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By Osvaldo A. Bascur

Connectivity between mining and metallurgical process operations and their business systems has become a reality. Expanded use of plant information on the desktop is a standard tool for revenue improvement, cost reduction, and adherence to production constraints. The industrial component desktop support access to information for continuous improvement and innovation by staff personnel and engineers. Collaboration between groups enables the implementation of an overall process effectiveness index based on losses due to equipment availability, production recovery and quality rate. In this sense, the paper point out three cases studies of large integrated power stations.

May 25, 1998

By Christophe Bragard

The Los Angeles Metro Eastside Extension light rail project included a 1.5 mile underground segment, which consisted of twin 18'?10" ID tunnels, bored with two EPB-TBMs. One of the major project challenges after the completion of the bored tunnels was the excavation of six cross passages within alluvial geology below the water table and with low ground cover. Sequential excavation methods were employed and this paper details the design, ground treatment, support measures, and construction methods used to mine these cross passages beneath the congested urban streets of the City of Los Angeles.

Jan 1, 2008

By K. Oraee

A comprehensive, harmonic and sustainable development has always been a real concern of state policy makers. To reach such development, regional planning is an approach which is widely applied. This paper deals with policies adopted by a given country with rich mineral deposits, in order to accomplish a mining growth as well as economic development in relatively poor regions. In this regards, first, some worldwide experiences belonging to China, with large scale mining operations and Nigeria with a small scale mining industry, are studied. The mining industry in Iran is then considered as a case study. The study continues by categorizing and prioritizing Iranian regions based on their mining potential and the degree of development, using statistical analysis and Taxonomy and AHP techniques. Results obtained serve to provide recommendations as to where capital investments in the mining industry would produce highest returns. The approach used, together with the practical policies suggested in this paper, can be used to adapt appropriate strategies for mining development in a way that contributes to regional development and a more effective income distribution.

Jan 1, 2012

By A. O. Dufresne

Introductory At the Annual Meeting of the Institute, held two years ago, I had the privilege of presenting a paper on Recent Mineral Discoveries in Western Quebec. In it were pointed out the areas favourable for prospecting in that section of Quebec adjoining the mining camps of northern Ontario; the discoveries that ?had been made were recorded; and some of the developments up to that date were reviewed. Since then, two full years have elapsed, during which a considerable amount of serious work has been performed with such results that western Quebec has today six properties about ready to mine commercial ores of gold, copper, and zinc. These results have been brought about after large sums of money had been invested to bring the district to a producing stage. A smelter has been built, and is already producing copper; two railways have extended their lines into Rouyn; and the Provincial Government has shown faith in the future of the district and has spent large sums of money in the building of highways and for other public works. The purpose of the present paper is to review the developments of the last two years, and the work that has been performed in various spheres of activity in that section on western Quebec covering the county of Abitibi and the northern part of the county of Temiscamingue.

Jan 1, 1928

The Shortage of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers I N many parts of the Western World attention has recently been drawn to the acute shortage of mining and metallurgical engineers produced by the universities. Naturally, the reasons for this shortage have been discussed, and various remedies for it have been proposed. In this paper, I want to examine some of them. It is now fairly generally ac-cepted among mining men that the easy attractions of modern urban life have left the career of mining in the metaphorical as well as in the literal backwoods. The industry finds it increasingly difficult to recruit adventurous and intelligent young men; for such men now seek their intellectual, if not physical, adventure in more glamorous occupations from a safe social base in suburbia. The salaries, opportunities and security offered by the mining industry do not complete effectively with the rewards offered by other industries and by commerce, taking into account the social disadvantages of a mining life. The excitement and other non-material attractions of mining

Jan 1, 1965

THE Australian States and New Zealand have for many years provided instruction in mining, metallurgy, geology, and their allied subjects through their Universities and Schools of Mines. Though such education has been provided at considerable expenditure, there is no legal recognition whatever given to the holders of degrees, diplomas, or certificates granted by the authorities controlling these educational institutions. Certain of the, Australian States and New Zealand require, however, that mine managers and other officials employed by the mining industry shall 'hold' certificates granted by their respective Mines Departments.The position at present is that each educational institution is practically a law unto itself, and therefore in many ways there is a want of uniformity amongst institutions all aiming at the same result the training of mining men. The object of this paper is, in the first place, to point out certain aspects of this want of uniformity, and thereby how disabilities accrue. Some points in connection with the granting of State certificates will also be...

