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By Yehia El-Ibiary, M. P. Evans

One way of increasing conveyor systems productivity is by monitoring the key parameters in the systems. In this paper, a new line of smart bearings will be presented and discussed. The new bearings are capable of monitoring temperature, vibrations, and belt speed for early detection of potentially serious problems. The new smart bearings have built in sensors that are carefully integrated and protected for long life service. These bearings are going to be the key to increasing the up time of belt conveyors in the future.

Jan 1, 1996

Petroleum exploration and development is vitally important for the future well being of Australia. The Australian petroleum exploration/development industry is alive but not so well. A combination of.:factors point to the industry requiring a much more mature effort in both short and longer-term planning to ensure greater success and effectiveness for petroleum discoveries and development. While many petroleum exploration companies are competently run, there are far too many which will be lucky to survive, even though their exploration areas are highly Prospective.

Jan 1, 1983

Report of the Secretary GENTLEMEN Herewith are transmitted reports from the Treasurer and of the principal standing committees of the Institute. To these special reports members are referred for details as to the year's work. Despite the unfavorable business conditions obtaining throughout the year, the Institute was able to carry on its various activities without curtailment and without drawing on the surplus accumulated through previous years. In fact, small additions were made to the Life Membership and various other funds. It is highly desirable that such additions should continue to be made, especially to the Life Membership fund, for reasons reported last year. At present, money must be used from current receipts in order to enable the Institute to fulfill its obligations to those who on joining the organization commuted their dues by a single payment. In addition, with the passage of years the number increases of those who have paid dues forty years or more and who, by reason of age or disability, are unable longer to practise their profession. These men have supported the Institute through their active professional life and it would be a pity to lose them as members through resignation or for failure to keep up their dues. In accordance with the By-laws the Board has authority to advance such members, on application, to the Honor Roll of Senior Members and to relieve them from further payment of dues. It has been the policy of the Board to do this liberally, but to keep up this, as well as to meet other obligations, it is necessary for money to be provided. It has been estimated by the Treasurer that nearly $50,000 additional should be placed in the Life Membership fund as soon as possible to meet these obligations without using current income and to that end it is necessary, not only to avoid running behind currently but to earn, if possible, some surplus each year. The small amount transferred to the Life Membership fund from surplus this year was, as a matter of fact, made possible by certain members paying personally bills that were properly chargeable to the Treasury. Such generosity is common among those active in Institute work and probably no year would have closed with a surplus except for it.

Jan 1, 1929

By Thomas. Lisa, Mark Coleman

Schenck Process is an established customer-driven solutions provider, utilising its knowledge, expertise and technologies to transform production processes. Operating across several industries Schenck Process have developed quality solutions from their range of equipment to solve problems and fill holes in other people’s processes. In the non-ferrous metals industries Schenck Process have been using their Clyde Brand solutions in Pneumatic Transport to solve problems on smelter sites for a number of years, handling of concentrates, additives and metallurgical dusts. Working alongside clients around the world they have developed a number of dust handling systems for flash furnaces from New Boliden, through Codelco to PASAR. Solving handling issues in dust collection has proved to suit Schenck Process range of equipment well and now a series of solutions are available. Solutions have been developed to handle materials up to 600°C and can convey over 1 km. Conveying to remote location for disposal, injecting directly into a furnace through lances, return to furnace burner feed, or deliver and dose into leaching reactors, Schenck Process are ready to ‘make processes work’. Historic solutions at New Boliden and Codelco demonstrate a range of material application and the long term performance of the equipment. Recent installations at Pasar utilise the Schenck new ProPhaseTM equipment and handle the Waste Heat Boiler and ESP dusts directly and simplify the dust train. The paper will seek to show how this equipment can bring benefit in handling high temperature materials directly and eliminate several traditional steps that are often unreliable. The systems can be paired with Schenck Process new PHASiQTM and STREAMiQTM control systems which are complete PC, HMI, PLC, Interface system with full SCADA, Data Storage and IoT ready remote interrogation and support available. Installed in this challenging environment the systems are ready for smelter use. The systems can be also joined to our new E-nizingTM web portal. A perfect partnership to deliver the trend in ‘Big Data’ while providing visibility and off site support. The paper will show how these systems can deliver reliable equipment and remote support for these often isolated sites as well as delivering rapid return on investment. This paper discusses a step change in simplifying Flash Furnace Dust handling which Schenck believes shows the truth of Schenck Process Solutions claim that ‘we make processes work’.

