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By P. Schumacher, M. Fein

"INTRODUCTION Newmont’s Twin Creeks operation, part of its Nevada operations, produces gold from two large open pit mines. Mined ore is processed at one of three on-site facilities: a refractory mill with two autoclaves, an oxide mill and heap leaching facilities. Twin Creeks also processes various off-site sourced concentrates and ore including high grade underground ore from the Turquoise Ridge joint venture with Barrick Gold Corporation. This paper discusses Twin Creeks’ strategic mine planning process which is part of an in-depth continuous improvement program called “Full Potential.” The process involves cost analysis, phase design validations, life-of-mine production scheduling optimization, mill blending strategy and stockpile management. Through this Full Potential strategic planning, Twin Creeks is creating significant value by increasing near term free cash flow and life of mine net present value (“NPV”) and achieving cost reductions. TWIN CREEKS OPERATION Twin Creeks is one of the major gold producers in Newmont’s Nevada operations (see Figure 1, 2 and 3). Located approximately 15 miles north of Golconda, Twin Creeks produced approximately 28 % of the Nevada operation’s 2013 gold production of 1.8 million ounces (Newmont 2014). The production included Turquoise Ridge sourced gold ore from the joint venture (75% Barrick Gold Corporation, 25% Newmont).At Twin Creeks, there are two large open pits, named Mega Pit and Vista Pit (see Figure 4, 5 and 6). There are 3 to 5 phases in Mega Pit and 2 to 5 phases in Vista Pit depending on the gold price assumption. There is also an underground exploration project at the bottom of the Vista Pit. Twin Creeks produces gold from a variety of ore types requiring different processing techniques depending on economic and metallurgical characteristics. To ensure the best use of processing assets, engineering and processing groups at Twin Creeks utilize a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (“MILP”) model to guide the flow of mine sequences and material routing to various process facilities (Kawahata, Schumacher and Hufford 2013)."

Jan 1, 2015

By Paweł Stefaniak, Natalia Duda-Mróz, Sergii Anufriiev, Wioletta Koperska

Due to the high environmental risks and negative impact of a failure, tailings storage facilities (TSFs) need constant monitoring. Advanced mathematical models have been developed in the past to predict the behavior of TSFs and raise alerts if needed. To be precise and reliable, such models need a spatial distribution of soil types within the dam as an input. Getting this data from laboratory measurements is time and costconsuming. In this article, we propose an ANN-powered algorithm, which allows us to accurately estimate the soil distribution based on a cone penetration test (CPT).

Jun 25, 2023

By H. M. Castrantas

Caro's (peroxymonosulfuric) acid has been reported to destroy WAD (weakly acid dissociable) CN-but, until recently, the technology has not been demonstrated in other than a laboratory setting. During the last two years, Caro's acid has been shown to successfully detoxify WAD CN-in tailings at two large North American gold mines. Using on-site FMC generators, Caro's acid reduced the WAD CN-from 40-55 ppm to below 20-35 ppm WAD CN-, the target range for the two mines. The detoxification costs using Caro's acid were less than 50% of the treatment cost of using hydrogen peroxide, the previous oxidant of choice. In addition to the considerable savings in CN-detoxification costs, lower WAD CN-values were achieved and the detoxification time with Caro's acid was greatly reduced compared to hydrogen peroxide.

