Search Documents

By P. Tsang

The mechanisms and functions of yield pillar are analyzed by employing finite element method that takes time dependent and plastic failure of rock into consideration. The design criteria for different geological conditions are discussed. The results provide further evidences that yield pillar design will improve floor or roof condition, especially when the floor and/or roof strata are weaker than the coal. Based on this study, the yield pillar size is determined for one cod1 mine located in southern West Virginia.

Jan 1, 1989

By L. G. Stolarczyk, Y. Luo, S. S. Peng

Detection and assessment of severe geological anomalies ahead of a longwall face greatly benefits the mining operation. Electromagnetic-based Radio Imaging Method (RIM) is one of the most promising geophysical methods for this task. Based on two decades of development, the latest RIM instrumentation (RIM-IV) has expanded its operational range up to 1,800ft.A site demonstration of the RIM-IV technology was recently conducted within a longwall panel. An extensive ground truth study was performed to evaluate the accuracy of the RIM survey results. This study compared the generated RIM tomograms of attenuation rate with the mapped geological anomalies. Three different approaches have been employed to examine the accuracy of the RIM results and to correlate the measured signal attenuation rates with physical properties of the coal seam. The study shows that the RIM-IV technology is able to identify and delineate those geological features that would severely affect the longwall mining operation.

Jan 1, 2004

By S. Rajendran

India?s interest in the resources of the deep seabed particularly the manganese nodules in the Indian Ocean can be traced back to the Indian Ocean Expedition of 1960 ? 65. The collection of Manganese Nodule samples from the Indian Ocean in January 1981 aroused considerable interest within the scientific community. Following several surveying expeditions, the Central Indian Ocean was identified as the most promising area for exploitation. India was accorded ?Pioneer Investor? status and further research and development programs were launched to establish the techno-economic viability of deep seabed mining. India has also shown considerable progress in the field of development and testing of methods for processing the nodules. The Department of Ocean Development manages the program.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. F. Sidorov

A method of improving mineral recoveries from ores by modifying the physical and chemical properties of minerals using radioisotope radiation was tested. It was observed that irradiation modifies mineral cell sizes, changes the crystal structure of some minerals, reduces the sulfur content 1 to 1.5 % in sulfides, changes the zeta potential, alters the surface properties of mineral grains I and produces other changes. Preliminary tests indicate that accelerated electron treatment of ores in connection with mineral processing has a potential for improving mineral recoveries by flotation and by magnetic separations.

Jan 1, 1989

The mmmg of alluvial gold involves many deposits of theMesozoic, Tertiary, and Quaternary Ages in processing. Majorfeatures of the composition of such alluvial deposits are the lowcontent of gold and the small size of the gold particles. Atpresent, the gold-miners treat alluvial deposits in which a portionof fme gold (0.25 mm) exceeds 45 per cent. It is expected that by2000 these resources will be the main deposits mined (Zamyatinet aI, 1991).Under real industrial conditions the losses of minus 0.25 mmmetal are 50 per cent and more. The low level of recovery of finegold is observed not only at concentrators equipped with sluices,but also at concentrators equipped with modern diaphragm andpistonless jigs (Table 1).

Jan 1, 1993

By Jürgen F. Brune

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, that of digital technologies and their application, is rapidly impacting the mining industry, as it is manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, trade, and most other industries. Mining is about 40,000 years old and has its origins in Africa. Since its earliest days, it has experienced four distinct “revolutions” that each resulted in significant improvements in production, productivity, and safety and health: The First Revolution in the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries brought technologies that improved miners’ lives and health, including pumps, forced and mechanical ventilation with wind catchers and bellows, the wire rope and black powder, to name a few. Many simple, muscle- or water-driven machines have been pictured and described in great detail by Agricola who wrote De Re Metallica in 1556. Agricola was familiar with, and concerned about, accidents where miners fell off rotten, wooden ladders, acrid smoke, and dust that caused respiratory illnesses and diseases. He also knew the dangers of fatigue and recommended that miners should sing aloud to prevent them from falling asleep.

