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By J Bassan

The mining industry is faced with imperatives to improve worker safety and productivity, adapt to skills shortages, high worker turnover rates, and provide more effective maintenance to new and ever more complicated plant and equipment. While more effective use of data combined with advanced analytics offers opportunities for improvement, providing this information to the worker in the field, in real-time, has proven expensive, cumbersome and ineffective. New capabilities are now emerging which address some of the limitations experienced to date. Augmented reality (AR) provides a means to overlay interactive digital information on top of the physical world. Combining the latest visual display, mobile computing and ‘track and trace’ technologies, AR provides an experience similar to a heads-up display in a fighter jet through small, personnel devices, such as smart phones or wearable glasses. Applying AR would allow a mobile worker to ‘see’ all relevant information for a given task, in the context of their physical environment and at the time they require it. The technologies behind AR are rapidly maturing and becoming available at a price point that is viable for commercial applications. It is anticipated that AR will become ubiquitous at a consumer level within the next five years. The specific challenges faced by the mining industry make it an ideal early adopter of AR technologies. This paper examines a number of use-cases of how AR can be applied to the mining industry and the benefits that can be realised. The paper will identify areas of further work and viable opportunities for immediate adoption within the industry.

Nov 22, 2011

By Adusumilli M. S, Subrahmanyam T. V, Rao V. D

Chance find of an economically important mineral on the sur- face and its exploitation without proper exploration work, has become the habit of humanity since the Bronze Age. The explora- tion and exploitation techniques have, however, been substan- tially improved in the technologically developed western world and system controlled major communist countries. Nevertheless, the greatest need is felt in the Third World countries where large mineral potential exists, but with inadequate investments in exploration and exploitation techniques, a handicap that has been beneficial to the more developed countries, since long. The great number of the Third World countries which are striv- ing hard to develop, need to formulate mineral exploration and exploitation strategies which could enable them to develop their resources. This requires planning and creating new concepts of ore deposit types and genetic models, rheology, economics and their innovation and integration. The following approach could help them to be economically "more independent" by the end of this century. 1. Bridging of pure and applied geology gap, and creating con- sciousness of research and development. 2. Revision of mineral resources concepts adopted to modern technological world. 3. Improved mineralogical research, and determinative miner- alogy as an important asset. 4. Creative research and establishing know-how, with philosophical base for regional exploration projects. 5. Indepth investigation into the origin and growth of earth as a system, and its importance in the association, quality, and quantity of metallic, non-metallic and energy resources con- centrations. 6. Mineral beneficiation, targets and strateties; methods of eco- nomic and improved recovery systems. Development of alter- native technology, and utilization of mineral technology strategies. 7. Theoretical and practical modelling by conventional and com- puter techniques of the existing and expected mineral resources, and mineral development. 8. Critical analysis of the status of mineral economics of the Third World and developed world with forecasts for the year 2000 based on problems faced by the developing world. 9. Minerals at cross roads of International Interdependence. 10. Philosophical, realistic, traditional and modern strategies for mineral development. The dynamic economic system opera- tion in national mineral sector.

Jan 1, 1988

This paper outlines mining practice in the South Alligator valley between 1954 and 1964. The valley is situated in the Northern Territory 130 miles south east of Darwin and trends north west. The centrally located El Sherana camp is 219 miles by road from Darwin via Pine Creek on the Stuart Highway. 64 miles of gravelled road with low level bridges and culverts which were completed in 1959, connect Pine Creek with El Sherana. This road is often impassable during severe wet season conditions. Earliest recorded production was during the years 1956-57 from the El Sherana and Palette miles, by shallow open cut and cut and fill stoping from small shafts. 4600 tons of high grade ore was processed by hand sorting of massive pitchblende followed by gravity concentra- tion. At the same time 627 tons of ore was won from a small open cut at Sliesbeck 35 miles SE of El Sherana. The second and most important phase of production was to fill two small contracts with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (U.K.A.E.A.) totalling 700 tons of U 08. About 144,000 tons of ore was mined from widely separated smal' orebodies and mining practice varied from small open cuts to gloryholes, open stoping and cut and fill stoping. In some orebodies a combination of several methods was employed to complete production. Final deliveries were made to the U.K.A.E.A. In 1964.

