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By Ankit Jha, Javad Sattarvand, Aaron Young

Blockchain technology is one of the prominent disruptive technologies that are being implemented in several disciplines. The application of blockchains in the mining and mineral industry can provide utility to several processes especially when the industry is undertaking digital transformation. The governing principles of blockchain technology are applicable in undertaking transformation in several processes within the mining industry. This study investigates the applications of blockchain technology within the realms of the mining industry and identifies key areas of implementation. A systematic review of publications on academic platforms relating to blockchain technology in the mining industry did not retrieve a considerable number of articles. Consequently, a thorough review of white papers and articles authored by individuals on use cases within the mining industry is compiled and presented in this review article. This review article identifies all the potential areas within the mining industry where blockchains could provide value and improve processes through their implementation. The broad area of implementation of blockchains includes supply chain, traceability in spares parts, contract management, regulatory compliance and cybersecurity.

Mar 1, 2024

By Thomas T. Read

ONE of the major purposes of the Institute is to "maintain ... a library of books relating to subjects cognate to the sciences and arts of mining and metallurgy." In conformance with this purpose the Institute maintained its own library for a number of years until 1912 when it was merged with the libraries of the other Founder Societies. At that time the A.I.M.E.'s share of operating expenses was wholly covered by the income from a $100,000 gift from James Douglas. But interest on the Douglas Library Fund has declined from 51/2 per cent to 31/4 per cent; the library has grown from some 50,000 volumes in 1913 to more than 170,000 in 1945, with consequently increased costs; and its costs nave otherwise risen. The Institute today contributes to the library annually about 65c per member, of which about 25c is income from the Douglas Fund, or a net charge, from regular income, of 40c per member. The annual library budget runs about

Jan 1, 1946

By T. Senga, T. Namihira, S. Terada, S. Owada

"Electrical disintegration (ED) has been well known as a good comminution method to improve liberation of compositional phases because it was reported that electron avalanche could occur preferentially at phase boundary. But the detailed mechanism of the ED has been still not known. This paper describes the results of ED experiments using synthetic binary sample, copper/resin, under the conditions of various distance between electrodes, and discusses the energy distribution in the three kinds of phenomena in the ED process, which are(1) streamer progression in water, (2) electron avalanche in water, and (3) electron avalanche in solid sample, by measuring current and voltage with elapsed time. Then, it has been found that the energy distribution in the phenomenon (1) is quite low and that the distribution in the phenomenon(2) had a considerably large compared with that in the(3), which indicates that the shockwave generated in water could contribute much to the sample breakage.INTRODUCTIONElectrical disintegration (ED) has been well known as a specific comminution technology which enhanced selective breakage at phase boundary and lead to a good liberation among compositional phases1-6),but the detailed mechanism has not been clarified yet. This study describes energy distribution among the phenomena in the ED process by using a synthetic binary sample, copper/resin, the phenomena of which are (1) streamer progression in water, (2) electron avalanche and shockwave generation in water and (3) electron avalanche in solid sample usually at phase boundary. The energy distribution could be calculated from ED experiments and from voltage-current changes between electrodes as a function of elapsed time.SAMPLE AND EXPERIMENTALSampleThe sample used in this paper was a synthetic binary solid of copper/resin as shown in Figure1.Cut and polished pure copper lump was put into silicone mold and melted epoxy resin was poured into it and cooled, then, finally the binary sample was polished and molded in the form of 10 mm * 10 mm * 10 mm."

Jan 1, 2017

By F. L. Marley

Small and medium-sized flotation plants with no assaying instrumentation still depend much upon the art of the operator to produce acceptable and consistent results. Improved performance can be accomplished by the use of the simple microscope set up as a control device. The visual recognition of products in the circuit does much to eliminate uncertain shift operating decisions and is an easy technique to acquire. Mineral staining methods further assist in the determination of components within the mill products. Simple mounting upon scotch tape and other adhesives is rapid and convenient. The microscope also has a practical role for the plant metallurgist or laboratory technician when evaluating middling products, and their routing within the circuit. Examples are reviewed where the microscope has been used for operational control in both sulfide and nonmetallic mineral flotation plants.

