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By Victor Romero, Steve Redmond

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Information contained in this work has been obtained by SME, Inc. from sources believed to be reliable. However, neither SME nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein, and neither SME nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising out of use of this information. This work is published with the understanding that SME and its authors are supplying information but are not attempting to render engineering or other professional services. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any statement or views presented here are those of individual authors and are not necessarily those of the SME. The mention of trade names for commercial products does not imply the approval or endorsement of SME.

Dec 1, 2011

By AIME AIME

THE American Engineering Council, which is the working body of The Federated American Engineering Societies, held its first meeting in Washington, Nov. 18 and 19, 1920. The Federated American Engineering Societies was formed in Washington in June and is composed of engineering and technical societies, national, state, local and regional. These Member Societies elect delegates to the American Engineering Council, which is the administrative body of the Federated. The meeting was called to order by Richard L. Humphrey, Chairman of the Joint Conference Com¬mittee, and the program (which is printed below) was carried out without substantial change by E. S. Carman, who was elected temporary chairman. Under the Constitution, the Council appoints an Executive Board, the members of which are chosen according to the proportional membership of the vari¬ous Member Societies in their respective districts. Under this plan, with the present membership, 'the national societies will have 14 members and the local societies 6 members on the Executive Board.

Jan 1, 1920

By James F. Reynolds

Introduction There are 1.4 Gt (1.5 billion st) of recoverable coal under less than 914 m (3,000 ft) of cover in Colorado in pitching seams. Snowmass Coal Co., in cooperation with the US Department of Energy, introduced the longwall mining method in pitching seams to North America. This venture is a coal mining research program directed toward the profitable production of coal under difficult mining conditions as found in pitching seams of the western US. Snowmass Coal classifies pitching seams into the following categories for longwall on the strike in seams 3 m (10 ft) or less thick: • Flat = 0 to 10°: Normal continuous mines and shuttle cars work efficiently. • Slight = 10° to 22°: The maximum pitch that rubber tired equipment will function. • Moderate = 22° to 40°: The angle of repose of mined coal. • Steep = 40° to 60°: The limit of safe use of this roof support. • Vertical = over 60°. The longwall roof support covered here will work in all pitches except vertical. The shearer and conveyor will work in flat through moderate conditions. Longwalling across strike with this equipment in seam pitch over 60° could be accomplished with an inclined face. Development of the first longwall panel began in 1979 and was completed in 1981. The longwall equipment was installed and mining began on Aug. 11, 1981. Mine Planning and Development The original mine plan took advantage of old works abandoned in the 1960s. The gates were developed on a two-entry system with the entries rising 2° to the strike, allowing water to drain from the face. The mining method was by Alpine F6A road header continuous miners with bridge conveyor type coal transport into 5.4-t (6-st) bottom dump coal cars hauled on 1.1-m (42-in.) gauge track by 7.2-t (8-st) battery locomotives. The initial concept was to haul coal from the longwall by battery locomotive. Lack of discipline, however, was shown in the irregular direction of the gate entries, and local rolls in the coal seams severely limited the capacity of battery locomotives. Current mining law prohibits using an intake escapeway for belts or trolley locomotives. A two-entry system is the simplest method of panel development in a pitching seam. A continuous miner cannot be trammed from one entry to another because of steep "X" cuts. Thus, the development requires a continuous miner in each entry. The configuration of the old mine works resulted in a first panel longwall block of three 108 m x 1.6 km (355 ft x 5,400 ft). In panel development, the use of battery locomotives for coal hauling became evermore costly. When the panels were completed and the setup room finished, the lower gate entry was changed to a belt entry and battery locomotives were abandoned. A new slope was driven and the mine supply system was converted to rubber tire diesel supply. The latest generation of roadheader and standard high powered shuttle car-to-belt system is now used for development. Selection of Longwall Equipment Longwall mining across the strike on pitching seams is currently practiced in many nations. Equipment similar to that used by flat seam longwalls is available for pitching seam use in Great Britian and Germany. Face equipment includes a twin outboard armored face conveyor. It was selected to give maximum retention of coal on the conveyor due to flight rigidity and to prevent coal from sliding down the face and jamming the lower belt gate. Also selected was a 22-mm (0.9-in.) Dowty twin-outboard face conveyor for a 106-m (350-ft) face with a single 112-kw (150-hp) drive

