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By M. Churchill, V. R. Degner

"Over the past two decades, declining ore body grades, increased operating costs and increased construction costs have provided an incentive for the development of progressively larger flotation machines. As a consequence, the 60 to 100 cubic foot flotation machine of the l950's and l960's is being rapidly replaced by large volume machines, with a resulting improvement in the flotation machine specific capacity (TPH processed per square foot floor space), specific power (HP per TPH processed) and process control simplicity. The recent development, and satisfactory plant evaluation, of the WEMCO 1000 cubic foot flotation machine provides the means by which further economic and operating advantages may be incorporated in high tonnage mill applications.The systematic development of the large 1000 cubic foot flotation machine, and its subsequent performance evaluation in beneficiating metalliferous ores (copper, zinc and iron) will be reviewed in this paper and recently completed plant results will also be provided."

Jan 1, 1982

By L. J. Gardner

Ore pass systems play a critical role in moving broken rock from the workplace to surface, and the integrity of the ore pass excavations is crucial. Over the life of the mine, ore pass integrity deteriorates, which may eventually result in the ore pass no longer being fit for purpose. This paper presents several case studies of successful ore pass rehabilitation exercises.

Jan 1, 2006

By Tumilty JA, Schmidt CG

Sulphide ion is a powerful poison in gold cyanidation, however, the detrimental effect is less severe in plant practice. This is thought to be due to the presence of depassivating elements in the ore, mainly lead. Trace amounts of lead can counteract the poisonous effect of considerable amounts of sulphide. The reaction is instantaneous and is likely to be a direct involvement in the electrochemical surface reaction. Lead addition cannot be regarded as an all-round cure when experiencing poor leach efficiencies. A possible beneficial effect depends on the mineralogy of the ore and has to be determined individually for every material.

Jan 1, 1989

By O. C. Blade

In its general study of crude petroleum, the Bureau of Mines has published several reports that include analyses of samples of crude petroleum from Oklahoma fields3/. This report discusses briefly the properties of crude oil samples collects in come of the major producing Yields in the State. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the State of Oklahoma. The study was via e under the general supervision of R. A Cattell, chief engineer, petroleum and Natural-Gas Division, Bureau of Mines, Whishington, D. C., and N. A. C. Pith, supervising engineer, Petroleum Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines, Bartlesville, Okla., and. Under the direct supervision of Ludwig Schmidt, senior petroleum engineer, Bureau of Mines, Bartlesville, Okla.

Jan 1, 1939

Effective gas management in coal mines, as well as proper ventilation design, is very important for maintaining the safety of underground coal miners. Advances in numerical modeling techniques have enabled evaluations of the coal mining environment using advanced grid designs and computed gas distributions through detailed mathematical models. These models help engineers to see the unseen areas of the mine through visualization of the data and ultimately help improve worker safety. This paper summarizes the modeling efforts conducted by NIOSH in the U.S. and CSIRO in Australia to address various gas management issues encountered in longwall mines. The modeling studies involved two of the most widely used grid-based techniques, namely computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and numerical reservoir modeling. This paper discusses the application of these techniques for gob inertization and gas control for spontaneous combustion, pre-mining degasification of coalbeds, gob gas venthole design and performance evaluation in longwalls, and gas management during development mining.

Jan 1, 2009

By Edgardo Torres Hernández

El Proyecto Optimización de Ángulos de Taludes en Explotación de Minas es un proyecto desarrollados por E-Mining Technology (EMT), socio estratégico de Prodimin en Perú, para Codelco Chile en uno de sus yacimientos del Norte de Chile. El desarrollo de este proyecto estuvo enmarcado en el Programa de Proveedores de Clase Mundial; programa que tiene como misión desarrollar un sector de proveedores intensivo en conocimiento, mediante la generación de soluciones tecnológicas empujadas desde la demanda de la minería y desde la propuesta del sector de proveedores que puedan ser escaladas a otros sectores y mercados.

