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By D. W. Struhsacker

Mineral exploration has evolved into a sophisticated science which uses powerful scientific tools to make mineral discoveries. In addition to their usefulness in performing mineral exploration, these scientific tools can assist the exploration geologist in assessing environmental conditions at exploration sites. During exploration, environmental data acquisition should focus on data collection efforts which can be easily integrated into exploration activities, and should provide information needed for pre-feasibility and preliminary engineering design studies. Environmental studies performed during exploration should also include an environmental liabilities audit and a fatal flaw analysis to assess whether there are any unresolvable environmental or regulatory issues affecting the project. Performing extensive environmental baseline studies during exploration and project evaluation is neither necessary nor recommended. This paper describes opportunities to integrate environmental data collection with mineral exploration activities. This paper also examines how political and communication issues can affect the outcome of permitting efforts, and recommends a strategy to improve the industry's ability to respond to political challenges and to communicate with the public. This strategy integrates technical and political issues, and implements programs to convince the public of the mining industry's technological achievements and its commitment to resource stewardship and environmental protection.

Jan 1, 1994

By Zbigniew Lubosik, Andrzej Walentek, Stanislaw Prusek, Sylwester Rajwa, Aleksander Wrana

"Underground coal gasification (UCG) provides a solution to supply electricity from high ash coal or deep deposited seams. The coal is consumed in situ, and, accordingly, the ash is left underground. UCG could play a major role in the future of coal, which is expected to fuel 44% of the world’s energy in 2030, in a more environmentally friendly and commercially viable manner. Nevertheless, it is known that the UCG can impact the environment. One of the most important factors in safe UCG process should be the evaluation of rock mass quality and the monitoring of its behaviour. The changes of rock mass parameters and quality have an influence on numerous aspects, such as subsidence and the stability of underground workings in georeactor vicinity, however, they also increase the possibility of pollutant migration through fractures and pores. These issues are especially important in cases of gasification conducted in an operating mine or on areas of high ecological vulnerability. This paper details observations made in two underground trials of UCG performed in Poland recently. The first of which is the Experimental Mine Barbara (under the project entitled HUGE-2 Hydrogen oriented underground coal gasification for Europe – Environmental and Safety aspects, (Wiatowski et al., 2015). The other trial has been conducted at an operating mine, Wieczorek, which is in the framework of a research project on the development of coal gasification technology for highly efficient fuel and electricity production (Czaplicka-Kolarz et al., 2013). During these trials, investigations were carried out aimed at assessing geomechanical parameters of rock mass and support behaviour in surroundings of UCG geaoreactors. Investigation comprises assessment of geomechanical parameters of coal, floor and roof strata, roof displacements, and concrete support strength parameters variation, as well as standing steel support load. Hydraulic penetrometer, endoscopic camera, Schmidt hammer, pull-out method, telltale, and ground penetration radar (GPR) were used in the investigation. Research conducted at both EM Barbara and Wieczorek Collieries revealed that the UCG process did not adversely affected the competency of rock mass (expressed by number of fissures and strength parameters of rocks), the stability of roadways and the support performance in the areas located in the vicinity of the georeactors."

Jan 1, 2017

By D Chalmers

After the sustained use of the GAG (Górniczy Agregat Gaśniczy) engine at a Queensland coalmine, it has raised questions as to its effectiveness as a remote firefighting tool. All firefighting apparatus have advantages and limitations, however the deployment of any apparatus must be based on its likelihood to succeed and effectively extinguish the fire or bring it under control. A recent study conducted for ACARP by researchers at UNSW has highlighted that there is more to be learned about the GAG. As coalmines are mining at greater depths and fan pressures are much greater than they were when the GAG was introduced, deploying the GAG may be a total waste ofresources and may place operators at greater risk. When the GAG unit is positioned on the surface of the mine, the pressure it generates has to overcome buoyancy of the exhaust gases and the frictional resistance of the borehole and part of the mine circuit. Buoyancy in deeper holes can lead to the GAG pressure relief system opening, venting out the products to the atmosphere without delivering any product to the mine workings. Additionally, frictional resistance is a function of distance. Deeper holes will have a greater frictional resistance than shallow holes. Delivering sufficient products from the unit will be limited by the available pressure that has to overcome the buoyancy, and increased mine resistance thatconsumes any residual pressure. By documenting the limitations of this unit it will enable better decisions to combat a fire or spontaneous combustion event.

