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The Douglas mineral sands deposit is located 75 km north of Hamilton in western Victoria, Australia. The deposit was discovered in the late 1990s by Basin Minerals Limited and purchased by Iluka Resources Ltd in 2002. Prestrip mining commenced in December 2004, with ore mining commencing in August 2005. Douglas is the first of several projects being implemented by Iluka Resources Ltd in the Murray Basin, with all heavy mineral concentrate planned to be treated at the companyÆs mineral separation plant in Hamilton. The mineralisation at Douglas lies along the south-eastern margin of the Murray Basin. It is hosted by marine Pliocene Loxton-Parilla Sands and consists of three discrete deposits; Bondi Main, Bondi West and Bondi East. The mineralised sediments dip at a low angle to the west and lie unconformably beneath a veneer of top soil (50 - 100 mm) and subsoil (up to 600 mm) and between three to 12 m of overburden. The barren overburden, characterised by high clay content (<53 ¦m material) generally provides a stark contrast to the sandy ore, which is between 1 m (parts of Bondi East) and 15 m (Bondi Main) thick. Both overburden and ore are removed utilising standard dry mining techniques using both scraper-bulldozer and truck-excavator combinations. All ore is delivered to run-of-mine (ROM) stockpiles before being reclaimed by front end loader into the processing plant. Grade control at Douglas is based around visual dig control aided by high precision survey, which enables accurate reference to the resource drilling and block model data. Vertical excavator faces, inclined scraper faces plus regular test pits and trenches provide opportunities for in pit mapping and sampling. This data is used to refine not only the resource estimate for Douglas but also the drilling, interpretation and resource modelling methods used for similar deposits across the basin. The foundations of the geological reconciliation process at Douglas are the in pit surveys undertaken each time the mining fleet has completed building a ROM stockpile. These surveys and the subsequent interrogation of resource models enable robust estimations of the heavy mineral content of the stockpiles, which are subsequently used to predict the daily input grades into the plant during their reclamation. Reconciliation of this daily data is then undertaken at the end of each month against metallurgical production data and plant balances. Learnings and results from the reconciliation process are used to further refine subsequent resource models and modelling methods.

Jan 1, 2009

By S Rogers, D Stead, E Eberhardt

The last decade has seen a major increase in use of the discrete fracture network (DFN) approach applied to cave mining problems, often integrated within more complex geomechanical simulations. Because the value of the DFN model directly depends on the quality and quantity of available field data, there is the need to apply dedicated mapping procedures to collect sufficient structural data at the required engineering scale. This paper attempts to address several key questions about DFN modelling; for example: are current methods for fracture mapping suitable for DFN modelling? What are the critical parameters that we need to measure and what do we need to change in the current practice? Particularly at the earlier stages of a cave project, engineers may have to account for the lack of appropriate data, which manifests itself in the form of increased uncertainty and the difficulty to characterise variability in an objective manner using a limited set of data. DFN models could in principle be generated using limited data by assuming statistical distributions for the sampled parameters; however, engineers would need to be aware of the implications that such limited knowledge (and increased uncertainty) would have on stability analysis, fragmentation analysis and mine design. When used correctly, a DFN approach offers practitioners the opportunity to:maximise the use of fracture data collected from mapping of rock exposuresgenerate more realistic synthetic rock mass modelsprovide estimates of natural fragmentation that also account for rock mass variability.CITATION:Elmo, D, Eberhardt, E, Stead, D and Rogers, S, 2016. Discrete fracture network modelling – importance of accounting for data uncertainty and variability, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 845–852 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By G Bournival, Y Saavedra Moreno, S Ata

Flotation frothers are heteropolar molecules that are preferentially adsorbed at the bubble interface to enhance the flotation performance by promoting the formation of small and stable bubbles. Frothers have different characteristics that can be used to classify them. A classification framework has been recently presented by Saavedra Moreno et al (2022) to classify non-ionic frothers by conducting a principal component analysis (PCA) and a hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). However, for the purpose of the present research, only five frother characteristics, including molecular weight (MW), hydrophile–lipophile balance (HLB), critical coalescence concentration (CCC), the minimum Sauter mean diameter (DL), and foam stability index (DFI) were used in the PCA and HCA. All those characteristics were evaluated for a two-phase system in the absence of particles. Realising the important role that particles play in froth stability and behaviour, the effect of hydrophobic particles on the presented frother classification framework was investigated in this study. Four frothers with different characteristics, methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), 1-pentanol, tri (propylene glycol) (TPG), and tri (propylene glycol) methyl ether (TPM), were chosen. The experiments were carried out in the presence and absence of silica particles esterified with 1-pentanol. It was evident that the results for 1-pentanol, TPM, MIBC, and TPG in the three-phase system agreed well with the frother classification presented for the two-phase system as frothers were clustered in the same groups. The findings from this research support the use of the frother classification system presented in two-phase system to select a specific frother for a particular application without the necessity of conducting laborious experiments in a three-phase system.

