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By P. M. Sandgren, H. Al-Dabbagh

Saudi Company for Precious Metals (SCPM) is jointly owned by the Saudi Arabian state organization Petromin (The General Petroleium & Mineral Organization) and Boliden of Sweden. The company operates the Sukhaybarat gold mine in the Saudi Arabian desert and produces some 80,000 ounces of gold per year by agitation and heap leaching. The discovery, development, and operation of this mine is a success story. After the first drill hole intercepted a gold mineralization in 1983, it took the partners only 8 years to delineate the ore reserve, locate water sources, prepare pre-and final feasibility studies, obtain permits, design, and construct the facilities. Sukhaybarat, which is an open pit mine, started off with a carbon-in-leach agitation plant only, but a heap leach facility was added in the beginning of 1995. Since start of operation in the middle of 1991, a total of 300,000 ounces of gold has been produced in the first four years of operation at a very competitive cost.

Jan 1, 1996

By S. Roath, F. Paul, D. Melville

Several attempts have been made over the past 40 years to separate red blood cells from whole blood using a magnet. This has been achieved by the authors by using a high gradient magnetic field and " carrying " the red cells in a suitable reducing agent - the deoxyhaemoglobin so produced has 4 unpaired electrons per atom giving appreciable paramagnetic moment as opposed to the usual oxygenated form which is diamagnetic. Red blood cells so separated appear to be undamaged and can be reinjected into a donor animal where their survival is shown to be normal using an isotope tagging technique. Studies on function of the white blood cells and blood platelets also indicate that they are functionally unchanged by separation process.

Jan 1, 1980

By Frederic Benard

RECOVERY of selenium and tellurium at Copper Cliff by the Ontario Refining Co. has been previously described by the writer.1 During 1935 a new building was erected to house this operation and description of the new plant and process form the subject of this paper. The building, of modern steel and tile construction, covers an area of 5900 sq. ft. with a volume of approximately 165,000 cu. ft. The large monitored center bay is flanked by two smaller outside bays, one of which is devoted to the tellurium section. All equipment, ceilings and upper walls, are treated with aluminum paint, giving good illumination and facilitating good housekeeping, essential from a health standpoint in handling material of this nature.

Jan 1, 1938

By P. Somasundaran

Flotation of oxide minerals is controlled by a number of factors, such as surface potential and solubility of the mineral, concentration and type of various inorganics, properties of the collector, pH, ionic strength and temperature. The role these factors play depends on the mechanisms of adsorption of the collector inorganics or polymer additives. The major mechanisms include electrostatic interactions, chemical adsorption, chain-chain interaction between adsorbed collector species and modifications of the surface by inorganics. In real systems, flotation is, however, markedly affected by various other processes, including aging of the minerals, surface precipitation of the collector on the mineral and associative interactions between various collector species leading to highly surface active, for example, ionomolecular complexes. These effects are reviewed here with selected examples.

Jan 1, 1999

By J. C. Yingling

An approximate analytic- model is developed for minerals liberation when comminution processes are applied to multi-component ores, i.e., ores that include grains of multiple mineral species. The model employs a one-dimensional representation of ore texture similar to that employed by King (1979) and Klimpel and Austin (1983). The spatial texture representation is viewed as being generated by a stationary semi-Markov process. Associated semi-regenerative processes are defined that can be used to establish, approximately, the joint distribution of particle size and composition, where composition refers to the identities and relative proportions of mineral species included within the particle. Numerical predictions made by the model are compared to size and composition distributions observed in previous experimental studies.

Jan 1, 1992

By W. H. Stheeman

"The high rock pressures at the deeper levels of the Tsumeb Mine have necessitated the changing of the mining methods and the introduction of cable bolts. After two rockfalls in the cable-bolted stopes, the mechanics of cable bolting were investigated. Practical methods were developed to find the best grout mixtures, the bond stresses between cables and cement, the bond stresses between rock and cement and the load on the cable bolts, which was mathematically calculated from data observed underground. The design of the cable bolt support system as used at the Tsumeb Mine is explained. GeneralThe Tsumeb Mine is in northern South West Africa/Namibia, approximately 400 km by road from the capital city, Windhoek, at an elevation of 1300 m above sea level. Mining operations in Tsumeb were started in 1905 by the Otavi Minen und Eisenbahn Gesellschaft and continued, with an interruption during the Depre ssion, until 1940, when the mine was closed and taken over by the Custodian of Enemy Property. The present owner, Tsumeb Corporation Limited, obtained the mine in 1947 and restarted the underground mining operations in 1949 after the mine was dewatered. Currently, the stoping operations are between 26 Level (840 m below surface) and 38 Level (1260 m below surface). In addition, the mine is an important silver producer and has produced 670,100 kg of silver since 1947."

