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"Projections of demand for Alberta coal indicate a quadrupling of current production rates to some 70 million tonnes/year by the end of the century. About half of this output-comprised of subbituminous coal-will be required within the province, primarily for generation of electric energy. The remainder-roughly 70 per cent high-volatile bituminous (hvb) steam coal and 30 per cent medium- or low-volatile bituminous (mvb/lvb) metallurgical coal-will be exported, principally to Pacific Rim and Western European countries. Direct employment in mining and coal processing is projected to increase from the present ca. 3000 to at least 12,000 persons.This paper presents separate forecasts for subbituminous, hvb and mvb/lvb coal production in the period 1982-2000; notes a number of possible developments that could substantially modify these forecasts; and briefly discusses attendant infrastructure requirements. Attention is drawn to potential shortages of qualified manpower and to threatening inadequacies of transportation facilities.IntroductionDespite the dislocations triggered by the 1973 'oil crisis', energy budgets of Western industrial countries are mostly still in the very early stages of the anticipated transition to greater reliance on coal. Shift s to coal are still more often only talked about than being implemented; and the public policies which are essential for timely development of facilities for producing, transporting and using coal are in many instances not yet even broadly formulated, let alone enunciated.In these circumstances, long-range projections of coal demand and supply-even if restricted to internal requirements- are subject to greater uncertainties than usually afflict such forecasts.On the demand side of the equation, these uncertainties arise ultimately from linkages between a need for coal and the availability and pricing of OPEC oil. The current surplus of oil on world markets, which has recently forced substantial reductions of posted prices, is undoubtedly a transient phenomenon that is unlikely to have any long-term impact."

Jan 1, 1982

By M. H. Bolu

Since undergoing a major mill expansion in 1979, Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation Limited has successfully operated a somewhat unconventional rod mill/rod mill grinding circuit at its mill in Tungsten, N.W.T., Canada. The concentrator employs two rod mills in series, of unmatched size and horsepower, for production of feed to a gravity (tabling) circuit. Cyclones and screens are closed circuited with the secondary rod mill. Outlined in this paper are the rationale behind, and consequences of operation of this unusual grinding and classification configuration.

Jan 1, 1984

By H. Akgun, J. J. K. Daemen

Design of plugs for abandonment of boreholes and shafts may be governed by the bond strength between the plug and host rock. Presented in this paper are the results of push-out tests on two types of expansive cement grout plugs emplaced in rock salt. The average interface shear strengths range from 2 to 12 MPa. Peak shear stresses (assuming an elastic stress distribution along the interface) are up to eight times higher. Dissolution along the interface may be enhanced by clay inclusions in the salt and appears to reduce bond strengths. Application of the results to the design of plugs for larger openings (e.g., shafts, drifts, or boreholes) is discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

By T. E. Smith

"This paper describes the application of a motor-driven flywheel unit, known as a peak shaver, to compensate for the cyclic load fluctuations of a large electric dragline installed at Pine Point Mines, near Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Of particular interest in this application is the fact that the power system supplying the dragline is a relatively small isolated system, with the major generating source approximately 170 miles from the mine.The cyclic load fluctuations of the dragline are theoretically capable of producing a maximum swing of up to 11 megawatts, which approaches nearly 50% of the installed generating capacity. To reduce these load fluctuations to acceptable limits various alternatives were considered, leading to a decision to install a peak shaver to optimize the operations of both the mine and the power system. Without the peak shaver, the dragline operations would be severely curtailed and additional diesel generation would have to be run at considerable expense, otherwise the power system frequency fluctuations would be totally unacceptable. With the peak shaver, power and frequency fluctuations are kept within tolerable limits, and optimum economic operation of the diesel generation is obtained.The paper outlines the steps leading to the selection of the peak shaver as the compensating device, describes the equipment installed and gives details of operating experience with the dragline/peak shaver combination since installation early in 1979. This .peak shaver is the first of its kind in North America, the only other peak shaver installation being in Australia.IntroductionPine Point Mines Limited owns zinc-lead mining and milling operations located at Pine Point, Northwest Territories, 5 miles south of Great Slave Lake (Fig. I). The company is staffed and managed by Cominco Ltd., which has a 69% interest in Pine Point Mines.Mining activity in the Pine Point area was first recorded in 1898, when the Yukon gold rush was on, but when the zinc/lead showings in the Pine Point area did not yield much in the way of gold, interest in the area soon waned. Cominco Ltd. first acquired some claims in the Pine Point area in 1928, but interest was sporadic until the early 1950s, when extensive exploration indicated rich pockets of zinc/lead ore near the surface. Pine Point Mines Limited was formed in 1951, with Cominco acquiring a majority interest in the company."