Aug 24, 2022

By A Hall, D Kratochvil, P Littlejohn

Economic recovery of gold from complex gold ores, including poly-metallic deposits, is impacted by the presence of cyanide-soluble base metals. These base metals can create both a metallurgical challenge plus waste handling and disposal challenges. Base metals such as Cu and Zn compete for the cyanide reagent and often increase the total cyanide consumption to the point of making precious metals recovery uneconomic. In addition, the accumulation of base metals in cyanide solutions represent a challenge for cyanide detoxification and waste water treatment as these metals report to waste sludge. Such sludge requires safe handling and disposal, with possible long-term liabilities.Base metal interference can be removed with sulfidisation-acidification-recycling-thickening (SART) process technology. SART liberates the base metal from the cyanide complex and precipitates the metal as an insoluble sulfide product that can be recovered as a commercial grade concentrate. With the base metal precipitated, the cyanide can be regenerated as free cyanide and recycled to the gold extraction circuit.BioteQ completed laboratory testing for two projects, one employing cyanide leaching of copper-gold sulfide flotation concentrate and one employing a Merrill Crowe process, to determine the effectiveness of SART to remove and recover Cu and Zn in high-grade sulfide concentrates and to reduce the impact of cyanide-soluble metals on gold recovery and cyanide consumption. This paper will provide an overview of the testing methodology and results along with a review of the potential for SART to be applied to complex gold ores with poly-metallic deposits to improve project economics, operability and waste management.CITATION:Littlejohn, P, Kratochvil, D and Hall, A, 2013. Sulfidisation-acidification-recycling-thickening (SART) for complex gold ores, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 149-156 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By R Cooksey

The Globe-Progress Mine is an open pit gold mine that is part of the larger Reefton Goldfields deposit located on the West Coast of New Zealand. The regional geology comprises a series of north to south oriented fold structures that have undergone post-deformation mineralisation. The structural geology within the mine itself is more complex, with major shears hosting numerous high-grade mineralised quartz shoots and splays that have been historically mined.The selective mining of ore within the pit is challenging due to the orientations of the hanging wall and footwall areas of the main Globe shear zone, the lithologies of these areas which range from highly brecciated and sheared material to competent mineralised host rock, and in the hazards presented by the numerous old historic underground workings. The coordination of drilling, modelling and excavation of the ore requires careful planning to maximise recovery whilst operating with the pit design boundaries.Grade control packages are custom designed to reflect the orientation of the footwall and hanging wall mineralisation. The shear material in the footwall zone dips between 60° and 70° and requires angled drilling whereas the footwall mineralisation is contained in shallow dipping quartz veins sub parallel to bedding and can be vertically drilled to best intercept the mineralisation. Ore excavation is directed so that the contact between the footwall and hanging wall is mined in the correct direction so that any non-visual ore contacts can be safely mined and that the ore-waste dilution is reduced.The ongoing grade control and selective mining of the Globe Progress deposit continues to deliver high grade ore for processing by ensuring that waste and dilution of ore is reduced and that recovery is maximised.

