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The introduction of computer technology to the mining industry has produced many benefits for the mining engineer. The most significant is the dramatic increase in productivity realized by the individual user. This is important during times of competitive market conditions. Software for the minerals and energy industries has evolved substantially over the past decade. But even today it remains difficult to find a system that features the flexibility and integration capabilities to effectively (and cost-effectively) handle the needs of professionals in each phase of the mining industry - from exploration to reclamation. Several national software developers are now addressing this challenge. One Denver-based company, MINEsoft Ltd., offers a software package that is currently being used in each phase of the mining industry. The basic technology used in MINEsoft's database management system was developed in the 1960s. But during these early years of the computer industry, most of the technology was available only on mainframe computers, and then only as separate entities. MINEsoft's system unifies these various systems in one package that can be used on most computers manufactured today. Database Management System TECHBASE is a flexible, integrated database management system designed specifically for technical applications. The system features a database manager with no practical limit to the amount of data it can store, retrieve, and manipulate, according to the company. TECHBASE in¬cludes Applications Packages (TAPs) designed to meet the needs of professionals in a host of industries. Clients use the TECH BASE system to prepare many reports, including important EPA information. The package reduces data to a manageable level and enables users to increase productivity with a smaller staff. Mining engineers no longer need to do things by hand. What used to be a day's work can be accomplished in an hour or two. Exploration "Using the TECHBASE system to generate maps has probably saved us the expense of three or four draftsmen," says Ralph Fitch, regional manager and senior staff geologist with Chevron Resources in Portland, ME. "The system has great flexibility. You can treat it much like a spreadsheet. If you are halfway through with a particular project, the system allows you to add fields and calculations with ease but without starting over." Fitch uses TECHBASE for the "straightforward" plotting of results and generation of geochemical and geophysical profiles. "In exploration," he says, "these are the two key elements ... the generation of maps and data profiles. The system allows you to plot as many elements and variables in these areas that you like." Other aspects are important, too, says Fitch, including drill hole sections. "We use all the basic capabilities the system provides in the complete package," he explains. "When shopping for a system, TECHBASE was clearly dedicated to exploration in the

Jan 9, 1987

By S. Krukowski

Iodine is a bluish-black, crystalline solid with sub-metallic luster, and has a specific gravity of 4.93. It volatilizes (sublimates) at ordinary temperatures into a blue-violet gas that has an irritating odor. Iodine is the least active of the halogens, all of which readily displace it. Only slightly soluble in water, iodine also dissolves in carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, giving a deep violet solution. The primary sources for iodine production are sub-surface brines associated with petroleum and natural gas deposits, and as a byproduct from nitrate deposits in Chilean desert caliche. The largest source of iodine is seawater which contains 0.05 ppm, or about 31 Mt (34 million st). Seaweed of the family Laminaria can extract and accumulate up to 0.45 percent iodine on a dry basis. Seaweed was an important source of iodine prior to 1959. However, it remains a significant source of iodine in the diets of many populations throughout the world.

Jan 1, 2005

By John W. Scott

INTRODUCTION The design criteria for a particular concentration and dewatering project will provide the formal basis for design of the process, equipment and facilities. These criteria will specify the required capacities and operating schedules for the equipment, as well as the quantity and quality of the feed to be processed and products obtained. The general climatic and geographical conditions at the site, specific information on soil or rock conditions; and applicable design standards and codes will also be included. The design criteria will generally be based on an interpretation of testwork carried out on the particular ore and site, and will thus parallel in detail and completeness this testwork. As the project moves from the early conceptual phases through to final detailed design, the design criteria will be developed and become more detailed as information is generated and made available for use. The design criteria are critical to the design effort as the formal specification to the designer of what and how much is to be processed, what and how much is to be produced, and where and under what conditions. The actual design criteria will be a formal tabulation of the design basis information developed for the project in question. For a preliminary study, this may consist of a single page of data; for a feasibility study several pages and for a detailed design up to several hundred pages and multiple volumes. Depending on the complexity of the process and the level of detail included, each project will be unique to some degree. The design process for a project normally progresses from preliminary conceptual phases through to a final detailed design. The criteria used for the initial concepts are generally developed from rough data and preliminary testwork on the ore in question. Regardless, the plant throughput and products are defined, thus giving a scope and definition to the study phase. In some studies a range of throughputs may be analyzed in order to arrive at the most economically attractive size for the proposed operation. This optimum size is then used as the design throughput for the more detailed design phases. Similarly as more testwork results are available and the ore characteristics and process become more well defined a continuous updating of the design criteria is undertaken.

