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By B. K. Loveday

The use of large flotation machines is well established, resulting in substantial savings in both capital and operating costs. Therefore, when a new plant is designed, laboratory and pilot-plant tests should be used to simulate large flotation cells, or appropriate scale-up factors should be employed. 'Conference on titanium The Fifth International Conference on Titanium will be held from 10th to 14th September, 1984, in Munich, West Germany, organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Metallkunde e.V., in association with the American Society for Metals, Societe Francaise de Metallurgie, The Academie of Sciences U.S.S.R., The Japan Institute of Metals, The Metallurgical Society of A.I.M.E., and The Metals Society.

Jan 1, 1983

By V. N. Medvedev, A. M. Bryukhanov

Stationary mine air control equipment enables monitoring of CH4 concentration only in sensor locations. CMC-4 individual indicator built into a caplight has been developed in Ukraine, extending CH4 monitoring to manned job sites. Major technical characteristics of the indicator are demonstrated. It features two operation thresholds: 1st threshold 1.0 to 2.0% vol. 2nd threshold 1.5 to 2.5% vol. Basic absolute accuracy ± 0.2% Caplight battery is a common power supply for the lamp and CH4 indicator, providing at least 10 hours of the system non-stop operation. Average pre-failure life is at least 10,000 hrs. It features: an explosion proof design and intrinsically safe test circuit; a small-sized sensor as an integral part of the caplight; a hybrid microcircuit to facilitate functioning of methane monitoring unit. The CMC-4 indicator weight is the weight of the caplight itself and equals 2.4 kg. A two-threshold design makes possible to distinguish between methane sources: slow accumulation due to diffusion or sudden rushes due to a gas-dynamic event. CMC-4 indicators in addition to stationary equipment minimize the risk of CH4 explosion underground determined as a product of accident intensity by calculated time interval.

Jan 1, 2003

By K. Forsberg, Ş. Kaya, C. Dittrich, M. Svärd, E. M. Peters

Scandium can be recovered from waste streams of other metallurgical processes such as red mud from the Bayer process and titanium dioxide acid waste. This is accomplished by an integrated process comprising leaching using acidic media, solvent extraction using organic solvents and stripping of Sc from the organic phase using NH4F solutions. The precipitation of scandium as (NH4)3ScF6 from NH4F strip liquors has been demonstrated at lab-scale with recoveries and purities greater than 98% and 98.3%, respectively. It is desired to assess the possibility of recovering the solvents for re-use in the process to improve its economy and environmental friendliness. Investigations have been conducted to recover alcohol by simple distillation from strip liquor-alcohol mixtures containing about 50 v/v% alcohol. The mixtures were obtained after anti-solvent precipitation of (NH4)3ScF6 using an alcohol to strip liquor volumetric ratio of 1:1. The starting strip liquor contained about 2000 mg/L scandium in 3 mol/L NH4F solution. In the recovery of methanol, the first distillate product collected had a purity of about 87 v/v% and this decreased slightly with time over two hours. The methanol distillate collected in the first 30 minutes with a purity of ca. 85 v/v% was re-used in anti-solvent crystallisation of (NH4)3ScF6 from the initial strip liquor, and the scandium recovery attained was about 98.6 w/w%, almost similar to that of 99.2 w/w% obtained using 100 v/v% methanol. For ethanol recovery, the first distillate product collected was approx. 84 v/v% pure and the distillate collected in the first 30 minutes with a purity of about 75 v/v% achieved a scandium recovery of about 97.2 w/w% in comparison to 98.5 w/w% obtained using 100 v/v% ethanol during anti-solvent crystallisation. Keywords: Alcohol recovery, methanol, ethanol, anti-solvent crystallisation, (NH4)3ScF6

Jan 1, 2020

By N. B. Strydom, P. L. Jooste, H. F. Kotze, W. H. Van Der Walt

Note: A revised method of heat acclimatization by N. B. STRYDOM, W. H. VAN DER WALT, P. L. JOOSTE, and H. F. KOTZE INTRODUCTION Climatic-room acclimatization was introduced in the gold-mining industry in 1965 and was rapidly adopted by all mines because it reduced the number of days required for heat acclimatization from 12 to 8. The method has been adequately described in previous papers1, 2 but, briefly, requires four hours of heat exposure per day while the work rate is progessively increased from 35 W on Day 1 to 70 W on Days 7 and 8. Several attempts to shorten

