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The Putnam Coal Mine, at design capacity, will be the third largest underground bituminous coal mine in the world and will feature the world's longest single flight belt conveyor. Construction is now in process; initial mining will commence in early 1969 and design capacity will be reached in 1971. I'm Jerry Workman, Assistant Mining Manager for the Coal Group of the Mining and Metals Division of Union Carbide Corporation, and I am acting as Project Manager for installation and start-up of the Putnam Mine. The Putnam Coal Mine reserves are located in south-central West Virginia and contain approximately 27,000 acres of prime Pittsburgh No. 8 coal; reserves are sufficient to support a 3.5 MM tons per year operation for over 30 years. The mine portal area is located some six miles inland from the Kanawha River. The river loading facility is located approximately 156 miles by way of river from the market.

Jan 1, 1968

By T. W. Meikle

Three nutrient amendments and a biological seed inoculant were evaluated for use in establishing vegetative cover on waste rock substrates. Randomized blocks were placed on three substrates. Treatments included two types of organic fertilizer, mineral fertilizer, Azospirillum bacterial inoculant, plus controls. The seed mix consisted of native grass species adapted to low nutrient conditions. Canopy cover has been monitored for three growing seasons. Results indicate: 1) two of three substrates support plant growth following amendment with organic fertilizers; 2) organic fertilizers increase cover substantially over mineral fertilizer; and 3) Azospirillum had no effect on canopy cover.

Jan 1, 1999

By Paul H. Johnson

A field investigation was undertaken to study some of the. chemical and hydrological aspects of leaching an impermeable copper sulfide waste dump. Samples, obtained by means of a Becker pneumatic drill from Kennecott's Chino "J" dump, near Silver City, New Mexico, were analyzed for their moisture and soluble-salt content, Fe +2 , Fe +3, Cu +2 , and H in their interstitial solutions and non-water - soluble Fe, Cu, and S in their rinsed residues. Conclusions were drawn from these data concerning the overall chemistry of impermeable-dump leaching and the hydrological characteristics of the dump.

Jan 1, 1970

By M. Kul

In this study, the effects of various extraction and stripping parameters, such as equilibrium pH (7.0, 8.5 and 10), extractant concentration (5, 10 and 20 volume %), organic-to-aqueous (O/A) ratio and stripping agent type and concentration were studied on chromium (VI) recovery from chromium electroplating rinse bath wastewater using Aliquat 336. Results showed that these parameters all had significant effects on chromium (VI) recovery. A pregnant strip solution from a chromium electroplating rinse bath wastewater with 33.4 g/L chromium content, suitable for sodium dichromate production, was generated by 20 vol. % Aliquat 336 in commercial kerosene. The O/A ratio was 1/4 and the equilibrium pH value was 0.87, the as-received pH value. The wastewater was treated with a two-stage countercurrent extraction process to produce a loaded organic phase, which was later stripped at the O/A ratio of two with a 4-M NaOH solution in a two-stage countercurrent stripping process using Taguchi?s optimization technique.

Jan 1, 2010

By J. P. Ducarme, J. L. Carr, C. C. Jobes

"An average of 1.2 fatalities occur per year in underground coal mines in the United States when a miner is struck or pinned by a remote-controlled continuous mining machine. Proximity detection technology provides a means to prevent these types of accidents by disabling all machine motion when a miner is in close proximity. Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have developed the intelligent Proximity Detection (iPD) system, which continuously tracks the position of miners near the machine and disables only those machine motions that could cause a pinning accident. This system, previously demonstrated using non-permissible proximity detection hardware, has now been shown to be effective when implemented using an MSHA-approved system as a platform. Performance tests have shown accuracy, repeatability, and stop zone identification to be comparable to or better than the system demonstrated with non-permissible hardware. INTRODUCTION Underground coal mining room-and-pillar operations typically use Continuous Mining Machines (CMMs), such as the one shown in Figure 1. When CMMs first became available, they were operated from an on-board operator’s compartment that protected operators from roof falls and other hazards but severely restricted visibility and subjected them to machine vibration and high levels of dust and noise. To solve these problems, remote controls were developed to operate CMMs. Now CMM operators are free to position themselves for best visibility of each mining task and are no longer subjected to the rough motion of the CMM during mining operations or the dust and noise generated by the machine. However, this technological advance removed operators from the protection afforded by the operator’s compartment and exposed them to the hazard of being struck or pinned by the CMM or other large moving machines."