Jan 1, 1986

By Pramod C. Thakur

Methane drainage by cross-measure boreholes on retreat longwall faces can be a viable alternative to the vertical gob degas boreholes under favorable circumstances. The research was done in a mine working Pittsburgh Coal seam in Northern West Virginia under U.S.B.M. Co-operative Agreement No. 14-09-0050-3252. The study was the first application of this technique to Pittsburgh coal seam. A total of fourteen, small diameter, inclined boreholes were drilled over a retreat longwall panel from gate roads, to intersect the overlying coal seams. All boreholes were manifolded to a pipeline and the gob gas was extracted by an exhaust fan on surface. The methane capture ratio was poor at 7 to 18% at various stages of the longwall panel. A vertical gob degas borehole captured an additional 20% gas. Poor results were due to premature failures of the cross-measure boreholes leading to air leakage. For better performance the boreholes should be drilled from a point 30 to 45 m from longwall pillar over the largest chain pillar, the standpipe should be grouted for at least 6 m, and the entry containing boreholes and the pipeline must be supported to ensure access for maintenance, and optimization of methane capture. Coursing the ventilation air around longwall such that it forces methane-migration towards cross-measure boreholes can further improve methane capture. The optimum vertical inclination is 45° ± 10°.

Jan 1, 1983

By Andrzej Wala

Constantly increasing demand for energy materials and metal ores brought about tremendous progress in mining techniques which are characterised by a high degree of mechanization and concentration of works. One of the recent trends in underground mining mechanization is connected with an application of heavy machines with diesel engines [l],[2]. The introduction of diesel engines in mining all over world caused not only improvement in economic conditions but also the necessity to prevent contamination of air in the mine by toxic agents in diesel exhaust emissions. A generally used way of eliminating exhaust gases is proper ventilation of the cross cut by means of providing permanent exchange of air that would guarantee in every point of the cross cut and in every moment the decay in concentration of exhaust gases beyond threshold limit [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The present paper is an attempt to define a mathematical model describing the changes of concentration in cross cut face to which fresh air is distributed by ventilators and tubes in a forcing way. Obtained model should offer its practical adaptability to engineering calculation of the amount of fresh air needed for diluting and eliminating exhaust gases beyond threshold limit. Justness of these models has been confirmed by investigation of the growth of nitrogen dioxide concentration in air environment in some cross cut faces of Kiirunavaara iron ore mine in Kiruna (Sweden).

Jan 1, 1980

By James E. Gingrich

The new Track Etch* technique for uranium exploration has been utilized in several survey programs conducted during the last few years. The results from these programs have been very encouraging, and new uranium ore bodies have been discovered by using this new technique. The Track Etch method is being used in several exploration programs in various locations around the world. The Track Etch exploration technique utilizes small pieces of special radiation-sensitive plastic film to detect the presence of radon gas which is released by uranium ore bodies. Because of the selectivity and sensitivity of the technique, ore bodies not normally detected with other surface or airborne monitoring methods are found. Since no large equipment or special training of personnel is needed, the Track Etch technique is easily used in field operations. The basis for the Track Etch method, its application in field exploration programs, and the results obtained to date in locating uranium ore bodies is discussed.

Jan 1, 1974

By Ted Nye

This paper describes a number of aspects of the design and construction of a driven tunnel which forms part of the Boggo Road Busway project. The driven tunnel is 430m long with an excavated width of 15m and a full tunnel excavation height of 8m. The first section of driven tunnel was excavated under the heritage listed Boggo Road Jail for a length of 120m. The main jail buildings and perimeter walls were built in 1908 and are of brick construction. Ground cover over the tunnel beneath the jail site varied from 5.5m to 8m and as a consequence the predicted settlement values and their potential to cause damage to the buildings were critical to determining and obtaining approval for the selected tunnel alignment. The geology along the driven tunnel alignment was very variable, providing mixed face tunneling conditions and ranging from surface residual soils to high strength rock at depth. The maximum ground cover above the driven tunnel is 20m.

By Edwin F. Shorey, Richard F. Coon, Steven B. Fradkin

Crosstown Interceptor Phase IA is the first deep tunnel element of the Milwaukee Inline Project. The tunnel contract includes 6,492 meters (m) of 9.1-m-diameter tunnel, two access shafts, and partial lining for structural purposes. The work also includes grouting to be performed as directed by the engineer to provide groundwater infiltration control in lined and unlined reaches of the tunnel. This paper summarizes infiltration observations, progress of the grouting work, and its potential application to the remainder of the Milwaukee project.

