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By O. Q. Leone

Excellent metal quality, with lower power requirement, is attained in electrorefining titanium by using internal heating of the fused-salt bath. An internal heater provides more effective heat utilization, simplifies structural components in cell design, and prolongs cell life by eliminating direct application of heat to the cell container. This Bureau of Mines report covers one phase of the research in progress at the Electrometallurgical Experiment Station at Boulder City, Nev., for improving the techniques and lowering the total power requirement for electro-refining titanium metal.

Jan 1, 1959

By Joseph Grumer

An instrumented spherical vessel has been used for many years to study laminar combustion waves. Concurrent measurements of flame speed and pressure-rise rates have led to evaluations of burning velocities, the pressure dependence of the burning velocity, and the expansion ratios of the gases passing through the combustion wave. For the most part, these studies have involved flames initially at atmospheric or subatmospheric pressure. The old spherical vessel used by the Bureau of Mines was not designed for use at elevated pressures. Moreover, being made of wrought iron, it was susceptible enough to corrosion to prohibit its use with many combustible mixtures that figure in industrial research. In mid-1956, under sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research, the Bureau undertook the development of a stainless steel spherical vessel capable of withstanding explosions of gaseous mixtures at initial pressures as high as 20 atm. and initial temperatures as high as 250° C. The design called for a double array (cross) of closely spaced small windows for observation of the flame as it traversed the vessel and a piezoelectric transducer to measure concurrently pressure-rise rates. Because no commercial contractor was willing to bid on the construction of such a vessel, it was built at the Bureau's Bruceton machine shop.7

Jan 1, 1961

By L. A. Haas

In this Bureau of Mines investigation, conditions were determined to form an iron sulfide adherent coating with a metallic golden luster on steel upon anaerobic heat treatment with sulfur. The sulfide formation rate was determined in the temperature range of 105° to 500° C with reaction times up to 68 hours. The optimum temperature and time to form an adhering decorative coating on mild steel was in the range of 105° C for about 70 hours to 285° C for 1 hour. The golden coating consisted of an inner layer of pyrrhotite and an outer layer of pyrite. At temperatures higher than about 300° C, the outer layer thickness decreased owing to the decomposition of pyrite to pyrrhotite.. Small quantities (<0.5 wt-pct) of petroleum oil accelerated the sulfide growth rate. The sulfide coating decreased the corrosion rate of steel in a neutral aqueous medium by a factor of two. The dissolution of pyrite in water was dependent on particle size and surface area with the flat pyrite coatings exhibiting the lowest dissolution rate.

Jan 1, 1974

By L. R. Plitt, A. A. Turak, B. C. Flintoff

"Since the publication of empirical cyclone models by Lynch and Rao in 1975 and by Plitt in 1976, the technical literature on this subject has consisted primarily of reports of applications, with only a few articles discussing basic modifications or enhancements in model form. In fact, most of the modelling eff ort in this period has been concerned with theoretical models based on the hydrodynamics of multiphase flow. (Preliminary resutls have been encouraging, however, it will be some time before this approach reaches the practical application stage.) This paper presents a review of empirical cyclone modelling technology, with an emphasis on developments since the mid 1970s. The topics addressed include homogeneous and heterogeneous ores, parameter estimation techniques, parameter confidence intervals, and the introduction of a new conceptual model of cyclone operation.IntroductionSince their first reported application in the mineral industry by Driessen (1939), cyclones have become a common unit operation in all of the process industries. The widespread use of the cyclone stems from its relative low cost and its versatility. It can be employed to carry out liquid-liquid, solid-liquid and solid-solid separations. It is the area of solid-solid separation which is of greatest interest to a mineral processing engineer. Historically, this area was divided into two application categories: (I) Separation according to density, the cyclone washer, and, (2) Classification according to particle size, the cyclone ciassifier. (When water is the carrier fluid, the cyclone is more often called the hydrocyclone. For the purposes of this paper the two names are used interchangeably). Classification is the principal application in mineral processing circuit s. Within this category, the cyclone is most commonly employed to provide some positive control over the size distribution of product from a grinding circuit. Other uses include sand-slime separation prior to froth flotation and mill tailings treatment, either for dam construction or in backfill preparation."

