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By Joseph J. Larry

In hard siliceous sandstone strata overlying coal seams, roof bolting is often the bottleneck in the coal production cycle. In the past, these strata have been drilled by pneumatically operated stopers. Although slow drilling is cumbersome and uncomfortably noisy, the stoper was the most effective drill in these harder strata. However, because of the (U.S.) Coal Mining Safety Act, which limits noise levels for operating drills, FMC Mining Equipment developed the water-through-the-drill-steel method of drilling high-compressive-strength strata. Although water-through-the-drill steel had been developed earlier, the real impact of wet drilling techniques surfaced when the dual-boom roof drilling machines were installed at the Virginia-Pocahontas Division, Keen Mountain, Virginia, in 1974. This paper covers some of the technical details of the water-through- the-drill-steel design and its application.

Jan 1, 1979

By M. J. Davie, D. S. Ross

"The successful design of a new mine water pumping system is in part dependent upon the accuracy with which the operating conditions can be forecast. This paper outlines the data which should be obtained on water quantity and quality. Methods of modifying the quality are also discussed. Some pumping systems for disposal of sludge are described, citing operating examples. The various types of mine dewatering pumps are described in terms of design characteristics as they affect operating efficiency and installation and maintenance costs. Piping system parameters are outlined. Finally, a hypothetical case study of pumping from a depth of 3,000 ft is assessed, with particular reference to capital costs.IntroductionMany mine operators would agree that the pumping system usually receives a low engineering priority during the design stage, and as a consequence causes some of the most frustrating problems during production. For a ""dry"" mine (up to 200 gpm), design of the pumping system may indeed be simple, but outside of the potash industry such mines are not common. For ""wet"" mines, the pumping system is important because it significantly affects the initial capital and on-going energy costs of the mine and, in the area of sludge disposal, the working conditions and production costs. Indeed, a failure in the pumping system usually has serious, and sometimes disastrous, consequences.The intent of this paper is to outline the factors which should be considered in the design of a pumping system and to describe the types of pumps used in mine dewatering and relate them to practical operating systems."

Jan 1, 1980

By J. R. Giegerich

Purpose It is the purpose of this paper to describe the application of underground conveyor systems to the transportation of ore in the Sullivan mine of The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of "Canada, Limited, at Kimberley, British Columbia. General Applications Conveying has been recognized as a means of underground transportation for a great number of years but only during the past fifteen to twenty years has there been any extended application of the method to underground metal-mine operations. Coal miners became conveyor conscious before metal miners. Probably one reason for this is the fact that there are more flat coal seams than flat orebodies. A second reason is that coal is light and is a less abrasive material than most metallic ores. The vast improvements made in belt construction during the past few years, together with improvements in mechanical conveyor equipment, have gone a long way in making this form of transportation attractive to the metal miner. In new mines being opened today, or in major extensions to older mines, the possibilities of conveyor transportation should receive serious consideration. There may not be any widespread application of the belt conveyor as a replacement for the conventional hoisting and locomotive haulage. Where there is an application, tl1e saving in cost can be appreciable and many operating ad-vantages gained because of ease in operation.

Jan 1, 1951

By Yutaro Fukase

Various types of service robots have recently been developed for guarding facilities, caring for the elderly, carrying objects, and cleaning buildings. As barrier-free facilities improve and their use expands, these robots have more space within which to move inside buildings. Yet robots that move autonomously rely on position-detection systems. Though improving rapidly, these systems are far from perfect in determining positions in certain situations, especially when robots navigate large areas or cross various locations. Our group is working to solve this problem by developing a position-detection system using random-dot patterns on a floor. First, we construct a floor with a random-dot pattern and register the positions of all of the dots into a database. As the robot moves across the floor, a camera on the robot captures an image of the floor beneath it and crops the dot pattern in the image. The cropped dot pattern is matched to the dot patterns in the database to determine the position of the robot and the direction in which the robot is facing or moving. In this paper we propose a self-localization system and matching algorithms derived from a space technology and present the results of several experiments.

