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The mineral resources of Hamersley Iron are structurally complex with fluctuations in mineral chemistry. Besides orebody charact- eristics, mineral recovery is also affected by stringent product quality demands from the competititve steel industry. Under such conditions, a geological ore reserve estimate has little meaning because it is unqualified and presupposes the defini- tion of ore. A system was developed in Hamersley - the Mine Planning Technique - to optimise recovery from available resources. This incremental planning method reduces a geological reserve statement into a simple, logical sequence of events. While there are limitations in the method used, the benefits are enormous. Among its' numerous applications, the schedule - the end product of the technique - plays an important role at Management level in decision making and policy formulation on all aspects of resource exploitation.

Jan 1, 1979

Predict the cumulative hydrologic impact of mining on the environment. Approach A comprehensive set of computer models has been developed to predict the impact of mining on ground water. Mine inflows, drawdowns in aquifers, and ground water quality can be predicted. How It Works The Prickett-Lonnquist finite-difference groundwater model was specially modified for the hydrologic problems of mining. This model, developed at the Illinois Water Survey in the 1960's,

Jan 1, 1982

By R. C. Temps, G. E. Aiken

Compania de Acero del Pacifico, S.A., the sole Chilean steel producer, is adding to the expanding Chilean economy with development of the El Algarrobo mine. Expected to go on stream early in 1962, Algarrobo is a conventional open pit mine that will include facilities for ore extraction, crushing and screening, rail transport to the harbor at Huasco, modern ship-loading equipment and maintenance shops. CAP anticipates producing 1.38 mil- lion tons annually of high-grade ore for national and world market consumption. Chilean and North American management and engineering teams combined more than a decade ago in the financing and building of CAP'S Huachipato integrated steel plant. A similar performance is being achieved in northern Chile near the town of Vallenar with the opening of a 50-year supply of iron ore from the Algarrobo deposit. This successful intra-American undertaking deserves special mention in these times when some U.S. foreign assistance programs must be defended, particularly with respect to Latin America. North American financial participation in Algarrobo, through the Export-Import Bank of Washington, represents the greatest portion of the $24 million being invested.

Jan 3, 1962

By D. Jeulin

For iron ore sinters to be good blast furnace burden, they need to possess certain basic properties such as cold mechanical strength, reducibility, etc. Relations between such basic parameters and sintering parameters (composition of the mix, fuel consumption, operating conditions of the sintering plant, etc.) are not always well understood. For example, one cannot explain the differences in quality noticed for sinters having the same chemical composition. In this paper a new approach is proposed for the characterization of iron ore sinters by a quantitative description of their morphology. The Texture Analyzer LEITZ T.A.S. is used for this purpose and such morphological parameters as sizes of microstructures and the size distribution of phases are measured on samples of sinters. The results indicate that these measurements can be correlated with the sinter quality.

Jan 1, 1977

By S. Konetschnik, E. Dreyer, A. Filzwieser

"More intense furnace operations require effective cooling in order to achieve low refractory wear and good furnace lifetimes, making cooling technology an important aspect of furnace operations. However, the use of water - today’s standard cooling medium - has some disadvantages, as it can cause problems both during furnace start-up and operation, namely hydration problems, corrosion, and explosions. Apart from these aspects, the energy that is removed by extensive cooling cannot be recovered and is normally lost in the cooling towers.With METTOP’s new patented cooling technology it is possible to overcome the disadvantages of water by using an alternative cooling medium, namely ionic liquids (ILs). The main advantage of ILs is the fact that there is no risk of explosion should this liquid come in contact with molten metal. Furthermore, ILs can be used at higher temperatures than water - up to 200°C. This relatively high cooling medium temperature avoids hydration and corrosion problems and allows recovery of the energy by combining the ILTEC system and the organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, for example.Due to the removal of the explosion risk, much higher safety standards can be achieved, particularly in critical areas such as tap-holes"