Jan 1, 1987

The deposit was discovered during systematic reconstruction of the geological history of glacial overburden, which averages 6 m in thickness over 80% of Sweden, by geochemical sampling and searching for small grains of eroded bedrock. The gold is mainly concentrated in and around high-grade quartz veins within a broad shear zone, though the correlation coefficient between quartz and gold in samples is not significant. Production from two pits, now connected, in the Central and Eastern orebodies has increased steadily from 1 238 kg Au in 1989 to 2 120 kg in 1994, the highest in Europe. The mine has adapted and improved its mining methods to achieve significant productivity increases and cost reductions. Most of the improvements have been achieved through a better understanding of the controls on mineralisation and of the implications of those controls for selective mining. Geostatistics has played an important role in the quantification of grade variability and gold occurrence. Better blasting and loading techniques have improved selectivity, grade control has been enhanced by a grade-control drilling programme, and significant improvements in mineral processing have been made

Dec 1, 1995

By J. H. Daniel

This report, summarizing the results of two studies sponsored by the Bureau of Mines, presents information on the types of mobile machines used in surface coal mines in the United States, and the amount of noise to which miners are exposed. Data consist of a calculated value of the probability of noise overexposure caused by specific equipment. These data are extrapolated to estimate the number of overexposed operators. Bulldozers were identified as the major contributors to noise overexposure, and the report presents results of a Bureau-funded program on the feasibility of providing retrofit noise control on bulldozers.

Jan 1, 1980

By M R. Stevens

The Kauri Block (Hauraki Hill) andMatawai Valley epithermal vein systems, near Coromandel township, are hosted by hydrothermally altered Miocene andesites and Mesozoic greywackes of the Coromandel VolcanicZone. The hydrological setting of both geothermal systems was probably that of an andesitic volcanic arc. Two types of veins are recognised: 1. Simple veins composed of fine comb quartz, and 2. Complex (breccia) veins composed of vein fragments of sulphide-bearing, chalcedonic silica cemented by saccharoidal and fine comb quartz. &nbsp; Pyrite, arsenopyrite, marcasite, and gold form the ore minerals. Both deposits historically exploited hypogene and supergene bonanza gold. &nbsp; At Hauraki Hill, breccia veins up to 7m wide contain abundant fragments of recrystallised colloform banded-crustiform textured quartz veins (&apos;Golden Cross&apos; style) and were probably major channels for ascending deep mineralising fluids. Alteration assemblages are zoned with the higher elevations of Hauraki Hill-Bunkers Hill characterised by strong kaolinite alteration whereas deeper levels are dominated by illitic clays. &nbsp; At Matawai, complex veins and hydrothermal breccias pinch and swell, and inflect, within a total width of veining and alteration that exceeds 50 m. The greywacke host rocks are altered to an assemblage of illitesmectite, quartz, chlorite and pyrite although there are pockets of kaolinite. &nbsp; The proposed genesis of veins and ores in both deposits invokes episodic rapid mixing (quenching) of hot mineralising reservoir fluids with cool acid condensate waters, whilst acidification and increased fO2 triggered gold deposition. These hydrothermal systems heated up during their later stages and at Matawai visible gold was deposited from a late mesothermal stage. The main conclusion is that the northwest CVZ has excellent potential for large gold deposits (= 30 tonnes contained gold).

Jan 1, 1993

By H. O. Ghaffari

A complex network approach on a rough fracture is developed. In this manner, some hidden metric spaces (similarity measurements) between apertures profiles are set up and a general evolutionary network in two directions (in parallel and perpendicular to the shear direction) is constructed. Also, an algorithm (COmplex Networks on Apertures: CONA) is proposed in which evolving of a network is accomplished using preferential detachments and attachments of edges (based on a competition and game manner) while the number of nodes is fixed. Also, evolving of clustering coefficients and number of edges display similar patterns as well as are appeared in shear stress, hydraulic conductivity and dilation changes, which can be engaged to estimate shear strength distribution of asperities.

