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By P. Mousset-Jones, F. Calizaya

Currently, a 4.3 km long drift is being developed on the 3440 level in the Lower Kalamazoo project at the San Manuel Mine, Magma Copper Company, AZ. The drift, located at 1050 m below surface, is being constructed using a 4.6 m diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM). The drift is ventilated by a forcing type auxiliary ventilation system. At the face, to mitigate the impact on the work environment of the TBM, the system is equipped with dust extraction and refrigeration systems. Recently, to evaluate the ventilation conditions in the drift, a continuous monitoring system has been installed. The system can be used to measure the air velocity, barometric pressure, relative humidity and air and rock temperatures. This study describes the capabilities and limitations of this system, and presents a summary of the results.

Jan 1, 1995

By B. Cristol, G. Benier

Laboratory and pilot tests have shown that the grinding of some aluminas makes two populations appear : agglomerates’ and ultimate crystals’. Classical breakage functions (Size Mass Balance Method) aren't able to describe correctly this kind of grinding. So we have optimized a particular breakage matrix which takes into account the fact that the agglomerates can either be reduced in size or either be blown up to liberate the ultimate crystals. The models which were developed using this breakage matrix are in good agreement with the experimental results of the pilot tests. The industrial breakage functions were estimated from pilot breakage functions, using scale up prediction procedures and plant tests. The agreement between predicted and actual plant performance is excel1ent.A 20 % increase in capacity was predicted to be available by improving the grinding circuit classifier performances.

Jan 1, 1992

By Chi M. Phan, Anh V. Nguyen, Geoffrey M. Evans, Graeme J. Jameson

Surfactants are used to control the interfacial properties of the gas-liquid and liquid-solid inter- faces inflotation. This paper investigates the dynamic adsorption of surfactants at the gas-liquid intelface. The dynamic adsorption process was modeled by considering the surfactant mass transfer to the gas-liquid interface by dimion and the Langmuir and Frumkin adsorption isotherms. The numerical computation was applied to solve the non-linear governing equations. The dynamic adsorption was measured in tenns of the dynamic surface tension using the pen- dant drop method. The theoretical modek were compared against the experimental data obtained with non-ionic (Dowfroth 250) and ionic (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfate, SDBS) surfactants. The theoretical results agreed well with the erperimental data for SDBS, but not for Dowfrother 250, especially for the initial stage. Reasons for the variation in results are given in the paper.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. W. Barbaro, R. V. Ramani

Generally, production planning is concerned with the best use of fixed resources to determine a production schedule for one or more production units supplying one or more markets. Production scheduling determines when each production unit will be used and its production level. However, the production scheduling problems are intimately associated with the location of existing or new production units and processing facilities. Normally, mine location allows only a limited choice; processing plant types and locations are considerably more flexible. This paper presents a generalized multiperiod MIP model as an aid in determining the mine production schedule and the processing plant types and location to satisfy multiple markets. A brief description of MIP and how it has been applied in the mineral and other industries is discussed. A complete description of the model with an application to a coal preparation plant system is presented.

Jan 1, 1987

By Gy. Deák

The Romanian mining and especially the salt mining industry is going through a restructuring phase; among others it has to respect the European Environment Act. One of the most important deficits of the salt mining industry is the implementation of monitoring systems for geomechanics phenomena, in order to develop an important information database and form a real base for salt mines stability, prediction and prevention measures. Monitoring system solutions, involving discontinuous and continuous measurements of displacement / deformation fields, around underground excavations, are presented and discussed. In addition, a case study for the stability prediction of an experimental salt off-set, located in the Praid salt mine, using DKRControl method, is presented. The two monitoring systems use different tools, namely measuring tapes (to determine distance between markers in T-D station) and ultrasonic transducers (SM-TDA equipment).

