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IN this paper it is proposed to present certain features of operating practice at the Port Pirie works of The Broken Hill Associated Smelters Proprietary Limited, in the smelting in a blast furnace of lead ores carrying a high concentration of zinc.The subject matter selected for presentation is:(i) The effect of zinc on lead blast-furnace operations, together with an outline of the methods adopted in actual practice in dealing with the zinc problem.(2) Development of the height of tuyere above the bottom of the jacket, and the extension of the tapping interval and the combined effect of both factors upon the lead content of blast furnace slag.It will later be seen that one phase of the investigation carried out in connection with the effect of zinc on blast-furnace operations was largely responsible for the decision to increase to a marked degree the height of the tuyere above the bottom of the jacket.Due to this interdependence, it has been considered advisable to deal with the two features above mentioned.The high concentration of zinc in the lead-bearing materials smelted at Port Pirie has brought with it those troubles which are associated with zinc in the smelting operation.In the early stages of the history of The Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty. Ltd. the trend towards increasing cost for labour, fuel, and stores, etc., rendered it necessary to increase the lead content of the charge, and reduce to a minimum the quantity of barren flux used.

Jan 1, 1931

Ground conditions at the Kencana mine, Indonesia, are generally poor and an underhand cut and fill mining method is used for extraction. Due to these poor ground conditions, all vertical development has been conducted using blind, top-down, sink and line excavation methods. Due to time constraints, raiseboring was considered the only viable excavation method for the installation of a return ventilation system for the K2 (Kencana extension) project. In order to achieve successful raiseboring in the poor ground conditions a number of strategies were used including: a detailed geotechnical study for optimal position of the shaft/s, splitting shaft excavation vertically, raiseboring of multiple smaller diameter shafts, extensive pregrouting, installation of drainage holes, and rapid installation of support following excavation.

Nov 25, 2010

By Hargraves A. J, Smith J. W

Experiments conducted at Tahmoor Colliery, Sydney Basin, have demonstrated the variability in chemical and isotopic composition of seam gases issuing from boreholes in the Bulli seam and desorbing from lump coal from the same source.From this work it appears that an immediate preferential release of methane accompanies the physical disturbance of the coal seam by penetration with development or drilling or by detachment. In addition, both early released methane and carbon dioxide are depleted in 13C relative to later desorbed gases, therefore the analyses of gas samples taken after such events may not reflect the true bulk composition of the undisturbed seam gas in situ. A method for overcoming this problem by taking gas samples at depth in the "steady state" is proposed.

Jan 1, 1987

Project approvals are the key mechanism to balance the environmental, social and economic aspects of a project. The assessment approaches vary significantly between states, with some having a strong emphasis on social, economic and environment, while others focus primarily on the environmental issues. There are a number of approaches which proponents and governments should consider which not only deliver better project outcomes, but can save proponents time and resources in delivering the project.   These approaches are not new but are often poorly implemented. This paper considers a number of these approaches and outlines the benefits they bring.

Jun 1, 2010

By C S. Szentesy, K Howie

The Rosia Montana gold deposit is located within the æGolden QuadrilateralÆ area in the Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, Romania. The deposit is situated approximately 85 kilometres north of the regional centre of Deva, within the province of Alba, at elevations of up to 1100 metres above sea level. The Rosia Montana deposit contains a current resource of 344.07 million tonnes at an average grade of 1.3 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) and 6.0 g/t silver (Ag) for a total (measured, indicated and inferred) contained resource of 14.29 million ounces of gold and 67.00 million ounces of silver. The resource was calculated using a 0.6g/t Au cut-off, a 10 x 10 x 10 metre block size and multiple indicator kriging. The low sulfidation style epithermal mineralisation at Rosia Montana is hosted within Tertiary age dacite intrusions and related vent breccias. Mineralisation is generally disseminated and associated with silica, adularia, illite, pyrite and carbonate alteration of host rocks, with minor late carbonate-base metal veins. Precipitation of precious metals is generally considered to have occurred as a result of over-pressurization, boiling and subsequent brecciation. The dacite intrusions are hosted in Cretaceous shallow marine and deltaic shales and slates, which overlie older Paleozoic sedimentary and metamorphic rocks within uplifted sections of oceanic sea floor.