Jan 1, 1980

By H. Kenworthy, R. B. Fisher, R. G. Knicherbocker, M. M. Fine

The progress made to date in the mineral dressing of complex Arkansas titanium ores is reported in this paper. Concentrates of rutile, a dioxide of titanium, were produced by treating a submarginal ore from the Magnet Cove Rutile Co., Inc., Magnet, Ark. The rutile recovery at present is 45 to 50 pct of the total TiO2, with the possibility of increased recovery with additional research. The work reported herein is part of a general study which will later include results of investigation of other titanium ore bodies in the Magnet, Ark., area. The fragile character of the rutile minerals, the softness of the gangue, the occurrence of pyrite and leucoxene, and the considerable proportion of extremely small size rutile in the presence of montmorillonite- and illite-type clays in the Magnet Cove open-pit mine are the important factors in the mineral dressing of this submarginal rutile ore. History The occurrence of titanium minerals in the Magnet Cove area of Arkansas was recognized as early as 1890, but it was not until about 1912 that any appreciable prospecting for the minerals was undertaken. At that time drilling was begun, a shaft was sunk, and several drifts were driven, but beneficiation to recover the titanium minerals was not attempted. The only successful mining and milling operation of the Magnet Cove rutile deposit was begun in 1932 by the Titanium Corp. of America and continued until 1942. The ore was washed by means of a rotary scrubber and then deslimed in a drag classifier. The discharge was ground in a rod mill, classified, and tabled to recover a rougher rutile concentrate, which was screen-sized and retabled on cleaner tables. The cleaner concentrates were given a reducing roast, screen-sized, and magnetically separated to produce a finished rutile concentrate. Most of the rutile produced during this period was sold abroad. In 1942, the Titanium Alloy Corp. of Arkansas (a subsidiary of the Titanium Alloy Manufacturing Co. of New York) purchased the property and rebuilt the mill. Subsequently, the plant and property were acquired by the Magnet Cove Rutile Co., Inc., of Little Rock, Ark., the present owners. Very little titanium has been produced since 1942. Although the Titanium Corp. activities yielded enough returns to allow continued operation for approximately 10 years, certain factors must be recognized. These are: (1) production of rutile in that period was during a low in the economic cycle which permitted low-cost operation on a small scale, and (2) a considerable portion of the production was above the water level and no drainage problems existed. Prior to this paper there has been no published report of any mineral-dressing investigation of the lower levels of the ore body. Reference is made in another paper1 to an earlier investigation of Magnet Cove rutile by the Rolla laboratory, in which it is stated that recoveries of 12 to 17 pct of the rutile were obtained. The present investigation was undertaken to improve the known milling processes and to provide adequate metallurgical information about the ore treatment. Titanium Technology The titanium mineral of primary interest in the present investigation was the titanium dioxide, rutile. Rutile is one of the industrial minerals whose annual consumption is relatively small but strategically important. The domestic production of rutile was 7100 tons in 1948. The imports of rutile in the same year were approximately 8000 tons.2 A major use of rutile is in the production of welding-rod coatings, for which a product containing a minimum of 92 pct titanic oxide is desired. Other constituents, such as lime, silica, and sulphur, must be held to a minimum, but hard-and-fast specifications for these elements cannot be drawn. It is necessary to incorporate the rutile in a welding-rod coating, make a sufficient number of test welds, and then determine the tensile strength of the weld metal in the as-welded and stress-relieved conditions. Such a test gives

