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By J. H. Lee

LG Metals Corporation started its second smelter operation at Onsan along with the existing flash smelter on January 31, 1998. Onsan smelter has been producing about 140,000 tons of copper annually from concentrates with the flash smelting line since 1979. In accordance with an increase in domestic copper demand, LG Metals Corporation decided to expand smelting and refining capacity by introducing a second smelter line using the Mitsubishi continuous process and a new tankhouse in 1995. After two years' expansion works consisting of engineering, procurement, construction and a successful commissioning test, the total smelting capacity of Onsan smelter increased to 340,000 ton of copper annually from concentrates. This paper describes the smelting facilities, operation result, problems encountered and improvements during the start-up and early operation of Onsan's new smelter

Jan 1, 1999

The GPS and information technology industries are now applying considerable development effort to what is being termed machine control and machine information systems, in particular focusing on the industries the of mining construction and agriculture. GPS based systems are demonstrably finding common acceptance and adding commercial value to many machine applications in industry. This has been the first step in the evolution of the information age that is now reforming mining practices. Adding the technologies of wireless data communication, modem computer databases, and networked PC's mining is on the verge of a new era in overall process management. This paper is a general discussion of what the information age means to miners and a general description of new mining operation technologies available to day from the Caterpillar technology alliance.

Jan 1, 1999

By Joel Darmstadter

The position of the coal industry in America’s fuel and power picture remains one of prime importance. Measured in Btu terms, the industry is the country’s leading energy producer and an important exporter. Foreign coal sales yield annual proceeds of about $4 billion. Coal’s one-fifth share of the nation’s energy consumption is nearly as high as that of natural gas. Coal is the electric utility sector’s principal fuel supplier. It accounts for about55% of the electricity generated at power stations.

Jan 1, 1999

By Norman R. Ball

"Many people in the mining and metallurgical industries were brought up to embrace Henry Ford's pronouncement that ""History is bunk"" but it is not generally known that the same Henry Ford created and paid for one of the finest technological museums in the Western World. I am aware that many people feel that industry history is something you ask aging executives to do or that history is a clip-andpaste compendium of pictures re-discovered every 25 years or on the occasion of issuing a press release on plant expansion. Moreover, there are many who fear historians as somewhat deranged individuals interested only in corruption, injustice and sensational labour strife. Good history lies somewhere between the controlled P.R. handout and the hysterical attack. Writing good history is a difficult creative act based on the application of experience, insight, wide knowledge and careful reasoning to available evidence. To date, the Canadian mining and metallurgical industries have achieved a great deal but left too little evidence and it is this lack of evidence which must be corrected before it is too late. It is the purpose of this article to stimulate thoughts with regard to archives, one of the more important vehicles for the preservation of such evidence."

Jan 1, 1999

By L. H. Pye

For large mining sites in the west, the traditional method for performing an ecological risk assessment (ERA) provides little useful information for risk managers faced with selecting and designing sound remedial options. Current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk assessment guidance largely supports quantitative risk characterization of individual species as surrogates for population and ecosystem-level effects. Developing a work plan for investigating and remediating ecosystem-level changes potentially caused by large-scale historic mining/smelting contaminant release requires a decision process that incorporates a more holistic ecosystem management approach. Some of the most wasteful efforts associated with mine site ecological risk assessments arise when the risk analysis and data collection programs are not specifically linked up-front to the risk manager's decision needs. The following paper discusses the importance of employing a decision-based, ecosystem management framework when conducting ecological risk assessments at large mining sites. A case study of an ecological risk assessment currently being performed at a large New Mexico copper mine site is presented.

Jan 1, 1999

By E. W. Hawk

The power generation industry may be required to reduce CO, emissions if regulations related to global climate change are enacted. Coal-fired generation, which emits 82% of the power sector CO2, would be a likely target for CO2 reduction. Compliance with the Kyoto protocol will require a 30% reduction from the projected year 2012 emission level even with moderate load growth. This paper describes an analysis of power industry CO2 reduction options and their costs to assess how a generator would make compliance decisions under a mandatory CO2 emissions reduction program. Carbon sequestration, fuel switching and new plant construction are considered.

