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By A. Wright

Gold Fields Mining Corporation is presently evaluating gold mineralization beneath thick, wet alluvium at the Chimney Creek Project, Nevada. Contamination of reverse circulation samples has been visually apparent since drilling began in the area. Tests have shown that, while contamination can affect assays, reverse circulation holes appear to define mineralized zones almost as well as the diamond drill holes. To improve reverse circulation sample integrity several techniques were tried including a stiff-mud injection system but with limited success. Diamond core drilling continues to be used in conjunction with reverse circulation drilling to further delineate the mineralization.

Jan 1, 1991

By G. R. Hart

The expected 1990 Clean Air legislation is providing electric utilities with a series of challenges and decisions as the utilities prepare strategies to comply with the resulting regulations. This paper addresses the strategy development of a coal-based utility --the legislation, the process used, the fuel issues, the options available, and the decisions to be made.

Jan 1, 1991

By Alexander Malahoff

Accumulation of cobalt -rich ferromanganese crusts on Pacific seamounts located off-ridge in the Hawaiian EEZ, represents a complex process that involves geologic aging of the seamounts, geographic transportation- of the seamounts on the Pacific plate during the past 80 million years, and geochemical history of the oceans for that period. A comparative study of the building and erosion processes of the young Loihi Submarine Volcano, located south of the Island of Hawaii , and the 80 million year old Cross Seamount, located west of Hawaii , shows that both edifices show wide armchair-shaped talus chutes and intervening ridges of exposed dikes. The similarity between the observed mass wasting process on Loihi and Cross suggests that the slopes of submarine volcanoes are geologically unstable from the time of their origin on the seafloor through their entire geological history. The slopes of Cross are covered by coalesced ferromanganese crust covered talus, steep exposed dike faces, and crust covered dike ridges. A study of the stratigraphy of the crusts shows a range of thicknesses and number of unconformities present. The thickest crusts, up to 8 centimeters, are found preserved within the larger coalesced slabs along the shallower slopes of the talus chutes and along the crests of the ridges between water depths of 400 and 1800 meters. The platinum content was used in stratigraphic correlation between the crusts in the coalesced slabs and those collected from ridges with the PISCES V submersible. In the samples studied, the highest platinum content of 0.7 ppm

Jan 1, 1991

By Robert M. Rowe

Among the increasing operating costs affecting today' s processing facilities are those necessary in meeting the continually growing requirement for safe and environmentally sound materials- control and handling procedures. Of particular interest are materials listed as hazardous, the need to maintain accurate records of their acquisition, consumption and disposal, and the obligation to employees and the community to have information available regarding such materials. Some requirements affecting modern operating facilities are reviewed in this paper, and potential methods for dealing with complex handling and documentation requirements, including computer automation, are discussed.

Jan 1, 1991

By Gordon E. Jackson

I read a book the other day called Opportunity 2000. The book, Opportunity 2000, talks about what's going to happen in the next nine or ten years as we propel ourselves through the 1990s into the 219 century. The book, Opportunity 2000, is a futuristic book, somewhat like Megatrends. It said that by the year 2000, baby boomers will be old people, and when you got here before the baby boomers, how does that make you feel? It said that there will be more women in the American work place by the year 2000 than men. The book, Opportunity 2000, discusses diversity. The big challenge for the 1990s is ?diversity?. We'll have the D-word in the 1990s. We had the G-word in the 1980s ? ?global.? Diversity in terms of more immigrants, more minorities, more females into the American work place, but also value systems diversity. We'll have to deal and adapt to four different generational clusters in dealing and interacting with employees and management in the 1990s-value systems diversity. I think there will be five generational clusters that we'll have to deal with. Massey says four. He says we'll still have the old people around, the World War II mentality; those who

Jan 1, 1991

By Lijun Xu, Jan M. Mutmansky

The purpose of this research was to investigate airborne coal mine dust characteristics in order to assess the possibility of contribution of these characteristics to the incidence of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). The characteristics studied included physical (mass concentration and size distribution), chemical (elemental composition), and mineralogical (quartz and kaolinite content) variables of the dust. The results are based primarily upon analysis of the characteristics of 99 impactor samples from 18 mines in seven states. Because the eight stages of the impactor span the range of dust sizes up to 20 microns, the characteristics analyzed should represent respirable dust characteristics well and also provide size-dependent representations of the characteristics. In general, the patterns of mass concentration and size distribution in the various mines studied were similar with mass concentrations being high downwind of the continuous miner. The concentrations and size distributions were more variable upwind of the continuous miner, apparently as a result of the variations in the dust conditions in the working section. Significant size effects on the elemental and mineralogical content are shown in the data. Concentrations of most of the elements decrease as size decreases. However, minerals content increases as the dust size decreases. Regional variations of elemental and mineralogical content are also significant. Quartz and kaolinite contents are small in regions with low incidences of CWP. However, the elements of Cu and Zn are high by comparison to their content in high-incidence coal fields and may have the effect of protecting against the disease.

