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By Jerry Peterson

Mine maintenance planning, scheduling and daily workflow communications are crucial elements for enhancing overall efficiency and reducing costs. Equally important, it helps identify time periods that equipment will be unavailable so conflicts with production demands are avoided. The current CMMS Kennecott Energy Corporation (KEC) utilizes does not perform these functions in an effective manner. A solution to this problem was to develop an intuitive web-based maintenance planning, scheduling and work flow system call E-MESA. This paper will discuss the E-MESA'S system structure and advantages and disadvantages of using the web based E-MESA solution to perform the maintenance functions described above.

Jan 1, 2002

By H. C. Ko

Heats of solution of calcium carbon-ate (calcite) and calcium oxide in hydrochloric acid were determined by solution calorimetry. Combination of these two heats yields a value of 42.643±0.024 kcal/mole for the enthalpy of calcination of calcite at 298.15 K. Literature data on ?H°298.15 of calcination of calcite were reviewed and compared. Thermodynamic properties for the calcination process were calculated from 298.15 to 1,500 K using Gibbs energy functions. This research was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines as an effort to provide thermodynamic data for the advancement of minerals technology, energy conservation, and environmental preservation.

Jan 1, 1982

By Serge Payant, Michael G. Li, Lionel J. J. Catalan

Alkaline solution rinsing for decommissioning of an acid-leached residue was evaluated by column experiments, neutralization tests and solid characterization by XRD and SEM. It was found that consumption of a strong alkali during residue neutralization was much greater than that required to neutralize the soluble acidity. The excess alkalinity was consumed by solid-phase conversions unnecessary for the success of decommissioning. Alkaline rinsing did not reduce the time requirement for decommissioning when compared with plain water rinsing. Since no benefit is gained to compensate for the additional costs associated with excess alkali consumption, we conclude that strong alkaline solution rinsing is in fact inferior to simple water rinsing.

Jan 1, 1998

By Y. J. Wang

A critical path approach is presented for the problem of mine ventilation networks where regulators and fans are employed to control the airflow distribution. The problem is a classic one arising in mine ventilation planning. By identifying the analogy between the network for controlled flow and that for critical path method (CPM), the applications of the well known CPM technique to the ventilation problem become straightforward. The mathematical formulation of the problem is presented and the solutions are illustrated with examples. The cutset operation is introduced and employed for obtaining alternative solutions. The effects of booster fans on the total air power of the ventilation network are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1983

By George Saratsis, George Exadaktylos

In the marbel industry, ore reserves refer to the produced tonnage of orthogonal prismatic, defect-free blocks of commercial sizes and of marketable aesthetical quality. On the contrary, in the mining sector, ore reserves refer to the tonnage of ore with grade above some cut-off value. While in the mining sector ore reserves are reported according to existing standard guidelines, the marble industry has no standardmethod. The purpose of this paper is to present a method to estimate white marble reserves using drill coring or borehole wall logging and limited joint mapping on exposed marble surfaces. Data pertaining to fracture orientation, fracture frequency, size, and whiteness were collected. The primary phase of marble characterization is followed by the discretization of the orebody into a three-dimensional array of orthogonal prismatic blocks, where the marble whiteness and fracture intensity are attribute values. Both these variables are considered to obey continuous and not discrete probability distributions. The discretization is performed using computer aided design and the Block Kriging techniques. An outline to improve the description of a given marble ore deposit at the exploration stage is presented for the prediction of marble block size distribution from joint count measurements along diamond drill cores. An example case of a white dolomitic marble quarry is used to demonstrate these methods.

