedem Geophon. Weitere Verbesserungen werden erreicht, indem man bekannte Positionen, wie Sprengungen verwendet. Eines der schwierigen Probleme, die wir überwunden haben, ist jenes des Findens der besten "Gewichte" für die Zeitkorrekturen. Die Erfahrung, die in den relativen Momentspannerumkehrungen von Andersen (2001) gewonnen werden bietet den Schluß an, daß der Gebrauch von mittleren Korrekturen beständiger und genauer ist, sogar wenn die Positionen der einzelnen Fälle auf der bewerteten Reduzierung der Methode der kleinsten Quadrate basiert. Ein hybrides Positionsprogramm mit bekannten Bezugsfällen ist entwickelt worden. Tests auf einem synthetischen Dataset gaben relative Positionen, die viel weniger weit gestreut waren als die absoluten Positionen. Der Gebrauch von bekannten Fallkoordinaten (Sprengungen) schob die

Jan 1, 2003

By L. W. Helle

This paper summarizes the investigations carried out into a defect involving the corners of billets rolled from continuously cast blooms, which broke open during the rolling process. As it was believed that the defect must be connected with the formation of subcutaneous blowholes in the bloom, the investigations were directed towards an understanding of the roles of the three gases involved in the process. In an extensive trial programme, samples were taken from the heat at all stages of processing, as well as from all the raw materials and alloys. The main sources of nitrogen were found to be re blows, pick-up from the alloys added to the ladle (especially graphite), and open-stream casting. The major source of hydrogen was moisture in the alloys, especially high-carbon ferromanganese and silicomanganese. Further, it was established that the moisture content of the alloys is closely related to the appearance of the defect in steels with a carbon content of less than 0,20 per cent; 72 per cent of all the defects were present in this type of steel. Most of the remaining defects were found in steels with a carbon content of more than 0,60 per cent, where the nitrogen content was substantially higher than in the lower-carbon steels. It is suggested that the defect arises from the combined effect of oxygen. nitrogen, and hydrogen. Its occurrence in low- and high-carbon steels is triggered by the formation of subcutaneous blowholes when the critical oxygen level for carbon monoxide blowholes is lowered by the presence of excessive amounts of hydrogen and nitrogen respectively.

Jan 1, 1984

By M. Reuter, C. Schuffeneger, T. Seppälä, L. Holappa

Reaction kinetics of solid-state reduction of chromite pellets (laboratory made and industrial) and lumpy ore was investigated by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. Carbon monoxide was used as the reducing agent, with the presence of graphite in proximity to chromite. The experiments were carried out at both rising temperature and constant temperature in the range of 1450 - 1550°C. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to observe and analyse the structure and composition changes of the chromite samples. For the lab-made chromite pellets, the effects of particle size and bentonite addition on the reduction behaviour were studied. The pellet with smaller particle size gave a higher reduction rate. Bentonite addition had slightly negative effect on the reduction rate. When reducing industrial pellets, temperature and CO flow rate had positive influence on the reduction rate. Reduction of lumpy ore took place slower than reduction of a pellet. In all samples, chromite reduction proceeded longer in the outer part of the sample than in the centre part. The porosity of the chromite samples was determined before and after the experiments. The porosity of lumpy chromite increased significantly during the reduction. However, the porosity of lab-made chromite pellet decreases due to sintering effect. The reaction mechanism is discussed on the basis of experimental results and earlier investigations.

Jan 1, 2004

By M. R. MacIver, M. Pawlik, S. Finora, H. Alizadeh

The dispersion of mature fine oil sands tailings (MFT) by the addition of sodium lignosulfonate was studied using contact angle measurements, optical scattering, and particle size measurements. Lignosulfonate caused the release of residual bitumen to the slurry surface and settlement of fines. Dynamic contact angle by captive bubble measurements were carried out on bitumen to determine the effect of the dispersant on the wettability of bitumen. Lignosulfonate caused a change in the aggregation state of the MFT and increased sedimentation of particles, as indicated by optical scattering measurements. Zeta potential measurements indicate that this change was caused by an increase in adsorption of lignosulfonate onto particles, which caused improved settling of the colloid. Ultraviolet Visible (UV) spectrophotometry and organic carbon content measurements showed that only a small amount of the reagent remains in the aqueous phase of the tailings, which is critical for decontamination of recycled water. Keywords: Oil sands tailings, bitumen recovery, dewatering, dispersion, surface chemistry

