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By Shugang Li

The layout and efficiency of the degasification system is heavily dependent on the distribution of and the methane migrating mechanism in the mining induced fractures in the overburden strata In this paper, physical modeling and numerical simulation are employed to study the mining-induced fracture zones and the stress distribution in these zones. The physical models show that both the fracture and compaction zones form a parabolic shape in the over- burden strata along the panel transverse direction. When this is generalized to the panel longitudinal direction, the shape of the mining induced fracture zone over the longwall gob can be represented by a 3-D elliptic paraboloid function. Through the observation of bed separation, fracture density and distribution pattern in the physical models, it is believed that the development of the parabolic fracture zone can be divided into three distinguishable phases. The expansion characteristics and sizes of the fracture zones can be estimated. The numerical stimulation studies can be used to estimate the extent of the stress release zones. The stress release zones can be also divided into a high compressive stress - fracture closure zone, stress relieved - fracture expansion zone, and intact zone. The methane desorption model is then used to analyze the methane migrating pattern in the fracture zone. The developed model has been verified by the results of a longwall gob degasification tests at a coal mine in Yangquan, China with a fair agreement. Such studies show that the model can provide a reasonable accurate tool for designing the gob-well degasification system for longwall mining operations.

Jan 1, 2005

By B. C. Darst

Developments in the agricultural use of potassium (K) have been based solely on the essential role K plays in crop production. Crop plants cannot complete their normal life cycle if K is deficient or absent. In fact, no essential plant nutrient other than nitrogen is required in greater quantities. Table 1 shows the amounts of K some crops take up from the soil. Although the exact functions of K in the plant are not well known, its primary role seems to be tied to plant metabolism. Potassium is vital to the process of photosynthesis. When K is deficient, photosynthesis declines, but respiration increases. These two K-deficient conditions. . . reduced photosynthesis and increased respiration ... lower the plant's carbohydrate supply, the end result being poor agronomic crop production. Potassium is also essential to several other plant functions, including the following: 1) Protein synthesis. 2) Water use efficiency, through the influence of K on stomata opening and closing, to maintain the turgidity in plant leaf cells. 3) Translocation of heavy metals such as iron and zinc. 4) Ionic balance. 5) Control of enzyme reactions within plants.

Jan 1, 1985

By Joseph C. Rota, Charles E. Ekburg

Introduction The Gold Quarry gold deposit is the largest bulk tonnage epithermal gold deposit in northeastern Nevada to be developed by Newmont Gold Co., formerly known as Carlin Gold Mining Co. Exploration and development of the deposit extended over a period of nearly 50 years before bulk tonnage mining became economically feasible. Proven reserves at Gold Quarry are currently estimated at more than 255 t (8.2 million oz.) of gold, accounting for more than 40% of the total Carlin Trend mineable reserves for 1986. Milling began in late 1985; dump leaching of lower grade ores began in May of 1986. The mill has exceeded the initial design throughput rate of 6.3 kt/d (7000 stpd) and is now processing more than 8 kt/d (9000 stpd). The dump leach facility will process more than 7.3 Mt (8.1 million st) of lower grade ores in 1986. The Gold Quarry ore body is to be developed by an open pit that will eventually be 1830 m (6000 ft) long, 1220 m (4000 ft) wide and 300 m (1000 ft) deep. The mine currently produces 77 kt/d (85,000 stpd) on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day workweek. Planned pit production will increase to nearly 168 kt/d (185,000 stpd) in 1988. Production equipment currently includes one Demag H-/285, three Komatsu PC-1500 hydraulic shovels, two Cat 992C loaders and 21 90 to 135 t (100 to 150 st) haul trucks. Mining is conducted on 8 m (20 ft) benches within the Paleozoic