Jan 1, 2006

By Robert E. McIvor

The “Functional Performance Equation for Ball Milling” was first presented in 1988. It now has been used successfully in more than a dozen mineral processing plants. This powerful, yet simple tool provides a new level of understanding of closed circuit grinding. It shows how grinding circuit efficiency is in reality comprised of two distinct efficiencies. It demonstrates how circuit production rate is related, collectively, to these two efficiencies, mill energy input, and the grindability of the ore. It links circuit performance to design and operating variables that can be manipulated, and creates an effective strategy for making plant improvements. This paper covers the derivation and industrial validation of this equation. As part of an engineering and management system that also incorporates suitable metrics and process control, other operators can now use this tool to make improvements and to manage the performance of their grinding operations with clarity and confidence.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. Maiti, A. Bhattacherjee

A literature review on quantitative analysis of mine safely studies revealed that numerous investigators explored a wide- range of techniques, including the investigation of bivariate and multivariate statistical models. Although these researchers addressed various issues of accident causation and prevention, they, in general, did not investigate through the use of quantitative models the multivariate relationships of several factors affecting mine safety in a causal framework. In this paper, systems dynamics and structural equation modeling are presented to simultaneously represent and study the effect of policy variables related to accident prevention along with the factors causing accidents and injuries. The application of these models to a group of mines revealed that current training practices at these mines do not appear to alleviate accident occurrences. It is inferred that the use of these quantitative techniques can provide a new direction of research in mine-safety studies.

Jan 1, 2000

By I. Nishkov, L. Alexandrova

The kinetics of froth flotation and the three-phase contact (TPC) parameters are studied at temperatures varying from 20°C to 40°C. The material floated consists of glass spheres and a quartz particles with various diameters. Dodecylamine hydrocloride (DDAHCI) is used as a collector. The equilibrium three-phase contact angle is measured with a microscope technique using the modified Mingins-Scheludko method. Using a Wilhelmy method, the temperature effect on the surface tension of the DDAHCI solution is determined. The formation of the thin film on a polished plate of vitreous silica and the expansion of TPC is monitored by means of a metallographic microscope and recorded on a attached camera at different temperatures. The experimental data show an intensification of the flotation kinetics at 30 and 40°C in the case of small particles. Such an intensification is not observed with the larger particles. The cause for intensification of the flotation kinetics is sought for in the dependence of the TPC rate of expansion and induction time on temperature.

Jan 1, 1995

By L. Bernoth, I. Firth, S. Rhodes, P. McAllister

As biotechnologies emerge from laboratories into main-stream application, the benefits they offer are judged against competing technologies and business criteria. Bioremediation technologies have passed this test and are now widely used for the remediation of contaminated soils and groundwaters. Bioremediation includes several distinct techniques that are used for the treatment of excavated soil and includes other techniques that are used for in situ applications. They play an important and growing role in the mining industry, for cost-effective waste management and site remediation. Most applications have been for petroleum contaminants, but advances continue to be made in the treatment of more difficult organic and inorganic species. This paper discusses the role of biotechnologies in remediation and pollution control from a mining-industry perspective. Several case studies are presented, including the land application of oily wastewater from maintenance workshops, the composting of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils and sludges, the bioventing of hydrocarbon solvents, the intrinsic bioremediation of diesel hydrocarbons, the biotreatment of cyanide in water from a gold mine, and the removal of manganese from acidic mine drainage.

Jan 1, 2000

By J. L. Fuller

Thousands of mine air samples are taken underground each year by MSHA inspection personnel in order to further assure that miners have a safe and healthy environment in which to work. While most air samples are taken with stain tubes, many samples are obtained in evacuated containers and returned to a laboratory for more accurate analysis on a gas chromatograph. In order to enhance the accuracy, reliability and repeatability of the samples taken with evacuated containers, improved procedures have been developed, which are described in this report, for filling two different types of evacuated sample containers using either mechanical or electrical pumps. In those instances, such as when sampling strata gases in drill holes, where mathematical calculations may be required for proper sampling, example calculations are provided. The use of a third type of evacuated container, which is generally restricted to non-specific sampling of the ambient mine atmosphere, is also described.

