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By M E. Taulis, S Hayton, D A. Manhire, J G. Pope

Successful development of coal seam gas (CSG) resources in low-rank coalfields such as the Powder River Basin has raised interest in CSG from low rank coal in New Zealand. Kenham Holdings Limited holds 12 Petroleum Exploration Permits (PEP) covering some of New ZealandÆs low-rank coal and lignite resources and has engaged CRL Energy Limited to assist in the systematic evaluation of the CSG potential of the permits. To date, exploration results from seven New Zealand coalfields reflect differences in coal type, rank, depositional environment and depth of burial between coalfields. Several of the explored coalfields are considered prospective for CSG. One of the most advanced Kenham exploration programmes is in the Hawkdun Coalfield, Central Otago.   The Hawkdun Coalfield contains a single, thick lignite seam with properties that are similar to the Powder River Basin. Preliminary results indicate the Hawkdun Coalfield is prospective for CSG with the potential to contain between 25 and 60 PJ of gas; enough to supply a 30MW power station for ten to 25 years. Further drilling is planned to investigate the economic viability of the Hawkdun Coalfield. The in situ permeability of the lignite, the amount and availability of free gas, gas saturation at depth and market opportunities will determine its economic viability. If initial pumping and production results in the planned exploration programme are promising, the Hawkdun Coalfield will be further developed with additional production drillholes to form a trial production pod.

Jan 1, 2004

Extraction under very mild conditions - a few minutes at room temperature with poor solvents - yields results characteristic of surface properties for a variety of coals. Such superficial extractions preferentially remove long-chain aliphatic compounds. As coal becomes more oxidized, less of these yellow- colored compounds is extracted, forming the basis for a simple colorimetric test for coal surface quality. The fact that these aliphatic compounds are responsible for surface hydrophobicity is supported by good correlation between extraction results and floatability, which decreases with decreasing extractability. This extraction test is very sensitive to oxi dationb even the effect of heating for an hour at 100 C can be detected. A second extraction test using mild alkali conditions has shown good correlation with plant dewatering Operations.

Jan 1, 1986

By Frederick C. Rhyner

This paper describes the design and construction of two high-capacity rock anchors to restrain a supplementary backstay for the Bear Mountain Bridge, which is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River about 40 miles north of New York City. The supplementary backstay was installed to relieve a portion of the tension in the southern main cable, which had been creeping in recent years. The two new rock anchors were 1,200 kip capacity each, installed at a batter to depths of 59 feet. This paper describes the subsurface investigation, group capacity analysis, installation and load testing. The rock anchors included strain gages connected to the monitoring system for the bridge. The paper describes the long term strain gage data which shows no change in stress distribution in either anchor.

Jan 1, 2010

By G. W. Cullen

Niobium-tin has been prepared on insulating suhstrates hby simultaneous hydrogen reduction of gaseous niobium and tin halides. Stoichiometric material is greater than 98.8pct theoretical density, appears to he single-phase, and has a total impirity level less than 0.3 at. pct. Transition temperatures and lattice constants may he related to composition. Typical current densities in various fields and orientations are given. IT is known that Nb3Sn carries large current densities in high fields, 1 and exhibits an unusually high transition temperature2 and critical field.3 For these reasons high-field solenoids have been constructed of this material.4 Because of the emphasis on solenoid fabrication, much of the materials research has been directed toward development of wire geometries wherein the brittle Nb3Sn is supported by a more malleable metal or alloy. There are, however, basic studies and applications that can be carried out only on Nb3Sn supported by an insulator. Insulating substrates are desirable for a number of reasons: the substrate does not interact with applied or induced currents and fields; diffusion of metallic species into the de- posit is avoided, both during the preparation and during subsequent heat treatment; irradiated samples are not more active than the deposit itself. Unsupported Nb3Sn geometries may also be prepared by preferential chemical dissolution of the insulating substrate. This report describes the preparation and properties of Nb3Sn deposits on ceramic substrates. Experiments currently utilizing material prepared in the manner described in this report include the following: dependence of current-carrying properties on field strength and orientation 5,6 radiation damage,7,8 tunneling,9 thermal conductivity (substrate removed),1° microwave surface impedance," tube magnetization,6,12 resistivity as a function of temperature,13 and current density and transition temperature as a function of annealing.14 Possible practical applications include magnetic shielding, superconductor generators, and frictionless bearings. PREPARATION Methods for the deposition of elemental niobium and tin by hydrogen reduction of the gaseous metal halides have been known for some time,15,18 but only recently a procedure was developed in this laboratory17 for the codeposition of these two metals on a hotwire as the intermetallic compound, Nb3Sn. This method of simultaneous hydrogen reduction of the gaseous niobium and tin chlorides is used for the preparation of Nb3Sn On ceramic substrates. The procedure differs from that employed on a hot wire in that insulating substrates cannot conveniently be heated to temperatures greater than their surround-

