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Satellite Image Based Strategies to Evaluate the Impact of Dismissed Mine Site - An Application to the Mae Moh Coal Mine Area in the Lampang Province, Thailand

Sep 13, 2010

By P Rubie, B Morgan, J Russell, C Stewart

The relationship between efficient liner exchange, concentrator availability and concentrator profitability is well documented. Russell Mineral Equipment’s (RME) relationship with OZ Minerals’ Prominent Hill site personnel enabled sound collaboration between the two parties. Both parties worked together to identify the sources of productivity and efficiency loss and developed solutions to reverse them.This paper chronicles the identification of production inefficiencies and the resulting removal of mill relining from the critical path through the materialisation of mill relining optimisation strategies. Furthermore, this paper outlines other recent mill relining optimisation strategies developed by RME and tested at Prominent Hill, to demonstrate and achieve further productivity, efficiency and safety improvements.CITATION:Rubie, P, Russell, J, Morgan, B and Stewart, C, 2017. Mill relining optimisation – a story of collaboration, in Proceedings MetPlant 2017, pp 335–345 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 11, 2017

By Wingham D. W

Based upon the previous work of Norman & Loeb, a method was used to assess the comparative wearing properties of ten different alloys being used, or being considered for use, as mill liners and grinding media at Mount Isa, The materials to be tested were obtained in the form of large diameter balls, and were run, along with the regular ball charge, in a large ball mill operating under normal grinding conditions. At selected intervals, the test balls were removed from the mill, weighed and identified, and their relative wear rates determined.INTRODUCTIONInformation in metallurgical journals, from local iron and steel foundries, and from various metal promotional organizations has suggested that the various alloy compositions available should be examined and assessed for possible use as milllfners and grinding media.Previous attempts at evaluation of recommended materials for these applications elsewhere, have usually involved the purchase of large quantities of grinding balls or complete mill liner sets, requiring running periods of up to two years or more. As well as being both a costly and lengthy procedure, the information obtained may be of little significance, due to changes in milling practice, and ore characteristics during the period of operation.To overcome these difficuities, a method was adopted based on the short time wear rate test recommended by Norman & Loeb (1949) and Norman (1957) in which all the materialsunder consideration are ·subjected·concurrently to the conditions of service.Previous calculations of wear rates have been dependent1. Senior Metallurgist (Materials), Mount Isa Mines Limited.2. Metallographer, Mount Isa Mines Limited.Manuscript received at The Institute, 22nd April, 1963, and presented to the1963 Annual Conference.

Jan 1, 1963

Geophysical methods are useful non-invasive means of collecting subsurface information on the environmental impacts of resource developments. Techniques such as seismic refraction, ground probing radar and magnetics are well established tools for environmental studies of waste disposal sites. Repeat resistivity surveys, gravity surveys, and infrared or multispectral remote sensing hold great promise for monitoring environmental changes. Examples from New Zealand include geothermal field monitoring, which may involve the use of geophysics for .detecting changes of surface thermal activity, hydrothermal eruptions, induced earthquakes, contamination or depletion of shallow groundwater, and subsurface fluid recharge. Other examples include resistivity monitoring of contained effluent disposal ponds, tailings dams and landfills. Experience has shown that care is necessary to identify the natural variability of the parameter measured before drawing conclusions regarding an observed change.

Jan 1, 1994

Site specific geotechnical data, deposit characteristics and method of mining are key factors when assessing an appropriate slope design philosophy. Mining geotechnics should be viewed as an iterative design process linked closely with mine planning, development and operational safety constraints. This case study presents geotechnical investigations for slope design at Macraes Flat Gold Mine using kinematic, probabilistic and economic analyses tempered with knowledge of site specific conditions. The recommended designs not only reduce early waste stripping tonnages but also provide data to optimise final walls.