Jan 4, 1988

By John S. Bell, J. M. Shepherd

pressure difference of 280 psi measured initially on opposite sides of the major fault in the Hawkins Field led to pressure determinations in the Woodbine sand throughout the East Texas basin. Considering the large area, there is unusually good correlation between pressure losses and points of major withdrawals, these losses indicating that the basin pressure has been materially reduced by withdrawals, primarily from the East Texas Field and secondarily from the old fault-line fields of Limestone and Navarro counties, with the pressure loss varying inversely with the log of the distance from these two main areas of basin withdrawals to the measurement points. Apparently faults located throughout the basin serve as local blocks to continuous pressure gradients. INTRODUCTION The pressure anomalies found in the Hawkins Field, Wood County, Texas,' shortly after discovery have led to an area-wide investigation of the pressure distribution within the Woodbine sand of the East Texas basin. These pressures were obtained by drill-stem tests made for that sole purpose while drilling wildcat wells to deeper horizons. The Woodbine sand of Gulf Cretaceous Age is or has been productive of oil and gas in 42 different fields, with the 28 oil fields currently active having produced 118,000,000 bbl of oil during 1949. With one exception, producing energy for all Woodbine reservoirs has been from water drive provided predominantly by expansion of the tremendous volume of water contained in the Woodbine sand. This producing mechanism was recognized at an early date and was described mathematically by

Jan 1, 1951

By John S. Bell, J. M. Shepherd

pressure difference of 280 psi measured initially on opposite sides of the major fault in the Hawkins Field led to pressure determinations in the Woodbine sand throughout the East Texas basin. Considering the large area, there is unusually good correlation between pressure losses and points of major withdrawals, these losses indicating that the basin pressure has been materially reduced by withdrawals, primarily from the East Texas Field and secondarily from the old fault-line fields of Limestone and Navarro counties, with the pressure loss varying inversely with the log of the distance from these two main areas of basin withdrawals to the measurement points. Apparently faults located throughout the basin serve as local blocks to continuous pressure gradients. INTRODUCTION The pressure anomalies found in the Hawkins Field, Wood County, Texas,' shortly after discovery have led to an area-wide investigation of the pressure distribution within the Woodbine sand of the East Texas basin. These pressures were obtained by drill-stem tests made for that sole purpose while drilling wildcat wells to deeper horizons. The Woodbine sand of Gulf Cretaceous Age is or has been productive of oil and gas in 42 different fields, with the 28 oil fields currently active having produced 118,000,000 bbl of oil during 1949. With one exception, producing energy for all Woodbine reservoirs has been from water drive provided predominantly by expansion of the tremendous volume of water contained in the Woodbine sand. This producing mechanism was recognized at an early date and was described mathematically by

Jan 1, 1951

Cyclonic Separation Effect of Metallic Ores in Cyclonic-Static Micro-Bubble Flotation Column

Sep 13, 2010

By J E. (Boet) Coetzee

SAFEX International, as the name suggests, is a global organisation, which has the fundamental objective of improving the safety of operations concerned with the manufacture, storage, transport, and use of commercial and military explosives and pyrotechnic products throughout the world. It is a nonprofit making organisation of manufacturers of explosives from all parts of the world, founded in 1954 with the aim of exchanging experiences within the explosives industry. Every third year SAFEX organises a Congress during which members present papers on selected themes and discuss reports of significant incidents that occurred since the previous Congress. Admission is for SAFEX members only, thereby creating a safe environment for discussing problems “within the family”. The XV Congress will celebrate the Association’s 50th anniversary in Geneva where it was founded. An overview of the Congress indicates its structure and covers aspects such as the training event, technical seminars and the themes for the plenary sessions and associated workshops. The paper also highlights the special event for the chief executives of member companies and the review of incidents that occurred in the industry since the last Congress. The Congress concludes with a social programme for delegates and their partners on the last day.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. Taggart, D. H. Polonis, J. C. McMillan

