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By Lucas Hidalgo Quintana

El presente texto describe el proceso de mineralización y enriquecimiento secundario en la "Veta de Suecia", como una de las estructuras mineralizadas de la Mina Huampar. El estudio es producto del análisis geológico donde se busca conocer los canales de mineralización, zoneamiento, profundidad del enriquecimiento secundario y las observaciones de campo, para así proceder al desarrollo de las exploraciones en el yacimiento señalado. De acuerdo a esta premisa, los cocientes metálicos muestran el ascenso del fluído mineralizante, así como su varianza respecto al enriquecimiento secundario del oro. Asimismo, el zoneamiento orienta al geólogo a encontrar los lentes mineralizados, de manera que se optimizan sus exploraciones y desarrollos con menor riesgo.

Nov 24, 1986

By A. F. Banks

"Potash processing has much in common in terms of unit operations and plant operating strategy with other mineral processing plants. As it is a rather large topic the processes will be broad brushed to give you some background and then I will go into a little detail on the things we do in the Cominco plant that may be of interest to the group as a whole. In particular the centrallized computer control system and associated instrumentation and the operator training programs will be covered as well as the mill fire, something that could happen in any plant. THE ORE AND PRODUCTSThere are differences in potash ores as you would expect. It is my intention to deal with the ores processed in the Saskatoon area. These are mined from the beds in the Patience Lake Member and have a mineralogical description as follows:Sylvite (Potassium Chloride) 40%Halite (Sodium Chloride) 55%Insolubles (Slimes) 5%A number of products are made from this ore. It is characteristic of a potash plant that you put as much effort into grading and converting the sylvite to meet market requirements as you do in recovering it."

Jan 1, 1976

WALTER E. GASP, Vanadium, Colo. (communication to the Secretary*).-Having enjoyed associations with the authors of this paper while on the Anaconda geological staff, I want to express my appreciation of it as a contribution to economic geology very direct in its application to ore deposits. The conclusions reached seem to me to show that concrete generalizations can not be made over very wide areas as to structural relations of ore deposits, but taking each district separately data of great value has been presented. Looking over thin sections of Montana rocks, among these a collection belonging to Mr. Billingsley and some prepared by myself, one important point in the Butte area has come to my attention which I would like to discuss. Related to the batholithic intrusion, there are a number of various types of both the earlier andesites and the later rhyolites, especially of the rhyolite. Some of this rhyolite is composed- so predominantly of plagioclase and quartz as to be more properly called dacite, and near the volcanic centers the different phases are even more numerous, the quartz in some becoming a very minor constituent and confined to the ground-mass. Some portions of these rhyolitic extrusives assume ,deep reds and grays, and in the hand specimen may very easily be mistaken for andesite of the older period that has been altered by weathering or by baking near the intrusive granite contact; but thin sections of such specimens remove this color effect and present so clearly all the minute details of texture and mineral composition that they are in every respect identical and indistinguishable from the commoner types of the rhyolite. The andesites generally are augitic rocks with smaller plagioclase feldspars than the rhyolites and exhibiting a different arrangement. Therefore the so-called red and Clark gray andesite near Butte is not a portion of the pre-batholithic rocks, but a. phase of the rhyolite, and the authors, in assuming that "roof pendants or large inclusions of andesite are found

Jan 10, 1917

By Charles W. Bauer

Most of the aluminum produced in the United States today is derived from foreign bauxite deposits. Earth Sciences, Inc. initiated a program to evaluate domestic non-bauxite sources for alumina in the 1960's. In the initial evaluation of alunite, domestic resources were not sufficient to support development. An exploration program led to the discovery of large deposits of alunite in Utah and several other western states. Identification of alunite is difficult as both its physical and chemical characteristics are similar to the minerals with which it is associated. Most of the significant alunite deposits in the western United States are replacement type deposits. These deposits have formed as a result of hydrothermal alteration of volcanic, sub-volcanic, and igneous rocks. Typical alunite deposits contain between 30% and 50% alunite between 50% and 70% quartz with minor amounts of other minerals. Four mineralogical zones are common in these systems. They include a siliceous zone, a quartz-alunite zone, a kaolinite zone and a chlorite-montmorillonite zone. Total U.S. reserves of alunite were estimated at 20 million metric tons (at 30% alunite) by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1941. Here recent work by the U.S. Geological Survey estimates reserves of 252 million metric tons and potential resources at 1.4 billion metric tons. Reserves and resources estimated for 23 properties on which field work has been done by ESI are considerably higher. Most of these properties have reserves and potential resources of several hundred million metric tons. The combined demonstrated reserves at these properties are estimated to be about 650 million metric tons. Inferred reserves are estimated at 2.5 billion metric tons and potential resources at 8 billion metric tons. It appears that the U.S. has sufficient reserves and resources for alunite to be considered as a potential non-bauxite source of alumina.

