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With the advent of the mini computer and the relational database project management has experienced a new lease of life. The project manager no longer has to wait days for his reports, and he doesn't have to thumb through a foot of four part stationery to find that one line of information. The new techniques bring characteristics that are music to the ear of the project team giving them a better chance of bringing the projects in on time and within budget.

Jan 1, 1983

The success of any industry depends on the planned integration of the policies and resources of the key components of the Australian economic and political structure - government, industry management, education, research, and the human resources of the industry. The Australian Mineral Industry, like Australia itself, has grown and developed at a rate not foreseen by many of our founding fathers and early industry leaders. Hence, now, as we approach the 21st Century, we need to re-think our approach to the significant new problems that are beginning to face both government and the Mineral Industry. Government initiatives, government information and support services, industry re-structuring, and research and development support, need to be carefully re-evaluated, re-diredted,. and strengthened, so that government, the community, and the Mineral Industry produce and receive the optimum education and research strategies and services. The support of academics and researchers, the development of facilities, and the design of new Courses for the future successful and beneficial exploitation of minerals need particular consideration.

Jan 1, 1986

The efficient design of carbon-in-pulp (C.I.P.) plants involves the integration of both process engineering and design engineering.Many recently constructed plants have not recognised the above interrelationship, and as such have incurred higher capital and operating costs than were in reality necessary. This has been compounded in some cases by slavishly following the design of plants where process conditions are different for the ore characteristics in question, thus perpetuating design errors that finally become industry "accepted practice".In the paper that is to be presented the unit operations of crushing, grinding, classification, leaching, adsorption, desorption and electrowinning in C.I.P. plants will be discussed with reference to the integration of process and design engineering.

Jan 1, 1986

By Neill A, O&apos

The City of Kalgoorlie/Boulder is situated approximately 600 kilometres to the east of Perth (Fig. 1), and is the major regional centre of the Eastern Goldfields, supporting a population of approximately 25,000. The formation of Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines in 1989 brought the existing operat- ing entities adjacent to the city under common ownership and management. The Joint Venturers forming the management company are Homestake Gold of Australia and Gold Mines of Kalgoorlie (a Normandy/Poseidon com- pany). This traditional underground mining centre has been worked since 1893, yielding 40.8 million ounces of gold from ore with an average head grade of 10 grams per tonne. Historically the heart of the operation has been the famous Golden Mile located on the Eastern perimeter of the city, in the area known as Fimiston. The other significant operations that form KCGM are the Mt Percy Open Pit and the Mt Charlotte Underground Operation. KCGM's current production is 520,000 ounces per year, with the com- bined Fimiston operations (open cut and underground) contributing 400,000 ounces. The current expansion will increase production levels by a further 150,000 ounces. Traditionally 98 per cent of gold has been sourced from underground areas, however the recent upsurge of open cut operations is rapidly overturning this historical relationship.

Jan 1, 1991

By Finch JA, Uribe-Salas A

The relationship between the process variables and hydrodynamics of a downflow concurrent column (Jameson cell) was investigated in both two and three-phase systems. Gas holdups from 10 to -60 per cent were obtained at gas rates up to 15 cm/s (STP), liquid (slurry) rates up to 25 cm/s, frother concentrations of 5 and 25 ppm, and slurry density (silica) up to 1.23 g/cm3 ina 3.8 cm diameter, 190 cm high column with a 0.5 cm diameter nozzle. Gas holdup decreases with feed rate and increases with gas rate, reaching a maximum (-60 per cent) at a gas rate to feed rate ratio of about one. Gas holdups were higher with slurry compared to water as feed. Stable operation was difficult to maintain at high gas rates especially with low frother dosage; operation was not possible without some frother. Instability was characterised by loss of pool level or formation of slugs. The slugs could move up or down or remain oscillatory. A quantitative relationship between the variables and gas holdup or onset of instability was not identified. Conductivity and pressure-based techniques were successfully tested on-line for estimation of gas holdup and to judge the state of operation (eg formation of slugs).

Jan 1, 1993

Digitally enhanced Landsat MSS images are being used'in delineating the structural and tectonic features in the Arabian Shield as part of a project funded by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) of Saudi Arabia. The delineated features together with statistical modeling and structural analysis are to assist in an improved understanding of the evolution and mineralization of the Arabian Shield. Specific emphasis is to be given to relating the extracted linear features to the location of known mineral occurrences and areas of potential geologic hazards. A number of textural (spatial) and spectral enhancement techniques have been applied, to the MSS data covering selected areas, in selecting the most optimal enhancement product for visually delineating the structural geologic .features.