Jan 1, 1992

During the drilling campaign conducted between October, 1942; and May, 1943, to prove the extent of the scheelite deposit worked by King Island Scheelite N.L. at Grassy, King Island, Tasmania, 35 holes were drilled and 606 samples recovered and assayed for their content. Of these, 238 came from outside the limits of the orebody and were for the most part barren, although a few contained some scheelite. The present statistical analysis is made only of the 368 samples taken from diamond-drill cores of the orebody itself.Drilling Pattern and Sampling MethodsFrom the purely statistical viewpoint, it is realised that methods employed in selecting sites for diamong.-drilling, and of collecting samples from drill cores, do not give a completely unbiassed set of data for analysis. Fig. 1 is a sketch plan showing the relativepositions of the drillholes, which were inclined at an angle of depression of 50 deg. The pattern does not conform to a properly randomized and' regularly-spaced grid, the positions of the later holes being determined by the results obtained from previous holes.Statistically, the bias is, therefore, favourable. The unequal spacing of the drill holes and the lack of uniformity in direction of the lines along which the holes were drilled are unsatisfactory from the mathematical viewpoint; but it is realised that these irregularitiesare difficult to avoid in determining by the most economical methods the extent of such an orebody, and are dictated by geological rather than mathematical necessity.Sampling, also, is lacking in complete uniformity. Each sample is approximately 10ft. in length. However, owing to the fact that 100% recovery of core is rarely achieved, and actual lengths of samples taken are ,primarily governed by the length of the drill runs,and secondarily by lithological changes, there is a considerable amount of variation in the sample length.AssayingWith the exception of 28 samples from three drill holes all samples dealt with in this paper were assayed in the Melbourne University Ore-Dressing Laboratory of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. These assays were given to the nearest 0.05% WOg as it was considered that more accurate determination was not possible. This fact has been taken into consideration in the frequency analysis below. The 28 assays determined by the Tasmanian Mines Department were given to the nearest 0.01%.

Jan 1, 1950

By Wood W, Bell A

Brown coal production in Victoria's Latrobe Valley Region (Figure 1) continues to rise and currently stands at around 50 Mt per annum. With the exception of around 2 Mt used to produce some 700 Kt of brown coal briquettes, this coal is mined by the State Electricity Commission to fuel large thermal power stations with a total installed capacity of just over 5 000 Megawatts. The moisture content of the coal as mined typically exceeds 60 per cent, making Latrobe Valley coal a markedly low rank fuel. The lack of heating value is, however, compensated for through power station design and by the fact that ash yield is very low, usually within the range of one per cent to four per cent on a dry basis. This means that compared with most other coals, the burning of Latrobe Valley brown coal produces relatively small quantities of waste products and discharges a minimal level of pollutants into the atmosphere. Even so, the inherent quality of Latrobe Valley coal does vary significantly from one area to another (Gloe, 1991; Barton et al, 1992) both on a local and a regional scale. Such variations need to be recognised and understood in order to not only realise efficiency gains in existing power stations but to properly assess resource potential for future utilisation and the application of new technologies. The principal aim of this paper is not to describe coal quality variation in detail or to speculate on the nature of and reasons for such variation. Rather, it is to simply underscore that significant differences do occur and that this is clearly a factor which needs to be considered in any evaluation of Latrobe Valley brown coal as a resource for the future.

Jan 1, 1992

With the proving of a mineable orebody at Orlando in May 1961, Peko Mines N.L. was faced with the decision of whether to mill the ore on site or to haul it 25 miles to central facilities at Peko. Orlando was a relatively small orebody, so that it was decided to haul, although no reliable assessment of possible ore haulage costs was available.The necessity for a good haul road was recognised from the beginning and a 17 mile, 12 ft wide, single seal bitumen road was constructed, to link the mine to the Stuart Highway and Peko. The initial selection of 20 ton capacity diesel-powered end-tipping ore carts was made, with the best information available at the time.Since then some 130,000 tons of ore have been carted over a period of 3 years, and this paper presents the experiences of this haulage operation and the lessons learned.A second mine has just been brought into operation at Ivanhoe, 19 miles from Peko. For this haul it was decided to use an ore haulage vehicle of the side tipping road train type, which would cart some 70 tons, or more than three times the load of the vehicles initially selected.Only about 5,000 tons had been hauled at the date of this paper, but preliminary figures indicate a cost 01 1· 65d./ton-mile as against 2·47d. for the smaller vehicles.It would appear that the road haulage of ore from small outlying mines to a central plant can be highly economical, if certain basic rules concerning haul roads and vehicle selection are followed. This paper does not try to determine the maximum tonnages and haul distances which would finally make road hauling uneconomical...