Jan 1, 1950

By Marcel Daly

(A contribution to the study of the conditions of equilibrium of the "free surface" of a water body inclosed in a porous medium.) IN a recent paper, on Geologic Structure in the Cushing Oil and Gas Field, Oklahoma,1 Carl H. Beal has pointed out some interesting peculiarities in the distribution of the hydrocarbons and the disposition of the "planes of separation" between the oil and the water (water surfaces). Mr. Beal's principal statements on this matter may be summarized as follows: I. In every important dome in the Cushing field, which has not been complicated by folding along its sides, the oil area in each, of the three oil and gas sands studied (Layton, Wheeler and Bartlesville) apparently extends farther down on the long axis. of the dome than it does on the steeper sides. The result is that water is encountered at a lesser depth below datum plane (sea level) on the steep sides of the dome than along the ends where the beds are more gently tilted. II. In the Layton and Wheeler sands (to which the detailed study of water surfaces has been almost entirely confined), the water surface is not level, but dips at a gentle angle (maximum dip 100 ft. to the mile) away from the center of the structure. This inclination existed prior to development, and it has been rendered greater by the rapid extraction .of oil and gas. To these statements, the following observations are added. The dominant structural feature in the Cushing field is a broad north and south anticlinal fold, along whose, axis the domes are distributed (Fig. 1, p. 1104), and the more important oil areas in each sand lie on the west side of the field. In many cases, gas has been forced to the east side of the structure, sometimes as far as the water line. From the distribution of the oil and gas bodies, Mr. Beal concludes that the hydrocarbons in this region probably migrated from the west or the northwest.

Jan 1, 1918

By Marietta Canty

Results are presented that were gathered during field-scale testing of an innovative technology, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), designed to treat and control acid mine drainage (AMD). The project was performed under the Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP), which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and jointly administered by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy through an Interagency Agreement. The MWTP is implemented by MSE Technology Applications, Inc., located in Butte, Montana. A field-scale test is described in which the subsurface workings of an abandoned mine were used as an "in situ biological reactor."

Jan 1, 2000

As world demand for various minerals increases the mining industry in its endeavour to satisfy this demand will, eventually,look to the extraction of orebodies which previously may have been uneconomical to mine. These orebodies may be of two types. Firstly, new low grade orebodies and secondly, remnant sections of previously mined orebodies. Some of the factors relative to remnant mining operations are discussed and the potent- ial of remnant mining in providing an important contribution to future world metal production is considered.

Jan 1, 1975

By Roger Lucas, Dale Nies

The McLaughlin Mine is an open-pit disseminated gold mining operation. Homestake Mining Company's approach to solving some of the blasting problems inherent to this type of deposit provide an interesting case history. Geology, although unique and site specific, is overall similar to other mines within the Western United States over-thrust belt and demonstrates an excellent example of the blasting conditions and requirements common to most of these operations.

Jan 1, 1990

By N. Erarslan, M. Serati

"This paper attempts to provide a simple analytical solution for the calculation of the stress tensor induced in a two-dimensional elastic ring of a brittle material subjected to general loading on either its internal or external curved surfaces. Airy stress functions and Michell’s expression in polar coordinates are used, and parametric studies are performed to investigate the influence of loading angle and the geometrical aspect ratio of the ring on the maximum induced tensile stress. INTRODUCTIONA proper and accurate estimation of the tensile strength of a given material is a crucial step in many engineering projects; in particular in rock cutting, since rocks are much weaker in tension than in compression or shear. Both direct and indirect laboratory techniques such as the direct uniaxial pulling test, the Brazilian indirect tensile test (also known as the split cylinder test), and the ring test have been proposed and developed to estimate rock tensile strength. Among these, the ring test, initially suggested by Ripperger and Davids (1946), has become particularly appealing for its ease of sample preparation and its unique breakage mechanism in almost a pure tensile mode. Unlike the Brazilian test in which high shear stresses developed in the vicinity of the contact could interfere with the tensile breakage of the disc specimen, a tensile failure starts away from the loading platens in a ring test (Hobbs, 1964)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Robert M. Rudio

