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By Andrea B. Baldwin

Solvay Minerals, Inc. (formerly Tenneco Minerals Company) is one of five producers who use trona to produce soda ash at Green River, Wyoming. Over the years, many producers, including Solvay Minerals, extended their product lines by manufacturing other sodium products based on trona. This paper focuses on the criteria used by Solvay Minerals in the selection of new products added at its Green River, WY operations. An example is given in the selection of caustic soda production.

Jan 1, 1993

By Matt Bilson, Ritesh Mahajan, Antoni Kuras, Wataru Okada

The Waterview Tunnel comprises twin 2.4 km long 13.1 m internal diameter three lane road tunnels in Auckland, New Zealand. The City Rail Link (CRL) is a 3.45 km long, 6.24 m internal diameter twin rail tunnel underneath Auckland’s city center. This paper presents an overview of the tunnel geometry, segmental lining congurations, geometric constraints, performance criteria and functional reuirements for the large diameter Waterview Tunnels and smaller diameter CRL tunnels. Other key aspects, which include sustainability, innovations, construction performance and practical aspects are discussed and compared. Lessons learnt from these mega tunnelling projects are also presented.

Jun 23, 2024

The Leuna Factory of the I. G. Farbenindustrie A. G., situated near Merseburg, is the biggest heavy-chemical plant in Germany and produces a very wide range of products, mainly based on hydrogen or hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Its principal products are ammonia, synthetic petrol derived from the hydrogenation of brown coal, and synthetic alcohols made from hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The plant was first, visited on April 21, 1945, by a team including E. Cotton, V. Haensel, E. B. Peck, P. K. Kuhne, H. M. Weir, L. L. Hirst, W. W. Odell, G. U. Hopton, H. Hollings, J. F. Ellis, and H. G. Simpson. It was again visited on May 8-24, 1945, by a combined British and American team consisting of R, Holroyd, M. A. G, Banks, D. A. Howes, A. J. V. Underwood, R. A. Taylor, W. F. Faragher, H. Schindler, and J. G. Allen. This team was later joined by J. F. Ellis and R. J. Morley. A third visit with particular reference to catalyst manufacture was made by W. F. Faragher and W. A. Horne, and the notes of these latest investigators have been taken into account in preparing the report. This report was edited by Dr. R. Holroyd.

Jan 1, 1946

By Verya Nasri, Agustin Rey

Once completed, the Montreal Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) will be the fourth largest automated transportation system in the world. The REM represents construction costs of approximately 7.0 billion Canadian dollars. The project consists of 67 km of twin tracks over four branches connected to downtown Montreal. The project includes 26 stations with 3 underground stations in downtown Montreal. One of the underground stations was built using the NATM method with thin permanent shotcrete initial and final liners separated by a sprayed on waterproofing membrane. The 2 other underground stations were built with the cut and cover approach including one using permanent secant pile wall with permanent walers and struts as the support of excavation and the final perimeter wall of the station. The project also includes the rehabilitation and enlargement of the Mont Royal Tunnel. This 100-year-old double track tunnel is about 5 km long. The REM also consists of 3.6 km new TBM tunnel connecting downtown to the Montreal International Airport through saturated soft ground and karstic rock. By the time of RETC, the construction of REM underground structures will be completed. This paper presents the design and construction aspects of the underground structures of this mega project.

Jun 13, 2023

By Richard W. Patton

With the advent of the Clean Air Act and the installation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) equipment (scrubbers) on coal fired power plants, the management of solid wastes has taken on added importance. Aside from the large amounts of fly ash and bottom ash usually generated, large quantities of liquids in the form of scrubber sludge are also produced. These wastes must be disposed of within the constraints of land and water quality regulations. This paper describes the practices adopted by the electric utility industry in denting with this problem, including methods of generation and treatment, quantities and characteristics of the materials, and transportation and disposal practices. The paper also briefly describes final product characteristics and several applications for commercial utilization and land reclamation.

