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By Per-Anders Persson

This chapter deals with the concepts of shock wave8 and detonation wavea together, because a detonation wave is really a shock wave, supported by the explosive reaction that the shock wave ignites and propagates as it travels through the explosive material. In the context of rock blasting, furthermore, there is justification for treating shock waves and detonation waves together, because the mechanical effect of the detonation in an explosive in a drillhole in rock is propagated and its effects are spread throughout the surrounding rock by means of a shock wave. The overall performance of an explosive in rock blasting or any other application is of course dependent on how much thermal energy is released in the chemical reaction that occurs when the material detonates, and on how much useful mechanical work the reaction products can do as they expand. A major portion of thii chapter deals with the prediction and measurement of explosive performance, a subject which is now still in a process of rapid development.

Jan 1, 1998

By Harry A. Wahl

Precent fracture design procedures are bared on the total fracture area created. A method to distinguish beI,,.ecn total area and [he propped or effective fracture area has not been available. This paper presents a solution to this problem, applicable to horizontal fractures. The difierences between effective fracture area and torn] area are demonstrared in example calculations. This work is hayed on experimentally determined transport efficiencier of solids in sand-liquid slurries. Newtonian and non-Ne~vtoninn systems are considered. INTRODUCTION Fifteen years after commercial introduction, hydraulic fracturing remains the most successful stimulation technique in the oil field. This success is primarily due to ability of induced fractures to penetrate and alter permeabilities deep within formations. Many fields producing today could not have been developed without the hydraulic fracturing process. Because of wide usage, fracture-treatment design has received a great deal of engineering and research effort. This work, resulting in improved equipment and materials, has increased the benefits from fracture treatments as well as the applicability of the process. A major contribution was the development of fluid-loss additives. Necessarily, the number of parameters to be considered in treatment design has steadily increased, resulting in more complicated design techniques. Almost all present design procedures are based on the precepts set forth by Howard and Fast. Relating the fluid volume lost into the formation, the volume required in extending the fracture, and the total slurry volume injected, they developed an expression for the total fracture area created in terms of pertinent treatment parameters. Fluid loss during treatment was expressed as a function of time for three flow mechanisms. Although modifications of fluid loss equations have been made, the total fracture area concept has remained unaltered. A vast amount of field data indicate that induced fractures must be propped and held open to be effective. A notable exception is the Mesa Verde formation in the San Juan basin. However, analysis of these treatments shows that improved well productivities are obtained when propping agents are incorporated in the treating fluid. Although propped fracture area has been recognized as an important design parameter, a method to distinguish between total area and effective fracture area has not been available. The necessary information on slurry-sand transport in fractures has been lacking. Interest in the propped region of induced fractures is not restricted to areal extent alone. The distribution of sand within fractures is important from the standpoint of fracture flow capacities. Flow capacity affects the increase in well productivity after stimulation. The work of Huitt and Darin4 hows that partial monolayers of sand have large flow capacities compared to thick* dense sand packs. It has been postulated that gelled fluids have the ability to transport sand within the fractures at the deired low concentrations. An early contribution in the area of sand placement in fractures was made by Kern et al.' They studied sand movement in a transparent vertical fracture model. It was observed that the sand tended to settle out in the bottom of the model before moving very far. When the fluid velocity exceeded a certain critical value, all of the sand injected began moving through the crack even though it settled to the bottom. This critical velocity was determined under several flow conditions. Some work on sand movement in horizontal fractures has been reported in Russian publications. Sand movement was studied by Izyumova and Shan'gin' using a transparent "pie-shaped" flow model to simulate a horizontal radial flow system. However, the data were limited, especially in a quantitative sense. Dorozhkin, Zheltov and Zheltow studied the behavior of sand-liquid slurries in a horizontal linear flow model. The quantitative data were restricted primarily to the thickness of sand deposits formed at the bottom of the fracture. An earlier paper provided basic data on the flow of sand in horizontal fractures. This study was designed to yield specific quantitative information on rate of advance of sand particles and pressure behavior under various flow conditions. A comprehensive photographic study was undertaken in a 10-ft windowed flow cell to provide the necessary qualitative and quantitative data. Since the number of potential variables far exceeded the capacity of the initial study, emphasis was placed on the effects of sand concentration, oil viscosity and oil flow rate. A detailed description of these experiments and the results are described in Ref. 9. However. the implications of this work on the fracture design calculations were not discussed. An analysis of these data as well as new data is provided in the following sections. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS The primary objective of the experimental investigation was to provide information on the rate of advance of the solids in sand-liquid sturries. A 10%-ft long transparent