May 27, 2020

By M. Romana

"RMR geomechanics classification is being used all over the World as a useful tool for tunnel predesign and construction. Bieniawski (1989) provided guidelines for tunnel excavation and support, according RMR numerical values; guidelines which are now included in almost all tunnelling books, regulations, and Internet portals. But in the last 25 years tunnelling techniques have changed and some of the guidelines have become obsolete.. The conditions of tunnels for the 1989 guidelines application were: horseshoe shape; 10 m width; vertical stress < 25MPa; construction by drilling and blasting. Actually a substantial number of tunnels are mechanically excavated. The tunnel themselves are now bigger: a span of 14 m. is very common for transportation tunnels. The guidelines included the following concepts: excavation method, rock bolts (20 mm diameter, fully grouted), shotcrete, steel sets. There is an increasing gap between the 1989 guidelines and the practice: in many tunnels different to-the-case excavation and support requirements are established. Bieniawski himself has published a paper (Lowson & Bieniawski, 2013) with different guidelines based in Lowson’s practice, with no explanations and/or justification.In this paper a new set of RMR tunnelling guidelines is proposed taking account of the actual industry conditions, and increased safety regulations. The 5 classes’ limit RMR:values (80,60,40,20) are no more useful actually: Values of RMR (70, 50, 30) are used in practice to define quite different tunnelling techniques. Consequently a 10 subclasses system is proposed. Each subclass covers a span of 10 RMR points. As the number of mechanically excavated tunnels has increased a new correction factor is necessary, according the excavation method.The proposed 2014 RMR guidelines are for tunnels 10 to 14 meters wide, the world practice for new roads/railways tunnels. Many tunnels for water/ services are smaller with smaller support needs. Wider than 16 m caverns are out of the RMR system.It is not possible, nor desirable, to propose only a value for support in each subclass. The new guidelines propose an interval of values for certain types of support. More pessimistic values must be chosen for wider tunnels, tunnels with lower RMR values in each class and cases when a higher safety factor is asked for. More optimist ones are chosen for narrower tunnels, and higher RMR values. Some alternatives are almost complementary, others are contradictory. Sometimes several different techniques are proposed Guidelines are not automatic options. Good engineering judgment must be used when choosing between the different alternatives. Guidelines are not mandatory suggestions."

Jan 1, 2015

By Salley J, Gould WD

The stack-gas scubber effluent from base metal smelters often contain 20-100 ppm of oxidized selenium salts. Due to their toxicity, these must be removed from solution prior to release of the effluent to the environment. Many species of microorganisms including Corynebacterium diotheriae, Neurospora crassa, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli and various species of Salmonella are capable of assimilating oxidized selenium and reducing it intracellularly to red amorphous selenium. CANMET in cooperation with several companies has developed a biological process to recover selenium from dilute solutions. The laboratory, mini-pilot plant and the large industrial pilot- plant studies leading to the development of this process will be described.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. G. Benz, J. F. Elliott