Jan 1, 1982

By Harry J. Morgan

One of the greatest improvements in drilling equipment has been the development of hard facing metals which are welded by electricity or by acetylene to form a facing which protects the steel of the bit from abrasive wear. The main desirable characteristics of hard facing metals are resistance to abrasive wear, resistance to shock and perfect bond with underlying metal. Resistance to abrasion offered by various metals shows many anomalies. Compounds containing carbon, silicon and boron are the most important hard substances. Carbon, as diamond, silicon carbide and especially the carbides of iron, chromium and tungsten are the outstanding hard products in common use. Tungsten carbide is probably the most commonly used. It is made in the electric furnace and it is important to get the right amount of carbon and the correct crystalline structure in order to obtain the greatest hardness and greatest resistance to abrasion. It may be obtained in three main divisions: wrought, cast and casehardened. Insert hard metals are common. The method of application varies, but it is generally welded to the bit, placed in channels or in drilled holes and covered with a hard surfacing metal. Robinson' has given a very complete article on the use of inserts. Gregg and Küttner2 has discussed the metallography of tungsten carbides and given a good bibliography of the subject,. The time and expense of large-scale testing, together with variations in results, led to the development of a laboratory testing machine for determining the abrasive-resisting qualities of different metals. This machine consists of a motor-driven 40-grain, alumina-base corundum wheel, 8 in. dia., rotating at 30 r.p.m. It is run wet and dressed with

Jan 1, 1930

By James S. Browning

For the past several years, USBM has conducted laboratory and continuous process development work on the weathered mica pegmatites ores of Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina to determine the feasibility of recovering commercial-grade mica concentrates by flotation. The research has resulted in the development of two processes for flotation of mica: 1) an acid-cationic method for recovery of coarse mica and 2) an alkaline-anionic-cationic method for recovery of fine mica. The research indicated that the two processes may be effectively utilized separately or in combination for flotation of mica from weathered pegmatite ores. This report summarizes the process development work, and demonstrates the feasibility of producing commercial-grade concentrates with a high recovery of the contained mica. Mica mining in the United States is confined largely to pegmatites and schists in a few well-defined areas. The largest region extends from central Virginia southward through western North and South Carolina, northern Georgia, and east-central Alabama.'" Whereas in western North Carolina, these pegmatite dikes are weathered to only a shallow depth, they are deeply weathered in the Carolina Piedmont and in Georgia and Alabama. Particularly in Georgia and Alabama, mica is found in the decomposed slates and schists adjacent to the pegmatites, and in deeply weathered granites. Most flake mica is obtained as the major marketable product by crushing and milling pegmatites4 To a lesser extent, mica is produced as a byproduct of feldspar" and spodumene. Past research by U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has developed two methods for mica flotation. One method utilizes acid-cationic flotation for recovery of mica.' This method requires thorough desliming of the ore with consequent fine mica losses. The other utilizes an alkaline-anionic-cationic process for recovering fine-size mica from pegmatite ores after desliming sufficiently to remove clay materials but not so drastically as to remove the fine mica.8-18 The latter process has also been successfully applied to a micaceous schist ore from California.' This report summarizes the results of these research studies. Both of the flotation processes developed by USBM have been adopted by the mica industry and are being commercially utilized separately and in combination for flotation of mica from weathered pegmatite ores. Description of Ores The weathered mica pegmatite ores used in the investigations were obtained from commercial mica operations in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. The

