Search Documents

By Kepplinger W

The COREX process is a technology for production of liquid hot metal on the basis of coal (without the use of a coking plant) developing by VOEST- ALPINE AG, Austria and its subsidiary company Korf Engineering GmbH, Federal Republic of Germany. CORED is a registered trademark of VOEST-ALPINE AG and Korf Engineering GmbH. The COREXW process is based on the idea of separating the process steps realized in the blast furnace (gene- ration of reduction gas, reduction of iron oxide and melting of the reduced iron) and including partial coking of the coal.

Jan 1, 1987

By Bragg R, McMahon B, Lenton R

In 1992 environmental audits were carried out at seven coal mines operated by Oakbridge Limited in the Hunter Valley and Lithgow areas of NSW. The audit reports recommended a course of action designed to improve the environmental management system already in operation at the mines. This program started with training in environmental awareness for the Board of Directors, and the development and authorisation of an environmental policy. On-going programs at each mine were expanded to include environmental awareness training for all 2000 employees at the mines, and the development of a 20-module environmental training program which included air, water, soil and noise management, oil and chemical handling, sampling and monitoring, rehabilitation techniques and many more. Environmental incident reporting was introduced, and a system of reporting from the coal face through individual mine site environmental committees, to a Corporate Environmental Committee and up to the Board Environmental Committee became an effective part of a due diligence program. The Board resolved to undertake external independent environmental audits every two years, with internal reviews in the alternate years. An Environmental Management Group was formed, consisting of four internal environmental personnel and Oakbridge's appointed environmental consultant, to effectively resolve many of the environmental issues facing the Group. This program is continuing to evolve as an industry leader in environmental management Practice.

Jan 1, 1995

By C Pypno, P Nowakowski, T Opasiak, C

Belt conveyors are machines for continuous transport with most applications in mining industry in Poland. This is a result of simple construction and cheap operating costs. But conveying materials by belt conveyors are often in the powder state (eg small coal, gypsum, etc) and during the transport there is a possibility of polluting the environment around conveyor route. A good solution for this problem is the pipe conveyor, where a belt is closed on the route in circular shape and flat on unloading point. Another problem which is indicated in the paper is dusting on the belt conveyor boosters. In Poland a new solution of booster has been designed, whereby dustiness of transportation powder materials is reduced by up to about 90 per cent.

Jan 1, 2003

By Linge H. G

The effect of the presence of ore pulp on the adsorption rate of gold on activated carbon has been studied. A substantial reduction in the rate occurs when the pulp is present. The reduction in rate appears to be caused by two effects: permanent carbon pore blocking by ore particles and temporary shielding of the carbon particle surface, slowing gold access to the carbon due to the physical presence of the fine pulp. There is no significant effect arising from the presence of a pulp viscosity modifier even for conditions when mass transport dictates the loading rate of carbon in clear Solution.

Jan 1, 1987

CABS - Costs and Budget System - is being developed to provide more appropriate tools to assist cost control. The most important of these tools is responsibility accounting, that is to ensure the respons- ibility for costs and budgets is placed at the lowest possible managerial level in the Company. The system design and computer techniques utilized include the use of on-line facilities for enquiry purposes plus entry and validation of data. Data base management is used to permit the complex relationships that exist between data in CABS to be defined and maintained. The system must be flexible in order to cater for organisational and other maintenance changes with minimum time delays. The major outputs of the system are reports produced in several cost dissections, by responsibility, by products by cost collection group and type of expense. A significant role in CABS has been played by users. This includes development, control and review of the system proposals in order to ensure that the objectives and requirements from all sections in the Company are met. This role has included Project Leader for the system plus a committee formed to provide formal acceptance of the system Design.

Jan 1, 1977

By Bailey JG

There are some thirteen laboratories in Australia in which coal petrological work is carried out on a consistent and routine basis. Applied coal petrological research is conducted by several institutions in different disciplines which can be grouped into four main categories:

Jan 1, 1989

This paper outlines the thermodynamic and mass balance principles which affect the distribution of cobalt between matte and slag during the pyrometallurgical treatment of nickel-copper sulphides and considers the implications with regard to maximising the recovery of cobalt from the smelting and converting circuit.

Jan 1, 1994

By Crawford J

The paper asks the question 'Why Limit the HYDROTRANSPORT of material to the confines of your washplant'.A brief historical review of widely accepted slurry transport operation establishes that we are not talking about new technology - simply applying proven experience to an innovative continuous system.The paper reviews a simple potential application and compares capital and operating costs with conventional trucking.No attempt has been made to develop a complete mine plan and the comparison has been limited to material transport costs.

