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By H. D. Outmans

Present first-order theory for frontal stability and viscous fingering of immiscible liquids is improved by including the nonlinear terms in the equations describing conditions at the interface of the liquids. This leads to the revision of several conclusions which were based on first-order theory. They concern the growth rate and changing shape of a sinusoidal disturbance, particularly in relation to the wave number of this disturbance. Nonlinear aspects of effective interfacial tension are discussed and it is shown that this tension is not simply a positive proportionality constant in a linear relation between pressure difference and curvature at the interface. Scaling requirements are determined from the dimensionless groups which govern fingering. Gravity and interfacial tension invalidate a previously formulated conclusion that the shape of a finger after a given displacement is independent of the displacement velocity. Also, similarity of fingering (and, hence, of sweep efficiency in case of an unstable front) requires geometrical similarity of the initial disturbance in the model and the reservoir with a scale factor which is the same as the one for scaling down the dimensions of the reservoir. INTRODUCTION The critical velocity at which the transition zone in the vertical displacement of immiscible liquids becomes unstable was calculated by ill. More recently, the same was done for nonvertical displacements and it was also shown that the stability is affected by an effective interfacial tension between the liquids. 2-4 Although in the oil reservoir a stable front is always desirable from a recovery point of view, the necessary velocity may have to be so low that the corresponding production rate is not economical. In that case, a knowledge of the fingering unstable front is necessary for predicting recovery at break- through. Studies in this direction have not gone beyond the very moment at which fingering first occurs.5,6 Conclusions about stability and fingering in these references are all based on linear theory. In this theory the nonlinear terms in the equations describing conditions at the front are neglected. The usual justification for this lack of mathematical rigor is that the nonlinear terms can be made small relative to the linear terms and, supposedly, small causes produce only small effects. It has been recognized, however, that this is not necessarily true in the nonlinear problems of hydrodynamics.7 The hydro-dynamic stability and fingering of the front between two liquids, accelerated in a direction normal to the front, for instance, is strongly influenced by the nonlinearity of the boundary conditions.8-10 Since these boundary conditions are not unlike those arising in the problem of stability and fingering of the front during a slow immiscible displacement in porous media, it was thought that there, too, the nonlinear terms should be taken into consideration. A summary of the results obtained in linear theory and a comparison with experimental data precede the nonlinear theory developed in this paper. This summary serves to introduce some quantities which will be used in the further develop ment. It should also be pointed out that the method of higher-order approximation by which the nonlinear stability problem is solved has application in other reservoir studies.11 SUMMARY OF LINEAR THEORY 1. A plane interface remains stable if its velocity is smaller than a critical velocity. vc = (p2-p1)gn/(l/A2- l/A1 .........(1.1) This equation is derived for uniform flow in a thin layer inclined to the horizontal plane. The displacement takes place in a direction normal to the intersection of this layer and the horizontal plane. The undisturbed (line) interface is normal to the velocity. Fluid 1, the upper fluid (gas), is displacing Fluid 2 (oil). (VcQS would be the injection rate in cc/

By Wing L. Lew

LEAD, silver, and zinc, in quantities of economic importance are found in the Aguilar ore. The lead occurs as galena and the zinc as sphalerite and marmatite. The silver occurrence is more complex. Pyrargyrite and proustite have been identified only occasionally. Galena is silver-bearing and so are the various other sulphides, though to a lesser degree. The principal nonsulphide gangue minerals include calcite, quartz, wollastonite, rhodonite, and various calcium, aluminum, and iron silicates. A typical analysis of, the ore is: Pb, 11.2; Zn, 12.3; Fe, 4.4; Mn, 2.2; Cu, 0.15; S, 11.2; CaO. 7.6; "Insoluble," 50.1 percent; and Ag 263 g per ton. Crushing is done in three stages. The primary crusher at the mine is set to deliver about a 5-in. product. The crushed ore is then transported to the secondary crushing plant by a 3-km cableway where the general practice is to hold the product of the first Symons to about 1 in., and of the second Symons to about 1/2 in. When the ore is soft and rich the product of the first Symons is by-passed directly to the ball-mill bins. Dust control in the secondary crushing plant is effected by enclosing the dust-emanating sources and exhausting the enclosures with a Clarage No. 18 fan driven at 1300 rpm by a 20-hp motor. Use is also made of spray water at one or two critical places. Every effort is made to keep the air free from visible dust. Dust counts taken at the working places show dust concentrations of less than six million particles ner cu ft. The composition