Jan 1, 1971

By Robert S. Archer, L. W. Kempf

It is now well known that the structure of aluminum-silicon alloys can be refined in a rather remarkable manner, with consequent improvement of physical properties, by certain treatments applied to the molten metal shortly before casting. The differences between the treated and the untreated alloys are so marked that special terms are used to distinguish them, the untreated alloys being referred to as "normal" and the treated alloys as "modified." The first practical method of accomplishing this result was that of A. Pacz,1 which consists in treating the molten metal with a salt flux of which the active ingredient is sodium fluoride. The result can also be brought about, and in a more economical manner, by the addition of small quantities of metallic sodium (or potassium) to the molten alloy shortly before casting.2 The action of the Pacz flux evidently consists essentially in the production of free sodium by the reaction of sodium fluoride with aluminum. The changing of a normal alloy to a modified alloy is referred to as "modification" and any process for accomplishing this result is a "modifying" process. Modified aluminum-silicon alloys were introduced several years ago, and it has been demonstrated both in the laboratory and in commercial practice that it is no simple matter to produce castings having the maximum or nearly the maximum properties which under favorable circumstances can be obtained. The alloys are rather sensitive to small changes in chemical composition, and the modifying process must be carried out in a very particular manner to obtain the best results. Extensive experimental work has been carried out in the laboratories of the Aluminum Co. of America with the object of determining the conditions that must be observed to make these alloys of the greatest possible value. It was necessary to learn how to control the modifying process

Jan 1, 1926

Minnesota School of Mines Experiment Station, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn For copies of Bulletins or a list of publications, address The Director Bulletins available are Bulletin 1, Iron mining in Minnesota, by C. E Van Barneveld (1912), $1, 2, Concentration tests on Mesabi ores, by W R Appleby and E Newton (1913), 3, Preliminary concentration tests on Cuyuna ores, by W. R Appleby and E Newton (1915), 4, Bibliography of Minnesota mining and geology, by W. Gregory (1915); 5, Manganiferous iron ores of the Cuyuna district, by E Newton (1918), 7, The future of the Lake Superior district as iron-ore producer, by E W. Davis (1920), 9, Magnetic concentra¬tion of iron ore, by E. W Davis (1921); 10, Ball mill crushing iii closed circuit with screens, by E W Davis (1925); 12, Minnesota manganiferous iron ore in relation to the iron and steel industry, by T L Joseph and S P Kinney (1927). A mining directory of Minnesota, by J J Craig, is published annually.

Jan 1, 1933

By P. A. Farrar, M. D. Silver, K. L. Komarek

Thermodynamic properties of Hf-0 alloys have been determined from 0 to 25 at. pct 0 between 1000" and 1200°K by equilibrating specimens with alkaline metal oxide-metal vapor combinations. Partial molar-free energies, enthalpies, and entropies of oxygen have been obtained and are conzpared with similar results for the Ti-0 and ZY-0 In continuation of a thermodynamic investigation of the Ti-O and Zr-O systems1 activities of oxygen and lattice parameters of Hf-0 alloys have been deter- system. The positional entropy in all three systems corresponds to an ideal random interstitial solution with one interstitial site per one metal atom. The lattice parameters of hafnium and Hf-O solid solutions have been determined in the range 0 to 20 at. pct O from measurements of Debye powder patterns. mined. All three metals dissolve large quantities of oxygen to form interstitial solid solutions. The phase diagram of the Hf-O system is shown in Fig. 1.' The maximum solubility of oxygen in the cph a phase is considerable (up to 25 at. pct O). The solubility in the high-temperature phase is much smaller. The only stable compound in the solid state is HfO2 which may exist with a certain oxygen deficiency. The low partial pressure of oxygen of Hf-0 alloys required the application of an indirect method. As the most suitable procedure a method, first applied by Kubaschewski to the V-O system,3 was combined with a principle developed by Herasymenko for the

Jan 1, 1963

By David A. Paul

Over the past several years a great deal of information on blasting vibrations and their effects on structures has been generated. Much of this knowledge has been gained through the use of ground vibration measuring equipment. While this type of information is valuable and gives us great insight into damage that can be incurred by structures from this source, very little, if any, information of this quality is available for the vast majority of cases in which an engineer is called upon to investigate alleged damage from ground vibrations. For the investigative engineer, then, the problem becomes one of accumulating whatever data is available and drawing a conclusion as to whether or not the subject structure was in fact damaged by the blasting vibrations. Such an analysis certainly requires a working knowledge of the literature on the subject and as much experience as he can bring to bear. Even thus armed, however, the data is often ambiguous, confusing, and/or contradictory. A practical approach is presented herein to aid the engineering investigator in arriving at the best possible conclusion available with the information at hand.

