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By Frank S. Hicks, Y. Charles Guan, Glenn A. Gruber

This paper describes a two-part program funded by the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research and performed by Jacobs. The first part of the program was to examine the application of ultrasonic treatment to clean phosphate particle surfaces. Florida phosphate pebble and rougher flotation feeds were treated in an ultrasonic trough to remove clays. Also, the de-oiling of rougher concentrates by ultrasonic treatment was tested. In order to improve the clay removal efficiency, viscosities of primary cyclone overflow from six beneficiation plants were studied in the second part of the program. Viscosities for different samples at the same clay % solids vary significantly, and increase exponentially with clay % solids content for the same sample. A method of controlling cyclone operation using on-line viscosity measurements and pump box level sensors is proposed to logically improve primary cyclone performance.

Jan 1, 2002

By A. E. Aldrich

The Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Co. (P&M) is expanding a combination of surface and underground coal mining operation in Northeastern New Mexico. The York Canyon Complex, located 35 miles west of Raton, New Mexico, is aggressively pre-paring for increased production while meeting present requirements. Surface mining activities in four separate mining areas are preparing the complex for additional markets. Drag-line, truck/shovel, highwall miner and contour stripping are surface mining methods currently planned. In addition, P&M will move a Marion 8200 dragline from Kansas to the York Canyon site, finish constructing a $20 million coal preparation plant, and complete conveyor upgrades to the existing underground mine. This paper will describe the diverse York Canyon Complex.

Jan 1, 1993

By C. C. Hatch

As part of a general project to simulate a concentrator, the Brenda Mines Limited secondary crushing plant, located near Peachland, B. C., was sampled during the summer and winter of 1975 to develop a digital crushing plant simulator specific to the Brenda operation. The purpose of this simulator was to study the influence of manipulable process variables on important responses and to permit study of alternative circuit configurations if desired. This paper describes the simulation methodology employed and presents the results of a computer study of the secondary crushing plant (1).

Jan 1, 1979

By A. M. Gaudin

In a recent paper we have reviewed principles and applications of measurement methods for contact angles and their hysteresis (22). In this paper we apply these methods to a system consisting of rutile, an organic liquid (benzene, decane, or dodecane) and water. Surfactant (dodecylamine hydrochloride) was used at various concentrations and various pH values.

Jan 1, 1964

By Kefton H. Teague

An article entitled "The Rule of the Geologist in the Industrial Mineral Field" by G. R. Gullet, was published in the August, 1967, issue of the Canadian Mining Journal. Mr. Gullet defined industrial minerals as follows: "Industrial minerals are largely non-metallic minerals and rocks that find value because of their physical or chemical properties." This definition is brief, but all-inclusive. Mr. Gullet continues, "They include all useful minerals and mineral commodities except those used as fuels and those from which metals are extracted. Factors in the evaluation of an industrial mineral deposit are generally as different from those used in the evaluation of a metal deposit as is the assessment of a potential oil field. The key to the successful development of an industrial mineral, deposit is more often a balance of accessibility, transport, and proximity to markets than to any natural quality advantage of the deposit itself."

Jan 1, 1972

By C. J. Johnson

As the U.S. coal industry moves into the next century, it is becoming more apparent that the effective application of new technology is the only way it can remain competitive in the energy marketplace. Examples of this emphasis are with us today in such diverse areas as face-ventilation and excavation-equipment applications. The focus of this new technology is directed toward improvements in health and safety, cost control, and productivity. Room-and-pillar mining accounts for approximately 80% of the nation's underground coal production; this percentage is not expected to decrease markedly in the near future. As such, this paper analyzes the impacts of the changing technological climate on future room-and-pillar operations by comparing a base-case section (current) to three scenarios incorporating new or emerging technology. A microcomputer-based comparative analysis will reflect the changes in section production and costs.

