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By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

"Who is the man who views the mines and promptly turns them down? Who is the one that thinks this is the short cut to renown? Who is it gives the bum advice to the innocent financier? The knowledge-feigning, theory- straining mining engineer." -Anonymous INTRODUCTION Taxes levied against mining properties and operations are a critical cost in the economic evaluation of mining investments. Indeed, taxes represent a substantial cost of doing business in the minerals industry and often have a significant impact on corporate investment decisions. A good example was the postponement of mineral development in the state of Wisconsin, primarily because of what was perceived to be excessive taxes imposed by that state. In many respects mining investments are no different from other industrial investments. Astute taxing authorities should recognize that geologic endowment is a necessary but clearly not a sufficient condition for mineral investments. The fact that a mineral deposit exists does not necessarily mean that it will ultimately be developed-a point that many taxing authorities fail to recognize. While it is true that ore deposits are not mobile in the sense that they cannot be physically moved to a district having more favorable taxes, corporate investment capital certainly is mobile and flows to ventures which maximize wealth to the firm. In short, higher taxes reduce project yields and tend to drive investment capital elsewhere. The appropriate type and level of taxation imposed upon the mining industry continues to be a very controversial and emotion-charged topic. Mining activities have been taxed at various levels over the years due to widely differing taxation philosophies. Location has also influenced taxation policies, as evidenced by the diversity of tax laws and assessment procedures applied to mineral deposits by the various states. Indeed, mineral taxation varies from state to state, from county to county, and from one mineral commodity to another. Whether or not a given tax is appropriate for a specific mineral deposit, or even an industry, is a difficult problem to assess. First, the type or kind of tax which should be imposed must be considered. Second, it is most important to define a fair and unambiguous base against which to levy the tax. Finally, one must consider the tax rate to be applied to this base. It is the combination of these two components

Jan 1, 1984

By H. B. FERNALD

THE first year to which the Revenue Act of 1936 has applied is now passed. It is appropriate to try to give some calm thought to the plan of Federal income taxation as now imposed and what it will mean to the business and industry of the country if this plan of taxation is continued unchanged. Whether or not we like to pay these taxes is beside the point. Taxes are high and may be expected to be high for many years. The important question is whether the taxes to be imposed will destroy or injure business enterprise and development, and, in so doing, lower the standards of employment, living, comfort, and welfare of our people. The power to tax is the power to destroy. That destruction may come suddenly as a cyclone, or slowly as dry rot. What, if any, features are there in the present plan of Federal income taxation that have these destructive tendencies? A few of the points follow that seem to call for consideration.

Jan 1, 1937

By C. G. Williams

IN preparing this paper on Canadian mine taxation, there has been no attempt to detail the requirements of the various taxing bodies; but rather to consider the matter from the standpoint of its underlying principles and give a general idea of the methods adopted. I have added an Appendix setting forth the principal features of the various Acts, which should be used for general reference only, since new rulings alter minor details from time to time. In current legislation, many important points are left to the discretion of the Ministers and their deputies. We are, indeed, fortunate in having in Canada an able and conscientious body of permanent officials, who bring a sense of justice and courtesy to their work which is most commendable, and which has done much to simplify the working out of general problems. The production of metals may rightly be deemed a form of manufacture, but differs from the average manufacturing business in three important respects: (1) In its early stages, it is wholly speculative, since it is impossible to make any definite appraisal of value or possibilities. (2) The principal asset of any mine, i.e., the ore in the ground, is a wasting asset, and is irreplaceable. (3) Any additional burden by way of taxation cannot be passed on to the public but must be borne entirely by the producer. Having regard to the first of these differences, it is apparent that, since the risk of loss is great, the reward in case of success must be correspondingly great. This fact seems to be constantly overlooked by those who regard the all too few outstanding successes in Canadian mining history as fit prey for predatory legislation. As an illustration of the speculative nature of early mining development, let us consider the Province of Ontario-and I take this illustration simply because I am more familiar with conditions there, and not because I believe it differs greatly from any other province. From 1907 to 1933, 165,243 claims were staked and recorded, from which 43 mines were developed which paid one or more dividends. There was, of course, some duplication through re-staking; also, on some claims very little work was done, and most mines have more than one claim. But, since staking and recording cost real money and effort, each of these claims must have been considered to have had merit.

