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By R. Owen

An overwhelming amount of data can be collected around the blasting process. This information can include blasting product, pattern design, blast results, and routing. It is only when these data sources are combined in a concise and accurate form that they are of real use in determining the safety and economic implications of each parameter. Two key technological aspects of blasting are drill fleet management (DFM) and size fraction analysis (SFA). As these technologies are integrated as near-real-time measurement and QA/QC tools, the resolution and realization of blasting parameters is significantly increased. The Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Mine has integrated these technologies along with other existing database structures to create a responsive and sustainable tool for reconciliation, forecasting and parameter matching. This ability allows Morenci to customize blast patterns to meet the criteria most critical to each shot, whether the impact is influenced by routing and recovery, equipment maintenance or safety concerns. DRILL FLEET MANAGEMENT The current DFM was stabilized in its current form in mid 2009 after database and hardware maintenance met stability requirements. Currently the system is running on 12 production drills. The system receives pattern layout and is capable of semi-autonomous drilling over the entire district. The fleet is capable of drilling in highly altered intrusive units and hard granites through the range of sedimentary and volcanic units that comprise the Morenci District. The system brings a level of accuracy not achievable with earlier paint-marked patterns. Depth control is also increased along with more consistent wear and maintenance patterns due to semi-autonomous drilling.

Jan 1, 2011

By Henrique Hipolito, Caio Alves

Waelz process is a method applied in the zinc oxide production and is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions within the zinc industry. The solid carbon used for heating and for reduction reactions is provided mainly by the coke fed with the EAFD in the Waelz kiln. Both chemical composition and physical properties of the coke are important to transportation and to the process. Decarbonizing the Waelz process by replacing the traditional fuel source using alternative biogenic fuel, for example, offers a potential solution to reduce the carbon footprint, which is aligned with the ESG perspective.

Sep 29, 2023

The final session of the meeting was preceded by a movie, "Contact That Kills," which was a color film clearly pointing out various causes of electrical accidents in mines and how such accidents could he prevented. This film was made underground and produced by the U. S. Bureau of Mines for use in teaching accident classes. President R. R. Williams, Jr., called the meeting to order and introduced Mr. Leif Arentzen of the Lee-Norse Company, Charleroi, Pennsylvania, who spoke on "Coal Mining in Australia." The text of his address is as follows: "I arrived in Australia in February of this year-my father sent me over there for an installation. He preceded me as he does in most things, and set up a showing of our machine in Australia. We had 200 of the top level coal mining men visit this showing. They were interested in what the Americans are doing and what the American manufacturer had to offer them. Conditions in Australia are very similar to our mining conditions in the United States and they have looked to us, the coal industry in general, because we have the know-how in answering some of their problems. They feel that European methods and their type of machines are too inadequate to cope with their conditions. My visit was to South Wales, 60 miles south of Sidney. Their mining operation resembled mining coal in Florida. The work is on about a 500-ft. elevation about three miles from the ocean and when you turn around and see about 30 miles of beach, it is quite a picture - the Pacific Ocean is so blue. The coal seam is about ten feet of relatively clean coal. Labor relations are very, very taught right now. They are agitated by a strong Communistic influence and their weekly publication is known as the ?Common Cause,? which is against mechanization of coal mines." Mr. Arentzen enlarged on the fact that America was the example they held before them and described the Australian coal men and their character.