Jan 1, 1981

By Will Mitchell, Ford F. Miskell, C. L. Sollenberger

THE taconites in general are hard, tough ores, difficult to grind. Liberation of iron mineral constituents usually is accomplished by grinding the ore through at least 100 mesh, and often it has been found necessary to grind substantially through 325 mesh to achieve satisfactory recovery and grade in the concentration process. Because of the fineness of grind required and the enormous tonnages of material contemplated for treatment in the future, costs resulting from grinding media wear and power consumption, together with capital investment required for comminution, approach astronomical figures. Economy in any one of these elements per ton of material ground could very well reflect a considerable saving to the ferrous industry in yearly costs. With this in mind, the Research Laboratories of Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. have launched a program to discover means of effecting this economy. The initial phase of the work as described here deals with a heat treatment of crushed raw ore, followed by thermal shock in cooling, for the preparation of rod mill feed. Several investigators 1-5 have noted an improvement in the grindabilities of ores treated in this manner. One investigator2 subjected low grade iron ores to heat treatment in an electric furnace. Basing his conclusions on screen analyses of crushed products, he observed that treated ore was more easily crushed than the untreated. He reported that observation of the treated and untreated ore through a microscope revealed cracks following the grain boundaries in treated ore, whereas no cracks were present in untreated ore. However, few if any have quantified the improvement in terms of total hp hours saved, reduction of wear of grinding media, or reduction of capital costs of grinding equipment involved. By means of Bond rod mill and ball mill grindabilities6 and by comparative wear tests, the conditions maintained during this investigation have been definitely evaluated. Heat treatment experiments have been made on a batch scale in a muffle furnace, followed by continuous scale experiments in a rotary kiln under various conditions of temperature, atmosphere, retention time, and quenching to determine the combination that would give the greatest improvement in the grindability of a taconite without affecting adversely the magnetic susceptibility of the magnetite. From these data, relative costs have been calculated for grinding both untreated and heat treated ore on a basis of plant capacity of 120 tons per hour. Heat requirements for a rotary kiln, as well as the kiln capacity required for the treatment, have been estimated. For these tests 50 tons of ore were obtained from the Aurora mine of the Erie Mining Co., Hibbing, Minn. The ore was reported' to have been selected from the magnetic portion of the lower chert horizons. An average chemical analysis of this portion is shown in Table I and an approximate mineralogical analysis is shown in Table II. No attempt was made to differentiate between the various silicates because the compositions vary widely on the different horizons and depend on the degree of oxidation. Minnesotite, however, is the predominant silicate. The siderite grains were dispersed throughout the ore but were essentially associated with the rock-forming minerals. In a series of preliminary tests in which batches of -6 mesh ore were heat-treated in a muffle fur-

Jan 1, 1952

By Richard Newcomb

Since the report of the 1972 Rapid Excavation Conference in the city of Chicago, speculation has continued concerning the estimates of tunneling demand. Little has been published that would persuade me to modify substantially the rather tentative estimates that originated with the National Academy of Sciences-National Academy of Engineering (NAS-NAE) study of 1968 which were recomputed by the United States in the survey of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1970. The OECD estimates, of course, hedged the really difficult question of forecasting civil construction tunneling demands. In the United States contribution, this was done by predicting both an upper and lower bound for important categories of demand. A discounting procedure was then applied to each of the major sectors of expenditures, permitting a forecast that reflected the current subjective assessment of how extensively and how likely cities were to adopt plans that required tunneling. This was done for water, utilities, transportation and other novel underground facilities. The purpose of this paper is a modest one. In it I wish to describe the efforts made since 1972 to generate more thoughtful and more robust estimates of urban sector demands, and to apply what has been learned to the most difficult category of predictions: those for urban mass transit systems. The estimates of the Underground Construction Research Council funded by the National Science Foundation have been described at an earlier panel of this Conference. The principal effort I am familiar with is that of

