Search Documents

Some examples of the results of research projects, conducted in the KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology are presented. Special attention is paid to mining machines and equipment, and improving work safety and comfort of miners in underground workings. From numerous scientific and technical achievements of the KOMAG Institute within the last 2 years, a few design solutions have been selected for a presentation. Some results of European projects on innovative solutions are described as well, highlighting KOMAG?s role in the national and international research area.

Aug 1, 2013

By Mackenzie Burnett

An inducer-type pump, capable of injecting dry coal into a hydraulic transport pipeline has been developed and installed in a specially designed and fabricated slurry injector vehicle. The full scale prototype injector system can deliver up to 11 ton/min of coal into an 8-in pipeline t pressures up to 95 lb/in2. The Helical Inducer Injector operates on centrifugal principles with flow passing axially through helical pitched conical rotor. Water is delivered to the pump through an annular slot at the atmospheric pressure coal inlet. The spinning rotor maintains an air-core vortex of water which pressurizes the discharge housing. A screw feeds coal through the open inlet into this vortex. The inner radius of the vortex contracts as pressure is increased, giving a limiting maximum pressure which is proportional to the square of the rotor speed. Below this limit, flow rate, discharge pressure, und rotor speed re independent variables. The self-powered, 4 -in high slurry injector vehicle follows and receives ROM coal from a continuous miner, reduces the top size to 3-in, and delivers the sized coal to the injector feed screw for slurry formation and pumps it through a mobile hose attached to the vehicle's outby end.

Jan 1, 1983

By Raja V. Rarnani, Robert L. Frantz

"The more than 75 research projects funded throughout the first 10 years of the Dust Center's operation have resulted in numerous cumulative findings fulfilling the goals of the Center. These project descriptions present the methodologies and project-to-project relationships leading to their various accomplishments and demonstrate the mesh between project objectives and Center goals.To develop equipment for collecting respirable dust samples.To develop experimental methods for particle-by-particle characterization of morphology, size, and chemistry.To develop experimental methods for overall respirable dust sample characterization of size distribution, chemistry, and crystallography.The project directly addresses the Center's goals to enhance the understanding of the scientific and engineering characteristics of fine and respirable mineral particles found in mining and milling atmospheres and to establish the relationship between natural and cultural factors (mine geology, mineralogy, mining and milling methods, equipment, and control measures) in the generation of fine particles. The project also aims to contribute to the development of control mechanisms for reducing ambient respirable dust concentrations and worker exposures.The work on this project is related to similar work on Coal Mine Dust Characterization (Project No. 2701/MN1) and Characterization of Dust Particles (Project No. 4203/PS3).Airborne dust sampling was performed at the following locations: 1) a sand and gravel quarry in Southern New Hampshire, 2) a welding facility, 3) a ceramic powder facility, 4) a metal powder facility, and 5) the air in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A portable sampling box incorporating two Sierra personal cascade impactors was designed and produced. At a 2-LPM flow rate, the effective cut-off diameters of the Sierra impactors were 10.0, 6.0, 3.5, 2.0, 0.9, and 0.5 mm, respectively, for each stage, and the air passed through a PVC filter after the last stage. In addition, the sampling box contained a total respirable dust filter. The substrates were weighed carefully before and after collection, and the weight increases were recorded. All films, foils, and filters were put in the balance chamber for more than 8 hours to stabilize the temperature and humidity before weighing. A Cash 21 microbalance (±0.001 mg) was used to weigh the Mylar films, SS films, and filters."

