Search Documents

"Far from being eclipsed by petroleum and natural gas, Canadian coal continues to command wide (and apparently growing) interest.Major R & D investigations are currently heavily oriented toward coal beneficiation (e.g., cleaning and utilization of fines) and toward a broad range of studies on metallurgical coals and cokes. However, active work is also being carried out in the areas of coal geology, mining, transportation and combustion; and, in some laboratories, increasing stress has been laid on developing a number of new, essentially non-fuel uses for coal and coal products.This review summarizes the work of Canadian coal research agencies during 1966 and indicates some of the more important advances made by them."

Jan 1, 1967

By D. P. Goodall

THE development of the oil and gas resources of Western Canada is not, as many suppose, a new industry. For more than half a century an intensive search for these valuable products of nature extended from near the western edge of the Precambrian Shield to the Pacific coast, and from the International boundary north to the Arctic circle. The chief centre of interest to the oil prospector has, however, always lain in that region lying east of the first range of the Rocky mountains and confined largely within the boundaries of the Province of Alberta. Although there are many geological problems yet to be worked out in this Province, the oil-well driller has helped in no small way in determining sub-surface conditions and distribution of rock formations. The chief geological conditions as they affect the drilling of wells are generally re-cognized, and for this purpose the Province may be partitioned into three main divisions: first, the disturbed belt or foothills region extending along the eastern edge of the Rocky mountains; second, the Alberta geosyncline, a broad trough lying to the east of and parallel to the disturbed belt and from which the formations rise eastward to level off and form, third, the plains ? ? region, extending over the rest of the Province. A relatively small area in the northeastern part of the Province is underlain with Precambrian rocks and may be excluded from this classification, as it is of no interest to the oil prospector. The foothills, or disturbed belt, has presented the greatest difficulty to drilling, though it has produced the largest yield of oil within the Province to date. Within the foothills belt, the rock formations consist largely of hard shales interspersed with layers of abrasive sandstones, which wear out drilling bits at an alarming rate. The strata, in most flaces, dip steeply and are cut by numerous thrust faults. Although some o the faults have great displacements, their presence may easily be overlooked or the extent of the fault misinterpreted. Many a prospect well has been located on what appeared to be a suitable geological structure only to find, after drilling through a normal succession of rocks for 4,000 feet or more, that the drill had passed through a major fault plane to a younger formation than that in which drilling was started. Only a repetition of formations already drilled could be expected at greater depths.

Jan 1, 1942

By W. A. Stickney

The Bureau of Mines conducted beneficiation and smelting studies on siliceous offgrade manganese samples to indicate effective methods of manufacturing silicomanganese from materials that cannot be economically beneficiated to meet General Services Administration (GSA) specifications for stockpiling. Laboratory and pilot-plant flotation tests were conducted on 2 samples, 1 from the waste-tailings dump of the Domestic Manganese & Development Co , Butte, Mont., and the other from the Nettie mine in the Butte-Philipsburg area. Smelting tests were made on the combined concentrates from the pilot-plant flotation tests and on part of the tailings sample The flotation scheme found to be adequate in laboratory tests and later in the pilot-plant tests consisted of flotation by a fuel oil-tall oil emulsion in an acid circuit (pH )-1-.8 to 5.0). The oil-emulsion reagent flocculated the manganese minerals and selectively floated them from the siliceous gangue, In the pilot-plant flotation test on Butte-mill tailings 90.1 percent of the manganese was recovered in a concentrate that analyzed 32.6 percent Mn, 4.8 percent Fe and 28.1 percent Si02. In the test on Nettie mine ore 90.8 percent of the manganese was recovered in a concentrate that analyzed 36 6 percent Mn, 5.5 percent Fe, and 26-4 percent Si02.

Jan 1, 1956

This paper reports the advances made during the development of underground mine fill technology from circa 1960 to the present and, in particular, indicates where increased input from process plant metallurgists û mainly milling, but also smelting û can contribute to further advances. Fill types pertinent to the discussion are partially deslimed, partially dewatered mill tailings fill (uncemented, cemented) and paste fill. Pertinent process plant includes hydrocyclones, thickeners, filters, elutriation tanks, holding tanks, mixing mills, pumps and pipes. Control instrumentation is a critical component of each of the process plant units. The impact of smelter practice on filling is not considered in this paper, except to note that some smelter slags are, or have the potential to be, active pozzolans and when ground to the specific surface area of Portland cement can act as partial Portland cement replacements, a factor of economic and operating significance when Portland cement supply lines are considerable and/or tenuous. The important role of process plant metallurgists has long been recognised, with Thomas, Nantel and Notley (1979) including them as one of the many categories of professionals with contributions to make. With the ever increasing sophistication of mine fill practice and its ever increasing acceptance as an essential component of the mining/ milling/waste disposal process, the scope for contributions by the modern breed of highly educated, specifically trained process plant metallurgists is becoming ever increasingly obvious.