A new type of solution calorimeter has been constructed to measure heats of mixing, enthalpy increments, and heats of fusion, formation, and reaction at temperatures above 1000°C. With it, measurements hove been made of the partial molar heats of mixing joy tin in the Cu-Sn system from 0 to 13 at. pet Sn at 1127°C and fir nickel in the Cu-Ni system from 0 to 9 at, pet Ni at 1200°C. The integral molar heat of mixing for the Cu-Sn system is strongly negative with a calculated minimum value corresponding to the composition Cu3Sn. The integrnl molar heat of mixing for the Czi-Ni system is slightly positive at these temperatures. These integral molar values have been measured with a probable error less than 30 cal per g-atom at an atom fraction of nickel or tin equal to 0.1. The estimated probable error for the Cu-Sn system is approximately 450 cal for a measured heat of solution of approximately 9000 cal. For the Cu-Ni system it is approximately 700 cal for a measured heat of&apos; solution of approximately 60 cal. A new type of heat of solution calorimeter was designed and constructed to provide a more accurate experimental method for determining heat effects at high temperatures, (T > 1000°C). With it, partial molar heats of mixing, enthalpy increments, heats of fusion, and heats of formation and reaction for metal systems can be measured directly. Previously it has been necessary to rely upon the use of the dropping calorimeter or the van&apos;t Hoff equation applied to equilibrium data for this information. For the most part equilibrium data are scarce and difficult to obtain in many cases, and it has been necessary to rely upon the "method of mixtures" for the desired enthalpy measurements. An earlier study1 provides a prototype for this work. The "method of mixtures" as outlined by K. K. kelley,2 "consists of dropping the substance under investigation from a furnace, with controlled and measured temperature, into a calorimeter operating at or near room temperature.&apos;&apos; In this manner the change in the total heat content (enthalpy) of the substance between the temperature of the furnace and that of the calorimeter is determined. In order to determine high-temperature heats of mixing, enthalpy increments, and heats of fusion, formation, and reaction, it is necessary to take the difference between two such measurements, one before and one after the occurrence of the enthalpy change being studied. The desired enthalpy change is then the small difference between two large numbers. Small errors in the large numbers are included as large errors in this small difference. It is this difficulty that must be avoided for accurate measurement of the desired functions. The procedure with the new solution calorimeter consists of dropping the substance under investigation from a furnace, with controlled and measured temperature, into a solution calorimeter operating in the temperature range of 1000o to 1200°C. Measurements in the range of 1200" to 1600°C are planned for the future. By selection of the composition and

Jan 1, 1964

By B. Arlyuk

The complex system has been developed for long-term assessment of world prices and sale volume of primary aluminium when using the analytical model of the market and market supply forecasts as well as economy development in the Western countries characterized by the industrial production indices as correct data of Western World aluminium consumption are absent, The important part of this system is the model developed for forecasting the degree of capacities utilization of smelters and refineries depending on the price level, The model contains a statistic part corresponding to the capacities distribution by the production cost, and a dynamic part determining the deviation from the static depending on the price variation dynamics, The developed complex system has been identified by the actual data of the world prices of smelter grade alumina and primary aluminium, conservation and reactivation of refineries and smelters in the Western countries within the period from 1992 to 2003. The system was used for primary aluminium and alumina price forecasts till 2020.

Jan 1, 2004

By John G. Holmes

The generation of low cost power is but one phase of the TVA program for regional development. During the 36 years since TVA began, growth in its generation of electric power has necessitated a shift from a predominantly hydroelectric power system to a combination steam and hydroelectric system. The addition of steam-electric power plants to TVA&apos;s generating system was necessitated by the rapid increase in the traditional and defense demands for electric power in the 80,000-square-mile area served by TVA, the need to firm up the hydroelectric power, and the fact that all available sites for sizeable hydroelectric projects had been developed. At present TVA owns and operates 40 power plants--29 hydroelectric and 11 steam-electric plants. The total generating capacity of the hydroelectric plants is 3,105,430 kw, and the capacity of the steam plants is 13,951,135 kw. This provides a total generating capacity of 17,056,565 kw for the plants operated by TVA. Individual capacity of the 112 hydroelectric units ranges from 10,000 to 67,500 kw, and the individual capacity of the steam-electric units now in operation ranges from 60,000 to 950,000 kw. In addition to this generating capacity, TVA distributes the power from 6 U. S. Army Corps of Engineers hydroelectric plants on the Cumberland River. These plants contribute an additional 725,000 kw. Also, under an agreement with the Aluminum Company of America, TVA directs the stream flows and generation of their 423,715-kw system on Tennessee River tributaries and shares with Alcoa in the increased generation resulting from this coordinated operation.

