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This paper presents a quantitative approach to the problem of determining design capacity and field dimensions of underground coal mines using room- and-pillar mining systems. In evaluating these design variables, relationships among mining costs, number of production sections in mines, location of central shafts, mine field dimensions, section production, mine output, and cost of production losses due to underground man-traveling are analyzed. Thereby the unit cost of coal is expressed as a function of the design variables as well as input parameters such as seam angle, seam thickness, seam depth, underground traveling speed of men, mine recovery and plant recovery. The problem is then formulated as a nonlinear optimization model in terms of minimizing the unit cost of coal subject to a set of constraints and solved analytically for flat seams and numerically for inclined seams. Sensitivity analysis of the variables is also included in the paper.

Jan 1, 1987

By C. Ringas

Pipelines are used extensively in industry to convey various products. Internal corrosion of pipelines can lead to perforation and leakage of the product. A growing problem, not often accurately recognized, is internal corrosion of pipelines caused by bacteria. Microbiologically-induced corrosion (MIC) refers to corrosion caused by a variety of micro-organisms. This form of corrosion is not widely recognized in many industries, although it is widespread and causes many corrosion problems in pipelines, both internal and external. Sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are responsible for the bulk of the corrosion problems caused by MIC. Corrosion caused by SRB is found extensively in water pipelines conveying raw, potable and waste water, as well as in pipelines conveying slurries. This problem also occurs in pipelines conveying crude oil. This paper describes internal corrosion problems of slurry pipelines caused by bacteria and outlines mitigation methods to improve slurry pipeline integrity, thereby extending the life of such pipelines.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. Githiria, C. Musingwini, J. Muriuki

"The maximization of net present value (NPV) is a primary objective in open pit mine planning processes. In an attempt to meet this objective, cut-off grades are considered in all the stages of mining. There are three stages involved in resource extraction, namely mining, processing, and refining/marketing, which are all defined in Lane’s approach. Using Lane’s approach, the economics involved in each stage are identified independently and interact to provide an optimum cut-off grade.A hypothetical block model is used to illustrate how a computer application (Cut-off Grade Optimiser) that was developed in this study is used in the optimization of cut-off grades using Lane’s algorithm. This paper analyses the application of Lane’s approach for a single element in cut-off grade optimization as applied in the calculation of the optimum cut-off grade through a computer-aided application.Although Lane’s approach is not complex it is not widely applied to maximize the NPV of mining operations as the iterative calculations can be lengthy. The computer application developed in this study shows how Lane’s algorithm combined with a linear programming function can optimize cut-off grade with regard to the complex situations faced by mining operations. The application saves users from performing otherwise lengthy, iterative calculations.Background and previous researchAn open pit mining complex constitutes multiple pits, ore processing streams, and metal refining options. An open pit mine produces ore (valuable) and waste material. Ore is transported to an appropriate processing stream for producing concentrate. A refinery processes the concentrate to produce marketable metal product (Lane, 1964, 1988).Cut-off grade optimization is based on Lane’s theory, where a mining system consists of three major stages such as mining, milling, and refining. In this approach the cut-off grade selection is done between six cut-off grades that involve all stages of a mining operation. Selection of the optimum cut-off grade influences the net present value (NPV) by maximizing the net cash flows from the operation."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. Venter

Uranium in the tetravalent state has very low solubility in acid and alkaline solutions and needs to be oxidized to the hexavalent state to become soluble. In acid leaching of uranium the uranium is oxidized by ferric iron, which in turn is reduced to ferrous iron. The reduced iron needs to be oxidized to the ferric form to allow the uranium dissolution reaction to proceed. This paper considers the known and proven oxidants used in acid leaching of uranium. These include manganese dioxide, sodium chlorate, hydrogen peroxide, ferric iron, oxygen and sulphur dioxide/air (oxygen). The reaction chemistry of each oxidant as well as the practical applications are considered and discussed. All the oxidants discussed work adequately in acid leaching of uranium and it is possible to engineer solutions for the use of the oxidants in acid leaching on plant scale. The availability and supply of the oxidant as well as the cost and environmental impact of the oxidant plays a major role in the selection of a suitable oxidant. The location of the plant will also have an impact on these issues.

