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During the intial two years (1972 - 1974) of exploration at Telfer, water require- ments were limited to supporting a 50 man camp and diamond drilling to verify thickness and grade of the stratabound ore deposit. Water bores were drilled to intersect the Middle Vale Reef down dip from its outcrop about 70 metres below surface. The MVR reef is an oxidized pyritic horizon which contains 30% - 65% sulphide below the zone of oxidation and forms a highly porous leached gossanous zone to a depth of 100 metres. Surface run-off water from the low hills associated with the Main Dome structure have led to annual re- charge of this extensive aquifer which MAP AREA Lake Waukarlyearly Permian rocks Precambrian basement - - ~;; rocks Sand d.n.s pò. _ « Drainage sg 1 qo~ (`-~.~ ? ò;+ Palaeochannel and 1 d {- subsurface drainage % GLENN BOREFIELD PASSMORE FAULT ;òTsI1. G-OId MIns BOUNDARY oChr~st as t .` Pool 4, 1 j`` Lake Dora òt ~daN 22' 0, 50 Niter KILOMETRES Fig 1. Telfer district map, Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia.

Jan 1, 1988

By Helena Byrdziak

KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. is a significant European copper producer with production of 447,000 mtpy, operating three underground mines and three smelters. The company has been involved for years in environmental activity, which was stimulated not only by the company itself, but by the development of environmental regulations as well. The first set of regulations, concerning water protection, was' established in Poland' in 1974, while a comprehensive environmental law was passed in 1980. This law in general requires industry to submit all data of environmental significance to the local authorities. Based on this data, they establish limits concerning emissions into the air, water and ground, the amount of wastes produced and the means of their disposal. A company has to pay fees for each tonne of emitted substances and stored wastes. When the emission of a substance exceeds the limit, the company has to pay a penalty which is about ten times higher than the fees. This approach in general is effective because it forces companies toward: reduction of their emissions. The problem is that the law is constantly subject to change and is becoming not only more restrictive but is involving more and more bureaucracy.

Jan 1, 1999

By Y. P. Chugh

A novel dry and wet air dust filter concept was conceived and demonstrated successfully at two mines. A steel-wool and a fiberglass filter, suitable for underground use were identified through laboratory testing and demonstrated in the mine. The steel wool filter was operated with and without water sprays while the fiberglass filter was only operated in the dry mode. The dry steel wool filter provided a dust capture of 37% at a negligible pressure drop. When fine misting water sprays were used on the steel wool filter, the dust capture increased to 51% again with a negligible pressure drop. The filter screen also remained clean and no change in air flow characteristics was observed as a function of time. The dry fiberglass filter however did not perform as well achieving only 11% dust capture while introducing a significant resistance to air flow. This technology is seen to have several applications in underground coal mines.

Jan 1, 2009

By Z. J. Hladysz

The Hladysz Rock Tester was developed at the South Dakota School of Mines as a portable rock strength tester. The hand held device is placed against a rock surface and struck by a hammer. The impacted force causes a steel ball in the device nose piece to indent the rock and simultaneously indent a standard steel bar also contained in the nose piece. By comparing the two indented diameters the compressive strength of the rock can be calculated using laboratory determined correlation coefficients.

Jan 1, 1984

By Doug Harding

The Metropolitan St. Louis Water District’s Project Clear is a 28-year program targeting wastewater capacity throughout St. Louis, MO. The extensive program includes the Jefferson Barracks Tunnel, running parallel to the Mississippi River at 2 m ID and 5,400 m long. A rebuilt Robbins Main Beam TBM began boring but hit challenging conditions about 2,400 m in, including water inflows. A larger 4.1 m Robbins Main Beam machine will complete the remaining 3,050 m in limestone, dolomite, and shale. The TBM will utilize a high-powered, high breakout torque cutterhead along with enhanced 360-degree probing & grouting capabilities to detect any karst formations.

