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By D. W. Frommer, M. M. Fine

Early in 1957 St. Joseph Lead Co. announced discovery of three new centers of iron ore deposition in east central Missouri.1 The discovery resulted from exploratory drilling in the vicinity of a magnetic anomaly or high. A deep hole, drilled into the Pre-Cambrian porphyry to determine the cause of anomaly, penetrated a magnetite-rich deposit.2 The magnetic surveys that revealed the anomalies were begun by the Missouri Geological Survey in 1929 and were continued into the 1930's 3. At that time an area in Crawford County known as the Bourbon magnetic high was located. A second anomaly, similar in size and intensity, was discovered about six miles to the northeast in Franklin County in the vicinity of Sullivan. This area was not studied in detail until the early 1940's.

Jan 3, 1959

By Frank Wartman

RECENTLY Horace Freeman1 obtained a patent on a successful method of conducting a roasting procedure described as to general features by Carl Schnabel2 almost forty years ago. Essentially, the Freeman process of roasting consists in introducing the finely powdered sulfide mineral, suspended in air or any other suitable gaseous medium, into the upper portion of a heated chamber. The stream of suspended particles is directed vertically downward. A counter-current stream of gas introduced at the bottom of the chamber flows upward. The mineral particles are oxidized as they fall through the heated atmosphere of the chamber. All air required for the oxidation may be admitted either at the top or the bottom of the chamber, or may be divided between the top and bottom inlets in any desired proportion. Heat may be recovered by passing the gases leaving the furnace through a waste-heat boiler or other form of interchanger. In speaking of the results obtained in roasting pyrite, Freeman says:3 Steam yield from the boiler exceeds 1 pound of steam per pound of pyrite con-sumed, which pays the cost of operation of the burner. The oxide produced is in the form of fused particles or hollow shells of magnetite, containing about 65 per cent of iron. It contains the gangue material ordinarily produced in flotation concentrate, of course, but it is being found that most of this can be eliminated by magnetic separa-tion, and that the sulfur content, as consistently produced, is below 0.2 percent. This material is especially interesting as a high-grade iron ore, free from phosphorus and low in sulfur. It may be sintered or briquetted. It is even more interesting as a raw material for sponge-iron production, to be directly smelted in electric furnaces without the usual cooling of the iron powder and magnetic separation between the reducing kiln and the electric furnace.

Jan 1, 1933

By S. Radacina Rusu

The satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) has significantly changed the way site operations are carried out in surface mining. The GPS has impacted safety, productivity, fleet efficiency, and maintenance practices. However, no comparable global localization system exists for underground mines. This paper discusses recent work in the application of ideas from the mobile robotics research community to the problem of real-time vehicle positioning in underground drift networks. Related previous work recently focused on the creation of globally consistent 2D maps of underground environments that possess sufficient detail to be used for underground localization. Our current work entails the development of a GPS-like system for mobile mining equipment, with results given from both laboratory and field experiments.

May 1, 2011

Experiments on High Efficiency Separation of Mixed Plastic Wastes by Vortex-Tube Separator

Sep 13, 2010

By D. F. Malan, M. Grave, J. A. L. Napier

Previous fundamental research projects have indicated the value of continuous closure measurements in deep tabular excavations for improved support design, hazard assessment and for quantifying the effect of seismicity on stope closure. This paper describes further measurements in a VCR stope to validate some of the earlier findings. Calculation of the closure ratio showed that it is a good measure to identify different ground conditions and possible hazards. This work was supported by numerical modelling results, which showed that the closure ratio is very useful in discriminating the response of different geotechnical environments. Des projets précédents de recherche fondamentale ont démontré la valeur de mesures continues de fermeture dans le cas de profondes excavations tabulaires pour une conception améliorée du soutien, de l’évaluation du danger et pour quantifier l’effet de la séismicité sur l'affaissement du toit d’un chantier d’abattage. Le présent document décrit d’autres mesures dans un chantier d’abattage VCR afin de valider certaines des conclusions précédemment formulées. Le calcul du degré d'affaissement montre qu’il y va de soi d’identifier différentes conditions de sol ainsi que les dangers possibles. Les présents travaux ont été confirmés par des résultats de modélisation numérique, lesquels ont démontré que le taux d'affaissement est très utile quant à discerner la réponse dans des environnements géotechniques différents. Vorherige Forschungsprojekte haben den Wert von kontinuierlichen Setzungsmessungen im tiefen Sudafrikanischen Strebabbau angedeutet, vor allem fur Ausbaudesign und Risikobewertung, als auch fur die quantitative Bestimmungen der seismizitatsabhangigen Setzung. Dieses Referat beschreibt weitere Messungen in einer VCR Grube um fruhere Bestimmungen zu bewerten. Dass errechnete Konvergenzverhaltniss erweiste sich als eine gute Massnahme zur bestimmung von geotechnischen Zonen und moglichen Risiken. Numerische Analyse unterstutzte die vorliegende Arbeit und deutete darauf, dass das Konvergenzverhaltniss sehr brauchbar ist um Verhaltensunterschiede der geotechnischen Zonen zu erproben

