Search Documents

By Abou Saghafi

In order to investigate the design parameters of a future longwall in a thick coal seam a numerical model of gas emission from the goaf area was developed. A Longwall goaf was modelled as a collection of different size coal blocks. For each coal block the partial differential equation of gas flow was independently solved. In developing the flow equations, both pressure-driven and diffusion driven gas flow regimes were considered. The total gas emission rate was calculated by integrating the gas release from each individual coal block over the whole goaf area. The main output of the computer program are gas flowrate from goaf and residual content of caved coal in the goaf as a function of distance from the face. The model was applied to a longwall face driven in a thick seam where large volumes of coal in the roof were to be left behind the face. The gas contained in the coal was mainly CO, with a high desorption rate. Simulations were under- taken to quantify the effect of size of the caved coal on the flowrate from the goaf. The flow properties of coal, such as diffusivity, permeability and coal swelling due to gas adsorption, were directly measured on coal samples from the seam.

Jan 1, 1996

By Bela Koman

Abstract - A shiploading terminal near Punta Arenas, the southernmost city of the world (lat. 53°-10'S, long. 70°-54' W) is described. Strong winds, choppy seas, frequent gales, rain, and snow make it difficult to load ships at an offshore berth in this area. Detailed site investigations, including a wind-recording program, supplied sufficient information for the analysis of operating conditions. The weather pattern of the entire region, including the predictability of gales, was utilized in the analysis. The results showed that a bulk loading terminal at this location is feasible, provided that the design takes into consideration the specific problems of the site. The final layout shows a terminal that can be approached from several different directions, depending on the direction of the wind. The mooring system is arranged to allow alter- native ways of attaching and casting off mooring lines and executing docking and departing maneuvers. The berth is supported on piles and contains the minimum of structures, relying on a slewing shiploader to reach the ship in any position, with only limited fore and aft shifting of the vessel for loading the extreme hatches. Results of wind recording, statistical analysis of wind and wave data, operating criteria, and the results of berth availability analysis are included in the paper.

Jan 1, 1987

By T. G. Davies

The paper presents design equations for singly laterally loaded piles embedded in sand. These equations were obtained from a comprehensive nonlinear analysis of free and fixed head piles subjected to horizontal loads. The sand is modelled as an elastic-perfectly plastic material whose strength and stiffness are proportional to depth below ground level. The soil's response is described by means of a boundary element representation of the continuum while the pile itself is created as an elastic beam. Equations for the latter are derived directly from the Bernoulli-Euler theory and are coupled with those describing the non-linear soil response. The effects of bearing failure along the front, face of the pile, shear failure along its sides and tension failure at the back face are accounted for in the analysis. Simple equations are presented to describe both the elastic and inelastic responses. The only sol parameters required to use these equations are the angle of internal friction of the sand and a parameter characterizing the rate of increase of the sand's modulus with depth. The latter can be taken as equivalent to the modulus of subgrade reaction. The results of this analysis show that soil yielding is very significant at working load levels, resulting in substantial increase in bending moments and lateral deflection.

Jan 1, 2010

By I. M. Gordon

"INTRODUCTIONThe Hollinger tailing disposal plant is situated about 1 1/4 miles south of the mill. The area available for tailing covers 620 acres and is roughly 1 ¼ miles long by ¾ mile wide.Tailing was first deposited on the northeast section of the present site. This section, 1 mile long by ~ mile wide, sloped from northeast to southwest, the slope amounting to 106 feet between the northeast corner and the low land to the south west. The low land was wet and a considerable area was covered with muskeg up to 17 feet deep. It was drained by a creek running across the property in a southwesterly direction. Later, when more ground was needed, the low lying mining claims adjacent to the south and west boundaries were acquired to allow for expansion of the plant. This entailed some extra difficulties and expense that would not have been necessary had the whole of the present site been acquired with the original purchase.At the conclusion of milling, May 7, 1968, the site contains nearly 56 million tons of tailing. The top of the deposit is from 70 to 90 feet above the original low lying ground along the northwest, west and south boundaries."