Jan 1, 1969

By Lowell Stroud

Since 1929, the Helium Activity of the Bureau of Mines has operated a helium-extraction plant at Amarillo, Tex. The natural gas that supplies this plant is obtained from the Cliffside geologic structure 12 miles to the northwest and over the years, has become known simply as "Cliffside gas," There is need for published data on the low-temperature phase equilibria of helium-bearing natural gases. To date, little information has been published on the equilibrium phase compositions, solution of helium in condensed natural gas, condensation characteristics, or equilibrium vaporization coefficients for methane, nitrogen, and helium in helium-containing systems. A windowed phase equilibrium apparatus (8)6 was used to obtain 105 equilibrium samples, representing 35 experimental conditions of condensed Cliffside gas at pressures of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 p.s.i.a. and temperatures from 0° to -270° F. Data on equilibrium vapor-liquid composition for Cliffside gas are presented in both tabular and graphic form and are discussed in detail to show their relationship to certain criteria that must be met to effect an efficient separation of helium from natural gas by means of low-temperature processes. Facts about condensation characteristics and solution of helium in the liquid phases are included, The important relationship of these two factors in decreasing the percentage of total helium lost by solution in the liquid phase is discussed.

Jan 1, 1961

By R. Ellerman

The hydrometallurgical processing of an impure zinc oxide fume is described. Flowsheet includes roasting for fluorine elimination and countercurrent leaching to produce a neutral sulphate solution. This solution is combined with zinc sulphide leach solution for subsequent purification and electrolysis. Novel to the neutral leach step is the use of automatic pH control. THE electrolytic zinc plant of the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. was erected in 1929-1930 to process zinc sulphide concentrates produced from ore mined at Flin Flon, Manitoba. Since 1930, production of high purity slab zinc has been continuous. In May 1951, construction of a fuming plant was completed and operations were started to recover zinc from copper smelter reverberatory slag. A second zinc-bearing material in the form of an impure zinc oxide fume was then made available for treatment. Coincident with the construction of the fuming plant, additions were made to the electrolytic zinc plant to recover the zinc in the fume as slab metal. The original plant capacity of 70 tons of slab zinc per day was steadily increased up to May 1951, at which time the daily production averaged 130 tons. With the advent of the fuming plant and the processing of zinc oxide fume, production was stepped up to the present capacity of 190 tons per day. Of this, approximately 48 pct is contributed by the processing of zinc oxide fume. This additional source of raw material has allowed a 20 pct cutback in mining and milling operations, thereby adding considerably to the life of the Flin Flon mine. Zinc sulphide concentrates are treated by the usual hydrometallurgical method. Details of this operation and plant were described by Carr and Reikie in 1935&apos; and Kent in 1951.8 The impure fume is treated in two operations. First, it is roasted to eliminate fluorine. Next, it is subjected to a countercurrent leach with spent electrolyte to extract the zinc as a neutral zinc sulphate solution. During this leaching step, soluble impur-

Jan 1, 1956

By H. A. Steane

"This presentation will cover some crushing and grinding considerations in plant design and operation. There is nothing basically new in the subject matter presented here; however, the viewpoint and interpretation may be novel and some of it controversial.The presentation is based on experience gained in the metallurgical design of plants for Placer Development Limited from 1960 to the present. The plants are listed on SLIDE No. 1.These plants have conventional crushing, followed by rod mill and ball mill grinding. I would like to think that autogenous grinding plants are the answer for eliminating secondary crushing plants and reducing the capital and operating costs; however, the autogenous plants seem to have some problems of their own and I have had no experience with them.Fineness of Grinding RequiredFirst let us consider the fineness of grinding required.The fineness of grind will affect the recovery obtained, and the relationship must be determined. If the grinding is too coarse, some of the valuable mineral, either free or locked in middling grains, will not be floated. However, as grinding is probably the greatest single operating cost, we do not want to grind any finer than is justified economically.Finer grinding should not be carried beyond the point where the net smelter return for the increment saved becomes less than the added operating cost. Even this fineness will be beyond the economic limit because of the additional capital cost for the equipment needed to achieve it. These factors will be discussed in more detail later.The Bond work index is the commonest method of expressing a measure of the effort that has to be expended in grinding. It is the kilowatt-hours required to reduce a ton of rock from an infinite size to 80% passing 100 microns. The formula allows a calculation to be made for other size ranges."

