Search Documents

By Fouad Faraj

For every blast pattern, zones of unique material types need to be classified before mining. Most material types can be summarized into different kinds of ore and waste. Blocks generated from blasthole assays are too small to be selectively mined so areas with a single material classification meeting the mine’s selective mining unit must be defined. Current industry standard practices are to manually draw ore/waste dig limits but this process is subjective and results in quantities of dilution and ore loss which can be improved upon to enhance the profitability of mining operations. Two weeks production data from a homogeneous Cu porphyry and heterogeneous Manto-type Cu deposit are used to assess the variability in the hand-drawn dig limits for 20 geologists, mining engineers, or ore control specialists and are compared with the optimal ore/waste delineation. The profit for 20 distinct hand-drawn dig limits for the homogeneous mine ranged by 3.7% from $10.5 million to $10.9 million averaging at $10.8 million. The percent range nearly doubled for the more heterogeneous mine at 5.9% from $17.9 million to $19.0 million averaging at $18.6 million. Using the optimal ore waste delineation, the profit increased to $11.0 million (1.9% increase) and $19.3 million (7.0% increase) for the homogeneous and heterogeneous deposits respectively. The natural variability, diggability requirement, and selectivity are identified as the main drivers of ore loss and dilution. Recommendations are provided for reducing the subjectivity in manual hand-drawn dig limits by integrating dig limit optimization algorithms as a tool to assist practitioners.

Feb 23, 2024

By X. Wang, Y. Luo

The propensity of coal spontaneous combustion can be evaluated using various laboratory testing methods, such as R70 adiabatic tests, thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) tests and critical self-heating temperature (CSHT) methods. Each of the methods has its unique characteristics and index for classifying the propensity of self-ignition of coals. Accountable relationships among the propensity indices of different methods should be established. Using the newly established R70 and TGA testing setups in our ventilation laboratory, samples from U.S. coal mines have been collected and tested. The TGA is a relatively new quantitative method. A test can be conducted in a relatively short time, within about one and a half hours, compared to the adiabatic tests. The temperature and weight of the sample can be measured with high precision and then used to determine the activation energy of the coal, which is a good indicator of the potential for self-heating. Under a specific experimental design, the TGA technique could perform the proximate analysis for determining coal quality parameters (e.g., moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon and ash content). These parameters can be used in an empirical equation for assessing the potential for coal self-ignition. The trend of activation energies determined using TGA techniques is reasonably consistent with the trend of activation energies determined using adiabatic tests. As a case study, a comparative analysis of these two methods for determining activation energy was made on coal samples collected from Indiana. The kinetics of the spontaneous combustion mechanism has been explained. If the functional groups of a coal such as hydroxyl (-OH), carboxyl (-COOH), methyl (-CH3), etc., activate more easily with a small amount of activation energy at a relatively low temperature, the coal will have a higher potential for self-heating. With the kinetic and coal quality parameters determined by the TGA setup, it has been found that the coal with a low potential for self-ignition has low self-heating rate, a high activation energy and a high minimum self-heating temperature.

Jan 1, 2012

By Samir Kumar Pal, Rajasekar Rathanasamy, Gobinath Velu Kaliyannan, Moganapriya Chinnasamy, Sathish Kumar Palaniappan

The research examines the performance of uncoated and coated tungsten carbide-cobalt rock cutting bits. It aims to optimize process variables (cutting speed, depth, coating material) considering multiple output responses (cutting forces, specific energy, wear rate, material removed, angle of reaction forces). The study uses a hybrid optimization technique combining Taguchi design, grey relational analysis, and fuzzy logic. The optimal parameter combination was found to be cutting speed: 200 mm/s, cutting depth: 6 mm, and titanium aluminum silicon nitride coating.