Jan 1, 2006

By Bengt T. Andersson

Outokumpu Consulting Engineers, Outokumpu Oy SF-02200 Espoo 20, Finland This paper describes experiences from some operating non-ferrous flash -smelters and focuses on the advances in smelter byproduct and gas treatment engineering design. In this context a summary is given of the specific technical and economic benefits achieved-by flash -smelting technology and oxygen enrichment. The paper will also briefly outline a few new process and equipment developments.

Jan 1, 1983

By Harold E. Marr

The computer program XRF4 was designed by the Bureau of Mines to provide for the calculation of several different interelement correction procedures in X-ray fluorescence analysis, including Lachance-Traill, Rasberry-Heinrich, and Claisse-Quintin procedures. The program was written in the BASIC language for timesharing application, and a conversational interaction with the computer is employed during operation. This report presents test problems using data for iron-nickel-chromium alloys and aluminum alloys and directions for use of the program.

Jan 1, 1976

By William J. Campbell

This study was a part of two programs: The first, to develop and evaluate high-temperature refractories; the second, to investigate reaction-rate kinetics and phase equilibria in the sinter step of the lime-soda process for the recovery of alumina. High-temperature X-ray diffractometer techniques are to be used extensively in both programs. This paper summarizes developments in the field of high-temperature X-ray diffractometers through 1959, evaluates various furnace designs, and describes briefly the X-ray diffraction facilities of the Federal Bureau of Mines. A more detailed description of the equipment and its calibration is planned in a future paper on thermal expansion and phase inversion of rare-earth oxides.

Jan 1, 1961

By Dianne C. Marozas

The U.S. Bureau of Mines is conducting research to evaluate the potential for developing an in situ leach mining process that will selectively extract manganese from oxide ores, leaving gangue relatively undisturbed. To accomplish this, a geochemical approach, based on deposit-specific information such as mineralogy and geology, is used to constrain the operating parameters of the system. Among the studies being conducted are (1) leaching experiments to define reaction mechanisms and kinetics, (2) detailed petrologic characterization at the microscopic scale to assess Mn distribution and leaching efficiencies, (3) deposit characterization and evaluation, and (4) development of potential Mn recovery schemes. Data from these studies are being used to develop engineering design information for an in situ mining process. Specific details of the Bureau's research project are discussed, including results obtained to date.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. Finch, Wei Zhang

In this paper we describe the synthesis of a new homologous series of linear Polyglycol-based frothers that consist of Ethylene Oxide (EO) and hydroxyl as hydrophilic groups and Propylene Oxide (PO) and alkyl chains as hydrophobic groups. The synthesized frothers were of two types: Alkyl-Ethoxy-Propoxylate (abbrev. CnEOlPOm) and Alkyl-Propoxy-Ethoxylate (CnPOmEOl) giving: (a) different number of groups and chain length, and (b) different locations of the groups. The identities were confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and total organic carbon (TOC) analysis. The characterization of the products was carried out in a bubble column. At steady state, bubble size, gas holdup and water overflow rate were measured as a function of frother concentration. The results indicate that increasing number of PO groups led to significant decrease in bubble size, and increase in gas holdup and water overflow rate. Increasing the alkyl chain length, gave similar but less pronounced trends. There was no impact of increasing the number of EO groups on bubble size but there was an in increase in gas holdup and water overflow rate. Changing the location of the PO and EO group had a significant effect on all three parameters.

Jan 1, 2015

By Brian Sandhuas, Robert McClure

All flyrock incidents have the potential to result in injuries or fatalities that can result in loss of company reputation, license to operate with clients, and bear the exposure to high cost liability. From 2007 to 2009, one North American Quarry and Construction Business experienced a series of flyrock incidents. In the spring of 2009, this business declared that the frequency and severity of Flyrock Incidents had reached an unacceptable level. A Flyrock Elimination Program was launched.