Jan 1, 1935

By W. D. Haley

The report of the Forestry Committee, presented to the recent Imperial Conference at London, is discouraging in its view of the future of timber resources and supplies. From a review of the forestry situation throughout the world, there is every likelihood that, thirty years from this, a shortage of the soft-woods will be severely felt. In the United States, only about one-third of the present forest area contains virgin timber. This will be cleared at the rate of five and a half million acres a year, so that in twenty-five years it will be about all gone. Canada has only about 27 per cent of her original forests left, and her virgin soft-wood will last but another half century. At the present time, the value of her lumber products is over $300,000,000 annually. During the summers of 1909 and 1910, the Government of Nova Scotia caused an examination to be made of the forest conditions in this Province. The reconnaissance, which was under the direction of Professor B. E. Fernow, of Toronto, involved an examination of the various soils, the rate of growth of the wood, and a general survey of the forest area. The importance to the Province of conserving its forest resources was clearly shown, and a number of recommendations were made, which; however, were never acted upon.

Jan 1, 1927

By H. E. Bartlett

This paper deals with the sampling and mass measurement for ore delivered from a shaft to a processing plant and the contribution of the data from these measurements to the metal balances from shaft deliveries to final metal production. Accurate measurement of the grade and tonnage of run-of-mine ore is important for four main reasons; ? It enables the measurement of the production from different profit centres to within statistically determined confidence limits for daily, monthly, or annual averages. The profit centres could be individual shafts within a mining complex or ore treated on a toll basis ? The monthly production at shaft head is compared to the grades and tonnage determined from underground sampling and mass measurement in terms of a shaft call factor ? The sum of the production from the shafts is the input to concentrators. This input is a major part of the total input into a complex with concentrators, smelters, and refineries. In terms of the Codes of Practice for Metal Accounting the inputs are compared to outputs and inventory changes to assess the efficiencies and unaccounted losses or gains at the various stages in the flow of metal from source to market ? On a daily or daily moving average basis, the grades and tons from shafts are monitored and compared against these quantities from underground measurements. This acts as a control on off-reef mining, dilution, and other factors underground. Accurate measurement of grade of ore at the shaft head has been a challenge because of the large particle size. The conventional wisdom has been that ore can be sampled accurately only after it has been milled to give a slurry that is sampled as feed to a flotation process. However, when the ore fed to a flotation plant comes from multiple sources each source has to be sampled separately. So, relying on the grades determined using the sampling of concentrator input with cross-stream slurry samplers is not an option for determining the grade from an individual shaft. Impala has developed a system for sampling and weighing run-of-mine ore from multiple shafts. The system involves sampling the inputs to the plants using cross-belt (hammer) samplers and weighing the deliveries using in-motion railway weighing systems. Many samples are taken. Individually they have a high variance but, as a consequence of the averaging effect of large numbers and as shown by statistical analysis, the mean results are fit for the purposes of daily grade control for shafts and for monthly accounting of production from individual shafts. In the metal accounting systems at Impala, the measurement of input, including ore and toll-treated material is compared to the output in the form of final metal and tailings losses, as well as any inventory change that takes place, in order to determine a final metal balance from mill feed to product. The calculated inventory is compared to that measured, and the difference, or unaccounted- for metal, is then reported as a percentage of input. The balances obtained over several years yields balances for platinum that are below 1% imbalanced. Keywords metal balancing, platinum mines, AMIRA codes of practice, metal accounting, sampling, run-of-mine ore, statistical analysis.

