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By Cristovão Nery Giacomin

Foi desenvolvido um software para cálculo do balanço térmico dos fornos de reaquecimento de placas da Usiminas em Ipatinga. Ele realiza a busca automática de dados operacionais e das placas reaquecidas, valida, trata os dados e realiza os cálculos das parcelas de entrada e saída dos aportes térmicos para cada forno. Além disso, são calculados o rendimento, a eficiência térmica e o índice de ocupação dos fornos. O desenvolvimento foi realizado em ambientes visuais, com utilização de interfaces gráficas para fácil interação dos usuários com o software. A validação do software foi realizada pela comparação de resultados obtidos na busca automática com valores reais operacionais de balanços térmicos já realizados nos fornos.

Oct 30, 2017

By Harry L. Siebert

Pre-splitting was substituted for line drilling to achieve stable rock slopes and reduce excavation beyond the pay line on a Connecticut highway project in 1962-63. Changes have occurred in developing rock slopes that were not foreseen by Alan Bauer and Jim Scott who in the early days understood the relationship of explosive energy to stable slopes. Cushion blasting as currently used produces slopes designed to blend or complement the natural landscape with slope holes detonated after the main body of holes. Pre-splitting is the opposite. The best results have been achieved by detonating the pre-split line of the holes first to allow readjustment of the slope plane fracture and a separate blast for the main body of loaded holes.

Jan 1, 1998

By New kensington P. A, W. L. Fink, H. R. Freche

The investigation of aluminum alloy systems prior to 1923 was severely handicapped by the low purity of the best aluminum available. However, by that time, the electrolytic purification of aluminum had been developed by the Aluminum Company of America,(1)† and in May, 1923, there was initiated, under the direction of E. H. Dix, Jr.,(2) a program for the investigation of the aluminum-alloy systems using the purest electrolytically refined aluminum. Up to the present time 15 papers (3) have been published, most of which are on the binary aluminum systems. Work is now in progress on the ternary systems, and it seems probable that most of the future work will be on ternary systems. Therefore this survey of the binary aluminum systems investigatcd up to the present time (the sixteenth paper of the series) concludes the first phase of this program. Certain qualitative relations between corresponding portions of the various binary diagrams as well as between different parts of the same diagram were noted some time ago by R. S. Archer.(4) In the present paper these relations and others are considered quantitatively by the application of well-known thermodynamic equations or by newly discovered empirical relations. No attempt will be made here to present the history of the development of the thermodynamic equations defining equilibrium or their application to metallic systems, although a list of references is given at the end of this paper for those who are interested in this phase of the subject. Two thermodynamic equations, which will be employed extensively in this paper, are: loge x1 = - L/RT + C

Jan 1, 1934

I once read an æarticleÆ in FHM Magazine entitled æThe Coolest Jobs There Ever WasÆ. It was about a group of guys who were pursuing careers that any person on the planet would just kill for. I distinctly remember drooling over the pages, thinking how much I would love to be Michael SchumacherÆs Chief Engineer at Ferrari, or the Principal Designer and Tester for one of the big Dutch rollercoaster companies. From that moment on, I decided that I wanted a career that was cool enough to make it into the pages of that article. Throughout my time at university, I always had that article in the back of my mind. As a result I constantly wondered about what sort of job I could end up with once I left university. More importantly, I wondered if FHM would be banging down my door to put me in the magazine! After a long and stressful job hunting process (in between completing a thesis and studying for exams) I finally managed to land myself a job with Orica Mining Services. I can honestly say I didnÆt know what to expect when I first joined Orica. Most of my friends ended up working for big mining companies, while I was offered a position with one of the biggest suppliers to these mining companies. However, I had a feeling when I was discussing the role with my future supervisor during the interview process that the job was going to be awesome. I have now spent a year working for Orica and I absolutely love it! While I feel that my job is worthy of being in that FHM article, unfortunately, I donÆt think I am going to get my opportunity to be in the magazine. Apparently I donÆt look too good in a bikini! However, I would love to have the opportunity to discuss the journey that I have taken so far û from my time as an environmental science graduate, then moving on to mining engineering, to now, being part of the Orica Mining Services Graduate Program. My suggestion is to use this paper as a resource. I have learnt during my time at university, as well as my time in the workforce, that the best people you can learn from are your peers. Take what you feel is relevant from the paper; hopefully it will help guide you in shaping your own career.