Jan 1, 2020

By J. P. Harrison, J. A. Hudson

ABSTRACT: Given the current widespread use of numerical models for rock mechanics and rock engineering, and the ‘Technology Road Map’ theme of the Congress, it is timely to consider the key issues in matching numerical models to rock engineering problems. The three main aspects are: a) identifying the mechanisms, variables and parameters that are relevant to a particular rock engineering project; b) establishing the content and mode of operation of a particular code; and c) deciding whether a particular code provides an adequate model for a particular project. We summarise the key issues, highlighting the concept of rock mass domains, validation and the ability to present the results of a modelling exercise. We include three compact numerical modelling case examples to illustrate the points. Finally, we also present a ‘roadmap’ to assist in the process of matching a numerical model to the rock reality. RESUME: Considérant l’utilisation généralisée des modèles numériques en mécanique des roches et en ingénierie au rocher ainsi que le thème du congrès ‘technology road map’, il est opportun d’aborder les problèmes essentiels liés au choix des modèles numériques dans les problèmes ingénierie au rocher. Les trois aspects principaux sont : a) l’identification des mécanismes, variables et paramètres appropriés au projet considéré, b) la définition du contenu et du mode de fonctionnement d’un code numérique donné, et c) la possibilité de décider si un code donné fourni un modèle approprié au projet considéré. Les points clés sont résumés en mettant en évidence les notions de “massif rocheux”, de validation et de capacité à présenter les résultats d’une approche numérique. Nous présentons trois brèves études de cas qui illustrent ces points. Enfin, nous proposons aussi un logigramme pour aider au choix d’un modèle numérique approprié pour représenter la réalité d’un problème au rocher. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Im Licht der augenblicklich weitverbreiteten Nutzung von numerischen Modellen in der Felsmechanik and im Felsingenieurbau und unter Beruecksichtigung der Themenstellung des Congresses “Technology Road Map”, erscheint es an der Zeit die Kernprobleme, die sich mit Fragen der Abstimmung der numerischen Modele mit Hinblick auf ihre Anwendbarkeit im Felsingenieurbau beschaeftigen, naeher zu befassen. Die drei wesentlichen Aspekte sind: a) Identifizierung der Mechanismen, Variablen und Parameter, die fuer ein bestimmtes Projekt im Felsingenieurbau von Bedeutung sind; b) die Festlegung des Inhalts und des Modus Operandi eines bestimmten Codes, und c) die Entscheidung darueber ob ein bestimmter Code ein hinreichendes Model fuer ein bestimmtes Projekt ergibt. Wir fassen die wichtigsten Punkte zusammen, heben dabei das Concept der Gesteinsmassen Domaenen (Rock mass domains) hervor, und erarbeiten ihre Beurteilung und die Moeglichkeit diese zu praesentieren in den Ergebnissen einer Model Uebung. Wir schliessen drei Beispiele von numerischen Modellen ein in denen diese Punkte erlauetert werden. Zuletzt schlagen wir eine “Roadmap” vor, um dem Prozess der Abstimmung des numerischen Modells mit der “Felsmechanischen Wirklichkeit” zu unterstuetzen.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. Kahn

This paper traces the rise of South Africa's mining industry in the context of the different state forms that oversaw its development. It commences with the mining-led industrial revolution through four periods of conflict, each of which contributed to a deepening of the industrial base, with constant battles between domestic and foreign capital and labour, and the rise of both Afrikaner and African nationalism. The role of state-owned enterprises has been crucial in shaping this dynamic so that at its peak the public sector and leading mining houses constituted two massive centres of power. This was followed by a thirty-year period of neo-liberal experimentation. The current debate on the 'developmental state' is an attempt to reconstruct the state as a counterweight to capital. It is argued that while the country has moved toward inclusive political and economic institutions, these are both limited by deep 'extractive' characteristics. This transformation failure provides a fertile ground for populism that presents one of the biggest threats to inclusive growth. Cited examples point to the many ways that states have sought to deal with the bonanza that conversion of mineral non-resources into resources brings. Such greenfield resources on state land, or in areas where the state holds monopoly rights, do not present ownership issues. It is suggested that this is the route that South Africa should follow, as the alternative will be conflictual.

