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By L Avalos, F Melo Miranda, J Misle, M Ingwersen

"Los Pelambres, majority owned by the Chilean company Antofagasta Minerals, is one of the leading producers of copper and molybdenum in the country. It is located high in Andes Mountains, over 3000 metres above sea level, 316 km from the nation's capital, Santiago.The maintenance service supplied to Los Pelambres over the past 13 years has evolved to the point that FLSmidth now provides an integrated service crucial to the management of their customer's assets. The contract initially involved specialty mechanical, electrical and instrumentation maintenance and has developed to encompass maintenance planning and plant control systems.The integrated partnership has delivered excellent results in the areas of improved availability, reliability and return on investment. The operation is now amongst the industry leaders in plant availability.The integrated maintenance service has delivered: An increase in plant availability from 93%, in the first year, to 96.5% today, generating approximately $50 million additional income per year, Quality work procedures, Process and equipment improvements, Major shutdown planning involving more than 700 personnel, 6000 parts and over 2 000 discrete activities.The ongoing success of the partnership requires a high level of understanding between both companies. A commitment to maintain a long term sustainable relationship, based on a ""win - win"" culture, is the key to this success. In this regard Los Pelambres has been a pioneer in establishing and developing such relationships.This case study will share the lessons learnt, the measures taken to improve performance and the best practices adopted during the 13 year evolution of the maintenance service partnership.CITATION:Misle, J, Melo Miranda, F, Avalos, L and Ingwersen, M, 2013. Integrated maintenance services at the Los Pelambres Mine in Chile - The lessons learnt and best practices developed from a long-term sustainable relationship, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 296-331 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jul 15, 2013

By Edgardo Orderique

El presente texto describe el modelo de desarrollo del proyecto minero Antapaccay, de forma que cada etapa en el proceso de determinación de reservas, sea rigurosamente evaluada y estimada. La secuencia comprende el programa de taladros exploratorios, explicación geológica y mineralógica del yacimiento, interpretación y modelamiento geológico, modelamiento de leyes, definición de parámetros de optimización del pit, generación del pit final, planeamiento estratégico de fases de minado y secuencia anual del mismo, siguiendo el objetivo de maximización del NPV. Asímismo, se explican los aspectos de medio ambiente y relaciones comunitarias.

Sep 9, 2007

By Klaus Rieker

The main train station of Leipzig in Germany is currently being upgraded from a head station to a partially thru station. In order to achieve this, significant ground improvements are necessary. Soil freezing for example is used to create the excavation box retaining walls. The freezing works will be carried out from two tunnels with an inner diameter of 2.4 m (~ 8ft). The tunnels were constructed by the pipe jacking method. The cutter head of the machine was equipped with discs and scrapers. Driving and excavation was carried out using a bentonite supported face. Due to the small arrival shafts, the machine had to be lifted out in components. The essential limitation of settlements during the drives was achieved even better than expected.

Jan 1, 2008

By Tae-kyeong Yeu, Cheon-Hong Min, Hyung-woo Kim, Sup Hong, Minuk Lee, Chang-Ho Lee

This paper concerns the optimum arrangement of the buoyancy module, which is used for stable dynamic motion and structure stability of the marine flexible riser. The main method of this study is simulation-based design using Genetic Algorithm (G.A) for optimum design and Multi-body dynamic for simulation. The marine riser connects the vessel and the seabed-tracked vehicle. The motion of the riser affects the motion of the vessel and the vehicle. In this study, a marine riser of the deep-seabed integrated mining system (Figure 1) is used. This riser has a strong effect on efficient transfer of minerals. So, the buoyancy module must be equipped to supplement problems of the structure stability and the dynamic motion. Positions and quantities of the equipping buoyancy modules are determined by the at sea experiment (Figure 2). But this method is not easy because the actual sea experiment is expensive, time-consuming and dangerous (Figure 3). Thus, the position and quantity must be determined by simulation-based design. The dynamic analysis models of the riser and the buoyancy module were built in the commercial software DAFUL. In the marine environment, factors affecting behavior are current, drag force, etc.