Jan 1, 1999

By Yongqin Zhang

A single bubble released into surfactant solution first accelerates, reaching a maximum velocity then decelerates to reach a terminal velocity. Modeling this "velocity profile" is fundamental to understanding the motion of bubbles in flotation systems. This contribution considers the terminal velocity. Modeling is by a combination of the Navier-Stokes equation for flow around the bubble and the Marangoni effect induced by surfactant on the bubble surface. Numerical simulation is shown to agree with experiment for bubbles in pure water and surfactant solutions.

Jan 1, 1999

By V. V. Nazimko

Abandoned coal mines cause subsidence and structural damages. Shallow abandoned mines induce the most severe and harmful damages. In addition, they produce time-dependent subsidence which is difficult to predict. Backfilling of underground cavities with waste materials have been used to prevent the time-dependent subsidence or to mitigate its effect. However, this procedure is expensive. A new drill and blast technique has recently been proposed to prevent surface damage from time¬dependent subsidence over abandoned mines. It utilizes the principle that blasting in the caved rock and roof in the vicinity of a cavity will dilate the ground and create a self-supporting effect owing to increase in the volume. Physical modeling has demonstrated that artificial dilation of caved rock using the drill & blast technique creates positive effects due to the following sequence of events: the dilated rock creates a supporting effect for the suspended rock strata and reduces its span which decelerates 3.4 times the process of caving. The roof span is reduced by the next caved layer, which causes the hole boundaries to incline to each other. This effect converts the process of caving from a developing mode to a reduction mode. Finally, the sinkhole zone assumes a triangular shape with a negative angle of draw 64-700 in contrast to a rectangular shape of the chimney zone for natural caving. Vertical dimension of the triangular zone is 3.87 times of the room height. Final surface subsidence decreases at least 2.09 times; displacement 1.31 times, slope 2 27 times; curvature 3.42 times, horizontal strain 1 21 times in comparison to natural caving of the ground over an abandoned mine.

Jan 1, 1999

By D. G. Schmidt

Tests were conducted on C86200 high-strength yellow brass in order to ascertain the effect of a low level of nickel on the mechanical properties on this alloy. A series of two alloys was studied, one of which had a nickel content of 0.85% and the other with <0.05% nickel. Copper and aluminum content ranged from 62.5% to 64% and 3.2% to 4.6%, respectively. When compared by zinc equivalents, a nickel addition of 0.75% in high-strength yellow brass does not act like copper but raises the tensile strength, 0.5% yield strength and BHN while lowering the elongation.

Jan 1, 1999

By C. L. Lin

The image-based On-line Particle Size Analyzer (OPSA) system has been developed at the University of Utah to measure particle size distributions under plant conditions where overlapped and segregated particles are being transported on a moving belt conveyor. Evaluation of the OPSA system at several plant sites has been completed. The results show a consistent agreement between the particle size distributions obtained from the OPSA system and those obtained from laboratory screen analysis of belt samples. These results and the stable performance of the OPSA system during the field tests suggest that continuous quality control of crushed products is possible using the OPSA system.

Jan 1, 1999

By Kevin L. Purdy

The Process Technology Center of Phelps Dodge Mining Company (PDMC) .operates several test facilities in support of PDMC&apos;s hydrometallurgical operations. Installations for small leach columns, 15 cm. to 60 cm. (6 in. to 24 in.) in diameter, and large leach columns, 1.8 m. (6 ft.) in diameter, are complemented by a test facility for SX/EW operations. The history of and reasons for the development of these facilities: are described and original standard equipment is discussed. A primary goal in constructing these facilities was achieving a high degree of flexibility to allow for testing of new equipment and new leaching and SX/EW technologies as they are developed. Along with this challenge, construction of a filly integrated SX/EW test facility on a small scale brought its own set of challenges.