Jan 1, 1974

By G. H. Billings

THERE exists an unconfirmed opinion among many ironmasters that the combination of a small quantity of manganese, chromium, titanium, tungsten, aluminium, nickel, and some of the metalloids with iron has a beneficial effect upon the quality. And the impression prevails in some localities that the excellence of steel greatly depends upon the influence of some of these elements. But as the recorded experiments are so meagrely described, and made under such various conditions, the student in search of information upon the subject is somewhat bewildered by the contradiction of the opinions expressed. Observing some interesting phenomena while experimenting with an alloy of iron, copper, and nickel, I was led to determine the effect of some of the metals upon iron as free from contamination by other elements as it is possible to procure in prac¬tice, in order that the result of an alloy of an individual metal with iron might be more closely studied ; for it is almost an impossibility to determine the influence of a small amount of one element upon a metal combined with a large amount of another, and the mere presence of another sometimes makes this difficult. And as most of the experiments recorded upon this subject have been made with iron containing sufficient carbon and other elements to interfere with the effect of that metal the influence of which it was desired to observe, I have endeavored to avoid these sources of error as far as practicable. In determining the specific gravity of the alloys in these ex-

Jan 1, 1877

By Philip Wilson

THE Province of British Columbia covers 382,000 sq. mi., about 250,000 sq. mi. of which have not been prospected. In fact, the coast country and the islands are so heavily timbered and the surface covered with so thick a mantle of soil, muskeg, and, over broad areas, glacial drift, that prospecting, and even trail breaking are extremely difficult. It is only along the coast or stream channels, or above the timber line, or where snow or rock slides have scoured the surface that rock outcrops can be found. Glaciers nestle in many of the cirques and fill the valleys in the higher ranges. Great ice sheets and perpetual snow persist in certain localities, thus reducing the exposed areas worth prospecting. Almost the entire country has been subjected to intense glaciation, so that the conspicuous oxidized outcrops of orebodies typical of the south-western United States and Mexico do not exist and surface bodies of enriched or oxidized ore are rare. With few exceptions, the mines1 of the Province are working primary ore. Developments have proved that some of these orebodies are large and important, although usually comparatively low in grade. Besides the few mines that have produced most of the minerals, there are many small mines, but their total output is unimportant. Considering the number of mines and prospects and the widespread mineralization, it is strange that no really great mines, comparable in size and richness with those in the western United States have been found.

Jan 8, 1922

By Ryan W. Siggelkow

Mines today use various methods of mining to extract ore. Because of the dangerous nature of many of these processes, remotely controlled LHD machines are being used to extract the ore from the draw point. The remote control system, although being made safer all the time, has remained virtually unchanged for many years. The basic functionality is an operator switching the machine to remote control, getting out of the cab, walking up a stand, operating remotely, returning to the cab, switching to manual, driving manually, switching to remote, and switching to manual. It seems repetitive, and time consuming, does it not? Networking, convergence, video, voice, and data infrastructures, and other technologies are growing by leaps and bounds in virtually every industry and region, except for mining. From the comfort of the living room couch, a Canadian can play hockey online with full voice conversations over the Internet with someone in Russia in real time. Yet, a mine superintendent must jump through hoops to have a private conversation with the front line supervisor underground. "Is Joe around anywhere?" If Joe hears the message, he will respond. If not, who knows? Maybe he's hurt. Maybe he's not. Where is Joe? Nobody really knows, and that is scary. Today, surface knows that the workers disappeared into the cage at 7:00 a.m. They also know that the workers will probably and hopefully return at 3:00 p.m. Is there not a better way to handle this? With such a complex industry, it seems as if, for the most part, the introduction of new technology into mining has either been overlooked or has been met with some resistance. It is time to step back, look at the process, and see how it can be improved. Key areas of focus will be safety, productivity, dependability, and cost-effectiveness.