Jan 1, 2003

By Orson Cutler Shepard

RECENT research work in the flotation concentration of minerals has been concerned mainly with flotation reagents and the mechanism by which collecting reagents are held to the surface of certain mineral particles. The fundamental question of why air bubbles cling to properly prepared mineral surfaces is usually dismissed with the statement that the surface is air-avid or water-repellent. In my article in MINING AND METALLURGY for June, 1932, I showed theoretically that surface tension relationships govern bubble attachment in Rotation. This explanation has not been accepted by many; probably be¬cause the difficulty of measuring solid-solution surface tensions prevented obtaining experimental evidence. If the surface tensions involved in the system [solution, mineral, air bubble] are responsible for attachment of the air bubble to the mineral, any change in the surface tensions should cause a corresponding change in the attachment of the air bubble. An example in which the mineral-solution surface tension could be varied was found with mercury. When mercury is in contact with solutions of certain electrolytes the surface tension at the contact of mercury and solution can be altered by electrical polarization of the mercury. The surface tension rises to a maximum as the mercury is given an increasing negative potential and then decreases with further increase in potential. The theoretical relation between the surface tensions and the attachment of an air bubble is given by the following equation:

Jan 1, 1936

By Guichao Wang, Geoffrey M. Evans, Graeme J. Jameson

"In this paper we present a new method for studying the detachment of particles from bubbles in a rotating turbulent eddy. The eddy is formed in a wall cavity in a two-dimensional water tunnel with transparent walls. When water flows through the tunnel, a vortical flow field develops in the cavity. The properties of the eddy can be modulated by changing the free-stream velocity of the water in the tunnel. Bubbles are pre-loaded with one or more particles in a fluidized bed flotation device located beneath the vortex cavity. Loaded bubbles are released one at a time into the cavity, and the motion of the bubbleparticle aggregate is studied using a high-speed video camera. The diameters of the particles and the bubbles, and the number of particles initially attached to the bubble, can be varied. The trajectories taken by the bubbles are quite complicated. In some cases, the bubble moves to the centre of the eddy, and particles rotate around its axis. If the rotational speed is sufficient, particles may detach due to centrifugal force. However, other modes were observed, including inertial detachment due to rapid changes in direction of the surface of the bubble, because of changes in trajectory of the bubble as a whole, or because of pulsations and oscillations of the bubble surface. Clusters of bubbles held together by particles were seen to form and reform. In the traditional explanation for the detachment of particles in flotation cells, it is assumed that particles detach from bubbles rotating in an eddy due to centrifugal force (Schulze, 1977). Although the conditions assumed in Schulze's theory may exist, it is only one of a range of phenomena that can lead to the detachment of particles from bubbles in a turbulent vortex.INTRODUCTIONThe recovery of particles by flotation methods is dependent on the particle size. The recovery in the existing flotation machines reaches a peak for particle size, typically in the range of 20 to 100 µm. This size range varies as a function of the particle’s properties (type and composites). For coarser particles, the recovery drops very quickly (Gaudin, Groh & Henderson, 1931; Jowett, 1980). If the upper size limit can be increased for flotation, dramatic savings in the grinding energy can be achieved."