Jan 1, 1968

By D J. Alchin

Most of South AfricaÆs high-grade iron ore resources are hosted within a fault-controlled structural basin in rocks of the Palaeoproterozoic Transvaal Supergroup in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Iron mineralisation occurs as individual orebodies in fault-bounded basins or as fold-controlled concordant lenses around an unconformity plane above the Kuruman Banded Iron Formation. The Sishen mine near Kathu and the beeshoek mine and Sishen South deposit near Postmasburg lie on the northern and southern border of a major domal structure known as the Maremane dome, respectively. The effects and structural constraints of at least three orogenic compressive episodes and several intermittent extensional episodes on the formation, erosion and preservation of iron mineralisation on the Maremane dome and surrounding environs were investigated. Ventersdorp impactogenal rift basin development at ~2.78 - 2.64 Ga, finalised with the deposition of the volcano-sedimentary Vryburg Formation during the thermal subsidence stage at ~2.64 - 2.6 Ga, and was followed by tectonic quiescence/stability and an extensive marine transgression across the entire Kaapvaal craton. The drowning event led to the formation of a carbonate platform with the deposition of the Schmidtsdrif and Campbellrand subgroups conformably above the Vryburg Formation at ~2.6 - 2.52 Ga. The initiation of distal (to the west of the Kaapvaal craton) off-craton oceanic rifting, causing submarine volcanism and associated hydrothermal activity, led to the deposition of initially manganiferous chert (Wolhaarkop Formation) followed by banded ironstone formations (Manganore Iron/Kuruman Formation) of the Asbestos Hill Subgroup at ~2.52 - 2.46 Ga. Initial passive margin rifting along the N-S oriented western edge of the Kaapvaal craton, initiated at the end of Ghaap Group time (during Koegas Subgroup deposition) at ~2.46 - 2.35 Ga, formed a prominent system of N-S striking, westerly dipping normal faults. Easterly directed crustal compression in post-Ghaap Group time in response to the Kalahari Orogeny (accretion of Rehoboth craton along western edge (Kalahari suture zone) of the Kaapvaal craton at ~2.35 - 2.24 Ma led to the formation of large-scale regional, N-trending F1-folds. Partial to complete inversion of the Koegas passive margin rift system (ie reverse dip-slip reactivation of the N-S striking normal fault system to high-angle reverse faults and dextral strike-slip reactivation of the Ventersdorp rift system developed in the Archaean basement), was followed by uplift, erosion and formation of a regional angular unconformity (Postmasburg unconformity). Uplift was accompanied by deposition of fluvio-glacial sediments of the Makganyene Formation (Lower Postmasburg Group) within an intracratonic peripheral foreland basin setting unconformable above Ghaap Group strata at ~2.35 - 2.24 Ga. Post-orogenic crustal relaxation and rifting caused extensional reactivation of the N-trending Palaeoproterozoic passive margin rift system and NE-trending Neoarchaean Ventersdorp impactogenal rift system, forming a fault-controlled depository for the volcano-sedimentary Upper Postmasburg Group at ~2.24 - 2.1 Ga. Deceleration in rifting was succeeded by thermal subsidence of the Upper Postmasburg Group rift, erosion, formation of a regional angular unconformity and deposition of clastic sediments of the Lower Olifantshoek Supergroup unconformable above Postmasburg Group strata at ~2.1 - 1.93 Ga. Renewed rifting led to the deposition of volcano-sedimentary units of the Upper Olifantshoek Supergroup within a rift system superimposed on the Postmasburg Group rift depository at ~1.93 - 1.83 Ga. Easterly directed crustal compression during the Kheis Orogeny at ~1.83 - 1.73 Ga led to renewed inversion of rift structures of the Postmasburg Group and Olifantshoek Supergroup depository, N-trending F2 folding and thin-skinned thrusting of older rock units eastwards over the cratonic cover, thereby utilising planes of weakness in the strata such as prominent unconformities and lithological contrast boundaries as principal dTcollements. NNW-directed crustal compression in response to Lomanian (Namaqua-Natal) Orogeny at ~1.15 - 1.0 G along the southern margin of the Kaapvaal craton, resulted in minor sinistral strike-slip reactivation of the N-S striking fault system, the formation of extensional NNW-SSE striking fracture/fault zones and the development of ENE-trending F3 folds forming a F2/F3 fold interference pattern. Post-Lomanian tectonic events (eg the Pan-African Orogeny at ~650 - 500 Ma, the Cape Orogeny at ~310 - 240 Ma, and the Gondwana breakup at 205 - 120 Ma), caused only comparatively minor extensional reactivation of the pre-existing fault systems. Iron mineralisation was ultimately preserved from erosion by Kheis Orogeny-related N-trending F2 synclines and Lomanian Orogeny-related ENE-trending F3 synclines, in particular areas of interference between F2 and F3 synclines representing comparatively deep semi-circular trough- like depressions, as well as in half grabens formed adjacent to reactivated westerly dipping N-S normal faults. Support for relating the iron and manganese mineralisation to structurally controlled hydrothermal fluid flow during the Kheis orogenic event has also been found, and ongoing research is aimed at confirming and refining the hydrothermal model for iron ore mineralisation in the Northern Cape.

