Search Documents

By Daniel Carvalho, Marcos Viana, Leonardo Demuner, Herbert Castro

Intensive process and technology improvements related to the BOF converter — the key process to increase steel plant productivity and stability — have been performed at Ternium Brazil. This paper details the road map for process developments and investments in equipment technology, as well as the results achieved. The main topics of this development are the process control and optimization systems, slag forming model, oxygen blowing pattern, end-of-blow point control and slag carryover control. The outcomes of this development are improvements in the reblow rate, end-of-blow oxidation, direct tapping, slag carryover, slopping ratio, metallic yield and lining life.

Oct 1, 2019

By M. Yekich, W. R. Reed, G. Ross, A. Salem

"Canopy air curtain (CAC) technology has been developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for use on continuous miners and subsequently roof bolting machines in underground coal mines to protect operators of these machines from overexposure to respirator coal mine dust. The next logical progression is to develop a CAC for shuttle cars to protect operators from the same overexposures. NIOSH awarded a contract to Marshall University and J.H. Fletcher to develop the shuttle car CAC. NIOSH conducted laboratory testing to determine the dust control efficiency of the shuttle car CAC. Testing was conducted on two different cab configurations: a center drive similar to that on a Joy 10SC32AA cab model and an end drive similar to that on a Joy 10SC32AB cab model. Three different ventilation velocities were tested—0.61, 2.0, 4.3 m/s (120, 400, and 850 fpm). The lowest, 0.61 m/s (120 fpm), represented the ventilation velocity encountered during loading by the continuous miner, while the 4.3 m/s (850 fpm) velocity represented ventilation velocity airflow over the shuttle car while tramming against ventilation airflow. Test results showed an average of the dust control efficiencies ranging from 74–83% for 0.61 m/s (120 fpm), 39–43% for 2.0 m/s (400 fpm), and 6–16% for 4.3 m/s (850 fpm). Minor modifications to the shuttle car CAC design and placement improved the dust control efficiency to 51–55% for 4.3 m/s (850 fpm) with minimal impact on dust control efficiencies for lower ventilation velocities. These laboratory tests demonstrate that the newly developed shuttle car CAC has the potential to successfully protect shuttle car operators from coal mine respirable dust overexposures. INTRODUCTION The development of the canopy air curtain (CAC) dates back to the 1970s starting with the initial development of the CAC by the Donaldson Company, Inc. under contract from the U.S. Bureau of Mines [Krisko 1975]. This CAC was originally developed for continuous miner operators when continuous mining machines had cabs. The need for a CAC on the continuous miner was eliminated when the cab was removed from the machine design. However, CAC development progressed to include CAC designs for a roof bolting machine to protect roof bolters from respirable coal mine dust [Goodman and Organiscak 2002, Listak and Beck 2012, Reed et al. 2017]. This roof bolting machine CAC research continues to the present day."

Jan 1, 2018

By JOHN JERMAIN

In my opinion, the explanation of the fuel-requirements involving the conception of heat available and necessary above a critical temperature, as advanced by Johnson 1 and elaborated by Howe, Raymond and others,2 affords a theoretically correct basis for such an accounting. It is the purpose of this paper to set forth a first crude attempt to construct a formula which shall show quantitatively the relation between the various factors affecting fuel-economy, and afford a means of comparing the enormous amount of data on the fuel-consumption of various blast-furnaces, at various times and under various conditions of operation. I have also applied this formula to a large number. of individual cases, and have, by its means, compared the furnace-practice of several important iron-making districts. II. DERIVATION OF FORMULA FOR FUEL-REQUIREMENTS. The general expression for the fuel-requirements of the blast-furnace, which I believe to be theoretically correct as to form, is as follows Carbon per ton of iron = Heat per ton of iron necessary in hearth above Tc./Heat per pound of carbon available in hearth above Tc. XFactor of rate of driving. +Carbon dissolved by CO2 of flux. +Carbon dissolved incidental to reduction of ore. + Carbon dissolved in pig-iron. (NOTE.-Tc = critical temperature.) Since, according to Johnson's theory, fuel-economy is usually limited by heat available and necessary in the hearth, rather than by the total heat supplied and necessary, we may write Carbon needed in hearth = Hn/Ha in which Hn is the heat per ton of iron necessary in the hearth above some critical temperature, and Ha is the heat per pound of carbon available in the hearth above this same critical tem¬perature. 1 Trans., xxxvi., 454 (1906). 2 Trans, xxxvi., 792 to 798 (1906) ; Trans, xxxvii., 216 to 237 (1907).

