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The scheme of rehabilitation of surface plant commenced in 1936, included the provision of improved and more hygienic changing and bathing facilities for the employees.At that time the Thompson's Shaft section of the British Mine was being prepared for a resumption of operations, and it was decided to repair and re-equip the existing building. Thus any new scheme adopted could be given a thorough trial, and the proved arrangement used as a basis for the contemplated new main changehouse on the North Section.Investigations were carried out to determine the most suitable arrangement for the Thompson's Shaft changehouse, to provide for a total of 120 men, with particular regard to the internal fittings and fixtures. Also, as the mining conditions were such that a large proportion of clothes worn underground by miners, etc., were wet by the end of the shift, the problem of drying these clothes in the availaole time from a man coming off shift to his commencing again some sixteen hours later was one of the most important to be dealt with.The changehouses in use on the North mine section of the lease were provided with racks around the walls for the men to hang their street clothes on, and a section was partitioned off to house the mine clothes and their drying facilities. The actual drying was carried out by means of hanging the wet clothes over racks between which ran pipe coils heated by means of hot water circulated from the hot water boiler supplying the showers.This method had proved to be far from satisfactory for several reasons, the main objections being:-

Jan 1, 1940

By J Darbritz

"This paper details the events leading up to a slope failure that occurred at Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) and the remediation method executed using rope access specialists.n January 2016, KCGM Fimiston Pit experienced a double bench wall failure where approximately 80 000 t of material fell from the wall that blocked access to a ramp and caused minor damage to equipment.The event was triggered by heavy rainfall and occurred along unfavourable eastward dipping structures that lead into weaker shale/porphyry bands, which in turn left more material on the face. A remediation plan was formulated that would allow for the continuation of open pit operations while a full geotechnical assessment of the failure area could be conducted. This was accomplished by means of rope access specialists who abseiled down the wall and blasted off the remaining overhang using a portable drill rig and prepackaged explosives.This paper provides a brief overview of the KCGM operations, how the instability was identified and monitored, details of the failure event, outcomes of the geotechnical assessment and details on the remediation work.Citation:Graf, C and Sullivan, R, 2016. The Journey to Steepening the Pit Slope Angle - Advancing the Effectiveness of Wall Control, in Proceedings Ninth AusIMM Open Pit Operators' Conference 2016, pp 104–114 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Nov 15, 2016

By J E. Everett, K Jupp, T J. Howard

Simulation modelling is a practice commonly used in the mining industry to evaluate alternative process designs. Such modelling is typically undertaken as an optimisation study to increase the efficiencies, productivity and product quality of operating mines. In this situation, real short-term grade variability data of extracted ore are available from production records as input data into the simulation.There is also a need for simulation modelling to be performed before mines are approved for construction to clarify the grade variability characteristics that can be expected from the operating mine and assist in the optimisation of the process design. In this situation no historical short-term grade variability data are available. To achieve meaningful and reliable results from a simulation it is necessary to have input data for the ore to be extracted from the pits, representative of the short-term grade variability that would be expected for the operating mine.This paper describes an example of a path taken to generate realistic input data.A method described as composite cut-off criterion was used to distinguish ore from waste, which gave substantially greater recovered tonnage at target grade compared to the conventional quadrant cut-off grade criteria.The only data available for the project was resource model data in the form of kriged block models, which are known to underestimate true ore grade variability. To achieve realistic results from the simulation it was essential to increase this variability while maintaining the accurate average grades. Areas of certain deposits that were modelled using both kriging and conditional simulation estimation techniques were quantitatively compared to establish the comparative variance and the kriged data was modified to match the conditionally simulated variance.A realistic mining model was generated via a process of discretisation and regularisation of the resource blocks. Quantitative assessment demonstrated that this method adequately compensated for ore dilution and that adjustment for ore loss was not required due to an ore skin surrounding the edge blocks.The conditioned data was then used to generate a schedule of daily mine extraction, considering grade variability, tonnage, equipment constraints and extensive blended-in-blended-out precrusher stockpiles to feed into the process design simulations.For the precrusher stockpiles a number of alternative allocation criteria were examined for ore being extracted from the pits to identify the best method in achieving reduced variability through the daily scheduling system. The study concluded that a single analyte separation criterion produced acceptable variability with minimal complexity.The blending efficiency of manually stacked and reclaimed precrusher stockpiles was studied to determine a realistic blending efficiency within the pile. A recommended method of building and reclaiming was determined to give maximum blending efficiency.Finally, the data was used as input into process design simulation models; simulation from crusher feed to shiploading demonstrating that control of shipment grade variability was achievable and that the conditioning of the data delivered realistic results.CITATION:Jupp, K, Howard, T J and Everett, J E, 2013. Generating synthetic data for simulation modelling in iron ore, in Proceedings The Second AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2013 , pp 231-238 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 29, 2013