Jan 1, 1966

By D G. Randall, R Jivanji, J Nathoo, T Reddy

Paradoxically, the increased emphasis on water treatment in mining has generated a new problem û hypersaline brines. Currently brines are either disposed of into ash systems, lined evaporation ponds or hazardous waste sites. Evaporative crystallisation (EC) is an alternative, but the energy requirements can be prohibitive and the salt product is still a waste that must be disposed of. Eutectic freeze crystallisation (EFC) is an alternative technology that is capable of separating aqueous solutions into pure water (as ice) and pure, solidified solutes. It is highly energy efficient and does not depend on the introduction of any solvents. In addition, the simultaneous production of pure ice and potentially saleable pure salt(s) is a major advantage. Although EFC has been shown to be effective in separating a single salt and water, it is still in the early stages of being applied to the multi-component hypersaline brines that are typical of reverse osmosis retentates generated by mining and extractive metallurgy.This paper presents an EFC brine treatment protocol developed by the Crystallisation and Precipitation Unit at the University of Cape Town. The protocol incorporates brine analysis, thermodynamic modelling to establish which salts will freeze out and at which temperatures, followed by experimental studies to determine the kinetic parameters, such as nucleation temperatures, salt yields and crystal purity.Case studies showing the application of EFC for the purification of typical brines containing high levels of sodium, chlorine, sulfate and ammonia (Brine 1) and a mixture of sodium and magnesium sulfate (Brine 2) are covered. Modelling tools were applied to describe the phase behaviour of the multi-component saline systems under different process conditions. Experimental validation was carried out using synthetic brines of different (and increasingly complex) compositions. The results showed that EFC could be used to selectively recover the sodium as a sodium sulfate salt from both different brines. The simulation tools were useful in the analysis and understanding of the process.A preliminary economic analysis showed that the operating costs for EC were approximately nine times those for EFC, but the capital costs were much less- equipment for EC cost about half that of EFC. However, it is important to note that the capital cost calculations for EC are based on a technology that is already well established and with only relatively marginal future equipment cost savings expected. In contrast, EFC is a new technology, with significant future technology improvements expected.

Jan 1, 2009

THERE are certain facts that the mining industry in Australia is faced with at the present moment which may be accepted as axioms. The industry is at a low ebb, as evidenced by statistics. Metals form the basis of all modern industries, and are necessaryfor the welfare of Australia. Mining is a wasting asset. Every ton of ore extracted is one ton less which c.annot be made good, and it should be our duty to get as much profit froin that ore as possible, otherwise there is a permanent loss to the country.The metal market cannot be controlled by Australia; it is more or less an international matter. Australia has not been thoroughly prospected. There are no mines being developed that are likely to replace those which are being depleted.Our mining engineers are as capable as those in other parts of the world, and have made good where they have been given a chance. There is no one cause for the present depression; there are several, more or less, interwoven. Of course, the war has had an adverse effect, but that has only dislocated things temporarily; it upset our markets, influenced the price of metals, and affected the labour market and cost of stores. Labour troubles made their appearance before the wave of unrest swept over the world. The cause of labour discontent must be investigated, and if possible removed. As each industry has .its·own problems, miners must inquire into their special problems, as there is no sovereign remedy that will suit all cases.It is obvious that we cannot mine ore if we do not know where it is; therefore, the first thing is to discover workable deposits.