Jan 1, 2014

By D. Runnels, Daniel Roy, Ricardo Esteban, J. Torrealba-Vargas

"An intuitive way to reduce power consumption in grinding operations is to feed the grinding circuit with finer feed by enhancing blasting and fragmentation control. The optimization of blasting with the objective of minimizing power consumption in grinding is not new.The study was based on a Canadian mine that processes a very hard ore. BBA conducted blasting/fragmentation and grinding circuit surveys in 2014. The results of the exercise were used to develop a base case model to simulate the effect of blasting in the operation on the grinding circuit. Tools for fragmentation simulations, particle size measurement and crushing/grinding simulations were used with the objective of reducing the OPEX costs including power consumption.The paper describes the steps involved in the model optimization as well as an economical evaluation of the OPEX savings.INTRODUCTIONIn 2014 BBA was retained by one of its clients to conduct a crushing and grinding survey. The objective of the survey was to update the grinding circuit model with production data and also to develop a tool to investigate opportunities for process improvement.A second phase of the study involved the development of drilling and blasting and crushing models. The models were used to diagnose the operations and to investigate opportunities for process improvement.The objective of the present study is to describe the approach and to identify potential improvements to overall mine site operating costs by better integrating mining and milling operating costs with blasting and grinding models."

Jan 1, 2016

By Walter Valery, Sarma Kanchibotla

Due to the global financial crisis, the world economy has turned upside down and most major economies in the world are facing severe recession for the past one and half year. During this period most commodity prices have tumbled by more than half from their peaks and such a sudden and severe economic downturn is not seen since the great depression. This sudden drop in commodity prices and lack of credit made many mining operations unviable and even those mines that are marginally viable at this point are operating under severe cost pressures and capital expenditure restrictions.

Jan 1, 2010

By J T. Carswell, N A. Schofield

Fluctuations in periodic reconciliations between the mine and the mill are an expected and common experience in mining and processing operations. These fluctuations are caused in part by errors in the estimates of tonnage and grade of the mined material as well as errors in the millÆs assessment of the material processed. Keeping these errors small and unbiased is an important aspect of an efficient operation whose primary goal is to derive maximum benefit from the exploitation of the mineral resource.These fluctuations in periodic reconciliations can also mask subtle but economically important problems which may take years to identify and resolve. Such problems can result from a poorly-conceived model of the mineralisation which affects both the spatial distribution of the ore as well as the tonnage - grade distribution over the range of cut-off grades. Poorly conceived models of the mineral resources and ore distribution can arise as a result of insufficient and inadequate?drilling and sampling of the mineralisation, inappropriate?application of geological?constraints in the estimation process and the use of inappropriate methods to estimate the block grade distribution. This paper presents three case studies from gold and copper mining operations, two of which experienced significant problems with their mine to mill reconciliations over extended periods of time. For the gold mine in case study 1, sampling problems were ultimately considered to be the main cause of the poor reconciliations between grade control predictions and the mill which persisted over a period of 18 months. In addition, incorrect application of resource modelling methods contributed significantly to a mismatching of the mill capacity with the mine at the beginning of operations. For the underground copper mine in case study 2, a change in the approach taken to resource modelling brought marked improvements in ore definition and more accurate predictions of ore grade and better production forecasts.The third case study describes the background to the expansion of production to exploit a large tonnage of lower-grade stockwork mineralisation in an open pit gold mine. Several years of favourable Mine to Mill reconciliation data from the mining and processing of higher grade and lower grade stockwork styles of gold mineralisation provided the confidence in the approach to grade control to support the expansion plans during a period of low gold prices.The paper is intended to complement the discussion of mineral resource estimation methods and risks in Section 6.1.3 of the Mine ManagersÆ Handbook to be published by the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (Schofield, 2012).CITATION:Schofield, N A, Moore, J and Carswell, J T, 2012. Mine to mill reconciliation - Three case studies, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 161-172 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

