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TowerMill - Advantages in Wet Grinding Applications The TowerMill, which has now been in existence for no less than 50 years, is one alternative to the horizontal ball mill and offers several advantages. The TowerMill is widely used in (coal-fired) electric power plants for the grinding of raw material for the FGD (Flue Gas Desulphurisation) process involving very high throughputs, very fine product sizes and high availability. Some companies in the mining industry also looked at the use of such optimised grinding machines several years ago and found that many of the advantages offered in other industries are transferable to new applications. Much development work has been undertaken to improve the TowerMill for new applications and, as part of that work, tests have also been conducted to make direct comparisons of their performance with that of ball mills. Grinding tests were performed using the same raw materials and comparable machine sizes. Some of the results are discussed in this paper, along with a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages. The conclusion provides an outlook for some worthwhile future applications. The test results, which are described and analysed, show that the TowerMill offers significant advantages in relation to operating costs and operational safety. An example based on the wet grinding of limestone is presented.

Sep 13, 2010

By R. Marleau, R. Assad, J. Dugas

"A study of the geological features of known occurrences of mineralization in Gaspe is the basis for a classification. Nickel, chromite, asbestos and some copper are pre-or syn-Taconic, whereas the most important deposits are tied to granitic post-Taconic stocks. Most occurrences are clearly related to igneous rocks: nickel, chromium and asbestos to Ordovician serpentinite; copper to volcanic rocks of different ages; and copper, zinc and lead to acidic intrusions with apparent zoning. Some lead-zinc deposits lying between the Grande Greve and York Lake formations are stratigraphically controlled. Some occurrences are tied to faults; e.g., the nickel-copper mineralization along the North Grand Pabos fault. Northerly-trending transverse structures appear to coincide with the Gaspe Copper, Mount McGerrigle (Tabletop) granite and Lemieux dome areas of mineralization. JEAN DUGAS, after graduating"

Jan 1, 1969

By William P. Blake

The ancient city of Guanajuato, the capital of the State of that name, has been built up and sustained chiefly by the milling industry based upon the veins of the Veta Madre and La Luz. It is distant about twelve hours, by rail, from the City of Mexico. Its elevation above the sea is about 6300 ft., and it has a salubrious climate. The population, at the date of my visit in 1891, was estimated at from 80,000 to 100,000 persons. The place is justly celebrated for the antiquity, depth and extent of the mines, the magnitude of the deep shafts, and the enormous total yield of the district in silver and gold, which is comparable with that of the Comstock Lode in the United States. Several important public institutions are located at this center. The State office for the records of claims and of the statistics of mining and production is known as the Deputacion de Mineria. The Mining College, with its fine collection of ores and minerals from the mines of the region, is highly interesting to mineralogists. A mint for the coinage of silver, but not of gold, coins from four to twelve millions of' silver dollars annually. The silver received at the mint is melted in an open-hearth furnace, and is ladled out and cast into long and thin bars, which are rolled down to the proper thickness for the blanks. The bars contain some gold which is not parted. There is an export of dore bars to Germany, amounting in value to from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 annually. There were, in 1891, upwards of forty reduction-works in and about the city where the silver ores were treated, chiefly by the ancient patio method. In these works were 65 Chilean mills, 301 arrastres of large size, and 936 of smaller dimensions. There were 36 steam engines, but mule-power was generally used at the ar-

Jan 1, 1902

By Lennart Mukka

The Kiruna Mine in Sweden currently has three ventilation systems. The first two (a new and old system) serve the production areas. The third system is used for the facilities on the former main haulage level 775. That area includes offices and workshops for load haul dumpers (LHD) and drill rigs. The third ventilation system also covers the crushing and haulage on level 1045. At the present time, the total airflow for the mine is 1,600 m3/sec(3.4 million cfm). The current system serves the levels above the 775 level. The new one is for the levels between 775 and 1,085 m (2,540 and 3,560 ft), which are needed for the new ore body. When all of the production is below level 775, the old ventilation system will be closed down.

Jan 1, 2002

By Robert G. Bottge

The Bureau of Mines investigated the availability of the land in south-central Alaska for exploration and mineral development of locatable minerals under State or Federal laws. The land ownership for an area of nearly 72.5 million acres in south-central Alaska was divided into 3 availability categories and 15 subcategories. In July 1985, 31.0 million acres of the study area were available for mineral exploration and development, 6.2 million acres were available with restrictions, and 35.3 million acres were unavailable. About 23.6 million acres in the study area are underlain by mineral terranes. About 9.9 million of the 23.6 million acres are available for mineral entry, 2.4 million acres are available with restrictions, and 11.3 million acres are unavailable. While much of the land currently classified as unavailable will be reclassified once it is conveyed to the State or to Native corporations, about 22% of the unavailable lands underlain by mineral terranes are now Federal parks, preserves, wildlife refuges, wild and scenic rivers, and military lands, all of which are considered permanently unavailable for mineral exploration and development.

