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By William W. Adams

The stone-quarrying industry of the United States, including such related operations as rock crushing, rock dressing, and the manufacture of cement and lime, reported a larger volume of employment in 1934 than in 1933. Reports from the operating companies to the United States Bureau of Mines showed an increase in the number of men employed, number of man-days of employment, and total number of man-hours of labor performed during the year. Moreover, the average worker had a longer period of employment during 1934, the gain amounting to 11 percent over 1933. The increase in employment was accompanied by no increase in accidents for the industry as a whole; in fact, the accident rate for 1934 was a fraction lower than the rate for 1933. In some branches of the industry the frequency of accidents increased, but these increases were more than offset by reductions in rates for other branches. Reports for 1934 were received from 1,403 active plants. The working force averaged 64,331 men for 204 days per man, and the total period of employment for all of the men was 95,258,880 man-hours. Each employee averaged 1,481 hours of work during the year. The total number of hours of labor represented a gain of more than 8 percent, and the average working time per employee showed a gain of 62 hours per man.

Jan 1, 1936

By M A. Wells

A new approach to more reliably predict the Ni (and Fe, Mg) composition of Ni laterites was tested for RC samples from the (siliceous) oxide–style, Siberia North deposit, Kalgoorlie Nickel Project (KNP), in the north-eastern Yilgarn (WA) using partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis of diffuse reflectance spectra over the 380 - 2500 nm wavelength range with a multi–element chemistry data set. PLSR cross-validation models were developed to predict FeO, MgO and Ni contents in composite samples with bulk composition limits of >0.08 wt per cent Ni and <6 wt per cent MgO. Calibration and validation models showed a strong, linear trend for predicting FeO and, to a lesser extent, Ni content, whereas PLSR models for predicting Mg content were less reliable. This reflected the prevailing mineralogy and associated element deportment within the oxide laterite profile. For example, Fe and Ni distribution is controlled by relatively few minerals, predominantly goethite and, to a lesser extent, the Fe3+-bearing smectite, nontronite. Magnesium is associated with a range of Mg-bearing minerals, some of which are compositionally complex (eg serpentine, talc, chlorite, smectite and carbonates). Magnesium chemistry alone does not reflect the varied mineralogy of samples with relatively high (5 - 6 wt per cent) MgO contents, which can be spectrally distinct. Hence, samples with similar Mg contents, though comprising Mg-bearing minerals with distinct reflectance spectra, were difficult to model (eg smectite versus Mg-carbonates). The findings of this study demonstrate that characterisation of Ni laterite composition may be achieved as part of routine logging of either drill chips or diamond drill core using PLSR analysis, but that a detailed understanding of the mineral-element association is essential for reliable predictive analysis. This has particular relevance to characterising the geometallurgy of Ni laterites, especially where deposits may be classed as the same type, but have distinct compositional and mineralogical differences.

Sep 5, 2011

By René Lefebvre

Numerical simulations of the physicochemical processes related to acid rock drainage (ARD) in the Sugar Shack South rock pile of the Questa Mine were performed with the TOUGH AMD simulator. The objectives were to 1) identify the main processes responsible for observed present-day conditions, 2) provide an estimate of gas phase humidity transfer, and 3) give a preliminary indication of the potential impact of closure involving the installation of an alluvial soil cover. Modeling results indicated that the mine rock geometry (thin layers placed along steep mountain slopes) favors the onset of strong thermal air convection. Simulations also indicate that resloping the piles would not significantly reduce convection and oxidation. For simulation purposes, a potential cover with the permeability range of a local alluvium was investigated and found to be of questionable effectiveness since its permeability can exceed the value of 3x10-13 m2 required to prevent thermal air convection and reduce ARD.