Jan 1, 1959

By Marko Lampi, Marc Nicolle, Janne Karonen, Kari Valkama

"In the ten years from 2003 to 2013 global mine production of copper has increased by over 23% to meet demand while the weighted average head grade has dropped from 0.9 to 0.7% Cu. These divergent trends of increasing demand and declining economic grades will extend the life of many existing mines and improve the viability of marginal and/or complex copper deposits. Against that context this paper outlines hydrometallurgical copper sulphide leaching options as alternatives to the more conventional pyrometallurgical processing route of copper sulphides. Three copper sulphide leaching and refining processes are discussed: total pressure oxidation, ferric sulphate leaching and copper chloride leaching. The effect of mineralogy on the choice of processing technology is discussed as well as some of the unit processes used. Additionally, possible benefits that a hydrometallurgical process may offer over an existing pyrometallurgical route are discussed. Subsequently, two very important aspects to the development of projects involving the leaching of copper sulphides are discussed. Finally, a number of conclusions are presented that will be useful to keep in mind when considering projects involving the leaching of copper sulphides. INTRODUCTION In the ten years from 2003 to 2013 global mine production of copper has increased by over 23% to meet demand while the weighted average head grade has dropped from 0.9 to 0.73% Cu (Murphy, 2014). If these divergent trends of increasing demand and declining economic grades continue, they will contribute to the extension in life of many existing mines and improve the viability of marginal and/or complex copper deposits. Against that context, this paper outlines hydrometallurgical copper sulphide leaching options as alternatives to the more conventional pyrometallurgical processing route for copper sulphides. Three copper sulphide leaching and refining processes are discussed: total pressure oxidation, ferric sulphate leaching and copper chloride leaching. Ferric sulphate leaching and copper chloride leaching are carried out at atmospheric pressure while total pressure oxidation takes place at elevated pressures."

Jan 1, 2015

By B. R. Klahold

Each year hundreds of mineral specimens and numerous inquiries regarding tests and analyses of minerals and related inorganic substances are received by the Bureau of Mines. In response to this demand, in years past Information Circulars were published containing a list of laboratories. This paper is a revised version of Information Circular 7523, The listing has been changed from a regional basis to one of States arranged alphabetically and grouped by cities, again alphabetically, with Alaska and Canada listed at the end. All the services given at these laboratories are listed on one page for convenience and brevity. This list is compiled as a public service, and none of the laboratories listed herein are recommended over any other nor can the Bureau of Mines vouch for their results.

Jan 1, 1954

By Edward DeLilla

For the past 30 years, surface mines have moved toward more highly mechanized, automatic systems that continuously mine overburden and ore to increase productivity, lower operating costs and minimize manpower needs. To achieve these goals, mine operators must be involved in every step of the machine procurement process. Several factors are involved in making the machines operate economically and efficiently: -Prudent engineering. -Proper planning. -Realistic feasibility studies. -Effective specification. -Thorough training of the mine personnel.

Jan 1, 1994

By H. J. Glass

Collection, preparation, and analysis of blasthole chippings is expensive. Frequently, interpolation of grades at unsampled locations is considered using techniques like kriging. A pre-requisite for kriging is that an experimental variogram is established. In order to assess the quality of the experimental variogram, a measure is developed in this paper. The measure is derived from analysis of the time-honoured expression relating the variance, semivariance, and covariance. It reflects the weighted average deviation of the summed semivariance and covariance from the biased variance. The proposed measure allows assessment of the influence of key variables on the quality of the variogram. Using simulated data, it follows that the quality improves with an increasing number of samples, increasing density of the sampled locations, increasing regularity of the sampling pattern, and increasing uniformity of grades in the absence of correlation. Application to real data shows that the minimum number of samples could coincide with a marked decrease in the value of the measure. Establishing a threshold value is subject to further research. Keywords: variogram, variance, covariance, semivariance, minimization, sampling.

Jan 1, 2003

By A. Supomo, A. Partanen, M. Mular

Although many SAG operators may agree that on-line measurement of SAG feed-size is an attractive notion, applying this information in a control strategy that recovers the investment, engineering time, and maintenance is not necessarily straightforward. The P. T. Freeport Split-Online system was justified based on the assumption that SAG feed-size could be used in a feed-forward control strategy either at the regulatory or expert system control level. Something like “as the feed size changes adjust the throughput to avoid under or overloading the mill” was envisioned. However, following installation and calibration, Cluster Analysis showed that such an approach would not be successful. However, the sensor has been successfully integrated into Freeport’s grinding control strategy other ways. It provides an input to the Kalman filter parameter estimator used in a model-based control strategy that optimizes throughput and grind. The Split sensor also provides a characteristic feed size parameter for use in an on-line work index estimator. This paper describes the calibration and installation of the Split SAG feed-size analyzer, and reviews the evolution of its use in the Freeport C3 grinding circuit control strategy.