Jan 1, 2009

By P. K. Van Manen

Anglo Platinum?s Polokwane Smelter is situated outside Polokwane, in the Limpopo Province in South Africa. A single 168 MVA six-in-line rectangular furnace smelts dry concentrates containing platinum group metals (PGMs). Furnace energy consumption since commissioning is presented, showing that energy efficiency improves as capacity utilization increases. An energy balance for the furnace is outlined, indicating the measured or calculated energy losses from the hearth and side-wall cooling, the copper coolers, the upper furnace walls and roof, and the energy losses in off-gas, matte, and slag. From the energy balance, the potential to improve energy efficiency by controlling the slag temperature, the slag level, and the off-gas volume is derived. Furthermore, the impact on the energy balance of different concentrate types is discussed, as well as the potential impact of replacing all upper waffle coolers by plate cooler panels.

Jan 1, 2009

By J. A. L. Napier

The evaluation of stress distributions and deformations in the vicinity of tabular mine layouts has been carried out routinely for many years using the displacement discontinuity boundary element method (DDM). In this approach, mine layouts are approximated as irregular shaped planar cracks (or slits) where the ?width? of the crack, corresponding to the excavation height, is assumed to be negligible compared to the in-plane, lateral dimensions. Early implementations of this approach have employed square element tessellations with constant displacement discontinuity component values. This is generally restrictive when considering the analysis of irregular pillar layouts or the intersection of fault planes with excavations. This paper describes a general revision of this approach in which triangular or quadrilateral element shapes are introduced in conjunction with higher order variations of the displacement discontinuity shape functions. This facilitates an accurate evaluation of detailed stress and displacement components close to excavation surfaces and allows the investigation of local damage and failure behaviour associated with particular geological structures such as weak parting bands or weak layers. A method to embed these features in an efficient and accurate multi-level solution scheme is described. This formulation can be extended to allow the analysis of shallow-depth pillar layout problems, facilitating the assessment of the interactive response and stability of shallow depth pillar layouts. A simple deformation model is introduced to facilitate the assessment of pillar failure and bursting potential in shallow mine layouts. The computational techniques described here have been implemented in a computer code called TEXAN (Tabular EXcavation ANalyser) and are illustrated by the simulation of a particular multiple reef pillar mining problem in a shallow depth platinum mine.

Jan 1, 2007

By C. M. Suhr

n order to validate the borehole analysis valuation procedure commonly used in the South African gold mining industry, a simulated orebody was used to create borehole values which would serve as data for the procedure. After confirming the distribution, calculating the variance size of area relationship, estimating the block variance, and calculating a profit measurement for each set, comparisons were made to the known population parameters. Results show only one overall bias (in the estimation of the lognormal third parameter), which is carried throughout the analysis. The remainder of the analysis is unbiased, validating the procedure.

Jan 1, 1987

By Steve Konieczki

[ ] Great Basin Gold Ltd. (GBG) owns the Hollister Mine and operates it through the wholly owned subsidiary Rodeo Creek Gold, Inc. The property is located in northern Nevada on the Carlin Trend gold belt within the historic Ivanhoe Mining District. The mine is located on the western edge of the Northern Nevada Rift, a major north-northwest trending structural zone that has localized middle Miocene volcanic rocks and numerous epithermal gold deposits. The precious metal deposits are low-sulfidation epithermal systems characterized by banded quartz veins with electrum and silver selenides. The Hollister Mine will employ the selective underground mining method of cut and fill. This will be combined with split shooting (resuing mining method) to optimize recovery and reduce dilution. The focus of mining will be on extraction of ?ounces? from the narrow-veins rather than trying to maximize tons. The initial drifts will be excavated along the strike of the vein and then capped with a substantial concrete sill pillar. Back stoping with hand held drills will be used to selectively mine the vein. The stopes will be backfilled with waste rock material. With every lift, an 18 inch concrete cap will be poured onto the backfill waste rock to prevent gold values from being lost into the fill. Targeted ore production rate will be over 400 tons per day. With current ore reserves, project life is estimated to be around eight years; however, Hollister geologists view the site as one of the most prospective systems for bonanza vein deposits in Nevada. Approximately $14

Jan 1, 2008

By J. Gholamnejad

Determination of the optimum cut-off grades is one of the most important aspects of mine production planning. A cut-off is a grade below which we choose not to process material. This material is treated as waste and dumped. Dumping waste is accompanied by the rehabilitation cost which will affect the overall cost of final production and also the optimum cut-off grade. Rehabilitation cost is the cost per ton of rehabilitating material of a particular type of rock after it has been dumped as waste. One of the most popular algorithms for determination of the optimum cut-off grade is Lane?s method. Lane formulated the cut-off grade optimization, but he did not consider rehabilitation cost during the optimization process. This cost item should be evaluated first, and then considered during the cut-off grade optimization process. In this paper the rehabilitation cost is inserted directly into the cut-off grade optimization process using Lane?s theory. The cut-off grades obtained using the suggested method will be more realistic than ones using the original form of Lane?s formulations.

