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By Susanne Pignolet-Brandom

This paper examines the viability of using the QEM*SEM automated scanning electron microscope for the determination iron sulfide and calcite volumetric percentages. The analytical reliability was verified by comparing elemental abundances calculated for fourteen samples using the QEM*SEM volumetric percentages and appropriate mineral compositions and elemental abundances determined by standard laboratory procedures. The abundances were comparable, thus demonstrating suitability of this technique for evaluation of the acid neutralization and generation potentials of mining wastes.

Jan 1, 1990

By L. J. Blatnica

Throughout the 1980's the tem Mine-Wide Monitoring System has had various meanings for manufacturers of these systems and underground mine operators alike. System suppliers had visions of grandeur in the early 80's as they envisioned each mine, that has more than a single section, installing a computer based monitoring system to provide surveillance, control and documentation of the entire mining operation, including everything from a single heat detector to the weekly payroll. In a few cases this may have become reality but the truth is these systems have quietly become a steady but unspectacular workbase for the modern mining industry of the 1990's. As it exists today the total market for underground monitoring systems may not exceed $10 million annually. Suppliers have lowered their expectations of the dollar value of this particular market. Some were entering a new market because of experience with computer based data acquisition systems. Others had been active in the mining industry for years with more traditional equipment (communication systems, methane monitors, safety equipment, etc.) and decided to become involved with Mine-Wide Monitoring Systems.

Jan 1, 1990

By R. Amelunxen

"The molybdenite associated with copper porphyry ores is generally treated in a flotation circuit consisting of a separation and a cleaning section. In the last few years column flotation cells have replaced the numerous counter-current stages that were previously used in the cleaning section. Despite this, little has been published regarding the number of column cleaning stages required. Therefore a Moly flotation database is assembled with the objective of verifying the existence of a common upgrading profile. This can then be used as a guide in the prediction of the number of stages required to achieve a given concentrate grade.INTRODUCTIONAlthough the first use of Column Flotation was on copper flotation products, the popularity and understanding of their operation was not really achieved until they were widely implemented in Moly circuits in early 1983. The use of columns in Moly plants has since left a legacy of information, both published and unpublished. The data collected since that time has been used primarily used to establish column operating parameters and to determine upgrading potential within the circuit.Byproduct Moly generally occurs with porphyritic copper ores in concentrations less than 0.1% MoS2. As such, piloting a new moly ore to produce, say 5 Kg/Hr MoS2, in a slurry approximately 1 Lt/min (at 10% solids), requires a moly plant feed of about 570 Kg/Hr, which translates to a mill feed rate of 200 to 800 Tonnes per day (depending whether you deal with Chilean or Canadian ores). Piloting Moly for any lower tonnage would reduce the accuracy of the testwork.Thus a need exists to collect operating data in order to establish the existence of process relationships that could be used for feasibility and design purposes.The object of this paper is to expose a preliminary relationship that could be used for the purposes described above and to apply the findings to a preliminary design of a moly cleaning circuit flowsheet."

Jan 1, 1990

By Frank F. Aplan, Edward C. Dowling, Richard R. Klimpel

Several series of time-instantaneous samples were taken on a cell-by-cell basis in the flotation circuits of the Pinto Valley, AZ copper concentrator. These samples were used to calculate mass flow rates throughout the circuit using standard, deterministic metallurgical formulae and also a variety of more statistically oriented techniques. Because of the magnitude of the errors associated with the individual cell samples, the standard metallurgical formulae are not sufficient. Consequently, it is necessary to utilize some type of statistical technique capable of distributing the individual cell sample errors in such a way so as to provide a physically useful mass balance for the entire circuit. This paper explores the use of linear and least squares programming as one technique to providing credible mass balance calculations. For linear programming this was done by distributing the error using two different criteria involving specific linear programming formulations: least absolute sum minimization (which assumes an underlying double exponential distribution error structure) and minimax (which minimizes the maximum absolute deviation and assumes an underlying rectangular distribution error structure). These results were then compared to the more standard formulation of minimization of the sum of least squares which assumes an underlying normal distribution error structure. The least absolute sum approach was particularly attractive due to its simplicity of use and the ease in which repetitive calculations can be done with no user intervention.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. Z. Rashad