Jan 1, 2007

By X Feng, X Zhang, W Sun, Y Zhe, K Hou, B Zhao, H Liu

Pulang Copper Mine, being China's largest newly built mine using block caving, boasts an annual production capacity of 12.5 million tons. Production level and roadway stability hold the key to the successful application of block caving. However, with Tong Kuangyu being the only mine in China which has applied such a method, we currently lack relevant experience in the successful application of the method. This paper has studied the influence of different rock mass zonings, fault thickness, fault dip angles, on-site construction quality on the production level, roadway stability of block caving through numerical simulation and analysed the roadway stability in different kinds of support solutions so as to ensure the successful application of block caving in Pulang Copper Mine. The results have shown that the existing support method in Pulang Copper Mine can meet the requirement of roadway support in zone II and III, but could not satisfy the demand in terms of support strength in the relatively fragmented zone I area. When roadway passes through the fault, the deformation of surrounding rock and plastic zone of roadway will gradually decrease with the increase of fault dip angle; the deformation of surrounding rock and plastic zone of roadway will gradually increase with the increase of fault thickness. An ideal support effect can be achieved through the joint support of grouting and bolting when roadway passes through the fault. In the measured model of on-site construction, there is stress concentration in the intersection between the access and transverse drift of ore removal. Therefore, the stability of the roadway can be improved by improving the construction quality. CITATION:Sun, W, Hou, K, Zhang, X, Feng, X, Liu, H, Zhe, Y and Zhao, B, 2018. Research on supporting technology for production level roadways of block caving in Pulang Copper Mine, in Proceedings The Fourth Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference (AusRock), pp 95–106 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 30, 2018

By N Clarke, A Barros

Preconcentration of run-of-mine subgrade and marginal ore by screening has the potential to substantially improve the economics of mining, particularly for large, low-grade orebodies, and to reduce environmental impacts. It has recently been the subject of a major research effort by a joint public-private research body, CRCORE. Yet despite this, there appears to have been only one fully commercial installation, at Bougainville Copper Limited in the late 1980s. Two reasons for the limited application are that not all ores have suitable properties and the economics of all pre-concentration processes on low-grade materials are highly sensitive to the precise balance of mass and value recovery and to the pre-concentration process cost, including materials handling. These factors make it imperative to have good test data on the process response of feedstock across the orebody. Collecting that data presents major challenges, which differ for green and brownfields operations. This paper first discusses the approach to preliminary evaluation developed by CRCORE, which relies on testing of coarse rejects or drill chips available from exploration drilling programs. This method is an efficient first step in evaluating an orebody which is deemed geologically to be potentially amenable to screen upgrading, but it does have limitations and must be followed by larger scale work. A suite of methods have been developed by the authors as a result of test work since the 1990s on several projects, supplemented by published data, which aim to provide statistically robust data at lower cost than large scale bulk sampling tests. For greenfields projects, the upgrade response measured on material crushed to -53 mm has been found to correlate closely with ROM ore, with no scale-up required for material with upgrade responses in the range of commercial interest. Large diameter whole drill core, such as PQ, is expected to be suitable for this method. As drilling such core is costly, the aim should be to establish relationships between upgrade performance and proxy measurements such as multi-element chemical or hyperspectral analyses. This approach was successful at the Gramalote gold project in Colombia. The method is not applicable for ores with thick vein material comparable with the crush size, but such material is not suitable for upgrading by screening and would be eliminated by the preliminary testing. For brownfields projects where blasted material can be sampled, the upgrade response can be accurately measured by sampling only the finer fraction of the ore, selecting a top size which represents 30–50 per cent or more of the ROM size distribution. This is likely to be between 50 and 100 mm. The much finer size compared with the full ROM ore greatly reduces the sample mass required to achieve a given intrinsic sampling error and enables sample preparation to be undertaken with large-scale laboratory equipment rather than mobile crushing plant. The accuracy of the method can be improved by measuring the approximate mass of oversize rejected during sampling. Some ores do show a systematic deviation from the assumed model fit which results in this method slightly underestimating the upgrade response, and it would therefore still be recommended to take one or two full bulk samples to confirm results before a final investment decision.

