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By George A. Komadina

From its modest beginning in 1957 with one mill grinding section handling 3000 tpd Pima has steadily expanded. In July 1966, work was completed that allowed the concentrator to treat in excess of 18,000 tpd. Almost immediately Pima embarked on another expansion program that will increase plant capacity to 30,000 tpd during the summer of 1967. This repeated expansion has corresponded with the development of additional low-grade ore deposits and with the improved operating economics realized by handling larger masses of material. Early in the life of Pima it was known that a mineralized area was present on the flanks of the high-grade orebody which systematic drilling had shown to be a low-grade copper orebody. Many months of engineering studies revealed that this was sufficient to allow Pima to compete with other large scale, low-grade copper operations in the Southwest.

Jan 11, 1967

By P. van der Westhuyzen

Gone are the days of stock-standard diamond beneficiation and final recovery circuits that could, with minor modifications, be adapted to treat any diamond-bearing ore source. A new era has dawned, offering the opportunity to streamline existing diamond processing operations or develop simpler, more efficient, and economical diamond processing plants, with the focus on more efficient comminution, beneficiation, and final recovery. This change in scene has been brought about by: ? The introduction, rapid development, and maturation of multiple comminution, sorting, and recovery technologies ? The need to adapt to a new standard of project approach post the commodity super-cycle phase, where optimizing existing operations and developing scalable, ?fit for purpose? new mines are fast becoming the norm in diamond processing plants in both primary and alluvial operations ? The quest for energy efficiency and lower labour costs ? More remote and inaccessible reserves (under lakes, tops of mountains etc.). This paper serves to identify some technology advances and demonstrates how these could be considered as replacements for or in combination with conventional technologies to arrive at an optimum techno-economic solution. To name a few applications/technologies: ? Comminution: conventional cone crusher, modified/specialized cone crusher, and the high-pressure grinding roll (HPGR). Although significant advances have been made in recent years, this paper only briefly covers comminution within the beneficiation circuit design ? Waste sorting: NIR (near-infrared) sorting, optical (colour) sorting, XRF (X-ray fluorescence) ? Primary concentration by combining dense media separation (DMS) with either XRT (X-ray transmissive), pulsed X-ray, jigs, or pan plants depending on the application, scale, and economics ? Final recovery of diamonds with either conventional X-ray technology, pulsed X-ray technology, or XRT. From recent studies, it can be concluded that there is no longer a standard solution, but rather the ?right? or appropriate solution. Through combining a sound knowledge of the ore source (ore dressing studies or onmine data gathering) and leveraging off the advances in technologies, one is able, through trade-off studies, to arrive at the ultimate techno-economic configuration, the ?right? solution. Emphasis is placed on maximizing diamond recoveries through appropriate technology selection and minimizing the associated costs in an effort to de-bottleneck or improve efficiencies of existing diamond processing plants, or to arrive at the ideal new diamond process plant design..

Jan 1, 2014

By Lui Orna

El presente trabajo señala las técnicas de planificación de caminos para robots móviles basados en la aplicación de diversas señales de control a los modelos cinemáticos del vehículo considerado en minería para mejorar la reducción del mineral en mina subterránea. Asimismo, estos robots móviles dotan de algunas características inteligentes a un tradicional cargador frontal u otros equipos, transformándolos en un vehículo guiado, capaz de moverse en medio de túneles y pasillos a oscuras. Como ejemplo de ello, fue desarrollar un prototipo a escala: un pequeño vehículo de laboratorio, llamado GeBoot donde se introdujo algoritmo de Red Neuronal con lógica difusa para las formas de guiado espacial, logrando optimizar dicha proceso. De otro lado, se revisan los métodos existentes para la estimación de la posición de robots móviles y vehículos autónomos.