Jan 1, 1919

By K Kermanshahi, J Allen, MáHilden, M Powell, S Mwansa, S Palaniandy

Approximately 420 VertiMills« (VTM) have been installed in mineral processing plants throughout the world, mainly in tertiary and regrind applications plus several in secondary grinding duties. Metso Minerals (Metso) and the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) have commenced a collaborative research program in stirred milling technology focusing on mill performance evaluation, model development and scale-up methodology. Industrial VTMs are being assessed using a consistent circuit survey protocol to evaluate the performance of VTMs in comminution circuits. The survey protocol includes identification and modification of sampling points, appropriate sampling techniques, controlled circuit stability, and best sample analysis practice. To initiate this study four surveys were conducted in the tertiary grind circuit in the Ridgeway Concentrator at Cadia Valley Operations (CVO) that treats the full circuit throughput of over 800 tph. To deal with the high feed rate the site opted to lead the world in the application of stirred mills by installing the largest VTM, at 3000 hp (2240kW) in closed circuit with a hydrocyclone bank. On average the operating work index was 13.1 kWh/t, reducing the secondary grind product by 40 - 50 ¦m to the required 80 to 100 ¦m range. The applied specific energy is relatively low in these low-intensity stirred media mills at 2.7 kWh/t. The size specific energy was 24.2 kWh/t-75¦m. Based on the survey and operating data the VTM circuit is performing well in this high-throughput tertiary grinding application, producing a sub-100¦m product.CITATION:Palaniandy, S, Powell, M, Hilden, M, Kermanshahi, K, Allen, J and Mwansa, S, 2013. VertiMill« - Development of circuit survey and performance evaluation protocols, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 162-175 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 15, 2013

THE area dealt with in this paper is included within a radius of about 3 miles of the Poimena township. Several thousand tons of tin have been won from this field, and probably £200,000 spent in exploiting it.PREVIOUS LITERATUREThe field has been reported on by Government geologists on four occasions and several ,articles on it have appeared in the mining journals. The work done by Government geologists is summarized below:-"Report on the Blue Tier Tin Mining District and its Tin Deposits", 1886.Speaking of the tin-ore occurrences, this paper states:-"In the primary granite the lodes of tin ore occur, also dykes and belts of more recently obtruded porphyries. The really valuable metalliferous deposits may be classified as follows :-1. Lodes (of which the Lottah mine is typical).2. Dykes- (a) Indurated or hard (as shown by the formations at the Anchor and Cream Creek mines). (b) Soft (eg Hayley's Lease).

Jan 1, 1912

The Mahakipawa gold deposit is located 21 km northwest of Blenheim. It became the site of a small hardrock gold rush in 1889 following nearby alluvial gold discoveries in 1888. The study investigates the geology of the area of hard rock mining in the vicinity between Cullens and Waikakaho Creeks. The Marlborough Schist which hosts the gold depos, it consists of polydeformed greenschist facies quartzofeldspathic psammitic, pelitic and volcanigenic schist.

Jan 1, 1993

By T Haskell, Y Joe, S Dickie

A current trend amongst producers is the increase in dewatering of iron ore fines (<0.5 mm), due to an increase in wet beneficiation processes used to upgrade lower quality ore deposits, increased water content in orebodies located below the water table, and increasing focus on transportable moisture limits (TML). Vacuum filtration is commonly used for dewatering of iron ore fines, and as with all filtration processes performance decreases with particle size. Significant improvements are possible with the use of filter aids, usually anionic surfactants and flocculants. Anionic surfactants reduce the surface tension of the associated water, which is then removed more readily leading to improved filtercake moistures. Anionic flocculants used correctly can improve cake permeability, in turn, decreasing cake formation times and increasing filtration rates. In addition to increased throughput, savings and benefits for producers can include: moisture limit penalties, improved handleability, along with energy and water savings.The effect of filter aids on two iron ore fines samples from the Pilbara region were evaluated using a lab scale vacuum filtration unit. The first sample showed a reduction in the filtercake moisture content by 2.3 per cent weight/weight (w/w) with the use of BASF’s Drimax® 1234. For the second sample a reduction in the filtercake moisture of 3.4 per cent w/w along with an increase in filtration rate of 20 per cent was achieved by using a combination of Magnafloc® 5250 and Drimax® 1239 NF, as both filter throughput and cake moisture were considered important by site.CITATION:Haskell, T, Dickie, S and Joe, Y, 2017. The use of filter aids on iron ore fines, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 183–186 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By P M. Ashley