Jan 1, 1991

By Mackenzie Burnett

A high efficiency ejector has been developed which solves the abrasion problem associated with remote pneumatic stowing. The system can also produce cemented fills. The ejector is capable of moving the fill material over 70 ft from the injection point and filling the mine opening to the roof level for a distance of about 30 ft in all directions from the borehole. This system operates by the transfer of momentum from a supersonic air stream to the fill material. The momentum transfer results in a horizontal stream of fill material and air at a velocity of about 100 fps. The ejector fits on the bottom end of a 3 in diameter vertical pipe. Fill material is fed into the ejector at a controlled rate through a hopper mounted over the borehole. High pressure air used to operate the ejector is fed through a second 3 in diameter pipe. This system has the additional feature of mixing water in the air stream which increases the potential momentum of the air stream. Where necessary, cement can be added to the gravel to create a cemented fill. The design parameters and test results for four versions of the ejector are presented in this report.

Jan 1, 1991

By Peter J. Jancich

This paper describes the installation of high capacity Augered Pressure Grouted piles which support structural loading from a four level parking garage in west-central DuPage County, Illinois. The subject site is characterized by a variable glacial geology which presented, to the designer, a number of problems with respect to analysis and prediction of pile capacities, and, to the contractor, the very real difficulties associated with estimating the costs of, and installing foundation units in highly variable subsurface conditions. 2. General Site and Subsurface Conditions 2.1 Site Conditions - The subject site is part of an overall 300 acre property. Topographically, the overall site is saddle shaped with higher elevations along north and south boundaries and a subdued, east-west trending swale centrally located. Elevation relief is on the order of 25-30 feet (7.6-9.2m).

Jan 1, 1991

By Mark A. Williams

Topography and geology greatly impact the decision of how to plan and operate a surface mine. To extract coal, five primary surface mrning methods are practiced in the United States. These include contour strip. mountamtop removal, area, modified area, and open pit mining methods. The first four approaches are commonly associated with coal mining while open pit techniques, although used in the mining of coal, are more commonly applied to the mining of hard rock, metals, and aggregates. Various sub-routines of the primary surface mining methods are likewrse applied rn the industry.

Jan 1, 1991

By John Dean Smith

In order to discuss problem solving techniques for the future. we must first review the past. This paper will discuss the drilling and blasting problems and techniques that were used by .Imax Coal in the past few years, tn those of today.

Jan 1, 1991

By M. D. Light

An intelligent control system (ICS) is being developed for ferrous iron oxidation by Thiobacillus ferroxitdans. The ICS provides computerized data acquisition and' control of process variables (temperature, Eh, pH, dissolved oxygen arid carbon dioxide concentrations and dilution rate) to maintain the ferrous iron oxidation at the highest possible rate. The ICS uses fuzzy logic for analysis of data inputs and implementation of control strategies. T:his paper provides preliminary information on the development of the ICS and? its operation.

Jan 1, 1991

Jan 1, 1991

By K. E. Hjelmstad, W. H. Pomroy

In the event of fire underground, it is essential that all miners be warned as quickly as possible. With mine air rapidly depleted of oxygen and contaminated with smoke and toxic fire gases, any delay in the warning signal could have disastrous consequences. Unfortunately, present mine fire warning systems, such as stench, audible or visual alarms, telephones, and messengers, are often slow, unreliable, and limited in coverage. Recent research by the US Bureau of Mines has established the feasibility of ultralow frequency electromagnetic signaling for underground mine fire warning. Infield testing completed thus far at five mines, signals of from 630 Hz to 2000 Hz were transmitted through rock up to distances of 1645 m (5400 ft) to a pencil-sized ferrite-core receiving antenna and intrinsically safe receiver circuit. Theoretical analysis indicates a capability to transmit effectively for distances in excess of the maximum depths of most American mines, which is about 900 to 1000 m (2950 to 3280 ft) . The prototype system uses off-the-shelf components and state-of-the-art technology to ensure high reliability and low cost. This technology would enable simultaneous and instantaneous warning of all underground personnel, thereby in- creasing the likelihood of successfully evacuating a mine during a disaster. This report discusses the theoretical basis for through-the-rock ultralow frequency electromagnetic transmission, design of the prototype transmitter and receiver, and the results of in-mine tests of the prototype system.