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

Jan 1, 1990

By N. S. Dalal, X. Shi

"This study reports a new property of the important NAD(P)H-dependent flavoenzymes, glutathione reductase, lipoyl dehydrogenase and ferredoxin- NADP oxidoreductase, that can catalyze a one electron reduction of metal ions such as chromium(VI) and vanadium(V). During the enzymatic reduction process, molecular oxygen is reduced to H2O 2 , which reacts with the reduced metal complexes to generate hydroxyl radicals. Since the hydroxyl radicals have been suggested to play an important role in Cr(VI) toxicity, this study provides a basis for a recent observation that Cr(VI) mutagenesis is strongly oxygen dependent. These results also point to an enzymatic pathway for the metabolism of some metal ions and concomitant generation of hydroxyl radicals. l. INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this communication is to report that some important NAD(P)H-dependent flavoenzymes (glutathione reductase, lipoyl dehydrogenase and ferredoxin-NADP+ oxidoreductase) can catalyze one electron reduction of metal ions such as chromium(VI) and vanadium(V) and simultaneously reduce molecular oxygen to generate Hi02 and, eventually, the ""OH radical. This finding is significant because (i) the known substrates for the flavoenzymes are organic species and not metal ions, and (ii) the report on the enzymatic formation of the ""OH radical provides a new pathway for understanding the mechanism of genotoxicity of some non-ferrous metal ions. For example, it has been suggested that OH radical is likely to be the major species responsible for Cr(VI) genotoxicity [1-5). The 'OH radical is generated through the reaction of Cr(V) complexes with cellular Hi02 [4,5]. Cr(V) itself is known to be generated from Cr(VI) in various biological systems, in particular, microsomes [ 6), mitochondria [7] and mitochondrial electron transfer chain complexes [8]. However, no specific enzyme responsible for the Cr(V) generation has been identified except possibly glutathione reductase [4]. In this study we have used ESR and spin trapping techniques to show that the flavoenzymes can generate Cr(V) and provide a catalytic redox cycle for 'OH formation in such reactions. Herein we present our results on Cr(VI) and summarize those on other systems. Correspondence address: N.S."

Jan 1, 1990

By Jr. Gambrell

For more cost effective strata control, a fundamental understanding of the behavior of the support system is needed. To assist in this understanding for shield supports, behavior of a four-leg shield design used on a soft floor in an operating longwall system is presented. The shield was constructed having a split base and a split caving shield. Attention is focused on other-than-normal loading on the canopy and its effect on deformation of the lemniscate links. Examples of the typical bending and twisting deformations are given. Schematics of the canopy, caving shield, and lemniscates showing important forces and moments are presented. Approximate minimum values of the forces and moments are calculated. The need for use of more inclusive three-dimensional design techniques is demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1990

By D. S. Choi

This paper describes an improved source location technique for microseismic events related to coal mining. A system of non- linear distance equations is solved with the use of the Newton-Raphson method. This computational method is- advantageous when the number of geophones is limited. In addition, this paper includes the results of the analysis of data from several instruments which characterize both mine seismicity and environmental noise such as vehicle traffic. Analysis of the mine seismicity has contributed to a better understanding of caving above a longwall gob and of what constitutes stable ground conditions.

