Search Documents

By B Levasseur, C Olsen, E Ghasemian Langeroudi, F Larachi, F Safizadeh, C Gagnon

Gold recovery by the cyanidation process is often accompanied by the leaching of other species. This leads to the depletion of the level of free cyanide and oxygen available for gold cyanidation. The largest proportion of the consumed cyanide is diverted by the cyanicides (eg S, Cu, Zn, Fe, etc) into non-valuable complexes.COREMÆs Extractive Metallurgy team has been conducting a research program on the improvement of the gold cyanidation process. As a part of this program, the current study aims to investigate the effect of certain operating parameters on the reactions involved during preoxidation and cyanidation. Flotation tailings and single mineral samples such as pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite, along with their different combinations, were analysed to highlight the influence of ore mineralogy on the operating conditions. The effects of different kinds of oxidants (oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, ferricyanide and ozone) and chemical additives (ammonium sulfate) were investigated.Experiments conducted in alkaline solutions reveal that mineralogy is a key parameter since pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite react quite differently during preoxidation and cyanidation. A significant increase in sulfur dissolution, especially on pyrite, was observed by applying preoxidation. H2O2 preoxidation showed a positive effect on increasing sulfate formation, a desirable by-product from the cyanide consumption point of view. Preoxidation of synthetic ores with ferricyanide resulted in boosting thiosulfate formation. Tests conducted on flotation tailings from a polymetallic mine revealed that a short preoxidation increases the dissolution of the ore leading to higher gold recovery and lower cyanide consumption. Regarding the formation of thiocyanate, the most undesirable by-product of the cyanidation, ferricyanide and ozone were found particularly efficient to hinder their formation. Finally, the addition of ammonium sulfate during the cyanidation process showed some promising results in terms of both gold dissolution and cyanide consumption.CITATION:Ghasemian Langeroudi, E, Levasseur, B, Safizadeh, F, Olsen, C, Larachi, F and Gagnon, C, 2013. Optimisation of operating parameters for cyanidation of sulfide-bearing gold flotation tailings in order to prevent the impact of cyanicides, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 111-120 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By Gonzalo Monge Sancho

"El siguiente estudio presenta una serie de observaciones sobre la Organización de Higiene Industrial y su aplicación directa a la medicina del trabajo. La investigación comprende cinco apartados: el primero, es el diagnóstico en la medicina del trabajo, la cual señala la enfermedad, el ambiente y las condiciones vitales como factores claves para de una futura exploración clínica; la segunda, refiere la higiene como la función que mide los medios y los conocimientos para preservar la salud del individuo, en tanto, verifique su trabajo(condiciones ambientales y factores alterables de la misma; el tercero punto contempla los accidentes como la pugna entre un hombre y el objeto, donde el factor médico, las causas (objetivas y subjetivas),el tipo y las condiciones son determinantes para encontrar el problema; el cuarto elemento describe la medicina preventiva como el conjunto de medidas que realizan un diagnóstico precoz de la enfermedad y el tratamiento de la misma, y por último, está el departamento médico donde reduce la posibilidad de enfermedad del trabajador, los gastos de indemnización y aumenta la confianza y seguridad del trabajador, regulando la función del trabajador de acuerdo a sus condiciones fisiológicas para un mejor rendimiento dentro de la mina. "

Jul 20, 1955

The Kiirunavaara apatite-magnetite orebody is about 4 km long and approximately 100 m thick sheet-like body, which lies roughly in a north-south direction and dips from the horizontal plane along its entire length, in towards the town of Kiruna. The origin of this orebody has been a matter of controversy, with both magmatic and hydrothermal origins proposed. Traditionally and for practical purposes this rich apatite-magnetite ore has been divided into two main types: low phosphorous ore (B-ore) and high phosphorous ore (D-ore). Further the low phosphorous ore is divided into the low alkali (B1) and the high alkali (B2) ore.

