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By Herbert H. Kellogg

A model of the ISF is described. which reproduces with accuracy the "normal" operation of three industrial furnaces. The model, written in Fortran, is based on detailed heat and material balances, and the concept that the ascending gases reach equilibrium with zinc oxide and with the water-gas shift reaction. "Solution loss" of carbon in the lower shaft, and partial reoxidation of zinc vapor in the upper shaft are also essential features. For prediction of furnace behavior under altered operating conditions (blast rate, temperature, moisture content, oxygen enrichment, or injection of oil or coal through the tuyeres) the model modifies the heat loss, temperature of slag and bullion, amount of reoxidation in the upper shaft and the condenser efficiency to reflect the altered operating parameters. Model predictions for such operating conditions are in reasonable agreement with plant experience.

Jan 1, 1990

By Jim Clark

Tunnel boring machine (TBM) tunneling is an ever-increasing prospect for underground construction, and, with each new tunnel bored, there are unknown elements. When boring through the earth, even extensive geotechnical baseline reports can miss fault lines, water inflows, squeezing ground, rock bursting and other types of extreme conditions. This article draws on the consider-able field service experience within Robbins to analyze successful methods of dealing with the most challenging conditions encountered. Many tunnel projects are located in areas with relatively poor access along the tunnel alignment and bored under extremely high overburden. These two factors often result in limited geological information. It would be reason-able to state that the deeper the tunnel, the greater the lev-el of uncertainties. When faced with these uncertainties everyone involved with the project including the owner, the contractor and the machine supplier must be prepared to tackle geological surprises. This article describes the problematic geological conditions and associated difficulties faced on three separate projects and the measures that were taken to overcome these difficulties.

By Moto Goto

Today, Pierce-Smith converters, coupled together with various types of smelting units, are used in most of the world's smelters. However, due to the "batch" processing nature, and problems associated with fugitive emissions during the transfer of melt and blowing stages, this arrangement will unlikely be adopted in future smelters. Modern day alternative processes include the Mitsubishi Process, Outokumpu Flash Smelting and Flash Converting Process, the Noranda Process, and the Ausmelt Process, but only the Mitsubishi Process is a "truly continuous" smelting and converting operation, producing a constant flow of blister without tapping, and is economically proven by long term commercial operations. This paper reviews recent advances in modern continuous converting technologies, with a special section devoted to operation of the "first standalone Mitsubishi C-furnace" coupled together with a Noranda Reactor, at Port Kembla Copper Pty. Ltd. in Australia.

Jan 1, 2003

By Donald Cummings

MEASURES appropriate for the control of the silicosis hazard in mining cannot be formulated precisely, but sufficient knowledge1-19 has accumu-lated during the past quarter century to permit the suggestion of useful, though partly empirical, rules for its alleviation. The industrial hygienist today recognizes that the peril incurred by the inhalation of harmful dust is a function of two variable factors-the degree of harmful exposure and the specific susceptibility of the exposed individual to pulmonary injury. Con-trol of the danger arising out of prolonged contact with pernicious air-borne particulate matter is consequently best exercised by influencing both of these recognized variables. Obviously the problem has two broad aspects-one, medical; the other within the province of the engineer.

Jan 1, 1938

By A. Saki, P. Gebski, W. Ying

Industrial smelting furnaces are subjected to significant structural changes and deterioration caused by the conditions under which they operate. The current methods for the structural assessment of furnaces include visual inspections, analysis of thermal data, acousto ultrasonic-echo (AU-E) of the refractory lining and surveying of the key structural elements. Acoustic Emission (AE) non-destructive testing (NDT) technique has proven its capabilities for continuous monitoring of industrial installations and structures. Recently, Hatch Ltd. has been successful in applying acoustic emission for monitoring furnace tapblocks, and expanding the scope of the acoustic emission monitoring to the structural integrity of the entire furnace. The capability of detecting emissions related to the fracture development in the furnace shell, movement of the refractory, electrode arcing, combined with efficient source location algorithms makes an acoustic emission system a comprehensive tool for the real-time furnace integrity monitoring. In this paper the concept of such state of the art system for structural integrity assessment is presented. The initial results of the acoustic emission monitoring together with data analysis techniques are discussed.