Jan 1, 1964

By S. A. Ford

A SHORT and accurate method for the estimation of manganese in iron and steel is of great advantage to Bessemer works, and I think it may be of interest to some of the members of the Institute to give in detail the process in use in the laboratory of the Edgar Thomson steel works. The process is based on the reaction first described by Beilstein and Jawein.* The steel, spiegel, or iron is dissolved in strong nitric acid, sp. gr. 1.4. Evaporation to dryness is not necessary, unless the amount of silicon is large, as in the case of certain pig irons. Then, as a clogging of the filter in the subsequent filtra¬tion is apt to follow, dissolve first in a dish in hydrochloric acid, quickly evaporate to dryness, redissolve in the strong nitric acid, boil, and while boiling throw in crystals of chlorate of potash from time to time. Violent action ensues, yellow fumes are given off, and binoxide of manganese is precipitated, since it is insoluble in strong * Berichte der deutschen chemisehen Gesellschaft, vol. xii, page 1528.

Jan 1, 1881

By A. E. Moss, J. K. Gustafson

MEASURED in terms of ore tonnage, the New Quebec and Labrador iron ore fields promise to rank with the greatest iron ore districts of the world. Over 400 million tons of high-grade ore for direct shipping have been discovered to date. Much greater amounts of lower-grade beneficiating ores are indicated by outcrops. Many hundreds of square miles of iron formation await testing. By 1954 iron ore will begin to move towards American blast furnaces, and shortly thereafter the annual rate of production is expected to reach 10 . million tons. To bring this vast project into being over $200,000,000 will have been spent for exploration and development, mining equipment, hydro plants, townsites, the building and the equipping of . a 360-mile railroad, and the construction of docks and ore-handling facilities. The most important iron ore deposits are located over 300 miles from tide water, see frontispiece and also Fig. 1. The frontispiece shows principal sources of iron ores and manganiferous iron ores for the U. S. and Canadian steel industry, and the major smelting districts are shaded on the map. No navi- gable rivers lead into the interior. When work was . commenced on this project there were no roads, no railroads, no communication ,system, no inhabitants, and no adequate maps either topographical or geological. The geological field season was limited to approximately 100 days per season. The obstacles facing this enterprise were many and varied. Its success will be due to the integrated team work of people of diverse skills. Explorers, Indian guides, prospectors, geologists, surveyors, mechanical, civil, electrical, and mining engineers,

Jan 1, 1954

By Donald I. Bleiwas

World primary nickel production in 1987 is projected to be 770,000 mt, slightly higher than that in 1986. Market economy country (MEC) production in 1987 is projected to be about 524,000 mt, an increase of almost 5 pct over 1986 production. Production cutbacks and closures at Japanese ferronickel plants in 1987 resulted primarily from the strong yen and higher energy prices. Cutbacks also caused reductions in ore production from Indonesia, New Caledonia, and the Philippines. Technical problems affected production, to varying degrees, in Botswana, Indonesia, and Yugoslavia. World primary nickel production for 1988 is projected to be 787,000 mt, of which 536,000 mt will be produced in MECs. Increased production is projected from Botswana, Canada, Cuba, and possibly Greece and Yugoslavia, while slight production decreases are projected for Indonesia, New Caledonia, the Philippines, and Zimbabwe. .. South African nickel production in 1988 could be severly curtailed by social strife. In the early 1990's Brazil and China could be major economic competitors to Western nickel producers.

Jan 1, 1988

By Lawrence A. Taylor

The rocks and minerals of the moon will be included among the raw materials used to construct a lunar base. The lunar regolith, the fragmental material present on the surface of the Moon, is composed mostly of disaggregated rocks and minerals, but also includes glassy fragments fused together by meteorite impacts. The finer fraction (i.e., < lcm) of the regolith, the soil, is probably the most important portion of the regolith for use at a lunar base. For example, soil can be used in bulk as insulation against cosmic rays, for lunar ceramic and abodes, or for growing plants. However, beneficiation of the soil can provide other feedstocks. For example, the soil contains abundant solar-wind implanted elements, as we1 1 as various minerals, particularly oxide phases, which are of potential economic importance. These components of the soil are sources of oxygen and hydrogen for water and rocket fuel, helium for nuclear energy, and metals such as Fe, Ni, Al, Si, and Ti. The uses of the lunar materials only await a fertile imagination.