Aug 22, 2011

By Y Li, D J. Williams, E Topal

A mine waste rock dump does not have any intrinsic value, yet is an inevitable structure in surface mining operations. Since the purpose of mining is to maximise profit, possible expenditure reduction in hauling waste rock to the dump, which can represent up to 50 per cent of the total operating cost, is highly desirable. Apart from cost, potential acid mine drainage (AMD), due to seepage from surface waste rock dumps containing reactive waste rock, could threaten the ecological balance, drinking water supplies and irrigation systems downstream from a mine site. In order to minimise these potential risks, selective placement of benign and reactive waste rock, and the encapsulation of reactive waste rock by benign waste rock, need to be carried out during the construction of the rock dump.In this paper, a new methodology, based on mixed integer programming (MIP) is developed to manage waste rock dumping. The model aims to minimise waste rock haulage costs by locating the optimum destination(s) for each waste rock block, while at the same time controlling the placement of reactive waste rock to minimise the potential for AMD. Tests on small-scale virtual data demonstrated that the model is capable of dealing with selective placement of different waste rock types, encapsulating reactive, potentially acid forming (PAF) waste rock, and stockpiling benign waste rock for encapsulation and rehabilitation purposes. The solution time for the MIP model is far less than the traditional manual approach, and the resulting schedule is up to 46 per cent more cost effective.CITATION:Li, Y, Topal, E and Williams, D J, 2012. Mathematical approach for better mine waste rock dumping management, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2012 , pp 207-214 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 10, 2012

By Gillies A. D S

Rail, port and shipping charges represent 30 to 50 per cent of landed costs for Australian coal mines selling to Asia. This proportion is higher for sales to Europe, yet it is in Europe where Australian producers are aiming for increased market share. The landed cost of coal to the international customer is the key parameter which determines market competitiveness. The objective of this study is to examine Australian export coal competitiveness in terms of transport distance. The approach used examines world coking coal and steaming coal production and the transport distances between major exporting regions and importing countries. Reference is made to the importance of land transport costs and a comparative approach for emphasising the relative magnitude of this factor is developed. Models developed are examined in terms of Australia's exports and a conclusion is reached that a reduction in rail freight costs would be an effective measure for improving the competitiveness of Australia's coal industry.

Jan 1, 1994

By A Black, A de Jo, J Cavanagh, J Harding

Acidic and metal-rich waters have been discharging from Sullivan Mine, West Coast, New Zealand since the closure of the mine during the early- 1990s. This has resulted in a decrease in pH from a background of 4.5 to 2.8 and an increase in metallic elements in nearby Rapid Stream. In addition to the chemical effects on Rapid Stream, a study of freshwater macro-invertebrates revealed the absence of most biota downstream from the discharge. An attempt is being made to use the Sullivan Mine as a case study of problem and remediation analysis.

Jan 1, 2003

By Swayn G. P, Floyd J. M

BHAS, together with the G.K. Williams Laboratory, and Ausmelt Pty. Ltd., has examined a number of possible alternatives to conventional silver cupellation in gas fired reverberatory furnaces. Of these alternatives, a Sirosmelt furnace was preferred for both technical and economic reasons. Small scale work on Sirosmelt processes was carried out at the G.K. Williams Laboratory at Melbourne University in 1985/86. Pilot scale work was carried out at the Ausmelt plant in Melbourne in July 1987. Board approval for construction of a full size plant was received in October, 1988, and construction of the plant is currently underway. The plant is expected to provide significant savings in operating costs and silver inventory. Hygiene around the furnace should also be greatly improved. An increase in cupellation rate of at least ten times is expected, compared with the conventional reverberatory furnace.

Jan 1, 1989

By Stevenson I, Dickinson W, Taylor R. N

Despite flash smelting's widespread use little is known about the actual processes taking place in flash furnace shafts and comparatively few reports of sampling campaigns have appeared in the published literature. his paper reviews the previous reports of the use of horizontal trough samplers and analyses their expected collection efficiency. In the light of the deficiencies revealed by this analysis an isokinetic sampler was produced and a vertical sampling technique was also developed to obtain samples from directly below the burners in the shaft of the flash furnace at the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter. Comparison of the sizing of the samples obtained with the horizontal trough and isokinetic samplers confirmed the theoretical analyses and showed that the trough samplers were not collecting the fine particles. Besides providing data to validate mathematical models of the burners and shaft, chemical analyses of the shaft samples showed that the coal in the charge was reacting preferentially and that the plume of at least one of the burners was being deflected from its axial position. In the region directly below the burner there was evidence that the disperser on the burner was imparting more momentum to the coarser particles and that these were concentrating in the outer regions of the particle plumes issuing from the burners.