Jan 1, 2019

By Michel Gamache

This paper describes a system that manages and assigns vehicles in real-time in an underground mine. Each dispatching decision takes into account the traffic on the road segments of the mine network, whether bi-directional or unidirectional, and ensures that each LHD (Load-Haul-Dump Vehicle) arrives in the right orientation at loading and dumping points. Such systems can be used for two main purposes: 1) as a strategic planning tool and 2) as a real-time managing and optimising system for operations. Using a simulator in conjunction with the fleet management system, it is possible to accurately estimate the impact on productivity of decisions such as the development of waiting areas (bays, sidings), or the addition (elimination) of vehicles to the fleet in operation. Moreover, when used in for real-time dispatching, routing and scheduling of vehicles, the system can optimise production with respect to various assignment criteria such as minimising the cycle time or minimising the deviation from an optimal production plan. Dispatching, routing, and scheduling are handled simultaneously, taking into account the mine status, operational constraints, and all available information.

May 1, 2001

By J. F. Nicholas

THE angles between the crystallographic planes in cubic metals were originally given by Bozorth and have been republished many times. Recently, Salkovitz2 tabulated the angles for the hexagonal metals (magnesium, zinc, and cadmium). he most commonly used metal which does not fail into either of these groups is tin, which has a tetragonal structure with an axial ratio of c/a = 0.54558 (99.99 pct purity, 25°C).² ccordingly, Table I has been prepared giving the possible values for the angle, 4, between planes of the types {HKL) and {hkl). The formula used was: Hh + Kk + LI — cos? = —--------------—-----------— A [(H2 + K2 + L2-a2c2(h2 + k2 + r;)] All angles are given correct to the nearest minute as this is sufficient for all practical purposes. Every angle depends in a different way on variations in the value of c/a, but even in the worst cases a variation of about 0.0003 in this ratio is needed to vary an angle by l', which corresponds to a temperature change of 20 °C or can be caused by impurities.

Jan 1, 1952

By E. J. Hammer

Crushing and grinding of gypsum demands con- trolled processing to a fineness suitable for further treatment of the mineral into end products, and into various sizes of material which are themselves saleable products. The majority of gypsum tonnage ultimately ends up in stucco for wallboard. Therefore, mineral reduction is normally designed toward this end, but it is done in a manner that permits drawing off intermediate products to meet various customer requirements. This forces companies into compromises at times in equipment installations. Normally, 5 to 6 different sizes intermediate to the end product are marketed and these are generally the fineness of material to be used as stucco for wallboard. These sizes are produced by controlled crushing, grinding and sizing. How Ore Characteristics Guide Processing First, gypsum as a mineral (CaS0;2H,O) is number two on the Mohs scale two of hardness; only talc is softer, Despite being soft, gypsum is tough, a factor which is of critical importance when developing equipment specifications. In addition, of the increasing volumes of rock handled, the associated and included impurities such as anhydrite, silica or lime- stones are found to be relatively abrasive.

Jan 1, 1970

By Nick Barton

Simple methods for estimating the shear strength of rock joints and waste rock are reviewed. For the case of rock joints, the methods are based on a quantitative characterization of the joint roughness and the joint wall strength. Size-effects are found to reduce the peak strength of large joint samples to values below the ultimate or so-called "residual" values measured in the laboratory. Tilt tests and surface profiling on natural size blocks within the jointed rock mass are recommended for obtaining scale-free properties. The joint parameters obtained can be used to model complete strength-displacement-dilation behavior if this level of input is required. Large scale tilt tests can be performed with advantage on both rock joints and waste rock. The behavior of these two materials is surprisingly similar. Both are influenced by the size-effects on the compression strength of the rock, and both have similar log-linear relationships between effective normal stress and the peak drained friction angles. The resulting high values of friction near the toe or close to a slope face in either material can be misleading.

Jan 1, 1983

By W T. Pate, A V. Potapov, J K. Lichter

Even though flotation is one of the most important unit operations of mineral processing, accurate modelling of this process for plant performance prediction has remained elusive. In the last four to five years dramatic changes have occurred in our ability to make credible model based predictions. This paper briefly traces the history of flotation modelling from simple (lumped pulp-froth) æchemical kinetic analogueÆ models for single cells to more detailed multi-phase, multi-component population balance models for banks of cells. It then focuses on recent developments in physics-based modelling tools. This includes current efforts to model the forces of attachment and detachment at the individual event level as well as multi-event levels in individual cells and circuits. Two examples of these tools are presented. The first is DEM modelling of the mechanics of motion of bubbles in froths. The second is population balance modelling of the dynamics of flotation circuits describing how they are influenced by upstream processes (such as crushing and grinding) as well as internal process variables (such as aeration, agitation and reagent addition). Applications of each of these tools are discussed.

