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By Donald Leroux, Colin Hardie

"New or improved mathematical models of mineral processing machines are published almost on a monthly basis. Often, these models can be calibrated from bench-scale test results and programmed using spreadsheet software to simulate different designs and operating conditions in open-circuit configuration. However, since mineral processing plants frequently operate comminution, separation and/or extraction machines in closed-circuit configurations, open-circuit simulations often have limited applicability.The simulation of closed-circuit configurations necessitates the programming of an iterative loop to bring the circuit to equilibrium. This can be done by using spreadsheet software but often requires advanced programming skills. As an alternative, LIMN® software, which simplifies the programming of closed-circuit configurations within spreadsheets can be used. This software was specifically designed to turn a Microsoft EXCEL® spreadsheet into a closed-circuit modeling and simulation platform with minimal programming.During the past few years, the Mineral Processing Group at the Noranda Technology Centre, has used this software for numerous projects which include the simulation of multi-stage cyclone circuits, closed-circuit regrinding and locked-cycle flotation tests. Using these projects as examples, the flexibility and the easy to use nature of the LIMN® software is demonstrated.INTRODUCTIONMineral processing engineers routinely have to make predictions regarding comminution and separation processes. Predicting the appropriate dimensions of equipment and the process response to changes in operating mode are probably the most common situations that they face. In all cases these predictions are expected to be rapid and accurate.Predictions made by engineers are frequently based on mathematical models. Many first principles, empirical, semi-empirical, steady state and dynamic models of mineral processes can be found in the literature. In fact, new or improved mineral processing models are continuously being proposed and in spite of this variety, process engineers often have to either develop their own or tailor existing models to suit their particular needs."

Jan 1, 2003

By I. E. Campbell, R. I. Jaffe

Oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen are known to be absorbed by titanium at elevated temperatures. Ehrlichl reports that about 30 at. pct oxygen can be dissolved in solid solution by alpha-titanium. Nitrogen also has a solid solubility in alpha-titanium, but there is no information as to its extent. The solid solubility of hydrogen in titanium also is high. Kirshfeld and Sieverts2 report 50 at. pct soluble, while Hägg3 reports about 33 at. pct hydrogen to be soluble in alpha-titanium. General statements are made in the literature that oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen embrittle titanium, but no quantitative measurements have been made of the effect of these gases on the mechanical properties of the metal. One reason for this is the lack of a source of titanium pure enough to be considered a suitable starting material. Iodide-refined titanium, made by thermal decomposition of titanium iodide vapor on an incandescent wire,4 contains small amounts of carbon, silicon, iron, and aluminum, but is very low in oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen content, and, therefore, was used in this work. A further reason for the lack of quantitative information on the effect of these gases, particularly oxygen, is the difficulty of carrying out accurate analytical determinations at the low concentrations of interest in this work. For this reason, the oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen were added in measured amounts as gases, and diffused into the titanium, to avoid the necessity of chemical analysis. The purpose of the work reported here was to isolate and measure the effects of oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen on titanium of the highest purity available at the time. The concentrations studied were 0.25, 0.5, and 1 at. pct in each case. Experimental Work One-half of a 24-in. hairpin of iodide-refined titanium was available for this work. The rod was approximately 0.25-in. in diam and had a 0.003-in.tung sten core. From chemical and spectro-graphic analyses, the purity of the sample was estimated to be between 99.80 and 99.95 wt pct. The chief impurities (aside from the tungsten core) were iron (0.04 pct), silicon (0.01-0.1 pct), aluminum (0.05 pct), carbon (0.03 pct). The tungsten core constituted 0.05 pct by weight of the sample. Although some alloying undoubtedly took place between the tungsten and the titanium during the deposition reaction, the core remained substantially intact in the deposited metal. The initial average hardness of the titanium as deposited was 105 Vickers (10-kg load). The maximum hardness was 116 Vickers and the minimum 91 Vickers. The metal was somewhat harder than that currently being obtained by the iodide process, that is, 75-90 Vickers. The rod was cold swaged to ¼-in. diam and then cold rolled in diamond shaped rolls to about 0.080-in. square, using reductions of 15 pct in area per pass. The 0.080-in.-square wire was cut into 6-in. lengths for the preparation of the alloys by the gaseous absorption and diffusion method. ADDITION OF OXYGEN, NITROGEN, AND HYDROGEN TO TITANIUM A modified Sieverts' absorption apparatus, shown in Fig 1, was used in