Jan 1, 2016

By Graeme J. Jameson

"When mineral particles are floated in a mechanical flotation cell, it is found that the rate constant, after reaching a maximum value, starts to decline as particle size increases. It had been thought that the reduction in rate constant had been due to the increased prevalence of composite particles in natural ores, for larger particles. However, Jameson (2012) showed that the rate constant for composites is certainly a function of the surface liberation, but the reduction in flotation rate is independent of particle size. Thus all particles are equally affected by reduced surface liberation, independently of their size. He further argued that the classical peak observed in the rate constant with increasing particle size, is a function of machine hydrodynamics. Thus in mechanical cells, the peak may be due to the high energy dissipation rate and its effects on the detachment of particles from bubbles (Goel and Jameson, 2012). Consequently, in a different flotation environment, it may be possible to float large composite particles that cannot be floated in mechanical cells. This paper describes the flotation of large composite particles in a fluidized bed flotation cell. The particles to be floated are fed to a column in which there is a continuous upflow of liquid. A conventional froth layer of controlled depth is formed at the top of the vessel. A fluidized bed of particles is established which provides a gentle environment for the contacting of large particles with bubbles. An example is given where a porphyry copper ore was prepared at a top size of 710 µm, and floated with conventional collector (PAX) and frother (MIBC). The concentrate was separated into size fractions and examined by photography. Composites were observed at all size fractions, but above 400 µm, all particles were composites. The implications for future flotation circuits will be described."

Jan 1, 2014

By R. H. Richards

IN nearly all ore-dressing operations it is a common practice to discharge mixtures of fine ore and water through spigots; for example, from classifier pockets, from jig hutches, from settling tanks, etc. As a, general rule it is desirable to regulate the composition, i.e., the ratio of water to sand, of such discharged products; and this can usually be done by varying the size of the orifice or spigot through which the material is discharged. Thus it is that problems similar to the following are frequently encountered: With a given quantity of solids per unit time, of a given specific gravity, to be discharged with water under a given head, and with a given ratio of water to solid, what must be the size of the spigot opening? If the spigot is to be open continuously, there are, aside from its form, but three factors governing the rate at which it will discharge a mixture of sand and water, namely: the head of water above the spigot; the area of the spigot opening; and the viscosity of the material to be discharged. The term viscosity, as used here, means the ratio of the volume of pure water that will flow through a given orifice under a given head in a given time to the volume of the material under consideration that will flow through the same orifice in the same time under the same conditions. While the actual viscosity of water containing sand in suspension is not increased by the presence of the sand, nevertheless the volume-rate at which such a mixture will flow through an orifice is less than that at which pure water will flow, by reason of the friction of the particles of sand against each other and against the sides of the orifice. In other words, the flow is retarded as it would be by increased viscosity; and therefore, for the purpose in view, we may speak of the viscosity of a mixture of ore grains and water as defined above. The head of water above the spigot is generally fixed by the form and design of the classifier or tank to which the spigot is attached. So, with the head known, in order to determine the size of the spigot required it is necessary to know the viscosity of the desired mixture, and the coefficient of discharge of

Jan 1, 1915

By O. W. Ellis

CERTAIN alloys1 that, as a result of quenching, are retained in the form of homogeneous solid solution are known to increase in hardness and strength on standing at room temperature or on heating at slightly elevated temperatures. Other alloys" that, on rapid cooling, are held in the form of homogeneous solid solution (as, for example, certain steels) behave in like manner on heating to somewhat higher temperatures. The observed increase in the hardness and strength of these alloys, referred to as "aging" or as "secondary hardness," is widely accepted as being occasioned, either in whole or in part, by the precipitation in submicroscopic form of such constituents as were held in supersaturated solid solution as a result of cooling in excess of a certain critical rate. In earlier discussions of the cause of age hardening or secondary hardness, the question of the hardness of the precipitated particles does not appear to have been raised. At present, however, the general opinion appears to be that age hardening and secondary hardness are occasioned by the precipitation of hard particles within the supersaturated solid substance.3 The authors may be wrong in their belief that the last is a prevailing opinion. Nevertheless, it is thought that the following experiments,

