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By Christopher J. Oates

Overview ? Mining Codes ? Best Practice ? Mining Standards Guidelines ? Get it right from the start ? External Auditors ? The 5% rule ? MMCRM's - The Key Components ? The MMCRM Report / Certificate ? MMCRM's & Round Robins ? Summary

Jan 1, 2005

By Fanny Herrera, David Reaño, Luis Chahua, Elio Murrugara

El crecimiento del depósito de desmonte Pampa Verde es altamente dependiente de las siguientes restricciones: (1) opciones limitadas para extender lateralmente los contrafuertes existentes; (2) la necesidad de satisfacer tanto la estabilidad estática como la sísmica; (3) la necesidad de seleccionar adecuadamente materiales de alta resistencia para el refuerzo; (4) la importancia de realizar pruebas específicas del material geosintético de refuerzo para caracterizar su interacción con el suelo; y (5) la compleja geometría del sistema en conjunto, particularmente para su estabilidad global. El dique de contención existente fue estabilizado mediante su reforzamiento con geosintéticos, el cual consistió en un relleno de suelo compactado con una talud de 2,1H:1V sobre un muro de suelo estabilizado mecánicamente (MSE o suelo reforzado). La estructura MSE involucra dos muros (superior e inferior) con una banqueta horizontal entre ambos. El muro superior está reforzado con geomallas, mientras que el muro inferior consiste en un sistema Terramesh de gaviones reforzados con geomallas. El enfoque general del diseño consideró el diseño de un talud de suelo reforzado con geosintéticos (TSR) que usaría geomallas de alta capacidad de tracción. Las guías de diseño para el TSR propuesto son las emitidas por la Administración Federal de Carreteras de EE. UU. (FHWA-NHI-10-024). Un aspecto clave a considerar en el diseño propuesto fue la adecuada evaluación de la interfase del suelo contra la geomallama, por lo que se consideró un total de cinco productos de geomalla para su posible uso en la construcción del talud de suelo reforzado con geosintéticos.

Sep 20, 2019

By L. E. Djingheuzian

IN 1953, Lewis (1) published an article which brought forth a great amount of discussion by grinding engineers. In his contribution to discussion the present writer (2) suggested that, for the most efficient performance of a ball mill, there must be a .definite relationship between Cn, per cent critical speed, and V p, per cent mill volume occupied by the ball charge. Later, he ( 3) was able to publish some grinding data from Wright-Hargreaves milly which appeared to bear out this contention. It is with this view to establishing a fundamental relationship between Cn and Vp that the idea of this Forum was conceived. Accordingly, a questionnaire was prepared and copies of it were mailed to over eighty Canadian mill operators. This questionnaire did not include a question on dilution on the assumption that each mill operator was using the most efficient dilution for his operation, nor was a question on efficiency of classification included since it was thought that the inclusion of efficiency of dassification in the questionnaire at this preliminary stage might render the forum discussion,. while everybody was trying to find his bearings, too unwieldy. However, it is evident that, as discussions develop, this forum will have to define a uniform method for establishing most efficient classification in grinding circuits

Jan 1, 1957

By James M. Griffin

Ladies and Gentlemen, There have been no less than ten major coal project financings in the last eighteen months. Each of these has been in the order of $100 million to $1 billion for the development of a coal property and its associated infrastructure. It is appropriate at this time to review the nature of these past financings. Why has there been so much activity? There are primarily two reasons. The first is due to the large number of contracts which were signed as a result of OPEC oil shocks. High projections were made for increased coal consumption particularly in world trade. This is distinct from domestic coal mine/power plant projects which often tap a government source of funds. Second is the high cost of coal development in the 1980's compared with a typical company's corporate borrowing capacity.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. Froidevaux

Geostatistical estimation techniques were customized to enable forecast of production figures at the Silver Bell uranium mine (Uravan District). Surface drill hole data were used to provide a block model of kriged estimators of average uranium grades. The recoverable figures, such as ore-waste ratio and ore grade, are then deduced from regressive curves previously obtained from underground information and production data. Cross-validations of the entire model were performed and were found positive.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. K. Netolitzky

