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The Performance of Benzyl Arsonic Acid as a Collector in the Flotation of Wolframite and Cassiterite Slime

Sep 13, 2010

By J Ward, B Rohrlach, B Rosero, J Silva, O Poma

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. The Alpala copper-gold deposit is a recent, high-grade porphyry Cu-Au discovery located in the Imbabura Province of north-western Ecuador. The deposit lies along the crustal-scale Chimbo-Toachi Fault Zone within the Dagua-Piñon terrane, which is an oceanic plateau accreted to the South American convergent margin in the Late Cretaceous. The deposit is hosted by quartz diorite stocks that intrude andesitic volcanic breccias of the Oligocene to mid-Miocene San Juan de Lachas Formation. Miocene-age calc-alkaline plutonism is associated with porphyry Cu, Cu-Mo and Cu-Au deposits in southern and northern Ecuador. The Alpala deposit lies along a sector of the Miocene arc that has recently been underplated by the Carnegie Ridge seamount chain that induced shoaling of the subducted Nazca plate beneath northern Ecuador.Surface expressions of the deposit were recognised in May 2012 during follow-up of stream sediment anomalies, when outcropping sheeted and stockwork porphyry-related veins were discovered in Quebrada Alpala. The roots of a NW-trending, structurally-controlled lithocap were recognised over an area of 4.5 × 0.9 km. The remnant lithocap exhibits well-defined mineral zonation mapped by TerraSpecTM analyses on grid soil samples. Soil sampling, heliborne magnetic surveying and channel sampling defined initial drill targets.Seven diamond drill holes were completed in the year from September 2013. Drill hole CSD-13-005 intersected 672 m grading 0.93 per cent Cu and 0.91 g/t Au in high-temperature, inner propylitic and locally potassic-altered quartz diorite intrusions. Overlying hydrothermal clay alteration assemblages define the base of the lithocap. A NW–SE trending footwall structure defines the south-west margin of the deposit. Drill hole 5 intersected high-grade sheeted ‘B-type’ and ‘C-type’ veins (Gustafson and Hunt, 1975) that lie along the south-west margin of an 1100 × 500 m magnetic anomaly that is the focus of ongoing exploration.CITATION:Rohrlach, B, Poma, O, Rosero, B, Silva, J and Ward, J, 2015. High-grade porphyry copper-gold mineralisation in north-west Ecuador – The Alpala Cu-Au porphyry discovery , in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 369–376 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

By R. A. Wattenbarger, H. J. Ramey

The trend in gas well testing has been to rely more on the early-time flow data of drawdown and buildup tests than on stabilized flow tests. The stabilized testing methods often are not adequate for complicated modern gas reservoirs because many of these reservoirs have extremely low permeabilities and the transient flow period of a well test can last for days or weeks. It has become common to augment the flow capacity of gas wells by hydraulically fracturing their producing formations. In deep reservoirs the induced fractures are generally vertical and tend to follow a single plane of weakness. The presence of a vertical fracture at the wellbore complicates the transient flow behavior of a low permeability gas well. The flow is further complicated when turbulence occurs near the wellbore. Russell and Truittl published transient drawdown solutions for vertically-fractured liquid wells. They developed methods of drawdown and buildup testing utilizing these solutions, which were based on numerical simulation. Clark2 applied the basic Russell-Truitt solutions to analyze fractured water injection wells by falloff tests. Field examples were given to substantiate the method of analysis. The Russell-Truitt solutions and well testing methods can be extended to gas well flow. Millheim and Cichowicz3 presented the drawdown equations for *Now with Scientific Software Corp., Denver. ideal gas flow, including the effects of formation damage and turbulence. Two actual field cases were presented, both of which exhibited extensive fractures and turbulent flow. For the pressure range of these well tests, the use of ideal gas equations was acceptable. These field cases were significant in being the first published data showing the occurrence of turbulence in fractured gas wells. We, also, observed such cases in practice. Our purpose here is to extend the theory of fractured gas well testing to the flow of real gases. To determine the effects of wellbore storage and turbulence on well test interpretation, we developed a finite-difference model to simulate well test conditions. Since gas wells usually are widely spaced and have high compressibility, the emphasis has been put on the early transient behavior before the effects of the outer boundary are noticeable at the wellbore. The Mathematical Model The geometry of our mathematical model is similar to that used by Prats.4 The well is centered in a circular uniform reservoir. A vertical fracture of infinite flow capacity penetrates the formation and passes through the wellbore. The wellbore itself is not important. Fig. 1 shows a sketch of the problem. Fig. 2 shows the idealized model. The equation for the flow of real gas in a porous medium with uniform porosity, permeability and thickness is5-7

