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This work examined the feasibility of in-mine coal preparation in two phases. Phase I included a survey of previous investigations and a preliminary analysis of the economic and technical feasibility on a selection of representative sites and degrees of cleaning. The contract was terminated at the end of Phase I. The preliminary analysis determined that in-mine preparation systems can be applied using currently available technology. The most likely mines for application will have shaft or slope access and be deeper than 500 feet. The refuse disposal systems technically feasible are (1) pneumatic placement of coarse refuse in room and pillar panels or longwall faces, (2) mechanical placement of coarse and fine fractions in room and pillar panels, and (3) hydraulic placement of fine fractions in room and pillar panels. The economic feasibility is much more dependent on the refuse disposal-system than on the preparation system. It is estimated that the capital cost of an in-mine preparation and disposal system would be $6.00 per clean ton and the operating cost would be $1.24 per clean ton for a 1 million clean ton per year mine.

Jan 1, 1982

A summary of a proposal to develop a 20 000 tpa underground gold operation in a Forest Park. The environmental constraints are severe and affected the mine development planning and choice of mining method. The mine will use trackless methods to access the narrow 1.5 m ore shoots, and to mine ore by cut and fill methods. The use of Microscoop and CT 1700 HE electric LHDs for mucking, together with special drilling attachments for drilling, is central to efficiency and small Kubota diesel haulers will be used for carrying ore to surface.

Jan 1, 1986

By Peter N. Calder, J. L. Workman

There are many opportunities for computers to assist in dragline mine planning. Three important areas particularly lend themselves to computer assisted study. These are overall mine design and planning, the computation and display of range diagrams and the calculation of production and production variability. The computation of range diagrams is of particular interest because of the importance of matching the dragline and site geometries. This paper examines the uses of range diagrams in dragline mining and illustrates the application of computer techniques to the computation using one such program as an example. The use of computer generated range diagrams for machine selection, pit design and in parameter analysis is discussed. Directions for further development are also provided. There is a great deal that can be done to additionally enhance the ability to provide accurate designs for the dragline operation. One area that needs special attention is the dumping of overburden around access ramps into the pit. This situation is one of the most difficult dumping sequences and affects machine selection and pit operation. It is also suggested that programs that simulate the production schedule of the drag-line would be useful. It is concluded that large overall mine planning programs are very important in dragline mining. However, smaller programs designed for a specific, task are also important tools in many cases. These are easy to learn and use, well adapted to the PC environment and provide useful information, both for design and for daily planning.

Jan 1, 1989

By I. D. Schleicher, L. H. Rorden, F. B. Curry, T. C. Moore

The purpose of this program is to extend electromagnetic (EM) techniques for use in locating miners trapped in mines as deep as 1000 m. A previously developed EM system is considered adequate for use at mines less than 300 m deep where it has a probability of detection of 54%. A system for deep mines must keep underground equipment simple, and use extremely low frequencies (ELF), sensitive receivers, and noise cancellation. The proposed location method, developed by Develco for other applications, is based on vector field measurements from two or more static sensors and computation of source location by iterative techniques. During Phase II, very sensitive search coil sensors were built and used in a separate test to verify the feasibility of atmospheric noise cancellation. A "Breadboard" location system version without cancellation, which is a fieldable test bed to evaluate receiving and location functions, was tested and supplied. Very good results were achieved from the first in-mine test with the transmitter at a depth of 380 m. It is expected the results of this work, and additional evaluation tests in the future, will be used to define the requirements for a prototype operational system.

By A. H. Shoemaker

This paper describing the mining practices at the Old Dominion mine, Globe, Ariz., is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines on mining practices, methods, and costs in the various minim districts in the United States. The Old Dominion mine is situated in the eastern port of the Globe-Miami district, about 1-1/2 miles north from the center of the town of Globe. An average of nearly: 1,200 tons per day was mined during 1928. The prevent production is about 1,500 tons per day; of this amount,, approximately 100 tons is direct-smelting ore that is shipped to the smelter at Miami and 1,400 tons milling ore which is treated in the company?s concentrator at Globe. About 600 men are employed at the mine.