The Weedy Lake, Tower Lake, and Wedge Lake gold deposits illustrate contrasting styles and different ages of mineralization within the same district. The discovery of these deposits was the result of systematic exploration of gold occurrences noted during research of assessment files. The Weedy Lake and Tower Lake depo its reflect a late-stage gold mineralizing event. The e deposits developed along the same major structural break, and also display simi lar mineralogy and alteration patterns. Mineralization is developed in all the lithologies present. The Wedge Lake property, while having occurrences similar to the Weedy and Tower deposits. has the more important Twin Zone which best fits a volcanogenic exhalative model. The Twin Zone has a complex structural history without a recognizable alteration halo. The setting may be proximal to a hydrothermal vent. Mineralization is hosted within a mixed ulphide/oxide/silicate facies iron formation breccia. and the gold is intimately associated with arsenopyrite. The origin and age of the brecciation is key to understanding the mineralizing event. Traditional prospecting procedures in conjunction with conventional B-horizon soil geochemistry were instrumental in the Twin Zone and Weedy lake disco,•eries. Tower Lake was a prospecting discovery partially defined by previous drill programs. This deposit was also identified by B-horizon oil sampling.

Jan 1, 1986

By Gerald R. Dickens

Massive sulfide ores and Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide precipitates represent two extremes of a spatial continuum of hydrothermal deposition along oceanic ridges. Elemental variations across this continuum are of interest to economic geologists as a prospective geochemical exploration tool. Theoretical considerations suggest that certain physical and chemical parameters can be used to model compositional variations within the far-field (i.e., Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide) component as a function of distance from ridge axis; however, testing and verification of such models generally has been precluded because the few available distal hydrothermal sediment sequences have been sampled at low resolution and/or are highly diluted with biogenic components (e.g., siliceous and calcareous tests). Recent ocean drilling (ODP Leg 145; Sites 885/886) in the North Pacific successfully recovered an extensive record of "biogenic-free" distal hydrothermal precipitates from an area approximately 60 km south of the Chinook Trough at longitude 168.1 °W. Geophysical and geomorphological evidence suggests the Chinook Trough is the southern lithospheric scar marking initiation of late Cretaceous north-south rifting, implying that recovered hydrothermal materials record distal hydrothermal precipitation from the now-subducted Kula-Pacific spreading ridge. The Chinook Trough hydrothermal sequence is a continuous 15 my record of "biogenic-free" hydrothermal Fe-Mn oxyhydroxide precipitation mixed with eolian clays. It was deposited during the late Cretaceous, early Paleocene (80-65 Ma) as the perpendicular distance from ridge axis increased from 75 to 600 km. A high-resolution geochemical analysis of this hydrothermal sequence reveals distinct trends for the up-core (equivalent to increasing distance from ridge) distribution patterns of Fe, Sc, As, and rare earth elements (REE). Iron concentrations exhibit an S-shape distribution pattern with respect to increasing

Jan 1, 1994

By Caress ME, Knight MD

The eruption 75,000 y ago of the Younger Toba Tuff ignimbrite and associated ash-fall ranks as the greatest known volcanic event of the past million years. The ignimbrite is known to cover 21,000 km2 (it may extend farther under alluvium of the coastal plain) and forms a low-angle depositional shield centered on the Lake Toba caldera. The ignimbrite is largely nonwelded and shows systematic outward decreases in lithic and crystal contents and clast sizes. Coarse lithic lag breccias that occur at places 85 km apart point to two or more vents on a fissure having this length. The extensive associated ash-fall traceable as far as Malaysia and India is evidently a co-ignimbrite ash but could have a phreatomag-matic component. The Lake Toba caldera measures95 x 35 km and is >1 kn deep. It is not a single caldera but comprises several contiguous depressions and grabens diversified by two re-surgent domes. Earlier parts of the caldera are related to at least two earlier ignimbrites including the Older Toba Tuff dated by Chesner at 0.5 Ma. The caldera is elongated parallel to, and is only 25 km from, the great Sumatra strike-slip fault, and it can be considered almost certain that the caldera is in part a kind of pull-apart structure. The ignimbrites are very crystal-rich. There is no reason to think basaltic magma was involved in their emplacement. Together with ash-falls they have a total volume of several thousand cubic kilometers. They can be categorized as originating from partially crystallized granitic magmas that erupted because tectonic pull-apart occurred several times across the pluton. Small rhyolitic lava domes on fault-lines comprise the youngest volcanic products.