May 1, 2009

By Yijun Caoa, Xiuxiang Taoc, Zhongbo Hub, Yinfei Liaoa

A new preparation scheme for a difficult-to-float coking coal from the Kailuan Mine, Tangshan, China was investigated. The results showed that grinding followed by column flotation was beneficial for obtaining products with low ash content. The positive effect of grinding on the coal floatability is attributed to the liberation of intergrowths and coal surface improvement. Tests indicated that 10 minutes was the optimum grinding time, and over grinding resulted in a deterioration in flotation performance. With a grinding time of 10 minutes, conventional flotation had potential to yield a product with around 12.42% ash content and 69.15% combustible recovery. Column flotation can reduce the product ash content to 11.15%and increase combustible recovery to 74.47%. Consistently better flotation results reveal that column flotation is more efficient than conventional flotation for such fines.

Jan 1, 2015

By J. N. Van der Merwe

The data base of failed pillar cases as used by Salamon and Munro (1967) in their original analysis to determine the strength of coal pillars empirically, has been updated for this study. It is shown that the Vaal Basin and Klip River coal fields exhibit similar behaviour that differs from the failures in other areas, i.e. failure at high safety factors within a short period of time. Those collapse cases have been omitted from the new data base. Failures in the other areas that occurred after 1967 have been added. Using a technique to minimize the area of overlap between the populations of safety factors of failed and intact pillar cases, the new data base was re-analysed in conjunction with the original Salamon-Munro data base of intact pillar cases, from which the cases in the areas of weak coal were likewise eliminated. It was found that a linear formula reduced the overlap area by22%. The new formula predicts higher strength for pillars with a width-to-height ratio greater than approximately 2.0 to 3.0 and a lower strength for smaller pillars. It was also found that in order to obtain the same relative measure of stability as with the Salamon-Munro formula, the strength constant in the new formula should be within a range of 2.8 to 3.5 MPa. For most current South African coal mining conditions, using the new formula for pillar strength will result in leaving smaller pillars without sacrificing stability. The reason for this is that the Salamon-Munro formula under-estimated the strength of larger pillars and over-estimated the strength of smaller pillars. The new formula will thus result in improved reserve utilization without sacrificing stability.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. J. Monhemius

"The paper reviews the history of modern iron control processes in hydrometallurgy. Particular attention is paid to the processes developed in the 1960s by the electrolytic zinc industry for the removal of iron from zinc sulphate leach liquors - namely the Jarosite, Goethite and Hematite processes. Problems faced by the industry in the safe disposal of the iron residues produced by these processes are discussed. The lessons learnt over the past half century by the zinc industry are projected on to the current efforts to develop hydrometallurgical processes for the treatment of copper sulphide concentrates. It is argued that any attempt to create a “hydrometallurgical copper smelter” is doomed to ultimate failure, unless and until methods are developed that can recover iron from solution in a form that can be directly utilised by the steel or pigment industries.INTRODUCTIONYou suddenly realise that age is catching up with you and that technology is moving on apace when you are asked to talk about the history of a process or a technology that you’ve grown up with. Such was my reaction when, out of the blue, I received an email last year from the chairman of the CIM’s Historical Metallurgy Committee, asking me if I would give a talk on the early developments of iron control in hydrometallurgy. Once I’d got over the initial shock of realising that I had now become living history, I was of course flattered that the invitation was to give a talk at the prestigious IMPC, a conference series that has been going for as long as I have been in the business. That this particular IMPC was to include the 4th Symposium on Iron Control in Hydrometallurgy, made the invitation even more appealing and appropriate, because I was the co-chairman of the First Symposium on Iron Control, together with my old friend, John Dutrizac (known by many as Dr Jarosite), which was held 30 years ago in Toronto.first became involved with iron at the very start of my career in hydrometallurgy – the research topic for my Masters degree thesis at UBC, back in the mid 1960s, was “Reductive leaching of Goethite with SO2”. My thesis supervisor was the late Professor Ian Warren, who himself was a protégé of Professor Frank Forward, one of the founding fathers of modern hydrometallurgy. Little did I realise at that time, now 50 years ago, that the problem of iron and how to deal with it in hydrometallurgical processes would be a theme that followed me throughout much of my 40-year career in academia."

