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By B. K. Belle

The beginning of 21st century has heralded the global strategic importance, as evidenced by increase in energy prices and energy generation-emission-utilization dilemmas. In January 2008, the South African energy supplier, ESKOM had tabled the concept of power conservation and acknowledged the energy crisis until 2016. The concept is required of all energy users to reduce their electricity consumption, intensify energy efficiency and cautiously proceed with new projects. The generation of energy results in by-products called ?green house gases? (GHGs). To make a positive response to climate change and their effect on the environment, every energy user must ensure efficient energy use through technical and administrative means referred to generally as energy savings. This paper identifies mine ventilation engineering, in particular the electricity consumed by main fan units, as an area of potential energy savings. For a major mining company, electricity consumed by main ventilation fans alone can be in the order of 120 MW. Although a known fan engineering technique but scantly applied technology identified as the Hermit Crab can be seen as a ?quick win? project, due to its success in other industries such as cement and steel. The ?Hermit Crab? technique® involves upgrading or replacement of an impeller - whatever its origin - with a design impeller to suit the actual ventilation requirements, resulting in increased fan efficiencies. The cash flow benefits associated with a case study and its rollout of this technology have been calculated. For a 10% increase in main fan efficiency, would have a net present benefit of US$ 16.08m over 10 years. With the inclusion of carbon credits, this benefit rises to US$ 29.40m in total. Application of other available technologies, viz., composite materials, ventilation-on-demand and variable speed drives are discussed.

Jan 1, 2009

By Paul Russell, M. M. Kimberley, Erick F. Welland, Louis Cope, C. C. Mosher, William M. Shepard, William C. Larson, Graham Closs

Exploration activities in 1980 felt the effects of unstable economic conditions and oscillating metal prices. In the cyclical, boom-or-bust precious metals and uranium markets, precious metals activity flourished and uranium was definitely in a slump. By November last year, the price for vellowcake was down nearly $20 from two years earlier. Many mining and milling operations closed, particularly in Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado. Decreasing emphasis on nuclear power continued to impact the market, as did the Three Mile Island accident of 1979. Earlier forecasts estimated that 10 to 12 reactors would be ordered per year by US utilities throughout the 1980s, but current forecasts suggest that it may be 1983 or 1984, or even later, before any new US plants are ordered, according to Thomas A. Boyden, vice president of Nuclear Exchange Corp. "Without those new plants, the consumption loss to industry is 4 to 5 million pounds (1.8-2.3 kt) of uranium per year. The cumulative loss to the industry is currently estimated at 25 to 30 million pounds (11.3-13.6 kt)," Boyden said in a May 1980 presenta¬tion. Despite the plunging market, there were a few notable uranium explora¬tion programs: •Exxon expanded uranium exploration in New Mexico, where the company reportedly took preliminary steps toward acquiring mineral rights to a 22-km2 prospect, 19 km south of Santa Fe. • Mountain States Resources began the second phase of an exploratory drilling program on its Sinbad/ Solo prospect in Utah. • Also in Utah, Cotter Corp. drilled its first exploratory hole in the Dirty Devil River district. Exploration for precious metals in 1980, however, appeared to tend toward the opposite extreme. High prices sparked near feverish searches in Alaska, California, Colorado, and Nevada. Numerous mines abandoned years ago were revived with some signs of success. Significant gold finds were reported in California and Nevada: • Homestake Mining Co. announced a gold discovery in California estimated to contain over 5 Mt with an average grade of about 5.8 g/t. Because the deposit consists of finely disseminated particles not visible to the eye, many speculate that prospectors bypassed the area during the 1849 California gold rush. • Newmont Mining Corp. discovered two gold ore bodies-Maggie Creek and Gold Quarry. Maggie Creek reportedly contains an estimated 13.7 t of gold in 4.3 Mt of ore, and Gold Quarry contains about 31.1 t of gold in 9 Mt of low grade ore and 2.3 Mt of higher grade ore. Highlights of this year's exploration review include articles on the modest growth recorded in geophysical activity, technical developments in exploration geochemistry, the variety of new instruments being tested or made available for exploration, and a state-by-state exploration review for the year.

