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By B. Cavender

Safety departments have traditionally been held responsible for the safety performance of their division or company. This approach leads to a lack of ownership of safety issues by the larger organization. An alternative paradigm is significantly more effective: the members of the work force (managers as well as workers) are fully responsible and accountable for safe production. The safety department is not extinct, however. Its role has changed, to focus on training, litigation, and external relationships such as community relations. This approach was implemented at BHP Copper's Superior mine and mill in Arizona. By obtaining the genuine commitment of the work force to accident-free production, the mill's MSHA incident rate immediately dropped from 7.4 to zero. The mill also ran one year with no MSHA citations. When this philosophy was implemented at the divisional level, the division's incident rate decreased from 9.5 to 1.1,an 88-percent reduction in six months.

Jan 1, 2000

By V. McLemore, N. Dunbar, K. Donahue

There are three principle lines of evidence that indicate the clay minerals found in the Goathill North (GHN) rock pile at the Molycorp mine are predominantly a product of hydrothermal alteration, not weathering. The unweathered drill core and samples from GHN have similar types and abundances of clay-mineral groups based on XRD analysis. Chemical analyses from the electron microprobe reveal similar chemical compositions for the hydrothermal alteration clays in drill-core samples and clays found in the rock pile. Textural evidence gathered from petrographic and microprobe examination also suggests a hydrothermal origin for clay minerals.

Jan 1, 2007

By William Gleason

"The city of Denver, CO has experienced extreme growth in the past decade, with the population of the city topping more than 700,000 people in 2018. The current storm water drainage system was put in place in the early 1900s and has not been able to keep up with the growth of the city.When it rains north and east of the city, the runoff goes toward the South Platte River. With the dense population and sometimes severe thunderstorms in the summer, the city has experienced significant flooding that not only endangers lives of residents, but some of the storms have caused millions of dollars of property damage.The Platte to Park Hill Project is a $298-million nearterm, four-phase solution to the flooding that includes the Globeville landing outfall; an open drainage project in the Cole neighborhood in north Denver; an area for temporary water detention and another temporary water detention in Park Hill.The largest and most complex phase of the project is the Globeville landing outfall — a $70-million box culvert project that includes a pair of 157-m (515-ft) long, 243-cm (96-in.) diameter storm water tunnels that pass beneath a busy rail yard with 17 tracks for the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and two Regional Transportation District (RTD) commuter rail tracks. The tunnels, which were installed parallel to a pair of existing 243-cm (96-in.) tunnels, were designed by Brierley & Associates as a client of Merrick & Company for the City & County of Denver, and Bradshaw Construction constructed the one-pass tunnels.From the start, it was evident that the tunneling portion of the project would be the most challenging because of the rail yards.“It’s a little bit more complicated because the railroads have such tight restrictions for settlement,” said Rebecca Brock, Brierley’s project manager. “We had a lot of meetings with Union Pacific and RTD to figure out what are prescribed versus tolerable settlements.”“The portion extending beyond the UPRR under the RTD rails was challenging, as RTD is new to tunnel installations under its tracks,” said Lester Bradshaw, president of Bradshaw Construction. “The RTD tracks employed a unique foundation of continuous concrete with integral raised concrete ties on rubber bushings. Minimizing settlement to these tracks was a critical requirement.”"

Jan 9, 2018

By Ian Hooper, Alan Winter, Stefan Sadokierski, Craig Covil

The existing Tappan Zee Bridge was built in the late 1950s and has been working over its design traffic load for some time now. A new project, which is being jointly sponsored by the New York State Thruway Authority and Metro-North Rail Road, is looking at new alternatives to provide new road and rail crossings of the Hudson River. These include 2 to 5 mile and potentially longer tunnel crossing options that include hardrock TBM and EPBM opportunities. The paper describes the project needs and tunnel concept design work done on some of the alternatives. It also relates to the current EIS process for the project and talks about a possible double-stacked tunnel option. It also talks about the geology and environmental constraints relating to tunneling and provides and introduction to the tunnel ventilation work necessary for tunnel crossing of this magnitude. It does not report on the bridge engineering options being evaluated.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. L. Virta