Jan 1, 2016

By V. Svalbonas

Everybody has an opinion what the quality of a grinding mill head casting should be, yet extremely few take the time, or get the opportunity, to compare their opinions against fitness-for-purpose data. The real question is not how flawless the casting should/could be, but rather how long will ?this? casting survive in operation. To validate an opinion on this topic one needs either extensive historical data, or comprehensive experimental data, or preferably, a combination of both. The same data can also be used to establish the conservativeness, or lack thereof, of analytical prediction methods.

Jan 1, 2009

By Randall M. Wheeler

Using Computer software to analyze and interpret blast vibration effects has never been so practical. Fully digital seismographs and powerful desktop and portable computers have led to the development of fast and easy to use analysis software. This workshop will focus on new Microsoft Windows-based blast vibration analysis programs developed by White Industrial Seismology, Inc. The Windows point and click graphical environment is ideal for developing full-featured and yet intuitive software.

Jan 1, 1994

By Jay L. Hodkinson

Replacement of an aging twin span river crossing in Vermont required a temporary bridge to accommodate traffic during construction. Soils beneath the temporary approach embankment consisted of very soft organic clayey silt underlain by interbedded, loose alluvial fine sand and silt/clayey silt. Reinforcement was required for the southern temporary approach embankment to limit settlement and to increase global stability factors of safety. A ground improvement design was developed using Rammed Aggregate Pier® reinforcement and was included in the contract documents as an FHWA Category II Experimental Feature. Instrumentation intended to document the performance of the supported embankment was installed. Piers were then constructed and monitoring commenced as embankment and bridge construction occurred. Weekly instrumentation data reports indicated continuing excess pore water pressure, settlement, and lateral deformation of the subgrade soils as the embankment and temporary bridge abutment was constructed. In response to the unanticipated monitoring results, further investigation indicated that significant deviations from the conditions and basis upon which the ground support design was developed were made during construction. This paper discusses these deviations and their specific impacts to embankment support performance, how these deviations occurred, the role that the ground support system played in maintaining global stability, measures taken to limit further detrimental impacts to the embankment, and provides recommendations for contract document preparation and construction oversight to prevent similar situations from occurring on future projects.

Jan 1, 2011

By M Passmore, N Poznik

Olympic Dam is a world-class deposit and is unquestionably one of the most geologically, structurally and texturally complex orebodies in the world. As development advances into the Southern Mine Area (SMA) the geological understanding is rapidly evolving as underground drill rigs are prioritised to provide the additional data necessary to convert Indicated and Inferred Resources into Measured Resources. The SMA represents approximately 70 per cent of Olympic Dam’s total resource and is significantly more complex when compared to the Northern Mine Area with respect to the diverse nature and origin of lithotypes, rock mass characteristics and the extent of major structures controlling primary mineralisation trends.Recent mine development into the central SMA has been impacted by a major structural gouge zone. Sound geological interpretation allowed mine geologists to successfully integrate their local understanding of the distribution of lithotypes with critical geotechnical data, chiefly rock quality designation (RQD), to delineate and better predict this major structural gouge zone. As a direct result, development rates improved whilst also increasing awareness for the importance of sound geological interpretation utilising all available data. In order to maximise predictability across all systems in place through the mining geology value chain, the integration of geological and geotechnical data in a geotechnical RQD block model provides an additional tool to assist in preventative solutions for complex problems to achieve a proactive mining environment.This paper details the methods used to build the RQD block model, the geostatistical estimation parameters, 3D geotechnical domain wireframes, challenges regarding legacy approaches, and collection of geotechnical information and incorporating/linking geotechnical data with geological features, including the use of grade and lithotype domains. Although the geotechnical block model proved difficult and complex to construct, the resultant product has seen successful integration of geological and geotechnical data into mine planning providing higher resolution of critical parameters for local mining areas.CITATION:Clark, J M, Passmore, M and Poznik, N, 2017. Olympic Dam rock quality designation model – an integrated approach, in Proceedings Tenth International Mining Geology Conference 2017, pp 27–36 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 20, 2017