Jan 1, 1983

By AIME AIME

R. A. Hadfield, W. H. Bleckly, The Rt. Hon. Sir James Kitson, Bart., M. P.', E. Windsor Richards, E. P. Martin, Andrew Carnegie, Sir Hugh Bell, Bart., Bennett H. Brough. Patrons. Adamson, Joseph, & Co., Hyde; Aird, John, & Co., London ; .Akrill, C., & Co., Ltd., West Bromwich ; Anderson Foundry Co., Ltd.,. Port Clarence, Middlesbrough ;. Armstrong, Sir W. G., Whitworth & Co., Ltd., Newcastle-on Tyne ; As¬sociated Portland Cement Manufacturers (1900), Ltd., London; Babcock & Wilcox, Ltd., London; Baird, William, & Co., Ltd., Glasgow ; Baldwin's, Ltd., Stourport; Barclay, Andrew, Sons & Co., Ltd., Kilmarnock; Barrow Hematite Steel Co., Ltd., Barrow-in-Furness; Bayliss, Jones & Bayliss, Ltd., Wolverhampton ; Beardshaw, J., & Son, Ltd., Sheffield ; Bell Brothers, Ltd., Middlesbrough ; Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Ltd., Middlesbrough ; Booth, Joseph, & Bros., Ltd., Leeds ; Briton Ferry Works, Ltd., Briton Ferry; Butlin, Thomas, & Co., Ltd., Wellingborough ; Butterley Co., Ltd., Alfreton ; Byrne, James, & Co., Middlesbrough; Cargo Fleet Iron Co., Ltd., Middlesbrough.;. Carnforth Hematite Iron Co., Ltd., Carnforth ; Cochrane & Co., Ltd., Middlesbrough ; Coltness Iron Co., Ltd., Glasgow ; Colville, David, & Sons, Ltd., Motherwell ; Consett Iron Co., Ltd., Consett ; Cooke, William, & Co., Ltd., Tinsley ; Craggs, R., & Sons, Ltd., Middlesbrough ; Darwen & Mostyn Iron Co., Ltd., Mostyn ; Dorman, Long & Co., Middlesbrough ; Dunlop, J., & Co., Ltd., Glasgow ; Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron & Coal Co., Ltd., Ebbw Vale ; Engineer, The, The Proprietors. of, Lon¬don ; Engineering, The Proprietors of, London ; Etna Iron & Steel Co., Mother¬well ; Farnley Iron Co., Ltd., Leeds ; Firth, Thomas, & Sons, Ltd., Sheffield ; Rather, W. T., Ltd., Sheffield ; Fraser & Chalmers, Ltd., Erith ; Frodingham Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., Doncaster; Gjers, Mills & Co., Ltd., Middlesbrough ; Glenboig Union Fire-Clay Co., Ltd., Glasgow ; Glengarnock Iron & Steel Co.; Ltd., Glengarnock ; Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds, Ltd., Birmingham ; Hadfield's Steel Foundry Co., Ltd., Sheffield ; Hall, J. & E., Ltd., Dartford ; Harkness, W.; & Sons; Ltd., Middlesbrough ; Harrison & Co., Ltd., Lincoln ; Head, Wrightson & Co., Ltd., Stockton-on-Tees ; Hill, John, & Co., Middlesbrough ; Hingley, N., & Sons, Ltd., Dudley ; Hopper, John I., Ltd., Thornaby-on-Tees; Hull Forge Iron &-Steel Co., Ltd., Hull; Iron and Coal Trades Review, The Proprietors of, London ; Ironmonger, The, The Proprietors of, London ; Jackman, Joseph, & Co., Ltd., Sheffield ; Jessop & Appleby Bros., Ltd., Leicester and London ; Jes-