Twenty-three companies mined kaolin in nine States in 2004. Production was estimated to be 7.6 Mt (8.3 million st) valued at $912 million, based on preliminary data. This was a slight decrease from 7.68 Mt (8.46 million st) valued at $939 million in 2003.Georgia was the leading producer state with an estimated 6.5 Mt (7.1 million st) in production. It was followed, in decreasing order of tonnage, by South Carolina, Alabama, California, Texas, Arkansas, Nevada, Florida and North Carolina. Georgia accounted for nearly the entire domestic water-washed, delaminated, and pigment-grade calcined kaolin production. Consumption Sales to the paper industry accounted for 49 percent of domestic sales and 64 percent of total sales. Other major markets for domestic sales were refractory products (10 percent), paint (5 percent), fiberglass (4 percent), catalysts (3 percent) and rubber (2 percent).Paper coating and filler markets accounted for about 87percent of export sales of kaolin.

Jan 1, 2005

I am deeply honored and grateful to receive the prestigious Gaudin Award. Frankly, I find myself amazed to be included in the company of those outstanding individuals who have previously received this recognition. I am humbly honored to receive this award from an industrial research group. Gaudin was an internationally respected leader of mineral processing. His research contributions widely covered the whole spectrum of mineral processing science and technology, including comminution, size distribution, electrostatics, magnetics, thickening and, especially, the development of flotation theory and application. In his later career, he increased his emphasis on hydrometallurgical technology. In fact, one of his most notable practical contributions was in the development of leaching and ion exchange purification of uranium from low-grade ores. Gaudin catalyzed the trend in mineral processing toward engineering science for a better understanding of process mechanisms and kinetics. He said that those working in academic fields should have an underlying responsibility to the industry they represent. This imposed on him the objective of seeking out research areas that had some relevance to industry's problems. He said, "research without an audience cannot survive." Gaudin performed a most vital service, both in the areas of research in which he was actively involved and through his less-direct influence on current research by his many former students and their students in turn. Interestingly, Gaudin's strength has influenced Newmont Mining Corp. His favorite student was Plato Malozemoff. He had a long and distinguished career with Newmont, beginning as staff engineer in 1945, serving as Newmont's president for more than 30 years and as chairman of the company for 20 years. Newmont's greatest growth occurred during his leadership. Another one of Gaudin's graduate students from Montana School of Mines, Oscar F. Tangel, joined Newmont in 1967. He was a vice president of research and development until 1986. In their efforts, Newmont built a research group, developing the technologies of exploration, geophysics and metallurgy. The Newmont technical facility is named in honor of Malozamoff as "a leader in the development and implementation of new technologies." The mining industry is facing very difficult times, especially in the metals industry. Most metal prices have declined and are still not stable. Most domestic mining companies have largely done away with in-house research and development. Many are reluctant to invest in technology development for which there is not an immediate need. The metal mining industries are focusing on reducing operating costs to survive. Newmont is in the same situation. I appreciate that Newmont's management believes in the importance of research and technology and the impact technology has on the company's value. At Newmont, technology development involves working in the area of applied research. The connections from academic fundamental research to applied research and finally to process development and implementation are very important to develop a new technology. Fundamental research is our foundation, our guidance, giving us direction, providing the principal and mechanism and understanding why it works. Understanding the why will lead to further innovative development. Applied research needs to find the approach to reality, how it works, how to make it better and how to commercialize it. Process development and implementation needs a strong leadership, requires long-term commitment, makes improvements in practical engineering and finally develops an economically favorable process. Implementation is the most important stage in making research a reality. Each stage needs to give feedback to the other stages. Problems need to be understood and solved. Otherwise, the new technology will go nowhere. Simplicity of operation is a key of success in any plant. Necessity is the

