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By R. K. Singhal, H. Sahay

Introduction In terms of the world's recoverable coal reserves, Canada ranks 10th, providing 0.6% of the world's total. The US is first with 27.8% and the Soviet Union follows with 24.1%. Figure 1 shows the principal coal mines in Canada. Several provinces contain substantial coal deposits, but the largest deposits are found in the western provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. Conservatively, 90% of the lignitic, 80% of high volatile bituminous, and nearly 100% of subbituminous, and low and medium volatile bituminous coals are located in these three provinces. During the past decade, Canadian coal production of all types increased from 18.8 Mt (2 million st) in 1972, to 25 Mt (28 million st) in 1975, to 61 Mt (66 million st) in 1984. About 38 Mt (43 million st) of this output was classified at thermal and 23 Mt (25 million st) as coking and metallurgical coal (Table 1). The three western provinces currently produce 57 Mt (62 million st) of coal - 95% of Canada's total. The remaining 3.6 Mt (4 million st) (5%) is produced in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the east coast. The majority of western coal (98%) is produced by surface mining methods. On the east coast, though, mining is predominantly underground and only 15% is produced on the surface. In 1985, Canada exported close to 28 Mt (30 million st) of metallurgical coal and thermal coal. During the same period, 15 Mt (16 million st) of coal were imported, mostly from western US for use in Ontario and Quebec. Almost 60% of the imported coal was used for thermal applications. The remaining 40% was metallurgical coal for the steel industry. It is generally cheaper to import coal into central and eastern Canada from the eastern US to augment local supplies rather than from western Canada. This is mainly because of high transportation costs. Mining methods The suitability of mining methods in a particular area depends largely on the geological setting. Geology, therefore, simplifies or adds complexities to mining operations, directly affecting the economics. It also influences the flexibility required from the min-

Jan 9, 1986

The two candidates in the upcoming presidential election in the United States each say that they have their own solution to the nation?s energy problems - solutions that will increase the amount of energy available, lessen the nation?s dependence on foreign sources and reduce the amount of pollution released to the atmosphere. Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama and Republican candidate Sen. John McCain both advocate research funding for coal-to-liquids and clean coal technologies. McCain also supports increased oil and gas drilling offshore. And Obama has even made some noises in that direction, although his plan leans heavily on the increased use of renewable energy sources. The energy debate is not new to this election. Congress and whichever party is in the White House has for years been trying to craft a comprehensive energy policy. One difference in this latest debate is that the increased use of nuclear energy has gained more attention. Current President George W. Bush has said he favors the increased use of nuclear power as part of the nation?s energy package. And McCain said he supports the building of more nuclear power plants. Obama has not said much about that. The American public is also showing signs of changing its stance on nuclear energy. To be sure, images of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are still alive in some minds. However, the American public has said it wants cheaper energy and they want it produced more cleanly. With nuclear, the nation can have both. In the United States, nuclear accounts for slightly less than 20 percent of the electrical power used (see interview with Gary Steele of Energy Fuels on page 27). Globally, that figure is about 15 percent. And there are several nations that derive better than half of their power from nuclear sources. Add to that the world?s increasing need for more energy and the future of nuclear is bright.

Jan 1, 2008

By Zajber A, Kulchen R, Letzel D, Weyer A, Schwellenbach J

The search for modem casting plant concepts today focuses more and more on the harmonisation and optimisation of overall concept lines to obtain a continuous quality control and reduce the cost of production (Figure 1). Fin I As far as continuous casting plant concepts are concerned, this specifically requires an optimal adaptation and flexible operation when converting liquid steel into a directly processable product without any in-between treatment. Continuous casters need to fully satisfy the requirements of both the upstream steelmaking facilities as well as the downstream rolling facilities.

Jan 1, 1999

By Neal Lee, Braden T. Lusk, Jhon Silva-Castro, Patrick J. Jenks

"Timing and charge sequence are very important for optimized blast design. Traditional nonelectricinitiation systems have moved the industry toward a system of delays consisting of hole-to-hole androw-to-row timing sequences that mimic the application of nonelectric surface delays or dual delayinitiator systems that have been prevalent in the blasting industry for many years. The increasedutilization of electronic detonators allows for the use of Regular Rhythmic Timing (RRT) utilizing onlyone delay between charges and a selected charge firing sequence. The hole to hole and row to row (HHRR) timing method has been utilized for blasting optimization and allows for simplistic changes to the tie in phase of the blasting sequence. When using this traditional timing methodology, for some specific cases related to the number holes and rows, crowding occurs in the delay between charges with subsequent increase in the peak particle velocity (PPV) produced by the blast. This is in contrast to RRT where the timing between the delays remains constant."

