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By Lawrence D. Ramspott

A test of retrievable geologic storage of spent fuel assemblies from an operating commercial nuclear reactor is underway at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) of the U.S. Department of Energy his generic test is located 420 m below the surface in the Climax granitic stock. Eleven canisters of spent fuel approximately 2.5 years out of reactor core (about 1.6 kW/canister thermal output) were emplaced in a storage drift along with 6 electrical simulator canisters. Two adjacent drifts contain electrical heaters, which are operated to simulate within the test array the thermal field of a large repository. Fuel was loaded during April-May 1980 and initial results of the test will be presented.

Jan 1, 1981

By Agne Rustan

Most of the mines in Sweden are metal ore mines in hard rock and none of these mines are classed gassy because there is no methane emission. The risk of methane explosions in Swedish mines is therefore very small. Since the 1960?s, in Swedish mines, there has been a change from electric and pneumatic loaders and transport machines to diesel. Today in almost all Swedish underground mines diesels are used. One of the most common complaint from the underground mine- workers is the exhaust gases from the diesel-vehicles. This is a strong motive for attempts to assure a more comfortable environment. Another motive for a better efficiency of ventilation under ground is the increasing cost of energy for fans and for heating the air during winter. For the largest mine in Sweden, the Kiirunavaara Mine, 36% of the energy for ventilation is used for preheating the air during the seven months when the temperature is below zero. The air quantities used for ventilation are large. In table 1 a comparison of the ratio between yearly produced ore and waste rock and installed fresh 'air capacity is shown. [ ]

Jan 1, 1980

By G. J. Lindenburg

The Velvet mine is located in the Big Indian district of the Colorado Plateau. The general area, also known as the Lisbon Valley district, is about 65 kilometers southeast of Moab, Utah and about 120 Kilometers southwest of Grand Junction, Colorado. As shown by the slide, the Velvet area is typical of the high desert of the southwest United States. The elevation at the decline collar is 1,967 meters above sea level. To date, the Velvet has produced 1.5 million kilograms of U308 and 2.1 million kilograms of V205. The current production averages over 4,000 metric tons of ore per month. Access to the Velvet mine is by a 1,160 meter long decline. Fresh air is supplied through the decline and a 152 centimeter cased borehole. Contaminated air is removed by two 152 centimeter cased boreholes. The east side of the mine is mined using a conventional room and pillar method; whereas the west side is mined as combination conventional and random room and pillar,

Jan 1, 1983

By A. D. S. Gillies

The provision of a suitable working environment in deep level mines requires the accurate prediction of the ventilation heat load. Mathematical models for predicting strata heat load have been under development since the 1930's and 1940's. Computer models for predicting this and other mine heat sources have been developed and refined over the last 20 years. Some empirical studies have occurred and there is an increased emphasis on the importance of underground studies. Any theoretically or empirically determined predictive method must of necessity make assumptions. Underground space with its irregular configurations and rough wall surfaces cannot be described by simple mathematical expressions. Some heat loads, such as machinery, may occur intermittently while others such as the influence of water evaporation are very difficult to quantify accurately. Current popular models for predicting mine heat load have been surveyed. In testing some of these it is often found that each estimates significantly different quantitative values for the expected load in a particular underground space under study. These differences are explained by the assumptions, simplifications and omissions implicit in each of these models. It would be easier to estimate conditions at any point if heat flow into mine air passageways could be described by simple equations with associated statistically-based confidence ranges. Use of probability distributions to indicate confidence ranges allows any heat level estimate to be expressed as a range of values with limits for maximum and minimum expected values. This approach allows many of the limitations of the popular predictive models to be overcome. A heat prediction method using this approach has been developed based on Monte Carlo simulation and tested on mine data from a number of operations. Heat flow levels which can be predicted by simple equations supported by probability distributions allow the engineer flexibility in adjusting a predictive model to the underground characteristics appropriate to the mine site under study. The influence of all heat sources present in the mine opening must be included. Prediction methods must be updated as mining systems and machinery change with time. Heat sources interact with one another and the system must therefore be understood in its entirety.

