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By Dennis V. D’Andrea, Peter G. Chamberlain, James J. Olson, William C. Larson

Blasts designed for in situ copper leaching must produce adequate fragmentation and permeability for successful leaching. Copper recovery depends to a large extent on the particle size distribution created by the blast, the permeability in the blast- fractured zone, and the ability to maintain solution flow with a minimum amount of channeling. This paper presents the results of Bureau of Mines experiments where core drilling was used before and after blasting to establish the degree of fragmentation. Data are presented from tests at the Sierrita mine of Duval Corp., and also from tests at the Emerald Isle mine of El Paso Mining and Milling Co. Copper recovery is predicted from fragment size distribution data using a computer model. Data from several blasts are used to show how predicted copper recovery is related to powder factor.

Jan 1, 1977

By D. Gupta

Rates of autothermic reactions are sensitive to temperature variations to the extent of potential extinction of the reaction. Such reactions, when carried out in the countercurrent mode with feed-back of energy between reacting phases, may result in the possibility of multiple steady-states. In regions of great sensitivity, minor variations, especially feed-temperatures, are an important criterion for such instabilities. Mathematical models have been used to delineate the parameter-fields in which instabilities might occur. The metallurgical system chosen to experimentally verify the above theoretical findings was the exothermic oxidation reaction of magnetite to hemitite.

Jan 1, 1977

By W. E. Anderson

As part of a larger study to identify factors influencing the practical operating life of wire rope used on large draglines in surface coal mining, field trips to operating surface coal mines were made during late 1975. Wire rope performance information was obtained from personnel at thirteen mine sites west of the Appalachians. Seventeen pieces of equipment, utilizing buckets ranging from 30-to 220-cubic-yard capacity, were documented. We have judged that U.S. surface coal mining draglines, 30 yards and larger, can be represented as 120 machines having 60-cubic-yard buckets, moving 1.8 x 10 yards of overburden during 6,650 hours of productive availability per year. Based on our limited field study, we have calculated that downtime resulting from rope-related causes averages 105.6 hours per year for each (typical 60-yard) dragline. The total lost production from this source alone is thereby estimated at about 25 x 10 yards annually. Although study findings did not reveal anything about dragline rope life that wasn't known or practiced by one operator or another, most operators could expect improved rope life by periodic review of their practices and by adopting or adapting one or more life-improvement measures employed at other sites. Since rope productivity was found to vary by about five to one, among the sites studied, we believe considerably improved average performance is possible. As little as ten percent overall improvement would mean increased national productivity exceeding two million yards of solid overburden removal, and associated savings in rope costs alone of some two million dollars annually, not to mention any reduction of labor-related expenses. This report outlines preliminary findings which may prove useful to many operators in extending wire rope life, thereby lowering expenses and increasing surface coal mining productivity. Some of these modifications or adjustments in maintenance/operating practices would not require capital investment. We did not find anyone who had tried cost reductions by using presocketed dump

Jan 1, 1977

By Isobel Clark

The increasing complexity of modern mining technology makes it ever more difficult to decide on the 'best* way to solve problems in mine planning. Yet with escalating costs it becomes increasingly more important for the mining engineer to be able to evaluate quantitatively the implications of the 'what happens if' postulation on the efficiency and economics of exploitation. The use of a model of the orebody can yield an estimate, not just of overall expected results, but also of the sensitivity of these results to possible variations in the orebody. Estimation techniques, such as Kriging, will produce the expected value for the grade of ore at any given point, or over any given volume within a deposit. However, the actual grades mined during production will - of necessity - differ from the predicted values. These possible variations, and the sensitivity of the management decisions to them, can be investigated in detail by the use of simulation. An orebody can be simulated which follows the known characteristics of the deposit at any given stage in development. These properties might be the histogram of grade values, the semivariogram from the samples, the actual borehole assays, geological constraints and/or interpretation, topography, lease boundaries etc. This would be one possible 'realisation' of the deposit as dictated by the currently known data. If several of these simulations are carried out, each conditioned to the current knowledge of the orebody, then it is possible to gain an idea of the range of possible outcomes of any mining procedure or decision taken - all of which are equally likely. Not only can the best decision then be taken, but its sensitivity to the inherent variation within the orebody, and to the ever present estimation errors may be thoroughly studied.

