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By T. Gonzales

Magma Metals Company operates an Outokumpu Flash Furnace, four Peirce-Smith Converters and two Anode Casting Wheels supported by six Anode Vessels. Process gasses from the Flash Furnace and Converters are treated in a two train/double contact sulfuric acid plant. Sulfur capture for the smelter is +98%. The new flash furnace was commissioned on July 7, 1988 and has processed over three million tons of sulfide concentrate without a major rebuild. Magma has gained unique experience in the operation of the flash furnace at high oxygen enrichments with low off-gas dust loadings. New procedures have been developed to maintain secondary material generation at equilibrium and for maintaining metallurgical control of operating parameters. This paper describes all the procedures, operation control parameters and operating philosophy that has allowed Magma to achieve superior performance.

Jan 1, 1992

By Richard L. Unger

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has designed, fabricated, and tested a prototype track maintenance vehicle for underground coal mines. The vehicle uses a stiff rotating brush to clean the track so that a visual inspection is possible. It is also equipped to measure track gauge and cross-level. The objective of this report was to describe the track maintenance vehicle and detail the results of investigations into present underground track inspection procedures and cleaning technologies, which led to the development of the prototype. Recommendations are made concerning the integration of components of this prototype vehicle into current track cleaning and inspection systems used in underground mines.

Jan 1, 1984

By E Macmillan

For any processing plant there will be deleterious elements or minerals which affect production or quality, and a strategy to predict their occurrence and mitigate their impact is required. An early objective of the Olympic Dam geometallurgy program was prediction of the acid consumption and gelling behaviour of the ore, which affects leach recovery, throughput and circuit availability. The geometallurgical test program measured the response of a wide range of ore types, and then relationships between mineralogy, metallurgy and chemistry were developed. Thus the drivers of acid consumption and triggers for gelling events could be described in ways that were meaningful to plant operations.To enable optimisation of the mine planning and ore blending processes, the parameters driving metallurgical response must be translated to the block model. Data support is critical in populating a block model. Assay information is easily obtained, but mineralogical and metallurgical information is more expensive and time consuming to collect. Hence population of a block model with mineralogical and metallurgical values using a conventional geostatistical approach is not always possible.An alternative approach employed at Olympic Dam was the development of a suite of assay-to-mineral algorithms. These algorithms were calibrated using all available mineralogical information, and this enabled the calculation of mineral abundances for more than 1.5 million assayed samples. Estimation of the minerals in the block model, and the generation of acid consumption values for each block could subsequently occur.The use of back-calculated mineralogy from assays as part of process model generation is an innovative tool which can be used for mine planning and optimisation and to ensure the plant does not receive any unwelcome surprises. Ultimately, one purpose of geometallurgy is to predict potential processing issues and their drivers so that these can be mitigated. A strategy to achieve this is outlined hereafter.

Sep 5, 2011

By M R. Lane, M L. Cramer, N P. Wines

Increasing attention is being focused by regulators and industry on the residual environmental liabilities associated with mining projects following site relinquishment (termed surrender in Queensland). Even sites that have been rehabilitated to a high standard and to the satisfaction of the regulator are not completely risk free and may require some degree of ongoing management. As well as ongoing monitoring and maintenance costs, considerations should include how costs associated with potential risk event occurrence can be quantified and, if considered material, how provisioning should be undertaken to minimise the risk to the state and to taxpayers. In Queensland for example, once a resource site is fully rehabilitated and meets its environmental authority conditions or rehabilitation completion criteria, the tenure and environmental authority can be surrendered. During the surrender process any ‘residual risks’ resulting from the use of the site for the resource activity must be considered, and, if requested, a payment given to the government to cover any ongoing management and risk costs. Accent Environmental, in conjunction with Lane Associates, was engaged by the Queensland Government as part of the government’s financial assurance framework reforms to develop an innovative, ‘one-size fits most’ Residual Risk Calculator for the Queensland resources industry. The calculator is an Excel-based tool that uses detailed user inputs to estimate post-surrender management requirements and liability at resource sites. If residual environmental risks associated with rehabilitated mine sites can be identified, quantified and managed through pragmatic regulatory tools and effective provisioning, site relinquishment/surrender can be achieved without compromising environmental and social outcomes or exposing the state to unreasonable financial risk. The effective management of residual risk can also help facilitate operations as well as relinquishment/surrender of sites where a ‘walkaway’ solution may not be otherwise technically feasible.