Jan 1, 1915

By C. T. Shaw

Fur a secure mineral supply position to be maintained in the Fiuropean Community there must be a supply of qualified people in the minerals industries. The education of the people required to run and develop these industries should be a priority in the community. This means that there should be a strong capability in mining engineering education. The mining engineering professors decided in 1990 to get together in a new Society to discuss the problems. The Society of Mining Professors/Societat der Berg-baukunde was formed at a meeting in Austria in October 1990. It is basically a F.uropean Society with a few member professors from outside Europe to keep the Society conversant with trends elsewhere. The objectives of the Society are to see that the mining universities in Fiurope maintain standards and produce enough mining engineers. The present membership of the Society and the work of developing a database of current courses is described. Working from the knowledge base developed, it will be possible to design a 'European' mining degree course. The problems which will have to be addressed have been identified and are described in detail.The paper finally goes on to discuss the other problems that universities are facing, the economic problems and above all the lack of students applying for mining courses across Europe. The help and active participation of the mining industry, if that industry still wishes to employ mining engineers, is identified as the only possible solution to those problems.

Jan 1, 1993

By Kent E. McElhattan

The selection of efficiency machinery for an underground mining system is a highly skilled art. Modern techniques of mining, based on sound engineering principles, increase the probability of success. These techniques alone, however, will not guarantee maximum productivity. Human judgement, based on experience with mineral seams and geological conditions, remains the single most important input of the decision-making techniques in selecting high production equipment. The myth of a "Scientific Selection Factor" is absurd. The belief that such a factor exists can waste the time and resources of mining management. Until now, mineral extraction from the original desposit has defied all attempts to systematize the knowledge. Computerized programs are excellent for solving underground transportation and ventilation problems. The variables can be defined by mathe¬matical techniques in this type of problem. By the same, token, "Trial and Error" is not an acceptable method in today's technology-minded world. The candid truth of the matter is that practically nothing is known of the phenomenon of extracting a mineral from the solid. Likewise, local conditions make it nearly impossible to predict accurately the reaction of surrounding strata after the mineral has been removed. The unpredictability of the environment resulting from extracting minerals underground will remain a challenge to mining engineers for many years. In fact, we are barely beyond the trial and error stage at this point in time.

Jan 1, 1969

By John R. Hawley

Ontario, one of the richest mining districts in the world, is a natural storehouse for much of the earth's fresh water supply. Covering over 344,000 square miles, the surface of this Canadian Province is dotted with 250,000 fresh water lakes and is laced with uncounted thousands of fresh water rivers and streams. The southern portion of the Province, for the most part, is flat or lazily rolling farmland. This is where most of the people in Ontario live. Although it is not a major mining area, southern Ontario does possess important deposits of salt, oil, gas and gypsum. Most of these deposits are being actively worked. Toronto, the capital city of Ontario, lies deep in the southern region. Here the climate is mild and the winters are short. The total annual precipitation consists of 27 inches of rain and 65 inches of snow. Most of the major mining companies that do business in Canada have made Toronto their Canadian headquarters. There are two reasons for this. The first, of course, is money. Toronto is the gathering place of many well- known financial institutions. The second is access. Toronto lies within a few hundred miles of some of the most spectacular mining enterprises that exist in the world.

Jan 1, 1973

U.S. Signs Pact With Miami Copper Miami Copper Co., of Arizona has agreed to mine lowgrade copper ores in an extension of its Globe-Miami mining district operations at a guaranteed price of 27.35[] per lb, under a contract signed with defense Materials Procurement Agency. Terms of the contract call for delivery of 230 million lb of refined copper between 1955 and 1962. DMPA said highgrade ore in the de posit will soon be exhausted and it is considered advisable to have Miami continue the operation. The Government has an option to buy 120 million lb of refined copper from present production at market prices. Miami will develop the new ore- body at its own expense-estimated at $3 million. If losses under the new contract reach a specified point, Miami may cancel the agreement. The company plans to use the block caving method in the underground operation.

Jan 4, 1953

By L. A. Wright, J. F. Emerson

The Pine Creek mine, owned by Union Carbide Nuclear Co., Div. of Union Carbide and Carbon Corp., is one of the world's largest producers of tungsten. The mine is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 25 miles north- west of Bishop, Calif. Prior to 1948, production from the property came either from surface pits or from underground workings above A level haulage tunnel. The tunnel is at an elevation of 10,900 ft, which left 500 to 600 ft of vertical backs to the surface outcrops. Heavy production demands during World War II hastened the planning for long range development of orebodies below A level. A 7000-ft haulage tunnel, 1500 ft below A level, was started in 1943 and completed in early 1947. This haulage tunnel is at an elevation of 9400 ft and is known as Zero tunnel.