Jan 1, 1950

By Lynce AJ

A method has been developed for the prediction 'of 'the- . performance of a multi-stage grinding=cyclone classification circuit of any degree of complexity on any ore for a wide range `of operating conditions, The-.method involves ;the. s` inu ation b'f the circuit on a digital computer by means of. matheinatical' models ":bf the"' individual units:, the. development of which is- also discussed'., At present, in order to establish 'the!'" charac'teristtics of they ¦ore- and the machines. in mathematical terms;. it is necessary to know'the performance of a , simpl,.e. ; system on tri.e ore - for! one known ,,feed rate and.fe.ed s,l-zing, analysis. ' ,Fiiither work on :the- separate identification 'of the terms defining the characteristics of the ore and the machines may permit the method to be, applied directly to the cj.4ta,derived from small scale tests on ores,

Jan 1, 1964

By David J. Kruse

Although it may be perfectly acceptable to neglect the belt's elastic behavior for many conveyor designs, this can lead to disastrous consequences for others. So how can a designer know in advance if a dynamic analysis is required? Unfortunately, in many cases it is impossible to foresee or predict dynamic problems prior to performing the actual analysis. However, a basic understanding of the principles of conveyor dynamics, as well as knowledge regarding common problem areas, can significantly help the designer make more educated decisions during the initial design stage. This paper will demonstrate how static calculations alone can incorrectly represent the true behavior of the conveyor system. It will also discuss the importance of correctly sizing and locating the take-up system to provide the most economical conveyor design. The use of capstans will also be discussed followed by two examples demonstrating their proper operation.

Jan 1, 2002

By Gemmell J. B

Zinc-bearing massive sulphide deposits have been mined in Tasmania since 1900. The current major producers are Hellyer and Rosebery, with total resource tonnages (mined plus reserves) of 16 Mt (million tonnes) and 24.8 Mt respectively. These deposits belong to the class of seafloor volcanic-hosted massive sulphides (VHMS) and are located within the Mt Read Volcanics, a narrow belt of continental margin calcalkaline volcanics of Cambrian age. Compared to other Australian VHMS deposits, and world-wide MVT and Sedex deposits, the Tasmanian examples clearly stand-out due to their high metal grades, averaging over 17 per cent Pb+Zn. The deposits vary in morphology from mound style (Hellyer) to sheet style (Rosebery) with other combinations including stacked lenses (Que River) and disrupted cross-cutting bodies (Hercules). All deposits show the classic VHMS zonation from an Fe-Cu-bearing base to a Zn-Pb-Ba-rich top. Zinc, gold and silver tenor commonly increases toward the stratigraphic top of the deposits. The ores have been deformed during regional metamorphism, resulting in folding, shearing and recrystallisation of sulphide lenses. In addition to the major deposits, a number of small massive sulphide prospects occur throughout the volcanic belt and the potential for the discovery of further large, deeply buried deposits remains high.

Jan 1, 1993

By Ronald H. Church, Walter E. Pittman, J. T. McLendon

In its role of providing technical assistance to the mining industry, the Bureau of Mines' Tuscaloosa Research Center has conducted research to develop trapped miner location systems which would aid in locating miners trapped by underground mining disasters. Efforts to produce electromagnetic systems for the location of trapped miners underground and to communicate with them were surveyed, from the 1920's to 1981. Theoretical studies of through-the-earth electromagnetic transmissions are described as well as studies of the electrical characteristics of various rocks, minerals, and soil. Several trapped miner location systems are reviewed including the Westinghouse systems, the DEVELCO system, and an automated three-dimensional location system, and the phase difference of arrival technique. Tangential research, relevant to trapped miner location systems is described. A comprehensive bibliography covering all aspects of trapped miner, through-the-earth electromagnetic location and communications systems is appended.