Jan 1, 2014

By Bengt L. Stillborg

INTRODUCTION This paper summarizes the result of a two and a half year research program. The objective of the research was to develop a fundamental understanding of the Rib-in-Roc method. Through the development of a new model technology, namely three-dimensional physical models which powerfully exploit the results of dimensional analysis Stillborg, Stephansson and Swan (1), it has been possible to establish the contribution to both permanent and immediate stabilization of a large underground opening pre-reinforced by the Rib-in-Roc method. Using the results from these physical models and earlier work by Stillborg and Stephansson (2) and Åkesson (3), a conceptual synthesis is given in this paper so demonstrating the Rib-in-Roc method to be a practical working system of pre-reinforcement. DESCRIPTION OF THE RIB-IN-ROC METHOD To give the reader an idea of how this method of pre-reinforcement is performed, a short description will be given, Figure 1. Before any full-scale excavation takes place an entry is made in the host rock and rib raises are driven around the proposed opening. These raises are made at a spacing that is dependent upon rock quality; an opening in poor rock needs more ribs per length of opening. As the ribs are driven they are used as a site from which very competent rock bolting can be done. As a rib is excavated it is filled with reinforced concrete. Finally after having in this way reinforced the zone around the proposed opening, (a reinforced arch is formed) the displacements are automatically controlled as the opening is being excavated. Using this method openings with a span of 50-60 meters (160-200 ft) and a height of 60-80 meters (200-260 ft) are likely to be realised.

Jan 1, 1979

By P. Regan

Following the introduction of the Contilanod process over 10 years ago at Copper Range and IMI Refiners, significant changes and advances have been made to this pioneering anode production technique. A new radial flow metal feeding concept has been developed that allows a substantial increase in casting rates on the Hazelett® twin-belt caster. To cut the 45 mm thick continuous anode plate into shaped anodes at rates of 100 t/h or more, a filly moving hydraulic shear designed by Mannesmann Demag has replaced the slower speed plasma cutting torch. Details of the.new caster and shear are presented along with operating results from the new lines starting up in 1999 at the Gresik smelter/refinery in Indonesia and the completely revitalized Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing complex in Germany.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. Leduc, M. Backens, M. E. Smith

An emerging technology for sustainable development in mineral development, tailings co-disposal™ is a means to dispose of conventional mill tailings within the void space of a waste rock dump. This method, while not applicable to all tailings systems, can offer a significant reduction in short-term and long-term environmental liability, land disturbance, closure costs, and negative public image. The concept is to dispose of the tailings simultaneously with the waste rock or leach ore, controlling the ratio of tailings to coarse material such that the resulting dump is stable both physically and chemically. The resulting co-disposal dump can be as safe as a conventional waste dump. In the case of alkaline tailings in a potentially acidic waste dump, the acid production can be buffered or slowed.

Jan 1, 2004

By N. Melnyk, H W. Habgood

The conventional low temperature process for extracting' helium from natural gas involves liquefying the whole gas stream in order to remove the relatively small fraction of helium. A process based on the selective diffusion of helium through a semi-permeable barrier is, in principle, more economical and flexible, particularly for the treatment of small re-serves and low concentrations. The well-known permeability of glass to helium offers the possibility of such a diffusion process and McAfee of the Bell telephone Laboratories showed in 1958 that practical separations could be achieved by passing natural gas over bundles of fine capillary glass tubing. Developmental studies have been carried out involving larger units and more extended field tests than those of McAfee. Fine capillary tubing of Pyrex glass 0.0035 in. diameter was prepared by drawing ordinary 6 mm. laboratory tubing in a furnace. Extraction units were pre-pared containing about 10,000 such tubes, 4 ft. long and cemented inside

Jan 1, 1961

By P. Heald-Wetlaufer

Doubly polished sections (i.e., sections polished on both sides) allow insights into complex paragenetic relationships, the interpretation of which is essential to understanding ore-forming processes. Alternate viewing of these optically superior sections in transmitted and. reflected light facilitates the recognition and definition of growth zones in ore and gangue minerals and the interpretation of postdepositional changes, such as hydrothermal leaching and replacement. Many such observations would escape detection by conventional petrographic methods. Our procedure for preparing doubly polished sections has evolved during the past 20 years and incorporates many standard procedures. Studies from such diverse districts as Creede, Colorado, Hokuroku, Japan, and the Upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead district, southwestern Wisconsin, demonstrate the value of observations from doubly polished sections in constructing genetic models. The advent of doubly polished sections represents a major advance in the study of ore deposits and they should be a standard tool in every ore petrology laboratory.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. L. Carr