Jan 1, 1969

This paper describes a steam outburst in a metal mine which occurred in December 1992 in Japan, resulting in two fatalities. The outburst occurred just after blasting in a heading face 600 m below surface (SL-50 m), 1664 m from a mouth of the mine. The scale of the outburst was large and the fragments of the outburst spread up to 34 m from the face, the total volume of the outburst was estimated to be 206 m3. The outburst materials were mostly clay originated from the typical surrounding rock of sulfide ore and basalt. The shape of the larger outburst fragments were slabs with a thickness of 10 to 20 cm. The victims were found in a main ventilation air shaft, 175 m and 380 m from the face, respectively. The mine mainly produces copper, lead and zinc. The face was ventilated by a 560 mm diameter duct with a fan and the strata temperature of the rock was estimated to be in the range of 120 to 140¦C. There is a famous hot spring near the mine. A thorough investigation into the unprecedented accident was made including an on-site inspection and investigation of rock characteristics in laboratories.

Jan 1, 2005

By Lane D. Schultz, John D. McLennan, Jean-Claude Roegiers

During construction of the intake tunnels for a nuclear power facility in Ohio, evidence of a potential geological discontinuity was discovered. Assuming that the discontinuity might still prevail underneath the site, it was decided to measure the stress profile across the discontinuity. This information would be used to assess future stability on the basis of predicted shear stresses acting along the fracture. Seven intervals were hydraulically fractured to determine the magnitude and orientation of the stress tensor, in order to infer the shear stresses acting along the discontinuity. The formation consists of tightly interbedded shales. This, in combination with the shallow depths, would be expected to lead to horizontal hydraulic fractures -- a situation which generally provides limited information. Careful testing procedures, and meticulous interpretation, allowed the determination of the horizontal stress components as well as the vertical component, via the initiation and/or propagation of multiple fractures. The measured stresses fall within the range of stress magnitudes and orientation determined in other areas of the northeastern and north-central United States and in southern parts of Canada. In addition, a small stress gradient anomaly was recorded at depth. On a different scale, the measured stress regime is also evaluated in light of the regional geological setting.

Jan 1, 1982

By Kirk H. P. E. McDaniel, Mark T. Strever, Keith G. Jr. Wallace

This paper presents the design and installation of an underground ventilation remote monitoring and control system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. This facility is designed to demonstrate safe underground disposal of U.S. defense generated transuranic nuclear waste. To improve the operability of the ventilation system, an underground remote monitoring and control system was designed and installed. The system consists of 15 air velocity sensors and 8 differential pressure sensors strategically located throughout the underground facility providing real-time data regarding the status of the ventilation system. In addition, a control system was installed on the main underground air regulators. The regulator control system gives indication of the regulator position and can be controlled either locally or remotely. The sensor output is displayed locally and at a central surface location through the site-wide Central Monitoring System (CMS). The CMS operator can review all sensor data and can remotely operate the main underground regulators. Furthermore, the Virtual Address Extension (VAX) network allows the ventilation engineer to retrieve real-time ventilation data on his personal computer located in his workstation. This paper describes the types of sensors selected, the installation of the instrumentation, and the initial operation of the remote monitoring system.

Jan 1, 1995

By Frank Firmstone

THE indicator cards shown herewith were taken by the writer in June, 1877, from the water-pressure blowing engine of the Longdale Iron Co., at Lucy Selina Furnace, Longdale, Virginia. A description of this engine with figures, and some indicator cards, was published by Washington Jones, Esq., Superintendent of the I. P. Morris Co.,* in the Journal of the Franklin Institute for May, 1877, to which those desiring a full account are referred, but for convenience the principal dimensions, etc., are given below. The machine consists of a pair of horizontal directacting blowing engines, connected at right angles to a common fly-wheel shaft. The blowing cylinders are 4 ft. diameter by 5 ft. stroke; the water cylinders were 18 in. diameter by 5 ft. stroke as built. Both water and blowing cylinders are double acting. The water valves are balanced piston valves, 18 in. diameter, moved directly by eccentrics on the fly-wheel- shaft. Great care was taken to have the areas of the ports and passages at least equal to the area of the working piston. The engine is set about 14 ft. above the tail-race, and the * The engine was built by the I. P. Morris Go., from drawings made by Messrs. Tuws and Hartman.