Jan 1, 1988

By Francois E. Heuze

We demonstrate a new capability to analyze the behavior of circular shafts in jointed rock. This was made possible by the development of a new, axisymmetric, joint finite element (2). Whereas the only previously reported such element was singular (1) and inadequate at some orientations, the current element has been extensively validated (3). The need for including discontinuities in a shaft analysis comes from two sources. First, the various rock formations may have discrete jointing, bed- ding, and interface between them. Second, there is a joint at the boundary between a concrete liner and the rock, and possibly between the various segments of the concrete liner. To demonstrate the applicability of the new model, we analyze a vertical circular shaft 5.4 m in diameter, in a series of horizontally bedded sandstones and siltstones. The shaft excavation is followed through three initial steps: 6 m, 15 m and 24 m deep.

Jan 1, 1979

By A. Simon, J. Weyer, J. Brune, V. Zhiteneva

"Reiche Zeche is a lead-zinc-silver deposit in Freiberg, Germany, that was mined for over 800 years. Since 1969, Reiche Zeche has been a teaching and research mine with numerous adits for dewatering large amounts of inflowing water. Infrequent metal water quality monitoring in the 1980-1990s and flooding of the mine in 2002 led to a lack of relevant data. New measurements were taken at different level adits and ore veins for comparison to historical values, revealing pH levels as low as 1.95, conductivity as high as 22000 µS/cm, and an overall trend towards less acidic waters. INTRODUCTION Reiche Zeche is part of the Himmelfahrt Fundgrube, a former iron ore mine in Freiberg, Germany, in the Erzgebirge mining region of Saxony. The polymetallic sulfide ore found in Freiberg was mined from 1168 to 1969, and though it is no longer producing ore, Reiche Zeche remains as a teaching and research mine for the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg. The most important ore minerals mined were sphalerite, galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and silver, and important gangue minerals include calcite, fluorite, barite, siderite, and quartz (Zänker et al 2002). Over one thousand ore loads were mined from this region during operation, which was ceased in 1969 after the lower part of the 700 meter depth was flooded, leaving only the top 200 meters under the surface open for research and teaching. Mined materials from this region can be separated into high grade ore and waste rock. High grade ore, composed of pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, and arsenopyrite, was brought to surface for smelting during mine operation, and spaces were backfilled with waste rock, which is the primary site of sulfide oxidation and acid mine drainage (Haubrich and Tichomirowa 2002). The waste rock includes remnants of ore from ore loss, veins which were too small to mine, or ore minerals within host rock. Waste rock is primarily composed of biotite gneiss, with sulfides including jarosite, gypsum, minor anglesite, scorodite, and sulfur (Haubrich and Tichomirowa 2002). When weathered, the gneiss forms clay minerals such as illite and kaolinite (Haubrich and Tichomirowa 2002)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Carter Brown, Kate Brown Requist, Eric Lutz, Moe Momayez, Athira Satheesh

New mining health and safety training modalities are becoming increasingly prevalent in the underground mining industry. Various digital training tools have been developed over the past several years, but the extent of their use remains unclear. Advances in gamified training by way of computerbased video games and virtual reality (VR) have opened a new avenue for mine rescue and self-escape training, but these methods have not been widely adopted across the mining industry. Mine rescue and self-escape situations require a mix of in-classroom training as well as live drills, but it is important to assess the extent of and effectiveness of new training modalities. The Mine Rescue and Self-Escape Survey (MRSES) was distributed to underground mining operations to collect perceptions of current training effectiveness as well as willingness to adopt new training methods as a complement to live rescue drills. Responses from the MRSES indicate that adoption of digital training technologies has been slow-going despite an interest in their use. Further, there appears to be no meaningful connection between more frequent escape and rescue training and feelings of emergency preparedness. With relatively little use of already developed digital training tools but an interest in their adoption, it may be time to reassess current emergency preparedness training philosophies.