Jan 1, 2011

By Geo. Adams Roalfe

THIS PAPER is one of a series being pre¬pared for and published by the United States Bureau of Mines describing, methods of mining and crushing and the costs of operation at commercial crushed-stone plants throughout the country. These papers are designed to disseminate technical information regarding the methods used. The cost tabulations represent operating expenditures only and not total costs. It is recognized that publication of total costs might in many instances cause embarrassment to individual operators, as well as to the industry as a whole. On the other hand, operating, costs are essential to the technical discussion and study of the methods employed. The attention of the reader is specifically called to this differentiation in order that no misunderstanding of the scope of the cost tabulations shall ensue. Acknowledgments The author wishes to acknowledge the [ ]

Jan 1, 1932

By Neel Gupta, Dustin M. Crandall, Brijes Mishra

X-ray computed tomography (CT) images of rock specimens often contain artifacts which must be corrected before scientific analyses are performed. This paper presents a new workflow of automated image processing to utilize poor-quality X-ray CT scan images. The workflow runs on the open-source image analysis software and efficiently separates desired features from low-contrast scanned images. The new workflow is a two-step technique using contrast enhancement and automated feature segmentation to generate noise-free binary images. The results of binary images using the proposed workflow and using a conventional thresholding technique are analyzed to show the quality of the proposed method. The paper also presents a workflow of estimating the structural geometries of features in two and three dimensions. The results of the structural feature analyses and computational time were compared between the open-source (ImageJ) and commercial image analysis software (Bruker Computed Tomography Analyzer). The commercial software was more computationally efficient, but the task-specific macros in open-source software enabled the user-desired automation in image processing and data extraction of desired structural features of comparable quality.

Sep 8, 2022

By G. A. Sutton

"At the San Manuel mine (Arizona, USA), in-situ copper leaching of a copper porphyry deposit was carried out from 1986 to 1999 during underground and open-pit mining. In 1993–1994, well¬field testing of the supergene zone, composed primarily of chrysocolla and copper-rich clay minerals, led to estimates that 52% of the acid-soluble copper (ASCu) could be recovered during in-situ leaching; however, the actual recovery from zone 6, which had the longest leach history, was approximately 42%. Comparing drillcore assay data from holes drilled before and after leaching also indicated an approximate recovery of 42%. The discrepancy between the predicted (52%) and actual (42%) recovery is probably related to several factors, including difficulty maintaining fluid saturation, channelling effects, and gypsum precipitation. ¦ KEYWORDS Copper oxides, in-situ leaching, Modelling, Porphyry, Solvent extraction and electrowinning (SXEW), Well-to-well RÉSUMÉ À la mine San Manuel (Arizona, États-Unis), on a procédé de 1986 à 1999 à la lixiviation in-situ de cuivre d’un gisement porphyre cuprifère pendant l’exploitation minière souterraine et à ciel ouvert. En 1993 et 1994, des essais effectués dans des champs de captage de la zone supergène, composée principalement de chrysocolle et de minéraux argileux cuprifères, ont abouti à des estimations selon lesquelles on peut récupérer 52 % de cuivre soluble dans l’acide (ASCu) pendant la lixiviation in-situ ; toutefois, la récupération réelle dans la zone 6, qui affiche l’histoire la plus ancienne en matière de lixiviation, était d’environ 42 %. La comparaison des données d’analyses de forage obtenues à partir de trous forés avant et après la lixiviation indiquait également une récupération approximative de 42 %. La différence entre la récupération prévue (52 %) et réelle (42 %) réside probablement dans plusieurs facteurs, notamment la difficulté à maintenir la saturation des fluides, les effets de canalisation et la précipitation du gypse. ¦ MOTS CLÉS d’un puits à l’autre, extraction par solvant et extraction électrolytique (SXEW), lixiviation in-situ, modélisation, oxydes de cuivre, porphyreINTRODUCTION in-situ copper leaching at the San Manuel mine, Arizona, USA (Figure 1), began in 1986. It was recognized that some of the copper oxide resource was not economically recoverable by conventional open-pit and heap leach methods using solvent extraction and electrowinning (SXEW) and a high stripping ratio would be required to access part of the resource. At the time, in-situ leaching was becoming popular in the uranium industry, but the approach was virtually unknown in the copper industry, especially at a large scale."

