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By Robert J. Auber, Thomas R. Scotese

The West Leg Interceptor is part of a new sanitary sewer system in the southwest suburbs of Cleveland. The first two construction contracts were excavated in glacial soils varying from hard tills to pressurized silts and flowing sands. These soil and groundwater conditions were locally problematic during shaft and tunnel excavations and final lining construction. A variety of solutions were developed primarily during construction. During the WLI-1R Contract, subgrade pressures, continued ground losses, and displacements necessitated extra eductor wells and modified inverts for stabilization of shafts. At the WLI-2Contract, one shaft excavation in similar ground required only one extra well. In the WLI-1R tunnel, localized inflows of groundwater, silt, and sand through the geotextile fabric were stopped by cement grouting. In one WLI-2 connector tunnel, damage to the TBM flood doors combined with wet, flowing silt and sand led to ground losses, surface settlements, plugging, patching, and chemical grouting. The concrete lining in the main WLI-2 tunnel required remedial work to improve watertightness at joints.

Jan 1, 1999

At periodic intervals-typically at the end of each month, quarter, and year- the accounting department in each division of a company distributes a set of reports to the division's managers. These reports describe the financial performance of the division and its major departments over the time period. They identify the revenues generated from the division's products and the costs incurred in their production. The results from individual departments are combined to determine divisional results, and the results from individual divisions are in turn consolidated to determine the results for the overall corporation. Cost reports for each of these activities show actual amounts, budgeted amounts, and the differences between the two. This reporting is carried out for the individual period and for the year to date.

Jan 1, 1999

By Jason Eric Sallee

Ongoing operations at the Cyprus Miami Smelter involve the use of an electric furnace for settling of copper matte from discard slag. Proper operation of the electric settling furnace is a major factor in minimizing losses of copper to the discard slag. Recent test work at the smelter has shown improvement in the operation of the electric furnace with a subsequent improvement with regard to the copper losses. This paper presents a general discussion of the Cyprus Miami Smelter operation, past results with respect to copper losses, recent operational changes and test work, and the subsequent results.

Jan 1, 1999

By Stuart M. Jones

This paper describes the state of the art of grinding in the Copper Industry today including descriptions of the largest equipment and design features which allow processing of as much as 100,000 mtpd in a single mill line. We include a typical flowsheet, control philosophies, and maintenance techniques which result in low cost production which is essential in today's market.

Jan 1, 1999

By G T. Hefter, P Singh

The effect of using SO2 as an anodic depolariser in the electrowinning of copper from aqueous acid sulphate solutions has been studied using cells without/with a ceramic diaphragm. In all cases SO2-saturation of the electrolyte/anolyte decreased the anode potential by 68 to 75 per cent largely due to a change in the anode reaction from the oxidation of water to the oxidation of SO2 . However, poor quality deposits and low current efficiencies are encountered if SO2 is allowed free-access to the copper being deposited at the cathode. This situation is easily avoided by using a diaphragm to restrict SO2 to the anode compartment and for these conditions the resultant copper deposits are of a similar (high) quality to those obtained in the absence of SO2.

Jan 1, 1999

By D. Hong, K. N. Han

The leaching behavior of rhenium in ammonium iodide solutions with iodine as oxidant was studied. Experiments were carried out in an autoclave to investigate the effects of stirring speed, temperature, solution pH, and iodine and iodide concentrations on the dissolution of rhenium. It was found that a high temperature and a high solution pH were essential for the efficient leaching of rhenium. The dissolution rate was found to be dependent upon the concentration of iodine and iodide. It was concluded that the dissolution of rhenium under the conditions studied was controlled by the mass transfer of iodine with an apparent activation energy of 15.8 kJ/mole.

Jan 1, 1999

Giant gold deposits are considered products of crustal-scale systems. Reduced fluids stored in mid to lower crustal reservoirs were discharged into mid to upper crustal sites of deposition. Elements of the architecture include crustal-scale structures, reduced packages of rock and regional seals. Gas-rich aqueous fluids were common but non-aqueous fluids may have been significant in the deeper parts of the systems. Fluid fluxes in over pressured domains were maintained by porosity waves. Abnormal heat input from the mantle may not be required once the systems were perturbed. Fluid-mixing and hypogene enrichment were probably the most significant precipitation processes.

