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By B. Das, B. K. Mohapatra, K. S. Narasimhan, S. K. Bhaumik

The iron ore slimes (d80 ~ 50 µm) generated at Noamundi iron ore washing plant (TISCO), assaying 57% Fe, 4% Si02 and 8.3% A1203, have been subjected to hydrocyclone studies. The effects of different design and operating parameters have been studied to get a product suitable for subsequent use in the sinter mix. The studies indicate that it is possible to obtain a product containing 64% Fe, 1.4% Si02 and 3.5% A1203 with a recovery of 49% iron. The process involves classification followed by separation in a hydrocyclone. By this method, the overall yield of iron ore production in the plant is expected to increase by 8%. Microscopic examinations and X-ray diffraction studies were conducted to elucidate the mineralogy and liberation characteristics of Noamundi iron ore slimes. This paper deals with the findings of the investigations.

Jan 1, 1993

By Robert C. White, Kurt W. Keskimaki

The Henderson Mine is a large underground panel cave molybdenum mine located near Empire, Colorado. Diesel equipment is employed for all development work, as well as production ore handling. Due to fluctuating demand for molybdenum, production rates have varied from 16,000 to 32,000 metric tons per day (18,000 to 36,000 short tons per day) over the last four years. In order to obtain the maximum air flow for minimum power cost the Henderson mine has completed the following modifications to the ventilation system: removal of large intake fans, elimination of underground booster fans, shutdown of tunnel exhaust fans, completion of the number 5 exhaust ventilation shaft, and use of partially debladed main exhaust fans. These changes have reduced the annual cost of mine ventilation at the Henderson Mine by over 80 per cent, a very critical cost savings in today's competitive molybdenum marketplace.

Jan 1, 1989

By Cherie M. Tilley

The Stillwater Mining Company has acquired a Tunnel Boring Machine to expedite the mine development operations at its Stillwater Mine. The machine purchased by Stillwater was previously owned by Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works, Melbourne, Australia. The machine was manufactured by Robbins Co. of Kent, Washington. The Stillwater Mine has an extensive system of footwall laterals which are required by the mine development scheme. The initial mine plan called for in excess of 30,500 linear meters (100,000 linear feet) of footwall lateral drifts at a cross section of approximately 3.0 meters in width by 3.75 meters in height (10 feet x 12 feet). A Tunnel Boring Machine was selected for this work. The Robbins machine number is 146-193. This machine is approximately 4 meters (13 feet 5 inches) in diameter. The machine was modified extensively prior to commencing operation at the Stillwater Mine.

Jan 1, 1989

By G. G. O. O. Uwadiale, M. A. U. Nwoke

The flotation of Azara barite tailings was investigated using crude rubber nut oil (RNOc), refined rubber nut oil (RNOR) and oleic acid as fatty acid collectors. Chemical characterization of the rubber nut oils indicated high acidity, high saponification values and high iodine indexes, which are indicative of a high fatty acid compositions. The Azara barite tailings analyzed 64.6% BaSO4 by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Gravity and magnetic separation techniques yielded a BaSO4 concentrate with a grade of 74.8% and a recovery of 92.5%. Barium sulfate grades of 90.0%, 92.8% and 94.8% with recoveries of 80.3%, 85.4% and 86.7% were achieved with collector dosages of 750g/t crude rubber nut oils, refined rubber nut oils and oleic acid, respectively. Hence, rubber nut oils are effective fatty acid collectors for the flotation of barite tailings.

Jan 1, 1998

By H. L. O. Huyck

A microcomputer equipped with spreadsheet, data management, and FOR- TRAN programming software is used to update and quantify a model for ranking seventeen economically important metal commodities in terms of market potential (Huyck, 1982). Weighted factors are used for the ranking: (1) demand growth trends, (2) end-use substitution vulnerability, (3) recycling trends, (4) price trends, and (5) cumulative demand versus world reserves factor. Price trends are defined using (1) price-vs.-year slopes (with prices in 1967 constant dollars) and (2) standard deviations of slopes (to indicate price volatility). Substitution vulnerability is defined as the percent of end-use which is replace- able by other commodities, and a factor indicating the likelihood of such substitution. Factors are normalized and linearly combined to produce a ranking of the seventeen metals. Microcomputer software is essential for organizing data and calculating statistical parameters and linear combinations of factors.

