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By K. Donahue

Clay minerals play an important role in the gravitational stability of man-made rock piles by affecting geotechnical and hydrological characteristics of the material. The Goathill North rock pile at the Questa Mine in northern New Mexico has been the focus of a multi-disciplinary study to determine the effect of weathering on rock pile stability and in particular to determine if clay minerals are forming in the rock pile due to surface weathering. The results of x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses indicate the clay minerals found within the fine-grained soil matrix of the rock pile are of hydrothermal origins and did not detect any neoformation of clay minerals. The foremost mechanism for an increase in clay minerals within the rock pile is the physical break down of hydrothermally altered rock fragments to release hydrothermal clay minerals. The hydrothermal clay minerals within the rock pile show evidence of weathering by the dehydration of smectite from 2-water to 1-water interlayers within the clay mineral structure. This dehydration is most likely due to higher temperatures and low relative humidities in the Goathill north rock pile during surface exposure.

Jan 1, 2009

By Guorui Feng, Min Zhang, Yi Luo, Jian Yang, Yujiang Zhang, Junwen Bai

"Safe mining of coal seam sandwiched between abandoned upper and lower room-and-pillared mines (ULPM) ·is increasingly becoming the focus of attention in recent years, which is closely related to the damage intensity of the upper and lower interburdens. The #7 seam with ULPM in Baijiazhuang coal mine was selected for this research. According to the mining and geological conditions, the vertical stress and plastic zone distributions were determined first by numerical simulation. Then, a theoretical model based on the elasti-plasticity theory was developed. The stress distribution and failure zone created in the interburden by mining the upper and lower seams were determined. Finally the feasibility of mining #7 seam between the abandoned upper and a lower seam was evaluated. The results show that: (1) the distributions of abutment pressure and plastic zone coincide, both of which can be used to evaluate the failure zone in ULPM. The failure zone penetrates the whole upper interburden, while only parts of the lower interburden fail. (2) the theoretical failure zone coincides with the maximum distribution zone of abutment pressure and plastic zone obtained by numerical simulation: the failure zone height in the lower interburden is less than its thickness, while that in the upper interburden is larger than its thickness. (3) the #7 seam is located in the failure zone created by the upper seam room-and-pillar mining, which leads to well-development fractures and blocky fragments in the roof, thereby it is unstabled. (4) when mining the #7 seam in the interburden, the key is to control the roof strata and proper support measures should be taken timely to ensure safe mining.INTRODUCTIONMany coal mines in China mine the thick, superior and easily mineable resources preferentially, while the thin, inferior and difficult-to-mine resources were abandoned (Chappells and Trentrnann, 2015; Zhenfu, 2012; Xu, et al., 2015; Guorui, 2009). As the results of deficient geological data and shortage of investment capital, the residual coal resources distributes in many mining areas in China.In recent years, many residual coal seams sandwiched between the abandoned upper and lower room-and-pillar mines (ULPM) were explored in Shanxi Province, especially in the mining area of Datang, Xishan and Luan (Figure.1). The reserves of residual coal seams in ULPM are considerable, increasingly becomes the focus of attention among scholars and engineers."

Jan 1, 2016

By Stanislatv Pawlowski

New, large sulphur deposits were discovered in Poland in 1953, the result of investigations by the National Geological Institute. All deposits occur in a widespread Miocene evaporite unit in the Carpathian foredeep. The gypsum underlying impermeable Sarmatian clays was altered to limestone and native sulphur where penetrated by hydrocarbons and bacteria. All deposits occur in Miocene structural uplifts. The early determination of the genesis of the sulphur deposits and their occurrence in elevated blocks led to an exploration program that successfully located new deposits.

Jan 1, 1978

By E. W. Murbach

The oxidation of uranium carbide by oxygen at various pressures, and by air, has been investigated at temperatures up to 600°C. Arc-melted and cast uranium carbide displays oxidation behavior that appears to be dependent on its treatment after melting. ccReactive" uranium carbide, which results from exposure of freshly melted material to laboratory air, ignites in oxygen at about 275° to 350°C depending on pressure, and in air at about 350°C. The product of the initial oxidation appears to be UO2+.. Continued heating produces U30,. The initial oxidation rate is poportional, roughly, to the square root of the oxygen pressure. The activation energy determined for the initial oxidation reaction is 7.1 kcal, from 400° to 600°C in 10 mm of oxygen. AN investigation of low-decontamination methods for reprocessing uranium carbide reactor fuels is being carried out at Atomics International. One of the reprocessing cycles includes oxidation of the fuel at relatively low temperature (300° to 500°C) and reaction of the product oxide with carbon at elevated temperatures (above 1500°C) to produce uranium carbide. A number of small-scale experiments have been carried out in which uranium carbide was oxidized in air and oxygen at various pressures to measure reaction rates and to obtain other information concerning the oxidation process. In initial experiments with arc-melted UC, ignition was observed at about 275°C in oxygen or 350°C in air. However, similar experiments by Neymark' at 426°C in air showed no ignition. It was soon determined that the difference in oxidation behavior was due to the treatment of the UC following arc-melting. Neymark's experiments were carried out with freshly melted UC while those reported in the