Jan 1, 2012

By Martin H. Stanczyk

The Bureau of Mines studied continuous closed-circuit attrition grinding of a coarse commercial filler-grade kaolin to produce paper-coating-grade clay having a particle size analysis of at least 70 percent minus 2-micron equivalent spherical diameter (esd). The coarse clay, containing about 12 percent minus 2-micron-esd material, was ground in a Bureau-developed 10-inch-diameter attrition grinder in closed circuit with a 5-foot-diameter bowl classifier. In the best test, a finished product containing 82.7 percent minus 2-micron-esd material was obtained when grinding 20 pounds of raw clay per hour at percent solids with a 100-percent circulating load. Energy consumption was about 341 kilowatt-hours per ton of clay feed, or 487 kilowatt-hours per ton of minus 2-micron-esd material produced. Closed-circuit grinding gave some-what greater particle size reduction and lower energy consumption than either batch or continuous open-circuit grinding.

Jan 1, 1965

By William Petruk

The mineralogy of the primary and oxidized ores from the Malanjkhand porphyry copper deposit in India was studied to determine ore characteristics that affect metallurgy, and to assess applicable processes for recovering the copper. Three mineral assemblages were found. One occurs in primary ore, another in moderately oxidized ore, and a thir:d in intensely oxidized ore. Chalcopyrite, the main mineral in the primary ore, is relatively coarse-grained, with grain size increasing as the ore grade increases. High chalcopyrite liberations should be achieved at a relatively coarse grind, and good chalcopyrite recoveries should be obtained. The chalcopyrite, however, tarnishes readily and oXidizes to chalcocite in a relatively short time (several months). The presence of both the tarnished chalcopyrite and chalcocite may affect chalcopyrite flotation and reduce copper recoveries, The moderately oxidized ore occurs in an oxidized cap immediately above the primary ore, and stockpiled primary ore alters quickly to a moderately oxidized ore. Chalcocite is a major copper-bearing mineral in moderately OXidized ore. The concentrator processing this ore should be capable of handling a chalcocite-rich ore. The intensely OXidized ore contains a wide variety of acid-soluble copper-bearing minerals. Leaching may be required to recover the copper from them.

Jan 1, 1987

By R. R. Sayers

The effect of comparatively low concentrations of carbon monoxide for short periods and under normal air conditions.of temperature and humidity , with the subject at rest , was studied by Dr. Yandell Henderson and his co -workers . In making recommendations to the New York and New Jersey tunnel commissions * he advised that , if the New York New Jersey vehicular tunnel be so ventilated that persons passing through the tunnel would be exposed to not more than 4 parts of carbon monoxide in 10,000 parts of air for not longer than 45 minutes , they would experience no ill effects . supplementary experiments , carried out by us in connection with our studies at the Bureau of Mines experiment station at Pittsburgh, substantiated this advice . ** In continuing our studies on low concentrations of carbon monoxide , we made a few experiments in a gas chamber where the conditions could be accurately controlled . The factors investigatel were : ( 1 ) The effect of long exposure in low concentrations of carbon monoxide ; ( 2 ) The effect of strenuous exercise ; ( 3 ) The effect of high temperature and humidity in low concentrations of ccarbon Lonoxide .