Jan 1, 1986

By A. Pratt, G. Deschênes

This paper quantifies the detrimental effects of pyrite and stibnite on gold leaching kinetics. Means to reduce the effect of these minerals by addition of lead nitrate and oxygen are presented. A significant retarding effect was observed when the pyrite concentration was 20%. A pretreatment with lead nitrate reduced the extent of gold surface coating by Ag, Fe and S. Stibnite, at a concentration as low as 20 ppm, significantly affected the gold leaching kinetics through forming a passivating film of Sb(V) oxide possibly Sb2O5. The most practical way to alleviate the effect of stibnite is to leach the materials at a moderate pH with addition of lead nitrate. A low temperature reduced the efficiency of lead nitrate to counteract the effect of stibnite. The increase of dissolved oxygen is not favourable to alleviate the coating of stibnite on gold.

Jan 1, 2004

The Montgary pegmatite is located at Bernic Lake in the southeastern Manitoba pegmatite district. 'It has a complex internal structure with several contrasting mineral assemblages. The pegmatite contains a number of potentially valuable miners including spodumene, amblygonite,. lepidolite, zinnwaidite, pollucite and beryl.. The distribution of each of these within the pegmatite is related to the internal structure and controlled by a specific mineral assemblage. Parts of the pegmatite contain a high concentration of spodumene. The pollucite occurrence is of unique character and is one of the largest known deposits of this mineral. The pegmatite is still-like in attitude with a maximum dip of about 15 degrees. Its contents with the amphibolitic wall rocks are sharp and tourmalinized. Mineral assemblages present include perthite-plagioclase-quartz-muscovite, spodumene-microcline perthite-plagioclase-quartz-muscovite, cleavelandite-lithia micas-quartz, quartz-amblygonite, albite, lepidolite, pollucite, and quartz assemblages. The occurrence and relationships of these are described and possible relationships between attitude and internal structure are discussed. Many features of the pegmatite suggest that the deposit formed by crystallization and differentiation of a pegmatitic fluid in a restricted system. These features are discussed. The nature and occurrence of the pollucite, lepidolite and albite assemblages are such, however that it is difficult to visualize them resulting from such a system. These assemblages may be of later replacement origin. The source of the, late, alkali-rich replacing solutions may be unmixing of soda and the rarer alkalis (lithium, rubidium, caesium) from earlier-formed silicates in a manner analogous to the unmixing of soda feldspar in perthites. Various aspects of this hypothesis are examined.

Jan 1, 1959

Although grinding mill liner life has been the subject of extensive studies, evaluation of the effect of liner design on power consumption, a far more significant part of total grinding costs, has been less comprehensive. The factors that effect ball mill energy efficiency are reviewed, and attention is then focused on the mechanisms of grinding. The trajectory of the outer row of balls, with different lifting face angles, is derived, and basic recommendations for mill speed and liner configuration are presented.

Jan 1, 1981

By Thomas R. Mills

Under contract to the U. S. -Department of.-Interior, Office of Coal. Research, Hittman Associates recently completed a 16 month study of the environmental-factors associated with the siting, construction, and operation of large scale coal refineries. (1 2) The objective of this study was to identify the environmental effects and to define the magnitude of these effects and the approaches which can be used to mitigate adverse environmental consequences. In the study, the five major coal bearing regions of the country having reserves adequate to support a number of large scale coal refineries were considered. The regions considered were: Appalachian, Eastern Interior, Fort Union, Powder River, and Four Corners.

Jan 1, 1975

By J. M. Marek

The determination of the proper cutoff grade for an open pit metal mine is based on economic criteria and the operating philosophy of the mining company. Previous papers have dealt with the balance of a fixed mine production capacity versus economic return. Mine production capacity is often controlled by the amount of mining equipment and the working area in the pit. A complete cutoff grade strategy is a balance of economic return of mining higher grade material versus the capital costs of additional production capacity and the operating cost of moving the waste and low grade material to assure proper ore release. An approach to the problem is presented which is based in part on work by previous authors and provides guidelines to proper cutoff grade strategy encompassing the time value of money and variable commodity prices.

Jan 1, 1985

By C. O. Brawner

Approximately 7 billion tons of soil, rock and ore are currently being excavated in open pit mines and quarries on the North American continent at the present time. As the depth of excavation increases and the grade of ore being mined reduces, the safety and economy of the stability of the pit slopes becomes increasingly important. The magnitude of the potential influence on economics can be appreciated from the results of recent full scale field studies by Kennecott Copper Corporation at the Kimbley pit near Ely Nevada (Merrill, 1968). This pit was originally excavated with an average wall slope of 45°. Based on detailed studies it appeared that a slope of 610 would be stable. Subsequent excavation to this slope proved the original pit could have been steepened by 16° during production.