Jan 1, 1980

By L M. Stodart

In the increasingly competitive environment of the 1990's, there is a need to provide the users of explosives with accurate and immediate information. Research has shown that information technology alone will not provide companies with a sustainable competitive advantage. However, where information technology is used to assist the development and enhance the performance, of the employee sustainable competitive advantage can occur. A Performance Support System is a tool that combines explosive's theory, government regulations, and site specific knowledge in an easily accessible computer program. In this paper five areas are addressed where a Performance Support System can assist the user: as a reference source, in an assistant or advisory role, as a instruction aid, in regulatory compliance, and as an operations monitor.

Jan 1, 1993

By Larry J. Nicks

The Bureau of Mines is investigating the catalytic activity of rare-earth compounds to develop a catalyst for the cathode reaction of a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell. This report presents the results of studies of the catalytic activities of lanthanide oxides for the oxidation of hydrogen at 150° to 250° C. Preliminary activity tests were made with approximately stoichiometric mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen diluted with helium. A series of tests was also run under oxygen-rich conditions in which specific rate constants and activation energies were determined. Variations in rate constants up to 2,000 times were observed for the various lanthanide oxides. The three most active catalysts were oxides of Ce, Pr, and Eu, having specific activities of 6.93 X 10-7, 4.88 X 10-7, and 4.06 X 10-7 moles H2.sec-1.m-2, respectively, at 200° C.

Jan 1, 1973

By Earl A. Trager

The broad picture of world petroleum production at the present time is one of an excessive supply. In any consideration of corrective measures to be applied in the future, it will be necessary to include all the producing areas of the entire world. To illustrate, United States production during 1931 was 48 million barrels1 less than 1930, whereas world production exclusive of the United States increased, owing principally to increases in Russia, Rumania and Persia. Domestic Peoduction Let us first consider the domestic production situation. Due to the fact that United States production was maintained below current demand, about 40 million barrels of oil were withdrawn from storage during 1931. Consumption increased about 1.5 per cent over 1930, which is less than the recent annual rate of increase of 8 to 11 per cent. If the machinery to prevent waste in the petroleum industry operative for more than a year will continue during the coming year and drilling is held to the 1931 level, there will be a decided improvement in the domestic situation by the close of 1932. This will be due in large measure to the drastic reduction in exploratory work and drilling which has been in effect for more than a year. Looking ahead for two or more years, probably there will be a shortage of domestic production in relation to domestic demand, unless there are discovered several large pools comparable to Oklahoma City or East Texas. Were the United States isolated, our problems in so far as petroleum production is concerned might be considered well along the road to recovery. To maintain this perspective will require the cooperation of foreign producers in the future, or protection of United Statcs markets from foreign invasion. Let us review briefly the present situation in the United States. East Texas has been the most important factor during 1931. The large initial production of individual wells and the rapid rate of drilling

Jan 1, 1932

By Jeffrey Shepherd, Scott R. Smith, Eduard Guerra

"Electrochemical and spectroscopic evidence for the dissolution of a Au electrode by meso-2,3- dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) from an acidic LiCl04 electrolyte is presented. Near the potential of zero charge, DMSA was determined to form a stable layer on the metal surface but at more anodic polarizations, DMSA was displaced from the metal through an oxidative process. The anodic displacement of the layer from the electrode resulted in a small amount of Au that was detected in the electrolyte using atomic absorption analysis. The extent of Au dissolution, was monitored while holding the potential of the electrode for 24 hours at the thermodynamic Eo/H,O in LiCl04 electrolytes containing 10 mM DMSA. This routine resulted in detectable quantities of a soluble Au-DMSA complex in the electrolyte and the greatest leaching was observed at a pH = 2.0. At room temperature, the leaching rate was stable at 10.9 µg cm·2 hr·' however, upon increasing the temperature to 50.0°C, the rate of Au dissolution increased yielding an average rate of extraction of 40.1 µg cm·2 hr- 1. Interestingly, after the first 12 hours of leaching at 50.0°C, the leaching current decreased dramatically suggesting surface passivation which prevented further Au extraction. The implications of this process in the industrial leaching of Au will be discussed.IntroductionThe use of cyanide in the industrial process of leaching Au from ores has raised concerns regarding both operational safety and environmental issues surrounding the disposal of spent leaching eftluents in tailings ponds. Depending on the chemical nature of the processed ore, the spent solutions that are released into the tailings ponds can contain toxic cyanide, either dissolved or complexed with different metals and may pose serious risk to wildlife as well as freshwater contamination to nearby water systems. Because of these issues, some recent studies have focused on the exploration of more environmentally-friendly molecules to selectively leach Au with appropriate kinetics. However, to effectively leach Au into an aqueous solution, a suitable ligand that reacts to form a stable chemical bond with Au is needed to form soluble Au complexes that can be later recovered [I]. Recently several sulfur bearing alternatives have been shown to leach significant quantities of Au in aqueous solutions. These include thiourea [2], thiocyanate [3], and thiosulphate [4]. However, alkylthiols are also known to quickly form a stable covalent Au-S bond [5], but have been relatively understudied in term of their ability to leach Au in solution, even though some short chain thiols are water soluble and relatively nontoxic."