Sep 1, 2014

The commonly used Stopes-Heerlen coal petrographic classification and nomenclature has over the years been subject to variable interpretations. This paper discusses the problem with specific reference to the inertinite maceral group. The effect of various interpretations of the Stopes-Heerlen system on maceral analysis is discussed and illustrated by means of comparative analyses conducted by a number of laboratories in Australia.An attempt is made to define the reflectance thresholds used by the authors to subdivide the inertinite group; the genetic and technological significance of these thresholds are compared.The difficulties of distinguishing structured and nonstructured macerals of the inertinite group are discussed in terms of possible improvements to the present StopesHeerlen system by extending the classification to include transitional maceral types.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. G. van der Watt

Due to increasing concerns of global rare earth element shortfalls in the near future, possible alternative sources of rare earth elements have recently become of economic interest. One such alternative is decanting acid mine water originating primarily from abandoned old mines in the Witwatersrand region of the Republic of South Africa. In this study, a novel way of rare earth element removal from the acid mine drainage was employed, making use of bentonite clay, which has very good adsorbent properties, as a rare earth element carrier material. The process can be economically viable only, if the elements can be selectively removed from the bentonite clay carrier material so as to yield reusable clay. Acid leaching was proposed to liberate the adsorbed rare earth elements from the bentonite clay. Accordingly, acid leaching experiments were performed to study the desorption of three commonly-found rare earth elements, namely neodymium, samarium, and dysprosium, from bentonite clay in the presence of sulphuric and hydrochloric acid. It was established that the three rare earth element species could be selectively removed as a group from iron, magnesium, and manganese metals through the careful manipulation of the pH. An investigation into the kinetic aspects of the rare earth element desorption process from the bentonite clay was also undertaken. The applicability of various kinetic models such as zero-order, pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, elovich, parabolic diffusion, and power function were tested to describe the time-dependent desorption of rare earth elements from bentonite clay. It was determined that the pseudo second-order kinetic model represented the dissolution processes for neodymium, samarium, and dysprosium from bentonite clay the most accurately.

Jan 1, 2012

By Robert J. Timko

This U.S. Bureau of Mines study examined spontaneous heating episodes in coal mine pillars in an active underground coal mine. The information obtained from these incidents was then analyzed to learn which sampling methods provided the earliest indication of pillar heating. The objective of this study was to discover if the location of future events of pillar spontaneous heating could be inferred from the available information. The spontaneous heating-prone area in this evaluation involved pillars located just inby the mine portals. Several detection methods were used to determine gas levels outside as well as inside the affected pillars. It was hoped that, by incorporating external and internal sampling methods into an organized pro-gram, locations undergoing spontaneous heating could be determined more readily. This study found that by drilling small-diameter boreholes into the pillars, then obtaining gas samples from the affected pillars, the ability to locate early spontaneous heating episodes was improved. However, the ability to accurately predict future spontaneous heating events remains in question.

