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By T. S. McGahey

The southeastern region of the United States has long been a major market area for coarse and medium particle size natural ground calcium carbonate fillers. The primary market for calcium carbonate in the southeast traditionally has been as fillers in building materials such as carpeting, joint cement and roof shingles. In these applications the economic value of the calcium carbonate in the final product is weighted more toward lessening the cost of the final product, as opposed to contributing any desirable physical characteristics. For example, in carpet backing applications the calcium carbonate filler does little more from a physical standpoint than add weight and body to the backing adhesive. The important factor in the use of calcium carbonate in carpet backing is that it can be used at high loading levels to replace the more expensive latex binder, thus lessening the cost of the final product. It is estimated that calcium carbonate producers in the southeast sell in excess of 200,000 tons (181,436,000 kg) annually for use in latex compounds for carpet backing applications.

Jan 1, 1986

American Barrick Resources Corp. has come farther, faster in the last 11 years than any mining company in recent memory. Acquisition of Lac Minerals Ltd. in August 1994 now makes Barrick the largest gold producer in the world outside South Africa. In terms of market capitalization, the company is the world's most valued gold producer. American Barrick's 28.3-km2 (7000acre) Goldstrike property on Nevada's Carlin Trend, the primary engine for past growth, was purchased in 1987 for $62 million. Regarded as an attractive exploration target, Goldstrike instead propelled American Barrick to the front rank of world gold producers. In 1993, the company produced 50.75 t (1,631,988 oz), 44.78 t (1,439,929 oz) from Goldstrike. Reserves on the property totaled 905 t (29.1 million oz) at the end of 1993, the largest in North America.

Jan 1, 1994

By Alexandru Corneliu Stematiu, Catalin Popescu, Radu Sarghiuta

"The tunnel sector is excavated into a rock mass heavily affected by tectonics, defined as a regional fault. The rock around the tunnel support undertakes the non – elastic deformation and gradually detaches from the rest of the non affected rock mass, moving inside of the excavated area and tending to fill up the whole space. The initial solution of using stiff support consisting in double steel ribs I12 with circular shape in the upper part and straight vertical pillars in the lower part has proved to be inadequate. Based on the calculations of the subsidence phenomena and a mathematical model, the proposed alternative support was provided by special circular steel ribs – SG-23 –that allows a limited rib deformation (by relative slip between the arch segments) in order to mobilize the contact between the rock contour and the inner face of the rib - not only for the deformed rib but also for the neighboring ribs. 1. INTRODUCTION Hydropower development of Jiu river in Romania, in the narrow gorge sector includes two diversion HPP and a small hydro plant that provides the minimum required flow downstream: CHE Dumitra , CHE Bumbesti and MHC Livezeni (Table 1. Hydropower parameters).The Livezeni intake reservoir is provided by a gated dam located 1250 m downstream of merging point between Jiul de Vest river and Jiul de Est river. The dam is equipped with three radial gates with flap gates with a span of 12 m each and the height of (6 + 3) m. The longitudinal profile of Dumitra head and the location of the gallery zone that is the subject of the paper are presented in Figure 2. Longitudinal Profile – Dumitra Head."

Jan 1, 2016

By D. M. Range

Exxon is reclaiming an 80 hectare (200 acre) Wyoming uranium tailings basin (10 Mt) in accordance with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements. The reclamation plan is designed to control the tailings and their radioactive emissions for at least 1000 years. Rigorous modeling and analyses of potential erosion by wind and water were used in planning. The use of riprap was minimized and the need for long term reclamation maintenance was eliminated. The resulting design is similar to erosionally stable regions created by nature. The concepts used in the design and implantation have wider reclamation application.

