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By M. M. Carpenter

Specialty chemicals are widely used in the industrial minerals process industry for many different purposes including beneficiation, filtration, flocculation, dispersion and biological control. Optimal use of such chemicals can confer benefits both in terms of cost efficiency and end product attributes. In this paper we will review recent progress in the fundamental understanding of mineral additive interactions and present data which show how optimization can lead to improved products.

Jan 1, 1999

By M. R. Shahan, W. R. Reed

A laboratory apparatus (shield dust simulator) was designed and constructed to simulate the dust generated during the advance of longwall hydraulic roof supports, or shields. The objective of the study was to develop a tool that could be used to test the hypothesis that foam applied to a mine roof prior to a shield advance could be used to reduce the respirable dust generated during shield advances. This paper will outline the design parameters for the development of the system, as well as describe baseline testing of coal and limestone dust. Results show the average instantaneous respirable dust concentrations that occurred during simulated shield advance. Confidence intervals were calculated from the instantaneous respirable dust data to determine the repeatability of the data produced by the device. INTRODUCTION During longwall mining, miners can be exposed to respirable dust that is generated during the advance of hydraulic roof supports or shields. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers have conducted numerous surveys of longwall mining operations, benchmarking the operating practices and dust control measures in use. It has been determined that the shields are responsible for 27% of the respirable dust that is generated on the longwall face [1]. The dust generated by the shield advances ranks second, next to the longwall shearer which is accountable for 43% of the respirable dust generated on the longwall face. The respirable dust generated during the advance of the shields can be a significant contributor to the respirable dust exposure of the mining personnel operating at the longwall face, especially since some of this dust is generated in the walkway. Control systems designed to reduce the dust levels generated during the shield advance have the potential to greatly reduce the respirable dust exposures of the personnel downwind of these activities. One control technology to decrease the dust generated by the shield advances would be to apply a layer of foam to the forward shield-roof interface prior to the shield advance [2]. The blanketed layer of foam would interact with the material located on the top of the shield during the advance, preventing a portion of that dust from becoming entrained in the mine air. This layer of foam would be applied using a foaming nozzle located on the longwall shearer body that would spray foam on the roof surface as the shearer passed. Substantial laboratory work has been completed to determine the feasibility of this type of foam application. NIOSH engineers have classified the various characteristics of foaming agents, using foam expansion ratio and drainage as important properties, as well as developed the mechanical systems required to apply the foam safely to the mine roof [2, 3]. The construction of an apparatus that could simulate the mechanical interaction between the dust-laden shield top and mine roof was necessary to adequately test the hypothesis that foam could be an appropriate control. A team of engineers designed and constructed a shield dust simulator system allowing for in-house testing prior to a full-scale field investigation.

Jan 1, 2019

By W. Lorenz

The responsible treatment of natural resources, including mineral raw materials, contributes to the protection of the environment. The management of resources and the environment encompasses reduction of emission through application of environmentally friendly processes, economical use of resources, recycling and substitution, application of energy saving processes, land reclamation and recultivation, as well as a well balanced regional and land use planning. A variety of materials are needed for measures to protect the environment. Many of these materials are, or to a large percentage consist of, mineral raw materials, which become effective either directly or indirectly in their natural state or after an appropriate industrial treatment. We call them environmental minerals. Although extraction and processing of these mineral raw materials destined for use in the protection of the environment, may have a negative impact on the environment on one hand, preventive or curing measures to protect the environment on the other would not be possible without them. We have to accept certain smaller burdens of the environment, which naturally will have to be kept at the lowest possible level, in order to avoid or minimize greater damages to nature. In the broad group of industrial minerals and rocks there is a wide variety of mineral raw materials, which lend themselves for countermeasures in favor of the environment. To hamper their production and processing through excessive environmental regulations would make the protection of the very environment more difficult or even impossible.

Jan 1, 1995

By C. W. Armbrust

At FHC Gold Company's Paradise Peak Mine gold and silver are produced. Precious metals recovery rates are very satisfactory along with the recovery and production of a relative high volume of mercury. At Paradise Peak precious metals are recovered via the Merrill-Crowe process and delivered to the refinery area as a mercury-bearing precipitate cake. The recovery of mercury is then obtained through a vacuum retort system. The balance of the material is mixed with fluxes and then melted and cast into dore' bars for shipping. Issues of retort capacity and concerns over efficiency led to research into the retort process itself.