Jan 1, 1990

By Herman Dykstra, Irving Fatt

Relative wetting phase permeabilities calculated from capillary pressure-saturation data are compared with measured relative permeability data. The equation relating relative permeability to capillary pressure-saturation data is derived by assuming that a porous medium is analogous to a bundle of capillary tubes. The equation includes a term to correct for the difference between fluid path length and length of core. Relative oil permeability data in the water-oil-gas system are presented, and it is shown that if the water is considered part of he rock matrix, the relative oil permeability curve is typical of a wetting phase relative permeability curve. Apparatus for measuring two and three-phase relative permeabilities are described. INTRODUCTION The difficulty in measuring relative permeability of cores has made it desirable to have a correlation between relative permeability and some more easily measured property of porous media. Such an easily measured property is the capillary preisure-saturation relation. In the past there has been a tendency to separate the capillary pressure concept from the very complex pore geometry and to consider that the capillary pressure-saturation curve give? only some characteristic distribution of interfacial curvature between two fluids.' Recently, however, it has been realized that if capillary pressure data are to yield information concerning pore size distribution2 and fluid flow in porous media. the pore must be assumed to have a simple shape such as a cylinder or a sphere. Childs and George' showed that relative water permeability could be calculated from the capillary pressure-water saturation curve by assuming that the pores are cylinders in which the fluid flowing obeys Poiseuille's Law, and that the capillary preisure curve indicated the size and number of pores. Purcell5 derived an equation relating the permeability of a porous medium to the capillary pressure curve by assuming the porous medium to he analogous to a bundle of capillary tubes. Gates and Lietz6 calculated relative permeability by an equa-tion derived from Purcell's equation. In this paper an equation is derived giving the relative water permeability as a function of water saturation by as-sulning that the core sample can be represented by a bundle of capillary tubes in which the fluid path length is not the same as the bulk length, and in which the fluid path length varies with saturation. THEORY For a bundle of N capillary tubes the flow through dN tubes will be dQ = qav dN ..........(1) where Q is the total flow rate through all the tubes and q., is the aberage flow rate through the tubes in the interval dN. If the interval dN is made small the average flow rate through a tube in the interval dN is given by Poiseuille's Law, 8 nl where ?P is the pressure drop across the tube of length 1 and radius r, and µ is the viscosity of the fluid. Substituting for qav in Equation (1), dQ =pr4 ? P/8µl dN.........(3) Darcy's Law for linear flow of an incompressible fluid in a porous medium is Q = KA?P/µL...........(4) where K is the permeability and ?P is the pressure drop across a bundle of tubes which has replaced the porous medium of length L and cross-sectional area A. Differentiating Darcy's Law with A, ?P, µ, and L constant, dQ = A?P/µL dK.........(5) Equating (3) and (5) gives dK------------dN.........(6) 8Al If the pores are assumed to be cylinders dV =pr2ldN..........(7) where V is the volume of flowing fluid in the pores. Substituting for dN in Equation (6) gives dK = —dV..........(8) 8AI' By definition the saturation, S, of the core is v v S =V/Vp..........(9) Vv -PAL