Jan 1, 1995

By R. A. Hatch

This report summarizes the results of nearly 8 years research on and production of synthetic mica at the Electrotechnical Experiment Station of the Federal Bureau of Mines, Norris, Tenn. This program was undertaken at the request of the United States Department of the Navy and was financed mostly by the Army Signal Corps and the Navy Bureau of Ships through a contract with the Office of Naval Research, The original objectives included fundamental studies of fluor-phlogupite and other fluorine-micas and production of synthetic mica sheets on a pilot-plant scale. The first 3 years of this project were devoted mainly to a search for practical solutions of the many problems involved in designing and constructing a pilot plant for crystallizing fluor-phlogopite mica. The first and most urgent need was a suitable container for the corrosive mica melt. After extensive study, it was concluded that platinum, graphite, high-silica fire clay, and silicon carbide were the most promising refractories for crucibles; but none was perfect. Silicon car¬bide seemed to have the better combination of qualities, combining good corrosion resistance with oxidation resistance.

Jan 1, 1957

By M. E. Coleman, G. Money

Pneumatic Conveying and Process Injection Technologies have been implemented in the metals markets for the last 40 years and have considerably improved the productivity and the performance of many processes. There have been many steps forward in handling technology and this paper seeks to consider those now offered by Clyde Materials Handling who as an established customer-driven solutions provider has turned its attention to supporting the Metals Market. Clyde seeks to utilise its knowledge, expertise and technologies to transform the production processes of its customers, who operate in the ferrous and non-ferrous metals industries.

Jan 1, 2008

By M K. Nahian, R G. Reddy

The thermodynamic model for species distribution in aluminium chloride (AlCl3) and 1-butyl-3- methylimidazolium chloride (BMIC) system was developed. The experimental thermodynamic data, considering a range of aluminium chloride species, such as AlCl4-, Al2Cl7-, Al3Cl10-, Al4Cl13-, and Al2Cl6 were used in developing the model. When the XAlCl3 was in the range of 0 to 0.50, only anion species Cl- and AlCl4- were existing in the solution. As the XAlCl3 value increased more than 0.50, the available anions were Al2Cl7-, Al3Cl10-, Al4Cl13-, and Al2Cl6. Specifically, the concentration of Al2Cl7- increased in the composition range from 0.50 to 0.67 XAlCl3, after which it decreased. This change in the concentration of Al2Cl7- was due to its reaction with excess AlCl3, leading to the formation of Al3Cl10-. The average cathode current density was determined by the electrochemical experiments varying XAlCl3 from 0.50 to 0.71 in the AlCl3:BMIC solutions. The average cathode current density increased as the XAlCl3 increased from 0.50 to 0.67. However, it decreased when the XAlCl3 > 0.67. This trend can be attributed to the electroactive species Al2Cl7-. The Al2Cl7- promotes the reduction rate at the cathode, resulting in an increase in the average cathode current density.

Aug 21, 2024

This Bureau of Mines report and its companion report (Information Circular 9143) have been prepared to assist in the preparation of prefeasibility type estimates for capital and operating costs of mining of various types of mineral occurrences using current technology. The handbook provides a convenient costing procedure based on the summation of the casts for the unit processes required in any particular mining or mineral processing operation. The costing handbook consists of a series of costing sections, each corresponding to a specific mining unit process. Contained within each section is the methodology to estimate either the capital or operating cost for that unit process. The unit process sections may be used to generate, in January 1984 dollars, costs through the use of either costing curves or formulae representing the prevailing technology. Coverage for surface mining includes dredging, quarrying, strip mining, and open pit mining. The underground mining includes individual development sections for drifting, raising, shaft sinking, stope development, various mining methods, underground mine haulage, general plant, and underground mine administrative cost. This system can be used for estimating cost data for an undeveloped deposit or for checking or verifying mining costs from a developed deposit, with a minimum amount of background information.

Jan 1, 1987

By NA UMC

Abstract Booklet

Dec 1, 2022

By Bobby B. Gillenwater

This report presents recommended guidelines and regulatory changes applicable to electrical installations in underground oil shale mines. These recommendations are based on information gathered from oil shale operators, government agencies, and other knowledgeable sources familiar with existing plans for mining systems and electrical installations, and on present understanding of the problems and hazards associated with oil shale mining. Additional discussions of specific electrical problems related to oil shale mining are also presented. These specific problems include: ? Ground fault current levels ? Permissible electric wheel motors ? Permissible batteries and electric starting systems ? Intrinsically safe instrumentation and applicability of existing test standards.