Nov 1, 2002

By M Olsen

"Segregation of conveyor roadways is a ventilation practice that is being increasingly applied in Australia. It is largely driven by the legislated requirements in Queensland pertaining to separation of escapeways from the mine. This legal requirement was based on a recommendation from the Moura No. 2 WardenÆs Inquiry (Windridge, 1996) into the mine disaster that claimed 11 lives. The report recommended: ... the introduction of a requirement for all underground mines to have one intake airway that is completely segregated from other parallel intake airways so as to provide two separate means of egress from the mine via an intake airway.This recommendation seeks to assist mine workers in escape from a mine after a fire by providing them with an airway that is free from smoke or contaminants.The concept of an airway being æcompletely segregatedÆ is an ideal that is challenging to implement in practice when considering the effect of leakage. The practice of belt segregation is concerned with the potential for fires in the belt roadway although there are numerous other potential fire sources in underground coal mines. A review of segregation practices has been conducted applying ventilation engineering principles. Four different scenarios have been analysed with regard to the effectiveness of the segregation stoppings in preventing potential fire contaminants migrating to other parts of the mine. The results show that in some cases the benefits of segregation to a person evacuating a mine in the event of a fire range from beneficial to detrimental. This is influenced by many factors including the location of that individual in that particular mine. There is room for improvement in the design and implementation of escapeways in underground coal mines. Escapeways need to be planned and designated with regard to the potential sources of fire, pressure differentials between escapeways and the operational practicalities of maintaining the pressure differential between them.CITATION:Olsen, M, 2013. Belt road segregation and escapeways - Compliance or risk management?, in Proceedings The Australian Mine Ventilation Conference, pp 311-318 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jul 1, 2013

By R. J. Latino

Because of the lack of a universally accepted definition or standard for RCA, we are left to our own conventions in the marketplace as to what is most ?effective? or a ?Best Practice? for our own facilities or organization. This lack of uniformity in the application of RCA produces an equal lack of uniformity in the measureable outcomes of RCA on the bottom-line from site to site and industry to industry. What is the definition of success for an RCA? Is it regulatory compliance? Is it some quantifiable measure of bottom-line performance? Is compliance and bottom-line performance the same thing? Can we measure the ROI we receive by doing compliant RCA? These questions must be adequately addressed if any definition of RCA is to be effective on the bottom-line. Like our various Corporate Vision and Mission Statements, what would be our Vision and Mission for RCA? When pondering the answer to this question, we should consider: ? What Key Performance Indicators will the Success of RCA be Linked to? This provides a direct correlation to the corporate dashboard and therefore garners support for the RCA effort when implemented at the sharp end. Not until we know what KPI?s will effectively measure our maintenance and reliability objectives can we begin to establish which opportunities will afford the greatest returns1. ? What Bottom-Line Metrics will be Tracked to Measure the Effectiveness of Our RCA Effort? Will it be increased production, profitability, regulatory compliance, etc.? Will it be decreased injuries/fatalities, claims, customer complaints, risks, etc.? We should be specific about these metrics and their correlation to the metrics on our corporate dashboard. ? What Will Trigger an RCA Investigation? Normally companies will establish quantifiable thresholds to be surpassed before an RCA will be conducted. Examples may be an OSHA recordable injury, a failure event in which production losses exceed $250,000, an equipment failure in excess of $50,000 or a regulatory violation. This is the norm. However, we should realize this is using our RCA skills totally on a reactive basis. High Reliability Organizations (HRO) strive for proaction and they also use RCA proactively. Why can?t we use RCA to analyze why unacceptable risks from an FMEA are so high? It is perfectly applicable yet rarely implemented in this fashion.

Feb 27, 2013

By Wm. O. Vanderburg

This paper describing the milling methods at the Hughesville concentrator of the St. Joseph Lead Co., Hughesville, Mont., is one of a series of similar papers being prepared by the U. S. Bureau of Mines on practices at the various mills in the United States. The writer expresses his thanks for the courtesies extended by the officials of the company while visiting the property and acknowledges the assistance and helpful suggestions given by R. H. Willcomb, general manager, and Carl Martin, mill superintendent, of the Hughesville Division f the St. Joseph Lead Co.; and E. D. Gardner, supervising engineer, U. S. Bureau f Mines, Southwest Experiment Station, Tucson, Ariz., in gathering and compiling the data herein presented.