Aug 24, 2022

By L Q. Amorim

The mining district of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero (QF) in southeastern Brazil contributes to 70 per cent of the Brazilian iron ore production, which reached 370 Mt in 2010. Traditionally, four iron ore types were mined in the QF region:1. soft haematite,2. hard haematite,3. friable ‘itabirite’ (the Brazilian name for metamorphosed banded iron formation), and4. canga (an indurated iron-rich crust).With the exception of the hard haematite, these categories derive from supergene enrichment of the Paleoproterozoic Cauê Itabirite. High current iron ore demand means that the QF high grade supergene ores will be depleted in a few decades. Consequently, several mining projects are being developed to exploit unenriched, fresh itabirite. Among them, the Mineração Usiminas Serra Azul project in northwestern QF is one of the most advanced. Four major itabirite types occur in the QF region:1. siliceous (or standard),2. dolomitic,3. amphibolitic, and4. magnetitic.The dominant type in Serra Azul region is a fresh siliceous itabirite, composed essentially of haematite, martite and quartz that averages 36 per cent Fe (51.5 per cent Fe2O3) and 47 per cent SiO2. The second type, the magnetitic itabirite, consisting of magnetite, martite, gruneritecummingtonite, quartz, dolomite, stilpnomelane, and subordinate haematite, is typically a strongly magnetic greenish banded iron formation with the iron grade varying between 25 and 35 per cent. Chemically, it differs from the siliceous itabirite due to the relatively high CaO, MgO and, consequently, high LOI contents. Together with supergene ores, fresh itabirites have been included in the ore reserves of the Serra Azul project. We anticipate that all the four types of fresh itabirite will be incorporated as ore in the QF region, causing a huge increase on the iron ore resources of the district, and representing enormous environmental and technological challenges for the local iron ore industry.

Jul 11, 2011

By R Sterk, B Reid

The Konongo Gold Project is located on the western margin of the 125 Moz Ashanti Gold Belt in Ghana, West Africa. It is situated 60 km along strike of the world-class mineral system at Obuasi and is interpreted to lie on the same controlling regional shear system.The project is operated by Signature Metals, a subsidiary of the Liongold Corporation, and is managed and funded by the Liongold Corporation.Historic underground operations at Konongo produced 1.6 Moz Au at a head grade of 11.8 g/t Au, from eight operations spread along 16 km of the shear system. Mining focused almost exclusively on free-milling gold in quartz, ignoring the gold-bearing sulfide mineralisation associated with the quartz veins. Underground mining ceased in 1986.In 2013, Signature Metals re-focused the program at Konongo to assess the viability of mining the sulfide ore sustainably. This led to the first campaign review of the historic underground data and resource potential since mine closure. The Obenemase mine was the first of the eight operations to be assessed as part of this campaign.Large amounts of legacy data have survived for Obenemase and several historic resource estimations have been completed based on these data. The data typically consisted of hand-drawn sections and plans, and ledgers of commonly incomplete drilling and sampling data. Some drill core have been lost over time, but a large amount of quarter-core and half-core as well as pulps and rejects are still available. Previous resource estimates had a low confidence value because all the available assay and geological data were integrated effectively with the estimates, resulting in a lack of understanding of both grade and geological continuity.This project built a new geological model for Obenemase that greatly enhances the understanding of the controls on mineralisation using a thorough approach of re-surveying, re-cataloguing and re-logging. This model led to an increased degree of confidence and a subsequent upgrade of resource classification, and created several previously unrecognised strong exploration targets. The resulting resource estimates increased the value of the project by 100 per cent.This paper emphasises and highlights the importance of a well-understood geological model on the confidence of a resource estimate and how this may directly impact on the project’s ‘bottom line’.CITATION:Sterk, R and Reid, B, 2014. The Konongo Gold Project, Ghana – an example of how geology makes all the difference to a resource estimate, in Proceedings Ninth International Mining Geology Conference 2014 , pp 467–476 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 18, 2014