Jan 1, 1999

By Stephen W. Kline

Rock suitable for crushed-stone aggregate is almost entirely restricted to the Highlands region of Arkansas, mostly from Paleozoic sedimentary units, but also from a few Cretaceous igneous plutons. Reserves in the state are sufficient for local needs, and Arkansas is geographically well situated for export markets to the south, where resources for crushed-stone aggregate are lacking. A study of 423 quarries, test pits, and exploration sites in Arkansas has been completed to evaluate the relative quality of bedrock units for producing crushed aggregate. Of these, 274 sites have records of engineering tests for stone evaluation done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD). Of the 1,775 sample records from these sites, the most commonly reported parameters are the LA abrasion test and the Na-sulfate soundness test. Many records also have absorption and specific-gravity data, and, for some, petrographic information helps identify the potential for alkali-silica reactivity in portland-cement concrete. By determining the bedrock sources of the tested samples, comparison is made between the various geologic mapping units as to their relative quality for crushed stone.

Jan 1, 1999

By B. R. Adams

This paper discusses the use of a reacting CFD model to determine chalcopyrite kinetics in a drop tube furnace and to predict the reaction of a chalcopyrite concentrate in the reaction shaft of an industrial smelter. Reacting CFD codes can be applied to determine the consequences of the interaction of gas with particles and therefore improve the ability to derive kinetic parameters that take into account the temperature and oxidation histories that different particles will see. This paper describes the application of such a model to derive improved kinetic parameters for the pyrolysis and oxidation of chalcopyrite. The reaction shaft model includes the effects of turbulent fluid mechanics, entrained flow mixing, turbulent particle dispersion, heterogeneous particle reactions, radiative and convective heat transfer, and' surface and bath deposition rates. Particle reaction and composition characteristics are predicted as a function of particle trajectory and deposition and are used to aid in evaluating shaft performance.

Jan 1, 1999

To address the safety of programmable electronics-based mining systems before this technology proliferates in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1999

By C M. Deosthale, V N. Pangal, M N. Rao

New Mangalore Port is the most important port in Karnataka State, on the west coast of India on Arabian Sea. It handles export of iron ore, granite, coffee, spices etc and imports of crude oil, fertilizers etc. Since 1991, after economic liberalisation by the Government of India, the exports and imports at this port got a boost. Hence the Port Trust felt the need to increase the draught by about 3 to 5 meters for access to bigger ships. In response to a global tender in 1995, the Dutch Dredging Company got the contract to remove 30,000 cu.m of hard granite bed rock, covering 28,000 sq.mtr. area for the Turning Circle and oil Jetty. The operations of drilling, blasting and dredging were to be carried out to deepen the area to about 15 m draught without affecting the normal trade at the Port. This was a time bound contract to avoid interruption by severe Monsoon rains.

Jan 1, 1999

High-sulphidation (HS) gold, silver and/or copper deposits are generated in both the epithermal and the upper parts of the underlying porphyry environments over vertical intervals of up to 2 km. The HS deposits are generated in advanced argillic lithocaps, which are products of the absorption of acidic magmatic volatiles by voluminous groundwater systems. Mineralisation styles in HS systems reflect depth of formation as well as the interplay between structural, lithological and hydrothermal parameters. The deep parts of HS systems, at depths of >1000 m, are typified by disseminated copper¦gold mineralisation comprising digenite, chalcocite and covellite in pervasive advanced argillic as well as underlying sericitic alteration. In highly telescoped systems, such mineralisation may overprint porphyry stocks and associated quartz-veinlet stockworks. Intermediate levels of HS systems commonly contain fault-controlled copper-gold mineralisation, typically as enargite in bodies of vuggy residual quartz, silicification and/or massive pyritic sulphide. The shallow parts of HS systems, at depths of The exploration focus is on four principal HS mineralisation styles:copper (eg Chuquicamata, Monywa) or copper-gold (Wafi) in the deep porphyry-hosted parts of systems preferably, in the case of the latter, where supergene oxidation is limited and, hence, flotation may be used for metal recovery; copper¦gold-bearing replacement mantos and pipes hosted by carbonate wallrocks in the deep parts of systems (eg Bisbee); high-grade gold in late-stage veins or hydrothermal breccias that overprint the intermediate to shallow levels of systems (eg El Indio, Goldfield); and large, bulk-mineable gold deposits in the shallow parts of systems that were subjected to supergene oxidation, thereby permitting heap-leach treatment (eg Yanacocha, Pierina). To these preferred HS styles may be added the low-sulphidation vein or disseminated gold¦silver mineralisation that is commonplace alongside many HS systems (eg Victoria at Lepanto).