Jan 1, 2009

By A. S. Macfarlane

"SynopsisMetal accounting and reconciliation is an increasingly important governance issue in all mining operations, in that it is required, from a risk management perspective, that the company is in control of its product throughout the whole mining value chain. Reconciliation is a grossly misunderstood term. It means different things to different people, and therefore one of the purposes of this paper is to ensure a holistic and integrated understanding of ‘reconciliation’.Previously, where reconciliation was done, it was often for internal control purposes and loosely applied, sometimes with a low degree of confidence and understanding of the underlying parameters and their natural variability.In most mining operations, issues such as dilution, stope performance, and recovery are critical to profitability and long-term value, and thus understanding and control of these key value drivers is essential, not only from the governance perspective, but also from the perspective of maximizing shareholder returns. In order to implement a system for metal accounting and reconciliation, it is important that the cause and effect of these value drivers is understood, and that a systematic control system be established.While a number of off-the-shelf solutions exist for this work, it is the contention of this paper that a full understanding of the metal flow, its variability, its underlying loss potential, and its control points is necessary before a systematic approach to reconciliation can be undertaken.The paper also advocates that this approach should ensure that the reconciliation system clearly addresses the reconciliation needs, within a consistent framework. Such a framework has been developed by AMIRA, in terms of a metal accounting code. However, up until now, this code has been aimed at plant processes, whereas this paper shows how the concept can be extended to cover the full reconciliation requirements for a base metal mine.IntroductionReconciliation is defined as ‘the process of finding a way to make two different ideas, facts, etc., exist or be true at the same time’. In terms of a mining process, this refers to the comparison of measures and estimates along the value chain, and at different points in time, in order to track and optimize metal recovery. This leads to the notion of having a system in place for accounting for the metal. The University of Cape Town defines metal accounting as ‘… the estimation of (saleable) metal in a mine and subsequent process streams over a defined time period. Comparisons of estimates, from different sources over a specific time period, are called reconciliation.’Traditionally, metal accounting has consisted of geological reconciliations of mineral resource to mineral reserve conversion, mine planning reconciliation related to the reconciliation of long-term plans to short-term plans, grade control reconciliation of head grades to sampled or block grades, and mine survey reconciliation of tonnage discrepancies and mine call factors. In addition, metallurgical reconciliation has tended to be based on metal balancing, followed by some commercial metal accounting that links dispatched product to sales quality, quantities, and revenues. Miners disparagingly refer to this plant process as ‘millmatics’."

Jan 1, 2015

By V. Korobko, M. Byantogtokh, N. Byambadorzh, V. Bysov

A three-stage operative planning of mining operations in ore opencasts is considered. The hierarchy of monthly-weekly, weekly-daily, daily-shift planning is offered. For the fastest elimination and deviations in problematic situations a level is analysed and weekly-daily or monthly-weekly operative plans are being constantly updated. Operative planning is formulated on information received of preparation and working of mining panels. The electronic maps of these panels are considered for automated operative planning. On the data of the registration of blasthole drillings on a panel, the position of blasthole entry, their depth and the number of a line are determined. The geologist specifies boundaries of ore grades by the bored silt. The qualitative characteristics of ores are determined by the chemical analysis of slime or magnetic logging of blastholes. The missing geologic information is obtained by interpolation on the data of detailed and operational explorations. During working of the mining panel the technologists mark the movement of shovels, associating this movement to blastholes. For this purpose technological attributes are used: when was the blasthole drilled, what drill-rig participated in drilling, what shovel was used and when was it worked? Around each blasthole the zone of its influence is built up. It represents a discrete, elementary volume of ore or waste. The discrete form of the data is most convenient, as it allows step-by-step methods to be employed of the scheduled tasks in many and various combinations. The account panel working technology avoids ‘combination’ explosions. The elementary blocks should be placed in a trajectory of shovel movement and the trajectory can not be arbitrary. It’s determined by the technological rules of extracting and loading of mine mass. In linking to blastholes, the trajectory of shovels is simulated by the sum of step-by-step moving from one elementary block to another. For this purpose a geometrical linkage of blastholes is used. At a railway haulage, or complete mining with truck haulage, the trajectory of movement is a shuttle along the front of operations in the panel. At a selective mining of ores the number of possible directions is limited to three: moving of a shovel by idle running along the front of operations in the panel, frontal pull all the way down of the panel, and withdrawal. The technologically acceptable trajectories of shovel movement are stored for the following estimation and selection of the best. The estimation is carried out on mathematical models with criteria on the method of the least squares of deviations based on preset parameters from the plan, uniform loading of shovels, and mixing of ore at unloading points. The equations of balance type and directive parameters of the plan, as well as technological restrictions of solid and of elementary blocks within the limits of a trajectory are the restrictions of the model. Depending on an industrial situation it is possible to choose one of the predetermined models. The presented technique is used for longitudinal shovel bench at the Erdenet ore-dressing company.