Jan 1, 2002

By S. Möllerherm, E. Drüppel

"The development of indicators to assess the sustainability of mineral raw materials operations is amajor task with respect to its actuality and difficulty. This holds true even more when dealing withenvironmental indicators.The use of existing environmental indicators in the mineral raw materials industry leads to false orat least distorted results. Therefore the Institute of Mining Engineering I from the RWTH AachenUniversity developed indicators and an assessment system for the mineral raw materials industryon operation, company and sector level on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour(Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit, BMWA) and the Federal Institute for Geosciencesand Natural Resources (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, BGR).In total 30 indicators were defined and designed to assess the performance of the mineral rawmaterials industry in terms of sustainable development, 10 indicators for each pillar (economical,ecological and social pillar).The following paper describes some of the results focussing on the development of environmentalindicators. These had to be adapted or completely new designed in order to match the specificcharacteristics of the mineral raw materials industry."

Jan 1, 2005

By H. Mischo, F. Daniela, L. Schaarschmidt, I. Paschke

In order to safely store radioactive waste long-term, HAW repositories in saliferous formations have to be backfilled. The main purpose of those backfill operations is the restoration of the geological barrier function of the containment area. For best possible results the used material should be of a comparable composition or characteristic for the host rock formation. Additionally, the material should show a high density after completion of the backfilling process as well as a low permeability. A major aspect to consider in these processes is the minimization of the gap of the backfill body to the roof of the drift. To fulfil those requirements, a micro-structure stabilized crushed salt backfill material has been developed as part of the GESAV-I-project. Due to the material composition of this so-called GESAV-material, salt mineralcrystallization processes start after emplacing it, a process that leads to the polyhalite formation. With the crystallization of polyhalit, the halite grains are bridged, which in return stabilizes the matrix of the backfill. The GESAV-II-project continued successfully what GESAV-I started and determined an ideal backfill method in order to build the backfill bodies composed of GESAV-material. Due to the compaction of the material during emplacement by vibration, high in-situ densities, low permeabilities and a backfill factor close to 1 was able to be reached. In the following SAVER project this journey of practical test underground will be continued.

Mar 2, 2022

By Diane Jones, Jeremy Spearman, Tom Matthewson

Requirements for minerals are on the increase globally and the deep sea offers a potential source of essential materials. Extracting these minerals from what is considered an environmentally sensitive area, and one about which little is still known, is a challenging activity, which needs careful consideration and an appropriate environmental impact assessment to be carried out. Extraction of material from the deep sea beds can cause disturbance or damage to benthic communities; impact on mobile marine species such as fish, mammals and reptiles; cause increases in suspended sediment and sediment deposition onto potentially sensitive areas or potentially release contaminants which were previously bound to the sediment. This paper discusses the potential environmental issues surrounding extraction of deep-sea deposits using aggregate dredging techniques and how those issues can be appropriately assessed. In particular issues of suspended sediments, plume transport, water and sediment quality and underwater noise impacts on potentially sensitive species and habitats will be explored.

Sep 1, 2014

By P. C. Dagneau

QUEBEC CARTIER MINING COMPANY was incorporated in 1957 to explore and develop low grade iron are deposits in Northeastern Quebec. Four separate deposits were located and identified as being of ore quality and size to support commercial development. Said deposits were located at Lac Jeannine, Mount-Wright, Fire Lake and Mount-Reed. In 1970, in preparation for the replacement of the depleting Lac Jeannine are reserves, construction of an SS-mile railway extension was initiated, towards the newly selected mine site at Mount-Wright. This orebody was selected because the physical and chemical characteristics of the ore were very much similar to those of Lac Jeannine, as well as its huge reserves, estimated at more than one billion tons. In addition to the railroad extension, a mine, concentrator and related facilities were constructed and the new town of Fermont was created. Total investment for the Mount-Wright project exceeded $700 million and initial production commenced in 1976. Quebec Cartier is presently (1992) the leading producer and seller of iron ore in North America at 15,5 million tons and employs some 2,300 people.

