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By P. H. Williams

Experiences gained using computers in the mining and geological environment have shown that it is quite rare for a system or the data it stores to be truly stand alone. Just as the mining enterprise aims to have a smooth integration of operations from exploration through mining and extraction to sales, so it should develop all its information systems within an overall framework or architecture which covers the applications and data as well as the computer hardware and communications. This paper discusses methods of achieving such an architecture, and describes some of the benefits it can have on the development and implementation of information systems. The key aspects are the identification of the business functions and the data that they use, and ensuring that the IS plan supports the overall objectives of the enterprise. Hardware and communications policies should be based on the plans for the applications and data, rather than the reverse.

Jan 1, 1986

By S. W. Mao

Hydrologic and economic criteria figure in many obvious ways in water resources development, but they are rarely linked quantitatively, and most of the applications are pertinent only to the case-in-point. In the preparation of the Regional Plan for the massive program of ground water development in the Punjab, situations have arisen where the choice among two or more alternatives was made by analyzing the economic implications of critical hydrologic parameters. Two of these situations which are of more-or-less general interest are described herein. The first involves basic development policy -- whether ground water development should be based on the demand of the economy, or the conservation concept of safe-yield. The analysis demonstrated that mining of ground water is clearly indicated for areas where alternative supplies are unavailable. The second problem involves integrating hydrologic data into an economic model to determine optimum well design, From an analysis of all pertinent factors, a simple nomograph was derived which can be used to determine well specifications on-site during construction. The nomograph can be modified for use in any alluvial terrain.

Jan 1, 1967

By J. Darlington, A. K. SenGupta

Water-swellable layered silicates, namely, the smectite clays can remove suspended materials (called herein as debris) and metal ions from aqueous streams. The present study shows that the flocculating and metal extracting abilities of smectite clay-based flocculants can be enhanced when these clays are used in conjunction with a specific anionic polymer. Such performance enhancement is attributed to the following: i) the clay-dispersing ability of the polymeric additive, that would translate into an increase in the clay-surface area available for the attachment of the debris particles onto the clay particles; ii) the possibility of dispersant-to-coagulant transition of the polymer during the later instants of the treatment process, as a result of reduction in solvency of the wastewater for the polymer due to the release of cationic species from the clay-based flocculant solids; iii) metal-complexing ability and adsorption properties of the polymer.

Jan 1, 2002

By T. R. Ellis

The author is the leader of the Extractive Industries Task Force of the International Valuation Standards Committee. The Task Force has developed an Extractive Industries section for inclusion in the International Valuation Standards (IVS). The Extractive Industries Guidance Note provides comprehensive standards for valuation of all minerals and petroleum industry property types for all valuation/appraisal purposes. The document is scheduled for release as an exposure draft for public comment by December 2003, then it will be finalized for publication in the IVS in mid-2004. This paper discusses the content and philosophy of the Extractive Industries Guidance Note within the context of the framework of the IVS. It also discusses the international implications and implementation of this IVS addition.

Jan 1, 2004

By Colin M. Kelly

The Loveridge Mine, located near Fairmont, West Virginia, has been mining coal from the Pittsburgh Seam since 1958. As the mine develops its reserves it finds itself with increasingly distant hauls from the operating faces to the preparation plant. Initially, the mine was designed with track haulage. The coal was hauled to an underground rotary dump which fed a slope belt, to the preparation plant. As the haulage distances increased, production delays due to the track system's limitations became severe. To resolve this situation, a complete review of the haulage system was undertaken. Simulations of the present system along with future scenarios were conducted to help management effectively plan the haulage requirements of the mine for the remainder of its life.

Jan 1, 1986

By R. J. Mirville

Flocculation is an important step in the treatment of coal preparation waste waters. The effects of polymer charge and molecular weight and solution pH and ionic strength on the adsorption and flocculation characteristics of a series of polymeric flocculants on some typical waste water constituents have been studied experimentally. The results indicate that the nature and extent of flocculation are strongly system-dependent. For the case of coal, both adsorption and flocculation behavior can be correlated with the polymer conformation in solution. For the mineral constituents, on the other hand, adsorption and flocculation depend also on the surface properties of the solid.