May 1, 2010

By G. Labonté, J. Truskoski, A. Kerr, A. Bouchard, J. Barrett

"Improving mill grade recovery relationships is always good business. Inco’s Clarabelle mill has just undergone a $16 M process upgrade that was designed to improve nickel recovery by 2%. The “Mill Redesign Project” was completed on time, under budget and delivered the promised improvement in recoveries.This paper describes the methodology of the Mill Redesign Project team, details of the process improvements and the critical success factors that helped the team deliver on its promises.With a payback of under one year, the Mill Redesign Project will play a key role in ensuring a competitive edge as Inco embarks on its second century of operation. IntroductionIt is not uncommon in milling operations to encounter a crisis. That is the point when the process does not behave as expected and fails to respond to the increasingly desperate efforts of the metallurgists and operators. Flowsheet and process changes are attempted and abandoned. With luck, one or more of the changes achieves some mitigation of the original problem or more usually, the original cause of the problem disappears. Regardless, the metallurgist can sit back and bask in the apparent success of his or her endeavours.Less common is when a problem is carefully diagnosed, a team put together to explore all avenues and recommend a path of action that is implemented on time, on budget and immediately delivers on the promises which are sustained over time. This is one such story. It is the story of the Mill Redesign Project at Inco’s Clarabelle mill in Copper Cliff, Ontario."

Jan 1, 2003

By John R. Goode

"This paper reviews options for the separation of a mixture of rare earth elements (REE) into its component elements. Earlier separations used selective chemistry such as double salt precipitation and reductive/oxidative processes – methods that still have a place in the industry. Fractional crystallization was developed for more complete separations of adjacent REE. The latter method was replaced by ion exchange (IX), which was in turn replaced by solvent extraction (SX). Two main SX chemistries are in use, solvation and cation exchangers, with several variants (mixed solvents, ionic liquids, etc.) now under investigation. SX plant configurations have evolved including advanced techniques like “hyperlinking”, novel saponification methods, and alternative stripping techniques. The classic mixer-settler is the most commonly employed device although centrifugal contactors have been pilot-tested. Non-dispersive SX options including microfluidic devices and membrane-assisted SX techniques are being developed and could revolutionize the SX option. Other REE separation techniques now being studied include Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT), Free Flow Electrophoresis (FFE), newer IX systems, and electrolytic processes. Additionally, the classical crystallization and selective precipitation methods and newer bacteria-mediated processes, chloride volatilization, high performance liquid chromatography, and magnetic separation systems have been studied. This paper reviews the options and concludes that conventional SX is the technology of choice but viable alternatives could be demonstrated and acceptable within a couple of years.INTRODUCTIONThe chemical properties of the individual REE are very similar which is why REE minerals and ore deposits almost invariably contain a mixture of all fifteen REE, i.e., La to Lu plus Y. That said, the distribution of REE in a given deposit is frequently dominated by the light REE (LREE, i.e., La to Nd). Examples include the Bayan Obo, Mianning, Lynas Mt. Weld, and Molycorp Mountain Pass deposits where heavy REE (HREE – Sm to Lu and Y) typically account for well under 5% of the REE content. The LREE operations produce some HREE but the main sources of these important elements are the ionic clay deposits of Southern China. Importantly, all of the REE recovery operations referenced above, except for cerianite-bearing ionic clay deposits, initially produce a mixed REE precipitate or calcine with a REE distribution similar to that in the ore (Goode, 2016). However, the consumers of the REE, the manufacturers of magnets, phosphors, catalysts, optical glass, etc., require separated products with purities generally ranging from 99% to as high as 99.9999% depending on the element in question and the end use. Hence there is a need to separate the individual REE one from the other. This paper is intended to review the options."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. C. Philp, Allan Gibb

INTRODUCTION. THE term matte is applied to smelting-products so extremely diverse in composition and physical properties that it appears impossible to devise any generic formula to represent, chemically, the manner in which the varied proportions of the almost unlimited possible constituents combine with each other. Mattes produced in copper-smelting, in distinction from those produced in smelting-operations in which the recovery of copper is secondary to that of other metals, cover a narrower range in composition. The copper-content of such mattes vary from 20 to 80 per cent., and even this range is much smaller in general practice since it is found advantageous, when possible, to produce mattes with about. 50 per cent. of copper in the first operation. Further, it is unusual that arsenic or antimony occurs in copper-ores in sufficient proportions to form arsenides or antimonides in such quantities that they will separate out from the furnace-products, as is common in lead-smelting. Generally, the mattes produced in copper-smelting are composed mainly of copper (usually greater than 35 per cent.), iron and sulphur, the remaining elements being usually in proportions sufficiently small to allow of their treatment as impurities, rather than as essential constituents of the mattes. In modern practice of smelting copper-ores in blast-furnaces the tendency is to approach pyritic smelting as nearly as pos¬sible, the furnaces being low and the air supplied being largely in excess of that required for complete combustion of the carbonaceous fuel. Hence the atmosphere of the blast-furnace thus used is usually oxidizing or Dearly neutral? and, as a consequence, the reduction of metallic iron that was a necessary evil of former practice is of unusual occurrence in operations where the main object is the recovery of copper. Hearth-accre-