Jan 1, 1995

By William Gleason

Since 2004, Dave Kanagy has served as the executive director and chief executive officer of SME. In that role, he has worked with 22 SME Presidents, traveling the world to represent the Society. His prestigious one-million-mile status with United Airlines is a testament to these efforts. He has been to six of seven continents while leading the Society on a journey from a struggling association in 2004 to the largest and arguably the most influential professional mining society in the world. In the following pages, some of those past SME Presidents reflect on their time with Kanagy and paint the picture of a visionary leader who was willing to make the hard decisions for the betterment of the Society while remaining open to new ideas and opportunities. One of his first accomplishments as the executive director was to streamline the SME Boad of Directors from 29 members to nine, making it much more effective. With a keen financial sense, he was able to add value while cutting excess to expand the Society in every measure. As the leader of SME, Kanagy helped facilitate much of the Society’s growth and innovation as the world’s largest mining related organization. He has a B.S. degree in industrial education from the University of Maryland, an M.S. degree in technology education from Eastern Illinois University and is a certified association executive by the American Society of Association Executives. Under his leadership, several unique programs were created or advanced, including OneMine.org, the world’s foremost online mining research library. He enhanced legacy programs and increased collaboration with international organizations. Kanagy is the recipient of prestigious awards, including the Colorado Society of Association Executives’ Professional of the Year award and the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America’s Gold Medal award.

Feb 1, 2026

By R. G. Reddy, A. E. Torma

Bio-treatment of uranium contaminated soils from Fernald using the bacterium Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was investigated. The experimental results showed that extraction of uranium upto 99 percent from soils were obtained with 10 percent pulp density suspension and with addition of iron (3000 mg/l) after bio-remediation time of seven days. Application of the results to industrial practices is discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

By Robert W. Cope

"Mining began, in the Colstrip area in the 1920's by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The coal was used for steam locomotives until 1957, when the advent of diesel power made them obsolete. In 1959, Montana Power Company purchased the Northern Pacific properties including the mining equipment, coal leases and the town of Colstrip. Western Energy Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Montana Power Company was formed in 1966 to manage the mining operations in Colstrip. The Rosebud Mine officially re-opened in 1968 to supply coal for Montana Power Company's J. E. Corette Plant In Billings. Since 1970, Long Construction has operated the mine equipment for Western Energy Company". The Rosebud Mine is located in Southeast Montana and supplies coal to two 350 megawatt power plants located in Colstrip and one 180 megawatt plant located in Billings. Approximately 30 percent of Western's annual production is consumed by these plants. The remaining production is shipped to the mid-west and burned by utility companies and municipalities.

Jan 1, 1981

By Simon J. McDonald

In late 2007 Neptune Minerals Plc. commissioned Genesis - a leading consultancy and engineering company affiliated to the Technip group - to undertake a Seafloor Mining Conceptual Study for mining of Seafloor Massive Sulphides (?SMS?) in Neptune?s New Zealand licenses. A key deliverable of the study was information to de-risk the perception of SMS mining for investors the minerals, and that deep-sea mining of SMS material is technically feasible, commercially viable and can safely be managed as a sustainable marine resource industry. The aim of the study, completed in April 2008, was to evaluate alternative existing marine technologies for seafloor mining, ore lifting, dewatering and surface offtake, considering the following parameters: ? Efficiency; ? Reliability; ? Safety; ? Environmental impact; and ? Cost

Jan 1, 2008

By D. M. Larsen

Since start-up in 1985, the Cannon Mine has produced and shipped a 170-g/ton (5 oz/ton) gold flotation concentrate to various smelters for gold and silver recovery. Several processes have been investigated to economically produce done' at the mine site from the refractory concentrate. This paper describes laboratory and pilot scale test work used in the process design and engineering. feasibility study of a 73-t/d (80 stpd) pressure oxidation and carbon-in-leach (CIL) facility. The designed pressure oxidation circuit utilizes a series of verti¬cal autoclave units operating at 170°C (338F) and 1.4 MPa (200 psig). Projected operating costs are discussed.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. M. Keating, R. L. Wiegel

Those processing plants which depend on flotation for their mineral separations are always looking for reagents which are cheaper, more selective or in some other way may provide improved economic performance. This paper describes the rationale for and some results from applying a statistically based approach to reagent testing in those flotation plants which still rely on experienced operators for manual flotation control.