Jan 1, 1999

Martha Mine is an open pit gold-silver mine, located within the township of Waihi, 150km southeast of Auckland and is operated as a joint venture between Normandy Mining Ltd. 67 %) as Manager and Otter Gold Mines Ltd. (33%). The deposit was historically mined, by underground methods from 1888 to 1952, producing 5.5 moz of gold and 30 moz of silver, from 11 mt of ore. The current operation began in 1988, producing, to June 1999 - 867,245 oz of gold and 5.5 moz of silver from 9.5 mt of ore. The licensed reserves were due to be mined out by late 2000. Consents were granted in December 1998 to allow the expansion of the operation through to 2007 accessing an additional 7.5 mt of ore at 3.4 gpt Au and 26.0 gpt Ag for 800,000 oz of gold and 6.4 moz of silver. The key elements of the expansion are: 1. Pit enlargement 2. Upgraded crushing and material handling facilities 3. Construction of a second tailings storage facility 4. Upgraded water treatment capacity 5. Increased operating capacity This paper presents an update of expansion activities to date.

Jan 1, 1999

By A. S. Hall

Significant pyrite often does not dissolve in the Sobek (1978) nitric acid extraction; therefore, the standard conservative approach is to estimate pyrite using sulfur present in the sum of the nitric acid and residual sulfur fractions. Alunite, when present, appears as residual sulfur. Because alunite does not generate acidic effluents, overestimation of AGP can occur if all residual sulfur is assumed to be undigested pyrite. Evaluation of 16 samples from the Florida Canyon Mine revealed that petrographic examination coupled with a modification of the Sobek method to include a 6 hour hot (250°F) &apos;nitric acid extraction resulted in a more accurate estimation of AGP.

Jan 1, 1999

By Burkhard Seeger et al.

The oxidation of copper sulfides can be highly accelerated in the presence of nitrous gases (NOx) as reaction catalysts. Sulfur and sulfate are simultaneously produced in this highly exothermic reaction. This process, carried out in sulfuric acid medium, is performed at an approximately normal pressure and at a temperature of around 110 °C, in a closed container, adding either oxygen or air. The oxidation is automatically controlled through a computer. The process covers the following steps: Catalytic oxidation, filtration and crystallisation of the hot concentrated liquid, electrowinning, mother liquor treatment through jarosite formation, recovery of dissolved copper and zinc and regeneration of industrial water, and non-soluble residue treatment with extraction of sulfur and recovery of silver and gold. No combustibles are needed. No air is contaminated, and no waste water is produced. Solid residues are in a stable, non-toxic and non-corrosive state of equilibrium. Risk of accident is low. Investment costs are small compared to those of the comparable pyrometallurgical process, and production costs are competitive.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. Padilla

In most of the Chilean copper and gold concentrates, arsenic is present mainly as enargite, Cu3AsS4, which at the conventional roasting or smelting temperatures decomposes liberating arsenic as gaseous compounds. The objective of this investigation was to study the decomposition reaction of enargite in an inert atmosphere in the range of 500 °C - 750°C. The results obtained indicated that the decomposition begins at about 525 °C. Two distinct regions in the temperature dependence of the decomposition rate were observed: a low temperature region between 525 °C to 650°C and a high temperature region between 650 °C to 725 °C. The X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that the decomposition of enargite occurs through the formation of intermediate tenantite, according to the following sequential reactions: 4Cu3AsS4(s) ? Cu12 As4S13(s)+ 3/2S2(g) Cu12 AS4S13(s) ? 6Cu2S(s) + 2As2S3(g) + 1/2S2(g) The decomposition kinetics was analyzed by using the model for a topochemical reaction of spherical particles: 1-(1-X) 1/3 = kt, which represented well the data. Apparent activation energies of 113 kJ/mol and 60.5 kJ/mol were found for the low and high temperature regions, respectively.

Jan 1, 1999

By K. F. Unrug

Extrapolation of the rock properties obtained from the cores exploration holes to the surrounding areas often causes problems because of frequent sudden changes in the geologic composition of strata. To address this problem, the author has been developing a method of rapid strength testing "in situ," with application of a borehole penetrometer. This method, as opposed to conventional laboratory testing, does not require rock samples to be retrieved and handled/machined before testing. The results are generated by strength determination on the wall of a drill hole at a site. The newest development is a borehole penetrometer that requires only a 1.38.mm (1.5 in) diameter hole. The small diameter of the penetrometer body allows for drilling test holes with production mine equipment such as roof bolters. It opens the possibility of broad application in coal mines, as well as in hard rock mines and tunneling. The principles of the apparatus are described and are illustrated with examples of its applications.

