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By Fedotov. K. V., A. Y. Senchenko, V. A. Chanturiya

"The paper describes an efficient process to treat the ore from the largest in Russia copper deposit – Udokan. The recommended process is universally applicable to Udokan ores different in composition and allows reaching high copper recoveries during production of high-grade cathode copper and sulphide concentrate with 45% copper content. There are several promising trends for the process optimization and in the case they are implemented, economics of the whole project could improve significantly. One of the most important optimization options implies reduction of specific energy consumption in the course of comminution operations. Another possible option to optimize the already selected process flowsheet is production of cathode copper from sulphide concentrate directly at a mining and metallurgical plant without sending the latter to other metallurgical works.INTRODUCTIONUdokan copper deposit with resources of more than 20 million tons of copper is the largest in Russia and one of the largest copper deposits in the world. The deposit is located in Kalar District of the Trans-Baikal Territory, 30 km away from Novaya Chara railway station of the Baikal-Amur Mainline.Scientists and engineers from various research institutions have studied Udokan copper ores for years. Along the way, some conceptual process flowsheets have been proposed and each of them has its own pros and cons. The key requirement to the processes being developed was their universal application for processing of all the ore types using a single flowsheet. Due to the hard mining and geological conditions and because of complex material composition of Udokan ores it is of great difficulty to design a process which would provide for maximum economic benefits. That is why the process optimization has been ongoing until now.According to the Russian standards, the main input document for design of a metallurgical plant is referred to as a Process Design Report that covers the following key data sections: analysis of metallurgical testing results, validation of the process, design criteria, process flow diagrams, the mass and metallurgical balances, process description, equipment list and other information necessary for the subsequent design."

Jan 1, 2018

By Shuie Li, Taibai Li, Tao Hu, Zhongjie Wang, Xiang Ge

As one of the main power sources, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) will continue to be applied on a large scale in the future market. Commercialized LIBs cathode materials contain various valuable metal elements including Li, Co, and Ni. The development of green and efficient recycling technology is essential. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have recently emerged as a new class of green solvents that could potentially be applied for the LIBs recycling industry due to their capability to leach the active materials without the introduction of environmentally hazardous reagents as used in conventional hydrometallurgy process. Considering the rapid progress, a critical review focusing on the progress and fundamentals about the overall efficiency has practical significance for the further advancement of this field. Herein, we briefly introduce the overall process of using DESs for LIBs recycling and specifically focus on the efficiency of each step. Current fundamental understandings and new experimental approaches to enhance the efficiency of the leaching process, the extraction process, and reusability are summarized. We expect this review article to inspire scientists to use DESs as powerful tools for advancing the frontiers of LIBs recycling.

Jul 30, 2022

By W. R. Phibbs

THE blast furnace of the Columbia Steel Corpn., at Ironton; Utah, was put in blast April 30, 1924, and its operation has presented some interesting problems. The coke for the furnace is furnished by 33 Koppers Becker type ovens of 15 tons capacity each. The coal is shipped from the company's mine at Columbia, Utah, which is approximately 123 miles from Ironton, and is probably the highest volatile coal that is being coked for blast furnace use in this country. The analysis of the coal is: PER CENT. Moisture 3.90 Volatile 39.00 Fixed carbon 51.10 Ash.... 6.00 Sulfur : 1.07 The analysis of the coke is: PER CENT. Volatile 0.55 Fixed carbon :...:.::: :..:.:: 89.70 Ash 9.75 Sulfur 1.05

Jan 1, 1928

By W. T. Gorton

Bonds are required by state and federal law to address reclamation when the permittee defaults. Under various principles of law, a bonding company may propose to perform the obligations of the permittee, however, the negotiations with the regulatory agencies, surface and mineral owners and other interested parties can create a very complicated scenario that requires an understanding of the law regarding environmental protection, bankruptcy and surety ship, along with technical expertise in land reclamation. This paper presents the engineering professional with a framework regarding areas of law that pertain to surety reclamation projects and negotiations with state and federal agencies and related parties. Though presented in the context of the coal industry, the principles discussed are generally applicable to the mining industry as a whole.