Jan 1, 1999

By F. Warnaars

Historically, this area produced gold and silver from many well-known vein deposits, like Tayoltita, Topia, and San Jose de Gracia. Modern exploration identified three categories of deposits: 1) low grade porphyry golds in shallow level dacite porphyries; 2) batholith-related deposits; and 3) those formed in volcanic sequences of Late Cretaceous to Late Tertiary. At least four porphyry golds have been identified, of which Metates is best known. These are formed by and within daciteporphyries, associated hydrothermal breccias and sometimes within surrounding meta sediments. Their ages are from mid-Cretaceous to Early Tertiary. Precious metal deposits associated with batholiths occur as veins, contact haloes in meta sediments or volcanics, skarns, tectonic breccias, hydrothermal tourmaline breccias, dacite dikes or as disseminated or stockwork deposits such as La Fortuna.Several new gold discoveries were made in older EarlyTertiary Volcanic Sequences and in the younger Tertiary volcanics within prominent structures exceeding 3 to 5 km in lengths. Some of these are open-pittable but most have to be mined by underground methods.

Jan 1, 1999

By Elmer Stewart, Richard May

"The Central Mukur deposit was discovered by the Semipalatinsk Geological Exploration Expedition (GEE) during detailed searches from 1977 to 1980. Andas Altyn Ltd., a Kazakhstanian gold mining company acquired the property and commenced mining in 1995. In 1998, Andas-Altyn Ltd. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Eurasia Gold Corporation.The Central Mukur gold project covers a linear series of parallel, discontinuous zones of near surface oxide gold mineralization that covers a distance of 7 kilometers and extends past the property boundaries. The oxide gold mineralization is a result of the regional oxidization of a primary sulfide gold mineralization emplaced in a series of shallow dipping thrust faults. Resources as calculated by the GEE are 3.45 mt at an average grade of 1.84 gmt Au in the C1 +C2 category and 7.52 mt at an average grade of 1.80 gmt Au in the P1 category. The Central Mukur Gold Heap Leach Mine consists of an open pit, heap leach pads, and an ion exchange resin gold recovery plant. Limited gold production (<2,500 ounces/year) has been achieved over the past three years leaching run of mine oxide gold mineralization. Gold recovery utiling cyanide to dissolve the Au and ionic resin technology to recover the Au for the leachate is approximately 60%. Loaded resin is shipped to a treatment plant at Almaty where the gold is stripped from the resin, refined and sold.This paper will describe the geology, mining, and processing of the Central Mukur ore. In addition, it will describe what it is like doing business in Kazakhstan and the transition from a Soviet style operation to a more western style operation.INTRODUCTIONThe Central Mukur Mine is owned and operated by Andas-Altyn Ltd. a Kazakhstanian gold mining company located in northeast Kazakhstan. Andas-Altyn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eurasia Gold Corp., a Canadian public company listed on the Alberta Stock Exchange. The Central Mukur mine consists of a small open pit, and a heap leach operation that utilizes ion exchange resin to recover gold from pregnant solutions. In addition to the Central Mukur mine, Eurasia also owns the Myaly heap leach gold project which is also operated by Andas- Altyn Ltd."

Jan 1, 1999

By Paul C. Schmall, Arthur B. Corwin, Hugh S. Lacy, Derek Maishman

For reasons of hydraulic design and constructability, water supply tunnel systems are often located relatively deep, in competent rock. Where the rock lies below a thick cover of water bearing soils, artificial ground freezing offers a low risk, cost-effective method of constructing access shafts. Several examples, in Kansas City, MO and in Brooklyn and Queens, NY, illustrate the use of freezing to provide structural support and ground water exclusion. In the case histories presented, the shafts range from 6m to 12m (20 to 40 ft) in diameter and soils vary from clays to boulder beds with depths in excess of 73m (240 ft) to competent bedrock. Where tunnels for infrastructure are designed to be driven in rock, vertical access may encounter a considerable thickness of overburden soils with groundwater. In such cases, shaft sinking problems are analogous to those confronted by mining engineers over 100 years ago. At that time, newly developed refrigeration machines were set to freeze the ground water and stabilize running sands. Although modern technology has refined our efforts, the basic features of the ground freezing to be described here are the same as those used in the last century. Vertical holes drilled on a circle surrounding the shaft site are equipped with leak-free steelpipes through which a refrigerated brine is circulated. In this manner, a frozen cylinder, seated in rock, is formed when the earth freezes between adjacent pipes. Shaft excavations take place inside a self-supporting, ground-water excluding structure. For mines, no better method of sinking production shafts through deepwater-bearing ground has yet been established. Indeed, major deposits of coal, potash, and salt would have remained inaccessible to this day were it not for the continued use of artificial ground freezing. If mine shaft freezing became relatively commonplace, early applications to civil engineering were few. Mussche and Waddington (1946) mention only five projects between 1892 and 1935; three of these relate to subway or vehicular tunnels in Paris, Antwerp, and (the most extensive) at five locations of the Moscow Metropolitan Railway development. In the United States, the method was used to spectacular effect in 1936, freezing about 3,000 cubic yards of silt to stop a slide