Jan 1, 2015

By Michael R. Grubbs

In most resource recovery plants the incoming solid waste material is first shredded and then air classified into a light and a heavy fraction. The light fraction which contains mostly paper, cardboard, etc., can be used either as a fuel for power generation or in the production of new paper products. The heavy fraction which remains consists mostly of glass, ceramics, wood, ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals. The ferrous metals may be removed from the heavy fraction by conventional magnetic separators. After primary shredding, most of the glass and ceramic is fine in size and may be screened away leaving a residue of wood, cardboard, and non-ferrous metals. This residual heavy fraction is the input material for the separator described in the present paper. A new metal separator was recently reported by t. Schlömann1. The author described the theoretical relationships and presented results of tests on samples of the residual fraction of municipal solid waste. This paper describes the operation of the metal separator and develops the basic separation relationships controlling the process.

Jan 1, 1976

By J. L. Francke

This paper describes the practices and methods used in a study of Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) as an inexpensive deformation monitoring tool in underground excavations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The WIPP is being developed near Carlsbad, New Mexico, for the disposal of transuranic nuclear wastes in bedded salt 655 m (2 150 ft) below the surface. Data collected from WIPP geomechanical monitoring are used to characterize conditions, confirm design assumptions, and understand and predict the performance of the deep salt excavation. The geomechanical monitoring program encompasses numerous geomechanical monitoring techniques ranging from inspection of observation boreholes to advanced radar surveys. In 1989 TDR was introduced as a monitoring tool with the installation of 12.7 mm (0.5 in) diameter TDR cables in the underground excavations. In 1993, a new TDR system was installed in a separate location. Based on experience with the previous installation, enhancements were implemented into the new TDR system that: 1.) extended the period of performance by increasing cable diameter to 22.2 mm (0.875 in), 2.) increased accuracy in locating areas of deformation by aligning cables with nearby observation boreholes, and 3.) improved data acquisition and analyses using a standard laptop computer, eliminating the chart recorder previously used. In summary, the results of a correlation between the TDR signatures to nearby observation boreholes and geomechanical instrumentation will be presented.

Jan 1, 1996

By A. W. Khair

This paper presents an engineering approach to solve a complex ground control problem at reduced cost, allowing the mine to be operated safely and economically. The mine has experienced serious and complicated cutter roof problem in the entries. This cutler roof problem has delayed the advance of the entry development considerably and cost of these entries is very high due to the requirement of very heavy artificial supports. The analysis includes assessment of the cause of cutter roof and step by step action taken to improve the entry condition through appropriate longwall panel entry design and roof support system. The approach for solving the problem was two-fold: 1) to apply yield pillar concept in order to reduce the effects of in-situ horizontal stress in the roof strata and 2) to find an effective way to reinforce the roof strata and to support the fractured roof and avoid caving.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. J. Laurila

On-line analyzers have made possible the use of Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC) for local control applications in coal preparation plants. This includes FLC control of complete circuits such as heavy media vessels, cyclones and froth flotation. These circuits can be controlled in real time in a feedback control loop with an on-line analyzer. Control strategies can be readily developed using Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques which are first applied off-line in manual mode through the use of control charts and then this process is brought on-line using FLC in conjunction with an on-line analyzer to fully automate the circuit. This paper outlines the types of control strategies employed and presents examples of automatic verses manual control.

Jan 1, 1997

By J. D. Crone

Crone Geophysics Limited in co-operation with Newmont Exploration Limited has developed a ground Pulse electromagnetic method. This is the first unit in a planned integrated system of surface and borehole Pulse EM equipment. Newmont had previously developed an operational Pulse EM unit for use in areas of very high surface conductivity. The Newmont equipment was large, heavy apparatus that required motorized transport. It operated in the equivalent frequency spectrum of 10Hz to 2.5Hz. The basic aim of Crone Geophysics was to design a Pulse EM system more portable than Newmont's. We wanted to operate in all types of field conditions including heavily wooded and mountainous terrain areas. We also wanted to record the higher frequency information that is contained in the Pulse EM waveform. There are three reasons why we thought this high frequency information was important in survey applications: (1) Field tests conducted over massive sulphide bodies in the Arizona desert showed that the desert weathering process tended to break down the electrical contact between sulphide crystals. The net effect is to reduce the conductivity of a massive sulphide body, particularly narrow bodies or highly fractured sulphide zones. In order to detect such occurances the higher frequency information is essential. (2) We wanted to be able to detect occurances with sulphide content as low as 5% sulphides that are usually poor to moderate conductors. (3) We also wanted to be able to determine the presence and extent of surficial conductive formations and clay deposits since many airborne EM anomalies are caused by such bodies. If we have the capability of detecting and recognizing these formations we would be able to explain the airborne anomaly.