May 1, 2025

By Terrence Chatwin, Michael Sweeney, Steve Accardo

Sutter Gold Venture excavated an exploration decline into a mineralized zone in the Sutter Creek gold mining district. Delays in obtaining the conditional-use permit resulted in 7 to 10 million gallons of water accumulation in the decline containing elevated dissolved arsenic. Sutter received a permit to land apply the water after reducing the arsenic concentration to 0.05 mg/L. Initially the water was treated by co- precipitation arsenic with ferric hydroxide. Operational difficulties of this treatment system resulted in Sutter pursuing alternative treatment methods. The activated alumina adsorpting was selected due to its flexibility and ease of operation. Operating and maintenance data and costs will be presented.

Jan 1, 1995

By T. J. Joiner

A critical demand exists to develop new mineral resources, and the need for exploration techniques to supplement costly test drilling is becoming; more acute. In the past few years more industries have begun experimenting with geophysical methods to locate and define mineral deposits and delineate reserves. The new techniques have proven profitable in many instances. As a part of a broad long range program to study the mineral resources of Alabama, and in response to requests from land owners and mining companies, the Geological Survey of Alabama is investi¬gating the occurrence of bauxite and kaolin deposits in the Eufeula area. This project is supported by special funds appropriated for this purpose by the Alabama Legislature.

Jan 1, 1966

By Wenming Wang, Edgar E. Vidal, Scott A. Shuey, Patrick R. Taylor, Judith C. Gomez

Introduction In modern society, vanadium is defined as a strategic metal. Some 90% of the global consumption is used as an alloying agent for carbon steels, tool steels, and high-strength low-alloy steels (particularly for pipelines). Advanced titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloys are seeing application in the aerospace industry. Small but ever growing amounts are finding application as catalysts or in electronics. New uses are continually being discovered for this metal. One example of a new application is the vanadium-redox battery for use in generation plants and back-up power sources. Vanadium is found in a large number of minerals, of which the most important are carnotite, roscoelite, vanadinite, mottramite, and patronite. Just over a third of the world's vanadium is produced as a primary product; the balance is a by-product of the iron and steel, oil refining, power generation and uranium enrichment industries. Vanadium can also be sourced by recycling spent catalysts from the petrochemical industry and ash produced by the combustion of oil emulsion in power stations. However, recycling activities are believed to account for only a small amount of total world supply. Vanadium is recovered from these ores largely as the pentoxide (V2O5) [1]. The major sources of vanadium-bearing magnetite ores are scattered throughout Australia, China, Russia, and South Africa. Current estimates of world’s Proven & Probable vanadium reserves are of the order of 41.3 million tones [2, 3]. Commercial vanadium-bearing titaniferous magnetite deposits can be found in Kachkanar, Russia; Pan Zhihua, China; Bushveld, South Africa; and Windimurra, Western Australia [4]. Other deposits have been found in New Zealand, Canada, and India, among other countries. Vanadium consumption in the steel sector has increased some 7% per ton of steel over the last 10 years as new alloying applications have been found to improve steel's strength-to-weight ratio. Future demand from the aerospace and nuclear industries for non-ferrous vanadium alloys such as titanium and super-alloys is also likely to grow. Vanadium is usually added in the form of ferrovanadium, a vanadium-iron alloy. Vanadium compounds, especially the pentoxide form, are used in the ceramics, glass, and dye industries, and are also important as catalysts in the chemical industry. While established approaches may be used at an industrial scale to treat vanadium-bearing titaniferous magnetite ores in several countries, new alternatives are being developed worldwide. This review will give short overview of the treatment of vanadium-bearing titaniferous magnetite ores, an overview of direct reduction and direct smelting processes and an approach to determine technical alternatives for the property.

Jan 1, 2005

By V. M. Torres

Arapiraca ore deposit has a mixed chalcopyritelbornite mineralogy, with a copper head grade of 0.7%. The reserve size does no allow profitable exploration by grinding/flotation. The technical feasibility of exploring the reserve by heap leaching was studied. Preliminary agitation tests indicated 85% copper recovery. To simulate heap leaching, column tests were performed. The tests included different ore types and acid addition levels. Operating at pH range 1.6-1.8, 67% copper extraction was achieved. Also, it was found an empirical correlation between the operation pH range, copper extraction and acid consumption.