Montana is leading the way in the field of mined-land reclamation with new laws and new ideas. The Montana Department of State Lands is combining new legislation and practical application techniques to all mining operations in the state. Road building, stream relocations, or settling systems can be designed to meet the environmental problems. Mineral exploration now requires a new and closer look at drill site locations, road gradients, and exploration tools. The problems and costs of land rehabilitation must be thoroughly understood by the exploration geologist in order to satisfactorily conduct exploration in Montana.

Jan 1, 1975

By James T. Kemp

SOME interesting and, to American eyes, rather unusual processes for refining impure aluminum derived from scraps were found by American and British investigators who went into Germany in 1945 for the Technical Industrial Intelligence Committee Of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. What was found was recorded in a series of reports (see page 14), many of which have been released for general reading. This paper gathers under one title and summarizes the German work in refining light metal scrap. Reference must be made to the original reports for greater detail. Basically, the occasion and stimulus for the German developments in treating light metal scrap were hard necessity. Germany needed the metal for a rapacious war industry. Adequate supplies of new aluminum from reduction works were not assured. Great quantities of airplane and other light metal war scraps were forecast. It was evident that the scrap metal would have to be reabsorbed by the producing industry and would have to be kept of good quality. The normal current production of manufacturing scrap was being and could be consumed as generated. It offered no technical problem. The mixed scraps, especially those arising from crashed and decommissioned airplanes, however, presented problems of another kind. AIRPLANE SCRAP The recovery of usable aluminum alloy from the mixed assemblies that made up the piles of airplane scrap was attacked in different ways by different groups and with differing degrees of success. Three procedures actually were used On a commercial scale, one was in pilot-plant stage and another had come to a halt in the laboratory a year before Germany collapsed. Four of these five processes actually involved "refining"; that is, some measure of purification of the metal after melting. SORTING AND SEPARATION ON A SLOPING HEARTH The simplest procedure for utilizing airplane scrap involved no refining in the strict sense of the word. This was the practice adopted by two representative plants visited by the author, the Leipziger Leichtmetalle Werke, Rackwitz, Saxony, and the Vereinigte Leichtmetalle Werke, Hanover. These firms did essentially the same thing that was done in England but not with equal success, to judge by their shorter experience, the smaller tonnage handled and by the number and quality of alloys produced. The two German firms named rough-sorted scraps by their easily recognizable alloys, essentially by part and shape. They used hand labor to chop and hack and tear apart. The easily separated heavy metal and nonmetallic scraps were discarded as they were found. Steel and the higher-melting-point metal parts riveted to aluminum or built into