Nov 1, 1906

By T Roberts, D Faulkner, G Watt

Traditional mechanised resin rock bolting in hard rock underground mines requires the installation of resin capsules into a pre-drilled hole prior to the rock bolt being spun into a hole to mix the resin and set the bolt in place. In poor rockmass conditions, especially at depth or in highly altered faults and shears, the condition of the holes often deteriorates as the poor ground around it unravels and falls into the hole. This results in partially or fully blocked holes that either damages the resin capsule when they are being inserted into the holes or prevent it entirely until the hole is continuously cleaned of debris. This deterioration of the hole condition, and continuous need to clean and re-drill holes, also increases the diameter of the hole which in turn affects the continuously mechanically coupled anchorage mechanism of the rock bolt to the rockmass as there is simply not enough resin in the hole to fill the annulus between the bolt and the rock. This results in a large increase to critical heading cycle time and, more importantly, results in the rock reinforcement not performing as per design specification and increases the risk of instability. To overcome the quality control issues with resin bolt installation in poor ground, a single pass drill, install, inject and tension self-drilling resin bolt application was designed and implemented for use in such conditions. This system allows the operator to inject a two part polyester resin through a self-drilled hollow bolt to mix and fully encapsulate the rock reinforcement. The self-drilling bolt allows for post injection of the hole after the bolt has been installed into the rock and gives the operator manual or automated control on the amount of resin used in the hole to ensure complete encapsulation and continuously mechanically coupled anchorage to the rock. This allows the reinforcement to work as designed and provide the Geotechnical Engineer extra quality control confidence in these conditions. The implementation of this single pass resin bolting system resulted in significant decreases to the resin bolting cycle time and rock bolt quality control failures. In this paper the design, implementation and embedment into the development cycle will be discussed and the in situ quality control checks used to validate the increase in rock bolt installation quality will be shared. CITATION:Watt, G, Roberts, T and Faulkner, D, 2018. Single pass drill, install and inject self-drilling resin bolt application in poor ground, in Proceedings The Fourth Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference (AusRock), pp 323–343 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 30, 2018

By Richard C. Moore

The U.S. Bureau of Mines contracted a study to review the air and water monitoring requirements of five Federal environmental acts (the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) and to compile information on the currently available monitoring instruments. A literature review of the acts and their associated regulations was conducted to determine applicability to the mining industry as well as any air and water monitoring requirements. In addition, an industry search and literature review was performed to assess the instrumentation available to comply with the monitoring regulations. Based on this research, the instruments are classified by general applicability to air, surface water, or ground water monitoring, then catalogued by monitoring parameters. A discussion is provided on recommended and innovative monitoring techniques.

Jan 1, 1981

By P M. Dight

Shotcrete usage in declines and developments has become pervasive as operators strive to achieve production improvements. Issues of mix control, fibreload, thickness control, temperature and curing conditions all play a part in the quality control. Often to overcome some of the quality control issues designers over specify the strength requirements in order to meet their operational constraints. Adherence to the standard civil testing requirements of 28 days moist cured at 21ºC without properly calibrating these results to the changing environment underground leads to contractual disputes. There are a number of standard tests specified including cylinder tests, cored tests, beam tests and round determinate panel (RDP) panel tests. The logistics of storing these samples and then transporting them to concrete testing laboratories without due regard to temperature changes with time can influence the results. All the samples can be readily handled by personnel except the RDP panel. The standard RDP panel is 800 mm diameter by 75 mm thick and requires an ITH machine at the mine and a fork lift at the laboratory to move it around. This paper will examine the possibility of a panel which provides scalable results to the standard RDP panel but can be easily handled by personnel and/or tested on site with suitable equipment. This allows for faster turn around and better quality control for the sample prior to testing. This enhances the identification of quality control issues at the mine and improves safety.