Jan 1, 2019

By G. T. Lineberry

Horsepower requirement is recognized as a most important equipment characteristic. Other critical equipment characteristics will be isolated and analyzed by traditional operations research techniques, using off-highway trucks as an archetype. A computer search technique has been developed, employing various production and cost analyses. With this model, the optimum combination of horsepower, capacity, and velocity can be found, minimizing handling cost per ton. An example of the program's use and interpretation of its results will conclude the paper.

Jan 1, 1984

"The Garfield plant of the American Smelting & Refining Company is situated about seventeen miles west of Salt Lake City, on the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad, and has freight service by the Denver & Rio Grande Western, Western Pacific and Bingham & Garfield Railways.The site lies between the picturesque Great Salt Lake, with its mountain islands, and the northern point of the Oquirrh Range, which forms the western boundary of the Salt Lake Valley.The location includes several hundred acres of land rising from the southern shore of the lake, selected on account of its adaptability to the economical handling of materials by gravity methods.The smelter is a custom smelter, treating copper ores and concentrates produced in Utah and adjoining states.The ores treated consist mainly of oxides from the Tintic and Park City Districts, sulphides from Bingham District, and concentrates from the mills of the Utah Copper Company, from mills in California, and copper precipitates from the Ohio Copper Company. The last product comes from low grade ores of Bingham Canyon.The following figures represent approximately the daily consumption of materials:Ores and Concentrates…2,700 tonsLime sand…100 ""Coal…350 ""Oil for Roasters…240 Bbls."

Jan 1, 1925

By C. Liu, G. Zhu, Y. Liao

"The effect of particle size on the flotation kinetics of a low-rank coal was compared using air bubbles and oily bubbles. Five kinetic models were applied to the data from the tests to derive the relationships between the flotation rate constant, the ultimate recovery, and the particle size fraction. The results show that oily bubble flotation (OBF) resulted in a lower ash content and higher combustible recovery than air bubble flotation (ABF), especially for the -125 ??m size fraction. It was found that the flotation of a low-rank coal in individual size fractions using air bubbles and oily bubbles can be best described by a first-order model with rectangular distribution of tendency to float and the classical first-order model respectively. OBF yielded higher ultimate combustible and ultimate ash recoveries. The flotation rate constants for OBF were higher in all the models except for the fully mixed reactor model. The ultimate recovery values and modified rate constants first increased and then decreased as the size fraction decreased. The trend of the flotation rate constants as a function of the size fraction was similar in all the models except for the fully mixed reactor model. IntroductionFroth flotation is a physical-chemical separation method that is widely used in coal beneficiation for the separation of fine coal particles from associated minerals in water slurries. Since the cumulative recovery of a component in the concentrate is proportional to flotation time, the flotation process can be considered as a time-rate recovery process (Emad, Mohammad, and Bahram, 2010). Therefore, the general mathematical flotation models that incorporate both a recovery and a rate function can describe flotation time recovery profiles.The kinetics of coal flotation, as a measure of coal recovery as a function of time, have been studied in detail by many researchers. Different kinetic models have been proposed and published in the literature. The order and the rate constant are strongly dependent on the flotation conditions, such as the particle size and size distribution, the bubble concentration, the reagent concentrations, and the operating parameters (Zhang et al., 2013). The particle size has been reported to affect the flotation kinetics to a great extent (Yoon, Luttrell, and Asmatulu, 2002; Ntengwe and Witika, 2011). Numerous researchers have studied the aspects of flotation kinetics while paying special attention to particle size (Meftuni and Ibrahim, 1997; Rubinstein and Samygin, 1998; Graeme, 2012). However, the effect of particle size on the flotation kinetics of a low-rank coal has been relatively little discussed."