Jan 1, 1879

By John A. Dearinger, Fred D. Wright, Robert C. Howell

INTRODUCTION The rock mechanics study of the shortwall mining system at Beth-Elkhorn corporation's Hendrix No. 22 Mine is being conducted under contract with the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The objective of the study is to obtain data on surface subsidence over a portion of the mined area, strata subsidence in the mined area, and underground stress changes and displacements in and near natural support elements of the mining system. This study is currently in progress, and only a portion of the results are being presented at this time. The Hendrix No. 22 Mine is located in the moderately rough mountainous terrain of Letcher County in eastern Kentucky. The nearest mine workings to the shortwall area are approximately 1,900 feet distant. The depth of cover over the mined shortwall area varies from 770 feet at Panel 1 to 170 feet at Panel 5 (Figure 1). The strata in the shortwall area is summarized in the three core logs shown in Figure 2. Hole no. 2 is located in approximately the center of the mined shortwall area (Panel 3, Line C, Figure 1). The coal seam in the shortwall area is approximately 4 feet thick and horizontal, although one major ‘roll’ intersects all panels.

Jan 1, 1977

Vatukoula is a gold mining township situated at the south-west periphery of a Tertiary caldera which measures 3 miles by 4 miles. Erosion of the caldera resulted in the formation of a topographic depression, called the Tavua basin, covering about 30 square miles. This area, also known as the Tavua Goldfield, has been the site for spasmodic prospecting since the initial discovery of gold in 1932.The mineralization at Vatukoula is typically epithermal with the gold occurring as tellurides, auriferous sulphides, and to a much less extent as native gold. The lodes are confined to three major structures i.e. north-west shears, flatly dipping structures (flat makes), and local shatter orebodies.Within these structures, at least five types of controls are recognized to account for the localization of the oreshoots. The dominant control is structure.The lode structures are related to the overall structural pattern of the Tavua basin. This pattern, which is controlled by the collapse planes of the caldera and a north-west shear system, produced a "shatter block" atVatukoula and elsewhere around the caldera.Structural analysis indicates there are certain areas in the Tavua basin where exploration could be rewarded by the discovery of orebodies with similar controls to those of the productive Vatukoula block.

Jan 1, 1967

By A. W. Fahrenwald

THE function of the classifier in modern fine-grinding practice is to remove a finished product from the grinding-mill discharge, leaving material that needs further comminution. The classifier, therefore, makes two products: (1) "finished" product, which overflows the rim of the classifier tank, sometimes referred to as "slimes" or as "classifier overflow," and (2) "unfinished" product, which settles to the sloping bottom of the classifier tank and is removed by dragging or raking. This product is generally referred tows "sands" or "oversize." One of the outstanding features of the closed-circuit classifier is its ability automatically to return the unfinished product of the ball-mill discharge to the feed end or scoop box of the ball mill. This is a distinct advantage because it avoids dilution of the ball-mill feed, and, furthermore, the particular method of removing the settled sand, by raking it up the inclined bottom of the classifier, gives a classifier discharge containing a minimum of water. This leads to maximum classifier efficiency, in this type of classifier, because the maximum volume of water is displaced upward by the settling sands. The closed-circuit classifier is required to deliver a finished pulp of closely specified density requirements, therefore added hydraulic water generally is not permitted.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. W. Hawkins

Understanding aquifer properties in surface mine backfill is essential for managing the groundwater flow system as well as controlling the formation and discharge of acid urine drainage. Slug tests (injection and withdrawal) performed on wells in mine spoil may yield two distinctly different response characteristics. One type of response is indicative of a porous media system. The second type of response indicates the presence of a pseudokarst system. The presence of voids or conduits in the backfill is indicated by an almost instantaneous partial recovery of the water level displacement. This rapid recovery is turbulent flow and cannot be analyzed by conventional (Darcian) methods. The turbulent flow may cause the calculated hydraulic conductivity to be less than the actual values. The slug dissipation surface area created by the voids contiguous to the test well add to the known dissipation surface area of the screened interval. This can cause the calculated hydraulic conductivity to be greater than the actual hydraulic conductivity or the aquifer to appear more permeable. Whenever analyzing data from aquifer tests in mine spoil, these potential problems must be kept in mind. In spite of the problems encountered during slug testing of spoil, the aquifer hydraulic parameters derived and the slug responses observed remain useful in the hydrologic characterization of a mine site.