Jan 1, 1986

This evening I would like to speak about men for the mineral industry.It is trite to say that the mining industry is expanding rapidly and that technically trained men are in short supply. How short is difficult to assess and impossible to quantify.The industry has been traditionally managed by technically trained men experienced in the ways of their fellow men. Let us start with the assumption that men with this training and experience are essential to management of mining and metallurgical enterprises.I suggest that we do this as it avoids argument with those who are beginning to suggest that such men are not so important as they used to be; who are suggesting that the latest sophisticated business management schools can produce managers who can straight out of school join the upper echelons of an organization and successfully manage it by the use of modern systems and techniques without the need to rub shoulders with men of all callings and get their hands dirty in the process.This kind of thinking brings to mind the modern cargo ship which is equipped with all the latest gadgets of science. It can find its way from Sydney to Auckland with no one in the engine room and the man on the bridge spending most of his time writing to his wife or reading the latest novel.How often do we read of this ship being tied up in Sydney because the crew sympathizes with the cook who has been slighted by some uncomplimentary remark about his toheroa soup? Here is a pieceof sophisticated machinery stopped through no technical fault, but held up by the whim of man. The understanding of man by man can spell the success or failure of any endeavour. A single man can leadan organization to the pinnacles of success, or doom it to utter failure in spite of modern systems and techniques.So let us start from the point that people matter.Through the years our Institute has been fortunate in having many members who have felt strongly...

Jan 1, 1970

The U.S. economy and, consequently, the demand for minerals grew at more moderate rates in 1995 compared with stronger performances the previous year. Demand for metals such as steel and copper was relatively stable. For example, the decline in steel consumed in motor vehicle manufacturing (reflecting lower vehicle sales) for the first half of 1995 was offset by an increase in steel consumed in construction during the same period. More detailed information on events, trends, and issues in the mineral and material sector Is presented below and in the commodity sections that follow. Overall Performance The value of processed materials of mineral origin produced in the United States during 1995 was estimated to be $395 billion, an increase of almost 10% compared with 1994. The estimated value of U.S. raw nonfuel minerals production in 1995 was $38 billion, about 7% more than in 1994. The value of U.S. minerals production has increased in 30 of the last 35 years.

Jan 1, 1996

A stronger U.S. economy stimulated the domestic mineral sector in 1994. Metals demand was spurred by robust U.S. motor vehicle sales, while demand for major industrial minerals rose in response to highway and building construction. Domestic mineral and material demand is expected to increase in 1995, particularly if interest rates do not restrain the building industry and international monetary exchange rates remain advantageous to U.S. automobile manufacturers. Additional information on events, trends, and issues in the mineral and material sector is presented below and in the commodity sections that follow. Overall Performance Processed materials of mineral origin produced in the United States during 1994 increased to an estimated value of $360 billion. Domestic output of raw nonfuel minerals in 1994 was estimated at $34 billion, about 6% more than that of 1993. The value of U.S. minerals production has increased in 29 of the last 34 years.

Jan 1, 1995

By John Birkinbine

(Wilkes-Barre Meeting, June, 1911). MODERN advances in practically all lines of industrial development have occurred in such rapid succession, and have been accepted so readily as accomplished facts, that a retrospect surprises us, by showing how comparatively few of the acknowledged factors of improved conditions may be considered as old. While these advances have not been confined to any country, they have been more pronounced in some than in others, and nowhere more so than in the United States, the population of which, having multiplied nearly three-fold between 1870 and 1910, demanded a proportionately greater increase in materials, supplies, and manufactured products. It therefore appears desirable to discuss mainly conditions in the United States, as concrete evidence of industrial progress throughout the world. Looking backward for but three generations, we may trace the introduction and development of canal- and steamboat-navigation; railroad-transportation; artificial illumination beyond that furnished by candles and lard-oil; quick communication by mail, and subsequently by telegraph or telephone; the manufacture of iron, beyond forms of small dimensions; the production and utilization of steel in large quantities; the economic use of mineral fuel, oil and gas, etc. The practical coincidence of the fortieth anniversary and the 100th technical meeting of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, offers temptation to recall and compare the conditions of mining and metallurgy in or about the years 1871 and 1911. A complete resume would cover phenomenal changes in mining-methods and equipment by which the output of individual exploitation has grown from scores to hundreds and even thousands of units in equal time-intervals. Extension of operations in depth and area, demanding machinery of great power

