Search Documents

By Greg Ford

Each year, companies spend millions of dollars on safety training and on safe equipment, money that is generally well spent. Despite that, we still make mistakes. What happens if the mistakes are made not because of inadequate training, but because we are hard-wired to act in a certain way? If you read any of the ?Because of Human Error? text boxes in this document, situations like these may look familiar in your own workplace. ?The issues of risk, health, safety and the environment are getting more attention now than ever before, at all levels of the organization,? said Calvin Price, vice president of Global Health and Safety at LNC-Lavalin Inc., a company with 21,000 workers worldwide. Most would agree with Price that attention to safety is increasing because responsible companies care about their workers and the workers? colleagues, families and communities. However, cynics might say that the safety spotlight is powered by the corporate bottom line. Direct costs created by workplace injuries total $51.8 billion annually and include workers? compensation payments, medical expenses, civil liability damages and litigation expenses. This sum represents a staggering one quarter of each dollar of pretax corporate profits. Indirect costs may run as much as 20 times the direct costs of on-the-job accidents and illnesses. Examples of indirect costs include training replacement employees, investigating the accident and implementing corrective measures, lost productivity, repairing damaged equipment and property, and costs associated with lower employee morale and absenteeism. What?s interesting is that up to 90 percent of incidents are due to human error, not faulty equipment or other factors.

Aug 1, 2013

By R. D. Wunder

The Chino Mines Company, a Kennecott-Mitsubishi partnership, located in Hurley, New Mexico, recently completed a $405 million modernization of its mine, concentrator, and smelter facilities. The mine/ concentrator modernization commenced in 1980 and the smelter modernization began during 1982. Modernization of the mine and concentrator facilities involved increasing the mining rate from 98 kt/d (108,000 stpd) to 152.2 kt/d (167,800 stpd). Ore mining was designed to increase production from 20.2 kt/d (22,300 stpd) to 34.0 kt/d (37,500 stpd). A new concentrator was constructed near the mine using semi-autogenous grinding. The new smelter uses the INCO flash smelting process, increasing capacity by 40.8 kt/a (45,000 stpy) to 99.8 kt/a (110,000 stpy) of salable copper.

Jan 1, 1985

By R. Adams

Zirconium is the 20th most abundant element in the Earth?s crust and it most often occurs in the form of silicate (as zircon), less often in the oxide form (as baddeleyite or caldesite). Historically, the world?s production of zircon was entirely derived from mining and processing beach sands or heavy mineral sands that were being exploited primarily for their titanium content, i.e., to generate TiO2 feedstocks that would be used for making titanium pigments and, to a lesser extent, titanium metal. Zircon was then regarded as a byproduct, with the sharply fluctuating prices typical of a commodity where the supply is essentially involuntary and not truly responsive to market demand. However, in recent years, zircon has shown considerable mining investment appeal in its own right. Projects have been planned ? and some have already come to fruition ? based mainly on the zircon potential of the deposit. Booming Chinese demand for zircon to meet the requirements of the ceramic and zirconium chemical sectors has been a major factor causing zircon prices (f.o.b. Australia) to surge from US$674/t ($611/st) at [ ] the end of 2005 to beyond US$2,400/t ($2,177/st) by the end of 2011.