Jan 1, 2005

By P Clark, P A. Kirsch, R Tapia Rivera

Community members’ sources of information about companies’ social investments are often influenced by the messages in a variety of communication channels, such as newspapers, television and social media. In this sea of communication channels, corporate communications may not always have the desired effect in influencing community perceptions. This paper explores the efficacy of communication between mining companies and communities in Chile through content analysis of corporate sustainability reports and newspaper reporting.Chilean media reporting between 2005 and 2013 is examined to identify community perceptions of corporate social investments made by mining companies. Content within the Chilean newspapers El Mercurio (national) and Soy Chile (regional) is contrasted with content from corporate sustainability reports published by The National Copper Corporation of Chile (Codelco) and Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada (Barrick) for the same period. The objective is to identify differences in the way that corporate social investments are reported by companies in sustainable development reporting and by media in newspapers.Overall, the study demonstrates that the media’s framing and reporting of corporate activities was more negative than positive. Moreover, media outlets tended to focus upon the ‘negative impacts’ or ‘damage’ to communities brought about by mining developments. Conversely, companies’ public communications were largely focused upon direct improvements in livelihoods (health, education, etc) of neighbouring communities. This preliminary study provides a baseline for the development of new formats of effective communication with neighbouring communities. The paper advocates for an increase in participatory mechanisms with affected parties, which could lead towards a greater mutual understanding of the impacts and draw parties closer together.CITATION:Tapia Rivera, R, Kirsch, P A and Clark, P, 2014. Challenging Perceptions? Sustainability Reporting, the Media and Mining, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2014 , pp 413–426 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 16, 2014

By C. Nikolic

A process utilizing ozone for the precipitation of cobalt from nickel sulphate liquors containing ammonium sulphate has been developed. Best results were obtained using nickel carbonate to maintain solution pH at 5.0 to 5.5. Work was performed both in column and stirred-tank reactors. Variables studied included neutralizer type and concentration, NH4+ concentration, temperature, Ni++ and Co++ concentration, per cent O3 in the O2 carrier gas, O3 input rate and agitation. The over-all rate of cobalt rejection increased sharply with increasing agitation and ozone concentration in the gas phase, reflecting relatively slow transfer of ozone from the gas to the liquid phase.

Jan 1, 1978

By N Esmaeili, M Saghaeian, L Hosseini, V Sheikhzadeh, R Hejazi

Ore roasting has long been used for beneficiation and assay upgrading of different ores. In this process, which is mainly used for sulfide ores, the ore is heated to a high temperature. More specifically, it is a metallurgical process involving gas-solid reactions at elevated temperatures. Some types of Iron ore are weak in magnetic properties. Hematite, goethite and limonite are classified in this group. Unlike magnetite, which shows strong magnetic susceptibility, these ores are hard to beneficiate through magnetic separation route. Many researches have focused on gravity separation and flotation routes for upgrading these ores and these methods have also been utilised in the industry. One of the methods to whose industrial application less attention has been paid is magnetising roasting in which the non-magnetic iron ore is transformed to magnetite which is further beneficiated through magnetic separation. In this study, magnetising roasting tests have been performed on one goethite sample in order to check the feasibility of using this method for this specific ore in industrial scale. It is worth mentioning that high intensity magnetic separation have been performed on this sample before but the achieved results were not promising. Results have revealed that through magnetising roasting magnetite content of the ore could be increased from 1.7 per cent up to about 25 per cent. FeO content of the feed sample was increased from 1.03 per cent up to around 9.25 per cent. Also optimum size distribution for achieving the best results in magnetising roasting for this sample has been determined through this study. The best results were achieved when the ore size was 0–10 mm. The effect of coal ratio, time and temperature on the process have also be studied. A coal ratio of 5 per cent, time of 30 min and a temperature of 850°C were determined to be the optimum conditions. Finally, the technical feasibility of utilising magnetising roasting for this specific ore has been confirmed.

Aug 24, 2022

By Enzo Palumbo, Joël P. T. Kapusta, François Larouche

In light of the rapid deployment of bottom blowing smelting in China over the last ten years, one has to wonder why it has taken the copper industry so long to adopt ultra-high oxygen enrichment via Savard-Lee type injectors. As early as 1976, Kellogg and Henderson suggested, in their landmark paper on energy usage in the copper industry, that ‘maximum use of oxygen enrichment of process air’ was one of seven ‘energy saving features’ for copper matte smelting and converting. Yet today, shrouded injection and high oxygen enrichment has not been implemented in copper bath smelting outside China and Vietnam. In this paper, the authors explore the reasons why bath smelting processes such as the Noranda Reactor and the Teniente Converter still operate around 40% oxygen enrichment, while the bottom blowing SKS/BBS process typically runs at 65 to 75% oxygen, with all three processes producing white metal. Are there fundamental metallurgical explanations for this striking difference beyond the long-standing skepticism towards high oxygen shrouded injection and its perceived high implementation cost?