Jan 5, 1981

By Lawrence M. Zanko

Eighteen coarse taconite tailings samples were collected in 2000-2001 from five western Mesabi Range taconite (iron ore) operations located in northern Minnesota, i.e., EVTAC, Hibbing Taconite (Hibtac), USX Minntac, Ispat Inland (Minorca), and National Steel Pellet Company (NSPC), to test their physical, geological, chemical, and mineralogical properties [Zanko, L.M., Niles, H.B., Oreskovich, J.A., 2003. Properties and aggregate potential of coarse taconite tailings from five Minnesota taconite operations, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Local Road Research Board, St. Paul, MN, Report No. 2004-06 (also as Natural Resources Research Institute technical report, NRRI/TR-2003/44)]. The goal was to assemble a body of technical data that could be used to better assess the potential of using a crushed taconite mining byproduct like coarse tailings for more widespread construction aggregate purposes, primarily in roads and high¬ways. An important part of the mineralogical assessment included X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses and microscopic (polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, i.e., PLM, SEM, and TEM, respectively) evaluation of the size and shape (morphological) characteristics of potentially respirable microscopic mineral particles and fragments. Quantitative mineralogy, based on XRD analyses, showed that the dominant mineral in all samples was quartz (55-60%), followed by much smaller amounts of iron oxides, carbonates, and silicates. Specialized microscopic analyses and testing performed by the RJ Lee Group, Monroeville, PA, on both pulverized (-200 mesh, or 0.075 mm) and as-is sample composites showed that no regulated asbestos minerals or amphibole minerals were detected in the western Mesabi Range samples. A small number (26) of non-asbestos and non¬amphibole mineral cleavage fragments/mineral fibers were detected by SEM out of 1000 fields analyzed, but most were identified as min¬nesotaite and talc, silicate minerals common to the Biwabik Iron Formation. Amphibole minerals, absent in coarse tailings samples from the five western Mesabi Range taconite operations, were present in a single eastern Biwabik Iron Formation sample collected in 2003 for Lake County from the Cliffs Northshore operation in Silver Bay, MN. Importantly, the Superfund Method for the Determination of Releasable Asbestos in Soils and Bulk Materials [United States Environ¬mental Protection Agency (USEPA), 1997. Superfund method for the determination of releasable asbestos in soils and bulk materials, EPA 540-R-97-028, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington], as modified by Berman and Kolk [Berman, D.W., Kolk, A.J., 2000. Modified elutriator method for the determination of asbestos in soils and bulk materials, Revision 1: Submitted to the U.S. Envi¬ronmental Protection Agency, Region 8, May 23, 2000] failed to generate any protocol fibers, i.e., fibers longer than 5 µm and thinner than 0.5 µm, from either the western coarse tailings samples or the single eastern Biwabik Iron Formation sample. The combined findings suggest coarse tailings and other taconite mining byproducts should be treated with the same common sense safety and industrial hygiene approach practiced for all mineral-based materials that have the potential to generate respirable dust. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jan 1, 2007

By Syd S. Peng

Introduction The most commonly used ground control design in coal mining is the determination of pillar size by various pillar strength formulae for mine layout (Bieniawski, 1983; Holland, 1973; Hustrulid, 1976; Obert and Duvall 1967; Wilson and Ashwin, 1972). However, there have been few documented case histories concerning the validity of those strength formulae. Recently there are indications that those strength formulae tend to overdesign considerably. From a safety point of view, there is nothing wrong with overdesign. But an overdesign with large chain pillars reduces the flexibility of machine movement and decreases production. It also reduces coal recovery and, thus, shortens the reserve's life. This is especially true for small operators who own a limited reserve. Those small mines, through past practices or out of necessity, experiment with smaller pillars than those predicted by the strength formulae. Conclusive ev¬idence has been collected that points to the need of a new concept of coal pillar design. Two case studies will be cited to illustrate this point. 3-D US pillar strength formulae Figure 1 shows a sectional layout of a one-unit mine. The seam was about 1.3 m (50 in.) thick with a uniform cover of 64 m (210 ft). A house was located near the center of the section. The homeowner demanded that no surface subsidence and domestic well dewatering should ever be allowed as a result of underground room-and-pillar mining. Physical properties - strength and Young's modulus - of the rock strata including coal were obtained by testing small samples in the laboratory. The uniaxial compressive strength of the coal was 3660 kPa (823 psi). Using various pillar strength formulae, the homeowner recommended that square chain pillars be at least 11 m (35 ft) wide. The coal company, however, desired to pursue optimum coal recovery in the safest and most economical manner. They engaged in three-dimensional finite element analysis of the section taking into account the complete stratigraphic sequence of the overburden. Results indicated that the section can be developed by 5.5 m (18 ft) wide entries at 21 m (70 ft) center-to-center. In retreat, the pillars can be splitted along both centerlines leaving a stump pillar of 5.5 m (18 ft) square at each of the four corners. The 5.5 m (18 ft) square stump pillars still maintained a safety factor of 1.5, although the safety factors calculated by various pillar strength