Paddington processing plant is located approximately 30 km north of Kalgoorlie on the Menzies Highway and is owned by Placer Dome Asia Pacific. First mining was from the Paddington Pit, but in subsequent years the plant has had a history of treating ores from a large number of sources, and has used several different methods to reconcile mining and mill production. Reconciliations are necessary to keep a check on the quality control of mining and grade control processÆs. There is a need to be able to identify and resolve issues that will affect the profitability of the organisation quickly. They are also used to check the quality of the resource/reserve statements, and allow the accurate and timely payment of royalties to stakeholders. During the formation of the Kalgoorlie West operations when Delta Gold Limited and Goldfields Limited merged in 2001, the complexity of reconciliations increased dramatically. The expansion of the scope of reconciliations to include two mills, four underground mines and seven open pits, and ore from one deposit to both mills meant that a revised strategy was essential. A variety of issues have arisen over the years with discrepancies occurring when reconciling both tonnes and grade. There are many ways to approach reconciliations, and in recent times these philosophies have been widely debated on site. A consistent and logical approach that takes into account many different sources of ore, as well as different methods of delivery to the Run of Mine stockpiles is therefore necessary. This would standardise the different approaches taken by the various operations that combined to form Kalgoorlie west. The new method reconciles mill production back to the individual ore sources, and produces reconciled-mined tonnes and grade based on the mill throughput and the change in stockpiles. There will generally be a small discrepancy between the claimed mined tonnes produced (and grades) and the mill production. This needs to be highlighted to the operations concerned if it considered unacceptably large. Paddington mill over the last few years has had up to ten sources of ore each year, and up to 15 different stockpiles being processed during each month from those various pits. This combined with the need for a blended oxide/fresh feed, whilst striving to deliver a consistent (grade and hardness) product to the mill, has meant that reconciliations have been very difficult.

Jan 1, 2003

By W F. E Ouedraogo

This study data has been collected on a three-month period from November 2020 to January 2021 and based on three different pits: Vindaloo Main, Vindaloo Central and Bouere. Both pits having specific geotechnical and geological properties. Vindaloo Main, VIM, and Central, VIC, have the same mineral composition as volcanic tuff with felsic intrusion or monzodiorite, both rock mass is fractured with small joint. Geotechnically the uniaxial compressive strength UCS between 200 to 300 Mpa, Young’s Modulus 110 Gpa and Poisson’s ratio between 0.1 to 0.2. Bouere pit is basically made of volcanic tuff stock works as intrusive, UCS between 200 to 300 Mpa, Young’s Modulus 103 Gpa and Poisson’s ratio between 0.2 to 0.3. The first step of this study was to collect various data from mining operations around the drilling and blasting inputs. This was based around the different scenario of drilling parameters and the outcomes on the blasting, and how they impact load and haul operations and productivities of excavators from the heave to the last flitch. In most cases surface photos of the blast do not represent the overall fragmentation in the blast volume. Photos of the different flitches will not show only the effect of blast, as the loading operation generating more fragmentation by applying weight on the muck pile. Then the record of the different material uses for feeding. The last part of the analysis is the physical data from process plant such as particle size, throughput rate, both for the crusher and the mill, per pit and material and the specific Bond Work index (BWI). Fine particle quantity production is also a key point as is one direct indicator of milling performance. In overall, making link to BWI can influence at each stage of the mining to the processing operation. Drill and blast constitute a high cost in hard rock mining and trying to reduce these costs without an overview of all the integrated processes and context could end up by cost relocating to other activities in the process. However, the cost associated to size reduction builds exponentially as the particle size becomes smaller.

Jun 22, 2022

By K. D. Allen, M. J. Blattman

The problem of measuring the amount of rock removed during a given time interval is faced by most mining operations. Many methods have been developed with varying degrees of success, dependent upon the mining method and the availability of usable data. The Rosebud Mine has been in production for nearly two years, employing several techniques to estimate monthly production from underground production stopes. The use of three-dimensional solids generated from survey data has greatly improved the reliability and confidence of monthly production reports. The authors will summarize the methodology currently being utilized at Rosebud.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. J. Blattman

The problem of measuring the amount of rock removed during a given time interval is faced by most milling operations. Many methods have been developed with varying degrees of success, dependent upon the mining method and the availability of usable data. The Rosebud Mine has been in production for nearly two years, employing several techniques to estimate monthly production from underground production stopes. The use of three-dimensional solids generated from survey data has greatly improved the reliability and confidence of monthly production reports. The authors will summarize the methodology currently being utilized at Rosebud.

