Search Documents

By D. C. Fraser, W. J. Scott

"Airborne electromagnetic surveys were flown during 1965 in the Moose River area of Ontario. The systems used were INPUT Mark II and the Canadian Aero Otter. Anomalies indicated by both systems were located on the ground with vertical-loop EM. Two such anomalies were drilled, with no explanation being found in the bedrock geology. Subsequent seismic, resistivity and gravity surveys indicated that the sources of these anomalies lay in the overburden. Current work in the similar geological environment of the Winisk River area has shown that comparable AEM anomalies can still be misleading. The lesson to be, learned from these experiences is that additional geophysical work can help to resolve doubtful cases before drilling decisions are made."

Jan 1, 1973

By Richard A. Conkling

A shale layer, buried beneath two or three thousand feet of strata, in some instances, will upon folding become thicker in the synelines and thinner on top of the anticlines. This can be accounted for, in part, by the stretching on the crests of the fold and the compressing in the troughs; but this will by no means account for all of it, as is shown in the example herein set forth. It is my firm belief that the rest of the thickness is due to flow. What causes the movement, however, does not concern us here, SO long as there is movement, for this article purposes to show its effect upon the producing area of different sands. It is the author's hope, in this way, to drop a hint or two that may be valuable to the oil geologist, in making estimates of future productions and values of oil properties. An example will be given from property in the famous Gushing Pool in northeastern Oklahoma, where the author has had occasion to make a detailed study before recommending some property to his company, and has then been able to watch the results of this work. The author never mapped the surface structure in this pool, as this had been done by Frank Buttram when he was with the Oklahoma Geological Survey. We are using, therefore, a section of his map in this article for our surface contours. The main east dip comes farther east than this section shows. From the 10-ft. contours in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the surface folding is very slight, but in the contour map of the Bartlesville sand (Fig. 2), which was the greatest producing sand, we see much more complex folding. It seems that the folding becomes greater with the depth. Folding may have started in Middle Pennsylvanian times and continued through the Upper Pennsylvanian which is found at the surface. This may, or may not, have been the cause of the increase of folding with depth. However, the fact that mostly concerns us is the interval of shale between the Bartlesville sand and the Tucker sand. The Tucker is the next productive sand below the Bartlesville. Not enough wells have been drilled to the Tucker sand to make a contour map of it, but

Jan 1, 1917

By F. G. Clapp

IT is to be hoped that no casual reader will erroneously refer to the latest publication' of the Division of Public Relations of the American Petroleum Institute, as being "Petroleum Facts and Fancies." The facts are so faithfully derived and the figures are so authentically sponsored by the highest sources that no person can read this valuable volume (287 pages and numerous tables) without being convinced that every- thing therein set forth is "the truth and nothing but the truth." Yet, having read the volume from the perspective of the world's petroleum industry and with a critical attitude that comes from years of study of the subjects discussed, I find myself tempted to cogitate and to envisage a few of the fancies that come to mind as a fitting sequel.

Jan 1, 1929

By Arthur Wade

During the year 1938, there was some drilling in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, as follows: Queens1and.—At Hutton Creek, lat. (approx.) 25° 45' S.; long (approx.) 149°, drilling was done by Drillers limited (subsidiary Oil Search) to a depth of 4688 ft., to the Lower Permian(?). There were small gas showings. The hole mas abandoned. At Mt. Bassett, lat (approx.) 26" 20' S.; long. (approx.) 149", Roma Blocks Oil Co. No Liability drilled to a depth of 4033 ft. The hole bottomed in granite. There were small showings of' oil and gas above bedrock in what may be Permian but is not yet determined. The company intends to run a formation tester. New South Wales.—At Kulnura, lat. (approx.) 33" S., long (approx.) 151°, the Kamilaroi Oil Company Ltd. (subsidiary of Oil Search Ltd.) drilled to a depth of 6293 ft. The Permian, probably Upper Marine Series, was reached. Drilling is to continue. Victoria.—At Romawi, lat. (approx) 37" 50' S., long. (approx.) 147" 45', a dry hole 3246 ft. deep bottomed in the Jurassic and was abandoned. It was drilled by the Governments of the Commonwealth and the State of Victoria. At Lakes Entrance, 1st. (approx.) 37" 50' S.; long. (approx) 748", a small showing of' oil (a few pints a day) was obtained from a well drilled 1275 It., to the Upper Oligocene-Glaucnnitc series, by the Austral Oil Drilling Syndicate, No Liability. Future Drilling Preparations is are being made by companies fur further test drilling in 1939, and the Governments of the Common wealth and the State of Victoria are continuing test holes for information only in the Gippsland district of Victoria. In Papua and New Guinea, no test drilling was done in 1938, but several companies are carrying on geological investigation and it is expected that, some test holes will be drilled during 1939.