Jan 1, 1947

By F. Feichtinger, M. Riess, A. Lammer

Introduction This article discusses the unique range of properties of platinum and its applications as a high technology metal. World reserves of this strategic and precious metal are confined mostly to South Africa and, to a far lesser extent, the Soviet Union. An analysis is given of past trends in world platinum output. The timepath is computed for the world platinum output rate, covering a period of more than 350 years. This is based on the postulate that the industrial conversion of a virgin resource progresses according to a Sigmoid curve. This computation is performed by means of a nonlinear, three-stage optimization model employing a multiform Sigmoid function. Finally, the price dynamics are examined. Platinum is the most important of the group of the platinum metals to which it gives its name. Other platinum group metals are iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium, and rhutenium. The metals occur in nature in close association and are chemically very similar to each other. Three members of the group - platinum, iridium, and osmium - are the heaviest metals known to man. Platinum's density is 11% heavier than gold and about twice the weight of the same volume of silver or lead. Properties Platinum is a typical grayish-white metal. Its special properties were known 1000 years ago to the American Indian craftsmen of what is now Ecuador and Colombia. From those distant beginnings, platinum is now firmly established as the most precious and distinctive metallic element known to mankind. It is shown in Table 1, platinum has a unique wide range of physical, chemical, and mechanical properties including high melting point, resistance to chemical attack, high catalytic activity, mechanical strength, and malleability. These properties make it indispensable for use in many industries. Application Platinum is first and foremost a high technology metal. During the last few decades, fertile scientific minds searched for and developed widespread cost-effective uses for this precious metal. Its unique properties render it irreplaceable in many key industrial processes. Important major fields of application include: • protection of man's natural environment (pollution control), • defense, • fuel production, • fertilizer manufacture, • glass and glass fiber manufacture, • pollution-free energy generation - replacement of nuclear and fuel operated power plants, • electronics, • dentistry, • medicine, and • jewelry. Besides these industrial markets, platinum is increasingly finding a place in investment portfolios around the world as investors switch from gold and silver holdings to this relatively scarce and strategic commodity. Platinum has a growing popularity among private investors. This is being accelerated by the predicted "big crash" of the US dollar and its associated weak currencies, which American financial analysts are expecting towards the end of the decade. Figure 1 shows the demand for platinum in various applications throughout the western world in 1986. The total demand amounted to 88.6 t (97.6 st) of which autocatalyst usage accounted for 32.8 t (36 st) or 37%, the biggest share. Catalytic converter technology is increasingly centered on rhodium-platinum three-way catalysts. These catalysts are able to deal with all three pollutants - carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides - in a single catalytic unit. The introduction of these three-way converters will result in a further steep rise in the platinum demand for autocatalysts. Among all the metals used in the antipollution devices for automobiles, platinum remains

Jan 2, 1988

By Curt Morgan

This paper will discuss the value of cream a common information model for the mining industry. Information models are a proven technique for quantifying diverse information in a non-proprietary and easily understood manner. Combining information models with emergent data exchange technologies such as XML and SOAP, the mining industry could substantially reduce the costs of sharing information, reduce dependence on proprietary information systems, leverage inexpensive PC desktop technology, and provide a solid foundation for simplifying mine information systems. The paper will provide an overview of information modeling, discuss practical and proven applications of the modeling technique in the mining industry, propose how such a model could be developed in a collaborative manner and discuss the benefits of such an effort.

Jan 1, 2002

By F. B. Speaker

MUCH of White Pine's success is due to the mechanization of mining operations and the development of an efficient beneficiation process to extract usable copper from the low-grade ore (averaging slightly more than 1 pct copper content). When the mine was first opened, all ore was trucked to a conveyor system installed in the slope leading out of the mine. But as new mining areas have been opened up at increasing distances from the slope, conveyors have replaced the trucks for much of the haulage. This conveyor program is expected to continue as mining progresses. Here is how the present underground system functions: Run-of-mine ore is dumped into two truck hoppers and withdrawn from the bottom of each hopper by a 60-in. apron feeder 22 ft long (see diagram). Collecting conveyors 54 in. wide and 44 ft long receive the material from the apron feeders and discharge to two main-line 54-in. conveyors, one 2000 ft and the other 2600 ft long. Operating at 312 fpm and handling 1200 tph, the main-line conveyors converge near the bottom of the tunnel leading out of the mine and discharge into two 72x168-in. Vibrex screens. Ore under 8 in. goes directly to the bin beneath. The oversize is fed to two 32x40-in. jaw crushers and after crushing joins the 8-in. material in the bin.

Jan 12, 1957

By J. H. Heintz

This paper discusses the law as it relates to appraising operational mining properties in the context of a takings claim. Topics include the need for valuation expertise, the differences between de jure and de facto takings, an overview of the law of condemnation, including jurisdictional issues, and defining your strategic options according to the controlling statute. State condemnation law varies by jurisdiction and just compensation can be calculated by comparable sales unit-times-price, before ¬after-valuation, capitalization of income and discounted cash flow methods. Takings under Federal laws are reviewed, as is the necessity of assembling a team including attorneys, valuation experts including a mineral appraiser, a real estate appraiser, economists and geologists.