Dec 1, 2022

The meeting was called to order with President George B. Pryde in the chair, and C. M. Schloss, acting Secrcetary. The meeting immediately pro¬ceeded to the reading of the papers. Mr. L. S. Ickis read a paper by A. L. Jones, entitled, "Underground Sub-Station Control," and elaborating on the general topic of automatic sub-stations. The discussion was led in part by Mr. E. H. Weitzel, acting as Chairman, in Mr. Pryde's temporary absence. Mr. S. R. DeBoer, who specializes on landscape architecture, gave an interesting talk on the subject of "City Planning and Landscape Architecture for Western Coal Camps." Notes were taken of this talk, which will be found in the proceedings. Mr. Pryde then resumed the Chair; There was no discussion of this paper. Mr. Thomas Foster, of Reliance, Wyoming, then read his paper on "Coal Dust in Mines." After the discussion of Mr. Foster's paper, the discussion of Mr. McKeehan's paper on track bonding, read at the Salt Lake meeting, was resumed, and this discussion will be found printed separately in the proceedings. Mr. Schloss then read an amusing and friendly telegram from C. H. Stevenson, of Price, Utah, which caused considerable merriment, and the Chairman asked Messrs. Weitzel, Littlejohn and Schloss to form an appro¬priate answer, and they answered it in the same spirit. The Chairman then announced the banquet for Wednesday evening and the Theatre Party for Thursday evening. The meeting then adjourned. The meeting resumed at 10:15 A. M., Thursday, February 14, 1924. The Chairman announced a photograph of the meeting to be taken at noon, on the Post Office steps, after which the Chairman appointed a nom¬inating committee, consisting of George A. Murphy, F. W. Whiteside and

Jan 1, 1924

By K. Harms, T. D. Jones

TO unload large tonnages of lead bullion cast in 100-lb. bars is a problem which has confronted the lead refineries for many years. The bars, on arrival, must be restacked for unloading by truck or hand-charged to charging machines. Selected crews of labor, capable of working at sustained speeds for five- or six-hour periods, are required for this exhausting task. Due to the fatigue involved crew personnel changes rapidly. During the war it became increasingly difficult to maintain crews, especially in critical labor areas, so that the development of casting and shipping ten-ton lead blocks from the smelters to the refineries became a must in our operating program. For many years lead refineries, when making interdepartment or intradepartment transfers, have cast lead blocks weighing five or ten tons which are easily handled by crane by merely attaching the crane hook to a steel anchor embedded in the frozen lead blocks. In previous years, the practice was to use regular smelter slag pots which, due to their rounded shape, produced what were called "buttons" by the refinery personnel. The button-type blocks were unsafe as they rolled and tipped easily and were unsatisfactory for stacking since no piling pattern could be followed. To remedy this situation, flat-bottom molds came into general use and later the bottoms were made concave to prevent slipping.

Jan 1, 1946

Committee on Reduction and Refining of Copper............ 3 A.I.M.E. Officers and Directors.................... 4 Preface. By C. R. Kuzell....................... 7 Career and Achievements of James Douglas. By Arthur L. Walker. . 9 PAPERS Smelting 1. Reverberatory Smelting Practice History of Reverberatory Smelting in Montana, 1879-1933. By Frederick Laist..............................23 Reverberatory Smelting of Raw Concentrates at the International Smelter, Miami, Arizona. By P. D. I. Honeyman (With Discussion)...... 88 Development of Gun-feed Reverberatory Furnaces at Garfield Plant of American Smelting and Refining Company. By R. A. Wagstaff (With Discussion)........................99 An Experimental Combination of Shaft Roasting and Reverberatory Smelting. By Frederick Laist and J. P. Cooper (With Discussion).... 104 Forms of Copper Found in Reverberatory Slags. By Royal B. Jackman and Carle R. Hayward (With Discussion).............111 2. Converting Practice Development of Copper Converting at Butte and Anaconda. By William Kelly and Frederick Laist...................122 Developments in Converting Lead and Copper Matte at Tooele. By B. L. Sackett.............................132 Messina Stationary Basic Copper Converter. By R. G. Knickerbocker (With Discussion)........................140 Smelting Copper Concentrates in a Converter. By George E. Beavers. 149 Sulfuric Acid from Converter Gases. By George E. Beavers......151 Development of Monolithic Tamped Periclase Converter Linings at United Verde Copper Company Smelter. By F. H. Parsons (With Discussion) . 153 3. Descriptions of Plants The Noranda Smelter. By W. B. Boggs and J. N. Anderson......165 Smelting Operations at Roan Antelope Copper Mines, Limited. By Charles R. Wraith.......................202 4. Waste-heat Boiler Practice Copper-refinery Waste-heat Boilers at Great Falls Reduction Department, Anaconda Copper Mining Company. By E. S. Bardwell......225

Jan 1, 1934

By C. D. Litton

This paper describes two new gas diagnostic techniques which have been used successfully to determine: 1) the combustion status of underground mines which have been sealed due to fire (Littol1 Ratio); and 2) the location of fires in abandoned, underground mines or waste banks (Kim Ratio). The Litton Ratio makes use of the rate of change of CO, calculated on both an air-free and methane-free basis, from mine gas samples and compares these values with those expected from a normal, combustion-free environment. The Kim Ratio uses the concentrations of total hydrocarbons, C2 ?C5, less the methane, to arrive at ratio values which increase as combustion intensity increases. The details of these two new techniques, their application to real situations, and their limitations will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1989

