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By A. Basçetin

Equipment selection in mining engineering is one of the most important decisions that affects the mine design, production planning and economic parameters in open pit and underground mining. Mine planning engineers generally use their intuition and experiences in decision making. Mostly, linguistic variables (the weather is raining, soil is wet, etc.) come into question and decision-makers may not know how these variables are computed. Since the advent of the fuzzy set theory, these uncertainties are easily interpreted in the decision-making process. The development of computer technology and programming of colloquial language with expert systems have considerably reduced decision-makers? burden. This paper reviews the development of a computer programme software called EQS (EQuipment Selection) that automates equipment selection in mining engineering using fuzzy set theory. The EQS with an introduction of the concepts and theories of multiple attribute decision-making, the fuzzy set theory, and EQS applications to mining industry problems with case studies are presented

Jan 1, 2006

By C. Sahyoun

The influence of microwave treatment on copper flotation has been investigated. Comparative batch flotation tests carried out on ore treated at 5?12 kW for 0.1?0.5 s showed that improvements in copper recovery of between 6?15 % could be achieved compared with untreated ore. Both recovery and cumulative grade increased with increasing treatment time and power. A preliminary economic analysis showed that microwave treatment will be economically viable if recoveries similar to those determined on laboratory scale can be achieved on a plant. Keywords: microwave treatment, copper ore, flotation, liberation, recovery

Jan 1, 2005

By W. I. van Drunick

AngloGold Ashanti Metallurgy has recently been involved in the successful installation of intelligent, expert control systems on the milling circuits. The benefits of expert systems in these highly interactive circuits are obvious. Existing comminution tools, which have been developed and can now be incorporated into online control, include improved modelling techniques and understanding, robust and competent simulation methods, sampling techniques, and optimization methods. The minerals processing industry has seen the benefits of predominantly research-based centres turning their focus to commercial applications of comminution circuit modelling packages, which in turn can be utilized within expert control systems. Expert mill control has been successfully installed at AngloGold Ashanti South Africa?s Mponeng and Kopanang Gold Plants. Expert control has also been installed at AngloGold Ashanti?s West African Sadiola Mine operation. The implementation of the systems has produced a number of positive outcomes. Plant surveys usually result in the identification of sub-optimal areas, and the control philosophy is then configured to ensure that these areas (along with the entire circuit) are optimized and maintained. Outdated PID loops have generally resulted in oscillatory control with large amplitude deviations from set-point. Significant improvements in SAR Metallurgy operations have been realized, firstly through achieving stability in the load and cyclone control, and secondly through online identification and implementation of optimized set-point conditions for mill mass, discharge density, etc. Soft sensors are configured to accurately estimate parameters that were historically not measurable, viz. breakage rate, mill load condition, onlinekWh/t-75 microns, mill discharge density and cyclone overflow grading. The Mponeng Plant system achieved circuit stability and improved overall grind. The Plant was able to pay back the control installation after 3 months, based on the additional recovery obtained from the finer grind. The system at Kopanang Plant has also resulted in enhanced plant recovery as a result of a finer grind and a lower residue gold content. The payback for this system was calculated at approximately 6 months. AngloGold Ashanti Metallurgy is currently expanding the installation of expert control to its other operations. It is also evaluating the performance of various suppliers of advanced control systems.

Jan 1, 2005

By A. A. B. Douglas

In this paper the origins of the mortar intruded concrete concept and its development and application in the construction of watertight bulkheads in South Africa are described. The events leading to the commissioning and execution of the West Driefontein Experimental Plug and the Virginia/Merriespruit Boundary Plugs, and their roles in the proving of the technique, follow. The development of the first Transvaal and Orange Free State Chamber of Mines Code of Practice for Mortar Intrusion Concrete for Underground Plugs and Bulkheads, Johannesburg, November 1962,is explained. The saga of the October 1968 flood and subsequent salvage of the West Driefontein Gold Mine is recounted. The paper concludes with mention of the validation programme carried out for the Placer Dome Western Areas Joint Venture and their South Deep water barrier programme.