Jan 11, 1986

By J. J. Snodgrass

Faults, sandstone channels, and abandoned mine workings present severe safety hazards, disrupt mining, and necessitate costly precautions or discontinuance of operations. In addition to fault detection, mining companies have a need to map discontinuities such as seam thinning and previously mined areas in both longwall and room-and-pillar operations. Initial field tests demonstrated successful generation and propagation of higher order guided wave modes. Theoretical studies indicate potential for improved resolution by sensing small details in the coal seam and roof structure. Controlled-waveform source transducers and specialized detectors are particularly useful to preferentially excite and detect the Love (SH) and Rayleigh-type (P-SV) waves, including the higher frequency modes. The distinct observation of reflections using the transducers in the shear wave mode makes feasible the detection of the water-filled voids.

Jan 4, 1985

By C. T. Wallace

Evans Industries, Inc., a management coal consultant and company was assigned to evaluate National Steel Company's coal properties in Knott and Floyd Counties, Kentucky. The results of evaluation showed large reserves of good quality, high volatile metallurgical coal contained in the Elkhorn coal beds and resulted in the formation of Beaver Creek Consolidated Coal Company. Based on results of the exploration and feasibility work, the decision was to install a coal nine, preparation plant and related facilities having a production capacity of one' and three quarter million tons per year with Evans Industries acting as Beaver Creek's management company. The recoverable tonnage assigned to the Stinson Mine is approximately forty-five million tons. This paper discusses the general arrangement of storage, conveying, loading, refuse disposal facilities and the flow sheet of the preparation plant developed by engineers of Heyl & Patterson, Inc., and Evans Industries, Inc., with emphasis on practical flexibility, sulfur reduction in all circuits, and high product yield with the minimum amount of selective mining, Three and one-half miles of railroad have been built by the Chesepeake & Ohio Railroad to service this mine.

Jan 1, 1970

By T. Payne

Underground heat issues are mainly focused on the detrimental effects to a workers health. However, working in hot, humid conditions has other negative effects. Studies have shown that safety, productivity, workforce morale and operating cost are also worsened in these conditions. The human body has several mechanisms for rejecting heat and remaining cool. However, once the air temperature exceeds about 34°C, the only effective mechanism is by evaporation of sweat from the skin. This is assisted by acclimatisation which is the human body?s enhanced ability to combat extended exposure to heat. The body has to remain well hydrated when working in heat as even small degrees of dehydration cause significant decreases in the ability to work in heat. There are two ways in which heat load can be reduced: Through use of refrigeration/vent/cooling to reduce thermal stress on workers; Reduce the contribution that heat sources have to underground heat load (e.g. reduce idle time, fleet size, etc). Some of the sources of underground heat have the potential to be more manageable than others. Geothermal heat and heat from autocompression will be found in all mining situations in varying degrees depending on geothermal gradient and surface temperature, however, the use of equipment and blasting may be streamlined to reduce the underground heat load. It is through a combination of the available options that most mines will successfully control their heat related problems. Mt Isa, which has been a focus for heat related study in Australia, has successfully implemented protocols for working in heat. Through combining these with the installation of a surface bulk air cooling plant, Mt Isa has consistently reduced the incidence of heat illness. This is likely to be the most cost effective method of reducing heat load for deep mines in Australia. Shallower mines which may only occasionally encounter hot conditions should consider more portable cooling options. This study will review the heat issues in underground Australian metalliferous mines.