Aug 2, 2023

By John R. Bitler

The Bureau of Mines conducted this study to provide information concerning the availability of and the demand for construction-mineral aggregates in the Baltimore, Md., Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). The demand is discussed with reference to the area's current consumption and estimates of the area's demand for aggregates through 1990. Estimates of aggregate supply are presented in conjunction with an examination of the geology of the area, the availability of substitutes, and the effect of transportation costs. A discussion of the constraints affecting aggregate availability precedes the conclusions and recommendations. The availability of aggregates is subject to geologic, economic, and political constraints. As of January 1974, an estimated 20,100 million tons of stone was available to meet the demand projected through 1990 (188.7 million tons). An estimated 139 million tons of sand and gravel was available to meet the demand projected through 1990 (84.3 million tons). Several alternative actions are available within the area to insure the adequacy of the stone supply and to increase the supply of sand and gravel: (1) The establishment of special mineral resource zones; (2) the application of sequential land use techniques; and (3) the exploration of previously undeveloped regions.

Jan 1, 1975

By R. Niechcial

As populations grow and industry expands, the limited fresh water resources available are increasingly under stress. This situation creates conflict between communities and industry; and the sustainability of both is threatened. The symbiotic relationship between community and industry highlights the need to develop innovative solutions to these water shortages. The sea may hold the key to providing the resource to permit the development of industry, the sustainability of communities, and the protection of the dwindling legacy water resources around the world. Desalination technologies have developed to where it is now economically viable to create industrial and potable water quality from seawater. Nowhere is this development more important than in the arid region of Northern Chile, where high copper prices have encouraged a boom in mine development.

Jan 1, 2007

By E. J. Kloos, R. H. Schutz, B. I. Ferber

To protective devices, the Bureau of Mines has established five schedules of minimum performance requirements for the approval of respirators. The current revisions of these schedules include 13D for self-contained breathing apparatus, 14F for gas masks, 19B and the amendments to 19B for supplied- air respirators, 21B for dust, fume, and mist respirators, and 23B for chemical cartridge respirators. Copies of these schedules may be obtained from the Bureau of Mines, Publications Distribution Section, 4800 Forbes Avenue, Pitts- burgh, Pa., 15213. Approval tests on respirators are performed only at the request of the manufacturer of the respirator and at his expense. If the device meets the approval requirements, a certificate of approval is granted on the complete respirator. This certificate states that as long as the respirator is manufactured as originally approved, or in accordance with any changes covered by an exten- sion of the original approval, the manufacturer may advertise and sell his respirator as being approved by the Bureau of Mines. Many industries and regulatory agencies require that respirators approved by the Bureau of Mines be used where respiratory protection is needed. The Bureau of Mines, how- ever, has no regulatory power over the use of the respirators that it approves. It acts as an impartial testing agency to insure the availability of suitable and safe respirators. At frequent intervals, the Bureau of Mines purchases approved respirators and replacement parts on the open market. These are examined for conformity to the approved status, and are checked to insure that the manufacturer's pro- duction facilities are maintaining a satisfactory quality control.

Oct 1, 1965

By S Watson, L Martinez

Mine projects are complex opportunities that demand a constant assessment of uncertainty, ie risk and upside potential. This is because the value of a mine project is typically influenced by many underlying economic and physical uncertainties, such as metal/mineral prices, metal/mineral grades, costs, schedules, quantities, and environmental issues, amongst others, which are not known with much certainty at the beginning of the project. But, is uncertainty an enemy or an ally of the mine planner/analyst? To answer this question, this paper first assesses and elaborates upon the general concept of uncertainty. It then looks at the different sources of uncertainty in a mining project, such as the orebody, costs and product price uncertainties, and their effect on the final project value. Next, a general?review?of current mine evaluation techniques highlighting their limitations when dealing with uncertainty is made. Finally, an extended evaluation and risk management framework that addresses the existing uncertainty in the (greenfield/brownfield) mine evaluation process is proposed. One important characteristic of this framework is that it uses and manages uncertainty in order to generate additional value to the project; this is done through operational and managerial flexibility, which allow mine planners to minimise/maximise project risk/upside-potential giving a more realistic estimate of the projectÆs market value - this is shown in practical and simple examples occurring at different stages of a mine project, such as exploration and operation. Final conclusions are provided at the end.CITATION:Martinez, L and Watson, S, 2012. Uncertainty - An important source of (additional) value for mine projects, in Proceedings Project Evaluation 2012 , pp 131-140 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 24, 2012