Thin foil electron microscopy techniques have been used to study the micros tructure of a Ti- 7.5 wt pct vanadium alloy in the quenched and aged cond_itions. Selected area diffraction has identified a (1011) twinning mode accompanying the martens ite t9.an.sfo?rn~ation. Precipitation of the 0 phase during the aging of quenched alloys has been obsevced to occuv in the form of plates and needles with preferential growth along the (1120) direction in the a' matrix. In the present work, the micro structures of quenched and aged alloys of the 0 isomorphous Ti-V system have been investigated by means of thin-foil electron-microscopy techniques. Most of the previous studies of martensitic phases in titanium-base alloys have utilized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The application of transmission electron microscopy is more recent, and only a few such studies have been reported.1-5 This paper is concerned particularly with the crystallographic nature of substructures formed in the martensitic a' plates. The early stages of aging or tempering have also been examined to determine the modes of precipitation from the martensitic solid solutions. Such information is essential in studying strengthening mechanisms and in determining the feasibility of high-strength rnartensitic alloys based on titanium. Liu and Margolin6 reported several types of substructures within the martensitic plates of quenched Ti-Mn alloys. It was later suggested by Liu7 that the structure of martensitic plates might be very complex and not single crystals as normally assumed. The sub-markings could not be identified with the two possible habit-plane orientations {334}ß and {344}ß, and it was not positively determined whether they are associated with mechanical twinning. The recent studies by Armitage5 on titanium martensites in a variety of commercial alloys have indicated that twinning does not generally accompany the transformation. This observation is in accordance with the Mackenzie and Bowles model for the transformation in pure titanium8 which suggests that twinning is not to be expected. However, a number of other recent investigators have reported twinlike substructures in the martensitic plates of several titanium systems including commercia1 titanium,2,3 Ti-Cu,5,9 Ti-Ta,1 and the commercial alloy Ti-8A1-1Mo-1V. Blackburn* has reported that the structure of quenched Ti-8A1-1Mo-1V depends on the prior solution temperature. He identified two types of martensitic structures, one of which is described as a heavily faulted hcp or twinned fcc structure and the other an hcp structure with a high internal dislocation density. The latter type exhibited some twinning with a (1011) twin plane. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND RESULTS The alloy used in the present work was a 7.5 wt pct V alloy that was prepared by conventional arc-melting techniques. This alloy composition was selected

Jan 1, 1968

By Douglas W. Fuerstenau, Kalanadh V. S. Sastry

Based on an analysis of green pellet size distributions and kinetic data on ball growth with taconite concentrates, a ballability index has been developed to quantify ball growth behavior as a function of moisture and bentonite additions. The applicability of the ballability index to such other particulate materials as pulverized limestone and ground magnesite is shown.

Jan 1, 1973

By F. L. Wilke

Truck haulage costs form a major part of the total mining costs in hard rock open pit, mining operations. In order to minimize these costs one has to - determine the optimal truck fleet (type, size and number of trucks), and. simultaneously - determine the optimal organization of running the haulage system, i.e. especially select the optimal dispatching strategy in order to ensure maximal utilization of the trucks, and simultaneously - establish a reliable maintenance and servicing system to guarantee maximal availability.

Jan 1, 1982

By A. Varadarajan, M. Hashemi, K. G. Sharma

Quartz mica schist collected from Nathpa-Jhakri Hydropower Project, Himachal Pradesh, North India is tested under triaxial loading using a servo-controlled loading system. Complete stress-strain-volume change behaviour including post peak softening behaviour of the samples, are presented. Strength and deformation parameters are given. Quarz mica schist, der von Nathpa Jhakri Hydropower Projekt, Himachal Pradesh gesammelt wird, wird Nördlich Indien unter triaxial geprüft, der von Gebrauch eines servo kontrollierten Ladesystems beladung. Vollständiges Spannung-Spannung-Band Änderung Verhalten Postens Spitze Erweichung Verhaltens der Proben, wird überreicht. Kraft und Verformung Parameter werden gegeben. Mica à quartz schist recueilli du Projet de Hydropower de Nathpa Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh, l'Inde du nord est essayé sous l'utilisation de chargement de triaxial un système chargeant servo réglé. La tension complète-la tension-comportement de changement de volume y compris la poste sommet amollir le comportement des échantillons, sont présenté. Les paramètres de force et déformation sont donnés.