By Jensen B

The investigation of the explosion characteristics of nine Bowen Basin (Central Queensland) dust samples in a suitable coal dust explosion chamber using a new dust concentration probe provides several advances in the area of coal dust explosibility testing. The 20 litre explosion chamber, of novel design, uses rotation of the main body of the chamber together with air jets for dust dispersion, and allows testing of different types of explosion initiators and analysis of the explosion characteristics of coal dust/methane mixtures of varying concentrations.A new development was a dielectric dust probe for the measurement of coal dust concentration. A capacitive micrometry technique was successfully adapted to measure dust concentration. The system uses a ratio-transformer bridge for measurement of small changes in a capacitive probe designed to sample a representative volume. The device is accurate, and is capable of operating in the hostile environment within the explosion chamber.The explosion chamber and dust probe characterise the explosive potential of coal dust samples by determination of the dust lean limit concentration in varying mixture with methane. Plots of lean limit points obtained in this way present an explosion curve for each sample which indicates the potential of the coal dust/methane to explode under the conditions of initiation in the chamber. The explosion curve obtained for each sample presents a unique signature that appears to reflect the physical and chemical characteristics of the dust.The results from this series of laboratory experiments appear to provide a useful index and indicate potential areas of interest for future research.

Jan 1, 1991

By D Moy, T Carter

This paper outlines the feasibility assessment conducted to explore the possibility of constructing two submarine water supply pipelines beneath the Ma Wan Channel in Hong Kong using either horizontal directional drilling or tunnelling. The Ma Wan Channel is a major shipping channel in the Northwest New Territories, which separates Ma Wan Island from the mainland. The challenges faced by the projectÆs designers included space limitations on either side of the channel, marine department restrictions on construction activity within the channel and selection of a suitable crossing alignment and profile given the channelÆs depth, irregular sea floor topography and complex geology. The existing geological information indicated the proposed alignment would cross granitic and volcanic formations, which would likely be faulted. The primary concerns with horizontal directional drilling were:the length, diameter and depth of the crossing were at the limit of precedent experience in rock; the lack of available space at both the entry and exit sites; and whether the technique would be flexible enough to cope with the anticipated range of ground conditions. The primary concerns for tunnelling were: the possibility of encountering large inflows of high pressure groundwater; andthe possibility of encountering disturbed ground within the fault zones which could flow if not properly treated. As a means to evaluate and mitigate these technical risks for both construction options, a directionally drilled pilot hole was used to investigate the ground conditions along the proposed pipeline alignment. The pilot hole results indicated that either directional drilling or a closed face TBM drive were technically feasible crossing options at a crossing depth of 80 m. The results also indicated that either an open face TBM or a drill blast drive would need to be constructed at much greater depth because of the presence of highly permeable, disturbed ground in mid-channel at this crossing elevation.

Jan 1, 1999

By B Mil, D P. Adhikary, M S. Craig, P Rutzou

As shallow coal reserves with easier mining conditions are exhausted, future deep coal mining with difficult mining conditions may face significant economic, technical and environmental challenges. Moreover, due to increased coal production capacity with the new generation longwall systems, predicting adverse mining conditions has become more important than ever before. The potential impact of these difficult conditions is an increase in mining risks and costs. Reliable prediction of rock mass deformation, mine stability and mine water inflow is not only essential for improving mine safety and reduction of coal production costs, but it is also important for the assessment and management of the environmental impact of mining. This paper briefly describes an integrated approach to mine groundwater simulation and prediction. Central to this integrated approach is a three-dimensional computer code called COSFLOW, developed by CSIRO of Australia in collaboration with NEDO and JCOAL of Japan to address the pressing issues of mine water management. COSFLOW incorporates unique features that make it ideal for the simulation of coal mining and examining the interaction between rock fracture, aquifer interference and water flow. This paper also presents an example of an application of the integrated approach and COSFLOW in water inflow prediction at Springvale Mine in New South Wales.