Mar 21, 2011

By G. R. Adams, N. Y. Tang, N. Qiang

"Aluminum is the most important alloy addition to Zn baths for controlling the reaction kinetics between the steel substrate and molten Zn in continuous galvanizing operations. Due to the complexity of the Zn-Fe-Al ternary system, the measurement and control of effective bath Al remains a challenge for modem galvanizers. The successful development of Al sensors has made the real-time measurements of bath Al contents possible. To facilitate their application, a computer interface and a palm-size data logger have been developed by Cominco. Plant applications indicated that the sensor possessed sufficient accuracy for process monitoring and control. The working mechanism of the Al sensors and Cominco's development work is described, and the results of sensor applications are presented.IntroductionControl of bath Al content is critical in modem continuous galvanizing because it has a strong influence on coating structure and properties and the overall product quality. The control of effective bath Al content (Al in liquid solution) is particularly critical for galvannealing where a high bath Al content may lead to incomplete alloying during post annealing, and a low bath Al content may result in other operation problems, such as excessive bottom dross accumulation and difficulties in coating thickness control. The desirable accuracy of the Al control is within ±50 ppm of target levels. In principle, such an accuracy is achievable for modem chemical analysis facilities, such as atomic absorption photospectrometer (AAS) and induction-coupled plasma (ICP). However, a recent study carried out by the International Lead and Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO) indicated that such an accuracy is rarely achieved in the zinc and steel industries.(1)"

Jan 1, 1997

On April 5, the potlines at Consolidated Aluminum Corp.'s 35,000 ton-per-year primary aluminum smelter at Lake Charles, La., were frozen when natural gas lines were accidently cut by a dredge. Full production is expected to resume in 3 to 4 months. Three primary aluminum producers announced plans to restore much of the idled capacity in the Pacific Northwest as a result of a special power allocation by the Bonneville Power Administration. Reynolds Metals Co. planned to bring a total of 40,800 tons per year of capacity back onstream at Troutdale, Oreg., and Longview, Wash. The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) will restart half of a 23,500 ton-per-year potline at Vancouver, Wash. Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. planned to restart a 27,500 ton-per-year potline at Mead, Wash., and to bring an additional 10,000 to 20,000 tons per year back onstream at Mead and Tacoma, Wash.

Jan 1, 1980

By M. Ziegler

The article deals with the use of a digital twin in the assessment and optimization of a conveyor system in the Chilean copper mine. This example shows that a digital twin is initially just a new (albeit powerful) tool with which the system behavior can be examined. The benefits for the customer arise through the system identification and automatic detection of critical deviations from the target state. This knowledge allows mine management to react and coordinate operational and/or maintenance counter measures to insure optimal performance of their conveyor system. The information derived from the BeltGenius digital twin also allows mine management to gain a clear perspective of the overall efficiency of their conveyors, which will be invaluable for future conveyor component selections.

Mar 2, 2022

By Sunil Arora, Lisheng Shao, Chris Conkle

"The East Garden Grove - Wintersburg Channel located in Orange County, California, required upgrades along the levees to mitigate potential liquefaction and lateral spreading hazards. The Orange County Public Works designed soilcrete columns constructed between two rows of steel sheet piles along both sides of the channel between Graham Street and Warner Avenue (approximately 2,500 ft), and along an approximately 2,000-ft-long stretch of the south levee. The earthen embankment, approximately 13- to 15-ft high and damaged significantly by erosion, was then excavated to widen the channel to increase the channel flood conveyance capacity.The site is located within the Los Angeles Basin, underlain by several thousand ft of marine sedimentary strata. Uncontrolled fill materials were encountered to approximately 10 ft below ground surface, underlain by tidal and flood plain deposits. Groundwater was encountered at sea level, which is approximately 10 ft below grade.This paper will discuss site soil conditions, and the construction and quality control of soilcrete columns constructed by wet soil mixing; also, the paper will introduce the Drilling Index (DI) as a measurement tool, similar to the cone penetration test (CPT), to evaluate the soil strength in more detail. Finally, the statistical analysis of soil mixing strength distributions for the project quality control will be presented.INTRODUCTIONWintersburg Channel in Orange County, California, required ground improvements along the existing levees to mitigate potential liquefaction and lateral spreading under the site design earthquake. Orange County Public Works designed and developed a cellular pattern of soilcrete columns sandwiched between two rows of steel sheet piles along both sides of the channel between Graham Street and Warner Avenue, and adjacent an approximately 2,000-ft-long stretch of the south levee (Fig. 1). An earthen embankment approximately 13 to 15 ft high, damaged significantly by erosion, was then excavated to widen the channel and increase the channel flood conveyance capacity.Stiff, soilcrete cellular wall structures can reduce the earthquake-induced cyclic shear stress ratio (CSR) in the soil within the cells, thus preventing excess pore water pressure build up which may trigger soil liquefaction. For this project, approximately 6,700 soilcrete columns were constructed in a cellular pattern to an approximate depth of 40 ft. All of the soilcrete columns are 3 ft in diameter with the design unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of 150 psi."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. van Zyl, K. B. Le Bron, L. J. Gardner

