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By Jayne Holden

Development of a deep-sea mining system is a new and interesting field of research. Commercial mining of the ocean floor for SMS deposits is yet to occur, and while exploration of the undersea has been undertaken by various research institutes exploitation of SMS deposits is yet to be investigated in detail. Industry has been stimulated by the potential development of economically viable deep-sea mining methods. The establishment of deep-sea mining production has also been encouraged by industry trends. These include the success of the oil and offshore diamond industries, scientific advances in computer modeling, technological advances in undersea exploratory equipment and further development of the Law of the Sea. This project also presents an opportunity to build on UNSW?s established reputation, positioning the Mining Research Centre as a leader in this specialized field of research. This project aims to form a greater understanding of the environmental conditions associated with SMS deposits, detailing the physical, biological and chemical characteristics of typical ocean floor sites from an environmental management perspective. With the aid of previous numerical models and disturbance experiments that have been conducted at various ocean floor sites worldwide, new virtual reality models will be developed to enable assessment of the environmental impact of the undersea mining process. These models will simulate seafloor systems prior to mining through various stages including particle distribution and sediment disturbance, to illustrate the impact of a number of proposed mining techniques. The model will allow users an interactive virtual experience of a potential SMS deposit site where hotspots can be identified and mining processes can be demonstrated. This initial baseline model will help to establish generic parameters, which can then be modified and tailored to simulate a wide range of deposit sites and differing mining processes. These models will be validated with the development of appropriate physical modelling.

Jan 1, 2002

By K Ringwood, J Cummings, C J. Moran

The development of a water accounting framework that enables consistent and contextual reporting of minerals operationsÆ water use, represents a key sustainable development objective that many Australian minerals companies have committed to. A future water accounting framework will require: key terms and definitions for water metrics for use in the Australian minerals industry that are consistent with the wider water sector, a suite of metrics representing key components of an operationÆs water balance, a calculation method for some of the metrics, and a reporting protocol. This paper presents the methodology that was used to derive these four components. Existing accounting frameworks were reviewed and key terms and definitions that were consistent with current regulatory requirements and voluntary approaches were proposed. A calculation methodology was developed to obtain some of the key indicators and variables that cannot be easily measured directly (eg water loss through evaporation). The adopted terms and definitions typically require a combination of empirical and estimated data. To test the proposed definitions and calculation methodology, values for water metrics were derived for eight sites, selected to test a variety of commodity and biophysical situations. The proposed framework and definitions could deal with the specific situations selected as case studies. The associated calculation methodology produced complete accounts at various levels. Some elements of the accounts could be directly checked against available data and simulations. The framework captured well variations in the reuse efficiencies; reuse efficiency could even vary for similar processes. It is concluded that this preliminary accounting framework provides a consistent language and metrics for quantifying and communicating water management, both at the intersection of the site with the surrounding landscape (through detailed reporting of site inputs and outputs) and within operational activities. Using this consistent framework for quantifying and documenting water use within an operation will provide a platform for compiling and comparing minerals industry water use with other sectors. This may support benchmarking activities within regions or companies and help demonstrate leadership amongst water users in water resource stewardship. The approach presented here is applicable to a wide variety of mining and processing activities, and biophysical environments, and following a period of stakeholder engagement and third party review, is being refined as a first step towards developing nationally consistent water use reporting for the Australian minerals industry.

Jan 1, 2009

By J Canterford

There is an apparent push to develop and commercialise "new and innovative" process flow sheets. A not-too-difficult reality check clearly demonstrates that the success rate of this push is not particularly significant and in fact could be regarded as a waste or misappropriation of R&D funding and the associated brain power. As Julian Sumner Miller would comment "why is this so?" To put it bluntly, many of the so-called innovative developments are equivalent to gold plating the dunny door - visually interesting but of very limited practical value. This presentation encapsulates some personal lessons learnt over the past 45 years.CITATION:Canterford, J, 2013. Developing a ænew and innovativeÆ process flow sheet - Traps for all players of all ages, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 1-5 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 15, 2013

