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Over the past five years, dedicated tertiary mining engineering programs have become financially unsustainable in Australia on the basis of undergraduate enrolments alone. The situation is worse in other minerals related disciplines and extends to the technical minerals education sector. This paper reviews the causes for the current situation. Indicators are presented which suggest that enrolment trends can no longer be attributed only to business cycles in the minerals industry but are also reflective of a fundamental shift in student interest in the sciences and resources based engineering disciplines. Reactive responses to changing trends are diluting and compromising the quality of mining engineering education. It is unlikely that the trends can be reversed or resisted. Tertiary minerals educators need to position themselves so that they can be responsive to on-going change. Two proposals are offered which aim to anchor mining engineering in a long-term sustainable manner. The proposals have a common educational component which is concerned with restructuring how mining engineering programs are presented and providing more flexible access to such programs. However, the two proposals have significantly different commercial components. The commercial component of first proposal is concerned with working within the traditional education framework of universities to endow a critical number of core staff positions. It effectively equates to fund raising. The second proposal is concerned with developing a stand-alone commercial operation around the education and research advantages of the global and multi-disciplinary university system. As a shareholder in this business, a university department would earn dividends that it could then use to support its education initiatives. This proposal provides a performance-based mechanism for supporting university minerals programs and has the potential to be cost-neutral. Both proposals are suited to resource sharing with a select number of international mining schools and to the incorporation of the other tertiary minerals disciplines under threat.

Jan 1, 2000

By Denholm WT

A mathematical model has been developed for intense pneumatic smelting processes, such as the Sirosmelt group of processes, to assist in establishing optimum process conditions and to permit operator training. The model first solicits input operating conditions from disk files and from the operator. During operation, the feed, fuel, and air (or oxygen) rates are automatically adjusted to maintain the desired process targets. Alternatively, these parameters, as with all other inputs, may be manually controlled by the operator. Selected process parameters are displayed to the terminal in a regularly updated diagram of the process,. Outputs of detailed information including heat and mass balances are available for immediate inspection or for use by ancillary plotting packages. Development of a robust free energy minimization routine has led to a flexible and time efficent model capable of handling a range of pyrometallurical systems. Modelling of tin smelting, lead smelting, copper smelting, matte fuming, and pneumatic steel-making has been sucessfully carried out. Typical outputs from the model are given and discussed in terms of their internal consistency and relationship to the operation of the relevant Sirosmelt process. `

Jan 1, 1984

Someone once said "Leadership is the ability to inflict pain and get away with it." The same can be said about successful management of equipment suppliers. Improved performance will not be achieved without some pain, but it should be evenly spread between both parties. In practically all mining situations there is a great deal of scope for improving performance and reducing maintenance costs on an extremely wide range of plant, but it requires co-operative effort. Most mine maintenance engineers attribute the main problems to the equipment suppliers, unsuitable designs, lack of spares, untrained servicemen, lack of standardisation, poor maintenance manuals, and so on. Conversely the suppliers' engineers are usually convinced that problems with their product are exclusively due to poor maintenance management, after all they never have the same problem elsewhere. Of course both are correct to some degree. My aim in this paper is to explore the opportunities for substituting collaboration for confrontation between the engineers of the mining and supplying companies. I will also propose that contrary to common belief, the mines rather than the suppliers, should be taking the management initiative needed to achieve a closer and more effective relationship, Many would argue that this initiative should remain solely with the supplier; after

Jan 1, 1980

By T Klinge, P Field, N Sugden, D Trenberth

Mining remains one of the key industries in Australia and many other countries with mineral wealth. In Australia, mining contributes 8.8 per cent to the countryÆs gross domestic product (McKay et al, 2000). In Queensland alone, mineral and petroleum industries contribute approximately $9.4 billion to the StatesÆ gross state product (2001/02) (Young, 2003). Increasing pressure on mining companies to perform in a global marketing environment requires mine management to consider more innovative ways to manage their resources û human, plant and equipment û which includes the gathering and analysis of operations data and information for improved decision making. For any mining operation utilising rubber tyred equipment such as trucks, front-end loaders and ancillary equipment, annual expenditure on tyres and related items can be significant. Even a small reduction in tyre operating costs can have a real effect on the business bottom line performance in the short term. Tyre Application Risk Management (TYREARMÖ) can provide substantial benefits in the long term across a number of KPIs not just through reduction in direct tyre expenditure but through flow-on improvements in safety, productivity and reduced environmental impacts. Several accidents involving tyres have also highlighted an increased need to consider the hazards and resultant risks arising from operations of rubber tyred mining fleets (Torlach and Johnston, 1990). This paper presents the process and results of achieving sustained safety and business improvement through the strategic alliance between an earthmover tyre management service provider, Klinge and Co (Klinge) and a BHP Billiton coal mine. The accompanying case study demonstrates in some detail the overall methodology, and the tools and technologies used where active management of data, its analysis and decisions taken have resulted in a 43 per cent improvement in tyre cost performance and a corresponding reduction in tyre-related downtime since the beginning of the alliance.

