Search Documents

By Patrick G. Hatcher

Studies of sedimentary humic acids by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), stable isotopes, and elemental analysis show they are derived by oxidative degradation of complex plant macromolecules that are insoluble in aqueous or organic solvents. The mechanism by which humic acids originate is fundamental to our understanding of the role of organic matter in ore deposition, because these substances can complex and mobilize a number of metal ions. The organic matter associated with uranium ores of the San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Carlin-type disseminated gold deposits of Nevada has certain organic geochemical characteristics that suggest an origin from humic acids.

Jan 1, 2013

By D. G. Chedgy

This article presents a novel design, called the Climax High Capacity Processor (HCP), for pre-combustion cleaning of coal. This design is particularly suitable for the plant capacities of 400 -660 TPH. The HCP is different from the conventional designs with an equivalent throughput in three major aspects: 1) the use of one large capacity HM cyclone to separate coarse and intermediate raw coal in a single circuit; 2) the elimination of the conventional secondary magnetics recovery system by use of the high efficiency Climax magnetic separators; 3) the use of "single line" piping with a minimum requirement of ancillary devices. In comparison with conventional designs with similar capacity, the HCP plant costs much less in capital investment, operation and maintenance.

Jan 1, 1997

By M. D. Loy

In addition to products available from private vendors, many useful programs are developed at universities - in fact, many of these programs led the way to commercial development. Other projects are assigned to consultants with backgrounds in system design and mining. Both types of development have led to programs that can be acquired for the cost of a tape or disk. This paper highlights several underground mining packages. These programs consist of: ? USBM model-developed by the United States Bureau of nines. ? PSU model-developed by Pennsylvania State University. ? VPI model-developed by Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University. ? NUS model-developed by NUS Corp.

Jan 1, 1987

By James Wm. White

Computer based dispatching in open pit truck haulage operations yields many benefits of current interest to mine management. The key tangible benefit is a substantial productivity increase with a given fleet of equipment or, alternately, a significant reduction in equipment required to meet production quotas. Other tangible benefits, depending on the operation, include minimizing rehandle, meeting several blending constraints simultaneously and ensuring a target plant feed rate. Intangible benefits include production forecasting, performance comparisons of trucks or shovels of different manufacture and extensive on-line report generation. Recent advances in mini and micro computer hardware and software and solid state electronics permit design and implementation of system features not feasible even a few years ago. Here we discuss many of these recent developments with emphasis on system aspects and dispatching algorithms.