Jan 6, 1976

By S. Khoshjavan

In this investigation, the effects of different coal chemical properties were studied to estimate the coal Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI) values index. An artificial neural network (ANN) method for 300 data-sets was used for evaluating the HGI values. Ten input parameters were used, and the outputs of the models were compared in order to select the best model for this study. A threelayer ANN was found to be optimum with architecture of five neurons in each of the first and second hidden layers, and one neuron in the output layer. The correlation coefficients (R2) for the training and test data were 0.962 and 0.82 respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that volatile material, carbon, hydrogen, Btu, nitrogen, and fixed carbon (all on a dry basis) have the greatest effect on HGI, and moisture, oxygen (dry), ash (dry), and total sulphur (dry) the least effect. Keywords coal chemical properties, Hardgrove Grindability Index, artificial neural network, back-propagation neural network.

Jun 1, 2013

By J. H. Viljoen, A. Heyns, J. F. Morrison, C. H. Wyndham, N. B. Strydom

Discussion M. J. Martinson* (Associate Member): This is another interesting paper in the series which the Human Sciences Laboratory is publishing on the physiological cost of the more strenuous manual tasks performed underground. As a mining engineer-albeit presently an academic one -this contributor is more concerned with the practical significance of the study in the field of stope cleaning than with physiological niceties, but before discussing some of the practical issues raised by the paper perhaps the authors would care to reply to lay comment on three physiological matters. Firstly, in two places the authors make statements to the effect that the maximum oxygen intake of 'average' (sic) Bantu mine workers is 3.0 l/min. What do the authors mean by 'average'? Maximum oxygen intake in the individual is probably some function of inter alia age, physical fitness, state of health, ambient partial pressure of oxygen, diurnal and/or seasonal changes in metabolism, and possibly cumulative exposure to dust and other occupational contaminants. Since maximum oxygen intake is apparently such an important quality in manual labourers we ought to have a clear picture of its distribution in the entire labour force, and also know precisely how the individual's quantum is affected by factors such as those mentioned above. Secondly, arising out of the same statements and ignoring the reservation implicit in the previous paragraph, is it correct to say that the 'average' Bantu mine worker has a maximum intake of 3.0 l/min? In the August 1966 issue of the South African Journal of Science four of the present co-authors reported the mean maximum oxygen intake of a random sample of 338 Bantu recruits of different tribes to be 2.63 l/min with a standard deviation of 0.542 l/min, and these figures were repeated in a paper published in the November 1968 issue of this Journal. Admittedly the mean maximum oxygen intake of the six subjects used in the present study was 3.05 l/min, but since they were selected on the grounds of previous shovelling experience they can hardly be regarded as being 'average' recruits. Thirdly, it seems to me that the authors are perhaps a little uncritical in their acceptance of the '50 per cent of maximum oxygen intake' level of activity for endurance work. I am not unmindful of the evidence upon which this level is based, but I suggest that the evidence is at best tenuous and that the whole topic of fatigue and 'optimum' levels of productivity under conditions of high muscular activity and considerable psychological stress is a lot more complicated than would appear from the authors' ready acceptance of the 50 per cent level. Under present working conditions the question is largely rhetorical because it would need an army of supervisors to ensure that all members of a typical gang work at 'optimum' levels throughout the shift, but if individual performance should ever become more readily determinable the issue might become crucial to management and malayisha alike. So much for physiological matters; now a few random thoughts on some wider, practical issues raised by the paper. In the paragraph headed Material the statement is made that 'The mixture (of fine, medium-sized and bigger rocks) was considered to be representative of an average underground rock sample'. Elsewhere in the report the authors specifically draw attention to the effect of particle size on the oxygen consumption of men shovelling graded material, and intuitively one imagines that the size distribution of the material being shovelled would be highly significant in a study such as this. Presumably the authors were forced to assess size distribution subjectively because of the lack of objective data on the subject, and possibly the necessity for this assumption highlights how little we know quantitatively about any of the variables in stope cleaning systems. In this connection it may be remarked that although the present study was largely designed to show how dip and stoping width effect energy expenditure in shovelling, no data are given-nor, probably, are they available-to show how the industry's stoping tonnage is distributed in terms of these two factors. It seems to me that if the mining industry seriously hopes to improve stope productivity it must start by measuring the basic variables in existing systems. Elaborating somewhat on the previous paragraph, there also seems to be a tremendous gap between the present study-and its predecessors-and the prospect of gainfully using the information so carefully garnered by the authors. It would be reassuring to hear from the authors that their work on the physiological aspects is being integrated in some master plan for increasing productivity of manual labour. This I fear is not the case, and if productivity has changed at all in recent years I would hazard a guess that the change has been brought about by random factors rather than by systematic engineering design. The Human Sciences Laboratory has worked extensively in stopes in the past, and possibly the time has come when it should widen the ambit of its operations to include engineering-type analyses of cleaning systems, with particular emphasis on the economics of rapid cleaning by manual labour. Perhaps experiments could be conducted with stakhanovite-type gangs consisting of men selected for their high maximum oxygen intake and superior motivation; these men might be offered special incentives in the shape of extra pay