Jan 1, 2003

The Ranger Project Area covers 78.6sq km and is approximately six km east-west by 14km north-south (Fig. 1). The area is known to con- tain two uranium orebodies, Ranger No. 1 and No. 3, two uranium occurrences, Anomalies 4 and 5 and three significant radon anomalies, Ranger 18, 19 and 48. The Ranger No. 1 and No. 3 Orebodies con- tain approximately 120 000 tonnes of U308 in highly chloritised metasediments of the Lower Proterozoic Cahill Formation. The orebodies occur as suboutcrop and exhibit significant radiometric anomalies. These occur within approximately 400m vertically of the projected unconformity with the sandstone of the Middle Proterozoic Kombolgie Formation. Oxidised and reduced uranium minerals occur in quartz-rich schists containing variable muscovite, chlorite and sericite and in the chloritic matrix of chert breccia. Secondary uranium minerals namely saleeite, metatorbernite and gummite associated with earthy iron oxides occur from the surface to 50m depth in No. 1 Orebody and up to 80m depth in No. 3 Orebody. Below the oxidised zone, uranium occurs as pitchblende finely disseminated throughout sequences of quartz muscovite chlorite schist up to 150m thick and as open space fillings in zones of structural deformation. The uranium-bearing schists directly overlie up to 300m of dolomite and magnesite containing minor interbedded schist units and are themselves overlain by approximately 2 000m of more micaceous schists of the upper part of the Cahill Formation. Regional metamorphism has occurred to at least amphibolite facies and has been followed by retrograde metamorphism to a greenschist facies equivalent. The metasediments are intruded by granitic pegmatites and dolerites. Uranium is associated strongly with chlorite of which there are at least five textural varieties. Not all of the various generations of chlorite have associated uranium. Graphitic schist horizons occur which are often less than one metre thick and discontinuous. These are best developed at the base of the quartz chlorite schist sequence where uranium grades up to 1 000ppm U may extend for several hundred metres beyond the main ore zone. Uran- ium is not common in the carbonate sequences and only occurs in chlorite segregations in disrupted zones. The unoxidised ore contains sulphides, mostly pyrite, which are low in abundance (

Jan 1, 1984

People in the work environment (and often elsewhere) are seen as a commodity (we use them for our purposes).The general accepted view of a Company is that shareholders are "The Company" and that they employ people to utilise their money in a particular field to generate more money to give a return on investment. To achieve this, capital equipment is purchased to fulfil a task and people are employed to use this equipment. Equipment and people are commodities purchased with money.The focus of this approach is MONEY. The equipment and people, and the use of them, determines the amount of money that can be generated. In this approach people are motivated by financial concerns. The harder the times the more money becomes the focus.

Jan 1, 1998

By R van Berkel

Regional synergies concern the capture, recovery and reuse of by-products, water and energy between industrial operations in close proximity. The Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing (CSRP) undertakes applied research to further advance regional synergies in the Kwinana Industrial Area in Western Australia in order to achieve greater efficiencies in water, energy and materials consumption and reduction in waste and emission generation. The Kwinana Industries Council (KIC) and its member organisations recognise water consumption and disposal as key environmental issues. Some 30 companies in Kwinana consume a total of more than 35 000 ML/yr of fresh water. Over the past years significant progress has been made towards the reduction of water consumption and improvements in effluent disposal. As part of the CSRP Kwinana Synergies Project, water balances for the ten major water consuming companies have been completed, including workshop sessions with company staff on water synergy opportunities. This work resulted in a set of synergy opportunities which are currently being pursued. In parallel to the Kwinana project, the CSRP has commissioned a supporting project that delivers a toolkit to guide a more targeted and less resource intensive way to identify feasible water synergy opportunities. One of these tools focuses specifically on water, and takes count of input and output water flows within a given industrial area to deliver listings of prioritised water synergy opportunities. This paper discusses the water mapping and workshop approach taken in Kwinana and its outcomes, which are to identify and evaluate water synergy opportunities. The results from the trial application of the developed Regional Eco-Efficiency Opportunity Assessment Toolkit are also presented.

Jan 1, 2006

Comalco Aluminium Limited uses a computer system for cost, supply and maintenance reporting and control at its bauxite mine in Weipa, North Queensland. The system collects data on a daily basis at a high level of detail on both cost and maintenance history. This allows useful reporting to all levels of management from the shop floor to the General Manager. The most successful aspect of the system is that the information is available in all workshops on visual display units. This allows the real spenders of the Company's money, Foremen and Tradesmen, to make well informed decisions. The system has also decreased the time taken to find parts and information which gives the Foremana greater opportunity to do his real job of supervision and quality control.