Jan 1, 1966

By Scott W. Hazen, Richard F. Link, George S. Koch

The Mi Vida mine , Big Indian district , San Juan County , Utah , is in an ore deposit of uranium and vanadium minerals disseminated in certain sedimentary beds of the Triassic Chinle formation . Statistical analysis of assays of samples taken from the ore body affords an estimate of the grade of the ore body and provides a prediction about the direction of best mineralization beyond the sampled area . The basic data analyzed are assay results for uranium ( Uз Og ) , vanadium (V₂O ) , and lime (CaO ) from 225 channel samples cut at 79 sample points . Through the use of appropriate statistical methods , particularly regression analysis , the grade of ore may be estimated more precisely than by conventional means , and the most favorable direction to extend the mine may be predicted . Frequency distributions of assay residuals for uranium , vanadium , and lime are compared to frequency distributions of assays without regard to trend . Correlations among these variables are obtained and interpreted . The statistical methods employed illustrate certain techniques that may be used to analyze assay data from ore deposits in general .

Jan 1, 1964

By E. Matinde, S. L. Msibi

"The robust nature of alumina refractory materials presents opportunities for their in-process reclaiming and re-use in non-critical applications. Virgin refractories can be substituted with different quantities of reclaimed materials without compromising the quality of the refractory products. In this study, the effect of reclaimed bauxite on andalusite-containing refractory castables for tundish applications was investigated. The recycled bauxite was formulated in different proportions to replace virgin andalusite in the castables. Standard tests were conducted to evaluate the physical, physicochemical, and thermochemical properties of the formulated products. Static corrosion tests were conducted using tundish slag in order to simulate the actual operating conditions. The results show that the standard flow behaviour, open porosity, and bulk density of samples containing up to 22 mass% reclaimed bauxite were comparable to those of the reference castable. However, high-temperature properties such as static corrosion at 1400°C and hot modulus of rupture at 1500°C indicated that there is an upper constraint to the amount of substitution. The study demonstrated direct potential savings of up to 10% when the reclaimed alumina replacement ratio was increased to 22 mass%. IntroductionAlumina-based refractories can be classified into low-alumina, containing less than 50% Al2O3, and high-alumina or bauxite, containing between 50 and 90% Al2O3. High-alumina refractories have widespread applications in high-temperature metal extraction processes due to their outstanding thermochemical and thermomechanical properties and stability (Rebouillat and Rigaud, 2002; Frulli, 2016). The typical chemical composition of refractory-grade bauxite consists of 85–90 wt.% Al2O3, 5–10 wt.% SiO2, 1–2wt.% Fe2O3, 3–4 wt.% TiO2, 0.4–0.8 wt.% CaO + MgO, and 0.20–0.8 wt.% K2O + Na2O (Nyoka et al., 2013). The thermochemical and thermomechanical properties of bauxite-based refractories rely principally on the conversion of the contained silica and alumina to the highly stable corundum (?-Al2O3) and mullite (3Al2O3· 2SiO2) phases (Rebouillat and Rigaud, 2002; Hill and Sehnke, 2006; Garbers-Craig, 2008; Frulli, 2016)."