May 1, 1911

By E. F. Reed

CONSIDERABLE deep hole prospect drilling has been done in the last few years in the Globe-Miami mining district about 70 miles east of Phoenix, Arizona, and in the San Manuel-Tiger area about 50 miles south of the Globe-Miami region. More than 205,000 ft of churn drilling have been completed by the San Manuel Copper Corp. at their property in the Old Hat Mining District in southern Pinal County. The deepest hole on this property is 2850 ft; there are 49 holes deeper than 2000 ft. At the adjoining Houghton property of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., where only one hole reached 2000-ft depth, there were 27,472 ft of churn drilling and 3436 ft of diamond drilling. Three churn drill holes were deepened by diamond drilling methods. Near Miami in the Globe-Miami district the Amico Mining Corp. drilled four holes by combined churn and rotary drilling methods, the total amounting to 13,879 ft, of which 2256 ft were drilled with a portable rotary rig. In the same district, besides doing a large amount of shallow prospect drilling, the Miami Copper Co. drilled two holes of 2560 and 3787 ft, respectively, which were completed by churn drilling methods. The rocks encountered in drilling at San Manuel and Tiger are described by Steele and Rubly in their paper on the San Manuel Prospect' and by Chapman in a report on the San Manuel Copper Deposit? The rocks are well-consolidated Gila conglomerate, quartz , monzonite, and monzonite porphyry. In some places these formations stand very well while being drilled, and three holes were drilled without casing, the deepest of which was 2200 ft. In other holes faulted and fractured ground made drilling difficult. In the Globe-Miami district the deep drilling was done in the down-faulted block of Gila conglomerate east of the Miami fault and in the underlying Pinal schist. The geology of this area is described by Ransome.3 In the Amico holes the conglomerate varied from material consisting entirely of granite boulders and fragments to a rock made up of schist fragments in a sandy matrix; in the Miami Copper Co. holes there were more granite boulders and the material was poorly consolidated. Drilling was much more difficult and expensive in the Miami area than in the San Manuel district, mainly because of the depth of the holes and the formations drilled. All the deep hole prospecting described in this paper was done with portable rigs. The churn drill rigs were of several types, of which the Bucyrus-Erie were the most popular. Bucyrus-Erie 28L, 29W, and 36L rigs were used on some of the deeper holes on the San Manuel property. A few Fort Worth spudder types were tried, and the deepest hole at San Manuel was drilled with a Fort Worth Jumbo H. The spudder type is considerably larger than most other rigs used on this work and required a larger location site. The spudders were belt-driven machines with separate power units, and time required for setting up and moving was much longer than with the more portable drills. All the churn drilling was done by contractors or with machinery leased from them. A few of the contractors had complete equipment, including most of the necessary fishing tools. Unusual and special, fishing tools were obtainable from the supply companies in the oil fields of New Mexico or in the Los Angeles area. Most of the contractors used equipment with standard API tool joints, so that much of it was interchangeable. Failure of tool joints is one of the principal causes of fishing jobs. It can be minimized if the joints are kept to the API specifications and the proper sized joints are used in the various holes. The minimum sizes that should be used with various bits are as follows: 12-in. and larger bits, 4x5-in. tool joints; 10-in. bits, 3 1/4x4 1/4-in. tool joints; 8-in. bits, 2 3/4x 3 3/4-in. tool joints; 6-in. bits, 2 1/4 x3 l/4 -in. tool joints; 4-in. bits, 1 5/8 x2 5/8-in. tool joints. Two rotary drill rigs were tried at San Manuel on the same hole, and a portable rotary drill rig was used on the Amico drilling for test coring the formation and for drilling in holes 3 and 4. Rotary drilling differs from churn drilling or cable tool drilling in that the bit is revolved by a string of drill pipe and the cuttings are removed from the hole by a thin solution of mud pumped through the drill pipe. The principal parts of a rotary rig are the power unit, a rotating table to revolve the drill pipe, hoists to raise and lower the pipe and to handle casing, and a pumping system to circulate the drilling liquid. The rig used on the Amico property at Miami was mounted on a truck. The larger rig used on the San Manuel property was hauled by several trucks and had separate turntable and pumping units. Diamond drill coring equipment was used successfully with the rotary rig in the holes on the Amico property, To allow for 2 3/8-in. drill pipe with tool joints, 3 1/2-in. core barrels and bits were used. With the standard 3 1/2-in. core barrel there was considerable difficulty in maintaining circulation with mud, so a barrel was designed with a smaller inner tube and a broad-faced bit. This allowed coarser material to circulate between the barrels. Rock bits of 5 5/8 to 3 7/8 in. were used with the rotary rig for drilling between core runs. Diamond drill equipment is much lighter than churn drill tools, so that fishing tools can usually be obtained from supply houses by air express when needed. Three churn drill holes on the Houghton property at Tiger were deepened by diamond drilling with Longyear UG Straitline gasoline-driven-machines. The open churn drill hole was cased with 2 1/2-in. black pipe. In deep hole churn drilling, casing is one of the most important items, especially in drilling in unconsolidated material like the formations drilled by