Jan 1, 1968

By Kenneth A. Grace

Introduction The 1980s have not been kind to the mining industry, especially in the United States. As mineral commodities prices plunged, marginal producers were squeezed out and then major players were forced to cut back or close down operations. Base metal miners suffered the most. Gold was all that glittered. As had been the case throughout min¬ing's history, exploration activity was an early victim of these depressed conditions. Mining companies had to economize drasti¬cally and exploration was deemed a nones¬sential activity. Funding for new explora¬tion ventures dried up as mining was seen as a poor investment. A national magazine even proclaimed the death of the industry. Indeed, ignoring matters of independ¬ence of supply and the relationship of min¬eral production to national security, it was argued that mining was but a small cog in the overall scheme of things in the United States. The industry made a relatively small contri¬bution to the gross national output. We were becoming a service industry economy, re¬member? But what of those countries where mining plays a major role in the economic well-being? In some, mining is the national economy. In a few specific cases, special conditions actually brought prosperity. Copper production in Chile is one example. There, high grade copper, low production costs, and a technically advanced industry reaped the benefits of mine closures else¬where. In most other cases, however, par¬ticularly in the lesser developed countries, whole economies were devastated. This article will show what one major mineral producer, Canada, did to ensure the survival and even growth of its minerals exploration activity during these lean years. Background While Canada is among the world's mining leaders, mining is not its dominant industry. Still, it plays a far more important role than in the United States. It is a major earner of foreign exchange, currently accounting for about 25% of the total value of exports. Through spinoffs and a multiplying effect, it is a significant employer. In the far north, particularly, mining is the major nongovernment industry and a leading factor in the opening up of frontier territory. The industry cannot be allowed to die because it is often the main economic underpinning for vast, remote areas. Thus, exploration for new deposits cannot be cur¬tailed significantly without it having a long¬term negative impact on the very fabric that melds such a large, sparsely-populated ex¬panse of country into a nation. Over the years, Canadian governments have employed various means to encourage the development of new mines. Often, these incentives were tax-oriented, such as the three-year income tax holiday that applied to new mines in the 1950s and 1960s. The advantage of the tax connection is that any such incentive policy can be applied across the board to the 10 provinces and two territories that make up the federation of Canada. This is important because mining, except for the two federally-administered northern territories, comes under provincial government jurisdiction. Mining taxation is a complex give-and-take between the central and provincial authorities. In Canada, expenditure on mineral exploration is an allowable cost against reve¬nue for tax purposes. This works well pro¬vided there is some revenue from which to deduct. New exploration companies, those with no income from mining activities, de¬rive little benefit from this type of tax provi¬sion. Similarly, in times of depressed prices and reduced or nonexistent profits, the tax deductibility of exploration spending loses its value even for the major mining compa¬nies. To encourage exploration in Canada during the lean years, a different sort of incentive was required. The instrument used during the 1980s was again tax connected. It became known as flow-through financing or, simply, flow-through shares. When it assumed its final shape, it worked dramati¬cally. Flow-through shares Flow-through shares are so-named because they permit tax benefits earned by a corporation to 'flow-through' to the share¬holder. Basically, when an investor buys a flow-through share and the proceeds de¬rived by the company from this transaction are used for Canadian exploration, the in¬vestor can claim a deduction for tax pur¬poses as if the exploration expenditure was made by him personally. Flow-through shares go back to the early 1970s when Canada revamped its mineral income tax law. At that time, it permitted full deduction of exploration and development expenditures and provided for an automatic depletion allowance of one¬ third of operating profits from mining. There was also the three-year income tax holiday for new mines. New legislation replaced the depletion allowance with an earned depletion arrange¬ment whereby one dollar of depletion was earned for every three dollars spent on ex¬ploration and development. This earned depletion was `banked' during a transitional period (to 1974). After that it could be deducted from resource profits up to a maximum of 25% of such profits in any one year, with the excess carried forward. To promote exploration and mine de¬velopment in Canada, the earned depletion allowance plus the continued deductibility of exploration and development expendi¬tures permitted the recovery of risk capital before taxation. The three-year tax holiday, however, disappeared. Also, mining com¬panies that did not reinvest in exploration lost the depletion allowance benefit.

