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The introduction of computer technology to the mining industry has produced many benefits for the mining engineer. The most significant is the dramatic increase in productivity realized by the individual user. This is important during times of competitive market conditions. Software for the minerals and energy industries has evolved substantially over the past decade. But even today it remains difficult to find a system that features the flexibility and integration capabilities to effectively (and cost-effectively) handle the needs of professionals in each phase of the mining industry - from exploration to reclamation. Several national software developers are now addressing this challenge. One Denver-based company, MINEsoft Ltd., offers a software package that is currently being used in each phase of the mining industry. The basic technology used in MINEsoft's database management system was developed in the 1960s. But during these early years of the computer industry, most of the technology was available only on mainframe computers, and then only as separate entities. MINEsoft's system unifies these various systems in one package that can be used on most computers manufactured today. Database Management System TECHBASE is a flexible, integrated database management system designed specifically for technical applications. The system features a database manager with no practical limit to the amount of data it can store, retrieve, and manipulate, according to the company. TECHBASE in¬cludes Applications Packages (TAPs) designed to meet the needs of professionals in a host of industries. Clients use the TECH BASE system to prepare many reports, including important EPA information. The package reduces data to a manageable level and enables users to increase productivity with a smaller staff. Mining engineers no longer need to do things by hand. What used to be a day's work can be accomplished in an hour or two. Exploration "Using the TECHBASE system to generate maps has probably saved us the expense of three or four draftsmen," says Ralph Fitch, regional manager and senior staff geologist with Chevron Resources in Portland, ME. "The system has great flexibility. You can treat it much like a spreadsheet. If you are halfway through with a particular project, the system allows you to add fields and calculations with ease but without starting over." Fitch uses TECHBASE for the "straightforward" plotting of results and generation of geochemical and geophysical profiles. "In exploration," he says, "these are the two key elements ... the generation of maps and data profiles. The system allows you to plot as many elements and variables in these areas that you like." Other aspects are important, too, says Fitch, including drill hole sections. "We use all the basic capabilities the system provides in the complete package," he explains. "When shopping for a system, TECHBASE was clearly dedicated to exploration in the

Jan 9, 1987

By David R. Mitchell, Ernest M. Spokes

There is evidence that study of minerals now considered to have susceptibilities too low for magnetic separation should be continued. Present concepts may be false. INFORMATION on magnetic properties of minerals other than magnetite is scanty and sometimes erroneous. Often there is no information at all. W. R. Crane's table of tractive forces published in 1901 is still the best guide in the field, but Crane's data can be used as a guide only, since he ignored such important factors as impurities in the minerals, size, and packing effect. During the 1930's work by the U. S. Bureau of Mines added greatly to knowledge of the behavior of certain minerals in a magnetic field. The USBM bulletin gave for the first time complete magnetic characteristics for magnetite and fragmentary data for a few other minerals. The work reported here covers a study of the magnetic-susceptibility relationships of the wolframite series of minerals and sphalerites as related to their chemical compositions. Theories are proposed to explain divergences found from commonly accepted beliefs. Gouy Method for Determining Magnetic Susceptibility: The Gouy principle has been adequately described in the literature1-3 and applied in various ways.'- It may be summarized by stating that a body of material (gas, liquid, solid, or powder mixed with gas or liquid) of cylindrical shape changes in apparent weight if suspended with one end in a zone of higher magnetic field strength than is found in that portion of the field surrounding the other end of the cylinder. This may be expressed as K2 - K1 A (H2 - H2) - mg. [1] In determining the susceptibility of mineral specimens by the Gouy method, the mineral is reduced to a fine powder and packed in a glass weighing tube. Precise measurement of the bore and depth of the tube is made unnecessary by a calibration procedure. Using the basic expression of Eq. 1, Hoare"

