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By E. S. Wheeler, M. W. Murphy

A LARGE part of the molybdenum produced in Colorado is converted and consumed in the Eastern States. As the raw materials and the power needed for the conversion of the Colorado concentrate are also accessible in the Eastern States, the conversion plant has been installed some 1500 miles east of where the ore is mined and milled. When concentrate was first produced at Climax in 1918, a custom smelter converted the product into ferromolybdenum. By 1924, the Company had decided to produce calcium molybdate and rented a building and installed equipment for that purpose at Langeloth, near Burgettstown, Pa., about thirty miles west of Pittsburgh. For the first few years the plant was a simple one of small capacity. A small hand-rabbled roaster was used, the product of which was made iota calcium molybdate by a conventional method; then an eight hearth mechanically rabbled roaster was installed to increase and speed up production. The output was considerably less than a million pounds of contained molybdenum annually until 1928, when a small part of the produc-

Jan 1, 1946

By V. S. Gupt, W. H. Somerton

Rock may undergo great changes in physical properties when heated to high temperatures and then cooled, The temperature and intensity of reactions causing rock alterntiorl.s can he controlled by introducing certain chemicals during heat treament. Three typical outcrop sandsone samples were saturuted with common salt solutions, then heated to several maximum temperatures. After cooling, it was found that per-rrreuhilities had increased much more for salt-saturated samples than for samples not saturated with salt but heated to the same temperatures. This was only true, however. for samples heated above the melting points of the particrrlar salts. Potassium chloritle was particularly effective with Bandera sandstone. Samples saturated with potassium chlorirlr. solution and heated to 900C showed an 11-fold increa.se in perrrieahility. Samples without potasrirdrn chloritle but heated to the .same temperature. showed only a 2.7-jold incresre in permecahility. In application, it seems possible that injecting chemicalc into the formations from a wellbore followed by applying intensive borehole heating might promote reactions which would greatly improve permeability of the formalions. INTRODUCTION Great changes in the physical properties of rocks which have been heated to temperatures in the range of 600 to 800C have been reported earlier. Permeability increases of 50 per cent, and equivalent decreases in sonic velocity and breaking strength have been observed. Although there might be some suppression of certain reactions responsiblc for these changes when rock samples are heated under simulated reservoir pressure conditions. recent work has shown that these are more than offset by the increased importance of other reactions at high pressures. The reactions considered responsible for alteration of rock properties by heating include differential thermal expansion. dehydration, phase changes and dissociation of mineral constituents. Ceramists have long known that temperatures at which reactions occur can be raised or lowered by the presence of certain impurities in the sys. tcnl. Thus the possibility exists that by saturating rocks with appropriate solutions. desired reactions might be accelerated and unwanted reactions might be suppressec! when the rock is heated. Purpose of the present work was to investigate the effects of several common salts on the thermal alteration of sandstones. Types of reactions which might occur are reviewed and the findings of a number of thernlochemical alteration tests are presented. THEKMOCHEMICAL ALTERATION OF SANDSTONE MINERALS The most abundant constituent of most sandstones is quartz. Quartz can exist in at least eight different forms, but in the temperature range of immediate interest (to 900C) only two forms are of importance—alpha quartz below 573C and beta quartz above this temperature. Although the alpha-beta inversion of quartz is very important in thermal alteration of rocks. it is not particularly important here because the inversion temperature cannot be changed significantly by the presence of impurities or by the application of pressure. The transition temperature of quartz to tridynlite is 867C. but the transition is very sluggish. Tridymite is considered to be a metastable transition phase between two stable phases: quartz?cristobalite. However. the transition temperature for tridymite to cristobalite is 1,470C.4 The quartz-tridymite-cristobalite transition can be accelerated substantially by the presence of fluxing agents. Finely divided calcium, magnesium and titanium oxides accelerate the conversion while A12O may retard it. A Mixture of NaCl and CsCl reduces the temperature for cristobalite formation by as much as 420°C. Feldspars constitute the second most important mineral in sandstones. The melting points of feldspars range between 1,000 and 1,700°C depending upon the variety. No information available indicated any important role of fluxing agents in the thermal alteration of this group of minerals. Carbonate minerals are subject to dissociation at temperatures within the range of the present investigation. The dissociation of magnesite can start at a temperature of 373°C, but the reaction is sluggish and might not occur untll a temperature of 500°C or ,higher is reached. Dolomite dissociates in two stages at 500°C and 890°C, whereas calcite dissociation temperature is about 885C. Because CO2 is released in the dissociation of carbonates, ail such reactions are somewhat dependent upon CO2 partial pressure. In the absence of CO: in the surrounding atmosphere, the dissociation of calcite starts at 500°C.However. when 1 atm of CO surrounds the sample, the dissociation does not start until 900C. The other carbonates are apparently much less sensitive to a change in partial pressure of CO2. The aragonite calcite transformation can occur an!. where within the temperature range of 357 to 488°C. depending upon the presence of impurities such as barium. strontium. lead and perhaps zinc. The differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves of both magnesitc and dolomite vary with the presence of 'impuritics. The presence of iron in particular seems to affect the magnesitc DTA curve