Jan 1, 1988

Flue gases from electrical power station boilers, roasting, metallurgical and chemical plants could be treated by flotation using conventional flotation machines. The flue gases are introduced into the pulp instead of the air. The flotation media is a suspension of Ca(OH)2 or CaCO3 or a solution of NH4OH etc containing Na oleate as collector and frother. The SO2 and dust content of the initial flue gases were experimentally reduced by 100 to 1000 times in one flotation operation. The velocity of the flue gases through flotation machines could reach approximatively 0.4 to 0.5 m/s and more against 1.5 m/s reached in scrubber absorbers used for this purpose, but the quality of purification is expected to be better for flotation, which is essential for the cases of heavy polluted metallurgical and chemical flue gases. For some chemical plants the flue gases flotation media may be different and more suitable as compared to the above mentioned media. The proposed flotation method could be used for separation of dry grinded ores in the form of aerosols, with a realisation of flotation from a closed space (gas bubble in the pulp) onto the interface liquid-air where the particles are attached inside the bubbles.

Jan 1, 1993

By A Poliakov, E Donskoi, K Vining

The automated optical image analysis software Mineral4/Recognition4 (M4/R4) is capable of performing comprehensive characterisation of different materials throughout the iron ore value chain, including ore fines, lump, sinter, pellets and coke. It has been successfully used by CSIRO for industrial and research projects and has been independently licensed to several world leaders in iron ore production and ironmaking. The M4/R4 software was strongly integrated with a Zeiss microscope to make use of the company’s powerful AxioVision software. This required users to own both Zeiss microscope hardware and AxioVision software in order to be able to use M4/R4 to its full image acquisition and analysis capacity. Therefore, it was not available to the users of equipment produced by other major microscope manufacturers. In recent times however, Zeiss has indicated that the AxioVision software will no longer be supported. To overcome this limitation, CSIRO has proceeded with the next generation of this software, Mineral5/Recognition5 (M5/R5). Importantly, the M5/R5 system has been developed without any dependence on a specific microscope hardware/software platform. Furthermore, the image analysis functionality is now based on openCV open access software and has been fully rewritten using stateof- the-art software development tools to allow reading and processing of all major image formats. Although past applications have been specific to iron ore and ironmaking applications, other improvements, such as an increased number of minerals allowing better gangue segmentation, flexible mineral definitions, improved software modules behaviour and refined analysis routines enables the platform independent M5/R5 image analysis system to be used by researchers in any area of mineralogical or materials research.

Nov 8, 2021

By B Chapman, R Nievergelt, J Hill

A major component of Sydney’s new South West Rail Link project is the Hume Highway Underpass (HHU), an 80 m long twin track mined tunnel excavated at a depth of just 5 m below the pavement of the Hume Highway; one of Australia’s busiest road corridors.In order to ensure a safe and efficient construction of the underpass without disruption to the Hume Highway traffic, design of the HHU required specific focus on the prediction and control of ground movements. This paper describes the design and construction solutions adopted in response to these challenging constraints. The paper also provides discussion on the observed behaviour of the underpass during construction and the results of a back analysis that was undertaken during construction.CITATION:Hill, J, Nievergelt, R and Chapman, B, 2014. Design and construction of Sydney’s South West Rail Link Hume Highway Underpass, in Proceedings 15th Australasian Tunnelling Conference 2014 , pp 375–386 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 17, 2014