Jan 1, 1983

By John V. Beall

On weekends things get pretty interesting out our way because the fleet is usually in. Our No. 2 son is now based at New London, which Isn't far from here, and he brings his friends home. No. 1 son is a re- cent Navy veteran, and he lives at home. It is just as well that the Pentagon can't hear what is said. This is all aside from the point except that last Friday evening, Dave Meinhard, a redheaded nukie (nuclear sub crewman) from Indiana, commented on our late arrival home In obvious need of a pick-me-up. "Just like my dad; but he has it rougher than you. We live in La Porte, Ind., and every day he drives 35 minutes to work at Bridgeman, Mich., and loses an hour on the time zone. It's really exhausting. You should see him." We feel very sympathetic. He should receive extra pay. However, extra pay benefits are hard to come by although the reverse comes relatively easy. For example Grass Valley, Calif., was such a nice place to live 25 years ago that they compensated for it by making an appropriate deduction for the s

Jan 1, 1971

By F. P. Haver, M. M. Wong

The Federal Bureau of Mines has developed a leach= electrolysis method for recovering lead from galena (PbS). Flotation concentrate is leached with ferric chloride (FeCl3) solution to obtain lead chloride (PbC12) and elemental sulfur, PbS + 2FeC13 -+ PbC12 + 2FeC12 + Sº. Over 99% of the P~S in the condentrate is converted to PbC12. The leach solution, composed of brine (NaC1) and FeC13, dissolves the PbC12 as it is formed, leaving a residue of elemental sulfur plus gangue. Very pure PbC12 (>99.9%).is crystallized from the leach filtrate on cool- ing and is subsequently electrolyzed in a fused-salt bath to obtain molten lead metal (>99.9% Pb). Spent leach solution (FeC12) is regenerated for further use by reaction with the chlorine obtained in the electrolysis of lead chloride, and other values, such as Ag, Cu, Zn, and Sº, are recovered by additional treatments of the leach solution and leach residue. This paper discusses results and conditions of the leaching and electrolysis operations.

Jan 1, 1976

By C. F. Bonney

Spherical or oil agglomeration has been recognised for many years as a possible process for the recovery of mineraVmetal values. BP has investigated the potential of spherical agglomeration for a number of minerals as have other workers. Testwork has also been carried out by both BP and others on the selective agglomeration of fine coal. The spherical agglomeration of both minerals and coal depends on the use of an immiscible liquid e.g. a hydrocarbon which is added to a suspension of the solids in water. On agitation the oil is distributed over oleophilic/hydrophobic surfaces and particle impact allows inter-particle liquid bridges to form causing agglomeration. It is also possible to enhance the oleophilicity of the material to be recovered by the use of collectors similar to those used in froth flotation.

Jan 1, 1998

By John A. Haggman

Philippines is a country that is richly endowed in mineral wealth. In 1988, Climax Arimco Mining Corp. (CAMC) geologists found the Dinkidi porphyry gold-copper deposit in Nueva Vizcaya province. It is the most significant mineral discovery in that country in recent times. To date, the company has defined indicated resources of 124 Mt (136 million st) of 1-g/t (0.029-oz/st) gold and 0.4% copper. This includes a high-grade core of 7.9 Mt (8.7 million st) of 6-g/t (0.175-oz/st) gold equivalent. Total contained metal is 124.4 t (4 million oz) of gold and 499 kt (1.1 billion lb) of copper. Dinkidi's discovery resulted from initial geologic reconnaissance and recognition of the intrusive complex that is exposed at surface and anomalous in its topographic expression. This was followed by systematic exploration. This includes extensive gradient array induced polarization (IP), ground magnetics, geochemical sampling and diamond drilling. This later defined a further 16 satellite porphyry targets in the Didipio region. Climax was been granted a Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement contract with the Philippine government. It allows 100% foreign ownership of mining projects. After four years of negotiations, Climax was the first company to have such an application granted. Some 120 applications from numerous international mining companies are waiting for approval following implementation of new Philippine Mining Act of 1995. Exploration history Didipio is located 200 km (125 miles) north of Manila at an elevation of about 700 m (2,300 ft) in the remote Sierra Madre mountains. This region remains mostly unexplored. The property is accessed by 25 km (15 miles) of logging track from the town of Cabarroguis, Quirino. The area experiences an average rainfall of about 3,000 mm (118 in.) a year. Most of it falls during the July-to-November typhoon season. Didipio was first recognized as a gold province in the 1970s when native Ifugao and Ilongot hunters discovered alluvial gold in the region. The region had been prospected over the years by local companies. They were mostly prospecting for alluvial gold. However, in 1988, Climax Mining geologists identified the potential of an obscure razorback ridge protruding from the alluvial valley floor. This ridge, later named Dinkidi by Climax, was the site of several small- scale tunnels. Locals had mined narrow quartz stockwork veining and sluiced soft argillic alteration zones, using irrigation canals and sluice boxes to catch free gold.