Jan 1, 1966

By M. Maccagni, J. Nielsen

"Engitec developed the EZINEX® Technology some years ago to recover zinc from oxidized secondary sources. This process works at neutral pH and can take into solution any kind of metal, but iron is rejected and remains in the leach residue. Engitec has also developed the FLUOBORATE System, which is able to recover lead and copper from relevant concentrates. Some iron is leached into solution, but it is controlled through a solution purification bleed treatment. In this paper, we present the two above mentioned technologies. They are very different with regards to the chemical environments and the methods used to control the build-up of iron in solution, but both systems are suitable to treat iron bearing feeds.INTRODUCTIONIn the design of hydrometallurgical processes, the most important issues are the water balance, the filtration and the control of impurities. This is particularly important when the process includes an electrowinning unit. Iron has been one of the most problematic elements to remove, especially in acidic environments.Engitec Technologies has developed several hydrometallurgical processes divided in two different electrolyte lines: the Fluoborate Technology for the recovery of lead and copper from primary and secondary sources and the Ammonium Chloride System based on a chloride electrolyte for the recovery of different non-ferrous metals, among which zinc and lead are the most important. In both cases, iron is present in the feed and needs to be eliminated from the solution. It is not a problem for the quality of the metal produced, but when present in solution, it consumes the basic electrolyte reducing its free concentration which is very important both for both the leaching and electrowinning unit operations. Both process systems are very peculiar, the fluoborate case being much more intriguing."

Jan 1, 2016

By A B. Phillips

This paper details the approach adopted to upgrade the current metallurgical facilities at both the Driefontein and Kloof Gold Mines in the Republic of South Africa. Goldfields Ltd operates eight metallurgical plants within South Africa of which three have recently been upgraded to replace the older technology previously installed, with modern equipment. This upgrade was undertaken with a view to improving extraction efficiencies and to reduce operating costs. The upgrade was undertaken in a phased approach with the first phase focused on the replacement of the filtration/zinc precipitation processes with modern pumpcell carbon-in-pulp technology. Included in this upgrade phase was the installation of an automated hands-free electrowinning cell, which represents the first commercial application of its kind in the industry. The second phase of the upgrade entailed replacement of the multiple comminution stages previously installed with large SAG and SAG/Ball mill combinations. Due to the rapid return on these projects, a fast-track approach was adopted which necessitated the purchase of available good conditioned second-hand mills from both within South Africa as well as in Australia. Goldfields Ltd is a large mining house with gold mining operations in South Africa, Australia and Ghana. A well advanced PGM exploration project is underway in Finland- Arctic Platinum.

Jan 1, 2003

By Karsten Zimmermann

Surface deformation monitoring is required all over the mining industry. For example oil and gas companies need this information to support exploration and production activities and to detect impacts from surface subsidence of existing hydrocarbon fields. Also opencast mines require large area information of subsidence due to dewatering of the overburden. Because of this, a lot of surface deformations measurements with GPS or traditional geodetic measurement techniques have been conduced during the last decades. This paper presents the actual capabilities to analyze GPS data using the state of the art Bernese GPS Software for GPS post processing. A new way of monitoring subsidence is a combination of GPS and satellite InSAR data. Considering this it is hoped that a combined strategy will permit receiving overall more information by integrating high point density of InSAR and accuracy of GPS. DMT is one of the leading actors on GPS services especially for monitoring surface movements from underground activities e.g. mining, water pumping or oil and gas exploitation. The paper will discuss preferences and problems of this approach on results of a current project of DMT.