By The SME Sustainable Development Committee

The evolution of sustainable development in mining is recognized as a key contributor to sustainable development (SD), which is defined as the ability of current generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland, 1987). This includes, in equal parts, social, economic and environmental impacts ? triple bottom line (Munashinge and Shearer, 1995). Alternately, sustainability has been defined in relation to social, natural, human, physical and financial capital. Our way of life relies significantly on the materials provided by mining, while mining activity affects the triple bottom-line or the five capitals. The mining community and its professionals have come to realize the importance of engaging all stakeholders in the discussion on sustainability. SME, as the leading professional mining organization, has been involved in these discussions. The society has various initiatives in sustainable development for members and stakeholders. The objective of this article is to: provide historical context for current trends in mining and SD and share SME sustainability initiatives ? their goals and rationales ? with the broader mining community. This article is timely because the past year saw two landmark forums on sustainable development: Rio+20 ? the 20th meeting of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, and MMSD +10, the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development project 10 years on. Furthermore, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Milos Declaration on the minerals professional?s responsibilities in achieving sustainable development, forums in which SME was involved.

May 1, 2013

By Ralph Johnson, Philippe Gaultier, Loui Fauteux, Andrew Dasys

"This paper outlines the implementation of the Mechanic's Stethoscope from the earliest stages of development to the implementation at Brunswick Mining and Smelting. It details the cooperative efforts of personnel at Noranda Technology Centre (NTC) and Brunswick Mining & Smelting (BMS) during the technology transfer of the Mechanic's Stethoscope. It demonstrates how everyone worked toward a goal of developing a product that is accepted as a useful addition to the work environment.The Mechanic's Stethoscope is an underground vehicle diagnostic system consisting of computer hardware and software intended to assist mechanics in daily tasks. Its tools facilitate quick and easy access to any information required during the maintenance of an underground vehicle. Each tool presents vehicle condition data in a simplified manner. The additional information improves the mechanics understanding of the vehicle condition. The result is a healthier fleet of vehicles and faster diagnosis times.When introducing a computer based system into a traditionally non-computer oriented environment a concern is the acceptance of the system. This concern exists on many levels."

Jan 1, 1995

By AIME

NEW YORK'S largest hotel, the Pennsylvania, will be filled with mining and oil men and metallurgists the third week of February when some 3000 AIME members, their wives, and guests will gather for the Institute's 1948 Annual Meeting-its 166th general meeting. Except for the usual Sunday afternoon and evening sessions of the Mineral Industry Education Division at the Columbia University Men's Faculty Club, the big assembly will be under one top and members will not this year have to consult compass and map to find their next session. Possibly enervated by the stupendous effort of the Anniversary Celebration last spring and the plethora of highly successful fall meetings, the various committees have been a trifle slow in arranging their social and technical programs, but in mid December as we go to press there is already much to report indicative of substantial fare and high interest. The definite timetable schedule will appear in the February M&M.

Jan 1, 1948

By L. Uotinen, M. Rinne, R. Mishra

Underground mining gives rise to geotechnical hazards. A formal geotechnical risk assessment can help to forecast and mitigate these hazards. Frequentist probability methods can be used when the hazard does not have many variables and a lot of data is available. However, often there is not enough data for probability distributions, such as in the case of new projects. The risk assessment is often subjective and qualitative, based on expert judgement. The purpose of this research is to present the use of Bayesian networks (BNs) as an alternative to existing risk assessment methods in underground mines by combining expert knowledge with data as it becomes available. Roof fall frequency forecasting using parameter learning is demonstrated with 1141 sets of roof fall data across 12 coal mines in the USA. The prediction is nearly identical for individual mines, but when multiple mines are evaluated it is difficult to find a single best fit distribution for annual roof fall frequency. The BN approach with TNormal distribution was twice as likely to fit the observed data compared to the Poisson distribution assumed in the past. A hybrid approach using BN combining multiple probability distribution curves from historical data to predict annual roof fall is proposed. The BN models can account for variability for multiple parameters without increasing the complexity of the calculation. BNs can work with varying amounts of data, which makes them a good tool for real-time risk assessment in mines.