Oct 12, 2022

By John J. Dwyer

As one begins to contemplate the organization of a talk with the title "Iron Ore - The Permanent State of Evolution," the main divisions appear to be the past, the present, and the future. But distaste for repetition of the present production achievements, which scarcely need additional description on this occasion, soon leads one to the conclusion that a more appropriate division of the subject is simply the past and the future . . . with emphasis on the future. We are working in the present, but it can only be understood by what has taken place in the years and decades gone by, and/or under what terms we will have to face the future. Evolution is more often thought of as a steady change - but steady change is really the product of revolutions, sometimes making headlines but often unnoticed at the time. With hindsight, we recognize the great importance of the emergence of the Bessemer converter and the open hearth and the vast influence that both have had on steel making and the changing ore demand. In this country we also see schooners opening the era for lake transportation of iron ore from Michigan to Take Erie. Later, steamships haul the ore from the Mesabi Range to the steel centers of the country. In order to take full advantage of the inland seaway, there had to be revolutions in ship design, loading and unloading facilities and channel and lock development. Full scale utilization of the resources of the Mesabi Range, itself, required parallel upheavals such as the development of new production equipment, and substitution of modern forms of energy for horsepower, and, yes, manpower, as well.

Jan 1, 1968

By E. A. Zawadzki

The problem of pollution of water by mine drainage is at least as old as the mining industry itself. However, research on the formation, composition, treatment, and abatement of mine water is a relatively recent historical event. At Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., acid mine drainage control has been an important area of work since 1944, at which time BCR began sponsorship of research at West Virginia University. The work at West Virginia University involved a detailed study of the acid mine drainage problem and led to the identification of iron oxidizing bacteria as important factors in the formation of acid mine water. The results of this research were summarized in 1954 by Temple and Koehler (1) who concluded that "no practical solution for the problem" of controlling acid mine drainage is yet known.?

Jan 1, 1967

By A. C. Smith, J. H. Rowland III

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act) established a Technical study panel (the Panel) to provide recommendations on the utilization of belt air and new technology that may be available for increasing the fire resistance properties of conveyor belt used in underground coal mines. The Panel Report recommended use of the belt evaluation laboratory test (BELT) as the method for testing and approval of flame resistant conveyor belts used in underground coal mines. The research conducted to establish the correlation of the BELT with large-scale belt fire flammability tests was done using 91 - 107 cm (36- to 42-in.) wide conveyor belt. Due to today’s coal haulage capacity, the mining industry is using 183 cm (72 in.) and wider conveyor belts. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a study to determine if the BELT will also qualify wider belts as fire resistant for use in underground coal mines. This paper describes the results of recent experiments comparing results from using the BELT and the large-scale tests for six different belts.

Jan 1, 2011

By Melvin P. Silverman

The literature on methane-oxidizing bacteria is reviewed in regard to (1) the growth and isolation of cultures by special techniques; (2) the distribution of these organisms in nature and descriptions of individual species; (3) the physiology of methane-oxidizing bacteria as influenced by temperature, light, pH, aerobiosis versus anaerobiosis, and carbon and nitrogen sources; and (4) the biochemistry of methane oxidation revealed by studies with intact cells and subcellular systems. Present practical applications of methane-oxidizing bacteria are limited to prospecting for natural gas and petroleum deposits. Desirable areas for future research are discussed as well as some possible applications such as (1) the removal and/or early detection of methane gas in coal mines by intact cells or enzyme preparations; (2) the generation of electrical energy by microbial fuel cells using methane as fuel; (3) the growth of methane-oxidizing bacteria on methane for their food value; (4) the purification of hydrocarbon gas mixtures using methane-oxidizing or other alkane-oxidizing bacteria; and (5) the synthesis of methane from mixtures of H2 and CO or H2 and CO2 by me thane-forming bacteria.

Jan 1, 1964

By Frank L. Hess

In 1876 cassiterite was identified in the placer gold from the northern Black Hills, and such a mixture could have come only from Nigger Hill or one of the streams draining the hill, because in no other part of the northern hills have cassiterite and gold been found together. Nigger Hill is in western Lawrence County, South Dakota, and on it is the little camp of Tinton. The Wyoming line runs along the west side of the hill and crosses the ridge which is the hill's continuation about miles north-northwest of Tinton.