Aug 1, 2013

By F. Vasilikou

Commercial deployment of Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) requires field testing of a scale that can stress the geologic reservoirs. One such reservoir of interest consists of unminable coal seams that exhibit favorable characteristics and depositional environments and lower pressure and temperature than other, deeper, reservoirs. Such conditions can reduce compression costs while utilizing the action of adsorption that offers a more effective carbon dioxide (CO2) bonding than free storage or solution. To ensure the success of such tests, a number of parameters should be accurately determined, such as the seam geometry and stratigraphy, coal porosity and permeability parameters as well as optimum injection conditions. In essence the CO2 injection model should be calibrated for the reservoir characteristics using all available data. History matching calibrations are based on gas and water production from existing wells prior to injection. This paper will present reservoir models that were developed for a pilot--scale 907 tonnes (1000 tons) CO2 injection test that was performed in 2009 through one legacy coalbed methane production well in Russell County, Virginia, USA. The model incorporates a number of individual coal seams about 0.3 m (1ft) in thickness located at depths ranging from 300 to 700 m (1,000 to 2,200 feet). Model calibration was performed through history matching to prior production data, and subsequently the model was utilized to develop different injection scenarios. The developed model was used after injection to calculate CO2 plume distribution patterns that were monitored at the injection test. The paper will present model data and assumptions with a special emphasis on the effect of hydraulic fractures and the skin factor to the coalbed methane (CBM) production model.

Aug 1, 2013

By Euler De Souza, J. Daniel Stinnette, Julian Varaschin

"This paper outlines some of the factors that affect the airflow required for the ventilation of modern diesel-powered equipment and of electric equipment and examines how they can be applied in determining reasonable ventilation rates for Tier IV compliant diesel equipment and for electric equipment operating in mining environments. Airflow calculations for modern diesel-powered equipment and for electric equipment are more complex and must be based on a combination of factors that are unique to each mine. Methodologies for ventilation rate determinations for each case are proposed in this paper.INTRODUCTIONTraditionally, airflow requirements for production and support equipment operating in underground mines have been determined by multiplying the vehicle power by a ventilation rate that was either mandated by regulations or determined empirically from known quantities. However, in light of the drastic reductions to diesel equipment emissions mandated by the US EPA Tier IV and EURO Stage 4 regulations, there is still a great deal of uncertainty in the underground mining industry among those responsible for the ventilation of planned new mines or the expansion of current mines. The question remains, what ventilation rates should the ventilation system designer apply for modern diesel equipment?Also, given the ongoing development of grid/battery-electric equipment and active construction of fully electric mines, it has become critical to determine adequate airflow rates per brake kilowatt of electric engine power. One of the most important criteria for determining ventilation rates for electric equipment is the amount of heat they generate, as this is the most significant emission produced by electric equipment (which do not produce exhaust gases or particulates). Therefore, ventilation rates required to dissipate heat from electric equipment must be suitably determined for all electric vehicle fleets operating in underground mines."

Jan 1, 2019

By T. G. Carter

"Damaging seismicity associated with deep faulting in both mining and civil excavations not infrequently occurs without warning, and often before proper mitigation measures have been put into place. Severe squeezing is also a common problem for excavating through deep major faults. While both problematic conditions are difficult to predict and characterize, there is often a need at pre-feasibility and feasibility level to more reliably estimate the possible level of risk posed by such geologic structures. This paper introduces some structural geologic techniques that have potential application for both mining and civil applications for aiding forewarning of the extent of these types of problem.INTRODUCTIONEncountering adverse faulting at depth in deep excavations, whether for mining or civil purposes can create serious economic and safety impacts. For deep mines or for deep tunnel projects, measures are available for aiding prediction of the extent of possible influence that large scale faults could create, but these techniques are rarely if ever applied as part of routine site investigation programs, or even as part of risk assessment evaluations. Several well established structural geologic methods of palao-history reconstruction have potential application for aiding forewarning of the extent of these types of potential problem by allowing estimates to be made of:• controlling stress orientations that might engender reactivation movement;• principal stress magnitudes that could lead to failure initiation, and• probable mechanisms of fault deformation - brittle (bursting) or plastic (squeezing).This paper explores several structural geological and rockmass characterization techniques that have application for unravelling fault structure of importance to deep engineering projects. Their application for mining or tunnelling purposes is advocated in conjunction with conventional rockmass characterization assessment approaches using GSI, RMR and/or Q to aid early recognition and definition of potential adverse ground condition behaviour associated with intersection of significant faulting at depth."

Jan 1, 2015

By Rowena Anderson

Mining companies are now looking for more effective ways to engage the community in public participation. Consensus-based approaches are becoming the most popularly applied way of achieving meaningful public participation. This paper introduces the principles surrounding consensus-building approaches and the processes for getting them started. The Healthy Communities Movement is one such consensus-based approach that offers a well-established holistic model for conceptualizing a healthy sustainable community. It also highlights the importance of public participation as an essential component of achieving a sustainable community. The paper concludes by illustrating how current company-community relations programs can utilize these models.

