Search Documents

By O. C. Baptist

This report presents results of an investigation undertaken by the Bureau of Mines to determine the clay content of typical petroleum reservoir sands in Wyoming and the effect of clay content on the permeability behavior of the sands. These results should have significance in determining the feasibility of injecting water into the sands for secondary recovery and in estimating the probable damage incurred by these sands if invaded with filtrates from water-base drilling muds. The results of air-, brine-, and water-permeability determinations are given for reservoir sands in three Wyoming fields. The amounts of materials of "fine silt and clay size" (Wentworth scale) in the sands and the types of clay minerals present, as identified by X-ray diffraction methods, are also presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 1955

By D. Suarez

The work of engineers responsible for the design and performance of mine facilities is often challenged by economic and practical constraints in the field. Problems have developed in implementing design criteria dictated by persons or agencies not familiar with the dynamic nature of mine engineering. Regional and site-specific conditions frequently require changes to standard designs, or the use of a completely innovative approach, which is not provided for in the regulations. The implementation of engineering design, therefore, usually requires a hard-sell approach to management and regulatory agencies that allows for a happy-medium to all parties concerned. Flexibility on the part of the regulatory agencies is needed to solve operational and environmental problems with sound engineering. Typical hydrologic issues which will be discussed fall in the following general categories: ? Design criteria for sizing water control structures (i.e., culverts, diversion and sedimentation ponds, ditches, etc.) ? Implementation (construction and operation) difficulties ? Regulatory compliance ? Reclamation planning with hydrologic considerations ? Protection of groundwater resources

Jan 1, 1986

By B. Mishra

The application of various bydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processes in the extraction, purification and production of radioactive metals as well as the use of various materials, eg. metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers, etc. in the process, construction and handling equipment in the nuclear industry has generated a large stockpile of radioactively contaminated waste material and scrap metal which can not be directly discarded, recycled or considered for long-term storage due to its volume and potential hazards, without the separation of radionuclides. This paper reviews the emerging methods that have been 'investigated and suggested for dealing with some of these wastes' and scrap material. The separation technologies studied for the recovery of radioactive components from the pyrometallurgical and electrochemical processing wastes have been discussed in details with results from some of the recent theoretical and physical modeling work as well as the data obtained? from the actual waste treatment. Specific processes shall be described in terms of its advantages and limitations. These emerging separation technologies are being considered by the US Department of Energy as alternatives for dealing with the issues of environmental management [EMI' and decontamination and decommissioning [D&D].

Jan 1, 1996

By K. Robert Dorman

Spray-applied polyurethane foam was used to insulate the walls of heated rooms excavated in permafrost. The experiment was designed to determine whether polyurethane foam can be sprayed successfully on frozen ground under freezing conditions and to measure the effectiveness of the insulation in maintaining--at elevated temperatures for an extended period--a room excavated in frozen ground. Two manufacturers' foams were investigated in the laboratory. Subsequently, one of the foams was employed to insulate two small rooms, one in frozen gravel and one in frozen silt, in an experimental tunnel belonging to the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (USACRREL) near Fairbanks, Alaska. Following insulation, heat was introduced into the two rooms. Heat migration across the insulating barrier into the walls, in addition to wall closures, was monitored over an 8-month period. The results show that polyurethane foam can be successfully sprayed on frozen ground in below-freezing temperatures. Given this type of insulation, together with winter cold to supercool the surrounding ground, it should be possible to maintain a shaft or heated room in permafrost for several years.

Jan 1, 1970

By E. R. Palowitch

This report stems from a study by the Bureau of Mines of the possibility of reducing coal filter-cake moisture by applying radiant heat directly to the filter cake while under vacuum during the drying phase of the filter cycle. One disk of a 4-foot-diameter vacuum filter was equipped with gas-fired radiant-heat generators and the effect of radiant heating on the moisture content of a variety of filter cakes was studied. The results of this investigation show that this process can best be described as a filter aid capable of increasing the effectiveness of conventional filtration approximately 6 percentage points of moisture. The operating cost of removing water by this method is somewhat lower than the average operating cost of thermal drying and is considerably cheaper when the total cost is considered. Removal of water from coal that has been wet-cleaned is an important part of the overall coal preparation process. Water is a contaminant, and it is foolish to wash coal to reduce its ash content and add inert water in the process. In some instances the removal of water is actually more important than the removal of ash-forming minerals; its weight adds to the cost of transportation, and its evaporation during burning or carbonizing absorbs useful heat. Fine coal that contains more than about 10 percent moisture is notoriously difficult to handle. A problem thus exists for which there are sound practical and economic reasons to seek a solution.