Nov 1, 1905

By Tong Guangxu

INTRODUCTION Throughout the world, the caving mining methods of ore-draw under the overlying waste rock are sublevel caving in Sweden, block caving in U.S.A. and forced block caving and sublevel caving with sill-pillar in U.S.S.R. These caving methods are of high efficiency, low cost and large production (especially the block caving method) when compared to opencast mining. From the ore production of all under- ground mines, the largest annual production of underground metalliferous mines in the world is caving methods. The sublevel caving in Kiruna Iron Mine of Sweden has reached annual ore production over 20 million tons in 1974. The block caving in Climax Molybdenum Mine and San Manuel Copper Mine of U.S.A. both have produced about 40 thou- sand tons of ore per day in 1971. At the same time, the productivity of Kiruna was 12 thousand tons of ore per man-year, Climax 42.8 tons (48.3 short tons) per man-shift and San Manuel 29.01 tons (32.1 short tons) per man-shift. The main feature of this group of mining methods is the underground extraction of ore from beneath overlying caveable waste rock. Since the loss and dilution of ore are inherent (sometimes to a great extent), the control of ore-draw in these methods as com- pared with other methods is very important. Consequently, concerned Universities and Research Institutes have devoted great amounts of research on ore-draw theory and control management which has provided positive results to mine production, and has apparently promoted the development of the caving methods. During 1979 in China, metalliferous underground mines accounted for 15.22% of the total iron ore produced, while also accounting for 56% of total non-ferrous production. According to the mining methods, sub level caving in the principal underground iron mines counted for about 56.74% of total principal underground iron mine production, but only about 1% of total non-ferrous underground mine production. Relative to forced block caving and sublevel caving with sill pillar, the Chinese non-ferrous under- ground mines estimated about 35% of total non-ferrous underground mine production from these two methods, mainly from the latter. From the trend of development of underground metalliferous mines in China, the percentage of production in caving will be increased in the future, especially in block caving and forced block caving which have already been given great attention in the mining circle. In these types of mining methods the ore is drawn from the stope under a large area of overlying waste rock, which complicates the basic regulation and control of ore-draw, but provides lower loss and dilution than sublevel caving. Because of these reasons, the Kiruna Iron Mine in Sweden is intending to change its sublevel caving by testing a sublevel shrinkage caving method and considering a large area of ore-draw beneath the stope as an advantage. Therefore, the basic regulation and control management of ore-draw under a large area, as practiced in China, will be discussed in this paper. BASIC REGULATION OF ORE- DRAW FROM CAVING STOPE The aim of studying ore-draw under a large area of overlying waste rock is to se- cure a planned draw schedule that guarantees a certain plane of interface between ore and waste rock, and controls the change of its shape in spatial position for reducing ore loss and dilution during the draw process. Presently, the ellipsoid theory is comparatively near the actual attitude of ore-draw from the cave. 1. Ore Drawn Out from Single Drawpoint Laboratory testing and practical experience all show that after a certain amount of ore has been drawn out from a drawpoint, its original shape in the stope before drawing is more or less similar to an ellipsoid, hence the name "draw ellipsoid." This draw ellipsoid is cut at the bottom by a horizontal plane corresponding to the raise of the drawpoint, and its volume can be calculated by the following formula:

Jan 1, 1981

By C. H. Hopper

THE gold orebodies of the Matachewan Consolidated mine are of particular interest geologically because of their odd shapes, their apparent lack of connection one with another, and the fact that they occur in a number of different formations. All of the orebodies exhibit a similar fracture pattern and the areas of fracturing appear related to the local folding. However, the lack of either horizontal or vertical continuity suggests additional controls not yet discovered. The question of origin, so ably discussed by H. C. Cooke in 1919, will be reviewed in the light of the additional evidence uncovered since his examination of surface trenches twenty-four years ago. The Matachewan Consolidated mine, with its neighbour, the Young-Davidson mine, is in Powell township, 25 miles by road northwest from Elk Lake, 30 miles west of Kirkland Lake, and 45 miles southeast of Porcupine. It may be considered as being on the westerly extension of the Kirk-land Lake sedimentary belt, where the rock column is markedly similar. There is no similarity in structure, however, for great ore-bearing shears and faults simply do not occur at Matachewan. Rather may it be said that the region, under stress, failed in isolated brecciated patches, some of which make up today's orebodies. The mine currently treats 1,000 tons a day of porphyry ore averaging 0.10 oz. gold per ton. It started operations in 1934 on greenstone ore, and the mill then treated 150 tons a day of ore averaging 0.23 oz. gold per ton. Total production to the end of 1941 has been 929,484 .tons averaging 0.160 oz. gold per ton.

Jan 1, 1942

By G. Cifuentes

When the applied current is interrupted in a copper electrowinning plant, and then is back in operation, the lead anodes tend to corrode. In order to decrease the corrosion, the damage protective ("back up") anodic currents are applied during the period of interruption. The current work aims to establish the effect of the concentrations of sulphuric acid, copper and cobalt on the anode corrosion, to quantify the effect of various anodic protection levels on the anode corrosion and to propose a method to select the appropriate protective current density value.

Jan 1, 1999

By John J. Gillis

There is an ongoing battle to gain general acceptance of fossil fuel byproducts as safe, economical and useful agro-industrial materials. Despite that, the US ash industry is witnessing a steady growth in the volume of coal burned, along with the production of greatly refined, higher-quality ash particulates. There are two principal reasons for this. Economics have caused an increasing number of US electric utilities to convert from oil-burning to coal-burning. And the Federal government has tightened specifications on fly/bottom ash production quality. Hence, it must be noted that new and more stringent Federal regulations were implemented in 1980. The resultant ash particulates are finer, more compact, and less heavy than in previous years. Additionally, the first shift from oil to coal in the US was initiated in December, 1979 by the New England Power Co. in Massachusetts. Coal is the most widely-distributed fuel in the US. And it is found in 38 states. The wide availability of this fossil fuel and its general cost-efficiency, coupled with the undaunted move of US electric utilities toward nuclear power, are major factors affecting the current statistics on ash generation (65.4 x 106 million tons). Interest in the use of coal in power plants is creating a unique ash disposal and use situation for ash producers as well as the Federal government. There are growing quantities of fly/bottom ash residue. Ash producers must decide how this byproduct can be dealt with effectively and profitably. At the same time, government agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are commissioned by Congress to assure that solid, liquid, or gaseous material released into the environment is not harmful or offensive to human health and the environment. Additionally, the Federal government is often responsible for establishing and enforcing guidelines and standards governing the use of recycled materials. Several standards and guidelines governing the properties and use of ash in the US have been established by governmental agencies as well as by the ash industry itself. Of these, some have been developed for ash use by a specific federal agency. Others apply to the entire industry. The following is a brief identification of the major specifications for fossil fuel ash: • US Corps of Engineers - These specifications were first established in 1957. They delineate the physical and chemical requirement for pozzolans used in mass concrete. These specifications applied only to Corps of Engineers' concrete construction projects for locks, dams, and other mass concrete projects until 1977. At that time, a joint effort between the American Society for Testing and Materials and the Federal government produced a modified specification that is now generally applied. The Corps of Engineers' ash, however, retained certain aspects of its specifications for its own use, particularly in the area of handling and shipping fly ash to its own projects. Prior to transporting the fly ash to the corps, all potential sources for the ash must be inspected and approved as a supply source. All silos must be filled, sealed, and tested before the ash is released for shipment. The normal test period for the ash is seven days, although several testings may require up to 28 days. Once the fly ash has been released, it can only be shipped to US Corps of Engineers' projects. All shipments are made with a government inspector present during loading. After a truck or railcar is loaded, the silo is resealed until the next shipment. This procedure requires three silos, and a minimum of 454 t (500 st) each should be considered for each storage unit. All silos are strictly committed to Corps of Engineers' use and are not available for other commercial shipments. • US Bureau of Standards - This Federal agency maintains a standard testing sample of nearly every product used in the US. The accuracy of the fly ash chemical analysis is measured by a regular cement and concrete reference laboratory (CCRL) inspection and based on test results from a standard sample of cement. • US Bureau of Reclamation - This agency pioneered several projects using fly ash and required Federal Standard Certification for pozzolans. • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) - This nongovernmental organization began preparing standards for fly ash sold and used in the cement and concrete industry in 1947, at the urging of ash marketing firms. Current standards define chemical and physical requirements and is entitled, "Fly Ash and Raw or Calcined Natural Pozzolan for Use as a Mineral Admixture in Portland Cement Concrete (C 618-80)." • State Highway Specifications - Led by Alabama, many states are moving toward permitting - and in some cases requiring-the use of fly ash in portland cement concrete and with lime for base stabilization projects for roads and highways. • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - The FAA acts in an advisory capacity. It has final approval on design specifications for airport construction projects. The agency has established a set of guidelines permitting the use of fly ash, and has approved several fly-ash-specific designs. The most current FAA fly ash projects