Apr 24, 2022

By John A. Reeves

The unit-train concept of moving raw materials .is considered by many railroad men as the most signifigant contribution to reducing rail freight costs since the introduction of the diesel locomotive. The idea, which involves assigning railroad equipment to only one haul and keeping the equipment rolling results in the maximum utilization of equipment. For example before the unit train was plaged in servige on coal hauled to one of Mid. Continent's customers, about 900 cars and 9 locomotives were needed to move the coal requirements for this plant, compared with. 250 cars and 6 locomotives used by the present scheduling of unit trains. If the economics of unit-train movements are to be achieved, coal companies no longer can use railroad cars as small storage bins on wheels to accumulate their coal in trainload shipments, but, rather, must build large bins which incorporate facilities for the rapid loading of railroad cars in a minimum length of time. In this manner railroad equipment is operated at a high degree of efficiency 'with consequent dollar savings. After negotiations between Mid-Continent, the customers and the Railroad, it was decided a unit train loadout and storage facility at Carbondale was required in order to reduce the delivered price of coal to the customers and thereby contribute to the reduction in the cost of manufacturing steel. Carbondale was selected as the bin site location, because the cost of constructing a railroad to Redstone could not be justified for the tonnages anticipated.

Jan 1, 1969

By B. Pesic

The recovery of silver and gallium from flue dust with acidified thiourea solutions was examined. The studied parameters were temperature, particle size, thiourea concentration, acid concentration, and the presence of oxidants. The study of the extraction of these two metals was undertaken in sulfuric acid medium. Silver dissolution was dependent on all examined parameters, whereas gallium extraction was only dependent on the initial acid concentration. The experimental results suggest a new very efficient method for recovery of both silver and gallium. Almost complete recovery of silver and gallium can be accomplished within 90 minutes. A technological scheme for recovery of both metals is also proposed.

Jan 1, 1986

By M. Board, C. Alexander, M. Ramström, W. Johnson

"Hecla - Lucky Friday is an underground mine that has been in operation for 75 years and produces from depths over 2.3 kilometers (7,500 ft) below the surface. Technical issues at this depth include high rock temperature and seismicity. The use of new innovative mechanization is being examined for ore production. Principal advantages of mechanization are the reduced exposure of personnel, reduced seismic triggers, and increased efficiency. Lucky Friday has partnered with Atlas Copco to design, build, test, and deploy a mechanical miner for primary ore production. We will discuss the background, concept, development and deployment strategy for a mechanical miner. BACKGROUND The Coeur d’Alene mining district in northern Idaho was first discovered over 130 years ago and has been the most prolific silver producer in the US. The Lucky Friday mine of Hecla Mining Company (Figure 1) is the oldest (76 years) and deepest mine in the district, producing approximately 725 tonne per day (800 tons per day) from narrow, vertical lead-zinc-silver veins. Cut and fill stoping is currently employed at depths to about 2.3 km (7,500 ft) below ground surface, making it one of the three deepest mines in the western hemisphere. The #4 Shaft, a winze collared at approximately 1.8 km (5,900 ft) below surface and extending to a depth of nearly 2.9 km (9,600 ft), was recently completed to exploit the high-grade 30 Vein, whose resource has been identified to at least 3 km (9,700 ft) in depth.As with other deep mines worldwide, a number of challenging engineering issues occur, including: high in situ rock stress, squeezing ground, seismicity, high in situ rock temperature that requires refrigeration, diesel equipment that generates diesel particulate matter (DPM) requiring high ventilation airflow rates, and long travel times for worker transport to mining areas."

Jan 1, 2018

By L Usoni

Collectors commonly used in flotation to date fall into two main classes: ionic and nonionic. The use of neutral or oily collectors is generally limited to the flotation of nonpolar minerals onto which they are adsorbed by forces of a physical or 'Van der Waals' type, while ionizable chemical collectors are utilized for all other types of minerals, adsorption in this case involving bonds essentially of a chemical nature. Though chemical adsorption is more selective than physical adsorption, even heteropolar collectors are active towards certain classes of minerals (sulphides for example) rather than towards one individual mineral. Thus, in order to float a given mineral from a mixture of minerals belonging to the same class, modifiers have to be used to render the action of the collector more specific. However, there are often considerable difficulties involved in this procedure and the desired results are not always attained, especially in the case of minerals of complex composition whose surface properties are not sufficiently well known. Hence the importance of seeking out collectors capable of linking selectively with given minerals. Selective linkage is possible if the collector structure incorporates active groups having specific affinity for certain cations characteristic of the mineral surface. The decision to investigate the possibility of utilizing chelate--forming reagents for flotation was based on the premise that phenomena which occur in solution and involve chemical reactions in the strict sense of the meaning and those which occur on the surface are closely correlated (1)