Jun 1, 2019

By Y. P. Chugh

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

Jan 1, 2009

By E. Stolarski

The circulating fluid bed (CFB) technology can proudly point to its history of more than a quarter of a century of commercial operations. Over 80 CFB units operate in aluminum calcining, coal combustion and gold roasting. This paper describes the invention of the circulating fluid bed and chronicles its development and evolution from calcining through coal combustion to gold roasting. It presents performance data of Lurgi's CFB units in operation and highlights the six gold roasting plants currently operating throughout the world.

Jan 1, 1998

By Kazutoshi Haga, Batnasan Altansukh, Atsushi Shibayama

Results of flotation process combined with atmospheric leaching and high pressure leaching for recovery of copper from low-grade silicate-copper ore have been presented in this study. The low-grade copper ore contains a small amount of copper (0.42 mass %), iron (4.6 mass %), and silicon (38.3 mass%) and among many other metals (Al, Ca, K, Mg, Na, Ti and S). The main mineralogical constituents of the copper ore are calcium aluminosilicate (Ca(Al2Si2O8), amesite (Mg2Al2SiO5(OH)4) and gypsum (CaSO4×H2O), and quartz (SiO2) as resulted from the alteration of an igneous rock. This study has shown that about 92 % of copper can be recovered with a maximum copper grade of 4.2 mass% in a froth after 15 minutes of flotation at pH 8.5 when used potassium amyl xanthate as a collector, MIBC and Dow-froth 250 as frothers and calcium hydroxide as a pH adjuster. The images of bubbles in the cell during flotation process were recorded using a high-speed camera. The froth concentrate with average copper grade of 2.0 mass% was further processed by atmospheric leaching with a solution of sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid, respectively and high pressure leaching with sulphuric acid solution. As a result, leaching rate of copper reached about 60 % in an atmospheric leaching with sulphuric and hydrochloric acid respectively, whereas the rate can reach more than 70 % by autoclave leaching at high pressure under the controlled condition. A process to recover of copper from its low-grade ore can be developed by optimization of flotation combined with acid leaching.

Jan 1, 2014

By W. J. Reagan

All of the material described in the following paper is within the following specifications: carbon, 0.50 to 0.85 per cent; phosphorus and sulfur, 0.04 per cent max.; manganese, 0.60 to 0.85 per cent; silicon, 0.20 to 0.30 per cent. Steels with much lower carbon contents can be handled in exactly the same manner. One of the first things necessary to basic open-hearth slag control is uniformity of charge, particularly as to the silicon content and the percentage of lime charged. Our past work has shown that the silicon content of the charge is more important than the carbon content in determining the carbon at which a heat will melt. We have found that by keeping the silicon content of the charge about 0.60 to 0.65 per cent, and with a lime charge of about 7 per cent (limestone equivalent), our heats melt sufficiently high in carbon to allow a moderate feed of ore and the slag will be of low iron oxide content. In making a heat of 0.75 carbon steel we endeavor to have the heat melt at about 1.20 per cent carbon. The iron oxide content of the finishing slag depends upon the final phosphorus desired; for a given ratio of lime-silica in the slag, the lower the phosphorus desired in the final steel, the higher the iron oxide content of the finishing slag must be. By reducing the lime charge to a minimum, the heats melt faster, and by keeping the silicon content at the desired figure the heats melt with a high SiO2 slag, which has been shown in previous work to give a low iron oxide slag. In most of our work, using a 180,000-lb. charge and with basic pig containing about 1.20 per cent silicon, we use a lime charge of 8500 lb. of limestone and 2000 lb. of burnt lime. The pig charge is about 48 per cent of cold pig, and the charge contains a large percentage of works scrap. This causes a heat to melt with about 1.20 to 1.30 per cent carbon, for a heat that will finish about 0.75 per cent carbon. This gives a heat that will need a feed of about 2000 lb. of ore, and also a slag with an FeO content of about 4 to 5 per cent at melting. The additional FeO obtained from the ore addition will bring the FeO in the slag at tapping to about 6 to 7 per cent. It is necessary to carry quite a fluid slag to prevent pickup of FeO, as a too heavy slag causes FeO to build up in it, giving a finishing slag with a greater FeO than is desired. By adjusting the lime charge of a basic open-hearth heat, a very sensitive adjustment of the slag may be obtained. The figures in Table 1