Sep 19, 2006

By K. M. Li, Y. D. Zhang

The selection of stripping dragline is a complicated problem. Several factors, such as the deposit buried conditions, the demand of mine production rate, cast blasting result, the mining/stripping operation method and parameters, etc. may comprehensively influence the optimal selection of technical specifications of the dragline. Under these circumstances, the basic thinking and procedures for dragline selection are put forward as follows. •Step 1—Initially estimate the dragline annual stripping rate and stripping bench height according to the annual coal production rate and advancing speed of mining front. Then the feasible alternatives of dragline sizes can be calculated and selected from the existing dragline series. •Step 2—A computer simulation model is developed to simulate the dragline stripping operation, to obtain a series of working face parameters, then to select the best dragline alternative. This step can be interactively iterated until the satisfactory results are obtained. •Step 3— Sensitivity analysis can be done with the systems simulation model by changing the stripping bench parameters, e.g. stripping bench height and cut width, etc. to verify and modify the selection results if necessary. The mathematical model for dragline stripping simulation has been set up. The flowchart of the model is shown. A case study for a large surface coal mine with annual production rate of 16 Mt/a is followed. The dragline bucket capacity and operation radius, stripping bench height and cut width as well as other parameters are comprehensively optimized and selected. Keywords: Open cast, dragline, specification, selection, cast blasting

Jan 1, 2003

By P Salmon, M Kennedy

Sun Metals Corporation Pty Ltd (SMC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Korea Zinc Co Ltd (KZC) is a company formed to develop, construct and operate a zinc refinery, 11 km south of Townsville in North Queensland. The project opportunity exists because of on-going consumption growth for refined zinc metal, technological, environmental and economic obsolescence of existing zinc processing plants, and a prolonged ædroughtÆ of new zinc processing capacity under construction. The Project will utilise proven technology developed by KZC at the Onsan refinery in Korea. The Townsville Refinery has been designed to be the most environmentally-friendly zinc refinery in the world, and in particular to resolve the issue of secure, long term treatment of the ironbearing content of the zinc raw materials.

Jan 1, 1998

By Giovanni Rubinich Moraes, Giorgio de Tomi, Irfan Ullah

The study examines productive and unproductive hours in four underground mine shifts: 6 h, 8 h, 10 h, and 12 h. Moreover, two sub-scenarios of single or two blasts examined the effect on mine utilization regarding effective working hours in underground mines. Cuiabá Mine data, the Brazilian’s largest and deepest underground gold mine, was used in both sub-scenarios. Under the first sub-scenario, which assumes two blasts per day, the 6-h shift had an effective work time (EWT) of 13 h and 30 min or 56.3% of the day. The EWT was 15 h and 20 min, 63.9% of the day, in the 8-h shift scenario. The 15-h, 30-min EWT took 64.6% of the day in both 10/12-h shifts. The 6-h scenario had an EWT of 16 h and 15 min (67.7%) in the second sub-scenario with a single blast daily. The 8-h scenario boosted EWT to 18 h and 25 min (76.7%) daily. An EWT of 18 h and 35 min daily (77.4%) was found in 10/12-h shifts. Comparisons of both sub-scenarios show that EWT positively correlates with shift length. Sub-scenario 1 has a 7.6% incremental step from 6 to 8 h, while sub-scenario 2 has 9%. EWT increases from 8-h to 10/12-h shifts by 0.7% for single and two blasts daily. Compared to the two sub-scenarios, halting operations for blasting once daily improves the EWT average by 12.5%. Reducing blasting and changing underground mining shift duration might boost economic viability.

May 21, 2024

By George S. Scott

The Bureau of Mines conducted ignition, flammability, and decomposition experiments on gas mixtures containing ethylene to determine its flammability characteristics at elevated pressures and ambient temperatures. Pure ethylene was found to propagate a decomposition reaction at 1,000 psig and ambient temperatures when ignited with 1 gram or more of guncotton in a 2-inch-id bomb. The decomposition products were primarily carbon, methane, and hydrogen.