Jan 7, 1924

By Thomas M. Drown

IN the course of some experiments on the analysis of pig iron, I heated, in a platinum crucible, some borings of a graphitic pig iron with sodium carbonate. When the crucible was at a full red heat and the carbonate was thoroughly fused, I noticed a lively ebullition of the mass, and an escape of gas, which burned on the surface. On investigation this gas proved to be carbonic oxide, and on examining the borings in the bottom of the crucible after an hour or two, they were found to be perfectly malleable, although unchanged in general form and appearance. Analysis showed that the carbon was completely removed. I then repeated the experiment, to ascertain whether the silicon and phosphorus were affected, and found that these elements too were largely removed, and could be found in the fused mass as alkaline silicates and phosphates. In order to ascertain whether the removal of the silicon and phosphorus was merely a surface action or whether the reaction really extended into the mass of the iron, I tried the following experiments : A number of bars of pig iron were cast about one foot long and planed down-accurately to one inch section. These were immersed in a large wrought-iron pot full of molten sodium carbonate made by fusing the commercial bicarbonate of soda. Through the kindness of Mr. Frank Firmstone, Superintendent of the Glendon Iron Works, Easton, I was enabled to keep this pot at a reasonably constant high temperature for a long time in one of the hot-blast ovens. One of the bars was removed from the pot every twenty-four or forty-eight hours, according to the rapidity of the action, and after cooling was broken and the fracture examined. The change from pig iron to malleable iron was progressively inwards and always sharp and easily recognized, the rate of progression being in a decreasing ratio with the time. The temperature of the oven had evidently

Jan 1, 1879

By J. E. Gosline

IN any theory of a hydrodynamic nature dealing with the vertical flow of gas-liquid mixtures in pipes, the two factors that present the greatest difficulty are the relative motion between the phases and the energy loss resulting from turbulence work. The former has generally been referred to in the literature as "slippage" and the latter as "fric-tion." A third factor of importance is the nature of admixture between liquid and gas for both the relative motion between the phases as well as the turbulence work are functions of the type of mixture. Although much work of a general nature has been performed on the vertical flow problem, there have been very few attempts made to study experimentally the factors involved in the phenomenon individually. Of these, perhaps the most notable is the work of Moore and Wilde1 on slippage. Some writers on the subject have assumed that over a wide range of operating conditions the controlling type of mixture, is one in which gas bubbles of uniform size are distributed throughout the liquid, and that the data obtained from experiments on the motion of single bubbles through various liquids may be used in evaluating the slippage. Ver-sluys2 has further assumed another controlling type of mixture in which the liquid occurs as a dispersed phase within the gas and applies data on the fall of drops of water in air to calculating the relative velocity. It was for the purpose of studying the applicability of data on single bubble motion to the slippage factor and to further observe the nature of mixtures that a research program was conducted at the University of California during 1932 and 1933. These experiments formed a basis for

Jan 1, 1935

By Krzystanek Z, Wasilewski S

The problem of automatic control of a coal mine ventilation network is discussed. It is found that the structure of the control sys-tem should have two levels, i.e. local regulation of ventilation para-meters (air flows) in faces to eliminate the effect of quick disturba-noes, and supervisory control of the whole ventilation process by pe-riodical modifications to the working characteristics of the main fans. Practical and theoretical problems connected with implementation of the system in Polish mining are listed and discussed. To solve these prob-lems a series of experiments with air flow control in three different coal faces were carried-out with the aim of checking the measuring and control equipment in a real mine conditions as well as investigatingthe gasodynamics of the ventilation process. The results of the experi-ments are analysdd, and used to verify the mathematical model of the gasodynamics of a longwall face.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. P. Newell, R. W. Storey

AUGER mining is a form of continuous mining in that it completely replaces with a one-cycle operation the older conventional cut, drill, shoot, and load method of mining. Relatively new, having been utilized only within the last few years, it is even more continuous in its production of coal than some other forms of continuous mining being practiced in this country today. There are at present coal recovery .augers in operation working along strip-mined highwalls from the outside. This paper will deal with underground mining, specifically with an experiment which was carried out with a machine developed for this purpose. The location of this experiment was in Pike County in eastern Kentucky in the upper split of the No. 3 Elkhorn seam. Coal height was 32 in. and roof conditions were very bad, with 10 in. of soft draw slate coming down with every cut in conventional mining. The coal is high-grade bituminous, excellent for metallurgical coking. Underground auger mining fills a need for a method of recovering coal in thin seams, under bad roof conditions or in split seams. In many cases it might save money by eliminating the handling of excessive quantities of rock. In fact, if the coal can be recovered, as in the case of this experiment, without mixing with any impurities outside the seam, it may be possible to load or ship a satisfactory product with little or no preparation or cleaning expense. The need for some economical method for recovering coal from thin seams is becoming more pressing as the more profitably mined seams are exhausted. Basic Principles of Auger Mining The principles of the auger, or screw conveyor, have long been used in drilling small diameter holes for blasting and other purposes. These same fundamentals apply to large diameter drilling. However, considerably more attention was given to designing a cutting head that would not pulverize the coal and consequently would require a minimum of power to drive it. The head, as designed for this job, consists of a cylinder 25 in. in diam with steel bits set in 3 positions spaced around the forward rim. A conventional coal drill bit, at the head of a bursting cone in the center of the cylinder, trails the forward rim slightly, see Fig. 1. The bursting cone and auger connections are anchored to the cutter barrel by 3 arms spaced at 120 This head design proved to be very satis-