Jan 1, 2009

By Roy A. Grancher

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Not only is 1971 the Centennial Year of the AIME, but it also marks the One Hundredth Anniversary of the United States Portland Cement Industry. On September 26th in 1871 David O. Saylor of Allentown, Pennsylvania, received his patent Numbered 119,413 for the manufacture of portland cement. "Cement" had been used in the United States before that. This was, however, natural cement - a direct product of rocks as found in nature, usually burned at low temperatures in open kilns. During the early 1800s this natural cement played an important role in such projects as the building of the Erie Canal. It was only after the Civil War that small amounts of high priced portland cement was imported from Europe. The successful use of this material in construction led to Saylor's experiments and subsequent patent for the manufacture of a scientifically controlled product in this country. These one hundred years have witnessed four major "ages" of cement . . . three of them occurring in the last quarter century since World War Two. The first age was the "Age of Development", a seventy-year period which saw the growth of cement and its concrete end uses as major construction materials. Next followed a period called the "Age of Demand" when, after the war, cement became in short supply relative to large building requirements. In effect a cement shortage existed. The decade of the Sixties proved to be the "Age of Reaction", with its courses of action coming in response to the problems that arose when the industry's expansion programs provided too much capacity. Today cement, and the concrete industries, find themselves entering the "Age of Reason". Overcapacity, low price, rising costs, and poor returns are several of the reasons behind that name, As these industries face the construction challenge of the Seventies, and beyond, the application of basic management principles (otherwise known

Jan 1, 1971

By Haia Roffman, Amiram Roffman

A gas company operated more than 100 distribution stations. Mercury filled manometers were used for years in these stations to measure the flow of natural gas through the system. Use and handling of these manometers resulted in mercury spills and ground contamination. To assess the human health and environmental effects of these spills and the need of remediation, it was important to determine mercury specific species present and their concentrations. Soil samples were analyzed for total mercury, methyl mercury, inorganic mercury and elemental mercury. These analyses served as important input in the risk assessment performed for these stations.

Jan 1, 1998

By P. Christmann

The operational paradigm of mining industries is shifting from ?optimal profit for the financial stakeholders? to a new concept compatible with sustainable development ethics: ?maximize economic and social returns at the local, national and global levels, while avoiding negative environmental impacts?. The number of stakeholders concerned by mining companies has grown significantly over the last few decades, and the role of local communities and civil society is now acknowledged by the mining companies adhering to the sustainable development ethics. ?Involve me? is becoming a key to maximize the returns the mining industry can provide to sustainable development. As the world?s major importer of many mineral commodities, several coming from developing countries facing severe short-term problems, the European Union (EU) is an important stakeholder and has a responsibility in supporting actions to strengthen corporate and public governance capacities. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the drivers leading to the development of sustainability indicators and to propose, within the 6th European Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP6), an European-level initiative to develop sustainability indicators adapted to the mining industry and its population with relevant data.

Jan 1, 2003

By E. M. Williams

The U.S. Bureau of Mines recently conducted a limited-scope study on the use of lineament analysis and electromagnetic geophysics to better identify the surface expressions of faults at the Cimmaron Mine near Raton, NM, an operating longwall mine in the York Canyon mine complex. Two normal faults were encountered by the mine, one during gate road development and drilling and another only through drilling. The potential ground control problems and offsets associated with these faults will severely impact long-range development plans, so it is essential to know the lateral extent of these faults within the coal reserves. The surface topography at the site is fairly rugged, yet outcrop exposure is poor. There is no obvious visible geologic evidence to indicate that the faults identified at depth extend to the surface. Both the geophysical and remote sensing techniques provided information on the presence and extent of important geologic structures which could not be gained just from drilling and surface outcrops. The geophysical surveys also were invaluable in confirming the presence of subsurface geologic structures in the vicinity of the lineaments assumed to be associated with the faulting.