Jan 1, 1939

By Arthur Wade

During the year 1938, there was some drilling in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, as follows: Queens1and.—At Hutton Creek, lat. (approx.) 25° 45' S.; long (approx.) 149°, drilling was done by Drillers limited (subsidiary Oil Search) to a depth of 4688 ft., to the Lower Permian(?). There were small gas showings. The hole mas abandoned. At Mt. Bassett, lat (approx.) 26" 20' S.; long. (approx.) 149", Roma Blocks Oil Co. No Liability drilled to a depth of 4033 ft. The hole bottomed in granite. There were small showings of' oil and gas above bedrock in what may be Permian but is not yet determined. The company intends to run a formation tester. New South Wales.—At Kulnura, lat. (approx.) 33" S., long (approx.) 151°, the Kamilaroi Oil Company Ltd. (subsidiary of Oil Search Ltd.) drilled to a depth of 6293 ft. The Permian, probably Upper Marine Series, was reached. Drilling is to continue. Victoria.—At Romawi, lat. (approx) 37" 50' S., long. (approx.) 147" 45', a dry hole 3246 ft. deep bottomed in the Jurassic and was abandoned. It was drilled by the Governments of the Commonwealth and the State of Victoria. At Lakes Entrance, 1st. (approx.) 37" 50' S.; long. (approx) 748", a small showing of' oil (a few pints a day) was obtained from a well drilled 1275 It., to the Upper Oligocene-Glaucnnitc series, by the Austral Oil Drilling Syndicate, No Liability. Future Drilling Preparations is are being made by companies fur further test drilling in 1939, and the Governments of the Common wealth and the State of Victoria are continuing test holes for information only in the Gippsland district of Victoria. In Papua and New Guinea, no test drilling was done in 1938, but several companies are carrying on geological investigation and it is expected that, some test holes will be drilled during 1939.

Jan 1, 1939

By Deverux M

Heavy mineral deposits accumulate on shorelines with interrupted sediment input. Beach deposits, which form on shallowly dipping coastal plains, are most favourable. However, shallow shelves seaward of cliffed coastlines are known to contain economic deposits. Significantgeologicalconditions are defined, from review of the stratigraphic and geomorphic controls on known deposits , for heavy mineral accumulation on the Swan Coastal Plain.