Jan 1, 1990

By E. Woodburn, H. W. Smith, M. C. Fuerstenau, R. Putman

This paper presents a review of developments to date in computer control practice, based in large part on Canadian experience. The basic problem examined is that of stabilizing control; matters considered are control strategies, hardware and software aspects of system implementation, reliability, human factors, and economic results.

Jan 1, 1976

By Leo R. Love

A comprehensive study of the environmental conditions of the area affected by the Colfax and Cheswick Power Stations is of extreme importance to Duquesne Light Company. The residents in the valley where the two plants are located have complained for many years about the emissions from the Colfax Plant which is of the 1920 to 1930 vintage and which has a capability of generating approxi¬mately 200 Mw. They were extremely happy to hear that the Company had plans for shutting it down, however, they were extremely unhappy to hear that we were planning to build another even larger one to take its place in the same vicinity, namely the Cheswick Plant with a capability of 570 Mw. They had visions of a plant twice the size of the Colfax Plant and belching out twice as much smoke. A few of the citizens from that area were most vehement at the public hearings that were held by the Allegheny County Air Pollution Bureau for obtaining an installation permit. With two power plants already existing in that area (Duquesne Light Company's Colfax Plant and West Penn Power's Springdale Plant), the primary concern of the Allegheny County Air Pollution Control Bureau was that the Cheswick Station might increase air pollution levels beyond what they considered to be dangerous limits. It became very evident that the Allegheny County Air Pollution Control Bureau would be extremely reluctant to grant installation and operating permits unless they were satisfied that the new plant would not increase local pollution levels and that we were taking sufficient steps to monitor the emissions from our plants and also the ambient air in the general area. We concluded that an extensive air pollution monitoring program must be conducted in the area to determine the effects of the operation of our plants. The program was conceived with our consultants, NUS Corporation of Rockville, Maryland, and was begun in June, 1968. It was designed to accomplish several things: 1. Determine the effect on the ambient air of the operation of each of

Jan 1, 1972

By P. A. Roberts

A proposal for a modified in situ leaching method for extracting gold from oxidized gold ores using a non-cyanide lixiviant is described. A non-cyanide lixiviant is suggested because of the obvious concerns posed by injecting cyanide-bearing solutions into the subsurface. Oxidized gold ores were chosen as a focus because earlier research on the use of sodium thiosulfate as a lixiviant under anaerobic conditions indicated that the presence of pyrite led to rapid thiosulfate breakdown. A reconnaissance research program involving ore characterization and hydrometallurgical test work on samples from four Australian ore deposits and preliminary reactive transport modeling studies was carried out. This work showed that lixiviant-oxidant combinations of sodium thiosulfate and ferric EDTA and iodide and iodine are both capable of extracting high percentages of accessible gold from the selected samples in bottle roll tests under anaerobic conditions. The ore characterization and reactive transport studies suggested that both physical and chemical methods of permeability enhancement may be required to lift bulk permeability and the availability of gold for dissolution to sufficiently high levels to obtain adequate gold recoveries. Assuming that such methods prove to be both necessary and economically viable, the mining method would no longer be regarded as simple in situ leaching. Therefore, the term ?in-place leaching? has been adopted for the proposed gold extraction system.

Jan 1, 2010

By Alireza Kamrani, Yashar Pourrahimian, Hooman Askari-Nasab

In-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) is an option to decrease the enormous operating costs that a truck shovel can introduce in an open-pit mine. Finding the best locations for the IPCC over the mine life will impose a new set of requirements for the mine planning. Through a two-step mathematical programming model alongside the road network, this method finds the optimal in-pit crusher locations and relocation times first and then optimizes the long-term mine schedule. The model is verified by a real mine. The results show that the truck travel time could be reduced by 500% and the discounted cash flow increased by 8% with an optimized schedule considering the crusher placement.