Jan 1, 1996

By Richard L. Gordon, William A. Vogely

In this chapter, the principles that determine the procedures selected to transform minerals in the ground into usable commodities are re¬viewed.a I argue here that straightforward mod¬ification of the modern general economic theory of production suffices to meet the practical needs of a mineral economist. Therefore, the chapter is largely a review of the general economic theory of production to which is added discussion of the special prob¬lems of the exhaustibility of mineral resources and the economics of finding and developing economically recoverable minerals. In many cases, propositions applicable to all industries are reviewed because they are not treated ade¬quately in prior texts. In the discussion, use is frequently made of basic concepts of differential calculus widely used in economics. However, this is supple¬mented by simpler verbal and graphical treat¬ments, so that those either untrained in the calculus or, as is often the case, whose skills have grown rusty, can still follow the discus¬sion. Where the argument depends critically on the mathematics, this is noted and the justifi¬cation for including the material is provided. In addition, an appendix outlines the critical mathematics and reviews some of the numerous books published that provide the most readable available introduction to the subject. Further¬more, mineral industries examples are used to suggest the relevance of the theory. THE RELEVANCE OF THE ECONOMICS OF PRODUCTION Three basic steps are involved in establishing the relevance of economic analysis to mineral ¬industries decision making. First, the general theory of production must be defined, and its relationship to the simpler models of production stressed in economics textbooks must be noted. Second, the critical modification-considera¬tion of the problems of discovering and devel¬oping mineral deposits-must be developed. It turns out this too involves a special case of the general theory of production. Third, the concept of an economics of exhaustible resources must be explored sufficiently to suggest why its practical relevance is doubtful (or at least far smaller than the numerous writers on the subject seem to believe). The present approach is heavily influenced by post-1945 developments in economic anal¬ysis. Particularly since World War II, economic theory has drastically changed its scope. First, stress has increased greatly upon viewing the economy as a network of intertwined markets known technically as the general equilibrium system.b In this view, not only is the economy viewed as an integrated system, but critical con¬cepts are viewed somewhat differently than was previously fashionable. Specifically, in general equilibrium models, the concepts of supply and demand are rejected as central concepts in favor of a distinction be-

Jan 1, 1985

By Christopher J. Bise

Traditionally, mine drainage systems have not received the high level of emphasis on careful engineering design which has been rendered to many of the other auxillary operations. This may be due, in part, to the situation-response approach toward dealing with an influx of water. When the installed system becomes inadequate, costly alterations to the pump, such as staging or speed increases, are considered expedient solutions. In order to rectify this situation, computer-aided solutions to mine drainage problems could represent an efficient alternative to the methods presently used. This paper will consider the application of microcomputer technology to mine drainage problems and will show how the relative economy and convenience of microcomputers can make them become valuable analytic tools at any mine site.

Jan 1, 1983

By Marie-Josée Banwell, Cyriac Sebastian, Giacomo Falorni, Sara Del Conte

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a satellite-based monitoring technique that complements other in-situ methods for detecting and measuring surface displacement. Recent advances in data processing algorithms, coupled with the use of high-resolution satellite systems, make it possible to now provide high-frequency InSAR monitoring services, with updated results delivered every time a new satellite image is acquired. The advent of large, continuously updated data sets, however, brings new challenges, including the need to rapidly sift through the data to identify only those points showing relevant ground displacement information. This has been achieved by using trend variation analysis tools, that quickly isolate and highlight only areas of anomalous behavior. The paper focuses on project case studies where continuous InSAR monitoring has proven to be key in identifying displacement trend changes near tunnel alignments.