Jan 1, 1992

The subject of government involvement in industry is, to say the least, a touchy one. For many it conjures up thoughts of socialisation or nationalisation. For others it is a desirable objective and is seen as a means of social reform by giving government a greater say in the control and distribution of human, financial and natural resources for the betterment of the community. Whatever your point of view, it is difficult to deny that government involvement exists to lesser or greater degrees in all industries. The mining industry is no exception and the degree of government involvement is probably greater than it is in other industries. I think it is important to remember when talking about government involvement in industry to recognise that there are different types of involvement and that all governments have a right, if they so desire, to become involved in whatever way they choose. The decision of a government to increase its direct or indirect involvement must, of course, be taken in the national interest. Governments, if we are still old fashioned enough to believe in ministerial and electoral responsibility, must make up their own minds about whether their actions are in the national interest and they must be prepared to accept the consequences of that action, good or bad. For instance, they must decide

Jan 1, 1975

By Ehlers HK

Mount Isa Mines Limited has 25 rod and ball mills of various sizes installed in two Concentrators at Mount Isa. A continuing investigation into installation, design and materials of liners for these mills has been in progress since the early sixties. Both manual and mechanical methods of liner installation are used and described. Materials for the various applications have been evaluated, mainly by field trials. Design of liners has also been evaluated by field trials and the history of trials in No.4 Concentrator is given. The purpose of the investigation has been to reduce the cost of mill lining and the life of many linings has been greatly increased as a result of this work.

Jan 1, 1978

By Channon W, Dube M, Makwana M, Kerfoot D. G

In early-1995, the Bindura Nickel Corporation commissioned a pressure leach plant at its Smelter and Refinery complex located in Bindura, Zimbabwe. The novel pressure leach process was developed by Sherritt to treat the nickel-copper sulphide residue produced from the original atmospheric leach circuit. The process extracts essentially all the nickel from the nickel-copper sulphide residue under non-oxidising acid pressure leach conditions, thereby producing an upgraded copper sulphide residue suitable for smelting and refining to electrolytic copper. The commissioning of the pressure leach plant was relatively smooth and design conditions were achieved within six weeks of operation. This paper presents a brief description of the process development and the plant design, followed by highlights of the plant start-up activities and summary of the plant performance.

Jan 1, 1996

This paper deals with the extension of Post Office telecommunications (telephone, data, leased private lines etc.) network to mining communities in remote areas of Australia. The evolution of the "Spur Line" policy and its application is referred to together with comments on the engineering of telecommunication Facilities.

Jan 1, 1973

By Houchin MR, Jenkins DH

This paper examines the importance of processing to the properties and performance of high purity zirconia ceramics. Many of the principles discussed, however, apply to ceramic processing in general. For fabricated ceramic articles to display their wide range of high performance properties, they must be made fully dense. The precursor powder and postpowder processing requirements necessary to achieve full density in the fabricated body are discussed. Brittleness, the anathema of ceramics, can be overcome in zirconia by incorporation of toughening mechanisms. Transformation toughening and microcrack toughening and their origins in partially stabilized zirconia are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1989

By Gregg PEH, Horne D, Bolan N, Stewart RB

The Tui mine site is situated on the NW flank of Mt. Te Aroha, at approximately 400 m altitude. During underground mining operations two lead-copper-zinc ore bodies were exploited and processed on site. The legacy of the mining operation is a barren dam containing over 100,000 m3 of sulphide-rich tailings. The Tui mine site is arguably the worst case of environmental degradation resulting from past mining activity in New Zealand. Although the impacted area (approximately 4 ha) is extremely small by international standards, acid mine drainage (AMD) emanating from the abandoned tailings dam and mine adits has severely contaminated local streams and prevented natural plant recolonisation of the site for more than 20 years.

Jan 1, 1995

A laboratory investigation was carried out to obtain data on the explosive character- istics of selected coals mined in New South Wales. Seven coal seams were sampled and the volatile matter content of the coals tested varied between 28 and 37 percent. A mod- ified Hartmann apparatus with a volume of 1250 ml was used in the investigation. Dust clou' generation was produced by an air blast delivered radially through a mushroom type valve and the ignition source was a-continuous A.C. spark produced by a 20 000 V, 50 mA transformer. The coal dust parameters invest- igated were the maximum pressure developed, the average and maximum rates of pressure rise at dust concentrations between 200 and 1500 3 g/m.