By E. H. Boswell, E. M. Cushing

The Mississippi embayment east of the Mississippi River is part of a vast geologic and hydrologic province. The abundance of water available is largely responsible for the agricultural history of the area and is perhaps the key factor in the rapidly accelerating trend toward industrialization. The multiple artesian aquifer systems that underlie the region and the alluvial aquifer along the Mississippi River are virtually undeveloped sources of fresh water in that they are yielding only a fraction of the water available. The potential yield of the 12 aquifer systems is estimated to be about 25,000 mgd (million gpd) of which only about 600 mgd is presently being withdrawn. The amount of water in storage in these systems is about 1600 trillion gal. Ground water having a dissolved-solids content of less than 500 ppm is generally available at depths of less than 1000 ft, and water having a dissolved-solids content of less than 1000 ppm is available in some places to depths of more than 3000 ft. Iron is the most common troublesome chemical constituent in the ground water. Water in varying amounts is also available from streams within the region. The amount of water which originates within the region and which leaves it as streamflow during a year averages about 50 million acre-ft (about 45,000 mgd). An additional 375 million acre-ft (about 340,000 mgd), which originated outside the region, leaves the region as streamflow during an average year. Some streams have considerable flow during periods of no precipitation and the water during these periods generally has a low dissolved-solids content. Large quantities of water from streams and waterbearing sands (aquifers) are available in the Mississippi embayment east of the Mississippi River. Most of the region is underlain by aquifer systems that will yield large quantities of water to wells, making ground water the most readily available source of fresh water. About 90% of the water used in the region is obtained from wells. Streams have been used primarily to dispose of, and dilute, wastes that have been dumped into them. The Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers, and the lower parts of the Tombigee and Yazoo rivers also serve as a means of transportation. This nominally water-rich region receives from 48 to 56 in. of precipitation in average years and is crossed by several large rivers. The largest, the Mississippi River, is the western boundary of the region discussed in this paper. The economy of the region is basically agricultural, but industry has become increasingly important since World War 11. The diversification and mechanization of agriculture have resulted in a surplus of manpower, most of which is being absorbed by the expansion of industry. Further industrial expansion probably will occur because of the available manpower, natural resources and economical transportation. Increasing demands on available water supplies will be made and the future economic growth of the region will be largely dependent upon wise utilization and management of the water resources.

Jan 1, 1969

By Michael D. Balen

The Bureau of Mines (Bureau), in cooperation with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS), conducted field investigations from 1987 through 1989 in the 5.7 million-acre Valdez Creek Mining District (VCMD) in south-central Alaska. The objective of the VCMD investigation was to evaluate the mineral resources and the mineral development potential of the mining district. The investigation was part of the Bureau's continuing statewide mining district evaluation program. Nineteen new mineral occurrences were identified as a result of this investigation. Reconnaissance placer sampling resulted in the identification of 10 previously unreported occurrences that primarily contain gold, however, some contain subsidiary platinum-group metals and/or tin. Reconnaissance lode sampling resulted in the identification of two gold-silver occurrences, three platinum-group metal occurrences that contain elevated quantities of subsidiary chromium, nickel and/or cobalt, three copper occurrences that contain subsidiary molybdenum or zinc, and one zinc occurrence.

Jan 1, 2011

By P. Somasundaran

INTRODUCTION Large amounts of mineral values are discarded today as fines and ultrafines, because of inadequate technology to process them economically. Most conventional mineral processing techniques fail in the sub-sieve range. Fines respond poorly to processes such as flotation either due to change in mineralogy and surface composition or even simply due to the direct effect of their smallness in size on collision and adhesion rates between them and air bubbles. Indeed if the poor flotation is due to the smallness in size, a solution must rest in aggregating the fines. Inorganic electrolytes as well as polymers have been successfully used as flocculants in the past for obtaining increased flotation of colloidal material from waste water effluents. In mineral beneficiation, this technique can be profitably used if the process of flocculation can be made to take place selectively. The power of the selective flocculation technique has already been proven, with the successful application of it in the case of beneficiation of low grade iron ore by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Ore Company and potash ore by Cominco. The process holds tremendous potential when it is followed by flotation, elutriation, etc. Today its application is, however, limited to the above two cases and it has become clear that a full understanding of the process will prove helpful for developing solutions to various problems that exist both at the basic and applied levels. In this paper, principles that are known to govern selective aggregation processes such as selective flocculation, carrier flotation and spherical agglomeration will be examined and areas of uncertainties will be identified.