Jan 1, 1970

A device is described which is suitable for the automatic sampling of dust in dust laden flue gases. This device, called a Venturi Sampler, consists of two pipes each fitted with a suitably designed venturi.Both pipes are placed in the flue where one acts as an open-ended reference tube and the other as the actual sampling tube.The gas sampling rate is automatically controlled so as to maintain a zero differential pressure between pressure tappings in the two venturi throats. The venturies are so designed that under these conditions the gas velocity in the sampling pipe is always equal to the free gas velocity in the flue-that is isokinetfc sampling conditions are maintained.INTRODUCTIONThere is a constant need in industry for regular and accurate assessments of dust losses, both to assist in improving operating efficiencies in order to minimize losses, and to obtain accurate metallurgical balances. In many cases where sampling is carried out in dust laden gases, the existing sampling methods are both laborious and inaccurate, and often make no provision for changes in flue gas velocity while sampling is in progress.In the majority of cases where a measurement of dust losses in a stack or flue is required, a preliminary velocity survey is made with a pitot tube to establish the gas velocity at each of the points at which samples are to be taken. The sample of gas (and dust) is withdrawn through a tube connected via a flowmeter to an exhausting apparatus. Some means of removing the dust from the gas sample is placed in circuit ahead of the exhausting apparatus. This is often an alundum or paper thimble housed in a gas-tight container.The purpose of the flowmeter is to measure the actual flow of gas during sampling so that the sampling velocity at the inlet to the sampling tube may be calculated, and the flow corrected so that the sampling velocity will agree with...

Jan 1, 1959

By E. M. Frizzell

Development of mobile crusher systems for surface mining, allowing extension of continuous conveyor haulage systems into the pit, is traced from its introduction to the present. Variations in configurations are reviewed, and the compelling reasons for using mobile crusher systems are explored.

Jan 1, 1983

By David O. DeGagné

While mine backfill plants are becoming increasingly more automated and instrumented, especially with paste fill operations, underground backfill distribution systems have hardly changed over the years. While fill properties are appropriately measured in the preparation plants, as backfill enters the mine borehole, the technology for control, data gathering and reporting is somewhat lacking. Mines typically experience problems with borehole and pipeline plugging, pipeline bursting, bulkhead failure and exposed fill sloughing. With adequate instrumentation of the backfill system it is possible to obtain a complete, continuous and detailed picture of the entire filling operation from preparation to post-pour. Good data will, over time, provide the basis for needed improvements of backfill systems and will be essential to safer, more efficient and less costly fill practices. This paper will review the areas of the filling operations where monitoring would prove critical to eliminate failures such as pipelines, bulkheads, fill exposures, stope walls, etc. The types of monitoring systems currently available will be reviewed and potential areas for development will be highlighted.

May 1, 2001

By W. Tom Witherspoon

Many Engineers are skeptical and cautious about skin friction factors for the portion of drilled piers where temporary casing is used. This has led Texas engineers in many cases to eliminate skin friction values for the cased section, which necessitates deepening the drilled shaft to compensate for the loss in the cased section. This paper has provided field test data that supports inclusion of skin friction in the temporarily cased hole section as a contributing factor in total axial capacity as comparable to open hole shafts of the same diameter. Reasons for the resultant friction values are provided including; remolding of the cased clay section and the increased pier circumference necessitated by the oversized casing required for adherence to the engineers shaft diameter specification.

Jan 1, 2009

By Andreas Hucke

For the roadway design in the German hard coal mining industry, an advanced combined planning system has been applied during the past 20 years. The German mining industry is working with single entry roadways system. After first longwall passage the roadways will be stabilised with side wall building material packages. Later this roadway will be used again for the second retreating longwall. The intention of the implementation of several different design methods for the planning of the roadways is to enhance the reliability of the results. On one hand the planning system uses numerical simulation and physical modelling in addition to analytical and empirical methods. On the other hand in-situ monitoring and analysis during the roadway development will be used to verify and calibrate the numerical and physical models. Especially before the implementation of new support elements in underground, this system is suitable and reasonable because the new support elements will be tested in the physical and numerical simulation prior to cost intensive underground tests. The interaction between the numerical and physical modelling in comparison with underground monitoring and analysis during development and the later use of roadways will be shown with some examples. The first example shows a rock bolted rectangular roadway which will be mined at both sides of the roadway. Different support and roadway building material package systems are investigated under various stress conditions. The results are utilised to optimise the roadway support and the roadway side package systems. The influence of different points in time of the installation of several support elements in a combined arch and bolted roadway is shown as another example. Two different types of support systems are compared within the physical models. These models are used as a base for ongoing numerical analysis and simulation to find out the ideal point of time to assemble the different support elements. The last example handles the influence of slickensides in the roof of arch shaped roadway on their stability. Different slickenside positions and densities are investigated and classified.