Jan 1, 1999

Underground excavations are subjected to complex stress changes caused by nearby mining, but may also be affected by repeated dynamic loading from blasting and seismic events. In some cases, the combined, cumulative effects can lead to unforeseen damage, displacement and instability. Simulating dynamic loading of an underground excavation is a very complex task. The state of rock mass stress, damage and deformation must first be simulated sufficiently requiring small-scale structures to be explicitly modelled. Supporting elements must be represented with high similitude and then the dynamic event must be applied to the system in the case of blasts, or evolve as a consequence of rock mass instability for seismic events. A special case is for the effect of pit blasting on underground excavations - discontinuous rock phenomena at scales from mine, to bench, to pillar, to tunnel need to be captured and this represents one of the most computationally intensive tasks in mine simulation. Recent advances in computer power allow these tasks to be completed at a mine scale, incorporating discontinuities and geological detail matching the best practice for static Finite Element analyses. The results are a worthwhile contribution to mine decision-making, but require careful interpretation and thoughtful inputs - even more so than quasi-static analysis - as the cumulative effects of unfavourable modeling practices are greater. Some learnings from experiences with mine scale, discontinuum dynamic simulation are summarised, including a discussion of considerations of scale and similitude for this type of analysis.

Nov 25, 2010

By T. W. White

One of the objectives of today's mine superintendent is to increase his equipment availability. To this end we have seen improved scheduling procedures, preventive maintenance programs and extensive drive training and operating procedures. However, until recently, one area that has changed little in the past twenty years is the method of refueling and servicing mine equipment. In looking at mines across the country continually one encounters the hazardous oil soaked ground, the hand held fuel nozzle and the maze of hoses of the "traditional" fuel stop. By adapting technology developed in the construction and aircraft industry, current fueling and servicing practices can be easily improved. The result will be less nonproductive time, less downtime from engine failures and increased security from major refueling fires. The time saved almost amounts to having another truck in the fleet! One feature of the improved servicing practice is the implementation of high flow fueling. For trucks now on the market, a flow rate between 120 and 150 gam is feasible, about 90 gam greater than current practice. This flow rate could be increased even further as larger trucks come into use. A second idea borrowed from the aircraft industry is the use of positive lock type connection nozzles that automatically shut off when flow stops. These may be used for fuel, water, oil and hydraulic systems to eliminate spillage and assure that clean fuel, oils, and water are delivered to the vehicles. The reduction of fuel spillage lessens the threat of major fires resulting: in equipment damage and loss. Eliminating fire hazards will become even more important as the turbine engine with its lighter, more volatile fuels come into common use.

Jan 1, 1972

By H Arvidson, C Morley

Reconciliation has become very topical over the last ten years but how do we distinguish what is good practice, and even more importantly, show how it adds value? Reconciliation at Anglo American has received support from the very top of the company and this has enabled success in the design and implementation of a range of processes, reporting activities and actions. Focus has been on full Mine Value Chain Reconciliation (MVCR) from Resource to Product and on proactive cross-functional engagement. A standardised set of reconciliation definitions and relationships are used at all mines across the company to diagnose planning and performance issues. Results are formally presented in an efficient dashboard format, accompanied by a concise narrative to communicate what has been learned and what is being done to correct, improve or change practices. Importantly, effort has also been made to sustain MVCR by embedding good practice and quantifying the benefit of reconciliation explicitly via linking results to value.This paper sets out the lessons learned from the past two-years’ journey, highlighting areas where good practice has been defined and achieved. A ranking for quantifying reconciliation confidence over time is presented as a means of putting results into context and continuously improving the reconciliation process. Finally, a solution to define the value that can be derived from reconciliation is described, detailing how cross-functional personnel meet monthly to review results and implement actions that are tracked in terms of value creation.CITATION:Morley, C and Arvidson, H, 2017. Mine value chain reconciliation – demonstrating value through best practice, in Proceedings Tenth International Mining Geology Conference 2017, pp 103–116 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 20, 2017