Jan 10, 1969

By J. O. Jensen

A method is described for the determination of cyanide in gold slurries, based on amperometry. The measured current is proportional to the concentration of cyanide, and is not effected by pH or by the concentration of oxygen in solution. It is also unaffected by other ions that may be present in gold-leaching solutions, including sulphide, thiocyanate, and thiosulphate. The current depends on the temperature, and an activation energy of 17,9 kJ/mol was determined Since the current is controlled by the mass transfer of cyanide to the anode, it depends on the conditions of agitation. In tests on an operational gold plant, slurry was pumped directly from the top of the leaching tank, through the measuring cell and back into the tank. The results indicate that the instrument is a promising alternative to the instruments currently available. The readings from the instrument remained in calibration for at least two days, showing that the instrument would need to be re-calibrated by the operating staff at regular periods.

Jan 1, 1994

By T. G. Maepa

"The creation of mine excavations alters the stress distribution in the surrounding rock mass. In modern mining, resin-grouted rockbolts are used as a means of support in order to redistribute stresses and reestablish equilibrium in the rock mass. The success of resin-grouted rockbolting depends on the design of the system and the correct installation of the support units.The support design and rockbolt installation procedure at a platinum mine in the Bushveld Complex were investigated. A number of issues that resulted in poor installation were identified, including resin admixture, incorrect length and orientation of support holes, over- or under-spinning of the resin, and incorrect rockbolt tensioning. The support design used at the mine was reviewed and its limitations identified. A number of recommendations were made for optimizing the support design by reducing the diameter of the drill bit and reducing the length of the support holes. These changes will enable the mine to use different combinations of resin capsules. Implementation of the proposed changes will lead to a significant reduction in the cost of installation per support hole, as well as improve productivity and safety.IntroductionThe creation of any mine excavation disturbs the virgin state of stress in the Earth’s crust. This results in stress concentrations that interfere with the stability of the rock mass surrounding the excavation. It is essential to modify the internal behaviour of the rock mass surrounding excavations in order to reinforce the ground and stabilize excavations. Resin-grouted rockbolts are extensively used for this purpose. Esterhuizen (2014) stated that when effectively installed, the rockbolt exerts a clamping force and a bonding strength that keeps the rock mass together. This increases the cohesive strength of all discontinuities in the rock mass and enhances the stability of the excavation. Poorly designed and installed ground support is ineffective and constitutes a safety hazard. It is therefore crucial for every mine to ensure that any form of ground support is designed and installed correctly. This research evaluates the installation of resign-grouted rockbolts and identifies challenges and solutions for improved safety as observed at an operating hard rock mine. The support design used at the mine was reviewed and the design parameters optimized. The outcomes will enhance the efficiency of support and minimize the costs associated with the installation of resingrouted rockbolts."