Jun 25, 2023

By Kim A. Lapakko, William W. III White

The ASTM standard method D 5744-96 was developed to provide a well-defined kinetic test protocol, conducted under controlled reaction conditions, with the intent of generating reproducible results. The US Bureau of Land Management, American Assay Laboratories, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources cooperated in a intralaboratory and interlaboratory testing of the protocol. Intralaboratory testing was conducted on duplicate samples of gabbro (8) and siltite-argillite (5) rocks for periods of 20 to 125 weeks. The difference between replica& intralaboratory pH readings on drainage from the gabbro for the drip-trickle leach alternative typically did not exceed 0.1 units, although differences as high as 0.4 units were observed. The difference from the mean for rates of sulfate, calcium and magnesium release was typically within 10%. Intralaboratory results for the siltite-argillite samples were generally similar, although a one unit pH difference was observed for one sample. Three different laboratories tested a gabbro sample for 125 weeks, with a maximum difference from the mean pH of 0.5 units. The percent difference from the mean for sulfate and calcium release rates was typically within lo%, although values as high as 30% were observed. Data on intralaboratory and interlaboratory agreement on the flood rinse alternative of the method were limited. Replication on the sample tested was comparable to of better than that observed for the drip-trickle method testing of the same sample.

Jan 1, 2000

By Koji Nakanishi, Masayoshi Karasawa, Yasuhiro Morimoto

"Shin-Yokohama station (tentative name), one of the station of the Sotetsu - Tokyu through line (ST line), is under construction by the OPEN – CUT method. The Underground Soil–Cement Steel Diaphragm Wall is implemented as an earth retaining wall. This earth retaining wall is utilized as a main body of a subway station. It is the first time to utilize this earth retaining wall as the main body. There are two difficult issues for this project. One is that this station is planned under busy major road and there are many underground utilities, for example, an electrical transmission line. Because of that, construction area is limited. The other is that this station is located in a thick soft clay layer. This layer has a high risk of consolidation settlement because of draining during main excavation. Thus, high water tightness is required for this earth retaining wall. This paper reports design and construction methods for the Underground Soil–Cement Steel Diaphragm wall introduced as a part of the body of the subway station.1. OUTLINE OF SHIN-YOKOHAMA STATION 1-1. Location and structure of Shin-Yokohama Station Shin-Yokohama station is an intermediate station on the ST line connected to the Tokaido-Shinkansen bullet train, the JR-Yokohama line and the Yokohama Municipal Subway. Access to Tokyo and the Tokaido- Shinkansen from the eastern part of Yokohama city will be improved by this project. In addition, the number of estimated passengers of this station is one hundred thousand people/day because a soccer stadium (Nissan Stadium: 72,000 people), a huge indoor arena and a hotel are located in this area. This station consists of 4 stories and 3 spans (Max width; 29m, Depth; 33m, Length; 325.5m). Completion image is shown in Figure 2. Generally, stations have 1 platform and 2 trucks. But this station has 2 platforms and 3 tracks because some of ST line trains return at this station and a train deadheads from Hazawa station to this station in an emergency. This station is planned as 4 stories underground station, and the platform is on the lowest story. The reason why this station is in such a deeper position is to prevent the alignment from interfering with the Yokohama Municipal Subway station and foundation piles for bridge piers existing along the alignment. Even under the constraint conditions, earth covering should be shallow as much as possible. As a result, the tunnel edge is very close to the foundation pile, and the gap is only about 2m (Figure 3). In addition, passengers will be able to change trains easily from the ST line to the Yokohama Municipal Subway or vice versa at this station."

Jan 1, 2016

By G. W. Poling

Chemical and physical properties of thiol collectors are reexamined to compare the prospects of heavy metal-thiolate or disulphide surface reaction products acting as actual collector species. Recent evidences for the existence and importance of each of these types of adsorbed species on sulphide minerals are also discussed. A conclusion is reached that partial coverage by chemisorbed heavy metal thiolate is often sufficient to confer practical levels of hydrophobicity and floatability. Only on a few highly conducting and "noble" sulphides does adsorbed disulphide-type collector oxidation product appear to be significant.