Jan 1, 2015

By H. Gerry Stephenson, Devin Castendyk

"One of the most important environmental issues associated with contemporary openpit mining is the closure of mine pit lakes, and the perpetual legacy these lakes can potentially generate. Ideally, successful pit lake closure includes the following:• The water quality within the pit lake, plus surface water and ground water discharging from the pit lake, meets premining or other acceptable water quality conditions of the receiving environment. • The termination of all active treatment processes.• The return of the pit lake to the government for long-term care and maintenance.• The release of the mining company from all future liabilities associated with the pit lake.• The return of the environmental bond to the mining company.• The reuse of the pit lake for some post-closure, beneficial purpose.The achievement of these goals is known as walk away pit lake closure.Peer-reviewed publications of successful walk away, pit lake closure provide mining companies with the ability to address public concerns regarding the safety of pit lakes which commonly occur during the permitting, operations, and closure phases of mining. To date, most published work on walk away, pit lake closure work has occurred in the coal mining sector in Germany and Australia (McCullough et al., 2009; Jones and McCullough, 2011; Kumar et al., 2013; Schultz et al., 2013). In North America, examples of walk away, pit lake closure are not widely discussed in the literature despite there being excellent examples from the coal mining sector in Alberta, Canada (e.g. Pleasure Island, Black Diamond, East Pit, Sphynx, Robb, Lovette, Siltstone and Sterling), and from the iron mining sector in Minnesota in the United States (e.g. Portsmouth Lake, see MNDNR, 2018). Although seldom included in discussions of pit lakes from the metal and coal mining sectors, the aggregate and fabricated-stone mining sectors also produce pit lakes, and there are numerous examples throughout North America where these pit lakes have been successfully closed and transformed into post-mining resources (Vandenberg, 2018; Crossman, 2019). The difficulty of finding these good examples in the literature makes it challenging for companies to respond to public and regulatory questions regarding pit lake closure and reuse. As such, there is a pressing need to document the motivations and approaches used in examples of successful, walk away, pit lake closure in North America so that the mining industry, at large, can learn from these examples and can better address public concerns."

Aug 1, 2019

By Debbie Laney

DOUG HALBE: Second in our quick run-through on "Operating Ideas That Have Saved Me Some Bucks," was Debbie Laney of Rayrock Mines. Debbie apologizes. She can't be here. But she said, "Doug, don't worry. I've asked Mary Korpi to present the paper. We're both short, blond, and wear glasses. Nobody will know." [laughter] Mary, I caught it right away. You ladies can't fool us. Debbie, who wrote the paper, has spent almost her entire career in operations. She is currently metallurgical manager of Rayrock Mines in Valmy, Nevada. Mary Korpi is also a real operator (that doesn't sound right). She has been responsible for a number of operating areas at Newmont's Nevada operations, and she is currently taking a break from operations as manager of public relations/employee communications for Newmont Gold in Carlin. MARY KORPI: They told us this year at Newmont that we were going to have to work twice as hard. I had no idea it meant I would have to work for another company, too. Over the years, and many times in association with work for mid- to small-size mining companies, there have been two areas that seem to have been the focus of cost savings when looking at new facilities or new processes.

Jan 1, 1998

By S. Abu-Samra

By virtue of its complex nature, the construction industry comprises a wide spectrum of interrelated variables and factors. This multifaceted character of the construction industry puts the use of engineering modeling tools and techniques on top of project management necessities. This research introduces a macro-level earthmoving management system using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to reach the optimum allocation of earthmoving equipment. The Earthmoving Equipment Management System (EEMS) functions through four integrated modules: (1) A Central Database containing information about projects and available equipment; (2) An Equipment per Segment Selection module that calculates the cut and fill quantities, plots the Mass Haul Diagrams, and selects the equipment types to be used for each segment; (3) An Equipment Pool module which determines the production and cost for each available equipment, based upon the project site conditions; and (4) An Optimization Engine equipped with a GA optimization solver. This engine formulates the optimum earthmoving cost for all projects, by changing the number of allocated equipment. The Optimization Engine takes into account the number of available equipment and calculates the weekly equipment allocation. The EEMS model was implemented on an earthmoving company conducting five different projects on hand. The model proved to be an effective tool in providing decision makers with optimum equipment utilization on a multi-project scale to minimize the earthmoving cost. The results were then compared with the company?s existing micro-level management system, demonstrating better performance on the level of savings, amounting to 13% of total earthmoving cost.