Jan 1, 1983

By C. W. Fitzgerald

INTRODUCTION Continuous mining machines are used in regular flat ore beds having uniform thickness. Since coal is the most common type of material occurring in such beds, most continuous miners are used for the extraction of coal from underground mines. The first continuous mining machine for under¬ground coal mining was introduced in 1948. In one machine, the continuous miner combines the functions performed by a conventional face drill, a cutting ma¬chine, and a loading machine. It breaks or digs the material out of the surrounding solid and transfers the material back through the machine chassis by means of a chain conveyor. The conveyor carries the material to a haulage system, usually a rubber-tired vehicle known as a shuttle car. Generally, continuous miners are used in seam heights from 890 to 3660 mm (35 to 144 in.). For seam heights of 1070 mm (42 in.) or less, the haulage system may be a multiple-bridge conveyor or battery-powered tractors that haul low-bed trailers. Proj¬ects are being undertaken by private industry and through government contracts to develop a continuous haulage system for all seam heights. As of 1976, the majority of continuous miners were of two types. The first type is the drum miner, which mounts the cutting elements on a series of drums across the cutting head of the machine, sometimes using a cutting chain to cut clearance for the gear drive. In the drum-type machines, the cutting head rotates parallel to the material face. The second type is the auger miner, which utilizes cutting elements mounted on two auger-type cutting heads. One head is located on each side of the machine, with the heads mounted per¬pendicular to the material face. Chain-head ripper-type miners/miners having rotary cutting elements with oscillating motion and twin-head boring-type miners have all been popular within the last 15 years. Although these are considered obsolete, some machines are still being supplied for specialized applications. GENERAL DESCRIPTION This chapter describes only continuous mining ma¬chines available as manufacturers' production models as of September 1976. Figs. 1 through 11 illustrate some typical machines currently in use. Cutting Elements The cutting elements are the interface between the machine and the material being mined. In describing the cutting elements, consideration must be given to the differences between the drum- and auger-type machines, the bit-tip speeds, and the bit types. Drum-Type Continuous Mining Machines: Three of the four principal manufacturers of drum-type miners use multi-motor designs that provide separate a-c motors for driving the cutting elements. Gear trains are used to reduce the speeds of the motors to the rotational speeds of the cutting elements. One of the three suppliers drives the cutting elements of its low-seam models with a heavy-duty drive chain that is equipped with cutting bits; all other functions of this machine have separate motor drives that are either electrical or hydraulic. The fourth principal manufacturer generally provides two a-c electric motors, utilizing gear reducers, drive shafts, and hydraulically operated engaging clutches to power all of the operating functions, including the cut¬ting elements. Some drum-type miners use trim chains, equipped with cutting bits, to cut clearance for the gear drives. These trim chains vary from two 305-mm (12-in.) chains to one 760-mm (30-in.) chain per machine, de¬pending upon the manufacturer's design concept. In all machines other than the low-seam models that use chains to drive the heads, the trim chains are driven by sprockets on the drive shaft of the final cutterhead drum; therefore, the trim chains are not used for power trans¬mission to the cutting elements. In addition to cutting clearance for the gear drives, the trim chains provide uniform bit spacing all the way across the head and assist in moving the cut material to an area where it is either loaded directly into the miner's conveyor or is easier to load into the conveyor. On a drum-type mining machine, the cutting ele¬ments all rotate from the top to the bottom. Therefore, the recommended procedure is to raise the cutterhead to the maximum seam height, sump the entire machine forward to maximum depth by means of a crawler drive, and then shear downward until the cutter elements reach the floor level. The maximum sump depth varies ac¬cording to the drum diameter, the type of material, the floor conditions, and the operator's abilities. It normally varies an average of 460 to 760 mm (18 to 30 in.). Cutter drums are supplied with two types of cutting bit holders. Weld-on holders are attached permanently. Pin-on holders are replaceable at the face. Cutter-drum diameters over the bit tips vary from 660 to 965 mm (26 to 38 in.), depending upon the chassis height of the machine and the range of cutting heights. Auger-Type Continuous Mining Machines: As cut-

Jan 1, 1982

By Terrence J. Stobbe

On the job injuries to the musculoskeletal system are probably the oldest of the industrial safety problems. Long before we had pinchpoints to guard, chemical vapors to ventilate, and noise to enclose, people were getting strains, sprains, and sore backs from their work activities. In spite of the age of the problem, it remains a long way from being solved. The past ten years have seen a significant commitment by the sci¬entific community to understanding the problem. Engineers, scientists, doctors, and epidemi¬ologists have been involved, and as a result, today we have a much better understanding of the problem. The first step in understanding a problem such as this is to explore its history and epidemiology. The research done by Chaffin (1977), Snook (1970), Ayoub (1978), the ILO (1962), and others, led NIOSH to publish its Work Practices Guide for Manual Lifting in 1981. The guide was based on research carried out in general industry, but subsequent research by Stobbe (1983) and Peters (1983) has suggested that the nature of the problems producing injuries in underground mining is the same as in general industry. The problems are more intense in the mining environment.

Jan 1, 1984

By D. Robert Weir

The complex mineralogy of the Porgera resource has a pronounced effect on process selection for the recovery of refractory gold and silver. Intimate association of gold with pyrite necessitates a high degree of sulphur preoxidation in order to achieve acceptable levels of gold recovery. Acid pressure oxidation has been demonstrated to be the only commercially proven process capable of achieving the required level of pyrite oxidation. Gangue mineralization dictates preconcentration of the sulphides to limit the acid consuming capacity and carbon dioxide generation during oxidation. However, the relationship between concentrate sulphur grade and gold recovery to concentrate ultimately governs the optimum degree of sulphide preconcentration.

Jan 1, 1986

By C. R. Tatman

Failure to achieve the planned production rate at new mines and mine expansions has a major adverse impact on a project's economics. A study of 60 steeply dipping tabular deposit-type underground mines showed that 35% of the mines did not achieve their production goals. An empirical formula based on the geometry of the deposit and expressed as a rate factor is applicable to select a production rate for this type of deposit. The formula is: Annual production rate = Rate factor x Rate multiplier. The appropriate rate multiplier for each category of deposit thickness and the associated risk can be used to select an appropriate production rate.