Apr 1, 1956

* Kennecott Copper Corp. gets Charles R. Cox as president on Jan. 1. Mr. Cox is resigning his position as president of Carnegie-Illinois to take the new post with Kennecott, left vacant by the death of Mr. Stannard in September. •The ECA signed a contract in December to advance X3,600,000 to Newmont Mining Corp. to aid development of lead and zinc mines in French Morocco. The funds are to be repaid in lead and zinc for the United States' stockpile over a period of seven years. The mines are owned by the Societe des Mines de Zellidja, with which organization Newmont is associated. • Under the direction of John M. Brooks, Jr., general manager, the Matahambra mine in Cuba, will probably produce sufficient tonnage to make 4 million lb of copper per month during 1950. The grade is presently running between 7 and 10 pet. •S. H. Ash reports that the fatality rate per million-man-hr for the anthracite industry for 1949, through November, is 0.78. This is 15 pct better than that achieved during 1948, which was the lowest fatal injury rate in coal mining history. The first full year on record without a major disaster was recorded in 1949 (p. 34). •The Atomic Energy Commission has authorized the production of 200 lb of uranium metal for use under AEC license in non-Commission research projects. •A national survey of projected 1950 purchases of new machine tools, machine tool accessories, materials handling equipment, etc., just completed by the American Society of Tool Engineers reveals that, of the companies reporting, 80 pct state that they plan to buy either more equipment or the same amount as in 1948. • Armour Research Foundation is conducting investigations for the use of clay and shale deposits to make lightweight aggregates. The material is heated until it expands and forms material suitable for mixing with cement which it is hoped will be lighter, stronger, have better insulating qualities and will lower the cost of concrete. •In the first six months of 1949 the bituminous coal miners' average hourly earnings were $1.94 -as compared with X1.392_ national average for all manufacturing. Average annual earnings of full-time employees in the bituminous coal mines in 1948 were $3387 as compared with $2809 for all industry. •LaSalle Business Bulletin reports: "year ends on a rising trend in industry and trade ... nearly record-breaking demand from almost all sources keeps business high... most indicators but little below postwar peak... forces keeping activity high arestill powerful--changes in general business conditions likely to be slow and moderate." •Office of Internal Trade of the Commerce Department requests that technical data significant to the national security which is to be sent outside of the United States be submitted to it for an official opinion on the desirability of transmitting such information. This voluntary compliance program is part of our national security control. • Blast furnace slag reduced to 12 to 16 mesh is being used for sanding track at the Mont Coal mines of Armco. The slag replaces silica sand which caused silicosis. It has proved so effective and cheap that tests are being made to use the slag for rock dusting.

Jan 1, 1950

• The Venezuelan Trade Mission to the United States announced that Bethlehem Steel Corp. will begin exporting iron ore from its El Pao concession, south of the Orinoco River in Venezuela, in about three months. The ore will be transported by rail from the mines to barges on the Orinoco and transshipped to ore vessels at the coast for shipment to the Sparrows Point, Md., plant. The Latin American business men warned that projected increases in the United States tariff on petroleum imports from Venezuela would force that country into bilateral trade agreements with other countries and would mean drastic curtailment of Venezuelan imports from this country. •Bethlehem, South American Gold and Platinum Co., and U. S. Steel are investigating the possibilities of securing American foodstuff for their South American mining camp commissaries through the International Basic Economy Corp. IBEC buys in quantity to supply its subsidiary companies operating in Venezuela and Brazil. The mining companies will rid themselves of this burdensome task as well as realizing a saving from the bulk purchases of IBEC. •Oliver Iron Mining Co. has begun construction of a fine ore and taconite agglomeration plant at Virginia, Minn. It is expected to be ready in six months. The plant will be used to experiment with the making of clinker cakes and egg-sized lumps by sintering machines and nodulizing kilns respectively; about 1 million tons per year will be produced. • Roof pinning has been adopted at the iron mines of TCI, near Birmingham, to support overlying strata as mining progresses. Favorable results have been obtained in that dilution of the ore has been reduced by 50% which is attributable to this method of supporting the roof. •An American mining engineering team has gone to Turkey for a two-year assignment assisting Turkish government agencies in the $45 million ECA development, mechanization, and construction of cleaning plants for the Zonguldak coal field, 200 miles east of Istanbul on the Black Sea. The group consists of James Beeley, John E. Good, John S. Lambright, David Renshaw, and Charles R. Weir, all of the Paul Weir Co. •Arthur F. Taggart describes a new way of training engineers by emphasis on broad, basic engineering courses on page 460 of this issue. •Lawrence T. Tierney, chairman of the National Bituminous Coal Advisory Council, released a report stating that the increase in oil imports since the latter part of 194$ has caused significant damage to the U. S. fuel economy. It has reduced the strength of and employment opportunities in the coal, domestic petroleum, and transportation industries, as well as in related service and supplier fields. •Women, camels, and donkeys are the beasts of burden of the Sahara, according-to the UNESCO World Review. •Increased demand for magnesium sheet in airplane construction ana other phases of the national security program have led Alcoa to establish a sheet magnesium rolling division at its New Kensington, Pa., works which will begin operation shortly. Novel prospecting methods being used by the USGS in its search for uranium include: shock-mounted instruments in light trucks,. Geiger-counter probes lowered into augur holes, and experimental airborne prospecting.