Jan 1, 1989

By MUSTAFA ERKAYAOGLU, ENVER YILMAZ

Coal is still a part of energy generation worldwide and has a significant role in the sustainable development of countries. The amount of shallow coal deposits is getting scarce, making efficient underground mining operations crucial for both local and global economies. In underground mining operations, longwall mining is a commonly utilized method to extract deep coal deposits. One of the leading engineering goals in longwall mining is increasing the efficiency of the system by investigating the effects of operational factors on equipment. This paper investigates the shearer performance for a longwall top coal caving operation by discrete event simulation that includes modeling the double-drum shearer, belt conveyors, stage loader, and armored face conveyors (AFC) to evaluate system performance by considering the amount of daily coal production of the shearer. As a result, the most influential factor on mine production is determined and a data-based framework is developed. This study suggests a framework for data collection, data analysis, and the interpretation of the operational data to evaluate the primary production unit’s performance. The models developed for the face coal extraction operations in a longwall top coal caving (LTCC) mine have a bi-directional cutting system and can be implemented in other operations readily.

Jul 2, 2021

By Jerry Pyatt

Lead has been used by mankind since before the Egyptian pyramids were built. Its durability provides for a continuum of innovation. As the largest integrated lead producer in the Western Hemisphere, The Doe Run Co. is committed to locating, mining, processing and sup-plying lead in ways that are responsible and sustainable. It takes ingenuity and resolve to successfully operate in the heavy industry field today. Doe Run is committed to applying responsibility through sustainability, lean manufacturing, safety, environmental stewardship, education and workforce development, and com-munity support.

Jan 1, 2008

By D. Gove

Several coal mines in Southeastern United State face the problem of multiple, very thin coal seams or seams adhering to interburden, and because of the strip ratio economics, these seams must be recovered. Over the past few years several mines have discovered a common method to solving these problems...use of a Caterpillar RR-250 Road Reclaimer.

Jan 1, 1995

By D. K. Dysinger

The U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated leaching of chalcopyrite with sulfuric acid-oxygen under conditions anticipated during in situ leaching. A central composite experimental design was chosen to study oxygen pressures of 150, 300, and 450 psi, leach temperatures of 35?, 65°, and 95° C, oxygen-to-chalcopyrite mass ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5, leach times of 8, 16, and 24 hours, initial acid strengths of 0.6, 1.2, and 1.8 g H2SO4/g chalcopyrite and pyrite to chalcopyrite mass ratios of 0, 1, and 2. The leaching kinetics were consistent with the shrinking core model. A quadratic response surface model was used to determine linear and interaction effects of the design factors on rate constants from Arrhenius correlations.

Jan 1, 1993

By Peter Werner

Technological advances in mine equipment and milling processes have enabled mining companies to exploit ever lower grades of ore. The result has been larger disturbances, greater volumes of waste, a complex web of infrastructure, and an overall trend toward mega projects that can extend over several square kilometers. This explosive growth in a mining operation’s disturbance footprint provokes an obvious question: What is it going to cost to reclaim all of this? At face value, this can be an enormous financial liability for a company, but since the timing of reclamation may be years in the future for many operations, these costs can be heavily discounted, thereby limiting the burden on the corporate balance sheet. Nonetheless, mining companies are eager to remove these liabilities as quickly as possible; conversely, regulators want assurance reclamation will, in fact, occur. How might one bridge these competing interests? Navigating the practical and financial requirements of a post-closure landscape requires foresight, judgement and assumptions; however, companies that do not adequately plan for these future expenditures when there is no offsetting income stream will likely face some difficult decisions. Simple risk analysis tools and utilizing the time value of money can help bring some clarity to this end-of-mine life phase.

Dec 1, 2025

By Peter Werner

Technological advances in mine equipment and milling processes have enabled mining companies to exploit ever lower grades of ore. The result has been larger disturbances, greater volumes of waste, a complex web of infrastructure, and an overall trend towards mega-projects that can extend over several square kilometers. This explosive growth in a mining operation’s disturbance footprint provokes an obvious question: What’s it going to cost to reclaim all of this? At face value, this can be an enormous financial liability for a company, but since the timing of reclamation may be years in the future for many operations, these costs can be heavily discounted thereby limiting the burden on the corporate balance sheet. Nonetheless, mining companies are eager to remove these liabilities as quickly as possible, conversely, regulators want assurance reclamation will, in fact, occur. How might one bridge these competing interests? Navigating the practical and financial requirements of a post-closure landscape requires foresight, judgement and assumptions, however, companies who do not adequately plan for these future expenditures when there is no off-setting income stream will likely face some difficult decisions. Simple risk analysis tools and utilizing the time value of money can help bring some clarity to this end-of-mine life phase.