Jan 1, 2012

By M. O?Driscoll

The tide has turned. Developments in China that have continued to unfold over the last four years or so have now reached a point where the supply market dynamics of certain industrial minerals have changed significantly. No more is this sea change better exemplified than by the supply market for magnesite, and in particular, its processed derivative grades of dead burned magnesia (DBM), caustic calcined magnesia (CCM), and fused magnesia (FM). But what has compounded the barrage of influencing factors impacting this sector, which include the widespread effects of energy and freight cost increases, has been rising demand from certain end use markets. Clearly, the magnesia market is experiencing bittersweet conditions. But those western producers which have monitored and responded to this market transformation, stand to taste success in the near and medium future. REVOLUTION IN WORLD SUPPLY STATUS In essence, while China, as host to a wealth of magnesite resources in Liaoning province, remains a huge producer of magnesia, its supply dominance on the global magnesia market has been considerably weakened. In future, it will mainly aim to supply domestic, and to some extent east Asian markets. Magnesia consumers outside China are now scrabbling for alternative, ?western? sources of supply. At the same time, magnesia producers outside China that weathered the storm of low cost Chinese DBM and FM imports flooding their regional markets for the last 20 years (and many did not), are busy investing in production capacity increases to meet not just demand from falling Chinese supply, but also demand from end use markets which is picking up. And it is not just a matter of expanding capacity of existing magnesia product lines. In the face of plentiful lower cost DBM and FM substitutes from China over the last couple of decades, many western magnesia producers started to switch their focus to the non-refractory markets (eg. environmental, specialities) which promised lucrative opportunities (and still do) and crucially, a lessening of sales revenue dependence on the DBM refractories market. Now we have the likes of Baymag (Canada), Bommag (Serbia/Turkey), and Kumas (Turkey) not only expanding capacities but seriously considering diversifying into DBM and FM production. Perhaps DSP (Israel), having ceased its famous high purity DBM activity as recently as 2005, might even reconsider a return to the ?other side?. But it?s not all DBM and FM. The CCM and specialities markets are also demanding a response, and so Baymag, DSP, Martin Marietta (USA), Premier Chemicals (USA), Qmag (Australia), MGR (Spain), and Magnifin (Austria) are also stepping up to the market on the non-refractory side. From most accounts, the situation with regard to Chinese supply has been described as one of turmoil, with prices rising, leading to improving opportunities for western producers. The majors are conducting huge expansion programmes, such as Qmag, Magnezit (Russia), and the new look Magnesita (Brazil). Even smaller players such as Causmag (Australia) and Dalmia (India) are looking to increase production. In short, the western magnesia supply sector is witnessing a landmark event in capacity investment and market share penetration as China?s previously dominant role begins to weaken (for a review of western capacity expansions see Industrial Minerals, September 2008, p.28). MERGER & ACQUISITION ACTIVITY Another response of course has been a raft of mergers and acquisitions in order to secure resources and supply outside China. These have included private equity groups taking over Magnesita and Qmag; Imerys entering the FM business through UCM; Peñoles further consolidating the electrical grade FM market by acquiring Minco; Martin Marietta acquiring Morton Salt?s Specialty Magnesia Group; Bomex entering the market through Calmag (now Bommag); LWB acquiring Magnesita; and Magnezit?s pursuit of Slovakian magnesia, with Slovmag aboard while currently wooing SMZ. Interestingly, RHI has gone ?the other way?, and has invested in a state of the art joint venture operation at Dashiqiao, Liaoning, with which it aims to secure high quality feedstock for its Chinese refractory plants. Tata Refractories Ltd has announced intentions to follow suit, and other majors, such as Qmag are known to be interested in seeking options. Naturally, there is now renewed interest from several parties in the idled 50,000 tpa DBM/10,000 CCM Jormag facility, Jordan, and the commercially undeveloped Zhargat project, Saudi Arabia. Elsewhere, there will no doubt be suitors for stakes in SMZ, in Slovakia, and Magnohrom, in Serbia, whose respective ownerships are on the block. THE ?CHINA FACTOR? The ?China factor? has been key to magnesia?s market change, and has significantly influenced prices and availability of material to global markets. Resources & production China hosts the largest share of the world?s magnesite deposits, accounting for 26% or 3,319m. tonnes of predominantly sparry magnesite (followed by North Korea, 24%, and Russia, 22%; Wilson 2008). China accounts for 44% of total world magnesite mined (19m. tonnes in 2007) and 50% of the total world magnesia produced (8.2m. tonnes CCM, DBM, FM; Wilson 2008). Russia follows China at 13% of magnesia supply, illustrating China?s dominance of magnesia production. Apart from one producer in Shandong province, central eastern China, the country?s magnesite resources and production are concentrated around the cities of Haicheng and Dashiqiao in Liaoning province, north-east China. Although there are also producers in the Xiuyan district of south-east Liaoning, the Haicheng-Dashiqiao Magnesite Belt hosts the majority of producers. In total these may number 200-300 of large,

