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By S. F. Emmons

THE first paper which appears in the published Transactions of our Institute is that read by our respected Secretary at its first meeting in Wilkes-Barre, in May, 1871. It is entitled The Geological Distribution of Mining Districts in the United States, and presents a brief but masterly review of what was known of the distribution of our deposits of useful minerals, particularly the metals, not only from a geographical but from .a geological stand-point. At the request of Dr. Raymond, I agreed, somewhat hastily, perhaps, to write for this occasion a brief sketch of the geological distribution of the deposits of the useful metals in this country, in the light of the increased knowledge of the present day. In the time given no personal investigation was possible, and as it was therefore out of the question to attempt to make anything that could be considered an original contribution to the history of our ore-deposits, I have been obliged to limit myself to an examination of such published data within my reach as bore upon this subject, and could be consulted in the brief time I have been able to give to it. Had the geological investigations undertaken by the Tenth Census been continued systematically by the United States Geological Survey or by the Eleventh Census, it might have been possible to make a fairly-complete review of the subject. As it is, the principal result of my examination 1 has been to show how very unequal

Jan 1, 1913

By Arhtur T. Allen

THE Kingsport formation, a part of the Knox dolomite of Ordovician age, is composed of 538 ft of dolomite and limestone. Numerous bands, layers and nodules of chert, arenaceous and shale zones are present. The characteristics displayed by these features have been useful in mapping, prospecting and mining. Perhaps a better understanding of the origin of these zones will increase their usefulness.

Jan 1, 1947

By S Paciornik, G Schinazi, M H. de Pinho Maur-cio, M B. Vieira, O da Fonseca Martins Gomes, D T. Wagner

Vale (previously CVRD û Companhia Vale do Rio Doce) evaluates the microstructure of sinters in order to understand their characteristics and behaviour in the agglomeration process, and the correlation with conventional quality parameters. Efforts on image analysis development are in progress between Vale and PUC-Rio in order to improve both the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of a representative portion of material. In the present work, digital microscopy techniques were developed allowing this kind of assessment. Employing a motorised and computer controlled optical microscope, low magnification mosaic images covering complete sinter samples were automatically obtained. The mosaics provide a powerful qualitative overview of the whole sample while allowing low resolution quantitative evaluation of the major phases. In addition, quantitative results for phase fractions were compared for the same sample regions at three magnifications (5x, 10x and 20x objective lenses). A single field (1 x 1) at the lowest magnification corresponds to mosaics of 2 x 2 and 4 x 4 images at the higher magnifications. The automated system allows perfect registration between the mosaics and the single image. Changes in phase discrimination were evaluated as a function of optical resolution, and phase fractions obtained by interactive segmentation of the image histograms were compared. While finer dark phases, eg silicates, were only visible with the best optical resolution, coarser phases such as haematite and pores were measured at all resolutions. For haematite, magnetite, ferrite and pores, the largest relative error in area fraction, between the images obtained with the 5x and 20x lenses, was 12 per cent. The results for silicate were less accurate with a relative error of 44 per cent. The results indicate that digital microscopy provides a flexible method for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of these materials.

Jan 1, 2008

By R. G. Ward, P. L. Sachdev

Using an improved maximum bubble pressure technique, the densities of iron silicates at 1400°C have been measured under nitrogen. At the wiistite composition the density has been measured by bubble-blowing experments with both argon and nitrogen and calculated from the measured volume of a known mass of melt under nitrogen. The densities under nitrogen are significantly different from those measured under argon for melts containing less than 28 wt pct SiO2. THE constitution of liquid slags is not well understood, largely because no single property or parameter can be measured which gives conclusive evi- dence of the types and packing of the ions present. Of the many property measurements which can provide information leading to a picture of the constitution of slags, density gives the most direct evidence and has been studied extensively. The work reported here is part of a program of study of densities in multicomponent melts in which the iron oxide-silica system is the solvent. These melts are important as they are fundamental to basic steelmaking, and they allow the study of basic silicate compositions which have hitherto been largely neglected. As considerable disparity exists

Jan 1, 1965

By M. Abdollahi, M. R. Khalesi, Y. Kianinia, A. Khodadadi Darban

High cyanide consumption during the processing of gold ores with high sulphide minerals can make the typical cyanidation uneconomic. Also cyanide is a toxic material and environmental concerns of cyanide compounds are serious. Optimization of cyanide consumption requires a methodology to estimate the amount of exposed cyanicides, the kinetic of their dissolution and estimation of formation of cyanide complexes which consume the free cyanide. In this paper, a methodology to estimate cyanide consumption by modeling the minerals and gold leaching kinetic based on a liberation model and speciation of all possible cyanide related species in the solution is presented. The results showed that this methodology could successfully estimate the cyanide consumption based on mineralogical data with very lower number of parameters compared to empirical models present in the literature, while it offers the prediction of formation of all cyanide complexes which could be used for optimization purposes.