Jan 1, 1931

By Anita Wu

"GENERAL BACKGROUND/CONTEXT The £300 million Bond Street Station Upgrade project will provide essential congestion relief and step-free access to an important interchange and destination station in the heart of the London Underground network. In 2010 London Underground (LU) let a design & build contract to Costain Laing O’Rourke (CoLOR), with the works to be completed in early 2017. CoLOR’s lead designer is Halcrow-Atkins JV (HAT). The station upgrade works comprise the following principal elements: •,A new satellite ticket hall on the North side of Oxford Street •,Two additional escalators and stairs providing congestion relief to the Jubilee line platforms •,Four lift shafts to provide step-free access between the different levels of the station •,Additional stairs to Central line platform level •,Tunnelled connection to the Crossrail station immediately to the south •,Connecting passageways, including ten connections to existing station tunnels. To achieve this, an existing property at 354-358 Oxford Street has been purchased and demolished, and the basement deepened to make provision for the new ticket hall. From this basement two circular shafts have been sunk, providing construction access for the tunnelled passages and lift and escalator shafts. The tunneling is principally in the London Clay stratum, which is widely recognized as a favorable tunneling medium, although the deepest parts of the works extend into the Lambeth Group strata which consist principally of stiff clays at this level but also contain water-bearing sands. The majority of tunneling has been carried out using mechanical excavation and sprayed concrete linings but other techniques have been used in areas where SCL is not practicable.A key challenge for design and construction of the works has been spatial constraint, in particular due to: •,The existing underground station layout •,The Limits of Deviation for the works •,The small construction site at 354-358 Oxford Street •,Overlaying Third Party assets including Listed buildings, sewers and water mains."

Jan 1, 2016

By D. W. Reed, R. L. Reed, Tracht

Laboratory experiments on the reverse combustion of tar sands in a linear adiabatic system have shown that a highly upgraded oil can be produced from an exceedingly viscous, immobile oil. The dependence on the air-injection rate of peak temperature, combustion-zone velocity, oil recovery, air-oil ratio, residual coke and oil, fuel burned and distribution of product gases is shown graphically. Eflects of initial temperature, oxygen concentration, oil saturation and heat loss are discussed. Experiments bearing on the coking properties of heavy oils are mentioned and some results exhibited. Field application of the process hinges on the existence of adequate air permeability and the rate of reaction under reservoir conditions. INTRODUCTION It has been established that oil can be recovered from underground reservoirs by means of at least two fundamentally distinct methods involving in situ combustion of a certain fraction of the oil. Characteristic of both of these known methods is the production of oil from one or more wells by means of hot gases formed when a high-temperature reaction zone is advanced through the reservoir. In both cases, the reaction zone is created by heating certain of the wells to a sufficiently high temperature prior to the introduction of air, and the zone is maintained and advanced through the reservoir by appropriate control of the air-injection rate. In the first of these methods, which is called "forward combustion",' the combustion zone advances in a direction which is generally the same as that of the air flow; whereas in the second method, "reverse combustion",' the combustion zone moves in a direction generally opposite to that of the air flow. Forward combustion, on the one hand, is an ideal combustion process in the sense that a minimum of the most undesirable fraction of the oil is consumed as fuel in the form of coke, a clean sand is left behind and generated heat is used as efficiently as possible. However, the applicability of forward combustion is limited. Since the products of combustion, vaporized oil and connate water must flow into relatively cold regions of the reservoir, there is an upper limit on the viscosity of oil which can be moved by this process in a practical and economical fashion.' On the other hand, it is characteristic of reverse combustion that the vaporized oil and water together with the products of combustion are produced through sand which is already hot and has had its mobile liquid content eliminated. This means there is no upper limit on oil viscosity; indeed, the oil may be an entirely immobile semi-solid. However, fuel for the process is an intermediate fraction of the original oil, and the most undesirable fraction remains on the sand surface as a substantial deposit of coke. Since this coked material is not burned during reverse combustion, it represents energy which is available for the production of oil but is not used for this purpose. It follows that one can expect economics to be somewhat less attractive with reverse combustion than with forward combustion. Nevertheless, it is a process which is designed for reservoirs where forward combustion is impossible and, as such, has become a subject of experimental and theoretical investigation. In this paper, only experiments made with tar sands are discussed. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS We proceed, then, to consider the process of reverse combustion in greater detail. Fig. 1 illustrates a temperature profile defining a combustion zone which moves from right to left when air flows from left to right. In Zone 1, the temperature is the initial reservoir temperature, and the tar sand is as yet unaltered. This statement must be modified to the extent that physical properties of the oil may be changed by low-temperature oxidation at reservoir temperature. As air passes into Zone 2, which has been warmed by conduction, it assists in vaporization of the very light ends (if there are any), and oxidation occurs at a significant rate. In this region, there is almost no production of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide because predominantly addition-type reactions take place with the formation of oxygenated compounds such as aldehydes and acids together with water. The hydrocarbon-enriched and slightly oxygen-depleted gas stream enters Zone 3 where