Jan 1, 1983

By George S. Rice

The major purpose of this bulletin, as indicated in the preface by Dr. John W. Finch, Director of the Bureau of Mines, is to give a critical review of the coal-mining methods used in the principal producing countries of Europe, to describe the reasons underlying the adoption of these methods, and to contrast them with coal-mining methods employed in the United States. The report includes discussions of various subjects intimately related to coal mining, such as geology of the principal coal fields; production and resources of the several countries; mine safety and health research; Government mining regulations; mine inspection and rescue procedure; safety lamps; fixed lighting methods under-ground; testing electric motors, mining machines, and mining explosives for permissibility; and special mining hazards, such as explosions of gas and coal dust, mine fires, instantaneous gas outbursts, ground movement and surface subsidence, and bumps. Commercial, economic, and labor problems of European coal mining, including miners' output, wages, and social-insurance schemes, as well as cost of mining, prices of coal, etc., are briefly described. It will be noted that data on most subjects are not given for Russia, which has become an important coal-producing country, owing to the lack of reliable published information concerning Russian coal mining.

Jan 1, 1939

By Felipe Henríquez, Daniel Silva

"Traditionally, the implementation of an automated advanced process controller in any mineral processing complex is a challenge, mainly due to the quality of resources and technologies required, the uniqueness of each control solution and the uncertainty of the engineering hours needed to complete the task. Thus, the use of advanced and proven control technology becomes a key factor when deploying the control strategy. However, success would still not be possible without the presence of common sense, process knowledge and fundamental process data. Minera Los Pelambres, taking advantage of such factors and its accumulated process experience, implemented a novel and successful combination of MPC (Multivariable Predictive Control) and advanced control for secondary grinding and regrinding stages at its copper concentrator plant. In both cases, the control objectives are: being capable of processing a variable feed from the upstream process while at the same time avoiding to become a process bottle neck and yet, maintaining an adequate product quality (in terms of size distribution) to the process downstream. Additionally, for the case of the vertical regrinding mill (vertimill), the control system should also be capable of keeping an adequate circulation load and making an efficient use of the available grinding power. In either case, extending hidrocyclones availability while maintaining their performance is a must, since both factors are required for process and maintenance purposes. Thus, the process control problem becomes one with a multi-variable type of process with multiple control objectives to satisfy simultaneously. In trying to solve it, many mineral processing operations have implemented basic or conventional control or even better yet, expert systems. Minera Los Pelambres believes that better and faster results can be achieved using a combination of MPC and advanced control. Such strategy was successfully implemented, reducing considerably process variability while maintaining high throughput and keeping the process well within constraints limits. Their control philosophy, implementation process, main results and their key performance indicators are discussed here."

Jan 1, 2014

By K. M. Connor, O&apos

Variations in overburden geology must be considered in applying subsidence prediction methodologies developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM). To characterize rock mass overlying high-extraction coal mines, the USBM utilizes a computer spreadsheet program and modified Rock Mass Rating (RMR) system. The spreadsheet calculates an RMR based on a bed's engineering properties determined from core logs and laboratory tests. An in situ deformation modulus and a bending stiffness are computed for each bed. Stiffness-versus-depth plots identify groups of beds with similar stiffness. Large variations in stiffness between adjacent beds are considered significant horizontal discontinuities where slip is likely. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is used to verify this hypothesis by measuring shear displacement along such discontinuities. A model of the overburden is built by assuming that a near-surface laminated beam exists above a transition zone in which large plastic slip occurs along horizontal discontinuities. Increasingly thicker groups of beds are modeled to determine the most probable beam thickness based on a comparison with measured deflection profiles. The inverse of maximum beam deflection is an index parameter known as "bridging potential," a single value that incorporates both overburden geology and mine geometry.