Jan 1, 1979

By B. L. Bobo

To ensure the continued growth and economic viability of the Western coal industry, both in the domestic and inter- national markets, it is essential for the industry to become more creative and active in confronting the most serious obstacle in this objective; and that is, the inherently long distances which Western coal must be transported inland to reach its major markets. Figure 1 shows the 1982 coal consumption by state for those states where Western coal was consumed. (Except as noted in this paper, Western coal producing states are defined as Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. Any exceptions used will have only an insignificant effect on the content of the paper). This figure illustrates the long distances that are required for Western coal to reach its markets. The total production for 1982 from the Western coal producing states was approximately 220 million tons, of which only 85 million tons was consumed within the boundaries of these states. The remainder was transported to markets outside the area. This map also shows, based strictly on the consumption of the states to which Western coal was shipped during 1982 and not considering other factors which are involved in the marketing of coal, the total market potential of Western coal would amount to a total of 445 million tons. This does not include export coal from the West Coast, which is now estimated to be less than 2 million tons for 1983. In 1980, it had been estimated that by 1985 the West Coast exports would have been at least 10 million tons per year, which will not be attained.

Jan 1, 1983

By T. V. Subrahmanyam

Unlike coarse particles (40-50 µm), the fines (<10 µm) have low collision efficiencies with gas bubbles in flotation process. Among the alternative methods for recovering the fines are their aggregation with coarse particles (carrier flotation) and flocculation of the fines alone (shear-flocculation), prior to flotation. In any case, hydrophobic aggregation is the mechanism involved though the technique is known by different names in literature. This paper deals with theory and state-of-the-art of particle aggregation. To illustrate the dependence of aggregation on particle hydrophobicity, charge and, in turn, the sheer force, the results of quartz-DDACI and galena-xanthate systems are considered. In the flotation of complex ores selectivity is achieved by chemical control and aggregation of particles of the same species is analogous to that; however, more work is necessary on ores for a better understanding of the pulp chemical aspects from the view point of selectivity in aggregation. For a few ores, the results of earlier workers confirm improved recoveries of fines by aggregation prior to flotation.

Jan 1, 1997

By Gerald W. Cormick

In a complex society such as ours, the range of "negotiating" relationships is constantly increasing. These negotiating relationships have emerged as a direct result of the diffusion of power or influence to new sectors and emerging concerns. Even within organizations, the myth of the authority-based heirarchical structure has given way to the reality of constant negotiations between superior and subordinate and with peers in the organizational structure. In the broader context, the corporate organization finds it necessary to reckon and often negotiate with organized employees, suppliers, buyers, government agencies and a range of organized private interests ranging from minority groups to environmental organizations. In response to this diffusion of power and the conflicts which it has engendered, a variety of conflict avoidance, conflict managing or conflict resolution techniques has developed. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to differentiate between some of the conflict intervention approaches which have appeared "on the market", and to suggest three bases for selecting among them: 1. The "role" of the conflict intervenor; 2. How far the conflict has developed; and 3. The breadth and impact of the issues involved.

Jan 1, 1979

By D. A. Fenton

The reliability of large diameter, high horsepower ball mill is paramount when large production and minimum downtime is required. The 17 ft. x 56 ft. double compartment ball mill at St. Lawrence Cement Company has the first gearless drive built in North America and has the world&apos;s largest hydrodynamic bearings currently built and running. The machine has seen three years operation and has met its specifications. The mill was designed by Aerofall Mills Limited and the gearless drive built and designed by the Canadian General Electric Company. This paper discusses the operation of the first North American installation of a gearless drive ball mill from the mechanical, electrical and process aspects.