Jan 8, 1984

By R. F. Baxter, C. M. Read, R. I. McCulloch

"Globalization of the aluminium industry continues to increase the pace of change and the intensity of competition, while simultaneously, society demands better products, cleaner technologies and sustainable industries. Bechtel, a global engineering, construction and project management company, is not immune to either the opportunities or the challenges created by globalization. However, and not withstanding the challenges, for aluminium industry ""players"" with a true global perspective, globalization presents very real opportunities that may be leveraged to deliver value creating goods and services. The following paper will focus on the exploitation of one of the opportunities created by globalization in the Knowledge Management domain - the application of high level tools and methodologies to improve global delivery of greenfield and brownfield aluminium smelter construction projects. Specific examples will be presented of value driven solutions that were delivered at the early stages of project engineering."

Jan 1, 2006

Asbestos is a commercial term applied to fibrous varieties of several minerals, the properties of which are not generally appreciated by the majority of geologists. A thorough knowledge of these properties and of the uses of asbestos is of fundamental importance in the assessment of the economic value of an occurrence of asbestos. The varieties of asbestos that are used predominantly by the manufact- urers of asbestos products are chrysotile, crocidolite and amosite but chrysotile constitutes 95% of the world's usage. It is the properties of high tensile strength, 'heat resistance and large surface area that make chrysotile asbestos the most acceptable of the mineral fibres. There are no known exploration aids, other than direct visual inspec- tion of outcrops in ultrabasic environments, that could be used in the exploration of chrysotile asbestos. The surface exploration of an occurrence of chrysotile asbestos is relatively routine, though it lends itself to a unique form of bulk sampling by the use of a twelve inch diameter diamond drill core. The laboratory assessment of the prop- erties of the actual fibre requires specialized techniques and tests to assess not only the amount of fibre present but also its length distri- bution, inherent strength, filterability, dust content and other prop- erties. The way a fibre reacts to milling will determine what milling process- es must be implemented to ensure a product that is acceptable to the asbestos product manufacturing industry.