Sep 1, 2017

By Kim Wiwchar, Elizabeth Mbaja, Lynne Dang, Jim Furey, Anita Marks

"Suncor Energy Inc., located north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, commenced pilot scale operation using a CPT 4’ diameter flotation column in March 2003. This larger scale trial follows two previously successful flotation column bench scale tests. They included an April 2002 trial with a 2.4” inner diameter column from the University of Alberta and a 20” diameter CPT column in August 2002. The column receives middlings stream feed from one of Suncor’s deep cone separation cells and is operated in parallel with a set of WEMCO flotation cells. The recovery, tails losses, and concentrate quality are being compared between the two systems. The column, to date, has been tested with all types of run of mine ore grades. Variables such as wash water flow and temperature, sparger nozzle size and location, sparger air/water flow rates, and column residence time has been adjusted to achieve better recovery and final product quality.Used in many mineral processing applications, column flotation is primarily used for the final stage of sulphide cleaning and flotation of phosphate or iron ore. As well, mechanical cells are often used in combination with a column to retrofit an operation and to produce a cleaner product.Initial results prove that this is the first successful application of a flotation column in an oilsand application. If viable, it will be an inexpensive process for recovery of bitumen from a middlings stream and able to produce a final product suitable for froth treatment.INTRODUCTIONSuncor’s oilsand is surface mined from the Athabasca Oilsand deposit north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. The oilsand is then mixed with hot process water (HPW) and the bitumen is slurried in a pipeline. Large separation cells as shown in Figure 1 float off the bitumen product, which is then steam or static deaerated and sent to Secondary Extraction for further cleaning. The tails stream from the cell is sent to the Final Tails Pumphouse (FTPH) for processing. The tailings flotation froth product gets recycled to the separation cell oilsand feed. The tailings are pumped from the FTPH to tailings ponds. The middlings stream is drawn off the separation cell approximately 9’ from the froth overflow level. It runs down, by gravity, to the scavenger banks for bitumen recovery. It was from this stream off of the Line 6 Separation Cell that the feed to the Canadian Process Technologies Inc (CPT) flotation column was taken."

Jan 1, 2004

By O. C. Blade

[In its general study of crude petroleum, tic Bureau of Mines has published several reports that include analyses of samples of crude petroleum from Oklahoma fields3/. This report discusses briefly the properties of crude oil samples collects in come of the producing fields in the State ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the State of Oklahoma. No study was made under the general supervision of R. A Cattell, chief engineer, petroleum and Natural-Gas Division, Bureau of Mines Washington, D. C., and N. A. C. Smith, supervising engineer, Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines, Bartlesville, Okla., and under the direct supervision of Ludwig Schmidt senior petroleum engineer Bureau of Mines, Bartlesville, Okla.]

Jan 1, 1939

By Melford H. Salsbury

The maximum net return from the sale of ores and concentrates of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc accrues to the producer when these mine products are marketed to the best advantage. Data are presented that the producer, especially the small mine operator, can use to survey available markets and make a preliminary estimate of the net return to be expected from an ore, on the basis of typical mill, smelter, and freight schedules. A review of the industry is presented by States in which recent production statistics are given, marketing facilities are discussed, and locations of principal mining districts, custom mills, and smelters are shown. Explanations of treatment processes, ore types, treatment charges, payments for metals, and deductions are given. Published rail and truck freight rates for mine products, based on marketing patterns developed over many years, are listed and explained.

Jan 1, 1964

By Carlos Magno Palacios Arbizu

La calidad total es la estrategia que busca la mejorar la productividad y eficiencia de los productos que ofrece -en tanto sean reconocidos por este valor-, de forma que genera competitividad en las organizaciones peruanas y se presenta como respuesta a nuevos enfoques de gestión surgidos ante el proceso de globalización. En este sentido, el presente trabajo analiza la forma del avance en el nuevo enfoque de gestión de las empresas mineras, para así proponer alternativas de tratamiento e implementación de un modelo basado en la Calidad Total, de manera que esté alineado dentro de un sector que tenga características propias y diferenciadas de organizaciones de otros sectores productivos.

Sep 12, 2005

By G. Konak

In-pit crusher location selection has had an important role recently, since increasing diesel prices. One way of reducing the haulage costs is to shorten the truck haulage distance by bringing the truck dump point into the pit. This study covers the work done on the optimum crusher location definition for a company that produces aggregate near Izmir, a city of Turkey located in the west. This paper will discuss the effects of pit geometry and mine access requirements on optimum crusher location selection that are mainly based on the establishment of minimum haulage distance. The method will be introduced first and then the computer algorithm developed for this study will be discussed later in the paper. Keywords: in-pit crushing, optimum location selection, optimizing haulage, computer aided design.