Jan 1, 1930

By G J. Corbett, T M. Leach

Approximately 42 t of mercury were produced from Puhipuhi from the late nineteenth century until the end of World War II, with no significant gold or silver production. Sinter, eruption breccias and veins, mined for mercury at Puhipuhi and essentially barren of gold, are inferred in many geological models to represent the surficial levels of adularia-sericite style low sulfidation gold-silver systems. These systems may contain economic gold-silver mineralisation at depth. Conceptual geological models have been employed at Puhipuhi in the search for buried gold mineralisation. Homestake Mining utilised a McLaughlin model for exploration from 1982 to 1987, targeting mainly the vicinity of the sinter deposits. From 1987 to 1989 BHP sought deeper structurally controlled gold mineralisation within the basement greywackes, utilising models derived from studies of Round Mountain, USA and Hishikari, Japan. Macraes Mining Company Limited have accessed the previous work and applied a conceptual geological which invokes a north-south structural control for the emplacement of high-level felsic intrusions at depth. Dextral movement on these structures associated with oblique convergence facilitated the formation of a pull-apart basin in which lacustrine sediments overlie basement greywackes and are in tum overlain by Pliocene basalts. Continued activation of the NS structures created a series of inferred NE-trending dilational structures, which are targeted as fluid upflow centres for the surficial outflows. Upflows occur as eruption breccias (e.g., Plumduff) and outflow as silica sinters (eg Mt Mitchell, Williams) which are also partly obscured by the basalt cover. Argillic alteration and mercury mineralisation occur at elevated crustal levels (eg Puhipuhi mine). Modelling from structure and alteration zonations have targeted a fluid upflow in the vicinity of Bush Hill, which was not accessed by previous workers. This target was subsequently supported by surface geology and multi-element soil geochemistry.

Jan 1, 1997

By A. P. Whittlestone, J. D. Johnson, R. J. Pine, M. E. Rogers

standpoint. The effect on efficiency of collisions

Apr 1, 1995

Automation in underground mining enhances safety and leads to economic efficiency. In the past many efforts have been made on the automation of longwall shearer operation. With respect to the ultimate goal of automation, ie self controlled operation, coal bed boundary detection is one of the key problems. For longwall human labor is necessary in order to detect the exact position of the coal seam to be excavated. The authors present a sensor concept based on infrared technology and pattern recognition which will solve this problem. The very harsh underground conditions set high demands on the implemented sensors. The combination of infrared sensors and powerful processing algorithms is part of the innovative concept for automation of the new Eickhoff Bergbautechnik GmbH SL 750 shearer loader. The multi-sensor automation system EiControlPlus which is designed for the complete detection of the machine environment fills in the gap in the coal-excavation automation by building a recognition system that turns the shearer loader into an 'intelligent machine' which is capable of detecting the correct position of the seam to be excavated and thus enables human-free coal mining.

Dec 6, 2010

By L. A. Cornish, L. H. Chown, M. Matema, R. Süss, L. Glaner, A. Douglas

Mintek has been developing Pt-based alloys for high temperature applications in aggressive environments, for example, land-based turbine engines, to replace the currently used nickel-based superalloys (NBSAs). The Pt-based alloys have a similar structure to the NBSAs, and since Pt is more chemically inert and has a higher melting point, the Pt-based alloys can potentially be used at higher temperatures. The greater chemical inertness of the Pt-based alloys compared to the NBSAs means that coatings can be simpler, or perhaps not even used at all, depending on the environment. TEM work was done at NIMS, Japan, to investigate the changes in the microstructure o f Pt-Al and Pt-Al-Ir alloys at elevated temperatures using in-situheating up to1100°C. Initial casting trials showed that work needs to be done to optimise casting parameters before commercialisation can take place. Room temperature tensile tests were performed and results were variable mainly due to microstructural differences. The alloy hardnesses were in the order of 300-350HV with ultimate tensile strengths of ~800 MPa and elongations of less than 10%. These results are comparable to other alloys used at high temperatures, which is very encouraging. Keywords: platinum, super alloys, hardness, tensile

Jan 1, 2006

By J. David Lowell

The first part of this article is a review of industry techniques and styles during the past 50 years. It is followed by my career history during the same period. The second part covers my ideas about what works in mineral exploration. These include estimates about discovery costs, thoughts about education of explorationists, organization of exploration groups and my opinions about the relative value of exploration techniques. Evolution of exploration techniques [Table 1] shows the evolution of mineral exploration techniques and styles from 1950 to 2000. During the first half of that period, there was a progressive increase in exploration drilling. During the second half, there was a decrease in prospecting and an increase in high technology, indirect exploration and a rapid increase in discovery cost.