May 1, 2002

By Sean Dessureault

Information technology (IT) initiatives in the past have tended to be sold on their ability to maximize resource output and return on capital by using assets more effectively and efficiently. Many IT projects fail, not delivering return on their investment. This is known in the IT industry as the ?productivity paradox,? where increasing investments in IT do not result in comparable increases in productivity. Experiences and studies of most business sectors reveal that this paradox is rooted in the false assumption that more IT spending automatically results in financial benefit, whereas the true source of benefits is in how effectively IT is used. Most business sectors have accepted that the reengineering of processes is required to gain the full benefits promised of IT. A mining operation has organizational processes similar to most business sectors but unique operational processes. The lessons of changing business practice in more common business processes such as inventory control and customer-supplier relationships can be adequately transposed into a mine. The unique operational processes in mines, in turn require unique redesign efforts. Several enabling information technology opportunities have recently become available, such as more integrated mine production management systems and tactical manger training simulators. This paper reviews the latest IT products and ou lines the processes and kinds of change that will be required in order to benefit from these new investment options.

May 1, 2002

By Donald E. Archibald, Gerald A. Allcott

"Noranda's Heath Steele Mine is located 35 miles north of Newcastle in northern New Brunswick. Blasthole open stoping with partial delayed filling is the major mining method in use. The selection of stope and pillar dimensions to ensure mine stability was originally subjective. This paper describes the progress made in attempting to rationalize design.One major feature is the fracture pattern. The main orebody now being mined, the B zone, has undergone five periods of folding and each period of folding developed a family of fracture planes which are axial planar to that particular fold pattern.The other major features considered are the calculated increase in stress due to mining and depth and its relationship to measured strain. Experience has shown that ground problems affecting production have usually originated in rib pillars. Field observations of ground deterioration and multi-wire extensometer measurements of strain are tabulated together chronologically for each pillar.A factor representing stress and a common plane of weakness are identified. Graphical analysis is used to determine the effect of the plane of weakness on a typical stress/strain curve and provides a base for the design of pillars."

Jan 1, 1981

By J. S. Vanderploeg

I WILL begin this presentation by citing the annual per capita use of copper in Canada. This is best calculated by taking refinery domestic sales, plus imports of the products of foreign fabricating mills (very little refinery copper is imported), and deducting the exports of Canadian mills. No attempt has been made to estimate the copper content of imports or exports of machinery, motors, etc., but the trade balance here is probably against Canada. In any event, we find that, though varying somewhat since the war, the estimated yearly per capita figure has reached a high of 18 pounds. This is practically on a par with the United States. The rest of the world uses an average of about 2 pounds per capita, yearly, though this includes some countries, such as Sweden, Germany and England, which consume much better than average quantities. It looks, therefore, as if the Canadian copper industry has not (as has been generally charged) been asleep after all.

Jan 1, 1962

By W. D. Sinclair, R. J. Cathro, E. M. Jensen

"The Cash is one of the largest porphyry copper-molybdenum Deposits found in Yukon to date. It is 80 km northwest of Carmacks, within the unglaciated portion of the Dawson Range, and is associated with the Big Creek fault, an important tectonic feature. Part of the mineralized zone is blanketed by up to 70 m of alluvial drift . The remainder is covered by a relatively thin residual soil layer. The mineralized zone, however, was not detected by conventional stream-sediment sampling because pathfinder elements, such as Cu and Mo, have not been geochemically dispersed into the main drainage system. The deposit was discovered by a combination of soil analysis and inspection of rock fragments from small pits.Twenty widely spaced, shallow drill holes have outlined an areaover 2700 m long and 550 to over 1000m wide that grades more than 0.1% copper equivalent (% CuE = % Cu + (5 x % MoS2)). Two smaller zones grading over 0.4% copper equivalent occur within the larger area. The limits of the widest end of the deposit have not been delineated.The Cash deposit is fairly typical of high-level, calc-alkaline porphyry copper-molydenum occurrrences in the Canadian Cordillera {cf, CIM Special Volume 15) and is representative of most prospects in the Dawson Range. It is associated genetically with a subvolcanic complex of small, irregular stocks and dykes of feldspar porphyry and related breccias of Late Cretaceous age. Copper and molybdenum sulphides occur along fractures, in quartz veinlets and disseminated in feldspar porphyry and in older metasedimentary and intrusive rocks. Higher-grade zones of copper and molybdenum have associated potassic alteration. Phyllic alteration is, in part, superimposed on potassic alteration. Argillic alteration occurs locally.This paper describes the history of the discovery and the geochemical and geophysical characteristics, together .with the regional geology, and the nature and distribution of the host rocks, hypogene mineralization and hydrothermal alteration."