Jan 1, 2016

By G. Azimi, K. K. Varanasi1, A. T. Paxson, R. Dhiman, H. -M. Kwon

Hydrophobic materials that are robust to harsh environments are needed in a broad range of applications. Although durable materials such as metals and ceramics, which are generally hydrophilic, can be rendered hydrophobic by polymeric modifiers, these materials deteriorate in harsh environments. Here it is shown that a class of ceramics comprising the entire lanthanide oxide series, ranging from ceria to lutecia, is intrinsically hydrophobic. Their hydrophobicity is attributed to their unique electronic structure, which inhibits hydrogen bonding with interfacial water molecules. In addition, this work demonstrates that these ceramics sustain hydrophobicity even after exposure to high-temperature environment (1000 °C for 2 h in air). It is envisioned that this class of robust hydrophobic materials will have far-reaching technological potential in various industrial applications, where water repellency and dropwise condensation are desirable.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. Olalde, I. Watson

"The consequences of ineffective mine closure in South Africa are evident from the number of abandoned mines and operations on extended care-and-maintenance, the on-selling of mines to less well-resourced companies to close, and increasing illegal mining activities. However, the data to substantiate these observations and provide insight into the underlying issues has not been available. Through the Promotion of Access to Information Act, a list of mine closure certificates applied for between 2011 and 2016 and a list of certificates granted over the same period for all nine regions of South Africa was obtained. From the analysis of this data, we show that the mine closure system as implemented in South Africa is largely ineffective. Although closure certificates are being granted, these are for prospecting sites and small-scale mines, which have a relatively small environmental impact. No large mines of any environmental significance were relinquished over the period under review, with very few applying for closure certificates. Furthermore, the issuing of closure certificates varies significantly between regional offices, with the success rate for applications being generally low and issuing of certificates taking an extended period. IntroductionThere are a number of concerns with the mine closure process as practiced in South Africa, and these have largely been laid at the door of government. Alberts et al. (2017) stress that the legislation generally conforms to international best practice. However, the system is ‘complex and unwieldy’, involving various pieces of legislation and different government departments with overlapping requirements and different interpretations of the law. A further area of concern is the capacity and competence of government to implement legislation. The ‘shortage of relevant mine closure skills and knowledge within the regulator’ was identified by van Druten and Bekker (2017) as a key contributor to unsuccessful closure. Lack of capacity and resources within the regulator has also been highlighted by Botham, Kelso, and Annegarn (2011) and Milaras, McKay, and Ahmed (2014). A recent study of the mineral application process by Corruption Watch (2017) indicates that positions in the regulator have been frozen for many years, leading to a shortage of staff, and that unqualified individuals have been appointed. There is also the perceived reluctance of government to grant closure in order to limit transfer of the liability to the state and delay the inevitable job losses."

Jul 1, 2019

By Stefan Wallner, Andreas Filzwieser, Stefan Konetschnik, Reinhard Preiss, Iris Filzwieser

"Process Safety Management for METTOP means avoiding risks as far as possible - but also dealing with the residual risk by using all existing management tools or external assistance, if required. The presented paper has two parts. The first one introduces a new and very safe cooling technology for metallurgical furnaces. The second part shows how to deal with the residual risk as well as minimize it by using the tapping area of an electric arc furnace as an example.Today more and more intense furnace operations require effective cooling in order to achieve low refractory wear and good furnace lifetime, making cooling technology an important aspect of furnace operation. However, the use of water - today’s standard cooling medium - has some disadvantages, as it can cause problems both during furnace start up and operation, namely hydration problems, corrosion, and explosion.To overcome the disadvantages of water, a new cooling technology using an alternative cooling medium, namely ISIS B (a special kind of ionic liquid) was developed. The main advantage of ISIS B is the fact that no explosion occurs when this liquid comes in contact with molten metal. The working temperature range of ISIS B of 50 to 200 °C results in other advantages as there are no corrosion problems and no risks of hydration.The fact that no explosion occurs when ISIS B contacts molten metal leads to a revolutionary solution for the metallurgical industry in terms of safety. Especially in critical areas - like tap-holes - new safety standards can be achieved.Together with the TÜV Austrian Holding AG a risk analysis was done for a water cooled tap-hole as well as for a tap-hole cooled with ionic liquids. It is shown that using the new technology the risk can be decreased dramatically and the importance of a best available technology is described."