Jan 1, 2003

Gold recovery by catalytic copper ammonium thiosulphate solution has been studied. Such a process strategy is very attractive for leaching certain difficult-to-treat ores and presents lessened lixiviant toxicity compared to cyanide. Newmont Gold Company has evaluated the ammonium thiosulphate heap leach process for gold recovery from low-grade carbonaceous sulphidic refractory ores following biooxidation. The ammonium thiosulphate leach process has been studied in laboratory, pilot plant and demonstration scale. Satisfactory test results support the continuation of process development. However, the thiosulphate leach chemistry was found to be very complex. Maximum control of the stability of the leaching system is a key factor for success, especially for the heap leach process. Important solution chemistry is discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 1997

By P McCarthy

Many mining operations developed in the last 15 years have not performed to expectations. Problems experienced include lower than planned development and production rates, geotechnical/stability problems, unplanned dilution, reduced metallurgical performance and unbudgeted capital/operating costs. Most of these problems can be directly attributed to decisions made on the basis of geoscience interpretations and estimates. Recent case studies continue to provide examples of unplanned events linked to the use of geoscience information. These studies illustrate the need to improve the way geological information is used in mine feasibility and operations. Comprehensive assessment of the consequences of inappropriate technical decision making is still rare; however, the information that is reported highlights the significant financial impact on a companyÆs bottom line.

Jan 1, 2006

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons. ) The governing body of the Imperial College of Technology, London, S. W. (Royal School of Mines), will shortly proceed to the appointment of a Professor of Metallurgy. This important Chair has been filled in the past by such eminent metallurgists as John Percy, Sir William C. Roberts-Austen, and others. A large manufacturing company having two iron foundries, blast furnace, etc., requires the services of a chemist, metallographist, and metallurgical engineer qualified to give advice on cast iron practice, and to prescribe remedies for difficulties often met with in the usual iron foundry. The position of converter blower at a side-blow Bessemer steel casting plant is vacant.

Jan 5, 1913

By S. J. Dillingham

One of the primary goals of every blaster is to achieve the optimum blast design. Too much focus on efficient design, however, can cloud certain issues and exposures that must be addressed if the entire project is to be considered .successful.. Due to the known human response to blast effects and inherent dangers present in the use of explosives, the potential for the project being delayed or shutdown, or the blaster and associated company being named as a defendant in a lawsuit, is always a possibility. Therefore, the blast design and associated project bid must incorporate sound safety contingences and procedures that address those .what-if. Scenarios that may arise as a result of vibration, flyrock, public relations, and job-site personal safety.

Jan 1, 2002

By Jennifer B. Leinart, Otto L. Schumacher

JIM ARNOLD: Our next speaker is Otto Schumacher. He's president of Western Mining Engineering in Spokane, Washington. His company offers services in the area of mining feasibility analysis and publishes Mining Cost Service. Otto's talk will be "Are Metallurgists Overpaid?" [laughter] I know one that's not. [laughter] OTTO SCHUMACHER: I really think it's kind of a dirty trick for Doug to put me up here and pose that question since I'm a mining engineer. However, it's probably most appropriate that a mining engineer address the question because I can be more objective than the rest of you. [laughter] SPEAKER. Otto, do you promise to say something nice about metallurgists? [laughter] OTTO SCHUMACHER: I'll see how much time I have. [laughter]

Jan 1, 1998

By Bruce A. McKinstry

For many major mining projects the time frame from initial planning to production can be measured in terms of decades. Hecla's Silver Shaft project, which is scheduled to go into production by the end of this year and includes a complete surface facility, shaft with an ultimate depth of 2,348 meters (7,700 feet), complete ore pass and loading pocket system, and 610 meters (2,000 feet) of development drifting and stope preparation, was initially concieved in the Fall of 1979. This duration of a mere four years from conceptual engineering to production is a testimonial to what can be accomplished when a progressive mining company and an innovative contractor work together as a team rather than developing into two warring camps as often happens.