Jan 1, 2006

By Stewart R, Manson RA, Haig DW, Perembo RCB, Kruman B

Since the advent of plate tectonic modelling, the Ramu-Markham valley has been thought the site of a classical island-arc/conti- nent collision zone. In this interpretation the units south of the Markham Valley are held to be island are / micrcontinental mate- rial accreted to Australia and those north of the valley are thought to represent a separate Finisterre island-arc terrane. Recent remapping by the Geological Survey of Papua New Guinea shows: (1) there is no terrane boundary along the Ramu-Markham valley (2) the Finisterre Volcanics are probably part of either a fore-arc sequence or oceanic plateau obducted onto a microcontinent/ volcanic-arc composite terrane, accreted to the continental Australian plate. A new tectonic model is proposed for northern PNG and involves: (I) Eocene to Late Oligocene subduction below a microcontinent remote from Australia to produce the Sepik are and related intrusives, the Finisterre Volcanics (fore-arc or possible oce- anic plateau), together with the Alife blueschist. (2) obduction of the Sepik arc in Late Oligocene-Early Miocene times over the advancing Australian plate. This resulted in crustal melting, some of the products of which are the Mid- dle to Late Miocene Akuna and Bismarck intrusive complexes of the Maramuni arc. (3) obduction of the Finisterre Volcanics began in Early Pliocene times and continues today. (4) post-Middle Miocene mineralisation is the result of melting after obduction of the Sepik microcontinent.

Jan 1, 1997

In recent years new instrumentation and digital technology have Wrote possible a new facet of goo-physics: broadband seismology. From digitally record-ing networks and arrays. broadband scistnograrns of body waves that are flat to displacement and veloc-ity in at least the frequency range from 0.01 to 5.0 liz can now be routinely obtained for most carthquakes of magnitude greater than about 5.5. In contrast to data from conventional narrowband seismographs, broad-band body waves have sufficient spectral information to nvest,igate the many frequency-dependent eflects that may arise from source finiteness and from wave prop-agat ion phenomenon. Besides the usual parameters of depth. moment and focal mechanism, broadband data have sufficient spectral information to provide estimates of radiated energy, associated stresses and the frequency dependence of source parameters. Moreover. teleseis-mically recorded broadband data and near-field strong motion accelerograms overlap in the frequency band be-tween about 0.1-2.0 Hz. Thus. v it h broadband data it is possible to connect far field and near field data in order to make estimates of acceleration for almost any seismically active region of the circum-Pacific.

Jan 1, 1990

By R LEATHAM

Long hole drilling underground has come a long way since 'down the hole' surface drills were first taken underground. The underground miners have progressively developed the use of long hole stope drilling from the 'quarry blast' to a precise and selective removal of ore while leaving the remaining structure as undamaged as possible. To reach this position has involved the development of equipment and explosives to give the desired results. This paper reviews some aspects of long hole stope production drilling.

Jan 1, 1992

By M A. Ohsberg, A C. Robertson

Quarrying in Australia accounts for a total annual production of around 200 Mt/a of sand, aggregate and materials used in construction. This material has an annual value of the order of $2 billion and, combined with transport costs of a further $1 billion, the annual value of quarry products are in excess of $3 billion. Currently all of the production of construction materials in Australia is from open cut quarrying or dredging. This paper focuses on the extraction of material by underground mining methods, termed æunderground quarryingÆ. The paper considers a case study for future underground development expansion of the existing open cut Mt Coot-tha quarry, located 5 km from the centre of Brisbane, Queensland.