Jan 1, 1977

By D. Jeulin

For iron ore sinters to be good blast furnace burden, they need to possess certain basic properties such as cold mechanical strength, reducibility, etc. Relations between such basic parameters and sintering parameters (composition of the mix, fuel consumption, operating conditions of the sintering plant, etc.) are not always well understood. For example, one cannot explain the differences in quality noticed for sinters having the same chemical composition. In this paper a new approach is proposed for the characterization of iron ore sinters by a quantitative description of their morphology. The Texture Analyzer LEITZ T.A.S. is used for this purpose and such morphological parameters as sizes of microstructures and the size distribution of phases are measured on samples of sinters. The results indicate that these measurements can be correlated with the sinter quality.

Jan 1, 1977

By Frank C. Stevens

The availability, cost and use of fuel and electricity for the cement industry is difficult to predict with a great degree of accuracy because the historical pattern of factors affecting energy was disrupted during the years 1972, 1973 and 1974. Forecasting is both an art and science and is based on .the premise that the best indicator of the future is the past. Statistical data is used to guide economists and businessmen in their predictions of the future. Even though the energy picture is changing, it is believed that electricity and fuel will be available for the cement industry in the foreseeable future, and this energy will be more costly in relation to the other items that are part of the manufacturing costs for portland cement.

Jan 1, 1977

By G. R. Giuliani

Hanna Mining Company's Groveland Mine is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The low grade iron ore deposit consists of a mixture of magnetite and hematite with chert, jasper, quartz and various iron silicates (1). The ore is beneficiated by magnetic separation and anionic flotation of the iron minerals with chemical depression of the silica. The magnetic concentrate makes up about 75% of the concentrate. The concentrate is pelletized at the rate of 2.0 million LTPY of pellet production. The concentrator facilities were started up in 1959 and the concentrate was marketed as sinter feed until 1963 when the concentrator was expanded and the pelletizing plant was added. The pellet plant now consists of regrinding, elutriation, filtering, balling and induration. The pellet machine is a straight grate which employs updraft drying and cooling and downdraft drying, preheat and firing. It is necessary to regrind the concentrate before pelletizing. The con-centrate is 60% passing 325 mesh, with a surface area of ±lOOO cm2/Gm, and must be ground to about 83% passing 325 mesh, 1600 cm2/Gm blaine surface area, for pelletizing. The energy for regrind has been reduced from 12.5 KW per LT to 8.80 KW ate of 2.0 million per LT. This was the result of changes made in the concentrator where originally a coarse spiral concentrate, instead of the magnetic concentrate which is screened on fine screens to reduce the coarse fraction and prevent overgrinding before flotation, was produced. Also in 1968 an additional concentrating line was added to the concentrator which employs more grinding power than the other three lines. The demand for a high iron grade and lower silica pellet resulted in the investigation of different schemes of upgrading the reground concentrate which had more iron values liberated during grinding for surface area. The reagentized material presented many problems, mainly in selectivity trying to flot the iron and with high reagent consumption having to dereagentize the concentrate for amine silica flotation, in the various flotation systems tried. Tests were then conducted with elutriation (2) which proved satisfactory by removing the lower specific gravity, fine gangue material from the heavier material with the

Jan 1, 1977

By Paul R. Wieber

This paper describes the U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration's (ERDA) program to develop in situ coal conversion processes, especially gasification, he potential of this technology, the technical directions being explored, and the program strategy to carry the process concepts toward commercialization are emphasized. The geographic location of the U. S. coal resources and a market analysis are described. Commercially successful in situ coal processes could add over a trillion tons of coal to the U. S. coal reserves. The economics of these processes is compared with surface gasification independent studies show this process to be 25Z cheaper than surface gasification for Western coals. The major projects are briefly described. The Linked Vertical Well process is in the lost advanced stage and shows great promise. The last test produced a low-Btu gas averaging 171 Btu per standard cubic foot for average pro¬duction rates of 5.5 million standard cubic feet per day. The other projects are Packed Bed, Longwall Generator, and Steeply Dipping Beds.