Jan 1, 1986

By J. W. Goss, M. J. Coolbaugh

Most grouting has been done to stop water flaw in mines and for stabilizing foundations of various man-made structures, a survey of the U.S. literature reveals. Apparently Sun Manuel is one of the first mines in this country to use grout extensively underground for strengthening and stabilizing ground in drifts, shafts, and stations. A comparison with other procedures as well as details of the Sun Manuel program are covered. The employment of pressure grouting as a ground stabilizer at the San Manuel Copper Corp. mine reduces delays in both development and production, lowers costs, and makes possible safer working conditions. It specifically reduces delays in haulage operations and permits the maintenance of normal ventilation. In development work this grouting allows faster excavation by cementing together highly fractured or broken ground that otherwise would require extensive cribbing or spiling. In drift repair, it consolidates the loose or fractured rock over the timber or steel drift supports, thus decreasing the frequency of repair, lessening the hazards from falling rock, and curtailing delays due to blockage of drifts by muckpiles and repair operations. Pressure grouting is the process of pumping an accurately controlled mixture of cement and water into loose, fractured, or porous rock. The ratio of water to cement varies according to the nature of the rock encountered, from the thinnest mixture of 30 gal of water per sack of cement, used to fill very fine fissures, to very thick grout of 5 gal of water per sack of cement, used to fill large fissures or extensive areas of loose, broken rock. The pumping pressures at San Manuel vary from about 100 to 1000 psi, depending upon the compactness of the rock, while at other mines the pressures sometimes go as high as 5000 psi. In order to grout an area in which ground water is encountered, the pumping pressure of the grout must be increased by an amount equal to the pressure of the ground water. GROUTING IN DEVELOPMENT WORK The areas under development at San Manuel include many sections of loose, highly fractured rock. Prior to the advent of the grouting program, drifts, shafts, and stations in these areas could not be excavated without utilizing extensive support such as cribbing, spiling, and breast boarding. This slowed down the development work and increased the costs considerably over that required for excavating in more competent ground. Now, when a particularly bad area is contacted, the mining is temporarily stopped while the bad portion of drift or shaft is grouted. After the grouting is completed, the excavating is resumed with an approximate decrease of 50 pct in lost time and costs. Grouting in Drifts and Turnouts: The grouting procedures and patterns used in drifts and turnouts are very similar. The standard procedure for grouting such a turnout is shown in Fig. 1. After the ground is supported as well as possible with cribbing or lagging, the gaps between the back lagging and side lagging are plugged with empty cement sacks or additional timber, if necessary. The ground surrounding the proposed turnout is then grouted in two stages. In the first stage, the broken and caved rock is drilled and grouted to a depth of 5 to 10 ft, depending on the depth of the broken rock. This stage forms a grouted seal that allows higher pressures to be used at depths beyond 10 ft without developing excessive leaks at the face. After a grout hole is drilled, a 10-ft long pipe is wedged tightly into it with empty cement sacks. Grout is then pumped into the hole until the pressure reaches 200 to 300 psi, and the pipe is subsequently removed if it hasn't become cemented in. No more than one hole at a time is drilled and grouted because the grout has a tendency to go from one hole into another, plugging up the latter. Five or six holes are usually adequate for the first 10 ft of grouting. Experience has shown bentonite to be a useful admixture to the grout, particularly when it is indicated that the grout is being lost into large fissures or voids. Bentonite increases the plasticity of the grout enabling it to remain in place more easily until it has begun to set. In the second stage, the longer holes are drilled through the previously grouted rock, after which the

Jan 1, 1961

By J. G. Eacott

This paper reviews the role of oxygen potential and the advances that have been made in the application of tonnage oxygen in copper smelting. Brief reference is made to reaction kinetics before attention is turned to the thermodynamic considerations in copper melting to illustrate the importance of oxygen and. oxygen potential in the component parts of the overall smelting process. The chemical potential diagram for the Cu-Fe-S-O-Si02 system is used to elucidate the difference b etween the conventional matte smelting process and the modern continuous processes. A progressive oxidation scale' is constructed to show the common elements which exist, and the matte grades produced, during the smelting of concentrates to blister copper in commercially available copper smelting processes and those under development. The common route in producing blister copper from molten mattes, regardless of process, is illustrated on the Cu-Fe-S equilibrium phase diagram. The essential features of oxygen enrichment, in terms of its effect on combustion conditions (i.e. oxidation of fuel and sulphide minerals) and the heat balance are outlined. The benefits of oxygen enrichment are listed. The influence of tonnage oxygen and its effect on productivity, fuel savings, gas volume and strength in various copper melting processes are examined as a state-of-the-art review. Reference is made to the economics of tonnage oxygen utilization.

Jan 1, 1983

By Ernest Bohnet

Each mining operation is unique in some aspect ownership; ore body location, size, geometry, grade, mineralogy, hydrology, or geotechnical parameters; or constraints such as environmental regulations. However, all mining operations are alike in one aspect; the prime objective of any mining project is to maximize the return on the investment. This is the golden rule, or in the language of mining, the investor?s law of conservation. A mineral resource, by definition, does not become a minable reserve unless the mineral or minerals can be extracted economically (and legally). The three preceding sections have covered the various types of surface mining options. The choice of the most economic method is dictated primarily by the type of de-posit to be mined, the mining rate, and the physical characteristics of the deposit.