Jan 1, 1971

By Lendall P. Warriner, Blandford C. Burgess

Jasper County lies just north of the geographical center of Georgia, bounded on the west and north by the Ocmulgee River. The county seat, Monticello, is approximately 65 miles east-southeast of Atlanta and 40 miles north of Macon. It is served by the Macon-Athens branch of the Central of Georgia Railway Co. and by five paved highways converging from adjoining county seats. Farming and lumbering are the principal local occupations. About half the county is covered with pine and mixed hardwoods; a large part of the forested land is owned by the Soil Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture in its Piedmont Land Utilization Project. The topography is one of gently rolling field and forest with occasional hills rising 100 ft or more above the creek beds. Though annual rainfall is in the neighborhood of 60 in., most of it falls in torrential downpours of short duration which tend rapidly to erode the red soil and convert the country roads to greasy tracks of red mud. History The pegmatites of Jasper County produced a small amount of mica in World War I. In World War 11, our Government's search for this strategic mineral brought to Georgia B. C. Burgess, then Southern Manager of Colonial Mica Corp., subdivision of Metals Reserve Corp., who noted on State Highway 83 the presence of pegmatitic material used as road metal. In 1944, after severing his Government connection and returning to private practice, Mr. Burgess investigated the source of the pegmatitic material noted on his previous visit and discovered that graphic granite pegmatite had been mined for the road metal. He secured mineral leases from the Soil Conservation Service and from private owners and began preliminary development work. By 1946 he had uncovered enough pegmatite to warrant an enterprise to undertake economic development of the feldspar. In March 1947, he conveyed his leases and interest to Appalachian Minerals Co., remaining with it as Vice President and General Manager. This company has carried on additional development, removing overburden by bulldozer and drilling the pegmatites uncovered. A modern and efficient feldspar grinding plant to produce 20 mesh feldspar for the glass industry was completed and placed in operation May 1, 1948. Geology GENERAL GEOLOGY OF ROCK TYPES OTHER THAN PEGMATITE Jasper County lies within the Appalachian Crystalline Complex and approximately 40 miles north of the "Fall Line," where the Upper Cretace-

Jan 1, 1950

By A. F. Meger

Coal treatment by oil spraying receives special attention at the Georgetown plant for the dividends it pays in satisfying present customers and attracting new markets. Customer satisfaction requires care, quality control, and use of suitable oils. REPRESENTED here are the ideas and varied experiences of many people in the Hanna Coal CO. who have helped develop, over a number of years, an efficient and flexible method for spraying controlled amounts of oil on coal. Since the Georgetown preparation plant began operations early in 1951, oil treatment of coal has received special attention. It is believed that oil treating will satisfy present customers and also attract new markets. The first step in developing the new method of oil spraying was the construction of a dust cabinet for testing 50-lb samples of treated coal with the available oil sprays on the market. Tests results were tabulated for both indoor and outdoor storage. The graph, Fig. 1, shows results of the original tests made with a 700-sec residual blend and a 500-sec lubricating oil on Georgetown stoker coal of 1¼x3/8-in. size.* The advantages of better price, improperly blended can raise havoc. Some.,pale oils also, although odorless when delivered, give off a sweet sickening odor when atomized under pressure. It is recommended that all products be tested before they are used. There is a specific place for all spraying oils. For example, at a power plant a severe dust condition exists around the stockpile area and in parts of the plant. The cheapest spraying oil made, regardless of odor, will do an excellent job in this case and will save the company 3 to 5c per gal or more. Domestic trade, on the other hand, must be carefully handled to prevent complaints about odor, and the only way to do this is to stay with the proved products after the odor tests have been made. The preparation plant at Georgetown has facilities to handle either tank car or tank truck deliveries. Steam is available at the unloading point if the weather is severe, and there is an indicator at the unloading point to prevent overflowing the 20,000-gal underground storage tank. Systematic test samples are removed from each delivery and sent to the lubrication engineer to insure quality control. Fig. 3 illustrates the chutes in which smaller sizes of coal are treated. Fig. 4 shows the entire spraying system. Buried in the ground is a 20,000-gal tank with immersion heaters grouped around the feeder line to insure adequate gravity flow to the pump under all conditions of weather. Oil flows to a 500-gal preheating tank where the temperature is kept about 150°F by six 1½-kw immersion heaters thermostatically controlled. Hot oil is fed through a self-cleaning disc-type filter to the hydraulic pump. Valves and piping make it possible to transfer oil from one tank to another or to drain the lines for maintenance purposes. All this equipment is below ground level in a covered pump room,

Jan 1, 1955