Search Documents

By William F. Boericke

CONSIDERABLE waste of oil and grease in lubricating motors and other machinery results from the use of bearings that are not totally enclosed. There is also the likelihood of damage to the bearing through the accidental introduction of grit or dust both in the oiling process and after, unless the cover is entirely dustproof. With the ordinary sleeve bearing that is only partly enclosed, it is generally easier for a careless attendant to cause trouble through neglect than with the ball bearing type, which from its design, must be totally enclosed to give effective service, and needs a minimum of attention. At one of the large mining companies which has taken a leading part in reducing unit costs and pioneering new developments in mining machinery, ball bearings have been gradually supplanting the conventional type of sleeve bearings on many of their motors, centrifugal pumps, and other machines in the mines. This innovation is not recent, as substitution of ball bearings on mine motors was first tried out by this company in 1909. Since then an increasing number of such bearings have been put in. They are now favored because of increased operating efficiency and reduction in lubrication costs.

Jan 1, 1926

By Charles E. Locke

IN gathering material for this review the aid of the individual members of the Milling Committee was invoked and the assistance received is hereby most grate- fully acknowledged. The replies were much alike; almost everyone stated that in 1932 his operations had been cur- tailed or stopped entirely, that the only activity and progress were in milling gold ores, and that the Hadsel mill' looked like a coming machine in the crushing and grinding field. However, further inquiry and search have shown that the year was not quite so barren of developments as the foregoing statement would indicate.

Jan 1, 1933

By F. C. NINNIS

AT THE Belmont mill, the pregnant solution is de¬livered to a 30 by 10-ft. tank, from which it is pumped to three Merrill clarifying presses of the sluice-bar type, whence it flows through the meter to the precipitation supply tank. ?The solution for precipitation is pumped by a 10 by 10-in. Aldrich triplex pump and delivered through a 6-in. line to the forty-eight triangular frame Merrill presses at the head of the mill. Zinc dust is fed in at the pump suction and the solution precipitated to 0.01 to 0.02 oz. silver. The solution flowing from the presses is tested at 1-hr. intervals with sodium sulfide. All solution is precipitated to the same value; 4J tons of solution are precipitated for each ton of ore treated and the presses are cleaned every 15 days. The product from the presses' is dumped into steel cars having steam-jacketed bottoms, in which they are dried until the moisture content is between 15 and 17 per cent. when 8. per cent. of soda and .3 per cent. of borax are added and the contents thoroughly mixed. In the case of special clean-ups, the precipitate is tested and the flux is added to meet the requirements.

Jan 1, 1921

By Dapeng Zhang, Brij Moudgil, Shibo Zheng, Chunhui Feng, Wenyi Song, Wending Xiao, Patrick Zhang

The separation of dolomite from phosphate is the most challenging problem in phosphate mineral processing. More than 50 percent of the phosphate reserve in Florida contains too much dolomite to process using current industry practice. The current way of producing phosphoric acid requires less than one percent MgO in the phosphate concentrate as the feed material. The Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research (FIPR) Institute has collaborated with worldwide experts in the field to address this issue. As a result, the industry is now offered three feasible options. Option I entails three methods for reducing MgO content in the concentrate from the Crago process, including adding a dolomite depressant in the rougher flotation step, dolomite flotation of the cleaner concentrate, and scrubbing the cleaner concentrate in quartz sand, which could reduce MgO content in the final concentrate by 20 to 40 percent. Option II involves the crushing and grinding of high-dolomite phosphate pebbles followed by dolomite flotation at slightly acidic pH using a new collector that does not require phosphoric acid as a phosphate depressant, achieving a final concentrate analyzing less than 0.9 percent MgO at about 87 percent P2O5 recovery. Option III is a gravity separation technique using an innovative separation jig, and its full potential remains to be demonstrated.