By S C. Bhowmik, R Gupta

This paper presents the ventilation problem faced by Jaduguda uranium mine, operated up to a depth of 905 m. The first two stages of the mine workings are up to 555 m, which are nearly exhausted. The third stage of the mine is from 555 m to 905 m and presently most of the stopping and development activities of the mine are carried out in the third stage. The total available intake quantity in the third stage was only 21 m3/s. As a result, the mine was facing a radiation hazard. The different instruments and the methods used for monitoring of radiation levels are also presented in the paper. It was observed that the average individual effective dose (external + internal) of radiation workers in Jaduguda mine increased from 6.93 mSv/y in 1995 to 9.5 mSv/y in 2001 and during this period the average individual effective dose of mine workers of the world was less than 5 mSv/y. Keeping this problem in view, a detailed ventilation investigation has been carried out in this mine. Initially the requirements of intake air quantity have been assessed by carrying out field investigation in different stopes and it was found that the third stage workings require nearly 100 m3/s. A detailed ventilation survey has been carried out in the total ventilation network and a basic ventilation model of the mine has been prepared. Different alternative schemes for effectively ventilating the third stage workings of the mine were simulated and a set of recommendations were made for implementation. The recommendations were partially implemented in 2002. As a result the total intake quantity to third stage workings increased to nearly 70 m3/s and the average individual effective dose (internal + external) of mine workers came down from 9.5 mSv/y in 2001 to 6.65 mSv/y and 6.60 mSv/y in 2002 and 2003 respectively. The implementation of remaining recommendations is in progress. Finally, a mathematical model has been formulated from the first principle for predicting air quantity requirements in cut and fill stopes in uranium mines and this model is being validated for further use.

Jan 1, 2005

Underground mining of the ore below the West Lyell open cut commenced in 1972 with the 10 Series stopes above rail haulage level. The third lift of stoping (30 Series) com- menced this year, and access to the 40 Series stopes is being developed. The method uses transverse open stopes with subsequent mass blasting of the rib and crown pillars and consequently there is sub- sidence and caving of the old open cut area above.

Jan 1, 1982

By G Balog, T Ormerod, D Sidea

Carrapateena is a copper-gold sub level caving operation located in the Gawler Craton, South Australia. One of Australia’s largest undeveloped copper deposits, the project will be a 4.25 Mtpa underground operation, with an estimated mine life of 20 years (OZ Minerals, 2017). First concentrate production was achieved in December 2019, within the Iron Ore Copper Gold (IOCG) hematite breccia complex. The Carrapateena orebody is overlain by 500 m of barren sediments of the Stuart Shelf, which hosts two aquifers. The cover sequence is dominated by shales, quartzites and sandstones in order of thickness. The cover sequence presented challenges to the mine ventilation system as a result of highly variable rock strengths. On this basis, the site developed the first vent rise, Vent Rise 5 (VR5), earlier than required as a means to test the empirical stability assessment. Assessment for VR5 was completed in 2017, with the mine yet to develop through much of the cover sequence. Due to the geotechnical data available at the time, it was anticipated that break out would occur within the vent rise walls as a function of the low strength Woomera shales. VR5 was developed to 4.5 mᴓ in late 2018. The timing of the VR5 development enabled the site technical team to calibrate empirical stability factors for the assessment of future vent rises. At the time of writing, four additional vent rises have been successfully developed to a diameter of 5.5 m. No significant overbreak has been observed within any of the vent rises. This paper is intended for geotechnical practitioners designing large-diameter vent rises in geological environments similar to the Stuart Shelf where a similar approach to vent rise design may be warranted.

Mar 15, 2021

The, Mount Charlotte orebody contains' 5,000 tons per vertical foot-Of'quartz gold ore at an estimated ore reserve grade of )just 'over' 3 'dwt. per ton, Production from it i.s plan ned at a rate of 1,000 tons per working day during 1964.

Jan 1, 1964

By J Robertson, D Williams, H D. Plewes

The co-mixing of tailings and waste rock involves the intimate blending of tailings and waste rock to create a new material (Co-Mix) with superior physical and hydraulic properties. The new material has a low hydraulic conductivity, low compressibility, high water retaining capacity and high shear strength. Co-mixed tailings and waste rock restrict oxygen entry and water seepage to minimise acid generation and metal leaching. When compacted, Co-Mix materials have low volume change characteristics with respect to total stress and matric suction together with high shear strength. Co-mixed tailings and waste rock may be used to construct cover systems, internal barriers and seals, confinement structures or a full depth waste repository. The theoretical properties of Co-Mix blends are investigated. The results of a laboratory program to characterise the physical and hydraulic properties of co-mixed tailings and waste rock are presented. Various ratios of tailings were blended with different waste rock materials. Hydraulic conductivity tests were conducted at confining pressures ranging between 0 and 400 kPa. The saturated hydraulic conductivity for the Co-Mix materials was found to vary between 4 + 10-5 m/s and 5 + 10-9 m/s depending on blend ratio, waste rock type and confining pressure. These results together with other physical properties show excellent hydraulic and strength characteristics can be achieved for Co-Mix materials.