Jan 1, 1977

Declining from surface provides access, haulageway, ventilation and provision for ser- vices for stoping and development. Three boom jumbos and 3.8 m3 capacity diesel loaders are used in decline development, the majority of which is driven at a gradient of 1 in 9. Primary ventilation is drawn from the mine through raisebored airways and high pressure contra rotating fans provide secondary ventil- ation. To meet schedules a special decline crew was formed on similar lines to a mining con- tractor. The basis of payment for the mining party was changed and the net effect was to accelerate development. Ground conditions demand constant support and this is achieved with chemical anchor rock bolts, multistrand grouted bolts and shotcrete. Major local shear zones are encountered and when they are to be driven through, a combina- tion of the above methods, involving a spiling technique, is used.

Jan 1, 1977

By M. Perišic

Requirements concerning determination of geometric characteristics and estimate of reserves and grade may in various mineral deposits significantly differ and by no means can be completely envisaged. Therefore, program writing which would in advance meet all requirements is from a practical point of view impossible. Programming for each particular project is also unacceptable solution, due to many facts, among which is ever growing scope of work and the terms to be met. Therefore, conventional method of programming proved to be ineffective. The team of the Mining Institute experts came to the conclusion that the solution of facing problems lies in the idea of introducing specialized programs, instead of complex ones. Each of them represents a functional entirety. Procedure of complete mineral deposits computer processing is described by a problem-oriented programming language which was designed for that particular application. One or more than one specialized programs are called by one instruction so that the program in that language can have a few hundred time less instructions than an equivalent FORTRAN program. Besides description of the program system and programming language the paper also covers some aspects of its application in solving complex problems.

Jan 1, 1977

By Edward S. Hsia

Pluor Utah has been closely associated with the engineering and construction of earth bottom thickeners for porphyry copper operations, for the counter-current decantation circuit of a gold cyanide plant and similar applications in mineral processing. During the past 13 years, some 18 of these thickeners have entered service and the bottoms have proved to be watertight structures with no particular problems encountered. In the course of this work, technological advances have been realized in the procedures for engineering and construction of these units to assure watertight basins and achieve all possible economies in construction. This paper describes the successful application of engineering and construction techniques for a number of these thickeners.

Jan 1, 1977

A study of drilling data at various stages of development of an orebody show that the semi-variogram, used for calculating the accuracy of block estimates can be ill-defined if too few data are available. The consequencesin this case are to have blocks supposedly more accurately known than is possible at the early drilling stage; such a result being potentially dangerous. However, as the amount of data increases the recalculated, semi-variograms approach the underlying semi-variogram of the deposit and the calculations made using them become more reliable and robust.

Jan 1, 1977

The task of designing stable high walls and spoil piles in strip coal mines, and stable openings with controlled roofs and floors in underground collieries - within the constraints normally imposed by economics - depends upon a reliable assessment of rock mass strengths and rock mass reactions under a variety of stress conditions. Of the geological factors influencing internal friction and cohesion within rock masses, many may be determined qualitatively or empirically from bore-hole evidence. Rock types, descriptions and properties of intact rocks, location of boundaries, limits and degrees of weathering, potential for slaking or decomposition of rocks when exposed, bedding characteristics, the nature of rock anisotropy and the likely effects of water on rock mass properties can be assessed from bore- hole data. Discontinuities, whether they be major such as faults and dykes, or minor such as joints and fractures, present a greater problem, and in most instances the mine geologist must resort to additional techniques to describe or predict their occurrence, nature, frequency, intensity or physical properties. Information on ground water and seam gas is available from bore-holes within certain levels of reliability.