Jan 1, 2002

By Bill Sayer

Cadman, a wholly owned subsidiary of Heidelberg Cement, is a leading supplier of sand and gravel as well as ready mix concrete in the greater Seattle area in western Washington State. Cadman's aggregate mine is located in North Bend, 34 miles east of Seattle, WA, and consists of a "Lower Pit" and an "Upper Pit." In 2005, Cadman planned the upgrade of the North Bend mine operation as follows: Upper Pit (Figure 1): 1. Crushing Plant, Stacker and Stockpile 2. Storage Reclaim Belt Feeders 3. Feed Conveyor 4. Downhill Overland Conveyor Lower Pit (Figure 2, Photo 12): 1. Radial Stacker 2. Storage Reclaim and Truck Load-out

Jan 1, 2008

By Tor L. Brekke, Alberto Marulanda P.

The paper describes hazardous water inflows during construction that have taken place over the last three years in tunnels in Colombia. The projects involved are the Chivor II Hydroelectric Power Project (penstock tunnel), and the Chingaza Water Project (two tunnels). In all cases, loss of face control led to significant loss of ground; in one case some 70,000 m3 of slide material was involved, much of which came out through the portal situated 1.6 km from the face. Emphasis is given to: (a) the geologic setting, (b) the remedial measures taken, and (c) the main efforts that can be made to prevent hazardous conditions from developing.

Jan 1, 1981

By M. K. Buder

Over the years, electric utilities have been faced with declining steam-coal quality, rising coal prices, and increasingly rigid and costly environmental standards. As a result, many utilities are beginning to show an interest in coal cleaning to upgrade coal by improving its heating value and reducing its sulfur content. Among the primary questions that must be answered for these electric utilities is whether the cost of coal cleaning can be offset by the potential cost savings in coal transportation and utilization in power generation. In search of at least a preliminary answer to this question, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) engaged Bechtel to perform a case-by-case economic study to examine the cost effects of using cleaned versus raw coal to fuel new electric power plants. The results of two of the seven cases studied which involved western coals - one from Montana and another from Utah - are reported in this paper. Coal cleaning appeared to be a cost effective option for the Utah coal, but only marginally economical for the Montana coal. These cost results are expected to change to favor coal cleaning to a greater extent with the application of the final revised New Source Performance Standards regulating SO2 emissions just issued by the EPA. The study was based on the regulation originally proposed by the EPA under the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments.

Jan 1, 1979

By William J. Miles

The inhalation of dust has been a problem in the mining industry since antiquity. Crystalline silica is now known to be the cause of silicosis, a form of pneumoconiosis that is associated with excessive exposure to respirable particles in some mining and industrial environments. Crystalline silica was reviewed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 1986 and classified as a Group 2A, Probably Carcinogenic to Humans in Volume 42 and Supplement 7 of the IARC Monographs (1987). In 1996, IARC reviewed additional literature and studies published in the intervening decade and recommended that quartz and cristobalite, two polymorphs of crystalline silica, be listed as Group 1, Carcinogenic to Humans. Their recommendations and reclassification were published in 1997 in IARC Monographs 68.[2] In both Monographs, IARC classified amorphous silicas as Group 3, Inadequate Evidence for Carcinogenicity to Humans.

Jan 1, 1998

By George H. Klein, B. Kent Merritt, Anthony Crisci

During the past decade, over 114-km (71-mi) of 0.25-m (10-in) to 3.7-m (144-in) finished diameter tunnels have been driven below Metropolitan Houston as part of a major program of water and wastewater improvements. This large effort has seen the introduction of midwestern technology with over 18-km (11-mi) of man-entry pipe jacking and European and Japanese technology with over 21-km (13-mi) of microtunneling. Owing to the high water table; a stratigraphy consisting of stiff fissured clays containing numerous layers, channels, and lenses of water-charged sands and silts; and active faults, many challenges existed for designers and contractors alike.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. L. Chakravatti