Jan 1, 2002

The Mineralogy and Reactivity of Pyrrhotite from Selected Nickel Ore Deposits and its Effect on Flotation Performance

Sep 13, 2010

Simulation and Analysis of Media Behaviour in the Tower Mill by Discrete Element Method for Estimating the Power Draw and Spatial Distribution of Grinding Process The trends to the Tower Mill (TM) for grinding the materials are increased recently due to its unique merits. Among the various considerations of this machine, the main important items are increasing the efficiency of grinding as more as possible while keep the power consumption, manufacturing and maintenance costs as less as possible. Because this grinding process includes a huge numbers of media particles (ball or other shapes) that are interacted with each other and body of the machine, the DEM (Discrete Element Method) way is a very useful and essential step to getting confident evaluations. Because the DEM simulation is a very young scientific field and proper commercial software are very rare and still under modification, at first step, a FORTRAN code is developed for DEM simulation of two laboratory Tower Mill models (KM5 and KD5). The simulation and experimental results matched each other properly. Then one another DEM software was implemented to perform simulation of bigger models (huge numbers of balls), meanwhile could handle the complex 3D geometry data. The simulation and experimental results were compared and analysed in detail for not only laboratory but also for industrial models (KW5, KWD5, KWD50, KW300F, KW700F and KW1500) without any manipulation or compromising of the parameters of simulation. Some numeric data of industrial models are hidden here due to confidential reasons. The relative velocity of balls (ball-ball and ball-TM body), dissipate energy, interacted forces and stresses during the process are the key outputs of DEM simulation for design this machine. Therefore the main important processes in a Tower Mill machine are recognised and consequently some horizons of development of this machine are distinguished.

Sep 13, 2010

Experimental investigations were made into the decoppering of lead, tin, and bismuth using a technique which approximates on the small scale to industrial practice.Decoppering lead with sulphur alone in the absence of tin and silver did not proceed to low copper values. With a minimum of 0·02 per cent Ag or 0·10 per cent Sn, lead was decoppered to less than 0·01 per cent Cuby stirring with 0·2 per cent S over 10 min. Decoppering of tin or bismuth proceeded rapidly to very low levels in the absence of any "catalytic" impurities, at any rate in excess of those concentrations normally encountered in commercially pure tin or bismuth.

Jan 1, 1971

The expansion of hydrometallurgical operations, declining ore grades and upwardly spiralling production increases the demand for fresh and recycled water with low levels of contaminants. The minerals industry is also increasingly being forced both by regulatory and cost pressures to reduce the amount of liquid waste they produce. This requires a strong focus on waste reduction by recycling, regeneration and reuse. However, these measures are often not enough in arid countries for a forward progress and expansion of their mining activities.   It is often the case that in the arid and semi-arid countries the only available water is either sea water or underground (brackish to hypersaline) saline waters. Brackish waters can be desalted at a reasonable cost but the desalination of highly saline waters is challenging and expensive.   There are emerging reports that sea water and in some cases hypersaline underground waters are now used by various mining industries as process water. This study explores the possibility of the use of sea water in various mineral processing and hydrometallurgical processes and briefly discusses the benefits and problems related to the use of saline waters at the mine and mill site. Several cases studies and preliminary laboratory test results are presented.

Jun 1, 2010

Cyclonic Separation Effect of Metallic Ores in Cyclonic-Static Micro-Bubble Flotation Column

Sep 13, 2010

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

Power Plant. The power for the metallurgical operations is supplied by the company's own power plant, which is centrally situated. Power is also supplied to Metal Manufactures Ltd. and Australian Fertilizers Ltd., both being adjacently situated to this company'sworks.The power supplied is direct current, 250 volts, and is obtained from direct-current generators coupled to turbines and to Belliss & Morcom triple expansion engines.The steam supply is obtained from Babcock & Wilcox water tubular boilers, the fuel used being drawn from the South Coast coal mines.Transport. - The works are connected by standard broad gauge railway to both the jetties and the Government railway. Two steam and three electric locomotives are employed in this service.In addition to its own requirements, transport is provided to Metal Manufactures Ltd. and Australian Fertilizers Ltd.The various operating departments are connected by a 2-ft. gauge railway operated by Jeffrey electric locomotives.Ore Storage and Sample Mill - These departments are connected by broad gauge line to the Government railway and jetties. All material which is railed or shipped to the works from the various centres is weighed, sampled and placed in the ore store, or outside gantries, before being treated.Since the whole of the material received is either purchased or treated on a toll charge, great care is necessary in the weighing and sampling of all the receipts.Assay Oflice--The assay office is divided into several laboratories, where analyses of the various purchased materials and works samples are carried out.

Jan 1, 1938

The theme of this conference is æRediscover OtagoÆ and the conference occurs during a resurgence of economic activity in New Zealand, and in particular at a time when the Macraes Gold Project has had a significant effect on mining and business activity in Otago. The Macraes Gold Mine has implemented a Zero Accident Programme and this paper reviews some of the factors responsible for the implementation.