Jan 1, 2017

A banquet, attended by 467 members and visitors, was held at the Wanderers Club, Johannesburg, at 8 p.m. on Friday, 21st March, 1969, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the Institute. Introduction of Dr Carel de Wet R. C. J. Goode (President) Dames en here: Ons het 'n aantal vooraanstaande gaste in ons midde vanaand en mnr Maxwell sal u later meer van hulle vertel. Dit is my aangename plig om u voor te stel aan sy Edele, die Minister van Mynwese, van Beplanning, en van Gesondheid, Dr de Wet en sy gade, mev de Wet. Sy Edele Dr de Wet het geen bekendstelling nodig nie-alhoewel hy ons minister vir slegs die afgelope twee jaar is, het hy reeds talle funksies van ons Mynbedryf bygewoon en het baie vriende gemaak onder ons. Hy het homself baie bemind onder ons gemaak toe hy Wes-Driefontein onlangs besoek het om hulle ondersteuning en aanmoediging aan te bied in hulle uur van nood. The Honourable Dr de Wet was born in the Free State. He is a grandson of that very famous general Christiaan de Wet, who caused so much pain to the British forces and for so many months so successfully eluded them in the Transvaal and Orange Free State. He was educated at both the Pretoria and Witwatersrand Universities. He first practised medicine at Boksburg and then moved to Vanderbijlpark, so you see he has an early association with gold mining on the Witwatersrand, and in moving to the Vereeniging-Vanderbijlpark district he became closely involved in our coal mining and metallurgical industries. South Africa's first steel was poured from a l0-ton open hearth furnace belonging to the Union Steel Corporation in Vereeniging in 1913. Dr de Wet has been mayor of Vanderbijlpark and for several years has been their member of parliament. More recently, the Honourable Dr de Wet has filled with great honour that most important office of Ambassador for the Republic of South Africa in London. At present he wears two hats, in that he is Minister of Planning and of Health, but more important is his cloak, that of Minister of Mines, which I trust offers him the greatest comfort. To fulfill these three arduous tasks must demand of him a terrific devotion to duty, and in doing this he carries on that loyal tradition of service to his fatherland so evident in his grandfather. Dames en here, dit is vir my 'n groot genoeë om Sy Edele Dr de Wette vra om 'n heildronk in te stel op die Instituut vir Mynwese en Metallurgie. Toast to the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Dr the Honourable C. de Wet (Minister of Mines): Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr President you have introduced me gracefully to this distinguished company and I am appreciative of your remarks. I am fully conscious of the responsibilities that devolve upon me as Minister of Mines in a country where mining makes so vital a contribution to economic progress and development and has, in fact, laid much of the foundation on which our present proud edifice is built. The achievements of the mining and metallurgical industry in its diversified activities arouse feelings equivalent to paternal pride, but let me speedily add that in considering any family relationship that may exist, the Minister of Mines should not be regarded in the role either of a fairy godmother or an indulgent father.

By D. Clement

A comparison between hydraulic and pneumatic rockdrills by D. CLEMENT The regulation of compressed-air reticulation systems is very poor compared with that of electrical systems; this means that electrohydraulic rockdrill systems offer greater flexibility, additional power being readily available at the working face. Hydrometallurgy A new journal devoted to all aspects of the aqueous processing of metals is scheduled to appear this year. Entitled Hydrometallurgy, the journal will be published in quarterly issues, one volume per year. Mineral dressing Contributions are invited for the Symposium on Recent Progress in Mineral Dressing in South Africa, which is to be arranged jointly by the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the National Institute for Metallurgy. Mineraalbereiding Bydraes word verlang tot die Simposium oor Onlangse Vordering met Mineraalbereiding in Suid-Afrika wat gesamentlik deur die Suid- Afrikaanse Instituut vir Mynbou en Metallurgie en die Nasionale Instituut vir Metallurgie gereel gaan word. Rock mechanics The Sixteenth Symposium on Rock Mechanics is to be held at the University of Minnesota from 22nd to 24th September, 1975. The Symposium is the official Symposium for 1975 of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (I.S.R.M.), and the Council for I.S.R.M., consisting of members from 25 countries, will meet during the Symposium. Powder metallurgy The annual meeting on powder metallurgy organized by The Metals Society is this year to be held at the Stratford Hilton Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon (the notification did not include the date of the meeting). Vacation School The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy has great pleasure in announcing its intention of holding a vacation school on the topic of electric-furnace melting. NIM reports Report no. 1681 The determination of sulphur and phosphorus in chromite. Report no. 1687 The viscosities and electrical conductivities of slags associated with the production of high-carbon ferromanganese alloys.