By G. E. McElroy, D. Harrington

The use of shall electrically- driven fans , in conjunction with air- pipe of various diameters is becoming of increasing importance for the ventilation of working places in metal mines through which the general ventilating currents can not be coursed . It will probably continue to increase in importance since the concept that air motion is the most important factor in maintaining comfort in hot ( above 80° F . ) working places is more generally accepted , and as the inefficiency and greater expense of attempting to ventilate such places with compressed air is recognized . Managers of large properties can afford to experiment with fan- pipe installations until types are found that meet their conditions , but managers of shall properties , unless forced to it by extreme conditions , prefer to wait until they can obtain data sufficient to guarantee at least a measure of success from such installations . At present , such data , even in part , are available to only a few (mainly fan manufacturer's representatives , consulting ventilation engineers , and ventilatin engineers employed by large companies ) , and important recent developments are mostly of a confidential nature . One large metal - mining company cooperated with a fan manufacturer in some extensive experimental work on small blowers and found that instead of using stock fans , considerable power economy could be effected and equal quantities of air delivered by use of or 2/3 width fans with small motors rather than using stock fans and larger motors ; it was also found advisable to adopt certain sizes of tubing for certain lengths of run . In fact , many important facts were ascertained in this study , and it is now promised that they will soon be given to the public . It is true that a certain amount of data on industrial installations are available , but such data are only in part applicable to metal -mine conditions , because , until recently , little attention has been given to ventilation in metalmines , and the conditions encountered usually require a greater length of pipe , a more temporary type of construction , and closer attention to temperature control than the ordinary run of industrial installations demands ..

Feb 1, 1922

By Andrew J. Petruska, Austin F. Oltmanns

The paper proposes a capacitive load cell for detecting changes in material and tool wear conditions for conical picks used in underground mining. The current process is dangerous and subjective, relying on human operators near the cutting interface. The new sensor aims to improve worker safety by allowing operators to perform their functions from a greater distance.

Aug 1, 2023

By A. Gülmez

The complex ore deposit containing fluorite, barite and bastnaesite minerals is located in Beylikova Region of Sivrihisar town of Eskisehir Province of Turkey. The ore contains 40.80% CaF2; 35.35% BaSO4; 2.01%Ce; 1.5% La; 0.39% Nd and 0.1% Th. Barite recovery from this ore by flotation of the HCl leached tailings is presented in this paper. Rare earths are recovered by leaching. The leached residue (tailings) containing fluorite and barite is subjected to froth flotation to recover barite. The effect of pH and collector concentration on the flotation of barite have been studied in this work.

Sep 1, 2012

By JESSICA W. A. AZURE, Samuel Frimpong, AZUPURI G. A. KABA, FORSYTH A. KADINGDI, PROSPER E. A. AYAWAH

The efficient and effective utilization of hydraulic excavators relies on, among other factors, a better understanding of the formation resistance during the excavation process. Studies on hydraulic shovel excavators have focused on optimizing the digging process by considering the reaction of the boom, stick and bucket, and analyzing the resulting moments at the shovel’s front-end joints. These studies failed to understand resistive forces from a statistical viewpoint. The purpose of this paper is to develop machine-learning models capable of predicting the formation of resistive forces during shovel excavation. The shovel’s excavation was simulated in the PFC 5.0 environment using a typical field-size hydraulic shovel bucket to generate the shovel contact forces required to overcome formation resistance

