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By Y. Nakata, K. Nagata

Plasma is partially ionized gas composed of ions, electrons and activated elements at high temperature. Some flying ash from incinerated municipal waste is melted to become glass by a transfer-type arc plasma furnace. As the glass is ionic silicate, when an electric current passes through anode to cathode, ions in molten slag electrochemically react with electron in plasma at the surface of molten slag. In case of molten Na2O-SiO2, sodium ions in the molten slag carry electric current and SiO2are reduced to evaporate as SiO gas by electron in plasma. The cases of Ag+in NaNO3-KNO3molten salt and Fe2+in FeO-SiO2slag were examined. The amount of cathodic reaction is larger than that of anodic reaction and not apparently according to the Faraday?s law on the electrochemical reactions.

Jan 1, 2004

By R. Dass

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B. Sc Eng (Extractive Metallurgy) degree Screening is an industrial process that splits material at a specific cut size into one fraction of particles larger than the cut size and another fraction of particles smaller than the cut size. Particles are vibrated to increase the probability of them being accurately classified and to move the oversize particles off the screen surface. In conventional screening, the screen mesh vibrates with a single frequency and the particles on the screen are all exposed to this same frequency. The Ultimate Screener (see Figure 1) is a new screen technology that imparts multi-frequency vibrations to the screen mesh so that different parts of the screen surface vibrate at different frequencies. The Ultimate Screener incorporates an additional deck that holds the multi frequency adapters as shown by Figure 2. These special adapters can transform single frequency vibrations into multi frequency vibrations. When the screen motors are switched on they begin to vibrate. This vibration is transmitted to the adapters via the body of the machine. The adapters then modify the vibration to have multiple frequencies, which are transmitted to the screen surface via resonating rings.

Jan 1, 2004

By P. Fredriksson, S. Seetharaman

In the ladle refining process, the ?FeO?-content of the ladle slag is of great importance in the chemistry as well as the energetics of the process. An optimization of the process requires an accurate knowledge of the thermodynamic activities of ?FeO? in the ladle slags. Due to the discrepancies in the existing data, renewed attempts are being made at the Royal Institute of Technology to generate reliable data for binary, ternary and multi component slags containing ?FeO? at steelmaking temperatures. In order to measure the activities of ?FeO? in the slags, a gas equilibration technique was employed in the present work. The slags, kept in Pt-crucibles, were equilibrated with a CO-CO2-Ar gas mixture and quenched after equilibration. The chemical composition of the slag was analyszed. From a knowledge of the thermodynamics of Fe-Pt system, the ?FeO? activities in the slag could be evaluated. The results of the present studies, together with other literature values, were optimized in the slag software, THERMOSLAG® developed in the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. The results of the optimization are presented. Model calculations were performed with the KTH slag software, THERMOSLAG®, by using plant data from OVAKO Steel, Hofors, Sweden. It was found that oxygen estimations in the metal from the ?FeO? analyses of slags, obtained by conventional sampling and analysis methods, where less reliable. Estimation of the oxygen levels utilizing the sulphur partition between the slag and the metal were carried out using the THERMOSLAG® software. Reasonable estimations of the oxygen contents in the metal confirmed that this could be a very useful tool for the plant operator. Keywords: ladle, thermodynamics, slags, ?FeO?, experimentation, modelling, sulphur partition

Jan 1, 2004

The modelling of lithological domains is a critical step in mineral resource and reserve evaluation. Deterministic models rely on an interpretation of the available drill hole data and expert knowledge, but do not account for the uncertainty in the spatial extent of the lithological domains. Instead, probabilistic models based on conditional simulation can be used to map the probabilities of occurrence of the domains within the deposit, which reflect the uncertainty in their presence or absence at unsampled locations. The mineral grade model is then obtained by weighting the predicted grades associated with each lithological domain by the probability of occurrence of this domain. Such an approach accounts for the continuity of the grades proper to each lithological domain and for the uncertainty in the spatial extent of these domains within the deposit. An application to a porphyry copper deposit is presented. Keywords: spatial uncertainty; plurigaussian simulation; geological control; kriging; geostatistics.