The movement of air from the surface, through the workings and then back to the surface, is the most important consideration in the ventilation design. The purpose of mine ventilation is seen as the maintenance of acceptable atmospheric environments wherever men work or travel underground; and acceptability is related to the risk of harmful biological responses associated with exposure to atmospheric environments in mines. In mine ventilation, a design engineer often has to contend with a number of problems not experienced to the same degree in other industrial situations; i.e. the vast extent of many workings - offering continuously moving work locations; the difficulty of predicting. inflows of contaminants to the airways which contain the micro-environment; and especially, the effect of mining activity within the duct system (e.g. mine roadways) carrying the airflow. Mining of uranium does not differ, in many respects, from the mining of other metals; the ore must be drilled, blasted and transported from the mine. Underground mining proceeds by the continous development and advancement of a network of passages and rooms or stopes from which ore is excavated. As in most mines, rock conditions and ore grades in uranium deposits very from area to area and between different mines. 1 In uranium mining, in addition to eliminating noxious gases from blasting, diesel equipment exhaust, and the control of dust, it is also necessary to dilute and remove radon, the gaseous element in the uranium chain and its decay products. Long term epidemiologic studies of United States uranium miners and that of miners in Czechoslovakia have confirmed that there is an association between excessive ex¬posure to radon daughters and an increased risk of lung cancer. The common practices for controlling these airborne contaminants are: (1) the circulation of large volumes of fresh air from surface to dilute these contaminants to a permissible concentration, and (2) the sealing of worked-out areas to prevent ingress of radon into ventilating air. 2 The sealing of worked-out areas can be easily and effectively accomplished, but the contaminants intro¬duced from the workings may raise the concentrations in the airways despite a good ventilation system and use of the maximum available amount of fresh air. The ventilating air can be strategically filtered to reduce dust and radon daughters to acceptable levels, and reused prior to final discharge. This strategy properly applied, will decrease the air colume requirements in certain marginal areas of the mine and thereby avoid an overall increase in the mine airflow. This is particularly advantageous in the cold climates of Canada, where the incoming fresh air must be heated in the winter months to a comfortable temperature, Thus, an economical and technically feasible air filtration system, strategically placed, can improve the underground mining environment and reduce the overall cost of ventilating the mines. In addition to affording flexibilty to the venti¬lation system, a potential saving of $1,500/m3/s/year would be realized if air is successfully cleaned and reused when compared with the conventional methods of generating an air current. 3 Denison is justly proud of its achievements in the air filtration technology development. This paper limits itself to an examination of the radiation control aspect of the air filtration strategy.

Jan 1, 1980

By G. Barelli, C. Giusti, W. H. Langer

Natural aggregate – sand, gravel, and crushed stone – is the number one non-energy mineral resource in the world in terms of both volume and value. A plan for the sustainable development of aggregate resources can include: 1) policies and economic incentives to encourage identification and protection of potential resources, 2)efficient quarrying and processing of aggregate, 3) efficient use of primary aggregates, 4) greater use of recycled, waste, or substitute material, 5) inclusion of costs of all environmental impacts in price of material, 6) reclamation to beneficial secondary uses, and 7)identification of objectives, targets, actions, and sustainability indicators. Quarrying can also contribute to sustainable ecosystems through natural habitat reclamation.

Jan 1, 2003

By H. Rush Spedden

A process has been developed and piloted to reject copper, lead, iron, phosphorus, bismuth, antimony, elemental sulfur, and insol from molybdenite concentrate without decomposing the contained molybdenite and rhenium. The impure concentrate is first heated with concentrated sulfuric acid at 260 to 290°C for 1 hour. This bake not only oxidizes the contaminating sulfides, but also activates the concentrate for later rejection of insol by flotation. Two stages of leaching follow the sulfation step. The first is an acidified water leach which extracts the oxidized copper, iron, and phosphorous; the second leach rejects the lead, bismuth, and antimony into a warm concentrated solution of sodium chloride. Final upgrading is achieved by conventional froth flotation. The chemistry of the process as well as results obtained from its implementation in a 5,000 lb/day pilot plant are presented.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. Riding