Jan 1, 2014

The application of cost updating with the aid of cost indices is reviewed with particular regard to the mining industry. Examples of applicable cost index series are included with values given for the last ten years. The compilation of the indices is discussed with consideration given to the possible sources of error inherent in their application to specific mining cost problems.

Jan 1, 1990

By D. F. Hewett

CONTENTS PAGE Introduction 1 Geologic features of eastern Oregon 2 Geology of the Sumpter quadrangle 2 Rocks older than the ore deposits 3 Rocks younger than the ore deposits 8 Lodes of the Sumpter quadrangle 8 Areal distribution 8 Geologic distribution 9 Major features of the veins 9 Mineralogy and texture of the veins 13 Ore deposits zonally disposed around the Bald Mountain batholith . . . . 13 Summary of mineralogy and texture 32 Zonal relations 33 Ore deposits zonally disposed around Greenhorn Mountain batholith . . . 36 Zonal relations 37 Relation of textural features to zonal arrangement of veins 37 Summary of zonal relations 38 Comparison with similar districts 39 Outlook for the district 40 INTRODUCTION IN an earlier report on the Sumpter quadrangle1 it was briefly stated that the quartz lodes of that region might be separated into several groups or belts on the basis of the kind and abundance of the minerals of which they are composed, and that these belts were disposed as areal zones around the principal intrusive mass of the region. When the opportunity to revisit the region was offered in 1929, as a result of a cooperative agreement between the State Mining Board of Oregon and the United States Geological Survey, it seemed advisable to pay particular attention to this feature of the lodes, in the hope that if the idea of zonal relations was confirmed it might serve as a guide in exploitation.

Jan 1, 1931

By Fernando Altamirano

Dado que en las unidades mineras existen problemas respecto al manejo de la información relacionada a la seguridad, salud e higiene tales como que los reportes enviados a las autoridades competentes (MEM, DGM, DGAA, OSINERG, DIGESA, etc.), se hacen en forma manual, generando una revisión y conteo previo tedioso y donde no existe una clasificación o estructuración de la información. En ese sentido, se plantea la utilización de las herramientas tecnológicas modernas para optimizar la administración de la información generada en las operaciones de forma diaria. Este sistema está desarrollado bajo una arquitectura Cliente/Servidor con bases de datos que soportan SQL., que se asegura una solidez en la generación de tablas relaciónales, un desarrollo práctico de las pantallas de entrada, flexibilidad para generar reportes y capacidad de expansión e integración a otras aplicaciones, donde se busca que el usuario se sienta a gusto utilizando su interfase full Windows diseñada para efectuar los registros y operaciones de manera intuitiva y versátil.

Aug 25, 2002

By Wilson G. L, Lord J. H

A detailed analysis of faulting indicatcs that blocks of "greenstone" have been thrust beneath the southern end of the Mt. Isa orebodies.This "greenstone" basement is considered to be a major structural control in the localization of these orebodies.INTRODUCTIONThis paper is based on exploration carried out by Mining Corporation (Aust.) N.L. from 1956 to 1960 in the area immediately south of Mt. Isa, Queensland. During this period over 20,000 ft of diamond drilling was completed together with costeaning and geochemical exploration.Early in 1959, it became apparent that diamond drill information could not be correlated with the current geological concepts of this area and a detailed geological appraisal became necessary. In all, sixty square miles were mapped at a scale of 1 in. to 500 ft, using enlarged aerial photographs. All drill core was logged and sections re-interpreted.Professor K. C. Dunham of the University of Durham consulted on this project and contributed through valuable discussion. Dr. A. Day of the University of Sydney carried out a gravity survey in February 1960 and Dr. H. Wilshire of the same University undertook microscopic examination of rocks from the area. Certain sections of the area were investigated geochemically by Mr. K. K. Hughes of New Consolidated Gold Fields (Asia) Pty. Limited in 1960.In outlining a theory of ore genesis in the area the writers have drawn heavily on the invaluable data published by many previous workers on the Mt. Isa field, in particular...

Jan 1, 1963

By Li Zhou

The kinetics of the dissolution of galena was studied by monitoring the mixed potential of a galena electrode in ferric sulfate solutions. The results show that the mixed potential of the galena electrode fluctuated with time in a regular pattern in a 0.1 mol/L Fe2(SO4)3 solution of pH 1.66 and in a 0.01 mol/L Fe2(SO4)3 solution of pH 2.33 at 35°C. The periodic accumulation and precipitation of lead ions at the galena electrode surface and the cyclical variation in pH at the galena electrode surface caused the oscillation phenomena.