Jan 1, 1979

By Edwin T. Myskowski, Alfred H. Hesse

THE development by the U. S. Bureau of Mines of a process for purifying manganese by electrolysis has stimulated interest in manganese alloys. While recent publications have shown some alloys of manganese and copper to possess rather unusual properties, none have included information on tensile properties, which have an important bearing on the usefulness of the alloys. Manganese-copper alloys can be heat-treated, since the single phases that exist at high temperatures may be retained by quenching. According to Persson,1 when quenched alloys containing from about 30 to nearly 100 per cent manganese are reheated, alpha manganese is precipitated (Fig. I). Calculations based on Persson's X-ray data indicate that this decomposition is accompanied by a change in volume of as much as 5 per cent. The reason that this large volume change has not been noted probably is the slow rate at which equilibrium is reached by these alloys. In an investigation on hardening by cold-work and heat-treatment, Dean and Anderson' found that quenched alloys increase in hardness with manganese content and that high-manganese alloys harden very slowly with cold-work, while high-copper alloys harden much more rapidly. Heat-treatment has little effect on manganese-copper alloys containing less than 40 per cent Mn, and affects those alloys containing more than 40 per cent in accordance with their manganese content and heat-treating temperature. Dean and Anderson4 also found that cold-work increased electrical resistance of alloys containing from 50 to 80 per cent Mn, and that heat-treatment of alloys containing from 40 to 96 per cent Mn altered the electrical resistance considerably. Dean, Anderson and Potter5 have shown that the high vibration damping capacity that characterizes manganese-copper alloys containing 40 to 90 per cent Mn is affected by cold-work and heat-treatments. Highest vibration damping capacity at low stresses was obtained by heating for 2 hr. at 450°C. (842°F.) after quenching from solution temperatures. Preparation of Alloys.-The alloys for these tests were melted in a 17-lb. basic-lined high-frequency induction furnace using electrolytic manganese, grade A ingot copper and a 70-30 Cu-Mn master alloy (69.80 per cent Cu, 0.12 Fe, 0.04 Si, 0.006 S, 0.07 C, balance Mn). The manganese was heated slowly to expel excess dissolved gases and melted before the addition of copper. No fluxes or covers were used. The melts were cast in tapered iron molds and the ingots were reduced 90 per cent when forged to ½ -in. rounds. These rods were given 2-hr. solution treatments at temperatures that depended upon the composition (Table I). Tensile Tests.-The tensile specimens, 0.313-in. diameter (1.25-in. gauge length), which were enclosed in evacuated Pyrex

Jan 1, 1942

By Alfred H. Hesse, Edwin T. Myskowski

The development by the U. S. Bureau of Mines of a process for purifying manganese by electrolysis has stimulated interest in manganese alloys. While recent publications have shown some alloys of manganese and copper to possess rather unusual properties, none have included information on tensile properties, which have an important bearing on the usefulness of the alloys. Manganese-copper alloys can be heat-treated, since the single phases that exist at high temperatures may be retained by quenching. According to Persson,1 when quenched alloys containing from about 30 to nearly IOO per cent manganese are reheated, alpha manganese is precipitated (Fig. I). Calculations based on Persson's X-ray data indicate that this decomposi-tion is accompanied by a change in volume of as much as ; per cent. The reason that this large volume change has not been noted probably is the slow rate at which equilibrium is reached by these alloys. In an investigation on hardening by cold-work and heat-treatment, Dean and Anderson3 found that quenched alloys increase in hardness with manganese content and that high-manganese alloys harden very slowly with cold-work, while high-copper alloys harden much more rapidly. Heat-treatment has little effect on manganese-copper alloys containing less than 40 per cent Mn, and affects those alloys containing more than 40 per cent in accordance with their manganese content and heat-treating temperature. Dean and Anderson4 also found that cold-work increased electrical resistance of alloys containing from 50 to 80 per cent Mn, and that heat-treatment of alloys containing from 40 to 96 per cent Mn altered the electrical resistance considerably. Dean, Anderson and Potter6 have shown that the high vibration damping capacity that characterizes manganese-copper alloys containing 40 to go per cent Mn is affected by cold-work and heat-treatments. Highest vibration damping capacity at low stresses was obtained by heating for 2 hr. at 450°C. (842°F.) after quenching from solution temperatures. Preparalion of Alloys.—The alloys for these tests were melted in a 17-lb. basic-lined high-frequency induction furnace using electrolytic manganese, grade A ingot copper and a 70-30 CU-Mn master alloy (69.80 per cent Cu, 0.12 Fe, 0.04 Si, 0.006 S, 0.07 C, balance Mn). The manganese was heated slowly to expel excess dissolved gases and melted before the addition of copper. No fluxes or covers were used. The melts were cast in tapered iron molds and the ingots were reduced go per cent when forged to 1/2-in. rounds. These rods were given 2-hr. solution treatments at temperatures that depended upon the composition (Table I). Tensile Tests.—The tensile specimens, 0.313-in. diameter (1.25-in. gauge length),