Jan 1, 1977

By M. Z. Rashad

The purpose of this paper was to compare the covariance and multiquadric functions in same mining and geological applications. The basic principals of the two techniques are covered briefly. Similarities and dissimilarities of the covariance and multiquadric functions are discussed geometrically, mathematically and practically. A 14 by 16 kilometer square area in Baharia Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt, was selected for a detailed comparative test. The gravity anomalies of forty-eight test stations were computed by using the data of sixty-three control stations. The results indicated that the covariance function is quite better than the multiquadric one. On the other hand, the multiquadric function more simple in computation than the other one, which needs to precalculations such as semivariogram and covariogram. Moreover, multiquadric equations are based on geometrical and physical considerations rather than covariance functions.

Jan 1, 1990

By C. Newman, R. C. Ray

Originated and developed in the civil tunneling industry, the Ground Reaction Curve (GRC) has provided a robust methodology for evaluating and designing ground support in both tunnels and underground mining scenarios. This paper presents a preliminary assessment in the utilization of the GRC concept for the evaluation and design of the pillar-support system with respect to overburden stress and displacement. This initial assessment will be based on and backed by past research on this topic. Underground mine instrumentation is planned for a longwall mine in the Appalachian coal field based on the research and findings in this paper to support the postulated hypothesis. INTRODUCTION Since the early 1970’s, the mining industry has evaluated the structural stability of a pillar by dividing an approximated pillar load by an approximated pillar strength. While this design methodology has served the industry well in the past, as modern mining operations continue to develop in more complex geological and geometric conditions coupled with market economics, industry professionals are in dire need of a modified stability assessment approach which considers both the stress condition and material displacements. Within the civil tunneling industry, the GRC approach has been successfully utilized in designing underground support measures that enhance the stability of an underground excavation. Through the incorporation of current industry knowledge and understanding of ground and support behaviors this paper looks to investigate into preliminary assessment for the development of a Modified Support Response Method (MSRM) to further improve the analysis of local and global underground stability. CURRENT PILLAR DESIGN METHODS AND THEIR LIMITATIONS Globally, multiple pillar design methods have been utilized in the design of underground excavations. Each of these methods approaches the calculation of pillar stability a little differently with respect to material properties, underground geometries and stress conditions. Analytical solutions can be used to determine the strength of homogeneous materials like concrete, but not in case of non-homogeneous and non-isotropic mineral deposits in a mine. These equations are often derived using empirical methods. Pillar strength is defined as the maximum resistance of a pillar to axial loading (Brady & Brown, 1985). The strength of mine pillars is typically estimated through indirect methods. In the past, researchers have correlated the strength of a given size and width of a rock specimen to the strength of a mine pillar. The first study on the effect of geometry on rock strength was done by (Bauschiger, 1876) on Swiss sandstone samples. Since then several empirical equations to determine pillar strength had been published by many researchers like (Bunting, 1911), (Griffith & Conner, 1912), (Greenwald, Howarth, & Hartmann, 1939), (Holland & Gaddy, 1957), (Evana, Pomeroy, & Berenbaum, 1961) and (Holland C. , 1964).

Jan 1, 2019

By William Gleason

"Ed Rapp is among those who believe in the saying that necessity is the mother of all invention. Rapp is the president of Caterpillar’s mining group. As such, he is tasked with leading the world’s largest mining equipment maker, and its customers, through this time of lower commodity prices, while also positioning his company to be prepared for better days that lie ahead.The decade-long mining boom fueled by growth in emerging markets and demand for commodities that led to record prices for some metals paused in 2008 with the global financial crisis. However, according to Rapp, thanks to stimulus packages around the world, and in particular the stimulus from China that was focused on infrastructure, the mining sector recovered fairly quickly, and from 2010 to 2012, mining was strong.And then the stimulus stopped. Credit dried up and global growth began to slow down and, in the three years since, commodity prices have declined by an average of 60 percent. Caterpillar expanded during the boom, acquiring Bucyrus, and investing billions into the mining sector. It has felt the pinch of the slowdown as much as any mining company in the world. These pages, and those of other mining publications as well as mainstream media, have been filled with stories of doom and gloom about the industry. But Rapp, while acknowledging that the difficult times have been painful, also said Caterpillar sees opportunity in the slow down and reaffirmed his company’s commitment to the mining industry as absolute."

