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By Hoskings R

Conceptual studies of the run of mine stockpiling and reclaiming requirements at Thiess Bros Pty Ltd South Blackwater coal mine commenced in 1975.Final selection of equipment was made in 1978 and the equipment was commissioncd in June 1979. Equipment selection was made after extensive investigation and visits to existing facilities throughout the world.The equipment selected is described and compared with the alternatives. Foundations were designed to minimise clean up effort and to ensure stabilily of equipment under design wind loading without storm bays. Programmable logic control enables the stacking and reclaiming facility to provide a blended feed to the coal preparation plant.

Jan 1, 1981

By C M. Wawryk, S L. Garwin, J D. Foden

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. The Batu Hijau porphyry Cu-Au deposit in south-western Sumbawa, Indonesia is an ideal natural laboratory to study the fractionation of iron isotopes in magmatic rocks that range in composition from basaltic andesite to tonalite. Intrusive rocks are associated with a porphyry system that contains well-preserved early hypogene copper mineralisation. We analysed pre-, syn- and post-mineralisation igneous intrusive rocks. We also separated magnetite, chalcopyrite and bornite from hypogene porphyry-style quartz veins, and measured the Fe-isotope ratios of samples by solution multi-collector ICP-MS. Iron isotopic composition of samples from the magmatic suite show an increasing d57Fe with increasing SiO2, supporting geochemical and textural evidence that the Batu Hijau Tonalites underwent closed system fractionation. Equilibrium and co-existing mineral textures allow the calculation of the following preliminary empirical mineral-mineral fractionation factors at 500°C for certain mineral pairs.Iron isotopes have the potential to provide geothermometric data to complement fluid inclusion data, especially where heating stages have operational limitations and where fluid boiling results in a wide variety of inclusion types that may make analysis difficult.CITATION:Wawryk, C M, Foden, J D and Garwin, S L, 2015. Iron isotope fractionation in magmatic-hydrothermal minerals – a porphyry copper case study from the Batu Hijau deposit, Sumbawa, Indonesia, in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 389–396 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

Since 2001, the Hybrid Stress Blast Model (HSBM) project members have developed a software suite to model the complete blasting process from non-ideal detonation to muck pile formation. To preserve the physics and improve solution time, the breakage engine uses a combination of analytical models and 2D axisym-metric finite differences to model near-field crushing, coupled to 3D discrete lattice fracturing and distinct element numerical methods to model throw and muck pile development. The model has been validated by comparison with laboratory and field tests in kimberlite. Multiple blasthole simulations are used to demonstrate how changes to blasting parameters can influence downstream efficiencies. Case studies of wall control blasting show that the presplit design must balance the two opposing effects of increased damage with increased charge and decreasing attenuation of the seismic waves with decreasing charge. Modelling of decoupled explosives needs further development. Reducing the charge towards the back of the trim blast results in a much more significant decrease in back damage than altering the timing. The model demonstrates how separation along the weaker planes in a jointed rock can coarsen the fragmentation, leading to inefficient beneficiation, and extends the damage to a distance of at least twice the burden behind from the blasthole, severely compromising the wall stability.

Jan 1, 2012

Particles of a complex nickel sulphide concentrate (containing pyrite, pyrrhotite, pentIandite, and violarite as the major mineralogical constituents) were entrained in a stream of hot gas the temperature of which was varied from 500 to -1000°C. Chemical analysis of the particulates collected from the furnace was used to detect the rapid change in sulphur content which accompanied the ignition temperature jump. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to characterize the oxidized material.These techniques showed that ignition was dependent on the mineralogical composition and occurred over the temperature range 500-900°C. Pyrite ignited first in the range 500-600°C; pyrrhotite was the least reactivemineral and required temperatures in excess of 800°C for ignition. The nickel minerals <pentIandite and violarite decomposed before ignition and ignited at temperatures intermediate to those required for the pyrite and pyrrhotite. The ignition temperature for the pyrite was found to be independent of particle size and concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere.Ignition temperatures determined by the simulated flash smelting method were compared with the results of differential thermal analysis (DTA) measurements performed on the same concentrate. Temperaturesdetermined in the DTA test as corresponding to the start of exothermic activity were shown to be at least 100°C below those determined by the simulation test.

