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By Daniel G. DiCanio

This report describes a computer-based model for estimating the tangible costs of injuries and deaths from work-related accidents in underground coal mines. The study undertook to identify and quantify the elements of accident costs, including field visits to coal mines, insurance carriers, and public agencies. The mathematical models developed for each tangible element of accident cost are presented in Volume I of the report. A listing of the computer programs which comprise the model and instructions for using the programs are presented in Volume II. Statistical distributions of mining family characteristics, data on 95 miners killed in underground accidents, and other basic data used to develop the model are presented in Volume III. Application of the model to a data base of 9,286 accidents which occured in underground bituminous coal mines during 1974 yielded a total of $56,900,000 in tangible costs to industry, mining families, and public agencies. Loss of income to the families of miners injured or killed in these accidents accounted for 47 percent of the total.

Jan 1, 1976

By D. Papazoglou

This work was undertaken to investigate the thermodynamic and kinetic feasibility of using hot sulfur dioxide bearing gases from smelting processes to selectively sulfate the nickel in nickel laterite ores for subsequent extraction in water. The environmental benefits ofthis approach, as opposed to releasing the gas to the atmosphere, and the economic benefit of directly utilizing the S02 rather than converting it to sulfuric acid are strong drivers for such a process. A thermodynamic analysis indicated that selective sulfation of the nickel could be feasible under appropriate conditions and these were explored through a series of laboratory scale experiments. Laterite samples were reacted at temperatures between 500 and 800°C with an equilibrated mixture of sulfur dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen in a fixed bed reactor. Tests were conducted on saprolitic ore from Bulong, Western Australia, limonitic ore from New Caledonia and garnieritic ore from Indonesia. Nickel extractions were highest from the limonite and relatively low from the other ores. The maximum selective extraction of nickel from the limonite in a single stage sulfation was 73%. Sulfation of other elements present in the laterites was also examined. A two-stage process was also identified which involved sulfation using a strong sulfation potential followed by weaker sulfation potential to attempt to convert ferric sulfate formed in the first stage to ferric oxide. This increased the extraction for the limonite ore to around 84% Ni, 95% Co and 2% Fe. Direct sulfation of laterite could be feasible in locations where sulfide smelting or roasting operations are relatively close to laterite deposits.

Jan 1, 2003

By D. G. Almond

Nkomati Nickel Mine in South Africa processes one of the world?s hardest ores in a 375k TPM autogenous grinding circuit. The plant employs an unconventional processing circuit, comprising a primary autogenous mill (AG or FAG) and pebble crushing circuit followed by a secondary hybrid pebble/ball mill and classification cyclone cluster. Advanced Process Control (APC) or Expert Control is now generally accepted as an advantage in most modern high capacity concentrator grinding circuits. This paper reviews the installation of model predictive control at Nkomati and examines the results and benefits of installation in an autogenous mill during plant ramp-up. The paper also demonstrates how predefining process control objectives together with good plant and supplier cooperation can achieve a robust and reliable APC implementation on a very short site program. The results conclusively demonstrate operational and economic benefits during circuit operation with the advanced process control system ON. Production performance and circuit stability were significantly better than during manual control.

Jan 1, 2012

By Louis Tellier

SIDBEC commenced detailed planning of major capital expenditures to install integrated steelmaking facilities in 1969. Today, less than IO years later, SIDBEC and its subsidiaries have completed major mining, concentrating, pelletizing, direct reduction ? electric furnace steelmaking and continuous casting plants. The total cost of these projects was almost 1 billion dollars. The philosophy behind the project planning and the evolution of management control are explained. These extensive projects were undertaken during a period of exceptional inflation and a disturbed labour climate, but were nevertheless completed with only modest overruns, with good control of timetables and with exceptionally good start-up performance. Project planning, relations with consulting engineers, introduction of new technology, purchasing and field management and cost control are discussed.