Jan 1, 1992

THE North Mount Lyell Mine is situated on the southern side of Mount Lyell at an altitude of 1750 ft. above sea-level. The average rainfall is 117 in., and there are generally several light falls of snow during the year. Despite the heavy rainfall, which is fairly evenly distributed over each of the twelve months, the climate is equable and not unduly rigorous, and, provided that the mine employee is suitably clad, it is only on exceptional days that he experiences any discomfort by becoming wet journeying to and from the mine.The majority of employes reside at Queenstown, and are conveyed by special trains to and from the top of the haulage, which is less than a mile from the mine. The mean surface temperature at the mine is 46° F., with a maximum variation from 26° F. to 85° F., the relative humidity generally being higher than in other districts. The rock temperature is 48° F. on the 200-ft. or Main Adit level, and 54° F, on the 1200-ft. level, giving a rise of 6° F. for 1000 ft. in depth.The ventilation of the mine is natural, the downcast being served by the Crown and Blocks shafts and the Crown mullock pass, and the upcast air is carried away from the workings by the Main shaft and the Nos. 1 and 2 mullock passes. The quantity of air circulating varies from 25,000 cub. ft. to 35,000 cub. ft. per minute, the greater quantity moving in the colder weather. The downcast air in traversing the wet shafts becomes saturated and enters the level at the rock temperature of 54° F. in winter and about 56° F. in summer, while temperature readings of the outcast air indicate that it varies very little.In the southern end of the mine the Blocks shaft downcast air upcasts through the different stopes, and their mullock passes, to the level above for each level to the 700-ft. level, where it passes to one of the main uptakes. The prown shaft downcast air supplies...

Jan 1, 1927

A search for the keyword nano reveals that it has not made a significant entry into the mineral processing research literature. In contrast, the terms micelle, colloid, interface, and monolayer are well established there. By considering nanoscience as colloid and interface science at the nanoscale, it is claimed that several previous and current investigations in the broad field of mineral processing fall under the umbrella of nanoscience. Several examples from hydrometallurgical processing systems (invisible gold and activated carbon in gold extraction; monolayers, reverse micelles, and microemulsions in solvent extraction; nanobiofilms and nanoparticles in biohydrometallurgy) are highlighted in support of this view.

Sep 13, 2010

An Investigation into the Flotation Behaviour of Pyrrhotite Present in the Merensky Orebody

Sep 13, 2010

By Gibbs R

The objective of this paper is to provide a broad qualitative perspective of the needs and costs of infrastructure associated with typical mining projects. Infrastructure may be defined as anything necessary for the development and operation of a project, which is peripheral to the basic extraction, handling and processing of material. As depicted in Figure 1, infrastructure acts as the link between the technological heart of a project and the outside world.

Jan 1, 1990

llmenite from the west coast of the South Island, New Zealand, shows exceptional reactivity with dilute sulphuric acid. Based on this, a cyclic acid leaching process was developed for the production of material with more than 98% TiO2, suitable as a substitute for mineral rutile.Titanium hydrate is recovered from the leach liquor by hydrolysis, and is calcined to give the required product.Ferrous sulphate is crystallized from the hydrolysis filtrates, which after concentration are returned to the leaching stage. The need for further evaluation of the process on a larger scale is indicated.

Jan 1, 1973

Cadmium occurs in the Broken Hill Lode essentially as a camouflaged element, substituting diadochically for zinc in the sphalerite.Analyses of a series of zinc concentrate flotation products, prepared from samples of ore taken at intervals throughout the developed lengths of the several orebodies forming the lode, have revealed a pattern in the distribution of cadmium relative to zinc. This pattern appears to reflect the temperature and order of deposition of the several orebodies, and the direction of movement of the mineralizing solutions.INTRODUCTIONThis investigation into the distribution of cadmium in the several orebodies of the Broken Hill lode was undertaken by the Mineragraphic Section. of C.S.I.R.O. in conjunction with the Broken Hill Geological Research Committee, as part of a study of Broken Hill mineralization.It arose from the examination of cadmium and zinc assays supplied by Mr. T. A. Read, Chief Metallurgist of the Broken Hill South Ltd.; of experimental zinc concentrates prepared from localized samples of the No, 2 and No. 3 orebodies in the Broken Hill South Mine. These assays suggested that the two orebodies were characterized by distinctive ZnjCd ratios.In view of the possible sigmficanc'e of such a difference, comparable data were sought from each of the other mines. The necessary samples of ore were collected by the geological staffs of the several mines. The preparation of separate zinc concentrates and lead concentrates from these samples, and their assaying, was conducted by Mr. Evan Hardy, for the North Broken Hill Mine, and its assodated leases, and by Mr. D., Swan, under the direction of Dr. J. C. Nixon, for the Zinc Corporation and New Broken Hill Consolidated Mines. Additional tests on the Broken Hill South Mine were made by Mr. C. W. Reilly, under the direction of Mr. T. A. Read. The samples were...

Jan 1, 1955

The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Absorbing Lithium of Ion Sieve Preparing Pollymetallic Nodules

Sep 13, 2010