Jan 1, 1942

By Edwin T. Myskowski, Alfred H. Hesse

THE development by the U. S. Bureau of Mines of a process for purifying manganese by electrolysis has stimulated interest in manganese alloys. While recent publications have shown some alloys of manganese and copper to possess rather unusual properties, none have included information on tensile properties, which have an important bearing on the usefulness of the alloys. Manganese-copper alloys can be heat-treated, since the single phases that exist at high temperatures may be retained by quenching. According to Persson,1 when quenched alloys containing from about 30 to nearly i00 per cent manganese are reheated, alpha manganese is precipitated (Fig. I). Calculations based on Persson's X-ray data indicate that this decomposi¬tion is accompanied by a change in volume of as much as S per cent. The reason that this large volume change has not been noted probably is the slow rate at which equilibrium is reached by these alloys. In an investigation on hardening by cold-work and heat-treatment, Dean and Anderson3 found that quenched alloys increase in hardness with manganese content and that high-manganese alloys harden very slowly with cold-work, while high-copper alloys harden much more rapidly. Heat-treatment has little effect on manganese-copper alloys containing less than 40 per cent Mn, and affects those alloys containing more than 40 per cent in accordance with their manganese content and heat-treating temperature. Dean and Anderson4 also found that cold-work increased electrical resistance of alloys containing from 50 to 80 per cent Mn, and that heat-treatment of alloys containing from 40 to 96 per cent Mn altered the electrical resistance considerably. Dean, Anderson and Potters have shown that the high vibration damping capacity that characterizes manganese-copper alloys containing 40 to g0 per cent Mn. is affected by cold-work and heat-treatments. Highest vibration damping capacity at low stresses was obtained by heating for 2 hr. at 450°C. (842°F.) after quenching from solution temperatures. Preparation of Alloys.-The alloys for these tests were melted in a 17-lb. basic-lined high-frequency induction furnace using electrolytic manganese, grade A ingot copper and a 70-30 Cu-Mn master alloy (69.80 per cent Cu, 0.12 Fe, 0.04 Si, 0.006 S, 0.07 C, balance Mn). The manganese was heated slowly to expel excess dissolved gases and melted before the addition of copper. No fluxes or covers were used. The melts were cast in tapered iron molds and the ingots were reduced go per cent when forged to ½ in. rounds. These rods were given 2-hr. solution treatments at temperatures that depended upon the composition (Table I). Tensile Tests.-The tensile specimens, 0.313-in. diameter (1.25-in. gauge length), which were enclosed in evacuated Pyrex