Jan 3, 1975

To be held from the 9th to 14th April, 1972, in Johannesburg, South Africa. GENERAL INFORMATION The first symposium in the series was staged by the University of Arizona in 1961. Since then Stanford University, Colorado School of Mines, Pennsylvania State University and the Society of Mining Engineers of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers have acted together with the University of Arizona as co-sponsors of the series. The 9th Symposium in 1970 was sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy together with McGill University and Ecole Poly technique in Montreal. The 10th Symposium, the first to be held outside the North American continent, is being organised by the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the South African Council for Automation and Computation) in close collaboration with the previous co-sponsors. OBJECTIVES Mineral ventures increase in scale and complexity. The planning and control of these projects requires more and more sophisticated techniques. The intention of the symposium is to pool and exchange experience and knowledge and also to discuss new and potential developments. The papers presented in the main sessions, which will extend over one week, will together indicate progress which has been made in the successful application of operations research, mathematical, statistical and computer methods in each of the various aspects of operation in the mineral industry. A coherent account will be developed by consideration, in consecutive sessions, of the stages through which mineral prospects evolve in the course of their life. Primary aims are thus to stimulate discussion in depth of previous applications, to highlight current trends and to provide guidelines for future developments. PARTICIPATION The intention is to bring together persons responsible for managing the various operations in the mineral industry and the workers engaged in the development of mathematical and computer methods relevant thereto. SYMPOSIUM TOPICS 1. Market Analysis-demand and supply trends, models of mineral markets, price prediction. 2. Exploration and ore reserve estimation--exploration strategies, choice of drilling and sampling patterns, quantification of geological information, geo-statistical analysis, ore reserve assessment. Storage and retrieval of associated data. 3. Project design and analysis-influence on viability and risk of capitalisation, scale and method of operation, processing, uncertainties in design premises. 4. Planning of operation-planning and scheduling of construction, of development and of depletion of ore reserves. Logistics, rock mechanics and ventilation. 5. Control of operations-financial, production, cost and quality control as applied to both mining and processing. Flow and processing of relevant information. CALL FOR PAPERS An invitation is extended to intending authors to submit a synopsis, in 200 to 300 words, of papers which would develop the themes outlined above. The Programme Sub-Committee will choose, on the basis of these synopses, some 20 to 30 authors who will be invited to submit papers. Selection will be aimed at the provision of a coherent structure. Other authors may be invited to submit short papers either as contributions to the primary papers or for brief discussion in ancillary sessions which will be scheduled to follow on the main sessions. The official language of the symposium will be English. DEADLINES Prospective authors must submit synopses of papers by ............end April, 1971 Authors will be informed of results of selection of papers by . . . . . . . end June, 1971 Manuscripts will have to be in the hands of the Editors by . . . . . . . . . end October, 1971 PRE-PRINTS Papers selected for presentation in the main sessions will all be pre-printed and distributed prior to the symposium. As many as possible of the shorter papers and prepared contributions will also be pre-printed. PROCEEDINGS All of the main and ancillary papers together with edited discussion will be published shortly after the symposium in a single volume. TOURS AND VISITS A choice of visits to relevant local undertakings on a day during the course of the symposium will be available to participants. These will include a deep level gold mine. A tour which will include mineral projects of interest and the Kruger National Game Park will be arranged in the week following the symposium. LADIES' PROGRAMME Arrangements will be made for the reception and entertainment of ladies. ACCOMMODATION Accommodation will be available at hotels convenient to the symposium venue. The cost of reasonable hotel accommodation in Johannesburg is in the range R5 to RIO (7 to 14 U.S. dollars) per person per night. All reservations and associated arrangements may be made through agents to be appointed by the organisers in due course. FEES AND COSTS Symposium fees will not exceed R70 (100 U.S. dollars). These will include registration, one copy of the published proceedings, a set of pre-prints of the main papers, teas and lunches during the course of the symposium, and the various official social events as well as the mid-week visits. Accommodation, travel and post-symposium tour charges are not included in this figure. FURTHER INFORMATION All communications should be addressed to: The Secretary, South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Kelvin House, Hollard Street, Johannesburg, South Africa.

By S. Chai

Waste dumps are widely used to discharge stripped mine wastes in open pit mining methods. As mining progresses, the height of the waste dumps will increase gradually, which may induce sliding failure once the height exceeds a critical value. Therefore, estimation of the maximum dumping height is crucial to the life-cycle use of a waste dump. However, published information about the maximum height of mine waste dumps are extremely rare. In this study, the maximum dumping height is estimated based on the strength-reduction technique by numerical simulations. The influences of dump geometry and properties on the maximum height are investigated. The results show that the maximum dump height decreases as the dump slope inclination angle α or the unit weight of dump materials γ increases, but decreases when the shear parameters of dump materials (cohesion c and internal friction angle ϕ) increase. The maximum height starts to increase with the ground inclination β when shear failure occurs at the interface between the dump and the base. Furthermore the effects of the dump width B, Young’s modulus E, and Poisson’s ratio μ of dump materials on the maximum height are almost insignificant. Good agreement was found between numerical results available in the literature and those obtained in this study.