Jan 1, 1990

By R. K. Singhal

In 1990, Canada produced 69.4 million tonnes of coal of which some 65 million tonnes was produced by surface mining methods. The two Western Canadian provinces, Alberta and British Columbia produce approximately 55 million tonnes of coal by surface mining. These two provinces also provide the bulk of the metallurgical coal for export. The geological conditions in the Western provinces particularly in the mountain region are complex. The coals are friable and the seams are steeply inclined, sheared, intensely folded and faulted. There may be as many as 15 to 20 coal seams present with true thickness ranging from 2.5m to over 8m. Most of the Canadian surface mines are large (over one million tonnes per annum) using modern mining equipment such as shovels, high capacity trucks and draglines. At present the industry is going through another of its up and down cycles but has continued to make impressive gains in productivity. This has been achieved through greater mechanization, better management practices and a will to succeed in a highly competitive world market. This paper presents an insight into the current status of the Canadian Coal Industry and essentially updates the information given by the authors at previous SME meetings.

Jan 1, 1992

Develop methods to detect and repair poorly functioning dust collectors on roof bolters. Approach In conjunction with a research project to reduce silica dust in coal mines, a variety of roof bolting machines operating under different conditions were examined to find out how much these machines were contributing to the silica dust problem. Results The investigation concluded that if the bolting machines&apos; dust collector is properly maintained, very little dust can be measured in the air, even with minimal airflow over the bolter. Poor maintenance, however, frequently results in high dust levels. Three major problem areas were found. These were: (1) filter leaks, which allowed dust to escape, (2) accumulations of dust in the collection system, and (3) low airflow at the bit due to hose, fitting, and relief valve leaks.

Jan 1, 1984

By Andre Balt, Pierre Hofmeyr

It is only recently that automation has been applied to mining analytical laboratories. This paper describes the use of automation in the laboratory analytical process of hard-rock mining and geological samples and slurries in mining concentrator plant process control laboratories. Types of analysis include fire assay, XRF, ICP and wet chemistry. The benefits of automation are reduced unit cost of analyses, greatly reduced staff requirements, higher quality of data and very fast turn-around times.

Jan 1, 2005

By C. D. Thompson

Pile load test programs were carried out in 1984 and 1985 at Stelco&apos;s and Dofasco&apos;s Steel Making Plants in the Hamilton Bayfront area. 323.9 mm outside diameter by 9.5 mm wall thickness Grade 3 steel closed-end pipe piles were driven to practical refusal at depths of 21 to 30 m in very dense silt till with Delmag D30 open-end diesel hammers. Ultimate bearing capacities of up to 5330 kN were proved by dynamic monitoring and static load tests. Allowable bearing capacities of 1780 kN were achievable on production piles without undue difficulty. It was found that the impact stress at the top of the pile was controlled by the yield strength of the steel rather than a useable upper limit based on the modulus of elasticity. A bearing to impact stress ratio of 1.2 at practical refusal was observed to be reasonable but conservative at this site, and is felt to be generally applicable for piles driven to practical refusal elsewhere. Dynamic monitoring during production pile driving was able to show that apparent relaxation was caused by pre-ignition of the hammer when visual observations indicated that pile driving was proceeding satisfactorily.

Jan 1, 1987

By Vilem Petr

Optimization blast design parameters for rounds used at surface mines, quarries or cast blast has taken on a new importance with the increased the cost of the explosives and electronic detonators. This paper addresses the fundamentals of blast design and optimization explosive energy utilized for fragmentation. This laboratory studies shows that one key variable-the strain energy set up in rock mass by blast vibration – can be used to predict the extent of damage done to the rock strata, the degree of fragmentation of the broken rock, and the velocity of the broken rock. It also shows how the dynamic strength of the rock strata is influence the fragmentation size distribution as well as the blastability.