Jan 12, 1983

By A. U. Seybolt, R. E. Honnemon

THE purpose of this communication is to present activity data of nickel in the Ni-A1 binary system that was obtained for oxidation studies in this system. This data has been calculated from previous aluminum activity data at 1000°C1,2 by two types of Gibbs-Duhem integrations. These results should be of particular current interest to oxidation studies of aluminide coated nickel-base superalloys3 as well as other problems. The aluminum activity of Steiner and Komarek1 is plotted in Fig. 1 as a function of composition in Ni-A1 alloys at 1000°C. The dashed parts of the aluminum curves represent our approximate extrapolations from the directly measured regions. In the terminal solution regions (a and L phases) standard parabolic solution functions of the following form are assumed: where i is the component subscript, Ki is a constant at a fixed temperature, and xi is the atom fraction. The resultant nickel activity curve at 1000° C from the Gibbs-Duhem integration4 of the aluminum data is shown in Fig. 1. The solubility ranges of the phases present in the Ni-A1 binary at 1000°C are also denoted at the bottom of Fig. 1. Corresponding values of the nickel activity, aNi and yNi, are listed in Table I at useful compositional intervals. including phase boundary values. The aNi and yNi data listed in Table I are subject to the uncertainties present in the experimental aluminum activity data1 and to deviations from parabolic solution behavior in the terminal solutions. The errors introduced into aNi and yNi due to the parabolic solution assumption are expected to be relatively small (<20 pct of the values given) in all the phases except the liquid phase. Some deviation from parabolic solution behavior in the liquid phase is indicated

Jan 1, 1970

By Georgene Renner, Chee Theng, William Gleason

"In February 2018, drawn in part by the states’ proud mining heritage, SME took its Annual Conference & Expo to Minneapolis, MN for the first time. More than 5,000 people and 554 exhibitors converged on the Minneapolis Convention Center for three days of networking, exhibiting and technical sessions.The state’s mining legacy, one that continues today, is fueled in large part by its vast iron ore resources in the northern part of the state. The historical significance of the mines in the Mesabi Range, otherwise known as the Iron Range north of Lake Superior, cannot be understated. “Mining is a way of life here,” said U.S. Congressman Rick Nolan of Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. A native of the Iron Range, the three-term U.S. congressman was one of the featured speakers of the opening keynote session. “We like to think we contribute enormously to the well-being of this country and the world. We were the source of the iron ore and steel that helped win two world wars. And we like to think that we are part of the progress that has taken place in the United States ever since.” Nolan kicked off the keynote sessionthat focused on innovation and its part in the mining industry. The session included Rene Aquilar, vice president of corporate affairs and sustainability, Antofagasta Minerals Group; Bob Anderson, vice president for research and development, 3M; Rolf Weberg, executive director, Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota-Duluth and Christopher Beck, executive vice president and president, Nalco Water. The panel session looked at U.S. and global minerals production, and the importance of the United States to maintain a major role in the minerals industry, both as a producer and as a technology leader. The panel also touched on the global mining industry and the issues that impact mining around the world. Sustainability, the use of water in mining and earning a social license to operate were among the topics discussed by the panel.Speaking of the importance of mining, Nolan conceded that talking about the benefits of mining to the crowded auditorium at the SME conference might be akin to a preacher speaking to the choir, but, following the adage that all politics are local, he continued to illustrate his point by emphasizing the importance of mining to the Great Lakes.“A study by Homeland Security concluded that 13 percent of the nation’s GDP comes out of Lake Superior through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie and most of that is iron ore,” said Nolan. “That study found that, if those locks fail, it would create a national depression. It would put millions of people out of work. That ore and those minerals supply the steel mills, the auto industry, the heavy industrials. They are the heart of our economy. The study concluded that if the states that make up the Great Lakes were a nation, it would be the fourth largest economy in the world.”"