Jan 1, 2006

By A. Kenneth Schellinger

DURING the comminution of a brittle material in the presence of dry air, no known phase change or chemical reaction takes place. The energy changes associated with the comminution are those of the transformation of kinetic energy into heat energy and the energy absorption represented by the actual rupture of molecular and/or ionic bonds. The random nature of the actual grinding process in a tumbling-mill often precludes the effective application of a rupture force on each individual particle of brittle mineral present. The result must be a great deal of useless vibration on an atomic scale in both the brittle mineral and the grinding medium below the elastic limit, which vibration is eventually manifested as heat energy in the mill. The actual rupture of molecular, or ionic, bonds creates new surface on the brittle minerals; each square centimeter of this new surface then must possess a number of potential bonds, each of which could reform theoretically with the release of energy. The sum total of this potential energy of bonding per unit of new surface, minus bond satiation effects of the enclosing gas or liquid, must be the surface energy of the mineral. If the comminution of the brittle mineral were carried out within the chamber of a calorimeter, the energy released as heat could be determined rather accurately. Moreover, the total kinetic energy input to the comminuting mass (mineral and medium) conceivably could be derived by a suitable torquemeter and revolution counter if the whole calorimeter were revolved. The difference between these two energy figures should then represent the net energy (gross energy input—heat enerb output) used in creating new surface, gliding or slip on atomic planes, twinning, and possibly other lattice rearrangements within the mineral. If it be postulated further that with a hard, brittle crystalline material, such as quartz, the energy used to produce gliding, twinning, and other permanent lattice movements is a very small fraction of the total net energy absorbed, then this energy absorption within the grinding calorimeter can be ascribed to the creation of new surface energy alone. Such energy is, from the thermody-namic standpoint, the true effective work of the grinding device, in this case a tumbling-medium mill. The ratio of this effective work (in calories) to the total energy input (in calories) should express the thermodynamic efficiency of the comminution taking place under the conditions used in the grinding calorimeter. This approach to the measurement of the energetics of tumbling-mill grinding was suggested by some previous work by Fahrenwald and coworkers' with a laboratory ball mill and a thermometer. They measured the efficiency of grinding based on the formula: Pct Grinding Efficiency = Energy (calories) — Thermal Energy x 100 1npZ Output (calories) Energy input (calories) Efficiencies thus measured, while grinding quartz sand, ranged from 19.7 pct to 7.4 pct. Cook in 1915,' used this approach to the problem of grinding efficiencies in stamp batteries and obtained the energy input by stamp weights times drop distances and the energy output by means of thermometers and pulp flow rates. He calculated that 80 pct of the input energy to the stamp shoes was wasted as sensible heat in the ore pulp. No other studies of comminution by this method of energy differences came to the author's attention. Reasonable agreement as to the order-of-mag-nitude of comminution efficiencies in tumbling-media mills is lacking in the literature. There is a widespread impression among technical workers that the grinding efficiency of the industrial ball mill may be on the order of 1 pct, or even a fraction

Jan 1, 1952

By George T. Faust, S. R. B. Cooke

"The Southern Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the University of Alabama, is investigating the preparation of pulverized coal for fuel. In this study the relative amount of surface in various products and samples had to be assessed. Because of the familiarity with screens and because of the simplicity of using the inverse ratio of the opening for ascertaining the amount of relative surface in the respective sizes, screens down to and including 270-mesh were used. This choice was made in full cognizance of the irregularity of screens, but it seemed that if the same screens were used throughout all the tests the relative values would be satisfactory.In dealing with the subsieve sizes, pneumatic elutriation was used to make several fractions to extend the sizing analysis into the range of hypothetical screens. This kind of a sizing analysis was thought necessary because it is familiar to all operators, and, furthermore, it is amenable to several ways of plotting curves that bring out the characteristics of various coals and various methods of grinding.The method of obtaining the data from which to set up the hypothetical screen scale is the subject of this paper. It consists in determining the average projected area of the particles in the respective elutriated products. By extending the ""area method"" to sieve sizes, a factor is found that may be applied to the subsieve sizes, and thus the scale is projected in a regular manner. This method avoids contentions about specific surface and steers clear of ""average diameter"" except as material sized on screens may be said to have an average diameter."