By I D. Gregson, A S. Garcia, K M. MacAndrew

The design work undertaken by Rock Mechanics Technology (now part of Golder Associates (Golder)) has played a major part in successfully establishing mechanised room and pillar working in Indian coalmines, both for the development of new districts and for the re-establishment of old districts prior to pillar extraction on panel retreat.Golder has used appropriate design of pillars, extraction sequences and final snook sizes to minimise ground control risks during pillar extraction. Where the strata will not cave reliably, partial extraction systems leaving either a crush pillar or a substantial yield pillar have been adopted.Remote monitoring of selected pillars during the extraction process using stress cells, extensometry and convergence measurements provides confirmation of pillar behaviour and verification of designs.A new telltale device, giving a visible warning of impending caving, is now installed at all Indian pillar extraction sites and is proving very successful.CITATION:MacAndrew, K M, Garcia, A S and Gregson, I D, 2014. Coalmine pillar design and performance during mechanised pillar extraction in India, in Proceedings AusRock 2014: Third Australasian Ground Control in Mining Conference , pp 347–358 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 5, 2014

By F Weir, B Estrada

The impact of seismic loading on open pit slope stability in Australia is often only considered where the slopes are located adjacent to tailings facilities or other major infrastructure. The debate regarding application of seismic loading in open pit design in Australia is usually founded on limited reporting on significant damage of open pit operations during earthquakes, the common perception that earthquakes do not occur in Australia or that they are unlikely to occur during the mine life of the mine. It is frequently overlooked that pit slopes that have withstood strong earthquakes in highly active seismic regions are often designed under strict seismic guidelines. This paper discusses the factors that impact earthquake performance of open mine slopes. These factors include topography, slope geometry, rock material and mass properties, water management and intrinsic pit design. Further, the paper presents insights into the characteristics of earthquake activity in Australia such as magnitude distribution, earthquake depths, areas prone of earthquake activity and general seismic hazard that are relevant to pit design. Guidelines are provided on the conditions and circumstances under which earthquake design in open pit mining should be considered. In addition, this paper provides recommendation on the applicable methods for assessment of the impacts of earthquake loading on pit slope stability.

Jun 22, 2022

By P Clark, P A. Kirsch, R Tapia Rivera

Community members’ sources of information about companies’ social investments are often influenced by the messages in a variety of communication channels, such as newspapers, television and social media. In this sea of communication channels, corporate communications may not always have the desired effect in influencing community perceptions. This paper explores the efficacy of communication between mining companies and communities in Chile through content analysis of corporate sustainability reports and newspaper reporting.Chilean media reporting between 2005 and 2013 is examined to identify community perceptions of corporate social investments made by mining companies. Content within the Chilean newspapers El Mercurio (national) and Soy Chile (regional) is contrasted with content from corporate sustainability reports published by The National Copper Corporation of Chile (Codelco) and Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada (Barrick) for the same period. The objective is to identify differences in the way that corporate social investments are reported by companies in sustainable development reporting and by media in newspapers.Overall, the study demonstrates that the media’s framing and reporting of corporate activities was more negative than positive. Moreover, media outlets tended to focus upon the ‘negative impacts’ or ‘damage’ to communities brought about by mining developments. Conversely, companies’ public communications were largely focused upon direct improvements in livelihoods (health, education, etc) of neighbouring communities. This preliminary study provides a baseline for the development of new formats of effective communication with neighbouring communities. The paper advocates for an increase in participatory mechanisms with affected parties, which could lead towards a greater mutual understanding of the impacts and draw parties closer together.CITATION:Tapia Rivera, R, Kirsch, P A and Clark, P, 2014. Challenging Perceptions? Sustainability Reporting, the Media and Mining, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2014 , pp 413–426 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 16, 2014

The hydraulic backfilling of mine tailings has proven very successful at the Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota. It allows greater versatility, selectivity and safety in mining. It has also minimized surface subsidence and underground rock movement. The tight filling also eliminates underground fires. This paper explains the hydraulic backfill method used and the problems encountered by so doing.