Jan 5, 2018

By P. A. Riveros, J. Binvignat, V. M. McNamara, D. Koren

The recovery of cyanide from a gold mill solution containing high levels of copper (400 mg/L to 900 mg/L) using the AVR process was evaluated. It was determined that acidification to pH 2 to 3 provides a suitable balance between HCN generation, copper precipitation and acid consumption. A short pilot plant campaign showed that ~75% of the feed WAD cyanide was recovered while the remainder precipitated along with copper upon acidification. The acid consumption averaged 3.5 g H2SO4 per litre of solution. The copper precipitate, consisting mostly of CuCN and CuSCN, was readily separated from the solution by gravity. The volatilization of HCN in countercurrent packed columns averaged 98.7% efficiency. Reabsorption of HCN was practically 100% in NaOH solutions and slightly lower in a lime slurry. Basic volatilizer design parameters applicable to a large-scale operation were determined, including the Henry’s Law constant and the mass transfer coefficient of HCN gas.

Jan 1, 1998

By P. J. Mackey, J. B. See, D. G. C. Robertson

The production of iron and steel and non-ferrous metals by pyrometallurgical processes will remain a critical element in meeting the demand for materials in both developed and developing nations. Given the important need to reduce and minimise greenhouse gas emissions the technological focus of future pyrometallurgical R&D by universities and industry alike must concentrate on sustainability issues such as improved energy efficiency, recycling and waste minimization. Continued efforts are also needed on process optimization and new process development with a view to reducing capital and operating costs of the new large “mega” plants. Using the academic and industrial backgrounds of the authors, the present paper reviews the current status of R&D in pyrometallurgy in university departments with a particular emphasis on sustainability issues. The role of industry and government laboratories is also reviewed although primarily for developed countries. The paper also includes comments and suggestions on the future requirements for education and R&D in pyrometallurgy in developed countries to maximise sustainability. It is also suggested that future R&D in pyrometallurgy will be even more concentrated in developing countries – most notably China.

Jan 1, 2014

By Henry Kreisinger, WALTER T. RAY

This preliminary bulletin was written as the first of a series of several on the significance of drafts in steam-boiler practice, the succeeding bulletins to be along the same lines but of a more advanced character. The conclusions arrived at are tentative, and are the result of a study of one of the many problems growing out of a general plan of the United States Government to increase the efficiency with which the coals of the country are being used. Greater efficiency requires better boiler and furnace design. The experimental study of drafts on which the conclusions presented in this bulletin are based formed part of the fuel-testing investigations that were carried on by the technologic branch of the United States Geological Survey and have been transferred to the Bureau of Mines. The experiments made seem to indicate that it is possible to double or treble the capacity of a plant without making any radical changes the furnaces and boilers. These increases require about double and treble the quantities of air to be put through the fuel beds and boilers. It also seems probable that rebafHing the boilers will often permit the capacity to be doubled or trebled, while still getting more steam than formerly per pound of coal for uses outside the boiler room. These experiments were undertaken with the object of clarifying ideas concerning the passage of air through fuel beds and boilers. Measured weights of air were passed through two beds of lead shot, series, one of which remained always the same and represented a boiler; the other being varied as to size of shot and depth of bed, and representing a fuel bed. Careful observations were made of the weight of air passing through the beds per minute. All data were plotted in many charts, so as to permit the study of them from several points of view. A number of laws were deduced bearing on the relative amounts of power required to force air through fuel beds of various thicknesses, composed of various sizes of coal, and through boilers of various lengths and areas of gas passages. An important part of the discussion relates to an increase in the capacity of boilers by increasing the amount of power applied to pressure and exhausting fans and thus forcing several times as much air through the fuel beds and boilers. may be possible, as a result of these investigations, to raise the rate of working the boiler heating surface to three or even four times its present value. Such an increase would undoubtedly mean new designs of grates, stokers, furnaces, and boilers, especially fitted for high rates of working. Fan equipments designed to supply three or four times as much air under several times the pressure would be provided with more efficient engines, thus giving an additional factor favoring high-capacity working. It must be borne in mind, as stated above, that the results are tentative. It will cost money to force gases at high speeds through fuel beds and boilers, and there will soon be pressing need of such quantitative data as will enable the largest possible part of the energy imparted by the fans to be advantageously utilized. We desire, to thank our superiors, especially Messrs. L. P. Breckenridge and D. T. Randall, for their helpful criticism and suggestions.