Jan 1, 1935

By W. J. Reagan

All of the material described in the following paper is within the following specifications: carbon, 0.50 to 0.85 per cent; phosphorus and sulfur, 0.04 per cent max.; manganese, 0.60 to 0.85 per cent; silicon, 0.20 to 0.30 per cent. Steels with much lower carbon contents can be handled in exactly the same manner. One of the first things necessary to basic open-hearth slag control is uniformity of charge, particularly as to the silicon content and the percentage of lime charged. Our past work has shown that the silicon content of the charge is more important than the carbon content in determining the carbon at which a heat will melt. We have found that by keeping the silicon content of the charge about 0.60 to 0.65 per cent, and with a lime charge of about 7 per cent (limestone equivalent), our heats melt sufficiently high in carbon to allow a moderate feed of ore and the slag will be of low iron oxide content. In making a heat of 0.75 carbon steel we endeavor to have the heat melt at about 1.20 per cent carbon. The iron oxide content of the finishing slag depends upon the final phosphorus desired; for a given ratio of lime-silica in the slag, the lower the phosphorus desired in the final steel, the higher the iron oxide content of the finishing slag must be. By reducing the lime charge to a minimum, the heats melt faster, and by keeping the silicon content at the desired figure the heats melt with a high SiO2 slag, which has been shown in previous work to give a low iron oxide slag. In most of our work, using a 180,000-lb. charge and with basic pig containing about 1.20 per cent silicon, we use a lime charge of 8500 lb. of limestone and 2000 lb. of burnt lime. The pig charge is about 48 per cent of cold pig, and the charge contains a large percentage of works scrap. This causes a heat to melt with about 1.20 to 1.30 per cent carbon, for a heat that will finish about 0.75 per cent carbon. This gives a heat that will need a feed of about 2000 lb. of ore, and also a slag with an FeO content of about 4 to 5 per cent at melting. The additional FeO obtained from the ore addition will bring the FeO in the slag at tapping to about 6 to 7 per cent. It is necessary to carry quite a fluid slag to prevent pickup of FeO, as a too heavy slag causes FeO to build up in it, giving a finishing slag with a greater FeO than is desired. By adjusting the lime charge of a basic open-hearth heat, a very sensitive adjustment of the slag may be obtained. The figures in Table 1

Jan 1, 1935

By Thomas Passlick

By means of further developed machines and techniques and with growing experiences in jet grouting, the challenge of this building method becomes more and more complex. To keep the concerning risks as low as possible, the requirements on the quality assurance continuously in­crease. The construction of a 37.0m deep seated slab for the Amsterdam metro station Vijzelgracht in marine clay represents such a complex task. This paper summarises the required measures of quality assurance. In particular a new hydraulic measuring device is introduced with which it was possible to detect the column diameter of 2.6m at a depth of 37.0m during the production process and with a very high accuracy.