Jan 1, 1999

By Qiling Zhang, Zengqian Hou, Xiaoming Qu

Abstract - The Okinawa trough is an active back-arc-spreading center in which submarine hydrothermal exhalation (black chimneys) and sulfide mineralization are forming. Fluid inclusion composition in minerals of the hydrothermal feeder zones in the JADE field shows that the hydrothermal systems are extremely gas-rich. There are two independent and co-existing fluids, CO2-hydrocarbon and saline fluids. Microthermometry and Laser Raman Microprobe (LRM) analyses on individual fluid inclusions of the CO2-hydrocarbon type, dominated by CO2 and containing minor CH4, C2H4, C2H6, N2 and H2S, are almost equivalent to the fluid inclusion composition of a natural gas field. The saline fluid is mainly composed of H2O and contains minor Na+ and K+. It is close to a H2O-NaCl, or H2O-NaCl-KCl system, with salinities from 3.7% to 7.5% NaCl eq. Before venting on the seafloor, the fluids experienced immiscible separation. One of the end-member fluids is downward circulating seawater that interacted with sub-seafloor rocks. The other was gas (volatile)-rich fluid derived from a shallow magma chamber. The immiscibility separation of fluids resulted from the decrease of temperature and pressure of the hydrothermal system and continuous input of magmatic volatiles. The saline fluids in this system are discharging to form sulfide chimneys and black smoke. Meanwhile, CO2-rich fluid discharges as CO2 bubbles through hydrate pipes. A large amount of CO2-CH4-H2S gas or fluid in the upper part of the hydrothermal system, and reaction of this gas or fluid with saline fluids, finally enables the accumulation of metal sulfides.

Jan 1, 1999

By R K. Dayal

Many transport tunnels show distress after few decades of construction. Owing to exorbitant cost of replacement, rehabilitation of tunnels has become inevitable and rapidly gaining attention/significance worldwide. This paper discusses the detailed planning and design of remedial measures for repairs and rehabilitation of the twin tube highway tunnel in India, at an elevation of 2200 m constructed approximately 38 years ago. The tunnel length is 2547 m having 30 m2 cross-sectional area of each tube. The tunnel is lined in stretches, totalling 60 per cent lined and the remaining portions are unlined. The tunnel has developed acute problems of rock falls, water leakage, distressed pavement and icicle formation resulting in slow movement of vehicular traffic which has also increased. Suffocation inside the tunnel caused deaths due to inadequate natural ventilation, hence artificial ventilation was deemed necessary and was provided in the restricted 28.5 m2 cross-sectional area of tunnel. The paper would be useful for planners, designers and construction engineers for setting future trends.

Jan 1, 1999

By J. C. Ashby

Electric utility response to certain amendments of the Clean Air Act has resulted in a production of several types of alkaline coal combustion byproducts. Alkaline combustion byproducts are gaining increased usage for acid mine drainage mitigation and abatement as research leads to a better understanding of their beneficial applications. Since January of 1997, Mettiki Coal Corporation has been injecting alkaline flue gas desulphurization byproducts from Virginia Electric?s Mt. Storm Unit #3 wet limestone scrubber into abandoned portions of the active Mettiki mine. This paper provides an overview of the key design, transportation, regulatory, and environmental issues faced in the project.

Jan 1, 1999

By Michael A. Lllga

Electrically Switched Ion Exchange (ESIX) is an approach for ion separation that combines Ion exchange (IX) and electrochemistry by utilizing electro active IX films to provide a selective, reversible, and economical separation method that greatly reduces secondary waste generation compared with conventional ion exchange. Studies on the development of films with improved stability and capacity and their use in continuous flow systems for ion separations will be. reported. Both technical and economic evaluations demonstrate ,the viability of once-through or batch recycle waste processing with ESIX.

Jan 1, 1999