Jan 1, 1976

By P. Venkatasubramanian

"In recent years, computer based ""expert systems"" have been taking on large complex tasks for which no exact algorithmic solutions are feasible; tasks previously reserved for human experts requiring empirical knowledge, judgment, experience, developing a ""best solution "" by the use of plausible reasoning. Mining method selection is an appropriate area for the application of an expert system because extensive and detailed knowledge is required to make a ""best"" interpretaion of frequently ambiguous geological information. The expert system model presented here would enable users to apply expert knowledge to the evaluation of methods for coal deposits mineable by underground methods. IntroductionIn an increasingly complex and specialized world, human expertise spanning scientific, economic, social and political issues plays an increasingly important role in all branches of engineering. This is especially true of mining engineering. The number of scientific and professional disciplines involved in mine planning and evaluation, illustrates the problem. A conservative list includes geology, geophysics, geotechnics, hydrology, mining, environment, and economics.Engineers are almost obliged to be experts in at least one of the above disciplines if they are to handle the volume of information required in the planning process. Although computers have become indispensable tools in many endeavours, there is continued reliance on the human expert&apos;s ability to identify and synthesize these diverse factors, to form judgments, evaluate alternatives , and make decisions . This is especially true with regard to problems that are not easily amenable to precise formulations.The precious resource of human expert is also fragile and transient. The departure of a crucial expert from an organization ma y cause serious dislocations. Senior experienced people impart their knowledge of younger colleagues, but the demand for their talent may not leave sufficient time for such educational efforts. In recent years, computer based "" expert systems"" have been taking on large complex tasks for which no exact algorithmic solutions are feasible; tasks previously reserved for human experts, requiring empirical knowledge, judgment , experience, developing a ""best solution"" by the use of plausible reasoning."

Jan 1, 1988

By G Mulder, M Adams

Since the introduction of raiseboring 30 years ago there have been many operational and mechanical design improvements in the raiseboring machine, its reamers and associated cutters. These have now made the technology of raiseboring a routine and practical operation within the underground mining world. Over the last decade these advances have been aided by the introduction of robust automation packages which have allowed unattended drilling and reaming, real time performance monitoring and enhancement and the rapid diagnostic investigation of mechanical and electrical abnormalities. The constraint to higher raiseboring performance is now the drill string. However when it comes to a cost-effective solution of applying the high drill string torque and tension necessary for the next step change in performance, designers have æhit the wallÆ. Whilst carbon fiber reinforced plastic composites with abrasive resistant sheaths may offer a solution, the limit of conventional steel, drill string technology has been reached. This limit to advancement is however based on the drill string being in tension and alternative solutions may exist by literally turning the raiseboring paradigm on its head. This paper describes the story of a small Australian company engaged in the design and manufacture of mechanical excavation machines, two Australian raiseboring contractors and three Australian mines going against tradition and pushing down rather than pulling up.

Jan 1, 1998

This paper reviews the current techniques employed in the prediction of subsidence and how they have been applied to partial extraction systems. The method using influence functions to describe the shape of the profile is investigated in detail and has been adopted to model the subsidence over workings in Huntly. It is compared with the profile methods developed in the United Kingdom and found to predict the subsidence profile more accurately than these methods.

Jan 1, 1991

By A. M. Johnson, D. H. Carlson, D. L. Johnson, S. T. Bagley

A biologically assisted ferric iron leaching system was evaluated for in situ recovery of three copper sulfide oresfrorm northern Michigan. Laboratory scale bacterially assisted ferric sulfate leaching tests were run on the three ores. A T. ferrooxidans strain was found that could be adapted to copper in solutions at concentrations as high as 20 g/L. Column leaching of 4.5 to 2 mm (-4 +I0 mesh) material yielded extractions of 80-90% copper from one ore and 70 and 60% from the other ores. The highest copper extractions were from the Mount Bohemia ore deposits located in the Keweenaw Peninsula, which have fracture controlled chalcocite mineralization. The Bohemia ores are apparently well-suited for in situ solution mining.