Jan 1, 1959

By K. L. Boyd

"Can the increasing tonnages of ore and waste mined today be accommodated simply by using bigger and better crushers? This paper reviews the latest primary crushing and large cone crusher designs. It highlights how—in addition to using the larger crushers now available—maximizing the utilization percentages in each stage of the rock size reduction circuit will assist in meeting the larger production requirements of existing and new mining operations. Its goal is to help consultants and operators select the optimal equipment and custom-designed items in material handling from the mine to the mill, maximizing operating hours per year.RÉSUMÉ Le recours à des concasseurs plus grands et plus performants suffit-il à gérer l’augmentation du tonnage du minerai et des déchets que l’on extrait de nos jours ? Cet article examine les tous derniers modèles de concassage primaire et de grands concasseurs à cône. Il montre que, pour satisfaire aux exigences de production plus conséquente des exploitations minières existantes et nouvelles, il est important d’optimiser les taux d’utilisation à chacune des étapes du circuit de réduction de la taille des roches, en plus d’utiliser les concasseurs plus grands actuellement disponibles. L’objectif de cet article est d’aider les sociétés d’experts-conseils et les exploitants à sélectionner le meilleur équipement ainsi que des articles fabriqués sur mesure pour la manutention de la mine au concentrateur, en optimisant les heures d’exploitation par année.INTRODUCTIONAre larger crushers the answer to meeting the demands of existing or new mining projects for increased tonnage? Boyd (2002) predicted that larger crushers for primary and fine crushing would be beneficial and contribute to the further development of mineral processing. Larger crushers for primary and fine crushing applications have since become available.The rock size reduction process from the mine to the selected milling process facility has not changed since a person first broke a rock to get at the interesting mineralization within. The rock size reduction process circuit from the mine to the mill can be summarized in four stages:• stage 1: mining (rock breakage and fragmentation);• stage 2: prescreening (scalping);• stage 3: primary crushing; and• stage 4: fine crushing (secondary, tertiary, and quaternary).Plant throughput and ore delivery schedule will form the basis for flowsheet design and equipment selection. Once the project design criteria and the mine plan have been established, the circuit’s utilization percentage (percentage of hours when the circuit is being utilized) can be optimized for each of the four stages. The mining and process departments play a key role in the selection of the final comminution circuit, and both departments should be familiar with and contribute to the design of the circuit."

Jan 1, 2017

By Parris A. Lyew-Ayee

The Government or Jamaica has just completed agreements with four of the five bauxite/alumina companies operating in Jamaica. These companies are Kaiser, Reynolds, Alcoa, and Alcan, and the Agreements came into effect on February 1, 1980. One of the results of these new Agreements is the Acquisition of all company-owned bauxite lands by the Government and the rationalization of bauxite reserves.

Jan 1, 1980

By Larry S. Diaz

The paper considers the selection of control instrumentation for a modern flotation plant, as well as the best interpretation and most effective use of the process data obtained. Process control computer availability is considered from the outset. A general philosophy of control is proposed which leads toward a system that is its own reliability monitor. The bulk of the problems are in grinding and classification. Alternative control methods are described that use particle size measuring devices. Flotation controls, based to a large extent upon on-stream X-ray analysis, are reviewed in detail. Reagent control methods are also examined. Methods to analyze the data obtained from the various measurement devices are introduced. These methods would enable an estimate of the validity of the data and require some redundant information. Another objective of these methods is the protection of operating equipment from possible control malfunctions. Although the discussion generally considers some degree of computer usage, this paper attempts to describe instrumentation and data analysis methods that enable control with or without the process control computer.

Jan 1, 1972

By Raymond B. Ladoo

"The recent discovery and exploitation of petroleum territory have resulted in the enactment of new petroleum laws in most of the South American Republics. The activities in the discovery of these new fields were engendered by the knowledge of the fact that present producing fields must within well defined periods be exhausted. Oil operators were willing to take the initial steps in exploitation in the absence of legislation that applied strictly to petroleum operations. The enactment of modern legislation in many of these Republics encouraging and protect¬ing exploitations may cause tremendous oil activities in these countries, and the results may be comparable with the magnitude of the undertakings and the prestige of the companies now entering this territory.These, oil fields are admirably located for convenient distribution of petroleum by water to all the Nations using oil as fuel for shipping and industrial concerns. The oil markets of the western coast of South America will derive immense benefits from the Panama Canal. This navigation route brings these markets into direct ocean shipment with the Atlantic coasts of the Western and Eastern Hemispheres.One deterrent to oil production in the Republics of South America is the want of inland. transportation facilities, but the recent laws of these Republics without exception provide for acquiring rights of way for pipe lines and other modes of transportation; and doubtless the great interests and. syndicates already operating in these regions will, as production increases, provide ample pipe line transportation sufficient to convey to the coast the oil produced. It way be assumed, from the legal guarantees afforded, and from operating equipment and machinery that are now being concentrated that refineries will be erected at shipping points for the purpose of making these petroleum products accessible to the world."