Jan 1, 1942

By Edwin T. Myskowski, Alfred H. Hesse

The development by the U. S. Bureau of Mines of a process for purifying manganese by electrolysis has stimulated interest in manganese alloys. While recent publications have shown some alloys of manganese and copper to possess rather unusual properties, none have included information on tensile properties, which have an important bearing on the usefulness of the alloys. Manganese-copper alloys can be heat-treated, since the single phases that exist at high temperatures may be retained by quenching. According to Persson,1 when quenched alloys containing from about 30 to nearly IOO per cent manganese are reheated, alpha manganese is precipitated (Fig. I). Calculations based on Persson's X-ray data indicate that this decomposi-tion is accompanied by a change in volume of as much as ; per cent. The reason that this large volume change has not been noted probably is the slow rate at which equilibrium is reached by these alloys. In an investigation on hardening by cold-work and heat-treatment, Dean and Anderson3 found that quenched alloys increase in hardness with manganese content and that high-manganese alloys harden very slowly with cold-work, while high-copper alloys harden much more rapidly. Heat-treatment has little effect on manganese-copper alloys containing less than 40 per cent Mn, and affects those alloys containing more than 40 per cent in accordance with their manganese content and heat-treating temperature. Dean and Anderson4 also found that cold-work increased electrical resistance of alloys containing from 50 to 80 per cent Mn, and that heat-treatment of alloys containing from 40 to 96 per cent Mn altered the electrical resistance considerably. Dean, Anderson and Potter6 have shown that the high vibration damping capacity that characterizes manganese-copper alloys containing 40 to go per cent Mn is affected by cold-work and heat-treatments. Highest vibration damping capacity at low stresses was obtained by heating for 2 hr. at 450°C. (842°F.) after quenching from solution temperatures. Preparalion of Alloys.—The alloys for these tests were melted in a 17-lb. basic-lined high-frequency induction furnace using electrolytic manganese, grade A ingot copper and a 70-30 CU-Mn master alloy (69.80 per cent Cu, 0.12 Fe, 0.04 Si, 0.006 S, 0.07 C, balance Mn). The manganese was heated slowly to expel excess dissolved gases and melted before the addition of copper. No fluxes or covers were used. The melts were cast in tapered iron molds and the ingots were reduced go per cent when forged to 1/2-in. rounds. These rods were given 2-hr. solution treatments at temperatures that depended upon the composition (Table I). Tensile Tests.—The tensile specimens, 0.313-in. diameter (1.25-in. gauge length),

Jan 1, 1942

By P. Nyul, S. Caplan, M. F. Lamorte, T. Gonda

Therrnal resistance is measured on GaAs laser diodes in the temperature range 77" to 300°K. These data show that typically the thermal resistance increases fifteen times from 77 to 300°K. The increase is attributed to the decrease in thermal conductivity of Gds. Nornzalized thermal-resistance experimental and calculated from published thermal-conductivity data) values are compared and good agreement shown. In many practical applications, it is desirable to obtain high average power output from laser diodes. Average power output is determined in large measure by the external efficiency and thermal resistance of the diode.'-3 The average input power with which a laser diode may be pumped is dependent on the thermal resistance. Thermal resistance has been studied over the temperature range from 77" to 300°K which is usually of interest in practical applications. This correspondence presents data on thermal resistance for GaAs laser diodes and compares them to values calculated from thermal-conductivity data. Junction heating arises from three distinct components: 1) joule heating, 2) nonradiative recombinations, and 3) reabsorption of radiation. In high-threshold lasers, joule heating predominates.4 Typically, the nonradiative recombination is not negligible and contributes significantly to junction heating. The loss caused by reabsorption may be of the order of the joule-heating loss.' The fabrication and the geometry of laser diodes have been described in other publications.5 The data presented were obtained from diodes which were fabricated from the same region of a wafer to minimize differences. Fig. 1 shows four types of heat sinks employed in this study. In types 1 and 2, the laser cavities are alloyed; pressure contacts are employed in types 3 and 4, and indium is plated on the inside faces to improve the intimacy of contact between the diode and the heat sink. The thermal resistance R is defined by the following relationship: where AT is the junction-temperature rise above the heat-sink temperature for the diode power dissipation Pd. For measurement of thermal resistance, a direct current is passed through the junction, in the range from 1 to 50 pct of threshold. The diode is placed in the laser mode by superimposing a current pulse of low-duty cycle on the direct current.3 Junction-temperature rise is obtained from the time-resolved laser spectrum at the leading edge of the current pulse.' Typically, the laser line shift is 2.5A per OK. The resolution employed in these experiments is 0.5A; therefore, the accuracy in the temperature measurement is 0.2K. Typically, the temperature rise is 2" to 20°K. The power dissipation is the difference between the dc power input, and the radiation power exiting the diode. The measurement accuracy is less than 1