Jun 13, 2021

By R. J. Smith

Tar sand deposits in Utah represent more than 25 billion barrels of in-place bitumen, 96% of the known U.S. reserves. The technological development of a hot water processing strategy for the Canadian tar sands and the commercial Production of synthetic crude oil from this natural resource suggest that similar success may be possible for the utilization of Utah tar sands to provide our country with a new domestic source of synthetic crude oil. In this regard an active research program to develop a hot water processing strategy for Utah tar sands has been sustained at the University of Utah for the past five years. The hot water process for Utah tar sands differs significantly from that used for Canadian, tar sands due to the inherent differences in the respective bitumen viscosities and the nature of the bitumen-sand association. These differences have led to the identification of certain design criteria necessary to achieve satisfactory phase disengagement during digestion. (8,9) Subsequent flotation of the digested tar sand is a subject of current attention and is considered in this contribution for the Asphalt Ridge tar sand deposit. Although contact angle measurements of pure Asphalt Ridge bitumen indicate moderate hydrophobicity, air bubble attachment to the bitumen concentrate taken from a 37 liter flotation cell is not possible. This surprising result suggests that the flotation separation is dependent on air bubble entrapment rather than on attachment due to surface hydrophobicity. The occlusion of air bubbles in the bitumen is apparent from visual examination of the concentrate, especially at lower temperatures. It seems that a bitumen bubble agglomerate forms in the impeller region of the flotation cell, the effective density of which is such to allow the agglomerate to float to the surface. A factorial design of the major operating variables in the flotation separation indicated that the quality of separation was significantly dependent on the flotation temperature and to a lesser extent on the degree of agitation. For a flotation temperature of 77C recovery of 96.7 percent was realized at a grade of 61.0 percent bitumen. The improved separation at higher flotation temperatures was found to be due to the decrease in bitumen viscosity resulting in more effective rejection of coarse sand from the concentrate.

Jan 1, 1980

By D. W. Park

Geologic condition is one of the most important factors for longwall mining operations, especially, the existence of faults limits the mineable area, or cause stress variations at the longwall face. Recently, a longwall panel passed through a fault at the Shoal Creek Mine of Drummond Company, Inc. The fault was situated diagonally along the longwall face and the coal seam was displaced up to 2.4 m (8.0 ft) in a mode of a normal fault. LoSCoMS (Longwall Strata Control and Maintenance System) was used for monitoring shield pressure every minute and interpreting data in terms of setting, developing and final pressures. The results of the analysis regarding the influence of the fault on the shield pressure are presented.

Jan 1, 1999

By L. A. Morley

Electricity is a major cause of lost-time accidents and fatalities in the mining industry. Major hazards and unsafe practices that contribute to electrical hazards are identified in this paper. Recommendations for reducing electrical accidents in surface mining are given and are directed toward the following three areas: preventing equipment contact with overhead lines, preventing maintenance related accidents, and defining system protection techniques.

Jan 1, 1986

By James T. Finley

Profit, product quality, speed of operations, reliability, operator confidence, safety and environmental improvements have all been enhanced as a result of the recently completed maintenance, renovation and construction program at Crown Central Petroleum Corporation?s (Crown?s) coke calcining unit at its Pasadena, Texas refinery. (Figure 1) BACKGROUND The calcining unit was built in 1969 - 1970 and has been operated continuously. Approximately 400 to 500 TPD of high quality metallurgical grade coke is manufactured, stored, and shipped to consumers. About 1/2 of the feed stock to the calciner is manufactured in Crown's coking unit and the remainder is received, via barges, from various sources. The green coke is off loaded from the barges with a conventional grab crane that discharges into a small travelling hopper over a conveyor belt that feeds a radial stacker, which forms a stockpile on the ground. The green coke, from the coking unit at the refinery, is moved to the calcining unit with front end loaders. Reclaiming from the stockpiles is also done with front end loaders. The coke is primarily handled by covered conveyor belts. The finished product is stored in steel silos and can be shipped via railroad cars, but the majority of it is shipped out in ocean going bulk carriers. Maintenance work in the calcining unit is performed by Crown's refinery maintenance department on an as needed, on call basis.

Jan 1, 1983