Every year, severe injuries and fatalities occur when a miner is struck or pinned by a continuous mining machine, shuttle car, scoop or other piece of mobile mining equipment. Proximity detection systems offer a means to prevent these types of injuries and fatalities by sensing the presence of a miner and disabling machine motion. Although hundreds of these systems are installed and in use in operating coal mines, the influence that coal has on the electromagnetic fields associated with these systems has never been rigorously quantified. NIOSH researchers have conducted tests to measure whether the proximity of coal has a significant influence on a popular design of proximity detection system. The system tested utilizes a low frequency magnetic field generator that would be mounted on the mining machine. At the NIOSH Safety Research Coal Mine in Pittsburgh, researchers measured the performance of a simplified proximity detection system of this type first on the surface then underground at varying distances from a coal face. Analysis of these measurements shows that the presence of coal does not have a measurable impact. Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Reference to specific brand names does not imply endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Feb 27, 2013

By C. C. Huang

Rare earth compounds, such as samarium-cobalt compounds and neodymium-icon compounds, are being used more often for the manufacture of permanent magnets, because these materials permit the production of permanent magnets with higher magnetic energy potential than the conventional ferrite magnets. Especially, the recent rapid developments in the field of electronics and electro-technology have demanded an increased production of rare earth magnets. Unlike ferrite, which is typically produced by a wet process, rare earths can be ground and classified either in a wet or dry process. In the past, batch ball mills, through-pass ball mills in circuit with air classifiers, and conventional jet mills were primarily employed for the dry processing. These methods, however, have suffered from the problems, for example, wear and contamination, low product quality In particle size distribution, difficult to adopt inert-gas operation, and high specific energy consumption. In this report, dry processing of rare earth powders will be presented, especially ultrafine grinding with fluidized bed jet mill.

Jan 1, 1993

The original JKMRC AG/SAG mill model was developed over 30 years ago and has been upgraded a number of times since then, with the current published version being the Variable Rates model that is now over 15 years old. Since this model was developed further enhancements have been derived, some of which are applied in-house and some which have yet to be incorporated. The published and the commercially available model in JKSimMet is currently undergoing a comprehensive overhaul with a vastly extended data base for model evolution and validation. Improvements developed within the AMIRA P9 project, in-house development and a number of collaborative projects, are being incorporated into the upgraded model structure. Enhanced capabilities will include: power-based breakage rates scaling; a far wider mill filling range (from 10% to 40%) that exhibits peak in throughput as mill filling increases; higher ball loads; improved pebble discharge function; improved slurry discharge function incorporating important mill design and operational influences; and the new size dependent breakage function. The model will also be able to accommodate some influence of liner design and multi-component ores (blends of hard and soft components). This upgrade is still a work in progress but substantial changes have been made to date. This paper presents some of the new improvements and their influence on the predictive capability of the model.

Jan 1, 2012

By J. Day, Matthew X. Yao, Lijue Xue

Hardfacing overlays are commonly applied on the shroud Z-section of turbine blades for enhanced wear resistance. Among various processes that are used to apply the hardfacing overlays, the plasma transferred arc (PTA) welding process offers several advantages including lower heat input, less base material dilution, rapid process time, and reduced operating cost associated with the capability to apply materials in the powder form. The development of a robust PTA process is crucial for overlay performance and repeatability, particularly in the aerospace industry where a quality intensive manufacturing environment prevails. For this reason, the Taguchi method of experimental design was selected to develop a test plan. A 4-factor 3-level (L9) orthogonal array (OA) was used in the experiment. The L9 OA allows for a more detailed (3 level) investigation of critical process parameters, namely plasma gas flow rate, traverse speed, powder feed rate, and arc current. Two hardfacing materials, Stellite 694 and Tribaloy T-800, both Co-based wear resistant alloys, were investigated by deposition onto a cast IN738 Ni-based superalloy substrate. Performance measurements of the hardfacing deposits included deposit hardness, substrate hardness, deposit density (porosity), degree of cracking/inclusions, and a quantified visual inspection. The procedure resulted in optimized PTA hardfacing parameters for both Stellite 694 and Tribaloy T-800 on IN738 turbine blade material.