Jan 1, 1947

By Abrahamsson S, Niklasson B

In a follow-up of 12 production blasts in a quarry at the Mrica project on Java, tightly spaced porous bands were found to govern fragmentation to the extent that the average fragment size k5o was nearly independent of the specific charge within the range 0.30-0.56 kghn3. This fording resulted in a reduction of the running costs for drilling and blasting by 20-40%. Our work has given considerable practical benefits and insights into the blasting process, even if the results were of no direct use to check out fragmentation predictions based on models, which was one of our main Goals.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. E. Tobey, David R. Mitchell, J. H. Kerrick

DETAILED knowledge of purchase specifications established by coal consumers is essential to the successful design and operation of a coal-preparation plant. ANTHRACITE Specifications should be considered by both the consumer and the producer as guide posts outlining a certain path for both to follow. Plants differ, therefore specifications must differ to meet the varied requirements. Specifications are not of themselves a "cure all" or an assurance of complete satisfaction in fuel utilization. Specifications should not be regarded as a license to engage in an orgy of buying any and all coals that may happen to fall within their limits. This would lead to the-indiscriminate mixing of coals which may vary in their burning characteristics. Different coals of equal grade tend to be individualistic in their burning characteristics. Rather, specifications should be used to help simplify coal selection, to reduce the actual number of coals used over a given period; in other words, to have a stabilizing influence on coal or customer turnover. In the final analysis, the use of too many coals per year in a plant is costly to both the consumer and the producer. Too many sources usually result in higher operating and maintenance costs for the consumer and higher sales costs for the producer. Finally, the statement included in the report accompanying the comprehensive Coal Selection Charts prepared by the Coal Committee of the National Association of Purchasing Agents, and released in 1938, is significant. This Committee worked diligently for a period of 15 years seeking to find a scientific and reliable method for selecting coals. The two following paragraphs are quoted from its report: More important is the fact that no ready-made classification or set of specifications can possibly replace the judgment and resourcefulness of an experienced combustion engineer, or fuel technologist, nor the usual need for full scale plant tests under the exact conditions of use before a final decision is made . . .

Jan 1, 1943

By Drupad B. Desai, James G. Gallanes

A key component of the Inland Feeder Project is the Riverside Badlands Tunnel, a7.9-mile stretch subjected to high internal and external hydraulic pressures passing beneath highly eroded hills in a semi rural environment. The tunnel presented significant design and management challenges to the project team. This paper describes the formula for project success used to manage the design of this complex pressure tunnel, from team member selection to the completion of all contract documents, on schedule and below budget. The project team dealt with sensitive regional and local community issues and won the trust of the community. The team included participation by senior management and recognized experts from inception to finish. The team worked diligently to build quality into design and adopted a claims avoidance approach to management and preparation of documents.

Jan 1, 1997

By Howard Scott, Henry S. Rawdon

The method of demonstrating the structure existing in a metal or alloy at high temperatures, by etching a polished sample after it has been heated to the desired temperature, is quite familiar to metallog-raphists. The usual procedure1 2 is to heat the specimen, previously polished for microscopic examination, to the desired temperature, in a neutral atmosphere (hydrogen or nitrogen), then admit the etching gas (chlorine, hydrochloric acid or similar gas) for a few seconds, and finally, after flushing out the etching gas with the neutral one, cool the specimen in the neutral atmosphere. The pattern produced by etching at a definite temperature is usually taken as a record of the microstructure prevailing at that temperature. It has frequently been pointed out that changes in composition of the surface metal occur during the preliminary heating in the neutral atmosphere, so that the appearance produced by the etching at high temperature may not exactly represent the condition of the interior of the specimen. To overcome this uncertainty, the heating has sometimes been done in vacuo,3 the etching gas being admitted when the desired temperature was reached, then pumped out and the specimen cooled in vacuo. The studies of Rosenhain, Humfrey, and other workers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 dem-