By M. Gebhardt, J. Johnson, S. Rosenthal

The use of presplitting applications in an underground mine setting is a method of reducing overbreak in the rib and back when blasting occurs. Presplitting performed at the Underground Mine Education Center (UMEC) on Montana Technological University’s campus in Butte, Montana showed a dramatic decrease in the amount of overbreak incurred in the blasting process. Application of the presplitting technique occurred after presplitting presentations at ISEE in San Antonio. Presplit testing consisted of drilling perimeter holes closer together than production holes and loading perimeter holes with a combination of specialized presplit explosive and packaged emulsion with electronic detonator initiation. The ideology was to shoot the perimeter row first, to create a fracture around the perimeter, so when the main production round is shot there is less shock exerted on the surrounding walls due to the pre-fractured perimeter rock. For the test performed, the back ended up with 83% of total holes resulting in half barrels representing a remarkable result. The right rib ended up with one half barrel visible before muck was removed while the left rib did not have any half barrels visible due to a clay seam being in very close vicinity to the perimeter row. The first test blast was a great start encouraging future work on presplitting applications in the UMEC. Additional testing will continue with different combinations of perimeter hole spacing, the addition of a buffer row along the ribs, and varying loading techniques to determine the most effective presplit method for the rock type of the UMEC. Detailed test results and loading configurations will be provided in the paper.

Jan 1, 2024

APRIL 10-Officially, spring comes to the Great Lakes on March 21 as it does elsewhere in the country but in the Superior district continued snow and freezing until late in March have caused citizens in Duluth to place their bets on April 15 for the first ore vessels if the ice breakup is left to Mother Nature. North and west of Duluth and near the eastern end of the Mesabilies the little town of Aurora, population 1100. As the little v-nosed snowplow, pride of the community, shuttled back and forth clearing Aurora's few sidewalks, the crowd in Bradich's Cafe were more interested in the impending high school state championship basketball tournament in Minneapolis than in the outcome of Erie Mining Company's petition for water rights for their proposed 10 million ton taconite concentrating plant. Such a plant would employ 4500 workmen, and at the prevailing ratio of 10 people for every mine worker in Minnesota, this would mean a 45,000 increase in population for Aurora and the vicinity in the next few years. Downstate fishermen are alarmed at the flurry of activity by the mining companies in pushing plans for large scale recovery of iron from taconite. Inconvenience to these gentlemen will be inconsequential when compared with the vast increase in payrolls for range communities. Oliver is pushing the construction of a fine ore agglomeration plant at Virginia which will give them valuable experience for projected taconite processing. Oglebay, Norton & Co. is ready to go at Beaver Bay, north of Duluth, as the right of way for a railroad from Babitt to Beaver Bay is secured as well as permission to dispose of tailing into Lake Superior at the site of the proposed concentrating plant. This company is also doing research in agglomeration at Ashland, Ky., in cooperation with other interests. The financing is yet to be worked out. Of the four possibilities for agglomerating taconite concentrate-sintering, pellitizing, nodulizing and briquetting-the prospects for pelletizing appear the most favorable., It seems likely that 60 cents per ton can be saved by this process over sintering because only 1 to 2 pct of coal is required as compared with 7 pct for sintering. One reason for the lower coal consumption is that the chemical transition of magnetite to hematite which transpires in the pelletizing process is exothermic.

Jan 5, 1950

Beverley S. Randolph, Frostburg, Md. (communication to the Secretary): It has always appeared to me that each coalseam has its peculiar character or habit, due to the conditions of its formation, by virtue of which it is either persistent or variable in its section over extended areas. One seam will hold its thickness, chemical character, number and position of partings, beds of slate, etc., over a large area, while another will be found to vary in some of these characteristics every few feet. As the position of the outcrop is an accident of the topography, depending on folding and erosion which have taken place since the bed was formed, no one opening in the outcrop, or, in fact, anywhere else, can supply reliable evidence as to the general character of the seam. To determine the character of an untried seam, a number of sections are necessary from widely separated points, in order to show such variations as may exist. Should material variations be developed, more numerous sections are necessary, in

Jan 1, 1901

By Thomas T. Read

ONE of the major purposes of the Institute is to "maintain ... a library of books relating to subjects cognate to the sciences and arts of mining and metallurgy." In conformance with this purpose the Institute maintained its own library for a number of years until 1912 when it was merged with the libraries of the other Founder Societies. At that time the A.I.M.E.'s share of operating expenses was wholly covered by the income from a $100,000 gift from James Douglas. But interest on the Douglas Library Fund has declined from 51/2 per cent to 31/4 per cent; the library has grown from some 50,000 volumes in 1913 to more than 170,000 in 1945, with consequently increased costs; and its costs nave otherwise risen. The Institute today contributes to the library annually about 65c per member, of which about 25c is income from the Douglas Fund, or a net charge, from regular income, of 40c per member. The annual library budget runs about