Jan 1, 1987

By Rene Steensma

The possibilities of the use of ultrasonics in the extraction of gold and silver is the subject of a study initiated in our laboratory since the beginning of 1986. The study consisted of various aspects of extraction, the results of which are in· different stages of advancement. Reduction in leach time combined with higher recovery are the most striking effects so far. The ultrasonics machine, originally part of a small pilot plant, forms now part of a much larger unit. This has the remarkable effect of even higher recoveries and shorter leach times. These data suggested a study on the possibilities of reduction of thiourea consumption. Although promising, the results of these studies require check testing and will be published as soon as our findings have been confirmed. During the study, which consisted of the application in thiourea and cyanide leaching, some interesting side effects were observed. In the first place, a reduction in penetration time which might make coarse grinding feasible. Secondly, an increase in compaction of the filter cake which reduces pregnant liquor losses, especially with clayey ores and industrial waste products. These will be studied under contract in the near future.

Jan 1, 1998

By Dirk van Zyl, Lysa Morishita

Mining companies are increasingly approaching the social aspect of sustainable development within the rural communities that neighbour their projects and operations. Rural community engagement requires significant effort and resources, and it can be extremely challenging for mining companies to earn and sustain social capital. The focus on rural, proximal community engagement is not to be understated and has led to significant benefits in many communities. However, opposition to mining projects is often exhibited in urban environments, where there may be potential for mining companies to gain social capital with relative ease. Cities tend to have existing frameworks for community engagement and public activation, such as annual parades and festivals, that make it easy for a mining company to provide financial support or value-in-kind. Local organizations and community groups can achieve the same amount of engagement in an urban environment with significantly less effort required from the mining company. By applying simple marketing principles to community engagement strategies, corporations can increase awareness for their business and encourage city residents to think critically about the origin of resources. Unlike many corporations, mining companies are not marketing or selling products to individual consumers. From this arises the opportunity for a company to use marketing to promote other positive initiatives and, as such, connect their brand with positive messaging thus earning social capital. This may lead to a wide variety of secondary impacts including benefits to recruitment efforts, increased political support, and positive media coverage. This paper explores these matters with special reference to Vancouver, BC, Canada and the mining companies Teck and Goldcorp.

Jan 1, 2017

By Thomas C. Shrake

The Lomas Bayas copper property is located93 km (58 miles) east of Antofagasta, Region II, Chile (Fig. 1). The deposit was discovered in 1880. The deposit produced intermittently until 1992. Production at Lomas Bayas took place in high-grade veins and breccias mined underground. During 1991, Empresa Minera Mantos Blancos SA (EMMB) optioned the property from Compania Doña Ada SA. Doña Ada maintained the right to continue mining the ores by open-pit and block-caving methods and hauling the ore to its plant located60 km (37 miles) to the north. EMMB conducted exploration and column test programs. On May 9, 1994, Compania Minera Gibraltar Ltda.(CMGL) signed a purchase option agreement to acquire the Lomas Bayas property. CMGL conducted 8,612 m(9,490 ft) of reverse-circulation drilling, 2,028 m (6,650ft) of diamond drilling, a series of metallurgical tests and geologic mapping. The company then decided to exercise its purchase option.

Jan 1, 1996

By V. Rajaram

A mine fire or roof collapse may necessitate the reversal of main fans to isolate the fire or provide an escapeway. Hence, to assist the mine operator in estimating the flow and pressure during reversal, Engineers International, Inc. conducted a laboratory and field study of the reverse performance characteristics of main mine fans. Laboratory tests were performed using a 96-inch (2.4 m) diameter vane axial fan to establish the forward and reverse performance characteristics under controlled conditions. Subsequently, a field test was conducted in a Colorado oil shale mine during which two 79-inch (2 m) diameter fans were reversed. The data obtained indicate that reverse performance characteristics are dependent upon the blade angle and the hub to tip ratio. The quantity in the reverse mode ranged from 30 to 65% less than in the forward mode, and the static pressure was directly proportional to the square of the quantity.