Jan 1, 1976

By D. A. Lowrie

Environmental concerns and increasing mine development costs have created a need for early information on gold recovery from its host environment. The habit, association, and approximate abundance of minerals which contain unacceptable metallic ions which may be released during process of concentration of gold should be identified in exploration drill core. One case of a "clean" gold orebody is described to show that early petrographic studies contributed to a rapid decision to mine a small deposit by open pit and to custom mill the ore in an already restricted effluent environment. A second example describes identification of an undesirable mercury content and resulting action taken.

Jan 1, 1985

By R. E. Vivas, J. A. Villa

"INTRODUCTION Located in the state of Colima, Peña Colorada is one of the largest iron ore operations in Mexico. The project is owned in equal parts by ArcelorMittal and Ternium. Though boasting a production capacity of 4.5 million tons of concentrate per year, Peña Colorada is faced with declining ore grades. In order to respond to this situation, Peña Colorada had to expand production even further. This expansion created various challenges that were overcome by the adoption and application of new technology. Examples of these technological innovations are discussed in detail in this paper and include improvements in geo-modeling, mine planning and mine operations. The successful implementation of these technologies paid for itself many times over, and has led to significant improvements in production and performance, while lowering the operating costs and reducing the variance between planning and execution. PROJECT OVERVIEW Peña Colorada is a mining company which produces about 30% of the iron ore in Mexico. This project generates about 1,200 direct jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs, making a significant contribution to the local economy. Similarly, Peña Colorada invests in its local communities through numerous educational programs, scholarships, university agreements, social development, environmental agreements, etc. Peña Colorada’s operations consist of an open pit mine located in Minatitlán and a pellet plant located in the port city of Manzanillo, as shown in the location map below:TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS Most mining projects around the world typically follow the logic of “mining the next best ore”. Consequently, head grades tend to decline over the life of the mine. In the case of Peña Colorada, a decline in head grade combined with a decline in iron ore prices forced the operation to adapt to a new business environment and adopt new technologies to face these challenges. However, the first step along this process was to increase the confidence and reliability of the resource model. This task involved additional drillhole campaigns coupled with more detailed modeling techniques. Once the block model was completed, new optimization studies and production schedules were evaluated with new optimization tools that unlocked significant project value in many aspects of the mine plan. Similarly, new geotechnical studies were prepared, which provided new guidelines for pit slope design, and new technology was implemented to monitor ground movement and slope stability. The picture below shows two sectional block model views in MineSight 3D, along with the pit designs and geologic solids"

Jan 1, 2017

By H. B. Charmbury

In Pennsylvania there are two distinct coal regions, bituminous and anthracite, in which the mining conditions and production trends are different. Bituminous mining is more mechanized, and production is increasing. This report is concerned specifically with the bituminous area. The bituminous coal industry apparently is facing a shortage of miners and mine officials which may become acute by 1970. Since 1949, when Pennsylvania had more than 100,000 bituminous coal miners, the number has steadily decreased. There are two principal reasons for the decrease of certified miners and mine officials. These reasons are the fact that apprentices are almost a thing of the past and the fact that the image of the coal miner is a poor one to people in general and to parents in particular. This has contributed greatly to the high average age of our miners today. The average age of all those employed in the mines is 50. Yet it is known that the progress in mine mechanization requires younger and more alert men to operate the newer type equipment.