Jan 4, 1950

An ore search for commercial titanium-bearing ore deposits is in progress by the Crane Co., manufacturers of valves, because they expect this metal to be important in valve manufacturing in the future. The company will eventually be mining and making titanium sponge. At present they are buying titanium tetrachloride from the Stauffer Chemical Co, at Niagara Falls and making titanium by reaction with magnesium. Production from the Babbitt concentrator of Reserve Mining Co. is scheduled to begin in late 1951 or early 1952. The capacity is to be 300,000 tons of pellets per year made from magnetic taconite concentrates.

Jan 7, 1951

By Lane White

In mid-April 1992, MINING ENGINEERING mailed a survey questionnaire relating to mining shovels and hydraulic excavators to 125 SME members working at surface mines or at the headquarters of companies that operate surface mines. The mailing was directed to individuals whose titles indicate that they have management or mine planning responsibilities for surface mining operations. A total of 56 usable surveys returned by June 17 are the basis of this report. Precious metals mines Eighteen precious metals mines or mining companies returned completed surveys in time to be included in this report. Of these, 14 use hydraulic shovels only for both ore and waste, I uses both hydraulic and rope shovels, and 2 use Caterpillar 988 front-end loaders for both ore and waste. (Of the latter 2, neither expects to be in the market for a shovel in the next three years. I of these 2 placed Harnischfeger P&H number one and O&K number two in response to the question, "Based on your current knowledge of their machines, which manufacturer would you likely chose to supply new shovels or excavators to a mine or mines operating under your responsibility, if you were in the market?") Another uses front-end loaders, make not designated. The latter does not expect to be in the market for mining shovels or excavators within the next three years. Of the final total of 14 precious metals mines using only hydraulic excavators to load ore and waste, 8 use Hitachi excavators only, 1 uses Demag excavators only, 1 uses Liebherr excavators only, 1 uses O&K excavators only, 1 uses Harnischfeger P&H and O&K excavators, 1 uses Harnischfeger P&H and Hitachi excavators, and 1 uses Hitachi and Demag excavators. Of the 14 precious metals mines using only hydraulic excavators, 7 use excavators in the 7.6 to 11.5 m; (10 to 15 cu yd) size range. Of these 7, 5 use only excavators in this size range, and they are used to load both ore and waste. 1 of the 7 also uses 11.5 to 17 m' (15 to 22 cu yd) excavators, and I also uses a 17 to 23 m3 (22 to 30 cu yd) excavator. Of the 7 remaining of these 14 precious metals mines that use only hydraulic excavators, 3 use 11.5 to 17 m' (15 to 22 cu yd), 2 use 17 to 23 m3 (22 to 30 cu yd), and 2 use less than 7.6 m' (10 cu yd) units.

Jan 1, 1992

It is probably safe to say that, as the economic well-being of the mining industry goes, so goes the fortunes of mineral explorationists. And in 1977 the industry was not well at all. The year-long depression of the copper industry, marked by layoffs, temporary shutdowns, and mine closures, provided an appropriate background for the collapse of the nickel market, passage of a surface mining law that will affect the hard-rock industry in ways that are yet unclear, and the threat of operating under a new set of rules brought on by reform of the Mining Law of 1872.