Jan 1, 2008

By A. F. Klebanov, K. N. Trubetskoy, M. Yu Khoudine, V. L. Postnikov

The information system of monitoring of mine receive layouts is being created In the "ROSUGOL" Company for the prompt analysis of the state-of-the-art of mining operations at under- ground and open cast mines of the Company, rapid and effective decision-making and elaboration of recommendations on the basic directions of enterprise development. The data bank storing the digital mapping and attributive information describing the actual background of mining operations at the enterprises of the Company is the core of the system. The Oracle database management system and the ARC1 INFO geographic information system have been chosen as basic software packages for the Project realisation. The updating of the information will be performed on a regular basis via the transmission of actual digital data on under- ground and open cast mine layouts In ARCIINFO conversion to the central office of the "ROSUGOL" in Moscow. Centralised storage of digital mapping and attributive data, database administration and navigation is effected with the Oracle software package. Access to the data in the operation mode with an interactive display map will be effected with the use of the local computer net of the "ROSUGOL."

Jan 1, 1996

During 2009 the technical services staff at Barrick Gold Corporation's Australian Business Unit conducted a review of their five underground mines that utilise pastefill as the backfill component for these operations. Of the five mines reviewed three use dry tailings and two use wet tailings plants. The primary aim for these reviews was to determine whether pastefill was the right option to be used, and if not, what where the alternatives. The reviews undertaken focus on several areas including, paste plant operation, reticulation and barricade techniques, the geotechnical requirements for pastefill in regards to the current mining methods, the consideration of alternative methods, capital and operating cost histories compared to initial estimates, and a cost benefit analysis of pastefill against other mining methods. The main benefits from the use of pastefill is increasing the extraction of the resource, reducing or eliminating the need to leave pillars. In some mines the use of pastefill is geotechnically driven, to manage high stress environments or mining induced seismicity. A third benefit of using pastefill in some circumstances is that it reduces dilution, however it is considered that this is not a valid argument for most of the mines reviewed. At two mines no alternative to pastefill was determined, whilst differing extraction and filling strategies were potentially identified at the other three mines. The reviews developed cost benefit curves for those sites that had alternative mining methods to assist in determining whether pastefill is the right option to use for any particular stope. At the grades typically mined in each operation, pastefill was the preferred option to use. In all mines, pastefill was determined to be the best option at this time.

Nov 25, 2010

By S. Kok, D. Delport, J. Calitz

Altering the microstructure in order to improve the tensile properties of bow shackles resulted in inconsistency in the fatigue performance. This raises the question whether the inconsistency in fatigue life can be attributed to microstructural changes along the profile of the shackle or to decarburization at the surface. Bow shackles forged from 080M40 (EN8) material were subjected to different heat treatments in order to alter the microstructure. The shackles were subjected to five different fatigue load cases, which represented typical loads experienced at termination points for an overhead power line with a span length of 400 m, with changes in conductor type, configuration, wind, and ice loading. Although the change in microstructure does improve both the tensile and fatigue performance, we found that the depth of the decarburization layer has a greater effect on the high cycle fatigue life of bow shackles than the non-homogeneous microstructure.

Oct 1, 2021

By S. A. Osterberg, J. L. Breckenridge, R. S. Popielak

Multidisciplinary investigations were completed to prove the availability of water resources for the proposed San Cristóbal silver-lead-zinc mine in the arid Altiplano of Bolivia. Surface water resources are scarce, of poor quality, and unsuitable for development. Therefore, hydrogeological reconnaissance targeted alluvial aquifers for development. Follow-up resistivity, refraction, and water quality assessments were used to prioritize areas with prolific production potential. Pumping tests and regional water balance analysis indicate an alluvial aquifer can sustain the required approximately 40 000 m3 per day production for the life of the mine and predict no significant negative environmental effects on local groundwater users and the environment.

