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By Keren Z, Huanguo G, Jlchuan Q

In this paper, the authors introduce a new flotation technique, a double collection flotation precess, which succeeds in separating feldspar from quartz effectively in weak acidic medium (pH = 5-6). In the presence of sodium hexametaphosphase(HMP), sodium oleate selectively improves the floatability of feldspar in the first collection step. Dodecyl amine- hydrochloride is used as collector in the second collection step to separate feldspar from quartz. The flotation tests with pure minerals as well as artificial mixture give out satisfactory results. The mechanism of reagent effect was investigated briefly, which is helpful for understanding the Process.

Jan 1, 1993

By Jami M. Girard, Ed Mchugh

Slope stability accidents are one of the leading causes of fatalities at U.S. surface mining operations. The Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is currently conducting research to reduce the fatalities associated with slope failures. The purpose of this paper to discuss some of this research and to present potential new technologies for slope monitoring and design. The paper also briefly discusses various warning signs of slope instability, introduces the most common slope monitoring methods, describes the limitations of various slope monitoring systems, and presents some field results using some of this new technology.

By M. S. Duffy

To exploit the mineral resources of fine grained ore bodies the minerals processing industry is turning to fine grinding technology, of which tower milling has become an established part. However, compared to other mills relatively little is known about the operating mechanisms in tower mills. In all milling processes one of the keys to understanding how they work is in knowing how their grinding media move. To investigate the ball motion in tower mills a glass unit was therefore constructed and measurements taken of the movement of the grinding media. This paper describes the results from this study.

Jan 1, 1998

By Brian W. Mackenzie

In this age of advancing technology, mining companies are confronted with increasing competitive forces. The depletion of high-grade deposits and the development of substitute materials are intensifying market competition. The accelerating activity of petroleum companies in mineral exploration is increasing competition for deposits. At the same time, the trend in government policy is towards a reduction in traditional mineral-industry incentives. To succeed, the mining company must respond to these changing economic conditions by developing a decision-making framework that can effectively contend with the new opportunities and constraints. What are the elements of such a decision-making framework?

Jan 1, 1970

By Mary Ann Harrington Baker, John Trudnowski, Marietta Canty, Marek Zaluski

Three Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB) passive field-bioreactors were constructed at an abandoned mine site near Butte, Montana, to mitigate AMD emanating from a waste rock pile. Each SRB field-bioreactor contains chambers of an organic source, limestone, and cobbles. The field-bioreactors are configured differently to test the effect of different environmental conditions on the SRB. Preliminary observations indicate that, during start up and the first eight months of operation, the quantity of organic carbon supply significantly impacts the SRB activity. To date, the dissolved metals have been reduced significantly and the pH has increased.

Jan 1, 2000

By Jeff Wachendorf

As the title implies, this paper details the start of a cast blasting and the design flexibility required to satisfy different parameters encountered on a large coal mine employing cast blasting as the program has grown and evolved around the town of Colstrip, Montana. As strip ratios have increased, the need to adapt and find solutions to provide coal at a reasonable cost to the mine mouth power plants has risen. Colstrip, Montana has a long history of coal mining which dates back to the early 1920s when Foley Brothers began supplying coal strictly for powering locomotive engines.

Jan 1, 2015

By R. W. Raymond

IX the death of William H. Scranton, which occurred at Oxford, N. J., June 19, 1889, the Institute has been called once more to mourn the loss of a name from the fast diminishing list of those who constituted its membership in the first year of its existence. But it loses more than a name—a friendly presence and an intellectual force have departed ; a fruitful life has been cut short. Mr. Scranton was born in Belvidere, N. J., on the 13th of January, 1840. He was the eldest son of Colonel George W. Scranton, the

Jan 1, 1890

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

430. The more important of the special properties of a mineral species with respect to heat include the following: Fusibility; conductivity and expansion, especially in their relation to crystalline structure; change in optical characters with change of temperature; specific heat; also diathermancy, or the power of transmitting heat radiation. The full discussion of these and other related subjects lies outside of the range of the present text-book. A few brief remarks are made upon them, and beyond these reference must be made to text-books on Physics ant1 to special memoirs, some of which are mentioned in the literature (p. 305).

Jan 1, 1922

While great strides have been made in the machinery for mining rock on the surface of the land, comparable advances have not been made with underground equipment. In fact, excavation of underground openings has actually declined in importance. On the other hand, surface mines are getting deeper and approaching the economic limits at which they can be worked. In the face of these approaching limits and the added problem of escalating labor costs, James Boyd, President of Copper Range Corp. and AIME, has suggested that "science and engineering must come to grips with the need for making subsurface openings more quickly and cheaply.

Jan 10, 1969

By N. Brown, J. Washburn, E. R. Parker

MOST previous quantitative work on creep of single crystals has been concerned primarily with developing empirical equations for the creep curve. Although the equations used by Cottrell and Aytekin¹ and Tyndall² represented the data quite well, it was often necessary to use different values of the constants for different specimens even though they were apparently tested under identical conditions. In the course of previous work on the effect of surface coatings on creep of zinc single crystals," it was found that equal resolved shear stress frequently did not produce equal creep rates in different specimens. The work of Chalmers' in the very

Jan 1, 1954

By Michael S. Robinson, Serge Moalli

Construction of the CSO Retention - Treatment Tunnel, Segment 1 in Dearborn, Michigan includes excavation for an overflow Structure with a minimum inside diameter of 15.24 m (finished). The excavation extends downward through overburden soil including a 15.2 m thick zone of potentially weak clay. This paper presents the subsurface data for the clay and a geotechnical analysis thereof, together with predictions of the behavior of the planned 15.54 m inside diameter open end caisson as it is sunk through this potentially weak zone. In a companion paper, the writers will compare the behavior observed with that predicted.