Jan 1, 1938

By W. C. Sanborn

The Bureau of Mines program of investigation and development of domestic mineral deposits had as its wartime objective the most effective immediate utilization of these resources in the interest of National security. Since the war, the results of individual projects are being prepared for publication as rapidly as practicable. Numerous chromite deposits were examined, among them those of the French Hill Mine in northern California. Situated 16 miles east of Crescent City, 76 miles from the nearest railroad shipping point at Grants Pass, Oreg., this deposit had a recorded yield of about l4,000 tons of metallurgical-grade chromite to the end of 1943. By the end of 1946, total production was more than 25,000 tons, averaging 43 percent Cr2O3, with a chrome:iron ratio of about 2.5:1.

Jan 1, 1948

By G. D. Markland

The Moose Mountain mine is located in a belt of Precambrian volcanic rocks situated 20 miles north of Sudbury, Ontario. It was the first iron mining operation in the Archean iron-formations of the Canadian Shield. The ore is believed to have been formed in an environment of active volcanism, being part of a pyroclastic and volcanic series where only the iron-formation and chert qualify as chemical sediments. The volcanic environment, subsequent regional tectonics and metamorphism produced orebodies which differ from the main sedimentary iron ranges of the world in such features as continuity, grade, structure and metallurgical characteristics. The orebodies occur as relatively small lenses which have been complexly folded, faulted and intruded by acidic and basic dykes.

Feb 1, 1966

Control of construction projects is the responsibility of the Project Leaders who have the authority to make decisions. Project Controls cost and scheduling systems provide the Leaders with timely information on which to base their decisions.The Client (Owner) will invest up to three per cent of the project cost on Project Controls. To ensure that this investment is effective, the Owner or Manager must have a clear understanding of the information required from the Project controls systems. If appointing a single Managing Contractor, the Owner or Manager must stipulate what is and what is not required from the Project Controls Systems. There are numerous computer programs available for scheduling and cost control and it is important to select systems which best serve the Owner's needs.

Jan 1, 1993

By Karoly (Charles) Kocsis, Jeff Johnson, Felipe Calizaya, Tulio Dias, Natanna Nunes

Two pressure balancing chambers were constructed at a Colorado coal mine to reduce the risk of spontaneous combustion. Each chamber was established by installing a Kennedy stopping at about 10 ft (3 m) in front of an isolation seal, and equipped with two safety doors, a nitrogen injection system, and a set of environmental monitors. Several pressure balancing tests for different ventilation conditions were conducted in these chambers. During each test, pressurized nitrogen was injected into the chamber and the pressure differentials across the stoppings and seals monitored. This study presents a summary of the results achieved, lessons learned, and the basic requirements to operate a pressure chamber effectively.

Feb 1, 2024

By A. C. Hnatyshyn

INTRODUCTION THOSE concerned with coal mining operations in Alberta have been asked repeatedly the same question, "Why is mechanization in Alberta proceeding so slowly as to lag far behind the mines in the United States?" This question is often asked in such a manner as to indicate that a severe reprimand is overdue to the mining engineers of this Province for their apparent indifference to the problem of improving their mining operations by increased mechanization. To the average person, unacquainted with mining conditions and problems, mechanization appears to be simply a matter of introducing equipment to load coal underground and, once this is done, substantial economies in operating costs will automatically follow. Invariably, those who have followed this simple reasoning have found, to their regret, that such is not the case and that effective mechanization involves something more than the mere process of introducing loading equipment into a mine. To be effective, any programme of mechanization must take into consideration all operations incidental to the mining, transportation, and handling of the coal from the working face to the tipple, and must utilize equipment which can be best adapted to any peculiar condition or circumstance prevailing in the mine concerned. In the use of such equipment, the net and final result should be an improvement in operating costs of sufficient magnitude to at least return to the operator, over a specific period of years or during the expected life of that equipment, all his investment plus a fair return on that investment.