Antimony (Sb) is an element similar to arsenic that forms anions in surface waters, rather than cations like other metals. Little is known about natural mobility of antimony in the environment. However, recent studies have suggested that antimony has similar toxicity to arsenic. Current New Zealand drinking water guideline values are 3 parts per billion (0.003 mg/l) for antimony and 10 ppb (0.01 mg/l) for arsenic. Antimony occurs principally in stibnite (Sb2S3) in mesothermal vein deposits hosted in low grade metamorphic belts of eastern Australia and southern New Zealand. Many deposits have been mined historically, including one large deposit, at Hillgrove, NSW. Oxidation of stibnite and associated arsenopyrite and pyrite causes local acidification of natural waters but acid is readily neutralised by carbonates in mineralised zones and host rocks, and therefore waters are near-neutral (pH 6-8.5). Antimony dissolves readily in moderately oxidized, near-neutral waters. Experimental stibnite oxidation yielded up to 37 mg/kg (37 000 ppb) dissolved antimony, and mine and tailings dam waters at Hillgrove mine have up to 55 mg/kg (55 000 ppb) dissolved antimony. Natural stibnite can contain >5000 mg/kg arsenic in solid solution and therefore dissolution of stibnite, arsenopyrite and arsenian pyrite also releases arsenic into waters. Resultant dissolved arsenic concentrations are up to 3.6 mg/l (experimental) and up to 7.2 mg/l (mine and tailings dam seepages). Mine and tailings discharge waters have elevated antimony and arsenic where they emerge, but attenuation occurs by deposition of the metals on to amorphous iron oxyhydroxides which can contain >10% each of antimony and arsenic. Historic disposal of mineralised waste rock and tailings into the stream system at Hillgrove has caused contamination of sediments and waters with antimony and arsenic for at least 20 km downstream with effects traceable in sediments for 300 km. Other stibnite-bearing deposits are likely to have analogous environmental effects, particularly from historically-mined sites.

Jan 1, 2002

The district specially referred to in this paper comprises the very gently sloping country extending from the western shores of Port Phillip from the mouth of the Yarra to Footscray along the Bacchus Marsh railway to near that town thence in a southerly direction to the Little River, and along that river to the coast, 1 as may be seen on the accompanying map. Almost the whole of this area is covered by volcanic rocks, consisting of pumerous sheets of basalt, which have been poured out of various volcanic hills in the districts, such as Mts. Atkinson and Cotteril, near Melton; Mt. Maryand Bald Hill, 12 and 16 miles respectively N.W. of Werribee; and vents in different parts of the parishes of Tarneit, Mouyong, Mooradoranook, Pyweitjorrk, and Derrimut. These volcanoes were in an active state of eruption during a late period of the earth's historyprobably the late Pliocenll, or still younger Pleistocene.Occupying a narrow strip of country, for most of the distance along the coast from Williamstown to past the mouth of the Little River, there occur deposits of still younger age, belonging to the Recent period. These lie on the basalt, and extend for distances varying from a few chains to more than a mile back from the beach. They comprise superficial deposits of blown sand, and raised beaches, composed of marine sands...