Jan 1, 2013

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 W. Kotze

The gold mining industry has mainly relied upon the use of highly polluting chemicals, such as mercury and cyanide to recover gold from its ores. The Coal Gold Agglomeration (CGA) process was developed some years ago and has the advantage in that gold is recovered by a procedure which has little or no negative impact on the environment. A gold ore containing liberated gold particles is contacted with coal-oil agglomerates, where by the gold is recovered into the coal/oil phase. Laboratory scale batch tests were performed on an artificial mixture gold slurry and gold recoveries of up to 85% were found under optimized conditions. By recycling the coal/oil phase, it was found that the gold loading onto the agglomerates was increased. Tests performed on an industrial ore yielded slightly lower gold recoveries, and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis on the coal/oil phase showed that minerals other than gold was recovered into this phase. A comparative study was conducted whereby the CGA process was compared to mercury amalgamation. Gold recoveries obtained through amalgamation were 15% lower than by the agglomeration process, which indicates that this process can be considered favourably as an alternative to amalgamation.

Jan 1, 2000

By V. Brabie, S. Jansson, L. Bohlin

The rate of dissolution of solid MgO-C and doloma into liquid in CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-MgO slag at different temperatures was studied under conditions of forced convection by rotating cylindrical refractory specimens in a stationary crucible containing the molten slag. The corrosion rate was calculated from the change in diameter of the cylindrical specimens. Refractory specimens were 13 mm in diameter and 70 mm long. The specimens were rotated for15 to 120 minutes at speeds of 100 to 400 rpm in the molten slag. The rate of corrosion increased with temperature and with the rotating speed of the rod, and decreased when the slag was nearly saturated with MgO. The experimental results confirm the assumption that the diffusion of magnesium oxide through the slag phase boundary layer controls the corrosion process. The corrosion mechanism seems to be the dissolution of the refractory materials into the slag, followed by penetration of pores and grain boundaries and dispersion of the grains in the slag. Keywords: MgO-C refractory, doloma refractory, molten slag, corrosion rate, corrosion mechanism

Jan 1, 2004

By L. Gunnewiek

An advanced real-time monitoring system called the tapblock diagnostic system (TDS) has been developed. The purpose of the TDS is to help furnace operators manage the safe operation and economical maintenance of furnace tapblocks. This system is an evolution of the current practice of using historical records and operator interpretation to assess the ?health? of a tapblock. The main parameters affecting tapblock health are heat removal capacity and refractory wear, and these are currently difficult to assess in situ except in a global way. By using monitored and operating data together with predictive numerical modelling and multivariate statistical methods, real-time tapblock performance is assessed relative to expected performance. A state indicator in the form of a green, yellow, and red light is used by furnace operators to monitor the tapblock performance and health status during operation. Access to historical operating data and the provision of diagnostic functions allow for probable health degradation events to be deeply investigated. A recent opportunity to evaluate the actual performance of a first generation TDS installed in the KIVCET furnace at Teck Cominco?s Trail Operations showed that a reasonable estimate of tapblock health was made. However, the evaluation also found that some areas of refractory wear were missed, and a new mechanism affecting refractory wear was discovered that was not previously known. This has reinforced the belief that there is a need to develop improved methods of monitoring so that data used to define the health of the tapblock is more comprehensive and accurate.