Jan 1, 1965

By Hitoshi Ogura, Koichi Kobayashi, Sadao Yabuuchi

"In Japan, most pile foundations using pre-cast concrete piles are installed by the bored pre-cast piling method, wherein pre-cast piles are installed in holes that have been excavated beforehand and filled with cement milk (term used for cement water slurry in Japan). The bored pre-cast piling method with enlarged base, in which the portion near the toe is enlarged during boring operation, is widely used because of the cost benefits and the increased vertical bearing capacity that this method offers.The EX MEGATOP method, further developed as an improved bored pre-cast piling method with enlarged base, is reported here. The features of this method are: (1) High vertical bearing capacity; (2) High degree of freedom in design; (3) Excellent workability; and (4) Friendly to the environment. In particular, high vertical bearing capacity can be obtained using nodular piles and by enlarging the area at the pile toe and shaft. This method can gave a vertical bearing capacity coefficient at the toe of a=430, more than twice the corresponding value of a = 200 of a conventional bored pre-cast pile. Moreover, the shaft resistance can be several times larger than that of a conventional bored pre-cast pile. This report gives an overview of the EX MEGATOP method, evaluation of vertical bearing capacity, and examples of application of the method.1.lntroductionMost pile foundations in Japan are installed by the bored pre-cast piling method, that is, in holes that have been excavated beforehand and filled with cement water slurry, referred to as 'cement milk'. The ""bored pre-cast piling method with enlarged base"" is frequently used. In this method an enlarged excavation is used near the pile toe to increase the vertical bearing capacity.The EX MEGATOP method is a variation of the bored pre-cast piling method. Its features include the use of nodular piles and a long, enlarged excavation. The vertical bearing capacity of the EX MEGATOP method is described in this report."

Jan 1, 2005

By A. H. Cronk

This paper is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on mining methods and costs in the different mining districts. The mining methods described in this paper are employed by one of the large mines in the Illinois fluorspar district. The mine is located at Rosiclare, Ill., and shipments are made over the Illinois Central Railroad: and by barge on the Ohio River.

Jan 1, 1930

By L. J. Froisland

Water classification and heavy-media sink-float methods were investigated for concentrating metallic junk automobile shredder rejects initially upgraded to about 75-percent metal content in an air elutriation system. An 8-inch-diameter water elutriation column with a feed capacity of 2.7 tons per hour was constructed and operated. The results obtained were compared with those produced by sink-float methods. Tests made on duplicate samples of an intermediate-grade metal product were successful in upgrading the metal con-tent from 75 percent to 98.7 and 99.1 percent with respective recoveries of 95.5 and 98.9 percent for the water classification and sink-float procedures. Tentative flowsheets for treating junk auto shredder rejects are outlined.

Jan 1, 1972

By MATTHEW HART, THOMAS BAMFORD, Kamran Esmaeili, MICHAL KOWALCZYK, FILIP MEDINAC

Improved haul-road conditions can have a positive impact on mine operations, resulting in heightened safety, productivity gains, longer tire life and lower maintenance costs. For these reasons, a monitoring program is required to ensure the operational efficiency of the haul roads. Currently, at Bald Mountain Mine, monthly site severity studies, ad hoc inspections by frontline supervisors or operator feedback reporting are used to assess road conditions. These methods are subjective and provide low temporal resolution data. This case study presents novel unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies, applied on a critical section of haul road at Bald Mountain, to showcase the potential for monitoring haul roads. The results show that orthophotos and digital elevation models can be used to assess the road smoothness condition and to check the road design compliance. Moreover, the aerial mapping allows detection of surface water, rock spillage and potholes on the road that can be quickly repaired/removed by the dedicated road maintenance team.

By W. H. Brandt

ThEre has been much progress in the last two decades in understanding the hardenability of steel. Roughly, the progress has been along two lines, which may be designated as empirical and fundamental. This empirical work has progressed to the point where steels may be manufactured to the desired characteristics quite closely and heat-treatment and application problems can be approached with considerable confidcnce. Particularly noteworthy among the empirical work is that of Grossmann,12. who has given formulas for calculating hardenability as a function of composition, and the establishment of the isothermal transformation curve by Davenport and Bain.13 The latter does not fall entirely in the class of an empirical study, for while it provides a means of presenting a tremendous amount of empirical data in the form of a single curve, it also outlines clearly the problems that face the fundamental investigator. The isothermal transformation curve shows clearly that the phenomena occurring in the neighborhood of the knee of the curve are those that limit the hardenability of steel. Above the knee of the curve, the product of decomposition of austenite is lamellar pearlite and fundamental progress has consisted chiefly of a detailed study of structure and formation of pearlite, largely at the hands of Mehl and his collaborators.'-5 They have shown that formation of pearlite proceeds by a process of nuclea-tion and growth and they measured both the nucleation and growth rate. However, there is still a wide gap between our empirical knowledge and fundamental knowledge, owing largely to the fact that there is no satisfactory theory of nucleation rate or of growth rate. This paper is being written in an attempt to Hl in a small part of the gap. A method was prcsented recently1' for calculating the velocity of edgewise growth of pearlite using an expression for the carbon concentration that satisfies the diffusion equation. The edgewise velocity of pearlite growth in a plain carbon eu-tectoid steel was calculated, using linear extrapolations of the ferrite and comentite solubilities. While the results are in fairly good agreement with the experimental facts, the calculated velocity of edgewise growth is smaller at 600°C. than G, the radial growth velocity of pearlite nodules, whereas one would expect it to be larger. In this paper the calculation will be repeated using a new extrapolation for the ferrite solubility, which gives better agreement between G and T', the calculated velocity of edgewise growth. A calculation will also be made of the effect of carbon content on velocity of edgewise growth, and the problems of calculating the effects of other alloying elements on growth rates will be discussed. It will be assumed that the mechanism of pearlite growth, established by Mehl and