Jan 1, 2000

By F. W. Jessen, C. C. Patton

Adsorbed films were formed on polished stainless steel specimens from dilute benzene solutions of two crude oil distillation residua. Although the two residua were extremely dissimilar in composition, contact angle measurements showed that the two films increased the wettability of the steel specimens to oil by equal amounts. Furthermore, the wettability of the films was essentially unaffected by the desorption techniques used. Paraffin deposits were formed from heptane-wax solutions on the same stainless steel specimens. These deposits definitely adhered to the surface. Presence of an adsorbed crude oil film on the metal surface increased its free surface energy and resulted in increased deposition of paraffin. The addition to the heptane - wax solution of small amounts of the same distillation residua that were used to form the adsorbed films resulted in decreased cohesive strength in the deposits formed, which resulted in decreased deposition. The presence of a crude oil fraction both in the solution and as a preadsorbed film eliminated the adherence of a deposit of any kind. A mechanism of deposition is proposed which explains the results obtained. INTRODUCTION The natural formation of any predominantly organic accumulation in oilwell tubing, surface flow lines or other production and storage facilities is called a paraffin deposit. These deposits restrict the production of crude oil, causing a substantial increase in production costs because of decreased flow capacity, expense for periodic deposit removal and unproductive downtime. The conditions under which such deposits form, their physical characteristics and the nature and severity of the problem created are extremely varied. Over the past several years, much progress has been made in developing and utilizing methods to remove accumulated paraffin deposition. However, like so many other problems, the basic stumbling block appears to be a lack of understanding of the fundamental mechanism involved in the formation of such deposits. Crude petroleum is known to contain considerable quantities of polar, surface active substances which Doddl has shown to be present at the oil-water interface. Denekas, Mattax and Davis2 observed that the wettability of reservoir rocks was drastically altered by exposure to crude oil fractions; and Zisman, et a1.3 showed that the nature of the compounds adsorbed on a surface would determine its wettability characteristics. Cole and Jessen4 and Ehrig5showed that surface wettability can have a profound effect on the magnitude of paraffin deposition, and Parks6 demonstrated chat the presence of certain adsorbed films on a metal surface would reduce the adherence of paraffin to that surface. Zisman7 has since advanced the theory that the conditions for adhesion are the same as for wetting. Therefore, it was felt that there was adequate evidence to support the supposition that adsorption of compounds from a crude oil might play an important part in paraffin deposition. ADSORPTION-WETTABILITY EXPERIMENTS Initial experiments were conducted to determine the effects of adsorption from solution of crude oil residua on the wettability of a polished stainless steel surface. Distillation residua with initial atmospheric boiling points of 700F were used in preference to the whole crudes in order to concentrate on the molecular weight range of interest, and to eliminate the possibility of composition change due to evaporation of the light ends. Also, these high boiling materials would be expected to be adsorbed from the whole oil in preference to similar compounds of lower molecular weight.

Jan 1, 1966

A New Technology of Applying SLon-2500 Magnetic Separator to Recover Iron Concentrate from Abandoned Tails

Sep 13, 2010

By Leo F. Reinartz

It was with humility that I accepted the invitation of the Board of Directors of our Institute to deliver the Twentieth Howe Memorial Lecture. Many previous lecturers could speak from personal experience of the great work done by Professor Howe. It was not my privilege to be one of his students but, indirectly, I came under the influence of his work many years ago. My mentor in Metallurgy at Carnegie Institute of Technology, Prof. Fred Crab tree, was an ardent admirer of Professor Howe and his work. Professor Crabtree taught me early to appreciate Professor Howe's love of truth and keen desire to find a scientific reason for every metallurgical phenomenon. In this early search, Professor Howe encountered many unexplainable facts. Nevertheless, in the classic text, "The Metallurgy of Steel," published in 1891, he indicated that he believed Research could light the way. Under the heading of "The Treachery of Steel" he said: "In the early use of Bessemer and Open Hearth Steel, many then unexplained and hence mysterious failures occurred. With our present knowledge, an easy explanation of most of them would probably have been seen. But even today certain unexplained and apparently inexpli- cable failures occur in steel; inexplicable in spite of full and intelligent investigation." Then Professor Howe continued to talk about "the trustworthiness of steel" in the following manner: First, the steel-maker has learned by experience. He knows today far better the effects of a high percentage of carbon or of phosphorus; of cracks, pipes and blow-holes; of segregation and imperfect mixing; of over-heating; of finishing too hot or too cold. Knowing, he guards against them more effectually, and keeps at home much steel that he would formerly have sent into the market. Those who would not, or could not learn and do, have been driven out of the business; the conditions necessary for producing good sound steel by the acid Bessemer and the acid Open Hearth processes have been mastered. By and by, the basic process came along with new conditions, new liabilities to unsoundness, a great hue and cry about mysterious fractures followed, and Lloyd's register provisionally forbade the use of basic steel. Much basic steel was irregular and brittle throughout; too much carbon, too much phosphorus, too cold teemings—imperfect mixing. Still there was little doubt that, with further experience, these difficulties of the basic process would be mastered as those of the acid process had been. This shows that Professor Howe could not take anything for granted. Believing that careful research would find the answer to all mysterious phenomena, he was several generations ahead of the practical acceptance and adoption of this principle.