Jan 1, 2007

By D. G. Krige

For the purpose of determining confidence limits for ore grade estimates, an extensive simulated data base was used, which included 1728 ore blocks with ‘actual’ grades and the corresponding estimates based on ordinary and simple kriging. The practical results show that conditional unbiasedness is essential and that acceptable confidence limits can then be set using Normal theory for the simulated error distribution based on the logarithms of the ratios of ‘actuals’/estimates with a variance related to the kriging variance. The mean of the data used to prepare the variogram and the estimated block grade are to be used properly in this approach. A practical analysis was also done of the actual point and block data from a very large mined out Carbon Leader area. The distributions of the actual grades for two levels of block sizes with different levels of variability were fitted using three models, ie. 2-. 3- and compound-lognormal. The trends of tonnages, grades and relative profits for a range of pay limits, as well as the usual tonnage-grade curves, show a practical insensitivity for the choice between the three lognormal models considered.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. H. Potgieter

This paper describes two cases of corrosion that occurred in dry-process, rotary, cement-clinker kilns. In the case of the kiln with five pre-heater stages, the attack occurred primarily from sulphates that probably originated in the raw feed and fuel being used in the plant and that penetrated the refractory lining. The corrosion was similar to ash-deposit corrosion often observed in steam boilers. In the second case the plant consisted of a long dry kiln with a single pre-heater fitted to the feed-end. In this case the corrosion could be ascribed to alkali chloride penetration through the refractory-brick lining and subsequent hot corrosion of the kiln shell.

Jan 1, 2004

By S. Witzke, J. Lehmann, H. Gaye

The modelling work presented here concerns Ni-bearing steels produced by Imphy Ugine Précision. In such grades, the contents of elements such as silicon or titanium must be precisely controlled by slag/metal treatments. The slag phase is described by IRSID slag model that has been slightly revised in order to better fit recent SiO2activity measurements in the low SiO2content domain of the CaO-Al2O3-CaO system. The metallic alloys are described by the unified interaction parameter model (UIPM). In this formalism, the interaction coefficients, giving the effect of nickel on Al, Si, Mn and Ti activities, have been determined by electrochemical measurements and/or extracted from industrial data on slag/metal treatments concerning a wide range of alloy compositions: [ ] Keywords: slag, Ni alloyed steels, activities, interaction coefficient

Jan 1, 2004

By A. F. Lee

A pick-up apparatus capable of yielding quantitative results has been described. Studies of some collector-mineral systems have been presented to illustrate the versatility of the apparatus and prove the validity of results.

By C. Birch

"A ‘geologically constrained’ orebody model has long been hailed as vital for a Mineral Resource statement that is compliant with the South African Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (SAMREC Code). In this paper, the requirements for geological modelling as contained in the outline for the SAMREC Code are considered, and whether the new modelling software available on the market is a ‘black box’ or is better for modelling than traditional methods of wireframe creation.Implicit geological modelling is a technique that uses a radial basis function to establish and update geological models relatively quickly and efficiently from borehole data, outcrop data, manually interpreted vertical or horizontal sections, and structural data. Assays and any coded drill-hole data, such as lithology and alteration, can be interpolated.Leapfrog Geo software is an example of this new approach to geological modelling. A case study of a short training course in geological modelling for non-geologists at the University of Witwatersrand, as part of the Higher Certificate in Mineral Resource Management, is presented. The benefits of this type of geological modelling software are considered for this type of assignment as well as for mining industry applications.The use of geological models in mine planning is reviewed and a case study is presented comparing the variations in mine plan design and financial output of 13 final-year Mine Design projects from the University of the Witwatersrand School of Mining Engineering. These designs were all based on the same geological model created in the traditional way, and yet the resultant mine designs were significantly different, with very different resulting financial outlooks for the project. This raises questions as to how significant a very detailed model in the pre-feasibility and feasibility phases of projects really is, considering the huge costs involved in gathering the required data to build a SAMREC-compliant geological model."

Jan 1, 2014

By A. Wedepohl

Selective leaching of phases in charge chrome is used in a variety of industrial processes for the production of chromium chemicals. A mineralogical study was made of a range of local charge chrome samples, at various stages of leaching in sulphuric acid (20g/l at 90°C), using mainly a scanning electron microscope (SEM) together with an energy-dispersive spectroscopy analyzer (EDS), and X-ray diffraction techniques. It was found that the leaching behaviour of the different types of charge chrome depends largely on the nature of the secondary phases, which in turn depends upon whether the silicon content is above or below 4 per cent by mass. The leaching behaviour of high-chromium ferrite is anomalous, and it is postulated that the process is analogous to the corrosion of brass by dezincification. Keywords: charge chrome leaching, scanning electron microscope

Jan 1, 2000

By K. M. Li, Y. D. Zhang

The selection of stripping dragline is a complicated problem. Several factors, such as the deposit buried conditions, the demand of mine production rate, cast blasting result, the mining/stripping operation method and parameters, etc. may comprehensively influence the optimal selection of technical specifications of the dragline. Under these circumstances, the basic thinking and procedures for dragline selection are put forward as follows. •Step 1—Initially estimate the dragline annual stripping rate and stripping bench height according to the annual coal production rate and advancing speed of mining front. Then the feasible alternatives of dragline sizes can be calculated and selected from the existing dragline series. •Step 2—A computer simulation model is developed to simulate the dragline stripping operation, to obtain a series of working face parameters, then to select the best dragline alternative. This step can be interactively iterated until the satisfactory results are obtained. •Step 3— Sensitivity analysis can be done with the systems simulation model by changing the stripping bench parameters, e.g. stripping bench height and cut width, etc. to verify and modify the selection results if necessary. The mathematical model for dragline stripping simulation has been set up. The flowchart of the model is shown. A case study for a large surface coal mine with annual production rate of 16 Mt/a is followed. The dragline bucket capacity and operation radius, stripping bench height and cut width as well as other parameters are comprehensively optimized and selected. Keywords: Open cast, dragline, specification, selection, cast blasting