Jan 1, 1963

By Antony: Guizado Aguedo Julio, Máximo Simon

La industria minera genera al día millones de toneladas de relaves al día producto de sus operaciones, las cuales son depositadas en presas de relave de grandes dimensiones. En consecuencia, la gestión eficiente de estos residuos para la mitigación de impactos en el ambiente, así como también la sostenibilidad de las operaciones se ha convertido en un gran reto de la minería actualmente. En ese sentido, mediante un enfoque de economía circular, el presente documento detalla la evaluación técnica realizada a los relaves auríferos de poderosa para su aprovechamiento como materiales de construcción prefabricados (ladrillos) mediante la generación de redes geopolimeras.

Sep 30, 2022

By E. Dalgaard

During linear friction welding of titanium alloy Ti-5A1-5V-5Mo-3Cr (Ti-5553), the weld zone exhibits beta (B) grain refinement and alpha (a) phase depletion that have the combined effect of deteriorating the mechanical performance of the weldment. In this work, linear friction welded Ti-5553 was subjected to pre- and post- weld heat treatments in order to determine the conditions under which a phase depletion could be mitigated in the weld zone and thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ). The mechanical response of the welded samples to the heat treatments was determined by performing tensile testing at room temperature. While the pre-weld heat treatments had no significant effect, the post-weld heat treatments were instrumental in restoring the strength of the starting (heat-treated) material.

Jan 1, 2011

By Olivier Martin

In busy and historic cities, traditional open box metro stations are becoming outrageously difficult, unacceptable for the citizen and uneconomical. Hybrid stations provide an interesting alternative. In-house experience of Gautrain (South Africa), West bay (Qatar), Cairo line 3A (Egypt), and Melbourne (Australia) all aim to reduce disturbance to the city and its inhabitants during construction. Constructed in rock or in deep soil under water table, they take advantages of the latest construction techniques from cement grouting to freezing, and from traditional excavation of cavern to large tunnels constructed by sophisticated tunnel boring machines (TBM). Today, they form the ultimate construction challenge.

Jun 13, 2021

By L Munholand, G. Soucy, P. Quintal

This work presents early results from the first study to optimize the hydrodynamics of a Plasma Lift Reactor (PLR). The PLR is designed to break down organic contaminants in aqueous solutions. New experimental results are presented for air/water tests and for plasma degradation of organic contaminants in Bayer liquor. In addition, a multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model has been developed which predicts the hydrodynamic behavior in the PLR. These results of this work suggest the PLR is effective at reducing contaminants in the Bayer liquor and that the CFD model adequately describes the hydrodynamic flow.

Jan 1, 2005

By Hickling G.

Discussion at the Manchester Geological and Mining Society's general meeting held in Manchester, February 8th 1916, with Mr. Leonard R. Fletcher, President, in the chair, of papers previously published in Trans. Inst. Min. Engrs.,1915, vol. L, p.322 and p.328. Included are a written contribution by Ollerenshaw W. and oral discussion by the author, Gerrard J., Paton J.D., Smith S.A., Stephenson H., Dixon H.O., Pickup W., Fletcher L.R. and Atherton H.S.

Dec 1, 1916

By J. D. Noll

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has promulgated rules to limit the exposure of metal/nonmetal underground miners to diesel particulate matter (DPM). These rules have resulted in many types of control tech­nologies being implemented including diesel particulate filters (DPF). The passive type DPF is the most desirable because it requires little maintenance and it regenerates while the vehicle is operating. One problem with passive DPFs is that many vehicles cannot develop the sustained exhaust temperatures needed to initiate DPF regeneration, and thus it is required that the DPF be catalyzed to decrease the temperature needed for regeneration. In some past studies, such catalyzed filters have been shown to cause an increase in the nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the exhaust, resulting in a potential health hazard. In this study, a lightly catalyzed DPF along with a fuel-born catalyst were employed to help reduce the DPM emissions from a 980F loader used for cleanup in a stone mine. After 30 days of use, the filter continued to regenerate successfully at the exhaust temperatures generated by this loader, substantially reduced DPM concentrations emitted in the exhaust, and did not cause a measurable increase in nitrogen dioxide levels that could be attributed to the device.