Drill blasting is a widely used method for rock fragmentation in mining, quarrying and construction industries. Environmental effects such as air shocks, dust, flying rocks and ground vibration are unavoidable results and undesired effects of blasting. Among these ground vibrations can have a damaging effect and may influence on long distances. Therefore various researchers have developed mathematical models to predict ground vibration after blasting. These models take into account the amount of explosive, distance and several coefficients related to the field under investigation. The developed models to predict ground vibration may yield different results for the same case. Selection of the most suitable model requires engineering judgment and evaluation of models. At this point, a computerised system helps the engineer to evaluate and select the most suitable model in order to design and plan a blasting pattern. The safe charge of explosive and magnitude of vibration after blasting should be predicted beforehand. Therefore a computer program namely 'prediction of blast induced vibration' (P-BIV) has been developed. This paper introduces and presents a computer program (P-BIV) which includes the set of models developed to estimate ground vibration to provide blasting engineers a tool to determine the amount of explosive for safe blasting.

Dec 6, 2010

By Pierre Labrecque

Dispatch systems have been used for open pit mining since the early 1980?s but similar systems do not widely exist for underground mining. There is a need for developing dispatch systems for underground mines, particularly highly automated operations such as block caving. An innovative method, Agent Based Modeling (ABM) for a dispatch system for a block caving operation, is proposed in this paper. The model is based on a particular behaviour observed in social insects. The focus of the ABM dispatch system is adaptability with respect to changing operational conditions and effective integration of maintenance modules with the operation. The paper will show the advantages of this innovative method compared to existing similar systems. Furthermore, the preliminary approaches for developing an agent based modeling system for block caving operations are highlighted and discussed in this paper. 1. Introduction In social

May 1, 2008

By G. Bezuidenhout, N. C. Steenkamp

Buying centres are the first point of contact that determines whether ore will be considered as having sufficient provenance to be considered ethically sourced. The information that needs to be captured on the blockchain platform ranges from reports on in-loco inspections and audits of mining and purchase sites. This will guide passive and active monitoring of mining activities, trade-offs for identification systems, including biometrics for the registration of artisanal sellers, scrutiny on the selection of security measures and companies for buyer centres and stockpiling warehouses, evaluation of active and passive infrastructure security, and remote monitoring applications. Assistance with selection and training in geochemical testing instruments to determine the grade of ore material or concentrates and sorting, on-the-ground investigations, guidance on monitoring methods from stockpile and packing area along the transport route to the final destination are required.

Jan 1, 2023

By Jiricek F

Legislative change has reformed the licensing process in Victoria. The Mineral Resources Development Act 1990 and the two stage system of licensing with the authority to commence work is discussed. A key part is the requirements of planning consent, being either an Environmental Effects Statement or the issue of a Planning Permit prior to the issue of an authority to commence work for mineral extraction. Examples of recent experience is discussed.

Jan 1, 1997

By Steve Wiig

In 1987, the Rock Springs, WY district office of the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began to develop an automated system to store, maintain and manipulate more than 14,000 drill hole logs contained in the district's office files for various solid leasable minerals. The development of this system was based predominantly on a trial-and-error basis, with many procedural changes incorporated over time. The current Automated Drill Hole Database and Analysis System will continue to evolve with new software developments and increased personal expertise in this field. The mission of the BLM's Branch of Solid Minerals is mandated by a series of federal laws. The most important are The Mineral Leasing Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Federal Coal Lease Amendments Act and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Several regulations, promulgated from these laws, dictate that BLM must perform certain tasks and functions as part of its specific duties. The regulations that apply to the BLM Solid Minerals program are codified at 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3400 for coal, and at 43 CFR 3500 for non-energy solid leasable minerals, such as sodium, phosphate and potash. Specific functions required of the Branch of Solid Minerals necessitates the use of geologic and drill hole data analyses. These functions can be divided into pre-lease and post-lease. Examples of pre-lease functions that normally require some level of drill hole data analyses include:

Jan 1, 1992

By J. R. Allen

Environmental laws and regulations have proliferated over the last two decades. 1/ Within the last year, Congress has dramatically expanded the scope of the Superfund program 2/ and has enacted significant new amendments to the Clean Water Act.3/ In addition, EPA has shown no signs of slackening the pace at which it promulgates new regulations to implement statutory programs. The agency projects that over the next few years it will issue approximately 275 new regulations under the statutes it implements. 4/

Jan 1, 1988

By FHATUWANI SENGANI

The understanding of yielding pillar behavior has been well documented in terms of pillar strength using numerical simulations and empirical formulas, but the understanding of how fracture propagates in a matured yielding pillar is not well established. A new empirical summation chart of fracture distribution along the matured yielding pillar is presented in this paper. The chart was developed using ground penetrating radar (GPR) supported by borescope observations, focusing on monitoring the distribution of extension fracture.