Roof bolting with resin bonded bolts has been developed extensively in French coal mines. There are three aspects of this development: 1. The reason for and the care used in the development of roof bolting from use as a reinforcement in a classical arched roadway to use as the only support in roadways in ad- vance of the working face (the roadway being reinforced behind the face); 2. The problems encountered and studied, such as choice of boltable roadways and determination of the technical data in designing a roof bolting pattern; 3. Only because roof bolting has been controlled by safety rules, and especially by accurate measurement of strata behaviour, has this system of support been expanded aapidly in France since 1967.

Jan 1, 1971

By D. Gupta

Rates of autothermic reactions are sensitive to temperature variations to the extent of potential extinction of the reaction. Such reactions, when carried out in the countercurrent mode with feed-back of energy between reacting phases, may result in the possibility of multiple steady-states. In regions of great sensitivity, minor variations, especially feed-temperatures, are an important criterion for such instabilities. Mathematical models have been used to delineate the parameter-fields in which instabilities might occur. The metallurgical system chosen to experimentally verify the above theoretical findings was the exothermic oxidation reaction of magnetite to hemitite.

Jan 1, 1977

THE object of all classification is to group together things which are alike, and separate those which are unlike. This object is essentially a practical one, enabling us to apply past experience to new conditions: Many costly large-scale experiments lose half their importance for want of proper description of the coal used, and the consequent impossibility of predicting other coals will behave in the same way. I do not, therefore, make a fundamental distinction between "scientific" and "use" classifications, except in so far as use depends on conditions, such as size or impurities which are not related to the nature of the coal substance itself. The characters chosen to define the classes of coal must be such as are accompanied by as many other properties as possible. It is not to be expected that any system of classification will enable us to predict every property of coal, since all specimens have an individuality of their own. But specimens can be grouped by a number of resemblances into species. Further, species which resemble each other can be grouped into genera.

Jan 1, 1928

By John R. Don

This paper, under the title of "The Genesis of Auriferous Lodes from a Chemical Point of View, Illustrated by Analyses of Samples Taken from the Chief Auriferous Area of New Zealand, Victoria and Queensland, by John R. Don, D.Sc., M.A., Lecturer on Geology in the University of Otago, N. Z.," was submitted by the author with the frank confession that its length, covering several hundred printed pages of the Transactions of the Institute, would preclude its acceptance for publication in full. But the great value of the original work which it records rendered its rejection on that ground highly undesirable ; and, after correspondence with Dr. Don, it was agreed that the Secretary should condense the paper, subject to the author's approval, omitting what was not essentially connected with the original work reported. In the discharge of this laborious and difficult duty, the Secretary's chief trouble has been his regret to cut out the acute criticisms and admirable theoretical and historical summaries of Dr. Don on the general subject of the science of ore-deposits. It should be added, that the original paper has been returned to the author, with full permission to publish it through any other medium (due mention being made of the first publication by the Institute of portions thereof), and a cordial expression of the hope that the treatise, as a whole, may be thus published, to the advantage of science. The Secretary begs to add, that many of the portions necessarily omitted from this condensed version would constitute, in his judgment, interesting and valuable separate contributions. In attempting to condense this paper, it was necessary at the outset to cut out the tint three chapters, of which the following brief outline is therefore given. Chapter I., introductory in character, indicates the importance of chemical analysis in the investigation of the genesis of ore-deposits, emphasizing the value of Prof. Posepny's Institute paper, and especially of the discussion which it aroused, and stating in general terms the theories of "lateral secretion" and "ascension." Chapter 11. describes the scope of the investigation undertaken by the author, the chief purpose of which was to determine which of the above-named theories was favored by the evidence obtained. This evidence consists chiefly (though not wholly) of analyses of the country-rock taken at various distances from the auriferous "reefs," (a) on deep mine-levels; (b) in the surface or "vadose" region : and also (c) of underlying, neighboring or connected crystallines (granite, gneiss, etc.). In addition to these investigations, there is a separate inquiry into the question of the deposition of gold in marine basins, suggested by the fact that most of the gold in the lodes of Australasia occurs in stratified deposits. Chapter 111. discusses the principles and methods followed by the author in the examination of country-rock for the purpose described. After giving his reasons for believing that careful tests of carefully-chosen samples of country-rock taken at varying distances from the ore-deposit might throw light upon the question

Jan 1, 1898

By D. Strachan

Installation of support in known poor ground intersections during reaming operations requires rapid access to stabilize the shaft wall and thus to prevent the loss of the shaft through scaling. This is especially relevant to shafts of long dimension where the duration from time of exposure to time of support installation is lengthy This paper deals with the innovative methodology employed at Harmony?s No. 8 Shaft 17/24 level sub ventilation shaft to rapidly support a shale intersection between 23 and 24 Level by employing a single deck stage suspended from the reamer head by means of Skyjack winches.