Jan 1, 2010

By Fred N. Kissell

This handbook describes effective methods for the control of mineral dusts in mines and tunnels. It assumes the reader is familiar with mining. The first chapter deals solely with dust control methods, regardless of the application. It is a brief tutorial on mining dust control and will be of help to the reader whose dust control problem does not conveniently fit any of the mining equipment niches described in later chapters. The subsequent chapters describe dust control methods for different kinds of mines and mining equipment. This includes underground coal and hard-rock mines, as well as surface mines, stone mines, and hard-rock tunnels. Because dust sampling has so many pitfalls, a chapter on methods used to sample dust is included. For those occasions when there is no practical engineering control, a chapter on respirators is also included. Except for those listed as ?future possibilities? in the longwall chapter, the dust control methods described are practical and cost-effective for most mine operators. If controlling dust were a simple matter, dust problems in tunnels and mines would have been eradicated years ago. Unfortunately, most underground dust control methods yield only 25% to 50% reductions in respirable-sized dust. Often, 25% to 50% reductions are not enough to achieve compliance with dust standards. Thus, mine operators must use several methods simultaneously, usually without knowing for sure how well any individual method is working. In fact, given a 25% error in dust sampling and day-to-day variations in dust generation of 50% or more, certainty about which control methods are most effective can be wanting. Nevertheless, over the years, some consensus has emerged on the best dust control practices. This handbook summarizes those practices.

Jan 1, 2003

By John H. Weitz

Dolomite, heretofore regarded merely as a variety of commonplace limestone, has suddenly attained headline prominence, partly because of the increase in demand for dolomite refractories to line metallurgical furnaces now working at an unprecedented rate of activity, but chiefly because it has become an ore of the light-weight metal, magnesium, needed in vast quantities for the manufacture of war machines. A multitude of inquiries, chiefly from war agencies and prespective operators, for data not only on locations of dolomite deposits but on their size and quality, has made it necessary for the Bureau of Mines to assemble all information available on this important subject. From the Bureau's own records, published information, and correspondence, date on locutions, extent, thickness, accessibility, workability, and chemical composition of high-grade dolomite deposits throughout the United states were accumulated for presentation herein. The report includes about 1,000 tabulations of analyses and a map showing locations of the deposits. The uses of dolomite are discussed in Bureau of Mines Information Circular 7192, "Occurrences and Uses of Dolomite in the United-States," published in 1941. The cordial corporation of many State ecological surveys and various individuals who have contributed information is gratefully acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1942

Real economic growth for 1988 may fall short of the 3.3% projected by the Department of Commerce in August 1988 because the summer drought and intense heat in many areas curtailed output more severely than expected. The economy grew at an average annual rate of 3.0% for the first three quarters of the year, slowing in the second and third quarters. Export growth, which occurred even as the dollar edged up compared with other industrial country currencies, was an important factor in the expansion. Notable gains were posted in sales of machinery, computers, aircraft, chemicals, and telecommunications equipment. Imports increased, but not as much as exports, and the U.S. trade position was still much improved from that of 1987. Personal consumption expenditures grew slightly faster than the economy as a whole. Purchases of consumer durables showed notable strength in the first half of 1988, but slowed down in the third quarter. Despite the moderate rise in interest rates, business spending for new plant and equipment also rose and contributed to 1988 gross national product (GNP) growth. Both new business investment and export demand spurred orders for U.S.-made machine tools. Orders for machine tools for the first 8 months of 1988 were almost triple those in the corresponding period in 1987.