Jan 1, 1995

By Taghi Sherizadeh, Kutay E. Karadeniz, Dogukan Guner, Samuel Nowak

Underground mining environments bring occupational health and safety issues with some severe dangers such as mine disasters like explosions. During such events, miners might escape using main access openings, or find a safe haven like refuge alternatives (RAs) to wait and be rescued and evacuated to the surface. In this paper, RAs are explained with their early and current applications. A classification as permanent and portable is explained depending on the conditions and their abilities. This classification is followed by the utilization and survivability of RAs with the requirements and recommendations of the main mining countries. Based on the utilization and survivability constraints, basic human requirements, waiting for a rescue team, and the required physical specifications of RAs during the events are analyzed in detail for various countries with their regulations. Among these, the specification, resistance to the explosion, is discussed in particular, and the studies in the literature are examined in terms of structural deformation. The highest deformed zones, the beneficiation of reinforcing steel components such as stiffeners, and the simulation approaches are investigated through this review.

Sep 24, 2022

By R. Yang

This paper presents a kinematic approach for blast modeling with examples of blast models that were developed previously. A kinematic approach was applied successfully in developing blasting models that can simulate all blast design parameters for field applications. Several applied blasting models have been developed and applied widely in the world. A kinematic approach to blast modeling refers to using measurements of kinematic quantities such as the velocity, strain, or displacement and well-established assumptions to model blasting phenomena, rather than being restricted to use first principal of physics, such as, the stress- and material-constitutive relations. The kinematic quantities are easy to measure in the field. Due to the complexity and inhomogeneity of rock mass properties, using first principles of physics, many parameters of rock and explosive properties must be involved, which are hard or impossible to quantify. This creates a major impediment when trying to simulate the total process of blasting based upon first principles of physics. The 3D kinematic model for muckpile formation was developed and applied to open pit blasts. The multiple blasthole fragmentation model developed during recent years has been applied successfully to many mine sites around the globe. These models are typical examples of blast modeling using the kinematic approach, which enables the models to catch major trends of the blasting process and explicitly simulate full blast design parameters and complex geometries. Blast modeling using the kinematic approach results in easy model calibration and validation against field measurements and effective applications to practical problems. Using kinematic models of the muckpile formation and the multiple blasthole fragmentation model, this paper demonstrates the merits of the kinematic approach for blast modeling. New developments of the models were also presented in the paper, which illustrate the potential of the kinematic modelling approach.

Mar 2, 2022

By F. A. Camisani-Calzolari

South Africa has adopted its own code for public reporting of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves in 2000. The South African Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (SAMREC Code or Code) (SAIMM 2000) is presented here in its local and global context. The main aspects of the Code are listed and elaborated upon. The Code has been written with the participation of the major South African stakeholders in the field including Government institutions, the legal confraternity and the mining industry. The Code is modelled on, and is 90% compliant with, the Australasian Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code) (AusIMM 1999). The paper also elaborates on the duties and responsibilities of Competent Persons signing off resource and reserve reports and on the listing requirements of the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE), formerly the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, which has officially adopted the Code. The listing requirements were updated in 2000 to incorporate the SAMREC Code and subsequently in 2002, effective 2003. The ongoing obligations of the JSE for the exploration and mining companies are being compiled and are expected to be effective from early 2004.

Jan 1, 2003

By Glenn E. Hoffman

Relax: the world today is not running short of many mineral commodities, even though prices are spiraling upward. Einstein?s observation still holds true that everything is still relative, as long as one can pass on the incremental costs of production to the consumer. However, a strong consensus exists among many of the companies comprising the minerals processing industry that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the easy-to-mine, high-quality resources that make juicy profit margins, which shareholders like. For the most part, the resource cherries have all been picked, and established mineral processing companies that are exhausting their reserves, or in the process of looking to add reserves so as to create longevity for their company, have no recourse but to look long and hard at what were once considered the dregs of the earth. Even end users, such as steel companies, are now looking to become ?miners,? to establish captive iron ore resources. Owning a captive resource facilitates a dependable supply of feed materials, which translates into effective cost control and a guarantee for a thriving sustainable business in the future.