By William W. Adams

The stone-quarrying and related industries of the United States made large gains in employment in 1936 over 1935, according to reports furnished by operating companies to the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior. Not only were more men employed, but also increases were made in the number of man-days of labor performed and in the number of man-hours worked in 1936. The increase in employment, however, was accompanied by an increase in the number of accidental deaths and injuries among the workers and by a slight increase in the accident-frequency rate per million man-hours worked. The fact that the larger number of accidents resulted in only a slight increase in the accident rate is explained by the large gain made in the number of man-hours worked during 1936. The accident rate in 1936, although higher than in 1935, was the lowest and therefore the best that the industry has experienced in any previous year except 1932 since complete and comparable figures first became available in 1916, a period of 21 years. Operators' reports to the Bureau of Mines showed that the industry as a whole employed an average of 80,022 men in 1936 and that the men worked a total of 18,874,254 man-days or 147,064,448 man-hours. Accidents in and about the plants caused 91 deaths and 5,717 nonfatal lost-time injuries among the workers. The number of injuries and deaths represented an accident-frequency rate of 39.5 per million man-hours worked, compared with a rate of 38.2 in 1935.

Jan 1, 1938

By Keijiro Nishio

At a time of great antiquity when our Yomato tribe had not yet found its way throughout the country, there lived in Japan barbarous tribes of the stone age, whose dwellings were vertical caves covered with roof's of twigs and weeds. In a cave lately discovered at the village of Morita, 10 miles west from the port of Aomori, there were found pieces of micaceous iron-ore and psilomelane, with oval holes pierced from both sides. Apparently these objects were regarded as ornaments or curios, without being applied to any practical use. Among the traditions given in the Nihonshoki, an ancient history of Japan, there is one relating to the mining industry. According to this tradition, in the mythological age Izanami-no-Mikoto gave birth to Kanayamahiko-no-Mikoto, god of mines, and Amaterasu-Okami (the sun-goddess) was armed with swords. It came to pass at one time that she concealed herself in Ama-no-Iwato ("Heavenly Cave"), and several gods made contrivances to entice her out. Among them, Ishikori-dome, a smith, made a mirror with copper obtained from the Ama-no-Kagoyama, by means of a pair of bellows known as the Ama-no-habuki, which was made of a deer-skin. It is recorded also that Susanb-no-Mikoto, her younger brother, observed the abundance of gold and silver in Korea, where his descendants were to reign, and urged them to provide themselves with boats to convey them across the Sea of Japan. In the course of time he accomplished his object, proceeding to Korea with his son, Isotakeru-no-Mikoto. These accounts

Jan 1, 1913

By K. C. Dunham, M. Solomon, T. A. Rafter

Sulphur isotope ratios have been determined for 81 sulphides and S and O isotope ratios for 26 barites from the Alston Block in the northern Pennine ore field. In addition, both isotope ratios have been determined for 29 evaporitic anhydrites of various ages from European and Australian localities. The consistency of the sulphate isotope ratios over a wide area of the northern Pennines, and their similarity to values for Lower Carboniferous evaporites, suggests that the sulphate originated from Lower Carboniferous connate waters. It is suggested that these mingled with warm brines rising through granitic plutons beneath Tynehead and Upper Weardale, the aqueous sulphide ion in these brines having a delta34S value of approximately +10 per mille. The delta34S values for the sulphides range from +15.0 to -5.9 per mille and show an outward zoning with higher values in the central fluorite zones and mainly negative values in the outer barite zones. The wide range of delta34S values for the sulphide S is not characteristic of magmatic S and there is no adequate local source in the Carboniferous sediments. It is suggested that formation waters, probably mainly of connate origin, sank down sufficiently deep to become heated above 200°C before rising through Caledonian granite plutons into the Carboniferous sediments, where they spread laterally to mingle with cooler sulphatic connate water. The rising fluids were hypersaline brines carrying F, Ba, Pb, Zn, Cu and S. Temperatures of deposition calculated from galena-sphalerite isotope fractionation are similar to temperatures previously determined from fluid inclusion studies.