Jan 1, 2006

By Richard Samson

"RésuméComme l'exploitation d'un gisement à grande profondeur représente un défi de taille et que la profondeur à laquelle se situe celui d'Ansil varie de 1200 m à 1460 m, nous avons dû mettre en place une infrastructure de surface d'envergure incluant un treuil de production et un chevalement d'une très grande capacité. De même, l'infrastructure sous terre a été proposée en tenant compte de ce fait important; d'ailleurs, l'excavation de deux puits circulaires dont l'un est en beton et acier et l'autre exclusivement en béton en témoigne. De plus, la plupart des cheminées principales qui furent excavées sous terre sont de forme circulaire.L 'exploitation du gisement s'effectue par une méthode chantier ouvert (abattage par longs trous), remblaye immédiatement âpres avec un mélange de roche stérile et ciment. Un taux de minage de 1750 tonnes par jour est requis pour assurer la production.L 'utilisation d'une technologie de pointe tels: les ventilateurs et les portes de ventilation sous terre contrôlées de la surface, un système de relèves macroséismiques, de chargeuses-navettes contrôles à distance, en passant par le dessin et la planification assistes par ordinateur nous permet d'optimiser l'exploitation du gisement Ansil.IntroductionEtant donne la grande profondeur a laquelle le gisement Ansil se situe, no us avons à mettre en place une infrastructure souterraine et de surface d'envergure pour nous permettre d'atteindre nos objectifs d'exploitation.Infrastructure de surfaceLa mine Ansil dispose d'une infrastructure de surface d'importance possédant une grande capacité (Fig. I). Les deux facteurs qui furent déterminant pour le dimensionnement des infrastructures furent le taux d'extraction de 1990 t/jour et la profondeur a laquelle I 'exploitation s'effectue, puis que cette dernière affecte le temps de cycle et la capacité de hissage.La première composante principale de I 'infrastructure de surface est un treuil de production a 2 tambours de 3.65 m de diamètre et de 2.0 m de largeur chacun. Ce treuil de marque Fullerton, Hodgart & Barclay construit en 1970, opère avec 2 moteurs de 930 kW a une vitesse de 700 m/min. et il a une capacité maximale de 32000 kg. Deux câbles d'acier de 45 mm de diarnètre et de 160 000 kg de résistance a la rupture servant au hissage des bennes d'une capacité de 12 tonnes. De plus, un moteur/générateur de 3000 kW (M.G. Set) raccorde au treuil de production sert a stabliser son alimentation électrique."

Jan 1, 1991

By P Cameron

MetPlant conferences have focused on ensuring mining projects are well designed then optimised to operate safely and effectively at the top end of world’s best practice to ensure shareholders are not just happy but delighted. This assumes the MetPlant was built right the first time. However, reality is, too often Plant Metallurgists (PlantMets) find after commissioning they are faced with the expensive task of correcting errors or modifying shortcomings to achieve product quality at name-plate capacity, i.e. get it right the second time. Why do companies spend good money to engineer an excellent feasibility study then allow “wise men” remote from the project team to impose cuts in budget and schedule, often under the guise of value engineering? Since mining is full of uncertainties, such actions can increase the risks of failure with the result that some MetPlants do not work well. Can PlantMets influence the remote wise men who often are also imposing the rules for lending and the required returns to appreciate the uncertainties of mining and their associated risks then let the project team get it right the first time? PlantMets can negotiate with the wise men from the outset of the project and bring them into an outer layer of the team where they can understand the risks then share responsibility and accountability to achieve the common goal of building a MetPlant which works well the first time and deliver the forecast profits. Since shareholders are not in the business to make losses they appoint a Board of Directors to deliver the best outcomes for the shareholders. Thus the Board should seek effective advice on the risk reward implications from the PlantMet before making their decisions.CITATION:Cameron, P, 2015. Do all metplants work well? PlantMets can ensure they do, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 2–9 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