Jan 1, 2006

By S. Dessureault

Computer Integrated Mining (CIMG) is a process of using computer networks to transform islands of enabling technologies into a highly interconnected mining system. CIMG involves the integration of advanced technologies at various levels in the mine business to achieve higher flexibility, better quality of processes and control, and improved profitability. Justifying the benefits of CIMG are difficult as many of the advantages are derived from improved flexibility, quality, and control. Justification is based on the evaluation of the benefits to be gained, compared to the required capital investment. Management tools used in mining are currently inadequate in assessing the value of advanced technology whose benefits are primarily qualitative. A key aspect of successful implementation is management acceptance, which has to be won through the capability to justify the technology?s financial costs and the true value of all of its benefits. The manufacturing industry faced similar justification difficulties when adopting advanced technology in factories. A significant amount of funding and research was invested in developing management strategies and approaches to justification. Many of the problems that faced the transformation of the manufacturing industry in the late Eighties and early Nineties are now facing mining. The solutions derived for manufacturing may help mining in its transition to an increased reliance on integration technology. Reviewing the industrial history of computer integrated manufacturing identifies several tools and strategic frameworks that can be adapted for mining. Keywords: Computer integrated mining, justification techniques, CIM, information technology.

Jan 1, 2004

By W. Bryszewski

As a result of strategic analysis in respect of the needs for air quality management a new advanced and holistic approach to air quality management process was introduced in the North West Province (NWP) of South Africa. The process is based on the principle of co-operative management. It involves both active participation of all Interested and Affected Parties (I&AP) and the holistic approach to solving problems with the underlying principles of shared ownership and sustainable development. The process consists of the followings phases: ? Industrial process quantification ? Quantification of impacts ? Formulation of the required control measures ? Definitions of certificate conditions ? Implementation of an adequate compliance management system at company level ? Ongoing co-operative air quality and system management with the strategic objective of continuous improvements The system has been successfully introduced in the North Province and proved to be an effective management tool and aids assurance of sustained environmental ability to cope with the pressure of industrial developments. The benefits and effectiveness are discussed using Hernic Ferrochrome as an example. Hernic Ferrochrome is one of the first companies, which successfully implemented this system.

Jan 1, 2004

By R. M. Tyler

The importance of the heavy mineral sands to southern African economic well-being cannot be over emphasized. The value of the worldwide titanium dioxide industry is estimated at $7 billion. Six out of eight of the world?s proposed new project areas are in southern and eastern Africa, and a seventh at Tamil Nadu in India is partly owned by a South African company, Kumba Resources. The HMS industry can be highly lucrative; its return on capital is the best in the mining industry. There are, however, problems, particularly in the smelting technology. The often considerable affect of mining on environmentally sensitive coastal dunes is also becoming increasingly important. The medium-to long-term demand for Ti-dioxide pigment and ceramic grade zircon appears very healthy. If, as predicted, the costs of producing titanium metal can be reduced, then there is huge potential for the metal. In summary, the HMS industry is an attractive one to be in, with good returns and generally manageable risks. New business opportunities and their economic implications for Africa are discussed.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. H. Zietsman, M. W. Erwee, P. J. A. Bezuidenhout, Q. G. Reynolds