Jan 1, 1985

By Robert Giglio

Looking back over the last 150 years or so, it is not hard to see that electricity has been a primary force in shaping human development. It has been a basic ingredient in our industrial revolutions that simultaneously improved the productivity, working and living conditions within our farms, factories, hospitals, offices and homes. Today, it has become an essential part of our daily life and our future. Amazingly, we keep finding new ways to use electricity to make our lives more safe, comfortable and productive. It is a great success story of human ingenuity, achievement and development. Demand for electricity The convenience and value of electricity has not gone unnoticed by consumers. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (Energy Information Administration, 2009), electricity is the fastest growing form of energy in the world and during the next 20 years the world will likely consume twice as much of it as it does today. In 2008, almost 20,000 terawatt hours of electricity globally were consumed (Energy Information Administration, 2009). That is enough electricity to light up more than two million baseball stadiums or power more than 11 billion computers continuously for an entire year. The United States has the dubious distinction of be-ing the largest consumer of electricity in the world with enough power to provide each American with more than 3 kW of electricity ? that is about twice the power currently available to Europeans, eight times the power available to the Chinese and more than 25 times the power available to the citizens of India (American Coal Foundation, 2009).

Jan 1, 2009

By W. J. Wuest, M. J. DeMarco, J. R. Koehler

Yield-pillar-based gate-road designs often fail to provide mine operators with adequate ground control. This is because of the unknowing m is employment of "critically" sized pillars. A "critical” pillar is one that is too large to either yield nonviolently or to yield before the roof and floor sustain permanent damage and is too small to support full abutment loads. To demonstrate the critical pillar concept, afield study of a tapering gate road was conducted by the US Bureau of Mines at the Sunnyside Coal Mines, Sunnyside, UT. Extreme pillar stresses and associated coal bumps characterize the response to first panel mining of a 16.8-m (55.1-ft) wide critical design. Significantly lower pillar stresses, early yielding of the pillar and adjacent panel rib, and an absence of coal bumps suggest that a narrower 12.2-m (40-ft) wide design more closely approaches proper yield pillar dimensions. A probe hole in several 10.6-m (34.8-ft) wide pillars revealed low stress levels and substantial pillar and panel rib yielding prior to abutment onset, indicating a properly functioning yield pillar design.

Jan 1, 1997

Introduction Aggregate mining impacts on water resources are a source of concern to local governments. To evaluate those impacts, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conducted a four-year study at three gravel pits (two alluvial and one beach-ridge) and five quarries (flat-lying Paleozoic limestone). This research provides the first comprehensive look at aggregate mining impacts on ground-water systems in Minnesota. The results will be used by government officials making permitting decisions about aggregate operations and by responsible owners of aggregate mines as they plan their operations to avoid conflicts with neighbors and with resources dependent on ground water and surface water. Natural aggregate (crushed stone, sand, and gravel) is a vital part of our economic infrastructure in Minnesota. Aggregate is used for road and bridge construction and in a variety of building materials. In 2003, the value of construction sand and gravel and crushed stone in Minnesota was approximately $245,000,000. As Minnesota’s economy continues to expand, the demand for aggregate will continue to grow. Sand and gravel pits are located in every county in Minnesota. In 1990, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Minerals (DNR Minerals), estimated the number of active and inactive operations at 1500 with the view that this number was likely too low. Quarries for mining limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and hard rock (granite and quartzite) are found in 34 counties. A 1990 DNR Minerals inventory found 165 active operations, 88 percent of which were limestone quarries (Nelson and others, 1990). That same inventory counted 1,367 inactive operations, 70 percent of which were limestone quarries. Aggregate mining is an extractive use of resources: mining alters the landscape and its natural hydrologic system. When a new pit or quarry is proposed or when an existing operation needs to expand, local governments and citizens typically have many questions about the impacts mining might have. Local governments, which are responsible for reviewing these operations, rarely have the budgets to hire experts to evaluate potential impacts of quarry and gravel pit proposals. The Minnesota Legislature’s Aggregate Resources Task Force identified that local government units (LGUs) often lack the expertise to assess ground-water models (Southwick and others, 2000).