Jan 1, 1973

By M D. Taylor, G Duclaux, K Atkinson, L A. Fisher, A R. Latham, M F. Gazley, S J. de Beer, C M. Tutt

Geological logging by mine and exploration geologists involves the application of a logging code that requires a geologist to make a subjective decision to classify a particular rock unit. This will most likely result in inconsistencies in logging that will be difficult to monitor or assess over time. A potential solution to this problem is to have an objective method to determine the true nature of a given rock unit. This can be achieved using portable X-ray fluorescence technology (pXRF), as large geochemical data sets can be collected rapidly and at low cost. Plutonic Gold Mine (Plutonic), Western Australia, has a growing data set of more than 150 000 pXRF multi-element analyses from core and underground face samples, reconciled to Au fire-assay concentration, and logging codes. This study investigates and statistically validates the consistency with which the logging codes have been applied at Plutonic for the last four years, with respect to both Au distribution and other elements. In doing so, we have developed a schema that allows objective logging to occur once core has been sent for assay and analysed by pXRF. While far from replacing the geologist in the field, this is a complementary method that adds significant value to a data set.CITATION:Gazley, M F, Tutt, C M, Latham, A R, Duclaux, G, Fisher, L A, Taylor, M D, de Beer, S J and Atkinson, K, 2013. Objective geological logging using geochemical multi-element data - Plutonic Gold Mine, Western Australia, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 455-462 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By Kesser Z, Vincze T

The Western Mining Corporation mining lease on the Bendigo Goldfield measures 5krri x 18km with more than 20 anticlinal folds parallelling th long north-south boundaries. Numerous closely spaced shafts and extensive underground workings on the reef lines along the folds flooded with groundwater following the progressive abandonment of the field. Preliminary water sampling and assessment demonstrated that a major dewatering programme and acceptable disposal methods were necessary to dewater interconnected old workings in areas of interest prior to any underground work taking place. A field wide geohydolic investigation was undertaken to establish geohydraulic parameters, groundwater recharge rates and water qualities. Data from the field investigation together with estimates of the volume geometry of the submerged workings as obtained from old mine plans, production history, and limited pump testing results were used with an appropriate analytical model to obtain estimates of water discharge rates required to reach various dewatering targets. Water disposal options were limited by relatively high salinities, arsenic levels, contained hydrogen sulphide, and the mine locations within the urban areas surrounding Bendigo. Direct disposal to the surface drainage system could not be considered, treatment to acceptable discharge standards was not economically feasible, and it was necessary to adopt a strategy of collection, containment, and evaporation.

Jan 1, 1988

The base metal ore from the hanging wall of White's orebody at Rum Jungle, N.T., is composed of copper and oth.er sulphides in a rock described as a phyllite,.which consists essentially of micaceous minerals with a little graphite.Fast selective flotation was obtained in acid circuit below pH 3·5. In neutral or alkaline circuit flotation was generally slow and selectivity very poor due to the ready flotation of part of the sericite. However, it was found that fast selective flotation could be obtained in neutral or alkaline circuit by either of two treatment methods following pre-conditioning in acid circuit; firstly by decanting or filtering a substantial part of the circuit liquor, and secondly by neutralizing with soda ash or lime, providing the collector was added before neutralizing. Otherwise pre-conditioning with acid brought about no improvement whatever.To explain this behaviour, three possible reasons for the flotation of part of the sericite are examined. There is evidence that some sericite floats because of thin films of either sulphides or graphite, but it seems likely such particles will float under all the conditions investigated.On the other hand, if it is assumed that part of the sericite floats because it is activated by metallic ions derived from the circuit water, a reasonable explanation can be given for the variations in flotation behaviour.INTRODUCTIONWhite's uranium orebody at Rum Jungle, N.T., sixty miles south of Darwin, is mined and treated by Territory Enterprises Pty. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Consolidated Zinc Pty. Ltd.), who are managers of the Rum Jungle project on behalf of the Australian Commonwealth Government.This ore contains a significant quantity of copper sulphides, and a flotation plant recovers a copper concentrate from the tailing remaining after the uranium has been extracted.In contact with the hanging wall of the uranium-copper orebody, a further mass of non-uraniferous sulphide ore occurs, and the present paper relates to the behaviour in flotation of this base metal ore.