Jan 1, 2002

By Leonard A. Wolff

"The 1980sfor the mining industry can be characterized as the survival of the fittest. High interest rates, low commodity prices, foreign subsidized competition and decreasing ore grades have contributed to a streamlining of the domestic mining industry in the United States, leading to the shutdown of operations or large cutback of work forces. The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of a layoff on the employees of what was once a major uranium producer in south central Wyoming, twenty months after the final layoff and mine shutdown. INTRODUCTIONDecember 19, 1985, was the date of the final of three successive layoffs over a two-month period, leading to the complete shutdown of Petrotomics Company, a subsidiary of Getty Minerals Company. The final shutdown was due to a combination of depressed U3O8 prices and the takeover of Getty Oil Company by Texaco in January 1984.The layoffs affected 104 employees and included mine personnel, mill personnel and staff. Both hourly and salary workers were involved. The operation was considered non-union, however, a few mill hourly employees were unionized. At the completion of the layoffs. only a handful of employees remained for administrative and miscellaneous functions.For Getty employees, the terms of the merger agreement provided a generous level of separation benefits. The terms that were insisted upon by Mr. Petersen, Chairman of the Board for Getty Oil, stipulated that employees receive one month of severance pay, for each full calendar year of employment up to a maximum of two year's pay. This was the forerunner of what is now commonly known as the ""tin parachute”. All but the union employees of Petrotomics received these separation benefits. Union employees were covered by their separate, less generous, contract.Much of the literature that has been published in recent months has centred around the effects of layoffs on remaining employees, or the psychological effects on the severed employee. This study will emphasize the economic impact and ramifications due to a layoff, using the Petrotomics employees as a case example."

Jan 1, 1989

By G. D. Buson

Driefontein Consolidated Limited has a proud history in the South African gold mining industry dating back to March 1945 with the formation of the West Driefontein Gold Mining Company. The reclamation gold plant at West Driefontein was originally built as a uranium recovery plant in 1970. With the collapse of the uranium oxide yellow cake market, the uranium plant was closed in 1988and successfully converted into a gold plant, recovering gold from repulped tailings dams1. The West Driefontein Reclaim plant utilized milling, leaching, conventional rotary vacuum filtration and cementation to recover the gold at a rate of 200,000 dry tons per month. The No. 1 tailings dam (at a head grade of 0.8 Au g/t) began to near the end of its life during 1996, and the next slimes dams to be treated, the No. 2tailings dam (at a lower head grade of 0.56 Au g/t) was found too marginal for reprocessing using the filtration technology. Alternate technologies were investigated, particularly the carbon-in-pulp (CIP) plant based on the Anglo-American Corporation (AAC) pump-cell technology at the Vaal Reefs Exploration and Mining Company?s East gold plant which was operating profitably at lower head grades2. The AAC pump-cell technology is based on the carousel mode of operation2. The suitability of CIP technology for the West Driefontein Reclaim plant was investigated using a pilot plant pump-cell supplied by Kemix The data gathered were utilized in sizing a full scale AAC pump-cell plant. This plant was motivated, built and commissioned on the 22nd of November 1996. Incorporating 6 eighty cubic metre AAC pump-cells. The West Driefontein Reclaim plant initially treated repulped slimes dam material. A subsequent change of feed material to current arisings (from the main gold plant) occurred in1997 in order to convert mills for waste rock treatment. Currently the reclaim plant treats a combination of current arisings and waste rock (milled at the reclaim site). The new CIP plant replaced twenty-seven rotary vacuum filters. A comparison between the filters and CIP in terms of operating costs was undertaken, as well as a performance analysis of the CIP plant to determine its flexibility in terms of variation of the throughput, pulp density, gold input, leaching efficiency prior to CIP, and the rate of carbon movement.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. L. Amelunxen

P. T. Freeport Indonesia (PI) in conjunction with Crescent Technology Inc. has developed a method to predict the metallurgical performance of ores blends based on the behavior of their component ores. The question addressed in this paper is whether ores treated individually could be extrapolated to predict the behavior of a blend of ores. The work further investigates the use of modal analysis to establish individual mineral flotation kinetics in each of the ore zones. This information would lead to the prediction of grade-recovery curves of ores made up of those minerals. Nine samples of ore, representing various zones of FI's Grasberg ore deposit were tested metallurgically and examined microscopically. The same testwork was performed on blends depicting the 1994 mill quarterly feed. Flotation kinetics of the individual ores were then "mathematically" blended and compared to the results obtained from the quarterlies. The calculated kinetics of the actual blends of ore received by the mill were fed to the simulation program and compared to the actual mill performance.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. O?Shea