Jun 1, 2021

By Frank B. Fulkerson

Barge traffic on the Nation's inland waterways over the past 15 years has been increasing at a rate much faster than intercity freight traffic by all modes, largely due to the growing consumption of mineral commodities, development of more powerful towboats and large and more specialized barges, improvements to loading and unloading facilities, and competition among bargelines for contract shipment of bulk commodities. The Bureau of Mines, in a study to determine barge traffic projections for inland waterways in the South-Central States to the year 1980, gathered data on origin-destination patterns by commodity, quantity moved, equipment used, and rates charged; the trend of each of these factors over time; and the extent of competition between water trans-port and other means of transportation. The Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which together carryover half the Nation's barge traffic, are major carriers of coal, crude petroleum, steel, marine shells, sulfur, salt, cement, and alumina. Greater quantities of these products will be transported by barge; however, oil pipe-lines and unit trains for coal are expected to limit increased barge traffic of these two commodities. Increasing quantities of fertilizer materials will be transported upstream. Although congestion at certain locks is a current problem, the Mississippi River below St. Louis and other open-river stretches have the capacity to handle the increasing number of barges for the foreseeable future.

Jan 1, 1969

By M Yahyaei, F Vos, J Siliezar

Site-based case studies (including data collected from industrial surveys) and their application in evaluating circuit performance, have a significant role in developing reliable process models. Such models are useful to both plant metallurgists and researchers. Appropriate process models enable the plant metallurgist to assess the impact of different operational parameters on the overall circuit performance. They also provide the researcher with a detailed understanding of process behaviour in response to changes in ore characteristics and process conditions (ie plant throughput, ore competence, ore type). Thus enabling the identification of effective operating factors, and allowing them to be ranked in order of their influence on the process response, which eventually develops into a process control tool in the hands of plant operators.The above approach has been developed and applied at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) separately for both comminution and flotation processes. In recent years, the JKMRC has attempted an integrated approach by developing process models that incorporate the impact of upstream processes on downstream processes. This is not possible using the traditional approach of separate comminution and flotation surveys, so conducting integrated plant surveys is crucial for success in developing integrated process models. This paper summarises industrial experience gained while conducting such an integrated plant survey at Glencore’s Ernest Henry Mining operation near Cloncurry in north Queensland. An appropriate approach should be taken to enable the alignment of different requirements from different processes during the plant survey. This, as well as the challenges faced in integrating comminution process models with flotation process models, are identified.CITATION:Yahyaei, M, Vos, F, Powell, M S, Siliezar, J and Perkins, T, 2014. Challenges in developing integrated process models based on industrial survey data, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 437–446 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By P. M. Ambrose, A. C. Fieldner

This , the 11th annual report of research and technologic work conducted by the Bureau of Mines on coal and coal products , is issued following the closing of the Bureau's war work on fuels and contains references to most of the published articles containing results of war investigations . The few remaining papers will be discussed in next year's report . The trend in coal research in the Bureau of Mines was discussed in Mechaniza- tion . This publication , covering the period from the close of armed con- flict to resumption of normal coal -research activities , includes a section never previously presented . There is included for the first time a discussion of the Bureau's activities in the Liquid Fuels and Lubricants and the Solid Fuels Subcommittees of the Technical Industrial Intelligence Committee . This report does not replace the more comprehensive ones prepared by individual authors and listed as footnote references in this publication . purpose is to bring to the reader a résume of the work for the fiscal year ended June 30 , 1946. The material presented herein is based largely upon publications , but the results of some research and testing, which would not otherwise be published in the near future, are presented in detail .