Jan 1, 2003

By R. Scheffel, R. Washnock, G. Zarate

"The second survey of global copper leaching operations has been completed, the data published in 1998 has been updated. A survey questionnaire was sent to 40 identified copper leach operations around the world including those leach properties still in operation that responded to the 1998 survey. This paper lists the results of 26 operations that responded to the survey. Selected information from the survey is represented in graphical form. INTRODUCTION Copper leaching was first performed by truck dumping huge monolithic stockpiles of ore and flooding the surface with leach solution or lixiviant with little understanding to the parameters that support optimum recovery of the metal. Heap leaching has evolved into a controlled process whereby a complex low grade ore is stacked in shallow lifts (under 10 m in most cases). The ore is usually crushed and agglomerated, conveyor stacked on an engineered containment system (leach pad) and irrigated in a controlled manner. The lixiviant chemistry is designed to extract the optimum amount of metal from the ore. At first glance, heap leaching appears to be simple in nature. In fact, it is a very complex process. A plethora of technologies such as material handling, environmental control, analytical techniques, solution chemistry, hydrology and many others contribute to the design and operation of a heap leach. Heap leaching requires an inter-disciplinary approach between geologists, mining engineers and metallurgists. Many operational factors affect heap leaching. The process must address climatic factors, flexible operation, quality control before and after leaching, physical characteristics of the ore, geology, mineralogy, reagent consumption, solution application rate and methods (wobblers or emitters), particle size, and favorable conditions for bacterial growth and survival. Predicting, troubleshooting, and optimization of leach recovery is a significant challenge when considering the number of variables involved and their interactions The survey updates many of these key operating parameters to the current state of the art. It should provide the reader an excellent benchmarking summary of these factors on a site-by-site basis."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. V. Ramani, R. Stefanko, G. W. Luxbacher

Mine ventilation can be broadly defined as the branch of mining engineering primarily concerned with the controlled flow of air through mine airways to maintain an acceptable atmospheric environment wherever men work or travel underground. Martinson (1976) has defined three elements of mine ventilation, 1) an engineering element concerned with establishing quality control (removal of dust and gases), quantity control (regula¬tion of air direction and magnitude) and climatic conditioning (temperature-humidity control), 2) a biological element in which an understanding of biological response is used in assessing the mine environment, and 3) a philosophical element requiring judgements as to the degree of risk or worker discomfort that is socially acceptable. Most texts on ventilation, such as Hartman (1961), limit themselves to a discussion of the engineering element. Although also limiting his text to engineering control, Weeks (1928) thoughtfully addresses the other elements in the preface of his book where he states: "Life is brief and happiness elusive under the best of conditions; so beside the commercial aspect must be placed the humanitarian. Is it not reasonable that the operator should give his men a chance to spend their working hours in a comfortable environment, with the danger of sudden death or disability reduced as much as possible?" The statutory requirements of ventilation are, in most countries, established on the basis of biological response as determined by basic research or are dictated by social awareness, often touched off by major disasters, resulting in demands on regulatory bodies for more stringent requirements. To a limited extent, the philosophical and biological elements of ventilation are intertwined in that social awareness may

Jan 1, 1977

By H. I. Kaplan, C. Laird

Pulsating contpresslon experiments have been carried out on coppev single crystals in order to test the adequacy of mechanisms which have been suggested for stage I cvack grouth when tension-compression loading is the mode of- applying stress. Although dejorrrzation continues slowly for many millions 01 cycles under Pulsating compression stresses both within slip bands formed in the first cycle and by the creation of new bands, the morphology of these bands is not typical of fatigue slip bands in general and neither initiation of cracks nor propagation of artificially induced cracks was observed. It is therefore concluded that 1) initiation and growth of cvacks in fatigue is a consequence of repeatedly reviersed, microplastic deformation rather than intermittent, unidirectional deforma-tion, 2) gvowth of- cracks in polycrystalline specimens FAILURE of a plain specimen subjected to cyclic tension-compression stresses is known to take place by two stages of cracking.1,2 The first stage is characterized by propagation along slip planes roughly at 45 deg to the stress axis, in the outermost layers of the specimen, and at a rate of the order of angstroms per cycle. The average macro orientation of a stage I crack is normally at right angles to the stress axis,3 however, except in a few cases, e.g., single crystals in suitable orientation, when both the micro and macro directions of propagation are at 45 deg to the axis. After a stage I crack has penetrated to such a depth that the stress on the remaining section of metal is significantly increased, stage II crack propagation succeeds stage I, at right angles to the stress axis both micro and macroscopically. Direct evidence of the processes occurring during a subjected to pulsating compression stresses is caused by the setting-up of local tensile stresses due to interactions between grains, and 3) both unslipping mechanisms and operation of the "plastic blunting process " within a single slip band are adequate descriptions 01- stage I growth, being fundamentally similar. The slip mode of a material, however, is considered to control whether unslipping or the plastic blunting process takes place. Thus materials of planar slip mode fauor unslipping while those hacing a wavy mode, and capable of cross slip, can fail in stage I by the plastic blunting process. Similarly, and perhaps more importantly, reversed torsion and tension-compression modes of applying stress may be expected to cause the unslipping mechanism and the plastic blunting process, respectively. single stress cycle4,5 shows that stage II crack propagation takes place by a repetitive plastic rounding and closing of the crack tip. This mechanism has come to be called the "plastic blunting process".6 On the other hand, the extreme smallness of the phenomena occurring in stage I growth prevents elucidation of its mechanism by direct observation. Many suggestions have been proposed for this mechanism,'"-" most of them involving some kind of random or systematic unslipping process. It is possible, however, that the mechanism of stage I growth is essentially the same as that of stage 11, but occurring on a much smaller scale.6 In this situation, it has been observed that cracks propagate along slip bands comprising dislocation cell structures and bounded on either side by regions of different dislocation density and distribution." Since there is evidence that such bands are softer than their matrix, * it may be expected that the plastic blunting process occurs within a single slip band during stage I growth, rather than on two gross bands as in stage 11, when the acting stress is greater.= The blunting of the crack tip allowed by coordinated