Jan 1, 1961

By D. V. Venugopal, W. W. Gardiner

Spessartine-quartz rocks are manganiferous sedimentary rocks rich in spessartine and quartz which occur in north-central New Brunswick. They represent a recrystallised manganiferous siltstone/chert that is contained in or associated with red manganiferous siltstone (RMS) units. The spessartine-quartz rocks and RMS form part of an Ordovician volcanic and sedimentary succession within the Appalachian-Caledonian orogen which hosts numerous massive sulphides and polymetallic vein deposits. The New Brunswick spessartine-quartz rocks are spatially and temporally associated with stratiform base-metal, precious metal and hydrothermal tin-tungsten deposits. This suggests that spessartine-bearing lithologies and zones can be useful in predictive metallogeny and for the understanding of the stratigraphy and palaeographic setting of the early Palaeozoic rocks of the Appalachian-Caledonian orogen.

Jan 12, 1992

By Lance Rasband, Richard Hanke, John Starcevich

"The world’s largest tunnel boring machine (TBM), at the time of her launch in 2012, the TBM locally referred to as “Bertha,” is incapacitated due to mechanical failure. Bertha’s stoppage places her 25m below the surface between the aged Alaskan Way Viaduct and the failing Seattle Seawall. Accessing Bertha with a vertical shaft provides the best approach to access all facets needed for repairs and will allow the full removal of Bertha’s cutter head and related inner workings. Due to the limited area above the tunnel alignment and physical constraints created by existing infrastructure, the dimensions of the otherwise symmetrical shaft are heavily impacted, thereby requiring special attention to design and layout. Consequently, the shaft design required a combination of 3m, 2.5m, 2.2m, 1.5m and 1m diameter unreinforced drilled secant piles coupled with various ground improvement techniques and dewatering, to fully satisfy the shoring design requirements. This paper will describe the shaft installation procedures, equipment used and pitfalls encountered while undertaking access shaft construction of this magnitude. INTRODUCTION Mining on Seattle’s SR99 tunnel began in July of 2013. Initial mining progressed slowly through a 4.5 m thick fiber-reinforced concrete headwall before immediately entering the first of three planned safe havens. Once through the headwall and safe haven the machine would move through roughly 122 lineal meters of jet grout improved soil at a rate of slightly over 1.6 m per day. It was anticipated that once mining has passed through the improved area, “Bertha” – now the world’s 2nd largest tunnel boring machine (TBM), would be moving at a rate of almost 11 m per day. By the end of October 2013, Bertha had mined roughly 131 m, averaging 1.4 m per day, and had begun mining within native soils. By the start of December 2013, tunneling had reached the 244 m mark and Bertha was now averaging 3.6 m per day, achieving as much as 12.8 m of progress on given days. Unfortunately, on December 6th, 2013, Bertha began to stumble and all progress quickly came to a halt. Initial reports stated an obstruction had stopped Bertha in her tracks. The preliminary investigation involved installation of 10 deep dewatering wells to reduce the hydrostatic pressure within the ground around the TBM, to allow the contractor’s personnel to inspect the cutter head from within and also to investigate for the presence of obstructions at the face of the cutter head. During inspection, the contractor’s crews found fragments of steel pipe entangled in the cutter head. The steel was apparently from an abandoned 254 mm diameter monitoring well casing, previously installed by WSDOT to monitor ground water conditions for the design and planning of this tunnel project. After the steel was removed from the cutter head and cleared from Bertha’s path, she attempted to move forward but was only able to generate a slow crawl."

Jan 1, 2016

When studying minerals degrees at university, all the emphasis is towards sending the graduates into the bush to work at a remote mine; however, that is not the only option available to new graduates. There are positions in equipment supply companies, commercial laboratories, research organisations, engineering companies and contractors of many types. The aim of this paper is to show metallurgy graduates that there are non-mine site based career options available to them that offer outstanding career development. This is illustrated by outlining the research being undertaken by Magotteaux Australia and by telling the story of a graduate metallurgist working in MagotteauxÆs small research group. Magotteaux is an international supplier of grinding media and wear resistant components for the mining industry. The Australian research group is focused on determining the effects that the choice of grinding media has on subsequent processing, for example flotation and leaching, by using newly developed tools and techniques.