Jan 1, 1951

By Anoop Sattineni

Over the past decade the use of BIM in the AEC industry has grown several fold and with it the number of standards available for implementing BIM. The ?National BIM Standard? by buildSmart Alliance, the ?Contractor Guide to BIM? by the Associated General Contractors of America, the ?BIM Project Execution Planning Guide and Templates? from Penn State University, the ?BIM Roadmap? by the US Army Corps of Engineers are some of the several BIM guidelines that are currently available to the AEC industry practitioners. Some of these guidelines are as comprehensive as defining BIM and the associated taxonomy while others are meant to be used on an individual project basis. From a contractor?s perspective one of the key benefits of using BIM is for the purpose of collision detection and coordination. This research has found that currently available guidelines do not address these issues adequately. For instance, the currently available guidelines do not allow the subcontractor to quickly communicate issues such as naming conventions and color schemes within the model, to the general contractor. Consequently general contractors and sub-contractors find themselves making changes to their BIM deliverables based on each other?s abilities and levels of adoption, apart from reason?s stemming from use of different software platforms. This paper describes how a group of contractors and subcontractors from Atlanta and Birmingham in the United States came together to create and adopt a ?Coordination Guidelines for Virtual Design and Construction?. These guidelines were specifically created with the purpose of streamlining the construction coordination process using BIM. This paper describes how the guidelines created differ from other guidelines currently available in the industry.

Aug 1, 2013

By Ashley Tews

In 2005, we automated a forklift-based Hot Metal Carrier to be capable of typical metal transfer operations around a smelter. The project was highly successful and the vehicle has demonstrated hundreds of hours of live autonomous operations to thousands of people from industry and the public. As a result of the exposure and success of the project, we have expanded its focus to demonstrate how various technology components can be utilised to gain benefits in other areas of industrial operations. These include asset tracking, vehicle usage analysis, pedestrian detection and infrastructure profiling. Each of these components was derived from the core autonomous vehicle technology suite and has shown a high potential for improving safety and efficiency of vehicle-related operations, and improved diagnostic processes for measuring deformations of bakes and furnaces. The autonomous vehicle project and its extended technologies are described in this paper.

Aug 1, 2013

By G. S. Hume

FOR MANY YEARS Canada lived in the hope of attaining a substantial production of petroleum and natural gas that, to geologists familiar with the sedimentary basins of this country, seemed an entirely reasonable expectation. There have been surges of exploration activity stimulated by oil and gas discoveries and development such as occurred in Turner Valley. However, it was not until the Leduc field in Alberta was found in 1947, and the significance of that discovery was realized, that the search became really intensive and continuons. Expansion now has become a matter-of-fact attitude based on results which would have been considered impossible of achievement a few years ago.

Jan 1, 1957

By K. D. Jacob, W. L. Hill

Fluorine recovery in the United States has been restricted chiefly to manufacture of ordinary superphosphate and wet-process phosphoric acid. However, there is an expanding use of fluorine by industry in the form of hydrofluoric acid. Improved methods for recovering fluorine from phosphate rock would yield an adequate supply of fluosilicates and a substantial contribution to the hydrofluoric acid requirement. THE bulk of natural phosphates is comprised of calcium phosphates, which are usually apatites;' calcium aluminum phosphates such as pseudowavel-1ite; and aluminum phosphates, which occur in extensive deposits, notably on Grand Connetable Island." Nearly all deposits of current commercial value are apatite, often with admixed material of other classes. In the trade coarsely crystalline material, mainly fluorapatite of igneous origin, moves as apatite, whereas the fine-grained material of sedimentary origin is marketed as phosphate rock. The latter classification includes the phosphate shales in western North America. Although several genetic varieties of phosphate rock are recognized, most known reserves are of marine origin. Calcium phosphate is concentrated from Florida land pebble and Florida hard rock deposits and from Tennessee brown rock deposits. Phosphate Rock as a Fluorine Carrier: More than two decades ago Reynolds and Jacob surveyed the fluorine content of commercial phosphate rock from various parts of the world. Later these samples were re-analyzed by a new and more reliable method of determining flourine. The revised results with interim additions of new samples, published a few years ago in a brief summary," are shown in Figs. 1-3. Through the points representing the respective varieties of rock medial straight lines are drawn. In some instances the lines are well defined by the points; in others, where scattering renders the position of the best line uncertain, the greater weight is given points near the end of the covered range. Wherever distinct varieties are not recognized among regional deposits the custom is to identify the sample with the geographical location of the deposit. Although all rock varieties cannot be classified with certainty, the plotted results exhibit three distinct types of rock in which the F to P2O5 ratio diminishes, remains sensibly constant, and increases, respectively, as the grade of rock increases. Existence of two types of Florida land pebble, Fig. 1, is supported by additional results recently supplied by a producer." Generally speaking, phosphate rock from continental deposits carries considerably more fluorine, and apatite and insular phosphates less, in proportion to the phosphorus content than is required by the formula for fluorapatite. Exceptions to this are apatite from Canada and certain samples of Florida waste-pond phosphate. The manner in which excess fluorine is held and the nature of the carbonate in carbonate apatite are discussed in recent articles. High-grade calcium phosphates with F to P2O5 ratios less than 0.05 have been found in Curacao, Christmas Island," Mexic,13 and elsewhere. The calcium aluminum phosphates and aluminum phosphates aften carry notable amounts of fluorine. The F to P2O, ratio for one sample of pseudowavel-lite concentrate was 0.05." Aluminum phosphate from Grand Connetable Island is very low in fluorine, whereas some aluminum phosphate minerals" carry as much fluorine as highly fluorinated phosphate rock. Fluorine in Domestic Phosphate: The curves shown in the figures permit interpolation of the F to P2O5 ratio corresponding to the midpoint of selected ranges in grade of any one of the several varieties of phosphate. Multiplication of the interpolated ratio by the mid-range grade (P2O5) yields a figure for the percentage of fluorine in this grade. Then, with the use of the mid-range grade, the amount of fluorine held in phosphate reserves can be estimated, see Table I. Accordingly, on Jan. 1, 1950, the fluorine complement of known domestic reserves exceeded 420,000,000 long tons of the element. A previous figure," deduced in 1940 by a simpler procedure