Jan 1, 1952

By Donald Hulse

"Mining has been a source of controversy for at least 500 years. “Since there has always been the greatest disagreement amongst men concerning metals and mining, some praising, others utterly condemning them…” (Agricola, 1556). In 2016, it is widely recognized that mineral resources and reserves must give due regard to the social license in order to operate.“Most commonly, the social license to operate (SLO) is understood to refer to ‘the ongoing acceptance and approval of a [project] by local community members and other stakeholders that can affect its profitability’ (Moffat, 2014).” “Social License to Operate has gained traction, in part, because it is also a concept which – while remaining poorly, technically defined – is generally easily and widely understood by community stakeholders (Bice, 2014).”A generation ago we learned that mining is based on a stable platform supported by three pillars, geology, mining and metallurgy. The three-legged stool is a very stable structure (Fig. 1).In 2016, it seems that we have added some other legs to the stool (Fig 2). The Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code) addresses “social, and governmental factors…” (JORC 2012), and refers specifically to social license in Section 4 of the Report Template “Estimation and Reporting of Ore Reserves.”The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Guidelines refer to “environmental, legal and social data…(CIM 2003).”Compared to these, the 2014 SME Guide is positively verbose stating “a discussion of any potential social or community related requirements and plans for the project and the status of any negotiations or agreements with local communities,” (SME 2014) although in all cases the scope of this disclosure is left at the discretion of the competent person.When there are more than three legs on the stool, it is imperative that all legs be constructed exactly to the design. Any one or more legs that are out of alignment will cause the stool to wobble.Engineers are trained to create designs to meet specifications. Loads can be estimated, forces calculated and cost studies completed that will lead to, not only a stable design, but the most efficient design that meets the specifications."