Jan 1, 1989

By Harry Perry

Although the markets for coal in the United States have changed rapidly over the last three decades, the uses of coal, namely, to produce heat and power or coke have been left almost unchanged. The coke is used either as a chemical reducing agent alone or as a reducing agent and source of heat. Most of the heat and power markets for coal require no coal processing, although for more than 50 years, many proposals to skim the more valuable substances in coal before burning have been advanced. Thus, the only large tonnage market requiring processing of coal is high-temperature carbonization to make coke. At present, coal requires processing for some small markets, but for future potential large markets, such as gasification, conversion to liquid and gaseous fuels, and conversion to chemicals, coals will require more processing than is now being done.

Jan 1, 1962

By Richard G. Almes

Since the failure of a major coal refuse disposal embankment and impoundment in the Buffalo Creek watershed near Man, West Virginia in early 1972, there have been extensive changes in the design and construction requirements for coal refuse disposal facilities located throughout the United States. The primary emphasis has been on improving the safety of these facilities, particularly for impoundments which are capable of storing millions of gallons of process water and storm runoff. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor (formerly the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration, U.S. Department of interior) has been the lead federal agency in promulgating regulations pertaining to coal waste disposal. In 1974 and 1975, studies were undertaken by our firm under contract to the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration to prepare a comprehensive engineering and design manual to be used by operators and engineers in the planning and design of coal refuse disposal facilities with the intent ion of avoiding any more Buffalo Creek failures. The resultant 800-page document addresses major subjects such as safety, environmental controls, and cost. Specific topics include characterization of coal refuse, classification of disposal facilities, project planning, geotechnical investigations, testing and design requirements, hydraulic and hydrologic design, environmental factors, operations, and monitoring, instrumentation, and maintenance.

Jan 1, 1980

By M. Fig, J. Brune, C. Strebinger, G. Bogin, J. Grubb

"Although it is known that explosive gas zones can form and sustain combustion in a longwall coal mine gob, a complete account of the interaction of the methane flame and gob remains obscure. The goal of this study is to examine the impact of several gob parameters such as packing orientation and void spacing. The impact of ignition location is also detailed. A series of experiments with methane flames were performed in a horizontal cylindrical quartz reactor. The reactor was tested both empty and packed with an obstacle wall consisting of spherical glass beads to investigate the impact of various gob parameters. Results demonstrate that methane burning velocity is sensitive to all parameters investigated, and most sensitive to packing density and ignition location. INTRODUCTION The explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in 2010 and several other underground longwall coal mine fires and explosions show that explosive gases can mix with fresh ventilation air creating explosive gas zones (EGZs). Investigative reports of these fires have found that EGZs are able to move from the gob and into the active longwall face, endangering workers and equipment [1]. Currently, researchers at the Colorado School of Mines are using computation fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to predict the location and movement of EGZs in the gob and along the longwall face [2,3]. It is the goal of this work to validate combustion models [4] that include interactions of the flame and the gob for future incorporation into ongoing CFD modeling of EGZs [2,3]. Throughout the years, there has been significant research investigating how flames interact with obstacles and propagate through porous media [4,5,7-11]. Since there is limited access to the gob in a longwall coal mine (Figure 1), the orientation and size of rocks and void spaces within the gob is unknown. Experiments of a simulated gob have been performed in a large scale flame tube in order to investigate the effect of scale (Figure 2) [4,5]. However, the variation in rock spacing, rock orientation, and void location makes it difficult to determine the impact of each of these parameters on methane flame dynamics. This study aims at gaining a stronger fundamental understanding of gob parameters such as spacing, orientation, and ignition location on methane flame propagation. The results from this study will provide a basis for experimentation in larger explosion vessels and will be used to validate methane combustion models for incorporation into longwall ventilation models of EGZ movement [2,3,4]. BACKGROUND Researchers have been studying flame propagation across obstacles and porous media for many years using various fuels and experimental setups [4,5,7-11]. Experiments have been performed in horizontal chambers with both ends open [7], horizontal chambers that are semi-open [4,11], horizontal chambers with both ends closed [8], and vertical arrangements [9,10]. Due to the variation in experimental setups and methods of characterizing flame dynamics such as flame speed, peak overpressure, or burning velocity it becomes difficult to directly compare results. Flame speed is a property of the mixture and refers to the speed of the unstretched flame front normal to the direction of propagation. This study characterizes the flame by its burning velocity, which is the difference between the flame speed and the speed of the unburned gases just ahead of the flame front. However, some references use the terms flame speed and burning velocity interchangeably. In this study, a semi-open quartz cylindrical reactor was used to determine methane burning velocity, which was used as a basis for comparison to determine the impact of obstacle configuration on methane flame dynamics. The quartz reactor also has the unique ability to allow for flame visualization. These features allow for faster combustion model validation [4]."