Pillar design is a crucial aspect of underground mining engineering, as it directly impacts the safety, stability, and overall effectiveness of mining operations. In this paper we present a method to calculate pillar stability based on the strain criterion and pillar load inversion concept, which complements the empirical pillar strength formulae. Those formulae do not account for certain parameters that can affect the stability of the pillars, e.g. weak layers, changes in stress orientations due to mining, orebody dip, mining layout complexity, and the influence of regional stabilizing pillars. The approach presented here is not intended to replace the empirical method; rather, we suggest using it as the initial step in the pillar design process. This should be followed by iterative numerical modelling to study pillar behaviour, define pillar stability, and optimize the pillar design by considering site-specific and representative rock mass properties and criteria.

Jun 10, 2024

By Jane Applegate

This report documents efforts to design, develop and test a training approach which would assist front-end loader operators in the acquisition of skills and awareness to reduce the probability of their involvement in accidents in the mining environment. The goal of this project was to prepare and use (on a trial basis) a training method and materials which would be generally applicable to any loader and surface mining operation while at the same time, be adjustable by mine personnel to meet the specific needs of each mining operation. This effort resulted in the Front-End Loader Training System, a structured, performance-based training approach with diverse instructional aids and classroom and on-machine training experiences. Validation of the System at a large western mine demonstrated the utility and flexibility of the training approach and materials.

Jan 1, 1983

By V. H. Gottschalk

Among the procedures developed by the Germans for providing the tonnage of iron powder needed to make rotating bands for artillery shells is the use of a ceramic tunnel kiln, not only for finishing the reduction of centrifugal powders but also for making so-called "brickyard sponge iron," which, after crushing and grinding, seems to yield a product suitable for powder-metallur- gical purposes. The final report issued jointly by the German Powder-Metallurgical Society (DPG) and the Chemical-Metallurgical Branch of the Research Depart- ment of the Metallgesellschaft, Inc. (ZFC of MG) gives the available details of this procedure, which may be regarded as a further development of the process in commercial use since 1911 at a ceramic plant in Hoeganaes, Sweden. The Bureau of Mines' wartime development of the Hoeganaes process also cul- minated in the adaptation of ceramic tunnel kilns for carrying out the solid- carbon reduction of iron ores, and comparison with the German technique should further advance the art. This information circular is issued as a supplement to Bureau of Mines reports of investigations Nos. 3819,2 3822, 3841,2 and 4271, on brick- yard sponge iron and is based on four German reports entitled "Making Iron. Powder in the Tunnel Kiln," translated from FIAT microfilm reel H-46, frames 9190-9209, 9280-9299, 9339-9357, and 9377-9384 (PB L 70042), which represent the four original research reports, Nos. 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2012, respec- tively, of the Metallgesellschaft, Inc.