Jan 1, 2006

By M. Grozdanovic, D. Marjanovic, M. Ilic

We present a framework for solving the problem of functional compatibility between process control equipment in control centres at underground mines and operator capabilities. The equipment incorporates displays of current ventilation, gas, and fire hazard data, status of alarm and early warning systems, a voice communication subsystem, and facilities for recording and printing ofdata and reports. The layout of the existing control panel is compared with a recommended design. The basic principles of ergonomic design and arrangement of the controls and indicators, as well as ease of use, type of operations carried out with these controls, and operators’ viewing angles are discussed. The objective is to improve the usability of control panels, display boards, and graphic screens so as to enhance the functioning of control centres and optimize control of technological processes in coal mines.

Jun 10, 2024

By H. M. Thorne

Oil shale, a potential source of products presently obtained from petroleum, is found in many countries. The most extensive known deposits from the standpoint of potential shale oil in place are those in Brazil and the United States of America. Mining methods used for oil shale range from open-pit operations for shallow deposits to room-and-pillar and longwall techniques for deposits with thick overburdens. Oil shales from different sources vary greatly in the amounts and types of organic and inorganic constituents. By retorting, the organic material is converted to oil, gas, and coke. The largest percentages of oil are obtained from materials having the highest hydrogen content. Over 2,000 retorting systems have been patented, but only a few have been used industrially, and no single process seems best for all types of shales or economic conditions. Shale oils have different characteristics, depending on the source rock and method of retorting. They contain large quantities of olefinic hydrocarbons and more oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur derivatives of hydrocarbons than most petroleums. Consequently, petroleum refining methods usually must be modified for shale oil. This is particularly true in catalytic processing. Hydrogenation, even under mild conditions, improves shale-oil refinability. Several byproducts may be obtained from both the retorting and refining steps.

Jan 1, 1964

By William H. King

The Mining Division of the Bureau of Mines has been making development and power-requirement studios for the Interior Department Missouri Basin Field. Committee. The studies by the Bureau of Mines have as their purpose, the summarizing of potential future power requirements in the mineral industry within the Missouri Basin, special emphasis being placed on possible expansion of these requirements through construction of new mining enterprises by private capital. In preparing a proposal for the production of phosphoric acid from phosphate rock near Lander, Wyo., it was found that the basic information on the physical and chemical characteristics of the phosphate beds to determine costs of mining and treatment was lacking.

Jan 1, 1949

By B. Garcia-Egocheaga, J. Rutten, N. Goicoechea, U. Meurer, Mager K., W. Saage, Simonettim F.

Because of the increasing use of zinc as an active and passive anticorrosion agent for steel, leading to constantly growing return rates of galvanized steel components, especially through the automotive industry, major Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) flue dust amounts with higher zinc contents will accumulate in future. Landfilling of steel plant flue dusts is no longer allowable for ecological reasons. These dusts are classified as hazardous by law. Waelz technology is safe and reliable. The range .of treatable feed materials has been extended by process modifications and state-of-the-art offgas technology. Waelz oxide, the product, is delivered to metal smelters for zinc production and the byproduct, Waelz slag, can be used in road construction. Despite the fact that Waelz technology is among the best available techniques (BAT), it is continuously being optimized further with respect to energy input, product and offgas quality in order to comply with the ever more stringent environmental regulations. However, if these flue-dusts are treated, the loops between the steel and the zinc industry can be closed by reusing recovered zinc which in tum leads to savings in natural resources and a more reasonable use of landfills.

Jan 1, 2000

By R. L. Bruening, N. E. Izatt, S. R. Izatt

"Rare earth elements (REE) are essential and unique components of many high-technology products without which functioning of modern society would be greatly impaired. Commercial deposits of REE are limited to a few geographical locations. Largely untapped sources of REE are available in endof- life (EOL) magnets, rechargeable batteries, and electronics. Presently, < 1% of REE in EOL wastes is recycled. Conversion of EOL wastes to liquid streams allows use of IBC’s Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT) process to selectively recover, separate, and purify target REE and associated metals at g/L to mg/L or lower concentration levels. The MRT process together with its applications to separations of REE and associated metals in recycling as well as in mining are described. Economic and environmental advantages of MRT are presented. INTRODUCTIONRare earth elements (REE) include the lanthanide series (La-Lu), Y, and Sc. These elements are not rare, but concentrated minable deposits are scarce (Cordier 2012; Haxel, Hedrick, & Orris, 2002). Over 95 % of the world’s supply of REE is controlled by China (Hanson, 2011a) where they are mined, processed, and the pure elements incorporated into a growing number of consumer and military products. The consumer products are marketed worldwide. Since REE are vitally important in consumer and military products, this situation has caused other nations to scramble to develop the capability to produce their own supply (Cordier, 2012).In the U. S., Molycorp has reopened the Mountain Pass REE mine in California and production has begun (Goldenberg, 2010). Development of a reliable internal source of REE is of high national priority in the U.S. (Hanson, 2011b; Hess, 2012: “Obama Announces”, 2012). These elements have in recent decades been incorporated into new consumer and military products that are essential to our economy and defense. These products range from wind turbines, high performance magnets, hybrid car rechargeable batteries, energy efficient lighting electronics, flat screen televisions, and smart phones to advanced weapons systems (Haxel et al., 2002; Levkowitz & Beauchamp-Mustafaga, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2012