Jan 1, 2017

By Scott W. Hazen

METHODS of determining the grade and tonnage in a mineral deposit have not kept pace with scientific developments in certain other fields. The most commonly used methods of computing ore reserves and grade based on diamond-core-drill sampling are the cross section, the polygon, and the triangle. Tonnage and grade may be determined by these methods with acceptable accuracy, providing a sufficient number of samples is obtained; however, there is no means of determining when an adequate number has been taken or conversely if the deposit has been sampled excessively. It is demonstrated that, by using the techniques of statistical analysis, a mining engineer will be able to determine when a sufficient number of samples has been taken to determine the grade of a mineral deposit within a specified degree of confidence. Using statistical analysis to compute the estimated average grade of the ore makes it possible to compute a fiducial interval, when a distribution of the sample means is normally distributed, so that there is 95-percent confidence in the statement that the true average grade of the deposit is covered by the interval. This report utilizes data obtained from the Maggie Canyon manganese deposit, Artillery Mountains region, Mohave County, Ariz. Four separate exploration projects were conducted at Maggie Canyon between 1936 and 1950. Present economic conditions have made it desirable to determine the amount of 5-percent manganese ore developed by these projects.

Jan 1, 1957

By J. A. Pigott, R J. Hall

The International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited operates five underground mines on the rim of the Sudbury Basin in the northern part of the Province of Ontario. Four of the mines, the Frood-Stobie, Creigh-ton, Murray and Garson, are located on the south range of the basin with-in a radius of IO miles of the centre of the city of Sudbury. The fifth mine, Levack, is on the north range about 30 miles northwest of the city. The ores are mined primarily for nickel and copper, and the principal minerals are pentlandite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite. In 1960 the total ore production was in excess of 16 mil-lion tons, 95 per cent of which was produced from the five underground mines and the balance from the Frood-Stobie Open Pit. Mining at this open pit is nearing completion and underground production has been expanded to replace the open pit tonnage.

Jan 1, 1961

By P F. Knights, P Boniwell

This paper investigates the causes of low effective utilisation of the production drill fleet at the Telfer Underground Gold Mine, as measured by the percussion hours per shift. The first part of this paper focuses on a site time and motion study conducted to accurately identify shift time allocation and optimal drilling parameters (manual versus automatic, and suitable flushing mediums for varying ground conditions) as well as quantifying the business potential for automated or remotely operated production drilling. The second part of the paper focuses on the rate of successful hole completion for automated production drilling during shift changes. Two main areas of drill optimisation were identified. Firstly, a site-specific drilling procedure was established so as to ensure that all operators were drilling using optimal parameters. Total production metres per rig increased by 10.7 per cent as a result of the implementation of this standard. It was observed that a 25 per cent faster overall drill cycle was achieved using air mist flushing, and that manual drilling achieves a 19 per cent faster overall drilling cycle in comparison to automated drilling. Secondly, routine provision to the maintenance department of automation reliability reports that outlined the principal causes of unsuccessful hole completion led to an increase in production metres of a further 4.1 per cent, measured between January 2007 and August 2007. First hole automation reliability increased from 39 per cent to over 77 per cent over the same time period. Second hole automation completion was increased to 74 per cent, leading to a higher proportion of production achieved through automated technologies.