Jan 1, 1978

By G. L. Oldright, Virgil Miller

"This paper is the tenth 4 of a series on smelting in the lead blast furnace, and the fifth 5 on modifications brought about by the introduction of richer charges.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSAll of the data on handling rich charges in lead smelting given in this recent set of five articles describing the results of a cooperative study by the United States Bureau of Mines and the University of Utah were obtained through the courtesy and with the cooperation of the staff of the Bunker Hill & Sullivan Mining & Concentrating Co. at Kellogg, Idaho. The authors acknowledge with appreciation the assistance given by Stanly A. Easton, vice.-president and general manager, F. M. Smith, smelter director, and A. F. Beasley, smelter superintendent, whose generosity, sympathy, and assistance made it possible to obtain this information for the mining industry.GENERAL DISCUSSIONWhen the charge has been dropped into the lead blast furnace, it is out of control of the operator to the extent that, whatever the material is, it must practically all be melted and run out of the blast furnace. The necessary uniformity of mixture to produce slags of regular composition and the choice of the slag—forming ingredients and products to be formed can be made only before the charge to dropped.It was found (R.I. 3096) at Kellogg, where the charge is mostly sinter, that the ratio of the slag—forming ingredients taken from each tuyere was nearly constant, in contrast to the irregular composition of slags taken similarly from a furnace whose charge consisted of ingredients differing greatly in chemical and physical nature, including size. If the charge consists almost entirely of sinter, the blast furnace should then operate more uniformly."

Aug 1, 1932

Gippsland has perhaps the most colourful history of exploration of any area in Australia. Hydrocarbons were first discovered in the Gippsland Basin in 1924 when a water well at Lakes Entrance encountered oil and gas shows. In 1942, the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments, in an effort to supplement a wartime oil shortage, sank a shaft near this well and produced 8000 barrels of low gravity oil up to 1956, when the field was abandoned. A total of 64 shallow wells had been drilled in the Lakes Entrance area by that time. Elsewhere in the onshore Gippsland Basin, 30 wells were drilled from 1925 to 1941. In 1960 BHP Ltd was granted an exploration permit covering much of the offshore area of the Gippsland Basin. Esso Australia Ltd joined BHP in 1964 and drilled the Barracouta-1 gas discovery in 1965. Since then over 100 exploration and appraisal wells have been drilled in the basin resulting in the discovery to date of some 3.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 8.8 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas (Current remaining recoverable reserves are 906 million barrels of oil and 5.7 TCF of gas). Exploration in the offshore areas is actively continuing today and new discoveries are still being made.

Jan 1, 1992

Jan 1, 1969

The El Pe±on gold-silver deposit comprises four epithermal, low-sulfidation veins, which contain 2.9 million oz Au and 48 million oz Ag. Provisional data on alteration mineralogy, fluid inclusions, and vein textures constrain the chemistry and hydrology of the hydrothermal system responsible for ore mineralisation at El Pe±on. Alteration minerals include quartz, adularia, albite, illite, smectite, calcite, chlorite, and pyrite. Alteration minerals suggest the existence of near neutral pH, low salinity hydrothermal fluids, which circulated over an area greater than 18 km2. Complex mineral zonation patterns result from variations in host rock permeability and composition, overprinting alteration possibly produced by thermal waters from surficial and peripheral parts of the hydrothermal system, and supergene weathering in the hyperarid environment. Upflow zones were focused along N-S and NE trending structures, producing crustiform quartz-adularia+carbonate veins. Fluid inclusion data indicate vein deposition from low salinity (

Jan 1, 2002

By D. E. Smith, M. K. Murthy

"The commercial potential of a silica-kaolin deposit that occurs on the banks of and close to the Missinaibi River in the District of Cochrane, Ontario, is under evaluation by Algocen Mines Limited. The geological features of the deposit, as well as its probable origin, are described. Mineralogical analysis of the deposit samples indicates that the principal minerals are quartz and kaolinite clay; it is estimated that about 20 per cent of the deposit is kaolin clay. The impurity minerals present are: a slightly magnetic Fe-Ti oxide mineral, goethite, muscovite mica, tour-maline, staurolite, anatase and zircon. Laboratory research studies are in progress to develop and evaluate suit-able methods for the separation of silica sand from kaolin. Results to date indicate that good-quality silica sand with an Fe,03 content in the range of 0.012 to 0.025 per cent can be produced. It appears that the clay portion can also be beneficiated to yield products meeting commercial requirements. It has been possible to beneficiate a portion of theetlay to obtain the particle size distribution now specified by industry. However, research is continuing to develop suitable separation and beneficiation methods which can produce kaolin clay meeting all the commercial requirements."