By R. V. Ramani, R. Stefanko

"The favorable mining conditions in the United States of America that resulted in the development of the highly productive room and pillar systems are largely disappearing. Increasing mechanization, poorer natural conditions, and greater concern for health, safety and environment gave impetus to the enactment of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. These regulations prescribe more stringent requirements in face ventilation and mine air distribution, necessitating significant changes in existing ventilation systems. Stringent mandatory standards were applied to respirable dust control for the first time, and simultaneous control of both gas and dust has affected the face as well as primary distribution, most notably on haulage entries.The size and complexity of the present-day mining operations, and the need to evaluate various system changes in a limited time, call for scientific methods in mine planning. In this paper, the authors trace the previous applications of computers to mine ventilation planning and discuss the results of their work in applying a ventilation simulator developed at Penn State. The paper includes an analysis of current trends and suggestions for future research and development."

Jan 1, 2014

By S. Thibeault, P. Filiatreault, B. Straight, D. Castendyk, L. Cameron

"Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones, capable of collecting and retrieving water samples from pit lakes, tailings ponds and other mine water basins will revolutionize environmental programs by lowering sampling costs and reducing safety related risks. Costs typically include a boat and associated equipment, boat transportation, road maintenance, water safety devices, water safety training, and additional staff. Typically, the total cost can exceed $20,000 USD per sampling event (excluding lab analyses). Hazards include potential for drowning, unstable pit walls, and unconsolidated sediment surrounding tailings ponds. Hatch has developed a novel device for aerial drones which currently enables the collection of water samples from depths up to 390 ft (119 m). This system only requires a pilot, a sample technician, and a safe operations point overlooking the water body. Hatch anticipates this will reduce monitoring cost by at least 50% while improving safety, reducing staffing requirements and accelerating data acquisition. This manuscript demonstrates profiling and sample collection from a 95 ft (29 m) deep reservoir and a 377 ft (115 m) deep pit lake, and highlights the potential of this emerging technology. INTRODUCTION Working on or near water at active, closed, or abandoned mine sites is inherently dangerous. Between 1996 and 1999, the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported 17 fatalities involving drowning at US metal, non-metal, and coal mines (MSHA, 2000). Open pit mines which fill with water following mine closure, called pit lakes, present numerous risks to environmental monitoring teams including drowning, hypothermia, falls to the ground from the top of high walls, and rock avalanches resulting from steep, unstable pit walls. Some pit lakes are simply not easily accessible for ongoing monitoring. However, the routine collection of water samples from the entire water column on at least an annual basis is required to monitor the evolution of water quality over time, to verify the accuracy of numerical predictions, and to manage lake water chemistry in order to produce “treatable” influent to water treatment plants, and ultimately, produce acceptable site discharge water quality. As a product of these risks and the need for water sample, mining companies spend considerable expense on pit lake safety as part of monitoring. This includes training personnel for “on water” duties and hazards, purchasing or hiring specialized equipment and personnel (such as boats, boat operators, personal floatation devices, and mustang suits), stabilizing pit walls and maintaining safe access roads to the lake surface, employing spotters with direct communication to emergency medical services to watch sampling activities (because cell phones and radio signals can be blocked by pit walls), and utilizing redundancy to prepare for unexpected incidents and accidents. For example, one Canadian mining company requires pit lake water samplers to hold Marine Emergency Duties (MED) training to ensure the entire boat crew is sufficient and competent for the safe operation of the vessel, and uses three boats for water sampling: two on the water at all times, and one on the shoreline, ready to deploy. The costs of these safety mechanisms greatly adds to the overall expense associated with pit lake sampling. Consequently, environmental programs may need to reduce the frequency of pit lake sampling in order to keep monitoring programs within an acceptable budget"