May 1, 1921

By Robert Anderson

Advance knowledge of roof conditions can lead to improvement in roof control strategies that will reduce roof falls and ultimately will reduce injuries to mine workers. J.H. Fletcher and Company, in cooperation with West Virginia University, has been developing a system to meet these needs by collecting torque, thrust, and rotation speed data during drilling operations. Recent improvements in analysis algorithms to detect anomalies in the roof structure as well as various display enhancements for real time mapping and evaluation of roof structures have been incorporated into current Fletcher Information Display system. The unit has also been housed in an explosion-proof container to allow use in coal mine applications. Recently, the system has undergone extensive field trials in several limestone mines and one coal mine. During these trials, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health assisted Fletcher in verifying the accuracy of the roof mapping capability of the system by comparing the display information to bore hole scoping observations and drill corings. It was concluded from this assessment that the intelligent drilling system can complement scoping and core analysis to provide a more complete picture of roof strata and is capable of seeing features or conditions that are not always obvious in these more traditional methods.

Jan 1, 2007

Abbey, Robert Graham, District Mgr., The W. W. Sly Mfg. Co., 50 Church St., New York, N. Y. '21 Abbott, A. N Ave. Morelos 84, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico '23 Abbott, Argyle Campbell, Geol 42 Everett St., Arlington, Mass. '29 Abbott, Clarence E., V.P., Charge of Raw Materials, Tenn. Coal, Iron & R. R. Co., 1242 Brown-Marx Bldg., Birmingham, Ala. '04 Abbott, Louis Benjamin, Chief Engr., Consolidation Coal Co., Watson Bldg., Fairmont, W. Va. '15 Abeel, George H., Jr., Cons. Min. Engr 1281/2 S. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, Cal. '18 Abel, Raymond L., Asst. Prof., Dept. of Pet. Refin., Univ. of Pittsburgh. .Pittsburgh, Pa. '28 Abel, Walter D., Cons. Engr 650 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. '82 Abele, Louis T., Min. & Met. Engr., Supt., Texas Hill Mine Coulterville, Cal. '31 Abell, Leo M. Millicent, S. Australia '31 Abernathy, George Elmer, Prof. of Geol. & Min., Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburg, Kan. '20 Aborn, Robert H., Research Lab., U. S. Steel Corp. Lincoln Highway, Kearny, N. J. '19 Abozeid, Mahmood, Dept. of Mines & Quarries Cairo, Egypt '26

Jan 1, 1932

By John V. Beall

There is an underlying surge to mining in the Philippines." So said A. R. "Ham" Reed, general manager Itogon-Suyoc Mines, Inc., to this reporter last November. Itogon-Suyoc is a small company with a struggling gold mine, a mixed sulfide mine and some prospects. In the Republic of Philippines (ROP), politics, which have an effect on mining, create some uncertainties. By July 1974, no mining company may have more than 40% foreign ownership. The ownership provision is a matter of concern to such important companies as Atlas and Benguet Consolidated and is generally considered a deterrent to new foreign investment. Under these circumstances, Reed's comments are of interest. On foreign prospectors: Don't come in cold; find a Philippine partner or buy into a company already here. Physical conditions of exploration are tough-terrain, communications -but the mineral potential is excellent.