Jan 1, 1970

By William Gleason

"With desert temperatures climbing high at Caterpillar’s Tinaja Hills Demonstration and Learning Center near Tucson, AZ in September, a group of editors were given a reprieve from the sun and stepped inside the new Cat Minestar Command Center. The movie theater-like temperatures inside were a welcome relief, and the computer screens stationed around the room were an indication of not just how much things have evolved in the mining equipment sector, but also a peek into the future of where mining is headed.Equipment manufacturers like Caterpillar have always had to deal with peaks and valleys in demand that come with mining, perhaps never more so than in the last five years. Sudhanshu Singh, global product manager for Caterpillar, said that in one month in 2012, at the height of the mining Super Cycle, Caterpillar produced more than 150 large mining trucks (haul trucks that carry 136 t/150 st or more). By contrast, Caterpillar produced about 80 of those trucks in the full year of 2016. Between 2012 and 2016, Caterpillar saw its profits drop by 40 percent.“This shows how cyclical the industry is, and it is a testament to the strength of Caterpillar to be able to tolerate the wide swings,” said Singh. Demand for commodities is once again on the rise as are commodity prices with many signs pointing toward a recovery for the mining sector, and Caterpillar has positioned itself for the recovery. During its 2017 press event in September, company officials emphasized that Caterpillar has added strength in its technology divisions by forming new partnerships and adjusting its operating plan.“At the heart of our enterprise strategy is the operating & execution (O&E) model, a strategic framework to identify areas of the business that either create or consume the most value,” said Caterpillar chief executive officer, Jim Umpleby. “Using the O&E model as a guide, we gain a deeper understanding of where we have a competitive advantage, which is key to generating high returns.”"

Jan 11, 2017

By L. Ou

This paper reports on research on leaching pyrite in a germ-free system. The effects of mineral particle size, pulp potential and various oxidation agents on pyrite leaching were studied. The results indicated that a smaller mineral particle size leads to a higher leaching rate of pyrite. The optimum results were obtained with a mineral particle size of -0.037 mm. The pulp potential reflected the leaching process and an increasing pulp potential improved pyrite leaching. The leaching rate rapidly increased with the addition of oxidation agents such as Fe3+ and H2O2. However, the precipitate generated by ferric ion coated the surface of the pyrite and prevented further leaching.

Jan 1, 2007

By Z. W. Nkosi, M. Sephton, J. H. Potgieter

The exhaust system is a complex assembly of various components performing important tasks in harsh environments. Carbon steels have been used extensively in exhaust systems, but pressure for lower cost, increased fuel efficiency; lower hazardous emissions, weight savings and increased life expectancy have shifted the emphasis to stainless steels. In response to the growing consumption of stainless steels in automotive exhaust systems, the need to properly evaluate their corrosion resistance properties in order to ensure their appropriate use, has increased substantially. This paper evaluated the most common corrosion and oxidation tests developed that are used and applied it to four common stainless steels often employed in hot end exhaust components. In a summary considering the weight loss of an alloy, it general corrosion rate and pitting resistance under all the test conditions for hot end exhaust components, results indicate that 434 was by far the most corrosion resistant alloy, followed by 1.4509 and 321, and lastly 304 was the least corrosion resistant. In general, the ferritic stainless steels, especially 434, outperformed the austenitic ones under all the test conditions.

Jan 1, 2006

It has been proven theoretically and experimentally that the use of 10 - 30 per cent DRI in blast furnace along with iron ore or sinter results in lower coke rate and higher productivity. However, to-date this remains unpractised on a regular basis mainly because of economic reasons. The DRI produced by several methods are expensive and difficult to store/handle in large quantities because of its reactive nature and thus DRI in blast furnace remains unacceptable.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. W. Fedors, S. T. Green, R. A. Hart, D. B. Walter

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling of a potential nuclear waste repository drift may be an important tool to estimate moisture redistribution caused by natural convection within the drift. To refine and support CFD techniques, a small laboratory cold-trap experiment was developed. Results from numerical modeling of the laboratory experiment show the sensitivity of the bulk air flow rate and average air temperature within the drift to several key parameters, including various boundary condition assumptions and surrounding porous media properties.

Jan 1, 2004

By Silvano Morelli, Giovanna Cassani, Renzo Bindi, Antonio Nicola

More than 70 km of main line and service tunnels have been excavated to date for crossing the Apennines between Bologna and Florence. A new design and construction approach, known as Analysis of the Controlled Deformation in Rock and Soils, (ADECO-RS), was adopted to tackle the extreme heterogeneity of the ground and the particular stress-strain conditions. The goal of this system is to obtain constant and predictable full section advance rates, even in very poor geology, with the highest possible level of safety and reliability. The execution of this gigantic project required the mobilization of 21 job-sites, with the concurrent operation of 30 excavation headings. The global production rates confirm the high quality of the design and the high level of industrialization reached during the construction stage, levels not previously obtained in similar conditions, using other approaches such as NATM.