Jan 1, 1976

By Cancelli Paolo, Bragonzi Gianluca, Pelizza Sebastiano

"In May 2015 the New Monte Bianco aerial cableway, operating on the Italian side, have been completed. It connects the lower station in Pontal d’Entreves (1300 metres above sea level (m a.s.l.)) with the intermediate station at Pavillon de Mont Frety (2160 m a.s.l.) and with the top station at Helbronner Peak (3460 m a.s.l.). A new underground link between Helbronner Peak and New Torino Refuge has also been built. The link is divided into two different sections: the first one, a 70 meters deep vertical pit created using the “Raise Boring”, descends underground from Helbronner Peak station; the second section, a 160 meters long sub horizontal tunnel, emerges at Torino Refuge. After a first introduction focused on the general layout of the project, the paper will present the geomechanical survey aimed to evaluate the effect of permafrost on the stability of intensely fractured granitic mass. Finally, it will describe the relevant issues related to the highest construction yard in Europe (3400 m a.s.l.): difficult conditions such as extremely cold and windy weather and restricted spaces. INTRODUCTION The new cable way connects the lower station in Pontal d’Entreves (1300 m a.s.l.), close to Courmayeur, with the top station at Helbronner Peak (3462 m a.s.l.) and its territory, as well as links with France and, through the French territory, with the town of Chamonix (1000 m a.s.l.). The overall layout is divided into two sections (as shown in Figure 1): the first section, “Pontal d’Entreves – Mont Frety”, has a length of 1700m, elevation differential of 886m, a capacity of 800 persons/hour and cable cars for 80 passengers; the second one, “Mont Frety – Punta Helbronner”, has a length of 2630m, elevation differential of 1276m, a capacity of 600 persons/hour, and cable cars for 75 passengers. The new system is designed for fully rotating cable cars moving at a constant rate of 9.0 m/s. The track requires constructing special cables supports, three for the first section and two for the second one."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. Uihteenmaki

Pyhasalmi is a massive sulfide orebody located in central Finland. The mine has been in operation since 1962. The flotation concentrator produces Cu, Zn, Pb and pyrite concentrates. The plant has used an on-stream analyzer for process control since 1968. The original analyzer has overlived a few generations of minicomputers, but the analytical parts are essentially unchanged. The on-stream analyzer is a critical component in plant process control system, which has made Pyhasaltni one of the pioneers in the art of computer control and optimization of flotation plants. The paper summarizes the experiences gained from the use of the high performance elemental analyzer system and the proven benefits from the use of on-stream analyzers at a complex sulfide flotation. The aging analyzer is approaching the end of its useful life. A new state of the art analyzer system is undergoing testing at Pyhasalmi.

Jan 1, 1999

In this paper, response surface methodology was applied to optimize the experimental conditions for the wet grinding of synthetic rutile. The effects of parameters such as rotation speed, solids concentration and duration of grinding on grinding efficiency were systematically investigated and the process conditions were optimized, using a nonlinear regression model based on central composite design. The statistical analysis of the results showed that in the range studied, the grinding efficiency of synthetic rutile was significantly affected by the rotation speed of the conical ball mill. According to results from analysis of variance, the value of the determination coefficient (R2=0.9989) indicates that the predicted values are found to be in good agreement with experimental values. The optimized experimental conditions were as follows: a rotation speed of 350 rpm, a solids concentration of 27.31% and a grinding time of 50.31 min, respectively. Under optimum conditions, the predicted grinding efficiency of 94.79% is obtained. The experimental values from the validation experiments were well within the predicted value of the model.

Jan 1, 2011

The recent mine disasters in Australian coal mines have initiated an introduction of Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR) as component in the development of new escape strategies for miners. These self-contained self-rescuers are closed circuit, demand sensitive breathing apparatus that make oxygen available to the wearer for a nominal period of time. Their operation is completely independent of the surrounding atmosphere. Once properly donned, the SCSR can assist a miner to escape from an area containing smoke, toxic gases or an oxygen deficient atmosphere. The duration of a typical SCSR is usually taken at the point of complete collapse of the breathing bag which is accompanied by an increase in breathing resistance and inhaled levels of carbon dioxide. Because the oxygen consumption (V02) and the heart rate are correlated, a prediction of V02 and consequently the duration of an SCSR can be made by monitoring the heart rate. Thirty-seven volunteers participated in field simulated escape trials at four underground coal mines. The results from the field trials suggested that oxygen consumption depends on the heart rate, the body weight and exercise rating of the miner. All the volunteers were asked to fill out the questionnaires to evaluate the performance of the units. The miners indicated that they could tolerate the inhaled temperature without any difficulty to breathing resistance. A complete statistical analysis of the field results is also presented.