Jan 1, 1968

By T. J. Nowak

The heat flow processes determining the injection and shut-in temperature logs in a water injection well have been analyzed and the theoretical basis for determining the water injectivity profiles from the temperature logs has been presented. Both the injection and the subsequent shut-in logs are necessary to resolve the injection interval into relative water intake strata; the former, to provide an accurate estimation of the thicknesses of the strata, and the latter to indicate the major and minor intake rates into the strata. A procedure is described for estimating the injectivity profile from the temperature logs and is applied to several temperature logs. For a water injection well, a comparison is made of the injectivity profiles obtained from the core analysis, the spinner survey, and the temperature logs. INTRODUCTION In secondary recovery of oil by water flooding, the injectivity profile is needed to obtain diagnostic evaluation of water intake distribution over the injection interval. If the distribution is unfavorable among the various strata, corrective measures can be taken to provide better control. Numerous methods have been developed for determining the injectivity profile from water velocity measurements in well bores. Often, dependence is placed upon core analyses and/or electric logs for estimating the relative water intakes over the injection interval. In many cases, the temperature log method described herein will give results more diagnostic than those obtained through use of the other available methods inasmuch as it is based upon the study of temperature disturbances in and around the well bore as a function of water flow in the well bore and in the formation. This method is the result of analyses of a number of temperature surveys made in water injection wells to determine the point of entry of the water into the formation. The material in this paper is presented in two sections: the first deals with the theoretical study of temperature survey data, and the second deals with the field application. PART I — THEORETICAL TREATMENT OF TEMPERATURE LOG DATA Before discussing the various aspects of heat flow relative to temperature log data, the phenomena that give rise to well bore temperatures — namely, the indigenous formation temperature and the associated rates of heat flow — will be considered. Geothermal Gradient The geothermal gradient is defined as the increment of depth at which the indigenous subsurface temperature increases by l°. It is caused by the continuous flow of heat outward from the interior of the earth. The flow of heat is an equilibrium process between the heat sources, the thermal conductivities of the formations, and the mean surface temperature. Therefore, there is no accumulation of heat energy in the path of heat transmission, and the geothermal gradient for a given formation will depend upon its thermal conductivity.

Jan 1, 1953

Analysing a flotation plant?s operating performance requires accurate metallurgical sampling. Typically, the aims of performing flotation plant surveys are to establish a consistent and accurate understanding of the operation of the circuit as well as to identify potential areas for improvement. Once the data have been collected, a mass balance is required to provide a consistent set of data from which plant performance can be assessed. Mass balancing is a key skill that many metallurgists and mining industry professionals are familiar with. Mass balancing reconciles the feed and product streams throughout the plant and is sometimes used for accounting of the material entering and leaving a system (eg. JKMetAccount). However more common reasons for mass balancing are: better understanding of the flowrates within a system, assessing the quality of data obtained from sampling and surveys, and providing a key dataset for assessing and improving the performance of unit operations. Mass balancing requires practice and experience to determine if the results are reasonable. There are various software programs available to assist in the mass balancing and understanding of processing plants. This paper is focused on JKMultiBal initially developed by Gay (1993), and then later commercialized by JKTech. JKMultiBal in its current release is for balancing data in both one and two dimensions, i.e. balancing data on either sized or assay bases as well as size-by-assay. With the recent trend in flotation circuits becoming more complex, JKMultiBal has been used to gain a better understanding of the processes occurring within the circuit. This paper provides a description of the program as well as several case studies where the two-dimensional mass balancing has resulted in improvements in plant performance.