Jan 1, 2015

By Ronald L. Wiegel

In a mineral processing plant there are a number of routine decisions which are based at least in part on the plant's metallurgical performance. Among these are those related to: 1) equipment functioning properly 2) suitable operating conditions 3) reagents achieving desired results 4} determining operating response to changes in ore 5) defining circuits offering potential for improvement A step beyond the routine, are the periodic management evaluations of operating supervision and technical assistance, which are based largely on profit -a direct function of are availability, metallurgical performance and operating costs. The "yardstick", excuse me -"meterstick", by which performance is best measured is the plant metallurgical balance, which tells not only what was produced but how it was produced. Since this metallurgical balance is directly related to both plant profits and individual rewards, it is only reasonable to make that "meterstick" as precise as humanly possible.

Jan 1, 1978

Cominco began investigations about ten years ago relative to noise abatement in underground operations. As a result of intensive research, this study has advanced so that the practice now has wide application. Automotive mufflers are used on vane-type blasthole diamond drills. Exhaust hoses are attached to longhole percussion drills. Hand-held drills, such as airlegs and stopers, are equipped with mufflers which are either part of the drill, as received from the manufacturer, or are light rubber de-vices developed, fabricated and installed by Cominco. Ear defenders are in general use. The paper reviews details of practices employed, and assesses the success achieved. Noise is generally associated with some of the basic equipment used in mining. About ten years ago, in order to improve on this situation. The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited began investigations relative to noise abatement in its underground operations. As a result of intensive research, this study has advanced to the point

Jan 1, 1964

By Willem P. C. Duyvesteyn

"Scandium International Mining Corp (SCY) has been involved in the commercial development of its Nyngan Scandium Project for about ten years. Various studies at a variety of global R&D organizations have been carried out in an attempt to define the deportment of scandium in both the limonite as well as the saprolite phases of Nyngan ore to assist with process development. Technologies such as sulfuric acid baking, high pressure acid leaching, sulfuric and hydrochloric acid atmospheric leaching and heap leaching have been extensively investigated both at the bench and pilot scale level to arrive at the most economic process flow sheet that will be discussed in some detail in this paper. Solvent extraction, ion exchange and other refining technologies have been tested and an optimum configuration has been established for the Nyngan project which is expected to be the first primary scandium mine and metallurgical plant in the world.Because of a lack of product availability the current scandium market is limited to less than 20 tons per year. Technologies have been identified to produce product with different specifications for aluminum alloys and solid oxide fuel cell applications. Preliminary economics have identified that Nyngan will be a robust and low capital cost project that can readily be expanded as the size of the scandium market increases."

Jan 1, 2016

By Samuel S. Wyer

THE installation of the gas-producer power-plant in America has been so unusual that all engineers have viewed it with in¬terest; a large majority, however, regard it with a lack of con-fidence and many with positive distrust. Despite the fact that European engineers have usually been less inclined to take the initiative along experimental lines than are Americans, they have, nevertheless, developed the gas-producer plant to a very high state of efficiency to which they were forced by the neces¬sity of economy in fuel-consumption. The gas-producer power-plant is so common in Europe that engineers as well as the general public regard it with the same degree of confidence that is now universally placed in steam¬plants. Gas-engines, both small and large, are in general use there, and central stations, aggregating several thousand horse¬power, are quite numerous. The fact that gas-producer power-plants have received so little attention in America may be attributed to five conditions:-1', ignorance and prejudice; 2, newness of work; 3, in-

Mar 1, 1905

By Mike Robotham

Drum hoists in the 21st century have the same fundamental objective as their earliest 19th century counterpart. And yet a lot has changed in the design of the hoist from those early days of underground mining. These changes are driven by the need for greater productivity and reliability at ever increasing depths without compromising the all important safety demanded by the industry today. This paper reflects on how these changes have influenced design of a modern hoist Director of Engineering, Mike Robotham is a chartered engineer and has been with DavyMarkham for over 30 years. Having completed a craft apprenticeship he later joined the engineering department as a junior engineer. He has a wealth of experience of working on medium to large engineering projects in the field of mechanical, electrical and hydraulic equipment