Jan 1, 1992

By J Johansson, J Lööw

Attractive mining workplaces are good, safe and healthy environments. They are also workplaces that the workforce of the future wants to work in. As skilled miners and engineers are already scarce, this is important both for today and for the future. However, the future of mining will also be subject to increased international competition. In attempting to become more competitive, many mining companies turn to rationalisation, looking to both rationalise their production and organisation as well as optimise their processes. Work organisation is important in both rationalisation and providing attractive mining work. As a result, this paper investigates a ‘lean production’ (LP) philosophy for the organisation of future mines. The aim of the paper is to investigate to what extent LP can be used to organise for attractive mining. It first defines what attractive mining work is and to what degree it can be influenced by work organisation. A short insight into the LP concept will be given as well as a review of how it is discussed and utilised in mining today. In conclusion, a summary of LP’s potential to realise future attractive mining is given.CITATION:Lööw, J and Johansson, J, 2015. Work organisation for attractive mining – lean mining and the working environment, in Proceedings Third International Future Mining Conference, pp 197–204 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 4, 2015

The New Southern Railway (NSR) involves the excavation of approximately 10 km of single bore tunnel from Tempe Reserve, Tempe, to Prince Alfred Park (PAP). PAP is located just south of Central Railway Station in SydneyÆs Central Business District (CBD). From Tempe Reserve the alignment takes the tunnel under Sydney Airport including the main north/south runway. Sydney Airport is approximately 8 km south of the CBD. The NSR is being constructed by a private group, the Transfield Bouygues Joint Venture (TBJV). Transfield is a major Australian contractor and the French contractor, Bouygues, is providing the soft ground tunnel construction expertise and is also responsible for the design of the concrete segmental lining. This paper sets out to present in some detail the issues involved in tunnelling under the airport and in particular under the north apron, the main north/south runway and the new elevated roadway. The paper concentrates on these three areas on the airport with an emphasis on the following. The risks involved and measures taken to minimise the risks in tunnelling under the International Terminal north apron (with Jumbo Jets parked immediately above). Secondly, settlement predictions, settlement and runway operation criteria and the actual settlements that have occurred on the main north/south runway. Finally, the criteria that was developed during the construction of the deep bored piers for the elevated roadway at the Domestic Terminal as the TBM passed through this area of construction activity.

Jan 1, 1999

By Phelan JM

Poor selectivity in the separation of two sulphides generally arises because the flotation characteristics of the coarse sizes of the valuable mineral and finer sizes of non-valuable minerals are identical. Separat- ing the pulp into two size fractions at a specifically determined cut size and conditioning each size fraction with its own optimum reagent addi- tion is known to be helpful in improving such selectivity problems. The performance of the zinc section of the complex ore circuit at Wood- lawn Mines has been analysed in detail. The selective recovery of zinc was found to be a problem in zinc/pyrite separation. However, atypi- cally, the separation problem was between coarse zinc and coarse, not finer, pyrite. In spite of this the use of separate conditioning has effected significant improvements in rougher concentrate. Selectivity (and hence grade), overall recovery and flotation rate have all been enhanced. Dis- appointingly, coarse zinc recovery was not increased but, with careful optimization, this might be achieved without sacrificing the gains already realized. The technique of separate conditioning clearly has general application in other circuits where selectivity is a significant problem.

Jan 1, 1988

By Maloszewski J, Kidybinski A, Sawka B

A forecast of mining conditions in Upper Silesia collieries for the beginning of the 21st century has special focus on average depth of mining, energy of seismic tremors induced by mining and energy of dynamic loads on roadway supports. A method of dynamic loads calculation is based on volume of failed rock surrounding an opening and the seismic energy of tremors anticipated. New types of yielding steel arch supports have been designed to resist massive static and dynamic loads and a system of supports has been tested both on 1 : 10 scale models and in natural size. The support sections used are 29, 36 and 44 kg/m.

Jan 1, 1988

By P M. Larionov, V I. Zaikovskii

Transmission and scanning electron microscopy together with X-ray spectral microprobe analysis were used to investigate the structure and chemical composition of pathological calcified formations on the bioprostheses of heart valves. Controllable synthesis was carried out under the conditions (T = 37¦C, pH = 7.4) when the ion composition of the main elements (Ca, P, Mg and NaCl) is close to their concentrations in blood plasma. It is proposed on the basis of the obtained results that the formation of the hydroxyapatite of calcific inclusions on bioprostheses occurs as a result of spontaneous precipitation in the blood plasma. One of the factors determining the formation of massive calcified bodies on the bioprostheses of heart valves can be decreased magnesium concentration in blood.