Jan 1, 2006

By W. E. Hale, G. J. S. Govett

An orientation survey was conducted over a known disseminated copper deposit and a Au-Cu vein deposit and employed geological, geophysical, and geochemical methods. Geochemical techniques proved the most effective and economical means of locating and defining areas underlain by these types of mineralization. Six additional, widely separated occurrences were also investigated and mineralization was confirmed by determination of cold-extractable copper in stream sediments. The length of anomalous drainage varies from several to 16 km and depends on the type and tenor of mineralization. Despite generally marked relief and extreme physical and chemical weathering, cold-extractable copper anomalies in soils appear to reflect closely variations in the ore mineral content of immediately underlying rocks. Threshold values vary with local geological conditions and type and grade of mineralization. Significant thresholds in stream sediments are about 65 ppm and 10 ppm for cold-extractable copper in disseminated and vein copper occurrences respectively. Similar differences are encountered in soils. This necessitates the use of a scale of threshold values at progressive stages in each exploration program. Dis-seminated copper occurrences are presently the major source of mineral production m the Philippines. Much potentially productive ground remains to be investigated and applied geochemistry appears to offer the best available approach. The Institute of Applied Geology (I.A.G.), a joint project sponsored by the University of the Philippines, the Philippine Bureau of Mines and the United Nations Development Program (Special Fund) undertook during 1965-66 a number of field projects in Northern Luzon Island (Fig. 1). These field operations were of a two-fold nature and involved both orientation and exploration. During approximately six weeks, an orientation survey, involving geological mapping, geophysical surveying and geochemical prospecting, was conducted over a partly developed, disseminated copper deposit at Santo Nino (Fig. 1). This study demonstrated the economic and technical feasibility of geochemical ptospecting, relative to the other methods tested, for the location and delineation of a typical disseminated copper occurrence characteristic of those that represent the major source of metal in the Philippines.' Geochemical techniques, similar to those tested at Santo Nino, were then applied in a second orientation study of a vein occurrence at Suyoc (Fig. 1). The results of these two orientation studies suggest that, in reconnaissance work in this region, stream sediment analyses, combined with the determination of pH in the same streams, can be used to indicate areas underlain by rock containing anomalous concentrations of copper, whether it occurs in the large tonnage, low grade, disseminated deposits or in the comparatively small tonnage, higher grade, gold vein occurrences. Furthermore, the orientation surveys demonstrate that soil sampling and analysis serve effectively to outline more closely the mineralized zones within the generally anomalous areas identified from the stream reconnaissance. To further test the methods selected from the two earlier trials, six additional, widely separated prospects were investigated. The geological and geochem-

Jan 1, 1970

By S. Subramanian, L. Mweene

A siliceous low-grade copper ore from Mpanda Mineral Field (MMF), located in south west Tanzania consisting of SiO2 (58.3%), Fe (10.4 %) and Cu (0.9 %) was initially subjected to selective dispersion-flocculation using sodium trisilicate (STS) as a dispersant and xanthan gum (XG) as a flocculant. Subsequently, the selectively flocculated fraction was floated using a collector combination of potassium ethyl and amyl xanthate (1:1) in the presence of poly-ethylene oxide (PEO) as a silica depressant, to get a copper concentrate. The mineralogical investigations confirmed that the MMF ore was mainly composed of quartz, chalcopyrite and pyrite. Adsorption studies indicated that the adsorption density of XG on MMF ore decreased with an increase in pH, while that of PEO was independent of pH. The adsorption isotherms of XG and PEO on MMF ore exhibited Langmuirian behaviour. The zeta potential studies of MMF ore indicated that the iso-electric point (IEP) was located at pH 2.6, presumably due to its high silica content. In the combined presence of XG and STS, the zeta potential of MMF ore became more negative, with an increase in the concentration of STS. However, in the presence of PEO, the zeta potential of MMF ore became less negative with an increase in the concentration of PEO beyond the IEP, without shifting the IEP. Selective dispersion-flocculation of MMF ore improved the flocculated chalcopyrite grade to 19.8 %, yielding a degree of flocculation and a maximum separation efficiency of 12.1 % and 85.7 % respectively, after three desliming stages in the presence of 30 ppm of STS and 30 ppm of XG. A copper concentrate of 29 % grade and 90 % recovery containing silica of 0.9 % grade and 1.7 % recovery was achieved by flotation of the selectively flocculated component, using PEO as a depressant for quartz. Keywords: Flotation kinetics, flotation machines, flotation bubbles, particle size