Jan 1, 2008

By J. D. Morgan

The US economy continued to grow steadily in 1988, reaching an annual rate of $5 trillion in the last quarter (US trillion = 1012). The value of domestically processed mineral-based materi¬als rose 20% to $300 billion (US billion 109). The value of metals produced from US ores rose 40% to more than $10 billion, industrial minerals rose 6%&apos; to $20 billion, and recycled scrap more than doubled to $10 billion. Increasing economic activity stimulated metal prices. Yearly lows and highs were 95 cents and $1.68 for copper, 52 cents, and $1.30 for aluminum, 34 cents and 42 cents for lead, and 43 cents and 75 cents for zinc. A number of mining and metal companies experienced significantly increased profitability. Consumer demand strongly affects mining because the US economy is relatively saturated with long-lived products. Consumer, mortgage, and Federal debt continued to rise. About 246 million US citizens already possess 170 million licensed motor vehicles and 100 million dwelling units. New car production remained at the 1987 level of 7.1 million units. Truck and bus production, however, rose 7% to 4.1 million units. New housing starts fell 7% to 1.5 million units. Imports supplied a significant proportion of total US consumption of several important mineral materials. By year-end, imports of crude and refined petroleum exceeded domestic crude oil production. Such imports cost $42 billion. Imports of nonfuel mineral-based materials were valued at $44 billion and exports at $35 billion. The US and Canada-the world&apos;s two largest trading partners-consummated a historic free trade agreement. In February, President Reagan transferred responsibility for stockpiling strategic and critical materials to the Secretary of Defense. And, in July, the GSA group that bought, stored, rotated, and sold stockpiled materials was transferred to the Defense Department&apos;s Defense Logistics Agency. Concern about apartheid in South Africa continued, resulting in increasing attention to chromium, manganese, platinum-group metals, cobalt, vanadium, and gold. The Defense Production Act, authorizing priorities and allocations, supply expansions, voluntary agreements, and the National Defense Executive Reserve, was amended to include provisions for averting harm to national security from foreign takeovers. The DPAct, in effect through September 1989, is now up for further extension. Under the Act, the US Bureau of Mines maintains the Emergency Minerals Administration. During the year, consultations were held with Canada to strengthen the North American Defense Industrial Base. Coal production, 60% from open pits, rose 5% to 870 Mt (960 million st). Nearly four-fifths was burned to generate 57% of US electricity. Exports included 56 Mt (62 million st) of metallur- gical coal and 29 Mt (32 million st) of steam coal, with a total value of $4 billion. Domestic petroleum produc¬tion fell 2% to 574 hm3 (3.6 billion bbl). Uranium mining, including recovery from phosphates, was unchanged at 5.9 kt (6500 st). Nonfuel minerals Major metals Raw steel production-a major con¬sumer of many minerals-rose 14% to 92 Mt (102 million st). Domestic iron ore production rose 25% to 59 Mt (65 million st), about 96% pelletized. Net imports rose 37% to 16 Mt (18 million st). Raw steelmaking capacity of 102 Mt (112 million st) was unchanged. Voluntary Restraint Agreements with 21 steel exporting nations limited im¬port penetration to about 20% of the domestic market. Domestic producers of bulk ferroal¬loys of chromium, manganese, and sili¬con operated at about 75% of capacity. The US mined no manganese or chro-

Jan 1, 1989

Location & Permit Status Three major Mesozoic Tertiary basins exist along the continental shelf area of southeastern Australia, known as the Bass Strait area. They are the Gippsland (east of the longitude of Melbourne) Otway (west of Melbourne) and the Bass (underlying central Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania). The total area, both onshore and offshore, is approximately 100,000 square miles. In March 1960, the Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd. acquired exploration title to the continental shelf areas of the Gippsland, Bass and Otway basins from the States of Victoria and Tasmania. The title to that part of the Otway Basin in South Australian waters was granted in July, 1961. Other exploration permits, being 8 miles wide in Gippsland, held by Woodside :E.) Oil Co. N.L., and 15 miles wide along the southwest coast of Victoria, held by Mobil-BP-Interstate Oil (Frome-Broken Hill Co. Pty. Ltd.), were in existence prior to granting the B.H.P. title. Subsequently, Shell, B.H.P., Esso and Magellan have been granted title to the remaining areas of the continental shelf in the basins under discussion. In three separate agreeme negotiated between 1964 and-1966, Esso obtained farm-in rights to B.H.P.&apos;s Gippsland, Bass and Ott&apos; Permits.

Jan 1, 1970

"INTRODUCTIONThe Department of Energy, Mines and Resources has recently developed two automatic controls for use in the cyanidation circuits of Canadian gold mills. These controls are the alkalinity probe and the Continuous Cyanide Titrator both of which are discussed in the paper ""Instrumentation in the Cyanide Process"".(1)In May 1966 these process controls and associated recording equipment were installed in the Bralorne mill by two Scientific Officers from the Department. The object was to determine if the equipment was amenable and applicable to this particular circuit. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the performance of the equipment over a test period of 4 months.CONCLUSIONSThe results of test work to date indicates that both the Conductivity Probe and the Continuous Cyanide Titrator would be an as set to the operation of the Bralorne mill.The conclusions are generalized as follows:-(1) At a milling rate of 100, 000 tons per year the expected reductionin reagent consumption would give a direct saving of 37, 660 lbs of lime@$0.030 per lb and 15, 790 lbs of sodium cyanide@ $0.175 per lb. Such cost savings would pay for the equipment and installation costs within a 30 month period"