Jan 1, 1993

By John H. Bassarear

The never ending search for lower unit costs led Pima Mining Company's management to study various alternatives shortly after Expansion III was completed. It soon became apparent that a considerable amount of ore assaying 0.35% copper had to be moved in order to maintain mill feed at the desired 0.54% copper content, which is the overall grade of the ore reserves. Detailed investigations revealed that for a period of 8 - 10 years, about 14,000 tons per day of 0.30 - 0.40% copper ore would pass by the crusher en-route to the low grade stockpile. This ore is very hard, very clean and has to be mined at a relatively uniform rate. A six month pilot plant run testing autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding gave very encouraging results. Since no mining costs need to be charged to the extra tonnage (it had to be mined anyway) the only major costs would be against milling. The decision to proceed was made in August 1970 and Fluor-Utah was retained as the prime design construction contractor. Ore was first put through the new mill on December 29, 1971. By March of 1972 design tonnage of 14,000 TPD had been attained. The first three expansions at Pima Mining Company, 20 miles south of Tucson, increased mill capacity from 3,000 TPD to 36,000 TPD. These expansions included a separate, conventional, three stage crushing plant plus additions to the existing concentrator that primarily duplicated the then current flowsheet. Expansion IV, however, consisted of an entirely new and separate primary crusher and a completely new mill building located about 2,000 feet southeast of the 01 d concentrator. The new mill, using semi-autogenous grinding, produces scavenger and rougher flotation concentrates that are pumped to the old mill for regrinding, cleaning, thickening and filtration.

Jan 1, 1973

By K. H. McDaniel, L. Griswold

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is adding a third fan to operate in parallel with, and supplement, its two existing main fans. An engineering analysis conducted in 1995 identified the need for improved system availability and efficiency. The WIPP, located near Carlsbad, New Mexico, is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Area Office facility designed to permanently dispose of U.S. defense-generated transuranic waste in a deep bedded salt deposit. Engineers at the WIPP performed a feasibility analysis for either modifying, supplementing, or replacing its two main mine fans. Since the centrifugal fans were installed in 1988, multiple operational and performance concerns have been identified. A comprehensive engineering study was conducted (McDaniel, et al., 1997) to: identify and quantify operational concerns, evaluate possible alternatives, and recommend an optimum solution. The study indicated that adding a third single-duty centrifugal fan similar to the two existing fans, and equipping that fan with Inlet Van Controls (IVCs) was the best choice. This alternative provided the most desirable combination of operational readiness, and improving system performance. The fan installation project accommodates several operational and scheduling constraints. WIPP is scheduled to receive waste in May 1998. This milestone is proceeded by an operational readiness review. Fan installation could not be allowed to compromise the WIPP's ability to declare facility readiness and had to minimize operational disruptions during the system tie-in. All engineering for the project is completed and physical modifications started in July 1997. The project was completed in 1998.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. T. Swinderman