Jul 1, 1947

By J. Larsson

In the pursuit of increased safety the mining industry has worked to develop systems for remote control and autonomous operation of both stationary and mobile equipment. This paper reports on a newly developed system for teleoperation and autonomous tramming of LHD (Load-Haul-Dump) mining vehicles that not only increases the safety of the operators, but also has the potential to increase productivity.

Jan 1, 2010

By A Bird

Gravity gold circuits have an important part in reducing operating costs and maximising recovery in modern gold plants where coarse gold is present in the ore body. The design and selection of equipment has a vital part in the overall effectiveness of the gravity gold circuit. There are a number of associated factors that need to be taken into consideration when selecting the most suitable equipment for gravity gold circuits including occupational health and safety, security and labour requirements. This paper is a case study that outlines the validation behind the design, selection of equipment and subsequent benefits of the recent upgrade of the gravity circuit at the Marvel Loch gold mine with the main component to the upgrade being the installation of a Consep Acacia Reactor. Since the upgrade there has been a significant increase in gravity recovery, which has reduced the amount of gold reporting to the leaching circuit therefore reducing reagent consumption and overall operating costs. There has been an increase in overall gold recovery and therefore increased gold production. The benefits to occupational health and safety include the removal of toxic gases being released in the gold room during the previous practice of gold concentrate calcination and the removal of the arsenic and nickel from the gold doré, which poses a risk during refining. Manual handling and security has improved as there is no physical contact with gold concentrates during the automated process using the Acacia reactor. The total time for gold room personnel working in the gold room has also reduced from around six hours per day to less than one hour per day.With the continuing development of low grade gold deposits, there will be an increase in demand for low capital, high recovery gravity gold circuits that can significantly increase overall production while reducing operating costs.

Aug 8, 2011

By R. R. Sayers

That the maintenance of proper air conditions is a most important factor in the control of occupational hazards is shown by the large amount of material presented each year through the technical journal's on the effects on workers of injurious dusts, gases, and variations in temperature and humidity.. SUMMARY OF RECENT LITERATURE ON EFFECTS ON WORKERS OF EXPOSURE TO DUSTS The subject of the control of dust and dust diseases continues to be a matter of serious concern in most of the industrial countries of the world, as indicated by the following summary of reports published in a number of foreign countries as well as in the United States. Australia. The Workmen's Compensation Act of 1920 for New South Wales3 provided for the promulgation of schemes for the compensation of workers dis- abled by silica or other dust. In 1924 the prevalence of silicosis and tuberculosis among Sydney stonemasons, quarrymen, sewer miners and rockchoppers was investigated by a Technical Committee of Inquiry, appointed upon the recommendation of the New South Wales Board of Trade. The findings of this committee were published by the Government in 1925. No scheme was promulgated by the Government and in 1926 the Act was amended limiting its scope to workmen disabled by disease caused by silica-dust. This was promulgated and gazetted on September 16, 1927, and applies to men working in sandstone as stonemasons, quarrymen, rockchoppers, and sewer miners in the County of Cumberland.

Feb 1, 1931

By Rey B. Marquez

This paper introduces and outlines the implementation of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) at Phelps Dodge Hidalgo Inc. By using a disciplined approach to the everyday maintenance functions, a proactive strategy is being developed which "raises the bar" for plant maintenance. The main objectives are: integration of Operations and Maintenance partnerships, transformation of maintenance practices from a reactive to proactive mode through the introduction of a progressive Predictive/Preventive Maintenance program (PDM/PM) paradigm changes, increased management support of maintenance functions, introduction of new indices and root cause analysis, updated; training, and definition of RCM components. RCM is the vehicle being utilized to reach the higher level of equipment availability and utilization. However, the ultimate goal is to venture beyond RCM and into the new frontier of Total Maintenance Management (TMM).

Jan 1, 1998

By R. H. Andrews, F. J. West

"Jones & Laughlin Mining Company, Ltd. operate the Adams mine at Kirkland Lake, Ontario, where they mine approximately 4,000,000 tons of extremely hard iron-formation and 3,500,000 tons of volcanic waste rock annually in order to produce 1,100,000 tons of iron pellets. This paper will discuss the maintenance of the four Model 1600 P & H shovels and the two 50-R drills used to obtain this production. The chief maintenance problems at the mine are due to the hard, abrasive ore and the cold winter weather."

Jan 1, 1970