Jan 1, 2017

By Gunnar Eriksson

Computer simulation has become an everyday practice in thennodynamic and materials research. Advanced thennochemical algorithms take into account heat transfer effects and salient reaction kinetics when applied for process models. In particular, the combination of mass transfer or overall reaction rates with multi-component Gibbs energy minimisation provides an effective tool for simulation of industrial thennochemical processes and processing of materials. In this work the combination of rate factors with the Gibbs energy technique was studied by using the novel program ChemSheet, which operates through Microsoft&apos;s Excel® spreadsheets. Such processes as, for example, CVD of pure silicon production, titania pigment manufacturing, vapour pressure of Mercury in amalgams (in Hg-Iamp manufacturing) and melting behaviour of low-temperature alloys have been modelled. Provided that the thennochemical data is available simulations can be performed with any thennodynamic system. The calculation can be performed as an affinity study without a particular reactor model or with a specific reactor scheme.

Jan 1, 2001

By Peter Yen

This session consists of five papers. Three involved research on the properties of grout materials, specifically ultrafine cements and polyurethane grouts. Two papers present the development of soil grouting technology and monitoring methods. Of great interest are the papers on ultrafine grout penetrability testing focusing on the pressure filtration effects encountered in permeation grouting applications (Ericksson, Stille and Mittag, Savidis). The comparison testing of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polyurethane grouts submitted by Vrignaud, Ballivy, Perret and Fernagu assessed the long-term performance of these materials for repairing saturated cracks in concrete, subject to thermal expansion and contraction. Two very practical papers present the development of soil grouting, where permeation, fracture, replacement, jetting and other grouting techniques are utilized. The papers by Lees with Chuaqui and Warner present experience with ultrafine and other commonly used grout materials. Methods to measure and monitor the injection process and verify production progress are discussed.

Feb 10, 2003

By Ted H. Eyde

Improving the mineral industry&apos;s tarnished image describes in a nut- shell the reason why the Speakers Bureau of the Tucson Subsection of the AIME was formed. Let&apos;s go back in time about 3 years to the fall of 1971. Literally thousands of bills detrimental to the mineral industry were being introduced into Congress and State Legislatures. Unfortunately, many were being passed and signed into law. Clean air and water, zero pollution, preserve the environment, ecology, biodegradeable, wilderness were the words that the self- styled ecologists and environmentalists were preaching. The mineral industry either sat mute or in place of acting, reacted in a way certain to attract a maximum amount of bad publicity with a minimum amount of rhetoric. A mining company president, for example, commenting on the primary air standards in Arizona was reported by the press as having said, "we&apos;ll shut all the smelters down and put thousands of Arizonans out of work if we have to meet the Arizona standards." Or another defending a poorly planned highly visible open pit nonmetallics operation, "we&apos;ll take the whole mountain down if we want to, and nobody can stop us" and still another manager of Operations, "the bottom line is all that counts, to hell with all of this environmental nonsense."

Jan 1, 1975

By L. J. Barnes, R. O. Koch, J. H. Versteegh, C. J. N. Buisman, P. J. H. Scheeren

Several water treatment options have been studied and piloted. A process based on activity of sulphate reducing bacteria combines sulphate removal and heavy metal removal in one process step. The anaerobic bacteria reduce the sulphate to sulphide and consequently metal sulphides will precipitate. The final design for the commercial scale plant is described.

Jan 12, 1992

By S. Mudau, P. Mohasoa, M. J. Cole

Derelict and ownerless (D&O) mines in South Africa have been an ongoing concern for over a decade. While some progress has been made to rehabilitate D&O asbestos sites, significant work remains, exacerbated by the growth in illegal mining. There are concerns regarding the accuracy and transparency of the D&O database, lack of oversight, and constrained funding, and the government is increasingly looking to the private sector to fund rehabilitation. Given these challenges, a new, sustainable approach to D&O sites in South Africa is needed to bring clarity and transparency to the process, recognise responsibilities and promote partnerships, and explore economic opportunities at D&O sites to reduce the financial liability and respond to the growing demand for critical minerals. This article has three components: i) reviews of international D&O good practices; ii) it analyses South Africa’s current approach and the D&O sites; and iii) proposes a D&O framework that addresses data, risk ratings, responsibilities and rehabilitation, economic opportunities, and stakeholder engagement. The study finds that the majority of the 6,100 so-called abandoned D&O mines are quarries and mine site features, 16% are operational, at least 11% have owners, and only 752 (12%) require rehabilitation. The framework aims to bring clarity and fairness to decision-making and to assign risk and responsibility for rehabilitation and seeks to incorporate economic opportunities to reduce the financial burden of rehabilitation, create jobs for local communities, and respond to the growing demand for critical minerals for the clean energy transition.

Apr 25, 2025