Jan 1, 2012

By E. E. Anderson, R. L. Newacheck, J. Kohl

Radioactive materials were used underground before the advent of the nuclear reactor. Radium containing ores have been mixed with cements and other materials for later location in oil wells by gamma ray logging since 1940.1 Perforating bullets have been marked with radium salts,, and radioactive materials have been added to drilling muds to find the cause of "lost circulation."' More recently colloidal suspensions of radioactive cobalt-60 and silver-1103 and solutions of 1-1314 have been used in waterflooding operatiorns to determine injection profiles, flow paths and water velocities. In this paper a recent and interesting underground tracer application is discussed. Development work and field engineering were carried out under the direction of Tracerlab, lnc., with assistance from personnel of the client. A gaseous tracer, argon-41, was used in an attempt to determine the cause of leakage from an underground gas storage reservoir. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM This gaseous tracer application was carried out for the Natural Gas Storage Co. of Illinois. This company has developed an underground gas storage field 1,750 ft below the surface of the earth near the village of Herscher, Ill., about 60 miles south of Chicago. The total volume of gas stored in the field was estimated to be about 13 billion cu ft in the spring of 1954. The field has a maximum estimated storage capacity of 90 billion cu ft. The gas is contained in the Galesville sandstone, previously a water bearing formation of about 25 per cent porosity. The water as it is pushed out by the gas forms a barrier for the gas around the edge of the reservoir. Over the top and beneath the bottom of the reservoir are located several layers of impervious rock, which barring cracks or unplugged and unknown wells should act as seals. Twenty-one injection and withdrawal wells were drilled into the Herscher reservoir and gas injection was begun during the summer of 1953. After a few weeks of gas injection, evidence of gas leakage was detected at the surface; water wells began bubbling and losing prime, and dry spots in the fields indicated gas leakage from uncharted oil wells. In every case, the leakage could not be traced back any further than the water bearing formations a few hundred feet below the surface. An extensive search was made to locate uncharted oil wells which were believed to be possible channels for the gas from the storage formation to the water containing formation. Long-time residents in the area assisted in the location of several abandoned oil wells. The wells when located were cleaned out and either used as vent wells to relieve the gas pressure in the water formations, or were plugged with cement. None of the wells even approached depths which would endanger the soundness of the storage reservoir. All of the injection wells were tested for leaks in the casings by conducting neutron surveys and by other techniques. To detect any leakage up through the cement-filled annulus surrounding the casing, a section of the casing wall in one well was milled out. Then, plugs were installed above and below the cut-out section and pressure applied to the annulus, which proved conclusively that the cement was sound in that well. The well was then plugged with cement and abandoned. In another well, ammonia was injected into the well and a temperature log was made. It was hoped that a leak would be re-

Jan 1, 1956

By R. Schutte, L. W. Trevoy

Commercial production of heavy minerals from plant tailing streams is undergoing study by Syncrude Canada Ltd. When tar sand from an open pit mine is processed and upgraded to synthetic crude oil, heavy minerals can be recovered from the extraction circuit and can be upgraded to provide concentrates of zircon and titanium minerals. The titanium minerals concentrate, consisting of a mixture of ilmenite, leucoxene, and rutile, can be utilized as recovered or can be upgraded to synthetic rutile. With the construction of further synthetic crude oil plants in Western Canada a large reserve of heavy minerals will become available for production.