Jan 1, 2005

Officials of the State Department have expressed their hope that a considerable number of technical men will take the examination for consular service. The Department recognizes that the interest of the United States will be served best if technical men are made available through these examinations for vacancies at points where their training will be of special value. Industrial engineers who have passed the con-sular examination will be assigned to industrial centers of Europe or South America. Mining engineers, chemists, electrical engineers, etc., will be assigned to industrial centers requiring special training.

Jan 11, 1919

By K G. van den Boogaart, S Konsulke, R Tolosana Delgado

Adaptive mineral processing has to rely on spatially predicted information on primary geometallurgical parameters, like phase composition, size and shape distributions of grains from various phases, portions of value elements in different grain types. Naively, one would predict these parameters geostatistically and select an optimal processing for the predicted structure. This is suboptimal, due to various kinds of non-linearities in the problem. First, some primary geometallurgical quantities themselves are measured in non-real scales, like compositional or stereologically distorted geometric information. Standard geostatistics has to be replaced by compositional and geometric geostatistics, involving complex transforms and restrictions. Further, only partial and uncertain information is available, introducing a stochastic character to the optimisation problem. Moreover, many response variables leading to costs, outcomes and eventual effects of later processing depend non-linearly on the primary geometallurgical parameters, which implies that the final monetary value is not estimated unbiasedly by kriging. Finally unbiased linear prediction (such as kriging) is not the best method of prediction for decision making. The conditional expectation of the monetary values is needed instead. The impact of these problems is explained in this paper, with simplified examples, and a first approach to a general solution is proposed. CITATION:van den Boogaart, K G, Konsulke, S and Tolosana Delgado, R, 2013. Non-linear geostatistics for geometallurgical optimisation, in Proceedings The Second AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2013 , pp 253-258 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 29, 2013

By William M. Greenslade

As the search for minerals leads to deeper mines the need to control water inflow into mine shafts and mine workings will grow. As shal¬lower more readily available minerals are exploited, ore bodies which were previously uneconomic be cause of their depth will now become attractive targets. In known mining districts new ore bodies are being discovered down dip of existing ones. In the west many metal deposits are being developed in rocks of the mountain front pediments, frequently covered by several hundred feet of saturated alluvium. Greater depth often means that workings are developed well below existing water tables, creating high hydrostatic heads adjacent to mine workings. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the methods available for determining if water control will be necessary and to present some of the techniques for locating water bearing zones and the amount of water to be expected. The paper will concentrate on problems associated with water control in mine shaft development, although many of the exploratory techniques are similar to those needed for assessing overall mine water inflow problems. A brief case history on water control problems in mine shafts in the Grants mineral belt of northwestern New Mexico is presented. Water control during shaft sinking presents some unique features. First, the problem is a relatively short term one, since water control is often necessary only while the shaft is being sunk. Control measures may be necessary only while the shaft is open into the water bearing zone and the lining installed and cemented. Secondly, limited working space within the shaft area presents difficulties in handling large amounts of water inflow. The presence of water in the shaft working area increases sinking time and the potential hazard to miners. Finally, there is the economics of shaft sinking. While the shaft is being sunk no ore is being produced and there is every incentive to minimize costs.

Jan 1, 1979

By Ralph C. Kirby

The U.S. produces about 34 percent of the world's aluminum yet must import 90 percent of the raw materials needed. There are abundant resources of aluminum-bearing minerals such as clay, anorthosite, alunite, shale, and dawsonite, but none of the numerous processes proposed for recovering alumina from them has yet proved economically competitive with the Bayer process using imported bauxite. To help develop an economically viable process for utilizing these resources, the Bureau of Mines is testing on a common basis several proudsing processing techniques. New improvements and approaches developed by industry and the Government are being evaluated on a mall scale to obtain enough information on which to form a judgment regarding the best processes for commercial adoption. A continuous miniplant having a feed rate of about 70 pounds per hour is being operated now to investigate the nitric acid process for recovering alumina from clay. Parts of this plant will be used subsequently for work on other processes for recovering alumina from clay, anorthosite, alunite, and dawsonite. Initial results of the operation and plans for the overall project will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1974

By Baha Abulnaga

Slurry pipelines are used in a number of countries to convey processed ore mixed with water over long distances from remote mine sites to ports or plants for further processing. In Egypt and Sudan, numerous mineral resources are scattered in remote areas. Through the years, Egyptian geologists have identified 268 sites for metallic ores and 386 sites for industrial nonmetallic minerals. A large portion of these sites are in the Eastern Desert in an area called the Nubian Shield. Similar sites are found in the Sudan where mining contributes to less than 1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). There are three important components of infrastructure needed to develop these resources ? power, water and transportation. While Egypt is able to satisfy 70 percent of its needs in iron ore from the Gadideh Mine in the Western Desert, it needs to expand its other resources to reduce imports heavily sedimented. Dredging of these sediments and transporting them by slurry pipelines would enhance an industry of bricks or agricultural development based on tailings technology often used in mining. This article explores the potential for slurry technology for opening new mines in the desert or recuperating the sediments of the Nile. The technology by itself would be new to both countries and would benefit from collaboration, particularly to de-silt the Nasser-Nubia Lake.