Jan 1, 2003

By S. M. Spottiswoode, J. A. L. Napier, M. Kataka

The move away from the use of strike stabilising pillars at depth and the adoption of the more flexible system of mining towards final dip remnant pillars brings new opportunities for optimising mine design. In the initial planning stage, the size and spacing of the final pillars is designed using classical design criteria, through limiting modelled values of Energy Release Rate (ERR), Average Pillar Stress (APS) and Excess Shear Stress (ESS). In reality, mines often leave pillars that are larger than those originally designed. One of the reasons for leaving more ground is an unexpectedly high rate of seismicity. In this paper, we present developments in integration of modelling and seismicity that are aimed at developing design criteria that are more responsive to local conditions.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. Maleki

Variogram analysis and kriging lack robustness in the presence of outliers and data with long-tailed distributions, which often arises when estimating grades in precious metal deposits. The capping technique, consisting of truncating the data to some top-cut grade, is widely used in order to mitigate the influence of the values in the upper tail of the distribution. However, this procedure omits part of the grade variability and is likely to provoke a bias in the estimates. To avoid these issues, a recently proposed approach is to decompose the grade of interest into three components (the truncated grade, a weighted indicator above the top-cut grade, and a zero-mean residual) and jointly estimate the truncated grade and the indicator by cokriging. This approach is attractive as it provides unbiased grade estimates, allows choosing the ?optimal? top-cut value, and essentially works with truncated and indicator data, thus avoiding the use of outlying values for calculating sample variograms and performing spatial interpolation. This work presents an application of this approach to a disseminated gold deposit that has been identified through exploration drilling. The effect of using an indicator covariate is assessed through leave-one-out cross-validation, by comparing the grade estimates with the true grades and with the grade estimates obtained with the conventional capping approach, which considers only the truncated grade as the variable of interest. As a result, cokriging the truncated grade and the indicator above top-cut grade outperforms the conventional capping approach, yielding significantly more accurate estimates. A few complementary guidelines are provided for validating the model hypotheses and for the implementation of cokriging.

Jan 1, 2014

By V. Jovicic, J. Likar

The knowledge of the geological sequence and hydrological conditions in the area of portals was the basis for the design of the entry of the highway into tunnel Trojane. Mudstone, claystone and sandstone dominate the rock layering, which is tectonically reworked and contains structural anomalies. The complexity of the sequence makes it impossible to survey all the relevant features along the full 3km length of the tunnel. Sudden and frequent transitions between litological sequences impose potential instabilities and make the excavation of the tunnel particularly difficult. The initial survey established the zones of potential failures. These were monitored using topographic survey and inclinometers with an aim to make further geotechnical analyses more reliable and adjusted to the ground conditions. The analyses of the wall construction and the results of the monitoring showed that the design of the retaining wall was adequate. La connaissance de la séquence géologique et des conditions hydrologiques dans l'aire des portails a été la base pour la planification de l'entrée de l'autoroute dans le tunnel Trojane. Le schiste, l'argilite et le grès dominent la couche rocheuse qui est tectoniquement transformée et contient les anomalies structurales. A cause de la complexité de la séquence, il est impossible de revoir toutes les particularités le long des 3 kilomètres de la toute longueur du tunnel. Les transitions soudaines et fréquentes entre les séquences lithologiques imposent l'instabilité potentielle et font l'excavation du tunnel particulièrement difficile. La revue initiale a été établie sur les zones où il existe l'éboulement potential. Elles étaient contrôlées à l'aide de la revue topographique et de l'inclinomètre pour que les analyses géotechniques suivantes soient plus sûres et adaptées aux conditions du sol. Les analyses de la construction des murs et des résultats du contrôle ont montré que la planification du mur réteneur était correspondante. Der Autobahneingang in den Trojane Tunnel war projektiert auf Basis von der Kenntnis der geologischen und hydrogeologischen Bedingungen in dem Portalgebiet. Das Gebiet besteht aus dem Tonstein und dem Sandstein. Die Schichten sind tektonisch verformt und sind deswegen sehr heterogen. Die anfaenglichen Untersuchungen haben die Zonen von den potentiellen Bruechen definiert. Weitere geotechnische Analysen waren fitted an reale geologische Bedingungen durch das Monitoring der potentiellen Bruchzonen, welches aus den topographyschen Messungen und Inklinometerdaten entstand. Die Analyse des Wandbaues und die Resultate von dem Monitoring haben erwiesen, dass die Wandprojektierung entsprechend war.