Jan 1, 1968

By Pierre Mousset-Jones, Felipe Calizaya, Malcolm J. McPherson

The objective of this study is to provide potential users of booster fans in coal mines with the necessary information on monitoring and control of fans and environmental factors. The guide-lines listed in this paper were formulated based on the current practice of mine monitoring, the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations on environmental monitoring, and the United Kingdom's National Coal Board recommendations on the use of booster fans. The principles involved in the design of booster fans as well as the provisions needed to guarantee a safe operation of these units, are illustrated by means of an example problem. The example includes a summary of costs for two ventilation systems: a conventional surface fan system and a fully automated booster fan alternative. A comparison of these costs showed that significant gains may be attained by selecting a combined surface-booster fan strategy over a conventional surface fan alternative.

Jan 1, 1989

By G. Q. Huang, Q. X. Yun, Z. Y. Gui

This paper provides a new approach to deal with control of ore-rock excavation by means of the optimal control theory-an important branch in cybernetics. In the optimal control theory, the elementary functions are state-transition function and objective function. According to the characteristics of mining planning and production, a set of formulation are established to cope with ore- rock excavation. The formulations include basic formula, anti-disturbance formula as well as other special formula. The new approach has been successfully used in several mines of China.

Jan 1, 1996

By Roy L. Klein

The production of synthetic fuels from coal has been pioneered by South Africa. South Africa made a decision in 1975, due to the threat of an oil embargo, to proceed with the construction of Sasol Two, then followed by Sasol Three. South Africa has large coal but little indigenous petroleum reserves. The indirect coal liquefaction process used by Sasol since 1955 is the only commercially demonstrated method available for producing transport fuels from coal. The new plants consume 27 million tons per year of coal from a single mine that now produces transport fuels in sufficient quantities for energy independence.

Jan 1, 1983

By Walter W. R. May

FOR more than 25 years a few business men who represent virile private enterprise in the Pacific Northwest have been trying to awaken the community to the potential benefits of an open Columbia River. No threat of government com- petition then hung over the industry, which was adjusted to state regulation. Numerous sites were engineered and the findings were laid before the operators of heavy industry in the East, Middle West, and South -even of Europe. These engineering data became, if not the basis, the inspiration upon which the U. S. Army Engineers eventually were to "build the Columbia River Bible" - their great document known as House Document 103, the report on the Columbia River and minor tributaries.