Jan 1, 1997

By J. -M. Lopez-Cuesta, C. Petter, B. Otazaghine, M. Batistella, R. Sonnier

"Kaolinite is a dioctahedral aluminosilicate widely used as paper filler and coating pigment. At the best of our knowledge, kaolinite is not widely used in polymer industry. Therefore, in this study, the flame retardant effect of kaolinite in ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and polypropylene (PP) were studied and compared with an alumina trihydrate (ATH) and Talc. Cone calorimeter results shows that the weight percentage of ATH in EVA/ATH composites must be at least 50 wt. % in order to reach an improvement in fire retardancy in terms of pHRR. In the case of EVA/kaolinite, even with 35 wt. % the pHRR is largely reduced. Comparing PP/Talc and PP/kaolinite composites at 30 wt. %, both fillers leads to same reduction in pHRR with a slightly better performance for PP/kaolinite composites. In both cases an intumescent behavior of kaolinite composites was observed that could slow the rate of the rising degradation products, allowing radical recombination reactions. Also, it was observed that kaolinite forms a protective layer on the surface of the samples, which could insulate the material. These behaviors (intumescence and formation of a protective barrier) could reduce the transfer of the degradation products to the flame and explain the better performance of kaolinite composites. INTRODUCTION The use of mineral fillers as fire retardants in polymer matrix are well known and widely studied [1]–[10]. Aluminum and magnesium hydroxides (respectively ATH and MDH) are the most widely used inorganic fire retardants. To achieve fire retardancy with these mineral fillers, about 50-60% loading is required which decrease the physical properties of the composites. The fire behavior of composite EVA has been the subject of many studies [4], [7], [9]–[15]. EVA copolymers are commonly used in the cable industry, due to their high ductility, even at high loading rates. In such applications, the flame retardant systems should be introduced into the polymer to improve the fire reaction. Many flame retardant systems have been tested but the most used industrially relates to formulations based on hydrated mineral fillers (aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide). Their low cost and reduced fumes generation explains their success. However, to obtain good performance with this type of flame retardants, it is necessary to incorporate high levels (up to 65 wt %), which severely impact other properties such as processability and mechanical behavior. The main modes of action of these flame retardants are the dilution of the gas phase, the endothermic decomposition and a barrier effect created by the inorganic oxide residue which may be improved by the incorporation of other components such as montmorillonites, silicas or talcs."

Jan 1, 2015

By L. Alagha, M. Khodakarami

"This work focuses on the extraction of rare earth metals (REE) from aqueous solutions using stimuli-responsive polymers. Various parameters affecting the adsorption capacity of the polymer, including pH, polymer concentration and REE concentration were studied. The interfacial behavior of REE in aqueous phase before and after polymer addition and the mechanism of the formation of metal-polymer complexes and their properties were investigated using UV/VIS spectroscopy. Results obtained would help to test the feasibility of employing stimuli responsive polymers in pre-concentration of rare earth elements associated with other elements in mineral aqueous streams prior to solvent extraction. The pre-concentration step would reduce the amount of organic solvents used for extraction and striping compared to conventional extraction processes. INTRODUCTION Rare earth elements (REEs) have become the foundation for several technologies and have been used extensively in many industries such as modern electronics, green energy, health care and transportation and defense [1-4]. As these industry sectors are growing, the global consumption of REEs is going to increase dramatically. The current global REEs demand is estimated to be 105,000 tons of rare earth oxides per annum with an expected annual growth of 5.6% [5-6]. Rare earth elements are produced from different sources (primary and secondary). China is considered as the largest producer of REE in the world, providing about 90% of the world’s mine production while the United States is second with 4% of the mine production [7]. High global demand for rare earth materials results in shortage of such materials in the near future. It should be considered that the term ‘‘rare’’ earth is not an accurate term, since they are abundant in some extent in the Earth’s crust, but are typically finely dispersed. Thus, nowadays looking for more efficient and cheaper methods for extraction, separation and purification of low concentrated REE ores and exploring secondary sources are essential. Rare earth materials are found in raw condition and require treatment that involves several processes, which can consume money and time. Recent improvements in extraction and recycling technology have made the extraction of rare earth elements from rare earth sources more feasible in terms of cost and time [8-10]. Physical and pyrometallurgical methods require high-energy and thus high costs. Moreover, due to environmental problems, environmental protection systems are required, and they are not as adaptable as chemical processes [11, 12]."