Jan 1, 2009

JOHN B. HASTINGS, Los Angeles, Cal. (written discussion *).-This, paper is so admirable for its brevity that one hesitates to enter into discussion. The cycle of eruptives makes one wonder, "Where's the basalt?" and the youthfulness of the Idaho flows suggests they may yet come. Veins and Dikes.-Veins and dikes seem to be closely aligned in the minds of some authors, while to me they appear quite distinct, the first representing quiet, long-continued action, typified by metasomatic replacement, far removed from volcanic action; the latter, sudden and cyclonic, emanating from the heart of vulcanism. The rock openings occupied by both types were formed by kindred forces, but in the one they were closed for indefinite periods before invasion by the solfataric solutions, and in the other their formation and occupation were simultaneous. Open Fissures.-I do not believe in the existence of open spaces of discission that may be occupied by veins. Occasionally they occur; I found one with. a machine drill 350 ft. below surface, fortunately in an adit; the water spouted for 12 ft. in a 6-in stream for nearly 24 hr. It was only a flattish fissure, 6 in. wide, crossing the perpendicular vein, and indicating how tabular veins of ore might be formed. The practical absence of open fissures should be a joy to miners. We all know the misgivings with which we feel about for an old winze having only 30 ft. of water in it, in an unsurveyed and inaccessible part of a mine. It is said that veins are sometimes formed in open spaces left by Protuberances of the walls, which meet after having been displaced; but I believe that in such circumstances there would be sufficient attrition and brecciated material to fill the fissure, though perhaps loosely. Parts of veins may possibly have been formed in originally open spaces, but if so, the spaces were made by solution shortly preceding the deposition of the veins. That total solution of rock adjacent to a fissure may occur under favorable conditions is proved by the existence of large bodies of sulphide which contain only a few per cent. of silica; while on the same level, and in other levels above and below, all being within the same ore shoot, assays may show as much as 50 to 60 per cent. of silica, although the gold, silver and copper assays may be almost identical in all the

Jan 1, 1918

By E. Marques Coelho

Cationic flotation of quartz is currently utilized in the concentration of iron ores and the cleaning of phosphate concentrates. The present work deals with depression of quartz in the presence of aluminum aqueous species during cationic flotation. It was established that aluminum species depress the flotation of quartz with an amine, especially under neutral and slightly alkaline conditions. With an amine as the collector, studies of the adsorption (abstraction) of Al species on quartz surfaces, as a function of pH, correlated well with the depression of this mineral. The presence of Al species also enhanced the depressant action of corn starch on quartz. In addition, the sodium salt of ethylenediaminotetraacetic (EDTA) was found to be an effective complexing agent to suppress the depression caused by aluminum ions.