By Paykan Safe

?? Background ?? WorleyParsons Gas Cleaning ?? PT Inco Smelter ?? Process Design Considerations ?? Furnace Control and Combustion ?? Combustion Chamber ?? Spray Chamber ?? Draft Control ?? Baghouse ?? Secondary Ventilation ?? ID Fan ?? Dust Handling Equipment ?? Project Execution ?? Heat Recovery ?? Conclusion ?? WorleyParsons Gas Cleaning ? Irving, TX ?? Formerly Gas Cleaning Technologies ?? Acquired by WorleyParsons in 2005 and now part of a global EPCM company ?? 14 years experience in off-gas system design for ferrous and non-ferrous facilities worldwide

May 1, 2008

A sinter plant baghouse dust has been treated as a hazardous solid waste, and disposed at a very high price. A series of leaching tests were conducted to examine the possibility to produce high grade potassium chloride from the solid waste. It is found that around 40% of the solid wastes can dissolve into water, and a deposit with more than 90% KCl can be produced after simply drying the solution.

Jan 1, 2009

By Jerry C. Tien

Mining in China dates back at least 4,000 years. Today, with no less than 103,000 metal/nonmetal mines and between 40,000 to 80,000 coal mines, China’s mining industry is undoubtedly the largest in the world. Despite improvements in recent decades, seemingly endless mining accidents continue to make the news. Official coal mining deaths were 6,702 in 2003, and 6,027 miners died in 2004; actual figures may be much higher. Added to these were the 2,699 deaths in the metal and nonmetal industries. Most of these accidents were due to CH4 (methane gas) explosions and fires as a result of inadequate mine ventilation de-sign or practices. A good portion of these accidents occur in small, privately run and often technically illegal mines. During the past 10 years, the Chinese government has attempted to crack down on small and often technically illegal mines without much success. The number of accidents and associated fatalities has not significantly reduced. However, there appears to be a new urgency in China’s efforts to step up mine safety in the country. After its worst reported mine disaster in more than a half century, the government quickly paid reparations to families, suspended high-level officials in charge and announced additonal reforms. One of those was the elevation of the central government’s work safety office to cabinet-level status. There has been increased transparency in reporting and investigation of mine accidents and disasters in recent years. There has also been an increase in public criticism by labor leaders concerning the neglect of mine workersafety.1 This article examines the causes of China’s many mining accidents, current legal and enforcement structures, respective mining health and safety related laws and regulations, recent mining industry developments and the latest effort to curtail small mining operations.

Jan 1, 2005

By Zhao-cheng Liu

Iron oxide red pigment powders of high quality were synthesized from pyrite cinders. Iron ox-ide red pigment powders were synthesized by hydrothermal method from the precursor of Fe(OH)3 and Fe(OH)2 colloid, which were obtained after ammonia solution reacted with acidic leaching solution produced by the reaction of pyrite cinders with sulfuric acid. Effects of reaction concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time, pH value and n(Fe2+)/n(Fe3+) on main properties of oxide iron red were studied by experiments. The prepared particles were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). The results revealed that the synthesized iron oxide red particles were _-Fe2O3 and pseudocubic with particle size of 0.50~0.75µm. Furthermore, the quality of iron oxide red pigment powders reached the first grade of national standard (GB1863-89 ).

Jan 1, 2009

By Roberto Vargas

"El presente Trabajo de Investigación, tiene por objeto describir la tecnología, la operación del Proceso en la Planta que implementa dicha tecnología así como los resultados obtenidos en dicho Proceso y aplicaciones de la tecnología a otros tipos de concentrados de cobre (Enargita). "

Sep 1, 2017