Jan 1, 1946

By Henry G. Granger

A RESIDENCE of 14 years in the Republic of Colombia, spent in almost continuous traveling and prospecting-trips, has given me an intimate knowledge of the resources of that wonderful country. The man who best knows Colombia is unquestionably General Rafael Reyes, President of the Republic for the past three years, and with seven years more to serve in his present term. Such is the strength of his personality and the wisdom of his policies that his term of office will no doubt endure as long as he is willing to serve. The vastly improved economic situation and the brilliant outlook for Colombia are so directly due to the influence of President Reyes that a few lines concerning him. will not be amiss, if they serve towards a better understanding of his personality. Born of a distinguished ancestry in the mountains of Boyaca, he is now 57 years old, just the age of his friend Porfirio Diaz when be began the work which has placed Mexico in the rank of great modern nations. It was Reyes who came to Washington to protest against the action of the government of the United States of America in reference to the establishment of the Republic of Panama, and, without entering into a discussion of this affair, it can be fairly said that there was not an American in Colombia whose feelings of justice were. not outraged at the government action and subsequent refusal to submit the matter to the impartial judgment of the' Hague. President Reyes is an accomplished linguist, speaking English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. He has a remarkably. powerful voice, which can readily be heard by a large assemblage. His height is about 6 ft., and his weight exceeds 200 lb. He has clear gray eyes. Reyes was the leader of those who favored the approval of

Sep 1, 1908

By S. R. Rannels, D. E. Rannels

"I. IntroductionThe alveolar surface of the lung is covered by two populations of pneumocytes, type I and type II epithelium. The type I cell, which accounts for most of the alveolar surface area and provides a highly specialized barrier for gas exchange (Rannels et al., 1991), is poorly understood. Although approaches to type I cell purification have been discussed, they have not been applied widely because of the lack of phenotypic markers to monitor isolation procedures (Dobbs et al., 1988; Danto et al., 1992). In contrast, the type II cell has been studied extensively, largely because of the development of reliable procedures for its isolation and primary culture. Investigations based on the use of purified populations of cultured type II cells have provided convincing evidence to support a role for the pneumocytes both in the maintenance of normal lung function and in the response of the lung to injury (for review, see Rannels and Rannels, 1989).While type II cells can be isolated by a variety of approaches, the protocols used most commonly are modifications of the gradient method of Dobbs and Mason (1979) or of the panning method of Dobbs et al. (1986). Purification of the cells based on density gradient centrifugation is reliable and consistent, with yields of 30 to 40 X 106 type II cells per rat of 230 g body weight. Isolation procedures applied to a minimum of three to four rats provide the best results, as lower cell yields are common with the use of fewer animals. The protocol below is designed to obtain a maximal cell yield from the lungs of six rats.II. Materials and InstrumentationMaterialsCalbiochem: DNase I (Cat. No. 260912); Corning: culture flask, 75 cm2 #25115; Costar: culture plate, 24-well #3424; disposable serological pipette #4101; Elastin Products Inc: elastase #E-134; Falcon: cellulose nitrate membrane filter, 0.22 µm, #7105; conical tube, 50 ml, #2070; culture dish, 100 mm, #3003; culture plate, sixwell, #3046; Fisher: BaS04 , #B68-500; NaCl, #5271-3; NaHC03 , #5233-50; Fort Dodge Laboratories: pentobarbital, #1206-lE; Gibco: Dulbecco's minimal essential medium (DMEM), #430-1600EC; Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS), #310- 4185AG; Joklik's modified Eagle's medium (JMEM), #410-2300EC; HyClone Laboratories Inc: fetal calf serum (FCS ), # A-1115-L; I CN Biochemicals (Flow Labora tories): amphotericin B, #16-723-48; newborn calf serum (NCS), #29-121-54; try pan blue, # 19 5 5 32; Na/gene: Erlenmeyer flask, # 100-4116C; Pharmacia: Percoll, #17-0891-01; density marker beads, #17-0549-01; Sigma: gentam1cm sulfate, #G3632; penicillin/streptomycin, #P3539; trypsin inhibitor, #T9128; Tetko: HC- 160 nylon mesh, #3-160-53."