Jan 1, 2009

By Nigel Marx

In order to understand (and ultimately to predict) the friction reduction resulting from the use of polymer solutions, the rheological properties of model polymer solutions have been measured over a wide range of shear rates. Both temporary and permanent shear thinning have been observed. By using base fluids of different viscosities it has been shown that permanent shear thinning depends more closely on the shear stress experienced by the fluid than on the strain rate. Hydrodynamic measurements have been made on the polymer solutions using a compliant ball on flat lubricated contact that operates in isoviscous-elastic conditions. The measured friction values can only be predicted with reasonable accuracy if the measured shear thinning properties of the lubricant are taken into account in the hydrodynamic model.

Jul 31, 2018

By Kinya Atsumi, Kanjana Khunathai, Hisaya Kato, Hidetka Kawakita, Keisuke Ohto, Katsutoshi Inoue

"Crosslinked microalgae were prepared from the residue generated in the production of biofuel, by crosslinking-condensation in concentrated sulfuric acid. These microalgae were tested for adsorption of various metal ions in hydrochloric acid medium. The crosslinked microalgae exhibited high selectivity for Au(III) over other precious and base metal ions. From an isotherm experiment, the maximum adsorption capacity was evaluated to be 3.25 mol/kg of dry gel for Au(III) which was many times higher than that of the original microalgae residue. SEM and X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of metallic gold particles, suggesting the occurrence of a redox reaction between surface functional groups on the gel surface and trivalent gold ion.IntroductionSubstantial quantities of precious metals are being used by the electronic industry because of their excellent electrical conductivity and resistance to corrosion. In recent years, recovery of precious metals from secondary sources such as electronic scrap [1,2 ], and leach liquors is being favored because of environmental concerns. Of course, recovery is only practical, if its cost is lower than the value of the metals (gold, platinum and palladium) recovered.Traditional methods of separation and refining do not fulfill this requirement. In order to overcome this problem, attempts have been made in recent years to develop new processes including total leaching in hydrochloric acid containing chlorine gas or hypochlorite, followed by solvent extraction and ion exchange [3]. In the new processes, new solvent extraction reagents or ion exchange resins with high selectivity and high loading capacity are used to simplify the process and to reduce the operating costs."

Jan 1, 2011

By Toru Nakao

Fujiwara Quarry had been operated by the "Glory-hole Benchcut" mining system. But because it became difficult to meet the expanding demand by this system, "Central- shaft MCP" mining system was introduced in 1979. This MCP is equipped with a hydraulic walking system manufactured for the first time in Japan. Nowadays "Central-shaft" mining is the common method at limestone quarry in Japan. In this method crushing facilities are usually installed at the bottom of the shaft. But at this quarry, MCP was adopted and installed on the quarry surface. Many MCPs are operated in foreign countries, but in Japan few examples exist. Normally, Japanese limestone deposits lie in high mountains, which is obviously inconvenient for MCP to walk in and around the quarry. This difficulty, however, was overcome at this quarry, and MCP has been operated satisfactorily and efficiently for about 2 years after it was installed. In order to overcome the difficulty, in "Cen¬tral-shaft MCP" mining system, two mining methods are employed, the one is "SLICE-DOWN" mining method, and the other is "BLOCK-CUT" mining method.