Jan 1, 2001

By Jamie Archibald

The Department of Mining Engineering at Queen?s University conducted a study of backfill practices in underground mines across Canada to assess the current state of backfill usage and to overview potential hazards associated with backfill practice, from preparation to transportation to placement. The primary aim of this study was to cover each component of a typical mine backfill system, and to identify potential incidents leading to the disruption of backfilling operations and any associated corrective actions. This paper, Part II of the study, deals with underground operations consisting of backfill transportation and backfill placement. Part I of the study, which deals with surface operations consisting of backfill material supply and backfill plant preparation, is also presented in these proceedings. A review of safety measures associated with current backfill operations and recommendations for procedures of best practice that should be implemented to reduce fill-related hazards in all mine backfill workplace environments are presented. In general it has been found that system failures normally lead only to minor losses to the operations.

May 1, 2009

By L. M. Gould

"Syncrude Canada operates the largest oil sands crude oil production facility in the world and produces over 13% of Canada’s total oil requirements. To achieve this, Syncrude mines the oil sands in open pits, extracts the raw oil known as bitumen from the sand using water-based processes and upgrades it into sweet light crude oil by fluid coking, hydroprocessing, hydrotreating and reblending. The final product, Syncrude Sweet Blend (SSB), is sent by pipeline to three Edmonton area refineries and then to pipeline terminals which ship the SSB to refineries in Canada and the United States.As parts of the Mildred Lake base mine reached their economic life, they were replaced with new facilities at the Aurora Satellite mine. Aurora is situated on Oilsand Leases 10, 12 and 34, 35 km northeast of the Mildred Lake facility (Fig. 1).In 2000, the first hydrotransport low-energy extraction production train started up at Aurora. A second production train is scheduled for start-up in 2003. Open pit mining at Aurora occurs using two hydraulic shovels, two cable shovels, and trucks ranging from 320-ton to 380-ton payload capacities (Fig. 2).Once the oil sands is excavated, the trucks dump the ore into a crusher designed to break up the big lumps of oil sands and rock at peak rates of 11 000 t/hr. The ore is then transferred by conveyor to a surge pile and then to a mixing box which combines the oil sands with hot water. Following bitumen separation in the primary separation vessel, froth is delivered to Mildred Lake for processing via the intersite pipeline (Fig. 3).The goal of this paper is to illustrate how high precision shovel GPS (HPGPS) is being used at the Aurora mine to aid in mine planning. This can be accomplished by first describing the function of the mine planning department, describing the Aurora orebody, and finally explaining how the HPGPS system functions and how it is employed at Aurora.The short range mine planning department ensures a steady supply of ore is delivered to the plant at the desired grade in a sequenced and economical manner. This is done by creating a mine plan that consists of shovel dig locations that require the shovels to mine in a specified area at a specified elevation."

Jan 1, 2002

By O. Rielo, P. Katsabanis

Traditionally fine aluminum is not used in dry commercial explosives due to the hazard associated with aluminum dust explosions during mixing. An industrial process has been developed which enables the safe use of paint grade Aluminum with ANFO. The addition of fine aluminum particles resulted in increased velocity of detonation of ANFO compositions. Velocities of detonation, in 52mm (2 1/16 in.) diameter confined charges were 20% higher than velocities of detonation of straight ANFO. The detonation performance of fine grained ANFO was not benefited by Al at the diameter tested. Furthermore use of larger Al flakes resulted in decreased velocities of detonation. The results are compatible with the experience of Al addition to high explosives. Tests were also conducted using bio-diesel, finding no substantial difference in the performance of AN fuel explosive compositions which used bio-diesel.