Jan 1, 2010

By Dirk van Zyl, S. Chander

Minerals have been critical to human society from the earliest and their use has been intertwined with the development of civilization. In the Western World, the mining, processing and extractive metallurgy associated with ores was first described in detail by Agricola in the 16th century. He considered these collective activities to be the most necessary and the most profitable of professions, and wrote, "without doubt, none of the arts is older than agriculture, but that of the metals is not less ancient; in fact they are at least equal and coeval, for no mortal man ever tilled a field without implements. In truth, in all works of agriculture, as in the other arts, implements are used which are made from metals, or which could not be made without the use of metals; for this reason the metals are of the greatest necessity to man." Ours is still a materials-dependent society that relies heavily on minerals for raw materials. Today our dependence on minerals is exceptionally great. To meet the need for fuel and non-fuel minerals in a representative year, in the United States alone, about one billion tons of coal and 2.7 billion tons of ore are mined. These mineral products are essential for fertilizers, for construction materials, metals and alloys, for manufacturing household and industrial items, for transportation, and for the generation of electric power. It is instructive to consider the diversity of uses found in our society for a single mineral product - silver, for example. Experts believe that in the past 5000 years we have mined about a million tons, or 31.9 billion troy ounces of silver. In 1988, 133 million troy ounces of silver were used in the Unites States. Most of the silver used was for techno- logical, medicinal and industrial purposes, Table 1. X-ray films, for example, carry comparatively large amounts of silver to lessen patient's radiation exposure. Silver does not prevent tooth decay, but each year about two million troy ounces of silver is used for dental work in the United States. In small quantities it is used in medicine. No metal - not even copper conducts heat and electricity so efficiently as silver. Silver wires lace solar cells, and silver oxide batteries power hearing aids, calculators, submarines and satellites. Hardened with tungsten or molybdenum, miniature discs of silver pass current from wire to wire in cars, telephones and computers. A dish- washer timer alone may have 50 such electrical contacts, which open and close without excessive heat or friction. Silver is an important component of solar reflectors, since no other material reflects light so well or uniformly. In our personal lives, silver remains in high esteem to adorn our tables, provide precious objects and jewelry. In many parts of the world, silver in the form of coins, jewelry and bullion is used for financial independence and security against the vagaries of paper currency. In India, silver is used in its purest form as thin foils to decorate sweets and other edibles. It is obvious that this mineral product, silver, is of great value and utility in our society. Minerals and Environment The benefits of minerals do not come without problems. Much of the silver, for example, lies locked up in copper, lead-zinc or precious metal ores; to extract it creates vast quantities of waste material. On the average, in order to recover one ounce of silver about a quarter ton of ore must be mined. To meet the world's annual demand for silver, approximately 100 million tons of waste is generated every Year. The problem with silver is repeated with all minerals. Conversion of mineral ores into usable materials necessitates the generation of large quantities of waste products that create tremendous disposal problems. In addition to waste material discarded during mining, wastes may be generated during processing as gases, liquids or solids that must be subsequently converted into forms more acceptable for disposal. Associated with the handling, treatment and management of waste products are a number of environmental problems. Environmental problems are not new to the minerals industry. In his Geographia, Strabo (63 B.C. - 20 A.D.), gives an account of the conditions of labor under which men

Jan 1, 1992

A rotating disc geometry was used to provide a uniformly accessible surface for a kinetic study of copper cementation with zinc in sulphate solution. For copper concentrations of the order of 10 p.p.m., a porous, adherent deposit is formed on the zinc surface and this has a significant influence on the reaction rate. When the specific mass of deposit is less than about O· 35 mg/cm2 the surface may be considered as smooth and the rate is described by simple convective counter diffusion of zinc and copper ions through a laminar diffusion boundary layer to the deposit-solution interface. In the presence of additional deposit, the diffusional mass transfer rate is increased by increased surface roughness.The rate under these conditions is first order, with the degree of enhancement independent of further increases in the specific deposit mass. The enhancement in rateis, however, directly related to the initial mass flux and the species involved in the reaction.Preliminary work showed the same mechanism to apply to cementation from chloride solution, solutions of high zinc concentration, and cementation of copper with iron..

Jan 1, 1970

By Merete Tangstad, Kai Tang

The primary aim of the present investigation is to develop a model which permits to calculate/predict the viscosities of ferromanganese slags, typically focus on the MnO-SiO2-Al2O3-CaO-MgO-FeO multicomponent system. The present viscosity model emphasizes the ability of prediction, i.e. using the binary parameters to extrapolate the viscosities in ternary and higher order systems. To this end, a physical sound model is essential. Temperature dependence of viscosity is described by the Eyring?s formalism. The well-known cell model is used to define the SiO44- tetrahedra in the silicate melts. Composition dependence is expressed in term of viscous activation energy, which is characterized by the binary structural units. The viscosities in ternary and higher order systems are hence predicted using the binary activation parameters. The model has been used to calculate the viscosities in the whole liquid composition range of ferromanganese slag.