Jan 1, 1990

By Denis Racicot

"L'Abitibi québécois a produit essentiellement de l’or, du cuivre, du zinc et de I' argent, ainsi que de faibles quantités de nickel, de plomb, de molybdène, de bismuth, de lithium, de fer et d’amiante. Depuis l’ouverture de la mine Horne en 1927, cent-cinquante mines ont contribué à la production de 1 420 tonnes d’or de 4,1 millions de tonnes de cuivre et de 4,7 millions de tonnes de zinc. Les productions minières annuelles ont été d'importance variable: des records de production ont été établis en 1955 pour I' or avec 35 tonnes et, vers 1965, pour le cuivre, le zinc et la quantile globale de minerai extrait avec respectivement 130,000, 275 000 et 13 millions de tonnes. Deux dépressions généralisées ont eu lieu, l’une vers 1946 et l'autre, a lafin des années soixante-dix. Des ralentissements de la production ont été observes pour le cuivre en 1953 et le zinc en 1959. Depuis le debut des années quatre-vingt. I' or et, de façon plus irreguliere, le zinc sont en progression, landis que le cuivre, malgre une hausse en 1983. pour suit son dec/in.La teneur de récupération des mines d’or est demeurée régulière et n’a subi qu’une faible diminution au cours des quarante dernières années. Célie du cuivre a diminué d'environ 50% dans la même période, landis que celle du zinc a subi d’import antes variations, aussi bien positives que négatives. Près des trois quarts des mines d'or ont une durée de vie inférieure à 12 ans et la distribution des tonnages de minerai extrait montre un maximum pour la classe de 100 000 à 1 million de tonnes. Du cote des mines de métaux de base, la durée de vie est plus étalée et les volumes de minerai ont une occurrence maximale dans la classe de 1 à 10 millions de tonnes.Concernant la distribution géographique de la production minière dans l'Abitibi québécois, le camp minier de Rouyn-Noranda vient en tête pour l’extraction de minerai et la production d’or et de cuivre. L’est sui vi par le camp de Val d'Or pour le minerai et l’or, landis que le camp de Chapais-Chibougamau occupe la deuxième place pour le cuivre avec une production équivalence a 60% de celle de Rouyn-Noranda. Le camp de Cadillac-Malartic suit de tres pres celui de Val d'Or pour ce qui est de I' or. Finalement, dans le casdu zinc, le camp minier de Joutel-Matagami domine largement avec une production qui a connu un développement accélère depuis 1963. Une analyse pré liminaire de ces données indique qu' i/ subsiste unpotentiel encore élevé de production d'or, décuivre et de zinc dans I' Abitibi québécois. ABSTRACTThe Quebec portion of the Abitibi belt has essentially produced gold, copper, zinc and silver, as well as some small quantities of nickel, lead, molybdenum, bismuth, lithium, iron and asbestos. Since the opening of the Horne mine in 1927, one hundred and fifty mines have produced 1420 tons of gold, 4,1 millions tons of copper and4,7 millions tons of zinc. Annual mine production has fluctuated: production records were established in 1955 for gold with 35 tons, and around 1965 for all extracted ore copper and zinc with respectively 13 millions, 130 000 and 275 000 tons. Two main recessions have occurred, the first around 1946 and the second during the late seventies. Cut backs in copper and zinc production occurred in 1953 and1959. Since the beginning of the eighties, gold production and to a lesser extent zinc production have been in progression. Except for a small jump in 1983, copper production is still declining.The average recuperation grade of gold mines has been quite steady and has only slightly diminished in the past forty years. The average copper recuperation grade was halved during the same time interval. For zinc there have been important ups and downs. At least three quarters of gold mines have an average lifespan of 12 years the tonnage distribution shows a peak in the 100 000 to 1 million tons class. Base metals mines show a more widespread life expectancy and have a tonnage peak in the 1 to 10 millions tons range"

Jan 1, 1990

By Hsing Kuang Lin

Extraction of zinc from chloride solution with dibutyl butylphosphonate (DBBP) in Escaid 110 has been investigated. The distribution coefficient of zinc was found to be independent of equilibrium pH. This independence indicates that the mechanism of the extraction may be solvation. Slope analysis for the system of dilute zinc chloride solution reveals that two moles of DBBP react with one mole of zinc. A series of tests were conducted to bring DBBP to its full loading capacity and the analysis of the results confirms this stoichiometric factor of 2. Extraction isotherms were established by varying either the AIO ratio or the concentration of zinc in the aqueous feed. Both curves were found to be identical.