By Ian B. Clark

In October-November 1993, the Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering, Memorial University of Newfoundland and University of Victoria jointly carried out reconnaissance surveys at Pine Cove, Baie Verte, Newfoundland. Pine Cove is the site of a multi-year study examining the environmental impact of a shallow water small-scale marine placer gold mining operation. The reconnaissance survey data collected will be used to develop a multi-year environmental effects monitoring (EEM) program for Pine Cove, Baie Verte, but more generally an EEM protocol for shallow water small-scale marine placer mining, which meets the requirements of Canadian government regula¬tors such as Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The Pine Cove mining operation is currently scheduled for the summer of 1995, and will use two mining methods: a hydraulic suction dredge in shallow water (<10 meters) operated by a scuba diver, and a hydraulically actuated clamshell dredge in deeper water (-30 m). A centrifugal concentrator will be used to extract the heavy minerals from the mined marine sediments, and the tailings will be returned to the sea floor via a suspended discharge pipe. The reconnaissance work at Pine Cove included geophysical, geochemical, oceanographic and biologi¬cal surveys, providing data which will enable prediction of the potential environmental impacts of the proposed mining operation. The geophysical surveys showed the sea floor to be covered by varying

Jan 1, 1994

By S Dykes, R J. McCarthy, B Klein

There is growing interest in the mining industry on the application of ore sorting. While many are familiar with particle sorting, including the limitations that technology presents (e.g. throughput), bulk sorting, with its higher throughput potential, is less understood. Despite the potential to sort at higher throughputs, few operations have adopted bulk sorting processes, certainly not at large scale. It is suggested that the inability to reliably predict outcomes from bulk sorting may be limiting its adoption in mining projects. Consequently, an evaluation approach for bulk ore sorting has been developed such that mass pulls and grade upgrades can be predicted in the context of a mining study. The approach allows for evaluation of drill core assays and application of the consequently derived heterogeneity relationships to the block model for estimation of sorting outcomes. These processes were applied to conveyor-based bulk sorting for the CuMo project in Idaho, USA and are described in this paper.

Nov 10, 2020

By Sadegh Elyasi

TBMand roadheader are two dominating excavation machines in underground tunnelling projects. The performance of these two tunnelling machines has been reviewed and analysed individually by many researchers from multiple points of view. However, there are almost no studies that have made an extensive comparison between these two machines, mostly from financial points of view. The current study is intended to characterize both financial and technical status of these two mechanical tunnelling machines in one of the biggest coal mines in Iran. The main objective of this study is to define the best method and equipment that meets a predefined economic goal, which is mainly to maximize the net present value. To this end, a technical and financial model based on the geomechanical and financial parameters involved in the project has been prepared and the financial part of the project has been carried out by applying COMFAR III financial analysis software. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis of the model was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of involved parameters on the project. According to the results, a roadheader has better economic justification than a TBM, while the TBM has a better advance rate than the roadheader.

Feb 12, 2021

By E. K. Albert

Title IV of the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) provides for an abandoned mine reclamation fund. This fund, taken from fees collected from operating coal mines, provides capital for the reclamation process. The Act directs the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) to collect the fees based on coal production. Monies from the abandoned mine lands (AML) fund are distributed through two programs. The first provides OSM with capital to use in emergency situations resulting from abandoned mine sites and reclaiming high priority sites in states without established AML programs. The second distributes the money through a state&apos;s AML program in the form of grants. To provide for a flexible and customized selection procedure for AML projects, a management information system (MIS) that combines scientific selection procedures is being developed. This system employs objective and subjective methods developed in systems research in recent years. The MIS component is an essential part of any selection process involving large numbers of potential projects. It must contain all the necessary project parameters that can be applied to the selection of projects whether or not they are to be used in the immediate selection criteria. In addition, variable selection criteria will allow ‘what if’ types of inquiries for comparison of differing selections and benefits.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. C. Gathje