Jan 1, 2017

By W. A. Cole, E. L. Derby, J. F. Wolff

Exploration of Lake Superior iron ores is done principally by drilling. The soft iron ores are churn drilled and the harder ores are diamond drilled. The churn drill used is the Mesabi type and its operation should be described as "water jetting." The drill rods are washed down by the combination action of the water jetting from the bit at the lower end of the rods and the churning motion given the line of rods. The water, which is forced down through the rods, comes up between the wash rods and the casing, bringing the choppings to the surface. It is caught in three or more barrels, each of which has a stoppered hole 8-10 in. from the bottom. These barrels are successively filled, allowed to settle, and drained to the hole, until the desired depth is drilled. The sediment from each barrel is transferred to a settling tub in which it is allowed to settle; the water is then drawn off and the wet sample is collected and dried. The number of barrels used depends on the character of the ore. For example, when drilling sandy ores, all the wash water is caught and settled for the proper length of time without refilling any of the barrels. Thus, the sediment held below the stoppered hole in any one barrel is not disturbed. The casing is kept as near the bottom of the hole as practicable to prevent the caving of the hole from jeopardizing the sample. While the casing is being driven down and the hole is being washed clean after casing, the return water is not run into the sample barrels. In exploratory work in the harder formations, where the diamond drill is used, the sample comprises both core and cuttings. The care given in handling and preserving the core depends on the importance that may be attached to certain characteristic strata in different formations. The following instructions for the care of core samples are issued by the Ogle-bay Norton Co. for diamond drill work done for them on the Gogebic Range of Michigan:

Jan 1, 1925

By R. J. C. Tait

INTRODUCTION Process Control at the Ecstall Concentrator begins in the open pit at the Kidd Creek Mine. While this paper, naturally, emphasizes the instrumental and technical features of the Process Control system within the concentrator itself, it would not be complete without some mention of the selective mining methods and grade control practices at the mine, and of certain features of plant design, which are simple, but highly effective, elements of the Process Control system. The success of the entire Process Control system, from pit to concentrate load-out, owes much to the high degree of cooperation and mutual understanding among all the operating departments at Ecstall Mining Limited and to the willingness of management to accept, from the start, an overall control philosophy based upon the inter-dependence of mining and metallurgical operations. INFLUENCES OF MINERALOGY AND METALLURGY ON MINE PLANNING AND PLANT DESIGN Mineralogically, the Kidd Creek ores are fine grained and mostly very complex. Because of complex mineral associations and extensive inter-locking, very fine grinding and regrinding of middling fractions are necessary and selective flotation requires a very delicate touch. Four separate concentrates are made for shipment to copper, lead and zinc smelters. The Process Control system is tailored to the metallurgical objectives of maximum recoveries of copper, lead, zinc and silver into concentrates of optimum quality, for maximum economic returns. For example, zinc and lead in copper con-

Jan 1, 1970

By Brian G. D. Smart

A scheme is presented whereby the complexities of design and operation of a hydraulically powered coalmine support are modelled using the finite element method. This enables predictions to be made of the interaction of the support with its environment in a variety of operating conditions. The model is a two dimensional representation. The modelling scheme was applied in two case studies. In the first, the performance of a four leg support was uprated by increasing the front leg force. The finite element model enabled changes in overall support performance to be verified. In the second case study, the change in lateral force developed by a two leg support was assessed with changes in support operating height and floor foundation stiffness. The modelling scheme is capable of further development with the possibility of extending the model into three dimensions and the addition of control elements that would enable an actual mining sequence to be represented.

Jan 1, 1992

By Rodolfo V. de la Cruz

The broad front concept is based on the principle that gasification can be achieved more efficiently and completely from a plane broad combustion front in contrast to other geometries obtainable with current methods of gasification. By restricting combustion to a plane broad front, the ideal condition for gasification is achieved. A plane broad combustion front can be developed in coal by initiating and propagating combustion from the walls of an oriented channel and collecting product gases from another similarly oriented channel. Flow will then be directed along the highest permeability of the coal bed, the available cross-sectional area for fluid flow is substantially increased and, more importantly, the increased flow will be uniformly distributed throughout the whole mass of coal. The success of the method is greatly dependent on how well an initial and rigorous permeability survey and associated corrective measures yield a well-characterized coal bed. To maintain uniform reaction rates, the advance of the combustion front is located with pressure- or mass flow-transducers. These sensors are then connected to servo-controlled mufflers for controlling segments of the fire front which are advancing ahead of others. Finally, the development of the concept to overcome problems of roof collapse, reactant and product gas leakages, and water invasion are briefly summarized.