Jan 1, 1979

By C. G. Hutson

The Zinc Corporation of South Africa (Zincor) were hosts to about forty members of the Institute at their works in Springs on Friday, 25th April, 1986. The programme, designed to give an overview of the industry and the part played by Zincor, comprised an introductory talk, a technical talk, a tour of the plant, and a luncheon. Radioactive waste in arid regions A conference on the disposal of radioactive waste in arid areas will be held in Cape Town during the period 7th to 12th September, 1986. It is recommended that engineers and scientists avail themselves of the opportunity to familiarize themselves with this relatively new multidisciplinary field of endeavor by attending the first ever conference of this nature to be held in South Africa. Iron control in hydro metallurgy The International Symposium on Iron Control in Hydrometalurgy will be held at the 16th Hydrometallurgical Meeting, from 19th to 22nd October, 1986, in Toronto, Canada.

Jan 1, 1986

By D. T. Peterson, F. A. Schmidt, J. D. Verhoeven

The velocity of mig-ration of these solutes in thorium metal due to a high amperage dc current was measured at several temperatures. All three solutes migrated in the same direction as the electron flow. Diffusion coefficients were combined with the migration velocities to predict the steady-state concentration profile. Electrotransport was shown to be an effective method of removing carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen from thorium and resistance ratios several times larger than for crystal bar thorium were achieved. However, the maxirnum attained purification was well below the predicted values, apparently due to some form of contamination. THE migration of solutes in metals when a high current density dc current is passed has been known for many years. This phenomenon has been the subject of a number of reviews published in recent years.l~* Many of the earlier investigators of electromigration of interstitial solutes interpreted the direction and velocity of migration on the basis of a charge on the solute particle. This interpretation is unclear because, in a given experiment, one cannot separate the contributions to the force moving the solute which arise from the charge on the solute in an electric field gradient and the momentum transfer from the scattering of the electrons or holes. There have been only a few quantitative measurements of interstitial migration velocities and some of these have been characterized by poor accuracy or by errors in the analysis of the experiment. The electrotransport mobilities of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in thorium were determined by observing the rate of movement of a discontinuity in the concentration profile. This method was used by Carlson el a~.~ to determine the mobilities of interstitial solutes in yttrium and its advantages are discussed in that paper. The specimen is essentially a pair of semi-infinite, bar-type diffusion couples. The electro-transport velocity was measured by observing the displacement of the mean concentration point in a measured length of time. The diffusion coefficients were calculated by the Grube method from the concentration profile. The transport mobilities and diffusion coefficients can be used to predict the concentration profile in an electrotransport experiment of a given time, current density, and specimen length. At long times a steady state will be reached such that the natural logarithm of the concentration of each solute varies linearly along the bar with a slope which is equal to the velocity of the migrating solute divided by its diffusion coefficient. The estimation of the purification potential of electrotransport is discussed by ~erhoeven.' A comparison of the concentration profile and the purification which should be expected from known solute velocities and diffusion coefficients with that which is obtained in an experiment can be very useful in indicating whether the maximum possible purification has been achieved. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The apparatus used in this study consisted of a sample chamber which was equipped with two electrodes, a sight glass, and a flange for mounting to a high-vacuum system capable of obtaining pressure of 2 x lo-? Torr. The chamber was made of stainless steel and was 4 in. in diam and 6 in. long. The seal between the electrodes and the chamber was made with "0" rings and compression bushings. The thorium specimens were threaded and screwed into tantalum "U"-shaped adapters attached to the ends of the electrodes. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 1

Jan 1, 1967

By Christine P. Viecelli

As Phelps Dodge Corporation addresses the environmental challenges of the 1990's, water management has become a key element in an overall waste minimization strategy. The Phelps Dodge Hidalgo copper smelter has implemented a comprehensive water management program that includes management of both fresh and process water utilized by its pyrometallurgical operation. Two major technological strategies are being implemented. They are the design, construction and operation of a raw water pre-treatment facility to allow increased evaporation within cooling towers thereby minimizing blow down, and the use of a brine concentrator to treat and recycle significant quantities of process water. The end result of this program is a significant reduction in raw water pumped from the underlying aquifer into the facility as well as a decrease in process water which must be impounded or otherwise treated.