Jan 1, 2004

By T. Bhambhani, O. Yavuzkan, D. R. Nagaraj

"The recovery of oxide Cu minerals by flotation is a longstanding challenge in the minerals industry, especially for high acid-consuming ores which would not be economical for direct acid leaching. Sulfidization (often using controlled potential sulfidization or CPS) using NaSH (or Na2S) followed by flotation using traditional sulfide collectors is the widely used technique. CPS has certain limitations: a) inability to recover certain oxide Cu minerals because they are refractory to sulfidization, b) high consumption of NaSH (or Na2S), and c) potential health and safety hazards associated with NaSH (and Na2S). Flotation of oxide copper minerals using alkyl hydroxamate (AHX) collector has been studied extensively. Investigations using single minerals and laboratory ore flotation have been conducted in the past to demonstrate the efficacy of alkyl hydroxamates. The technology has been used intermittently in plants. One of the main challenges in plant use has been quantifying the true potential for alkyl hydroxamates for recovery of various oxide Cu species in complex and variable ore systems and identifying the most suitable conditions for optimal use. Quantitative mineralogical analysis using QEMSCAN was used in this study to characterize flotation products lab flotation samples. Analysis of concentrates and tails from hydroxamate flotation and CPS flotation stages demonstrated that certain oxide Cu minerals respond exclusively to alkyl hydroxamates and not to CPS. The hierarchy of interaction of AHX with the various oxide Cu minerals could be inferred from these studies. Finally, these studies also allowed quantification of a group of minerals species, which (erroneously) report as part of the Acid-Soluble Cu [ASCu] but cannot be recovered by flotation, thereby facilitating an estimation of the true recovery potential for alkyl hydroxamate.INTRODUCTIONCopper that is economically recoverable occurs in three major types of ores, which are defined by the modal mineralogy of Cu. For sulfide ores, Cu occurs as sulfide minerals and is satisfactorily recovered by flotation using sulfide collectors. Non-sulfide ores, which contain Cu in the form of oxides, phosphates, carbonates and silicates, described in the industry as “oxide” ores (or ores containing “acid-soluble” Cu or ASCu), are currently treated using hydrometallurgy, which involves leaching with dilute sulfuric acid followed by solvent extraction and electrowinning, unless the ores contain acid consuming gangue minerals such as dolomite. For mixed sulfide-oxide ores (i.e. containing both sulfide and oxide Cu minerals) that do not contain acid consuming gangue minerals, Cu values are easily recovered by flotation of sulfide Cu minerals followed by leaching of oxides (only when a leach plant is available). However, when the ore contains acid consuming gangue minerals flotation is required to recover both sulfide and oxide Cu minerals."

Jan 1, 2018

By M. Hancer, J. D. Miller

It is known from soluble salt flotation practice that the K, Mg double salts of kainite (KClMgSO43H2O), and carnallite (KClMgCl26H2O) are difficult to float and must be converted to other salts such as schoenite (K2SO4MgSO46H2O) and sylvite (KCl) in order to recover potash values. The flotation characteristics of these double salts have now been confirmed in some detail by carefully controlled laboratory experiments with both cationic and anionic collectors. The experimental results are discussed in view of recent experimental findings regarding the flotation characteristics of simple salts, in which the flotation response was shown to be determined by the interfacial water structure and whether the salt could be considered to be a water structure maker or a water structure breaker. The same approach can be use to explain the flotation response of the potassium double salts ; schoenite, kainite, and carnallite. In addition, the sign of the surface charge of schoenite (K2SO4MgSO46H2O), was determined as a function of pH from nonequilibrium electrophoretic mobility measurements. Schoenite appears to exhibit three charge reversals (CR) which can be explained based on surface hydrolysis reactions. The flotation behavior of schoenite is further considered based on solution chemistry calculations, electrophoretic mobility measurements, and microflotation results.