Jan 1, 2014

By Richard R. Klimpel

Part 2 of this article continues the discussion of a 10-year, multimillion dollar research and plant testing program on slurry rheology and grinding circuits. The first part of the article (ME, Dec. 1982) presented the basic concepts identified by the research and some laboratory test results. This section Illustrates typical Industrial scale test results and Identifies some industrial operating implications of controlling rheology by different methods. At least four controllable factors decide the rheological character of a slurry-slurry density or percent solids, particle size distribution, chemical environment, and slurry temperature. The second factor has two interrelated facets: the shape of the particle size distribution which controls packing behavior of the solids, and the fineness of the distribution. Finer particles increase interparticle forces and viscosity. As indicated in Part 1, during a given grinding test it is possible for all four factors to change. However, regardless of the particular settings of the four factors in a given test, if the resulting rheological character is either dilatant, pseudoplastic, or pseudoplastic with yield, the associated breakage rate is correlated with the current rheological character. It is obvious, for example, in batch grinding tests run at constant percent solids, that the second and third factors, where appropriate, are changing during grinding because size distributions are changing and the production of fresh surface area takes up unadsorbed chemical. Thus the corresponding rheological character change in batch tests with increasing grind time would be dilatant to pseudoplastic to pseudoplastic with yield. The degree to which this transformation occurs depends on the changing setting of the four factors over grinding time. In continuous grinding tests, one might logically expect that dramatic changes in any one of the four factors will be less likely to occur. It will be shown that continuous mill operations offer some unique opportunities to take advantage of possible rheological transformation by more direct operational control of the settings for the four factors. One extra observation noted in the rheological studies was the variability in the location and extent of region B (pseudoplastic behavior) for the various coals and ores tested. The location of region B was usually in the region of 45-55% solids by volume and was of the extent of 0-8%, or 2-11% with chemical addition. The corresponding increase in net production ranged from 0-10% in region B and 0-21% in region B&apos;. When region B is small or zero (no pseudoplastic character is exhibited) no increase in production will be observed and the use of chemicals is often marginal. There are several reasons for some materials exhibiting this quick transformation from dilatancy to high yield values often at surprisingly low percent solids by volume such as 30%. One condition identified was for materials containing high levels of viscosity-producing elements such as- carbonates or clays. A second condition documented was for materials that exhibited unusually fine primary fragment distributions (fine B1,; curves). This corresponds to materials having small y values of < 0.5. Such a slurry developed a yield value quickly during grinding because of the rapid buildup of fines. A related problem can be presented by materials exhibiting excessively coarse primary fragment distributions, y values > 0.9. Breakage of this type of material produces size distributions that give poor packing efficiencies even at long grind times, thus hindering the normal rheological transformation presented earlier. A final condition that can cause the occurrance of region B to be small or zero is when the media void volume filling of slurry is < 100%. Figures 5a and 5b use previously published data of this study to demonstrate the influence of solids loading and weight percent solids on the net production of taconite ore in a laboratory batch ball mill. In particular, Fig. 5a illustrates several trends not generally recognized until this study. They include these two: • Increased slurry density allows for increased solids loading before passing through the maximum in the net production curve where the fall-off is due to non first order breakage. • The use of rheology control chemicals such as GA-4272 allows this trend to be extended to higher slurry loadings with an increase in net production over any previous condition by keeping grinding first order. Figure 5b shows the same data as Fig. 5a plotted for constant weight loadings. These various figures of net production versus percent solids show the location and extent of the regions A, B, and C presented in Part 1 as a function of solids loading. It is obvious that the rheological transformation pattern described earlier does not hold true for slurry loadings corresponding to less than the void volume of the media, which is also a region of