Jan 1, 1977

Minerals are vital to any industrialized civilization. Annually, the United States uses more than 4 billion tons of new mineral materials, or about 40,000 pounds per person-about half being mineral fuels and the other half being metals and nonmetallics. Stable and economic domestic mining, mineral, metal, and mineral reclamation industries are essential to the economy. The value of United States energy and processed materials of mineral origin exceeds $200 billion annually. Although a number of minerals are imported, especially some designated as "strategic and critical," most U.S. mineral supplies are derived from the domestic mines and processing facilities that you will be seeing, reading about, and visiting as you use this visitor guide. We hope you enjoy your experiences. This pamphlet, a guide to mining and mineral operations that may be observed or visited and some other points of interest relating to minerals, is intended to aid tourists and students who are interested in mining. Some may wish to study our Nation's romantic past; others may plan to enter the minerals industry as a career; still others may have a primary interest in conservation practices. The pamphlet is also intended to aid State and local officials, Chambers of Commerce, and mining firms in answering some of the many questions of tourists and students.

Jan 1, 1977

By Shrivastava P

The iron orebodies of the Pilbara region are formed by supergene enrichment of banded iron formation and rarely do such processes produce orebodies with uniform grade distrib- utions. The orebodies being mined or developed have to be worked to grade/quality constraints imposed by contractual agreement rather than natural characteristics. Hence it is imperative to use a non-biased ore reserve calculation method. The geostatistical study of a typical iron orebody is presented. Emphasised are the geological characteristics of the orebody manifested as a variable grade distribution of iron and impurities; the determination of variogram model; subsequent uses of the model for computation of ore reserves and kriged lock estimates; computation of dispersion variance and conditional simulation of orebody.

Jan 1, 1977

Proper technical appraisal of a coal deposit and the determination of optimum open- pit mine design can only be made after detailed examination of a number of interrelated geographical and geological factors. Initial evaluation of the geography and the overall attitude of the coal measures can often determine the most likely coal mining technique. Conclusions reached in the early stage of the investigations frequently dictate the quality and quantity of particular types of data required from further drilling of the deposit. In many cases, insufficient information relating to the overall engineering aspects of a coal deposit is derived from drilling. Little or no attention is paid in the exploratory phase to such things as the specific gravity of selected overburden samples, floor conditions, clay content of the overburden and selected strength tests on cores. This is a direct result of geologists treating coal deposits purely in geological terms without sufficient consideration being given to the engineering parameters required for a proper evaluation of the deposit.

Jan 1, 1977

By Ann G. Kim

The Bureau of Mines estimated the methane content of a coal, which depends primarily upon rank and pressure, from the adsorption equation V kpn, where k and n are constants related to rank. By incorporating corrections for moisture, ash, and temperature, and estimating pressure and temperature as a function of depth, the methane content of coal in place can be estimated from the following equation: [ ] Values calculated with this equation generally are in reasonable agreement with direct determinations. By assuming a standard moisture and ash content, and using the hydrostatic head to estimate pressure, a graph of rank and depth versus gas content was constructed. Although estimated values were consistently high for several high-volatile bituminous coals from an area where the pressure is known to be less than hydrostatic, the estimated methane content for most coals shows reasonable agreement with values determined by the direct method.

Jan 1, 1977

Minerals are a fundamental component of the Nation" material and economic base. Without a continuous supply of minerals to meet growing and changing needs, the basic character of our society would be very different. The importance of minerals to the United States was reemphasized by the Congress in I970 when it enacted the Mining and Minerals Policy Act, which stated that it is the continuing policy of the Federal Government in the national interest to foster and encourage private enterprise in (I) the development of economically sound and stable domestic mining, minerals, metal and mineral reclamation industries, (2) the orderly and economic development of domestic mineral resources, reserves, and reclamation of metals and minerals to help assure satisfaction of industrial, security and environmental needs, (3) mining, mineral, and metallurgical research, including the use and recycling of scrap to promote the wise and efficient use of our natural and reclaimable mineral recources, and (4) the study and development of methods for the disposal, control, and reclamation of mineral waste products, and the reclamation of mined land, so as to lessen any adverse impact of mineral extraction and processing upon the physical environment that may result from mining or mineral activities.,.