Jan 1, 1987

By M. G. Rylatt

The Ekati process plant flowsheet features the common steps in diamond recovery plant design. Primary treatment and concentration is by crushing, scrubbing, high-pressure grinding rolls and heavy medium separation (Fig. 1). Secondary concentration is by an attrition mill; wet, high-intensity magnetic separation and X-ray sorting (Fig. 2). All of these are performed on site, although final sorting of the diamonds into commercial categories will be carried out elsewhere. The initial throughput rate is 9 kt/d (9,900 stpd), increasing to 18 kt/d (20,000 stpd) during the first 10 years of operation. A range of ore characteristics will be encountered that will effect the plant operating conditions during the life of the mine. The adopted design envelope is based on these expected variations. The design is based on the use of large-scale equipment, incorporating the latest and most efficient technology available. Where proven technology exists, no attempt was made to reinvent the wheel. However, where recently developed technology offers a significant advantage, this has been incorporated into the design. The Ekati run-of-mine (ROM) and coarse ore handling facilities are unheated, to take advantage of the better handling characteristics of the frozen ore in winter. The stockpile reclaim features an MMD mineral sizer (a toothed roll crusher) to minimize the problems of handling thawed, sticky kimberlite in the summer and break frozen lumps in the winter. All processing downstream from primary crushing and the coarse ore stockpile is carried out in a temperature-controlled environment in the main process plant building. Personnel involvement in the process is mini¬mized by using a Modicon Quantum series PLC with human-machine-interfaces (HMI) running Wonder-ware software on dedicated personal computers.

Jan 1, 1999

By C. K. Blair, V. J. Hucka, E. P. Kimball

In central Utah, a coal mining operation is taking place under an 0.5-m (20-in.) pressurized natural gas pipeline. The room-and-pillar method with pillar extraction is being used to extract the coal from the seams. The pillars beneath the pipeline will not be extracted; however, there is a possibility that some subsidence may occur due to pillar failure. To assess possible damages on the pipeline, an attempt has been made to predict subsidence in the area where pillars may collapse. The resultant values of subsidence strain and slope have been used to determine the magnitude of strain, stress, and shear induced in the pipeline. Also, a network of survey points has been installed along the pipeline to detect ground move¬ment that would indicate excessive subsidence.

Jan 1, 1987

By E. D. Attanasi, J. H. DeYoung

Although fraught with problems of completeness and comparability, statistical measures of mineral exploration in the United States point downward for 1985 and 1986. Exploration expenditures in the US domestic and Canadian companies have dropped steadily from a 1981 peak of about $400 million to about $190 million in 1985, according to a recent survey of exploration statistics by the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). These totals have been adjusted to account for differences in the estimated coverage of exploration activity by each year's SEG survey. This survey is now supported by the US Bureau of Mines and the US Geological Survey (USGS). The drop in current dollar amounts does not take into account the effects of inflation, which would make the decline even more substantial. Metals Economics Group of Boulder, CO reported in its Mine Development Bimonthly that announced exploration budgets for 1986 indicated an even larger drop for the past year. Worldwide expenditures for companies covered by the report dropped from about $800 million to $750 million from 1984 to 1985 and plummeted to about $600 million in 1986. Exploration activity has been declining since about 1981. This has been due in large part to low prices for base and ferrous metals. Exploration budgets of mining subsidiaries of oil companies have plunged as parent companies try to conserve cash in the face of the sharpest decline in oil prices in nearly 40 years. Mining subsidiaries of petroleum firms that were either liquidated or divested recently include Anaconda (Arco), Getty Mining (Texaco), and Cyprus Minerals (Amoco). Exploration expenditures in Canada increased in 1984 in regions where gold is a traditional target. But there was little change in 1985, based on preliminary statistics from a federal government report (Energy, Mines and Resources Mineral Bulletin MR 211, 1986). Claim staking in Canada dropped 23% from 1983 to 1984 and declined slightly in 1985. Diamond drilling increased in 1984 to the record levels of 1980 and 1981. The ratio of exploration to development expenditures in Canada, however, fell from a 1981 peak of 0.9 to about 0.5 in 1984. The report also indicated that, since 1981, there has been a massive write-off of reserves with high production costs. Reserve levels of all major metals were down since 1981. Precious metals exploration accounts for an increasing share of total mineral exploration. For example, the SEG data show that 90% of 1985 US exploration expenses by domestic mining companies were devoted to base and precious metals, compared with only 51% in 1980. The restructuring of the mining industry has been accompanied by a decrease in response to the last two SEG annual surveys, but the trend towards precious metals was already established in earlier years. Trade journal reports suggest that the reduction of long-term interest rates has encouraged the mining industry to make cost-reducing capital investments in existing mines to maintain competitiveness. This is consistent with the observations that metals explorations in 1986 was characterized not by announcements of "grassroots" discoveries, but by on-property exploration on identified mines or prospects. In an effort to cut costs, gold mining companies have been following up on low cost production opportunities in their prospect inventories. Short-term, low risk, heap leach operations that can produce rapid returns on investment have been pursued. Specific exploration projects are covered in the individual state sections of this Annual Review. Even though economic growth continued steadily through 1986, the domestic mining industry has