By Steve Hicks, Zach Agioutantis, Greg Hasenfus, Zach Wedding

Most prediction methods used to calculate mining-induced subsidence rely on empirical formulations, which typically assume flat topography and uniform properties in the overburden. It is also well known that when a longwall panel mines below a valley bottom surface ground deformation magnitudes and orientations may be significantly influenced by the presence of the valley. This paper discusses ground deformation data collected at different surface locations above the Buchanan mine in the eastern United States. Measurements at individual surface points and strata movement measurements using a three-point extensometer have been collected as the area was undermined. Measurements correspond to the mining of the panel immediately under the measurement points and to the mining of adjacent panels. Measurement locations correspond to valley bottom locations. The measurements are critically evaluated and compared with respect to topography and panel face location. The issue of the fluctuation of GPS measurements is also discussed.

Jun 25, 2024

By Yiming Rong, Gang Wang

"Water quenching is one of common heat treatment processes but with complex physical phenomenon, in which vaporizing, bubbling and convection are involved. The general simulation of liquid quenching processes is conducted by using temperature dependent value of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) obtained from experimental measurement under a strong assumption. A preliminary multiphase flow model developed by using Ansys-CFX for water quenching has been presented in this paper, which shows a distributed HTC with a time dependent feature. The conjugate heat transfer is used to describe thermal conduction in the simplified workpiece, and generation, growth and flow of bubbles are modeled by using Eulerian-Eulerian method for the gas-liquid multiphase flow. The simulation result shows the intense variation of heat exchange through the interface between workpiece and liquid, and the unsteady distribution around the solid surface.IntroductionQuenching is a rapid cooling process which makes the desired solid phase transformations happen for the certain material properties. For aluminum alloy, rapid quenching will prevent all phase transformation and generate a supersaturated single phase."

Jan 1, 2012

By F. W. Wood

The Bureau of Mines has sought clarification of the Ti-TiN system by studying the phases formed by diffusion reactions between titanium and titanium nitride. Reaction couples were prepared by embedding pockets of TiN powder in arc-melted buttons of titanium. Specimens were vacuum annealed at nominal temperatures of 800°, 950°, 1,200°, and 1,500° C. Metallographically mounted cross sections from reacted specimens and from some that were not annealed were examined optically, with an electron microprobe, with an election microscope, and by X-ray diffraction. Each annealed specimen contained a segregated core primarily of d-phase material, an ?-phase diffusion layer, an a-phase diffusion layer, and host metal. On the basis of corresponding microprobe analyses, and considering results of certain other research, a new phase diagram is proposed. It contains no qualitative innovations, only quantitative adjustments. Results were also analyzed from the viewpoint of diffusion behavior. Diffusion coefficients calculated for the ? phase were sufficiently scattered that the parameters are very tentative. Nevertheless, the diffusion behavior reported is in reasonable agreement with one of two prior studies if it is assumed that the earlier investigators were mistaken in their identification of the nitride phase in which the diffusion occurred.

Jan 1, 1974

By Petrus Christiaan Pistorius, Farzin Fatollahi-Fard

The production of titanium oxycarbide – a consumable anode material used in molten-salt processes for electrowinning titanium – from heavy mineral concentrate, such as a high-titania leucoxene and natural rutile is described. The oxycarbide is prepared by carbothermic reduction of the oxide at elevated temperature. Particle size distribution (of the titanium oxide raw material) and temperature have large effects on the kinetics of the reaction, which seem to follow a “shrinking-core” model. It is anticipated that low porosity (in the anode pellets) would be advantageous during electrolysis. Particle size distribution, extent of reaction during carbothermic reduction, and sintering temperature are expected to affect pellet porosity after sintering, and are being tested experimentally.

Jan 1, 2015

By D. Newman

Multiple seam mining is prevalent in Southern Appalachia because economically mineable coal seams are numerous and frequently occur in close vertical proximity. West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia have 117, 55, and 40 mineable coal seams respectively. It is extremely rare to have an underground mine that has not been undermined, overmined, or has mining adjacent to it. In many cases the multiple seam mining is concurrent with extraction sequenced in superjacent seams. Because underground mining is focused on recovering the most valuable reserves, mining is rarely practiced from the top seam down, which is the practice most conducive to stability. The combination of room-and-pillar mining methods that include development only, small block, partial retreat, full retreat, and longwall mining produce a wide range of mining geometries and complexity in underlying and overlying seams. In the future, the number of multiple seam operations will increase as reserves are depleted and future mines are, by default, located closer to abandoned mine workings. The improved coal market has transformed many formerally uneconomically mineable seams into attractive reserves. The approaches and methodologies used for multiple seam stability analysis are dictated by the site conditions, including overburden/interburden thickness and lithology, mining geometry, and the mining methods in both the active and abandoned mines. Multiple seam stability analysis using analytical and numerical methods is illustrated by two case histories that reflect close proximity room-and-pillar mining and mining in bump prone situations.