By Ernest M. Spokes

For bituminous and lignite coals the economic picture continued to improve as it has each year since the low of 1961, with production at 480 mil- lion tons in 1964 compared with 1963's 459 million tons. The anthracite industry produced 16.3 million tons in 1964 and 18.3 million tons in 1963. The industry is looking toward a further expansion; among the new developments will be a mining wheel producing 3 million tons of lignite per year in South Dakota. It is expected that electric power generation will continue to provide the market for most of the increase in consumption, with exports second in importance in the expansion. Improvements in methods of mining and transporting coal underground and in strip mines, and the cooperation of carriers in finding ways to reduce transportation costs to distant markets, have made possible these expansions. Research continues to reduce costs of mining, transportation, steam generation of electric power and production of steam for space heating and manufacturing processes, to retain some markets and expand others. Other research seeks to expand markets by developing fuel from coal which will be more attractive than competing fuels, by reducing sulfur and other sources of air pollution. Public relations efforts of the industry are bearing fruit in a greater acceptance of coal as a modern fuel.

Jan 2, 1965

By Matthew N. Plis

This U.S. Bureau of Mines report presents the documentation for COALVAL, a coal property evaluation software package developed on Lotus 1-2-3,4 version 2.2, spreadsheets. The software is compatible with version 3.1 as well, and may provisionally be run on the earlier 2.01 version. COALVAL is a menu-driven program that produces a prefeasibility-level cost analysis of mine-planned coal resources. The package contains cost models for each of five coal mining methods commonly employed in Appalachia: auger, contour strip, mountain top removal, continuous miner, and longwall. Other models, such as a dragline cost model, will be incorporated as the Bureau's Coal Recoverability Program matures. COALVAL allows mine operators, evaluators, consultants, and Government entities to input resource data and the various production, operating, and cost variables that pertain to their property. The program can evaluate up to 25 seams, each to be mined with up to five different mining methods, within a given area. Summary spreadsheets listing the cost per clean ton to mine the resources, f.o.b. the tipple, are produced for each property, seam, and mining method/seam combination.

Jan 1, 1993

By S. F. Mauser

This report describes the study of factors which affect medium voltage (661 - 1000 volts) trailing cable splices used in underground coal mines. Improvements in quality, dependability, and design of splice kits and shop splices are presented in the study results and recommended guidelines and regulations. Recommended research programs are included which describe approaches for development of the recommended guidelines and regulations for medium voltage trailing cable splices. The basis for the conclusions and recommendations presented in this report is included in three appendices which describe a survey, splice examination, and general requirements development prepared during the progress of this study.

Jan 1, 1977

By Neil Westoll

But First, An Overview of the Selwyn Basin and Its Resources ?World-renowned sedimentary-exhalative (SEDEX) deposits of zinc, lead, silver +/-barite ?Significant reserves/resources remain and vast tracts of prospective stratigraphyremain under-explored and untested. ?More details are at the Yukon Geological Survey?s Selwyn Basin Metallogenysite:http://www.geology.gov.yk.ca/metallogeny/selwyn/ Overview of Metal Price and Demand Trends ?The pace of economic change in China has been extremely rapid since the start of economic reforms just over 25 years ago. According to official statistics, economic growth has averaged 9.5% over the past two decades and seems likely to continue at that pace for some time. National income has been doubling every eight years. Such an increase in output represents one of the most sustained and rapid economic transformations seen in the world economy in the past 50 years.? Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 16-Dec-2005

May 1, 2006

[JOSEPHSON, W. G.: The Argonaut Mine of Today, M88, 475 JOUET, C. H., biography, M29, 258 Joule-Thompson effect, 98, 381 JOWETT, J. H., biography, M83, 276 JUDSON, S. A.: Operations in the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana for 1926, G26, 659 JUDSON, S. A., EASTON, H. D. JR. AND SCHAEFFER. W. A. JR.: Estimation of Petroleum Reserves in Prorated Fields 114, 11. Abs., YB35, 50 JULIHN, C. E.: Copper---An Example of Advancing Technology and the Utilization of Low-grade Ores. Brookings Lecture, in Mineral Economics (1931 volume, B. W. Mudd Fund)]

Jan 1, 1936

By A. R. Sorta, D. C. Sego

ABSTRACT Temperature, solute, texture, and thixotropic effects on time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements of water content in oil sands tailings are investigated. Results indicate that TDR water content measurements are influenced by temperature, residual bitumen, and percent clay in the tailings. A correction of 0.03–0.10/ °C must be applied to the apparent dielectric constant (Ka) to account for the effect of temperature. The Ka-volumetric water content relationships of slurries differ significantly from the commonly used Topp calibration equation. The age of the tailings and the addition of phosphogypsum did not influence TDR water content measurements.