"Virtually every article you read on safety has a statement to the effect: “It’s obvious that safety pays”. If it is so obvious, why is it so hard to answer these questions? • How does the Maintenance or Operations Manager convince the Plant Manager to spend money from the annual budget for safety improvements? • How does the Plant Manager influence Corporate to prioritize safety improvements? • How does an engineering firm persuade the owner to spend more on design and equipment up front to reduce risk? There are many cultural and structural reasons why it is so difficult to prove the obvious. In my opinion the main culprits are: the almost universally used ‘Low Bid’ process, variations in reporting incident statistics between industries and countries, and, the Generally Accepted Accounting procedures (GAAP) [or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)]. Conventional wisdom is it’s smart not to spend more than you need to meet the minimum regulations and maximize production. But buying on price alone often harms people, degrades the environment, and reduces the company’s bottom line. How can this be? You met the minimum safety requirements and saved money by buying on price. Don’t those savings go right to the bottom line? When you buy on price you get minimum quality, minimum compliance and are often backed corner with no reasonable options to rectify the problems that arise from buying on price instead of buying on long term life cycle cost. Culturally few companies actually ‘walk the talk’. It is trendy to have giant billboards at plant entrances proclaiming world class compliance with quality and safety standards. Annual reports are embellished with safety slogans and sustainability statements. Behind the front gates and the glossy annual reports the message is clear: produce or be replaced. Only a few companies go beyond the window dressing and actually endorse, from the top down, continuously improving their safety culture. Those that do embrace safety, show significant performance advantages over their competition that are reflected in their safety, productivity and environmental records and, ultimately their financial statements and share price. Current accounting (and reward) systems make it unlikely financial managers will accept non-conventional approaches to justifying expenditures on safety because they are driven to report “hard” numbers that can be documented and are within the “GAAP or IFRS Rules.” But in reality, accountants quantify soft or intangible costs all the time in their financial statements. Justifying safety investments is greatly enhanced by quantifying what most financial managers would call intangible costs. Government agencies have no problem assigning intangible costs to justify regulations to improve safety. How many times have you heard that the regulation is justified because the cost to industry is X while the benefit to the society is 2 or 3X? How can they say that without including intangible costs? We find it hard to believe these government claims of benefits to society because we have been trained to think about saving hard direct costs to justify investments."

Jan 1, 2017

By I. Y. Bausov, L. G. Stolarczyk, R. E. Pillmore, A. J. Hillard, J. T. Duncan

"Prevalence of lung disease in younger miners surprised industry regulators, congressional members, researchers and black lung clinic staff members. Mitigation researcher focused on low-coal mining in the Appalachian regions until Miners Colfax Medical Center (MCMC) Black Lung Clinic examinations discovered 25 of 72 Wyoming coal miners with lung disease. To reverse recent upward trend in lung disease, research programatic have been directed at reducing exposure to respirable “float” dust. This paper suggests broadening the scope of research to include boundary detection in efforts to improve outcomes. Beginning with a better understanding of biochemistry of anaerobic bacteria methylation processes precipitating sulfur and heavy metals into thin seam boundary layers. Expanding research and development objective to focused on minimization of bit-pick crushing cone volume and preventing mining thin boundary coal layers and out-of-seam dilution. Black lung clinical evaluations of miner will confirm outcomes directed towards reduced occupational disease and smoke stack emissions. INTRODUCTION Miner exposer to bit-tip crushing cone volume, fragmentation and auger movement generated respirable “float” dust and boiler emissions are related science-technology –engineering-mathematics (STEM) problems. Formidable but not intractable problems are driven by oxidation of upper flood plain elements in the periodic table and biochemical metabolic presses occurring in coal basin. Because of burial compaction, quartz and trace heavy metals (Fe2+, Mg2+) are concentrated in thin seam boundary layers. By not cutting through thin boundary coal layer and out-of-seam into hard quartz containing rock layers, miner lung disease and smoke stack emissions are minimized. Cutting bit-pick elastic wave hydrodynamic principle force vectors in the coal layer must be aligned to minimize respirable dust generation, constrained by fragmentation size. Dust abatement by water spray and machine design are effective; but for, failure to address cutting cone dust volume generation and its distribution along run-of-mine (ROM) transportation systems the boiler. Real-time precision thickness measurements by integrated cutting drum (icDrum) sensor, machine man-interdiction from a dust free control room, is a cost effective way to prevents respirable dust exposure. The recommended STEM research and demonstration initiative addresses issues raised by discoveries of increased rate of lung disease discovered in young miners and concerns over emissions from coal-fired electric generation stations (Global Warming). In-mine demonstrations must be validated by on-site MCMC mobile Black Lung Clinic data acquisition and analysis."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. G. Britton