Jan 5, 1978

By Russell Barr

Operational excellence is generally known as a management system integrated across critical functions that is geared towards continually improving operational performance. Functional areas such as health, environment and safety, quality and human resources are the focus of many corporate-wide operational excellence programs. Operational excellence also focuses on improving areas such as customer orientation, employee empowerment as well as process, and systems optimization. It is widely viewed as critical to sustaining business performance improvement. Although it is difficult to find a universally accepted definition, or even common foundation in many respects, operational excellence remains a popular term in the business world. Many organizations have developed their own version of organization excellence, influenced by such individual factors, other similar institutions or even third-party service providers. A mining organization is no different from other organizations in that adopting and implementing effective operational excellence programs can dramatically improve business execution and performance across regional or global interests. This paper brings together various perspectives of operational excellence and reconciles them for a useful composite for the mining industry. While most agree that operational excellence should include normal functions in a manufacturing operation such as production, maintenance and engineering and processes such as quality, environmental and continuous improvement, many other factors for operational excellence seem to vary from perspective to perspective. Thus, programs that manufacturers engage in may seem the same, but may, in fact, be different in key areas. This may affect organizational performance in tangible ways. Management must buy into the company?s definition of operational excellence and be dedicated to achieving it. A review of many of the existing definitions of operational excellence, explicit or embedded as part of a program, seems to yield the following common factors: ? It should help organizations better execute their processes and services. ? It should be geared towards improving quality ? It requires that the various operations should be aligned with the overall enterprise strategy. ? It should be geared towards continuous improvement. A composite of operational excellence definitions suggest that it is: ? Geared towards helping the organization achieve sustained profitability; ? tied to strategic alignment and business objectives; ? tied to solid investment strategies; ? integrated as part of the culture, process, time plan and performance; ? a relevant performance measurement system; ? extended to include all aspects of the supply chain (including external suppliers); ? integrated with health, safety and environmental (HSE) aspects. And, while the pursuit of operational excellence intuitively suggests that businesses should improve, it is very difficult to achieve given the difficult challenges facing companies today. Mining businesses face numerous pressures to perform in a global marketplace such as demand, energy cost, variable cost and pricing fluctuations as well as infrastructure challenges to further confound the environment. Companies generally must look to the following:

Jan 1, 2009

By Michel Doyon

Canadian Context: Exploration ??Space Exploration is within the unique mandate of the Canadian Space Agency ??Global partnerships ??Maintain close relationship with our partners ??New knowledge in S&T ??Retain and attract highly qualified personnel ??Participation in missions leads to design roles in industry and academia ??Collaboration between government laboratories, industry and academia

May 1, 2009

By N Lefebvre, M Jakeman, R Aseervatham

Semi-arid regions suffer from two afflictions; evaporation may exceed precipitation by multiples of two or more and variations in precipitation can be both extreme and difficult to predict. Many Australian mines are situated in semi-arid areas where communities are reliant upon locally sourced water or special purpose infrastructure is built as part of the mine construction. As the question of climate change looms, issues related to future water supply and sustainable water management become increasingly important. Across Australia several mining operations co-exist in a single surface water and/or groundwater catchment area. The management of water on a mine by mine or a community by community basis is illogical and must be reconsidered based on a single water catchment and a whole-of-community basis. Mine water should be considered on a full life cycle basis where the quality is assessed for specific mine site applications. This paper addresses technical challenges that include surface water and groundwater supply in semi-arid regions, operational water in the mining industry, beneficial uses of water, water economics and demand management. In much the same way as emissions trading evolved into a multi-stakeholder forum, mining regions offer scope for innovative thinking in water supply and reuse. In addition, this paper considers a number of initiatives taken by Australian mining companies that are entering a prefeasibility stage and contrasts these initiatives against the established success within a South African mining region. The challenges and potential solutions to this initiative are presented for future consideration.

Jan 1, 2006

The 20th annual American Mining Hall of Fame Awards Banquet sponsored by the Mining Foundation of the Southwest will be held at the Westin La Paloma in Tucson, AZ, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2002. This year’s inductee, guest of honor and featured speaker is J. David Lowell, one of the preeminent exploration geologists of the past 30 years. Among his most recent discoveries is the world-class Pierina gold deposit in Peru, currently owned and operated by Barrick Gold. As representatives of mining heritage, the Hall of Fame will induct Howard Allen Twitty, Sr., and Bernhardt Rohe. Twitty was a respected public lands attorney. He made significant contributions to the mining industry by representing several major companies in many court cases. He was also the author of numerous papers on mining law. Rohe was managing director of Peñoles. In that position, he helped guide the Mexican mining company for its growth into the international mining company that it is today.

Jan 1, 2002