Jan 1, 1983

By Peter Bush

The deposition of metastable carbonate minerals in ar. aid, sheltered, coastal environment, leads to the formation of a flat, coastel, sabkha plain. The ground waters of the sabkha plain are modified by evaporation, precipitation of salts and reaction between ions in solution and the host carbonates. The resulting brine is similar to those found in fluid inclusions associated with Mississippi Valley type deposits. The aragonite and high magnesium calcite found in the sediments can concentrate lead and zinc from sea water. On diagenesis the lead and zinc are released into the sabkha brines.

Jan 1, 1979

By L. Alan Weakly

The purpose of this paper is to present a viable method of reinforcing rock pillars by utilizing fully grouted reinforcing steel and a cement - fly ash mortar. Although the fully bonded bolt concept is not new as exemplified .by the present widespread use of resin bolts within United States mines and by the use of cement grouted reinforcing used as back pins in the Kiruna Iron Ore Mine in northern Sweden, (1)(2) the method of stabilizing mine pillars with fully bonded reinforcing is new. This method, called the "grout-rebar system", was first incorporated at St. Joe Minerals Corporation&apos;s Fletcher Mine in December of 1972. The system was used on an emergency basis before extensive research on the mechanics of the system could be completed. Since December of 1972, however, approximately 206 pillars have been reinforced at Fletcher and the system is currently being used on a regular basis at two other St. Joe mines and at two competitor mines in the area. Basically, this paper is a case study of the efforts, research and results of utilizing the grout-rebar system, on a selective basis, at the Fletcher Mine. In addition to information about the system, this paper will explain in detail the three rock mechanics instruments developed by St. Joe and used to measure and monitor rock movement to validate the grout-rebar system.

Jan 1, 1976

"The Industrial Comminution Efficiency (ICE) working group, part of the Global Mining Standards and Guidelines Group (GMSG) has engaged a large number of industry professionals representing mining companies, equipment vendors, consultants and metallurgical laboratories with interests and capabilities in the comminution field. These participants have collaborated to develop three guidelines for the assessment of the efficiency of mineral comminution circuits. Two of these guidelines deal specifically with power based modelling techniques to quantify energy efficiency using widely practiced techniques, those developed by Bond (1961), Rowland and McIvor (2009), and Morrell (2009). The third guideline deals with the sampling and surveying of grinding circuits as is required to provide the necessary information, at appropriate quality, to furnish the efficiency analysis promoted by the first two guidelines. This preprint will focus on the Guideline on Methods to Survey and Sample Grinding Circuits, which is currently in the final stages of peer review and finalization by the GMSG. INTRODUCTION It is important to make a clear distinction on the scope of work of the GMSG guideline for sampling grinding circuits. Many mineral processing practitioners are familiar with the sampling and surveying of comminution circuits, in particular grinding circuits, for performance diagnosis and the identification of optimization potential. These surveys often provide information for population balance modelling of individual comminution and classification unit processes, and as a result require a large amount of information to calibrate and validate the unit models. As a result these surveys are labour intensive, somewhat expensive depending on internal capabilities of the mine site or company, and have a long time span from initial planning to final reporting. They also require a high level of expertise to process the survey data, simulate the circuit and make sensible recommendations on follow up actions. As a result of these factors full grinding circuit surveys are not a common occurrence at a large number of facilities, and several years may pass before follow up surveys are conducted. In the ensuing gap between surveys, the efficiency of the grinding circuit must often be taken on faith, and this is considered an unacceptable lapse in an environment of strained natural resources and low commodity prices. To support the rapid and productive energy efficiency analysis being promoted by the ICE working group, a much simplified survey and analysis process is required. The process reflected in the GMSG guideline is indeed more conducive to frequent analysis, at a skill level that is well within the capabilities of the average plant metallurgist. As a result it becomes feasible to conduct mini-surveys of plant performance, which can be used to quickly and precisely diagnose the high level impact of process changes. It can also be manipulated by experienced practitioner to provide sufficient information for modelling of the circuit to estimate the impact of process changes, supporting an initial rate and rank exercise to focus plant optimization efforts."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. Managi, M. C. Williams, N. H. Behling