Jan 1, 2007

By N. E. Green, W. E. Bennett, G. P. Harrison

INTRODUCTION The art of raise boring has seen rapid development and use in underground mines both for primary development and production during the past 10 years. The intensive full scale tests by a major mining company in the Precambrian rocks of the Sudbury district of Ontario, Canada, have lead the way to the general acceptance of the raise drills. The rock successfully raise bored in the Sudbury area has compressive strengths varying from 30,000 to 50,000 p.s.i. As a result of the intensive study, it became evident to many mining companies that raise boring could be adapted to many mining systems. Many companies have modified their planned mining methods to incorporate raise boring. The result has been a more rapid development of their mine and naturally, an economic advantage to them. In conjunction with the acceptance of the raise drills, the range of equipment has broadened in terms of size, capability and efficiency. The concept of raise drilling and the general arrangement of the equipment has seen little change. At some locations there have been reported successes of drilling pilot holes up

Jan 1, 1997

One of the most important parameters in mine ventilation planning is the friction factor (K). Accurate values of friction factors are critical especially when carrying out mine ventilation simulations. No computer simulation of a mine ventilation network is meaningful if the airway resistances are not accurately estimated (when planning a new mine) or measured (for an existing mine). However, in the first case not many reliable values of friction factors exist in the international literature. This paper presents the results of a research project carried out in the province of Quebec where ventilation friction factors were measured in all underground metal mines. These friction factors are statistically analyzed and tabulated. A friction factor database was created that also includes the friction factors measured in the past by other people. This database can help the mine engineer to accurately estimate ventilation friction factors according to the specific conditions. This database offers several values of friction factors typical for hard rock mine conditions typical of modern underground metal mines.

Jan 1, 2009

By Ronald J. Riberich

The Mineral Economics and Management Society (MEMS) held its fifth annual conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada earlier this year. “The Minerals Industry: Responding to the Global Challenge” was the first MEMS conference to be held outside of the United States. About 125 mining- and minerals-related professionals attended. The MEMS program included six sessions and three distinguished speaker addresses. The session topics included: “Minerals in the Macro economy: Development in Demand,” “Trends in Global Metals Supply: The Producers’ Challenge,” “Global Environmental Issues: Policy Perspectives,” “Global Environmental Issues: Quantitative Analysis” and “Minerals in the CIS: Phoenix or Albatross?” A student session was also offered. It provided a competition for monetary awards for outstanding papers.

Jan 1, 1996

By MOHAMED WAEL, ANASTASIA GOEVA, ABDULAZIZ TAWFEEQI, IHTISHAM TARIQ, S. M. ZAKIR HOSSAIN, NIAZ ALI KHAN, MUHAMMAD FAISAL IRFAN

Carbon dioxide (CO2) mineral carbonation is a carbon capture and storage (CCS) technique that can sequester CO2 permanently in the form of durable carbonate minerals. Extendable permanent storage capacity — onshore and offshore storage reservoirs — and the exothermic nature of the mineralization process make this technique attractive [1]. In the present study, maximum carbonation efficiency for aqueous mineral carbonation was achieved through two steps: optimization of calcium leaching from cement kiln dust followed by the reaction of pure CO2 with the calcium hydroxide precipitates formed by hydroxylation using sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Optimization of calcium leaching is highly important, as it is a rate-limiting reaction step in mineral carbonation and also influences and enhances the carbonation efficiency. To maximize the calcium leaching as well as carbonation efficiency, response surface methodology — with either Box-Behnken design or central composite design — was applied. It is the most well-known statistical, fully randomized and bias-free method for determining optimized conditions using quadratic regression models.

By J. J. Casey

This paper is one of a series of presentations organized by the Conference of American Society of Civil Engineers with the goal of making significant progress toward an equitable and effective allocation of risks in construction undertakings among the principal parties - owner, contractor and designer. The role I have been assigned is principally one of identification of risk while others will devote greater attention to the allocation of these risks and the contractual arrangements necessary to properly make these allocations. Construction projects are joint undertakings by parties who bring different skills and interests toward a common effort, much as this conference does. A project is not an adversary proceeding and does not benefit from establishment of an adversary mode, as our lawyer friends seek in the resolution of legal issues. Accordingly, I urge upon this Conference the adoption of two basic precepts and guidelines as the criteria for sharing of the risks inherent in construction undertakings toward achievement through mutual effort the common goal of a successful project completed in the shortest time and at the least overall cost. These precepts are: (1) that all risks are rightfully the owners unless transferred to or assumed by another party for a fair compensation; and (2) that the principle guideline in determining whether a risk should be so transferred should be whether the receiving party has both the competence to fairly assess the risk and the expertise necessary to control or minimize it. The sponsors of the conference have provided certain guidelines to the authors. There is, however, no constraint in expressing one's bias and I suspect that my contractor's outlook may be inherent in my comments. The guidelines have suggested that I indicate whether the risks identified are ones that can or should be shared or borne by one party alone. In doing so, I will attempt to follow the precepts I have recommended.

Jan 1, 1979