Jan 5, 1987

By Dennis Keay, Barbara Schickner, P. L. Longenecker, Glenn J. Philips, Lee Rice, Herman E. Knight, Wayne E. Veneman, B. W. Washington, Robert S. Hess

The outlook for coal continued to improve in 1980, fueling expectations that a long-awaited boom is at hand. The surprising surge in coal exports contributed to the latest wave of optimism. Overseas exports hit 66 Mt in 1980, buoyed by a significant increase in demand for steam coal, up from 1979's 2.3 Mt to 15 Mt in 1980. US coal production rose 6.9% to 750 Mt in 1980 and total coal consumption increased 8.1% to about 725 Mt, due primarily to higher world oil prices and setbacks in the US nuclear power industry. Yet the industry is beset with problems-both internal and external. Although demand for US coal is growing, the industry's excess productive capacity is estimated at over 90 Mt/a. Public utilities, where real increases in coal consumption must come, are still moving slowly, blaming delays on antipollution equipment costs. Coal supplies are uncertain, subject to the vagaries of the UMW. For the sixth time since 1964, the coal industry and UMW failed to renew their labor contract without a national strike, reinforcing the perception held overseas that the US is not a reliable supplier. The expected boom in coal exports will, in part, depend on our ability to assure foreign buyers that US sources are dependable. The US industry is also plagued by inadequate facilities linking mines and consumers: inadequate rail systems, coal ports, and barges, For US producers to be competitive, ports must be expanded, rail lines improved, and harbors dredged to allow 136-kt ships to load coal. The im¬provements will require an enormous commitment and investment. Despite these major problems and unresolved issues, two factors continue to favor an increased reliance on coal as an energy source: abundant US reserves and coal's comparative price advantage. Coal's performance in the 1980s may at last exceed its promise.

Jan 5, 1981

By E. L. Smyth, A. Button

The apparent absence of significant Tertiary auriferous palaeoplacers in the Yilgarn Block of Western Australia can be explained by the dissolution of the placer gold into the highly saline, acid, oxidising ground waters which currently occur in upper portions of the palaeochannels proximal to the gold sources. The dissolved gold has then been redeposited in redox fronts further downstream. The placer gold is preserved in more distal portions where the ground waters are reducing. Exploration for these placers can be effective using the gravity contrasts that exist between the Tertiary sediments and the Archaean bedrock and SIROTEM which can detect the highest salinity zones which occur in the deepest parts of the channels. Final assessment of the gold content of the sediments must be determined by drilling.

Jan 1, 1989

By Allan J. Breitenbach

Heap leach operations provide a low-cost method for recovering gold, silver, and copper metals from low grade ore materials. The processed ore materials are stacked in controlled lifts on a lined pad facility for heap leaching. A controlled barren solution is applied to the heap ore surface by sprinkler or drip emitter irrigation, and ore metals are leached into the solution for collection and extraction in plant process facilities. The leach pad and solution collection facilities are lined with impervious materials for containment of all process solutions. The liner system typically includes a composite geomembrane and clayey soil liner with a protective drain cover fill to maximize solution recovery and protect the underlying groundwater conditions. This paper discusses the types of pad liner systems currently used by the mining industry and the "good, bad, and ugly" lessons learned in engineering practice over the last 10 years in the design and construction of heap leach pads.

Jan 1, 1999

By Hassan Madani, A. Malek Mohammadi

Dorreh barite mine located in the central part of Iran is one of the largest barite mines, in the country. The mine is subdivided into three blocks, which are called block 1,2,3 according the barite quality. In the central part of each block, a heavily concentrated grid of exploratory drill holes have been drilled and the reserves of area was calculated based on these holes, some years ago. It was decided to compute the reserve of the area by geostatistical methods, in the form of an M.Sc. project. In order to study the area, three regionalized variables including density, thickness and density-thickness (accumulation) was studied and the spherical variograms were fitted to these variables. These models were evaluated by cross-validation method. The optimized block size was chosen in order to compute the reserves by kriging method. The reserves of explored parts of each block of mine was calculated and the results were extended to the whole area of the blocks. The reserve of the explored parts and the total reserve of the area were calculated to be 96,000t and 1,670,000t respectively.