Jan 1, 2007

By L. R. Verney

About 75% of the market economy countries's supply of cobalt is produced in Central Africa by Zafre and Zambia. Zafre alone accounts for more than 55% and has the resources and capacity to increase output significantly at any time so its dominant position is unlikely to be challenged in the foreseeable future. Other producers from domestic resources are Canada, Australia and South Africa; and Cuba, probably the most important producer outside of the Market Economy countries. Belgium, Norway, France, Japan and Finland produce cobalt from imported materials. While there are "cobalt ores", inMorocco, USA, Canada and the USSR, the mineralisation is complex and cobalt extraction is costly. In ZaPre and Zambia cobalt is a by-product of copper; in Canada, Australia, France, and Cuba it is a by-product of nickel; and in South Africa it is a by-product from the production of Platinum Group Metals. Thus the levels of cobalt production are inevitably related to the production of other primary metals. While some cobalt is produced by predominantly pyrometallurgical methods most of the world's cobalt is produced hydrometallurgically. The existence of large hydro-electric power plants and the mineralogy of the copper and cobalt concentrates encouraged research and development in Zafre of the recovery of copper and cobalt by electrowinning from sulfate solutions; much pioneering work was carried out, which lead to construction of the two largest copperlcobalt hydrometallurgical plants in the world, at Shituru and Luilu. Similar systems were adopted in Zambia. In Canada high pressure hydrometallurgical processes based on the sulfate system were developed and adopted in Australia, the Philippines, Finland and South Africa. Meanwhile developments in chloride hydrometallurgical extraction of nickel and cobalt lead to its use in the extraction of cobalt in Norway, France and Japan.

Jan 1, 1988

By Z. van Zyl

The southern African coal industry is facing the reality that coal reserves are becoming deeper and harder to mine than before. Alternative visions need to be considered to offset the impact of these challenges on productivity, cost, and profitability. One of the main challenges is to maintain current production levels under more difficult conditions, and improve productivity where conditions allow. There is a need to move from the reactive event-based management system towards the more adaptable and flexible process-based management system. This paper focuses on underground coal mining, but the principles are also applicable to other commodities and mining methods. This paper is based on research undertaken by the personnel from Mining Consultancy Services Pty Ltd (MCS) on trends in the underground coal mining sector, as well as practical experience over a period of 16 years in the field of electronic monitoring of mining machinery and productivity optimization.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. Tylczak, C. Shook, A. Doogan-Smith, S. Loif, B. Hilscher, P. Nayak

"This paper discusses how to effectively conduct energy efficiency studies during the design of new mineral processing plants and plant expansions. Energy management studies for new plants are ideally conducted as part of the feasibility study, but can also be done at the detailed design stage prior to the purchasing of equipment. Energy management engineers work as part of the mineral processing plant design team.Such studies usually result in energy savings of approximately 3-8% of the predicted plant’s energy consumption and energy demand. Potential cost savings can be significant. A variety of mineral processing systems – crushing/grinding, pumping, materials handling, fans/blowers, compressed air, and others – are assessed within this study.Energy Management Information System (EMIS) studies can also be performed for the new plant or plant expansion, as an independent study. EMIS can be incorporated into the electrical and controls design of the plant.Most Canadian Utility companies fund new plant design studies and provide financial incentives based on the predicted energy savings and incremental cost of the more energy-efficient design. A new plant energy efficiency study improves the potential for energy reduction because only the incremental equipment cost is included in the project return-on-investment calculation. After the design and construction phases, energy efficiency projects must justify the entire cost of the upgrade, which is significantly higher than the incremental cost alone.This paper outlines the major steps of a new plant/plant expansion energy efficiency study, the available utility company incentives, and the areas yielding the largest potential energy savings.IntroductionThis paper discusses energy efficiency studies and energy management systems with regards to mining operations. Energy management refers to the systems of monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing energy usage within a facility. It includes energy efficiency optimization of the initial plant design as well as the implementation of an Energy Management System (EnMS) and Energy Management Information System (EMIS) for optimizing energy usage over the lifetime of the facility. An EnMS is the organizational framework and procedures for managing energy use; an EMIS is the system of monitoring, reporting, and tracking process energy use against targets."