Dec 1, 1995

By O. Lopez

"Stringent regulations and increased arsenic presence in ore bodies being exploited have created the need for cost effective and environmentally compliant technologies to remove selenium and arsenic from mine waters and metallurgical waste streams. Existing treatment methods have high life cycle costs and/or produce residues that, due to their unknown stability over the long-term, may represent future liabilities. This results in high compliance costs and uncertainties which negatively impact existing operations and projects in permitting. Selen-IX™ is a new ion exchange based process that selectively removes selenium from mine impacted waters down to 1 ppb while producing a stable inorganic iron-selenium product. Results of piloting completed on streams generated from coal and copper-gold deposits are presented along with preliminary equipment sizing and life cycle costs of full scale treatment. An example of a commercially available system for arsenic removal using sulphide precipitation is presented. The benefit of this treatment method is discussed based on recently completed technical feasibility assessment including laboratory testing and preliminary engineering design. INTRODUCTION Selenium Due to the chemical similarity between selenium and sulfur, selenium substitutes sulfur in many minerals that can be found in a wide range of deposits including coal, base metal, precious metal, phosphate, and uranium. One of the main environmental challenges facing the industry in North America today is related to the removal of hexavalent selenium, e.g. selenate, to ultralow levels, typically between 1 to 10 ppb, from large flows of often cold water containing less than 1,000 ppb of selenium. Recent studies commissioned by the industry identified biological selenium reduction systems as the best available technology. Although the biological selenium reduction process is commercially proven in certain applications to remove selenium to ultralow discharge levels, the technology has been primarily applied to relatively low and constant flows of warm water produced by the Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers in the power generation industry. The wide spread adoption of this treatment method by the mining industry is hindered by high capital and operating costs associated with treating large flows of cold water, lack of data and knowledge about the long term stability of solid residues produced by this treatment, and limited capacity of biological systems to respond to sudden changes in flow and/or mass load of contaminants. Furthermore, it has been reported that reaching discharge limits less than 3 ppb could be a challenge and that polishing treatment for the removal of BOD and phosphate maybe required to avoid the impact of the biological treatment which requires organics and nutrients, on aquatic environment downstream of treatment plants. Alternate treatment systems are being developed to overcome and/or completely avoid some of the challenges of biological systems. One such treatment system is BioteQ’s Selen-IX™ process which is purely physico-chemical treatment system."