The Robinson copper ores were mined for many years from pits containing varying ore grades, sulfide and oxide ore types, and differing mineralogy. The ores also contain gold and molybdenum values, and their recoveries are an integral part of the flowsheet development. Metallurgical responses were characterized using a standard flotation procedure. Further studies investigated primary and regrind particle sizes, reagents, and other variables. The metallurgical testing was supported by mineralogical studies. Results demonstrated a high degree of metallurgical success for flotation. Final copper concentrates ranged in grade from approximately 28 to 30% copper and copper recoveries were 89 to 95% based on laboratory and pilot plant data.

Jan 1, 1992

By Tony Szwilski

Using Unity 3D as a collaborative multi-user virtual on-line environment, an interactive virtual underground mine platform (IVUMP) is being developed to provide on-line access to mine safety preparedness training with a focus on mine emergency response exercises (MEREs). Communication and information flow among MERE participants and their actions can be monitored, recorded and evaluated. A mine ventilation simulation utility VFIRE is being incorporated to enhance the realism and interactive nature of the ?in-world? exercises as well as extend its functionality to include training in real-time ventilation and fire control.

Aug 1, 2013

By W. S. Hegler

Introduction The San Antonio mine is on the north shore of Rice lake, thirty miles east of lake Winnipeg and 120 miles northeast of the city of Winnipeg. Since production was started in 1932, about 2,000,000 tons of ore have been mined. Currently in progress is an extensive development programme which involves 11,500 feet of crosscuts, 3,800 feet of raises, 1,753 feet of shaft sinking, and 160,000 cubic feet of slashing, all in footwall waste rock. It is the purpose of this .paper to indicate the necessity for this work and to describe the methods employed to carry it out. Where unknown factors are as prevalent as they are in the average Canadian gold mine, a definite answer cannot be given as to what is the most economical and efficient system for mining dipping deposits. At San Antonio, the host rock for the orebodies, locally termed basalt, occurs as a sill some hundreds of feet in width and dipping at approximately 45 degrees from surface to an unknown depth. It may be assumed that it continues well below the lowest depth established to date by diamond drilling. At present, a vertical winze (No. 3 winze) hoists the ore from the 2,360-foot level to the 1,600-foot level, on which it is hauled about 900 feet to No. 3 shaft, also vertical, and there hoisted to the mill bins on surface. To maintain ore reserves at a five-year figure, at full production, additional deep exploration was required immediately. It was decided to sink No. 4 winze, a vertical opening of the same size as the other operating shafts, to provide ten additional levels (17 to 26) at 150-foot intervals, with additional depth to allow for an underground crusher installation and usual loading-pocket facilities for three-ton skip-hoisting. The winze was bottomed at 1,753 feet below the collar, at a depth of 4,117 feet below surface, and is the deepest man-sized opening in Manitoba.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. C. Yates