Jan 1, 2001

By José Pancrácio Ribeiro, Rafaella Bicalho da Rocha, Cláudio Henrique Ribeiro

For more than five years, GAUSTEC, along with large Mineral Industry companies, has sought solutions to concentrate flotation tailings and fines by using High Intensity Magnetic Separators (WHIMS). In 2014, GAUSTEC launches the world's largest magnetic separator, the GHX 1400, with capacity up to 1400t/h. By 2015, it launches NoBLOCK® technology, a protection for magnetic separators against clogging. Finally in 2017, it launches two technologies that, together with the previous two, revolutionize the market for magnetic separation, the BigFLUX® Matrix and SuperWHIMS® technology. This article aims to show all these technologies together and to show the efficiency of the same ones already employed in mining companies.

Oct 3, 2019

By F. Pošepný

Part I.—General Facts and Theories. PAGE 1. Systems of Classification Employed Hitherto, . . 199 2. Standpoint and View of the Present Paper, . . . 206 3. The Xenogenites in General, ...207 4. The Subterranean Water-Oirculation, . . . 212 A. The Vadose Underground Circulation, . . . 213 Filling of Open Spaces Formed by Vadose Circulation, . . 217 B. The Deep Underground Circulation, . 220 Ascending Waters Encountered in Mines, , 222 Related Phenomena near the Surface, . 225 Mineral Springs at the Surface,. . 230 Chemical Constitution of Mineral Waters, . 232 Minute Metallic Admixtures in Mineral Waters, . . . 238 Alterations Produced by Mineral Springs, . 240 Structural Features of the Deposits of Mineral Springs, . . 244 5. Origin of Ore-Deposits in the Deep Region, . . . 247 Manner of Filling of Open Spaces in General, . . . 254 Part II.—Examples or Classes of Deposits. 1. Ore-Deposits in Spaces of Discission, .. 264 General Features and Illustrations, a. Ore-Veins in Stratified Rocks, .. 269 Clausthal, 269; Andreasberg, 270. b. Ore-veins in the Neighborhood of Eruptive Masses, 271 The Erzgebirge, 271; Przibram, 272. c. Ore-Veins Wholly Within Large Eruptive Formations, 274 Hungary, 274; Dacian Gold-field. 275; Verespatak, 276; Vulkoj, 276 ; Comstock lode, 278.

Jan 1, 1894

By William H. Langer

The annual consumption of sand and gravel aggregate in 2006 in the Phoenix, AZ metropolitan area was about 76 Mt (84 million st) (USGS, 2009), or about 18 t (20 st) per capita. Quaternary alluvial deposits in the modern stream channel of the Agua Fria River west of Phoenix are mined and processed to provide some of this aggregate to the greater Phoenix area. The Agua Fria drainage basin (Fig. 1) is characterized by rugged mountains with high elevations and steep stream gradients in the north, and by broad alluvial filled basins separated by elongated fault-block mountain ranges in the south. The Agua Fria River, the basin?s main drainage, flows south from Prescott, AZ and west of Phoenix to the Gila River. The Waddel Dam impounds Lake Pleasant and greatly limits the flow of the Agua Fria River south of the lake. The southern portion of the watershed, south of Lake Pleasant, opens out into a broad valley where the river flows through urban and agricultural lands to its confluence with the Gila River, a tributary of the Colorado River.

Jan 2, 2010

Several major impediments threaten the successful delivery of tunnel and under-ground construction projects. In addition to technical design and construction risks associated with tunnel projects, many of which are well understood, budgetary pressures, funding constraints and the complexity of procuring, administering and executing multiple concur-rent projects in a large program could also have a catastrophic impact on the program?s objectives. Contributing factors often include poorly managed design, procurement, construction, managerial, organizational, market and stake-holder risks, as well as nonconforming inputs or outputs to the costs and schedule, or any other potential inabilities to deliver the required or desired results. A strategy to prevent ?failure? of a project requires a proactive and holistic approach to risk management. Through planning, identification, analysis, management, monitoring and control of the project?s risks (both threats and opportunities), attention to management of risk will in-crease the probability and impact of positive events and decrease the probability and impact of events adverse to a project?s objectives.