Aug 1, 1939

Discussions of the papers with a written contribution on Paper No. 11 and authors' written replies. Also brief obituary of Dr. T. David Jones on p146.

Jan 1, 1947

By Ankit Jha, RICHARD AMOAKO

In this paper, we examine the challenges associated with the use of empirical rock fragmentation models. We highlight key parameters omitted by these models, and propose a machine learning approach that incorporates these parameters, leading to a simple, yet more accurate approach to blast design.

Feb 1, 2020

By William G. Wilson

In the U.S. today a number of tentative synthetic fuel plants have been sited by a number of major corporations. Each of these for a number of reasons have deferred construction. The only synthetic fuel plants under active development are those being built with the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) under the authority of the Non-nuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-577). Under this Act in joint sponsorship with industry, a series of coal conversion pilot and demonstration plants are being built to produce environmentally acceptable fuels from high sulfur coals. Before entering into a discussion of the factors associated with the siting of the ERDA coal conversion program, the difference between a pilot plant and a demonstration plant should be explained. The terms pilot plant and demonstration plant iridicate a size of plant rahter than technology. A pilot plant will vary from an "add-on" to an existing facility to an independent unit. Demonstration plants are a wholly independent, self contained plants, capable of independent operation to demonstrate the environmenta1, economic, and technica1 feasibility of a technology. These plants are from one-third to one-tenth the scale of a commercial operation and often described as plus 1000 tons per day of coal consumption. Their purpose is stated in the Act (Section 6, (3)(E),) "to accelerate the commercial demonstration of technologies for producing syncrude and liquid petroleum products from coal: Provided. That the Administrator shall invite and consider proposals from potential participants based upon Federal assistants and participation through guaranteed prices or purchase of the products .... " In site selection and plant design it has been suggested that special interest groups should be allowed to dictate the site and specify the design. Under the present program the industrial partner who is contributing 50 percent

Jan 1, 1977

By O Arafat, R E. McIvor, K M. Bartholomew

It is well known in the industry that good classification system performance is vital to efficient ball mill circuit performance. But what is meant by good classification system performance, and how is it achieved? Unfortunately, the perceived complexity of classification systems, and the day-to-day time demands placed on the practicing metallurgist, all too often put the low-hanging fruit of classification system optimisation in the ‘I’ll do it later’ basket. Additionally, lingering confusion about basics such as the relationship between circulating load ratio and ball mill circuit performance makes the optimisation objective seem nebulous to both plant metallurgist and designer.Some of this confusion can be eliminated by taking a step back from the overwhelming detail of sharpness of separation curves, circulating load ratios, cyclone feed pressures, vortex and apex sizes etc, and focusing on the purpose or function of the classification system – to apply mill power to particles that need further size reduction! The classification system efficiency (CSE) metric captures how well the classification system is performing its function with two quick and easy size distribution analyses.Once CSE is understood and implemented as the optimisation criteria, well-tested methods for improving CSE can be implemented and quickly measured at plant scale to give confidence that the right change was made.This paper will describe CSE and how it is measured in practice. Next, a guide for improving CSE through manipulation of design and operating variables in the classification system will be provided. Examples and case studies will illustrate the gains in ball mill circuit efficiency that can be achieved by maximising CSE.CITATION:Bartholomew, K M, McIvor, R E and Arafat, O, 2018. A guide to maximising ball mill circuit classification system efficiency (CSE), for operators and equipment designers, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 553–558 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By W. E. Brown, P. R. Porath, V. Miller, C. E. Wood, C. Prasky, E. P. Barrett