Jan 1, 2008

By S. Gorzalczynski

The recent trend in underground mine developments is “bigger is better.” This is most certainly evident in the mine shaft and conveyances that operate within its compartments. Today, there are several new installations requiring mine cages that can transport up to 170 passengers. The technology in mine hoisting is advancing to address a combination of higher capacity requirements, deeper hoisting depths and faster winding rates, however, some areas of the hoist plant have not changed in the past 50 years. The most notable of these areas is the shaft compartment guide string and the conveyance mounted safety arrest mechanism. The technology in use today for the protection of passengers in a shaft conveyance from a hoist rope severance incident remains conceptually unchanged from Elisha Otis’ design of 1850. The actual retardation components, the safety dogs, have taken on several forms since Elisha’s invention with the last major design change occurring in the late 1940s. The arrest of a free falling shaft conveyance requires that the shaft guides withstand the energy imparted on them by the safety dogs. There are some very real limitations presented by the use of wood for this application. The new hoisting era will most certainly continue to demand larger capacity equipment, but also an increased awareness toward safety

Jan 1, 2002

By Mario Morin

The application of underground pre-concentration technology to narrow vein mining has the potential to change the entire economics of bulk mining methods when used in narrow vein situations. The rejection of waste at or near the face means that a higher-grade ore can be sent to surface. The waste rock can be reused directly as backfill. Swelling of the muck through blasting means that only 60 to 65% can be used as fill. Planning and scheduling of the fill usage is key to the success of this method. Through the use of simulation and system analysis, this paper examines the planning and scheduling implications of underground pre-concentration when applied to traditional narrow vein mining methods (cut-and-fill /drift-and-fill, longhole, AVOCA). It considers the logistical factors that represent potential system bottlenecks that are key to understanding the correct implementation and control strategies.

Oct 1, 2004

By T. N. Williamson

Most U.S. coal production is bituminous coal. Some 90% of current production comes from a geographical area enclosed in a circle with a 300 mile radius and its center at about Huntington, West Virginia. There are important underground coal production areas in the western parts of the United States as well. Most U.S. coal production comes from fairly level seams, many of which pitch rather uniformly only a few feet per mile. Usually there will be several overlying seams of varying thicknesses, separated by several tens of feet. Fig. 1. 1. Seams have minor local undulations but these? are small enough not to be a major consideration in a horizontal drilling research program.

Jan 1, 1970

By Diankun Lu, Ganfeng Tu, Edouard Asselin, Feng Xie

A novel separation process for detoxifying cadmium-containing residues arising from zinc hydrometallurgical processes has been developed. An initial investigation indicated that a high concentration of zinc in the sulfate solution can be effectively separated from cadmium by solvent extraction with P204 (di(2-ethylhexly)phosphoric acid, D2EHPA). The mixture of sulfuric acid and ammonium citrate ((NH4)3C6H5O7) is thus used to extract metals from the residue at room temperature. Copper in the leachate is recovered by solvent extraction (SX) with LIX 973. Cobalt in the raffinate from the copper SX process is recovered by precipitation with a-nitroso-ß-naphthol. The results show that more than 50% of the copper and virtually all the zinc, cadmium and cobalt in the residue can be leached under the experimental conditions used here. Virtually all dissolved copper and cobalt can be recovered in the subsequent solvent extraction and precipitation processes. The presence of (NH4)3C6H5O7 could significantly facilitate the extraction of zinc by D2EHPA in the subsequent separation of zinc and cadmium. More than 97% of the dissolved zinc can be recovered through a two-stage counter current solvent extraction process. After separating copper, cobalt and zinc, cadmium can easily be recovered from the solution either by cementation with zinc powder or by electrowinning, while the purified solution can be recycled back to the leaching process.