Jan 1, 1922

By Howard Scott, Henry S. Rawdon

The method of demonstrating the structure existing in a metal or alloy at high temperatures, by etching a polished sample after it has been heated to the desired temperature, is quite familiar to metallog-raphists. The usual procedure1 2 is to heat the specimen, previously polished for microscopic examination, to the desired temperature, in a neutral atmosphere (hydrogen or nitrogen), then admit the etching gas (chlorine, hydrochloric acid or similar gas) for a few seconds, and finally, after flushing out the etching gas with the neutral one, cool the specimen in the neutral atmosphere. The pattern produced by etching at a definite temperature is usually taken as a record of the microstructure prevailing at that temperature. It has frequently been pointed out that changes in composition of the surface metal occur during the preliminary heating in the neutral atmosphere, so that the appearance produced by the etching at high temperature may not exactly represent the condition of the interior of the specimen. To overcome this uncertainty, the heating has sometimes been done in vacuo,3 the etching gas being admitted when the desired temperature was reached, then pumped out and the specimen cooled in vacuo. The studies of Rosenhain, Humfrey, and other workers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 dem-

Jan 1, 1922

By Bob de Raadt

The main problem in blasting a fly-over spanning a main road is the brief time available for blasting and the removal of the debris, in order to minimize the ensuing traffic disruption in the public highway below. The blasting plan is consequently based on an extreme "time is money" concept, in which speed and public safety are predominant factors. This paper discusses reliable blasting parameters for this type of demolition.

Jan 1, 1984

By Anatol Wojtowicz

This research program was conducted to determine if respirable coal dust emanating from a continuous mining machine can be suppressed more effectively by a high expansion foam than by the water sprays conventionally used. A high expansion foam system was developed and tested on a continuous mining machine under actual operating conditions. The utility of the system was demonstrated. Test results tend to show that foam application is more effective than water sprays in suppressing respirable coal dust. However, because of the extreme variability of the test conditions, scatter in the sampling data, and other factors, not enough data was obtained to form a firm conclusion that foam is more efficient than a water spray in suppressing respirable coal dust. Sufficient statistical data was obtained, however, to indicate that foam is more efficient than water in suppressing total float coal dust.