From the characteristics of the new (1976) electronic components and units that are being marketed, the author has tried to foresee the types and the performances of the near-future slope-monitoring equipment. Much-improved sensors, instruments and systems for pit use can now be developed - sun-powered telemetry remote stations are feasible, very sensitive as well as precise and drift-free liquid level inclinometers will be available, new techniques for distance measurement with lasers obviate the need for atmospheric corrections and the latest generation of desktop calculators have become easily programmed minicomputers. Thus, it is realistic to assume that fully automatic pit-slope monitoring systems will be operational in the foreseeable future.

Jan 1, 1978

By Carl O. Nickle

"IntroductionIF I WERE ASKED what are the two most important single factors in shaping the growth of Canada to date, and in building its future, the answer would be: first, the treasure house of natural resources on and below the surface over the length and breadth of our country; and two, the pioneering spirit and 'get up and go' of many of our people. The two factors are inseparable. Without the pioneering spirit, the natural resources of land, forest, stream, and the subsurface would have continued •to be useless,. Idle assets. With the pioneering spirit, Canada's natural resources have been and are creating economic revolutions.Western Canada oil and natural gas rank high on the list of such revolutions. Calgary, your meeting place today, is the birthplace of this economic revolution, one that has already sharply altered the economy .of the middle half of Canada, particularly that of Alberta; is increasingly making its weight felt on the economy of all Canada; and is helping re-shape world thinking on sources of vital petroleum supply for both peace and war. Calgary is today the 'operation headquarters' for the great bulk of a huge exploration and development programme that now extends over a quarter of a million square miles of Canada's West. As a Calgarian, •therefore, I am particularly happy to have this privilege of talking about oil and natural gas to members of the C.I.M.M., who play a key role in the development of all Canada's varied natural resources."

Jan 1, 1952

By Oliver Bowles

"Asbestos" is a name applied to a group of naturally fibrous minerals. Because it has the fibrous characteristics of silk or cotton and at the same time will not burn and has other advantageous properties as well, asbestos has specialized uses for which no adequate substitutes are yet available. Asbestos furnishes a major raw material for a great variety of essential products, the manufacture of which constitutes a vast industry. Asbestos generally occurs in irregular veins scattered throughout rock masses. Most of the fiber-bearing rock is mined in huge open-pit or underground workings. The fibers are separated from the rock and sorted into groups, according to length, in large, complex mills. The longer fibers are stripped to textile plants, where they are further fiberized and prepared in special machines and are used for spinning into yarn and weaving into unburnable cloth that has many important uses. The shorter fibers, which are much more abundant than the long ones, are used in asbestos-cement building materials in heat-insulating products and for a multitude of other applications. These processes and uses are covered in considerable detail in later sections of this report.

Jan 1, 1959

By William P. Diamond

In this U.S. Bureau of Mines study, production trends have been analyzed for 82 gob gas ventholes on 7 longwall panels in the Lower Kittanning Coalbed, Pennsylvania. Cumulative production from individual holes was found to vary considerably, ranging from 0.03 x 106 to 10.1 x 106 m3. Peak production rates were generally about 0.03 x 106 to 0.06 x 106 m3/d, but rates over 0.10 x 106 m3/d were observed. The variability of gas production from individual holes can be attributed to' several factors, including completion practices and problems, the extent of fracture development in the strata above the extracted panel, water production, and location on the panel. Of particular significance is hole location. Holes on the ends of the panels, where overburden strata are in tension because of the support of the surrounding pillars, were generally the highest and longest producers. This observation led to the experimental placement of gob gas ventholes in the zone of tension along the margin of a panel, instead of in the traditional centerline location, which is in compression. Analysis of 7 months of gas production data indicates that the experimental near-margin holes produced 77 pct more gas than did centerline holes on the same panel.

Jan 1, 2010