Jan 1, 1911

By H. C. Meister

THE zinc-smelting industry of the United States has grown very rapidly in recent years and bids fair to outrival that of all other countries in the future. On account of the geographical situation of the chief ore-supplies, the industry may be divided into two main groups, the eastern and the western. The eastern and older group includes the works of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia, which practically control their own ore-supply. The western group includes the works of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin and Indiana, which do not control their own ore-supply, but are compelled to buy the ore in the open market. It is for this reason that the western zinc-smelting industry has been undergoing continual changes since its inception 40 years ago. During the early discoveries of lead- and zinc-ore in the lead- and zinc-districts of Wisconsin and northern Illinois, the zinc-ore (sinithsonite or " bone " as the miner calls it) had no value and was considered waste; but later, when this ore was found in large quantities, it attracted the attention of metallurgists, which finally resulted, during the early sixties, in the building of the Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Works at LaSalle, Ill., the pioneer zinc-works of the West. A few years later, zinc-ore was discovered associated with the lead-ore in Jefferson county, southeastern Missouri, which started the industry at Carondelet or South St. Louis. Still later, the discoveries of zinc-ore in the lead-ore region, first&apos; at Granby and then around Joplin, lead to the introduction of the industry in the southwest Missouri and Kansas districts. At first the development of the industry was slow, but it progressed steadily and it is now one of the leading metallurgical industries of the middle West.

Jan 1, 1905

A record $19.7 billion in minerals was produced by United States industries in 1963. This was some $800 million above the previous high established in 1962. Preliminary statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines show that most metals, nonmetals, and fuels gained both in value and volume of production. The 1963 total represents the largest value increase since 1956 and continues an upward trend begun in 1959. Product.ion and value of all mineral fuels rose, with anthracite registering a remarkable 20% value increase. Nonmetals advanced 591 in value, gains exceeding losses by 213 to 1 among individual commodities. Heavier industrial demand and the settling of labor difficulties were among the factors contributing to increased output of such materials as iron ore, bauxite, molybdenum, lead, and zinc, which accounted for most in€ the growth in metal output. Silver prices continued to rise and, as a result, production value of that metal gained 132,.

Jan 2, 1964

By Reginald S., Dean

The commercial availability of electrolytic manganese has greatly changed the position of manganese as a nonferrous alloying metal. Manganese metal commercially available up to about ten years ago was reduced with either silicon or aluminum and contained substantial amounts of the oxides of these metals and other impurities. Manganese was accordingly not available as an alloy base and its addition to copper-base and nickel-base alloys was generally limited to a manganese content of a few per cent. Several special alloys like manganin contained up to 12 pct of manganese.

Jan 1, 1953

The distribution of tin and iron between slag and metal phases at about 1150&#176;C was studied in pot scale experiments. The distribution coefficient k = (Sn/Fe) In metal X (Fe/Sn) in slag was found to vary from about 300 for metal corresponding to nearly pure tin, to about 100 for metal of about miscibility gap composition (17&apos; 4 per cent Fe). Results conformed reasonably well to a straight line relationship between log k and (l-2NFe), as expected on theoretical grounds, and are consistent with thermodynamic data for the Fe-Sn phase diagram and the reaction Fe + SnO = FeO + Sn.Calculations are presented indicating the feasibility of smelting low-grade tin concentrates in a two-stage counter-current reduction process.