Jan 1, 1982

"Foreword by Emily SarverAssistant professor, Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VAThe Mineral Processing Division hosted its fifth Student Poster Contest during the 2014 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit in Salt Lake City, UT – and, by all accounts, it was a huge success! This year, the contest more than doubled in numbers of individual entries and schools represented. A total of 30 students participated, including 23 graduates and 7 undergraduates, representing 13 US and international institutions: Colorado School of Mines, Michigan Tech, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Montana Tech, New Mexico Tech, South Dakota School of Mines, University of Kentucky, University of Utah, Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, Autonomous University of Chihuahua (Mexico), UNAL Medellin (Colombia), University of British Columbia (Canada). In addition to constructing their posters, students submitted abstracts and gave short oral presentations highlighting their research. Based on tallied scores from all three components of the contest, the judging panel selected 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners at the undergraduate and graduate levels, which were announced during the MPD Luncheon on February 26.In the undergraduate division, University of Utah’s Lucas Pich was awarded the 1st place prize for his poster “Solid-liquid mixing studies in lab-scale flotation tank using electrical resistance tomography.” His extended abstract is included in this issue of Minerals & Metallurgical Processing. Joshua Chidester, also of Utah, won 2nd place for his poster presenting “Evaluation of detectors for radiotracer RTD measurement by MCNP.” And Lucas Rojas-Mendoza, of UNAL Medellin, took 3rd place for his poster on “Preg-robbing in Colombian gold ores.”In the graduate division, 1st place went to Caelen Anderson, of the Colorado School of Mines, who also placed in this contest in 2012 and 2013! The 2nd and 3rd place prizes were awarded to Jacob McDonald and Joseph Halt, respectively, both of Michigan Tech. Extended abstracts describing the work of these up-and-coming researchers are also included in this issue.The 2014 Contest was chaired by Emily Sarver (Virginia Tech) and Lisa Schlink (Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold, Inc.). Aaron Noble (West Virginia University), David Perkins (Derrick Corporation) and Derek Novotny (Eriez) graciously served on the judging panel this year.Special thanks are extended to all sponsors of the 2014 MPD Student Poster Contest, and to all student participants. Please watch for upcoming details on the 2015 Contest. We look forward to seeing you in Denver!"

Jan 1, 2015

By R. Hogg, J. M. Mutmansky, E. Kaya

"Characterization of the size, shape, chemical composition, and mineralogical content of mine airborne dusts generally requires a larger mass of dust particles than is typically collected using traditional sampling devices. In this paper, the general design of a passive dust collector is described and the field results are presented. The collector was constructed of galvanized sheet metal duct with a resin-coated honeycomb to provide an elutriation-type system for particle collection. Several versions of the collector were used in the field portions of the research.The dust samples collected from underground coal mines were found to possess angular particle shapes, relatively consistent size distributions, and elemental compositions that showed relatively little variation, at least for the more prevalent elements. In addition, the distributions of particles sizes obtained from the passive dust collector appear to be similar to those of samples collected at the same time in a conventional personal sampler except that the passive device seems to collect a larger quantity of coarse, nonrespirable particles. Conclusions on the suitability of this dust collector for collecting characterization samples are presented. In addition, the potential for using such a dust collection system for supplying dusts for biomedical research is discussed.INTRODUCTIONRecently, a considerable amount of research effort has been directed toward better understanding of the characteristics of the coal dust generated during the mining process. It is generally believed that dust characteristics play a significant role in the development of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis (CWP). In order to effectively protect coal workers from coal dust, it is important to understand the properties of dust, the mechanisms of generation and dust-lung reaction. Conducting research on dust characterization, dust control and the biomedical aspects of dust toxicology generally requires a large sample of airborne coal dust. Unfortunately, current dust sampling instruments are not able to meet this demand because only a few milligrams of dust are collected."

Nov 1, 1995

By K. R. Miller

Thunder Basin Coal Company has two mines located in the southern portion of the Powder River Basin. 60-90 km southeast of Gillette, Wyoming. The mines are principally located on federal coal leases acquired in the late-1960's. Development plans for the Black Thunder Mine focused on dragline stripping, but environmental considerations during the mid-1970's made truck-shovel stripping the method of choice when the mine opened in 1976. In 1981, the Coal Creek Mine opened as the first dragline mine in the Gillette area of the Powder River Basin. The regional terrain is flat-lying with occasional clinker-capped hills. The mines are located on the Wasatch and Fort Union Formation contact. The coals are Paleocene in age and the deposits are structurally simple, dipping gently to the west. The seams are thick and are classified as sub-bituminous-C. The Black Thunder Mine, with its 21 m thick seam, is strategically located in the center of the highest heat value mining area of the southern Powder River Basin.

Jan 1, 1993

By G J. I dos Santos

The risk assessment of mining projects is directly related to the possible failure in estimating, and as estimates are made from sampling results, this activity should be done in a judicious and planned manner, to avoid surprises at the start of project operation. Pierre Gy’s (1995) sampling theory addresses the issue of sample representativeness and indicates that only the certainty that the sampling procedure was performed with quality may result in samples being recognised as representative. To validate the representativeness of samples from sampling boreholes selected for studies of mineral processing, the team of geology resource assessment of VALE has proposed a methodology based on the use of statistical analysis tools, which in addition to considering the spatial distribution of these samples in deposit, considers whether they are representative of the populations studied, allowing the geologist to make a quick analysis of sample representativeness.