Jan 1, 1971

By R. N. Gow

EH-pH diagrams are useful tools in understanding how mineral surfaces react in solution and particularly how aqueous conditions can be changed to enhance mineral leaching processes. However, successful application of these diagrams requires several things be kept in mind to prevent what others have termed ?gross errors? in their calculation and use. The aqueous Cu-S system is used as the basis for explaining the mass-balanced method of calculating EH-pH diagrams with the thermodynamic equilibrium software, STABCAL. This includes a breakdown of the Gibbs? Phase Rule and how it is employed in STABCAL to modify the diagrams. This methodology was then applied to the aqueous Cu-As-S system and resulting diagrams are compared against examples of those generated using the predominant-ion method. The resulting mass-balanced diagram for enargite (Cu3AsS4) is noted to compare well with spectroelectrochemical measurements using Raman spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry.

Feb 23, 2014

By J. S. Heath

Many disputes related to environmental issues in mining are resolved through often-antagonistic negotiations in a regulatory context or through litigation. These approaches are certainly the best choices for resolving certain disputes. However, just as no single remediation technology is the right fit for every site, so no single dispute resolution process is the best choice for every situation. This paper introduces a range of dispute resolution alternatives (from collaborative decision making through mediation, arbitration, and litigation). Especially when money is tightest, cost-effective dispute resolution(and the outcomes that can accompany it) can have an impact on the bottom line.

Jan 1, 2000

By Keat Chuan Chew, Qiao Yue Tung, Teoh Yaw Poh

"1 INTRODUCTION With a land area of 718 square kilometres housing a population of slightly over 5.4 million, as of 2014 (Department of Statistics Singapore 2015), Singapore is a highly urbanised city. Transport infrastructure is critical to keep the country and economy highly connected and functional as the population in Singapore continues to grow. The importance of a robust transport infrastructure is recognised by the Ministry of Transport in Singapore, which is working towards bringing 8 in 10 households within a 10-minute walk of a train station by 2030 (Ministry of Transport 2015). This gives rise to the rapid expansion of the rail network in highly urbanised Singapore, resulting in more tunnelling work having to be carried out in closer proximity to existing buildings. Such tunnelling work is expectedly more challenging and complex, and if not managed effectively, will impose higher risk to the adjacent buildings. Hence, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has implemented specific control measures to mitigate such tunnelling risks and to ensure safety of the public. 2 CHALLENGES FACED BY TUNNELLING WORK IN SINGAPORE 2.1 General Challenges of Tunnelling in Singapore With the increasing densification of the rail network in a highly urbanised setting, rail projects in Singapore are faced with several key challenges. One such construction challenge is constrained construction sites brought about by network intensification. Alongside the growth of the rail network, shown in Figure 1, other infrastructure networks in Singapore are also continuously growing. Underground interchange stations between networks become increasingly common, forcing each underground interchange station to be constructed deeper and in closer proximity to existing buildings (Figure 2). Singapore is not alone in facing this issue. The same can be observed in cities like London, in which its myriad network of subway lines pushes new lines and interchange stations to be constructed deeper."