Jan 1, 2016

By Pierre Gratton, Gordon Peeling

The Mining Association of Canada launched the Towards Sustainable Mining initiative in 2004. TSM’s goal is to improve the mining industry’s performance by aligning its actions with the priorities and values of Canadians. The initiative currently includes performance indicators for four areas: tailings management, energy use and greenhouse gas management, external outreach and corporate crisis management planning. Over the past year, the association has been designing a performance assessment and verification system for these performance areas, as its members prepare to move to external verification of their performance in 2006. The presentation will describe the initiative and its evolution, as well as the challenges faced in developing a verification system applicable to an entire sector.

Jan 1, 2006

By Bryan Ulrich

Rroundtable 2009, a Knight Piésold and Co.-hosted roundtable discussion on mine closure and cover design was held at the Red Lion Inn and Casino in Elko, NV on Feb. 12, 2009. Knight Piésold?s Bryan Ulrich and Steve Boyce, as well as Knight Piésold representatives Cynthia Parnow and Corey Conrad from Denver, CO, and Rick Frechette from the Tucson, AZ office were on hand to help facilitate the discussion. The meeting played host to approximately three-dozen attendees from four states. Attendees included personnel from seven mining properties and attendees from corporate offices. The majority of attendees were people directly involved with environmental work on a day-to-day basis. Other attendees were project managers whose jobs involve some level of environmental focus. The purpose of Roundtable 2009 was to exchange ideas and information pertaining to mine closure and cover design associated with almost any aspect of a mining operation. This type of forum provides a less inhibited format for discussion, when compared with traditional conferences and symposia. In the roundtable format, lively discussions are encouraged. This discussion was the fourth in the series of Elko Roundtable events. Previous roundtables pertained to heap leach pad design, construction and operation; design, construction and operation of tailings storage facilities and site-wide water considerations. The initial subtopics for Roundtable 2009 included:

Jan 1, 2009

By Brian Khalighi, Massimo Franceschi, Giovanni Giacomin, Gianni Porta

Headrace Tunnels and parts of the Access Adit Tunnels of Kárahnjúkar Hydropower project, KAR-14, in Iceland will be excavated using three full-face Robbins Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM). TBM sizes range from 7.23 to 7.63 meters in diameter and the total headrace tunnel length is approximately 40 km. The crushed rock is transported on conveyor belts to disposal areas near each Adit. The estimated average excavation rate is approximately 25 meters per day per machine. Electricity will begin to flow in April 2007, and the project is scheduled for completion in 2009. This paper is divided into four sections. In the PROJECT OVERVIEW section, a short overview of the scope of the project is presented. In the GEOLOGY section, the geological condition along the tunnel drives is briefly introduced. The TBM DESIGN section discusses the various design criteria and the resulting machine specifications. The paper concludes in the TBM OPERATION section with a case history describing the tunneling operation from start-up to the time of the writing of this paper.

Jan 1, 2005

• "This country eventually may have to rely on foreign sources for some metals, not because it does not have them here but because it may have difficulty getting the labor to mine them. Few people realize the extent to which the 'old timers' are still the backlog of the important districts." --Fred Searls, Jr. • A new filter has been developed by Arthur D. Little, Inc., for the ABC which will remove all dust from the air. Submicroscopic asbestos fibers are used as filter media and are claimed to stop all dust and pollen while passing suitable quantities of air. •Out in front public relationswise is the Peabody Coal Co. which has launched a 15-min television news program on WNBQ at 10:30 C.S.T., Tuesday and Thursday nights. Clifton Utley, news commentator, will tell how coal is mined today and indicate, with pictures, the improvement in efficiency and safety which has resulted from today's mechanized operations. •Two hundred coal mining companies are using roof bolts as a means of supporting about 14 million sq ft of roof surface, Edward Thomas of the Bureau of Mines reported. Various types of metal and wooden pins can be used. The method was first used by the St. Joseph Lead Co. over 20 years ago, but is now being studied and adopted widely in metal, nonmetallic, and coal mines. * The first ten technical graduates have reported at Hanford Works in the state of Washington, to begin the newly installed General Electric rotational training program, believed to be the first of its kind at any U.S. atomic energy plant. The program is to provide suitably trained personnel for the nation's atomic energy program. •The need for top-notch scientists and engineers to stimulate mining programs in British colonies is acute. About 60 American experts are being sought for the ECA sponsored program. Positions for mining engineers, geologists, assayers, topographers, and petrologists are open. •Production of primary aluminum for the first quarter of 1950 was 322,4250008 lb which is 6 1/2 million lb more than was produced in the first quarter of 1949. Shipments of aluminum sheet, plate, and strip amounted to 259.772,1571b for the first quarter. •Policy on manganese procurement for the stockpile is being studied by a House Armed Services Subcommittee with the possibility of lowering specifications. The U. S. Bureau of Mines is drafting a bill to encourage domestic production for stockpiling through producer subsidies. 'It will have to be cleared by the Bureau of the Budget and other agencies before going to Congress. •Oil men consider dry holes a necessary evil in their search for oil. Last year 34 out of every 100 wells drilled were dry holes. Yet Texas Technological College is attempting to drill a dry hole on its campus at Lubbock, taking every precaution to make sure it is a "duster" so its petroleum engineering students can play around with experiments without being bothered by any messy crude oil. --Natural Resources Notes. •A portable alertness indicator which signals lethargy in persons doing monotonous jobs has been developed for the Navy's Special Devices Center. A possible application to hoistmen is indicated but broaching the matter to them would be tricky.