Microcomputer analysis has long been a technique for engineering professionals to improve the theoretical and practical design of continuous mining systems. Such work has been typically composed of modeling observed events and then introducing a variety of known elements with predicted results to compare against the results of the model. Programs written in BASIC, Cobol, Fortran, or other language dominated such efforts. These programs have taken years to develop and prove out. This paper explores a new management tool used at TMC on a daily basis to track and improve continuous mining systems through the use of microcomputers and Lotus 1-2-3 software. By analyzing data provided by section foreman, shift foreman, and maintenance personnel against predetermined goals, new production targets are developed, weaknesses in the current mining systems are identified, and the results of changes are measured. The results of this system on the productive output of TMC systems are on the order of ten percent improvement.

Jan 1, 1991

By Martin B. Zimmerman

It is becoming evident that traditional methods of econometric analysis are inadequate in estimating-the long-run supply of minerals. Econometrics is limited to extracting estimates from observations of the theory predicts that the least cost deposits will be exploited first.1 The estimation of parameters from past data then must lead to biased projections of the future. Mining conditions in the future will be worse than in the past and it is the impact of the future conditions on cost that we need to know. In this paper we present a methodology for dealing with this problem. We estimate a "cumulative cost" function that yields the long-run marginal cost of mining as a function of cumulative output produced over time.2 This is relatively easy to do for coal mining in the United States where exploration for new deposits is not a major factor in supply. The first step of the procedure relates cost to the rate of output and to the geological conditions of the mine. The second step combines geological information on remaining deposits with the cost function to yield the cumulative cost function. A central theme of both these steps is the interaction of economics with geology. The best deposits are selected first and in each step of the estimation allowance must be made for this fact. The problem of depletion is part of the general problem of structural change. The change through depletion in the nature of the exploitable mineral stock is only one factor that calls for an analysis sensitive to the changing circumstances of the industry. The factors impinging most heavily on the coal industry today are the strict environmental regulations legislated

Jan 1, 1977

By Gary W. Hudiburgh

The gangue in some magnetite ore bodies contains feldspar; the alkali content of the feldspar reduces the usefulness of these iron ores. One method of decreasing the feldspar content in magnetite concentrate is froth flotation. The amine flotation of feldspar from magnetite concentrate was investigated using zeta potential measurements, Hallimond tube flotation tests and laboratory-scale flotation tests. The zeta potential of various feldspars (microcline, albite, anorthite, oliqoclase and anorthoclase) were determined as a function of pH; the point of zero charge ranged from pH 1.4 to 2.5. Hallimond tube flotation tests using two amine reagents were conducted on the feldspars. Hallimond tube flotation tests using six amine flotation reagents were performed on the cobber tails (quartz, albite and microcline) from a magnetite concentrating plant; in all cases, over 85 percent flotation recovery was obtained at pH 8 and 10-5 to 10-4 [M] collector addition. Laboratory-scale (667 grams) flotation tests were performed on the magnetite concentrate in an attempt to float the feldspar which had reported to the concentrate. The effects of three different collectors, two levels of collector concentration, three pH levels, starch and HF acid were investigated.