Jan 1, 1992

By P. Lelong, P. Lacombe, J. Herenguel

IN previous studies on the effect of orientation on the rate of anodic oxidation of A1-3 pct Mg mono-crystals of high purity, certain anomalies were observed on the cold-worked metal. These anomalies were shown to correspond to regions of changed orientation within the grains resulting from plastic deformation.' In fact, they are deformation bands revealed by differences in rate of oxidation and produced by more or less continuous bending of the lattice about a [Ill] axis common to the original crystal and the band.2,3 Preliminary observations made after relatively large degrees of cold working revealed an approximate twin relationship between the bands and the surrounding crystal. Fig. 1 shows the etch figures formed on such a band and on the original monocrystal after a 67 pct rolling reduction. It is evidently not a true twinning, since there is a broad transition zone between the two systems, however the two extreme orientations are nearly in a twin relationship. It was decided to investigate these preliminary observations by progressive rolling-reductions on monocrystals of varied initial orientation. From these studies, which form the subject of the present article, it became apparent that the initial observation of an approximate twin relation between the bands and the monocrystal was simply a special case. Our experiments show that deformation in rolling proceeds by a mechanism analogous to those which have already been observed in the simpler cases of tension and compression. Micrography—in particular, the formation of etch figures—has been applied to the quantitative study of these orientations. In addition, observations have been made of slip lines, of thin oxide films yielding interference colors, of thick films in polarized light, and of etchants giving "engraving." These micrographic methods for studying orientation have established the orientation relationship without any ambiguity, whereas X-ray methods would have given only a statistical result because we were often dealing with thin bands (2 to 100 microns) and even narrower connecting zones covering a maximum of 20 microns. Specimen Preparation and Methods The Al-3 pct Mg alloy was prepared from 99.95 pct A1 and is of the type used industrially in France for brilliant anodized finishes under the name of Brillalumag. This material combines the normal commercial properties with an enduring brilliance due to the protection of a thick, but perfectly transparent, film of alumina.' The monocrystals were prepared by the method of critical deformation followed by prolonged annealing. Great care was taken to insure perfect homogeneity of composition, to eliminate included crystals,6,7 and to avoid the formation of undulations during oxidation. The critical deformation for this alloy is about 1.2 pct (1-l0/10x100) and the subsequent annealing was for one week at 500 °C after gradual increase of temperature (35°C per hr). The crystals thus prepared had a section of 10x5 mm and a length of 20 to 40 mm. Each of these crystals was polished electrolytically and etched for the formation of etch-figures with the classical reagent.' The orientation was then calculated from their angles, as measured with a goniometer microscope.

Jan 1, 1954

By M D. Raine, J K. Bartlett, S C. Dominy

The Bendigo Goldfield is located in the state of Victoria, Australia, and is one of a number of fields that make up the Central Victorian Goldfield. Since 1993, Bendigo Mining NL has been carrying out an extensive re-evaluation of the goldfield and is currently well advanced in developing an underground mine. The sediment-hosted auriferous quartz reefs are structurally complex and closely associated with anticlinal axes and reverse faulting. The gold within the quartz reefs is characterised by both its coarse nature (100 up to >5000 ¦m) and its erratic distribution; as a result, the Bendigo Goldfield is classed as an extreme nugget effect system. This characteristic ensures that the Bendigo mineralisation is very challenging to sample and evaluate. In this case, diamond drilling is a good measure of structure and geological continuity, but a poor measure of grade and grade distribution. Drilling, combined with on-reef development, bulk sampling and detailed geological studies are required for resource evaluation. For grade control a balance has to be sought between sample representativness, cost, turn around time and practicality. Extreme nugget effect deposits like Bendigo, require the use of bulk samples in order to be representative. However, the cost and turn around time is significant. As a result, a micro-bulk sampling system has been introduced that attempts to overcome these problems by providing a fast, practical method that can define ore from waste. Bulk sampling and on-vein development are still necessary for resource and reserve estimation.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. W. Leonard, C. L. Jiang, B. K. Parekh, X. H. Wang

The selective depression of pyrite from the Kentucky No. 9 coal seam was systematically examined using various kinds of inorganic and organic chemicals. Most of the organic chemicals tested showed little selectivity in pyrite depression. It was found that both orthophosphate and pyrophosphate were effective for the selective depression of coal pyrite in coal flotation using fuel oil as a collector. At substantially low concentrations of pyrophosphate, the flotation of coal pyrite was completely depressed over a wide pH range, while the coal flotation remained unaffected. The mechanism of the selective depression of pyrite by phosphates was explained with the help of thermodynamic calculations of iron-phosphate-water systems and zeta-potential measurements. It was shown that pyrophosphate reacts strongly with the iron ions of pyrite to form stable hydrophilic iron pyrophosphate complexes on pyrite surfaces.