Jan 1, 2015

By C. Tissot, R. Palmer

"Due to the low concentrations of gold, direct measurement of gold concentration in ore on belt has not been seriously considered to now. Pre-concentration or sorting strategies have largely consisted of particle sorting based on secondary characteristics such as colour, which can be successful in select cases. CSIRO has produced sample measurement results using gamma activation analysis of ~300 gm samples with accuracies of around 30 ppb at best. With this encouragement, a feasibility study into gold ore measurement on belt for the purpose of sorting pods of gold ore has been undertaken. The study described here included, prototype design options with existing industrial Linacs, extensive Monte Carlo modelling of measurement sensitivity and shielding, further sample measurement, a study of the interaction of target measurement accuracy and sorting efficiency, and a rough estimation of potential economic benefit. The projected model sensitivity of around 0.1-0.15 ppm (1 standard deviation) in 10 seconds for 1 ppm average feed result in good bulk sorting performance and intriguing economic potential.INTRODUCTION Pre-concentration or sorting strategies for gold ores have largely consisted of particle sorting based on secondary characteristics such as colour or density, which can be successful in select cases (Klein, 2010). No method is available to measure gold content for sorting in particles or even in bulk on belt, principally due to the low concentrations of gold present. In fact, in many cases it is difficult to do rapid bulk grade measurements of base metal ores with concentrations many orders of magnitude higher. By a fortunate quirk of nature gold is particularly amenable to gamma activation analysis (GAA). CSIRO has performed extensive work in GAA of samples of crushed ore (Tickner, 2017). This has resulted in the Photon AssayTM technique that is currently being commercialised through the CSIRO spinoff company Chrysos. The technique relies on the recent availability of industrial high intensity X-ray sources such as Linacs which are currently being used in industry for security, medical and sterilisation applications. This development has led to CRC ORE funding a feasibility study to determine whether on-belt measurement of gold concentration is possible at a rate and accuracy sufficient to be useful for bulk sorting, where pods of ore are diverted rather than individual rocks. The study in the first instance is based on Monte Carlo modelling that has successfully predicted the performance of the sample based gold measurements. As well as the measurement feasibility consideration was also given to the likely heterogeneity of gold ores and hence the degree to which useful separation could be achieved. This is then tied to a back of the envelope evaluation of the order of magnitude economics of bulk sorting in an example deposit."

Jan 1, 2017

By F. H. Nehl

The U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated the selective electrowinning of Ag and Au from cyanide solutions contaminated with Cu with the goal of decreasing the amount of Cu co-deposited. Decreasing Cu co-deposited will reduce refinery costs. Direct current was applied to the cell in pulsed and square wave voltages at 0.7 A?h per 150 mL of solution. Times tested for each cycle ranged from 1 to 10,000 ms. Graphite, lead, and stainless steel were evaluated as electrode materials. Square wave e1ectrowinning at 70? C gave the best separation of Ag and Au from Cu. Applying 2.5 V during the duty cycle, 0.0 V the rest of the period, a duty cycle of 10 to 30 pct, and a period of 100 ms to 1,000 ms gave the following results: Ag concentrations decreased from 34 µ g/mL to 0.1 µ g/mL, Au concentrations decreased from 54 µ g/mL to 0.2 µ g/mL, and Cu concentrations remained almost constant at 560 µ g/mL.

Jan 1, 1993

By Martin H. Stanczyk, I. L. Feld

Continuous open - circuit attrition grinding of a coarse commercial kaolin to produce paper - coating clay , which must have a particle size analysis of 70 percent or more minus 2 - micron equivalent spherical diameter ( esd ) , was studied by the Bureau . The coarse clay , containing about 11 percent minus 2 -micron esd material , was ground in a 10 - inch- diameter attrition grinder using continuous single- and multiple - stage grinding circuits . The clay feed rates varied from 10 to 480 pounds per hour . In some tests , the influence of varying loads of sand grinding media on particle size reduction was studied . Batch grinding tests also were made for comparative purposes . Multiple- stage grinding gave better results than single - stage treatment when equivalent raw clay feed rates were used . In the best test made , a product containing about 80 percent minus 2 - micron esd material was obtained when grinding 60 pounds of raw clay per hour using a three - stage grinding circuit . Power consumption in the test was about 318 kilowatt -hours per ton of clay treated or 475 kilowatt - hours per ton of minus 2 - micron esd material produced .