Jan 1, 2009

By Oliver W. Marsden, John O. Marsden

This paper presents the results of a hypothetical case study that evaluates the potential transition of a large copper mining and extraction operation to 90% renewable energy. The case study considers three phases to accomplish such a transition; phase I considers installation of renewable power generation at the site to meet a portion of the current electric power needs, phase II considers conversion of diesel combustion mining equipment to electric equipment, and phase III considers implementation of renewable energy generation coupled with energy storage systems to provide approximately 90% of the total mine site energy requirements. The paper evaluates the results in the context of a range of purchased electric power unit costs ($0.065, $0.100, and $0.135/kWh) as well as various carbon tax scenarios ($0, $5.00, and $37.30/t CO2). While the case study is hypothetical and considers a range of assumptions, it clearly identifies a pathway to potentially economically viable transitions to a renewable energy platform for mining companies. This represents an approach that mining companies can use to help to meet emissions targets, as well as social responsibility and reporting requirements.

Jun 4, 2021

By Wern-ping N. Chen

Pressure tunnel includes water-supply tunnels and tunnels for hydroelectrical power plants. Their design principles are different from those of water/wastewater/conveyance and transportation tunnels. Though theoretical pressure tunnel design guidelines exist, a comprehensive guide to summarize these guidelines to facilitate the planning and design of a pressure tunnel program is lacking. The purpose of this paper is to fulfill this need. It first provides key pressure tunnel design concepts in hard rock environment; then, it illustrates associated final lining design principles, including the design of un-reinforced concrete lining, steel lining, and reinforced concrete lining. Design diagrams and a flowchart for the reinforced concrete lining design are provided.

Dec 1, 2022

By C. Hilton

Arch Coal Inc. has implemented and sustained Best Practices at its four western mines through utilizing foremen in ongoing time studies. A prime benefit is the unique opportunity provided to front line supervisors. To date, 48 supervisors have participated in this program. Each quarter a new team is assembled with members from each operation. During three month blocks the supervisors conduct studies at each mine and identify best practices to implement at their own mine. Ongoing Best Practice and Action Item lists are reviewed each study. Mine management edits, prioritizes and monitors the completion of the proposed action items.

Jan 1, 2010

Jan 1, 1999

By Jürgen Kretschmann

According to the model of product life cycles, the global coal mining industry is in the stagnation phase. The coal demand of the main consumer, China, has peaked in 2013 and is slowly declining. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has excluded coal-related companies for ethical reasons. Important players like the UN or the EU have already begun to describe pathways towards decarbonization. Increasing competition between coal mining companies and the mining regions can be expected worldwide if companies want to keep their positions on the global and national coal markets. Companies will focus on the best deposits. European countries like France, Spain, or Germany are only forerunners of this development—their centuries of coal production have been finished. The concept of sustainable development (SD) is fundamentally based on a model of progress where ecological, economic, and social dimensions should be developed equally and positively. But without the idea of competition, the concept of SD is incomplete. Questions arise, such as how can SD be realized on stagnating or declining markets without guarantees for companies “to live forever”? How can SD be a corporate goal in a phase of decline? How can declining mining regions sustainably progress into a better future? The German hard coal mining industry’s lifecycle has ended in 2018 after 60 years of stagnation and decline. As of 2019, all hard coal consumed in Germany will be imported, especially from Colombia, Russia, and South Africa. What has been done in Germany to handle the coal decline in a sustainable way and the lessons learned from this process is described in this paper. It may be useful for mining regions who will face a similar future sooner or later.

By M. T. Ityokumbul

The use of yield index, the product of the yield and gangue rejection, for the optimization of separation processes is presented. The characteristics of the yield index are contrasted with separation efficiency calculations and applied to laboratory froth flotation and washability data. Data from continuous froth flotation tests conducted to "optimize" froth flotation using process optimization software were also evaluated with the yield index procedure.