Oct 1, 2022

By J. Uys, P. J. Mokganya, J. Olwagen, R. C. W. Webber-Youngman

This article discusses the critical role of leadership in the technology adoption process within organizations, particularly in industries like mining, where innovation is essential for maintaining competitiveness and operational efficiency. It highlights the limitations of traditional technology adoption models, such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovations (DOI), and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), which focus on individual factors and overlook the strategic and organizational roles of leadership. The study proposes the Ambidextrous Leadership-Technology Adoption (ALTA) model, which integrates leadership styles such as transformational, transactional, adaptive, and ambidextrous leadership into the technology adoption process. The model emphasizes the balance between exploration (fostering innovation) and exploitation (ensuring operational efficiency). The findings suggest that transformational leadership fosters innovation by encouraging risk-taking and creativity, while transactional leadership ensures efficient technology integration. The article also identifies key barriers to technology adoption, such as organizational resistance to change, which can be mitigated through adaptive leadership that addresses employee concerns. The research emphasizes the importance of a supportive organizational culture and cross-functional collaboration, which are essential for successful technology adoption. The study concludes by offering practical recommendations for leaders to foster a culture of innovation, manage resistance, and balance short-term efficiency with long-term technological advancement.

Nov 27, 2024

By D. R. Arnold

Discussion of the above paper by D. R. ARNOLDt This paper is the result of an excellent piece of work performed as a service to hyUrometallurgy in general and to the South African uranium industry in particular, and the authors are to be congratulated, Authors' reply Dr Arnold is correct in saying that the present Senbrix resins, which are based on the experimental heavy resins first developed at the National Institute for Metallurgy (NIM), need not necessarily show the same poor performance with respect to cobalt poisoning as the NIM prototypes. Oceanology International The next 01 World Conference is to be held Brighton, England, from 2nd to 7th March, 1980. The programme will concern technical advances in the offshore oil and gas industries, and is expected to include 140 papers from 20 countries.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. Von Michaelis

The world is rapidly becoming more ?green? i.e. energy conscious. Since mining and mineral processing are massive energy users, the mining industry is seeking ways to reduce its energy footprint. In mining and mineral processing operations, energy is often the most expensive cost item. Comminution, i.e. grinding, is frequently the most energy-intensive step between mine and metal. High pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) are being installed in a rapidly growing number of ?hard rock? mineral processing operations. In the energy conscious cement industry, HPGR grinding has been standard practice for decades. HPGR is known to be energy-efficient; the question is how energy efficient? How can the energy efficiency of HPGR be enhanced? This paper reviews recent HPGR applications for the processing particularly of copper, gold, platinum, PGM-Ni-Cu and iron ores. HPGR technology is discussed with respect to energy efficiency. The harder the ore the greater the energy savings are likely to be. Typical energy savings of 10?20% can be expected when installing HPGR vs. a SAG mill. Wipf(2005) showed why conventional Bond Work index tests on HPGR product is likely to under-estimate the energy savings that can be achieved by installing HPGR. Energy efficiency of HPGR is, however, ore-specific. The biggest energy savings of HPGR tested thus far is 9.5 kWh/tonne claimed for Vista Gold?s Mt. Todd gold ore from Western Australia, a savings of over one-third of conventional SABC comminution energy. Several commercial scale iron-ore pellet feed plants install HPGR for fine-grinding of concentrate to increase the surface area of pellet feed in a manner that reduces overall energy consumption. Energy-consumption in comminution is, however, only part of the energy savings benefit story. HPGR typically also reduces the amount of steel lost through wear of mill liners and media. Marsden(2008) showed that when the energy that would have been consumed to produce the steel that is saved by applying HPGR is factored in, then the overall energy savings of HPGR is considerably greater. Johnson et al.(1988, 2005) tested HPGR in a flowsheet in which energy savings of around 50% can be expected if HPGR product screen oversize is recirculated to the HPGR. Innovative flowsheets have been proposed by Rule et al.(2008) and by Morley (2008) which are expected to result in significantly increased energy savings. HPGR applied in flowsheets in conjunction with coarse ore separation devices, e.g. ore sorting or DMS to remove barren waste from HPGR feed promises significantly greater energy efficiencies. Fine-grinding and ultra-fine grinding of ore or concentrates in conventional ball mills results in energy consumptions that increase exponentially with product fineness. Wipf (2009) presented a flowsheet in which he proposed the installation of HPGR ahead of the Aerosion ?Disintegrator? for ultra-fine grinding of ores and/or concentrates. This dry grinding arrangement is expected to achieve ap80 = 7 µm using up to 100 kWh/t less energy than could be achieved by wet ball milling. Using conventional comminution, an ore might require grinding to p80 = 45µm (? 325 mesh), for example, to liberate the valuable components, e.g. magnetite, from gangue, e.g. silica. Inter-particle comminution in HPGR may break some ores along grain boundaries thereby liberating valuable minerals from gangue at a much coarser particle sizes. Early magnetic separation rejection of silica gangue liberated from magnetite by HPGR at coarser grain sizes could further reduce downstream comminution energy consumption.