Jan 1, 1983

By Stanislaus Skowronski

OVERPOLED copper, as commonly defined, is copper which has been excessively reduced during the poling period of the refining process. Owing to its porosity, such copper is unfit for commercial purposes. The cause of this phenomenon is undoubtedly the lack of oxides in the copper, yet this does not completely explain it. Refined copper of the same "pitch" and "set" varies considerably in oxygen contents, and analyses of overpoled bars also show similar wide differences; moreover, it is possible to melt copper in crucibles so as to obtain bars that are practically free from oxygen although they show a "tough pitch" and "level set" surface. Frederick Johnson advances the following theory: The regulation of the quantity of oxygen in copper is the keynote of all copper refining. It is the presence of a Well defined proportion of oxygen in the form of cuprous oxide, forming a copper-cuprous oxide eutectic, Which enables copper to be cast free from blowholes. It seems that When oxygen is present, other gases are less soluble in molten copper; When oxygen is absent, or is present in insufficient quantity, the copper dissolves other gases, such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide, Which are insoluble in the copper when solid, and, being rejected during the process of solidification, causes internal porosity and external ridges and excrescences.1 The "level set" of Wire bars, etc., is entirely the result of a compromise between the occluded gases and cuprous oxide. With excess of the former the metal would be "overpitch" and spongy, While an excess of the latter would result in the metal being "underpitch" and brittle.2 The result of the absorption and subsequent expulsion of reducing gases, carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and the effect of this action. on the overpoling of copper are in dispute; the literature on the subject is full of contradictory statements and will continue to be so until better analytical methods have been developed. Sulphur, however, is tangible. The refiner can see it in his button sample and consequently attributes to it any trouble that may happen during the melting of the copper.

Jan 3, 1918

By E. A. Trager, A. W. McCoy, H. R. Shidel

Sampling of the fluid from oil wells for percentages of oil, emulsified oil, and water during the last two years has brought out some interesting facts concerning oil-water emulsion. This result led to a laboratory investigation of emulsion, which substantiated the conclusions made from the field observations. The purpose of this paper is to present the information collected, the laboratory experiments, and our interpretation of the same. In order to define emulsified .oil exactly, give its synthesis and origin, and to show how and when it is formed in the wells, the work was necessarily divided into two separate lines—laboratory work and field observations. It is hoped that this study may lead to a discussion of such points so that the petroleum engineer, geologist, or technologist may be benefited by its practical bearing on oil-field management. Special credit is due Mr. Everett Carpenter, chief geologist of the Empire Gas & Fuel Co., for his assistance and cooperation in this work. Labobatory Investigations on Emulsified Oil Laboratory investigations were conducted in an attempt to learn the composition and some of the properties of emulsified oil, or B. S., as it is more commonly called, also to demonstrate, by laboratory methods, how B. 5. may be formed under conditions similar to those existing at the time a well is being pumped, and how it may be broken down. Literature bearing on this subject is widely scattered and very limited in scope. Bacon and Hamor define B. S., or bottom settlings, as "earthy matter, inert organic matter, or, in the case of Pennsylvanian petroleum, an emulsion of paraffin wax and water, which accompanies crude oil." In this discussion we will limit the term B. S. to that heavy, dark-brown emulsion, composed of a physical mixture of water, oil, and air with some included inert matter, either organic or inorganic. Possibly the first step in a description of this product should be a description of its physical properties, but since most operators are quite

Jan 1, 1921

By W. M. McKewan

A large amount of work has been reported in the literature on reduction of cubes, spheres, or regularly shaped particles of iron ore. Previously, it has been difficult to evaluate these data because no equation has been developed that would yield one or more constants for comparison of overall reduction rates. Iron ore in the process of gaseous reduction is a complex system. The reduction takes place through the series Fe2O3-Fe304-Fe0-Fe. Edstrom and Bit-sianesl have reported that the gas-solid type of reaction was found only at the FeO-Fe interface and that the internal reduction proceeded by elementary diffusion of iron. Therefore, during reduction oxygen is essentially removed from the system only at the FeO-Fe interface. Kinetically, it is reasonable to consider iron ore in the process of reduction as a

Jan 1, 1959

By C. D. Elifrits, N. B. Aughenbaugh

Laboratory tests of samples of fine- grained, argellaceous rocks, commonly referred to as shales, have shown that various changes in their moisture content can be correlated with loss of strength. This reaction to a change of in situ conditions at abandoned mine sites when combined with the field relationships at locations where the predominant overburden material is fine-grained, argellaceous, and fractured provides a predictive tool for engineers dealing with subsidence problems. Such a tool should enable engineers to recognize areas that are prone to be affected by surface disturbing subsidence features.