Jan 1, 1990

By F. M. Jenkins

Longwall mining systems are used to mine approximately 50 pet of the world's total underground coal production. Single entries are the predominant method of longwall development in Europe and Asia, where mining conditions are more severe than those encountered in the United States. During the 1970's and early 1980's, the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. mining industry invested nearly $20 million in single-entry and related research. This report reviews the accomplishments of single-entry research in the United States and describes two U.S. single-entry field projects: the Sunnyside single-entry project in central Utah and the tunnel-boring project in northern West Virginia. Also discussed are a single-entry study conducted by North American Mining Consultants (NAMCO) and a single-entry design study conducted by Ketron, Inc. This Bureau report compares the resulting technology with European counterparts to further assess the utility and efficiency of U.S. systems.

Jan 1, 1990

By A. A. Ruitenberg, S. C. Johnson, L. R. Fyffe

"Several types of stratiform and epigenetic gold deposits have been found in New Brunswick, It is the purpose of this paper to describe and classify the epigenetic deposits and demonstrate their relationship to tectonic evolution. The stratiform deposits are mostly volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits that are described elsewhere (Davies et al., 1985).The auriferous epigenetic deposits include quartz-carbonate veins and stockworks, polymetallic veins, contact metasomatic, porphyry copper and volcanic breccia (epithermal) deposits. These epigenetic deposits are concentrated in major fault zones that define or are close to the boundaries of tectonostratigraphic terranes or terranes and cover sequences. The host rocks of the deposits were subjected to extensive crustal thickening resulting from thrusting and/or high angle reverse faulting.The gold deposits north of the Avalon Terrane occur indilatent structures related to mainly dextral wrench faulting that postdated the episode of crustal thickening. The deposits along the southern margin of the Avalon Terrane occur in structures related to late phase thrusting."

Jan 1, 1990

By L. R. McCullough

To compete in Today's Market, Mine Managers have two, often conflicting tasks. They are to improve productivity, allowing the mines to compete in our world markets and to improve the environment in which our miners must work. To Maintain and improve the environment to ever increasing acceptable levels requires monitoring. In years passed this required considerable labor, which was provided by the Ventilation Department. They continuously took manual samples using hand-held instruments, sampling gas level such as CO for fire and methane for explosive risks. In addition they took continuous air velocity readings with hand-held instruments which allow them to calculate the ventilation air movement in each area of the Mine. This manual gathering of information was not only expensive and slow but marginal at best. It was marginal because the gas sampling was sporadic rather than continuous, as sample reading taken in one part of the mine would likely not be repeated for another 8 hours. If problems did occur, they likely went unobserved until they reached crisis proportion.

Jan 1, 1990

By R. Kahrger

This paper is written to convey the latest developments in compact bucket wheel excavators (BWE's) operating in medium-hard rock and will serve to indicate that BWE and compact machines in particular do in fact have application in materials other than loose sandy soils and soft rock. A recently run extensive three month field test in hard marl, which was previously considered too hard and difficult to be handled by a BWE, is used as an example to explain some of the design requirements and problems associated with digging harder materials.

Jan 1, 1990

Low tonnage quartz vein-hosted stibnite lodes are widely distributed in rocks of the Tasman Fold Belt System in eastern Queensland, with particular concentrations in the Hodgkinson - Broken River Fold Belt and to a lesser extent in the Gympie Province of the New England Fold Belt: Higher grade deposits have been worked intermittently on a small scale since 1873, resulting in the production of about 5500 tonnes of antimony ore/concentrate with an estimated grade of about 55% Sb. Future production of antimony may be as a by-product from deposits, currently being explored/mined for gold in the Hodgkinson/Mitchell River area and the Amanda Bel goldfield. Establishment of an antimony processing plant in Queensland using the Quelar Process would provide a more reliable market for small producers and could stimulate future exploration and production.