Jan 1, 1994

By F. D. Mendes, A. H. Martins

The high copper grade in the Igarapé Bahia (Brazil) gold-copper ore restricts the direct application of the classical cyanidation process. Copper oxide and sulfide minerals react with cyanides in solution, causing high leach-reagent consumption, raising processing costs and decreasing gold recovery. According to studies, a feasible solution would be to pretreat the ore to remove copper minerals prior to cyanidation. The goal of this experimental work was to study the conditions for the removal of copper from the Igarapé Bahia gold-copper ore by sulfuric acid leaching, applying a statistical approach to the experimental design. By using the Plackett Burman method, it was possible to select the variables that exhibited the largest influence on copper extraction at the sulfuric acid leaching stage. These variables were leach solution temperature, stirring speed, sulfuric acid concentration in the leach solution and ore particle size. The individual effect of these variables and their interaction influences on the experimental response were analyzed by applying the replicated full-factorial design method. Finally, the selected variables were optimized by the ascending-path statistical method, which determined the best leach experimental conditions for maximum copper extraction. The optimized leaching conditions resulted in a copper extraction of 75.5%. Keywords: Copper, Gold, Extraction, Sulfuric leaching, Optimization

Jan 1, 2003

By R. Ciccu

This paper examine the optimization of a beneficiation plant for recovering marketable barites from crude ores of different characteristics. The plant, part of a mining complex in Sardinia, consists of a jig section integrated with a flotation line. The problem has been studied using a suitable model of the process, based upon experimental and field data pertaining to both the characteristics of the feed material and the performance of machinery. Data have been automatically processed with the aid of a computer to find the optimum setting of each section, in order to maximize profit for each kind of ore separately fed to the plant. Moreover, the advantages of blending the various concentrates - not all of them individually marketable - are also demonstrated. The overall economic result can be improved provided suitable proportions of each kind of ore are fed to the plant. Such information is fundamental for the long-term planning of exploitation of available reserves, and provides guidelines for further prospecting. The paper illustrates the washability characteristics of the ore's and describes in detail the model adopted. The results of data processing are then presented in the form of computer graphs and discussed. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the advantages of resorting to Operations Research as an aid to management.

Jan 1, 1987

By W. A. Hooker

This portion of Mexico is quite beyond the ordinary routes .of travel, and is seldom visited. Its mines have not the record of enormous wealth which has recently attracted foreign capital to other parts of the republic; but for many centuries it has been a mining country, and at some periods evidently a productive one. In 1881 the writer visited the State and spent some time in the inspection of the mines. The absence of published information regarding its mining industry is his apology for presenting to the Institute these notes on the subject. Oaxaca is, with one exception (Chiapas), the most southerly of the Mexican States. It extends from latitude 18o 20' to 15' 45' N.— about 180 miles, by some 300 miles, in an east and west direction, and embraces a large part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The coast-line is wholly on the Pacific. The State has an area of 27,470 square miles, nearly that of the State of Maine, and a population estimated at one million, or thirty-six to the square mile. The great continental Cordillera which farther north and west expands into broad table-lands, is here converged into narrower limits and occupies the greater portion of the country; the main

Jan 1, 1887

By Peikun Liu, Guangyu Sun, Raja V. Ramani, Shambhu Sharan, Raman Srikanth, Bharath K. Belle

The contribution of the various outby sources to the contamination of the panel intake air has been the subject of a relatively small number of studies. In this paper, after a brief review of past studies, results from recent experiments on rates of contamination of intake air by outby dust sources are presented. Present study indicates that each outby source by itself may not be a major contributor. The loading point in the continuous miner section did not appear to be of major concern from contamination point of view. Belt entry including transfer point contributes significantly to the intake air dust level, though reentrainment was not a major source of dust. In longwall panels, the stageloader-crusher was the most dominant source. The panel-to-main belt transfer point was not a major source. Taken collectively, the contribution of all outby sources can be significant. In one longwall section, at the beginning of the longwall face, the contribution of all the outby sources and the headgate cut-out operation was observed to be about 80% of the permissible exposure limit (2 mg/m3). In modem high production longwalls, the application of effective dust control measures to reduce the dust generated from the outby sources is essential to achieve compliance with the dust standards.