Jan 1, 2007

By Herbert W. Huse

Nitrogen, and its compounds, unique among the materials described in this volume, is absolutely essential to the existence of the human race. Almost all minerals are important and the absence of any one of them would be sorely felt; but nitrogen is an integral part of the cycle of life itself. Man cannot live without nitrogen which, as an inert gas, composes the major part of the air he breathes; as compounds, nourishes the vegetation which he eats; and, as protein, forms a part of his very flesh and blood. Nature originally provided man with a vast reserve of usable nitrogen compounds in the form of fertile soil. She constantly replenishes the supply by "fixing" nitrogen in the air at the estimated rate of 400,000,000 tons per year (an insignificant 6 lb per acre) during electrical storms. She has also placed certain microorganisms in the soil which are able to "fix" nitrogen and convert it into forms which plants can use. Legumes like cow peas, soy beans, clover, and alfalfa have extraordinary roots which serve as stimulating hosts to these bacteria which, in turn, nourish the plant. By plowing in all or part of such crops, their above-average nitrogen content can be returned to the soil for other more useful crops. The mechanism for this recycle is supplied by "denitrifying" bacteria which attack the dead plant tissue and liberate nitrogen and ammonia. However, since one crop of grain, sugar beets, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., takes out a major portion of the nitrogen which a plowed-in legume crop can supply, this method of fertilization is obviously inadequate. Drastic intervention by man has become necessary to support the ever-growing population of the world.9,15,20 Old civilizations with a high population density, such as the Chinese, were able to exist for centuries by carefully tilling the soil, rotating crops, and returning to the soil all the nitrogen in vegetable wastes plus human and animal excreta. But the lack of a means for augmenting their supply of nitrogen placed a ceiling on further development and kept the mass of the population in a chronic state of undernourishment, frequently punctuated by famine. Nitrogen plays another important role in the life of mankind. In the form of explosives, nitrogen helps to wrest from the earth many materials needed for our material well-being. Also, in the form of explosives and propellants, nitrogen increased the destructiveness of wars to a point only exceeded by the fantastic power of atomic energy. Man's first really effective efforts to improve his position with respect to nitrogen began in the 18th Century with the mining of sodium nitrate. By the late 1880's this had become a big industry serving a large part of the world. In the late 1890's nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, was being recovered from coke-oven operations. In 1900 nitrogen, in the form of nitric oxide, was being obtained from the air by an electric-arc process. About 1904 another "fixation" process based on the reaction of nitrogen with calcium carbide to form cyanamide was commercialized. By 1913 the Haber-Bosch process of "fixing" atmospheric nitrogen by reacting it with hydrogen to produce synthetic ammonia was successfully applied on a large scale, first in Germany and then throughout the industrial areas of the world.9 All the above methods of obtaining nitrogen compounds are still in use and, between them, they assure mankind of adequate supplies for all time. While this fortunate situation is not unique amongst industrial raw materials, all too few of man's needs are so well in hand.

Jan 1, 1960

By C. M. McCulloch

More and more mining underground is being conducted using the longwall method. Likewise, many new surface mines use area or mountaintop removal methods. These methods can have a significant impact on surface and groundwater resources. The overall study of the effects on surface and groundwater from mining is referred to as the probable hydrologic consequences (PHC) determination of mining and reclamation. Collection and interpretation of information concerning groundwater and surface water quality and quantity, as well as detailed geologic analysis, is required to adequately define the impacts of mining. This paper discusses the present day requirements and methodology of preparing a PHC for a large mining operation in the eastern coalfields.