Jan 1, 1981

By F. A. McLean

The past decade has witnessed a rapid increase in the number and variety of uses found for internal combustion engines in mining operations. Gasoline engines are now widely used for operating core drills, pumps, compressors, small hoists, switching locomotives, tractors, boats, and other equipment. The heavy-oil engine is employed for operating compressors, generators, shovels, ore-milling machinery, and- in the iron, copper, and coal districts- in connection with that' latest newcomer in modern railroading, the oil-electric locomotive. Each of these applications could well form a subject for a lengthy treatise in itself. This paper, however, will be confined to a discussion of some of the features of internal combustion engines as applied to mine compressing plants and mill drive. Perhaps at no time in the history of mining in Canada has the search for new mines been more vigorously carried on, more old properties rejuvenated, or more remote districts exploited than during the past three years. The mine operator of today has a far wider range of equipment and facilities at his disposal than had the pioneers of Rossland, Cobalt, or Porcupine. Each year now witnesses the hinterland driven farther and farther back as improved forms of transportation, machinery, and methods make possible the exploration of properties once considered too inaccessible to warrant serious attention. Howey, Sherritt-Gordon, Callinan-Flin Flon, Jackson-Manion, Picard Gold Mines, and a number of properties in British Columbia, afford excellent examples of work carried out on an extensive scale miles from a railway, or in comparatively inaccessible mountain regions.

Jan 1, 1928

The Beginning ! The status quo simply isn?t sustainable ! Our social license is at risk ! The bar keeps rising ? We must improve our performance, both operational and social ? We must improve stakeholder judgement of our industry by taking action collectively Implementing TSM " TSM Guiding Principles " Performance Indicators " Crisis communications " External Outreach " Tailings management " Energy management " Performance manuals, guides " Reporting " Communities of Interest Advisory Panel

May 1, 2004

By P. O. Sandstrom

"Atlas Copco is introducing a new patented method for full-face boring. This paper presents the basic principles of the boring action and discusses the present experience regarding performance and costs. The Atlas Copco ""Full-facers"" are designed for hard-rock applications, although they are successfully boring in soft ground without major changes. The unique patented boring principle referred to as the 'Undercutting Method' permits these machines to bore, economically, in harder ground than machines based on the 'crushing principle'. This is mainly due to considerably lower cutting-tool costs, as the tungsten carbide tips only are in contact with one-third of the bored volume. The remaining rock is 'undercut' and peels off from a slight back pressure.The undercutting method also permits boring of non-circular headings and Atlas Copco has already manufactured two machines for rectangular drifts. This concept could revolutionize development work in mines employing trackless equipment."

Jan 1, 1971

By Y. Chengxian

Many factors about the HIC (hydrogen-induced cracking) resistance of pipelines are discussed in this paper. The main factors that influence the ability of HIC are environmental and material factors. The chemical compositions, non-metal inclusions and microstructure are discussed in detail, while a group of tests on HIC resistance are done according to varying C, S, Mn and P contents in pipeline steels, different experiment time and different strength to the coupon. It is concluded that decreasing the amount of C and S can obtain good HIC resistance; the test time has an effect on the different microstructure of X70; microstructure is the most sensitive factor for the initiation processes of HIC.

Jan 1, 2005

By Yusuke Yamamoto, Mineo Asano

"The present study investigated the texture transition during secondary recrystallization in the AA5182 sheet. During the initial stage of annealing, the texture showed a weak Cube orientation as the primary recrystallization texture. During the secondary recrystallization with abnormal grain growth, the area ratio of the {hkl} <011> orientations increased by consuming the other orientations. The texture transition was calculated by the 2-D Monte Carlo simulation with the misorientation dependency. When the higher grain boundary mobility was set in the specific range of the high angle misorientation, the orientation preferential growth of the RW {100} <011> orientation was reproduced. However, other {hkl} <110> orientations could not be well reproduced by the misorientation dependency.INTRODUCTION Crystal orientation and texture are important factors for aluminum sheet products from the standpoint of mechanical property, formability and isotropy. The recrystallization texture results from the orientation preferential growth from the rolling deformation microstructure and the texture (Alvi, Cheong, Suni, Weiland, & Rollett, 2008). Texture development has been a topic of intense research for decades with advances in analysis methods, e.g., orientation mapping (OIM) and computer simulations (Fjeldberg & Marthinsen, 2010; Ivasishin, Shevchenko, Vasiliev, & Semiatin, 2006). The grain boundary characteristic is considered to be a key for the orientation preferential growth. In the case of the recrystallization from the deformed microstructure, not only the grain boundary characteristic, but also the dislocation density and the subgrain size affect the nucleation and the grain growth (Engler, Löchte, & Hirsch, 2007). On the other hand, in the case of secondary recrystallization, the dislocation density and the subgrain size can be ignored and the effect of the grain boundary characteristic can play a significant role in the grain growth. There is intense research about the texture development during secondary recrystallization in aluminum alloys and it was reported that coarse {hkl} <011> grains were formed during the secondary recrystallization (Suk, Shin, & Huh, 2006; Rios, & Gottstein, 2001). However, the mechanism of forming the {hkl} <011> grains has not been fully clarified. In the present study, the effect of the grain boundary characteristic on the orientation preferential growth was investigated by EBSD analysis and Monte-Carlo (MC) simulation."