Jan 1, 2016

By BHAMIDIPATI S. SASTRY, ANMAYA NAIK, ASIF AHMAD, Srivatsan Jayaraman Sridharan, ADITYA PANDEY

Wet kata cooling power (WKCP) as measured by a kata thermometer is a well-known heat stress index used in the mining industry. Although, over the years, several researchers proposed different heat indices and indicated limitations of the kata thermometer, WKCP is used in the South African gold mining industry due to its simplicity and rapidity of assessment. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the newly developed empirical expression for the WKCP and some of the more commonly used empirical models. For this purpose, WKCP measurements are obtained based on experiments conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel. Based on a regression technique, the analysis presented aims to assess the disagreement between the empirical model predictions and actual measurements. The correlation is also presented between WKCP and the well-established thermoregulation models using parameters from the low-speed wind tunnel experiments, including dry-bulb temperature (Td), wet-bulb temperature (Tw), barometric pressure (P), and wind speed (v). It is found that the proposed empirical model for the WKCP represents the bioclimatic interaction quite well under the specific parameters that defines the harsh thermal environment and air condition, such as metabolic activity, clothing of the person, and the velocity of the ventilating air in which the person is working. The statistical analyses performed show that the empirical model proposed for the WKCP produces satisfactory estimates of the thermal stress experienced under lower air velocities, light clothing, and higher metabolic activity rates.

Sep 2, 2021

By Ping Zhang, Shahram Mozaffari, Andreas Ylmefors

The risk associated with mining induced seismicity and the related rock bursts has become one of the major threats to the safety and sustainability of mining at the Kiirunavaara mine. The causes of mining induced seismicity at the Kiirunavaara mine are very complex and have affected our understanding on the source mechanisms of seismicity and further the mitigation of the seismic risk. Detailed analysis of historical mining induced seismicity at the Kiirunavaara mine was conducted. The focus of this analysis was placed on the classification of large seismic events and the evaluation of the influential factors on the classified seismic events. 145 events with local magnitude larger than 1.5 that occurred between January 1, 2011 and March 31, 2021 were analyzed. For this analysis, seismic events located in the hanging wall were not included, as these have not been observed to cause large damages to the mine itself. It was found that the magnitude of the events had good correlation with the stress change in relation to the production location. The seismic events were classified as mining-front associated, ore-pass associated, mining-front and ore-pass associated and others, according to their hypocenter location. Most of the mining-front associated events, concentrated around the production levels and slightly above and below them, generally correlated with shear cracks, and most of them occurred when the ore flow between two production levels started. The numerical modelling showed that slip of the geological discontinuity, due to unclamping between hanging wall and footwall, could be the major causative mechanisms, which further supports this finding. The ore-pass associated events are located close to the ore passes. Large seismic events located between ore passes have the source mechanism of both fault-slip and non-shear, but events located at the outer side of ore passes were all fault-slip type. By checking with the ore pass scanning data, it was concluded that the most of the events located between ore passes could be pillar bursts. An elastic core concept has been then used to define a critical pillar width. The paper is not intended to be prescriptive but rather to initiate discussion of the possible classification of seismic events at the Kiirunavaara mine and to present new perspectives of the causes of the seismicity for improving the present seismic risk management.

Apr 26, 2022

By J. P. McCluskey

The effects of air quality regulations passed in the last few years have been felt in a more pervasive way by the electric utility industry than by perhaps any other industry. I'm referring especially to those regulations dealing with the control of air emissions from stationary sources, and those specifying the quality of fuel used. Particularly, I would like to describe some of the effects that these regulations have had on the Commonwealth Edison Company. To put the subject into perspective, a brief descrip¬tion of the company will be presented first. Then, a historical outline of some of the efforts at control of electric generating station emissions will be described. Following this will be an indication of the Company's response to early State and local regulations prompted by the growing pressure for stringent envi¬ronmental control. Finally, the Company's plans to achieve com¬pliance with the most recent, Federally approved, State of Illinois regulations will be summarized.

Jan 1, 1973

By M. S. Riyazulla

The Hutti greenstone belt comprising predominantly of low-potassium tholeitic basalt has undergone regional metamorphism of a transition zone between greenchist to amphibolite facies. The important mineral constituents of the volcanic suite are amphibole and plagioclase which appear to be the product of regional metamorphism. These minerals have been recognized as the main indicators of metamorphic temperature and pressure. With a view to understand the P-T conditions of metamorphism of the belt, electron microprobe studies were carried out on amphibole and plagioclase and the chemical data was used to decipher the metamorphic conditions. The results obtained indicated a metamorphic temperature of about 6000 c and pressure of 5 kbs. for the Hutti greenstone belt.