Jan 1, 1987

By Forrest T. Moyer

To keep the mineral and allied industries informed of trends in the causes of accidents and to point out the need for corrective measures, the Bureau of Mines collects, analyzes, and periodically published health and safety statistics. This report includes data for 1964 on injury experience, with related employment statistics, at coal mines in the United States. These data are presented in tabular form under the following headings: General Injury Experience Tables 1 to 6: Current data on number of injuries, degree of injury, frequency and severity rates, average severity, and related employment and production data by work location.

Jan 1, 1967

By A. Pareek, V. S. Masampally, V. Runkana

Mineral processing plants, in general, consist of comminution and separation circuits. Rougher flotation is considered as the heart of the separation circuit with concentrate grade and mineral recovery being the key productivity and quality parameters that affect the downstream operations and profitability. Online prediction of these parameters can help improve process performance in real-time. Past efforts to predict flotation cell performance have focused on building physics-based or machinelearning (ML) based models. Although physics-based models are popular in process design applications, ML models are more appropriate for online monitoring, control and optimisation due to their lower computational requirements. Deep learning (DL) is gaining prominence nowadays for application in industrial operations where a large amount of data is available. We have developed a DL model based on long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks to forecast the two key performance indicators (KPIs), namely, mineral recovery and concentrate grade in a mineral processing plant. Rougher feed characteristics such as mineral grade and particle size distribution, upstream measurable disturbances such as throughput of the comminution circuit and pulp density, and control variables such as aeration rate, pH, and collector addition rate are considered as explanatory variables to train the model. The model was tested with data from an industrial mineral processing plant. For real-time dynamic predictions, the trained model appropriately accounts for mismatch in measurement frequency of real-time process data and off-line laboratory analysis data. Such a time series model can be used as a state observer in model predictive control techniques for optimal control of unit operations in a mineral processing plant. Keywords: Mineral processing, flotation, time-series, dynamic modelling, deep learning

Jan 1, 2020

By Glen M. Bellew, James F. Mehnert

"The Kansas City District-United States Army Corps of Engineers has completed the design modification of a pile supported floodwall located along the Missouri River in Kansas City, Kansas. This deep foundation supported floodwall protects over 2 billion dollars in infrastructure, is approximately 17 ft (5.2 m) tall and is 1,446 ft (440.7 m) long. Design modifications included the addition of a row of drilled shafts and the addition of relief wells. Typically, deep foundation design is controlled by total stress analysis and undrained soil strength. Neither controlled design at this site, where effective stress and drained strength controlled. During high river stages, artesian pressures develop, leading to a reduction in both effective stress and pile capacity. Deep foundation analysis software available to the designer does not allow these effective stress conditions to be directly entered, so a unique way was developed to account for them. A load test was performed to verify the design. During load testing, the supporting ground was unsaturated and had effective stress conditions different from those that controlled the design. A load test evaluation process involving unsaturated soil mechanics was developed and performed. This paper will share both the effective stress design process used and the load test interpretation process performed.INTRODUCTIONThe Fairfax-BPU Floodwall is part of the Fairfax-Jersey Creek Flood Protection Unit in Kansas City, Kansas. The floodwall was built in the 1940s and currently provides Missouri River flood protection for over 2 billion dollars of infrastructure in the Fairfax Industrial Area. The floodwall averages 17 ft (5.2 m) in height, is 1,446 ft (440.7 m) in length and is divided into 35 separate monoliths. The originally constructed foundation support for each of these monoliths typically consisted of three rows of seven tapered steel monotube piles, each roughly 20 ft (6.1 m) in length. All monontube piles are tipped in sand, well above bedrock."

Jan 1, 2016