Jan 1, 1952

By John Birkinbine

IN the spring of 1878 the Pine Grove Furnace, located in Cumberland County, Pa., was blown in after lying idle for several years. The furnace was constructed in 1770, and for over a century it has been in almost continual operation. The plant consisted in 1877, when the writer was first called there, of a stone stack 32 feet in height, inclosing a shaft and boshes, the latter being 8 feet in diameter. The blast was supplied by two wooden blowing-tubs discharging into a third, having a floating piston sustaining a box weighted to give the desired pressure, the power being furnished by a waterwheel. A small 18-pipe hot-blast stove heated the blast. The furnace was remodelled during the winter of '77-78, and a Weimer blowing-engine with a blowing-tub 5 feet in diameter and 2 feet stroke, and the necessary boilers, were substituted for the wooden tubs and water-wheel. The stack was raised and enlarged, and provided with a bell and hopper having a central drop. Water dam and tymp were added, and general repairs were made. The hot oven, however, was riot increased. The furnace had always been operated with charcoal as fuel, and its reconstruction was made with a view to continue the use of charcoal, but provision was made for ample blowing capacity should other fuels at any time be employed. Although liberal arrangements had been made in cutting wood, the stock of charcoal supplied in 1878 was insufficient for the increased requirements of the remodelled plant, and notwithstanding the purchase of some 80,000 bushels from an adjacent idle furnace, there was riot enough to keep the furnace in constant blast until a new supply could be obtained, particularly as the season was unusually backward. Instead of following the established precedent of many charcoal furnace managers, i. e., blow out every February, it was determined to continue in blast, using coke as fuel. Accordingly, when the charcoal stock was exhausted, on March 22d, 1879, Connellsville coke was substituted, the change of fuel being made at once; that is, the coke charges followed immediately upon the last charcoal charges. After working a few days,-the strike in the Connellsville coke region cut off the supply, and anthracite coal was obtained, a mixture of the two fuels being employed. The strike continuing,

Jan 1, 1880

By A. F. Taggart

THE following notes represent significant excerpts from a mass of records of experimental work done in the ore-dressing laboratory at the Columbia School of Mines during the years 1926 to 1928-inclusive. CLASSIFICATION OF EXPERIMENTAL WORK The experiments performed may be grouped for purposes of description under the following general -headings: I. Collecting agents. a. A method for quantifying collecting effect. b. Coating with undissolved collecting agents (oils) c. Action of dissolved collecting agents. II. Frothing agents. a. A method for quantifying frothing effect. b. Relation between frothing effect and chemical composition. III. Inorganic reagents. a. Methods of studying the effects of these reagents. b. Effect on slime dispersion. c. Effect on sulfides. SUMMARY OF THE ORIGINS OF PRESENT-DAY FLOTATION PRACTICE The first practicable, foolproof method of froth flotation was described in U. S. patent 835120, issued in 1906 to Sulman, Picard and Ballot, and in the equivalent patents in other countries. A number of less simple methods of producing the same result had been described previously in patent publications and otherwise.1 The reagents specified in all of these early patents were "oils" and, in addition, some inorganic substance, usually an acid. The quantities of reagents recommended and added were enormous when' compared with those used today.