Jan 1, 1947

By W. H. Brandt

ThEre has been much progress in the last two decades in understanding the hardenability of steel. Roughly, the progress has been along two lines, which may be designated as empirical and fundamental. This empirical work has progressed to the point where steels may be manufactured to the desired characteristics quite closely and heat-treatment and application problems can be approached with considerable confidcnce. Particularly noteworthy among the empirical work is that of Grossmann,12. who has given formulas for calculating hardenability as a function of composition, and the establishment of the isothermal transformation curve by Davenport and Bain.13 The latter does not fall entirely in the class of an empirical study, for while it provides a means of presenting a tremendous amount of empirical data in the form of a single curve, it also outlines clearly the problems that face the fundamental investigator. The isothermal transformation curve shows clearly that the phenomena occurring in the neighborhood of the knee of the curve are those that limit the hardenability of steel. Above the knee of the curve, the product of decomposition of austenite is lamellar pearlite and fundamental progress has consisted chiefly of a detailed study of structure and formation of pearlite, largely at the hands of Mehl and his collaborators.'-5 They have shown that formation of pearlite proceeds by a process of nuclea-tion and growth and they measured both the nucleation and growth rate. However, there is still a wide gap between our empirical knowledge and fundamental knowledge, owing largely to the fact that there is no satisfactory theory of nucleation rate or of growth rate. This paper is being written in an attempt to Hl in a small part of the gap. A method was prcsented recently1' for calculating the velocity of edgewise growth of pearlite using an expression for the carbon concentration that satisfies the diffusion equation. The edgewise velocity of pearlite growth in a plain carbon eu-tectoid steel was calculated, using linear extrapolations of the ferrite and comentite solubilities. While the results are in fairly good agreement with the experimental facts, the calculated velocity of edgewise growth is smaller at 600°C. than G, the radial growth velocity of pearlite nodules, whereas one would expect it to be larger. In this paper the calculation will be repeated using a new extrapolation for the ferrite solubility, which gives better agreement between G and T', the calculated velocity of edgewise growth. A calculation will also be made of the effect of carbon content on velocity of edgewise growth, and the problems of calculating the effects of other alloying elements on growth rates will be discussed. It will be assumed that the mechanism of pearlite growth, established by Mehl and

Jan 1, 1947

Laboratory studies of batch and continuous screening of ferrous sinter mixtures (4-0.5 mm) are described. The results are analysed by an equation derived from the first-order rate law for the condition of decreasing screen residue.The results of the studies show that the two screening operations are comparable in all respects if deck length in continuous screening and time in batch screening are interchanged.It is shown that the general screening process is determined by the numerical values of the screening rate constants of each of the particle sizes in the feed mixture and that the relationship between these constants and the particle size/screen aperture ratios is related to the appropriate probability function of the same ratios.It is also shown that the screening rates decrease exponentially with the amount of near-mesh material present in the feed and that oversize particles can increase these screening rates for some screen motions and decrease them for others.

Jan 1, 1985

By Uday Pal, Shizhao Su, Thomas Villalon

Compared with the current Hall–Héroult process for smelting aluminum, the Solid Oxide Membrane (SOM)-Based electrolysis process brings various advantages such as simplified design, lower cost, lower energy use, and many other environmental bene fits. However, the state-of-the-art SOM electrolysis process is limited by the solid oxide membrane’s stability and its compatibility with the molten salt and the electrode materials. This work will identify cost-effective molten salt compositions and membrane materials/architecture along with electrodes and current collectors that are all chemically compatible and provide optimum electrochemical properties for efficient aluminum oxide electrolysis.