Jan 1, 1943

By Leo F. Reinartz

It was with humility that I accepted the invitation of the Board of Directors of our Institute to deliver the Twentieth Howe Memorial Lecture. Many previous lecturers could speak from personal experience of the great work done by Professor Howe. It was not my privilege to be one of his students but, indirectly, I came under the influence of his work many years ago. My mentor in Metallurgy at Carnegie Institute of Technology, Prof. Fred Crab tree, was an ardent admirer of Professor Howe and his work. Professor Crabtree taught me early to appreciate Professor Howe's love of truth and keen desire to find a scientific reason for every metallurgical phenomenon. In this early search, Professor Howe encountered many unexplainable facts. Nevertheless, in the classic text, "The Metallurgy of Steel," published in 1891, he indicated that he believed Research could light the way. Under the heading of "The Treachery of Steel" he said: "In the early use of Bessemer and Open Hearth Steel, many then unexplained and hence mysterious failures occurred. With our present knowledge, an easy explanation of most of them would probably have been seen. But even today certain unexplained and apparently inexpli- cable failures occur in steel; inexplicable in spite of full and intelligent investigation." Then Professor Howe continued to talk about "the trustworthiness of steel" in the following manner: First, the steel-maker has learned by experience. He knows today far better the effects of a high percentage of carbon or of phosphorus; of cracks, pipes and blow-holes; of segregation and imperfect mixing; of over-heating; of finishing too hot or too cold. Knowing, he guards against them more effectually, and keeps at home much steel that he would formerly have sent into the market. Those who would not, or could not learn and do, have been driven out of the business; the conditions necessary for producing good sound steel by the acid Bessemer and the acid Open Hearth processes have been mastered. By and by, the basic process came along with new conditions, new liabilities to unsoundness, a great hue and cry about mysterious fractures followed, and Lloyd's register provisionally forbade the use of basic steel. Much basic steel was irregular and brittle throughout; too much carbon, too much phosphorus, too cold teemings—imperfect mixing. Still there was little doubt that, with further experience, these difficulties of the basic process would be mastered as those of the acid process had been. This shows that Professor Howe could not take anything for granted. Believing that careful research would find the answer to all mysterious phenomena, he was several generations ahead of the practical acceptance and adoption of this principle.

Jan 1, 1943

By William H. Highlands

Lightning is a natural phenomenon which poses a potential hazard to people, structures, and equipment unless adequate protection is provided. The type of protection required is related to the nature and of the facility. The decision making process involves a number of interrelated factors which should be considered when determining the need for protection.

Jan 1, 1989

By E. A. Metz

It has been approximately four years since IARC reclassified crystalline silica as a “Group One” substance. Since that time, crystalline silica has been considered a human carcinogen. Silicosis is a preventable disease and several aggressive campaigns have been developed to increase awareness of silica dust related problems in the industrial environment. New analytical techniques are being developed to determine quantitatively the amount of crystalline silica in materials. Yet, still much is to be learned about the surface properties of silica and the way in which the disease progresses into full-blown silicosis. This paper will discuss the interaction of free radicals generated by the mineral particles and lung tissue. It is the cell injury and DNA damage that progresses to fibrogenesis. Freshly fractured surfaces of silica contain free radicals. These free radicals play an important role in the stimulation of the alveolar macrophage and the development of the inflammatory reactions leading to the fibrotic response caused by silica. Engineers, scientists, and physicians need to discuss the mineralogy of silica and the technical issues concerning the development of silicosis.

Jan 1, 2000

By Oliver Bowles

"INTRODUCTION Slate has earned a high reputation as a roofing material, carefully selected and properly placed it is rainproof, attractive, and extraordinarily durable. Despite there qualities in its favor, the slate industry during the past 30 years has suffered marked reduction in volume of sales. An increase in building construction and general improvement in business will doubtless bring renewed activity, but considerable ground has to be recovered before the industry can become prosperous. Influences tending to dwarf this long-established industry producing materials of world-wide reputation are analyzed briefly in the following pages in the hope that they may be rectified.HISTORY OF SLATE PRODUCTIONFigure 1 shows graphically the rise and fall from year to year of sales of roofing slate since 1885. In quantity, the peak was reached in 1902, and the most serious decline was from 1912 to 1918, sales at the end of this 6-year period being only one third those at the beginning. Unlike most building materials, slate experienced only a slight recovery in volume of sales during the post-war period, 1920-29. The value closely parallels the volume up to the World War period. Subsequently, however, as unit values increased the aggregate value rose sharololy above the volume curve, attaining in 1928 the point reached in 1903, although the Lumber of squares sold was scarcely one third as great. The increased unit value was due partly to larger sales of heavy architectural grades."