Jan 1, 2014

By Frédéric Flament, Luc Lachance

"The important task of metallurgical accounting that used to be done manually is being more and more automated. Currently available solutions can generate accounting reports without human intervention or almost. However, the practical conditions for fully delivering the promised benefits of those solutions are sometimes overlooked either by end-users or by integrators. The mere fact of filling reports with values satisfying several constraints such as mass conservation constraints does not, by itself, ensure a high quality metallurgical balance. Since managers make decisions based on these reports, it is logical that the metallurgical balance performance be monitored and retrofits be made if necessary. Such retrofits may involve modifications to the measurement strategy or the reduction of the spatial resolution of the material balance model. This requires an estimability and redundancy analysis (ERA) tool to assess the feasibility of the modified model. Since determining by hand the estimability and redundancy of a set of non measured and measured variables is not trivial, even for a medium-sized mineral processing plant, a dedicated ERA tool brings valuable assistance to the metallurgist in charge. The present paper aims first at explaining how a state of the art metallurgical balance is a key enabler for the adoption of a smart process plants paradigm (SPPP) in mineral processing. Then, the fundamentals behind the building of an ERA algorithm are introduced and illustrated by two examples. Finally, the role of an ERA tool in achieving state of the art metallurgical accounting and how it contributes to delivering additional value are discussed.INTRODUCTIONThe Smart Process Plants Paradigm (SPPP)Mineral processors have seen an increase lately in external pressures toward operating performance improvements. Indeed, the globalization of the mining business is a key driver to becoming more productive, more responsive to market changes, to improving corporate governance and reporting standards. Furthermore, mineral processors are also expected by their neighbouring communities to continuously improve their sustainability score. These current pressures differ somewhat from the past ones in leading to a larger than ever number of conflicting constraints that plant managers must concurrently satisfy while maximizing plant profitability. It is in turn not surprising that this context requires actions involving more real-time collaborative actions between more people in more places than ever before."

Jan 1, 2011

By Hindmarsh J. W, McCoy A. E R

Instantaneous outbursts of coal and gas have occurred at various times in several working districts of Metropolitan Colliery, N.S.W.They have occurred in headings only, under both hand and mechanised conditions, and with seam gas ranging from mainly methane to nearly pure carbon dioxide. A modification of inducer shotfiring using a shear cut was introduced in 1955, and in 1961 full face firing both to a machine cut shear and off the solid was introduced. The current series of outbursts -1961 to 1963 - has been induced under these systems with full control of the time of outburst, but without prediction, and with some disappointing production features.Various aspects of current conditions and practices at Metropolitan are considered singular, such as the coarse granulometry of outburst coal, the prevalence of floor heave, the absence of strong structures at outburst sites, the possibility of outburst at any stage in pillar formation up to the last few yards, the effect of rate of advance on outburst occurrence, and the mildness of many outbursts experienced.It is concluded that inducer shotfiring is a reliable control but it suffers by comparison with outburst-free conditions, and that control by preyention would be preferable.INTRODUCTIONThe phenomenon of instantaneous outbursts of coal and gas has been described in detail previously (Hargraves, 1958). Briefly, it is a combined gas and stress hazard of deep coal mining, usually occurring in virgin work and during active face advance, when coal and seam gas burst from the face into the workings.Instantaneous outbursts have occurred sporadically at Metropolitan Colliery, N.S.W., since 1895. Early outbursts were recorded as firedamp and recent outbursts are of blackdamp.Mining methods used have been conventional hand work, with progressive and relatively complete mechanisation over the past 25 years to substantially conventional...

Jan 1, 1964

By C. T. Baroch

The purpose of this report is to describe the design features and techniques used in operating a plant capable of producing about 1,500 pounds of titanium metal per day. The process used was based on the reduction of titanium tetrachloride with magnesium, a modification of what is generally known and spoken of as the Kroll process. Sponge metal crushed to melter's specifications was the end product of the operation as conducted. The report is divided into sections covering general plant layout and the major unit operations. These, in turn, are each divided into discussions of the equipment, operating procedures, and typical results. Descriptions are given in more detail than is generally expected of a technical report. During 1953 and 1954 over 130 engineers and businessmen, officially representing some 80 industrial, chemical, end engineering firms, visited the operating plant, and their questions, which indicated a serious interest in details, have served as a guide for the material contained in this report.

Jan 1, 1955

By Frances Badelow

This paper describes a design process for piled raft foundations supporting high-rise buildings. The design process comprises an initial stage of geotechnical site characterization using the results of investigation boreholes to prepare a subsurface model and derive geotechnical parameters for raft and pile design from empirical correlations. Following this a preliminary analysis is undertaken using a combination of elastic theory and allowances for non linear behaviour of the piled raft system to assess the viability of such a foundation system and any potential advantages of a piled raft over conventional fully piled foundation systems. Finally, a detailed analysis is undertaken using the GARP8 computer program. Case studies where this design process has been successfully used to design a more efficient piled raft system that has resulted in significant cost and time savings compared to conventional bored pile foundation options are also described.

Jan 1, 2006