Jan 1, 1975

By William Gleason

The mining industry is under immense pressure to not only meet increasing demand for minerals, but to do so in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner. Growth in electric vehicles, battery storage, renewable energy infrastructure and data centers to power artificial intelligence (AI) has led to an unprecedented demand for minerals such as copper, lithium, rare earth elements and others. The need for these minerals for national defense has only increased the pressure on the mining industry. Increased geopolitical tensions between the United States, China and Russia has added a sense of urgency as supply chains have become a focal point for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Defense (DOD) and other government agencies. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that copper demand is expected to grow by 50 percent by 2040 while demand for lithium could increase eight-fold by 2040 and demand for nickel and cobalt could double. The challenges to meet the increased demand include technological, workforce, exploration and environmental issues. From Feb. 22-26, the global mining industry will converge on Salt Lake City, UT for the MINEXCHANGE 2026 SME Annual Conference & Expo where these challenges and others will be addressed by some of the leading minds in the industry. Included in this year’s conference is the Resilient Energy in Mining Symposium, a symposium with input from across SME that looks to address some of the most significant challenges the industry is facing. “Adopting environmental, social and governance (ESG) best practices has become a necessity for the mining industry, not an option. The Resilient Energy in Mining Symposium is crucial for MINEXCHANGE 2026 because it addresses the complex challenges of transforming traditional mining operations to support a sustainable and secure energy future,” Lisa Gonzales, principal engineering at Arcadias and MINEXCHANGE 2026 SME Annual Conference Chair and chair of the Resilient Energy in Mining Symposium said. “Mining is inherently energy-intensive, yet it is also foundational to the global energy transition, supplying the critical minerals needed for renewable technologies. By bringing together industry leaders, the symposium fosters collaboration and actionable change, showcasing advancements and real-world solutions that demonstrate the tangible benefits of resilient energy strategies. This unique forum enables knowledge sharing, inspires innovative thinking, and helps set the standard for sustainable practices across the sector.” The symposium was created in direct response to a SME member survey in 2023 conducted by the Responsible Mining and Underground Construction (RMUC) Strategic Committee. “The survey highlighted a strong demand for technical resources on energy transition, carbon reduction, renewable power, climate change, and ESG reporting,” Gonzales said. “To address this, I collaborated with RMUC to engage committee members from all SME Divisions, ensuring a diverse and comprehensive platform that reflects every aspect of mining. We intentionally structured the symposium to centralize key content and minimize duplication across divisions.”

Jan 1, 2026

By B. Tripp

Utah produces a wide variety of industrial rock and mineral commodities, valued in 2005 at a record $758 million (21 percent of the total non-fuel mineral production of Utah). Major commodities produced in 2005 include salts (halite, potash, and magnesium salts), Portland cement, sand and gravel, carbonates (lime, limestone, and dolomite), phosphate, crushed stone, clays, lightweight aggregate (expanded shale and perlite), gypsum, silica, sulfur and sulfuric acid, and building stone. Commodities produced in smaller amounts include diatomite, pumice, gemstones, ornamental stone, fluorspar, and mineral and fossil specimens. Utah is in a period of rapid growth in industrial rock and mineral production; however, some commodities have grown faster than others. The robust western economy has stimulated production of construction-related commodities like sand and gravel, Portland cement raw materials, lime, and building stone, resulting in exploration for raw materials, development of new quarries, and expansion of existing plants

Jan 1, 2007

By Thomas Novak, Sampurna Arya

Controlling dust generation and keeping it below permissible limits to meet federal dust standards at the working face of a roomand-pillar coal mine is a challenge for a mine operator. With the recent changes in federal dust regulations requiring lower worker exposure, maintaining compliance has become increasingly difficult. The current most effective practice of dust control at a continuous miner face in an underground mine is the use of a flooded-bed scrubber. A study carried out by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) indicated that a flooded-bed scrubber could achieve cleaning efficiencies between 58 and 90%. But, the operation of such a system is maintenance intensive. The flooded-bed scrubber screen becomes clogged with dust particles and requires frequent cleaning to maintain performance. However, the dust control issue is not solely a mining industry problem. Other industries face similar issues. The University of Kentucky collaborated with Toyota Motor Manufacturing on the development of a novel wet scrubber, called the vortecone scrubber, for capturing oversprayed paint particles in automotive paint booths. The vortecone scrubber achieved a cleaning efficiency of 99% and required minimal maintenance. This study aims to assess the ability of this vortecone scrubber to capture respirable dust in an underground coal mine. The paper presents the results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of this vortecone scrubber. It discusses the effects of air quantity and dust particle size on the performance of the scrubber.