Dec 1, 1971

By K. Premlall, R. M. Dire, H. Bissett, D. Delport

Tungsten carbide is a fine grey powder. It can be formed into shapes by compacting with the addition of a binder. Spherical particles are generally preferred in additive manufacturing as they pack together more efficiently than non-spherical particles, promoting a uniform powder bed density, better flowability, and elimination of internal cavities and fractures, resulting in a better quality of final product. The particle shape of powders can be transformed into spherical through the process of spheroidization. However, due to its high melting point, tungsten carbide could be difficult to spheroidize. Tungsten carbide was spheroidized using an inductively coupled radio frequency plasma at various plate powers between 9 and 15 kW. The influence of additional H2 in the sheath gas on the chemical composition of the tungsten carbide product was also investigated by means of XRD, which indicated that WC is converted to W2C at higher H2 concentrations. Optical analysis of SEM micrographs indicated that the spheroidization ratio increased with increased plasma energy.

Apr 1, 2021

By Jacob Petersen, Jon J. Kellar, Samuel Kessinger, Kiran Green

Belle Fourche Shale was processed and characterized for use as a clay-based ceramic. The shale was wet sieved to produce particles that were ± 150 μm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the -150 μm material was enriched in clay content compared to the unprocessed materials, whereas the oversize material was enriched in quartz compared to the undersize sample. Particle size analysis was performed on the—150 μm sample, which showed that the median particle size was around 10 μm. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis further confirmed the small plate size, which appeared to be primarily layered clay particles. Next, the -150 μm particles were rolled into a green body, dried at room temperature, and fired at 998°C. The fired piece was analyzed by XRD and contained 6 wt% hematite, 55% quartz, 19% microcline, and various other minor amounts of minerals. When fired at 1152 ℃, mullite was found with increasing hematite compared to the 998 ℃ firing. A multi-spectral analyzer was used to quantify the color change of the 998 ℃ fired (orange) to the 1152 ℃ fired (red) samples. Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) of the unfired body exhibited very few large pores, while the piece fired at 998°C also exhibited few and small pores, the overall porosity of the fired body increased. Microhardness data, obtained from the aforementioned samples, resulted in Vickers Hardness (HV1.0) values of 70.8 HV1.0 (998 ℃) and 485.7 HV1.0 (1152 ℃). Three-point bend testing was performed, giving an average strength of 23 MPa on pieces fired at 998 ℃. The average bending strength of the samples fired at 1152 ℃, was 55 MPa.

Sep 26, 2023

Classification within the Inferred Resource category is based on geological judgement and the balance of extrapolation versus interpolation that the Competent Person is prepared to accept. These resources are typically drilled at spacings well in excess of the geostatistical range and at a density that is non-uniform. In many cases, a substantial proportion of the available data will be historical, and should be considered with more recent data sources. The provision of a robust geological model will increase the confidence in any resource estimate, and should be viewed as a critical component. The definition of Inferred Resources is of great importance to vein gold projects, since Indicated and Measured Resources generally require costly underground development for delineation. Indeed, many gold vein operations possess substantial quantities of Inferred Resources (>75 per cent) in their resource inventory both at project start-up and during production. This contribution explores a number of the key issues when using the Inferred Resource category and presents four recent case studies.