Jan 1, 2003

By F. M. G. Egerton

Mechanisation of mining operations is not a new concept in the world of mining. Machinery has been developed, manufactured and used for many decades in massive orebodies and coal mines, both locally and abroad. Because of their size and the huge tonnages available, massive ore bodies lend themselves very easily to mechanisation. However, little progress in mechanisation has been made in narrow tabular orebodies in South Africa. The equipment available for narrow tabular orebodies requires excavations of a size that introduce large volumes of waste dilution. Nevertheless, it is essential for South African miners to experiment with mechanisation and to find a solution to the problem. This address looks at current conventional mining methods and compares them to bord-and-pillar type mining methods. Off-reef mechanisation is also touched on. It then looks at different hybridised mining methods that are being used, i.e. a mixture of conventional mining and mechanisation. It finally looks at future prospects for mechanisation in narrow tabular orebodies.

Jan 1, 2004

By M. Moys

The use of temperature measurements for unusual applications in the analysis and control of column flotation and milling is discussed. This is followed by a review of some of the authors current research in the application of the discrete element method to the modelling of particulate processes, specifically milling, fluidized beds and chute flow.

Jan 1, 2005

By Y. Wang, S. Sridhar, B. Coletti, G. N. Shannon, S. Vantilt

The final removal of inclusions in the ladle, tundish, and mold in a continuous casting process involves the kinetic steps of liquid film drainage, interface rupture, and absorption of the inclusion into the overlaying molten slag. During this process, oxide inclusions can undergo chemical reactions with the slag. This paper presents recent results on imaging the slag/steel interface and elucidates the evolution of Al2O3and Al2O3-CaO inclusions during their separation from the steel and on their incorporation into the slag. Experimental results, obtained through a Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope, are compared with thermodynamic predictions.

Jan 1, 2004

By W. Bryszewski

As a result of strategic analysis in respect of the needs for air quality management a new advanced and holistic approach to air quality management process was introduced in the North West Province (NWP) of South Africa. The process is based on the principle of co-operative management. It involves both active participation of all Interested and Affected Parties (I&AP) and the holistic approach to solving problems with the underlying principles of shared ownership and sustainable development. The process consists of the followings phases: ? Industrial process quantification ? Quantification of impacts ? Formulation of the required control measures ? Definitions of certificate conditions ? Implementation of an adequate compliance management system at company level ? Ongoing co-operative air quality and system management with the strategic objective of continuous improvements The system has been successfully introduced in the North Province and proved to be an effective management tool and aids assurance of sustained environmental ability to cope with the pressure of industrial developments. The benefits and effectiveness are discussed using Hernic Ferrochrome as an example. Hernic Ferrochrome is one of the first companies, which successfully implemented this system.

Jan 1, 2004

By C. F. Vos, J. D. Miller, J. C. Davidtz

Small replacements of C12-trithiocarbonate (C12-TTC) for dithiocarbonate (DTC)/dithiophosphate(DTP) in a reagent suite for the flotation of platinum group metals (PGM) have significantly improved the rejection of gangue. Coupled to this is an improvement in kinetics, grade and recovery of PGMs. In a pilot-plant trial, after a 5 mole per cent replacement of the current DTC/DTP collector combination by C12-TTC, large opaque bubbles were replaced by small clear ones. In addition, a similar flotation response was realized with one-third of the current depressant dosage. During a preliminary plant trial on underground UG2 ore, the initial rougher concentrates were characterized by higher PGM concentrate grades and this was in part due to improved chromite rejection. The concentrate produced from the TTC trial also exhibited a much finer particle size distribution. The overall circuit performance, which included secondary regrind and flotation, showed an increase in concentrate grade of approximately 44% while the tailings grade remained unchanged

Jan 1, 2006

This paper pays tribute to the pioneers in geomechanics, and addresses some of the most pressing issues of our time related to deep mining, and how to mitigate these issues. Solutions developed by our predecessors seem to have reached their limits as mines continue to go deeper. The International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM) guidelines for rock mass characterization for excavation design also require re-thinking to reflect current knowledge and experience. Thus, a whole new approach is urgently required to increase mine safety and productivity. The paper will draw on the challenges and experiences in medicine and science that have been overcome through genuine collaboration, advances in technology, and impressive funding, which can be adopted to provide solutions to contemporary geomechanics challenges for increased safety and productivity as mines continue to go deeper.

Jan 1, 2014