Jan 1, 1987

By Jei Y. Choi, P. G. Shewmon

Using a scratch smoothing technique, the magnitude and the ratio of the surface diffusion coefficients (D,) in two orthogonal directions have been measured on copper for over 100 different surface orientations. Anisotropy was found for all surface orientations except those lying near the (100) and (111); however, these anisotropies were rarely greater than 2.0. The direction of maximum D, appears to coincide with the direction of step edges on any given surface, and if no such steps exist, no anisotropy is found. Thus the jump frequency along a step edge is shown to be faster than the frequency of a jump over the step. The values of Ds and AH for the (100) and the (111) orientations agree quite well with those obtained earlier by the grain boundary grooving technique. It is proven that the directions of maximum and minimum D, (the principal axes) for any surface orientation are known if the perfectly ordered plane corresponding to the given surface orientation possesses a plane of mirror symmetry. Thus the principal axes of D, for orientations lying along the sides of the unit stereo-graphic triangle are always known independent of the extent of thermal disorder or impurity adsorption. The merits and shortcomings of King and Mullins' recently published equations relating Ds to the rate of scratch smoothing are discussed. 1N an earlier paper the authors have reported the variation of the surface diffusion coefficient (Ds) with surface orientation on copper.' In that study Ds was determined from the rate of growth of grain boundary grooves on symmetric bicrystals. This gave values of Ds from 850° to 1070°C in a given direction on each of the six surfaces. It was found that the activation energy for surface diffusion was essentially the same for all six surfaces. The theory developed to explain these data assumed that the free energy of any given type of surface site depends only on the number of nearest neighbors the atom has. This same theory predicted that on any given surface Ds should be independent of direction. The primary aim of this study was to check the validity of this prediction for a wide range of surface orientations on copper. The growth of grain boundary grooves is ideal for studying Ds in a given direction on a given surface over a range of temperatures, because the same specimen can be repolished and used again. However, there is considerable work involved in growing a symmetric bicrystal, and for a survey of Ds in two or more directions on many surface orientations, the technique would be arduous. A better technique appeared to be the scratch method used primarily by Mykura. 2 If a scratch is placed in a surface whose surface tension is independent of orientation, the surface will smooth out in time under the influence of surface tension. To determine D, from this flattening, Blakely and Mykura2 used an approximate solution which was assumed to describe the rate of flattening. Recently King and Mullins3 (hereinafter K and M) have given a more exact analysis of the flattening of an isolated scratch. A second aim of this paper was to check the validity of this newer analysis and compare the values of Ds determined thereby with the values obtained from grain boundary grooving techniques. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE In an effort to work with a particular predetermined surface orientation, light orthogonal scratches

Jan 1, 1963

By T. P. Meloy

Traditionally the mineral and mining engineers have characterized particles by sieving and-settling. Within the last decade, with the advent of the scanning microscope, entirely new experimental and theoretical approachesl-10/have been taken to minutely define the particle surface. This approach depends upon a hypothesis which takes advantage of the recent developments in automatic micro-scopes which can acquire large amounts of information in a short time and the new computational techniques which rapidly reduce the information to meaningful, practical data. Historically sieving and settling are the oldest sizing techniques known. Sieving by square screens, shown on Figure l-A is a common, current practice for sizing particles both in the laboratory and in production. A woven cloth is used which usually has square openings. The size particle that will pass through the opening dependent on a complex relationship of its morphology. As can be seen in Figure l-A, neither the width nor the height of the particle is determined by sieving. From square screens one and only one parameter characterizing the particle size is obtained, that parameter is the radius of the sphere that will just pass through the given sieve opening. A variation of square mesh screen is the slot screens, shown in Figure 1-B. Here another measure more closely associated with the height of the particle is obtained. Once again, one and only one parameter is associated with the particles' shape.