Jan 1, 1992

By C. E. Wood

Because of the renewed importance of the strategic metal manganese the Bureau of Mines in conducting further research on pyrometallurgical methods of beneficiating manganiferous iron ores and low-grade manganese ores. Published data on the Pyrometallurgical of manganese ores have been reviewed by Joseph.5/ A method of treatment that has received less consideration than others is the matte smelting of manganese or the separation of manganese from the iron and the gangue in an ore b, formation of a matte, that consists principally of esulfide of manganese. A procedure of this type has been patented by Betts.6/ Lofquist7/ claims advantages for the production of a sulfide-oxide matte as a method of recovering manganese in alloys containing manganese and iron.

Jan 1, 1940

To meet the energy requirements, hydroelectric projects are planned and executed in many countries. Though these projects requires a high capital investment, the returns are regular with minimum maintenance after commissioning of the project and are ecofriendly. Bhutan is situated in the eastern Himalayas and covers an area of 38,394km2 (14824.01sq. miles. It is bordered by India in East, South and West and by Tibet in the North. The hydropower potential of the country is estimated at 30,000MW, out of which around 5% has been harnessed.

Jan 1, 2016

PRESIDENT. CHARLES F. RAND,1 NEW YORK, N. Y. PAST PRESIDENTS. CHARLES KIRCHHOFF,1 NEW YORK, N. Y. JAMES F. KEMP,2 NEW YORK, N. Y. FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT. BENJAMIN B. THAYER,1 NEW YORK, N. Y. TREASURER. GEORGE C. STONE,' NEW YORK, N. Y. SECRETARY EMERITUS. ROSSITER W. RAYMOND NEW YORK, N. Y. SECRETARY. BRADLEY STOUGHTON NEW YORK, N. Y.

Jan 9, 1913

C. Q. Payne, New York City: Prof. Blake's inference that magnetic separation may be successfully employed upon smithsonite and iron oxide, after a preliminary roasting, is confirmed by the fact that this separation has been carried on with entire success for over a year at the works of the Wythe Lead and Zinc Mine Co., Austinville, Va. The ore mined on this property is a mixture consisting chiefly of galenite, smithsonite and limonite. The crude material is crushed, screened and washed in log washers for the removal of clay, and then jigged for the separation of the galenite. The zinc-and iron-ores are then roasted in reverberatory furnaces, being turned and moved towards the bridge-end of the hearth by manual labor. The roasted material contains from 20 to 26 per cent. of metallic iron. The slight difference in the specific gravities and the friable condition of the ores after roasting prevent the separation of the oxides by means of jigging. It was therefore the practice, previous to the use of magnetic separation, to charge the roasted material directly into the retorts of the zinc-furnaces. The rapid cutting of the retorts under this practice proved a serious inconvenience and expense. In the spring of 1892, the writer built for the Wythe Lead and Zino Mine Co. a magnetic separator which embodied several novel features and which was designed to treat the roasted zinc- and ironoxides. This separator has proved entirely successful for the purpose for which it was designed. During the first nine months of its operation, 1415 tons of 2240 pounds of roasted material were passed through the separator, producing about 675 tons of heads carrying from 50 to 55 per cent, of metallic iron, which are sold to a neighboring blast-furnace. The tailings, which contain the zinc, carry from 4 to 6 per cent. of metallic iron. For magnetizing the iron-ore previous to separating it from the zinc-ore, no change whatever mas made in the form of the reverberatory furnace previously employed. It was found that, by charging near the bridge-end of the hearth, toward the end of the roast-