Jan 1, 1977

By John M. Sharp

John M. Sharp, Jr. (Assistant Professor of Geology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.)-Geothermal gradient and surface temperature data anomalies are potentially useful tools in mineral exploration, These data, however, may reflect a number of geologic and hydrologic processes as well as the thermophysical properties of the geologic materials. The author presents a relatively simple model which may be of value in mineral exploration. The lack of consideration of other processes, however, limits its usefulness. For instance, because of erosion or sediment deposition over geologic time the land surface must be considered a moving boundary in such a model. Evaluation of this effect coupled with annual surface temperature and thermal conductivity variations can result in temperature profiles such as shown in [Figs. 4 to 7]. These effects and others, such as ground-water movement," must be considered and filtered from the data before proper interpretation is possible. Another assumption which should have been discussed is, why were the observed mean surface temperatures not used for extrapolation of the gradients in [Figs. 4, 6, and 7?] Conductive heat transport responds to the actual boundary (land surface) temperature, not to theoretical temperatures in the absence of perturbations. Benfield presents a theoretical model for calculating perturbations in the geothermal gradient for erosion and sedimentation. The temperature (T) at any time (t) and any depth below the surface (x) is given by [ ] where T is the mean surface temperature, G, the geothermal gradient, v, the rate of erosion (or sedimentation),[ ], the long-term rate of change of T0, and k is the thermal diffusivity of the rock. Using the author's values and a rate of erosion of 1.54 cm per yr for a period of 10,000 yr, a thermal profile as shown in [Fig. 10] will be generated. A thermal diffusivity of 0.0164 sq cm per sec was used, corresponding to a thermal conductivity of 0.0082 cal per cm per sec per C. In [Fig. 11], a sediment deposition rate of 3.0 cm per yr for a period of 1000 yr was used to generate the subsurface temperature profile. A surface temperature of 24.3°C was used, as specified in [Fig. 9, 7], was set equal to zero for both cases. Superposition on the generated profiles in [Figs. 10 and 11] of the annual surface temperature variation perturbation (which may be calculated in a number of ways) will yield profiles similar to those in [Figs. 4 and 7]. Similar profiles can also be produced by regional ground-water flow. Models like the author's can be of value in mineral exploration. Other processes, however, which affect surface temperatures and gradients must first be considered, calculated, and filtered from the data if anything but the crudest qualitative interpretation is to be made. Robert C. Edmiston (Author's reply)-Professor Sharp has raised three objections to my interpretation of the subsurface temperature data I collected at Silver Bell. These are: 1) No correction was made for erosion or sedimentation,

Jan 1, 1977

By R. G. Coyle

This paper describes a model of operating policies in an underground metal mine. The purpose of the model is partly that the problem of controlling a mining operation in the face of shocks from its economic environment is interesting in its own right, and also as an input to a larger research project on policy-making in mining companies. The model includes, mining, development and milling sectors together with cash flow and finances. In particular, it shows how the policies used to control the various sectors in the face of environmental shocks from metal prices and changing state of the system are connected by feedback loops. The use of feedback theory differentiates the model from 'ordinary' simulation and assists in the design of 'robust' policies which always achieve effective control. This model is the first stage of a major project and approximations have been made, simply to get the model going. The purpose of this paper is to show the kind of output this type of model produces, to lay our explicitly what is in the model and above all, to invite contributions from mining people on what the model should show and what should be put into it. We claim no virtues for this model. It is just a research tool so that later models will be more worthwhile and useable in practice.

Jan 1, 1977