Jan 1, 2003

By C J. Moran

Given that the mining industry is committed to sustainable development principles and that Australia is experiencing changes to the regulatory environment that aim to modernise the water sector and encourage adoption of consistent approaches, there is a well defined need for the Australian minerals industry to develop a water accounting framework. This requires: key terms and definitions for water metrics for use in the Australian minerals industry that is consistent with the wider water sector, a suite of metrics representing key components of an operationÆs water balance, a calculation method for some of the metrics, and a reporting protocol. This paper presents the methodology that was used to derive these four components. Existing accounting frameworks were reviewed and key terms and definitions that were consistent with current requirements were proposed. A calculation methodology was developed to obtain some of the key indicators and variables that cannot be easily measured directly (water loss through evaporation is an example). The adopted terms and definitions dictated model development, with the conclusion that a systems approach was the most effective calculation process. To test the proposed definitions and calculation methodology, values for water metrics were derived for eight sites. The proposed framework and definitions could deal with the specific situations selected as case studies. The associated calculation methodology produced complete accounts at various levels. Some elements of the accounts could be directly checked against available data and simulations. The framework captured well variations in the reuse efficiencies; reuse efficiency could even vary for similar processes. It is concluded that this preliminary accounting framework provides a consistent language and metrics for quantifying and communicating water management, both at the intersection of the site with the surrounding landscape (through detailed reporting of site inputs and outputs) and within operational activities. Using this consistent framework for quantifying and documenting water use within an operation will provide a platform for compiling and comparing minerals industry water use with other sectors. This may support benchmarking activities within regions or companies and help demonstrate leadership amongst water users in water resource stewardship. The approach presented here is applicable to a wide variety of mining and processing activities, and biophysical environments, and can be adopted as the first step towards developing national water accounts for the Australian Minerals Industry.

Jan 1, 2009

The history of gold dredging in New Zealand, leading to the develop- ment of the `New Zealand Type' dredge is considered. Much of this infor- mation has come from contemporaneous publications by the New Zealand Department of Mines. Alluvial gold production declined after 1902, and ceased completely in 1982, but is now rising again. The progress of the New Zealand alluvial gold mining industry is considered, together with some of its more exceptional successes. Recent developments are com- pared to those of the past.

Jan 1, 1988

The Mount Isa mine in North West Queens- land produces a total of nearly 10 million t/yr from separate copper and silver lead zinc orebodies. Sampling information is mainly obtained from diamond drilling on 30 to 40 metre centers in both types of orebodies. For the copper orebodies the majority of the core is analysed for copper content using a non-destructive bulk analyser developed by the Australian Atomic Energy Commission. The diamond drill core in the silver lead zinc orebodies is usually sam- pled as sawn half core and assayed in the com- pany laboratory using a variety of methods dependent upon the level of metal content and/or the elements required. Underground development is sampled where additional information is required to improve the ore reserve estimate. The copper areas are sampled using a standard 2.0 m by 2.0 m chip sample of the wall. The chips are taken on a 250 mm spacing. Lead areas are sampled using a 100 mm wide by 4 mm deep channel over intervals determined by the area geologists. The massive, irregularly shaped copper ore bodies are mined as large sublevel open stopes and pillars. Ore reserve estimation on both a production unit and global scale is routinely carried out using a geostatistical system developed in-house and running on a Sperry 1100 mainframe computer. Copper grade, tonnes and the Kriging var- iance are estimated at points on a user defined grid. The Kriging program uses 10 m assay composites from diamond drill core and underground chip samples. One average (rela- tive) variogram is used throughout the main copper orebodies. The validity of using an average variogram was verified by the original geostatistical study undertaken in the late 1970's.