Jan 1, 2008

By Pedro Perata

"El siguiente estudio revisa la venta, uso industrial y posicionamiento de la antracita dentro de Lima y sus alrededores. En ese sentido, se busca encontrar posibles consumidores de otros combustibles que pueden convertirse en ancracita. Por ello, el campo doméstico se ofrece como la zona más idónea puesto que ofrece una mayor demanda de kerosene, al tiempo que el precio de venta es barato, que en un mercado libre de competencia y con kerosene a precio mundial, es más factible la posición de la antracita dentro del mercado. Otro posible lugar, lo encontramos en las chimeneas para calefacción, puesto que las briquetas de antracita son superiores a la leña u otro combustible y el costo es similar económicamente. En los usos industriales, se conoce que el consumo total de combustible alcanza 286 mil toneladas de petróleo residual y 46 mil toneladas de petróleo diesel, solo si el precio del petróleo desciende entre 360 y 400 por tonelada, la antracita podría competir. Finalmente, en algunas industrias pequeñas, el gas metanizado y construidode antracita en una planta central, es el preferible al del petróleo."

Jul 20, 1956

By B. F. Giyani, D. Rahal

"Stirred media mills have proved to be more energy-efficient than the conventional ball milling for fine grinding applications. The mill performance is governed by a number of operating variables including mill stirrer speed, feed particle size, solids content and slurry rheology. A study was conducted to assess effects of mill speed, media size and density, and slurry density on the Stress Intensity (SI) in a VXPmill and thereby the relationship to mill performance. For the mill speeds tested, it was found that the optimum tip speed is 7 m/s. If the speed is too high (12 m/s) energy losses result due to mechanical friction losses and heat generation. If the speed is too low (3 m/s), the kinetic energy is not sufficient to promote breakage. The size reduction ratio increases with the increase in mill speed and the decrease in solids content especially in the coarse fraction particle sizes. The effect of slurry rheology on mill performance was shown by assessing the effects of increasing solids concentration and decreasing particle size. Rheological effects seemed to interact with mill speed such that the mill was less energy-efficient at higher solids content and at higher mill speeds particularly for grinding to fine particle sizes. There is an opti"

Jan 1, 2017

By A. R. Biggart

Twenty-sixth Sir Julius Wernher memorial lecture, presented at the Tunnelling '94 symposium held in London, 5-7 July 1994. In describing 18 projects with which he has been involved over a period of 36 years, the author aims to illustrate how technological change and an increase in scientific knowledge have influenced tunnelling practice, which he nevertheless maintains does continue to be an art. Tunnels discussed are: the Silver Street, Blackfriars, Whitechapel, St. Paul's and Waterloo Post Office tunnels, 1958-1969; metro tunnels on the Victoria Line, London, 1962-1970; the introduction of tunnel boring machines (TBMs), 1971-1978, in the Empingham reservoir diversion tunnels in Rutland, the bentonite tunnelling machine experiment at New Cross, the Southern tunnel water main section of the London Ring Main and the Warrington sewer in Cheshire; tunnels in rock 1975-1981, for the Lune Wyre and Megget Manor aquaducts, Weymouth sea outfall and Bristol interceptor sewer; Priestley TBM tunnels 1969-1982; the Greater Cairo wastewater project 1983-1987; Anacostia River crossing, Washington DC 1985-1987; the Channel Tunnel 1987-1992; and the Storebaelt eastern tunnel in Denmark, 1992-1994.