Jan 1, 2017

By W. M. Ma, Daniel W. H. Su, K. Centofanti, Yi Luo, W. L. Zhong, Syd S. Peng

7.1 INTRODUCTION Subsidence measurements include surveys of surface and sub- surface movements and measurements and monitoring of surface structural damages. In this chapter the most commonly employed methods are discussed. 7.2 MEASUREMENT OF SURFACE MOVEMENT Surface movements involve two basic components, subsidence and displacement. The other five components (i.e., slope, curvature, strain, twisting, and shearing) are derived from the two basic components. Since all measurements are geometrical, they can be measured by common surveying techniques. 7.2.1 MONUMENTS The first step is to select the types of monuments or surveying stations. Various types of monuments have been employed. The simplest one is a paint mark on the pavement or concrete slab, although this should be discouraged because it is easily affected by artificial or environmental factors. Others use steel or wooden rods, 2 to 3 in. in diameter or square by 2 to 5 ft long, driven all the way down, flush with the ground. Both types of-monuments have no provision for frozen ground heave and both are tampered with easily. A more elaborate type is shown in Fig. 7.1 (O'Rourke et al., 1982). A rebar or iron pipe, 2 in. in diameter by 6 ft long is driven down to nearly flush with ground surface. The top 4-ft section of the hole around the pipe is enlarged to 1 ft in diameter and grouted with concrete. The most sophisticated type of monument is shown in Fig. 7.2 (Conroy and Gyannaty, 1983a). It consists of two hollow steel pipes. The inner I-in. pipe, 10 ft. long is enclosed by a 2-in. pipe at the upper 5-ft. interval. The gap between pipes is filled with foam to isolate the inner pipe from external environmental effects. The bottom of the inner pipe can either remain open or be sealed with a cap, depending on whether the ground is dry or wet. 7.2.2 MONUMENT ARRANGEMENT AND SURVEY LINES The monuments are installed strategically to form survey lines. Three basic types of monument arrangements are shown in Fig. 7.3. Figs. 7.3a and 7.3b are for single and multiple panels respectively; Fig. 7.3~ is mainly for research purposes with multiple survey lines both in longitudinal and transverse directions. This is extremely useful for defining the distributions of ground deformation, as shown in Figs. 2.10 and 2.11. Basically there are two types of survey lines: the whole basin survey line which extends across the panel width or length (e.g., lines R, R, in Fig. 7.3 a&b), and the half basin survey line which covers approximately half of the panel width or length (e.g., lines R, F in Fig. 7.3 &b). Survey lines are generally straight and linear. They should be located on the major crosssections of the subsidence basin. Survey lines must extend beyond the edge of the opening for a sufficient distance so that the edges of the subsidence basin can be determined accurately. The minimum distance from the edge of the opening must be [ ] where h = mining depth, [ ] = angle of draw, and [ ] = 5 to 7 times monument spacing for whole basin surveys, or 8 to 10 times the monument spacing for half basin surveys. There must be at least two controlling monuments at each end of each survey line. Controlling monuments must be located beyond the influence of underground mining. The spacing of the monuments ranges from 15 to 200 ft. The UK National Coal Board (NCB, 1975) recommended a spacing equivalent to 0.20 of the mining depth. Peng and Geng (1982) recommended that the maximum monument spacing be dependent on mining depths as follows:

Jan 1, 1992

By Erich U. Petersen, W. Dan Hausel, William J. Tafuri, Donald M. Hausen, Douglas N. Halbe