Jan 1, 1989

By James P. Ludwig

This report provides the results of a two year study of the projected time and cost requirements for new mine development in Wisconsin and is based on a unique blend of information from mining company officials, state regulatory agency officials and contractor experience. Through formal cooperative and review agreements with Kennecott Copy per Corporation, Exxon Minerals Co., U.S.A. and Noranda Mines Ltd., and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources plus informal arrangements with knowledgeable Wisconsin persons, lists of the tasks and subtasks required to plan a new mine in Wisconsin were developed. Times and costs were assigned to all tasks and subtasks and these data reviewed by all cooperators. Critical Path Method Diagrams were then developed for a generalized mining project. Total time and cost for the premine planning process was estimated to be 25..1 years and 223 person-years of professional time excluding public affairs effort respectively. By eliminating redundancies in the process and by increasing project efficiency through early public review and participation, recom¬mendations were made to lessen the time and lower the cost of premine planning. The streamlining recommendations could shorten the overall critical path length to 18.16 years and lower the cost to 208 person-years of professional time excluding public affairs effort. The estimated distribution of professional effort (cost) for mine planning in Wisconsin approximates 50.5% for traditional mine engineering tasks, 36.6% for environmental-regulatory tasks and 12.9% for traditional geological-exploration tasks.

Jan 1, 1979

By L. Xingwana

"The purpose of this study is to understand how ore loss and dilution affect the mine call factor, with the aim of subsequently improving the quality of ore mined and fed to the mill. It was necessary to know the relationship between ore mined and delivered for processing in order for the mine to operate efficiently. A review of the literature suggested the mine-to-mill integration approach as a standard intervention to address declining mine call factors. A case study was undertaken at a gold mine in the Free State on the influence of the fragment size distribution on ‘free gold’, the effect of ore loss and dilution on the mill efficiency, and time tracking of ore movement from source to the plant. The study revealed that fragmentation, underground accumulation of ore, and dilution have a significant influence on the mine call factor and mine output. It was difficult to quantify the total ore loss due to the time lag between mining and milling, which is extremely variable, when estimating the mine process inventory. However, it was possible to estimate the total dilution with some degree of precision by analysing the daily blast and head grades. It is therefore recommended that mines accept that some gold loss and dilution will always occur during blasting and transport of broken ore, and this loss must be minimized.IntroductionThe mining of high gold grades is obviously very beneficial for the economic viability of an operation, but optimum recovery of the product is required to maximize profits (Chapman and Bindoff, 2010, p. 13). Although integrating these two requirements is very difficult, due to the various activities occurring between mining and processing, it is indispensable. The main driver of this integration is the impact that different ore types and characteristics have on head grade. According to Isokangas et al. (2012, p. 871), mining and processing operations involve a series of well-defined sequential stages that are complementary in an efficiently operating mine, with the performance of one operation affecting that of another. An attempt to optimize each function separately without considering the whole extraction process will not result in the optimum efficiency of the entire mine. Several researchers have developed a proven methodology for revealing these inefficiencies (Dance et al., 2006, p. 1)."

Jan 1, 2016

By James L. Elder, J. P. Capp, James J. Dowd

The Bureau of Mines and the Alabama Power Co., jointly, conducted the first experiment undertaken in the United States in underground gasification of coal in place, at Gorgas, Ala. Milton H. Fies, manager of coal operations, Alabama Power Co., proposed the cooperative investigation to Arno C. Fieldner, chief, Fuels and Explosives Branch, Bureau of Mines; and assisted in supervising the experiment. The objectives of the experiment were to determine whether coal in place could be burned successfully and whether the burning could be controlled; the effect of the fire on the coal bed and the overlying strata; and the yield and quality of gas that could be obtained.