Jan 1, 1990

By P. L. Sibrell

Three different refractory carbonaceous gold ores from the Carlin operation in northeastern Nevada were investigated to characterize the effect of passivation treatments on the nature of the carbonaceous material. The carbonaceous material was chemically isolated from the ores and passivated residues, and examined by FTIR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and gold adsorption capacity. The main component of the carbonaceous material in these ores was found to be a naturally occurring activated carbon-type compound. Hydro-carbons were detected on rare occasions, but no evidence was seen for humic acids. Ore samples were passivated by autoclaving, or by treatment with sodium hypochlorite or gaseous Chlorine. In some of the passivation tests, a new peak was observed in the IR spectra of the isolated carbonaceous material, that was due to carbonyl functionalities. However, all of the passivation treatments tested decreased preg robbing significantly. This suggested that the appearance of the carbonyl peak was due to the severity of the conditions during passivation, rather than the method used.

Jan 1, 1990

By Michael J. Sapko, Eric S. Weiss

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has been conducting research on the secondary explosion hazards associated with the mining of oil shale under gassy mine conditions. Explosive incendivity tests have been conducted in a 28 m~3 (1000 ft~3) gallery to evaluate the relative incendivity of experimental emulsion-ANFO blends. The incendivity was measured by determining the minimum inert stemming requirements for preventing the ignition of a methane-air atmosphere by the discharge of hot detonation products from a 5.7 cm (2.25 in) diameter borehole.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. Misra

The dielectric properties and flotability of different ranks of Argonne Premium Coal samples are presented. The flotability of different ranks of coal are correlated with the dielectric properties and intrinsic moisture (or bound water) content. Measured dielectric properties of as-received coals and other constituents are incorporated into a mixture equation to calculate the dielectric properties of bound water present in the different ranks of coal. The nature of bound water present in low-rank hydrophilic coals is significantly different from that present in high-rank hydrophobic coals. The water molecules present in low-rank lignite have an oriented dipole-dipole interaction and are tightly bound to the surface. For high-rank coals, the water molecules are not bound to the surface and have a randomly distributed clathrate ice-like structure. Controlled thermal treatment can modify the structural nature of bound water present in low-rank hydrophilic coals and increase their flotability.

Jan 1, 1990

By Drummond Earley III

The U.S. Bureau of Mines is currently conducting laboratory experiments to study the reactions occurring during in situ leaching of oxide copper ores hosted by biotite-poor granite and biotite-rich granite porphyry. Detailed pre-leach and post-leach petrographic examinations of the rock samples are combined with the leach solution chemistry resulting from core leaching experiments to enable an evaluation of the various reactions which are responsible for the observed fluid chemistry. The information resulting from these laboratory studies is being utilized to support the design of the Bureau's ongoing field research project at the Santa Cruz deposit near Casa Grande, AZ. Atacamite and chrysocolla are the primary copper minerals present in this deposit, and both are readily soluble in the dilute 5% sulfuric acid solutions used in these experiments. In addition to the dissolution of copper minerals, biotite dissolution also occurs during the experiments, contributing K, Mg, Fe, and Al to the leach solution. The biotite dissolution appears to be non-stoichiometric, as it is progressively altered to vermiculite and finally, amorphous silica. While K, Mg, and Fe concentrations in solution steadily increase with time, Al quickly reaches a maximum, and then remains relatively constant for the remainder of the experiment. This suggests that Al saturation is achieved, and this Is supported by the presence of precipitated Al sulfate and aluminosillcate clay mineralization in the post-leach rock samples.

Jan 1, 1990

Blast Engineers frequently use the terminology "the blast showed good heave", or even "the heave was better this time". It is reasonably obvious that "good" and "better" are not the best terms to use. It is also noted that any variation in the data can be misleading. The author proposes a more precisely defined and objective set of measures as tried and tested in a project in 1988. Simple objective measurements of a muck pile profile can measure 1. distance thrown 2. spread of material 3. heaping of material 4. skewness, or bias in the heaping 5. rotation of the mass This technique enables one to compare the profiles from different blasts without relying on subjective experience or judgement. Simple, artificial profiles will be presented to illustrate the problems of description; and then application of the measurement techniques to these profies will be discussed with physical interpretations. The mathematical techniques will be presented, and results of the application of the techniques to real data collected during research carried out at Baimsdale in Victoria, will be presented as illustration. The use of these techniques in mathematical modelling will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1990