"INTRODUCTION This investigation was a part at the Bureau of Mines program for the production of critical and essential materials needed for the war.The Boykin Committee for investigating the steel shortage aided in obtaining an appropriation to be expended by the Bureau of Mines in studying the utilization of North Dakota lignite in the manufacture of hydrogen that could be used in the production of sponge iron from low grade ores of Minnesota.OBJECT OF INVESTIGATIONThe investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Mines to ""determine the workability of the proposed bubble-hearth process and its possible use in connection with an experimental plant for the gasification of lignite being operated by the Coal Division of the Bureau of Mines at Grand Forks, North Dakota.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis report is one of many on various aspects of the Bureau of Mines program directed toward the more effective utilization of our mineral resources.Investigations of our mineral resources are conducted by the Mining Branch, L. B. Moon, chief, and by the Metallurgical Branch, O. C. Ralston, chief.The scope of the report falls in the province of the Metallurgical Branch, whose activities embrace the separation of difficulty beneficiated ores, the production of pure metals from domestic deposits, the exploration of marginal ore reserves, the recovery of secondary metals, and the improvement of present industrial metallurgical practice."

Jun 1, 1947

By Wei Han, Zhenwei Liu, Jianhong Yang, Qingwei Qin, Tiejun Chen, Zili Huang

The preparation of industrial ammonium molybdate from molybdenum concentrate was conducted according to the process of roasting—leaching—purification—precipitation—crystallization. The optimum technological conditions were determined: the roasting temperature was 680 degrees C, the roasting time was 2.5 h; in the leaching process the alkali excess coefficient was 1.2, the reaction temperature was 80 degrees C, the liquid-solid ratio was 3:1, the leaching time was 3 h; the amount of (NH4)2S added into the solution was 1.1 times of the theoretical amount, the temperature was 80-85 degrees C, and the terminal pH was 8.5-9 in the purification process; the density of the solution was 1.4-1.6 g/mL, the pH was 1.5-2 in the precipitation process; temperature of dissolution was controlled at 80-90 degrees C. The recovery of the preparation of ammonium molybdate can reach 85.18%.

Mar 1, 2017

This paper is for mine managers. It is about maintenance of mining equipment. This is an extremely broad subject so this paper is given with the caveat that it necessarily contains generalisations, not true in all cases, but broadly correct. The job of mine managers is to be good at making money from the excavation and preliminary treatment of mineral. To do this well, they need to understand the cost and value drivers in the business. This includes understanding the drivers associated with maintenance. Maintenance is often identified as a problem at mine sites. It is frequently listed as the cause of production shortfalls when reporting. The state of maintenance within mining as an industry is generally among the lower end of the range, when compared to manufacturing, petrochemicals, etc. Why is this? Experience and review of many audits and evaluations of maintenance has shown that some patterns are consistent with good performance and some consistent with poor performance. These often centre around the time horizon of the management team and are associated with knowing the sensitivity of the business to certain maintenance drivers and the mechanisms of maintenance and their results. To summarise, some common misunderstandings can be listed as statements that are obvious and extrapolations from those, which are not necessarily correct. For example: High availability of equipment is necessary for production. Incorrect extrapolation:focus on availability will produce high production. Design is often the greatest factor in determining the reliability of a mining machine. Incorrect extrapolation: the newest and biggest machines generally have the lowest cost operations. Operation has an enormous impact on machine productivity and reliability. Incorrect extrapolation: the fastest operators are generally the best from a productive point of view. Some maintenance improves the performance and reliability of machines. Incorrect extrapolation: more maintenance will give you more reliability. Some maintenance depends on disassembly and reassembly of components. Incorrect extrapolation: assembly is basically the reverse process of disassembly. Maintenance improvement in the mining industry in the last 15 years has focused largely on planning and systems improvement. Incorrect extrapolation: most of the problems in maintenance can be traced to a lack of planning. Actions based on flawed extrapolations will steer a business suboptimally. It is therefore important that the mine manager understands these issues so that the improvement effort can be directed to the greatest benefit.

Jan 1, 2006

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 P. P. Rosario

A research project was conducted at the University of British Columbia (UBC) resulting in the development and evaluation of a novel comminution circuit incorporating autogenous grinding and parallel trains of cone crushers and high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR). A primary driver for the circuit was to treat ore from deposits with clay and variable hardness. This paper summarizes the unique pilot-plant test program that was developed as a basis for experimental simulation and lists the main findings of the research, including the circuit?s potential operational cost savings compared to a conventional SAG circuit.