Lack of visibility from large, open-pit haulage truck cabs has become a serious safety problem. Anaconda conducted a research program to develop a low cost system to alert haulage truck operators to small vehicles present in blind areas. Several systems were developed and tested. As open-pit haulage truck size has increased, so has the size of the blind areas. Mine utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and cars are concealed within these blind areas and become safety hazards. Figure 1 shows the typical blind areas of a 136 t (150-ton) haulage truck. The areas of greatest concern are at the rear center and front right corner of the truck. In these "no visibility" areas many small vehicles have been crushed by large haulage trucks at various mine sites. In most instances, the occupants escaped the vehicle before it was destroyed. But injuries and death have occurred. In most cases, the accidents were attributed to negligence or carelessness by the small vehicle driver. The limited visibility problem still exists, though, and a solution is needed. Initial Solution The usual plane mirror on the driver&apos;s side and the convex mirror on the right front of the haulage truck allow only limited rear visibility. The typical, right side convex mirror is generally small and difficult to locate at a glance. This convex mirror also presents an image that distorts distance perception. These mirrors are of¬ten broken and immediate replacement not demanded or made. The US Bureau of Mines, in a contract with M.B. Associates, San Ramon, CA, developed an improved visibility system. It consisted of a larger, left view mirror and unique, blind area viewer. The large 230 x 690 mm (9 x 27 in.) left mirror has a small convex spot mirror near the bottom. The entire unit can be quickly replaced if broken. The large size provides a full view of driver orientation features such as the rear tire and the top of the load bed. The right 300 x 410 mm (12 x 16 in.) mirror has a convex surface and is quite rugged. The 510 mm (20 in.) spherical radius presents the operator with some distance distortion, but objects in its view are easily seen. The "blind area viewer" consists of a modified fresnel lens that allows the driver to "look around the corner." Installation of three of these lenses on the front of each haulage truck is rec¬ommended for adequate blind area coverage. This system significantly increases an operator&apos;s field of view and allows viewing of objects within about 3 m (9.8 ft of the truck. Many open-pit mines are nor mounting on smaller vehicles a long whip with a flag and lamp or both. This increases vehicle visibility to haulage truck operators. The whip is permanently attached to the mine vehicle. It can also be magnetically attached to transient vehicles. The whip system. though, is inadequate for visibility in the critical rear and right front blind areas. Alternate Solutions All of these visibility aids as¬sume an attentive driver. In addi¬tion, areas such as the rear blinc, area are not covered. Based on the inadequacy of existing visibility systems, Anaconda made a com mitment to further the truck de¬tection technology. The best ap¬proach was considered to be ar active system. It would notify the haulage truck operator that an en¬croaching vehicle is present. Sev¬eral systems were considered, in¬cluding ultrasonics and elec¬tromagnetics. For the ultrasonic system, com mercial and in-house design were looked at. Designing an( building transducers with the spe cific beam shape to match the haulage truck blind spots re¬quired a major technological breakthrough. False alarms ap¬peared difficult to prevent en¬tirely. They were caused by pass¬ing, trailing, or leading vehicles a., well as nonthreatening objects. As a result of these problems, the ul¬trasonic technique was not pur sued. An alternative, an electro

Jan 7, 1982

By J. W. Davis

In the last few years major industrial companies have begun to realize the importance of Reliability as an enterprise strategy that, properly implemented, will improve financial performance. Typical results of an effective Enterprise Reliability Strategy include a 20% -50% reduction in maintenance cost accompanied by a 5% - 10%increase in real production capacity, with no capital investment in production equipment. One factor fueling the race to acquire and implement enterprise reliability is the pressure for companies to be increasingly cost-effective and competitive in global markets. In a recent study, Asset Productivity: The Next Wave, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)stated that, “In order to compete for funds, companies must offer investor returns that are competitive with other opportunities. Alternative investments such as dot-com and others with non-traditional business models have raised the bar.” (APDF version of the study can be downloaded at www.bcg.com). BCG views asset productivity as the most powerful mechanism for increasing shareholder return. The author believes that the most effective way to increase Fixed Asset Productivity is to maximize asset utilization by increasing the Reliability of the Assets and the associated processes. Developing and implementing an ERS requires significant effort and knowledge. Most companies have difficulty finding a sufficient supply of these valuable commodities to implement an ERS Program internally. Many companies also struggle with figuring out how to get started and what direction to proceed.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. S. Haugh

OHSAS 18001 is a series of international standards for occupational health and safety management. It is comprised of two parts, 18001 and 180029. OHSAS 18001 was formulated by international certifying bodies and is based on BS8800 and was first published in 19996,11. OHSAS 18001 was developed to be compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 in order to facilitate integration of quality, environment, and occupational health and safety management systems5. It is a voluntary standard and the overall aim of OHSAS 18001 is to enable organizations to control their occupational health and safety (OH&S) risks and improve overall health and safety performance5. OHSAS 18001 is widely accepted in the UK, Europe, and Asia, is gaining momentum in North and South America, and it was used as the basis and conforms to the requirements of ANSI/AIHA Z.10-2005: American National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. It defines a set of requirements for an occupational health and safety management system suitable for any kind and size of organization4. Businesses of all sizes are developing and implementing occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) that are in compliance with the OHSAS 18001 standard.

Jan 1, 2012