TWO very interesting sessions on mine ventilation were held on Monday. George S. Rice, chairman of the Mine Ventilation Committee, presided at the morn-ing session. Formal reports from two subcommittees were presented, as well as two technical papers. Daniel Harrington, for the subcommittee on metal mining, gave a most interesting report, devoting most of it to a review of the literature that had appeared during the past year, to the cooling of mine air, and to a discussion of mine fires. In the absence of Dr. R. R. Sayers, chairman of the Physiological subcommittee, Mr. Harrington gave a resume of that report. The main points covered were in connection with silicosis but some attention was also paid to the associated prob-lems of air cooling and humidity. The paper by Prof. W. S. Weeks on the "Air-Current Regulator" was briefed by Prof. A. C. Callen. Pro-fessor Weeks brought out the fact that the common application of Murgue's equivalent-orifice formula to regulator problems was incorrect, inasmuch as the dis-charge from the regulator was not released into the open air but into a slow-moving current beyond the regulator. He applied the shock-loss theory of Bordoni to the problem and worked out a formula for solving regulator problems, giving coefficients of contraction he had determined experimentally.

Jan 3, 1928

By F. Ernest Brackett

Much new data on the flow of gases have been discovered by recent experiments by the United States Bureau of Mines and others. Although additional investigation is still desirable, the information now collected seems sufficient to attempt a tentative coördination of the friction factors. This study is confined entirely to fluid friction when the density throughout the duct is so nearly constant that it may be so considered. In the subsequent discussion the following notation is used: v = mean velocity of fluid in duct, feet per second. v' = mean velocity of fluid in duct, meters per second. R = hydraulic radius of duct, feet. R' = hydraulic radius of duct, meters. S = the hydraulic slope. P = pressure absorbed by friction, pounds per square foot. p = pressure absorbed by friction, pounds per square inch. p' = pressure absorbed by friction, kilograms per square centimeter. A = sectional area of duct, square feet. O = perimeter of duct, feet. L = total length of duct, feet. L' = total length of duct, meters. d = diameter of a cylindrical duct, inches. w = density of the fluid, pounda per cubic foot. g = specific gravity of the fluid compared with water = w % 62.4. C, k and B, coefficients for formulas using English measures. C' = metric coefficient, v' = C'R'S. n = coefficient of roughness for English or metric units. The basic formula for the flow of all fluids at constant density appears in the three following forms, which may be denominated: (a) The slope formula, v = CRS (b) The ventilation formula, " n = (c) The pipe formula, C is Kutter's coefficient, which is extensively applied to the flow of water in ducts and channels of all kinds; E is Atkinson's coefficient, used principally with air in ventilation problems; B is a coefficient conveniently adapted to studying the flow of water, gases and vapors in pipes. 312

Jan 1, 1927

This report presents the comments of members of the Institute's Sub-committee on Physics of Mine Ventilation on the proposals of a special committee of the Institute of Mining Engineers (London). This report is as follows: THEORY OF MINE VENTILATION Abstract of a report submitted June 16, 1925, to the Council of The Institution of Mining Engineers by a Special Committee Laws of Flow of Aib The law of flow of air in mine galleries is, at present, expressed by two formulas differing slightly in shape but both derived from the original hydraulic formulas of Chezy and others. These formulas are: The Atlcinson Formula.—Pa = KsV2, which in transformation becomes a3 where P = pressure producing flow; K = coefficient of friction; s = surface of the mine galleries; V = velocity of flow; Q = rate of flow; a = area of mine galleries. This formula is especially applicable to mine galleries, but is unwieldy in application, as in many problems we are dealing with changes produced in the same set of airways when K, s, and a are assumed not to change, and the only variables are P and Q. Great uncertainty prevails as to the exact values to be assigned to the coefficient K in different types of airway, as different workers have given widely differing values. This formula assumes: (I) That resistance to flow is independent of the pressure within the gallery. (2) That changes in volume within the limits of pressure ordinarily met with may be neglected. (3) That changes in density and viscosity and mode of flow of the air may be neglected. (4) That the coefficient K is a constant. (5) That P is proportional to the square of the velocity. We cannot find any reliable experimental work leading us to conclude how far these assumptions are justifiable in mining practice. Equivalent Orifice Formula.—The fundamental form of this formula is Q = ~nA.\/2~11