Jan 1, 1951

By Irving Fatt, Herman Dykstra

Relative wetting phase permeabilities calculated from capillary pressure-saturation data are compared with measured relative permeability data. The equation relating relative permeability to capillary pressure-saturation data is derived by assuming that a porous medium is analogous to a bundle of capillary tubes. The equation includes a term to correct for the difference between fluid path length and length of core. Relative oil permeability data in the water-oil-gas system are presented, and it is shown that if the water is considered part of he rock matrix, the relative oil permeability curve is typical of a wetting phase relative permeability curve. Apparatus for measuring two and three-phase relative permeabilities are described. INTRODUCTION The difficulty in measuring relative permeability of cores has made it desirable to have a correlation between relative permeability and some more easily measured property of porous media. Such an easily measured property is the capillary preisure-saturation relation. In the past there has been a tendency to separate the capillary pressure concept from the very complex pore geometry and to consider that the capillary pressure-saturation curve give? only some characteristic distribution of interfacial curvature between two fluids.' Recently, however, it has been realized that if capillary pressure data are to yield information concerning pore size distribution2 and fluid flow in porous media. the pore must be assumed to have a simple shape such as a cylinder or a sphere. Childs and George' showed that relative water permeability could be calculated from the capillary pressure-water saturation curve by assuming that the pores are cylinders in which the fluid flowing obeys Poiseuille's Law, and that the capillary preisure curve indicated the size and number of pores. Purcell5 derived an equation relating the permeability of a porous medium to the capillary pressure curve by assuming the porous medium to he analogous to a bundle of capillary tubes. Gates and Lietz6 calculated relative permeability by an equa-tion derived from Purcell's equation. In this paper an equation is derived giving the relative water permeability as a function of water saturation by as-sulning that the core sample can be represented by a bundle of capillary tubes in which the fluid path length is not the same as the bulk length, and in which the fluid path length varies with saturation. THEORY For a bundle of N capillary tubes the flow through dN tubes will be dQ = qav dN ..........(1) where Q is the total flow rate through all the tubes and q., is the aberage flow rate through the tubes in the interval dN. If the interval dN is made small the average flow rate through a tube in the interval dN is given by Poiseuille's Law, 8 nl where ?P is the pressure drop across the tube of length 1 and radius r, and µ is the viscosity of the fluid. Substituting for qav in Equation (1), dQ =pr4 ? P/8µl dN.........(3) Darcy's Law for linear flow of an incompressible fluid in a porous medium is Q = KA?P/µL...........(4) where K is the permeability and ?P is the pressure drop across a bundle of tubes which has replaced the porous medium of length L and cross-sectional area A. Differentiating Darcy's Law with A, ?P, µ, and L constant, dQ = A?P/µL dK.........(5) Equating (3) and (5) gives dK------------dN.........(6) 8Al If the pores are assumed to be cylinders dV =pr2ldN..........(7) where V is the volume of flowing fluid in the pores. Substituting for dN in Equation (6) gives dK = —dV..........(8) 8AI' By definition the saturation, S, of the core is v v S =V/Vp..........(9) Vv -PAL

Jan 1, 1951

By K Ehrig

Two irrefutable facts in geology and metallurgy are: ore deposits are comprised of variable mixtures of minerals which are systematically distributed throughout the deposit, and mineralogy exerts the primary control on metallurgical performance. If the distribution of process critical minerals can be quantified and mapped, then a logical assumption is that metallurgical performance can be predicted across the deposit.Olympic Dam is a +9 billion tonne Fe-oxide Cu-U-Au-Ag deposit which is hosted entirely within a magmatic-hydrothermal breccia complex consisting of over seventy ore and gangue minerals. Each has a unique set of metallurgical performance properties. Fortunately, 15 of the 70 minerals accounts for >98 per cent of the total rock mass.The mineral mapping journey commenced in the early drilling days shortly after the discovery of Olympic Dam in 1975. Geologists quickly recognised that the copper-iron sulphides had a predictable zoned distribution. However, geological models reflected the presence or relative abundances, not quantitative concentrations, of the minerals. This type of mineral mapping remained relatively unchanged for ~20 years and was of limited use outside of geology.Several things changed during the mid-1990s: assaying costs decreased significantly, instruments capable of automatically measuring mineralogy became readily available, the recognition of two quantifiable relationships at OD (ie mineralogy is a function of chemical composition (ie assays), and metallurgical performance is a function of assays, mineralogy, texture and process conditions. The linkage of metallurgical performance to mineralogy and mineralogy back to assays allows for every assayed sample in the resource model to be assigned mineral concentrations and metallurgical performance predictors. At Olympic Dam, block models (ie 3D maps) are routinely produced for 27 elements, density, 15 process critical minerals and greater than 50 metallurgical performance variables. These geometallurgy-enabled resource models are used for mine planning, process plant design and process optimisation studies. *This is an abstract only. No paper was prepared for this abstract.*

Sep 5, 2011

By Ivan B. Cutler, Milton E. Wadsworth

Coprecipitation of anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes has been applied to flocculation of several mineral systems. Results obtained in a study of the flocculation of kaolinite and hematite suspensions of polycationic and polyanionic electrolytes are presented. Greatly increased settling rates were observed following precipitation of positive and negative polyelectrolytes on the surface of finely divided minerals in aqueous suspension. The ratios of polycationic to polyanionic electrolytes required to produce maximum sedimentation have been shown to correspond closely with the equivalence points obtained by light scattering studies of systems containing the positive and negative polyelectrolytes by themselves.