Aug 1, 2013

By Carlos Magno de Lima Leonel

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo comparar o desempenho de processo entre espirais convencionais e espirais de grande diâmetro, na concentração de minérios de ferro. Foram realizadas campanhas de testes para levantar os dados necessários para comparar os dois modelos de espirais em estudo. Os resultados mostraram que as principais variáveis que afetaram a eficiência de separação nas espirais foram a abertura dos lemes e a concentração de sólidos na alimentação. A espiral de grande diâmetro obteve resultados melhores, mesmo sem a utilização de água de lavagem, porém mais testes serão necessários para uma conclusão definitiva.

Aug 16, 2017

By Isabel Ferreira de Barros

O objetivo deste trabalho é investigar o efeito da pulsação de corrente sobre a microestrutura da zona fundida de soldas dissimilares entre o aço inoxidável ferrítico AISI 444 e o austenítico AISI 316L. Chapas dos referidos aços foram unidas pelo processo de soldagem TIG. As soldagens foram realizadas variando-se a frequência de pulsação de 2 a 8 Hz e sem pulsação, mantendo-se constante a energia de soldagem. A caracterização microestrutural foi realizada por meio de microscopia óptica, MEV, EDS e EBSD. Os resultados mostraram haver um efeito da frequência de pulsação sobre a homogeneidade e microestrutura final da zona fundida.

Aug 7, 2018

By D McInnes

Rather than look at the problems associated with sampling, this paper deals with the issue of sampling and blending to optimise revenue û predominantly in the mining industry. An example of the use of this methodology in the agriculture industry is also presented. Mining companies, in particular, are experiencing a boom in commodity prices and many believe the industry is in the middle of a æsuper cycleÆ. Production levels are being escalated dramatically to meet the demand coming from China and India. This in turn has further stretched the capacity of our rail and port infrastructure û resulting in significant shipping queues around most Australian commercial ports and increased demurrage costs for the producers. Mining companies are now looking for effective scheduling, planning and blending to maximise production and reduce demurrage charges û given the current infrastructure constraints. Mining companies can no longer use spreadsheets to run their business. This paper further looks at how these outcomes can be met by optimised blending using an integrated supply chain management system such as MineTrak together with effective sampling and analysis.

Jan 1, 2005

By Pengfu Tan

Converter slag chemistry control has played an important role in optimizing converter operations. A thermodynamic model of copper P-S converter has been developed to predict the behavior of magnetite in the converter slag. Predictions of bath temperature, slag and matte compositions, and magnetite content in the slag have been validated by industrial data. The effects of fluxing strategy, returns and skim charges, oxygen enrichment, and temperature on the magnetite formation in the slag have been predicted and discussed. Some improvements of the industrial operations have been presented.

Jan 1, 2005

By G. Akdogan, Q. G. Reynolds, S. J. Baumgartner

A computational model of a submerged arc furnace (SAF) used in the production of ferrochrome is presented. The model‘s intended use is to investigate the extent to which intrinsic and extrinsic properties of the raw materials affect burden distribution and electrical resistance within the furnace. The model is built on the discrete element method and calculates the mechanical interactions of particle distributions resulting from the flow motion of typical raw materials used in the smelting of chromium ore. This model excludes the effects of thermodynamics, furnace chemistry, and heat transfer. It illustrates how the consumption of materials (chromite pellets, flux, and reductant) is affected by changes in electrode length, reductant fractions, and reductant sizing and density during the formation of a reductant bed. The resistance calculation algorithm developed by Mintek was applied to construct networks developed from particle contacts, which can quantitatively generate estimates of the electrode-to-electrode and electrode-to-bath electrical conduction conditions.