Jan 1, 1976

Jan 1, 1967

Jan 1, 1969

Jan 1, 1955

By P. Mills

The four top barite-producing countries in the world are China, India, Morocco and the United States. China is currently the largest exporter of barite followed by India. More than 95 percent of the barite mined today is used by the petroleum industry as driller’s mud. The rest is used in the industrial market and the medical field. Most of the barite mined in the United States is in Nevada. This year, mining activity has increased due to an increase in oil exploration/development. This was caused by an increase in the crude oil prices.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. L. Virta

Sixteen companies mined fuller’s earth in 11 states during 2004. Production during 2004, based on a preliminary survey of fuller’s earth producers, was 3.96 Mt (4.3million st) valued at $340 million. This compared with3.6 Mt (3.9 million st) during 2003, valued at $346 million. The 3.96 Mt (4.3 million st) probably includes some crude clay tonnage. And production of finished product probably was closer to 3.2 Mt (3.5 million st) in 2004. Georgia was the leading producer state of attapulgite-type fuller’s earth, followed by Florida. Georgia also was the leading producer state for montmorillonite-type fuller’s earth. It was followed, in descending order, by Mississippi, Missouri, Florida, Virginia, Illinois, California, Tennessee, Kansas and Texas.

Jan 1, 2005

By B. Oraee

Tunnels as any other structures are affected by different loads and stresses. Generally, the loads on tunnels consist of both static and dynamic loads. These loads must both be considered in the tunnel design process. In this paper, the stability state of Jiroft water-transform tunnel is evaluated. Firstly, the in-situ stresses and then using Kirsch?s equations the induced stresses due to static loads in walls and crown of tunnel are calculated. Consequently, the strain caused by probable earthquake without considering the interaction between the concrete lining of tunnel and rock mass using seismic analysis is calculated based on free-field deformation. When the strain is determined, the simplified method of closed-form solution, Wang?s equations and Penzien?s equations are used to estimate the applied forces on the tunnel due to earthquake such as axial force and bending moment on a tunnel section taking into account the interaction of the tunnel concrete lining and rock mass. Results of this study show that the loads applied to the tunnel as a result of earthquake waves can be affect the stability of underground structures, especially long structures such as tunnels.

Jan 1, 2011

By F. N. Kissell, C. H. Elder, C. M. McCulloch

The applicability of the "direct method" for determining the methane content of virgin coalbeds was tested. Preliminary results indicate that the direct method, when applied to exploration cores, can be successfully used to estimate coalbed gas content and also approximately predict the total gas emission from a prospective mine located in the coalbed at the exploration site.

Jan 1, 1973

By B. Law, M. Menabde, B. Baird

Blasor is a new mine planning tool which is being used in the long and medium-term optimization of multi-open-pit operations throughout BHP Billiton’s Base Metals and bulk commodities portfolio. It is not just a scheduler, nor even only a schedule optimizer—although this function lies at the heart of the tool’s functionality—but a pit development plan optimizer, used from ultimate pit design and process plant capacity sizing right through to mining phase design and optimal panel scheduling. The tool uses a mixed-integer-linear-programming optimization engine to determine when material should be excavated and where it should be sent to optimize discounted operating cash flow over the life of operation. The core software design concept of Blasor is to provide a tool which is intuitive and flexible enough so that a competent mine planner can perform a pit development plan optimization without assistance from optimization specialists. To this end, a generalized graphical user interface has been implemented which allows full configuration of the optimization problem, including the definition of all inputs and constraints, specification of the material flow topology, bin and destination class definitions and full specification of the economic model encompassing prices and costs. This paper describes the capability of Blasor and outlines the design concepts underlying its design philosophy.

Jan 1, 2007

By T. Patten

Inter-Mountain Labs, IML, performed a study comparing mining waste rock sample analysis by Net Carbonate Value (NCV) and Modified Sobek acid-base accounting procedures. The study looked at 468 waste rock samples and compared the data for Neutralization Potential (NP), Acid Generation Potential (AGP), Net Neutralization Potential (NNP), and the ratio of NP/AGP. The study found that a majority of the samples were below 50 Tons CaCO3/kTons. This subset of ?low-level? samples was also examined separately for Acid Base Accounting parameters. The analysis compared the NCV procedures to the Modified Sobek procedures and concludes that the NCV procedures are as protective of the environment as Modified Sobek procedures.

Feb 27, 2013

By Kate Satish

M/s Konkan Railways Corporation are constructing 760 kms long rail road in the Western Coastal Region of India. The rail road encounters 75 tunnels through the Western Ghats of India with a total length of 78.35 kms, the longest tunnel being 6.5 kms long. The tunnels are of horse shoes shape having a cross section of about 37 Sq.meters

Jan 1, 1996

Jan 1, 1970