Jan 1, 1997

There are bound to be changes with age, so I should not have been surprised or disappointed when what I had considered as high ad- ventures were much fewer and more widely scattered in the last 20 years of my long and active business life. But such adventures came until I was past 80 years of age and no one could expect more than this. Frequent visits to mines in this country and Canada and directorships in Bralorne and its subsidiaries, Homestake Mining Co., Bradley Mining Co., and the Bunker Hill Co.; and Copper Range Co. and its great new White Pine mine in Michigan, lasted far beyond the usual retirement age. The least happy part of my last two decades of active life was the death or sickness of many of my old friends. Hubert d'Autremont, whose friendship no one could replace, died suddenly in 1946. Henry Carlisle and Temple Bridgeman, for many years office associates, had heart attacks that cut down their activities far too soon. Many other less intimate friends died or became ill, but I knew that with advancing years such losses were inevitable. These memoirs would be endless if they covered all of the unusual work and associations I found in the last 20 years. So I must confine the rest of my recollections to expeditions that would have thrilled any engineer at any time. Masaro Mine, Mindanao, Philippines The first of the four "high adventures" came late in 1949, when I was 65 years old. For over a month I had been discussing reported rich lead-silver-copper properties in the Philippines with Thayer Lindsley and other officers of Panaminas. A competent and agreeable "Elderly" (not as old as I was) engineer named Ward Williams had talked with Thayer about high grade mines in a remote part of the

Jan 1, 1976

By K. P. Stricker, H. Keddeinis, K. Grebe

Recent investigations by Mannesmann Research have shown that disintegration of sinter with widely varying quality levels is subject to a much more complex set of influences than was previously assumed. It was confirmed that disintegration at temperatures between 300° and 600°C (570° and 1,110°F) is triggered by the degradation of hematite. The specific tendency of hematite to disintegrate is, however, not constant: sinters containing the same amount of hematite can show widely differing disintegration tendencies, depending on structural homogeneity, porosity, and gangue quantity. Sinters with heterogeneous structures transmit stress to the hematite phase and this favors disintegration. Another factor is the brittleness of the glassy silicate phase, which can be influenced even by small modifications of minor gangue constituents.

Jan 2, 1984

By Donald P. Richards

Is a shaft the same as a tunnel and can it be approached in the same manner for design and construction? The most obvious difference between a shaft and a tunnel is that of orientation; whereas a tunnel is commonly near horizontal or slightly dipping, a shaft is commonly vertical or steeply inclined. As a result, design and construction methods employed for tunneling, in general, cannot be directly applied to shafts, although some of the basic concepts of behavior are quite similar. Many of the shafts that have been sunk in various parts of the world are owned by private mining companies. Each company has generally accumulated years of experience in shaft sinking and mining techniques pertinent to its particular geographic location. When a new shaft is to be sunk or an existing shaft deepened, the tendency often seems to be to continue to use the methods that have been used successfully in the past.

Jan 1, 1979

By Nick Karl, David Wilburn

"The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Minerals Information Center (NMIC) is to collect, analyze and disseminate information on the domestic and international supply of and demand for minerals and mineral materials essential to the U.S. economy and national security. Understanding mineral exploration activities and trends assists government policy makers, minerals industry decision makers and research entities in identifying where future sources of mineral supply are likely to be discovered, the amount and type of these resources and factors that may affect exploration and development.This review summarizes significant exploration trends related to active sites and budgets, mineral commodities and regional factors for the years 2001-2015. Data were compiled by specialists in the USGS-NMIC, and reported annually in the USGS-NMIC Minerals Yearbook series and in the May issue of Mining Engineering magazine. External data for these analyses were derived from industry sources, published literature, and SNL Metals & Mining, an offering of S&P Global Market Intelligence (New York, NY).The USGS-NMIC compiled exploration site data for more than 80 mineral commodities, focusing on base metals, diamond and precious metals. More than $138 billion constant U.S. dollars were budgeted by the minerals industry from 2001 through 2015 to explore more than 16,000 mineral deposits globally (SNL Metals & Mining, 2016a). Annual analyses identified where mineral exploration took place by principal commodity target, ranked the magnitude of activity in each region, identified the factors that most affected changes in exploration activity and highlighted developments that led to changes in global supply or increased diversity of supply to the United States. Geographic classifications noted in this report were Africa, Australia, Canada, China, Latin America, Pacific, Russia, United States and Rest of the World."