Jan 1, 1929

By Leon McCulloch

WHEN clean iron and metallic zinc dust, protected from the air, are heated below the melting point of zinc, the iron takes on a coating that has excellent protective value. This coating is a brittle alloy of zinc and iron, and the process is called sherardizing. Although the zinc particles are covered with oxide and cannot touch the iron, an extremely small amount of the zinc vaporizes and the vapor, reaching the iron, alloys with it. Other zinc then vaporizes to replace that which has been removed from the atmosphere. This process continues indefinitely at a decreasing rate, for the coating already formed permits zinc to diffuse through-it to combine with the iron beneath. In this way, the coating grows outward from the surface of the iron, as the bark grows from a tree. The method of growth was clearly seen while sherardizing small cubes of cast iron, at about 450° C., in a small glass-stoppered bottle enclosed in a rotating drum. The dust contained about 3 per cent. iron, which prevented caking, and coatings 1/2 in. thick were grown in a few hours. After a heavy layer had been formed, the cubes were again: treated for a shorter time. The layer last formed was seen to lie next to the iron, instead of at the outer surface, showing that the growth was from the surface of the iron outward. The coatings split at the edges and corners, leaving the iron exposed there. Flakes of graphite from the iron were lifted upward and embedded in the coatings. The composition of sherardized coatings varies from the outer surface inward, as would be expected from the mode of growth. That is, the iron content increases slowly at first, then more rapidly as the iron is approached. At the surface the least amount of iron possible is 6 per cent., as the experiments described below have shown.

Jan 2, 1922

By M. Valdebenito, J. Rajala

An OCS Expert control system was implemented by Svedala Cisa at the Minera Maricunga Refugio Crush-Leach Operation near Copiapo, Chile. The purpose of the Expert system was to maximize production through the primary and secondary crushing circuits and help balance crusher usage between each stage to maximize total plant production. Interesting aspects of the control strategies are discussed. Benefits of the control were verified through a randomized On/Off test program. Tonnage increases ranged from 5% to approximately 20% at good confidence intervals. Benefits analysis results are discussed. The crushing plant at Refugio is very remote and is located at approximately 15,500 ft. This poses many challenges. The effect of altitude and remote location on plant operation are discussed.

Jan 1, 2002

By J. E. Golsan

Barrick Gold Corporation installed an expert style control system on the grinding circuit at its Mercur mine. Barrick's main objective was to increase mill throughput by a minimum of 3%. The expert system team collected operating data and then created a knowledge base using Comdale/X expert system development software. The expert system moved from on-line "advisory" mode, testing of expert rules, to full process control in four weeks. Expert system control benefits include a 9-15% increase in mill throughput, consistent mill loading leading to less wear on SAG mill parts, and improved downstream process control.

Jan 1, 1998

By Luis Bergh, Juan Olivares, Juan Durán, Juan Yianatos

"In the last decades heuristic approaches based on logic rules have been one favored tool to control flotation units and plants on top of distributed control systems. Fundamental knowledge on flotation processes, expressed in reliable models, and programs to assure the quality of the information, contained in available measurements, are still insufficient to develop robust predictive control strategies. In this paper the idea of using simplified models, when a known disturbance is coming into the process, is explored. As a first approach, the set points of the froth depth and air flow rate controllers are estimated based on this model. Since these target predictions are only approximate, a conventional feedback expert system, based on logic rules, continues the task of calculating the set points of the distributed controllers, in order to decrease the gap between actual and desirable metallurgical targets. This combined actions permitted a fast response of the process to change the operation of the circuit when a measured disturbance is detected. This control system was implemented and experimentally evaluated in a pilot rougher flotation circuit, with three pneumatic cells, with froth depth and air flow rate controllers in each cell. Since the circuit is operated for the air-water system, a phenomenological model, with parameters estimated from industrial data, is fed on-line with real operating variables and virtual values, characterizing the feed (grades, solids%, particle size distribution), in order to predict the metallurgical targets (recovery and concentrate grade). Several cases are discussed showing the benefits of this control system and the possible improvements to work on. INTRODUCTIONToday, large size mechanical flotation cells of 100 to 300 m3 are used in rougher operation in different flotation industrial plants, in Chile and worldwide. However, in spite of the advances in fundamental research and the notable growing in equipment size, with more complete instrumentation systems, there are still a lack of reliable data for industrial flotation modeling and simulation to advance in better control systems design."

Jan 1, 2016