Jan 1, 1974

By Y. C. Kim, F. Szidarovszky

G.M. Philip and D.F. Watson The article cited above reflects the difficulty that is often encountered in interpreting different aspects of kriging. Baafi et al. write : "Due to negative kriging weights, negative block grades may be obtained in some extreme situations, which makes no practical sense." Their solution to this particular problem is to constrain the kriged estimates to data values that have positive weights, i.e., reduce the subset size contributing to the estimation. As Journel (1986, p. 133) has already observed, "Negative weights are no evil." Indeed, they are an ineluctable result of the Lagrangian multipliers in the system of simultaneous equations. The fact that data distant from the estimation point may be given negative weights simply means that the influence of such distant values must be negated because their influence is contradictory to closer values (as illustrated by Baafi et al. in their Figs. 3 and 4). Of course negative kriging weights applied to distant grade values will not in themselves induce negative grade at some central interpolation point. Negative grade values, rather, seem to be a particular artifact of automatic methods of estimation involving accu¬mulations (Philip and Watson, 1985a, 1985b, 1987b). The elimination of negative weights, suggested by Baafi et al., is likely to exacerbate a quite different problem of kriging and piecewise spline interpolation discussed elsewhere (Philip and Watson, 1987a). In interpolating large data sets of scattered observations, changing local subsets or neighborhoods must be selected automatically. Because of the mathematical formulation of kriging and spline interpolation, discontinuities then occur between closely-spaced estimation points as the subset used in the estimation changes. If this subset is reduced in number and size, the discontinuities will be amplified and more common. ? References Journel, A.G., 1986, "Geostatistics: models and tools for Earth Sciences," Journal of Mathematical Geology, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 119-139. Philip, G.M., and Watson, D.F., 1985a, "Theoretical aspects of grade-tonnage calculations," International Journal of Mining and Geological Engineering, Vol. 3, pp. 149-154. Philip, G.M., and Watson, D.F., 1985b, "A deterministic approach to computing ore reserves. I, Grade Estimation," Earth Resources Foundation, Occas. Paper 2, The University of Sydney, 24 pp. Philip, G.M., and Watson, D.F., 1987a, "Neighborhood discontinuities in bivariate interpolation of scattered observations," Mathematical Geology, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 69-74. Philip, G.M., and Watson, D.F., 1987b, "Estimating interactions of topological functions," Mathematical Geology, Vol. 18, (at press). Reply by Y. C. Kim Before replying to the comments by Philip and Watson, it is desirable to establish the original perspective of our paper, which was intended primarily for the practitioners of mining who possess a working knowledge of ordinary kriging. The paper tried to convey the following practical points: (1) there are circumstances in which one observes negative weights, (2) illustration of circumstances under which one can expect negative weights, (3) should one obtain a negative estimated grade, one can resort to elimination of negative weights using the technique outlined in the paper, and (4) one could normally select only the first layer of surrounding assays to estimate the block grade. Under such a perspective, most of the comments by Philip and Watson are irrelevant and misdirected. For example, the practitioners do not find it difficult to "interpret" the results of ordinary kriging, as evidenced by the fact that they have been using the results for nearly a decade. Nor are the practitioners concerned with discontinuities in estimated block grades due to changing neighborhood of assays during kriging. What matters to the practitioners is the fact that kriging does provide the best estimate among all the estimation tools available to them as of today. ?

Jan 2, 1987

By K. K. Kershner

Sulfide ore concentrates containing cobalt, nickel, copper, lead, and iron were salt roasted and leached on a laboratory scale. More than 95 percent of the cobalt, nickel, and copper was recovered. Heating patterns for salt roasting different concentrates were established. More cobalt, nickel, and copper were recovered from a bulk concentrate composed of a mixture of copper concentrate and iron concentrate. This mixture corresponded roughly with the mixture of these materials in stockpiles in southeastern Missouri. A temperature range of 375° to 400° C. was best for salt roasting. Metal chlorides were leached at a pH of 1 from chloridized charges of concentrates, Although the amounts of cobalt, nickel, and copper extracted were high, the amount of iron dissolved simultaneously interfered with subsequent separation and recovery of these metals. The amount of dissolved iron was reduced substantially by steam treating chloridized charges of bulk concentrate at 300° C. In this way, the ratios of cobalt, nickel, and copper to iron in leach liquors permitted satisfactory separation and recovery of these metals. INTRODUCTION The Federal Bureau of Mines is experimenting with chloridizing reactions.4 5 6 7/ Salt roasting of sulfide ores and concentrates, or their calcines, to form metal chlorides has certain advantages. Chlorides of

Jan 1, 1961

By H. Reginald Hardy

This report is Volume III of a three volume final report dealing in general with the microseismic monitoring of a longwall coal mine. The research presented in Volume III was undertaken as part of the overall microseismic project in an effort to relate, if possible, observed micro seismic activity with surface subsidence. A discussion in regard to the correlation of these factors is presented in Volume I of the final report. Field measurements of subsidence carried out at a Central Pennsylvania Coal Mine are described. Comparative analysis of actual field results with data obtained using empirical and finite element techniques Has undertaken. Comparison of field results with published National Coal Board data revealed marked differences. The influence of stronger rock beds overlying the coal seam in the current study was assumed to I be the main cause. Use of the general Gaussian profile resulted in a satisfactory fit to the field data provided the value of the maximum field subsidence was used in the analysis. In general, when low tensile strengths were assumed for the associated rocks, finite element techniques gave results which compared well with the observed field data. The study also indicated that at shallow depths there is a marked difference in subsidence over dip and rise sides of the coal-face, maximum subsidence being shifted more towards the dip side. Finally, time-dependent deformations were shown to be insignificant shortly after mining operations ceased.