Jan 1, 1986

By S. Constantinescu

The alloys mainly used for short (or segmented) chip material cutting (cast iron, porcelain, etc) are alloys of the WC-Co type; in some cases with small additions of other carbons. The same alloys but of different granulometric classes are also used for pieces exposed to wear (wire drawing, moulds) The higher performance of the WC-Co alloys in chip machining applications is accounted for by their very good heat conductivity, which is 2-3 times higher than that of fast steels. The hard-alloys producers can resort to a wide range of possibilities to achieve variation of properties of a WC-Co composition and thus they can adapt their products to the particular type of tools they may choose to manufacture. The present metallography technique allows for a correct identification and evaluation of hard sintered carbons structures. The metallography approach is an indispensable method of investigation and control in the industry.

Jan 1, 2008

By John F. Shea

When Dick Robbins asked me to give a keynote address, I felt it might be in order to review some of the practices and techniques used in tunneling and work up to some of the concepts now used to mine and construct tunnels. Needless to say, there have been many changes in tunneling technology and also many changes in the Safety Codes controling them. An example of this latter change was the fact that in 1931, my father excavated the Owyhee Tunnel No.5 with gas locomotives. He was able to do it because there was no natural gas in the rock and the ventilation system was designed to free the tunnel atmosphere from powder and exhaust fumes. Today OSHA rules would never permit gas locomotives underground, although there were no incidents on this particular project. One of my first tunnels, as Project Manager, was the Clear Creek Tunnel for the Bureau of Reclamation. Our method of handling muck was the Conway Muckers. This unit was a valuable improvement to the hand mucking of previous generations. The Conway was also used in our Navajo Project, in New Mexico. Unlike the Clear Creek project, where water was one of our main problems - up to 7,200 gallons per minute, at a pressure of 395 pounds per square inch - in the Navajo Tunnel, we had a mixed face which caused a major problem with our support system. In one of the Navajo Tunnels, there was a major cave-in, when the squeezing shale came in during an attempt to strengthen the support system. Although moving shale was not a constant problem, there were areas where the shale was five to six feet above the spring line.

Jan 1, 1976

By G. T. Adel

Hindered-bed separators are often used in the minerals processing industry to classify particles according to size and density. A new technology, known as the CrossFlow, was recently developed to overcome some of the limitations associated with hydraulic separators. The innovative feature of this unit is a novel feed presentation system that improves separation efficiency and capacity. In the present work, a detailed process engineering evaluation was conducted to determine the basis for the improved performance of this unit. The evaluation included controlled separation tests using well-characterized feeds, particle and liquid tracer experiments, and mathematical modeling studies. Data obtained from this work show that the new separator is capable of maintaining good separation efficiencies at higher solid feed rates than traditional designs due to improved hydrodynamics in the separation zone. This paper reviews the operating principle of the CrossFlow separator, discusses the results of the tracer experiments and modeling studies, and presents test data obtained from recent laboratory and plant trials.

Jan 1, 2001

By Xinyang Xu, Jirun Xu, Changlie Deng, Kang Yan, Luo Qian

Cake filtration is a complex process and the cake constructure is very difficult to describe in theory. Cake constructure parameters, such as the cake prosity, pore size shape and even its distribution, are main factors influencing the filtration results but have not been thoroughly understood yet. In this paper the fractal theory, an effective mathematical method in describing the self-similar phenomenon is used to investigate the filter cake constructure, and the scanning electron microscope and automatic image analyzer are used to measure the cake constructure. Cakes which formed in different condition are examined and the fractal dimension of the cake are calculated. The study shows that the constructure of the filter cake can be approximated by Sierpinski fractal geometry and that the fractal dimension of filter cake, related to the particle characteristics, slurry concentration and filtration pressure is a good parameter to describe the pore size distribution and the cake penetrability.

Jan 1, 1995

By Jiqing Zhang, Jon C. Yingling, Andrzej M. Wala, Richard Ray

The purpose of this paper is to present how Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations can be used to study the flow across the main airways of a mine ventilation system. in particular, the flow through the transition zone between the upcast shaft and main fan ductwork was investigated. These studies consider potential design modifications of this transition zone to reduce the energy cost. Although CFD has many advantages, it does not completely eliminate the need for experiments, which are still needed to validate numerical solutions. For this reason, data collected during actual mine tests and CFD simulations are compared in this pa- per. This comparison allows a better understanding of the flow phenomena. Moreover, once the numerical solutions have been validated, CFD can be used with better confidence to predict the effect of changes in ductwork configurations on energy losses. CFD reduces the number and cost of tedious experiments, while enabling a broader scope of design comparisons.