Jan 1, 2009

By Donald R. McMahon

This paper presents a unique case history that documents the use of a braced secant pile wall to underpin a heavily loaded footing inside of a manufacturing plant. Construction of a pit for a new manufacturing process directly next to the footing necessitated the underpinning. The footing supports an overhead crane that needed to remain operational throughout construction of the pit and therefore, settlement of the footing could not be tolerated. The base of the footing was about 7.7 feet above the base of the 17-foot deep excavation. The footing bears on a silty clay deposit that grades from a stiff consistency beneath the footing to a soft/medium consistency near the base of the pit excavation. This paper describes the design and construction of the secant pile wall and bracing to control wall deformations, ground movements and settlement of the footing. The footing was monitored for settlement throughout construction of the pit and no measurable movement was observed.

Jan 1, 2006

In March 1990, Heritage Mining conducted a 2000 line km high resolution aeromagnetic survey of all its prospects in the Coromandel Peninsula. One of the areas covered was the Onemana Peninsula, situated about 5 km north of Whangamata. Details of location and geology are given by Robson and Stevens (this volume).   The detailed helicopter-borne magnetic and radiometric survey over the Onemana area consisted of 163 line kmÆs of flying, and was carried out in order to assist in the definition of hydrothermal alteration and pre- or post- mineralisation structures. The line spacing chosen was 100 m, flown east-west, with a mean sensor terrain clearance of 80 m. Tie lines were flown north-south every kilometre for levelling purposes. The sensor was a Geoinstruments G-813 proton precession magnetometer in a towed bird, with data recorded using a Geoinstruments G-2000 acquisition system.   The Onemana alteration system is at the northern end of a major north-north east trending structural corridor defined by regional aeromagnetic surveys performed by AMOCO in 1980 (Rabone, 1991). T his structure hosts a number of other extinct hydrothermal systems including Karangahake and Golden Cross. In the Onemana contour plot the predominant north-northeast structures form the boundaries of a large area of subdued magnetism in the southern part of the surveyed area that is caused by intense hydrothermal alteration. This area is about 3.5 km long by 1 km or more wide and contains outcropping sinters and hydrothermal eruption breccias, as described in Robson and Stevens. A number of other structures transect this alteration zone, with strike directions ranging from northwest to north. A northwest feature notably truncates the zone to the south, while the northern end seems to be simi1arly bounded; however as data coverage ends at the coast, this feature is less conclusive.    Two distinctive types of strongly magnetic rock were discernible the contoured data. The strong negative magnetic anomalies the north and west are caused by fresh negatively magnetised rhyolites. This was confirmed by ground follow-up work that showed the rocks to be fresh biotite rhyolites with high magnetic susceptibilities.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. Janssens, B. Coletti, S. Smets, J. Plessers

The oxygen activity of the ladle slag determines the reactivity towards the steel during ladle treatment. Therefore, the in situ measurement of the oxygen activity of slags can be an important tool. The applicability of an electrochemical sensor is examined in this work. The sensor measures the electromotive force (EMF) that is established between a sample of the slag phase that is immersed in the liquid steel bath and a reference system (Cr/Cr2O3). Industrial and laboratory experiments demonstrated the capability of the sensor to detect the influence of the slag components on the measured oxygen potential. Comparison of the measured values with thermodynamically calculated values shows that the measured oxygen activity is systematically too low. This was attributed to a reaction of the steel with the slag sample. To investigate this, further lab tests were performed where the slag oxygen activity was measured after the slag had been equilibrated with the steel. The measured values were dependent on the oxygen activity (aO) of the steel. For industrial applications, it is concluded that the aO of the steel should be known and that this value is necessary for the interpretation of the measured values. Keywords: low carbon steels slags, slag oxygen activity, on-line sensing, thermodynamic evaluation.

Jan 1, 2004

By Andrew Kaczmarek

The mining industry is enjoying a much needed and long awaited increase in demand for natural resources. However, consolidations in the mining and mining service industries, along with a generational departure of experienced industry professionals, is challenging today’s mining companies. These challenges are not only in maintaining their existing operations, but also in securing qualified resources for developing new projects. These challenges are compounded for junior mining companies. They oftentimes lack for operating properties to draw experienced professionals from. Also, juniors have to compete with the majors’ “mega-projects” for experienced project personnel from the reduced ranks of engineering companies. This article discusses some strategies developed by Anatolia Minerals Development (Anatolia) in developing its Çöpler gold project in central Turkey.

Jan 1, 2006