Jan 1, 1959

By Guo-Zheng J

This paper describes the risk management strategies adopted to control unstable slopes in the east open pit of the Daye iron ore mine. Extensive experience has been developed over the last 35 years in the management of pit wall instability resulting in the successful excavation and reinforcement of pit slopes over 350 m in height.

Jan 1, 1994

By Lee H. G, Li H, Hayes P

Slag from the smelting of lead can contain up to 20 per cent zinc as an oxide. An understanding of the lead smelting process and of the subsequent fuming process for the recovery of zinc is enhanced by a knowledge of the activity coefficient behaviour of zinc oxide in smelting slags. The literature presents a wide range of contradictory values. This paper critically reviews the published data and outlines new measurements being made by the authors. A consistent set of zinc oxide activity coefficient data is presented for liquid slags within the ZnO-'FeO'-CaO-A1203-SiO2 system, through a combination of present and previous measurements.

Jan 1, 1993

By M John

The Kwinana Industrial Area (KIA) is by far the largest and most diverse industrial processing region (with supporting industries) in Western Australia. As with elsewhere in Australia (and globally), the KIA is facing sustainability challenges on various fronts, such as increasing water and energy scarcity, climate change, an aging workforce, and growing community expectations. Through the Kwinana Industries Council (KIC) the industries within Kwinana are working closely on common issues in the KIA, including the sustainable development of the region. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made by the industries towards the improvement of the sustainability performance at the company and regional level. Given the ever increasing sustainability pressures, there is strong desire to address sustainability challenges in the KIA, through a pro-active and collaborative industry approach. A sustainability roadmap is being developed to assist the KIC and its industry members with strategic decision making on the long-term sustainability of there. At the heart of the roadmap is a set of key performance indicators for each of seven priority themes or focus areas (water use, by-products produced, greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, economic performance, environment, community impacts and sustainable workforce). Aspirational targets and subsequent strategies are being developed for those activities where the KIC has an influence and can make a positive impact. The indicators and their targets enable constructive stakeholder discussions (eg with government and community) on emerging local issues and possible future directions for the KIA. The paper will report on the development process and the preliminary results of the sustainability roadmap for the KIA, including a historical perspective on milestones achieved so far and future aspirations.

Jan 1, 2009

By Jarvensivu M, Ylinen R, Jamsa-Jounela S-L

The paper presents a new integrated system for control of concentration processes. The system is based on cluster-based modelling taking the ore quality into account and a new on-line particle size analyser capable also for reliable measuring of particle size distribution of concentrate. A metallurgical precontrol audit was performed at the Hitura concentrator in order to design the control strategy of the integrated grinding and flotation control. A new analyser PSI-200, was used to the measurement and control of the distribution of nickel in the total particle size range. An expert control system using the cluster model together with a new control strategy for decision of necessary control actions is outlined. The method has been tested to real data from mineral processes. The results are in good correspondence with empirical process knowledge. KEYWORDS: Cluster analysis, expert control, flotation control, mineral processes, modelling, particle size.

Jan 1, 1993

This paper firstly reviews the requirements for container and hopper design for reliable discharge. Discussion is then directed to the evaluation of the consolidation stresses acting in both in both the cylinder and hopper sections during both initial and flow conditions. Here the vast difference, especially in vicinity of the bin outlet, between the initial or filling and flow conditions is highlighted. This vast difference has major design and operation implications. A further major implication is that all bulk solids must dilate to flow. The opportunity to simultaneously attain reliable discharge and partial moisture removal is also examined.The selection of design parameters to maximise the consolidation stresses in both the cylindrical and hopper sections is detailed. In regard to the latter, it is recommended fine coal bins be discharged using low friction lined transition hoppers with large outlet spans. Such outlets will discharge fine coal in a relatively compacted state. This compaction state should exhibit minimum water retention and short term moisture uptake.

Jan 1, 1998