Jan 1, 1966

By Markus Reuter, Antoinette van Schaik

In this paper the link between process metallurgy, classical minerals processing, product centric recycling and urban/landfill mining is discussed. The depth that has to be achieved in urban mining and recycling must glean from the wealth of theoretical knowledge and insight that have been developed in the past in minerals and metallurgical processing. This background learns that recycling demands a product centric approach, which considers simultaneously the multi-material interactions in man-made complex ‘minerals’. Fast innovation in recycling and urban mining can be achieved by further evolving from this well developed basis, evolving the techniques and tools that have been developed over the years. This basis has already been used for many years to design, operate and control industrial plants for metal production. This has been the basis for Design for Recycling rules for End-of-Life products. Using, among others, the UNEP Metal Recycling report as a basis (authors are respectively Lead and Main authors of report), it is demonstrated that a common theoretical basis as developed in metallurgy and minerals processing can help much to level the playing field between primary processing, secondary processing, recycling, and urban/landfill mining and product design hence enhancing resource efficiency. Thus various scales of detail link product design with metallurgical process design and its fundamentals.

Jan 1, 2014

This report summarizes the results of a research project entitled "Fatal Accident Data Base Development." This project is the last project under Contract No. S0110601. Volumes I and 1I, "Industrial Engineering Study of Hazards Associated with Underground Coat Mine Production," summarize the original industrial engineering project and the Fatal Accident Report Analysis project. These projects were completed and accepted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines on December 10, 1971. Both volumes of the report have been made available by the Bureau to the public through the U. S. Department of Commerce technical information service. Another project under the same con tract, entitled "Equipment Operations Safety Study, &apos; was completed in January 1972 and the report was accepted by the U. S. B. M. at that time. The analysis in this Natal Accident. Data Lose Development report is closely related to analysis in both of the earlier reports. The original project involved an industrial engineering and safety of production operations for a representative sample of underground bituminous coal mines. The contactor was required to make recommendations &apos;in work practices, mining methods, equipment, and safety practices which can effectively reduce the fatality rate from rib and roof falls.&apos; (Longwall mining methods were excluded from the study.) Time study and work element analyses were performed in over 50 mines as part of the field data gathering effort. Another requirement of the study was to develop sets of multiflow. Process charts, which are diagrammatic illustrations of the time-related interaction of mining, cycle job elements.

Jan 1, 1972

By S. Heukelman

Zinc or, a zinc refinery in South Africa, uses oxygen enrichment of up to 26% O2 in its fluidizing air to increase concentrate-throughput in its fluidized bed roasters. The aim of the study is to determine whether O2 enrichment can be reduced by introducing micro-pelletized concentrate into the feed blend, while maintaining concentrate throughput rates and calcine quality. A laboratory scale fluidized roaster was used to determine the strength and oxidation kinetics of suitable micro-pellets. The strength of the pellets was determined by the extent of attrition during roasting. It was found that micro-pelletization decreases the fines in the feed to the roasters; the ?500 µm fraction decreased from 87% to 10%. The micro-pelletized particles do break down during roasting, which increases the -500 µm fraction to 31%. The general morphologies of the roasted particles are similar to those found by previous workers. Micro-pelletized concentrate particles require more time than non-pelletized concentrate particles to oxidize in the roasting step, although this is less than the mean residence time of the Zincor roasters. Roasting micro-pellets in O2-enriched fluidizing air increased the reaction rate.

Jan 1, 2011

By Enrui Dai, Weibing Chen, Bin Yang, Wenhui Ma, Haisheng Fang, Hui Wang

LiMn0.8Fe0.2PO4/C composite was prepared by an improved solid-state method and the effect of calcination temperature on properties of the obtained materials was investigated. The results showed that increasing calcination temperature from 600 to 700 oC improved the performance of the LiMn0.8Fe0.2PO4/C due to enhanced crystallinity and increased conductivity, but further increase in calcination temperature to 800 oC led to degraded performance due to particle growth and decrease in porosity. Therefore, the LiMn0.8Fe0.2PO4/C composite prepared at 700 oC exhibited the best electrochemical performance, and could deliver a high capacity of 152 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C, 147 mAh g−1 at 1 C and 114 mAh g−1 at 10 C. In addition, the performance of the LiMn0.8Fe0.2PO4/C and LiMn0.8Fe0.19Mg0.01PO4/C was compared when they were obtained at the optimum calcination temperature.