Jan 1, 1966

By C. A. Rawlins, P. Rostami

"Ventilation systems are not only an integral part of any underground mine design but are a significant contributor to the mine’s capital and operating costs. The ventilation and cooling design systems presented in this paper were part of the prefeasibility evaluation of an underground platinum mine in South Africa. The mine would ultimately operate at the depth of 1,200 m below surface with a proposed 4 Mtpa production rate. The proposed mining operation is a highly mechanized operation using diesel equipment. Significant daily production rate, large amount of equipment and expansive nature of the operation, contributed to a challenging while flexible ventilation design requirements. This paper presents how to safely and efficiently optimize capital expenditure and operating costs associated with the mine air cooling and refrigeration system through practical ventilation design practices. Successful capital and operational savings by modulating installation and commissioning of refrigeration facilities can influence the economic realization of such systems. The adapted planning and design approach provided a cost-effective advantage while complying with design safety and regulations. INTRODUCTION This paper outlines a prefeasibility evaluation of the heat loads and related cooling system to be employed at the proposed platinum mine. The paper also provides appropriate details for a comprehensive understanding of the applied methodology. The proposed mine will be a trackless underground operation using a combination of mining methods. Initially, ore zones with vertical thicknesses greater than or equal to 18 m will be mined using the long-hole stoping (LHS) method, while thinner ore zones will be mined using mechanized drift-and-fill or drift-and-bench methods; hence, a highly mechanized operation with LHDs, trucks, drill rigs, personnel carriers, etc. is envisioned. Broken rock (ore and waste) will be transported by the means of trucks to the main passes (ore and waste) and collection points. Mining zones identified in the project occur at depths ranging between approximately 700 m to 1,600 m below surface. Primary access to the mine will be via a 1,100 m deep, 10 m diameter production shaft (named Shaft No. 2), three additional shafts will be sunk to provide future ventilation and production support. Three main access levels are established as primary haulage levels and include a series of interconnecting ramps. Additional mining sublevels will be developed as necessary. Figure 1 shows the proposed shaft locations and main access levels in a 3-D elevated view. Mining is performed using highly productive mechanized methods. For this reason, an annual ventilation estimate is based on requirements for mobile equipment (i.e., 0.06 m3/s/kW). The air requirements imposed on the underground operation is further influenced by equipment heat loads, auto compression, and virgin rock temperature, as the main sources of in-mine heat."

Jan 1, 2015

By R. D. Grove, M. F. Elliott, R. L. Weigel

The control of Florida phosphate flotation plants is largely based on the visual observations of experienced operators, both in recognizing good and bad froth conditions and in making judgments about the composition of feed, concentrate and tailing streams. Chemical analyses lag the process by at least two hours and therefore only assist in recalibrating the operators' vision when major deviations occur. An image analysis system has been developed by IMC Agrico Company (IMCA) to improve upon the accuracy and precision of the composition estimation process. It still relies upon the operator taking a representative sample, but provides a measurement in about 15 minutes after that sample is obtained. This paper describes the system and its use and presents comparative results for various process streams.

Jan 1, 1993

By S. Hodgson

Introduction The Red Dog zinc/lead deposit in northwest Alaska is the second largest zinc deposit ever discovered. Being developed by Cominco Alaska, with startup scheduled for early 1990, it will ultimately be the largest zinc mine in the Western World. Table 1 shows the reserves of the deposit. Bob Baker, a local bush pilot, discovered Red Dog in 1968. The US Geological Survey assessed the find. But the Red Dog site had been withdrawn from staking by provisions in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA). Under the terms of ANCSA, the deposit was selected by the NANA Regional Corporation, one of 13 native corporations established by the Act. Then, in 1980, the US Congress confirmed this selection, in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. In 1982, Cominco and NANA reached an agreement that has led to the development of the mine. Under the agreement, Cominco leases the property from NANA, develops and operates the mine, and markets the concentrate produced. In return, NANA receives royalties and, after capital recovery, participates in the net proceeds from the operation. The Alaska State Government is also playing a role in the development of the mine. Under the auspices of the Alaska Industrial Development Authority (AIDA), the state will construct, own, and operate the DeLong Mountains Regional Transportation System. This consists of a 84-km (52¬mile) road from the minesite to the Chukchi Sea. Located here are the port facilities necessary to store and ship the annual concentrate production and receive the mine fuel and supplies. For using this transportation system, Cominco will pay an annual toll fee. Over the anticipated 50 year life of the operation, the fee will provide a 6.5% return to the State of Alaska. In late 1986, Cominco's Board of Directors approved the Red Dog project. And, during the summer of 1987, road construction began. In February 1988, initial stripping began at the ore body and construction started at the millsite. Project setting The project site is approximately 1000 km (600 miles) northwest of Anchorage, 84 km (52 miles) east of tidewater on the Chukchi Sea, and 192 km (120 miles) north of the Arctic Circle (Fig. 1). The countryside consists of low, rolling hills that lead into mountains north and east of the deposit. The vegetation is typical tundra mat. And the site is in an area of permafrost. However, the permafrost is relatively warm and some areas have been found to be thawed. Examples would be creek bottoms and the site of the main waste dump.