Jan 1, 1999

By A. K. Kyllo, N. B. Gray, B. N. McCurry

"Dynamic control of the formation of a solidified layer between a pipe wall and a flowing melt enables the flow rate to be adjusted in real time. This solidified layer can be generated by using a coolant on the outside of the pipe wall to remove the required heat. The coolant, and hence the solidified layer, can be controlled remotely. The dynamic behaviour of the solidified layer was investigated by both physical experiments and mathematical modelling. The mathematical model has been developed using a finite difference technique to describe conduction through the pipe wall and solidified layer. Results from the model were consistent with previous steadystate experimental results using molten lead. Experiments are currently being carried out using molten tin in a recirculating circuit with a cooling system that is instrumented for accurate computer control to validate the model. The circuit is designed for flowrates of up to 24 kg/s (86 tph) of molten tin. Steady-state and dynamic predictions were made for the current rig.Industrial SignificanceThe current method of choice for tapping slags, metals and mattes from many metallurgical furnaces is using an oxygen lance to open the taphole and using a clay plug to close it. There are, however, some significant drawbacks in this method. The heat generated by the oxygen lance erodes the refractory lining of the taphole, as well as the clay plug, and the furnace products themselves corrode the taphole. Using an oxygen lance is also a significant safety hazard to the operators as they must work in close proximity to the furnace and be subjected to a shower of sparks while opening the taphole. Also, the flowrate of material through the taphole cannot be controlled online as the diameter of the opening cannot be varied easily. This feature means that the level of product in a furnace cannot be kept constant."

Jan 1, 1999

By Corry Goumans, Dwayne Wallace

"On July 1, 1997, a rockslide occurred on the I-40 in Hayward County, North Carolina that completelyblocked all lanes and disrupted traffic flow in the region. Remedial measures were undertakenimmediately in order to open traffic, however on-going geotechnical investigation revealed stabilityconcerns that necessitated closing the highway to ensure public safety. Access to the top of the slope was available only from the bottom of the slide on the Interstate I-40. Excavation and trim blasting started from the top and along the west slope of the failure, however, additional geotechnical evaluation indicated that slope stability remedial measures were required to support the western rock slope mass."

Jan 1, 1999

By R. N. Powell

The Pipeline ore body was discovered in March 1991. The construction of the new mine and mill did not start until early March of 1996. Upon completion of permitting and corporate project approval, the 289 million USD project was “fast tracked”. The commissioning began 11 months after start of construction and the project ended 40 million USD under the budget figure. The objective of this paper is to review and highlight the Pipeline Project history from discovery, design, lawsuits, permitting, and re-design through to current - 1998operating practices. Particular emphasis will review the process design, design mistakes, and design successes. The paper will review project history, feasibility, design concepts, operator training, construction, financial and the current operation. Additional discussion will review what design features worked and which did not work within the process plant.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. E. Rossi

Reconciliation of production information is critical to evaluating the effectiveness of the predictive models, and to allow for optimization of mining operations. Whether mining open pit or underground, mine-to-mill reconciliations can be one of management&apos;s better tools to perform proper accounting, and a very useful evaluation and optimization tool. This paper proposes a set of criteria and objectives for a typical reconciliation program; also presents a stepwise, logic approach to performing reconciliations, and discusses the benefits and costs associated with the up-keeping of the information. It also highlights some of the potential pitfalls involved, and methods used to avoid collecting misleading information. These issues are illustrated with an example of a model-to-mine-to-mill reconciliation program being implemented at an operating mine; the program involves multiple predictive models (Long-term and Short-term block models), different open pit and underground mines, stockpiling, and at least 23 different mill streams. This paper presents the initial results of the program implemented at Minera Michilla S.A.

Jan 1, 1999

By J. A. Madonna

Independent prospectors and small to large-scale exploration company personnel have requested, and are in need of, guidance in geochemical field sample collection methods which will provide the most reliable results during chemical analysis. In cooperation with analytical laboratories, experienced geochemical exploration scientists and mining companies a systematic collection procedure has been developed. The procedure consists of collecting uncontaminated, water, sediment and rock chip samples of the appropriate quantity and/or dimensions to meet the needs of analysis.

Jan 1, 1999