Jan 1, 1977

By W. A. Selvig

BY plotting fixed carbon against British thermal units of coals free from mineral matter, and ranging in rank from anthracite to lignite, it is found that the coals of higher rank, from anthracite to the higher rank of the high-volatile bituminous coals, inclusive, can be separated into groups according to their degree of metamorphism by reference to their fixed carbon. Such charts show also that the coals lower in rank can be best separated into groups with respect to B.t.u., especially when plotted on the moist basis, that is, coal containing its natural bed moisture. A tentative scheme for coal classification was presented at the October, 1932, meeting of the Technical Committee on Scientific Classification, of the American Standards Association Sectional Com-mittee on Coal Classification. This scheme was sponsored by Sub-committee IV on Tentative Classification of Coals, under the chairmanship of W. T. Thom, Jr. It proposed the grouping of coals according to rank by reference to fixed carbon and B.t.u., on the basis of coal containing its natural bed moisture but free from mineral matter. This scheme proposed classifying coals into four broad classes: (1) anthracitic, (2) bituminous, (3) subbituminous, (4) lignitic.. The anthracitic class was divided into three groups designated as meta-anthracite, normal anthracite, and semianthracite. The bituminous class also was divided into three groups, low volatile, medium volatile, and high volatile. The high-volatile group was further subdivided into four subgroups according to moisture content, as follows: (1) less than 5 per cent, (2) 5 to 10 per cent, (3) 10 to 15 per cent, and (4) 15 per cent and more. The subbituminous class was divided into two groups, group, 1 including subbituminous coals having calorific values of 10,500 B.t.u. or more, and group 2 including those with less than 10,500 B.t.u. , The lignitic class of coal was divided into two groups both below 8,000.B.t.u., the one group consisting of consolidated and the other of unconsolidated

Jan 1, 1934

By W. H. Ode, W. A. Selvig

By plotting fixed carbon against British thermal units of coals free from mineral matter, and ranging in rank from anthracite to lignite, it is found that the coals of higher rank, from anthracite to the higher rank of the high-volatile bituminous coals, inclusive, can be separated into groups according to their degree of metamorphism by reference to their fixed carbon. Such charts show also that the coals lower in rank can be best separated into groups with respect to B.t.u., especially when plotted on the moist basis, that is, coal containing its natural bed moisture. A tentative scheme for coal classification was presented at the October, 1932, meeting of the Technical Committee on Scientific Classification, of the American Standards Association Sectional Committee on Coal Classification. This scheme was sponsored by Subcommittee IV on Tentative Classification of Coals, under the chairmanship of W. T. Thom, Jr. It proposed the grouping of coals according to rank by reference to fixed carbon and B.t.u., on the basis of coal containing its natural bed moisture but free from mineral matter. This scheme proposed classifying coals into four broad classes: (1) anthracitic, (2) bituminous, (3) subbituminous, (4) lignitic. The anthracitic class was divided into three groups designated as meta-anthracite, normal anthracite, and semianthracite. The bituminous class also was divided into three groups, low volatile, medium volatile, and high volatile. The high-volatile group was further subdivided into four subgroups according to moisture content, as fo1lows: (1) less than 5 per cent, (2) 5 to 10 per cent, (3) 10 to 15 per cent, and (4) 15 per cent and more. The subbituminous class was divided into two groups, group 1 including subbituminous coals having calorific values of 10,500 B.t.u. or more, and group 2 including those with less than 10,500 B.t.u. The lignitic class of coal was divided into two groups both below 8,000 B.t.u., the one group consisting of consolidated and the other of unconsolidated

Jan 1, 1934

By Fred C. Turin, Kim M. Cornelius

Work in underground coal mines is repetitive and physically demanding. Workers commonly report a wide range of aches and pains. Management at one mine was concerned about increased reporting of aches and pains by roof bolting machine operators. An analysis of roof bolting tasks was conducted at this mine to identify early warning signs of cumulative trauma. Health and safety risk factors were identified and recommendations to reduce cumulative trauma exposure were provided. Recommendations addressed job procedures, equipment design, and worker awareness of risk factors.

By Y. V. Swamy, B. Bhoi, H. S. Ray

Low-grade manganese ores with low Mn/Fe ratios can he enriched through selective carbon reduction of iron oxide to magnetite followed by magnetic separation o f the magnetite. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to assess the preferential isothermal reduction of pure M1702 and Fe2O3 using solid carbon. This was followed by reduction of a synthetic analogue of composition comparable to an actual low-grade ore (i.e., Sandur manganese ore, Sandur, India). The carbothermic reduction of the manganese ore converts the hematite and goethite minerals to magnetite (Fe3O4), with the magnetite then going into the magnetic, fraction. The resultant nonmagnetic ,fraction becomes depleted of iron with an enhanced manganese content. These results show that it is possible to reduce the iron from 22% to 5.85%, thus increasing the Mn/Fe ratio from 1.52 to 6.2 with a manganese recovery of about 50%. The recovery was, further improved by grinding the magnetic fraction to -75 µm.

Jan 1, 1999