Jan 1, 2012

By Rudolf E. Greuer, Linneas W. Laage, Xinton Chang

MFIRE is useful for the analysis of ventilation networks under thermal and mechanical influence MFIRE simu¬lates a mine&apos;s ventilation system and its response to altered ventilation parameters, external influences, and internal influences Extensive output enables detailed quantitative analysis of the effects of the proposed alteration on the ventilation system MFIRE was written in FORTRAN 77 and compiled with Microsoft° FORTRAN for the Intel 8086-8088 central processing units The source code is listed in appendix A for users who wish to modify the source code for operation on other computers MFIRE MODIFICATIONS OF MTU-BOM CODE The program described in Bureau of Mines Informa¬tion Circular 8901 has become known as the MTU-BOM codes MFIRE is an evolutionary product of the MTU¬BOM code with major improvements and enhancements 6 For users previously familiar with the MTU-BOM code, the following is a listing of the major improvements and enhancements incorporated by MFIRE 1 The length of an airway is an input value, LA The elevation difference of the airway is calculated from the elevation input, Z, in both programs It is possible for a data file to describe an airway that is shorter than its el¬evation difference The MTU-BOM code does not check for this error and uses the values of LA and Z This does not cause a computational problem, only a simulation problem MFIRE issues a warning message for this case, and the airway length is made equal to the elevation dif¬ference if LA is less than Z 2 To evaluate rock temperatures (average wall surface temperature of airway before a fire), it is assumed that the air temperature at an airway entrance is equal to the air temperature at the airway starting junction, and that the air temperature at the airway exit is equal to the air tem¬perature at the exit junction. The MTU-BOM code follows this assumption in all cases When a rock temperature of less than 0° F is calculated, an average temperature is used to represent the rock temperature of the airway MFIRE uses the same principle, except the consideration of unlikely rock temperatures When the exit junction of an airway is the atmosphere (a fixed condition junction), the air tempera¬ture at the exit is made equal to the air temperature at the airway beginning If an unlikely value of wall temperature (<0° F or > 150° F) results from calculations, a message is issued and the rock temperature is set equal to the air temperature at the airway exit The program user can always input rock temperature (TROCK) for an airway to override the calculated value. 3 MFIRE allows use of an optional reference airflow rate to define and limit the heat generation of a fire source This allows the simulation model to more closely resemble a real fire and to improve simulation conver¬gence Heat generation corresponds, but is not linearly related to airflow rates reaching the fire In the simula¬tion, heat generation is calculated from oxygen consump¬tion and is directly related to the variable incoming airflow Use of this optional reference airflow rate allows the heat generation to vary, but in a damped, user defined manner When the airflow rate passing through a fire source is equal to its reference airflow rate, the data items describ¬ing the fire source are not modified If the airflow rate is lower or higher than its reference airflow rate, the data items used to define the fire source are modified according to the following equations

Jan 1, 1990

By Donald W. Ross

"INTRODUCTION Sponge iron has been made commercially since 1912 at a Swedish ceramic plant; and the product, known as Swedish disk—type sagger sponge iron, has an excellent reputation as a superior furnace feed wherever high—grade steels are made. The general procedure for making brickyard sponge iron was described frequently in Swedish technical journals prior to 1932 and at that time consisted in filling clay refractory containers, called saggers, with a super-concentrate of Gellivare magnetite plus the necessary amount of solid reducing agent and desulfurizer and then firing in a Hoffmann ring furnace, as used in the ceramic industry.The early Swedish publications describe two types of brickyard sponge iron: (1) An inferior high-sulfur product obtained by mixing the ore and reducing agent, and (2) a high-grade low-sulfur product in the form of coherent disks 7 to 9 inches in diameter and 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick made by the saggers with alternate layers of solid-fuel reducr and of uniaxed ore."