"Pyrometallurgical furnaces are tapped through tap-holes that are opened with drills and oxygen lances. The lance is often used on its own or as the last step of opening the tap-hole. Interaction of oxygen with molten material inside the tap-hole can occur, and is a phenomenon that is not well understood. As part of a study that focuses on the effect of lancing on flow inside and around the furnace tap-hole, a cold-model validation was done. The validation study focuses on validating the MULTIPHASEINTERFOAM multiphase flow solver in OpenFOAM® for the problem involved. The sensitivity of the model to different materials properties (viscosity and density in particular) is presented with both cold models and the results from flow simulations in OpenFOAM®. IntroductionMany pyrometallurgical operations are carried out in furnaces where molten material accumulates continuously. Once enough material has accumulated and is ready to be removed from the furnace, material is tapped through one or more tap-holes in the furnace. Tap-holes differ significantly in both geometry and materials of construction, depending on the process involved – examples of different types of tap-hole configurations can be found in, for example, Nelson and Hundermark (2014). Tapholes all share one common feature: they are high, wear areas of the furnace. Molten material at high temperature flows through these areas, after which the tap-hole is sealed, usually using tap-hole clay. The purpose of the tap-hole clay is to harden inside the tap-hole and seal it until the next tap.Once ready to tap, a pneumatic drill and/or oxygen lance is used to open the tap-hole. The extent of lancing a furnace tap-hole depends strongly on the type of furnace. In, for example, many blast furnace operations lancing is limited as much as possible, and done only if drilling was not effective. In other operations, such as on small-scale pilot furnaces with short tap-holes, only lancing is used to open the tap-hole."

Jun 1, 2019

By M. Soleymani Shishvan

"Continuous mining systems containing multiple excavators producing multiple products of raw materials are highly complex, exhibiting strong interdependency between constituents. Furthermore, random variables govern the system, which causes uncertainty in the supply of raw materials: uncertainty in knowledge about the reserve, the quantity demanded by the customers, and the breakdown of equipment. This paper presents a stochastic-based mine process simulator capturing different sources of uncertainties. It aims to quantify the effect of geological uncertainty and its impacts on the ability to deliver contractually defined quantities and qualities of coal, and on the system efficiency in terms of utilization of major equipment. Two different areas of research are combined: geostatistical simulation for capturing geological uncertainty, and stochastic process simulation to predict the performance and reliability of a large continuous mining system.The process of modelling and simulation in this specific production environment is discussed in detail. Problem specification and a new integrated simulation approach are presented. A case study in a large coal mine is used to demonstrate the impacts and evaluate the results in terms of reaching optimal production control decisions to increase average equipment utilization and control coal quality and quantity. The new approach is expected to lead to more robust decisions, improved efficiencies, and better coal quality management.IntroductionContinuous coal mining systems containing multiple excavators producing multiple products of raw materials are highly complex and exhibit strong interdependencies between constituents. A network of conveyor belts is used for transportation of the extracted materials to different waste dumps or the coal stockpile.Optimal decision-making in short-term planning and production control are impacted mainly by geological uncertainty associated with incomplete knowledge of the coal deposit represented in the reserve block model. These uncertainties cause deviations from expected process performance. For more robust decision-making, understanding the impacts of these stochastic elements plays a key role."

Jan 1, 2016

Council for 1996/97 President Dr N.A. Barcza President Elect R.P. Mohring Vice Presidents Senior J.R. Dixon Junior M.H. Rogers Immediate Past President D.A.J. Ross-Watt Honorary Treasurer J.A. Cruise

Jan 1, 1997

The aim of this investigation was to study the influence that varying production rates have on iron sinter quality. This was done by performing sinter pot tests at different pressure drops over the sinter bed, namely 11 kPa and 15 kPa (for 500 mm total bed depths). During each of the sintering processes temperature-time profiles were recorded of the top, middle and bottom layers of the sinter bed. On completion of the sinter process the sinter cakes were divided into top, middle and bottom layers. The physical properties of each layer were subsequently characterized by performing a tumbler test and a sieve analysis. A comprehensive mineralogical study was also conducted on each layer. This study revealed that sinters of similar cold strength could be produced under the examined production rates. However, a higher production rate was accompanied by an increased amount of fines. The cold strengths of both sinters significantly increased from the top layer to the bottom layer of the sinter bed. This strength variation is not related in any simple way to the phase composition. Keywords: Sinter, sinter bed, production rate, phase composition, cold strength, tumbler index, sieve analysis, temperature-time profile