Jan 1, 2002

By John A. Franklin, Norbert B. Maerz, D Linn Coursen

Accurate measurement of blast fragmentation is important in mining and quarrying operations, to monitor blasting and optimize blast design. A new digital photoanalytical method to measure the block size is presented here. Photographs of the broken rock are digitized, apparent size distributions measured, and corrections made for overlapping blocks, by means of an empirically derived correction function. The method was tested during recent full-scale blasting tests in Virginia, USA. It shows great potential as a practical aid to predicting, monitoring, and controlling the quality of the fragmented rock.

Jan 1, 1987

By Lee Morris, Charles E. Lawall

This paper represents the results of a study to determine the source, mode of occurrence and conditions influencing the flow and liberation of large volumes of inflammable gas in the Pocahontas No. 4 coal bed in southern West Virginia. A study of this kind is of interest in connection with mine ventilation, because in the removal of gases from coal mines it is very important to know the origin, the occurrence and laws of gas flow. The study was started in April, 1931, and the data and observations were obtained throughout a period of 15 months of field work. Geology The country where this study was made is mountainous and rugged; great cliffs, precipitous slopes and deep narrow gorges are found throughout the area. The outcropping rocks consist of stratified layers of sandstone, shale, limestone and deposits of coal of Carboniferous age. The Pottsville series of the Pennsylvanian, lying at the base of this period, cover the greater portion of the area. A stratigraphic section of the Pocahontas group of the Pottsville series is shown in Fig. 3. The older rocks outcrop in the extreme southeastern part of the area, but are under drainage in the central and northern parts due to the gradual northwest dip of the strata. The structure has a general northeast-southwest trend (Fig. 1). North of Dry Fork anticline the strata have been only slightly disturbed by movements of the earth's crust; it is now a long monocline. Southeast1 of Dry Fork anticline the strata are warped into great arches and deep troughs and are broken by overthrust faults. All of this folding is probably the result of the intense folding associated with the formation of the Appalachian Mountains. Pocahontas No. 4 Coal Bed The Pocahontas No. 4 bed, lying approximately 550 ft. above the base of the Pottsville series, is one of the thickest and most gassy coal beds in

Jan 1, 1934

By Watkins JR

The educational system is a dynamic; a flow resource that can be significantly shaped, changed and - refined by educationists. This paper analyses these various facets of geo- science education in Australia. The Australian educational philosophy is essentially a laissez- faire model, a free market approach without any real government or professional directive or stratagem. Students are therefore free to choose their own educational pathway dependent only upon their ability and the access to courses. Geological education at the tertiary level in Australia is described and critically analysed. There is a real need for a rationalisation of geological education in Australia, and this rationalisation should include not only the number of courses offered but should also aim to fully define both the philosophy and purpose of geological education and the accreditation procedures for the Students.

Jan 1, 1986

By W. N. Logan

THE petroleum industry in Indiana made no extraordinary progress during the year 1924. The surplus stock of crude, brought about by the production of 732,407,000 bbl. in the United States in 1923, as against a production of 557,531,000 bbl. in 1922, had its effect on prices though there were slight advances. These advances were more than offset by the continued high prices of labor and materials. TRENTON OIL DEVELOPMENT The principal development of the year occurred in the Hotmire pool of the Ridgeville district in northeastern Indiana. This pool lies partly in the southern part of Jay County and partly in the northern part of Randolph County. The oil is obtained from the upper horizon of the Trenton. During the past year, about 30 wells were drilled, 21 of which were productive. An attempt to extend the Hotmire pool to the northeast resulted in the discovery of a gas-producing area near the center of Pike township in Jay County; 10 wells have been drilled 4 of which produced oil. The Harvey Orr No. 1 produced 900,000 cu. ft. of gas per day.

Jan 3, 1925