Jan 1, 1986

By R. W. Lankston

Uranium mill tailings disposal facilities present unique problems with respect to siting, design, and long-term stability because their contents remain potentially hazardous for 100,000 years. Dawn Mining Company, operator of a uranium mill in Washington, undertook geological and geophysical studies relative to planned expansion of existing disposal facilities. Seismic refraction and reflection, resistivity, and ground magnetics data were integrated with limited drill data to determine the configuration of Quaternary sediments and the underlying basaltic and granitic bedrock. Analysis of multiple reflections and magnet modelling on a micro-computer with CRT graphics added detail to the interpretation.

Jan 1, 1980

By W. A. Lawruk, L. J. Wilson, D. E. Stief

The Tower mill is a vertical stirred mill using steel balls or pebble grinding media. This device is designed for fine grinding at significant power savings when compared to conventional tumbling mills. This paper describes the machine and its operation, application, and performance for wet grinding.

Jan 1, 1988

By P. Coleman, J. C. Kerkering, S. Iverson

Fault tree analysis is a systematic safety analysis tool that proceeds deductively from the occurrence of an undesired event (accident) to the identification of the root causes of that event. One recurring mine safety problem-a dozer falling into a void over a drawpoint on a coal surge pile-was analyzed using available, inexpensive fault tree programs on a personal computer. The analysis identified basic and intermediate events that led to the burial of the dozer and graphically depicted the interrelationship between these various subordinate events as well as the various chain of events leading up to the primary event. A sensitivity analysis on these probabilities showed which events had the greatest influence on dozer burial in a coal surge pile.

Jan 1, 2001

By V. N. Kazakidis

With increased levels of automation, capitalization, and empowerment of citizens, the traditional axis of labour versus capital or national government versus capital, upon which the allocation of benefits from a mining project was traditionally based, has shifted primarily to a capital versus community axis. In light of this paradigm shift, it is critical for the sustainability of mining that economic indicators be considered at the pre-feasibility, feasibility, and permitting stages of a project. Such indicators should emphasize the ?ripple effect? of the economic impact of a capital-intensive mining investment on a region due to outsourcing, as well as the diversified spin-off opportunities and the technological advances that can be exploited by local communities.

Jan 1, 2003

By Robert F. Droullard

The U. S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) has investigated instrumentation and methods for measuring exposure to radon daughters in underground mine atmospheres. Both personal and area monitors have been studied through in-house and contract research. A field study in uranium mines identified some reliability problems that required additional work for the personal dosimeter systems. Improved versions of continuous working level detectors have been developed and tested for use as area monitors in underground mines. Test results for the personal and area monitors were satisfactory for underground mine applications.

Jan 1, 1981

By Knezicek Zeljko, Knezicek Tihomir

Lignite open cast mine "Dubrave" is the largest lignite mine in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The open cast mine was designed with two external waste dumps. Waste dump "West" is the major dump, while "Cajici" dump is used for dumping waste taken from leveling the terrain. The major waste dump contains 14.6 million cu.m. of waste, while the side waste dump contains 3 million cu.m. of waste. Existing situation with available sites for depositing the waste shows that additional space for dumping the waste must be provided. Three options can be taken into consideration. The fact is that none of the three options are suitable for the current production situation. This article deals with the optimization process for obtaining the optimal variant where a waste dump can be located and selection of the most valuable option.

Jan 1, 2002

By L. A. Readdy

Defining classes of ore using geostatistical methods that match historical classifications has presented problems in the past. A simplistic and practical approach to this problem is presented. An example of the approach is presented using a porphyry type system as a case study. The technique described uses area of drill hole influence and known conditions from similar deposits, or the production history of the deposit being studied. It provides a practical bridging mechanism for defining the class of ore on a block-by-block basis using .the error of estimation value developed during kreiging. The approach provides a filtering method that refocuses attention on the adequacy of drill hole spacing.