Jan 1, 1996

By W. D. Hausel

The Wyoming craton in the western United States is a favorable terrane for diamond deposits. The craton hosts a variety of ultramafic, ultrabasic, and ultrapotassic rocks. Additionally, a few hundred 'kimberlitic' heavy mineral anomalies and some geophysical and remote sensing anomalies indicate the presence of undiscovered, mantle-derived, pipes in the craton. The Wyoming craton is separated into a Wyoming 'archon' known as the Wyoming Province, and the Colorado 'proton' known as the Colorado Province. The 'archon' underlies much of Montana and Wyoming and continues north into Alberta and Saskatchewan; the Colorado 'proton' underlies much of Colorado and a small portion of Wyoming. Although most exploration geologists would consider the 'archon' the most favorable terrane for commercial diamond deposits, the 'proton' has produced more than 120,000 diamonds, while the 'archon' has not been very productive.

Jan 1, 1996

By Jie Zhang, Xi Zhang, Yu Wang, Wei Zhao

The study proposes a novel reagent scheme where adding a small amount of citric acid (CA) significantly improves the depression effect of sodium silicate on calcite and fluorite. The flotation results suggest optimal concentrations for CA and sodium silicate, achieving nearly complete depression of the minerals. Theoretical analysis indicates that CA dissolves calcium ions on the mineral surface, enhancing the adsorption of sodium silicate and preventing collector adsorption.

Mar 27, 2022

By D. M. Abbott

The requirements of the International Mineral Property Valuation Standards Template (IMVAL Template) (includes Petroleum), 4th edition of April 14, 2021, are based on six principles: 2.1.1 competence, 2.1.2 materiality, 2.1.3 transparency, 2.1.4 objectivity, 2.1.5 independence, and 2.1.6 reasonableness. The IMVAL Template describes “reasonableness” as, “The Valuer must ensure the Reasonableness of the Valuation. Any Valuation, assumptions applied, and any method relied upon should be reasonable within the context of the purpose of the Valuation and the Basis of Value. A method applied to the subject Mineral Property should be within the expected capability and consideration of an assumed likely buyer or lessee of the property.” The IMVAL Template’s Guidance 3.6 on Reasonableness states, “The test of Reasonableness is to consider what appropriately qualified and experienced Valuers, acting reasonably, would conclude in the circumstances. The Valuer must form an opinion that is reasonable in the circumstances, that is, what a Valuer believes is rational and plausible in the circumstances and would be viewed as such if considered by other appropriately qualified and experienced Valuers with the same information and at the same time.” Finally, the IMVAL Template’s Definition 4.26 states Reasonableness “[m]eans that other qualified and experienced Valuers with access to the same information for the same Valuation Date and Basis of Value would consider the Valuer's estimate of Value to be within a reasonable range.”

Mar 2, 2022

By Ebrahim Tarshizi, Livernois Ryan, Emily Sarver, Zoe Scopa, Robert Setterlind, Leah Frost