Jan 1, 1977

By Claus Goetzel

THE object of this investigation was to determine whether silver alloys could be used instead of the currently employed insert of high-expansion AVERAGE COEFFICIENT PER DE G. C. OVEN RANGE 20° To 200° C. Pure aluminum '31.6 X 10-6 Cast low-expansion Si-Cu-Ni-Al piston alloy 20.0 X 10-6 High-expansion austenitic Cu-Ni cast iron 19.3 X 10-6 Cast steel (0.25-0.35 C, 0.10-1.0 Mn) 12.6 X 10-6 Cast iron (3.15 total C, 2.16 Si) 12.8 X 10-6 Pure silver 18.9 X 10-6 austenitic ferronickel alloy, to reduce the wear of ring grooves in light metal pistons. A typical example of a piston containing a ferronickel insert is shown in Fig. 1. The high coefficient of expansion of silver made it worthy of consideration, while the small size of the insert would render it use feasible in Germany as an emergency in is- tire. The coefficients of linear expansion of several metals and alloys are as shown in the table above. Obviously the melting point of the insert must be high enough to prevent it from melting when the light alloy is cast around it. This imposes a lower limit of about 850° C. for the solidus of the silver alloy. Pure silver melts at about 961° C., so that the Fin. 1.-PISTON CONTAINING tolerable depression in the solidus is rather FERRONICKEL INSERT. small. To avoid deformation of the insert during use a Brinell hardness number of at least 60 appears necessary.

Jan 1, 1937

By A Jewbali, R Perry, R Inglis, L Allen

"The use of conditional simulation to characterise mine plan uncertainty is increasing for the assessment of risk in mining projects. While the development of grade uncertainty profiles is relatively straightforward and can be validated using standard geostatistical techniques, the addition of geological uncertainty to evaluate total risk remains problematic. Some of the problems associated with geological uncertainty methods include the clustering of data in favourable geologic units, difficulty in training image definition and the inability to address change of support issues for categorical variables. Despite these obstacles, the importance of geological uncertainty as a contributor to total uncertainty has prompted Newmont to explore and evaluate the use of various techniques (and combinations of techniques) on different deposit types.Two orogenic deposits of different geological complexity were selected for the study: Subika, a shear zone-hosted deposit, and Merian, a deposit containing gold mineralisation associated with quartz vein zones and stockwork within which are found higher-grade quartz breccia zones. Newmont trialled various categorical simulation approaches to determine the applicability of these methods for each deposit type and the effect of parameter choice on the width of the uncertainty interval. Some of the techniques that were trialled include multiple point statistics methods, sequential indicator simulation using local probabilities as well as variations of these methodologies.The goals of this study included: gaining an understanding of which techniques may work best in which deposit types gaining an understanding of the intricacies of each method gaining an understanding of the effect that each method has on total uncertainty analysis.This paper presents a comparison of the various techniques and makes recommendations for their use in uncertainty analysis.CITATION:Jewbali, A, Perry, R, Allen, L and Inglis, R, 2014. Applicability of categorical simulation methods for assessment of mine plan risk, in Proceedings Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning Symposium 2014, pp 85–98 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Nov 24, 2014

By J. E. Gebhardt, L. Piga, G. Schena

The possibility of beneficiating a low-grade alunite ore from the Tuscany region of Italy was examined. Flocculation and flotation techniques were investigated to separate alunite and kaolinite from the ore, which also contained feldspar and quartz. Flotation was performed at pH 6.5 with oleic acid as collector and sodium silicate as dispersant. A concentrate containing 12% alunite with a recovery of about 65% and a concentrate containing 28% alunite with a recovery of 84% were achieved from the -38-µm feed samples containing 5.0% and 12.9% alunite, respectively. Poor recovery of alunite was achieved by flocculation methods.