Jan 1, 2009

By S. Lin

A new hydrogen production process, named the HyPr-RING, has been proposed. Fundamental concept of the HyPr-RING is integration of water carbon reaction, water-gas shift reaction and CO2 absorbing reaction in a single reactor. Firstly, thermodynamic analysis was done to judge the possibility to realize the process. It was found that high pressure and temperature condition, such as 20 MPa and 1000 K, is required to promote this integrated reaction. Next, experimental verification of the new process was done under the high pressure and temperature reaction conditions. As the results, integration of above three reactions in a single reactor can be done successfully and produced a large amount of hydrogen as estimated by thermodynamic analysis. Experiments showed that organic materials including coal, heavy oil, biomass, plastics can be used in this process. In the gaseous phase, no pollutants such asH2S, SO2, COS are detected so that gas cleanup system is not required for power generation when this process is used. Finally, a process design was made to estimate process efficiency. Theoretically, 1 mole of carbon can generate 2 moles of hydrogen and cold gas efficiency of this process estimated as more than 80 per cent. The process potentially reduces hydrogen production cost compared with the conventional hydrogen production methods. Keywords: Hydrogen, Fossil fuel, Energy, Process, Supercritical water

Jan 1, 2001

By H. S. Sichel, W. J. Kleingeld, C. E. Dohm

A model of ore value distributions is presented that is the culmination of a statistical approach rather than simply a model that has been successfully applied to the evaluation of ore reserves. Detailed geological and physical observations based on large sampling data sets have been used to support the statistical modelling. Fundamental to the modelling process is the concept that the occurrence of a given grade value in space is a function not only of the presence of the mineral but also of the fact that it is associated with a specific trapping mechanism. The concepts have been specifically applied to gold mineralisation

Aug 1, 1995

By Brian Fulcher

While tunneling in Europe has been a tradition for centuries, many companies and countries have embraced tunnel innovation with considerable vigor and creativity. Indeed, local needs and site conditions have provided the initiative for improved means, methods, materials and equipment to complete progressively more challenging projects. Many recently completed tunnels have expanded tunneling technology and contributed to the development of highly specialized and productive equipment ? such as the mixed-mode tunnel boring ma-chine (TBM) presently in operation at the SOCATOP A- [ ] 86 road tunnel and the high-pressure slurry TBMs for the Westerschelde Tunnel in the Netherlands and Hollandsas near Malmo, Sweden. This paper describes some of the key technologies employed by European tunnel builders and designers including the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), advanced earth pressure-balanced (EPB) machines, pres-sure-faced (slurry) tunneling machines as well as ?hybrid? or mixed-mode TBMs. While these tunneling methods and equipment generally involve significant equipment investment, they may also involve highly trained, experienced and specialized tunneling and support crews as well as materials and tools specifically developed to supplement or complement tunneling performance. For example, mechanized pipe arch placement substantially improves ground support measures and NATM advance and on larger tunnel cross-sections.

Jan 1, 2007

By Roy L. Wilfong

The thermal decomposition of the ammonium sulfate, carbonate, nitrate, oxalate, and sulfate salts of praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium was investigated thermogravimetrically in the temperature range 25° to 1,500° C. Each salt was decomposed at a heating rate of 2.5° C, per minute. The pyrolytic sequences have been identified and the temperatures of formation of inter-mediates, the minimum oxide formation temperatures, and values for loss on ignition have been determined. The nonstoichiometric ranges between Pr6011 and Pr203 and the extent of these ranges have been determined for oxides derived from the carbonate, nitrate, and oxalate salts of praseodymium. The alum and sulfate salts of praseodymium produced the sesquioxide without forming the intermediate non-stoichiometric oxides. The temperature limits of formation and regions of stability for the alums and sulfates were better defined than were those for the carbonates, nitrates, and oxalates. The minimum oxide formation temperature increased in the order of samarium, neodymium, and praseodymium irrespective of the anion.