Jan 1, 2008

North Eastern Russia encompasses the northern part of the Circum Pacific. The region comprises various tectonostratigraphic terranes, including cratonic blocks, fragments of volcanic arcs, accretionary wedge terranes, oceanic crust and passive continental margins. The terranes have been accreted to the eastern margin of the Siberian Craton in the Late Mesozoic. The prominent structures of the region are extended zones of the Mesozoic flysch and turbidites. Another important structure is the 3000 km long Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic arc which marks the Cretaceous active continental margin of northern Eurasia. The youngest structure of the region is the 2000 km long Late Cainozoic Kamchatka-Kuril island arc system. North Eastern Russia is the main gold producing region of the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of recorded gold production in 1932 until 1995 the region has produced 2575 t (83M oz) of gold. Most of it, 2439.5 t, has been produced from placers. Owing to depletion of alluvial gold resources, exploration and mining emphasis is currently switching to the development of the lode deposits. At least five distinct types of the gold mineralisation are reported in North Eastern Russia - mesothermal gold mineralisation in the Mesozoic fold belts, Paleozoic epithermal gold mineralisation occurring within Omolon block, epithermal gold mineralisation related to the Mesozoic volcanics, Cainozoic epithermal gold mineralisation, gold-bearing Cu-porphyry deposits. The current paper introduces the metallogeny of lode-gold deposits of North Eastern Russia. It provides the review of the regional geology, the selected gold provinces and representative deposits with an emphasis on the mineralisation styles and distribution control.

Jan 1, 1999

By Fukuda M, Kurita K

A mathematical model for estimating the liquid level in the hearth is presented. The analytical result was checked on a cold two-dimensional model and an additional boundary condition for the fundamental equation resulted. The applicability of the resultant equation was investigated on a cold model and a regression equation obtained for the average liquid level for Kashima No. 1 BF. Comparison of calculated and observed results were in fairly good agreement. It is concluded that the liquid level in the commercial furnace can be calculated from the measured values of pressure in the bosh and operating conditions.

Jan 1, 1975

By Morsky P, Kalapudas R, Natunen H, Virtanen M

The development of autogenous grinding modification in Outokumpu, known with the name 'Outogenius Comminution', was 'reversed'. At first the metallurgists studied and tested tens of years autogenous grinding in detail in full scale circuits at the concentrators of the company. After the final solution already had been found, also a pilot plant was built and now finally, research work is under way to develop a special laboratory method for testing the suitability of ores for 'Outogenius Comminution'.

Jan 1, 1993

By H Jones

The paper outlines the adoption and evolution of ‘sustainable development’ as a concept in tailings management practices in the mining industry over the last 30 years. Over 500 lives have been lost in tailings facility accidents since World War 2. The paper outlines commonalities in many of these accidents, particularly the role of excess water. It considers the role effective tailings management can play in enhancing the social acceptability of mining in the future.Tailings management is a major operating cost at many mines while the cost of successfully closing tailings facilities is also very high. Current tailings management practices in the industry are outlined. The technical and engineering challenges of reducing potential risks associated with tailings by reducing water entrainment are described. The successful development of practical techniques to better manage tailings and reduce water consumption and wastage are described. For example, water removal in the alumina industry to produce a paste for dry stacking is now a reality.The future adoption of these new risk reducing techniques by the industry is discussed and the implications of the adoption or non-adoption of these techniques on the industry’s future ‘social licence’ is considered.

Nov 22, 2011

By S Mitra, B J. Monaghan, T Honeyands, G Evans, R Chowdhury, D Scimone

Due to the harsh operating conditions, wearing of the inner refractory lining in a Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) furnace reduces the useful life of the refractories and incurs a significant cost component for relining. In this study, firstly, a combined compressible and incompressible computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to identify the potential wear prone zones in an industrial scale BOS system during the supersonic oxygen blowing phase by quantifying the wall shear stress distributions. Next, the retained slag splashing process was simulated by introducing an inert gas to residual slag mass to achieve a protective coating on the refractory walls. Effect of both design and operational parameters such as lance head configuration, lance position and the initial slag volume on the slag wall coating performance were quantified and most favourable conditions were determined.

Jun 19, 2024