Degussa Corporation's peroxide-assisted leaching (PAL) process was evaluated in the batch concentrate leach circuit at Hecla Mining Company's Republic Unit. The product leached in this batch circuit is a high grade gold-silver sulfide (predominately pyrite) flotation concentrate. The primary objectives of the test program were to determine the effects of dilute hydrogen peroxide addition on leaching kinetics, sodium cyanide consumption and precious metals recovery. The results of the testing demonstrated that using dilute hydrogen peroxide produced the following benefits: - 1. Batch leach time requirements decreased by 80%. - 2. Sodium cyanide consumption in concentrate leach reduced by 55%, which translated to an overall plant reduction of 20%. - 3. In the concentrate leach process, gold recovery was increased by 1 to 2%. Because of the excellent metallurgical results achieved with the use of dilute hydrogen peroxide, as well as an economic incentive, PAL has become standard practice in the concentrate leach circuit operation. A complete description of the Republic PAL plant evaluation and performance is provided in this paper. In addition, process chemistry considerations in regard to the role of hydrogen peroxide are discussed.

Jan 1, 1992

Almost all of the world?s zirconium is mined in the form of zircon (ZrSiO4), the majority as a coproduct of titanium mining from heavy mineral sands deposits. These are placer type deposits, in which the dominant mineral is silica but which also contain a suite of ?valuable minerals,? often consisting of a mixture of titanium minerals, various alumino-silicates and zircon plus a range of other mineral species. The composition of the valuable minerals in such deposits is known as the mineral assemblage. There is no reasonable consistent geological relationship between zircon and titanium minerals. They can derive from separate igneous rock deposits that rarely occur together. The connection emanates once these separate rocks have been eroded by weather and water, often across a very long geological period. Once this has happened, zircon and titanium minerals often find their way to the same locations because they share two major characteristics:

Jan 1, 2011

By G. S. Dobby

High-intensity wet magnetic separators have been successfully introduced into the mineral processing field over the past ten to fifteen years, due largely to rapid advancements in magnet design. Wet magnetic separation, until recent years, was applied solely to the concentration of minerals of high magnetic susceptibility, such as magnetite, at relatively coarse sizes. Now, however, high-intensity separators are capable of treating weakly paramagnetic minerals and have extended the range of treatable particle size down to about one micrometre(1,2). . One of the more recent-high-intensity separators developed is the Kolm¬Marston Marston type high-gradient magnetic separator (HGMS) (3,4) It consists basically of an iron-clad solenoid surrounding a matrix material - a fine, ferromagnetic steel wool or expanded metal lath. A schematic diagram of the device is shown in Figure 1. Large, highly localized, pertebations of the magnetic field are created by the ferromagnetic matrix. It is these field gradients that are instrumental in developing large magnetic forces which act on the mineral particles. Operation of the separator is simple. Slurried sample is fed through the matrix and, depending upon the mineral parameters of particle size and magnetic susceptibility and. the operating parameters of flow rate, field strength and feed weight, some particles will be attracted to and adhere to the magnetized matrix, while the others will flow through the matrix. The separation is completed by later removing the background magnetic field and flushing the captured mineral particles into a separate container. The process can also be applied on a continuous basis (S).

Jan 1, 1977

By D. Brabec

One of the analytical problems in exploration geochemistry is the choice of a method of sample attack which would be rapid, simple and reliable in terms of precision and discrimination between different concentration levels of elements sought. The wet sample attacks currently used in analysis of silicate rocks vary from total decomposition to leaching by weak extractants. The total decomposition of such materials is usually achieved either by alkaline fusion or hydrofluoric acid attack. The first method requires the use of platinum vessels which is both expensive and slow for batch operation. The second type of attack is more widely applied in rock geochemistry1, but it is still relatively slow for exploration purposes and requires extra care (especially when hydrofluoric acid is used in mixture with perchloric acid). Considerable improvement in speed can be achieved by using the sample attacks which release only part of the metal present in a rock.2,4 One of such attacks is the leaching of pulverized rocks by hot aqua regia.3 Another technique widely used in geochemical prospecting involves fusion of the samples with potassium pyrosulfate (or bisulfate) followed by an acid leach of the malt .5 One of the advantages of these techniques is the use of glassware in decomposition stage which considerably increases the analytical productivity. It should be noted that partial chemical attacks tend to extract from a rock mainly the non-silicate metal which may give results more significant for exploration purposes than the analysis for total metal.

Jan 1, 1970