Jan 1, 1999

By T O Aspinall

The Australian mineral industry involves a diverse range of expertise and skills. Within that, the mining industry, representing mine planning, mine management and equipment operation, has capital intensive, high productivity equipment and a small but skilled workforce. Continuing education for all personnel in the workforce after formal school courses will be an important contribution towards improving competitiveness. The non-tertiary sector represents a significant proportion of the workforce and requires as much attention as the tertiary educated group. Competency Based Training is now being developed for the mining industry in Australia under the National Training Board and the mining industry is well represented in establishing standards and curriculum. TAFE is a major source of accredited courses but some mining companies are also developing internal courses not necessarily for external accreditation. Articulation of such accredited courses to tertiary mining engineering courses has been considered. The education and training of equipment operators through continuing education requires attention to operating skills, an understanding of the productivity factors under the direct influence of the operator and providing product quality to the customer. The education and training of mining engineers has been widely covered and continuing close involvement of the mining industry is required to ensure well balanced courses in technical and interpersonal skills as well as motivation to continue learning for life. Postgraduate research is a part of continuing education but the mining industry has to continually address the adequate recognition of post-graduate qualifications for the increased technical or management expertise and the development of better analytical and problem solving skills which can be directed towards improving competitiveness. More attention has to be paid to providing adequate financial incentives to attract suitable students, particularly after attaining some experience, and to address their professional career path with a company so they are not significantly disadvantaged by undertaking post-graduate studies. The Chartered Professional Engineer status as provided by The Institution of Engineers, Australia to qualified candidates is being considered by The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy as a further recognition of a member's specific expertise and competence in mining and metallurgical engineering. Continuing education plays a major part in the maintenance of the expertise and competence required for a professional engineer to develop and also to retain chartered status. Continuing education will be a significant part of the education and training of all the mining workforce towards improving the competitiveness of the mining industry. The major challenges will be the motivation of all towards lifelong learning and the integration of the various programs towards providing the opportunity for a steady and satisfying career progression.

Jan 1, 1994

By P Salmon, M Kennedy

Sun Metals Corporation Pty Ltd (SMC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Korea Zinc Co Ltd (KZC) is a company formed to develop, construct and operate a zinc refinery, 11 km south of Townsville in North Queensland. The project opportunity exists because of on-going consumption growth for refined zinc metal, technological, environmental and economic obsolescence of existing zinc processing plants, and a prolonged ædroughtÆ of new zinc processing capacity under construction. The Project will utilise proven technology developed by KZC at the Onsan refinery in Korea. The Townsville Refinery has been designed to be the most environmentally-friendly zinc refinery in the world, and in particular to resolve the issue of secure, long term treatment of the ironbearing content of the zinc raw materials.

Jan 1, 1998

By X Ling, M Barati, E Moosavi-Khoonsari

In the pyrometallurgical process of secondary lead recycling, a desulfurising agent, such as Na2CO3 is added to minimise the emissions of sulfur into the atmosphere, while silica is introduced into the smelter as a fluxing material. Subsequently, a significant amount of Na2O and SiO2 remains in the downstream reverberatory furnace and blast furnace slags. However, there is limited understanding of the thermodynamic behaviour of silicate-based lead slags rich in Na2O, posing challenges in accurately determining the optimal condition for targeted metal recovery and final slag composition. In this work, the equilibrium phase relations of the PbO-Na2O-SiO2 system in the primary phase field of Na2SiO3 are studied from 800 to 1000°C via equilibration-quenching method. Samples with different compositions were prepared and held in platinum capsules in air at these temperatures to reach equilibrium. The equilibrated samples were subsequently quenched and the phase compositions were measured by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The results were then compared to those of previous studies and any discrepancies were resolved.

Jun 19, 2024

By Radmuller H

The proposed underground mine at Porgera forms an integral part of the Porgera Joint Venture project in Enga Province in the remote Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The total in-situ reserves are approaching 400 tonnes of gold making the Porgera deposit one of the largest in the world. The remote, rugged and inhospitable terrain, recent unstable geological environment and primitive yet socially complex nature of the densely populated local community, combine to make the Porgera project very different to developing mines in Australia. The Porgera project is a challenging and exciting mining exploration venture in the final stages of feasibility study submission and negotiations with the National Government of Papua New Guinea. A 1476 m exploration adit was driven in the footwall of the high grade mineralisation for diamond drilling purposes as part of the evaluations necessary for the feasibility study. Ground conditions encountered have ranged from weak mudstones with high water content, requiring immediate steel set support, to competent intrusives.