Jan 1, 1963

By R. L. Miller

"Miners worldwide use a tremendous amount of energy in producing finished minerals for the end user market. In accomplishing this goal, they incur energy costs that can range from 20% to 30% of the total cost of production, so there is fertile ground for cost savings. To unlock this huge value in cost reduction, energy analysis is the key and is broken into several segments: 1. Fuel analysis for power generation 2. Energy supply & demand 3. Opportunity cost for lack of power 4. Backup power 5. Power contracts 6. Energy efficiency 7. Renewable energy 8. Continuous energy management FUEL ANALYSIS FOR POWER GENERATION What is the first thing we evaluate when looking at power supply alternatives for the mining industry’s large power requirements? Is it 1) site, 2) engineering, procurement, and construction companies, 3) independent power producers, 4) turbine vendors, 5) grid connections, or 6) fuel supply, logistics, and infrastructure? In evaluations of power supply alternatives for mining companies with special emphasis in developing countries, there is one over-riding conclusion: reliable fuel supply drives the energy generation economic engine. Evaluating several different fuels including liquefied natural gas (LNG), natural gas, diesel, heavy fuel oil, and liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) among others, the best project outcomes are those where fuel supply, pricing, logistics, and infrastructure are given an extensive amount of time during the analysis stage. In an assessment of the twenty-year costs of generating power from multiple fuels, each fuel’s costs were placed into three separate net present value (NPV) buckets of: 1) capital, 2) operating and maintenance, and 3) fuel. Within a range of 65% to 85% for all fuels, fuel cost was the largest component of the NPV of the life cycle power generation costs. So if 65% to 85% of your life cycle power generation cost is one item, shouldn’t miners spend a corresponding amount of time in the analysis stage fully understanding this key determinant for a successful power project? In developing countries where power generation infrastructure may not exist or does not exist at the same level as is found in North America and Europe, fuel analysis becomes even more important. One of the key questions for fuel importation in developing countries is the draft at existing ports to allow larger vessels to dock at the jetty. Can larger ocean-going tankers dock at the port for off-loading, or is the port’s draft too shallow, thus forcing a Single Point Mooring (SPM) system or Conventional Buoy Mooring (CBM) system to be constructed at substantial capital expense? Once fuel can be imported, sufficient onshore storage capacity should exist, or must be built to off-load the entire fuel cargo from the larger ships. Additionally, the throughput capacity of the pipeline from SPM/CBM must allow a rapid unloading of the fuel from ship to shore to eliminate steep demurrage costs for the project."

Jan 1, 2017

By M Podreka, P Merry, L van den Berg

Anglo Gold AshantiÆs Sunrise Dam operation is located in Western Australia approximately 55 km south of the town of Laverton. Currently, the mine is producing from both its open pit and underground operations and is planning a significant step change in underground production as the pit phases out. The mine ventilation system is arranged in three independent ventilation districts: Astro, GQ and Cosmo. The future ventilation infrastructure requires significant upgrades to keep up with the increased tonnage. In the short term, increased production is planned for the GQ district as well as for Vogue, which is an extension in the Cosmo ventilation district. In the long term, however, Vogue is likely to become the centre of attention for mining activity.This paper explores several ventilation scenarios which include upgrading the existing fan stations, rentals, establishing a common ventilation backbone, and establishing new upcast infrastructure for GQ to support the short-term production increase. These developments were modelled using ventilation network simulation software to determine airflow distribution and fan operating points for each option. For the GQ area, with its short-term increase in production, each option is evaluated for total owning cost by considering capital and operating costs over a three-year period. For Vogue, which is to become the main focus of mining in the future, a different strategy is followed in analysing the ventilation requirements. Instead of considering different short-term options, a number of staged upgrades are considered to achieve the desired production rates.This paper summarises the planning criteria, airflow requirements, ventilation infrastructure requirements, and economic analysis associated with the conceptual ventilation system design. It highlights how the best short-term ventilation infrastructure upgrades can be selected when considered in isolation but highlights that long-term production planning can have an effect on the decisions made in the short-term.CITATION:van den Berg, L, Podreka, M and Merry, P, 2013. Sunrise Dam short- to long-term ventilation planning, in Proceedings The Australian Mine Ventilation Conference , pp 107-114 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 1, 2013