May 1, 2013

By LUIS EAIYLNN SALAS

IF the ordinary wet method be attempted for silver-bullion containing tin, much trouble is experienced, varying with the amount of tin present. Even with a percentage as low as 0.05, the end-point is masked by a persistent turbidity, while with amounts ranging from 0.5 per cent. upward, the determination of the exact end-point is impossible, owing to the finely divided or colloidal metastannic acid resisting all efforts to cause it to settle, or to give a clear supernatant liquid. The object of the following experiments was to seek a remedy for these difficulties, and to find the conditions whereby the Gay Lussac method might be applied directly to these bullions. Material containing tin is met with frequently in bullion from Mexico or Bolivia; and tin is carried (sometimes in large quantities) in jewelers' sweeps. 1. A bullion was prepared containing Ag, 74; Cu, 25; and Sn, 1 per cent. A weighed amount was treated by the humid assay-method as if it were an ordinary bullion free from tin. Ten cc. of HNO3 (1.21) was added, and the bottle was heated until all traces of red fumes had been expelled. Before heating, the solutions were moderately turbid; and after heating, the turbidity greatly increased. One hundred cc. of normal NaCl solution was added and the bottle was shaken vigorously at intervals during 30 min. The turbidity persisted. The bottle was allowed to stand over

Mar 1, 1912

By A. Dubé

Introduction It is common experience that on re-heating a fully martensitic steel below the Ac, point, a softer and tougher structure is formed as the tempering temperature is raised. The mechanism of tempering of plain carbon and low-alloy steels has been the subject of many investigations. In a very comprehensive study, Cohen and associates have recently established three different tempering stages, the last of which reaches completion at about 700°F., with heating rates of 5°F. per minute. This latter stage has been established ta be the carbide-forming stage, so that the steel consists of a mixture of ferrite and carbide, which are the metastable equilibrium phases. Any subsequent changes which take place at higher temperatures below the Ac, point in the absence of graphitization or carbide lattice conversion normally consist of agglomeration of the carbide particles. This naturally results in the softening of the steel. However, in many cases the Ac, point, as determined by dilatometry, thermal analysis, etc., only gives a rough estimate of the temperature where the reaction, ferrite plus carbides to austenite, is initiated. This appears to be especially true in the case of alloy steels in which three phases can co-exist in certain temperature ranges. Bain has given data on the three-phase equilibrium in both manganese and nickel steels. In these steels, the formation of austenite at temperatures just above the AeIL apparently involves the diffusion of the alloying elements to the first pools of austenite, thereby making the process very sluggish. As a consequence, the critical Ac points determined by ordinary methods at normal rates of heating can be quite distant from the true equilibrium Ae temperatures.

Jan 1, 1946

By Modesto Bargallo

De acuerdo a las descripciones de los cronistas del siglo XVI, la "guaira" era un horno pequeño, portátil, de barro crudo y forma troncocónica o troncopiramidal cuadrada e invertida. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala las crónicas y relatos respecto del uso de dicho horno, así como las posibles localidades de las guairas al Cerro de Potosí y campos vecinos como Cerro de Porco y la región de los Lipes: las tres, en época colonial. Asimismo, Potosí y aledaños fueron el lugar clásico, donde funcionaron simultáneamente hasta unas siete mil guairas en sus mejores tiempos de fundición (antes de 1571) según Capoche, y en 6497 existían asientos de guairas.

Mar 1, 1969

By G. Stecklein

This report summarizes the results of research into the areas of the fragmentation and entrainment of Airborne Respirable Dust (ARD). The objectives of this program were four-fold: first, to review the present state of knowledge regarding ARD; second, to expand this state of knowledge through the identification of hypothetical microscopic mechanisms by which the coal is fragmented and the dust becomes entrained; third, to specify the informational requirements to verify or nullify these hypotheses; and fourth, to relate experimental techniques that will produce that required information. Additionally, insights are provided regarding potential methods of extraction and/or treatment which may reduce the concentration of ARD.