Mar 1, 2017

By Thomas P. Goslin

T e mechanization of industry to reduce labor costs and to improve product quality is affecting he scale industry as it has affected many other industries. With increased emphasis on higher production rates many operators are experiencing difficulty in overcoming production problems where weight is a factor. Unfortunately, the scale industry has not shown the development over the last twenty-five years that other instrument industries have. For centuries the balance scale has been the standard and the workhorse of most weighing operations. In recent years considerable effort has been applied to designs to make balance scales more acceptable to industries employing automatic or semi-automatic processes. For the most part the designers have not attempted to replace the basic scale but toautomate functions of material handling and human judgement. Modern dump scales, for example, will accept material from a conveyor until a preset amount of material is on the scale, At this time the scale turns off the conveyor, dumps the load of material and repeats the operation with any desired timing. These improvements have helped industry. Even the scale observer has been replaced with devices which observe the scale reading and operate on weighed objects according to their weights. In spite of' the application of automation to the material handling, the balance scale has not been completely satisfactory. One reason for this is fairly evident when one considers the construction of the scales. Inherently, they are slow devices because of the inertia of the beams. The beam scale, primarily a static measuring device, is at the best limited to slow dynamic measurements.

Jan 1, 1958

By Eiichi Kuzuno, Atsushi Shibayama, Toyohisa Fujita, Kazuo Koike, Toshio Miyazaki, Hitoshi Masuda

"A solid sulfur is more useful to recover and store than a sulfuric acid as a by-product in the zinc hydrometallurgy. In this experiment a zin concentrate (sphalerite) was leached with ferric sulfate at about 373 K for 3 to 6 hours. Zinc was leached more than 95%. After a solid-liquid separation, the leached residue contained solid sulfur was obtained. The particles in the residue were dispersed by lignin and the solid sulfur of approximately 85% was recovered as float product by a flotation with frother in the pH 4. The dried float product was heated at 413K for 2 hours. The pure solid sulfur was recovered. On the other hand in the leached liquid a zinc oxide was ·added and ferrous .iron was oxidized to ferric iron by blowing oxygen. This ferric iron was returned to the zinc leached process after solid-liquid separation.IntroductionZinc concentrate is usually roasted as pretreatment in zinc hydrometallurgy and the produced S02 is changed to sulfuric acid. However, recently in Japan the utilization of sulfuric acid has been limited and it is more costly to store. Instead of producing sulfutic acid the solid sulfur recovery has been examined by direct leaching of zinc_ concentrate in this experiment.In the direct leaching, several kinds of effects have been studied for leaching of sphalerite in ferric sulfate solution. The addition of lignine siilfonate1 • 2) and fine· grinding3) increases the · speed arid leaching fraction of sphalerite. The leaching ratio depends on impurities in sphalerite ores4 • 5). Here, the zinc concentrate is leached ferric sulfate solution under atmospheric pressure at 373K. The solid sulfur in leached residue is separated as float products from other solids by sink-float separation and flotation. The sulfur in float products is purified by evaporation at 413K and recovered."