Jan 1, 1997

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

I. Oxides of Silicon. 11. Oxides of the Semi-Metals : Tellurium, Arsenic, Antimony, Bismuth ; also Molybdenum, Tungsten. III. Oxides of the Metals. The Fifth Class, that of the OXIDES, is subdivided into three sections, according to the positive element present. The oxides of the non-metal silicon are placed by themselves, but it will be noted that the compounds of the related element titanium are included with those of the metals proper. This last is made necessary by the fact that in one of its forms TiOz is isomorphous with MnOp and PbOz. A series of oxygen compounds which are properly to be viewed as salts, e.g., the species of the Spinel Group and a few others, are for convenience also included in this class.

Jan 1, 1922

By P. L. Stavenger

Principles of Operation and Mechanical Features General Mechanical Description Sieve-bend screens are high-capacity screening devices which utilize stationary, concave, wedge-bar screening surfaces. A complete sieve bend is comprised of a feed distribution chamber, a structure for holding the screen surface, and collection chambers or chutes for oversize and undersize materials. In devices used for metallurgical practice, provision is usually made for reversal of the direction of flow over the surface, either by rotating the surface or by changing the feed nozzle position. The size of the unit varies in height from 5 to 8 ft, and in width from 2 to 8 ft. The orientation of the wedge-bar surface is such that the slots between the wedge bars are perpendicular to the flow of feed material over the surface. The feed distribution means is arranged such that the flow of liquid suspension is distributed evenly and tangentially over the width of the screen surface. A variety of means are used including simple gravity weir feeds, long slotted nozzles, and a multiplicity of round nozzles. A typical gravity-fed weir type nozzle is shown in Fig. 18. Most sieve bends are fed with gravity feed in such

Jan 1, 1985

By Fred E. Gray

The mill of Bralorne Mines, Limited, is located on the government highway in the Bridge River mining district of British Columbia, approximately fifty miles northeast of Shalalth, the shipping point on the P.G.E. railway. Prior to 1931, the property now owned by Bralorne Mines, Limited, was operated by Lorne Gold Mines, Limited. During the early operation of the mine, the ore had been treated at various times in one of three small amalgamation mills on the property. With the succession to ownership by the Bralorne Mines, Limited, work was started on construction of a new mill of approximately 100 tons capacity per day. The new mill was put into operation in the month of February, 1932, and since that date has been in continuous operation, milling an average of slightly over 3,000 tons of ore a month. The ore treated in the Bralorne mill is a gold-bearing quartz containing a very small amount of silver. About 75 to 80 per cent of the gold is in the form of free gold, the principal remaining portion being intimately associated with pyrite and arsenopyrite. The gangue rock is quartz, together with varying but relatively small amounts of altered diorite or albitite. In some of the ore, usually the higher grade portions, there is also considerable talc, which forms much slime in grinding. The mill is situated near the portal of the main haulage tunnel and the ore is received directly from the mine ore-trains, which dump on to the grizzly over the coarse-ore bin of the crushing plant. Figure 1 shows the flow-sheet of the mill as it is now being operated. Various changes have been made in the flow-sheet and in the reagents since the commencement of operations, and doubtless minor changes will continue to be made in order to increase the efficiency of the mill. Among the more important changes were those from two-stage to single-stage grinding, and from amalgamation plates to blankets. The change in the crushing was made because too much crushing was done when both primary and secondary mills were employed.

Jan 1, 1933

By Mohammad T. Izadi

Piles are, often, used for transferring load from the super structure through soft consolidating strata onto relatively stiff uncompressible soils. Downward movement of the soft soil strata develops negative skin friction and dragload around the pile shaft, with time. Traditionally the induced dragload is considered in determining the pile bearing capacity. On the other hand, field measurements on instrumented piles show that negative skin friction is reduced by the magnitude of applied live load. A method for calculating the pile bearing capacity, driven through soft consolidating strata is presented. In this method, two allowable load-bearing capacities are calculated for each pile, live load plus dead load and dead load. The proposed method, substantially, increases the allowable load bearing capacity of piles compared to calculated values by the traditional methods.

Jan 1, 2001