Jan 1, 2008

By Robert D. Thomson

The plastics industry runs into the billions, both in the dollar value of its finished, products and in the pounds of plastic raw material produced. It is, too, one of the fastest growing industries with a 300 percent increase in production in the past ten years. Informed estimates set 5.9 billions pounds as the plastic volume for 1959. Statistically, this is equivalent to a per capita consumption of 25 pounds in the United States. Plastics are man-made materials in contrast to natural materials like wood and are a family of materials -- not a single material - each member having special advantages. A generally accepted definition; for plastics is; a large and varied group of materials which consist, wholly or in part, of combinations of carbon with oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and other organic and inorganic elements. This, while solid in the finished state, at some stage in its manufacture is soft enough to be formed into various shapes, most usually through the application either singly or together of heat and pressure. Many combinations and many different materials are thus possible. Therefore, for purposes of simplification, most plastics can be classified under one of 14 recognized basic family groups. These groups in turn generally can be further classified into one of two major subdivisions - thermosetting or thermoplastics. A few plastics are in between and they can be formulated to be either thermosetting or thermoplastic.

Jan 1, 1960

By Ho SE, Neil Phillips G, Houstoun SM

There are numerous individual gold deposits in the Archaean greenstone belts of Western Australia, but only 26 have productions and/or quoted reserves in excess of 10 tonnes Au. Most gold production has come from mineralization in shear zones, quartz veins or stockworks in volcanic or intrusive host rocks, particularly tholeiitic basalts or dolerites metamorphosed at sub-amphibolite facies (e.g. Kalgoorlie). Significant prod- uction has also come from BIF-hosted deposits (e.g. Hill 50), and large reserves are quoted for mafic hosts at high metamorphic grade (e.g. Big Bell). Most deposits have marked structural control, great depth extension, and are characterized by zoned alteration haloes of pyritization (with Au), K-metasomatism and carbonation. On the regional scale, most larger volcanic- or intrusive-hosted deposits occur in younger (ca 2.8 b.y.) rift-phase green- stones (Norseman-Wiluna Belt). These belts also have a high prospectivity (36 kg Au/km2 of greenstone belt). Younger (ca 3.0 b.y.) and older (ca 3.5 b.y.) platform-phase green stones of the Murchison and Sodthern Cross Provinces and the east Pilbara, respectively, are progressively less prospective (14 kg Au/km2 and 0.8 kg Au/km2, respectively) and also have progressively smaller deposits. The important regional- and local-scale characteristics of most gold deposits can be explained in terms of a metamorphic- replacement model. In this model, metamorphic H2O-CO2 fluids, focussed by faults and shear zones, infiltrated host rocks and deposit gold at 350 + 50¦C and 1-2 kb, largely in response to fluid-wallrock interaction. In many large deposits, gold precipitation was synchronous with sulphidation of Fe-rich host rocks, but the diversity and abundance of smaller deposits reflects the variety of reactions precipitating gold from ubiquitous, auriferous metamorphic fluids. Regional variations in abundance and size of deposits relate to factors such as tectonic setting, alteration styles and possibly source rocks.

Jan 1, 1986

By X. Cao

Friction stir processing (FSP) is used to produce wrought microstructures at the surface of sand-cast aerospace grade magnesium alloy ZE41A-T5. It is found that the microstructure is significantly refined in the stir zone and the flow arm. The stir zone is largely comprised of equiaxed magnesium grains of approximately 4.5 pm compared with about 50 µm in the base cast material. In the stir zone, however, abnormal growth of some grains is also observed. Vickers microindentation hardness tests indicated that the stir zone experiences some increases in hardness. Single surface passes with low distortion, lack of pores and cracks were successfully obtained indicating the great potential of the FSP technique for modifying, improving and repairing magnesium alloy castings. This will probably open new opportunities to apply magnesium alloys in aerospace industry.