Jul 11, 2011

By Y. Mitani, H. Ikemi, K. Kitamura, H. Honda

"Instead of carbon capture and geological storage (CCS) that does not rely on structural aquifers, injecting carbon dioxide into sedimentary rock deep underground has been considered. For advection velocity of the fluid is slow, the permeability of sedimentary rock deep underground is low. In order to perform the CCS on the low permeable sedimentary rock, it is necessary to clarify the behavior of long term storage properties of carbon dioxide (CO2).In this study, the permeability and storativity of CO2 injected into low permeable rock has been evaluated. The injection of supercritical CO2 has been conducted on the specimen of Ainoura sandstone (unit weight: 2.39 g/cm3, porosity: 11.9 %) saturated with water by using flow pump method. The experiment has been set up to reproduce the similar condition of deep underground reservoir under 20 MPa confining pressure, 10 MPa pore pressure, 35°C temperature and 3 µl/min CO2 injection rate. In order to prevent an increase in pore pressure, the boundary condition on the outlet side of specimen has been kept a constant pressure.As a result, it has been possible to observe step by step the change of the differential pressure between both ends of specimen. Furthermore, the relative permeability and specific storage of rock under supercritical CO2 injection has been examined by the theoretical analysis of flow pump permeability test incorporating Darcy’s law for two-phase flow. It is observed that CO2 has been transmitted gradually while CO2 stored in the rock. It is also clarified that residual water has existed in specimen after showing the constant differential pressure in the end of the experiment. Using the results of the experiment, 3D core-scale flow-simulation by using TOUGH2 has been conducted due to confirm the flow of fluid and CO2 distribution in the specimen. From the experimental results and analytical solution to them, permeability and storativity are identified, and simulation results support the validity of the experimental results."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Kretschmann, A. Müterthies, T. Rudolph, C. Yang, P. Goerke-Mallet

Catastrophic failures of dams and tailing storage facilities (TSF) have triggered the development of integrated ground monitoring concepts for hazard assessment, risk management and public safety. These concepts are based on knowledge and expertise of persons technically responsible for TSF. The aim is to combine this implicit and explicit knowledge with the data of in-situ- and remote sensors. Risk management for TSF must include a comprehensive monitoring program that integrates data from ground based-, air-borneand satellite-based sensors. Researchers at Technical University Georg Agricola (THGA) in Bochum, and EFTAS, Muenster, Germany, are fusing a variety of sensor data to enhance the capability and performance of TSF monitoring to ensure public safety downstream of TSFs. This paper describes the variety of sensors implemented in numerous research projects. It gives an outlook in terms of planned satellite missions with innovative equipment like hyperspectral sensors. The implementation of the data of these sensors in the analysis will increase the understanding of spatio-temporal impacts of mining activities. Future opportunities are explained by a datacube approach.

Mar 2, 2022

By R. V. Hopper, M. E. Wilson, L. S. Trenholme

"The Company known as Rouyn Merger Mines, Limited, was formed in 1943 to take over the ownership of claims in Rouyn and Joannes townships formerly held by East Rouyn Mines, Limited, O'Neil Thompson Mines, Limited, and the Hosking-Cockeram Prospecting Syndicate. The NorandaSenneterre branch of the Canadian National railway passes in an approximately east-west direction through almost the entire length of the property. Since 1937, sixty-three diamond drill holes have been drilled from the surface to cross faults on the contact of the Timiskaming sediments with the Abitibi ( Keewatin) volcanics, along which ore has been found to occur. Late in 1945, the sinking of a 3-compartment inclined shaft in the andesite agglomerate beneath the ore zone was commenced. On January 17th, 1947, this shaft had a depth of 944 feet; cross-cuts have been driven north-northwest from the shaft at 150-foot intervals from depths of 200 to 800 feet on the shaft (Fig. 2).GEOLOGYThe western or East Rouyn part of the Rouyn Merger property in which ore is being mined adjoins the area owned by McWatters Gold Mines, Limited, on the east and is underlain by the eastern continuation of the McWatters formations. As at the McWatters, the rocks belong structurally to three areas: (1) the territory north of the Cadillac-Bouzan Lake fault, occupied almost wholly by Abitibi ( Keewatin) volcanics; (2) the area along the south boundary of the property, underlain by Timiskaming conglomerate and greywacke; and (3) the synclinal belt of McWatters volcanics and sediments between areas 1 and 2.1Bouzan fault of Hawley."

Jan 1, 1954