Jan 1, 1997

By J. Partyka, Trevor R. J. Kelly

This paper presents the results on noise testing of a fan only, as well as the results of a steel silencer and of flexible silencers that were connected directly to a fan. On-site facilities and free-field method set by the British Standards Institution were used to measure and then compare the fan only and different practical silencer configuration setups. In order to determine the fan-silencer combination that would give the maximum noise attenuation, total noise intensity, noise contributed to by the fan motor only, as well as aerodynamical noise created through air interacting with the fan parts were considered to obtain decibel readings for the octave bands. Subsequently, the optimal configuration found was the setup with flexible silencers on the fan inlet and the fan outlet. If only one silencer is used, it should be installed on the fan inlet. The aerodynamic noise affects the low frequencies. The flow noise is then overtaken at 1 kHz by the mechanical noise.

Jan 1, 1995

By Murali M. Gadde, Syd S. Peng, C. T. Holland

Cutter roof failure is one of the most common ground control problems affecting the safety and economy of an underground coal mine operation. Several attempts were made in the past to understand the processes responsible for cutter development and to devise mitigating measures. Yet, many cutter failures still happen and their advance prediction remains as elusive as before. One of the reasons for the impasse in predicting cutters lies in the limitations of the current numerical modeling technologies. The development and propagation of cutters is a progressive phenomenon and continuum models can only approximate this process. Since the discontinuum modeling is severely restricted by the lack of reliable input data, alternatives must be sought to better understand cutter failures using the continuum models. This paper proposes one approach using strain-softening material model to simulate the cutter initiation and propagation process. An attempt has also been made to provide some insights into the reasons for the change in cutter location at different parts of a development layout.

Jan 1, 2005

By A. A. Peshkov, N. A. Matsko, K. N. Trubetskoy

It is possible to divide the general objectives of a company into two components: maximum expected profits and viability over time. These components are designed to maximize the companies value over time. The evaluation of a project includes both a discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis and a risk analysis. The DCF analysis determines whether the project should be accepted or rejected, and the risk analysis helps to forecast possible deviations from the original estimates. However, the results of both methods do not allow for a quantitative comparison between the main objectives of the venture, and they do not resolve the issue of whether it is advisable to sacrifice immediate profits for future profits. This paper attempts to resolve this issue. The present research was carried out on mining projects with different waste-extraction schedules. Calculations were made using the US Bureau of Mines' usage-of-costs model. Russian experience in open-pit mining is reflected in this paper.

Jan 1, 1996

By Ian Longson, Darron W. Dixon

This paper describes the results of an investigation into the application of a statistical method for the prediction of general air-body methane concentration in longwall coal districts. An important and necessary part of the research was the acquisition of representative monitored mine environmental and coal production data. The monitored data was used to build time series models of general air body methane concentration, air velocity, barometric pressure, coal production and methane drainage variables of differing timescales according to the Box-Jenkins method of time series analysis. The univariate models were used to identify causal relationships between methane concentration and its explanatory variables. Coal production was found to be the dominant variable in the determination of the quantity of methane emitted and where appropriate, multivariate time series models were built in which expressions for methane concentration in terms of coal production were obtained. Finally, forecasts of methane concentration values were generated from the multivariate models to determine their forecasting capabilities.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. Hemp

This paper describes work carried out to obtain a heat balance in the B3 shaft longwall stope at Blyvooruitzicht gold mine. Recordings were made of the temperature of the air and chilled water entering and leaving the section during three periods, August 1 September 1977, November 1 December 1977 and March 1978. These recordings, together with numerous other measurements were used to determine the rate at which heat was being removed from the section by the various fluids flowing through the section. The rate at which heat was entering the section was then calculated, by considering each source in turn. These two sets of figures made it possible to draw up a heat balance, and also obviously gave vital information on the magnitudes of the various heat sources and on the methods used to remove heat. In general reasonable heat balances were obtained, the errors being in the range -6 per cent to +22 per cent.

Jan 1, 1980