Mar 1, 1922

The management of risks associated with slope instability is an essential process in the safe and economic operation of open cut mines. The ?slope stability radar? (SSR) has been developed to better manage those risks. The SSR remotely scans rock slopes to continuously measure any surface movement and can be used to detect and alert users of wall movements with sub-millimeter precision. The high level of movement precision and broad area coverage of the rock face can allow for a better understanding of the geomechanics of slope deformation, including magnitude of potential failures and additional warning time of impending instability. Additionally, radar waves adequately penetrate through rain, dust and smoke to give reliable measurements, 24 hours a day. SSR systems have been deployed in many metalliferous and coal mines throughout the world. Over 80 systems are currently being used with current operations in 17 countries. Greater than 200 rock slope collapses and waste dump failures (from several to millions of tones) have been monitored, with ?warning? precursor movements recorded by the SSR. This technology enables a radical change in the management of risks in open cut mining. This paper will present recent case studies of the SSR operation in coal and metalliferous mines. Slope Stability Hazards and Rock Slope Monitoring in Open Pit Mines Surface mining often creates excavation boundaries which are steeper than those would be created under natural processes in the same rock type. They are also undertake quite rapid stress changes during mining and are influenced by significant external forces such as blast vibrations and changes in groundwater. These conditions are likely to allow some degree of instability to develop in the pit slopes. The hazards associated with this instability of pit slopes can be extremely variable in character; ranging from small cobble sized rocks dislodging and falling from mine benches to complete collapse of entire pit walls. It is usually the position of mine geotechnical or geological staff to assess these hazards for mine operations. The assessment of hazards due to unstable slopes can be done by visual observation of precursor signs such as fracturing or rilling of loose material. A more reliable indicator of instability involves the quantitative measurement of outward movement and acceleration of material as an instability mechanism develops. There is strong evidence that small precursor movements of a rock wall occur for an extended period prior to rock slope collapse (Hoek and Bray, 1981). Development of a monitoring system, adopting acceptable slope deformation criteria coupled with warning systems and design of stabilization or risk reduction measures if appropriate has become a standard method of dealing with slope instability. Framework for Slope Hazard Management using the SSR A framework for the management of slope hazards is shown in Figure 1 (discussed in detail in Harries, 2007). Although this framework is specifically for use with the Slope Stability Radar, a similar framework could be developed for other monitoring technologies for monitoring slope deformation. An important point to consider is the sequential nature of the hazard management framework from selecting the context ? identifying hazards ? analysing hazards ? evaluating hazards ? treating hazards. [ ] Once the context of the system has been developed (for example ? to monitor for rapid bench scale collapse), the identification of hazards is the next stage in hazard management. Identification of slope hazards can be relatively straightforward due to the visual nature of the information that the SSR system produces. The areas of excessive wall deformation are highlighted in color maps of the mine slope with a co-aligned photographic image to review the actual site of interest. The responsible personnel must then analyses this data, usually reviewing the deformation style and rate, as well as the size of area that appears to be failing. This information can then be evaluated against organisation protocols (for example it may be only a small sub-bench failure that will be ?caught? by existing benches and hence can be categorized as a lower risk). Once these hazards are evaluated they can then be treated if required. Two major options are available to reduce the risk during this treatment option. We can reduce the likelihood of failure ? for example by buttressing the failure or de-pressurising of water pressures in a slope. However, the most likely plan of action is to reduce the consequence of the failure. One of the most successful opportunities to reduce the consequence of a slope failure is to ensure that no personnel or mining equipment is present at the location of a slope failure when collapse finally occurs. This has been the major benefit of the SSR system to the different mining operations around the world. SLOPE STABILITY RADAR TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE Slope Stability Radar system specifications and capabilities: ? Measurement precision +/- 0.1mm (std.) ? Perforated dish and other features enable it to operate in high wind conditions ? Measurement range is 1700 metres ? Scans 270 degrees horizontally and 120 degrees vertically ? 1 ? 30 minute repeat rate for area scans (varies according to area being scanned ? RF exposure (<0.05mW/cm2) is a factor of 200 below the acceptable limit for the general population (1 mW/cm2) ? Tolerant to vibration and mining equipment ? The system weighs approximately 1500 Kg ? Remote area power supply enabling unmanned, continuous 24/7 monitoring ? Real time monitoring

Jan 1, 2009

By Davey Bickford, Johan Hawinkel

Blasting and the use of civil explosives are a critical step in the mining process. Good decisions provide significant downstream benefits and create a safe and sustainable working environment, while poor decision making and judgement can have catastrophic consequences on workers safety, critical infrastructure or the security of the general public. An ever-tightening regulatory framework increasingly exposes manufacturers, transport companies and mining companies to the consequences of breaches resulting from erroneous or ill-informed decisions. In this context, new capabilities are required providing all actors in the explosive supply chain with tools to make better informed decisions allowing the individual to own up to his or her decision. Additionally, the traditional risk-control approach in the explosive supply chain up until usage and waste elimination, through administrative control procedures and processes, is becoming increasingly inadequate. In this era of digitalisation and automation, technology will play a pivotal role in ensuring safety and security in storage, transport and usage of civil explosives using the latest advances in electronics, communication technology and information technology. This paper explores the journey through time of technology in the civil explosives market to provide testing, measurement, analysis and control tools. This ultimately leads to better decision-making, ensures full accountability of the decision maker and uses the same technology to review decisions for process improvement, in the settlement of disputes or for the investigation of incidents. Additionally, the paper discusses the application and integration of electronic and digital technology in explosives and initiation systems as engineering controls for blasting associated risks. Finally, this paper reviews two practical cases of technology integration for risk management and improved decision making; the use of integrated GPS technology in initiation systems as an engineering control in the blast evacuation process and the use of RFID technology in explosive tracking from cradle to grave.