Jan 1, 2000

By A. J. Griest, P. D. Frost, H. A. Robinson

The flow characteristics and uniform elongation of alpha-beta titanium alloys in the solution-treated condition were shown to be markedly affected by the solution temperature. Two classes of alpha-beta alloys were distinguished, based on the effect of solution temperature on the uniform elongation. Martensitic alpha-beta alloys, which are relatively weakly beta-stabilized, showed decreasing values of uniform elongation as the solution temperature was initially increased. However, after solution-treatment at still higher temperatures in the alpha-beta field, the uniform elongation of these alloys was again high, and often attained its maximum value. Nonmartensitic alpha-beta alloys, which are more heavily beta-stabilized, showed a continuous decrease of uniform elongation with increasing solution temperature. The behavior was rationalized in terms of the alpha-beta ratio and the alloy content of the beta existing at the solution temperature. The data indicate that in commercial practice close temperature control may be required to get maximum uniform elongotion, and hence, maximum potential formability, in solution-treated sheet. Bend-test data also were obtained for the solution-treated conditions. A MOST important objective of current titanium research is the development of age-hardenable alloys with superior formability in the solution -treated condition. Alpha-beta titanium alloys have been shown to be amenable to high-strength aging treatments after solution-treatment in the alpha-beta field.' However, heat-treatment data on the properties of solution-treated sheet, such as uniform elongation, minimum bend radius, and flow properties, which have a bearing on the potential formability, have not been widely available. This paper presents only the most significant results of a research program conducted at Battelle for the Air Force in an effort to develop sheet alloys that can be formed readily as solution-treated and subsequently aged to very high strengths. Data for 10 compositions representative of the more than 25 alloys studied in this program are presented. A primary objective of the paper is to demonstrate the pronounced dependence of the flow characteristics and uniform elongation on solution-treatment temperature. This effect is believed to be vitally important in the commercial heat-treatment of age-hardenable titanium sheet alloys. Experimental Procedures Melting and Fabrication—The nominal and actual compositions, beta transi temperatures, and rolling temperatures of 10 of the 30 alloys studied are presented in Table I. Stock :€or two of the alloys, E (Ti- 8Mn) and J (Ti-6A1-4V) was obtained from commercial heats. The remaining heats, except D and I, were double melted as 10-lb heats in a consumable-electrode furnace. Melting stock was 120 Brine11 hardness sponge. The oxygen and hydrogen analyses spotted throughout the heats indicate the range of interstitial levels resulting from the melting practice used. Heats D and I were melted as 20-lb ingots with the same grade of sponge. These ingots were cut in half and one portion used in the present evaluation. The ingots, which were about 4 in. diam and 4 in. in height, were upset forged and drawn at 1750°F to sheet bar 5/8 in. thick by 2 1/2 in. wide in such a manner that the top of the ingot corresponded to the top of the sheet bar. Slabs of the sheet bar, 5 1/2 in. in length were scalped to 1/2 in. thickness and rolled at the temperatures indicated in Table I to approximately 0.055 in. sheet. Elongation during rolling took place at 90" to the original forged length. The fabrication procedure used is described in some detail since the experimental heats showed considerable directionality in mechanical properties. The rolling procedures for the commercial heats were unknown, but were such as to produce essentially isotropic properties. All heats, as rolled, showed microstructures typical of alpha-beta alloys worked in the alpha-beta field; that is, the structures consisted of equiaxed alpha particles in a beta matrix. Heat Treatment— The effects of solution and aging heat-treatments on the properties of the alloys were evaluated uSing longitudinal and transverse tensile and bend coupons sheared from the sheet. Two or three solution-treated conditions were evaluated for each alloy. In addition, the alloys were also tested after annealing at 1200°F for 4 hr and furnace cooling. The solution-treated and annealed conditions were those in which the alloys might be expected to

Jan 1, 1959

By R. S. C. Rogers

The present study examines the use of two vs. one stage of hydrocyclones in a pilot scale ball mill circuit. The approach used for doing this is based on computer simulation with mathematical models that explicitly account for the grinding mill/classification system interaction. Parameters for the ball mill model are obtained using a short-lived radioactive tracer method in open circuit tests of the study mill. The hydrocyclone model, based on the size selectivity concept, is developed and validated in standalone testing of the study hydrocyclones. Simulation procedures are validated through actual tests of the closed circuit grinding configurations of interest. Results of the evaluation indicate that two stages of hydrocyclones in the study circuit would improve classification, increase productivity and lead to more closely sized circuit products when compared to the conventional one stage hydrocyclone circuit. A computer simulation approach for comparing these circuit configurations in larger scale grinding circuits is also suggested.

Jan 1, 1981

By William D. Monaghan, Thomas H. Dubaniewicz, Kenneth L. Cashdollar

Emerging laser technologies are quickly gaining acceptance in the industrial workplace. Besides the risk of human exposure, one safety concern with the more intense lasers is the potential for ignition of flammable gases, vapors, dusts, fibers, or flyings often found in hazardous (classified) industrial settings. In underground coal mines, lasers are being considered for remote measurement of explosive methane gas. Current federal safety regulations for underground mines contain no specific guidance for evaluating the safety of optoelectronic components such as diode lasers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is conducting research to help provide a scientific basis for developing appropriate safety guidelines for optical equipment in the presence of flammable methane gas and/or coal dust. One phase of the study is an experimental evaluation of methane-air ignition by laser heated small particles. Minimum observed igniting powers for laser energy delivered by 200-, 400-, and 800-um core diameter fiber optic cables and directed onto selected targets in methane-air atmospheres were 0.6, L l, and 2.2 W, respectively. Comparisons are made with other ignition phenomena, including heated wires.