Jan 1, 1982

This U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) report conveys the results of an economic analysis of minerals in the West Mojave Management Area (WMMA), including the Desert Tortoise Priority Habitat (DTPH), a proposed special land management area. Undiscovered mineral resources were estimated for the entire WMMA, which totals 8.7 million acres. Known mineral resources were studied for the DTPH, which is an area of 1.2 million acres contained within the WMMA. Federal lands within the WMMA are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The WMMA includes Federal, State, and private lands in the western portion of San Bernardino County and the eastern portion of Kern County. The center of the study area is 20 miles northwest of Barstow, California (Figures 1 and 2).

Jan 1, 1993

By S. T. Murray

The European industrial minerals industry and its markets are largely self-sufficient. The companies who are members of the Industrial Minerals Association (IMA-Europe) number around 150 contributing 5 billion Euros to the EU?s GDP and range in size from global publicly quoted corporations to small family owned private companies. Their means and capability to implement sustainable development vary considerably. However the leading companies provide an excellent set of best practices, which IMA as a trade association with recognised core competencies in the field of sustainable development is ideally placed to promulgate throughout its membership. As an active participant in the EU Voluntary Scheme for SDI reporting IMA is not only working to increase the level of response to the SDI questionnaire but is also developing with its members a new sustainable development charter which its members will voluntarily adopt as a guiding principle for their implementation of sustainable development This work will be a consultative process involving all IMA?s section members as well as other trade associations, NGOs and MEPs. Public awareness of the benefits of minerals and their contribution to sustainable development has been raised by IMA?s awareness campaign now being followed by a more targeted programme aimed at MEPs. Further work in the future will consider product stewardship and life-cycle analysis. IMA is already positioning itself with the help of its members to assimilate the minerals industry of the accession territories in the sustainable development process.

Jan 1, 2003

By H. A. F. de Souza, Dana S. Mills, P. E. Burgener

"ICP-MS has moved from a laboratory curiosity to a functional analytical tool. This paper discusses how ICP-MS has been used to solve difficult analytical problems encountered when analyzing various mine materials. Comparisons between analytical techniques applied to the analysis of gold and the platinum group metals illustrate the advantages and problems of ICPMS when. applied to trace levels of some metals iri the presence of ore grade metals. Interferences and matrix effects are compared to ICP, AA and Neutron Activation. The necessity to select chemical extractions which are compatible with ICP-MS are also discussed.The ICP-MS techniques explained in the examples on Au and precious group elements (PGE) have validity in analytical problems encountered in testing of trace metals in the presence of major elements found in mine materials. Exploration and environmental testing are other areas that require the same analytical approach to quantify trace levels in the presence of major interfering elements normally associated with mining environments."

Jan 1, 1999

By Glen Mann, H. G. Vestberg, Robert D. Holtz

"Underpinning of residential and commercial structures is often accomplished using a number of driven-in-place small diameter steel pipe piles. These piles, at least in the Seattle area, are typically described as pin-piles and are driven with an air compressor operated jack hammer to a refusal criterion developed from an empirical basis. Over the past twenty years or so, the materials have improved in quality and strength, and the driving equipment has improved in efficiency and capability. These improvements have resulted in damage to the pin-piles during driving as well as to the driving equipment. The primary objectives of this load testing study were to develop a relationship between the driving penetration resistance of 2-inch diameter pin-piles and the ultimate bearing capacity when piles were driven at different penetration rates and, based on the load test results, to develop an opinion regarding an increase in the allowable axial load capacity [ultimate load capacity divided by a factor of safety] of a 2-inch diameter pin-pile over the currently used permissible load capacity of 4 kips in the Seattle area. Also, if feasible, a reduction in the present driving penetration rate was to be recommended to help reduce the rate and magnitude of pile and equipment damage whilst maintaining the allowable load capacity. The recorded ultimate bearing capacities were also compared with the Tagnent-line and the Davisson analytical methods in an effort to determine if either of these provided a reasonable determination of the pile load capacity.IntroductionThis paper describes the results of a series of load tests performed on small diameter, 2-inch, driven-in-place steel pin (pipe) piles and based on these results, provides the support for a modification to the presently used allowable axial pin-pile capacities.The intent of the load testing program was to determine how much influence the penetration resistance might have on the individual piles' ability to support the allowable axial load without undergoing any significant vertical deformation. For the purposes of this paper the ""allowable load capacity"" is considered to be the ultimate pile load capacity divided by a minimum factor of safety, typically considered to be 2.0 in this area. A pin (pipe) pile comprises an open or closed ended, schedule 80 steel tube which is driven-in-place, usually with an air compressor operated 90 pound pneumatic jack hammer. These jack hammers typically operate at a rate of about 1,200 blows per minute, (Haggard, Holtz and Mann, 2001 )."