Jan 1, 2007

By Gregory D. Savage, Bruce M. Everett

Introduction The growing role of Colombia as a major supplier of internationally traded steam coal has been widely discussed in the industry. Although Colombian coal has been produced and exported in small quantities for a number of years, the country's position as a major coal exporter began in earnest in 1985 with the first commercial exports from the Cerrejon North Block Project. The mine is located on the Guajira peninsula in northeast Colombia, about 145 km (90 miles) from the coast (Fig. 1). In addition to the mine itself, the project involves construction of a dedicated railroad and port. This forms a modern, efficient, and integrated system. The project is embodied in a 50-50 association contract between International Colombia Resources (Intercor), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Exxon, and Carbocol, the Colombian state coal company. Intercor and Carbocol share investment and operating expenses equally. Intercor has the additional responsibility of managing operations on behalf of the partners. Each partner is entitled to 50% of the coal produced, and each markets its share separately. The project is a multi-seam, truck and shovel operation, based on large reserves (2 to 3 Gt or 2.2 to 3.3 billion st) of high quality bituminous coal. Exports began in the first quarter of 1985, at modest levels through what is called Early Coal Facilities. The permanent coal handling system began operation in February 1986. Production will increase rapidly in each of the next few years, reaching the design capacity of 15 Mt/a (16.5 million stpy) in 1989. Based on available resources, however, the resource will support expansion, and continued growth in production into the 1990s is feasible. Importance of transportation The success of a new coal export venture, such as Cerrejon, depends heavily on efficient transportation. In the international coal industry, overland and ocean transport can in some cases account for 40% to 50% of the final value of the product. Many coals, such as western US subbituminous coals, cannot reach export markets at all because of their low heat content and great distance from export markets. By the same token, low-grade resources are often commercially attractive for local markets even in the face of competition with much higher quality coals from distant sources. Figure 2 shows the growth in steam coal imports into Europe, the largest trading market. Through

Jan 6, 1986

By C. L. Reichardt

Mining companies are increasingly looking to the developing world for the next generation of mining projects, often in countries that have little or no previous history of large-scale mining. One of the major challenges for such projects is hiring?and retaining?personnel that have technical skills and experience in mining-related disciplines. Staffing a mine with an expatriate workforce is neither cost-effective nor sustainable, and many countries now insist that mining companies ?transform? the profile of their workforce to more closely mirror the demographic profile of the host population. The need to nurture mining-related skills in emerging mining nations is not solely limited to the workforce: there are also pressing economic and sustainability imperatives to develop capacity within local service providers such as consultants and contractors, as well as to facilitate informed engagement between mining companies, government and civil society. However, few educational institutions in emerging mining nations currently have the ability to offer practical training in mining-related disciplines. Local employees who are sponsored by companies to develop their skills through international study maybe impeded by language and cultural barriers, and may also be taught using course content that is of limited relevance to the specific challenges of their future working environment. This paper addresses the challenge of skills development and retention in emerging mining nations and uses examples from sub-Saharan Africa and the Asia Pacific region to explore practical means of developing capacity in mining-related disciplines. It examines the need for companies to implement strategies to develop local technical capacity in countries where they envisage a long-term operational future and also highlights the need to foster partnerships between academia, developmental institutions, mining companies, governments and civil society to establish the critical mass of mining-related skills required to nurture the development of a sustainable mining industry.

Jan 1, 2009

By Lee R. Kump, Sarma V. Pisupati, Peter L. Rozelle, Alan R. Larson, Timothy S. White, Nicholas A. Crescenzo, Maureen D. Feineman

The Mercer Clay bed in central Pennsylvania has produced feedstocks for the refractory industry in the USA and has also been investigated as a source of alumina and lithium. Developments in global markets for these commodities, as well as rare earth elements, have led to their classification as critical minerals in the USA, in turn renewing production opportunities for the Mercer Clay resource. The work reported here includes a review of the clay types and minerals involved, as well as past mineral processing and extractive metallurgy test work, and reports new research results from renewed investigation of the deposit as a polymetallic resource. This renewed work has found lithium contents that exceed 1,000 ppm, lying directly below the overlying Mercer coal, where the alumina content ranged from 32 to 34 wt%. Total rare earth concentrations were somewhat lower than have been found elsewhere in the region, and the highest contents were also found to be stratigraphically close to the coal. Further work is required to establish the mineral hosts for lithium and rare earths and to define the extent of enriched alumina, lithium, and rare earth concentrations.

Jul 22, 2021