Feb 1, 2025

By Wenbing Guo, Gaobo Zhao, Erhu Bai, Brijes Mishra

"Violent damage to overlying strata can occur above the large mined-out space left by high-intensity longwall mining. For the safe mining under the aquifer and surface water body, it is imperative to investigate the criteria of overburden failure degree due to high-intensity mining. In this paper we present the characteristics of high-intensity longwall mining panels and overburden critical failure. Based on the geological and mining conditions of a high-intensity mining panel, 3D numerical models that consider the maximum horizontal principal stress and minimum horizontal stress and their orientations with the panel advance direction were established by using the 3DEC software. Sizes of the panel reaching the critical failure of the overburden under different mining thicknesses (3.5 m, 6.5 m, 9.5 m, 12.5 m, and 15.5 m) were analyzed. Further, criteria of overburden critical failure were proposed for the high-intensity mining. The coefficient of overburden critical failure (Cf) is the ratio of the strike length (Ls) to the mining depth (H). Through curve fitting analysis, a fitting equation between Cf and mining thickness was obtained. The results showed that overburden failure criterion with high-intensity mining panel is 0.38 = Cf = 0.97 with different thicknesses. Field measurements validated the results from the numerical models.INTRODUCTIONHigh-intensity longwall mining refers to a coal mining method with thick coal seam, large panel width, fast face advance rate, and severe damage to the overburden and surface in China (Guo et al., 2018). Violent movement of the roof rock and severe damage to overlying rock strata occur in the large mined-out space left by a high-intensity longwall mining panel, which is a 3D (three-dimensional) structure layout with highly non-uniform stress distribution. Recognition of such fact a will facilitate this overlying rock strata failure problem investigation (Peng et al., 2019).The studies of overlying strata failure due to longwall coal mining have been reported by some scholars with different methods. Kang et al. (2018) studied the sudden massive roof collapse during longwall coal retreat mining by a large-scale two-dimensional physical model and a UDEC numerical model. Ghabraie et al. (2015) researched the mining-related strata movement by applying the three-dimensional laser scanner, optical transducer, and digital image processing techniques to two-dimensional physical models. Wang et al. (2015) analyzed the structural characteristics and fracture failure process of overlying hard and thick main roof by a 3DEC numerical model; this study also investigated the geostress reduction and permeability enhancement redistribution of the adjacent coal measure strata by FLAC3D. Guo et al. (2012) performed a three-dimensional finite element analysis and shared some insights into the dynamic interaction between mining induced strata stress changes, failures, and gas flow patterns. Meng, Shi, and Li (2016) proposed a 3D coupling model between stress and permeability, investigating the dynamics of a stress, permeability coefficient using FLAC3D. Khanal, Guo, and Adhikary (2019) used the 3D numerical modelling approach (COSFOW) to investigate the strata deformation and the change in permeability in the overburden strata due to the underground extraction. However, few studies considered the influence of the horizontal stress on overburden failure in a high-intensity longwall mining panel, and the critical failure criteria of overlying rock strata is unclear."

Jan 1, 2019

By Dominique Francois-Bongarcon

The world mining industry is facing a severe recession. Thus, it is time to recall the value of geostatistical methods which were formerly developed as a money-saving and productivity-increasing tool. The situation has worsened, but the techniques of geostatistics have dramatically changed. Up to millions of dollars can be saved during exploration with simple use of variograms; then, during reserves estimation with kriging methods; and finally, with the parameterization of reserves, when evaluating a project and optimizing its global mining parameters.