Jan 1, 1902

By M Hourn, D Turner, P Voigt, D Mallah

The GPM Gold Project is located in Armenia, and consists of an open cut mine at Zod, near the Azerbaijan border, and a CIL processing plant at Ararat near the Turkish border. Mining at Zod commenced in 1976, and focused on near surface oxide ores, which overlay deeper refractory sulphides. Historical mining has now almost depleted the oxide ores, and the sulphide content of ore delivered to the processing plant at Ararat is increasing. Gold and silver recoveries through the Ararat plant were declining steadily.GeoProMining, the owners of the project, have expanded the Ararat facility to deal with the increasing sulphide content in the ore. In 2014, GeoProMining refurbished an existing concentrator on site to recover a sulphide concentrate from the ore, and have constructed an Albion ProcessTM plant to oxidize the refractory concentrate. Glencore Technology (GT) provided the Albion ProcessTM plant as a technology package.In July 2014, the progress of the GPM Gold Project Albion ProcessTM Plant was reported (Hourn, Voigt and Turner, 2014). At the time of writing, the construction of the plant was nearly complete. This paper presents an update of project progress, covering commissioning and ramp up of the GPM Gold Project.The commissioning phase occurred over June to August 2014, which included an M3,000 IsaMillTM fine grinding plant, a 6 tph limestone milling plant, a 60 tpd vacuum pressure swing adsorption oxygen plant, a 10 m residue thickener and a 12 tph Albion ProcessTM oxidative leach plant. Since commissioning was completed, ramp up occurred over the following three months with downstream gold recoveries from cyanide leaching reaching over 98%.CITATION:Voigt, P, Hourn, M, Mallah, D and Turner, D, 2015. Commissioning and ramp-up of the Albion Process at the GPM Gold Project, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 207–219 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

The expansion of hydrometallurgical operations, declining ore grades and upwardly spiralling production increases the demand for fresh and recycled water with low levels of contaminants. The minerals industry is also increasingly being forced both by regulatory and cost pressures to reduce the amount of liquid waste they produce. This requires a strong focus on waste reduction by recycling, regeneration and reuse. However, these measures are often not enough in arid countries for a forward progress and expansion of their mining activities.   It is often the case that in the arid and semi-arid countries the only available water is either sea water or underground (brackish to hypersaline) saline waters. Brackish waters can be desalted at a reasonable cost but the desalination of highly saline waters is challenging and expensive.   There are emerging reports that sea water and in some cases hypersaline underground waters are now used by various mining industries as process water. This study explores the possibility of the use of sea water in various mineral processing and hydrometallurgical processes and briefly discusses the benefits and problems related to the use of saline waters at the mine and mill site. Several cases studies and preliminary laboratory test results are presented.

Jun 1, 2010

In the minerals industry allocating capital for setting up a new project or for upgrading an existing facility usually requires that a compromise be found between the initial cost of equipment, its operating performance and on-going operating costs. To maximise the return on the investment usually requires that various possible combinations and layouts of equipment be assessed. This task is both difficult and time consuming. Computer simulation can be used as a means of determining the expected operating performance of a range of alternate equipment configurations. Simulation is a particularly important technique for analysis as it is one of the few approaches that allows the analyst to take into account the variability inherent in a mining process. While computer simulation is a well established technique its use, until recent years, has been limited to large organisations with access to substantial computing facilities. However, with the current availability of low cost computing platforms combined with easily understood animated displays, simulation is now becoming more widely used across the industry.

Jan 1, 1990

By R Byrnes, P Hensley

The outstanding environmental management initiatives undertaken by Novacoal at its Western Main Site near Lithgow in New South Wales over the past five years are detailed in this paper. These initiatives have been based on a combination of proven and innovative investigation and implementation techniques, close consultation with regulatory authorities and full support by colliery management. The results of these initiatives have enabled the colliery to exceed its pollution control obligations from a base well below industry standards. The initial poor condition of the mine was the result of over 50 years of traditional mining which paid little regard to environmental management. The transformation of the colliery within such a short period, with limited capital, is considered a model for the N.S.W. coal industry.

Jan 1, 1995