Jan 1, 2003

Phase equilibria have been determined experimentally for pseudo-ternary sections of the form ?MnO?-(CaO+MgO)-(SiO2+Al2O3) with a fixed Al2O3/SiO2 weight ratio of 0.17 and MgO/CaO weight ratios of 0.25 and 0.17 respectively for temperatures in the range 1473-1673 K. The primary phase fields present for the MgO/CaO weight ratio of 0.17 include manganosite (Mn,Mg,Ca)O; dicalcium silicate a-2(Ca,Mg,Mn)O?SiO2; merwinite 3CaO·(Mg,Mn)O·2SiO2; wollastonite [(Ca,Mg,Mn)O?SiO2]; diopside [(CaO,MgO,MnO,Al2O3)?SiO2]; tridymite (SiO2); tephroite [2(Mn,Mg)O?SiO2]; rhodonite [(Mn,Mg)O?SiO2] and melilite [2CaO?(MgO,MnO,Al2O3)?2(SiO2,Al2O3)]. For the section with MgO/CaO weight ratio of 0.25 the anorthite phase (CaO·Al2O3·2SiO2) is also present. The liquidus temperatures of ferro- and silico-manganese smelting slags have been determined. The liquidus temperatures at low MnO concentrations are shown to be principally dependent on the modified basicity weight ratio (CaO+MgO)/(SiO2+Al2O3).

Jan 1, 2004

By P J. Grobler

The current commodity boom is depleting the ore bodies at a rate not seen in the past. As the existing ore bodies get depleted, only the more inferior bodies are left for exploitation. This places an emphasis on beneficiation to upgrade the lower grade ore to high-grade feedstock for downstream processes. This paper discusses the role of dense medium separation in this quest for high-grade feedstock for the future. It covers the production and utilization of ferrosilicon and gives a future perspective of the technology. It concludes about the way ahead and the challenges facing the processing fraternity and mining industry.

Jan 1, 2006

By T. Kagogo, M. Neser, C. Knobbs, E. Gerryts

"Contrary to the way it is often portrayed, the average organization or company is far from being a cold, calculating machine. It is actually a highly emotive place where interaction with people is a fundamental part of its ability to perform satisfactorily.The company, through its employers, expects employees, including new graduates, to have the ability to cope adequately with this emotive environment. The graduate is frequently unable to meet this expectation because he/she has not been developed to do so. Technical knowledge is his only asset. This deficiency manifests itself in leadership shortcomings, both intrapersonal and interpersonal. Further analysis reveals a deficiency in three elements of leadership - self-awareness, oral communication, and an ability to work cooperatively in teams.To address these three elements of leadership, Sasol Coal, a subsidiary of the big petrochemical company in South Africa, sponsored a leadership programme at the University of Pretoria for their final-year bursary students in the faculty of Engineering. This programme, the Sasol Engineering and Leadership Academy (SELA), consisted of a number of interventions designed to address the three areas of self-awareness, oral communication, and cooperative behaviour in teams. These interventions varied from an intrapersonal nature to interpersonal aspects. Psychometric assessments were followed by experiential modules dealing with the three constructs.SELA was evaluated at the end of the year. The results showed a positive shift in the main constructs of self-awareness, communications, and cooperation. This was measured quantitatively and qualitatively. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations for improving the programme were proposed."

Jan 1, 2014

By C. Knobbs

Contrary to the way it is often portrayed, the average organization or company is far from being a cold, calculating machine. It is actually a highly emotive place where interaction with people is a fundamental part of its ability to perform satisfactorily. The company, through its employers, expects employees, including new graduates, to have the ability to cope adequately with this emotive environment. The graduate is frequently unable to meet this expectation because he/she has not been developed to do so. Technical knowledge is his only asset. This deficiency manifests itself in leadership shortcomings, both intrapersonal and interpersonal. Further analysis reveals a deficiency in three elements of leadership ? self-awareness, oral communication, and an ability to work cooperatively in teams. To address these three elements of leadership, Sasol Coal, a subsidiary of the big petrochemical company in South Africa, sponsored a leadership programme at the University of Pretoria for their final-year bursary students in the faculty of Engineering. This programme, the Sasol Engineering and Leadership Academy (SELA), consisted of a number of interventions designed to address the three areas of self-awareness, oral communication, and cooperative behaviour in teams. These interventions varied from an intrapersonal nature to interpersonal aspects. Psychometric assessments were followed by experiential modules dealing with the three constructs. SELA was evaluated at the end of the year. The results showed a positive shift in the main constructs of self-awareness, communications, and cooperation. This was measured quantitatively and qualitatively. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations for improving the programme were proposed.