Aug 1, 1956

By Venda Oliveira P. J., Correia A. A. S., Danisi C. M.

"AbstractA laboratory study has been undertaken to establish common understanding of the creep phenomenon of a Portuguese soft soil chemically stabilised with binders. In order to study the effect of different stress levels on the strength and on the creep behavior of the stabilised soil, oedometer creep tests and unconfined compressive tests were performed at different curing times. Results show that the creep stress level does not influence the unconfined compressive strength. In addition, the creep phenomenon increases the unconfined compressive strength of the treated soil. Two different secondary compression indexes were recognized from the one-dimensional compression curve which increase with an exponential trend with the creep stress level.IntroductionConstruction on soft soils requires a mandatory soil stabilization work to improve mechanical characteristics of the natural soil. Deep mixing method is a worldwide employed ground improvement method, nevertheless the creep phenomenon hasn’t been yet thoroughly analyzed. Most of the published papers have focused on the analysis of the compressibility and the strength of the soil-binder mixtures without considering the creep phenomenon. However, numerical results (Venda Oliveira et al. 2009) have shown that although settlements that occur during the creep stage (namely creep strains) are less in case of treated columns, they are still important especially due to the high loads applied to the stabilised soil. The few published studies about creep behavior of soil-binder mixtures reveal that the stabilization of an organic soil with cement induces a reduction of creep deformations, which is related to the amount of cement used and that the increase of the organic matter of the soil has a negative impact on soil stabilization, further inducing a slight increase in the creep deformations (Venda Oliveira et al. 2012).As part of the current research the effect of different stress levels on the creep behavior of a soft clayey-silt soil was studied. The binder mixture used to enhance the properties of the soil had a specific composition and quantity. Unconfined compressive strength tests (UCS) and UCS creep tests were carried out at pre-set curing times in order to analyze the creep behavior of the soil-binder mixture. In particular five different creep stress levels were studied to understand its influence on the strength and on the compressibility of the stabilised soil. In addition, considerations about the secondary consolidation index are also presented."

Jan 1, 2014

By William R. Yernberg

The “China & East Asia Mineral and Energy Re-sources Symposium — CEAR 2000” was held Jan. 23-26, 2000 in Denver, CO. Conference sponsors included Resources and Technology Symposia of Colorado and the Asian Journal of Mining. The meeting was attended by representatives from China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea, eastern Russia (Siberia) and the United States. The US attendees consisted of interested parties from mining and energy companies, financial institutions, consultants and government agencies. In his opening statements, L. Maness, Jr., president of Resources and Technology Symposia of Colorado, said that the “goal of the conference was to make jobs and friendships and to introduce people to each other.” The conference provided an opportunity for Western mining interests, including mining companies and investors, to meet with government agencies from both sides of the Pacific.

Jan 1, 2000

By J. R. Cobble

The Federal Bureau of Mines conducted static tests at 2,500° F on 39 refractory compositions, and dynamic tests at [2,825°35° F] on 31 commercial refractory brick specimens to determine their resistance to corrosion and erosion by a slag similar in composition to that used in producing insulating mineral wool. The static tests showed fireclay, low-alumina compositions (<70 percent A1203), zircon, zirconia, SiC, and clay-bonded graphite refractories to be unsuitable. Dynamic test results indicated that magnesia and chromia compositions were superior to high-alumina compositions (=70 percent A1203) as a furnace lining for melting mineral wool. Data from these tests indicated that magnesia and chromia compositions with low RO/R203 mole ratios were more resis tant to attack by mineral wool slags than ones with high RO/R203 mole ratios.