Jan 1, 1999

By Watt JS

The ash content of coal can be determined using radioisotope X-ray techniques. A number of overseas applications of X-ray techniques are described; however these suffer from the disadvantage of either not compensating for iron variations or, if compensation is used, using X-rays of low penetration with consequent sampling difficulties. Current Australian Atomic Energy Commiss- ion (AAEC) research on X-ray techniques is aimed at overcoming the limitations of these methods. The AAEC method involves making measurements proportional to mass absorption coefficients of X-rays in coal at two energies. Calculations and experiments with X-rays up to 35 keV have shown that ash content can be determined to about 1 wt.%. This work is being extended to higher X-ray energies to enable the technique to be used directly on a conveyor belt or in a hopper. Neutron techniques can be used to measure the concentration of specific elements such as carbon, hydrogen and silicon in coal. Their con- centration is correlated to the coal parameters of interest. Methods of moisture determination based on hydrogen measurement and ash determina- tion based on silicon and aluminium measurement are described. Energy content can be determined accurate- ly by analysing the carbon content of coal

Jan 1, 1978

By Lashley Harvey

El presente texto señala la importancia de un manejo adecuado de la cuenca para la producción de energía eléctrica. Para ello, es necesario revisar las vías navegables, la transportación por la costa y los ríos, el antiguo desarrollo de las vías navegables, las leyes del agua y la transformación, las mejoras de las vías navegables y el mejoramiento de zonas del puerto es costas y ríos.

Jul 1, 1976

La difícil geografía de la ubicación de las minas de la Sierra no permite un espacio suficiente para el almacenamiento de relaves provenientes de las plantas concentradoras, generando áreas con muros costosos que permitan el transporte del relave. Por tal motivo, el objetivo del texto describe las medidas preventivas para resolver el problema de la falta de espacio para el relave de las concentradoras, al tiempo que evita la contaminación del rio Huallaga y se afecte las instalaciones agrícolas, industriales y sanitarias encontradas bajo las canchas de almacenamiento. Así, el problema de relaves en Atacocha se resolvió en dos etapas: la primera, utiliza los 1000 metros de largo del Río Huallaga, para desviarlo hacia un túnel de 1326 metros de largo, obteniendo un espacio para 2, 700, 000 T.M. de relaves, por un período de 7 años aproximadamente. La segunda etapa busca ejecutar el proyecto de Malauchaca, donde la confluencia del torrente de Ticlacayan con el río Huallaga, permitirá el desvío del río Huallaga sobre su margen izquierda por un túnel de 600 metros y en la orilla izquierda del torrente de Ticlacayán se construirá un muro de concreto, que cruzará el lecho del Huallaga hasta muy cerca de la salida del túnel, obteniendo un espacio de 900 metros en la quebrada del Huallaga y de 700 metros en la del Ticlacayán. A esto se suman las precauciones consideradas en los depósitos de relaves de cancha, tales como el control exhaustivo del chorro dentro del murete, la limpieza del rebose, separación del chorro con el rebose, tiempo de operación, cálculo del área de la cancha, construcción del murete, distancia de canchas de la concentradora y cierre de grietas en el período de descanso de las canchas.

Jul 20, 1957

By Nemcik JA, Gale W. J

The magnitude and orientation of the in situ stressfield has been determined as a key factor in controlling the stability of openings for both coal mine development and extraction. Monitoring of roadway and pillar behaviour in conjunction with numerical analysis has identified specific stress control measures that have been successfully applied to improve productivity in underground coal mining operations. The influence of the major horizontal stressfield on the stability of openings has been identified at a wide range of sites including mines in Australia, Britain, the USA, New Zealand and Japan. Stress mapping, stress measurement and stress monitoring techniques have been applied to define the in situ stress regime and, together with the correlation of measurements of rock deformation and rock reinforcement behaviour, has enabled appropriate stress control measures to be developed. Stress control measures for development headings have required the selection of roadway orientation, roadway sequencing, reinforcement density and pillar size. The monitoring of behaviour at a range of trial sites has confirmed significant improvements in development stability. Stress control measures for longwall extraction have required rational selection of longwall orientation and extraction direction. Where a mine layout design incorporating the optimum longwall layout design has not been possible, the use of sacrificial roadways has been successfully applied to protect key roadways from stress concentration effects. Comprehensive in situ

Jan 1, 1992