Jan 6, 1950

By P. D. P. Hamilton

IT is perhaps obvious to most individuals who are interested in the mining industry that a producing mine has been subjected to several phases of engineering attention. In this paper it is the author's hope that a thoughtful survey of these various engineering phases will emphasize certain points of value and interest which may sometimes be overlooked. The points which we will bring out are being made in an analytical sense and are not in any way a reflection on any individuals or organizations which might see in these illustrations a similarity co chair particular conditions. In other words, we are drawing on our general experience to illustrate the points which we chink are worthy of mention, and which we believe are of a type sufficiently frequent co be emphasized. It is well co point out chat, in this paper, we are not concerned with the relative importance of such theoretical questions as to whether or not a geologisc is more important than a prospector, or the office manager than the surface foreman. We are, however, interested in analyzing the various types of engineering experience required in the bringing of a mining enter-prise from the early prospect stage in co-production, and their importance to the project as a whole. In order to simplify our analysis of the subject, it has seemed best to outline a simple mining organization. In using the terms 'industry' and 'business', we feel chat frequently those engaged in mining do not always appreciate that mining is actually an endeavour, or a business, which has the same economic fundamentals as any other business. In the mining industry, the field and producing engineering are counter-parts of the research and production phases of any other type of business. Once this is realized, it is fairly obvious that mining, like any other industry, is a matter of economically acquiring raw materials, processing them, and finally marketing the resultant commodities as favourably as possible. The points may be discussed in a little more detail as follows.

Jan 1, 1938

By A. W. Khair, L. D. Gehl

"This paper describes the mechanism of coal and rock cutting from quasi-static indentation through dynamic indentation to rotary cutting. The results indicate that during quas~static indentation, a crushed zone, and subsurface fractures develop. The crushed zone is a potential source of dust generation. Dynamic indentation produces a crushed zone due to the frictional resistance offered by the coal or rock during penetration of the bit. Confining pressure changes the mode of failure from tension to mixed tension and shear. The wider bit causes larger crushed zone and more dust generation. The rotary cutting is a combination of quasi-static and dynamic indentation which results in chip formation. 1. INTRODUCTIONThe trend from conventional mining to continuous machine-cutting of coal, using more productive machinery is inexorable. Intolerable levels of dust generated at the face is an indication of inefficient coal or rock cutting by these machines. The Federal Government of the United States paid about 11.7 billion dollars workman compensation to more than 470,000 miners with Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (Newmeyer, 1981). Bieniawski and Zipf (1985) reported that annual benefit payments were about 2 billion dollars. The need for research m improving coal cutting 1s therefore paramount. The enactment of Health and Safety Act in 1969 in the United States triggered the initial investigation into coal cutting mechanism and cutting tool design. The European countries were also engaged in the same area of research, however, their emphasis was in the use of wedge shaped bits. In 1981, the United States Bureau of Mines commissioned the South West Research Institute to investigate the effect of operating parameters mainly on airborne respirable dust in order to provide a healthier and safer atmosphere for coal mine workers.A research program by the Department of Mining Engineering, West Virginia University, USA was initiated to study the fragmentation mechanism during coal/ rock cutting. The research program was divided into three areas of research, namely quasi-static indentation, dynamic indentation and rotary cutting."

Dec 1, 1995