Jan 1, 1962

By William A. Macaitis, Frank E. Dalton, Leo R. DiVita

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) is a multi-purpose urban public works project with a total cost of $3.7 billion. Currently 51 miles of TARP tunnels are completed and operational and 34 miles are under construction. The excavated TARP tunnels have been constructed in rock utilizing 29 tunnel boring machines, ranging in size from 6.5 to 35.3 feet in diameter.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. Balia

The upper part of the "Contatto Ovest" orebody, at the San Giovanni Pb-Zn sulphur mine (Sardinia, Italy), is mined by a sublevel caving method. With increasing mining depth, a progressive caving of the hanging wall and discontinuous subsidence occurs. The orebody, which is located very close to the contact between the Cambrian limestones and the Silurian shales, strikes NE-SW for more than 100 m and dips 75-80' NW. The limestone footwall is massive and strong while the hanging-wall consists of very weak shales. The mine considered is located near a town so that the observed subsidence effects must be taken into account for both stability of the nearby railway and houses and morphological and environmental impact. A limiting equilibrium analysis to predict the progress of hanging wall failure with increasing mining depth was used. A suitable computer program was developed for solving the model by a iterative procedure. The progressive hanging wall caving and its consequent superficial effects were predicted perfectly by means of the computer program used and later confirmed by a geophysical test (seismic tomography). Our study ends with a further analysis, carried out using the same procedure, which allows to have a different geometrical situation with the presence of a pillar to protect the mill area.

Jan 1, 1990

By R. W. Smith

Many industries such as the cement industry handle large quantities of limestone and clay slurries. However, at present very little is known about the flow properties, such as friction loss due to flow of slurries in pipelines. This lack of knowledge has made it often very difficult to calculate the total dynamic head of a proposed slurry handling system, and therefore has often made the selection of correct size slurry handling equipment difficult. Because of lack of knowledge about slurry flow a study of slurry flow theory has been made at the Portland Cement Association's Research and Development Laboratory with the idea of developing a method whereby friction losses due to slurry flow may be predicted for any size pipeline. The flow equations developed have been checked by pilot plant size equipment. DERIVATION OF FLOW EQUATIONS It has been known for some time that limestone and clay slurries handled in cement plants do not flow in the same manner as a Newtonian fluid such as water. When a Newtonian fluid flows the shear stress at any flow velocity is proportional to the rate of shear. This phenomenon can be illustrated by a line (Figure 1). The viscosity of the fluid is the slope of the curve. Thus, the flow properties of the material may be characterized by a single materials constant: viscosity. When a non-Newtonian fluid with the type of characteristics exhibited by limestone and clay slurr-ries flow, a similar curve can be constructed (Figure 2). This graph is a shear diagram of a Bingham plastic non-Newtonian fluid. It should be noted that with the Bingham(1) plastic type of flow viscosity, the slope of the curve, is still an important materials constant. In addition, however, there is another materials constant, namely the yield stress of the material. One way to visualize this constant is to consider it as the amount of energy that must be put into a Bingham plastic material to start it flowing.

Jan 1, 1961

By Johann Botha, Niel de Clerk, Tony B. Lange

"PROCESS COMPLEXITYDespite many years of research and development, mineral and metallurgical processes are in general highly complex and still difficult to understand and control. One of the biggest factors contributing to this complexity is the highly non-linear, multivariate, chaotic nature of such processes.This complexity is magnified in production environments where business optimisation rather than beneficiation is the primary objective. Return on investment, sustainability, and social issues such as Aids and the environment all form part of the goal hierarchy of industrial concerns. In addition, international competition and price volatility all have a huge impact on these processes in terms of operational constraints.Therefore the optimisation and control of beneficiation processes must take into account many factors other than pure process variables such as flow rates and levels. For example, commodity prices and client requirements all need to be added to the control problem, which together with incomplete process knowledge and non-linearities etc., make automation and optimisation extremely difficult.The ideal solution is to have a controller which in addition to performing full non-linear constrained optimal control can at the same time take into account other non-process factors such as price and client satisfaction."

Jan 1, 2003

By Jan L. Reichelderfer, Thomas L. Richardson

Completion of the H-3 Highway Tunnel Project was a critical element in opening this award winning project. The exploratory tunnel was completed as a maintenance tunnel and included difficult shafts extending into the main tunnel cross passages. The project also involved a major addition to the traffic operations center including a deep excavation in close proximity to the tunnel portal structures. The projects also included various completions and improvements to the main tunnels, such as paving, drainage, maintenance, and a variety of critical life-safety issues, such as radio systems, telephones, etc. The highway opened in December 1997.

Jan 1, 2001