Jan 1, 2012

By R. Curtis

To achieve compliance with 2015 EPA Tier 4 Final regulations, which permit only around 10% of Tier 3 particulate matter (PM) and NOx emissions, a number of technologies are being implemented. Use of a fuel borne nanoparticle combustion catalyst reduces the level of PM and unburned hydrocarbons exiting the combustion chamber, alleviating the burden on downstream exhaust after-treatment systems. The impact of an iron-ceria combustion catalyst (GO2) on carbon oxidation kinetics and on diesel engine emissions is presented. The iron-ceria nanoparticles catalyze carbon oxidation at lower temperatures and increase the oxidation rate by a factor of 18 at 400 °C. Engine tests on a generator powered by a John Deere Model engine and field tests on a Cummins ISC 330 tractor truck and CAT 3508B propulsion engines are presented. Use of GO2 resulted in a reduction in PM10 (particulate matter under 10 um) emissions of up to 26% and a hydrocarbon emission reduction of up to 41%. NOx emissions did not increase in these trials and the amount of change depended on engine type. Application of this fuel borne technology for emissions reductions in mining equipment offers significant benefits.

Feb 27, 2013

By Michael Kukay, Paul Conrad, Cosmas Opoku-Ware

This project is exploring the potential for developing trees tolerable to degraded un-reclaimed mine site soils and tailings as a solution to re-establishing long-term tree growth on those sites. The project incorporates growing tree seedlings in an underground greenhouse grown from seeds planted in the degraded mine soils in which they will eventually be planted. The outcome of the project is expected to lead to a successful solution for re-establishing tree growth in soils and tailings containing high metal concentrations with minimal post-planting human intervention. The research is being conducted in an underground greenhouse located 100 ft below the surface in the old Orphan Boy Mine Underground Mine Education Center (UMEC) located on Montana Tech’s campus in Butte, Montana.

By Jerry C. Tien

In 2009 China mined 2.695 billion metric tones (Gt) of raw coal. It is estimated that only 3-5% or roughly 135 million metric tones (Mt) of these were mined from 300 some surface operations. Except for a dozen or so large modern operations, most of China's surface coal operations are small by western standards, with annual production ranging from a few thousand tones to 300,000 metric tones (mt). Depending on the size of operations, equipment used range from small trucks and shovels to large bucket wheel excavators and draglines in sizable pits. This article provides a brief overview of China's surface mineable coal reserves, mining methods commonly used and increasing environmental concerns; introductions of several large surface operations are also provided.

Jan 1, 2012

By F. B. Henderson III

Since the "end" of the Cold War, revolutionary new research and commercial remote sensing capabilities are being developed that will dramatically change the way we map the earth and address its environmental problems. The technology challenge is not the growth of new environmental remote sensing technologies themselves. It is, rather, how these new innovative observing systems can be accepted and used to the benefit of both the regulatory and the mining communities in the light of present concerns about unknown risks of discovery and liability. The basis for this paper is an unpublished technology primer prepared for the industry-government Workshop on Advanced Measurement and Site Characterization for Mining Impacts held at Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, July 14-17, 1997

Jan 1, 1999

By Steven F. Hoerger

Newmont Gold Company is the largest producer of gold in North America. Accurate resource estimates are critical to planning the mining in a year of over 90,000,000 t (100,000,000 tons) of mill, leach and waste grade material, from which over 47 t (1,500,000 oz) of gold are recovered. Resource estimates are updated frequently to take advantage of new drilling, improved geologic understanding and additional production reconciliations. At Newmont Gold, indicator kriging is the primary method being used to create resource estimates. Indicator kriging (IK) is a well accepted method of resource estimation; however, many details of the IK process which are critical to producing a useful resource estimate have not been well documented. An IK model must have several characteristics in order to be a useful resource estimate: the model must take into account geologic features of the mineralization; model creation cannot require too .much time; the model must accurately reflect the effects of selective mining; the model must be stored in an easily accessible format; and the model must be useable with a variety of cutoff grades. This paper will show how Newmont Gold implements the IK process in order to achieve these goals.

Jan 1, 1992