Jan 1, 1975

By J. C. M. Li

The steady state shape of a shrinking cylindrical grain boundary of miform boundary energy is shown to be circular. This is based on the principle of either the minimum rate of entropy production or the minimum thermokinetic potential. The circular shape corresponds also to a state of minimum (not maximum) velocity. The steady state shape of a grain boundary moving between two inclined surfaces is a circular cylindrical arc whose position and curvature will be afjected by the nature of the surfaces. The minimum thermokinetic potential is the only valid criterion in this case. THE preceding paper1 reports an interesting experiment in which it is shown that a grain boundary moving between two inclined surfaces assumes a circular cylindrical arc whose axis nearly coincides with the line of intersection of the two surfaces. The driving force is well defined since it is the energy of the grain boundary itself. The velocity of the grain boundary is found not to vary linearly with the driving force. Several interesting questions arise: 1) What principle determines the shape of a moving grain boundary? 2) What is the effect of the inclined surfaces? 3) How do we understand the nonlinear velocity-driving force relationship? It is attempted in this paper to discuss the first two questions based on irreversible thermodynamics and in a following paper to discuss the third question based on dislocation theory. STEADY STATE SHAPE OF A SHRINKING LOOP (A CYLINDRICAL GRAIN BOUNDARY) In irreversible thermodynamics, there are two criteria for the steady state. One is the minimum rate of entropy production2 which is based on the symmetry of phenomenological coefficients and is applicable to linear force-flux relations with constant coefficients. The other is the minimum thermokinetic potential3 which is based on the integrability of a certain Pfaffian differential equation and is applicable to nonlinear systems with variable coefficients. In the case of a shrinking grain boundary loop (a two dimensional version of a cylindrical grain), the flux of atoms across the grain boundary can be taken as the local boundary velocity v measured perpendicular to the boundary (the number of atoms transferred per unit area per second is equal to the product of atom density and the velocity of the boundary). The local thermodynamic driving force can be taken as y/p with y being the grain boundary energy (invariant with respect to the orientation and curvature of the grain boundary) and p being the radius of curvature. Such driving force can be understood by considering the loop as an elastic string with tension y. As shown in Fig. 1, across a length ds along the loop, the direction of y changes by an angle d@ which is ds/p. Because of this change of direction, the tension exerts a force perpendicular to the curve equal to yd@. The force per unit length is then y/p. According to the experimental observation, the velocity v is a power function of y/p, where M is the velocity at unit driving force and &apos;n is a constant. The rate of entropy production per ds along the loop is vyds/pT, where T is the temperature. For a given length L of the loop, the total rate of entropy production is The thermokinetic ptentia13 has only a differential definition and its existence depends on the integrability of this definition. In this case, Eq. [3] happens to be a total differential and the thermokinetic potential can be defined as which turns out to be the same as the rate of entropy production, Eq. [2], except for a constant factor n + 1. Strictly speaking, since the flux-force relation is not linear, the rate of entropy production may not be a minimum at the steady state. However, because of the proportionality between Eqs. [2] and 141, the state of minimum thermokinetic potential happens to be the same as that of minimum rate of entropy production. The steady state shape thus can be obtained by minimizing either integral [2] or [4] for a given L.

Jan 1, 1970

concentrations) and physical nature of receiving streams, which in turn affects the stream ecosystem. Benthic macroinvertebrates are used to illustrate these impacts, and to investigate natural recovery in affected streams. In Charming Creek, a severely impacted stream in the Buller District, the macroinvertebrate community recovers diversity and the proportion of sensitive species (EPT) in the community is more significant with increasing downstream distance from the source of AMD. This is most likely due to dilution of AMD contaminated water by tributaries to the Charming Creek mainstream. Other impacted systems with less dilution from tributaries did not display similar levels of recovery. The effectiveness of remediation products BauxsolÖ and Zeolite was investigated using laboratory trials. Both products mitigated the toxicity of AMD and enhanced the survival of mayflies exposed to AMD contaminated water. Such products may be of use in the New Zealand environment but are likely to be most effective in conjunction with other systems (eg wetlands). Mitigating the impacts of AMD on stream ecosystems needs to include systems to directly address water chemistry issues (low pH, high metal concentrations) as a component of a holistic approach to restoring environmental conditions.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. Kidby, A. Briggs

"Vitrokele ™ is a synthetic adsorbent, using chelating groups on large polystyrene beads, developed in Canada over 7 years ago, and first commercialised in 1985 to recover noxious metals from plating wastes.Pilot plant trials have been performed in Australia and Canada to demonstrate the recovery of cyanide and removal of metal cyanide complexes from gold plant effluent using Vitrokele1 M 912. The pilot plants comprise a simple adsorption train (similar to a CIP circuit) followed by complete elution facilities, so that loaded Vitrokele™ can be stripped and returned to the adsorption circuit.An account of these campaigns is provided, showing the reduction of total CN levels from over 200 ppm to less than 0.5 ppm and Cu levels from approximately 100 ppm to less than 0.3 ppm in treated tailings.Comparisons between pilot plant results and laboratory test data are given and probable future work on the process and its application to the gold mining industry is discussed.INTRODUCTIONThrough millions of years of evolution, life forms have developed specialised molecules with exceptionally high affinity and selectivity for various metals such as iron, cobalt, zinc and copper.In the early 80's professors at the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University engaged in research on the extremely efficient ways that living cells captured trace metals essential for life.As research progressed, it became evident that the special molecules used by biological systems to capture metals could be synthesized to capture selected metals with similar efficiency from water or other solutions.The technology was first commercialised in 1985 to recover noxious metals from plating wastes with compositions applying the special molecules (chelating groups) on vitreous particles (hence Vitrokele™). To date approximately three commercial Vitrokele™ plants have been installed for treating plating waters in Ontario and Quebec."