Jan 1, 1995

By O. Hyvärinen

The treatment of anode slimes at Outokumpu Pori Copper Refinery comprises the following process stages: copper leaching by air oxidation, nickel removal by digesting slimes in concentrated sulphuric acid at 200 °C, and dissolving of the formed nickel sulphate into water, roasting of the slimes in controlled gas atmosphere at 600 °C for selenium removal, smelting of slimes in a Doré furnace, electrolytic refining of silver, sulphuric acid and aqua regia leaching of slimes from the silver cells followed by the reduction of gold and platinum metals. The paper discusses operational experiences and recent developments of the process.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. M. Van Eeckhout

The National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program (NURE) has produced a mass of geochemical data in the form of data files on tapes. This paper presents a methodology for utilizing those tapes in a simple, practical manner. An example is given of an analysis of the Butte quadrangle, Montana, tape obtained from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The example details the sequence of splitting the data file, plotting histograms, cumulative frequency curves, concentration plots, and methods for evaluation. All programs are written in FORTRAN. The case study was performed using a mini- computer (DEC PDP 11/70) and standard plotting subroutines.

Jan 1, 1982

By K. H. Nimerick

A recent study has attempted to identify properties of hard-to-float coal that make them responsive to froth conditioning. Froth conditioning is the process of chemically enhancing the hydrophobic surface character of fine coal particles to improve their recovery by froth flotation. Since its introduction, froth conditioning has enabled recovery of an additional 1.9 Mt (2.1 million st) of coal. This study correlates field results to chemical, physical, and petrographic properties. The most direct correlation relates the coal's oxygen content to its response to froth conditioning. The higher the oxygen content, the greater the benefits of froth conditioning.

Jan 1, 1985

By T. R. C. Aston

Extensive undersea coal reserves, identified in the offshore portion of the Sydney coalfield, Nova Scotia, have resulted in the implementation of a multi-year research program to develop site specific guidelines for the undersea longwall mining operations. At present, uncertainty exists regarding the applicability of the current undersea mining guidelines. Preliminary studies have revealed four potential schemes for monitoring seafloor longwall subsidence profiles: seasurface, subsea, geophysics, and direct monitoring. However, further work has indicated that the use of marine geophysical techniques may be the most effective method of identifying and evaluating seafloor subsidence profiles by comparing pre- and post-mining seafloor topographies.

Jan 1, 1990

By W. Fletcher, R. C. Schenk

This paper outlines a well proven and highly successful approach for eliminating many of the problem and frustrations often experienced in plant startup. The approach was developed over a period of 25 years during which some 90 plants were commissioned. This paper discusses startup from the contractor’s perspective and highlights the requirement for detailed startup planning, careful coordination during the project final construction phase, and thorough checkout of equipment prior to introduction of feed. Performance of these services has demonstrated a valuable opportunity exists for the contractor to assist in the training of the plant operating personnel.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. F. Cuderman

A technique using propellants has been developed for producing multiple fractures about a wellbore. The use of propellants having a range of burn rates permits precise control of combustion gas release and thereby of borehole pressurization. The pressure rise- time is the key variable governing fracture behavior. The peak pressure attained is of secondary importance and appears to be a function of in situ stress and loading rate. The fracture geometry is governed by the in situ stresses and pressure risetimes. The major fractures occur along the principal planes of stress and along apparent planes of maximum shear stress.

Jan 1, 1984

By H. Suharyono, M. Lutsky, R. Hogg

Sediment consolidation in highly flocculated suspensions occurs only if the self-weight of the material exceeds its compressive yield stress. A simple model for sediment densification is presented and applied to the simulation of thickener operations. Measured relationships between sediment self-weight and the extent of consolidation are used to establish underflow densities. Supernatant turbidity data provide the information necessary to predict overflow clarity. It is shown that thickener depth can play a role in determining solids-handling capacity as well as dewatering performance. The application of the model to the design and operation of full-scale thickeners is described.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. T. Gepford, K. A. Prisbrey, T. Scott, M. Spangler

Using neural networks for plant control is challenging. The objective was to show how to make a neural network effective, even with noise, lag times, and unmeasured disturbances in the plant. The procedure was to evaluate the neural network in a laboratory flotation vision system and in a plant refractory gold autoclave system. Although the resulting neural network easily conquered simple laboratory data, the noisy plant data was much more difficult, and adaptive linear models were equally effective. We concluded that the neural network needs support by combining it with other tools found in the best control packages.

Jan 1, 2000

By W. A. Rickelton, A. J. Robertson

The ability of triisobutylphosphine sulfides to selectively recover silver from acidic sulfate solutions containing zinc and copper is described. Selectivity is explained in terms of the concept of hard and son Lewis acids and bases. Silver is stripped from the solvent using a novel strip feed (thiosulfate salt), and the recovery of metallic silver from the strip liquor by electrolysis or cementation is suggested. The high selectivity of extraction for silver and the utility of the stripping reagent are demonstrated in continuous, countercurrent, mini-plant tests. Important reagent properties, such as hydrolytic stability and low aqueous solubility, are discussed.

Jan 1, 1988