Jan 1, 2009

By J. M. Eriksen, T. Rosenqvist, H. Elstad, S. Seim, A. Hildal

The titanium industry demands high titanium feedstock for their processes. As rutile resources are limited, ilmenite has become the most important titanium source. Ilmenite smelting is an important part of upgrading ilmenite to high titanium feedstock. In the year 2005, upgrading of ilmenite by smelting, producing a slag with 80-90% Ti02, accounted for approximately 40% of the feedstock to the Ti02 pigment industry. In ilmenite smelting molten iron is produced together with a slag, which in addition to titanium oxide contains iron oxide as well as various impurity oxides of manganese, magnesium, silicon, aluminium, etc. Titanium is present mainly as Ti02 but partly also as Ti203. It is known that the concentration of Ti203 increases with decreasing concentration of FeO, but this dependency is affected by the nature of the impurity oxides. Sigurdson and Moore1 showed that slags high in CaO and MgO had a lower concentration of Ti203 than slags high in Si02 for the same amount of FeO. Pistorius2 showed in 2002 that if the impurity oxides MnO and MgO are counted, on a molar basis, as FeO, and Cr203, V203 and part of the A1203*), as Ti203, industrial slags will have a composition close to that of the M305 phase, where M denotes the elements Ti, Fe, Mn, etc, and which has the pseudobrookite structure. However, for equilibrium with liquid metallic iron he computed, by means of a computer program FACT, that the slag equilibrium composition is represented by a curved line in the ternary phase diagram FeTi03-TiO2-Ti2O3, but with a significantly higher concentration of trivalent titanium than actually observed in the industrial slags, and he discussed various mechanisms by which the slag during solidification could change its composition to a lower Ti203 content, but the possibility that the computed compositions might be wrong was not mentioned. Trane113 found in her research on titaniferous silicate slags a lower Ti3+/ Ti4+ ratio than that which is computed by the FACT program. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the equilibrium composition of Fe-Ti-O slag in equilibrium with liquid metallic iron, as well as the effects of impurities such as Si02, CaO and MgO on the slag composition. Industrial slags from TINFOS Titan and Iron KS (TTI) will also be discussed and their compositions will be plotted in the ternary phase diagram. These are slags produced from Tellnes ilmenite, quite high in magnesium and iron. Experimental In the past, equilibrium studies of the Fe-Ti-O slag system were difficult when it came to producing the slag. It was difficult to find a suitable crucible for the meltings. The highly corrosive slag would attack all known refractories, and the metal would attack metallic crucibles such as those made of platinum and molybdenum. In the present investigations the slag-metal combination was prepared in a high-frequency induction furnace with a vertically segmented water-cooled copper crucible. The crucible is shown in Figures 1 a and 1b. It was designed by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) with power from a 75 kVA high-frequency generator (750 kHz) supplied by Farfield Electronics Pty, Ltd, Australia. This enabled the slag-metal combination to be melted with turbulent stirring and is expected to be isothermal. The entire temperature gradient