Jan 1, 2006

By Frank W. Reinrniller

Mill ball charging systems have undergone little change during the past two decades. Most operations utilize a locomotive/ball car combination to load and haul charges from the ball storage bin to the mill charging boxes or, alternatively, transport charges to the charging boxes by means of a ball bucket handled by bridge crane. This paper describes a new concept in ball handling systems that is in operation at the Island Copper Concentrator of Utah Mines, Ltd. at Port Hardy, B.C. This system employs a narrow belt conveyor to convey a weighed charge to each of nine belt unloading stations at the mills. In operation, the system has proved to be practicable, trouble-free and economical of operating labor.

Jan 1, 1977

By N T. Moxon, L W. Armstrong

Explosive manufacturers have for many years provided a service to the mining industry which has,until recently, been unchallenged by mine operators. Today mine operators are more aware of the properties of explosives required to perform particular tasks within their operations. These properties can be reliably quantified using the test procedures described in this paper for emulsion adn ANFO based explosives. Details of an end-user sampling programme desgined to provide quality checks on explosives supplied to a mine site are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. S. Marsh

JOSEPH PRIESTLEY prepared oxygen on Aug. 1, 1774, and noted with great surprise "that a candle burned in this air with a remarkable brilliant flame." On Aug. 2, 1774, some ironmaker possibly began to wonder if this substance could be used to increase his rate of production; at any rate, there is no disputing the fact that the notion of using oxygen for steelmaking in concentrations greater than that available in great abundance-as air-has been in existence for years. Action was delayed by the lack of enough oxygen at a cost within reach of the steelmaker. Within the last several years enough has been available to permit large-scale tests of its use for both combustion, with which this paper is concerned, and for decarburization. The literature is now enormous and easily available; it is sufficient here to cite three items of historic- importance in that all are about 25 years old and in that all are remarkably consistent as far as they go, with what is known today.1,2,3 SIGNIFICANCE OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE HEAT The principal 'function of the open-hearth furnace is to supply sufficient, high-temperature heat to melt the charge and then to increase its temperature to a range suitable for tapping, ordinarily in the neighborhood of 2900°F. That heat is required to make steel everybody; however, there seems to be some confusion now and then about the significance of high-temperature heat. Transfer of energy-and heat is energy is always from a point of higher potential to a point of lower potential and, other things being equal, the greater the potential difference, the greater is the rate of transfer of energy. In the open hearth the flame, of course, is the high-potential source. Perhaps the most satisfactory approach is through the notion of theoretical flame temperature; which is the ratio of heat input to the heat content of the combustion products,* the former is composed mainly of heat of combustion of the fuel plus sensible heat of the fuel plus sensible heat of the combustion air. Thus, flame temperature can be increased by increasing the value of the numerator, by decreasing the value of the denominator, or both. The first method is as old as the open-hearth process and, of course, makes use of preheated air; its possibilities have been by no means exhausted. The second method can be put into effect only by changing the composition of the combustion air, since the combustion of a given quantity of fuel produces a definite quantity of product, and since the denominator includes the non-reactive fraction of the air, principally nitrogen. In other words, the denominator consists of the volume of exit gas multiplied by its heat capacity and that volume consists of carbon l is understood by dioxide and water vapor as reaction

Jan 1, 1948

By J. S. Marsh

Joseph Priestley prepared oxygen on Aug. I, 1774, and noted with great surprise "that a candle burned in this air with a remarkable brilliant flame." On Aug. 2, 1774, some ironmaker possibly began to wonder if this substance could be used to increase his rate of production; at any rate, there is no disputing the fact that the notion of using oxygen for steelmaking in concentrations greater than that available in great abundance—as air—has been in existence for years. Action was delayed by the lack of enough oxygen at a cost within reach of the steelmaker. Within the last several years enough has been available to permit large-scale tests of its use for both combustion, with which this paper is concerned, and for decarburization. The literature is now enormous and easily available; it is sufficient here to cite three items of historic importance in that all are about 25 years old and in that all are remarkably consistent as far as they go, with what is known today.1,2,3 Significance of High-temperature Heat The principal function of the open-hearth furnace is to supply sufficient high-temperature heat to melt the charge and then to increase its temperature to a range suitable for tapping, ordinarily in the neighborhood of 2900°F. That heat is required to make steel is understood by everybody; however, there seems to be some confusion now and then about the significance of high-temperature heat. Transfer of energy—and heat is energy— is always from a point of higher potential to a point of lower potential and, other things being equal, the greater the potential difference, the greater is the rate of transfer of energy. In the open hearth the flame, of course, is the high-potential source. Perhaps the most satisfactory approach is through the notion of theoretical flame temperature, which is the ratio of heat input to the heat content of the combustion products,* the former is composed mainly of heat of combustion of the fuel plus sensible heat of the fuel plus sensible heat of the combustion air. Thus, flame temperature can be increased by increasing the value of the numerator, by decreasing the value of the denominator, or both. The first method is as old as the open-hearth process and, of course, makes use of preheated air; its possibilities have been by no means exhausted. The second method can be put into effect only by changing the composition of the combustion air, since the combustion of a given quantity of fuel produces a definite quantity of product, and since the denominator includes the non-reactive fraction of the air, principally nitrogen. In other words, the denominator consists of the volume of exit gas multiplied by its heat capacity and that volume consists of carbon dioxide and water vapor as reaction