The geology of Wyoming has been compared to some of the richest precious metal producing regions of the world including South Africa, Western Australia, and the Superior Province of Canada. These areas are all underlain by ancient cratons that contain some of the oldest rocks on the surface of the earth. But unlike the other cratons, the Wyoming craton (also termed the Wyoming Province) has been greatly modified by Laramide tectonics which thrust slices of the ancient craton through younger Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks. Unfortunately, the nature of the Laramide tectonics left vast regions of the craton at the bottom of the Tertiary basins unavailable to direct examination, but the exposed slices in the mountain cores contain some of the best exposures of Precambrian rock in the world. The cores of these uplifts contain extensive regions of relatively unmineralized gneiss and granite that include scattered fragmented supracrustal belts formed of metamorphosed volcanic, plutonic, and sedimentary rock. Some of these supracrustal belts exhibit similarities to the gold- and nickel- rich terranes of Western Australia. Yet these areas remain incompletely explored. Archean (> 2.5 Ga) gold deposits within the Wyoming craton are primarily confined to greenstone belts and related terranes. These supracrustal belts include relatively narrow vein and shear zone deposits with strike lengths of tens of feet to more than a mile. Some exceptional deposits possess widths of greater than 15 feet to possibly as much as 300 feet, but the majority have widths of± 5 feet. These belts include Cu, Ag, W, Fe, and Cr mineralization, asbestos and pegmatites, and anomalous Ni and Sri in addition to gold. The Proterozoic terrane (<2.5 Ga) exposed in the cores of mountain ranges in southeastern Wyoming includes a thick miogeosynclinal metasedimentary succession which unconformably lies on the Archean craton. These metasedimentary rocks are separated from a predominantly metavolcanic terrane to the south by a major Precambrian suture, or shear zone. The metasedimentary rocks north of the shear include quartzite-hosted stratabound Cu-Ag-Au deposits, Au-Ag veins, and Witwatersrand-type metaconglomerates with isolated gold anomalies. The suture includes scattered base and precious metal deposits in shear zone cataclastics. South of the shear zone, the metavolcanic terrane includes scattered volcanogenic Zn-Cu-Ag massive sulfide deposits, at least one Cu-Au porphyry, and two large layered mafic complexes. The northern edge of one of these layered intrusives yielded some platinum and palladium to miners at the beginning of the 20th century. Phanerozoic sediments host many precious metal anomalies. Some Au-REE anomalies occur in Cambrian conglomerates. Ag-Cu-Zn stratabound deposits are found in bleached Jurassic redbeds in the Overthrust Belt of western Wyoming. The broad Wyoming basins include many enigmatic gold occurrences and anomalies that can only partially be explained by detrital transport in fluvial systems. Many of these anomalies were probably geochemically transported and precipitated. Rocks of Late Cretaceous age along the flanks of the uplifts have numerous black sand deposits. These paleobeach placers contain concentrations of detrital heavy minerals with anomalous titanium, rare earths, and in some cases gold. Gigantic base and precious metal deposits are associated with scattered composite intrusives in the Absaroka Mountains in northwestern Wyoming. This deeply incised volcanic plateau includes several Tertiary age copper porphyry deposits with significant Cu, Mo, Ti, Pb, Zn, Au, and Ag resources that rival the porphyry districts of the Basin and Range Province. In the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming, disseminated Au-Th-REE mineralization is found in association with fenitized alkalic igneous rock. In addition to disseminated mineralization-scattered gold, fluorite, rare earth and copper veins; lead, zinc, and silver replacement lodes; and tin pegmatites are found in this region.