Jan 1, 2005

By John F. Oyler

The performance of high alumina refractory subjected to high compressive loads and high temperatures is an area in which operating experience is quite limited. This paper documents the results of five months of operation of a combustion chamber lined with 83 pct alumina brick subjected to compressive stresses as high as 45psi and hot face temperatures of about 2750°F. It also describes a method for predicting long term subsidence results based on the limited information available in standard hot load limit tests. Descriptions of the chamber itself and the pilot plant upon which its design was based are included.

Jan 1, 1978

By E. Goris Cervantes

"A theoretical framework based on a detailed analysis of mine operations data from an oil sands mine in northern Alberta and the static simulation of truck cycle times are developed, verified, and validated in this paper. Implementation of this framework provides better results than existing tools that rely solely on manufacturer data. This, therefore, aids in efficient equipment planning for the life of the mine. The use of this framework to modify existing productivity curve estimation methods currently in use at the mine site is also proposed. This method replaces “loaded flat haul” with “loaded effective flat haul” in the productivity estimation. Validation of the model results in a 4% overestimation of productivity, versus an underestimation of more than 10% when using the existing in-house method. ¦ KEYWORDS Equipment planning, Life-of-mine (LOM) planning, Oil sands, Productivity, Truck cycle times RÉSUMÉ Un cadre théorique fondé sur une analyse détaillée des données relatives aux activités minières d’une exploitation de sables bitumineux dans le nord de l’Alberta et la simulation statique des temps de cycle des camions sont développés, vérifiés et validés dans cet article. La mise en oeuvre de ce cadre offre de meilleurs résultats que ce que proposent les outils existants, lesquels se basent uniquement sur des données des constructeurs. Ceci contribue donc à une planification efficace de l’équipement pour des projets relatifs à la durée de vie de la mine. On propose également de se servir de ce cadre pour modifier les méthodes d’estimation de la courbe de productivité actuellement utilisées sur le site minier. Cette méthode remplace le concept de loaded flat haul (la distance parcourue par des camions avec un chargement du point de collecte jusqu’au point de déchargement des résidus miniers) par celui d’effective loaded flat haul (la distance relative parcourue par des camions avec un chargement du point de collecte jusqu’au point de déchargement des résidus miniers) dans l’estimation de la production. La validation du modèle résulte en une surestimation de 4 % de la productivité, par rapport à une sous-estimation de plus de 10 % avec la méthode actuellement utilisée en interne. ¦ MOTS CLÉS planification de la durée de vie de la mine, planification de l’équipement, productivité, sables bitumineux, temps de cycle d’un camionINTRODUCTION One aspect that differentiates oil sands mines in northern Alberta from conventional hard-rock mining is the environment in which they operate. Due to ground characteristics, producers in the region experience roads with very high rolling resistance (RR) that, in turn, negatively affect haul-truck performance and greatly increase fuel consumption and emissions. Oil sands mining companies use some of the largest haul trucks in the world. In addition, oil sands mines cover more extensive areas than hard-rock pits, resulting in longer haul distances on roads made of comparatively more viscous material."

Jan 1, 2019