Jan 1, 1996

By John Cline

The economic value of calcium carbonate when used as an extender or filler basically falls into two categories: 1. Lessening the cost of the final product to which it is added. 2. Contributing desirable physicals to the final product. In most instances, a combination of these two may be achieved. The mineral limestone which is found in abundant quantities in many areas of the world is the source of 99% (+) of the calcium carbonate used as fillers and extenders. Precipitated, or chemically formed, calcium carbonate is also available, but by comparison, in very limited quantities.

Jan 1, 1985

By Zhang Dekuan, Wang Haifeng, Yi Weiping, Wan Liping, Yu Yunzhen

The fundamentals of domain knowledge, knowledge base building, system structure, principle of inference mechanism, function of explanation mechanism, application analysis on Expert System of In-situ Leaching of Uranium (ESILU) are described, especially the Dempster/Shafer theory on inexact reasoning, which was used in ESILU, is detailed discussed. The application of in-situ leaching for abstraction of uranium and the analysis of parameters required for evaluation of uranium deposit. the procedure of evaluation of uranium dewsit for the purpose of in-situ leaching as well as the concept related were introduced. For building knowledge base, discussion is emphasized on production rule, which wasused in ESILU, on representation of rules and facts and application as well. From the system menu provided in the paper, the readers will, in a certain content, under- stand the functions of system structure and the way to set up. Several paragraphs are written concentrated on the procedure of backward reasoning and the principle of inference mechanisms combined with knowledge bases. Tracing interpretation and acquisition of knowledge with interactive method, which the system flexibility is considerably strengthened, are the main specific features of ESILU.

Jan 1, 1996

By C. Ptacek, D. Hiller, J. L. Janbor, H. Mccreadie

Between 1991 and 1994, metallurgical residues from a pressure-oxidation autoclave at the Campbell Au-quartz mine at Red Lake, northern Ontario, were neutralized with dolomite-rich flotation tailings and were deposited in a polyethylene-lined disposal area. Mineralogical analysis indicates that most of the As occurs as a crystalline ferric sulfarsenate, and some is associated with Fe oxides and with K-H3O jarosite. Field pore-water geochemical data from 1994 and 1995 showed increases in Fe(II) and As(III) concentrations, suggesting that the sulfarsenate and jarosite are dissolving; none of the discrete As phases included in a thermodynamic database limit dissolved-As concentrations, and these concentrations may continue to increase. These results demonstrate the potential for Fe and As loading through groundwater systems.

Jan 1, 1998

By Manfred G. Raschke

INTRODUCTION In the past decade, the international coal trade has been undergoing a period of gradual change. This change will continue through the remainder of this century until by the year 2000 the international coal industry will look very different from the industry which existed in the early 1970's. The industry which will emerge from the thirty year period of change (1970-2000) will be different in many ways. -The volumes of coal transported will be much larger. - The primary type of coal traded will be steam coal rather than metallurgical coal. - A much broader group of countries will be participating in the trade both as suppliers and as consumers. - The trade will be dominated by a relatively small number of large producing and trading companies. - The coal mined for international shipment will be primarily surface- mined. – The United States will play a decreasingly important role in international coal trade. In the course of this paper I propose to address three questions which are crucial to the formulation of an understanding of the changes outlined above : (1) Which supplier nations will be most successful in the international metallurgical and steam coal trade in the next decade and a half? (2) What emerging trends will shape the international coal trade in the 1980's and 19901s? (3) Where are U.S. producers likely to fit in this scheme of things? As a background to my remarks, I should note that what follows is based on five years of work in a consulting capacity on coal supply and demand issues worldwide. Although in the course of this work I have had occasion to develop mining and transportation cost figures for all of the countries discussed below--both my own and those obtained from coal producers--it is apparent that success in the marketplace can be determined in some instances by considerations other than costs. Nevertheless, my comments today about international competitiveness will be dominated by cost considerations; there are, after all, not many markets that reward the high-cost producer with success. Let us begin by establishing some criteria for success in the international coal market and then compare some of the producer nations to some of these criteria. The criteria are: - Low delivered cost, - Good quality coal, - The producer's partnership in a joint mining venture with an importer or a consumer of coal, - The producer's international business orientation and commitment to penetrating the market, - The producer's reliability as a supplier, and - Political pressure exerted by the producing country on consumers.