Apr 16, 2024

By E. M. Spokes

A.B. Rushton The work and resulting publications of the Committee on Underground Coal Mine Safety and The President's Commission on Coal were appropriate at the time of publication. The statistics cited in the publications appeared to be valid, and the actions proposed by the committee had merit. Although the actions proposed to achieve further improvements in safety may have been worthy of repeating, to associate statistics (Table 1) that are seven to eight years old with company names is bad. Statistics are readily available from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and are usually within three months of being up to date. A review of the most recent Coal Controlling Co. Report will reveal significant changes in the rankings. The more recent statistics should have been cited, or at least compared with those used in the article. Westmoreland Coal Co. is listed as having a 21.1 disabling injury rate for the period (1/78-12/80). The disabling injury rate for the Company for the year ending 1985 was 7.4 for the underground mines and 6.25 for the total facilities. Through March 1986, the disabling rate for the underground mines was 2.86. The management and employees of Westmoreland Coal Co. are committed to safety. The improvements achieved over the past five years attest to that commitment. We are justifiably proud of the achievement and dislike being misrepresented as in the April 1986 article. Reply by E.M. Spokes I regret that the lapse of time since the original work gives a picture of safety practice that is no longer true today. That Westmoreland has reduced its disabling injury rate by 65% to 7.4 in 1985 is most commendable, and I congratulate you for this accomplishment. It is typical of the progress sought by the National Academy of Science and National Research Council when they funded the original study and published "Toward Safer Underground Coal Mines" in 1982. If a significant number of companies do as well as Westmoreland, the report will have served its purpose. Since the paper was primarily a condensation of the original report, it would not have been appropriate to seek access to later statistics. The purpose in seeking its publication at the time of presentation was to reach those who might have missed the original report. The fact that publication was delayed has not voided that purpose and may have reminded some who were aware of the original that its recommendations still apply to improvement of underground coal mine safety.

Jan 6, 1986

By R. H. Grau

This Bureau of Mines report describes methane liberation trends from all U.S. coal mines liberating over 100 Mcfd (100,000 cfd) (2.8 Mm3/d). Detailed are results from the latest Bureau survey performed in 1985 and shown are mine and company name, location, coalbed and methane liberation quantity. The report shows that in 1985, there were 180 mines producing more than 100 Mcfd (2.8 Mm3/d) and the total quantity of methane liberated by these mines was 303,900 Mcfd (8,605 Mm3/d). This data is compared with previous studies performed in 1971 , 1973, 1975, and 1980. From 1971 to 1985, there was a 10% decrease in the number of mines liberating at least 100 Mcfd (2.8 Mm3/d) but there was a dramatic 34% increase of liberations from these mines. The increase seems to be caused by new mines being developed in deeper, gassier coalbeds, particularly in Alabama. Likewise, in comparing the ten highest liberating mines in 1975, 1980, and 1985, an increase in methane liberations each year was experienced. The report classifies mines by three levels of liberations: greater than 100 Mcfd but less than 500 Mcfd (2.8 to 14 Mm3/d); 500 Mcfd to 1 ,000 Mcfd (1 4 to 28 Mm3/d); and greater than 1,000 Mcfd (>28 Mm3/d). It was found that 87% of liberations were from mines producing over 1,000 Mcfd but these accounted for only 38% of all the mines in the study.

Jan 1, 1987

By L. J. Lorig

Much of the present knowledge about caving behavior of rock masses has been obtained from empirical observations. Additional notions about caving have been developed through inferences derived from two-dimensional finite element analyses. These analyses have indicated that a combination of one low-angle set of fractures and one nearly vertical set of fractures is the optimum fracturing configuration for ease of cavability of an orebody. This paper presents the results of two- and three-dimensional distinct element analyses which draw different conclusions than those reported from finite element studies. The distinct element method is selected far analysis of cavability because this method treats the rock mass as an assemblage of rock blocks which may interact individually, The results of the analyses are compared to a documented case history which involved a groundfall of 80,000 tons of ore in a 160-foot high pillar. The mechanics associated with these results are-explained in terms of simple static stability analysis of wedges. The propensity for orebody caving is primarily a function of the number of joint sets or potential "release" surfaces in the orebody. This mechanism is influenced by the bounding weak discontinuities, and intact strength of rock material.

Jan 1, 1989

By W. A. Tiller, J. D. Harrison

HOT pressing of powder particles has gained importance recently, since it affords a method in which high densities are rapidly attained. In a recent study on hot pressing of alumina powders, Mangsen, Lam-bertson, and Best1 have shown within the limits of their experiment, the validity the rate equation for densification in hot pressing, originally proposed by Murray, Livey, and Williams.2 i.e., where D = fraction of theoretical density, t = time, P = pressure and 77 is the viscosity, all in appropriate units. This equation was derived from earlier work of Shuttleworth and Mackenzie3 which is based on the closing of spherical pores under the action of surface tension. The integrated form of this equation yields a straight-line relation between log (1 - D) and t. Such conditions were found by Felten4 to be true only after extended periods of pressing. In an endeavor to quantitatively evaluate the exactitude of this equation in the initial sintering stage, i.e., prior to sealing of the pores, spherical anti-

Jan 1, 1962