Jan 1, 1990

By Ryne Goodnough

INTRODUCTION The Wyodak Mine is located in the northern Powder River Basin of Wyoming and is thought to be the oldest continuously operating coal mine in the United States, having recorded yearly production since 1923. The mine has expanded over its 80-plus-year history from an underground room and pillar operation to a modem surface snip mine. Currently, the mine feeds four on-site power plants using conveyors, has a filly automated truck load-out, and ships coal by rail to nearby Wyoming power plants. Annual production of 4.8 MTFT is accomplished on a single-shift basis with 53 fill-time production, maintenance and administrative personnel. In 1990 a decision was made to modernize the coal feed system to the power plant complex with modular conveying equipment. The project involved constructing coal storage silos, overland conveyors, feeder breakers and modular conveyors to follow the mining benches. Total project cost in excess of $25 million was used to construe or commission: A 2,150-TPH 48-inch overland conveyor with horizontal curve A 2,150-TPH 48-inch plant feed conveyor 13 shuttle conveyors, each 150 feet in length 2 front-end loaders equipped with large coal buckets 2 crawler-mounted feeder breakers with compatible discharge conveyor 1 high-lift shuttle conveyor with adjustable discharge height 1 high-angle conveyor 2 4,500-ton coal silos with automated truck load- out capabilities. Conceptually, the plan was to develop 33 MTONS of reserve adjacent to the plant complex and use front-end loaders to tram ROM coal to in-pit feeder breakers. The primary crushing would reduce coal to 6-inch minus and feed through a series of shuttle conveyors to an overland supply conveyor. The overland conveyor would feed the secondary crusher, and the crushed product would be moved to any of four storage silos using conveyors. The in-pit crushing and conveying system is a unique fit for the power plants and provided many interesting challenges for the coal mine to overcome. System integration, maintenance windows, equipment availability and the like had a major role in engineering the system to a power plant complex having no emergency coal stock- pile and limited plant storage. In crediting the designers and operators, the in-pit conveying system at the Wyodak Mine has delivered coal to the power generators since 1994 with little or no downtime. ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS Yearly production for the mine is based on 3.5 MTPY which requires about 1,550 TPH on an 8 hour, one-shift- per-day, 5-days-per-week basis. Considering efficiencies for starting and stopping, crew transport, loader trams, and operational delays, a nominal conveyor feed rate of 2,150 TPH or 72% system utilization was used in engineering design application. This ton-per-hour basis is used to size and commission the remaining components of the in-pit system. Coal quality requirements also played a role in equipment selection. The mine reserve grades vertically and coal from Upper and Lower benches needed to be mixed in any given proportion. This required equipment to be filly variable and capable of producing all or part of the 2,150-ton-per-hour requirement. Bisecting the 80-foot- high coal face for quality required construction of a high lift module capable of reaching a single overland conveyor 40 to 50 feet above the pit floor. Designers built a high-lift, adjustable and portable module specific for this application Having two bench systems capable of each producing the required feed for the power plants required computerized control processes to control on-line production. RSLinx, RSLogix, and RSView were chosen as the communication and control software, and a Data Highway Plus serves as the communication backbone. Each of the two in-pit benches are controlled with a data center equipped with Allen Bradley 5-40 processors. This

Jan 1, 2004

By James M. Williams, Michael E. Zellars, Arthur J. Roth

INTRODUCTION Our present estimates of world P205 consumption for all uses show an average annual growth rate of approximately 1.9% per year. The estimated 1985 consumption of 41.5 million tonnes of P205 is predicted to increase to 57.1 million tonnes of P205 by the year 2005, which represents a growth from 157.7 million tonnes in 1985 to 217 million tonnes of phosphate rock in 2005. The present situation of oversupply and extremely weak phosphate product prices is, however, expected to continue in the short term and a normal supply/demand balance may not be achieved until after 1990. The growth in P205 demand, in conjunction with the higher cost of replacing low cost mines as they are depleted, will place economic pressure on world farm economies through the increased cost of phosphate fertilizers. The availability of rock supply is not the challenge; rather, it is the economics of new rock supply. This economic challenge of providing new rock supply is by no means limited to the United States. Even in centrally controlled economies, the cost of rock from domestic mines of marginal quality and economic viability, coupled with burdensome infra¬structure requirements, may result in tonnage additions at very high cost. Although government subsidies to offset higher production cost is a factor in some countries, world production in the next 20 years will be directed, if not governed, by economic factors. Established infrastructure, good quality reserves, and existing operations will provide a competitive advantage for new prod¬uction. It is our opinion that the current world supply structure will remain relatively stable through 2005, in that most of the traditional suppliers will retain supply roles. U.S. rock production, although it is not expected to grow beyond the present level, will still be a major contributor to world supply. Although dramatic changes within mining, fertilizer production and farm economics may appear disruptive, the current supply scenario will, in general, continue with the major issue being production economics. WORLD DEMAND Demand for P205 by region in the world has been estimated using projections of population, crops and yield, arable land, economic and other data as a basis for future demand projec¬tions by Blue-Johnson and Associates, our col¬laborators on a recent multi-client study. Non-fertilizer P205 demands were estimated in the same general manner. These estimates of future demand are based on an assumption of reasonable world political and economic stabil¬ity, debt repayment requirements maintained at workable levels, and resolution of problems in the agricultural economy to a point where normal supply/demand forces can interact freely to provide a basis for continued P205 supply. The results of these studies indicated an average growth rate of 1.9% per year through the year 2005. This growth could be as low as 1.5% per year, or as high as 2.5% per year. It is our opinion that the estimated rate of 1.9% per year is most probable. This moderate growth rate considers both the major economic constraints facing the world agricultural industry today and the general problem of affordability of fertilizers and other crop inputs. WORLD SUPPLY There are adequately defined world reserves of phosphate rock today to provide supply well into the future, even at much higher levels of demand than presently projected. Using the U.S. Bureau of Mines estimates, which are based on stringent criteria for definition of reserves, the present world reserves base is approximately 35 billion tonnes. Identified resources raise the potential for production by orders of magnitude. Potential resources based on geological trends, and including offshore deposits, would again result in orders of magnitude increases in rock resources. Morocco leads the world in reserves base with approxi¬mately 21 billion tonnes. The U.S. is second, followed by the Republic of South Africa and Russia. These four countries control about 87%