Jan 1, 1988

It is no longer satisfactory to assess the value of a coking coal on its intrinsic properties alone, its value depends upon its behaviour as a component in a blend. No single test can be used to make this assessment, it can only be made by carrying out a suite of tests. The quality parameters which are considered desirable, and which have widespread acceptance, have been discussed and their application to the blending of coals from New South Wales and New Zealand has been reported and discussed. Blending can be utilised to offset deficiencies, or capitalise on advantages, of the individual coals making up a blend. Coals can be blended, which alone are poorly coking, but which have compensating features. Blending also allows better exploitation of coking coal Reserves..

Jan 1, 1980

This paper briefly reviews the history of mine haulage trucks. It reviews producti- vity limitations with respect to size or speed. Changing haul requirements once again create the need for more flexible mechanical drive power transmission equipment. The new equip- ment however is designed to provide extended life between overhauls as compared with previous mechanical transmissions.

Jan 1, 1981

By Harrison J

The correct selection of equipment to use in a mine is a problem which constantly faces the mining engineer. In some cases a wide choice of equipment with different operating characteristics is available. If this equipment is to be used to assist in moving the ore it may be possible to build a computer simulation model to predict how it will perform. Typical problems that lend themselves to this type of analysis are presented. The computer models are constructed using a recent form of the GPSS computer language, namely GPSS/PC for the personal computer. This language allows the programmer to construct models in a very short time and at a low cost. Of great importance is the easy way in which it is possible to change the models to answer any of the "what if?" questions the engineer may pose.

Jan 1, 1987

By Snowden C. T

B Lens Main is a scheelite orebody with an average dip of approximately 15¦ and thickness ranging from 1.5 to 6.0 m. The orebody is overlain by a banded section of ore and waste which tends to slab off if left unsupported. It was originally planned to mine a large portion of this orebody by room and pillar methods, with existing diesel trackless equipment. This, however, proved unsuitable for a number of reasons and the smaller scale method of slot stoping with hand machines and scrapers was employed. The following major problems were encountered. 1. The method was new to the mine and the work force, and had to be commenced quickly using existing or easily obtainable equipment. This is gradually being overcome by training, modification of procedures and introduction of more suitable equipment. 2. The slabbing from the hanging wall had to be controlled, either by support or by mining this low grade section and accepting the resultant dilution. This has been approached in a number of ways, depending on conditions and the method will have to be further modified as different conditions are encountered in new areas.

Jan 1, 1977

Territory Iron has seen fit to revive the old Frances Creek iron ore mine some 30 years after it ceased operations in AustraliaÆs Northern Territory. The key to this revival has been the changes that have happened since market forces, infrastructure limitations and a cyclone combined to force its closure. As it breathes life into this old mine, the Company is serious about its responsibilities to its shareholders, to its workers, to local and regional communities and to the environment. This paper addresses how Territory Iron has approached technical, operational and regulatory issues that apply in Australia. Some insight may be gained into the myriad of tasks that mining companies face to revitalise an old mine. These tasks vary from employing the latest exploration tools, best practice drilling, sampling and modelling of orebodies, optimisation of pit designs and schedules, maximising product value by blending, optimising infrastructure usage and minimising capital and operating costs. All of this has to take cognisance of commercial, environmental and other issues including Native Title.

Jan 1, 2007

By Wang SS, Frattaroll DR

In the development of novel sulfide collectors, especially for the low-lime and acid circuits, flotation of chalcopyrite, chalcocite, covellite and pyrite was studied with both new and commercially available S- containing collectors. The natural float- ability of sulfides, water quality, and redox potentials - all of which were considered im- portant in assessing collector strength and selectivity - were also investigated. Chalcopyrite exhibited the highest natural floatability. The response to most collectors, however, was chalcocite > covellite > chalcopyrite > pyrite. Water quality had a very significant effect on both natural and collector-aided floatability. De- ionized water and tap water had a flotation suppression effect compared with doubly- distilled water. Flotation results with single minerals are correlated with those for copper and pyrite from natural ores. Several novel collectors have now been developed for sulfide flotation in acid, neutral or mildly alkaline circuits. The results for four of these collectors, which have shown promise in commercial applications, are discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 1986