Jan 1, 1985

By Majid Sadeghi, Ali Naghi Dehghan, Kaveh Ahangari, Seyed Mahdi Pourhashemi

"Instrumentation and monitoring of ground deformations in tunneling is a principal means for selecting and controlling the excavation and support methods among those foreseen in the design, for ensuring safety during tunnel construction (including personnel safety inside the tunnel and safety of structures located at ground surface) and, finally, for ensuring construction quality management. In this paper, the effect of Hakim Tunnel excavation on the behavior of the surrounding ground was investigated based on the geotechnical instrumentation. This tunnel with 1080 m length, 18 m width and 12.6 m height is being constructed using the SEM/NATM along the Hakim Highway in Tehran. The results which are obtained from recorded displacements by geodetic pins (on the tunnel wall and roof), extensometers and settlements pins (at the ground surface) demonstrate the tunnel stability during the various stages of excavation. However, it is concluded that the rate of excavation in different sequences could have a major role on stability of tunnel. In this case the surface and underground openings were monitored as well as needed for controlling the face probably collapse. INTRODUCTION Tunneling is increasingly being used world-wide to provide the infrastructure required for sustainable urban areas. The high demand for space and the disturbance of existing infrastructures by construction measures increasingly forces future infrastructure projects to be conducted underground. One of the important purposes of tunneling projects in urban area is not only to minimize displacements but also to control them during the construction (Pourhashemi et al., 2015). Normal method of tunnel stability analysis is not able to evaluate the real rock and soil mass behavior. Hence, instrumentation is a practical method to monitor displacements, to evaluate the stability of underground openings, and also to determine the rock and soil mass properties (Dehghan et al., 2012. Dehghan, 2013). Rocks and soils are materials with properties that can change instantly and significantly from one point to the next. Some complications may often happen due to uncertainties in the loads that the new facility must withstand during construction and operation. Instrumentation and monitoring provide quantitative information on actual behavior of ground and adjacent structures. A lot of deformation monitoring studies for determining and analyzing different kinds of engineering structures such as tunnels, bridges, high-rise buildings and dams are implemented. Considering the type of the structure, its environmental"

Jan 1, 2016

By Michael Fahey, Ravi M. Damodaran, Brij M. Moudgil

The flotation behavior of Florida phosphates was studied using statistical design of experiments to evaluate conditioning parameters and their effect on flotation performance. The solids loading, conditioning time and agitation speed during conditioning were identified as the important variables affecting the reagent coating onto particles. Flotation of the conditioned slurry was carried out at fixed collector dosage and flotation conditions. Phosphate recovery upon flotation was statistically modelled as a function of the conditioning variables. The results indicated that the conditioning variables had an interactive effect on the phosphate flotation performance. Statistical optimization revealed two conditioning regimes in which optimum flotation recovery was obtained. It was determined that optimal recovery can be obtained at lower conditioning energies.

Jan 1, 1995

By Jorgen Elbrond

In a stream of ore in an underground mine or in a beneficiation plant bins are installed between machines or machine system. When the upstream machine is stopped the downstream machine can continue operation for a while and vice versa. The paper describes a procedure for calculating the total capacity of a system consisting of two machines with an intermediary bin as a function of the bin's live volume and of the installed machine capacities and their production variations, which are defined. Extensions to several machines in parallel and in series are shown as well as practical examples.

Jan 1, 1982

By Slobodan Vujic, Goran Cirovic, Dragan Radojevic

Mine production systems (MPS) are characterized, more or less, by the following properties: uncertainty, subjectivity, impreciseness, polysemy, instability, indefiniteness and lack of data. From modern study aspect these MPS mathematically belong to the class of fuzzy systems. With this in mind, the usage of fuzzy sets is recommended as a methodology that treats impreciseness, indefiniteness and complexity of mine production systems in a satisfactory manner. Fuzzy modelling, discussed in this pa- per, is applied as a mathematical implement. The objective of the paper was to show production optimization in practice on the ex- ample of bauxite open pits where fuzzy linear programming (FLP) was used following the criterion per income. The variables in criterion function are linguistic variables while both variables and variable restrictions are presented by triangular fuzzy numbers (TFN). The term "satisfactory income" presented through triangle fuzzy numbers was introduced instead of "maximizing the income". sensitivity of the obtained solutions has been analysed

Jan 1, 1996