Jan 1, 1995

By A. W. Hesse

VENTILATION of all types of coal mines is fundamentally the same, in that sufficient air must be provided to properly dilute and remove dangerous and obnoxious gases and leave the oxygen content of the air not under 19 per cent in all places where men and animals must work. Perhaps animals should not be mentioned, as the speed of mechanical loading leaves livestock behind and outmoded. Since this paper has to do with the influence of mechanical loading equipment on ventilation, the problems will be confined to the splits and the coal-producing places of the mine. The removal of coal dust from the air, or its rapid transmission to the return air courses; the possible increase in the liberation of gases by the multiplication of cuts in the coal made during one shift or multiple shifts; and the additional electrical equipment at the faces, are the factors that cause the added importance to good ventilation in the permissible equipment area of gassy bituminous coal mines. VENTILATION FOR MECHANICAL LOADING IN GASSY MINES In gassy mines, the air currents must be maintained across the faces in such a way as to prevent short cuts to the returns and leaving pockets in which accumulation of gas might occur. To do this, two or more doors are required on almost every entry containing a track to the face, so located that in no event will a trip of cars block open the doors and permit the air to by-pass some place or places on the air-approach side. This method frequently requires the use of unusual lengths of duplex cables to reach the mechanical equipment at the faces, particularly where the distances between parallel working places are 100 ft., as at the Nemacolin mine. Fig. I shows a pillar section being worked with mechanical loaders. This layout requires carrying the air in on the right and releasing it on the left, because the track clearance is on the right side and the line brattice is built on this side from the last crosscut to the face. Thus, the air travels to the face with greater velocity, and gives more assurance of sweeping out the gas that might be exuding from the crevices of the coal. All working places, in driving through solid coal, are thus treated alike. They are all potentially gassy and must be swept clear of whatever may contaminate the air. Once the air starts into the working section, it is not released until it does a good job. Of course the volume of air must be large enough not only to dilute the gases but to carry away explosive fumes and fine coal dust quickly. Mechanical loading entails cutting and drilling of the coal during the same working period as the loading when two-shift and three-shift operations are employed, and all three processes create finely pulverized coal, which in itself is hazardous if not controlled by some means. If the ventilation is inadequate and gas accumulates, and a spark from defective electrical

Jan 1, 1941

By K Banerjee, C Dube

Veolia Water Technologies was contracted by a global coal mining company to design a retrofit acid mine drainage treatment facility using DenseSludge™ technology on a former coal refuse disposal site. The project constraint was to reuse current facilities in order to reduce additional capital work cost and avoid additional footprint requirements while improving treatment performance and reducing sludge production and chemical consumption. The initial installation of 454 m3/h served as a pilot plant to demonstrate the benefits of the process and ultimately provided design criteria for the new facility. The pilot demonstrated the benefit of the technology by reducing sludge volume by 90 per cent compared to conventional processes currently in use. The sludge that is reinjected into the mine contains less water, which reduces the volume of water that returns to the mine pool for treatment and mine water balance. Furthermore, the pilot plant reduced lime usage compared to conventional processes by operating at a lower pH set point, demonstrating steady pH control and stoichiometric lime utilisation.CITATION:Dube, C and Banerjee, K, 2015. Sludge conditioning technology to reduce sludge and the cost of acid mine drainage treatment, in Proceedings Tailings and Mine Waste Management for the 21st Century , pp 105–110 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 27, 2015

By G. K. Derby

Paper presents project results investigating current techniques for dragline wire rope removal and the development of less hazardous means of performing the task. The cannon is the most prevalent method used in American surface mines. A cannon test program was conducted that used 40-and 50-grain primer cord to establish force produced using a 56-pound projectile. Socketlwedges were separated to establish separation force data. Two alternative removal methods, pendulum ram and portable hydraulic pusher, were developed and tested. Both provide sufficient force to effect separations under normal conditions on draglines with up to 78- cubic yard buckets.

Jan 1, 1984

By George F. Comstock

It has been known for many years that the alloy containing 90 per cent. copper and 10 per cent. aluminum can be hardened, like steel, by quenching from a suitable temperature, and that the hardened alloy can be softened again by annealing or drawing the temper. It does not seem to be generally appreciated, however, that the effect of the first slight reheating after quenching is actually increased hardness, the softening effect not taking place until a certain temperature of "drawing" has been exceeded. This paper gives the results of a few experiments on various specimens of cast 10 per cent. aluminum bronze, quenched for maximum hardness, and subsequcntly annealed at different temperatures. The hardness measurements were made with both a scleroscope and a standard Swedish Brinell machine; some peculiarities of the scleroscope test on this material are described. The author is not aware of many previous investigations of the hardness of this alloy when quenched and drawn, but two important papers on the subject should be mentioned. The earliest was by Portevin and Arnou,1 in which it was stated that tempering quenched 10 per cent. aluminum bronze at 400" C. increased the hardness as compared with the quenched untempered alloy and that reheating above that temperature ' was necessary to obtain any softening effect. A later paper was by Seidell and Horvitz,2 who mentioned Portevin and Arnou's work, but did not report any increase in hardness obtained

Jan 1, 1925