Jan 1, 2014

Power Point Presentation

Jan 1, 2007

By M. Rahmanpour

"Mine planning is a multidisciplinary procedure that aims to guarantee the profitability of a mining operation in changing and uncertain conditions. Mine plans are normally classified as long-term, intermediate-term, and short-term plans, and many factors affect the preciseness of these plans and cause deviations in reaching the objectives. Commodity price is the heart of mine planning, but it has a changing and uncertain nature. Therefore, the determination of mine plans in the presence of uncertain mineral price is a challenge. A robust mine plan reduces the risk of early mine closure. A procedure is presented to determine the value at risk (VaR) in any possible mine planning alternative. VaR is considered together with downside risk and upside potential in order to select the most profitable and least risky plan. The model is tested on a small iron ore deposit. IntroductionMining projects are normally evaluated with the objective of maximizing economic value, as measured by the net present value (NPV). The aim of mine planning is to develop a yearly extraction plan that guides the mining operation to the highest NPV (Dagdelen, 2007; Yarmuch and Ortiz, 2011). This plan considers the technical constraints such as blending requirements, block sequencing, and pit slope (Caccetta and Hill 2003). Thus, the mine plan affects the economics and the payback period of mining operations.Mine planning is a procedure based on which the profitability of the mining operation is guaranteed in changing and uncertain conditions (McCarter, 1992). However, conventional mine planning ignores the volatility and uncertainty of future commodity prices and does not allow for managerial flexibility. It is common practice to assume a deterministic and constant commodity price through the mine life. The problem with this approach is that the commodity price is the heart of the mine planning procedure and governs the profitability and feasibility of the operation; thus ignoring price volatility will result in a sub-optimal mine plan."

Jan 1, 2016

By David J. Blackwell

The challenge; to design production facilities and in particular separation equipment which have the ability to deal effectively with the ever changing composition of well fluids, over the life time of the field in which it is operating, ensuring maximum uptime of the asset coupled with consistently effective separation. Design engineers are, however, continually confronted with a dilemma when selecting materials of construction for Oil/Gas separation equipment, since they are generally obliged to select an acceptable material of construction, based on ?predicted? operating conditions, at the lowest acceptable cost. Consequently many designs are somewhat basic and do not take into account the constantly varying dynamics of the well fluids being released into the separator. As oil fields mature, oil companies endeavour to maximize revenue by maintaining oil and gas throughputs. This often results in an associated increase in water and sand volumes and, in order to maintain efficient separation, an increase in operational temperature and pressure; subjecting the equipment to operational conditions for which it was never designed. In reality, therefore, the limitations and constraints placed upon new construction design often result in Maintenance Engineers having to solve the ensuing problems in difficult ?in-field? environments. Should refurbishment or upgrade be required then the status of the platform and that of the vessel during shutdown will dictate how this is achieved. Hotwork on the vessel is generally not preferred due to the requirement for post weld heat treatment and re-classification of the pressure vessel, not to mention the added risk in terms of safety. Unfortunately, until recently, there have been few alternatives to conventional ?hotwork? repair and protection systems, especially since the performance of cold curing polymer based repair and coating systems, for use in oil and gas process equipment, has, until recently, been limited by their resistance to temperature and pressure in immersed conditions. In line with the continued development of high temperature / high pressure oil and gas fields however, recent breakthroughs in polymer technology can now offer both repair and protection solutions which are able to function effectively at temperatures up to 180°C in immersed conditions combined with resistance to the destructive forces of explosive decompression from pressures in excess of 90 bar. This paper will look at recent work that has been undertaken to determine the suitability of modern polymer based repair and protection systems as an alternative to hotwork; thus enabling newly designed and upgraded internals to be cold bonded into position and further protected with temperature resistant coatings, in order to minimize the downtime of the asset and further to protect the vessel internals from the Erosive Corrosive environment.