Jan 1, 2003

By Fardy J. J

Abundance data are presented for a comprehensive range of elements in oil shale samples from deposits located in Queensland. The techniques of instrumental neutron activation analysis and spark source mass spectrometry were used to obtain concentration data for up to 50 trace elements in each shale. These techniques were supplemented by other spectrometric methods to obtain data for major, minor and some trace elements. Sixty-four elements were determined quantitatively. This comprehensive characterisation of oil shale samples from the major deposits in Australia provides inorganic abundance data not previously available. It also provides important background information for processing studies and the associated environmental aspects of shale oil production and waste disposal.

Jan 1, 1986

By Delahant A. B, Dworski M

From the Saranac Laboratory for the Study of Tuberculosis of the Edward L., Trudeau Foundation, Saranac Lake, New York:We are assembled to honor the memory of our friend and colleague, Donald Cummings, one of the founders and a past president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. I deem it an Unusual privilege to have been asked to give this first memorial lecture and hope that what shall have to say may be worthy of the occasion. It is fitting that we should discuss here the subject of Silicosis to which he devoted such a large part of his life and it is doubly fitting, I think, that I should report to you an extended series of investigations carried on by his associates at the Saranac Laboratory.The subject of silicosis may seem hackneyed to this audience which is so familiar with the tried and accepted methods of prevention and control.But in spite of our efforts, the condition is still with us and unfortunately is still being produced in many places. In industries that now maintain good control of dust, fresh cases are appearing on annual re-examination, whose major exposure date back to the days before the hazard was recognized.A few new employees, with apparently ineffective upper respiratory protection against inhaled dust, develop silicosis precociously in environments that are comparatively harmless to their fellows. In plants that have relaxed their vigilance under the urgency of war production schedules, conditions again prevail that will produce, disease in the future.Silicosis acquired new interest with the announcement by Denny, Robson and Irwin(1) in 1937 that it could be prevented by the inhalation of powdered metallic aluminium. It so happened that without knowledge of their work, we at the Saranac Laboratory had for some months been conducting similar experiments with one of the hydroxides of aluminium.Quite independently we discovered that hydrated alumina would also protect animals against quartz. Our approach to the problem had been empirical; we were trying to neutralize quartz particles by coating their surfaces with an insoluble material following the lead of Kettle who in 1932 had shown that this could be accomplished with iron. He neglected to describe his method and the chemist who prepared his coated...

Jan 1, 1945

By H Bateman, I Cawrse, G Carnes, S Cawrse

In developing mineral resources, the focus typically centres on the management of identified social and environmental impacts and compliance with regulatory requirements. However, opportunities to protect and enhance the environment and communities are most effective in the planning and design phases. Achieving the objective of integrating sustainability considerations as an element of design decision making requires that the design criteria be technically sound, relevant to the project and applicable to desired design outcomes. This is particularly important for projects employing virtual teaming, where design engineers may be geographically dispersed and are unlikely to be familiar with site specific sustainability challenges and opportunities. This paper documents the approach taken by BHP Billiton to incorporate sustainability principles, objectives and guidelines in design criteria for the Olympic Dam Expansion (ODX) project. It describes the range of inputs used in defining sustainability objectives which interface in a framework that is dynamic and transferable to other mining projects and to engineering design in general. The Sustainability in Design Criteria document distils statutory requirements, corporate standards, lessons learned and leading industry practice into a single coherent framework that supports engineers to approach problem solving as a holistic and integrated exercise with a long term perspective. The framework also serves to improve linkages between internal stakeholders by fostering greater communication, collaboration and innovation to deliver more sustainable outcomes through the design process.

Jan 1, 2009

By R. Bashir, J. F. Hatley

ABSTRACT Northern Saskatchewan boasts some of the world’s largest known high-grade uranium deposits. The successful mining of these deposits cannot be accomplished without overcoming technical challenges, however, which include high grade of the uranium ore, specialized mining methods to deal with groundwater at high pressures, and poor ground conditions. This paper discusses the various mechanisms of inflows at three of Cameco Corporation’s sites in northern Saskatchewan. The risk of inflows is quantified in terms of unique challenges due to hydrogeological conditions, rock mass integrity, and uncertainty in geological conditions. Strategies in the case of an inflow are also briefly described.

Jan 1, 2013

By W. G. Miller, J. D. Scott, D. C. Sego

ABSTRACT The influence of using different extraction processes (caustic versus non-caustic) on thethixotropic strength of oil sands fine tailings is examined, as is the influence of adding a coagulant tocaustic fine tailings. The thixotropic strength of fine tailings at large void ratios manifests itself as a bonding or gel strength that has been widely noted both in the laboratory and in the field. This gel strength has a significant influence on preventing the initial consolidation or settlement of fine tailings. Differences between the fine tailings’ thixotropic strength development are explained based on their physical and chemical characteristics.

Jan 1, 2010