Jan 1, 1927

By A. S. Richardson

The design of mine airways receives, in general, very little engineering treatment. To a large extent this is, of course, due to the fact that information upon which to base calculations is seldom available in definite form. In many rnines the extent of the workable deposits may not be known at the time an air course is planned, and the length of service is indeterminable. Volume of air required for ventilation rnay also increase with extension of the life of a property, and natural obstacles, such as heavy ground, often place limitations upon the size of opening that can be maintained. Perhaps most of the shafts used in the ventilation of metal mines were originally intended as hoisting shafts, and many of the tunnels and crosscuts similarly used, were also designed as haulage ways or for other operating purposes. Even when a shaft is sunk solely for ventilation, custom usually dictates a size and shape consistent with the type commonly used for ordinary operations, because experience has demonstrated it can be excavated and maintained. In fact, most ventilation openings were never made with any consideration as to economic design for such use. When an air course is required to pass air between different parts of mine workings under a fixed pressure, the size of opening required for a given volume of flow, is, of course, determined by the resistance factor of the air course. It is then impossible to proportion the opening with reference to economics of power consumption, and this paper is limited to the design of openings where ventilation pressure or power consumption may he varied for economic advantage. As the size of an air course is increased, the expense involved in excavation and support is, of course, also increased, but the charge for power is decreased. In the case of a mine that has only a short assured operating life, it would not be ecouomical to provide large openings in order to reduce power bills; but when operations are likely to continue for a long time, the power charge becomes a very important economic factor. Although lack of definite information on such factors as service life and costs of excavation and support affects the design of an air course, it appears, from a mathematical analysis of the problem, that considerable variations may be made in estimating these factors, without greatly

Jan 1, 1927

By V. C. Allison

Large-scale testing of the explosibility of coal dust as conducted by the Bureau of Mines in its Experimental Mine involves a large initial investment, and a high charge for maintenance and conduct of the test; in addition the work is necessarily slow because of the time required for the preparntion of the tests and the cleaning and repairing of the mine after each test. These tests have been made along practical mining lines that admit of a range of mixtures of dust varying from 5 to 10 per cent. and with gas as low as 0.5 per cent. increments. Because of the time and expense involved, efforts have been made to devise a type of gallery for laboratory use in which the results obtained in the Experimental Mine may be correlated as an aid in a study of dusts, the explosibility of which might be approximately determined quickly and at a minimum of expense. The explosibility of coal dust has been studied by a number of European investors, using small laboratory devices; among these may be mentioned the experiments conducted by Galloway, Vital, Hall and Clark, Abel, Mallard and Chatelier, Thorpe, Bedson and Widdas, Engler, Holwartz and Meyer, and Taffanel, results of whose experiments have becn reviewed by the Bureau of Mines.' The Bureau has conducted many tests with the Frazer-Cle1ncnt5 apparattus, which gives the pressures set up when the dust cloud within is ignited with a platinum coil or tube, heated to different temperatures, but for these tests the sample must be especially prepared as to size (200 mesh) and must be dry. Need for a Dust-testing Apparatus An attempt has been made to design an apparatus that may be used for checking and correlating the expcrimental tests. The first design was a wooden gallery, 8 by 10 in., inside cross section, and 12 ft. long, and having a number of strips along each side for creation of turbulence. The wooden gallery did not get beyond its period of calibration; it mas difficult to make the gallery sufficiently tight, for it was necessary that the top be removable in order that the gallery could be cleaned. In the use of the wooden gallery, however, sufficient operating data were obtained to be a guide in the design of a steel gallery having a circular cross-section. One of the features was a flap valve, at the closed end of the gallery, that would open inwardly thus preventing a reduced pressure within, caused by the cooling of the gases of combustion, and the explosions propagated much better than when the valve was not used; another feature was the determining of the best method for getting a cloud of dust simultaneously in all parts of the gallery, which was accomplished by the use of the concussion wave of a small quantity of powder or by the use of compressed air.

Jan 1, 1927