Jan 1, 2018

By The Staff

"THE property of Red Mountain Mines Limited is located 11/2 miles north and west of the town of Rossland, in southern British Columbia. The mine is situated on the flank of Red mountain, famous in pioneer days as the site of a number of profitable gold-copper producers. Mining and milling commenced in May, 1966, and by the first of July the concentrator was treating close to its average design capacity of 400 tons per day. The following description of the property and its operations is divided into three parts, dealing respectively with geology, mining and milling.GeologyAll the known ore reserves of Red Mountain Mines occur on the Coxey claim, on the west slope of Red mountain. Although there are indications of molybdenite mineralization elsewhere on the Company's property, these have not been developed.The Coxey and adjoining areas are underlain by the Mount Roberts formation of the Rossland volca-nics. This formation consists of an interbedded series of volcanic and sedimentary rocks, mostly brecciated and silicified near the ore zone, and all intruded by igneous rocks which occur in various forms, and vary in composition from basic to acid. The country rock in the vicinity of the mineralization seems to be mostly a volcanic, approximately andesitic in composition, and possibly a surface flow. There is much banding, some of which is undoubtedly due to tuff and agglomerate layers, and some to narrow, siliceous, sedimentary horizons such as the surface exposure of the main ""A"" orebody, much of which was a thin capping of greyish banded rock that looked like quartzite. The drill holes also intersected occasional layers of black, argillaceous quartzite, sometimes altered to a greenish colour. The whole assemblage has been silicified with varied intensity, sometimes to such an extent as to have obscured or obliterated the original characteristics. The mineralized zone has also been strongly brecciated, the fragments varying in size from less than an inch up to large masses, best described as a mega-breccia. Anomalous results obtained in drilling, such as sedimentary sections that do not appear in adjoining holes, may sometimes be due to the presence of these large blocks, no longer in their original position. The whole volcanic unit is thus very complex and confusing. For practical purposes, the ore may be said to occur in a greenstone formation with minor sedimentary interbeds and considerable later igneous material."

Jan 1, 1967

By W. A. Lang

Introduction That the coal industry has entered a new phase in its development is now evident. Coal, besides being the chief source of heat and power, has become a potential raw material for many industries. Rapid progress has been made in the methods used in the mining and preparation of coal, and in the equipment for the burning of coal. Data of a fundamental nature relating to the composition of coal and to its transformations? during combustion and processing have also been revealed. Research, the key which has opened this new era, has already accomplished much, but it has only begun to show what it may and should be able to do. New developments of coal burning equipment, super-power plants, carbonizing and briquetting plants, hydrogenation and synthetic chemical processes, will undoubtedly have a marked influence in the post-war years on the economic welfare of many coal producing countries. Until comparatively recently, however, there has been in many branches of the coal industry a tendency to regard research as something abstruse and something which had little or no value to those managing such branches. But the fact that coal has suffered as a source of heat and energy through inroads of oil, natural gas, and water power, has made it plain to the industry that, if it is to maintain its present markets in this competitive world, much less increase them, the whole industry must be willing to follow the example of other industries and plan for the future.

Jan 1, 1946

By J M. Fletcher

The responsibility and scope of the Industrial Engineering Department, as organized at the Jeffrey mine, has been broadened to include any study, project or report that could result in more effective use of men, materials and equipment. Although still emphasizing wage incentives and co t reduction, much more varied work is now done, consistent with the in-.creased complexity of industry. Additional activities now include production, maintenance and inventory control improved job evaluation, packaging, labour utilization studies, technical sales liaison, mining, milling and service department n1ethods, plant layout, and specialized project analysis. Additional techniques include the extensive use of work .sampling and standard data. A recent trend has been toward increased emphasis on industrial relations, both in introducing change to the men and in providing requested explanations to Union stewards and officers. These new responsibilities have resulted in the development of specialists in some rather narrow industrial engineering fields, as well as the necessity for industrial engineering assistance in supervisory and job training.

Jan 1, 1963