Jan 3, 2010

A roof rating system has been devel¬oped for upper seam damage prediction during mul¬ti-seam mining based on structural and geologic conditions in the upper seam. Two primary consid¬erations -geologic and spatial - form the basis of the classification system. It includes factors commonly found in geomechanics classification systems as well as factors which are peculiar to multi-seam mining, such as those which define the two adjacent seams and the innerburden. This rating system has been applied to numerous case studies to form empirical relationships for quan-titatively predicting potential upper seam damage based on anticipated subsidence and strain values and vertical movements.

Jan 1, 1988

By David R. Baughman, Ray V. Huff, Paul D. Chamberlin

ISL Ventures, Inc. (ISLV) is developing a process for recovering gold and silver from ores using a chloride-hypochlorite lixiviant. The leach solution, composed of water, NaCl and NaOCl, is maintained at a pH of about 7. At this pH most base metals are not leached. This is important for deposits that contain cyanide-soluble copper. An inhibitor can be incorporated to slow the decomposition of the oxidant. This paper reviews the history of development, presents details of the chemistry and indicates the nature of deposits, which we believe to be amenable to production using the process.

Jan 1, 1999

By W. G. Fischer

This paper attempts to close the gap between extensive rock testing with field measurements and the mine operator's need for safe mine layouts and alternatives. It was found that many of the variables that influence mine geometry and worker safety are relatively unimportant while others are critical. The development of empirical relationships that tie the critical variables to the safe useful life of a trona mine layout and observations made in 140 production areas where the variables were researched over a 15-year period are discussed. The concepts presented may have applicability in mine design for other bedded deposits.

Jan 1, 1986

Proposals for engineering works in the River Dement in recent years have been made in the context of very little geological informat- ion. Breakage of the Tasman Bridge, forced a complete re-appraisal and collection of inform- ation in order to select a new site and predict problems. Seismic, magnetic and gravity methods foll- owed by drilling have allowed an assessment of the nature, thickness and distribution of mater- ials underlying the river bed. Key discoveries included recognition of low seismic velocity silts (1100 m/s) and a separate channel for the river since the Late Tertiary.

Jan 1, 1977

By Shinya Hodoshima

A catalysis pair of tetralin dehydrogenation / naphthalene hydrogenation has been proposed in the present paper as a liquid organic hydride for operating stationary fuel cells. Catalytic naphthalene hydrogenation, having been commercialized since the 1940s, proceeds to generate decalin via tetralin as an intermediate. The storage capacities of tetralin (3.0 wt%, 28.2 kg-H2 / m3) are lower than decalin (7.3 wt%, 64.8 kg-H2 / m3) but both tetralin dehydrogenation and naphthalene hydrogenation are much faster than the decalin / naphthalene pair. Moreover, existing infrastructures such as gas stations, chemical tankers and tank lorries are available for storage, transportation and supply of hydrogen. With respect to the stationary fuel cells with large space for hydrogen storage, tetralin as a hydrogen carrier is superior to decalin in terms of fast hydrogen supply or power density. Rapid hydrogen supply from tetralin under mild conditions was only accomplished with the carbon-supported metal catalysts in the ?superheated liquid-film states? under reactive distillation conditions. In contrast to the ordinary suspended states, the catalyst layers superheated in the liquid-film state gave high catalytic performances at around 250OC. As a consequence, both serious coke formation over the catalyst surface and excessive consumption of exergy were prevented simultaneously.

Jan 1, 2006

By Robert F. Shurtz, William J. Verner

Three basic questions must be answered by an engineer performing an economic analysis of a mineral property: (1) How much can the company afford to pay for the property; (2) At what rate should the property be mined; (3) What will be the return on the investment. These questions often defy reasonable analysis, because at the point in time at which they must be answered little may be known about the grade of ore and the reserve tonnage. The purpose of this report is twofold. First, to derive a method of determining purchase price, rate of production and return on investment which is valid under varying conditions of ore grade and tonnage reserve; and, second, to apply this method to the Margay deposit in an attempt to evaluate it as a business enterprise. This is an actual economic analysis of an existing nickel-copper deposit fictitiously named the Margay. It was carried out for a mining corporation and proved to be the determining factor in the subsequent purchase and development of the property. All data referring to costs, quality and quantity of ore, etc., are accurate and truly represented. Prices used are obsolete but the method is not dependent on those variables. Basic assumptions for the analysis are given in Table I, page 71.

Jan 11, 1966