Jan 1, 2020

By M. Vaccarini

In this paper a possible methodology to supplement a predictive control approach is reported. The benefits deriving from the application of a predictive control on complex buildings lay on its capability of adapting in advance to the conditioning needs of indoor environments. In fact, the mere reactive control is usually affected by response delays, mainly determined by latency intrinsic in systems and by the massive nature of buildings, which slows down their response to changeable inputs. Hence, systems are too often solicited at their maximum power to recover against comfort deficiencies, and high consumptions are had. This paper reports on the application of a predictive approach to the Passeig de Gracia (PdG) metro station in Barcelona, which is a considerably high energy demanding building and where ventilation systems are used to control both comfort and air quality. Although an extensive simulation for estimating energy savings obtainable through that approach is currently ongoing, in this paper we detail the several components which make up a ?predictive control framework? and we perform a preliminary demonstrative simulation. In particular, the whole setup is formed by: a detailed model of PdG, which simulates the station?s ?real state?; a control model, which optimizes a given cost-function; probabilistic predictive models to infer the future state of the systems, given the assumptions on the control actions by the control module. The outcomes of this paper show that the procedure is applicable and preliminary results over a short simulation horizon of half a day are reported.

Aug 1, 2013

By Nils Eivind Kamfjord, Roar Jensen, Ingeborg Solheim

"SINTEF has carried out several pilot scale silicon process experiments in the past, but always with an open off gas system. In order to test the possibilities in running a semi closed furnace operation, a new off gas hood has been designed and tested. The off gas hood is designed to collect all off gases to gain insight into the phase compositions in the off gas and at the same time have the opportunity to monitor and maintain the charging/stoking of the furnace. The furnace hood has regulation and control of the air inlet into the combustion zone in two different heights. The off gas temperature and composition was continuously monitored and analyzed during the experiment. In order to expand the knowledge on NOx- formation in silicon metal production, such information is vital.IntroductionBecause of the negative environmental impact, the attention towards all kinds of NOX emissions increases in Norway. The authorities’ demand towards better surveillance and control of emissions increases as well.Earlier and new industrial measurements in FeSi- and Si-metal furnaces reveal quite high NOX-emission. The measurements also show that the NOX formation (mainly as thermal NOX) is distinct connected to the formation of dust (SiO?SiO2) in the combustion chamber above the furnace surface, when the temperature is high and the access to N2/O2 is good. This means that stoking, charging and temperature straight above the furnace surface is important factors for the NOX formation."

Jan 1, 2012

By K Orth

The volcanic successions that host massive sulphide deposits are diverse in composition, facies types and facies relationships. They also show a variety of spatial and temporal relationships to mineralisation. In many examples, such as the Koongie Park Formation in Western Australia, the host succession includes more or less conformable syn-volcanic sills with peperitic contacts. Such sills can be an important source of heat for fluid circulation, influencing patterns of hydrothermal alteration and the location of co-eval and later mineralisation. The impact of syn-volcanic sills on the host succession depends in part on the initial porosity and permeability of the enclosing facies. The special properties of glassy pumice û being highly porous, permeable, and reactive û allow pumice-rich facies to preferentially focus hydrothermal fluid flow. However, the same properties promote early alteration and porosity reduction. Hence, the diagenetic and compaction history of pumiceous facies strongly influences their potential to host massive sulphide mineralisation. In contrast to pumice, dense glass has relatively low porosity, at least initially, and does not compact. Non-vesicular glass is a major component of submarine lavas, syn-volcanic intrusions and some volcaniclastic facies. However, especially in submarine settings, dense glass is commonly intensely perlitically fractured soon after eruption. The fractures greatly increase the porosity and permeability, locally accelerating diagenetic and hydrothermal alteration. In addition to false pyroclastic textures, altered perlite may exhibit false porphyritic textures. Silica- or feldspar-altered perlite kernels surrounded by intensely altered phyllosilicate domains can resemble phenocrysts in a fine grained groundmass.