Dec 1, 1994

By L. B. Davidson

The petroleum literature contains many reports on the relative permeability properties of porous media. However, only recently have studies of relative permeability at elevated temperatures been made.1 -5 Each of these studies presents relative permeability data on water-oil systems in linear sandpacks or sandstone cores under isothermal conditions. The results of these investigations are dissimilar. Edmondsonl found that in Berea sandstone a temperature-dependent effect was present, while Shilobod,2 using the same material, found no temperature dependence after normalizing for initial water saturation. Workers at Texas A&M U.3-5 found that the ratio kw/ko was temperature dependent in an unconsolidated system. The differences in results of these studies are probably a consequence of differences in the material employed, in the experimental procedures followed, and in the properties of the porous systems used. This paper describes an experimental investigation of permeability ratio temperature dependence, conducted to clarify some of the results obtained by previous workers. Each experiment described in this paper involved the isothermal displacement of Chevron No. 15 white oil by either nitrogen, steam, or distilled water and displacement of water by nitrogen. All permeability ratios were calculated using the Welge procedure. Values of the water-oil permeability ratio were obtained over the temperature range 75OF to 540°F. Results indicate the ratio is temperature dependent at low water saturations, probably due to interfacial effects. However, as the saturation is increased, temperature dependence decreases until, above some minimum saturation, the ratio becomes insensitive to temperature. Previously published work indicates that the dependence reappears at very high water saturations, a region of the ratio curve not completely examined in the present study. It appears that water-oil permeability ratios are temperature dependent at the extremes of the ratio curve where changes in interfacial tension with temperature induce variations in residual saturations. Between the extremes, there is a region in which the permeability ratio is insensitive to temperature. The size and location of this region is probably a function of the characteristics of the porous system. Gas-oil permeability ratios calculated from nitrogen-white oil displacement experiments indicate a definite temperature dependence over the range 75OF to 500°F and over the entire gas saturation range studied. Evidence discussed in this report indicates that this dependence is a consequence of molecular slippage in the gas phase. This is an extension of the Klinkenberg effect6 to two-phase systems at high temperatures (the existence of slippage in two-phase systems at room temperature has been demonstrated7). Evidence for a similar source of temperature dependence in superheated steam-white oil experiments

Jan 1, 1970

By Arthur Miller

Most of the production of copper in the United States comes from a few large companies. Often overlooked, however, are the more numerous small mining operations, which collectively produce a significant portion of the nation's copper. The objective of this paper is to describe the operations of a small mining company - Ranchers Exploration and Development Corporation - how it views its place in this industry of giants, how it exploits the advantages offered by its relatively small size, and how it protects itself from the hazards being small introduces. Environment is, of course, a critical factor for such a company because it does not have the resources which help large companies weather periods of financial stress. Ideally, this environment is characterized by a heal thy economy, strong product demand, relatively stable prices , adequate grades and tonnages of ore commensurate with depth and over-burden, ready access to utilities, a dependable labor pool, and suitable technical "know how". When the environment is right, properties which were previously uneconomical to operate attract the attention of companies whose primary interest is a return on investment commensurate with risk over a reasonable period of time. Naturally, the amount of the investment and the duration of operation determines the size of the company which would be interested in such a venture. Such is the case with Ranchers Bluebird Mine at Miami, Arizona - a small property operated by a small company in a favorable economic environment.

Jan 1, 1967

By REED H. HYDE

IN these days of low metal prices and difficult marketing conditions, any treatment that will improve the grade of a product is of interest, particularly when the operation involves little or no addition to the total cost and may even result in a marketable by-product. Such a' combination of circumstances exists, in some cases, in the zinc industry, where it has been found that certain impurities can be removed from .the ore during the Dwight-Lloyd sintering operation, previous to reduction to metal. Consequently it is not surprising that zinc smelters having these sintering machines are paying particular attention to this phase of the operation. Loss of zinc as fume is very low under the conditions obtaining in sintering zinc ores, but impurities such as cadmium and lead are more readily fumed off and it is on this fact that the purification is based. As a result of preferential volatilization of these impurities a sintered product' is made from which purer zinc metal or oxide can be produced, while the fume may be collected and treated to recover the impurity metals. To be effective the operation must be carefully conducted, but no special equipment other than that of a well designed Dwight. Lloyd plant is needed.