Jan 1, 2003

By W. K. Osae

A value assessment model which uses deal objectives, financial and non-financial indicators as a guide to assess value creation in mergers and acquisitions. The extent to which post- merger deal objectives are achieved and the potential benefits derived from mining deals that may not necessarily be financial of nature, but which are necessary to sustain and enhance future performance, were considered. The pre-merger and post-merger performances based on some financial indicators that reflect profitability for shareholders were also used. This value assessment model was used to assess four major deals that have occurred in the South African mining industry since 2003 as part of a postgraduate dissertation. In this paper, the Harmony and ARMgold merger is used as an example of how the model can be applied. The model?s relevance and applicability can also serve as a guideline in developing a framework or holistic guideline in assessing whether mining BEE deals in South Africa create value.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. Steyn

Until 2000, pricing involved profit taking and cost covering combined with limited global published information. Market information was mostly subjective in nature and large resource companies benefited exclusively from aggregated company information and data. The market constituted producers and consumers only. The nineties saw massive cost cutting drives and re-engineering initiatives and this underwrote the structural changes evident in the late 1990s? economy. This supported South African producers on the international FOB cash cost curve, and ensured profitable coal mining operations. As the debate on relative scarcity of fossil fuels ensued, producers and buyers looked to the developing terminal coal market for direction. The much needed direction was provided when the API coal indices were developed and derivative trading was embraced to include financial institutions, trading houses and hedge funds. The liquidity of coal trades increased rapidly and vastly and market information became obtainable on a daily basis. Interpretation of current and future coal prices became available to all market players and contributed to the sophistication of the market that is now able to participate in risk management of prices, capital expenditure and brownfield developments.

Jan 1, 2010

By F. T. Cawood

Despite economic law and policy instruments with righteous intentions, the politics of resource nationalism could render these instruments unworkable. South Africa is a case in point. After the establishment of democracy, the country's outdated law and policy framework was replaced with a modern system, and in many respects an exemplary one. Converting the privately-owned mineral right system into a scheme of state custodianship allowed for several resource nationalism instruments, in addition to a resources royalty structure that first, compensates for the loss of a non-renewable resource; second, provides for optimal resource use through encouraging value addition to mineral production; and third, effectively targets economic rents. However, despite these improvements, the country went through a process of fierce debate on whether or not mines should be nationalized: the debate was fuelled by public anger with claims of political non-delivery. The result was considerable noise because of public unawareness of facts and distortion of the facts in political rhetoric. The purpose of this article is, first, to establish the status of resource nationalism in South Africa's mineral and fiscal frameworks; second, to give an opinion on the findings of the African National Congress's document on state intervention (Maximising the Developmental Impact of the People's Mineral Assets: State Intervention in the Minerals Sector (SIMS), 2012); and third, to fruitfully contribute to the fundamental discussion on how South Africans benefit from their mineral riches. The methodology is to start with explaining resource nationalism as an international issue for the extractive industries; then to offer an overview of existing resource nationalism instruments in South Africa-along with their effectiveness in attracting rents and investment. The major finding is that South Africa has resource nationalism firmly ingrained in its current suite of instruments. However, it is necessary to address the perceptions of bad governance, and above all, maintain the stability of the rules governing mineral development in South Africa.

Jan 1, 2013

By A. V. L. Narasimham

The practice of refractory lining in Fe Cr furnaces is purely based on the behavior of various refractories used in different parts of the Furnace at elevated temperatures. The choice of the pattern of lining is mostly done on traditionally based concepts. Refractory Lining of a furnace is the most crucial enabler for operational excellence for Ferro Alloys production. During the last few years, no major technological change has taken place in ?Refractory Lining Management?, only freeze lining concept is becoming popular. Many ferro chrome furnaces today, have the refractory lining problems especially at tap holes, resulting in shutdowns and production losses. The author with his experiences for the last 37 years in furnaces of all sizes tried to attempt to investigate into the reasons for premature failure of lining.