Jan 1, 2007

By J. Hartikainen

19 papers were allocated to this session by the paper classification committee, 8 related to bored piles, 5 to continuous flight auger piles (CFA piles), 3 to slurry trenches, 2 to both bored piles and slurry trenches, one of them also dealing with root piles. There were no papers dealing with root piles only, as root filling is a different technique. One paper concerns sheet piling (Table 1). Table 1. Papers for session 1: Recent Technological Developments in Deep Foundations with Soil Excavation. [ ] Table 2. Classification of pile type in Belgium - van Impe W.F. /10/. [ ] Trends in piling Trends in piling in Central Europe were studied by van Impe for his brilliant lecture to the Finnish Civil Engineering Society. He claimed that bored piling is on the decrease and CFA pilling on the increase (Table 2). Thus the numbers of papers presented here do not conform to recent developments or trends. The papers submitted arc of course influenced largely by the fact, observable in Table 3, that bored piling is

Jan 1, 1994

By Jacek Paraszczak

For mining companies facing strong international competition and unfavorable commodities? prices, automation of underground operations has got a potential to increase productivity and help cut cost. However, despite considerable technological progress in this field, there still remain some problems to overcome. Furthermore, a success implementation of automation depends also on numerous operational, organizational and even human factors. In this context, this paper reviews briefly a technological progress with regard to different underground operations. Following that, several issues related to implementation of automated equipment and systems are presented and discussed. Particular emphasis is put on the factors whose importance is sometimes underestimated. Some recommendations in this respect are also given. It is stated that a success of an automation project is a function of many ?winning conditions?, which may be created through a very thorough planning and preparation. It is also underlined that despite achievements made, a vision of a man-less underground mine is not yet a question of near future as it may seem.

May 1, 2001

By J. D. Steenkamp

Keywords: Thermal, conductivity, diffusivity, expansion, history, density, specific heat capacity, industrial rich high-carbon manganese slag The thermal conductivity of slag is an important parameter in the design of furnace-containment systems based on freeze-lining technology. Literature indicates that the crystal content of a slag has a significant influence on its thermal conductivity. Industrial, rich, manganese-bearing slag was cooled at different rates to create samples with different microstructures. The coefficients of thermal conductivity of these samples were measured in a nitrogen atmosphere from room temperature to 990°C at 100°C intervals. The laser-flash measurement technique was used for this purpose. Follow-up investigations included XRF and XRD and modelling in FACTSage.

Jan 1, 2011

By J. Don Scott

Analytical predictions of the rate and magnitude of settlement of deposited oil sands tailings slurries generally overestimate how fast pore pressures will dissipate. Field deposits of nonsegregating tailings to mature fine tailings show continued high pore pressures near the surface which impede surface reclamation. In geotechnical analyses which predict the consolidation behavior of soft soils a finite strain theory is used. Effective stress-void ratio and void ratio-hydraulic conductivity relationships determined from laboratory large strain consolidation tests, are used in the finite strain predictions. This theory, however, cannot predict the full range of sedimentation, consolidation and pore pressure dissipation which occurs in large scale deposits of thixotropic tailings slurries. A new large strain consolidation model which assumes that the creep rate of the slurry exceeds the pore pressure dissipation rate is being investigated. This model is relevant for rapidly deposited, low permeability thixotropic slurries where the upwards drainage path increases by several meters a year, such as, in oil sand fine tailings ponds and nonsegregating tailings deposits. The model will be verified by analyzing the 10m high column of fine tailings at the University of Alberta which has been monitored for over 20 years and in which the excess pore pressures are still very high.