Jan 1, 2008

In extracting base metals from orebodies, sulphide as well as oxide, the main environmental concern is sulphur, whether in the form of sulphurous gases or sulphate in liquid form. Generally sulphur is in over supply in developed countries mainly because of strict legislation to capture it. In developing countries, on the other hand there is usually a shortage of sulphur because of less strict environ-mental legislation. Africa falls in this second category and the African continent imports substantial amounts of sulphur, despite the fact that large quantities of sulphur are emitted by smelters, thermal power stations, coalmines, fertilizer manufacturers and others. Other than making acid from gaseous emissions, existing methods to capture sulphur from gaseous and liquid effluents are uneconomical and it ends up in the environment either as ammonium sulphate (from gaseous effluents) or as gypsum (from liquid effluents). The CSIR?s Environmentek and Key Structure Holdings have developed a process whereby gaseous sulphur emissions and sulphates in liquid effluents can be economically captured and converted into elemental sulphur and metal carbonates. The elemental sulphur is of high purity as it is precipitated from a gas stream and is readily marketable. The metal carbonates (barium or calcium) can be recycled back to the process or marketed. The only harmful by-product of the process is carbon dioxide. Should natural gas or methane be available, the carbon dioxide could be reduced by about one third. Should solar, wind or hydro energy be available to generate hydrogen, the carbon dioxide emissions would be zero. Employing this technology could make Africa independent of sulphur imports and furthermore reduce the impact of acid rain and seepage of sulphate from gypsum and other waste dumps into the environment.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. Dehghan, M. Zarei, A. Tohry, S. C. Chelgani

Typical depressants for selective reverse flotation of iron oxides from complex silicates do not generally show high levels of efficiency. Therefore, as a hot topic, there are several ongoing investigations in this area. The main aim of this paper is exploring the potential of using humic acid (HA) as a depressant in reverse cationic flotation of hematite from complex silicates. For such a process, the wettability and flotation behaviour of pure minerals (hematite and silicates) was investigated at pH 10 in the presence of HA and cationic collector. Adsorption mechanism of HA on these minerals was measured by zeta-potential and FTIR. Results of flotation tests showed that at the lower concentrations of HA, selective separation of silicates from hematite is beneficial, where the floatability of amphibole was higher than pyroxene. A higher separation efficiency of hematite through reverse flotation was observed in the presence of amphibole, in comparison with the presence of pyroxene. Wettability studies showed that HA has a significant effect on reducing the hydrophobicity of treated minerals with the collector. The adsorption, ZPC and FTIR test results indicated that HA was adsorbed on both silicates and hematite. However, the absorption intensity onto hematite was much higher than silicates. It was found that the adsorption mechanism of HA on hematite takes place through both strong H-bonding and ligand exchange. Keywords: Reverse cationic flotation, humic acid, iron oxide, complex silicates, surface adsorption

Jan 1, 2020

By R. G. Cawthorn

The vertical distribution of platinum-group elements (PGE) in the Merensky and UG2 chromitite Reefs is highly variable, but does follow certain general patterns that allow the testing of geological models. In the Merensky reef, historically popular geological representations and interpretations have suggested that the mineralization occurs in a pegmatitic pyroxenite bounded by two chromitite layers. However, there are now enough published exceptions to this relationship to expose its fallacy. The vertical distribution of the PGE depends largely upon the separation between these two chromitite layers or the absence of one chromitite layer. Where separation is small or only one chromitite layer is present, there is considerable PGE mineralization in the footwall below the pyroxenite and lower chromitite layer. With increasing separation between the two chromitites, the mineral¬ization occurs progressively higher in the succession, and tends to track the upper chromitite layer. The view presented here is that the entire Merensky package is comprised of three events of magma emplacement, in which each has produced variable reaction with, and erosion of, the footwall, causing recrystallization of pyroxenite into pegmatitic pyroxenite. The magma then produced a chromitite layer followed by pyroxenite. Each chromitite layer is associated with some mineralization, which was extensively complemented by the subsequent formation of a sulphide liquid carrying PGE that trickled down through about 1 m of permeable crystal pile. The sulphide liquid formed after, not coincident with, the pyroxenite layers. The distribution of PGE in the UG2 chromitite shows up to three upward depletion sequences of PGE, also suggesting three events. The PGE are associated only with the chromite. The contribution from a sulphide liquid is considered to have been minimal for two reasons. Cu and Ni are extremely low in the UG2 which would not be expected if sulphides had been present. Also, by analogy with the Merensky, downward trickling of sulphides would have caused some PGE to be present in the footwall. There are some PGE in the footwall, but only where remnants of chromitite occur, and the hanging wall is lacking in PGE. In the northeastern Bushveld the UG2 chromitite is thinner than elsewhere, and there is a UG3 chromitite layer, not present elsewhere, that has a high Pt/Pd ratio. It is surmized that in the rest of the Bushveld the UG3 only appears to be absent because it has merged with the UG2 to produce the high Pt concentration at the top of the composite UG2. The non-accumulation of the package of pyroxenite-norite-anorthosite between the UG2 and UG3 in the northeastern Bushveld, which is not seen elsewhere, creates an interesting challenge to the formation of silicate layering in the complex. The mineralization in the Platreef is not addressed here. Keywords Bushveld complex, Merensky Reef, UG2 chromitite, geological evolution.