Jan 1, 1955

By J. Murdoch Mackenzie

Two commercial nickel solvent extraction plants treating laterite leach solutions and using LIX®84-I have been operated in Australia. These circuits employ similar extraction chemistry but differ in their leaching and stripping operations. An alternative process involving elements of both can be conceived. The preparation of the feed solution to solvent extraction plays an important role in nickel extraction using LIX®84-I and the special features of manganese removal and cobalt oxidation in the preparation of the PLS are discussed. This paper compares these three circuit configurations with special reference to the extraction and reductive stripping of cobalt, the transfer of zinc and copper to the strip aqueous, ammonia transfer and sulfur transfer. The potential degradation of the organic and remediation using re-oximation is discussed. Keywords: Nickel, Solvent Extraction, Oxime

Jan 1, 2004

By U Singh

This paper presents the evolution of the studies and strategic plans to extend the life of operations at the Savage River iron ore project in north-western Tasmania. The current Life-of-Mine (LOM) plan for the Savage River operations is based on a series of open pits. Drilling has confirmed high-grade extensions of the magnetite resource at depths that exceed practical limits for open pit mining. Grange Resources Limited, the owner of the operation, is investigating underground options – not only to extend the LOM plan but also to maintain peak production at a reduced operating cost while reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the future. What makes this project unique is that it requires introducing a productive and cost-effective mining method to exploit a challenging geotechnical and geometrical orebody in an area of high rainfall. To support the study efforts, the development of an exploration decline, underground drilling programs, and an exploratory drive excavated into the orebody for geotechnical investigation was key to providing the necessary data for a pre-feasibility study (PFS). This paper describes the pragmatic approach and processes to developing the underground mining options study through data collection and then integrating these options into the open pit plans to optimise an overall strategic plan for the Savage River operations. The learnings for operators from this experience are how the technical and pragmatic approaches were aligned to develop the strategic plans, and the importance of timely investment in gathering the necessary data.

Mar 29, 2023

By Earl Gardiner, Michael Grenier, Stephen Hardcastle, John Vergunst

A prototype, self-contained mine refuge station air supply sys- tem was tested in an underground metal mine to verify it's ability to keep oxygen and catbon dioxide levels at acceptable concentrations in an emergency situation. In this test, 25 volunteers were assembled and sealed in a functional underground refuge station for a period of 24 hours, without the benefit of the standard com- pressed air supply. The prototype system was designed to: 1) operate on a self-contained power supply for a period of at least 27 hours; 2) supply oxygen at a metered rate; and 3) remove car- bon dioxide by re-circulating refuge station air through soda lime scrubbing beds. During the test period, the catbon dioxide concentration remained at an average of 2500ppm and oxygen concentration stayed between 20.2% and 20.6%. The volunteers found the prototype easy to use and seemed confident in its ability to provide a safe atmosphere. The test showed that this technology could become part of an underground mine's refuge station emergency equipment.

Jan 1, 1997