Jan 1, 1894

The early Spanish adventurers found but little gold or silver on the American mainland, and the aborigines in the country that is now the United States were not as submissive as those of the West Indies, so the conquistadores obtained no foothold north of the Caribbean sea. Their later exploration north- ward had Mexico as a base-and wild yarns as a basis. The friar Marcos, a member of Estevanico's unfortunate expedition, brought the story of the Seven Cities of Cibola to Mexico City in 1539. Except as Indian hovels,* they existed only in a disordered imagination, but when Váquez de Coronado's expedition pricked the glittering bubble, there appeared an enticing mirage in the northern desert: the glorious land of Quivira, where even-the common pitchers and bowls were made of solid gold. Coronado proceeded northward and found only enormous herds of buffalo on the plains of Texas. It was a melancholy land. No gold or silver was to be seen among the poor Indians. Coronado reached the country of the Wichitas, in Kansas, before he abandoned his quest and turned home, which he reached, with only a third of his party, hungry and tattered, in 1542. So long as greed stimulates the imagination there will be no lack of tales such as those that repeatedly led the Spaniards to the rainbow's end. In 1860 an expedition was organized in San Francisco by Dr. Darwin French to explore the desert country near Owens lake on the news that the Indians in those parts shot golden bu1lets.t The fact that the savages were known to possess few guns did not discredit the tale, which

Jan 1, 1932

By Charles Findlay

As one of its projects for degasification of major panels of coal prior to mining within them, the Bureau of Mines conducted methane emission studies during development of a set of three headings 1,800 feet in a major coal panel (2,700 by 3,500 feet) which had been completely isolated by sets of main headings for 12 months in the Federal No. 2 mine (Pittsburgh coalbed) in northern West Virginia. Similar emission studies were conducted in the development of two sets of main headings in virgin coal areas nearby. Comparing the two sets of data indicated that the isolated coal panel had been degasified by approximately 70 percent.

Jan 1, 1973

The coalmining industry in most countries has, at various times, suddenly been confronted with a decrease in demand for coal. Readjustments made to reduce productive capacity to match the reduced demand for coal have often resulted in hardship to mineworkers, loss of capital investment to mineowners and loss of coal reserves. The consequences of the methods of readjustment adopted in the past have contributed to the low esteem in which coalmining has come to be regarded by a large section of the gel).eral public in many countries.Four sections of the coalmining industry, representing different periods of time, different countries, and different methods of industrial organisation have been examined:Great Britain and the U.S.A. during the inter war years, the post war European Coal and Steel Community, and post war Great Britain under the National Coal Board. An assessment has been made of the methods adopted in each case to reduce productive capacity to match a reduced demand for coal. Finally the fundamentals of the problem-as it affects the coalmining industry of any country-are considered, and possible solutions put forward.During the 1950's, surplus productive capacity was a problem in many coalmining countries, including Australia and New Zealand. As a rule no techniques are developed beforehand to solve problems introduced by a sudden decrease in demand for coal. The situation is usually tackled by a series of short term decisions based on expediency, which often in the long run only aggravate the problem.

Jan 1, 1961

By Young C. Kim

The use of computer models to design the ultimate open pit limits during feasibility studies as well as during long-range mine planning is becoming an enforced practice in all types of mining, e.g., ferrous, non-ferrous, and coal. As a result, the state of the art in computerized ultimate pit limit design methodologies and associated computing and optimizing techniques has advanced considerably in recent years. Unfortunately, very little has been published to date regarding the preferred ultimate pit limit design philosophy, i.e., optimizing us satisfying, or regarding the modeling approaches being used for different types of orebodies. This paper reviews the current state of the art in various modeling approaches and optimizing techniques that are in use for different types of deposits, through available literatures and personal communications.