Sep 1, 1945

By E. B. Zanelato

The process of casting metals and alloys occurs through the fusion of this metal and its subsequent casting into a mold with the dimensions and geometry close to the final piece. Most foundries use sand casting molds for making you. This work aims to characterize and evaluate the foundry sand to allow its use in segments of Civil Engineering, creating a viable destination for a residue is that discarded. The following characterization tests were performer: particle size, chemical analysis, X-ray Diffraction and Density Real grain. For the execution of the test specimens was used to 1:3 cement and sand, and the incorporation of 10% and 20% of the total mass replacing the sand, and the trace reference. The results show that best results in compression and bending tests were obtained by replacing 10 % of common sand for sand casting.

Jan 1, 2015

By R Castedo, P Segarra, L M. López, J A. Sanchidrián, A P. Santos

The cylinder test allows us to determine the expansion of a copper cylinder by the detonation of an explosive charge inside. This test, originally designed for military explosives, has been adapted for industrial explosives with non-ideal behaviour. From data obtained with this test and known physical relationships, an analytical procedure has been developed to calculate the Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state parameters for five ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) and six emulsion-type explosives. A new radial wall expansion function is proposed considering a non-zero initial velocity with the consequent positive Gurney energy at unit relative volume. A set of equations is established to determine the JWL parameters, three of them obtained at the Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) point and the other three at different relative volumes. These equations, along with some constraints to ensure a physically sound solution, are solved for the JWL parameters by a non-linear least squares scheme. A 2D Lagrangian axisymmetric finite elements (FE) numerical model is developed for each tested explosive to validate the analytical results, in terms of expansion histories, with good agreement. This confirms that the set of conditions, constraints on the parameters and least squares calculation used constitute a robust methodology that fully captures the physics of the detonation products expansion involved in the cylinder test.CITATION:Castedo, R, Sanchidri&#225;n, J A, L&#243;pez, L M, Segarra, P and Santos, A P, 2015. Jones-Wilkins-Lee parameters for civil explosives, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 57–64 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By B Hannah, M Uriarte, F Labarca, C Madore, G Ganapathi, L Martin, T Haase

BechtelÆs Mining and Metals projects across the globe are executed in remote arid and semi-arid countries where providing even basic water supplies impose considerable challenges. Opportunities for water conservation measures using a Six Sigma initiative were proactively pursued to address the potential business impacts of limited availability of water resources. The initiative investigated areas driving water-optimisation during concrete operations and camp management. This paper details the water conservation evaluation of alternatives and cost/benefit analysis based on current and predicted water usage for development projects. Optimisation of water consumption through institutionalising more prescriptive standards for camp design and defining water conservation requirements have resulted in a new standard specification. Based on our projected mining project workload across the globe, it is estimated that for the period 2012 - 2015, a potential 5.5 M m3 water savings resulting in US$11 M could be realised for construction camps and savings of 4 M m3 of peripheral concrete process water resulting in potential cost savings of US$8 M could be achieved as a result of these revised standards.CITATION:Haase, T, Hannah, B, Ganapathi, G, Martin, L, Madore, C, Labarca, F and Uriarte, M, 2013. Water conservation at construction projects, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013 , pp 251-258 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 26, 2013

By Lu Lin, Yan-ping Bao, Min Wang

In order to forecast the cost of dephosphorization during BOF process, and achieve economical dephosphorization of BOF. The mathematical model of dephosphorization cost for BOF process was established. The model calculations show that, when the silicon content and phosphorus content are increased in hot metal, and the final phosphorus content of BOF is decreased, the dephosphorization cost will be increased. The silicon content of hot metal is increased of 0.1% in the plant, the dephosphorization cost is added by 9 RMB/ton steel. The De-P cost of mode A is much higher than the other two modes for three typical production modes of single slag melting process, when the phosphorus content of hot metal is higher than 0.14%, an increase in the phosphorus content by 0.01%, the De-P cost of mode A is added by about 7 RMB/ton steel. Meanwhile, when the phosphorus content of hot metal is lower than 0.165%, the De-P cost of mode C is higher than mode B’s. For BOF single slag melting process, the dephosphorization cost calculated by model is between ± 2%, proving that the model is reliable for the prediction of dephosphorization cost.

Jan 1, 2015