Jan 1, 2015

By G. S. Beaumont

This report presents a programme of work to demonstrate the use of a surface-based centralised computer control system for the remote monitoring and control of underground conveyors in a US coal mine. The system selected for demonstration was the &apos;Dynalink&apos; Micro MINOS system which is manufactured by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics Engineering Limited. The site selected was Barnes S Tucker Lancashire No. 20 Mine located near Carrolltown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. The system concept, operating and application software was designed and developed by the. British National Coal Board. The report describes the selection of the site, specification of the system requirements, commissioning, operation and evaluation of the system under typical US mine operating conditions. Experience with the system, based primarily on the system reliability and performance of conveyor control, was favourable. Mine management personnel felt that the system had successfully achieved its objectives and were keen to expand monitoring and control to other activities.

Jan 1, 1986

By Alicia O&apos, Overbeck, Reardon

DIFFIDENTLY, because don&apos;ts are rarely greeted with cheers; humbly, because I, myself, have never lined up with the irreproachables, I venture on the subject of manners for the mining camp matron. Mining camps can be divided roughly into two types-the large, opulent settlement that blooms like the rose about a strong mine in full operation; and the puny group of adobe huts, or calamina shacks, or even canvas tents flung down in the wilderness to shelter the gay pioneers of a shining prospect or the shattered survivors of a lost hope. Of the first, I know nothing; but in the second, I have spent some of my best years, and from its curious code of morals and manners, its comic hates and its unreasoning loves, its high impatience and its engulfing kindness, I have charted the narrow .and pitted path which must be trod by the woman who would success¬fully live therein.

Jan 1, 1936

By Louis D. Huntoon

AFTER the completion, in 1905, of the Hammond Mining and Metallurgical Laboratory of the Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, it became necessary to secure and assay a large assortment of ore-samples, and to arrange the results in such a manner as to admit of use with the least amount of work on the part of the instructor. At first, pulp-samples, together with their respective assays, were secured from the mines, smelters, and public assayers, but this practice did not prove satisfactory. It was not only difficult to secure a sufficiently large supply of material, but it was also impossible to secure the proper assortment required for instructing students. It involved considerable work for the donors to select the samples and furnish a record of the assays, and also for the instructors to examine each pulp and determine its character. Some of the samples did not contain a sufficient quantity of pulp for the student to check his work in case his first assay did not correspond to the record. In order to increase the number of samples and to vary the character of the material, pulp-samples were later mixed with barren rock and with sulphides, but this method also was unsatisfactory and has been discontinued. At present., small lots of ore are secured by gift or purchase from engineers, public assayers, and the managers of mines, mills, and smelters. These lots weigh from 10 to 100 lb. each, and are rarely finer than 0.25 in. in size. The larger samples permit of a careful study by the instructor in order to determine the best method of assaying to be followed. In universities in which assaying is taught the record of the samples should fulfill the following requirements

Nov 1, 1909

By AIME AIME

WTHIN the next month all members of the Institute will be given an opportunity to vote for a new President, two Vice-Presidents, and five Directors. All of the candidates nominated by the official committee are well known to certain groups of the Institute membership but a brief record of their professional lives will be given here for the information of those that will vote. Not since 1927, when Everette DeGolyer guided the destinies of the Institute, has a member of the Petroleum Division been a candidate for President. John Meston Lovejoy has been a Director since 1930, and a Vice-President as well for the last year: In the three years 1932-4 lie was also chairman of the Admissions Committee. Dir. Lovejoy graduated from the Columbia School of Mines in 1911, just before lie was 22 years old, and began his professional career as a copper miner at Chuquicamata. Chile. Silver and gold mining later claimed his % attention, and it was not until 1914 that lie gut into the oil business, as geologist for the Standard Oil Co. of N. Y. This took hint to China and he later worked for the company in Wyoming. In 1917 lie joined the Army where lie rose to be captain of Field Artillery. Upon his return to the United States he went to work for the Amerada Petroleum Co., of which he later became vice-president and general manager, with headquarters in Tulsa. Since coining to New York he has been president of the Petroleum Bond & Share Cu.. and is currently president of the Seaboard Oil Co.

Jan 1, 1935