Jan 1, 1999

Jan 1, 1910

By A. J. S. Benade, A. J. A. Heyns, N. B. Strydom

The maximum oxygen intakes of samples of about 30 Bantu, weighing less than 50 kg from different tribal groups (Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and Shangaan) were measured on a treadmill. The mean maximum oxygen intake of the 164 men was 2,12 litresjmin and only 18 men (11 per cent of the sample) had maximum oxygen intakes of 2,5 litres/min or above (the minimum requirement for such tasks as shovelling rocks and tramming it). The samples of the different tribes differ in age, but when the age effect is taken into account then there were no significant differences between tribes in maximum oxygen intakes. An incidental finding was that both age and body weight correlated significantly with the maximum oxygen intakes of these underweight subjects. Not one of the subjects who weighed less than 45 kg or who was older than 40 years had maximum oxygen intakes high enough to permit their being able to do strenuous work underground. It is clear therefore that Bantu who weigh less than 45 kg or are older than 40 years should not be employed on such strenuous tasks as shovelling rock and tramming it.

By Darryl J. Butcher

The Akjoujt Project is operated by MORAK SA, a company incorporated in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. MORAK is jointly owned by General Gold International SA (A wholly owned subsidiary of General Gold Resources NL.), SAMIN, and the International Finance Corporation. The project was devel­oped to treat approximately 2.1 million tonnes of TORCO (Treatment of Refractory Copper Ores) tailings containing an average 3.2gAu/t, and 0.75%Cu/t. The process involves the use of ammoniacal cyanidation for gold extraction, and conventional carbon adsorption, and eventual desorption, of gold values. This is believed to be only the second commercial application of this leach chemistry in the world. The other being a small vat leach operation on the Paris Mine Dumps. (This operation was described by Mr M Ruane in a paper to a previous Randol Forum.) Initial work on the process, and the Akjoujt process design assumed that the reaction involved was anaerobic. This paper describes the operating experience, plant trial, and eventual installation which has lead MORAK to the conclusion that the process is not anaerobic, but requires oxygen, or an oxidant to proceed.

Jan 1, 1995

By A. García-Gutiérrez, A. Aragón-Jerónimo, R. Salazar-Mendoza

A theoretical analysis of a two-region solid-liquid flow system in horizontal pipes is presented, which considers a stationary bed of drill cuttings as a porous medium (-region) below of a two-phase dispersed flow (-region).The method of volume averaging was applied in this study to derive a rigorous mathematical model in which each variable is precisely defined. This model includes the volume-averaged transport equations for both the two-phase dispersed flow and the porous medium regions and terms from a macroscopic forces balance. The solution of the two-region model allowed evaluation of the behaviour of pressure gradient as a function of velocity, total volume fraction of cuttings and the relationship of the height of the stationary bed and pipe diameter. The solution is based on a backward finite difference explicit scheme. The simulated physical system is a pipe of 4.135 m in horizontal length and 0.0508 m in diameter. A one-dimensional, mesh-centred grid, consisting of 100 nodes, is used. The numerical results were compared with experimental data on slurry flows and a good agreement was found. Keywords: two-phase, cuttings transport, solid-liquid flow, drilling modelling, volume averaging.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. J. Sanzotti, C. J. Bise

This paper examines the potential for controlling longwall-induced subsidence by pneumatically backstowing waste rock into the void created by mining. The paper also examines scheduling the process as a unit operation of the mining activity. Based on a review of background literature and interviews with representatives of various mining companies, public-interest groups and state and federal regulatory agencies, a hypothetical case-study evaluation of pneumatic stowing at a southwestern Pennsylvania mine was conducted. The study indicated that current stowing technology cannot keep pace with the production potential of longwall systems in the United States. Further, at the mine used in this case study, concomitant stowing would reduce subsidence by only 50% of what would normally be incurred during full longwall caving, and the longwall coal-production rate would decrease from 3,630 t (4,000 st) per shift in the nonstowing case to 1,360 t (1,500 st) in the stowing case. A preliminary cost analysis reveals that pneumatic stowing would add from $5.79 to $11.57 per t ($5.25 to $10.50 per st) to the operating cost of producing coal at the case-study site.

Jan 1, 1997