Jan 1, 2013

By D. R. Hack

The complexity of commercial mining software has gained rapidly over the past decade as hardware developments have surpassed software capabilities at a staggering rate. Software users, recognizing the limitations of off-the-shelf applications, have adapted embedded scripting languages. Custom programming has always had a vital role in mine computing innovations, yielding a dynamic research environment in industry and academia. Fields such as industrial minerals can benefit from customization of existing software, since the majority of mine planning software was designed for large metal mines. Different customization approaches utilizing embedded scripting languages are presented, with examples of sand and gravel applications in development. Following implementation by Surpac and development of the Surpac Command Language, Tcl has been widely applied. Mintec introduced Python, also extensible and portable amongst various operating systems, for use in their MineSight products. In early 2000, Gemcom introduced the use of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, widely used customization tools for a decade. Datamine implemented a flexible multi-language approach, with all program commands and processes available through the COM Server Interface. This extends customization from the existing macro language to scripting in HTML, JavaScript, or any language that supports COM.

Jan 1, 2003

By N. Mphathiwa

When slope angles are designed during open pit optimization, there is a risk factor applied in steepening the slopes. The steepening of slope angles has implications for the safety and economics of the mining operation. The steeper the slope angles, the greater the probability of slope failure. Although a slope failure will result in added costs, the challenge is to compile an accurate cost-benefit exercise optimizing the economic benefits of the project without exposing mine workers and equipment to unacceptable risk of rockfalls. A balance between the safety of the operation and the economics of the investment is therefore required. The ideal situation is to have a slope monitoring system that will predict slope failure by detecting any ground movement before the actual failure occurs. This early warning will allow the risk factor to be applied with a high degree of confidence, knowing that the risk will be adequately mitigated. The objective of this paper is to provide guidelines on how to design an optimal survey slope monitoring system. It is the authors? view that for a survey monitoring system to yield desirable results, it should adhere to survey principles such as working from the whole to part and consistently cross-checking. The case study used is Jwaneng Mine, and the design strategy outlined can be used as a guideline for developing a new slope monitoring system or to optimize an existing one.

Jan 1, 2014

Orebodies are defined in economic terms in that they must satisfy conditions determined by costs of mining, extraction and marketing before being so described. Despite this they have an essential chemical character as specialized products resulting from geochemical differentiation, and it is surprising that so little basic geochemical research has been carried out with respect to ore occurrence and that prospecting methods based on geochemical principles are not more widely applied.Many exploration geologists associate geochemistry with analytical techniques applied to the detection of dispersed traces of metals from actual orebodies. Geochemical research, applied to economic geology, goes far beyond this limited field and the purpose of this paper is to discuss aspects of such research and its use in formulating exploration principles.THE GEOCHEMICAL BACKGROUND TO MINERAL OCCURRENCE AND EXPLORATIONThe three aspects of economic mineral deposits to which geochemical research can be of use in determining ore guides are genesis, control of deposition and mode of dispersion from orebodies after emplacement. Prospecting for mineral deposits is primarily based on theories of ore occurrence which deal with the genetic and depositional influences controlling localization of ore. There are many such theories and they will not be discussed here as they have been adequately reviewed in geological publications. Some are based on differing argument concerning the same empirically observed associations of ore. In this respect it is perhaps fortunate that they are not always mutually exclusive as regards the...

Jan 1, 1960

By Arthur M. Langer

Since the promulgation of the first Federal Asbestos Standard by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1972, other federal agencies have modified the standard to better carry on their own unique missions. The instruments used to identify and measure asbestos, the sampling protocol, and the criteria used to define asbestos, have been modified to some degree. The Mine Safety and Health Administration regulates and controls asbestos dust in the mining and mineral commodity industries. However, crushed stone and processed ores contain mineral fragments that are frequently difficult to distinguish from asbestos. Mineral nomenclature, instruments for particle analysis, and sampling strategy must be accommodated to some degree to make asbestos control workable and meaningful. Precedent in other agencies has made consideration of these changes possible. Newly identified amphibole asbestos minerals have further complicated the agency?s regulatory charge. Changes in its Asbestos Standard are now being considered. Crushed taconite ore in the Eastern Mesabi highlights many of these issues. ©2008 Published by Elsevier Inc. Keywords: Amosite; Grunerite asbestos; Crocidolite; Riebeckite asbestos; Tremolite asbestos; Actinolite asbestos; Winchite asbestos; Richterite asbestos; Arfvedsonite asbestos; Fluor-edenite asbestos; Asbestos defects; Cleavage fragment; Mineral habit; Mesabi amphiboles

Jan 1, 2008