Jan 1, 1983

By P. Hornby, S. Henley

INTRODUCTION The project described in this paper is designed to provide a standard and flexible method by which data can be exchanged among different systems and packages in common use for geo- logical modelling and mine planning, with substantial savings in ad hoc programming which is expensive and produces interface software that is difficult to maintain. Such packages include specialised applications such as Vulcan, Surpac, Datamine, and Gemcom software, and the Whittle pit optimisation programs, and more general products such as AutoCad, Microstation, and Maplnfo, and database management systems through a generic SQL interface. The data translator is built around the CSIRO Data Model and GeoEditor, and will make widely available the benefits of the Data Model by adding functionality to its implementation in an industry- standard language and style, with interfaces to important geological and mining software products used by the industry, while including also the visualisation and editing capabilities of the GeoEditor which provides the functional framework within which the Data Translator is developed. The Data Translator is intelligent in the sense that it is not a black-box solution but allows visualisation and validation of data during transfer; furthermore it provides a means for changing abstraction levels during the transfer operation. There have been few similar efforts to address this problem. It is not a problem which is likely to be solved in any general or long- term way by any individual commercial software vendor. THE CSIRO DATA MODEL A wide variety of software tools have entered the exploration and mining industries via different pathways. Examination of these pathways and the origins of the software illuminates the types of data transfer problems and difficulties which might occur in the day to day life of exploration and mining operations. In exploration, the focus is normally on a large area (>5000km2) which is explored primarily in two dimensions. For 20 exploration purposes, geographical information systems (GIs) software, image processing software, and, in some cases, 20 computer aided design (CAD) software have been employed. Typically, GIs soft- ware is used the most by lands and tenements personnel and government geological survey organisations, image processing software is used the most by geophysicists, and 20 CAD software is used the most by drafting and geology personnel. In contrast, within the mining environment, almost all activities have 3D character. In this realm, 3D CAD software and specialised mine planning and design software are important. Specialised mine planning and design software is similar to 30 CAD software, but typically has additional capabilities such as specialised modules for surveying, drill hole data operations, open pit design and optimisation, underground mine design, mining block model creation, and/or ore reserve calculations. Unfortunately, the different origins of the software in exploration and mining lead directly to problems in data exchange and the design of seamless software systems. These problems result from the different data management strategies employed by the different classes of software. In order to address these problems, CSIRO Exploration and Mining and CSIRO Division of Information Technology have been investigating the structure, character, and syntax of data and soft- ware present in computer-aided exploration and mining activities since early 1993. The goal of this effort is to 1) systematically ex- amine the breadth and depth of the data in use within exploration and mining, and to 2) promote a data organisation strategy which is broad enough and comprehensive enough to enable wiser soft- ware design and easier data transfer. In the short term a data model can be used to improve data transfer; in the longer term it is hoped that a data model framework will help object-oriented concepts to enter the next generation of geoscientific software. The data model is described in more detail by Power et al., 1995. THE DATA TRANSLATOR PROJECT The CSIRO Data Model provides a basis for a very wide range of applications in geology and mining. It has been developed over the past two years by a joint team from the Division of Exploration and Mining and the Division of Information Technology, and its principal purpose is to provide a comprehensive and self consistent model of the geometric and topological properties of geological and mining data. The project is being carried out by CSIRO with the support of Australian mining companies through AMIRA (the Australian Mining Industries Research Association). Eight companies are sup- porting the project : • North Ltd Minenco • MIM Exploration • Fractal Graphics • BHP Australia Coal • Pacific Coal • Gencor CRA Exploration The systems to be interfaced have been decided by comparing the priorities of the various sponsors, to produce a final combined priority list as follows : • Vulcan • Minescape • Micromine • Mapinfo INTRODUCTION The project described in this paper is designed to provide a standard and flexible method by which data can be exchanged among different systems and packages in common use for geo- logical modelling and mine planning, with substantial savings in ad hoc programming which is expensive and produces interface software that is difficult to maintain. Such packages include specialised applications such as Vulcan, Surpac, Datamine, and Gemcom software, and the Whittle pit optimisation programs, and more general products such as AutoCad, Microstation, and Maplnfo, and database management systems through a generic SQL interface. The data translator is built around the CSIRO Data Model and GeoEditor, and will make widely available the benefits of the Data Model by adding functionality to its implementation in an industry- standard language and style, with interfaces to important geological and mining software products used by the industry, while including also the visualisation and editing capabilities of the GeoEditor which provides the functional framework within which the Data Translator is developed. The Data Translator is intelligent in the sense that it is not a black-box solution but allows visualisation and validation of data during transfer; furthermore it provides a means for changing abstraction levels during the transfer operation. There have been few similar efforts to address this problem. It is not a problem which is likely to be solved in any general or long- term way by any individual commercial software vendor. THE CSIRO DATA MODEL A wide variety of software tools have entered the exploration and mining industries via different pathways. Examination of these pathways and the origins of the software illuminates the types of data transfer problems and difficulties which might occur in the day to day life of exploration and mining operations. In exploration, the focus is normally on a large area (>5000km2) which is explored primarily in two dimensions. For 20 exploration purposes, geographical information systems (GIs) software, image processing software, and, in some cases, 20 computer aided design (CAD) software have been employed. Typically, GIs soft- ware is used the most by lands and tenements personnel and government geological survey organisations, image processing software is used the most by geophysicists, and 20 CAD software is used the most by drafting and geology personnel. In contrast, within the mining environment, almost all activities have 3D character. In this realm, 3D CAD software and specialised mine planning and design software are important. Specialised mine planning and design software is similar to 30 CAD software, but typically has additional capabilities such as specialised modules for surveying, drill hole data operations, open pit design and optimisation, underground mine design, mining block model creation, and/or ore reserve calculations. Unfortunately, the different origins of the software in exploration and mining lead directly to problems in data exchange and the design of seamless software systems. These problems result from the different data management strategies employed by the different classes of software. In order to address these problems, CSIRO Exploration and Mining and CSIRO Division of Information Technology have been investigating the structure, character, and syntax of data and soft- ware present in computer-aided exploration and mining activities since early 1993. The goal of this effort is to 1) systematically ex- amine the breadth and depth of the data in use within exploration and mining, and to 2) promote a data organisation strategy which is broad enough and comprehensive enough to enable wiser soft- ware design and easier data transfer. In the short term a data model can be used to improve data transfer; in the longer term it is hoped that a data model framework will help object-oriented concepts to enter the next generation of geoscientific software. The data model is described in more detail by Power et al., 1995. THE DATA TRANSLATOR PROJECT The CSIRO Data Model provides a basis for a very wide range of applications in geology and mining. It has been developed over the past two years by a joint team from the Division of Exploration and Mining and the Division of Information Technology, and its principal purpose is to provide a comprehensive and self consistent model of the geometric and topological properties of geological and mining data. The project is being carried out by CSIRO with the support of Australian mining companies through AMIRA (the Australian Mining Industries Research Association). Eight companies are sup- porting the project : • North Ltd Minenco • MIM Exploration • Fractal Graphics • BHP Australia Coal • Pacific Coal • Gencor CRA Exploration The systems to be interfaced have been decided by comparing the priorities of the various sponsors, to produce a final combined priority list as follows : • Vulcan • Minescape • Micromine • Mapinfo • Medsystem