Jan 1, 1979

In late 1987 it was recognised that column flotation might have potential for improving the grade of the zinc concentrate produced at Pasminco's South Mine in Broken Hill. Intermittent test work was carried out during 1988 using a 90 mm diameter by 6 m high perspex column, built and initially operated by staff from CRA Advanced Technical Development. This column was found to have insufficient retention time so, during the first half of 1989, Pasminco constructed and installed a 200 mm diameter unit of the same height. Extensive testwork was carried out using this column during the latter half of 1989 and early 1990. It was clear from the results that a grade improvement of between 1 and 2 per cent (absolute) would be achievable. The effect of column cleaning on overall recovery was not established with the same degree of confidence, so the proposed new circuit is to include one of the existing banks of OK8 cleaner cells as a scavenger on column tailings. The test work provided sufficient data for preliminary design work to begin in May 1990 and commissioning of full scale zinc cleaner columns is planned for mid 1991. This paper summarizes the results and describes some of the experiences with column flotation at the Pasminco South Mine.

Jan 1, 1991

By Barun Gorain, Aparup Chattopadhyay

"Many double refractory gold deposits are characterized by the dominance of ""invisible gold"" (sub-microscopic gold) as solid solution or as colloidal-sized particles in different sulfides and other phases. These deposits are mainly composed of silicates and carbonates with moderate clay and mica content and with minor amount of sulfides and organic carbonaceous matters. The presence of highly preg-robbing and finely disseminated carbonaceous matter adversely affects gold recovery in leach circuits. Characterization of carbonaceous matters, commonly known as TCM and quantification of gold associated within these carbonaceous matters along with different sulfide and oxide phases is highly complex and challenging. Studies were initiated on various complex ore deposits and also on samples representing various process streams. This paper presents the development of a systematic approach to gold deportment studies using state-of-the-art mineralogy characterization techniques for quantification of invisible and visible metal contents in various species. The relevance of this mineralogy characterization to metallurgy will also be discussed in this paper."

Jan 1, 2014

By James C. Foley

In-situ characterizations of green state part density and sintering state have long been desired in the powder metal community. Recent advances in non-contact electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) technology have enabled in-situ monitoring of acoustic amplitude and velocity as sintering proceeds. Samples were made from elemental powders of Al (99.99%), Al (99.7%), Ag, (99.99%), Cu (99.99%) and Fe (99.9%). The powders were pressed in a uniaxial die and examined with acoustic waves for changes in velocity and amplitude during sintering. The changes in acoustic properties were correlated with mechanical properties. Evolution of a series of reverberating echoes during sintering is shown to provide information on the state of sintering, changes in sintering kinetics as well as having the potential for detection of interior flaws.

Jan 1, 2001

By K. C. Nathsarma

An attempt was made to extract niobium oxide from ~98.5% Nb2O5 using solvent extraction processes. Nb2O5 is used as the feed material in carbothermic reduction processes aimed at producing high-homogeneity, superconductor-grade niobium on a laboratory scale. The Nb metal used for superconductor applications requires a residual resistivity ratio (RRR) > 300, which in turn needs a stringent purity of Nb and allows impurities (substitutional and interstitial) in ppm levels only. In this paper, solvent extraction of niobium was studied under various experimental conditions, such as effect of different extractants, concentration of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) in the organic phase and concentration of various acids. The concentrate was digested with hydrofluoric acid, with ammonium fluoride (NH4F) as a stripping agent. The extraction of niobium from low hydrofluoric- (HF-) bearing solution was found to be low. Thus, various concentrations of hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid, as well as hydrofluoric acid and hydrochloric acid, were investigated towards obtaining a maximum amount of niobium in the filtrate and a minimum amount of niobium in the residue. A McCabe - Thiele plot for extraction of niobium from the aqueous phase, HF-bearing solution using HCl with 85% MIBK in kerosene has been constructed to determine the O:A ratio and the number of stages of the process.

Nov 1, 2011

By Jim Simpson, John Waller, Scott Stewart

The authors review the evolution of drilling and blasting procedures at this West Virginia surface coal mine where management seeks continually to improve and update the drilling and blasting programs. Today's operations require efficient programs which include quality control to maximize production and minimize the public's sensitivity to the blasting events.

Jan 1, 1992