Jan 1, 1992

By Dale R. Ralston, Roy E. Williams, Gerry V. Winter, George L. Bloomsburg

GENERAL STATEMENT Data frequently can be collected by several dif¬ferent methods. The method required for the nec¬essary precision for inflow prediction to mines should be selected and other methods avoided. Pre¬cision monitoring or measuring techniques fre¬quently require more time, expertise, and expense in their implementation that may not be justifiable. The temporal distribution of the data needs also may dictate the method used for data collection. Continuous recording devices may be required for time sensitive data whereas point measurements of other parameters may be adequate. Data needs will vary as the hydrologic investigation proceeds. In¬itial data needs may require only a qualitative col¬lection of data such as the areal distribution of precipitation. Subsequent data needs may require the measurement of ground water levels to the near¬est hundredth of a foot. Data requirements can be difficult to fulfill for ground water systems. This is particularly true for anisotropic, heterogeneous hydrostratigraphic units since the hydrogeologic parameters vary both ver¬tically and areally. Techniques exist for determining the storage characteristics of both unconfined and confined hydrostratigraphic units but these pro¬cedures require the installation of multiple wells in the same unit which may be impractical. Specific tests are discussed subsequently that permit the determination of vertical hydraulic conductivity. Data collected from field procedures or tests are generally preferred to laboratory derived data. This is especially true for hydrogeologic parameters such as hydraulic conductivity. SURFACE WATER SYSTEMS Precipitation Precipitation data can be collected from sources that maintain a historical record. The US Depart¬ment of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmos¬pheric Administration (NOAA), maintains weather observation stations across the country. Such a sta¬tion frequently can be found near a proposed mine site but the type of weather data collected varies from station to station. Fortunately, precipitation data are collected ubiquitously. The data collected by NOAA can be purchased for the area of interest in the form of monthly and annual tabulations. Private weather stations constitute a second source of precipitation data. Existing data usually are analyzed by one of three methods. The station average method merely sums the depth of precipitation at each station and divides the sum by the number of stations as fol¬lows: [ ] where Pavg is the average precipitation (L), P, is the depth of precipitation at station i (L), and N is the total number of stations. This method is applicable where there are a relatively large number of stations uniformly distributed across the area (Hjelnfelt and Cassidy, 1975, pp. 71-72). The second method, called the Thiessen poly¬gon method, weights the precipitation at each sta¬tion in direct proportion to the area it represents without consideration of topography. The stations are plotted on a map and perpendicular bisectors are drawn on the lines connecting the stations. The polygons formed by these bisectors constitute the area that the precipitation for that station repre¬sents. The overall precipitation can be calculated with the following equation:

Jan 1, 1986

By Thomas M. Barczak

This report examines practical considerations in longwall support selection that have evolved from Bureau of Mines ground control research. The scope of discussion includes trends in support selection, analysis of shield designs, performance testing, and an examination of support and strata interaction theories and their relevance to in situ support loading. Application recommendations are made for two-leg shields. four-leg shields, and chock-shields. Two-leg shields account for 67 pct of the current active longwall installations and are used in a variety of applications. Automated control systems are likely to continue to grow in utilization. The next major change in shield design is likely to be the application of wider supports. The most effective method of performance testing longwall shields is by controlled displacement of the canopy relative to the base. Controlled force application does not control the load transfer through the shield and may not produce maximum loading in all support components. Theories of estimating support capacity based upon a detached roof block that must be maintained in equilibrium by the powered support are being challenged by concepts based upon the equivalent stiffness of the total ground supporting system.

Jan 1, 1990