Jan 1, 1986

By Tim O’Neil

Until about three years ago, Asarco&apos;s copper business consisted predomi¬nantly of custom smelting of ores and concentrates produced by other mining companies. Since then, the company has been transforming itself into a fully integrated producer in copper mining, smelting, and refining. In doing this, Asarco has lowered its costs and restructured its operations and finances. Now, Asarco hopes to complete this process by spending $260 million over the next three years, to expand and modernize its copper facilities and boost production by some 40%. The capital spending program includes: • $130 million at the Ray mine about 113 km (70 miles) north of Tucson, AZ, to expand mining capacity and install an in-pit ore crusher, mill, and concentrator; • $100 million, to expand the mining capacity at the Mission Complex located south of Tucson, AZ, and refurbish the adjacent, idle Pima mill and concentrator. (Asarco had earlier exercised an option to purchase the Pima mill for about $6 million); and • $30 million, to modernize the copper smelter in El Paso, TX, with a new flash smelting process. The new program is in addition to a recently completed first-phase expansion of the Mission mine, mill, and concentrator. This $13 million debottlenecking of existing operations in¬creased production capacity by 46% or 24.5 kt/a (27,000 stpy), to 79 kt/a (87,000 stpy) of copper in concentrates. In addition, a previously an¬nounced $12 million expansion program at the Ray mine is scheduled for completion in early 1990. It will expand mill capacity, to offset the anticipated effects of increasing ore hardness as the pit deepens. Ray produces 68 kt/a (75,000 stpy) of copper in concen¬trates and an additional 36 kt/a (40,000 stpy) of electrowon copper. By 1992, when Asarco&apos;s expanded and modernized copper facilities are operating at capacity, the company&apos;s mine output will have increased by 67 kt/a (74,000 stpy), to 263 kt/a (290,000 stpy) of contained copper. That will be enough to provide all of the feed required for Asarco&apos;s two copper smelters - by then, both of them modern, state-of-the-art facilities. Asarco&apos;s expansion and modernization program will further reduce costs and provide added assurance that the company&apos;s copper business will be profitable at the bottom of the cycle, according to Chairman Richard de J. Osborne The Ray mine portion of the new program will include construction at the mine of a new mill and concentrator, with a capacity of 18 kt/d (20,000 stpd) of ore. These new semiautogenous grinding mills and large capacity flotation cells will augment the present 27.2 kt/d (30,000 stpd) concentrator located 29 km (18 miles) away, in Hayden, AZ. A 29 km (18 mile) pipeline will be built to carry tailings in slurry form from the new Ray mill to the present tailings pond. Concentrates from the new facility will be shipped by rail to Asarco&apos;s Hayden copper smelter. Ray&apos;s present 27.2 kt/d (30,000 stpd) crusher, adjacent to the open-pit, will be replaced by a 54.4 kt/d (60,000 stpd), portable in-pit crusher and conveying system. This will reduce the more expensive ore haulage by truck. The Ray project is scheduled for completion by 1992. It will increase the mine&apos;s annual output of copper in concentrates by an additional 33.5 kt/a (37,000 st), to 102 kt (112,000 st). And the project could mean an additional 400 jobs at the 730 employee Ray operation. Work at the Mission Complex involves reactivation of the Pima mill and concentrator and expansion of mine output sufficient to provide ore to both the Pima mill and the present Mission mill. In 1985, Asarco purchased the Pima mine, which occupies one end of the Mission pit. The work at Mission will increase its annual capacity by 33.5 kt (37,000 st), to 112 kt/a (124,000 st) of contained

Jan 1, 1989