Jan 1, 1940

By F. Reyes, M. Hilden, G. Forbes, M. Yahyaei

Since AlphaGo defeated the best human player in the game of Go in 2016 - something thought to be an impossible achievement - machine learning, deep learning and reinforcement learning have caught the attention of scientists, the media and the general public alike. This recent development in machine learning (let us remember that neural networks have been available for decades now) opens new possibilities in the areas of modelling and process control. However, little has been reported in the minerals processing industry about these new possibilities and opportunities. This paper presents and introduces the topic of reinforcement learning and the different platforms that allow its implementation. The paper shows the consequences of using reinforcement learning for the specific area of process control and optimisation. As an example, the authors present the use of reinforcement learning for the control of a SAG mill closed with a pebble crusher using industrial data from an operation. A comparison with advanced model-based process control is provided, showing the benefits and shortcomings of reinforcement learning as a new control and optimisation technique. Keywords: Reinforcement learning, deep learning, process control, process optimisation

Jan 1, 2020

By L. W. Reynolds, R. F. Campbell, K. G. Carroll, S. H. Ballard

Based on metallographic and X-ray data probable equilibrium conditions from 1340" to 2400°F are presented for the composition range investigated. These are correlated with investigations of Takei and Kuo. Provision is made for existence of Mo, C and (Fe, Mo)2,C, carbides heretofore omitted in diagrams in this composition range. These carbides and (Fe, Mo),C, in equilibrium with ferrite and austenite, restrict the austenite and austenite + ferrite fields to lower carbon contents and higher temperatures than in the Fe-C system. OK groups of steel of different molybdenum content, but with approximately the same carbon variation in each group, Table I, were studied. The alloys were melted in an acid-lined 30-lb high-frequency induction furnace, and the ingots forged to l-in. rounds, which were then ground to 0.75-in. diam. To minimize chemical segregations a short length of each bar was given a high-temperature heat treatment as listed in Table I. Specimens 0.062 to 0.125-in. thick were thereafter cut from the homogenized bars for heat treatment to determine phase changes in the alloy. Heat treatments were performed in either a lead bath or muffle-type electric furnace, depending upon the temperature required. Maximum temperature variation was * 2" F in the lead bath and * 5"F up to 1900°F and +8"F above 1900°F in the electric furnace. Adequate protection of the specimen from the oxidizing atmosphere in the electric furnace was obtained by sealing the specimen in either a pyrex or a silica capsule which was evacuated or not as circumstances required. For austenitizing followed by quenching to an isothermal temperature, the specimen was placed in a closed-end refractory tube the mouth of which, extending beyond the furnace, was connected to a vacuum pump. The specimen could be withdrawn from this tube and quenched as desired. IDENTIFICATION OF PHASES The principal method of identification of phases was metallographic examination conducted on surfaces well removed from exposure to lead or atmosphere effects during heat treatment. Hardness measurements (Dph/lOkg) were also made on these surfaces. The etching reagents used and their effects are listed in Table II. Martensite and ferrite were readily recognized by their customary appearance after etching with saturated picral or 1 pct nital. The presence of liquid at high temperature was indicated by curved interfaces characteristic of boundaries between solid and melt, by intergranular pools of dendritic areas in a carbide matrix, and by a black network coincident with austenite grain boundaries. Examples of these structures are shown in Figs. l(a) and (0). The types of carbide which were attacked by the electrolytic chromic acid etch and the alkaline KMnO, etch, Table 11, were identified by X-ray analyses of extracted carbides of five alloys. Carbide residue was obtained from a metallographic specimen by etching the specimen for 24 hr in hydrochloric-picric acid in alcohol (grain-size reagent), after which the carbides, standing in relief, were scraped from the surface of the specimen and mounted on a glass slide. Diffraction patterns were obtained with a Philips spectrometer using iron-filtered cobalt radiation. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 illustrate typical etching behaviors with chromic acid and alkaline KMnO,. Chromic acid attacked Mo,C as shown in Figs. 2(a) and (b)-but not (Fe, Mo),C, Fig. 3(b). Alkaline KMnO, attacked (Fe, Mo),C, Fig. 3(c), and also attacked M0,C. In accordance with these behaviors, a typical differentiation of coexisting Mo,C and (Fe, Mo),~ is shown in Figs. 4(a) and (b). The carbide (Fe, Mo),,C, could not be obtained free of other coexisting carbides for etching experiments. The behavior. however. of coexisting carbides identified by x-ray diffraction as Mo,C ind (Fe, Mo),,C, indicate that (Fe, Mo)23C6 is not etched by chromic

Jan 1, 1961