"The mines of the future present a host of challenges, which may appear exciting or daunting, depending on one’s perspective. Whether some sectors of the public recognize it or not, the demand for raw resources is not going away any time soon. In fact, it is rising, as the global population grows, urbanizes and attempts to steadily increase quality of life. Yet, at the same time that much of the highly developed world is calling for greener goods, reduced consumption and cleaner production, in other areas there are cries for clean water and sanitation, consistent energy supply, access to health care and education, personal security and support for basic human rights. The balancing act for sustainable development of our global society is, indeed, precarious and the mining community is a key player. Fortunately, many industry members have accepted this role and the responsibility to provide leadership and a solid foundation for progress. Looking ahead, we need new generations of leaders, including many mine engineers who are ready to tackle all sorts of complex problems.There are tremendous needs just for technological innovations. Increasingly tough deposits will require that the industry continues to expand scale toward “mega pits” and “super caves;” fully develop unconventional recovery techniques like in situ leaching and gasification or deep-sea extraction and seriously consider off-earth endeavors. Such work will take entirely autonomous equipment, novel separations, processing and recycling methods, and systems that can withstand extreme physical conditions, just to name a few. It will also take a level of systems integration never-before seen in the mining industry, complete with big data issues, sophisticated predecitve analytics and modeling efforts and cyber-security challenges.Moreover, increasingly complex environmental problems will require creative solutions. Addressing issues like pollution control across multiple media, emerging contaminants, optimal management of wastes, selective mining and shared use of resources between mine operations and surrounding communities and ecosystems are among the top priorities. Really, a complete paradigm shift must occur, such that the focus is on overall improvement of environmental conditions, rather than minimization of impacts. A similar shift will be required in the social realm. How can miners be safer and healthier on-site and off? How can the industry contribute to communities such that they are better off, now and longterm, for having a mine next door? How can artisanal mining practices be transformed to also contribute to sustainable development? How can the industry’s work be a factor in increasing economic and political stability? How can the public understanding of raw resources and the need for mining enterprises be improved?Given the coming challenges, there is no doubt that the mine engineers of the future will need highly diverse skillsets — meshing traditional and contemporary competencies to a degree not previously considered in mining, or most others fields. To be sure, the scope and scale of mining projects make them wholly different than most other engineering work, aside from perhaps the largest civil and urban development projects. While on-the-job experience will continue to be essential, formal education programs (i.e., at post-secondary institutions) must lay critical groundwork."

Jan 6, 2017

By K. S. Radcliffe

Results are presented for the first phase of an experimental program to study the feasibility of using acoustic velocity for predicting the state of stress in a rock mass. Compressional wave velocities were determined axially in cylindrical samples during uniaxial compression for several rock types conditioned in dry and water-saturated environments. Results indicate that in rocks containing compressible voids or cracks, substantial velocity change occurs with the application of stress in the lower (below 100 MPa) stress regime. The effect norm- ally is nonlinear, however, and diminishes to asymptotic values when cracks or voids become closed or with saturation. Empirical prediction equations were derived for each rock type by linear and nonlinear regression analyses, and correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the equations that best fit the stress- velocity data. The operational range for predicting stress using compressional-wave velocity appears to be within the range of vertical stress expected in most shallow to intermediate depth mining operations (less than 1,000 m). Based on the experimental results to date and theoretical considerations, it appears that the technology can be advanced to predict in situ stress based on acoustic P-wave velocity determinations in most mining situations.

Jan 1, 1986

By P. Samanta, Mohammed N. Azad, Gustad F. Taraporewalla, A. K. Mukherjee, Abhay S. Patra, D. Sachinraj

Beneficiation of coal is a water intensive process, and the water is recovered in downstream operations in the high rate thickener (HRT) and vacuum belt filtration (VBF). Clean coal particles entering the HRT have an inherent tendency to enter the overflow because they are extremely fine and hydrophobic. Hence, flocculants (polymers) are used to floc the ultrafine particles so that they settle and enter the underflow. Ultrafine coal particles (−37 μ), which are highly hydrophobic, if present in the stream, will not be efficiently captured by using flocculants alone. This is observed in the normal plant operation at one of the beneficiation plants in the Jharia region, Jharkhand, India. Approximately 6–7% of the feed to the HRT enters the over flow (supernatant water). Hence, this amount of clean coal particles is not recovered and account for production losses. A comprehensive settling and dewatering test work was conducted with clean coal slurry using several commercially available reagents. Studies were also done on different combinations of reagents, including coagulants and surfactants along with flocculants, to improve the settling behavior of the coal particles. The reagents were assessed based on their performance with respect to settling rates, overflow water clarity, and compaction of the underflow solids. Emphasis was given to the ability of the reagents in compacting thickener underflow to higher densities so that maximum water could be recovered from the thickener. Pretreatment of highly hydrophobic coal slurry with a combination of coagulant and surfactant followed by flocculation showed very good settling characteristics with clear overflow.

Sep 30, 2021