By G. H. Blackwell

Sequences in open pit mining must be planned and regularly revised to incorporate changes in the variables which affect profitability. Interactive computer planning with colour graphic facilities is an effective tool for this purpose in the short and medium term. An interactive computer planning system for medium-size, low grade porphyry copper-molybdenum open pits is described. The planning system proved especially valuable during the critical stages of pushback mining when deep, inner pit ore was nearly depleted and the erratic grades of the next pushback provided ore and marginal material at a time of depressed metal prices.

Jan 8, 1993

By James S. Browning

For the past several years, the Bureau of Mines has conducted laboratory and continuous process development work on weathered mica pegmatites and micaceous schist ores to determine the feasibility of recovering commercial-grade mica concentrates by flotation. The research has resulted in the development of two processes for flotadon of mica: an acid cationic method for recovery of coarse mica, and an alkaline anionic-cationic method for recovery of fine mica. The research indicated that the two processes may be effectively utilized separately or in combination for flotation of mica from weathered pegmatites and micaceous schists. Concentrates containing over 98 percent mica, with recoveries ranging from 77 to 92 percent, were obtained from the pegmatite ores. The micaceous schist ores yielded concentrates containing 95 to 98 percent mica, with recoveries ranging from 70 to 83 percent. Part 1 of this report summarizes the process development work and demonstrates the feasibility of producing commercial- grade mica concentrates. The report also includes details of commercial beneficiation and grinding of .mica.

Jan 1, 1973

By José Aparecido Pereira

The innovative methodology developed by the author allows the elaboration of an Angle Roll Pass Design based on the practical observations of the rolling process and applies mathematical criteria, using the Ekelund´s formula supported by Advanced Excel tools (Reach Goal, PROCV-PROCH, Macros) and AutoCad. The first step is the definition of the number of stands, roll dimensions, gear boxes reduction, initial stock, average reductions, spread factors, finishing speed and type of grooves. For each pass are calculated: bite angle, spread, section reduction, lost and gain of temperature, separating force, speed, torque and motor power. After these calculations and checking of the parameters, the program calculates the dimensions of the passes transforming the flat passes into shaped ones. With these dimensions it is possible to draw the grooves using AutoCad and check section reductions. This methodology was already used for the development of a new project and also to check the parameters of existing ones, with comparison of the results and has shown to be reliable in real and tested projects. It is an innovative process that is not available in known literature.

Oct 1, 2019

By QinGuo, Shenghui Guo, Jinhui Peng, Linqing Dai, Libo Zhang

This paper adopts a simple and novel preparation. Taking cellulose as a template, a tubular morphology structure of micro/nano ZnO crystals was obtained by microwave roasting at high temperature. The higher the microwave roasting temperature, the larger the degree of crystallization. The experiments indicate that the best photo catalytic effect can be obtained at 850 : At this temperature, the oxidation of cellulose is complete. Large quantities of hexagonal shaped ZnO crystal can be observed, specifically the (0001) crystal face. Under ultraviolet-visible irradiation, taking long arc mercury lamp as light source, the material had good photocatalytic activity. The decomposing efficiency of methylene blue reaches 97% in 60min, which is superior to that of preparations without templates at the same temperature.

Jan 1, 2016

By T. Krumins, F. C. Ruff, M. Eichhorn, L. Zunti

Hatch Ltd. has recently completed a project to increase refractory gold ore processing capacity at Newmont Mining Corporation’s Twin Creeks facility. The objective of the project was to increase throughput by approximately 10% by adding a third autoclave feed pump to each of the two autoclave circuits. To minimize project capital cost, autoclave feed pumps from Newmont’s decommissioned Lone Tree facility were evaluated and found to be suitable for this new service. The existing pressure oxidation circuit was reviewed in a debottlenecking study to determine other upgrades required to facilitate the increased throughput. Interruption to operations was minimized with a detailed construction plan, supplemented with detailed 3D layout model sequencing studies. The focus of this paper is project development, multi-discipline design considerations, and implementation results.

Jan 1, 2014