Jan 1, 1999

Develop geophysical techniques suitable for enhancing miner safety. Specifically, to use geophysical methods to detect hazardous conditions in a rock mass in deep underground mines as well as to assess the mechanical integrity and monitor changes of the rock.

Jan 1, 1997

By V. Bush, T. G. Killingsworth, E. P. Ruffel

Effective and sustained corporate energy management programs are becoming a necessity for energy users as electricity deregulation laws are enacted on a state-by-state basis across the country and environmental regulations pertaining to emissions become more prevalent. The “Total Energy Asset Management” (TEAM) approach has been developed to assist energy end users with the development and implementation of corporate energy management programs designed to reduce energy risks and increase energy cost savings. This paper highlights the ways in which this approach can be applied to the mining industry while minimizing initial program implementation costs and increasing potential program benefits. Nearly the entire mining industry has become very focused on identifying opportunities to reduce costs per unit of yield. The industry as a whole has increasingly faced pricing pressures in large part due to the effects of global competition. The result of international marketplace participation and the emergence of higher efficiency recovery techniques have resulted in flat or even decreased prices for mining products. Thus, opportunities to reduce costs are actually opportunities to gain a competitive edge over similar mining operations. Due to the energy-intensive nature of many mining operations, the costs associated with energy are often a substantial percentage of operating costs. Therefore, it becomes very important to develop the corporate mentality that energy is an asset whose use should be optimized globally. In addition to the cost benefits of the TEAM approach, other benefits may occur such as reductions in facility greenhouse gas emissions.

Jan 1, 2002

By R. C. Reed, A. Akhtar

Oxidation of the third generation cast single crystal, nickel-base superalloy CMSX-10 is examined using isothermal tests at 900°C and 1000°C for times ranging from 20 hours to 100 hours. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive secondary X-ray analysis were used to characterize the microstructure. It was found that the external scale formed at 1000°C is made up of (Ni,Co)O and the spinel NiCo2O4. The (? + ? ') microstructure of the superalloy transforms into the intermetallic (3 phase prior to the onset of internal oxidation. Internal oxidation results in the formation of (Ni,Co)Ta2O6 and (Ni,Co)WO4. No evidence was found for the formation of alumina (Al203), and the spinels NiCr2O4 and NiAl2O4 in this third generation superalloy. Results of the laboratory investigation are compared with those of an aero-engine turbine blade removed from service and examined earlier.