Jan 1, 2006

By R. C. W. Webber

Mining up to depths of 5 000 m would be a world first and, accordingly, no previous experience in the determination of acceptable heat stress limits, criteria or indices is wholly applicable. However, some South African gold mines are already operating at depths beyond 3000 m and much of the knowledge gained in reaching and working at such depths will be helpful in making adequate provision for acceptable environmental control at the greater depths being contemplated. Accordingly, it is necessary to take cognisance of the industry?s experience in deep-level mining and of standards and regulations already established in South Africa and elsewhere in order to ensure acceptable working conditions and control standards, that compare favourably and defensibly with those in other mining industries. The local and international use of heat stress limits, criteria and indices were investigated as it was necessary to determine to what extent any other indices, limits or criteria would be applicable to South African deep mine conditions. In addition, it was necessary to establish whether there was a single heat stress index that could be used for South African ultra deep mining conditions. It was found that an appropriate combination of heat stress indices would be required in planning for and ultimately controlling thermal conditions in ultra-deep mining. The depths being contemplated and the concomitant potential heat hazard present too great a risk for reliance on a single environmental component of heat stress, such as wet-bulb temperature at present in common use locally. The study recommends that a heat stress index, preferably Air Cooling Power (ACP), be used to design an ultra deep mine?s ventilation system and that wet-bulb temperature be used to monitor and control the system once it is implemented.

Jan 1, 2003

By N. Kumar, A. K. Dhawan, A. Varughese, S. K. Khullar

Abstract The in-situ stress field is one of the primary parameters influencing the performance of underground structures particularly in the Himalayas where there is strong influence of topography and geology on in-situ stresses. It is always advisable to measure the in-situ stresses, in whatever best way possible. Hydrofracturing is one of the methods by which in-situ stress can be measured. This paper briefly describes details of the concept of Hydrofracturing in arriving at the in-situ stresses of the rock mass at Pancheswar Project. The data obtained from the tests has been analysed, interpreted and the results are presented in this paper. Kurzfassung Das Spannungsfeld an Ort und Stelle ist einer der wichtigsten Parameter, die das Verhalten der Untergrund-Struktur beeinflussen, insbesondere in den Himalayas, wo die Topografie und die Geologie einen grossen Einfluss auf die oertlichen Spannungen ausueben. Es empfiehlt sich stets die Spannungen an Ort und Stelle so gut wie moeglich zu erfassen. Die Hydrofraktur bzw hydrografisches Zerstueckeln ist eine der Methoden, die bei den Messungen der oertlichen Spannungen verwendet werden koennen. Diese Abhandlung beschreibt kurz Einzelheiten ueber das Konzept von Hydrofraktur bei der Bestimmung der Spannungen an Ort und Stelle von der Felsmasse bezueglich des Projekts Pancheshwar. Die gewonnenen Daten aus den Messungen wurden analysieret und ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse werden dabei vorgelegt. Sommaire Le champ de contraintes in-situ est un des paramèters principaux influencant l’exécution des structures souterraines particulierèment en Himalaya où les forces in-situ sont fortement influencées par les caractéristiques topographiques et géologiques de la région. La fracturation hydraulique est une technique qui permet de mesurer des forces in-situ des massifs rocheux. Cet article décrit brièvement le mécanisme de fracturation hydraulique et présente les résultats de mesure des forces in-situ des roches au site du projet hydroélectrique de Pancheswar.

Jan 1, 2003