Jan 1, 1983

By Charles H. Jacoby

Introduction Although, in general, the openings created in domes or diapiric type salt deposits during mining operations are larger than those created in bedded deposits, the openings in bedded salts are of significant lateral extent. Thus, this paper will deal primarily with the dome deposits of the Gulf Coast and more specifically with the Avery Island dome operated by the International Salt Company where recent development activities have materially increased the sizes of previously standard openings. Geology The geology of salt deposits is the governing factor in the rock mechanics associated with the opening which is being created in the salt. Bedded salts are customarily characterized by having experienced solution along the interface between the top of the salt and the overlying bed. Thus, as the salt slowly dissolves there has been left behind a layer of laminated insolubles which is often incompetent. In most cases, this incompetent rock must be supported by a thickness of bedded salt which is left in the roof as support. Where this salt is of secondary deposition (recrystallized halite) with included moisture, additional thicknesses of roof salt are necessary to achieve stability. The salt which forms the domes of the Gulf Coast regions is from the Louann formation of the Jurassic period. These formations are dipping toward the Gulf of Mexico so that the upper tier of domes which have formed across northern Louisiana in an east-west direction into Mississippi and Texas have a salt source some 10 to 15,000 feet

Jan 1, 1976

By Anne Kathrine Kalager

"Stretching from Norway’s capital, Oslo, to the city of Ski, a new railway line is under construction with a 20 km long hard rock tunnel. This is a major project with high demands regarding quality, cost and schedule. In addition, restrictions concerning locations close to sensitive urban infrastructure require execution with the highest level of precision and expertise. The new double track railway line forms an important part of the intercity rail development southwards from the capital and includes the longest railway tunnel to date in the Nordic countries. With its novel methods and solutions, this project offers a model for future railway project developments in the region. This paper provides general pertinent details and facts relating to this current railway project and includes a description of the project with information relating to concept and design of the tunnels, geological conditions, particular challenges, selected tunneling techniques and contracting strategies. THE FOLLO LINE PROJECT The Follo Line is a new 22 km long double track railway line under construction between Oslo Central Station and the city of Ski. The project is divided into four subprojects, as shown in figure 1. The main part of the project consists of a 20 km long hard-rock tunnel, which will be the longest railway tunnel in the Nordic countries to date.The Østfold Line is the existing double-track railway line running between Oslo Central Station and Ski serving 12 local stations. The new Follo Line will offer a direct service, without stops, between Oslo Central Station and Ski and reduce the travel time from 22 minutes to 11 minutes. After completion of the Follo Line, these two railway lines will, in combination, more than double the capacity for train transport in the region south-east of Oslo."

Jan 1, 2016

By Malcolm D. Flavel

Recent research into the mechanisms of crushing processes has led to the establishment of new criteria for the effective design and operation of comminution plants. This paper reviews this work and gives examples of the productivity gains and cost benefits that have been achieved in the practical application of these findings.

Jan 1, 1988

By Eckart Schneider

PROJECT The Walgautunnel is the heart of a new hydro scheme in Western Austria, which is supposed to go into operation in 1984. With it's length of 21,4 km, a bored diameter of 6,25 m and an internal operating pressure of 13,5 bar it will be the largest water conducting tunnel in Austria. Even compared with some of the country's world-famous highway tunnels like 'Tauern' or 'Arlberg' it has to be regarded as a major tunneling project. Owner is the Vorarlberger Illwerke AG, a power corpo¬ration founded in 1924. In the course of the past 6o years this company developed the 'Werksgruppe Obere Ill - Lünersee', consisting of 6 major power plants and 4 large reservoirs. The installed capacity is 1.114 MW in the generating and 529 MW in the pumping mode. The total power output amounts to 1.916 GWh. The water for power generation comes from the glaciers of the Silvrettagroup, as this corner of the Austrian Alps between Vorarlberg , Tyrol and Switzerland is called. The Walgauwerk utilises all the water accumulated by the existing schemes as well as the so far unused run-off water, passing by in the river Ill. The intake to the Walgau-Tunnel is situated right beside the lower reservoir of the recently completed pump-storage plant 'Rodund II' at an elevation of 64o m above sea level. Though the head is a mere 162 m, 1 billion m3 of water will generate 356 GWh per annum. The power-output of the two Francis turbines is 86 MW.