Aug 1, 1911

By K. Leutwyler, H. L. Bigelow

Jan 1, 1966

By J. -C. Sztuke, M. Cao

ABSTRACT The correlations between froth recovery of coal and air recovery were investigated using a hybrid mechanical flotation column. The particle slurry was fed onto the surface of air-water two phase froths to carry out the tests. Froth recovery was taken as the recovery of particles into the froth product, whereas air recovery was determined by the froth height method. The relationships between froth recovery and air recovery were nearly linear, with greater slopes for more hydrophobic particles. Inside the froth phase, the particles were stratified, with hydrophobic particles concentrated in the upper region and hydrophilic particles in the lower region.

Jan 1, 2013

By W. Kunda

Silver nitrate solution is a very common product in hydrometallurgical processes involving the treatment of various silver bearing materials. Silver is recovered by electrolysis. The alternative method for the recovery of silver from aqueous solutions is the precipitation by hydrogen at elevated temperature and pressure. A previous study by the authors revealed the feasibility of this technique for the silver ammine sulfate system. Further study showed different behavior for silver in the silver ammine nitrate system and a systematic study was initiated to establish the optimum conditions for the process. The study showed that the process can be controlled by (1) composition of the feed solution, (2) temperature and (3) hydrogen pressure. The recovered silver product was in the form of very fine powder.

Jan 1, 1989

By James C. Barker

The analytical variability encountered when sampling for platinum-group metals (PGM) was statistically evaluated during a 1983 study by the Bureau of Mines and the University of Alaska. Sampling procedures were designed to systematically incorporate commonly used reconnaissance exploration techniques under actual field conditions. Analytical variability was evaluated at each procedural step. Analytical data from each sample from a single deposit grouped relatively well around the calculated mean for that deposit. Standard deviations did not exceed 43 pct of the mean for any of the deposits; more commonly, the deviation was about 25 pct. Statistical treatment of the data by analysis of variance indicated the most important source of error is selection of the sample site. Two or more replicate samples appear necessary to adequately quantify the PGM content. Secondly, significant variation occurs during preparation of a pulverized split for fire assay. The optimum sample size was in the 11-lb range; larger samples did not appreciably reduce variability. Smaller samples generally indicated a higher degree of variability. Evaluation of the sample method suggested the common grab sample, if carefully taken, is a useful indicator of the general range of PGM concentration but potentially includes a considerable margin of error.

Jan 1, 1985

By C. Frenzel, N. Blechschmidt

"INTRODUCTION There is no doubt about the time and effort companies put in establishing and maintaining their equipment. However, the question about how these companies can map the benefits comes up. Neither do they have the tools to quantify the benefit of their action, nor do they have the tools to know the actual quality of their current maintenance system. The resources used in the process seem futile to observers. It seems impossible to trace improvements and to get information about the impact of actions in retrospect. Improvements in maintenance performance cannot be recognised by management or shareholders. Thus the necessity for measuring the performance of maintenance systems is given. In this paper ConMoto is systematically showing the strengths and weaknesses of many companies' maintenance management and is providing field-tested proven design elements for measuring maintenance systems and implementing Value Oriented Maintenance. Considering only business assets in production facilities and related machinery out of all investment goods in Europe, you reach a value of around 9.7 trillion euros in 2008. In Germany alone the equipment replacement value amounted to about 1.9 trillion euros [8,10,11,13]. If you calculate a cross sector maintenance costs rate of 4.8 % (corresponding to the average value identified in this study), direct maintenance costs in European production locations add up to over 450 billion euros per year [3]. These figures speak for themselves. Yet maintenance is not only of enormous significance for European enterprises. Our experiences show that maintenance and asset management, particularly sustainability issues, are also increasingly moving to the forefront in the BRIC states, in the Middle East and in many emerging countries. First of all, in order to meet the resulting high quality and cost related requirements of maintenance systems, a comprehensive overview of the issue is needed. This overview is provided by a detailed analysis of 83 companies and production plants from various sectors – with amazing results. SIGNIFICANCE OF MAINTENANCE Current studies show the high financial significance of maintenance and asset management. According to the market study in the Asset Manager [9], in industrialised countries about 10 to 15 per cent of the labour force are employed in maintenance and facility management tasks. In Europe about 40 to50 million people are directly and indirectly involved in retaining the value of machinery, plants, buildings, transport systems and infrastructure facilities. A glance at the costs side also demonstrates the great relevance of maintenance. EU-wide annual direct maintenance costs amount to a total of more than 1,500 billion euros. In Germany alone they are about 250 billion euros. This impressive total is considerably exceeded by indirect maintenance costs caused by technical failures. Indirect costs are estimated to be five times higher (Figure 1). [7,12,14]"