Jan 1, 1996

By William S. Springer

A NEW preparation plant has been put in operation to treat coal from the recently opened Concord mine, located about 15 miles west of Birmingham, Ala., by the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co., a U. S. Steel subsidiary. The mine produces metallurgical grade coking coal from the American seam for use as coke in the company's blast furnaces at the Fairfield and Enseley works. The capacity of the operation is 1000 tons of run-of-mine per hr, approximately half of which is delivered to the by-product coke plant at Fairfield after beneficiation to metallurgical grade. The remaining portion of the mine run is rock and refuse removed during preparation. No boiler coal or other fuels are produced by this mine.

Jan 12, 1950

What is your assessment of the mining industry as we near the end of the 20th century? As it always has, the industry is continually changing. The recent rate of change has been hectic. Many mining-related commodities are selling at low prices. These include gold, silver, copper, coal and soda ash, to name a few. Lower prices place pres- sure on mining companies to increase efficiency through productivity, down- sizing or mergers. The short- term effect of this situation may adversely affect the individual SME member. But the long- term benefit is to build a stronger, more productive and internationally competitive mining industry. In addition, most of these metals and minerals have been historically cyclical in nature, and prices will rebound.

Jan 1, 1999

By D. D. Xu

A novel system for the depression of pyrite and the ash-forming minerals has been developed. A metal ion, including but not restricted to Fe+2, is added to form a hydroxide coating on the pyrite or ash-forming mineral. A polymeric depressant is then added to attach to this re-surfaced mineral. Nearly 200 flotation tests with a 11 different coals indicate the effectiveness of this system. Many of the important process variables such as the coal source, frother-collector system, grind size and procedure, pH, metal ion, and depressant type and concentration have been studied.

Jan 1, 1994

By H. L. Retcofsky

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (18CNMR) spectra of nine 2-substituted pyridines, seven 3 -substituted pyridines, and nine 4-substituted pyridines have been obtained and analyzed. Substituents included both electron-releasing groups and electron-with hawing groups. Substituent effects on the magnetic shieldings of the ring carbons, except for those in the 2-positions of 2-substituted pyridines, were found to be quite similar to the effects reported for the monosubstituted benzenes, Thus, at least to a first approximation, the two classes of compounds have similar shielding mechanisms. Shieldings of the carbon atoms in the 5-positions of 2-substituted pyridines and those in the 6-positions of 3-substituted pyridines were found to reflect electron release or withdrawal by substituent groups, The pyridinium cation and the compounds 2,2'-dipyridyl and benzonitrile were also investigated.

Jan 1, 1969

By G McCullough, B Mutsaers, J Jessop

"*This is an abstract only* Geometallurgical initiatives have demonstrated considerable value to operations that have trialled them. However, it is extremely difficult for these initiatives to become properly embedded into the operations and for that value to be realised on an ongoing basis.This paper will explore some of the historical reasons why this is the case. Some of these reasons include the limited tools available to manage an integrated operation. These, in turn, have resulted from poor communications infrastructure, inadequate sensor capability and the way technical mining software has evolved over the last 30 years.This paper will then investigate how the evolution of technology in recent years can help overcome these constraints and compare progress with similar industries.CITATION:McCullough, G, Mutsaers, B and Jessop, J, 2013. Obstacles to embedding geometallurgy decision-making into operations and how to increase maturity of this critical capability, in Proceedings The Second AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2013, pp 139-140 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Sep 29, 2013

By Shankar S. Hegde

In many areas of the United States much of the most readily minable coal is nearing depletion, while at the same time, increased national attention is being given to coal as a major alternate energy source. If some of the thinner, more erratic, deeper and lower quality coals, which comprise the great bulk of U.S. resources, are to be mined efficiently and economically, greater attention must be devoted to careful planning of mines and to preparation facilities. One of the cornerstones to careful and successful mine planning is precise knowledge of coal thickness and areal distribution, roof and floor quality, and seam quality. Data on which this knowledge is based are obtained from various borehole techniques and, in some cases, seismic methods. Despite the many technical innovations that have been made in acquiring subsurface data, little attention has been given to the problem of systematic storage and retrieval procedures of the data and assembling them in a form that can be used for various computer mapping programs now available. (See Bilter and Martin, 1977; Bryant and Zobrist, 1977 and Farrell and Wherry, 1978). The purpose of this paper is to describe a series of user oriented programs developed over the past five years which are specifically designed for precise logging of rock core, accurate storage and retrieval of this data, correlation of seams between logs, tagging seams, computer assisted data posting of maps and preparing maps and profile sections for report illustrations. The entire system stresses increased precision and speed for a series of operations which are now largely manual, time consuming and prone to error.