Jan 1, 2016

By T. Marcher, C. Mathiesen, M. Allende, S. Bauer

"A unique pumped hydro storage facility using the ocean as a lower reservoir, combined with solar PV to create consistent, clean power will be presented: the Espejo de Tarapacá Project is comprised of a 300 MW seawater pumped storage hydroelectric plant using the Pacific Ocean as its lower reservoir and an existing natural concavity at the desert as its upper reservoir. The plant site is located in Chile’s northern coast 90 km south of Iquique. The site is characterized by a rocky shoreline and about 600 m of flat terrain moving inland, with an abundance of rock outcrops, after which there is a steep 700 m cliff. The power house and all waterways will be underground. The main focus is to present the rocks being expected in the underground works. As one of the actual most tectonically active regions of the world the seismic activity is particularly relevant and will be outlined in the presentation. INTRODUCTION Valhalla Energy is an independent Chilean-owned power development company. It focuses on the development, ownership and operation of renewable power projects. Valhalla was founded in 2011 with the goal of developing Chile’s natural renewable energy resources and strategically diversifies the country’s energy matrix away from an overdependence on imported fossil fuels. Valhalla began developing pumped storage hydro projects to provide scalable, clean, competitive, and reliable electricity by combining Chile’s superior solar resources with the country’s unique and extensive coastline suitable for storage.The capacity for renewable energy supply is driven by two distinct and unique natural characteristics found in northern Chile: (1) the abundant and reliable solar irradiation in the Atacama Desert and (2) a coastal site that benefits from a steep cliff and a natural concavity both within a relatively small land mass (see Figure 1). There are several potential sites in the northern part of the country that can be developed. The “Espejo de Tarapacá Project” is the first one to be built and subject of the present paper."

Jan 1, 2016

By Xun Luo, Yi Duan

A field trial of by distributed optical fiber sensing (DOFS) technique was conducted at a longwall coal mine in Australia. This investigation was designed to assess the applicability of DOFS for microseismic monitoring in mining. The experiments used commercially available optic fiber cables, geophones and associated data acquisition instruments – a fiber interrogator and a seismic recorder. The fiber cable was deployed in a 300m deep hole and in trenches of approximately 3.5 km long on the ground surface around and across the longwall panel being mined. The results obtained from the experiments have shown that DOFS is able to acquire microseismic data with quality that is comparable to geophones. It has been proven that DOFS can achieve higher spatial resolution for seismicity sensing and higher accuracy for locating events than a geophone network. These characteristics are particularly useful for using DOFS to monitor ground vibrations associated with ground caving processes and rock fracturing events induced by mining and civil engineering. It was also found that far more additional seismic events were recorded by the fibers than by the geophones. Automated data discrimination and processing methods must be developed in order to utilize DOFS for real-time applications.

Apr 26, 2022

By Mingju Liu

The coal and gas outburst accident on May 20, 2007 at Sihe Coal Mine is unique in that there was no or very little soft coal in the coal seam and that the coal strength was very high. The outburst also showed that there was a very high gas content of 20-30 m3/t in the coal seam nearby the outburst site. Based on the field test and observations, together with laboratory experiments, detailed analysis was conducted on the controlling factors of coal and gas outburst potential at Sihe Coal Mine. Stress data available from Sihe Coal Mine, northern China, and other parts of the world, were also taken into account to facilitate the analysis. The results shows that the stress level was not abnormal compared to other coal fields in China prone to outbursts, and that gas contained in the coal seam was the main factor that triggered the outburst. All these factors were essentially controlled by the tectonic evolution features in Qinshui Coal Basin, to the Southeast of which Sihe coal field is located. Based on the analysis, assessment of coal seam outburst potential was carried out by measurements of coal seam gas contents, observation, and detection of soft coal layers in the coal seam. The results show that outbursts are limited to only a small part of the whole coal seam and that the eastern part of coal field is not prone to outbursts.

Jan 1, 2009