Jan 1, 2007

By L. Gutierrez, R. Yepsena

Enargite in porphyry copper deposits is an important mineral as it displays good floatability under the presence of the collectors usually used in the flotation of copper sulfides. As a result, copper concentrates grades are reduced. As scarcity of water resources is a problem relevant to Chilean mining, the use of seawater is a feasible solution. The behaviour of copper sulfides and molybdenite in the process of flotation in seawater was previously studied but not for enargite. The objective of this research is to study the behaviour of the enargite in different conditions of electrochemical potential during the process of flotation using seawater. The study was carried through micro-flotation tests using pure samples of enargite, at Eh values ranging from -300 to 500 mV(SHE), both in seawater and aqueous solutions containing calcium and magnesium. The results show that at pH 10.5 in seawater, the enargite and chalcopyrite recoveries are reduced throughout the whole range of Eh studied. At pH 9 in seawater, enargite and chalcopyrite are depressed under reducing and slightly oxidising conditions. The recovery of both minerals drastically decreases at Eh values lower than -100 mV and greater than 400 mV. The behaviour of enargite in seawater flotation differs from that observed in conventional water, since in the latter case the recovery of enargite decreases at higher potentials close to 500 mV. Keywords: Enargite, flotation, seawater, redox potential

Jan 1, 2020

By J. Petersen, S. W. Robertson

Heap leaching is used extensively for the processing of low-grade copper, gold, and uranium ores. The hydrodynamics is often the most important factor that limits the rate of metal recovery. Over the past decades the author has performed physical and hydraulic testing of a large number of ore samples considered for heap leaching. The data were reviewed to investigate the effect of physical properties such as particle size distribution (PSD) and bulk density on the hydrology. The unsaturated flow through the bed is traditionally modelled with soil science models such as Brooks-Corey (BC) and Van Genuchten-Mualem (VGM), which relate the hydraulic conductivity to the degree of saturation, also known as the hydraulic conductivity function (HCF). However, most authors found a disconnect between the saturated hydraulic conductivity (KS) and the rest of the HCF, which is explained as resulting from a transition from capillary-to gravity-controlled flow. However, the author found no such transition, and found the flow to be governed by capillary flow throughout. Traditional BC or VGM fits were found to be appropriate, however it was necessary to modify the model to include a point of inflection, above which the hydraulic conductivity remains constant while the moisture content keeps on increasing. It was proposed that this is the result of unconnected or poorly connected pores, which fill with solution but do not create additional flow channels. The point of discontinuity was also found to correspond with the air entry point, measured independently from the air conductivity curves. On average, the air entry point corresponds to the experiential rule that the void saturation should remain below 65% for aerated heaps.

Dec 11, 2024

By B. Emwanu, R. A. Raju

The implementation of new technology in mining can be likened to a paradoxical situation or dilemma, where, on one hand, major mining projects are not able to solicit investor funding unless it is proven that the business cases were developed using tried and tested mining methods. On the other hand, new and innovative mining technology and mining methods need first to demonstrate and prove themselves under real production conditions over a reasonable period before they can be considered bankable feasibility studies in the mining industry. This dilemma locks new mining technology investments in a continuous cycle of underinvestment. Technological innovations are particularly relevant to the mining industry, which deals with the challenges of depleting access to resources, requiring new solutions to remain sustainable and competitive. In the last decade, the mining industry has come to realise that technological innovations can directly contribute to its sustained competitive advantage (Sanchez, Hartlieb, 2020), helping to reduce costs, lessen environmental impact, increase production, and improve mineral recovery. While understanding barriers and drivers for technology adoption is important for the success of technology implementation efforts and the sustainability of the mining sector (Muduli et al., 2013), this paper suggests strategies to exit the dilemma, proposing a preliminary framework.

Oct 24, 2025

By S. Fazluddin, K. C. Sole, M. R. Serwale, T. Coetsee

The CSIR-Ti process employs lithiothermic reduction of titanium tetrachloride feedstock to produce titanium sponge. The product is therefore contaminated by a range of lithium and chloride species. In this study we examine the effects of particle size, temperature, and HCl concentration as input leaching variables on the removal of chlorides from the crude titanium sponge. A review of the aqueous chloride chemistry of Li and Ti provided initial conditions for leaching of impurity species from the sponge. Experimental results confirm that the effectiveness of leaching and removal of dissolved impurities from the sponge are dependent on leaching kinetics, which are influenced by temperature, particle size, and morphology. Of the variables tested, reaction temperature had the strongest influence on the oxygen content of the leached product. The HCl lixiviant concentration had a negligible effect under the conditions tested. Leaching of crude titanium sponge (−10 mm size fraction after crushing) at 14°C in either 1 M or 0.032 M HCl yielded a titanium sponge product that met the ASTM standard specification for commercially pure Grade 1 titanium, i.e., oxygen content < 0.18 mass% and chloride content < 0.15 mass%.

Dec 13, 2022