Jan 1, 1991

Pan Australian Mining lid installed a milling and gold leaching plant designed to process 2 million tonnes per annum of breccia sulphide ore. This plant was commissioned in January 1989. Since commissioning, increased ore reserves have been established and the plant has been expanded by the addition of one ball mill and several tanks to increase the design capacity to 3 million tonnes per annum. This additional plant was commissioned in May 1990, bringing the total number of mills up to three, each 4.5 m diameter x 7 m long. The paper details how milling rates have been increased at the expense of grind size to increase the capacity of the original plant from 2 million to 3.1 million tonne per year rate before the additional ball mill was Commissioned.

Jan 1, 1991

In late 1989, first-pass reconnaissance exploration delineated a 4km x 6km geochem- ically anomalous area centred 10km WNW of Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands Province at 6¦13'S and 145047'E. The area, named the Basangka prospect, lies between 2 200 and 2 400m asl. Interest in the area was prompted by a 14ppm Au assay of a silica-pyrite breccia float sample taken near Henkai village. The prospect was defined after several acid-leached silica- pyrite breccia and comb textured quartz float samples returned assays above lppm Au and relatively high Ag. Very encouraging and anomalous Au values were obtained from panned concentrates, despite the absence of visible Au colours. Several pan concentrates returned greater than 1mg Au and it is believed that the Au occurs as inclusions within iron oxides which were originally pyrite. In this early stage of prospect exploration, any Au value above 0.lppm in- 150# fraction stream sediments is treated as anomalous. Rock chips, panned concentrates and -150# fraction geochemistry all vividly define the areas of interest at Basangka.

Jan 1, 1991

By Hayes P. C

In commercial mineral processing operations it has been found that the conditions in the drier have a considerable effect on the subsequent electrostatic separation of nttile and zircon. Laboratory scale studies simulating these heat treatment processes have shown that the electrical conductivity of nitile varies markedly with treatment temperature, time and gas composition. The zircon on the other hand is unaffected. By increasing the electrical conductivity of the rutile, significant increases in separation efficiency can be achieved. Electron microscope investigations have shown the increase in electrical conductivity to be associated with the production of planar defects in the crystal lattice.

Jan 1, 1991

By Batric Pesic

Adsorption of gold on activated carbon from gold bromide solutions was examined as a function of pH, particle size, carbon amount, initial gold bromide concentration, bromine concentration, temperature, and various cations and anions. pH did not have any effect below pH=6. Above pH=6, pH had dramatically negative effect. The adsorption results satisfied a first reaction order model. The reaction rate constant was proportional to the inverse of carbon particle radius. It was also proportional to the amount of carbon, and independent of initial gold concentration. Temperature had a very little effect at pH=l. At pH=8, the activation energy was a function of the extent of a reaction, increasing with the extent of a reaction. Cu, Fe, Ca, Mg, and Na cations and sulfate, chloride and bromide anions did not have any effect on gold adsorption. Bromine had a very negative effect on gold uptake.

Jan 1, 1991

Jan 1, 1991

By G. Vijaya Kumar, B. Srinivasa Rao, G. V. Krishna Rao

The paper outlines the ventilation practices prevailing in coal mines of Singareni Collieries Company (South India). The high annual average surface temperature and relatively steep geothermic gradient results in virgin strata temperatures in the region of 38- 42°C creating environmental problems in the working places. Expensive methods of air cooling can not be employed as the mines are small, and production and productivity do not justify the costs of artificial cooling of mine air. Controlled recirculation of mine air -- the unconventional technique being tried with success in some coal mines in U.K. has been analysed for improving the environmental conditions. The analysis shows that the method is safe, cost effective and can be applied with very little extra equipment.

Jan 1, 1991

By Yngve Jordal, Sverker Hartwig

The IVAR Project is Norway's largest sewer project presently under construction. One part of it is an 8.1 km (26 575 ft) long, 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in.) diam tunnel, bored in one year. The tunneling project has been running smoothly; however, not everything has been easy. A few of its features are highlighted in this paper: The use of 9 0 (12 cu yd) muck cars on a double track back-up in such a comparatively narrow tunnel. Employing only four men in the tunnel, including the loco driver. A quartzite dyke - 96% quartz with 350 MPa (50 000 psi) and more compressive strength - turned out to be 640 m (2 100 ft) thick instead of the predicted 90 m (300 ft). Passing under a gaseous swamp with only same 5 m (16 ft 5 in.) of rock cover on top.

Jan 1, 1991