Apr 1, 2017

By A. E. Halim, J. F. Brune

The 2006 Sago, Darby, and Aracoma mine disasters in the United States (US) forced the US government to implement the 2006 MINER Act and additional regulations that require all US underground coal mines to install and maintain refuge chambers to manage entrapment emergencies, in particular, fires and explosions. However, there is a debate on whether barricading in refuge chambers is a good strategy to survive such emergencies. Australian coal mines are not required to use refuge chambers and, instead, have adopted a strategy that focuses on instructing and training miners to self-escape to the surface. This paper analyzes merits and problems of using refuge chambers and self-escape to the surface to manage emergencies in fires or explosions in an underground coal mine. The authors found that the use of refuge chambers may not be the best strategy during extensive fires or when multiple explosions happen. In these situations, mine rescuers are unlikely able to extract miners who are sheltered in chambers and conversely, self-escape may save more lives than sheltering. Chances for successful self-escape are further improved by regular, externally assessed training such as Level 1 Emergency Exercises required in the Australian State of Queensland. These exercises put pressure on mine operators to ensure and maintain the effectiveness of their emergency management system.

By Jürgen Kretschmann

According to the model of product life cycles, the global coal mining industry is in the stagnation phase. The coal demand of the main consumer, China, has peaked in 2013 and is slowly declining. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has excluded coal-related companies for ethical reasons. Important players like the UN or the EU have already begun to describe pathways towards decarbonization. Increasing competition between coal mining companies and the mining regions can be expected worldwide if companies want to keep their positions on the global and national coal markets. Companies will focus on the best deposits. European countries like France, Spain, or Germany are only forerunners of this development—their centuries of coal production have been finished. The concept of sustainable development (SD) is fundamentally based on a model of progress where ecological, economic, and social dimensions should be developed equally and positively. But without the idea of competition, the concept of SD is incomplete. Questions arise, such as how can SD be realized on stagnating or declining markets without guarantees for companies “to live forever”? How can SD be a corporate goal in a phase of decline? How can declining mining regions sustainably progress into a better future? The German hard coal mining industry’s lifecycle has ended in 2018 after 60 years of stagnation and decline. As of 2019, all hard coal consumed in Germany will be imported, especially from Colombia, Russia, and South Africa. What has been done in Germany to handle the coal decline in a sustainable way and the lessons learned from this process is described in this paper. It may be useful for mining regions who will face a similar future sooner or later.

By Catherine C. Kilgore

The Bureau of Mines investigated the availability of fluorspar from 35 domestic and 50 foreign, mines and deposits in 13 countries. Only 6 domestic properties are considered to be economic reserves, as 29 domestic deposits were found to have an average total cost of production that was uneconomical at a breakeven (0 pct) DCFROR. The 50 foreign properties evaluated were selected to represent at least 85 pct of the known demonstrated fluorspar resources located in market economy countries and China. All evaluated foreign operations were found to be economic to marginally economic in January 1984 dollars. World demonstrated ore reserves of 344 million metric tons (mt) containing 123 million mt of CaF2 were evaluated for the 56 operations. Average total costs needed to cover all costs over the life of each operation were determined for all recoverable fluorspar products. Comparisons of mining, beneficiation, and transportation costs per mt of fluorspar concentrate illustrate advantages between countries. Of the three largest producing countries, China, with its high-grade, low-cost operations had the lowest weighted average total cost of production ($38/mt concentrate). Mexico was next at $54/mt concentrate, and South Africa needed an average of $90/mt of concentrate to cover all costs of production for its low grade deposits.