Jan 1, 1949

By J. S. Marsh

Joseph Priestley prepared oxygen on Aug. I, 1774, and noted with great surprise "that a candle burned in this air with a remarkable brilliant flame." On Aug. 2, 1774, some ironmaker possibly began to wonder if this substance could be used to increase his rate of production; at any rate, there is no disputing the fact that the notion of using oxygen for steelmaking in concentrations greater than that available in great abundance—as air—has been in existence for years. Action was delayed by the lack of enough oxygen at a cost within reach of the steelmaker. Within the last several years enough has been available to permit large-scale tests of its use for both combustion, with which this paper is concerned, and for decarburization. The literature is now enormous and easily available; it is sufficient here to cite three items of historic importance in that all are about 25 years old and in that all are remarkably consistent as far as they go, with what is known today.1,2,3 Significance of High-temperature Heat The principal function of the open-hearth furnace is to supply sufficient high-temperature heat to melt the charge and then to increase its temperature to a range suitable for tapping, ordinarily in the neighborhood of 2900°F. That heat is required to make steel is understood by everybody; however, there seems to be some confusion now and then about the significance of high-temperature heat. Transfer of energy—and heat is energy— is always from a point of higher potential to a point of lower potential and, other things being equal, the greater the potential difference, the greater is the rate of transfer of energy. In the open hearth the flame, of course, is the high-potential source. Perhaps the most satisfactory approach is through the notion of theoretical flame temperature, which is the ratio of heat input to the heat content of the combustion products,* the former is composed mainly of heat of combustion of the fuel plus sensible heat of the fuel plus sensible heat of the combustion air. Thus, flame temperature can be increased by increasing the value of the numerator, by decreasing the value of the denominator, or both. The first method is as old as the open-hearth process and, of course, makes use of preheated air; its possibilities have been by no means exhausted. The second method can be put into effect only by changing the composition of the combustion air, since the combustion of a given quantity of fuel produces a definite quantity of product, and since the denominator includes the non-reactive fraction of the air, principally nitrogen. In other words, the denominator consists of the volume of exit gas multiplied by its heat capacity and that volume consists of carbon dioxide and water vapor as reaction

Jan 1, 1949

By R G. Jeffrey

The Northparkes, Endeavour 26 orebody is a porphyry copperûgold deposit and comprises a moderately to well jointed rock mass characterised by gypsum veining, the intensity of which decreases with depth. The top 480 metres of the orebody is currently being mined by block caving, the undercut dimensions measuring 196 metres in length by 180 metres in width. Continuous caving was never achieved after the completion of the undercut thus cave inducement techniques were sought to maintain caving so as to safely sustain production. The use of hydraulic fracturing as a cave inducement tool was successfully trialled in December 1997 using existing exploration boreholes located midway up the current lift. Subsequent fracturing campaigns have enjoyed various degrees of success and have yielded in excess of seven million tonnes of ore at a significantly lower cost than conventional cave inducement techniques. Monitoring of both the hydraulic fracture system and the rock mass response has provided considerable insight into the geometry, growth and influence of hydraulic fracture networks above the Northparkes block cave, and has initiated additional research into the use of hydraulic fracturing in other mining methods.

Jan 1, 2000