Jan 4, 1969

By N Collins, A Woodley, A N. Danoucaras, C McCombe, N C. Kunz

Over the past decade, the mining industry has come to recognise the importance of water both to itself and to others. Water accounting is a formalisation of this importance that quantifies and communicates how water is used by individual sites and the industry as a whole. While there are a number of different accounting frameworks that could be used within the industry, the Minerals Council of AustraliaÆs (MCA) water accounting framework (WAF) is an industry-led approach that provides a consistent representation of mine site water interactions regardless of their operational, social or environmental context that allows for valid comparisons between sites and companies.The WAF contains definitions of off-site water sources and destinations and on-site water use, a methodology for applying the definitions, and a set of metrics to measure site performance. The WAF is comprised of two models: the input-output model, which represents the interactions between sites and their surrounding community, and the operational model, which represents on-site water interactions.Members of the MCA have recently adopted the WAFÆs input-output model to report on their external water interactions in their Australian operations, with some adopting it on a global basis. To support this adoption, there is a need for companies to better understand how to implement the WAF in their own operations. Developing a water account is non-trivial, particularly for sites unfamiliar with the WAF or for sites with the need to represent unusual features. This work describes how to build a water account for a given site using the input-output model, with an emphasis on how to represent challenging situations.CITATION:Woodley, A, Danoucaras, A N, McCombe, C, Kunz, N C and Collins, N, 2013. A robust methodological approach for mine site water accounting, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013 , pp 335-342 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 26, 2013

By J. O. Lewis

In its efforts to reduce waste, and increase efficiencyin oil production, the Bureau of Mines is investigating methods of increasing the recovery from the underground sources of supply, which are the foundation of the petroleum industry and the many allied industries wholly or partly dependent on it. In the face of a demand that is increasing faster than the production and that, in the consensus of opinions of well-informed authorities, is soon likely to outstrip the productive capacity, it is well to consider whether it is not possible to extract more oil from the known sources of supply. It is universally acknowledged that by the usual production methods much oil is left underground, the general opinion being that at least 50 per cent of the oil in a field remains unrecovered when the field is abandoned as exhausted. From the writer's own investigations he believes the average recovery is even less, and if any considerable portion of this oil being left underground could he made available it would have a tremendously favorable influence on the petroleum industry and all the industries dependent on it. In this publication are considered the principles involved in increasing recovery and methods of extracting more oil from the oilbearing formations than by the usual ways of producing. These methods are: The use of gas or vacuum pumps, forcing compressed air or gas through the oil-bearing formations, displacing the oil by water, and better utilization of the natural pressures in the oilhearing formations. Especial attention is being given to a processcommonly known as the Smith-Dunn-for forcing compressed air through oil-bearing formations because it is believed to hold most promise for the future.

Jan 1, 1917

By E R. Hassall

Discussiong the importance of minerals and mining, impacts on the environment and remediation, and the need to foster interest in science among young people.

Jan 8, 1997

By W. C. Morgan

The Federal Surface Mining Law enacted in 1978 is now being translated into regulations which must be followed in future coal mining. Substantial change to mining procedures is required to maintain stricter air and water control while mining and to return the mined out land to equal or better use than before. These changes do not come easy; and in most cases, they create a substantial additional cost. Based on field observations and mining studies, Caterpillar has been making suggestions on the use of their types of equipment to conform to the new standards at the least cost. This paper will be a brief review of some of the overburden stripping and reclamation methods suggested by Caterpillar. A production and cost comparison of dragline, scraper/dozer and truck, loader systems in 20 to 150 ft. Overburden conditions illustrates potential cost savings using mobile equipment.

Jan 1, 1980

By T. A. Gray

The environmental liabilities of coal waste disposal sites can have a major impact on a mining project's economic viability. Developing a waste disposal site is no longer simply an exercise in completing paperwork to obtain a permit, with the proliferation of environmental regulations in recent years, managing disposal sites now requires design creativity, short term and long term planning and detailed monitoring to maximize the benefits to the mining company. Operating costs and future capital costs for expansion of existing sites, new site development and regulatory compliance should be reviewed periodically and considered in the overall management plan. This paper discusses various management methods that are being employed in the industry to improve waste disposal operations both environmentally and profitably.