Particle processing is a key to using solid particles in fuel cell applications. Selectivity with regard to reactivity, impurities, etc. is important feature and the treatment of particle surfaces could greatly impact the performance of direct carbon fuel cells. Solid fuel particles will become increasingly important in the future. Present energy conversion systems for solid fuels are too inefficient. New energy conversion systems for solid fuels with higher energy conversion efficiencies are possible. Fuel cell technology is a key-technology in these new conversion systems. The direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) operates on carbon particles obtained from a variety of solid fuel feedstocks. The DCFC is the only fuel cell designed to directly oxidize carbon particles in a special anode chamber. The particles are generally graphite structure with high purity. The electrolyte used is the high temperature solid oxide, molten carbonate or hydroxide electrolyte. Since a pure stream of CO2 is produced the stream can easily be sequestered and disposed. Pure carbon dioxide produced as a by-product would also have a market in many industries. A well-defined technology roadmap identifying key research and development (R&D) issues is necessary to provide a framework for the development of these systems and to prevent entrenchment in inherently inefficient technologies. This review paper describes the direct carbon fuel cell and its system, how it works, the developmental status, the characteristics of the carbon particles needed, and the research and development issues for the technology. INTRODUCTION The DCFC has been under development for many years. It was researched as early as 18961), but an intense research and development is necessary to realize its potential. William W Jacques, a US electrical engineer and chemist, described a DCFC in 1896 in US Patent 555511 for a “Method of converting potential energy of carbon into electrical energy”. Jacques used coke electrodes in a molten NaOH electrolyte. Molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), solid oxide (SOFC) or hydroxide electrolyte (AFC) technologies can be used as the basis for the DCFC technology. A schematic of the direct carbon fuel cell in the MCFC mode is shown in Figure 1. The molten carbonate fuel cell operates at approximately 650°C (1200°F). The high operating temperature is needed to achievesufficient conductivity of the carbonate electrolyte, yet allow the use of low-cost metal cell components. A benefit associated with this high temperature is that noble metal catalysts are not required for the cell electrochemical oxidation and reduction processes. For the hydrogen reaction the half-cell electrochemical reactions are

Jan 1, 2019

By B. M. McKay

The Walnut Creek Mine was developed in 1989 to supply lignite to the Texas-New Mexico Power TNP-ONE power plant. Being new, we had the opportunity to start from scratch and rethink many of the traditional methods of managing a mine operation. We had the opportunity to create a team environment, encouraging people to get involved and make decisions. The founding philosophy of the mine, "A Quality Product by Quality People", acknowledged that the key to a productive, quality operation was the people. This paper will explore methods employed by Walnut Creek in selection of team members, building the team and the relative success of these methods.

Jan 1, 1993

By H. B. Charmbury

In Pennsylvania there are two distinct coal regions, bituminous and anthracite, in which the mining conditions and production trends are different. Bituminous mining is more mechanized, and production is increasing. This report is concerned specifically with the bituminous area. The bituminous coal industry apparently is facing a shortage of miners and mine officials which may become acute by 1970. Since 1949, when Pennsylvania had more than 100,000 bituminous coal miners, the number has steadily decreased. There are two principal reasons for the decrease of certified miners and mine officials. These reasons are the fact that apprentices are almost a thing of the past and the fact that the image of the coal miner is a poor one to people in general and to parents in particular. This has contributed greatly to the high average age of our miners today. The average age of all those employed in the mines is 50. Yet it is known that the progress in mine mechanization requires younger and more alert men to operate the newer type equipment.

Jan 1, 1966