Aug 1, 1947

By A. Rousselet, H. Gilbert-Tremblay, A. Berton

"Robex Resources interrupted production at the Nampala Mine in September 2014 following throughput and gold recovery results which were below expectations during the first months of operation. After a thorough plant audit, an important brainstorming took place in order to identify an economical path to resume production. It was clearly identified that a significant investment was necessary at the concentrator prior to restarting the plant, namely the addition of a ball mill and a new elution system.The mineral processing simulation software USIM PAC was used in order to simulate the grinding circuit in design. The simulations’ outputs allowed the ball mill characteristics and the surrounding classification devices to be designed with more accuracy. Many ball mills available from second hand retailers were therefore studied in the simulated circuit. The chosen ball mill, which was in perfect condition, had the advantage of being available for rapid delivery on site.The paper first describes the ball mill sizing method in comparison with the conventional Allis Chalmers method. It then describes the phase 2 concentrator start-up (that took place in 2016) with the commissioning of the ball mill, the classification circuit, the gravity concentration, the four (4) new carbon-in-leach (CIL) tanks, and the Zadra elution system (The phase 1 start-up took place in 2014). It finally provides production data compared to expected simulation data, as commercial production was reached in January 2017.IntroductionDesigning a new concentrator or new equipment within an existing concentrator requires significant efforts to identify possible bottlenecks and their causes (i.e. limiting equipment or sectors) and accurate sizing of major equipment can have a tremendous impact on the economy of the whole project. In the presented case study, the ball mill was the critical equipment and oversizing it could have brought the Capex to a level where the project would not have gone through. Inversely, undersizing the mill could have resulted in lower production and therefore no economic viability for the project once it is in operation.During engineering studies, equipment sizing often relies on a static mass balance and one-by-one sizing of all pieces of equipment. The sizing is then left to the equipment manufacturer or in the case of mills, evaluated with empirical models mostly relying on the Bond equations (Allis Chalmers method) [Rowland and Kjos, 1978]. This methodology shows the disadvantage of not considering interaction between equipment in a mineral processing circuit, especially when recirculation occurs. Also, it has the disadvantage of not using the more advanced grinding models that include the use of the whole particle size distribution as well as phenomenological components by only using limited parameters in the ore particle size distribution (i.e. the P80). This can be explained by the lack of data that sometimes needs to be gathered in order to tune the more advanced models but also by the conservative mindset in mineral concentration engineering which does not always favor the use of process simulation. In many aspects of process engineering, Soutex has demonstrated its affinity to using simulation in order to size equipment with more accuracy, consider process variability, simulate complex systems, and study supply chain management (Berton et al., 2015)."

Jan 1, 2018

By Robert S. Thomas, Bernard M. Tarralle, Nasser Massoudi

"The Commonwealth of Virginia is restoring and expanding its Capitol of great historic significance. Designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785, it is the second oldest Capitol building in the United States. The building expansion required excavations immediately adjacent to its South Portico. The building, which rests on shallow brick footings, is very sensitive to any disturbance caused by construction and excavation. A comprehensive and secure plan of operations was devised by the design team to ensure that this national monument remains unharmed by the new construction. Various construction techniques were implemented to satisfy the strict movement goal of 0.25 inch and distortion of U2000. They consisted of jet grout columns to stabilize the upper soils, compensation grouting for future foundation leveling, a tied-back reinforced concrete diaphragm wall for excavation retention and foundations, and realtime instrumentation for monitoring. This paper describes the design approach for the retention system, providing information on the various construction phases and techn iques, and reports on the movements recorded by the real-time monitoring system during the course of the project. At the time of this manuscript preparation, and the deep excavation complete to final grade, the results indicate that the extremely restrictive building movement criteria have been met. The success can be credited to detailed design, close cooperation among the project team, prudent construction methods, and real-time monitoring. INTRODUCTIONThe Commonwealth of Virginia is undertaking a comprehensive renovation and expansion of the Virginia Capitol building located in Richmond, Virginia. The Capitol building was designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785, with construction of the original building starting the same year. The Capitol building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.A part of the comprehensive renovation and expansion of the Capitol is a 25,000-square foot, two-level subterranean extension on the south side of the Capitol building, which will serve as a new Visitor Center and public entrance for the Capitol. Deep excavations were required for the construction of the new Visitor Center. The excavation required a permanent retention system to accommodate an approximately 40- foot deep excavation."

Jan 1, 2005