Aug 1, 1948

By Eldon C. Pattee

THE BUREAU OF MINES began an investigation of tungsten resources of Montana in September 1953. This report presents information obtained from July 1955 to September 1957 on tungsten deposits in and near the Mount Torrey batholith. The batholith comprises part of the Pioneer Mountains of Beaverhead County in the southwest corner of Montana. Included in the report are assays and preliminary-examination data on 22 properties. Tungsten minerals are known to occur in 19 of the properties. The major producer is the Brown's Lake mine which has produced more than 625,000 tons of ore. Nearly all of the deposits are in the Lost Creek, Utopia, and Bald Mountain mining districts along the east and south margins of the Pioneer Mountains. The districts are less than 27 miles from Dillon, Mont.

Jan 1, 1960

By R P. Douglas

During 1955, Cominco commenced an exploration pro-gram in northern New Brunswick; in the following year, what is now the Wedge mine was discovered. The mineralization is mainly pyrite, with associated chalcopyrite and minor amounts of sphalerite and galena. The property was brought into production at 750 tons per day in early 1962. The ore is trucked 10 miles to the Heath Steele concentrator, where a copper concentrate grading about 19.5 per cent is produced and shipped to the Japanese markets through the port of Dalhousie, New Brunswick. Introduction THE Wedge mine, owned by The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited (Cominco), is located in the Newcastle-Bathurst area of New Brunswick. It is 42 miles by road northwest of Newcastle and 37 miles southwest of Bathurst (Figure 1). The mine is located on the north side of the Nipisiquit river in one of the more mountainous areas of the Province, the local relief rising to 1,500 feet above sea level. There is an almost complete forest cover of mixed hardwoods and conifers -the val-leys and hillsides being covered by balsam, spruce and pine, the swamps by cedars and black spruce and the highlands by mixed hardwoods.

Jan 1, 1965

By J. Silva, M. Kotraba, F. Pontanilla

Blasting is the application of highly complex science that, in some cases, could be viewed as an art. Many variables are involved in a blast, including geology, pattern design, timing and firing sequence, and explosives selection. Assuming that better results can be achieved by only increasing the powder factor is inaccurate. The Drill-to-Mill (D2M) concept has been in the mining industry for over two decades. The D2M approach is commonly viewed in an oversimplified manner, assuming that by simply increasing drilling and the amount of explosives used (both of which add operational costs), the downstream value will be created. An optimized D2M initiative should combine the smart application of explosives at the beginning of the mining process, matching the dynamic properties of the rock to the explosive selected to improve the efficiency of the energy created by the explosive to the rock mass being blasted, and to bring benefits to the mining operation across the entire mining and processing value-chain. This paper reviews the principles behind matching the shock impedance of the rock and the explosive and compares the traditional use of explosives versus the smart application for two hypothetical blasts.

Jan 1, 2024

By E. Watkins, V. Gangrade

Large-opening stone mines often rely on natural ventilation and a network of auxiliary fans to produce adequate ventilation conditions in the mine instead of main mine fans, which are commonly utilized in coal mines. Large air volumes in underground stone mines, poor ventilation practices, and low operating budgets for mine ventilation potentially increase mine workers’ risk for dust, silica, and diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions exposure. To help improve mine ventilation practices, the optimal auxiliary fan location for maximum airflow production from a ventilated intersection was determined using a combination of field measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. In this study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), airflow quantity and fan data were collected at a partner mine to be applied as CFD model input parameters and comparison data for model validation. A six-foot diameter auxiliary propeller fan was introduced into the validated CFD model at three locations at a mine entry intersection with established ventilation flow perpendicular to the fan direction. Placing the fan on the opposite side of the intersection from the target active face area produced the highest ventilation flow rates at the downstream locations tested and produced the lowest amount of air re-circulation. The findings show that optimizing the placement of an auxiliary fan may increase the net effective ventilation flow rate by 70,000 cfm and reduce recirculation by 26%, which maximizes the potential effectiveness of large-opening stone mine ventilation systems and decreases mine worker exposures to airborne contaminants.

Mar 2, 2022