Jan 1, 1980

By Charles A. Kumke, GROVER J. DUFF

This paper describes mining and milling practices at the San Xavier mine of the Eagle- Picher Mining & Smelting Co. in Pima County , Ariz . It is one of a series being prepared by the Bureau of Mines on mining methods in various mining districts of the United States . The mine and the mine surface buildings are situated in sec . 11 , T. 17 S. , R. 12 E. , in the Sierrita Mountains in Pima County , 20 miles south by southwest from Tucson via the San Xavier Mission and Twin Buttes road ( fig . 1). A well-maintained dirt road continues southward toward Twin Buttes for 4 miles and then branches off northeasterly for 5-1/2 miles to Sahuarita , where the concentrator of the Eagle - Picher Mining & Smelting Co. is situated on the west slope of the Santa Cruz River Valley . Tho mill is connected by a railroad branch to the main line of the Southorn Pacific Railroad between Tucson and Nogales . It is generally assumed that the San Xavier silver - lead deposits became known to the Jesuits and Spaniards in the early part of the eighteenth century . However , no extensive mining operations were conducted by the Jesuits in what is now Arizona before the middle of the eighteenth century . The completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad from Los Angeles to El Paso in 1881 marked the beginning of intense activity in mining throughout the southern part of the State . The San Xavier mine produced 6,000,000 pounds of lead , considerable zinc ( exact figures not available ) and $200,000 in silver from 1897 to 1918 . The Eagle- Picher Mining & Smolting Co. re- opened the San Xavier mine in 1943 and built a 175-ton concentrator at Sahuarita . The capacity of the plant was increased in 1944 to 500 tons in order to take in custom ore . The surface rocks at the San Xavier mine are , in great part , of sedimentary origin . Limestones of various ages comprise most of the exposed sedimentaries , some quartzites and shales also being present . The sedimentaries rest upon coarse - textured , intrusive , igneous rocks comprised mainly of granite and granodiorite . The San Xavier deposit is composed of galena , sphalerite , chalcopyrite , and pyrite . Generally the individual ore bodies are small , discontinuous , and occur as irregularly spaced shoots or lenses . The present mine workings extend horizontally a distance of 2,700 feet and vertically 900 feet . Owing to ground weight, all mine openings are timbered on the levels and all stopes are square- setted and waste -filled .

Sep 1, 1950

By B. R. Arvidson

Rare-earth elements have some unique properties that are used in many common applications, such as TV screens and lighters. In the 1970's, rare-earths began to be used in a new generation of magnetic materials that have very unique characteristics. Not only were these stronger in the sense of attraction force between a magnet and mild steel (high induction, B), the coercivity (He) is extremely high. This property makes the magnetization of the magnet body composed of a rare-earth element alloy very stable, i.e., it cannot easily be demagnetized.

Jan 1, 1998

By Jeff Peterson, Alastair Grogan

During the winter of 2001/2002, a number of seismic exploration projects were carried out in the Mackenzie River Delta area of the Northwest Territories, in Canada. The purpose of the seismic projects was to identify potential drilling targets for subsequent drilling programs, using explosives as a seismic source. Recent changes to fisheries regulations meant that blasting under lakes, the Mackenzie River and offshore from the delta, was not allowed to induce water overpressures in excess of 100 kPa in these water bodies, and that a water overpressure monitoring program had to be conducted to confirm that this requirement was being met. This paper describes the water overpressure monitoring program on one of the exploration projects, presents the results of the monitoring, and discusses the challenges of carrying out this work in the middle of an arctic winter.

Jan 1, 2003