Jan 1, 1997

By C. H. Lee, F. Concha, L. G. Austin, P. T. Luckie

The Concha-Almendra batch-settling treatment for concentrated suspensions of single-diameter spheres has been modified. This modified version is used in the differential equations of simple batch settling of a particle size range of different density materials. The equations have been programmed for a finite difference solution, and a number of test cases have been analyzed. By cutting the settling column at a fixed fractional height, the material below this height can be treated as underflow and the material above as overflow. The predicted partition curves obtained from treating the settling in this way have Sharpness Indices in the range of 0.5 to 0.6, in the absence of dispersion effects. The Sharpness Indices decrease as dispersion increases. When the feed size distributions are of the Rosin-Rammler form, the partition curves (corrected for the bypass fraction) fit the Rosin-Rammler equation with reasonable accuracy. The predicted Sharpness Index of a component of a mixture of two materials of different densities was unchanged from that of the same materials settled alone. However, for the same, feed size distribution and volume fraction of solids in the feed, the heavier material settled faster, and the lighter settled slower, than when settled alone.

Jan 1, 1993

By C. E. Webber

THE economical recovery of the valuable constituents from the effluent of gas-con-densate wells has developed into a problem of balancing the cost of recovery against the cost of compressing the residual gas back into the formation. A possible method of extracting the gasoline and distillate from the natural gas is by oil absorption at high pressures. In order to design and evaluate an absorption plant, fundamental data on the composition of the coexisting hydro-carbon vapor and liquid phases at various temperatures and pressures are essential. A review of the literature indicated that the necessary data for the design of such plants are lacking. The nearest approach to desired published data is that of Katz and Hackmuth,5 who experimentally deter-mined the composition of the coexisting vapor and liquid phases in a natural gas-crude oil system at pressures up to 3000 lb. per sq. in. and at temperatures from 40° to 200°F. This paper presents the results of the experimental determination of the equilib-rium distribution of the hydrocarbons methane through hexane between natural gas and a typical absorber oil. The ranges of temperature and pressure chosen were from 33° to 180°F. and from 100 to 5000 lb. per sq. inch.

Jan 1, 1940

By Michel Claisse, R. P. Goel, André J. Rancourt, Kent Murphy

The Malana Hydroelectric Project is a private development located in HimachalPradesh State, India that was commissioned in June 2001. The plant was built and is owned by the Malana Power Company, a subsidiary of the Bhilwara Group of New Delhi. With a total head of 400 m and nominal capacity of 86 MW, the plant is capable of generating 360 GWh annually. The 3,1 km long, 4,0 m diameter power tunnel was designed to be excavated by conventional drill and blast methods. Contrary to traditional practice in India for pressure tunnels of providing a concrete lining, the Malana tunnel was finished mainly with shotcrete. In this way, the tunnel was completed in a period of18 months, a record for recent projects in the Himalayas, and at a cost substantially below that of conventionally lined tunnels. An interesting aspect of the project was the design of the steel tunnel liner linking the power tunnel to the penstock. The length of the liner was fixed finally on the basis of in-situ testing using both hydraulic jacking and doorstopper tests to evaluate the ability of the rock to withstand the internal pressure of4,0 MPa that exist near the downstream end of the tunnel.

Jan 1, 2003

By James Gardner

IN 1923, Oklahoma took second place as an oil-producing state; whereas in 1922 it was the leader. California surpassed it, in 1923, by nearly 100,000,000 bbl. In 1923, Oklahoma produced, according to statistics of The Oil & Gas Journal, 165,013,685 bbl., or an increase of approximately 10 per cent. over the preceding year; the increase in California was approximately 90 per cent. The number of wells drilled in Oklahoma and the results of the two years are contrasted in the following table from data published in a preliminary bulletin by the U. S. Geological Survey. 1922 1923 Oil wells 4,149,68%. 3,515, 60% Gas wells 571, 9 %u 587, 11% Dry holes 1,428,23% 1,731,29% Total wells 6,148 5,833 The initial production from wells drilled in Oklahoma in 1923, according to The Oil & Gas Journal, was the largest in the history of the state, being 1,277,936 bbl. It has been 32 years since oil development began in the state, last year being the largest in the amount of production. The production of the past year would have been considerably greater were it not for the shutdown order in the Burbank field and curtailment of production in the Hewitt and Tonkawa pools.

Jan 3, 1924