Jan 1, 1987

By J J. Plumb, P D. Franzmann

A study was conducted to describe the microbiology of the MICCL Monywa chalcocite heap bioleaching operation. Microorganisms were detected in the heap using culture-based techniques and cultureindependent PCR-DGGE analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. The metabolic requirements, temperature and pH optima were determined for selected strains isolated from the heap material. Six strains (BH1-BH6) were enriched and isolated from heap solids and leachate samples. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA genes showed that strains BH3 and BH4 were closely related to the acidophilic bacterium Acidithiobacillus caldus and strains BH5 and BH6 were closely related to Leptospirillum ferriphilum. The optimum growth temperature for L. ferriphilum was 41.3¦C and the optimum pH range was 1.1 to 1.5. A new species of Archaea was isolated from the heap samples. Cells of the proposed species, Ferroplasma cyprexacervatum (æcyprusÆ L.n. meaning copper; æexacervoÆ L.v. meaning æto heap upÆ), are non-motile pleomorphic cocci, capable of chemomixotrophic growth with ferrous sulfate and yeast extract. Cells grow anaerobically on ferric iron in the presence of potassium tetrathionate and yeast extract as electron donors. Growth occurs from 14¦C to 63¦C, with an optimum temperature of 55.2¦C. The optimal pH for growth was 1.0 - 1.2. The species was phylogenetically most closely related to Ferroplasma acidiphilum with a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 95 per cent. Molecular analysis of mine samples (16S rRNA PCR-DGGE) detected the above-mentioned cultured strains of microorganisms as well as species of Sulfobacillus and other unknown Proteobacteria. The microbial community of the Myanmar bioleach heaps contained similar levels of diversity to a dump bioleach operation in Chile, but contained greater amounts of biomass than another heap bioleach operation in Australia. The operating parameters of the Myanmar heaps (low pH and moderate temperature) have selected for the growth of moderately thermophilic microorganisms that are more commonly found in extremely low pH acidic mine drainage sites than in heap systems. The novel species of Ferroplasma is thought to be involved in the aerobic and anaerobic cycling of iron within the heap bioleaching environment.

Jan 1, 2004

By Z Li, Z Yan, M Yang

Recycled cement paste (RCP) is a kind of CaO-rich recourse, which is separated and recycled from waste concrete. Due to its chemical composition, RCP could partially replace lime as a flux and be loaded into electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking process. Rapid RCP assimilation and liquid slag formation have significant effects on EAF steelmaking process. In this study, the dissolution behaviours of RCP and lime at temperatures of 1400°C to 1500°C were investigated using static dissolution experiment. The dissolution rate, interfacial microstructure, as well as dissolution mechanisms were discussed. It was found that the dissolution rate of RCP was much higher than that of lime. RCP could be completely dissolved into slag in 60 secs at 1500°C. The dissolution rate of lime was in range of 3.910-4 g/(cm2ꞏs) to 2.610-3 g/(cm2ꞏs), while that for RCP was in range of 1.510-3 g/(cm2ꞏs) to 4.910-3 g/(cm2ꞏs). As for lime dissolution, a dense layer of dicalcium silicate (C2S) generated at the dissolution interface, and the diffusion of Ca2+ in C2S layer was the limited step for lime dissolution. Some of calcium ferrite could be observed at the interface between lime and C2S layer. As for the RCP dissolution, there is no obvious product layer of C2S formed at the dissolution interface, Fe2+ continuously diffused into RCP layer during the dissolution, and small amount of FeOꞏMgO solid solution generated and gathered at the dissolution interface. The dissolution rate of RCP in EAF slag was quite higher than that of lime, partially add RCP as flux in EAF could accelerate the slag formation process.

Aug 21, 2024

By Perring CS, Barnes SJ

The nickel exploration boom of the late-1960s and early-1970s led to the discovery of numerous komatiite-hosted nickel sulphide deposits, associated with variably serpentinised bodies of olivine-rich cumulates. Subsequent research has shown the importance of volcanological processes to understanding the genesis of these deposits. Crucial developments have come through consideration of the fluid dynamics of magmas and magma-crystal mixtures, through observation of the dynamics and geometry of modern day basaltic lava flows, through application of theory and experimentation on the kinetics of crystal growth from magmas, and most importantly from extensive detailed field mapping of komatiitic sequences in the Yilgarn Block and elsewhere. From these studies has emerged a new integrated view of the volcanological setting of komatiite-hosted deposits, and a recognition that a complete continuum of deposit types exists. Nevertheless, komatiite associated magmatic nickel deposits generally fall into two overall types based on the nature of the sulphide ore. In the first type the bulk of the ore is either massive Fe-Ni-Cu sulphide or a variable mixture of massive sulphide and an ore characterised by olivine crystals in a continuous matrix of sulphide occupying between 30 and 75 per cent by volume of the rock (called Matrix Ore). Nickel grades of massive sulphide ore range from 2 - 20 wt% and those of the matrix ore generally fall in the range 1 - 5 wt% (average 2.5 wt%) Ni/Cu ratios of the sulphide fraction are generally >10.

Jan 1, 1996