Jan 1, 1994

By Forrest T. Moyer, J. I. DAVIS, JOSEPH H. SCHUSTER, E. K. ELSNER

The National Safety Competition conducted by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, is held each year for the purpose of promoting safety in the mineral industries of the United States. Since the program was inaugurated in 1925, twenty-three safety competitions have been held. This publication is a report of the results of the contests held in 1944, 1945, 1946, and 1947. The names of plants that have been awarded "Sentinels of Safety" trophies and Certificates of Achievement in Safety dur- ing these years, together with a summary of their achievements in injury prevention, are listed. Statistical data covering the injury experience of all plants entered in the annual contests also are included in this publi- cation. The injury statistics of these plants, arranged in the six groups of the competition, are the only data on injury severity at mineral operations available to the Bureau of Mines. Interest in the National Safety Competition has increased steadily. The number of participating plants has increased from 210 in 1925, the first year of the competition, to the record number of 494 in 1946. The widening scope of the competition means that a steadily increasing number of the mines and quarries in the United States are participating in a program that will supplement their other activities in promoting safety. Safety competitions have long been recognized as instrumental in stimulating and holding the interest of employees and officials in accident-prevention work. During the years covered by this report, conditions in the mineral industries of the United States were hardly conducive to setting records in accident prevention. During the war years, handicaps were especially severe- loss of skilled employees to the armed forces or to higher-wage war industries, greater production by a smaller force of workers, relatively high rates of labor turn-over, the longer workday in effect through 1944 and 1945, and difficulties in obtaining repairs and replacement for badly worn machinery. Even the immediate postwar period has brought no abatement of the tremendous pressure upon the mineral industries for greater production. Although there was a decrease of 18 in 1947 from the record enrollment in 1946, these oper- ations worked 160,525,025 man-hours, the greatest number of man-hours of exposure to mining hazards in any year of the contest except 1942. Despite the accelerated pace at which the mineral industry worked during the 4 years covered by this report, participants in the National Safety Competition have achieved creditable performances in the promotion of safety. In fact, the injury-severity rate in the enrolled plants in the 1947 contest was 7.315 days for each thousand man-hours worked, the lowest by far in the history of the National Safety Competition. The injury-frequency rate of 42.155 for each million man-hours of exposure to mine hazards in 1947 marks a favorable trend downward from the rate of 50.577 in 1946, which was the

Dec 1, 1949

By G. T. Lineberry

A systematic, comprehensive, balanced approach is presented for underground coal mine design, capable of being standardized and generalized. This approach epitomizes professionalism and must preceed the physical product. Design involves a varied senior staff and requires extensive selective input data. Engineering follows a total systems approach, operating in and for a constricting geologic setting, heavily constrained for safety, health, and environmental protection. It must also anticipate execution and operation. Engineering prominence and momentum are maintained, with sub-optimizations balanced by judgments--the "art and science" of engineering. The flow-chart starts with organized input data: Company Capabilities, Property Description, Geologic Analysis and Reserve Analysis. Engineering combines Ground Control with Excavating and Bulk Handling to map feasible Mining Methods, the crucial Milestone Diagram. Layout and Sequencing follow, with numerous alternatives examined. Scheduling is performed on the best designs, using predicted advance (performance) rates. Active and mined-out areas are isolated into time-related parcels, or increments, for the mine life. Bulk Handling, Life Support (especially ventilation and drainage), and Normal Support systems occupy each parcel. Regulations are then checked. Management concerns are covered, and an Economic Analysis is performed for profitability. This and the design represent an Initial Tentative Solution. Continued iterations produce multiple and improved choices.

Jan 1, 1987

By L. O. Howard

THERE are three active mines in the Chewelah-Colville district, the United Silver Copper near Chewelah, and the Old Dominion and the Chloride Queen near Colville. The Admiral near Valley is also doing development work. The Chewelah district is in the south central part of Stevens County in the Colville Valley. Chewelah, a thriving town of 1600 people, and the scene of operations of the Northwest Magnesite Co., is about the center of the district. It is situated in a farming community on the Spokane-Nelson branch of the Great Northern railway, about 65 miles north of Spokane. Only two or three of the mines in the district have been extensively developed, although many have been prospected. The general elevation of the valley, is about 1600 or 1700 ft., that of the mountain ranges on each side about 3000 to 4000 ft., with gentle slopes and rounded glaciated tops. Prospecting is often difficult because of much glacial debris.