Jan 1, 2011

By L. Kühnel, H. Lieberwirth

Confined bed comminution in High Pressure Grinding Rollers (HPGR) and Vertical Roller Mills (VRM) is gaining substantial attention in many applications. Previously used mainly for milling coal or construction materials, HPGR and VRM have started to complement or even replace tumbling mills in ore beneficiation. Materials like coal or clinker are relatively homogenous, however, in comparison to metal ores and wall rocks. This characteristic poses a new challenge to the confined bed comminution but also an opportunity. Fuerstenau and Abouzeid have investigated the selectivity in comminution of a mixture of particles of different strength in a particle bed. The median particle size and particle size distribution (PSD) of the two constituents used were kept constant. Only the proportion of the two constituents was modified. The competence of a material is, however, also a function of particle size. Smaller particles tend to be more competent than larger ones of the same material. If selective comminution is applied on ores, this size influence has to be understood. The paper presents research results on this topic based on experimental investigations with model materials as well as with natural particles, which were stressed in a piston-die press. It appeared that the comminution result depends substantially on the material characteristics and the composition of the mixture. Conclusions will be drawn for the application in future applications of selective comminution in mineral processing. Keywords: Confined bed comminution, HPGR, VRM, piston die press, particle size

Jan 1, 2020

By J. R. Menasce

Mechanization in low-stope panels situated in hard rock infers roof support by tensile bolting to allow free passage of trackless mining equipment in the production areas. This is in sharp contrast to conventional mining, where compressive roof supports?such as timber and grout packs?have traditionally been used, up to 1.5 metres from the production face. Bolting is a hazardous operation because material is dislodged from the roof during the drilling activity. Even with temporary roof support installed, small pieces of rock are dislodged by the percussive action of the drifter. Operations with the man situated directly under the drill, during the drilling activity, are hazardous. The only way to remove the hazard is to move the man away from the machine for as much as possible throughout the complete cycle Costs associated with safety cannot be quantified, but need to form part of the decision-making process. Machine selections based on purchase and running costs alone do not justify the investment cost of mechanized bolters. The equipment selection process needs to take into account the total cost of mining as well as the human safety impact and loss of production costs from having to re-bolt roofs in a production panel to prevent falls of ground. Labour costs in mechanized low-stope bolting are between one-quarter and half the labour costs of non-mechanized bolting. This paper reviews the mechanized bolting option versus handheld bolting from a mining process and cost perspective in a hard rock, low-stope room-and-pillar mining operation in the platinum and chrome industries.

Jan 1, 2006

By G. C. S. Burns

"A system has been developed to simulate the mining of the Mufulira orebody. The main output from the system is a picture-gram from which the start date and effective life of all proposed mining faces can be measured. This information provides schedule dates for the completion of major capital development projects and stope preparation activities.The orebody must be divided horizontally into main levels and vertically into blocks of equal interval. Ore reserves are defined by specifying the tonnage contained in each block and main level. Mining faces are defined by their co-ordinates, and may themselves be split into sublevels. The simulation maintains an echelon between contiguous sublevels. Other face parameters control the speed of mining, the availability and relative priority of the face.The required production from each crusher/shaft system is specified. The technique of simulating the mining process in order to achieve the required production is described."