Jan 1, 2007

By M. Kannenberg

When coal properties are estimated geostatistically for mine planning in the hardcoal industry, there is one important supposition which influences the reliability of prediction of economically profitable parts of the deposit. This is the fact that activities in hardcoal exploration and mine planning are characterized by distinct levels of information and knowledge upon which decisions of economic import must be based, for example, whether exploration should proceed or not, or which methods and strategies should be used to maximize search efficiency. To get more reliable results for mine planning, in particular, advanced kriging methods (e.g. conditional simulation) have to be introduced and checked for their reliability in historical analyses (post-mortem studies). By using this feedback, kriging results from underground samples or production data can be compared with results gained by advanced geostatistical methods from exploration boreholes.

Jan 1, 1987

By A. Dabbagh

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of coke particle size on the thermal profile of the charge bed in the sintering process of iron ore. Six different ranges of coke particle size that could be used in practice in the sintering line of Esfahan Steel Company (ESCO) were used while parameters such as ratios and particle sizes of other ingredients, ignition temperature, and suction power were kept constant. Thermal profiles were obtained by measuring the temperature changes at three points in the sintering bed. The influence of coke particle size on rate of temperature rise, maximum temperature of the sintering bed, and the flame front velocity of the sintering bed was determined by analysing the thermal profiles. Moreover, the cold strengths of the sinters were measured using the Tumbler method. The results indicated that the coke particle size has a significant impact on the thermal properties of the sintering bed. Based on the results, a coke particle size between 0.212 mm and 3.350 mm was determined as the optimal range for the specific conditions in the sintering line of ESCO. Keywords iron ore sintering, coke particle size, thermal profile, flame front velocity, Tumbler index.

Dec 1, 2013

By L. A. Sandham

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) in South Africa is administered by the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) for the mining industry, and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) for all other sectors. Thus far, EIA research has focused on the process under the auspices of DEAT but none has focused on the EIA process that has been mandatory in the South African mining industry since 2004. Using the Lee and Colley(Lee et al.13) review package as a basis, a review model specifically tailored to the needs of the mining industry was applied to review the quality of a sample of 20 environmental impact reports (EIRs)approved by the DME. Results reveal that 85% of the EIRs are of a satisfactory quality. Presentational and descriptive components generally achieved higher quality grades than the analytical components such as impact magnitude and alternatives. The results show that in spite of some areas of weakness, and in spite of being conducted in terms of different legislation, EIR quality in the mining sectors appears to conform to the overall standard of quality of EIRs in other sectors in South Africa, and is also on a par with quality abroad. Hence, despite the criticism that DME is usurping the role of DEAT, it is concluded that EIRs of comparable standard are being produced, and that the quality of EIRs in the mining sector do not provide supporting evidence for this criticism. However, EIR quality is only a single aspect of EIA effectiveness, others including action and implementation of EIA proposals and mitigation measures.

Jan 1, 2008

Stochastic methods are normally invoked / used to assist with the understanding of risks, when there is uncertainty around a particular outcome. Uncertainty implies that there is a risk that the desired outcome will not be realized. Stochastics and probability theory has long held out the promise to answering this need, but has often been maligned because of its misuse. This paper takes a critical look need for Monte Carlo simulation to project risk evaluation and highlights what is considered to be the fundamental issues that should be thoughtfully considered to avoid the abuse of this technique. The upside of avoiding the abuse of this technique will be the wider acceptance by practitioners that it is a credible technique to quantify this important aspect of valuation.

Jan 1, 2007

By R. V. Ramani

Managers need quality information for effective decision making. This demand, at the present time, is being fulfilled by the increased use of computers via information systems, decision support systems and management information systems. The idea of incorporating intelligence into computers to aid decision-makers has been evolving for over two decades. In recent years, significant progress is reported on applications to business and sciences. In engineering functions, the Artificial Intelligence approach that seems to have great potential is the application of Knowledge Based Systems. The primary objective of this paper is to identify domains in mining engineering where application of knowledge based systems could be beneficial. In- corporation of the expertise required during the analysis and interpretation stages of an engineering design problem through knowledge based systems is recognized as an area of significant benefit. To this end, the components of knowledge based systems for mine ventilation and strata control design are described. The potential applications and limitations of knowledge based systems are outlined.

Jan 1, 1987