Jan 1, 1983

In April, 1990 the Sydney Water Board invited bids for the construction of the Hazelbrook Carrier Section 3 being part of the Blue Mountains Sewerage Transfer Scheme. In December 1990 the contract was awarded to Costain Resources Limited, Mining Services Division for the sum of $A15.3 M. The works consisted of excavation of 9 520 linear metres of tunnel, 3.35 metres diameter with installation of permanent ground support in the form of rockbolts, mesh, steel sets, shotcrete and in situ concrete

Jan 1, 1993

The Kalkadoon Granite is regarded as composite in character with at least two different phases. The older phase is considered older than the sediments of the Western Geosyncline, and the younger phase is considered younger than the sediments of the Western Geosyncline.Consequently, the older phase could be a time equivalent of the Ewen Granite, whereas the younger phase could not. An age of 1760 million years seems plausible for the older phase, and an age of 1540 millionyears seems appropriate for the younger phase.

Jan 1, 1967

Mary Kathleen Uranium Ltd. recommenced operations in early 1976 following a twelve year period of care and maintenance. Several sections of the plant were modified or completely changed for the second operation. The most important change was the replacement of ion exchange with solvent extraction as the means of purifying and upgrading uranium rich Isolutions Most of the problems experienced in the solvent extraction system originate from the leach liquor which has a strong tendency to form stable emulsions. This has been countered by some careful control of leaching conditions and by closer observation of operations in the solvent extraction area. Most problems have now been resolved and plant recoveries are quite Satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1978

Dragline performance drops considerably when chop-down and double handling of material is needed due to increasing overburden thick- ness or total pit depth. Beyond a certain pit depth the dragline needs support by a pre- stripping system in the upper portion of the overburden. In soft to medium hard ground the bucket wheel excavator can be used for pre- stripping, whereby several methods of material transport are investigated. Conveyor transport around the pit and dumping by stackers is the best solution from the technical point of view. Cross pit transport and dumping by means of a conveying bridge is the method with the lowest costs per volume moved. Cross pit transport by use of a beltwagon with overlong discharge boom is both, poor from the technical point of view and high in overall costs.

Jan 1, 1981

By U E. Sibilski

A pilot plant evaluation of the Savmin process, for the purification of mine water was commissioned by Anglogold and conducted at the Stilfontein Gold Mine, Margaret Shaft at Stilfontein in the North West province of South Africa. The purpose of the project was to obtain the operating conditions and operating costs, to produce different qualities of product water, as well as design parameters for upscaling to an industrial plant. The project was undertaken by AngloGold and Mintek of South Africa.

Jan 1, 2003

Pipe Jacking has been a recognised method of tunnelling in the U.K. since the early 1950's, although I understand that pipes were pushed blind by the soldiers in the first World War from trenches on the Allied side to, or adjacent to, trenches on the German side, thus allowing explosives to be used with a certain element of surprise! 'However, on its more conventional to the U.K. in the 1950's, Pipe Jacking made considerable inroads into the tunnelling market place as an alternative to timber supported headings. This success was, unfortunately, fairly short lived because, owing to its simple method of operation, contractors paid insufficient detail to the engineering (or surveying) aspects and as such the system soon had a bad reputation for unreliability and lack of accuracy. Due to these failings, the market was not exploited and, therefore, there was a lack of investment by contractors, pipe manufacturers and also by any client, or research organisation, which is client associated. The effect of this meant that the system stagnated for a number of years and was used generally only for short crossing work (i.e. railways, canals and motorways), and then only in good homogeneous ground. Albeit, a limited number of full scale sewage disposal contracts were carried out, but with the lack of knowledge and experience of the clients, contractors and suppliers, (particularly the pipe suppliers), no reasonable success, either physical or financial, was achieved on any such contract.

Jan 1, 1987

By A E. McElnea, M A. Martens

An 18-month project was undertaken to test the effectiveness of controlled daily tidal exchange augmented with hydrated lime treatment of surface waters as an approach for remediating a severe acid sulfate soil disturbance at East Trinity, Cairns, north Queensland. Actual acid sulfate soils were producing hazardous levels of acid and heavy metal contaminants and degrading approximately 720 of the 940 ha East Trinity property and the adjacent foreshores. A government-led research team established a series of research projects with the aim of characterising the site (soils, water, terrain) and testing the effect of the lime-assisted tidal exchange management strategy on soils, water, sediments and biota.