Jan 1, 2004

By R. D. Begley, A. W. Khair

Introduction The technique being investigated here uses a physical mine model which consists of a plexiglass room-and-pillar model 11.4 x 11.4 cm (4.5 x 4.5 in.). It is placed at the bottom of a larger plexiglass box 25.4 x 30.5cm (10 x 12 in.). The box is then filled with a model material representing geologic overburden. Sand has been selected because of its deformability under gravitational forces. The mine model is capable of creating a cavity and induces movement on the surface of the model material. This surface disturbance can be measured using a photographic technique called holographic interferometry. This paper discusses results of an investigation of the possibility of generating subsidence criteria using physical mine models and laser holographic interferometry. Problem Statement Subsidence appears to be widespread in two states - Pennsylvania and Illinois - although serious subsidence is found in localized areas of numerous other states (HRB Singer Inc., 1977). The US Bureau of Mines estimates that more than 1618 km2 (400,000 acres) of urban areas are threatened by subsidence. Pennsylvania and West Virginia contain 57% of these threatened areas, with the remainder being spread out over 16 states (Johnson and Miller, 1979). Events of subsidence have been reported in urban areas, including Pennsylvania (Gray et al., 1977) and Illinois (Mahar and Marino, 1981). One location has observed three episodes of subsidence beginning in 1950 (Bruhn et al., 1981). These subsidence events all occurred over abandoned room-and-pillar mines. Some mines have been abandoned more than 50 years (Bauer and Hunt,1981) . Available research does not offer much on the problem related to time dependent subsidence, especially those associated with the failure of remnant coal pillars. The physical modeling technique developed at West Virginia University is capable of measuring both instantaneous and time delayed subsidence. Laser Holographic Interferometry Laser holographic interferometry, or holometry, uses the interference properties of laser light to measure small movements of objects. The object requires only optical access and no surface instrumentation. This technique is closely related to photoelasticity. Both techniques rely on the uniqueness of the light reflected off or through an object in any given state of stress. The entire measurement process is done remotely without any surface instrumentation and without using a camera. The interferogram is constructed and visual observation will yield fringes on all areas that yielded or moved. The displacement represented by one fringe was determined by Wilson et al. (1977) and is given by the relationship: [d ='1(1) 2 cos 8 where d = displacement of one fringe 6 = incident angle of laser light A = wavelength of light (632.8 x 10-9 meters for Helium-Neon lasers)] In summary, holometry is capable of detecting very small movements of objects under study. It is a very sensitive process that requires laser light and vibration free experiments. Experimental Program Lab Facilities The primary components of the facilities were the laser and the optical table. The light source was 50 milli-watt, Helium-Neon laser. The optical table was a granite slab weighing nearly one ton. All experiments were performed on the optical table. It consists of a large table sitting on air cells similar to car innertubes. Six air cells were placed on top of two layers of wood and Styrofoam. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the vibration free table. Even with these precautions, the experiments still had to be performed at night to reduce potential traffic related vibrations. Room-and-pillar mine models consisting of three different pillar sizes were constructed out of plexiglass. The models were designed to represent three different extraction ratios. Figure 2 shows the models. The extraction ratios were determined by the tributary loading concept (Peng, 1978). These models were the primary component of a seam extraction simulator. A schematic of this simulation device is shown in Fig. 3.

Jan 1, 1986

By Julio Cesar Tremolada

La lixiviación con tiosulfato de amonio (ATS) puede ser considerada como una alternativa ecológica viable para lixiviar metales preciosos, por comparación con la alta toxicidad del proceso convencional de cianuración, especialmente en el caso de algunos minerales refractarios con presencia de impurezas que provocan baja recuperación de oro y altos consumos de cianuro. En este estudio se evaluó un mineral aurífero asociado a carbón para confirmar los óptimos resultados de la tecnología innovadora ATS, cuyos principales compuestos son amonio tiosulfato, sulfato de amonio, ion cúprico y metabisulfito. De acuerdo con el estudio reseñado en este artículo, la concentración cuprífera a un ratio de 0.5 Kg/Tm proporciona una óptima extracción de oro de 75.20% con 8.60 Kg/Tm de ratio de consumo de tiosulfato (escala de tratamiento: 10,000 Tm en pads de lixiviación a granulometría de 90% <2.5 pulgadas, en 45 días de lixiviación); y extracción de oro de 81.20% con 6.5 Kg/Tm de consumo de tiosulfato en mineral aurífero limpio y de características dóciles (escala de tratamiento: 20,000 Tm en pilas de lixiviación en similares tamaños granulométrico y tiempo de lixiviación). En tanques agitadores, las extracciones de oro son del orden de 90.75% en minerales refractarios (en 120 horas de lixiviación a granulometría de 80% <325 mallas), con ratio de tiosulfato de 7.4 Kg/Tm; y en minerales limpios/dóciles las extracciones de oro alcanzan 93.6% (en 120 horas de tratamiento a granulometría de 80% <325 mallas), con ratio de tiosulfato de 6.3 Kg /Tm. En cambio, la lixiviación convencional con cianuro en este tipo de minerales refractarios no supera al 10% de la recuperación metalúrgica del oro.

May 30, 2018