Jan 1, 1925

By John Fritz

TROUGH it is not a condition of the Award, the fact is that the John Fritz Medal never has been given to an engineer who had not already received one or more similar awards. This "medal for medalists," on the evening of April 20, was presented to Daniel C. Jackling at a special dinner held at the Union League Club in New York. The citation read "For notable industrial achievement in initiating mass production of copper from low-grade ores through the application of engineering principles." The present award recognizes the same accomplishment-the launching and guiding to the port of marvelous success of the Utah Copper Co., first of the so-called "Porphyries"-as did the award of the William Lawrence Saunders Gold Medal by the A.I.M.E. in 1930, and before that the Award of the Gold Medal of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America in 1926. Following the custom a biography of the Medalist had been published in a small pamphlet as a supplement to the John Fritz Medal Book. T. A. Rickard was the au¬thor of the sketch of Mr. Jackling, an innovation being the placing of a copy of the booklet at the place of each of the diners. The committee in charge of the dinner consisted of two past-presidents: R. E. Tally, of the A.I.M.E., who was chairman; Bancroft Gherardi, of the A.I.E.E.; and Thaddeus Merriman, director of the A. S. C. E., the John Fritz Medal being a joint award of the four societies. Frederick M. Becket, President of the A.I.M.E., as chairman for the occasion, briefly stated the purpose of the dinner. He stressed his satisfaction that the award was symbolic of the cooperative professional activities of the four great national organizations of engineers. He introduced Francis Lee Stuart, past-president of the A.S.C.E. and now chairman of the John Fritz Medal Board of Award. Mr. Stuart outlined the history and purpose of the Medal established in 1902 in memory of John Fritz, of Bethlehem, Pa., one of the great pioneers of America's iron and steel industry, metallurgist, and president of the A.I.M.E. in 1894. Mr. Stuart called the roll of former John Fritz Medalists, three of whom, Ralph Modjeski, J. Waldo Smith, and Ambrose Swasey, were present to do honor to Mr. Jackling. He then introduced George Otis Smith, whose privilege it was to present the Medalist for 1933. Dr. Smith was the senior of the four A.I.M.E. representatives on the Board that last year selected Mr. Jackling for the honor. His speech follows in full.

Jan 1, 1933

By William R. Barton

Dimension stones, with their almost infinite variety, have a broad range of properties and uses. Natural stone was beyond doubt the first mineral commodity used by man. Today dimension stone has widened to encompass building exteriors and interiors, decorative and ornamental modes, statuary, monuments, paving, curbing, flagging, roofing, and miscellaneous categories such as blackboards, surface plates, and honestones. For many purposes, it competes with greater or less success with alternate materials such as concrete, metal, brick, plastic, or glass. The almost ubiquitous geographic distribution of stone resources is the basis for a dimension stone producer industry in almost every State and in almost every land. In the United States, alone, dimension stone sold or used by quarries is valued at 2 million to 3 million dollars annually. Mining, finishing, transportation, and use technology have been modernized, resulting in a broader spectrum of stone products and new adaptions in use. Increased efficiencies also have been reflected in costs and prices and, coupled with gains that should be realized from current research, auger well for continued vitality of the ancient and honorable dimension stone craft.

Jan 1, 1968

By B. W. Steele

"Dofasco began operations in 1912 as a steel foundry located in Hamilton, Ontario. Today, Dofasco is a fully integrated mill that manufactures hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized and tinplate steels. Customers include the automotive, construction, tubular, manufacturing, appliance, packaging and steel ser-vice centre industries. Raw steel production and purchased semi-finished steel processed in1994 was 3.5 million net tonnes. Dofasco employs 7300 people at its Hamilton facility.Environmental management at Dofasco is guided by its environment policy and associated commitments. This paper discusses Dofasco’s responsibility for its products as it relates to these commitments. Dofasco is com-mitted to:n the principles of sustainable development that require that activities be conducted in a manner that provides for the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. These principles will be integrated into product design, manufacturing and business planning;n managing renewable and non-renewable resources through the responsible application of reduce, reuse, and recycle principles;n minimizing any potential impact of its operations and products on the environment, employees, customers and the community;n continuous improvement of the effectiveness and integrity of our environmental management systems;n developing understanding among all employees about their responsibilities, and assigning the necessary authority; andn meeting the standards set by relevant legislation and international agreements through participation with governments and the diligent application of economically feasible and scientifically sound methods and technologies."

Jan 1, 1996