Jan 1, 2003

In making any attempts to determine the depositional environments in which coal seams accumulated it would be useful to establish whether there is a pattern, or patterns, of development which the majority of the seams have followed. To this end, the distribution of types of coal seam sequences found in the standard petrographic profiles of about a hundred Australian coal seams of Permian and Triassic age has been examined statistically, using the "chi square test" with the limiting probability set at O·Gl.Results indicate that non-random conditions have probably prevailed during the deposition of most of the seams. More samples are needed for conclusive results.The plants, or some other internal feature of the swamp environment, have been the important controlling factor in the development of the seam sequences.Comparison has been made with some British Carboniferous coals.

Jan 1, 1972

Roasting of zinc concentrate at the Risdon Works of the Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Limited, (E.Z.), is carried out in two fluid bed roasters capable of treating 450000 tonne/yr, or sufficient for the output of 220000 tonne of salable zinc. The furnaces were constructed by Lurgi, Australia, to the basic design developed by Vieille Montagne Company of Balen, Belgium. The advantages of fluid bed roasting include a higher metallurgical efficiency in sulphur oxidation from a feed which does not require any pre-grinding, mechanical reliabil- ity through the absence of any moving parts within the furnace and the capability of being scaled up to a large unit.

Jan 1, 1977

By R Hoeppel, D Harimon, A Fisher

This paper examines the importance of examining the relationship between biology and geochemistry when designing a biopile to treat alkaline soils impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons. At a site in Nevada a large, unlined pit was constructed in a loamy sand soil and filled at regular intervals with a mixture of jet fuel, lubricating oils and waste solvents which were set on fire by the local fire department for training purposes. During its period of operation numerous chemicals were also dumped into the pit for disposal purposes, including dichlorobenzene and various chloroethylenes. As a result of these activities a large groundwater contaminant plume was formed. As a part of the site remediation process a decision was made to perform a limited source removal and excavate the top three to four metres of contaminated soil from the burn pit and place it in an engineered biopile. The location of the training pit is in a heavily mineralised basin where the background sulphate level in groundwater exceeds 5000 ppm. Due to naturally occurring biodegradation of the petroleum hydrocarbons a large portion of the sulphate was converted to sulphide which deposited in the soils as marcasite in the anaerobic soils. The initial attempt at soil remediation was to use a forced air treatment scheme that had worked well in small scale laboratory testing. Unfortunately, when attempted in the field on a large scale, marcasite reacted with atmospheric oxygen resulting in internal biopile temperatures exceeding 90¦C resulting in the virtual sterilisation of the soils without remediation occurring. In order to solve this vexing problem Pintail Systems, Inc developed an anaerobic culture that allowed the pile to be operated under anaerobic conditions. Within three months the biopile successfully demonstrated on a large scale significant biodegradation of the refractory petroleum hydrocarbons.

Jan 1, 2004

The Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program was established and is supported by the Australian Government at a total cost of $140 million per year. Six of these centres have been established to help Australia's mineral industry: three in exploration, one in mining and mineral processing and two in extractive metallurgy. Since the CRC Program has now been in operation for five years, it is a good time to ask whether the minerals industry is being served adequately by these centres. In this paper, the performance of one CRC, namely the A J Parker Cooperative Research Centre for Hydrometallurgy, will be discussed in terms of the objectives of the CRC Program. As will be shown, the Parker Centre has made considerable progress since its establishment in 1992.

Jan 1, 1996

By A H. Hofstra, G P. Landis, P Emsbo, A G. Hunt

Models of the evolution of the hydrothermal systems that form porphyry Cu (Mo-Au) deposits are compromised because aqueous magma-derived fluids in the ore zones of most deposits have changed from their original magmatic compositions as a result of cooling, depressurising, mineral precipitation, brine-vapour unmixing and fluid-rock reactions. However, in deep quartz-rich, sulfide-poor veins from numerous porphyry type deposits, we have identified parental fluids trapped in inclusions at near magmatic temperatures and pressures above the brine-vapour unmixing solvus. We have analysed these inclusions for bulk salinity, density, solute chemistry, helium isotopic ratios and elemental composition. These parental inclusions contain 35 - 70 volume per cent bubble, are low to moderate salinity, contain up to ten mol per cent CO2, and commonly contain a chalcopyrite daughter crystal. Our results indicate that these Cu-rich fluids transport Cu from a plutonic complex below upward into a hydrothermal system, where decompression, cooling, unmixing and water-rock reaction drive ore-mineral precipitation. Na/Cl ratios greater than one indicate that in addition to chlorine, sulfur and/or carbonate must play a key role in Cu transportation. Helium isotope ratios indicate that between ~15 and 100 per cent of helium in these fluids is mantle-derived. We suggest that in addition to He, volatiles from mafic magmas in the mantle are also likely to supply CO2, Cu and S to the fluids that form porphyry copper deposits. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008