Jan 1, 1967

By V. K. Kalyani

The present paper discusses a three layer feed forward artificial neural network (ANN) model, trained using the error back propagation algorithm, has been established to simulate the column flotation circuit used for beneficiation of Sillimanite. Parameters such as superficial air velocity, wash water rate, froth height, % solid, feed velocity, sodium silicate and oleic cid are considered as process operating variables and % yield of Sillimanite is the output of the experiment. The results from the ANN modeling, involving the non linear relationship between inputs and outputs, indicate good agreement with experimental observations. The network model validates the experimentally observed trends. The optimal model parameters in terms of network weights have been estimated and can be used for computing parameters of the process over wide-ranging experimental conditions.

Jan 1, 2006

By Franco Oboni, Iain G. Bruce

The design of tailings containment structures relies on well-understood engineering methods being applied consistently. Unfortunately, not all facilities are designed or managed to the same level of competency. To standardize procedures, the Mining Association of Canada (MAC, 1998) prepared a “Guide to Tailings Management.” It recommended review of designs and an assessment of the risks associated with tailings impoundments be implemented during all phases of amine life. This paper describes how the quantitative risk assessment (QRA) process can be used to define risks associated with the design, construction and operation of a tailings management facility. And it discusses how, once the risk tolerability curves (RTC) are defined for a project, they can assist the risk management (RM) process.

Jan 1, 2002

By D. M. Meyer, K. Auerswald

The production of electrolytic manganese in South Africa by M. HARRIS, Pr. Eng., B.Se. (Eng.) (Fellow), D. M. MEYER, Pr. Eng., B.Se. (Meeh. Eng.) (Visitor), and K. AUERSWALD (Visitor) The decision to construct the first electrolytic manganese plant in South Africa was important and farreaching. After evaluating the results of the pilot plant operation, the first South African producer, Electrolytic Metal Corporation (Emcor), established a plant in Krugersdorp. Initially, there were many process problems that had to be InvestIgated, and, after these had been solved and many operating parameters had been established, manganese was successfully produced. When the Delta Manganese plant in Nelspruit was planned, cognizance was taken of the fact that, if peak efficiencies were to be maintained, the process must be operated between fairly narrow parameters. Instrumentation was therefore installed to control the process automatically wherever possible. The main features of the Delta Manganese operation are outlined, with a brief description of each stage of the process from ore milling through to electrowinning and packing of the metal. It is concluded that much benefit can be obtained from further research work into process improvements and into the exact effect of certain variables on plant and current efficiency.

Jan 2, 1977

By James R. Hein

Barite and Fe-Mn-oxide deposits that occur along faults in the Southern California Borderland formed by low-temperature hydrothermal processes. The Borderland region consists of block-faulted continental crust within the broad transform boundary of the North American plate. The fault-bounded basins are anoxic and partially filled with hemipelagic and turbidite sediments. Barite was collected from four dredges and a submersible dive (DSV4-355) in the southern California Borderland, and was collected from two sea-cliff sites along the Palos Verdes Headlands near Los Angeles. Barite at these seven locations occurs along strike-slip and basin-margin faults from the shoreline to 1800 m water depth. Submersible observations showed a series of mounds up to 10-m high composed of friable, white barite associated with diffusely venting milky fluid; the mounds support large benthic colonies, including tube worms (Lonsdale, 1979). Barite samples recovered from dredges are brown, green, and white and range from porous, vuggy fragments to massive fragments cut by banded barite veins. Samples from two dredge sites contain fossil worm tubes 1-3 mm in diameter and >10 cm long. All the samples are nearly pure barite, with only minor to trace amounts of other minerals. Chemical analyses show 94-98 wt. % BaSO4, low total rare-earth element (REE) contents (<45 ppm), Sr contents from <2 to 10,000 ppm, and Hg contents up to 1 ppm. Chondrite and shale-normalized REE patterns show light REE enrichments and large positive Eu anomalies. These REE pattern characteristics are typical of marine hydrothermal fluids and minerals. Sulfur isotope ratios (d34SCTD) from +21.6 to +67.4? range from seawater values (+21?) to exceptionally high positive values. Strontium isotope ratios are lower than the modern seawater ratio as well as the seawater ratio that existed at the time of deposition of the host rocks.

Jan 1, 2002