Jan 1, 1931

By Cláudio Magno do Carmo, Gilmar Pinto Ribeiro, Luciney Miranda Martins

A rotina operacional e os seus processos de validação e acompanhamento já estão consolidados no ambiente da Tecnologia da Informação (TI). No ambiente da Tecnologia de Automação (TA) estamos avançando lentamente, apesar da grande semelhança em vários processos, devido a dificuldades de adaptação dos controles principalmente no tocante aos tempos de resposta e atuação das equipes. Enquanto a TI atua na garantia da execução do tripé formado por confidencialidade (segurança), integridade (precisão dos dados) e disponibilidade, rigorosamente nessa sequência de prioridades (CID) [1], a TA procura atender às necessidades da produção, e inverte a prioridade para a disponibilidade (DIC). Daí o conflito inicial entre os modelos: demanda imediata ou planejamento detalhado das atividades dentro dos padrões de qualidade da TI, entretanto sem impactar nas metas operacionais. É tudo uma questão de visão e principalmente de gestão por processos! Quais as diretrizes comuns? Quais os processos similares? Encontrar os pontos de afinidade, alinhados com as expectativas dos gestores e com foco na disponibilidade, sem perder a integridade e confiabilidade dos dados é o desafio.

Oct 1, 2019

By Richard R. Klimpel

During the last 28 years, I have had the very challenging and rewarding experience of working as an engineering professional in a large multinational company, both as a manager of engineers and engineering projects as well as an inventor and generator of new engineering processes and products. Due to the diversified geographic and tech¬nical nature of my employer's business, my responsibilities have taken me all over the world. This has included interactions with people in different industries including minerals, coal, chemicals, petroleum, pulp and paper, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. As diverse as my experience may seem, it has always amazed me how common the basic underlying technology and economic trends are that shape the working environment that any given engineer in any given geographic loca¬tion will experience. I would like to discuss the industrial evolution from micro to macro engineering. One of the basic truths behind how industry must and will operate is "change," including: • the creation of conditions for change, • the anticipation of change, • the resistance to change, • the rewards that being part of a change can bring and • the destruction that change can bring to the unprepared. This fact was well stated by Heractitus around 500 BC.: "There is nothing permanent except change." This simple truth has been valid since the dawn of time and, if anything, is accelerating in nature every decade.

Jan 1, 1993

By Alfred Bodenlos

El presente texto señala los depósitos de plomo, zinc encontrados en la mina Huallpac, Macón, Cerro Plumisa; los cateos del área de la laguna Shagallán, Uchco, cateo del cerro Cieren y la mina Buena Casma y Mangán, pertenecientes a la Cordillera Negra, ubicado en Ancash, Perú.

Jan 1, 1958

By Kenneth P. V. Lei

The Bureau of Mines investigated a silver-catalyzed oxidative procedure for leaching an arsenical copper sulfide concentrate containing 10 pct As and 32 pct Cu_ Currently, there are no environmentally safe means to treat arsenical copper concentrates in the United States. Leaching was conducted in a 2-L autoclave reactor. The effects of catalyst concentration, O2 pressure, temperature, and H2S04, Cu, As, and Fe concentrations in the leaching solution on extractions of metals from the concentrate were determined. The best leaching conditions for extracting 95 pet eu and As and less than 21 pct Fe were 260 g/L concentrate, 0.007 mol/L (1.0 g/L) AgCI, 3.0 mol/L (294 gIL) H2S04, 1000 C, 60 psig 02, and 6 h. Copper as CuS04-5H20 was recovered by crystallization from the pregnant solution. Arsenic, as AS203, was recovered from the copper mother liquor by solvent extraction, with tributyl phosphate, S02 reduction of As5+ to As3+ in the strip solution, and crystallization of the As3+. The silver catalyst was recovered by contacting the leached residue with a brine solution. A conceptual scheme is proposed for treating arsenical copper sulfide concentrates.

Jan 1, 1987

By H. A. Khorami, T. Wong, B. Velapatino, E. Asselin, T. Donnelly, E. Bryce, R. Dixon