May 1, 2004

A new test coke oven of 7 cu. ft. capacity is described. The oven was designed to simulate conditions in a central section of a battery oven and a special feature is the achievement of unidirectional heating from theflues on either side of the charge.The method of charging permits close control of charge conditions such as bulk density and moisture content.These conditions, as well as coking conditions (e.g. flue temperatures and coking time) must be varied to simulate conditions in different batteries. The effects of several variables on coke quality are discussed.Using test oven conditions corresponding to those of Newcastle steelworks batteries, good agreement was obtained between strength indices of test oven and battery cokes. For 17 tests, the average ASTM stability and hardness indices for the test oven coke were 38· 5 per cent and 69·7 per cent, while those for the battery coke were 37· 4 per cent and 67·6 per cent.Observed relationships between coke yield and productivity, and volatile matter and charge moisture are given.The use of a test oven to classify test coals into prime-, medium-, poor-, and non-coking coals is discussed.This may be achieved by observing the effects of the test coal in blends with other coals. The results of a series of blending tests are presented.The dangers of attempting to predict coke quality from a single coal property are pointed out, since this can be done only for very restricted ranges of coals.A diagram is given showing the established trends in the effects of blending various types of Australian coals on coke strength.

Jan 1, 1970

By Steve Kral

More than 111,350 mining and construction industry professionals from throughout the world gathered in Las Vegas, NV, March 19-23 for ConExpo-Con/Agg 2002 and IFPE 2002. The triennial event is the Western Hemisphere’s largest equipment show for the quarrying, aggregates, construction and ready-mixed concrete industries. Despite the difficulties in the world economy, ConExpo-Con/Agg 2002 attracted more than 2,450 exhibitors from throughout the world. This was an increase from the 1,882 exhibitors that were on hand for the 1999show. And this year’s show occupied more than 180,225m2 (1.94 million sq ft) of exhibit space at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This was an increase from the160,900 m2 (1.73-million sq ft) occupied at the 1999event.

Jan 1, 2002

Three methods of gold analysis are briefly described highlighting some of the problems and advantages of each. The variation of results between samples and splits and due to method of preparation is illustrated. The mean per cent difference of the fire assay values from the means of sample split values for three cases is 15 per cent.Finally, a comparison of the aqua regia leach atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and fire assay fusion AAS techniques is made.This shows that the mean precision, the ability to obtain the same value, of the methods at 98 per cent confidence is ± 30 per cent and ± 15 per cent respectively. The fire assay fusion AAS method is relatively more accurate than the aqua regia one.

Jan 1, 1984

By M. V. Mielke, R. E. Hagen, R. L. Bennett

FINE IRON ORES, and concentrates such as those produced from taconite, must be converted to lump form by some process of agglomeration before they can be used effectively in the blast furnace or open hearth. At the present time, four major processes for agglomerating these materials are being used on a commercial scale: sintering, nodulizing, pelletizing and briquetting. IN 1945 U. S. Steel Corp. through its subsidiary the Oliver Iron Mining Div., drew up tentative plans for an agglomerating plant on the Mesabi Range which would include a nodulizing kiln and a sintering machine. The purpose of the plant was two- fold: during its initial operation it would provide data on agglomeration of high grade ore fines, and would help relieve the shortage of ore for open hearth charging. Subsequently, it would be available for agglomerating taconite concentrates. While operating on fines screened from direct ore, it was planned to develop techniques and personnel so that a workable plant would be ready to handle taconite concentrates when the time came.

Jan 1, 1954

In spite of a global economy that continues to seesaw and a U.S. Congress that is at odds with the president and themselves, cities around the world are still spending billions on their infrastructure. And that bodes well for the underground construction and tunneling industry and the professionals who work in it. In June, 1,405 of those professionals gathered in San Francisco, CA for the Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference (RETC). In addition to the first rate technical programming, attendees were able to see first-hand the latest in tunneling technology from 127 exhibitors who occupied 152 booths. Two short courses preceded the conference and two field trips were offered following the conference.

Jan 1, 2011

The 23rd annual American Mining Hall of Fame Awards Banquet sponsored by the Mining Foundation of the Southwest will be held at the Tucson Marriott University Park Hotel, Tucson, AZ on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005. The Mining Foundation of the Southwest is a non-profit organization. It educates the public about the mineral industries and reports outstanding accomplishments in the fields of mining and the earth sciences. This year’s inductee, guest of honor and featured speaker at the banquet will be Pierre Lassonde, president of Newmont Mining and resident of the World Gold Council. He is one of Canada’s leading gold analysts.

Jan 1, 2005