Jan 1, 2014

By D. J. Greeff

By making use of genetic programming, empirical models for metallurgical processes can be evolved that are more cost-effective than models determined by means of classical statistical techniques. These methods explore populations of candidate models assembled from sets of variables, parameters and simple mathematical operators, and do not require explicit specification of model structures. The application of the proposed strategies is illustrated by means of a case study pertaining to the leaching of nickeliferous chromite ores. Modelling of the nickel and cobalt extraction from the ores yielded models of similar accuracy compared to those obtained by non-linear regression and artificial neural networks. However, in the case of the iron extraction from the ores, the genetic programming model was significantly more accurate than both the regression and neutral network models.

Jan 1, 1998

By S. Plaatjie, L. Linzer, M. S. D. Manzi, M. Sihoyiya

Fiber-Optic Sensing and UAV-Platform Techniques for Innovative Mineral Exploration (FUTURE) is a joint European Union and South African consortium project funded under ERA-NET Cofund ERA-MIN3. The project aims to develop cost-effective and novel seismic methods to image geological structures ahead of the mine face, ultimately leading to improved decision-making and safer mining practices. In this study we present results from numerical simulations conducted at South Deep Gold Mine for active in-mine seismic surveys. The study uses a finite differencing code known as WAVE3D, which models models the propagation of a seismic wave generated by stress pertubations that are applied to a defined grid. The numerical simulation model included two major ore bodies (Black Reef and Ventersdorp Contact Reef) and mine tunnels. The model was constrained using laboratory physical property measurements from underground borehole samples such as seismic velocities (e.g., compressional and shear waves) and bulk densities. Two case studies were created, one modelled the active shots and receivers on surface, and the other modelled the shots at depth (in a mine tunnel at ~4000 m depth) with receivers on surface. In both cases, the objective was to investigate the wavefield propagation through the rockmass between the mine tunnel and surface. The simulated wavefield produced by the source located along the mine tunnel was successfully recorded on surface. The surface-recorded wavefield exhibits clear one-way P-wave arrival times at approximately 450 ms to 500 ms, which can be used to calculate the surface-tunnel P-wave refraction tomogram. The results from the study were used to constrain the design, and for the acquisition and processing of the real surface and in-mine seismic surveys acquired under the FUTURE project.

Jan 12, 2025

By R. J. Kendall

As we enter the new millennium, the South African mining industry has to ensure that it becomes more competitive if it is to survive in the ever more demanding global environment. Traditionally, mechanization in narrow stopes has been limited to the use of scraper winches, and numerous mechanization attempts have been restricted to pilot projects operated on an extremely limited scale (with varying degrees of success). The benefits of hydropower are well documented, and Northam Platinum has shown these benefits to be achievable on a mine-wide basis. However, the equipment originally developed for hydropower systems has followed the traditional labour-intensive approach commonly used in deep level narrow stoping operations. The problems experienced with the hydropower system are discussed and the rationale for developing alternate technologies is explored. The hydropower system has shown to be a versatile powering medium which can be harnessed for a diversity of uses. It (hydropower) enables the mining engineer to change traditional paradigms and to design an entirely new approach for optimizing the mining operation based on explosive techniques. The system developed for Northam consists of the following: ?Purpose-built stope drill rig operated off the hydropower system with special features to ensure accurate drilling patterns throughout the length of the blast hole ?Purpose-built high rate cleaning system for rapid transfer of fractured ore to the stope orepass ?Redesigned stope layout to facilitate in-stope water control and to recover fines from the run-off water ?Purpose-built drill rig for rapid establishment of reef raises and advanced strike gullies ?Purpose-built drill rig for flat end development. On both types of development end rig, emphasis is placed on ensuring accurate drilling patterns throughout the length of the hole to maximize linear advance per blast. The paper discusses the implementation of the Northam system on a large scale as well as current initiatives to further improve on the efficiencies of mining operations. It concludes by emphasizing that mechanized hydropowered stope technologies are in their infancy and thus offer unlimited scope in progressing beyond today?s paradigms to present as yet unthought of solutions for optimizing deep level ore extraction.

Jan 1, 2000