A copper–nickel concentration gradient alloy was designed and fabricated through a powder metallurgy (PM) process. Copper and nickel powders were mixed with different weight ratios from 0 to 100% copper in 10% increments. Each powder mixture was poured inside a cylindrical die and compacted between two punches using a hydraulic press machine at pressures up to 70 MPa, resulting in approximately 1 mm thick layers (discs) of pressed Cu–Ni powder. These 11 Cu–Ni compacted powder layers, i.e. 0–100% Cu with 10% increments, were then compressed together with pressures up to 420 MPa to form a green part. The green part was sintered in a vacuum furnace at 1000°C for 10 hours to form a solid mass (PM part) of Cu–Ni concentration gradient alloy. In the sintering process, Cu and Ni particles fused together and formed a single piece due to diffusion of the atoms across the boundaries of the particles. The diffusion of atoms also converted the stepwise concentration change into a uniform concentration gradient. INTRODUCTION Copper has numerous applications in different industrial sectors due to its superior physical, electrical, mechanical and chemical properties such as its excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, resistance to fatigue, high ductility, and resistance to corrosion. Moreover, copper and its alloys have natural antimicrobial properties. This has opened up new applications for copper–based self–disinfecting surfaces in healthcare in an effort to mitigate healthcare–associated infections (HAIs). HAIs affect millions of patients each year, leading to significant morbidity and mortality as well as financial losses to healthcare systems (World Health Organization, 2016). HAIs spread through three main routes: (a) iatrogenic in which HAIs are a direct consequence of medical encounters and/or treatment; (b) person to person where organisms are transferred between healthcare workers, patients, and visitors; and (c) environmental where transmission occurs via contaminated surfaces and equipment (e.g. doorknobs, railings, toilets/commodes, medical carts). The use of antimicrobial copper–based materials on high touch surfaces could diminish pathogen transmission via this latter rout. This has subsequently led to the development of a variety of copper–based materials for use in healthcare settings and promoted the investigation of the antimicrobial efficacy of copper–based materials.

Jan 1, 2019

By J. R. J. Edwards

Jaspilite, a mineral consisting of silica and iron oxide in varying proportions, is one of the host rocks of the high grade ore deposits situated in the Middleback Range of South Australia. As a result of laboratory investigations, a flowsheet was postulated for the beneficiation of jaspilite to produce an acceptable grade product for feeding to blast furnaces, The flowsheet involved the reduction of the hematite in the haspilite to magnetite, the grinding of the reduced product to 95 pct minus 325 mesh Tyler followed by wet magnetic separation, hydroseparation and filtration to yield a magnetite concentrate. Agglomeration of the fine concentrate would then be necessary to meet the physical requirements of blast furnace feed. To prove the postulated flowsheet, to obtain a more accurate estimate of costs and to obtain design data for a commercial installation, a pilot plant was constructed at Whyalla, South Australia.

Jan 1, 1960

By H. T. Wyatt, A. S. Baptie

The Ten Section field is approximately 10 miles southwest of Bakers-field, Kern County, Calif. (Fig. 1). There is no surface evidence of the existence of the Ten Section structure, which subsurface exploration has shown to be a gently folded, anticlinal dome. Regionally, this field occurs as a fold in the deeper beds of the gently rolling floor of the San Joaquin Valley. It is on the easterly slope of the valley, its position with relation to the axis of this syncline not having been determined. The field was discovered by Shell Oil Co. with the completion of well Stevens A-l, on June 2, 1936, at a depth of 7888 ft. The location for this

Jan 1, 1938

By L. A. Harris

The formation of coke during coal liquefaction can eventually result in catastrophic failure of the conversion system. Coking typically proceeds by the formation of liquid crystals (mesophase) and the subsequent separation of these crystals from the plastic phase formed during heating of coal. The anisotropy of the mesophase makes it readily detectable in the optical microscope under polarized light. This study examines the solids formed during coal liquefaction processing by optical and electron microscopy. Observations on the relationships between the coke morphology, minerals and inert macerals are presented.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. H. Cloete, S. M. Bradshaw, D. K. Chibwe

"Modern tundishes have evolved as vessels to serve as the final step in refining of molten steel by removing inclusions and promoting thermochemical homogeneity.In this study the flow behaviour in a four-strand tundish was investigated by means of a ½-scale water model as well as numerical modelling. The numerical and physical models were used to characterize residence time distribution and calculate properties pertaining to tundish flow regime. Three different tundish configurations were investigated: a bare tundish with no flow control devices, a tundish with a turbulence inhibitor, and a tundish with both a turbulence inhibitor and a dam.The physical and numerical models showed that a tundish without flow control devices is prone to significant short-circuiting. A tundish with a turbulence inhibitor was shown to be successful in preventing shortcircuiting and provided surface-directed flow that might assist the removal of inclusions from the melt. However, it was also observed that the upward-directed flow caused the maximum turbulence kinetic energy near the surface to increase dramatically. The potential for slag entrainment should therefore be considered during the design and operation of tundishes with turbulence inhibitors."

Jan 1, 2015