Jan 1, 1986

By S. K. Kawatra, T. C. Eisele

Pyrite depression is of great interest in sulfide mineral flotation, where pyrite is a common gangue mineral. Since the floatability of pyrite is a function of the pH and a variety of other chemical factors, pH control is a critical part of sulfide flotation circuits. A wide variety of pyrite-depressing chemicals have been studied and used in sulfide- mineral processing, with considerable success. However, there are certain applications where there are still no satisfactory pyrite depressants, and even when suitable depressants are available, there is always a need for less-expensive reagents. Microorganisms, such as the bacteria Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, are known to depress pyrite flotation. However, the dependence of the depression on the type of organism or on suspension pH is still being determined. In this study, the relative effectiveness of various microorganisms, and the effect of pH, has been examined. Screening tests using microflotation showed that every microorganism tested was capable of depressing naturally hydrophobic pyrite at acidic pH. Larger-scale experiments with two of the screened organisms and two different pyrites showed that microorganisms are very effective depressants at acid pH, but are largely ineffective at neutral and alkaline pH where the pyrite surface is not naturally hydrophobic.

Jan 1, 1994

By David A. Summers

Historically, the presence of methane has been a problem, mainly in and around the working areas of active coal mines, and only in these area has drainage been considered. Drainage, where practical, has been achieved through the drilling of holes forward into the coal and the surrounding strata from the working area. These holes generally have been short in length, although where methane drain- age operations around a longwall face have been undertaken, the holes have had to be longer in order to adequately drain from the center of the face into the access gate roads. In recent years, attempts have been made to degasify the coal seams in advance of mining, without disruption of the mining cycle. This is done by drilling much longer horizontal holes through the coal in advance of the working area. Under the aegis of the Federal Government, methods have also been developed for draining seams of coal of their methane content in advance of mining, but from shafts sunk from the surface, without using the active area of the mine as the location for the drill holes.

Jan 1, 1979

By A. F. Fossum, D. E. Munson

The U. S. Department of Energy is constructing and operating the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a research and development facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico, to determine whether or not defense-generated high-level radioactive waste can be stored safely in bedded salt. The goal of the WIPP modeling program is to develop the capability to predict room responses from one site to another without a priori knowledge of the actual room responses. Data from one of the early WIPP excavations, called the South Drift, have already been used to form an initial evaluation of computational models for predicting room closures as a result of salt creep [Morgan et al., 19851. In that study, a significant unresolved discrepancy existed between predicted and measured room closures. It was suggested that future studies address alternate forms of the constitutive law. In this paper, an alternate form of the creep model for salt is used that is founded upon the deformation- mechanism map for the micromechanical deformation processes. This model embodies both steady-state and transient creep. Also, quasi-static plasticity is incorporated into the complete constitutive model for salt. The conclusion is drawn that the combination of the mechanistic creep model, plasticity, and flow potential can approximate the late time South Drift deformation. Further improvement of the model fit of plasticity in the future is expected to further improve the simulation.

Jan 1, 1986

By M. A. Greenwood

The total value of coal, FOB mine, consumed in the United States was $21 billion in 1985. Roughly $6 billion was spent to transport coal from the mine to the consumer by rail. This indicates the impact railroad transportation has on the competitiveness of U.S. coal as an energy resource. Actually, this is just the tip of the iceberg. When you consider the largest U.S. reserve of coal, the Powder River Basin, which is possibly the lowest cost coal in the U.S., or maybe even the world, the transportation cost is the overriding factor in developing competitive pricing. Rail transportation costs from Powder River can be multiples of 2, 3, or even 4 times the cost of coal FOB mine. About sixty percent of all U.S. coal is shipped by rail. In the case of Powder River Basin coal and many other reserves there are no current alternatives to rail. Are there feasible alternatives to rail transport?

Jan 1, 1986

By Christopher J. Hall

It has been known for a long time that summing pressure drops and rises due to friction, shock, fans and natural ventilation is incorrect. In fact, lost works and works should be summed. In spite of this, the traditional method of finding a fan/system operating position has been the H/Q Curve. This paper presents (lost) work/m curves, progressing from a single fan moved around the system to include natural ventilation work, and fans in a series, parallel and series/parallel. The solutions obtained graphically are substantiated by dry air thermodynamic solutions, and the traditional solutions are shown to be in error. This method of solving problems is particularly useful when moving fans around the system, and essential in series/parallel and series situations with substantially different fan densities. The dry air analysis is employed because of its simplicity. Real air, with evaporation and condensation, will react somewhat differently, and one should use real densities (i.e.[l + w +w]/va ) when using this method. One source of error when applying this method to real air, although probably not major, will be investigated in a subsequent paper. Friction and shock losses are proportional to the square of the mass rate of flow, leading to the typical parabolic system curve. However, the unbalanced water stuff potential energy term, on a unit mass basis, is substantially independent of the mass rate of flow. It is possible that this could be handled as a negative natural ventilation work.

Jan 1, 1987