Nov 1, 1933

By M J. Shearer

An investigation into the reliability of the data being collected at the Mount Isa Mines site operated by Glencore in Queensland allowed on-site ventilation personnel to scrutinise pressure and volume measurements collected from the primary surface fans. The investigation effectively identified discrepancies being reported to the on-site remote monitoring system. The difference between the real-time and static measurements on the P63 RAR shaft identified that the in situ differential pressure transducer and piezo annubar system was not operating correctly. This indicated a deficiency of approximately 30 per cent reporting back to the remote monitoring software versus the live readings measured with the Pitot tube bomb and ALNOR AXD610 pressure micro-manometer.Constant monitoring of an operations ventilation network is imperative to ensuring that the underground atmosphere provides a safe and healthy workplace. Further benefits to real-time monitoring allows for the early indication of network failures and promotes increased availability. An innovative approach to out engineer and improve the existing measuring equipment from the 1970s was sought.The use of ultrasonics in the mining industry is not new with ventilation management systems (VMS) equipment available within the marketplace. The introduction and implementation of a reliable product for real-time monitoring was a challenge to overcome due to limited access and suitable measuring points within the mine. The available equipment on the market through mainstream suppliers was not suitable for the unique application required due to the in situ installation of the surface fans. A solution was identified in the oil and gas industry through collaboration and innovative thinking. This paper describes the sustainable approach to implement a reliable air flow monitoring system on-site.CITATION:Shearer, M J, 2017. Case study – an analysis of reliability and efficiency: ultrasonic versus annubar technologies, in Proceedings Australian Mine Vent Conference 2017, pp 51–56 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 28, 2017

(Published by courtesy of the Great Boulder Pty. Gold Mines, Limited)1. INTRODUCTIONThe faults described in the following paper are of a somewhat unusual character, and have presented a serious problem both in the development and mining of many ore-bodies on the Eastern side of the Boulder Belt. They are mentioned only briefly in the literature of the field, but were observed by, both Stillwell (1)t and Gustafson (2), and have been studied by other geologists and operators in various parts of the "Belt." Their effect on the lodes of Hamilton Section, Great Boulder Mine, was described by King (3) in 1937, and, during recent years, they have been encountered in most of the Great Boulder workings extending east of the Boulder Dyke.Although this paper is based mainly on a study of faulting and development problems on the Great Boulder mine, the general conclusions reached may be applicable to the solution of similar faulting problems in other mines throughout the field.In order to arrive at a clear understanding of the somewhat complicated relationships which the east-dipping faults bear to the lode systems it will be necessary to give a brief outline of the salient geological and structural features of the "Belt" before proceeding to describe the faults themselves.2. GENERAL GEOLOGYThe most recent descriptions of the geology of Kalgoorlie are those by Stillwell (1) and Gustafson (2) and the reader is referred to these as representing the basis of current knowledge of the geology of the field.The Boulder Belt is comprised of a central core of altered quartz dolerite which is flanked on either side by fine grained greenstones and lavas, usually referred to as the calc schists. Down the centre of the quartz dolerite mass there is an infolded bed of slate (2, p. 105) which has been intruded in lit par lit fashion by albite porphyry; the composite body of slate and porphyry so formed is known as the "Boulder Dyke." Numerous smaller porphyry dykes intrude both the quartz dolerite and the calc schist; these vary in composition and range from chloritised hornblende porphyrites to albite porphyries.The whole of the rock assemblage has been subjected tG a considerable amount of folding, faulting, shearing and fracturing, the greater part of which took place before the formation of the lodes.

Jan 1, 1941

Westwood Quebec Long Life, Low Cost CONSTRUCTION UPDATE ? Shaft advanced to 840m (after 1 year), 3 km of down ramp and 2 km of exploration drift ? Head frame and hoist room structure completed ? 2009, 84,700m drilling program completed (increase 9%) 2010 OUTLOOK ? $102 million expenditures planned ? Shaft to advance to 1,300m and the first loading excavate 71,500m drilling program planned

May 1, 2010