Jan 1, 1981

This paper discusses the significant land use changes that have occurred in the Latrobe Valley during 150 years of white occupation. The developments and changes were haphazard and made with little thought as to their setting or their environmental consequences. As a result many landscape and land management problems have not been addressed.This paper contends that the mistakes will continue unless an overall plan for the landscape of the area is developed and implemented. The concept of 'Greening the Valley' is introduced. It aims to provide focus for a comprehensive co-ordinated plan which caters for the need to restore the landscape and the need to provide for future land use. The plan will seek to draw on three major landscape features of the Latrobe Valley: the natural setting of the hills, rivers, valleys and forests; the agricultural land use including the forestry plantations; and the industrial complexes and urban areas.Rehabilitation of mining areas is a key element of the plan but must be put in a regional context and not be treated as an isolated function of a single organisation. A major challenge will be to integrate the worked out areas into useful and significant landscapes. The paper concludes by explaining the process that will be followed in an attempt to realise the concept.

Jan 1, 1992

By S Blackburn, T Veasey

The physical and mechanical properties of rock can be measured by a variety of standard tests, and studies have shown that there should be a fundamental connection between breakage in comminution and rock æstrengthÆ. The current study aims to develop the ring-loaded strength test, used as an industry standard for the characterisation of brittle ceramics, for determination of comminution behaviour from exploration borehole core samples. The test procedure is simple, reproducible and can yield 250 separate measurements from a one metre length of drill core. The effects of material grain size and fabric on the degree of scatter of results have been investigated with respect to the ring-loaded strength test. This study has also compared the ring loaded strength to the chevron bend test used to determine the Mode I fracture toughness. A wide range of rock materials have been studied and with further work it is conceivable that an operational work index could be obtained directly from exploration drill cores tested via the ring-loaded disc test.

Jan 1, 2000

In the first half of this century a mining industry was developed in Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule. World War II and the subsequent struggle for independence resulted in the destruction of most of the infras- tructure and much of the data. After independence, restrictions on for- eign investment and internal turmoil prevented re-establishment of a viable mining industry until the formation of the present Government after 1965 and the enactment of sound laws in 1967 to encourage foreign investment. Rebirth of the mining industry was followed initially by slow growth, but in the 1980's, spurred by the worldwide interest in gold, Indonesia has become the focus of an intense exploration boom for gold and other precious metals. 103 Contracts of Work for gold have been awarded since 1985 with Australian companies being the most predominant. Since 1985 three new gold operations have been commissioned and another two are nearing completion. Several more are undergoing feasi- bility studies. There is reason to predict that Indonesian gold produc- tion will grow to place the country in the ranks of significant producers during the 1990's.

Jan 1, 1988

A continuing demand for exploration geologists, at a level well below that during the mineral "boom" of 1967-1971, will be highly selective. The exploration geologist must be more than the traditional geologist whose primary function has been detailed description of rocks and their recording on a geological map. He must be capable of 1. reconnaissance recognition of favour= able environments for ore mineral concentrations, 2. application and interpretation of techniques of search and evaluation, and 3. evaluation of economic, technological and political interactions that combine to make an ore deposit. Universities have an obligation to their students to provide them with a saleable skill, to educate them so that they can cope profess- ionally and socially, and to provide a mechan- ism by which education can be a continuing process. Humanistic and social studies, develop ment of communication skills, understanding of economic and management principles, ability to assess rock properties that influence extract- ion and beneficiation, and a knowledge of technological developments and limitations are necessary parts of the exploration geologist's

Jan 1, 1974

By Rolley P

In the course of reviewing grade control practices at the Marvel Loch gold mine in Western Australia in 1992, FSSI Consultants developed and implemented a novel approach to ore selection using a method to maximise financial return (the MP method*). The approach was based on improved grade control sampling and an ore selection method which directly incorporates both a measure of the uncertainty in knowing the true grade of selection units in the definition of ore, as well as the operating cost and revenue parameters of the mining operation. During the past four years, FSSI Consultants have evaluated and refined the use of this approach and have implemented customised variations of the MP method at seven gold mines and a gold-copper mine in Australia. The previous methods of ore selection at most of these operations were based mainly on polygonal - sectional methods of grade estimation. At all of the sites where grade control optimisation has been given a fair trial over several months of production, the use of the MP method has been consistently rewarding to the mining operations. The benefits include increased run of mine ore stockpiles and low-grade stockpiles and decreased fluctuation in the production grade. Most operations have also benefited from a consistent ability to improve production grade through high-grading of the increased ore production. The increase in ore production has the logical benefit of reducing stripping ratios, increasing mine profitability and mine life.

Jan 1, 1997