Jan 1, 1983

By Andrew B. Cecala, Robert J. Timko, Christopher J. Pritchard

As mine venti1ation systems become more complex, it is increasingly difficult to supply fresh air to the working face. A high percentage of the fresh air entering a mine never reaches the working face because it short circuits through stoppings and doors, exiting the mine without being utilized. When ventilation limits are reached, the only option presently available to most U.S. mines is to sink a new shaft - an extremely expensive undertaking that many companies cannot afford. Reusing or recirculating a percentage of ventilating airflow may make it possible for some mines to remain operational while maintaining a safe environment for workers. Such a study was performed at a trona mine in Granger. Wyoming. A vane axial fan was used to recirculate approximately 9.4 m /s (20,000 cfm), 25% of the total ventilating airflow, back to the working face area of a three-entry continuous miner section. This study involved two evaluations: the first when the face was 305m (1,000 ft) from the recirculation fan, the second when the face was 610m (2,000 ft) from the fan. The evaluation consisted of monitoring the mine atmosphere for respirable dust, methane (CH4). carbon monoxide (CO), and nitric oxide (NO), at various locations in the intake and return entries. Several shifts were monitored, with and without the recirculation system in operation. With the recirculation system in operation. there was an increase in measured respirable dust concentrations in the intake along with a slight increase in the mine temperature (1.67°C). There were also some minor changes in CO and NO levels in the intake entry, but this seemed to depend on the proximity of the instruments to the turn-around point for the diesel haulage vehicles, than to whether the recirculation system was or was not in use.

Jan 1, 1989

By P. Hambach

Murer Company, Andermatt, Switzerland, can claim to have done pioneer work in the construction of inclined shafts. This happened in 1968/69, when we decided to bore with a Wirth tunnel borer an inclined shaft, 1100 m in length, 3.0 m in diameter, and with a grade of 65%, in the 2400 kilo pascall per sq. cm granite of the Montblanc Massive. The whole excavation was accomplished in ten months which, at least for European conditions, can be claimed as a record. It was, at least to our knowledge, the first inclined shaft to be bored full-face (Fig. 1). Encouraged by the experiences and performances attained at Châtelard, we approached other projects of the same kind. We were awarded, together with Hochtief Ltd., Essen, a contract from Schluchseewerke, Freiburg, Germany, in December 1969, for the construction of a penstock for the Hornbergstufe at Wehr, Germany, with a diameter of 6.3 m. This inclined shaft with a grade of 55% is located in Schwarzwalder granite with a compressive strength of up to 2000 kilo pascall per sq. cm, about 31,000 psi. As no exact geological data were available about the rock to be worked, and a fault zone from 80 to 150 m long had to be faced, as well as a few individual fissures of varying thickness, it was decided to use the multi-stage method. The 3-m diam tunnelling machine which had driven the oblique shaft at Châtelard had now finished work, and an immediate beginning was made with driving the pilot staft. This was very welcome to the contractor, since exact information about the type of rock present and the inflows of water was required immediately and before the final borehole diameter was fixed, for the purpose of dimensioning the supports to be subsequently installed.

Jan 1, 1974

By G. F. Revey

Most commercial explosives contain from 70% to 94% (by weight) ammonium nitrate. When some of the explosives end up in shot rock and ore, through either spillage or incomplete detonation, ammonia and nitrates can leach into the ground water. In recent years, state and federal regulators have applied more stringent water-quality standards, particularly at new mines and development projects. When mining conditions permit, bulk ANFO, a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, is the explosive of choice. ANFO is less costly than other explosives but it dissolves readily in water. Several case histories in the United States and Canada show a clear connection between uncontrolled losses of bulk explosives and high nitrate levels in mine effluents. Mining companies have tried several approaches to reduce ammonia and nitrate levels in groundwater. These approaches range from controlling explosive losses to treating the mine effluents. In this paper, controlling explosive losses is addressed For both packaged and bulk explosives, guidelines to limit losses during storage, handling and use are described in detail.

Jan 1, 1997

By Brian Y. Lattimer, Kray D. Luxbacher, Jonathan L. Hodges, Manuel J. Barros-Daza

The abstract discusses the importance of predicting fire response time (the time before conditions become untenable for firefighters) in underground coal mines. It introduces a data-driven approach using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict response time and fire size based on measurable parameters like CO concentration, mine geometry, air velocity, and time since fire detection. The approach was tested using simulations from fire models (FDS and FSSIM), showing promising results for real-time predictions during mine fires.

Mar 6, 2022