Jan 12, 1988

By A. L. Mula

Pasaremos revista brevemente a 10s fundamentos de 10s ciclones, considerando un ciclón típico. Los datos gráficos disponibles en la literatura han sido convertidos en ecuaciones matemáticas por conveniencia. Se suministran los procedirnientos preliminares para seleccionar y diseñar tanto los ciclones como las bombas, y se facilita con algún detalle un ejernplo de cálculo para un hipotético circuito de molienda. En general, debe consultarse a 1os proveedores de ciclones y bombas para determinar un disefio definitivo. Algunos suministradores de ciclones emplean normalmente computadores digitales para el diseño definitivo con objeto de asegurar una gran precision.

Jan 1, 1982

By N. Arbiter

Evidence for the floatability of sulphide minerals without collector is analyzed and it is shown that results obtained with ores, in contrast to those with single minerals or mineral mixtures, depend on many additional variables, some identified and others not. Because of the prevailing low levels and costs of collectors for most sulphide ores, it is unlikely that collectorless flotation will have commercial applications, so that continued research on the subject may be justifiable on theoretical but not on practical grounds.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. L. Heaver

All complete plant foods require phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. And phosphate rock is the primary source for the phosphorus of the inorganic fertilizers. As more and more world food production is grown with these chemical fertilizers and since the Florida field supplies over 30% of the phosphorus component, let us look at the vital phosphate industry. Mining of phosphate rock in Central Florida began in 1891 and production has continued to grow at a steady pace. In 1965 a phosphate mine was opened in Hamilton County, North Florida and one in Beaufort County, North Carolina in 1966 . Since the beginning of mining in 1891, approximately 700 million metric tons of phosphate rock have been produced of this amount one-half was mined in the last 11 years. While the field was not deliberately "high-graded," the best of the known deposits were mined first. Those now being mined, and those yet to be mined, cost more to operate and the product is of lower grade. The U. S. Bureau of Mines' data for 1977 lists "Florida" phosphate rock production as 40.6 million tons; 86% of U. S. production and 85% of "Florida" capacity. The U. S. Bureau of Mines includes North Carolina production in "Florida" statistics so as not to reveal individual data for the one mine operating there. Approximately one-half of "Florida" production is exported, either as rock or as rock equivalent in upgraded products. Deposits of phosphate rock necessary to support present and future production are catalogued as: reserves, paramarginal reserves and resources. Reserves denote deposits which can be mined at a profit now. Paramarginal reserves are defined by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the U. S. Geological Survey as: that portion of sub-economic resources that a) borders on being capable of production economically, or b) is not commercially available solely because of legal or political circumstances. The " b)" part of this definition may now be expanded to include environmental controls and requirements. Resources are deposits which cannot be mined at a profit at present. Listed in Table I are reasonable values for each of the three categories of phosphate deposits in the northern and southern parts of Central Florida. North Florida and North Carolina.

Jan 1, 1978

By A. D. Davis

This project took a watershed approach in the evaluation of water-quality impacts from past mining activities and current restoration projects in the Bear Butte Creek basin, a small and well defined drainage in a heavily mineralized area of the northern Black Hills. The basin contains numerous inactive and abandoned mines as well as a currently active heap-leach surface gold mine. Bear Butte Creek normally loses all of its discharge to sinkholes in the Madison Limestone aquifer and thus can affect the water quality of this regionally important water resource. Water-quality data were analyzed, stream surveys were conducted, and two abandoned mine restoration projects were monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of the watershed approach and to identify practical remediation techniques that could be applied to other watersheds. A geographic information system (GIS) was developed to organize information on stream quality, abandoned mine locations, and other geologic and hydrologic data. The watershed approach toward assessing and reclaiming abandoned mines appears to be effective when compared to a point-source approach that might improve water quality at specific sites but not result in significant overall improvement to the watershed because of adjacent sources.

Jan 1, 1997