Jan 1, 1985

By W. V. Liu, D. Omane, H. Yu, Y. Pourrahimian

"A large-scale wildfire had broken out at Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada during May 2016. Many oil sands mining activities were affected due to the wildfire and the associated ash emissions. In particular, ash emission generated from the fire outbreak is a huge problem during the post-fire cleanup. These emissions pose a severe health hazard to workers, environment, and global climate. The ashes emitted into the atmosphere are caused by either human activities or climate conditions. The objective of this research is to assess the effect of three different ash dust suppressants, namely water, #1 surfactants, and #2 polymers at various volumetric concentrations on ashes samples to prevent propagation of fine solid emissions into the atmosphere. It is found that both #1 surfactants solution and #2 polymers solution are effective in retaining fugitive ash dust generated from the ashes. Volumetric concentration efficiency of 0.05% of #1 surfactant and 5% of #2 polymers in 500 ml of water have been proven to provide ash dust retention efficiency greater than 99% after the spraying of these suppressants. It is also found that both #1 surfactants solution and #2 polymers solution maintain an ash dust retention efficiency higher than that of the use of only water. This confirms the merit of using chemical dust suppressants on fugitive ash dust for a longer period, which is proven by the 72-hour data from this experiment. This study gives a general view of how effective chemical suppressants on fugitive ash emissions work. INTRODUCTION On May 1st, 2016, a large-scale wildfire gutted Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. Many oil sands mining activities were affected due to the wildfire and the associated ash emission. Due to the wildfire, some of the biggest oil sands companies in Fort McMurray such as Royal Dutch Shell and Suncor Energy shut down their oil production, at 255,000 and 350,000 barrels per day respectively [1]. Syncrude Canada Ltd scaled down its normal production capacity level of 350,000 barrels per day [1]. This generated an estimated loss of about 1.1 million barrels of oil production per day, constituting a 30% reduction in the Canadian daily oil production, crippling the economy [2]. This loss in production by the companies translated into 0.33 % of the Alberta GDP in 2016 constituting a loss of $985 million and 0.06 % of the entire Canadian economy [3]. In 2017, it is estimated that the rebuilding and reclamation of the affected areas in Fort McMurray will add $ 1.3 billion in GDP to Alberta’s economy [3]. A population of over 90,000 people was evacuated from the location and its surroundings for health and safety reasons [4]. The fire destroyed about 2,400 structures and over 500,000 hectares of forest vegetation in Fort McMurray, leaving an estimated 232,000 tonne of post-fire ashes [5,6]."

Jan 1, 2017

By L. Patts, J. Rohrbaugh

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has received several reports of filters igniting when high-temperature disposable filters were used on non-cooled diesel exhaust systems in underground coal mines. Based on laboratory testing (to determine the ignition temperature of these filters, which were loaded in the field with diesel particulate matter, or DPM), MSHA determined a maximum safe operating temperature for high-temperature disposable filters. When the results of the laboratory filter ignition testing were reported to the Coal Diesel Partnership (comprised of members of the Coal Industry, Labor, NIOSH and MSHA) the Partnership charged NIOSH with investigating the safe use of high-temperature disposable filters. This paper reports on the design, fabrication and testing of a unique exhaust gas cooling device and the ability of this device to successfully lower filter inlet temperatures and thus reduce the potential for fires.

Jan 1, 2009

By Amila Sandaruwan Ratnayake, T. Dilmi. U. Wijewardhana, H. C. S. Subasinghe

The value addition potential of ilmenite was examined using several characterization techniques. Raw ilmenite is composed of 93.65 wt.% of FeOTiO2, 3.55 wt.% of SiO2, 1.22 wt.% of Al2O3, and the remainder being other minor oxides. Ilmenite and powdered carbonized coconut shells were mixed in the weight ratio of 4:1. A separate fraction of the same mixture was added with powdered seashells in the weight ratio of 4:1:0.5. Six fractions of each mixture were distinctly milled from 1 to 6 h in a planetary ball mill. XRD spectra (broadened and diminished reflections of ilmenite) and FTIR observations (Ti―O―Cbonding) of milled samples indicate the possible incorporation of carbon into the ilmenite structure. Any clues of an occurrence of new rutile peaks were not observed in XRD spectra of milled samples. Consequently, the carbothermic reduction has not been initiated during mechanical activation. In this case, samples powdered for 6 h in a mill were isothermally annealed for 2 h under normal airflow at temperatures of 800 °C, 1000 °C, and 1200 °C, respectively. According to the X-ray diffractograms, the annealing temperatures of 1000 °C and 1200 °C exhibited almost similar trends with rutile (R), pseudobrookite (PB) and elemental iron (F), and a very few ilmenite (I) peaks. Consequently, 6 h of milling and 1000 °C annealing were concluded as the optimum conditions for the carbothermic reduction. Moreover, this study indicated seashells as a potential rate raiser for the carbothermic reduction of ilmenite at 800 °C. Therefore, this process is applicable to upgrade ilmenite into a mixture of synthetic rutile and elemental iron.

Mar 29, 2021