Jan 1, 2018

The Canadian concept for nuclear fuel waste disposal is being assessed by AECL Research in a series of experiments at its Underground Research Laboratory (URL) near Lac du Bonnet. Manitoba, Canada. As pan of this research, the Mine-by Experiment has been designed to obtain information on rock mass behavior, the development of an excavation-induced damage zone and failure mechanisms around a circular bored tunnel. An iterative design approach was used to effectively reconcile the experiment objectives and construction logistics. This paper discusses the design considerations and construction methodology adopted on the project.

Jan 1, 1991

By Po-Ming Lin

Stress has a significant effect on the stability of pillars. In order to get an accurate picture of pillar stability, one needs information not only on the primary Stress distribution but also on all the Subsequent Stress changes as time passes. Sonic methods are some of the fastest, most economical and least destructive means of stress prediction. The wave propagation velocity has long been applied to the investigation of the upper mantle and crust stress. Recently, it has also been applied to the prediction of rock bursts and to mine site investigations. Another parameter for investigating stresses in rocks is the attenuation coefficient. Attenuation has been observed to be more sensitive to stress changes than wave velocity; however, the measurement of attenuation is more difficult than that of wave velocity. In this paper, the mechanism of sonic attenuation in rock is reviewed. Both the velocity and the attenuation of sound waves in five different rock types under various stress fields were examined in the laboratory. It was found that for a specific rock type the relationship between the velocity ratio and stress, as well as that between the attenuation coefficient ratio and stress, can be expressed by simplified second order polynomial equations.Research showed the attenuation coefficient to be more sensitive to stress change than the velocity ratio. A field investigation method was proposed using a Schmidt hammer as a repeatable energy source. Initial trials appeared to show that monitoring by the wave attenuation method gave more repeatable data than monitoring wave velocity.

Jan 1, 1984

By James Pirie

"The major Archean gold deposits in the Red Lake greenstone belt, which have produced over 374 million grams of gold since 1930, occur near the top of the lower komatiitic to tholeiitic mafic to ultramafic metavolcanic sequence. The upper calc-alkalic mafic to felsic rocks form three discrete and separate ediftces overlymg this lower sequence.The gold deposits are classified according to their stratigraphic or lithologic associations into:1) mafic-volcanic-hosted deposits;2) felsic-intrusive-hosted deposits; and3) stratabound deposits.Group 1 and to a lesser extent Group 2 deposits occur within zones of alteration several square kilometres in extent. The nature of this pervasive alteration can be characterized by comparison of petrochemical data from the altered rocks and their fresher equivalents some distance away. The altered rocks have substantial addition of SiO2> CO2, K2O, As and Sb and subtraction of Na20, CaO, MgO and total Fe. Cr, Ni, Co and Zr appear to have been relatively immobile. Hydrothermal alteration and gold deposition probably accompanied early fumarolic activity and continued during subsequent deformation the metavolcanic sequence, with gold eventually being mobtltzed and concentrated into major vein structures to form the present orebodies. The smaller Group 2 deposits formed by emplacement of felsic intrusions into already altered, anomalously gold-bearing mafic metavolcanics, with the heat from the intrusions setting up parasitic hydrothermal systems which mobilized the gold and deposited it along with minor sulphides in fractures in the cooling intrusions."

Jan 1, 1982

By H. Z. Kuyumcu

Associated with the development of a novel microbiological oxidation process for the conditioning of iron hydroxide slurries from ferrous mine waters, there is a realistic chance to make the contained iron available for a material utilization. The transformation of ferrous into ferric compounds is coupled with the precipitation of iron hydroxisulphate mostly in terms of the mineral Schwert-mannite. The further treatment of the iron hydroxisulphate has to be aimed on the processing for product recovery and product refinement. For many potential applications, e.g. in the ceramic industry, the pigment industry or for metallurgical applications, the removal of sulphate is essential. For the dehydration of the iron hydroxisulphate and the sulphate removal, microwave heating technology is a beneficial method. In contrast to conventional thermal heating processes the supply of energy in microwave application takes place directly within the material through the dissipation of electromagnetic energy, i.e. no heating medium is needed. It is a volumetric heating process regardless of the surface of the material. The rapid and targeted energy supply and the good controllability of microwave heating systems are advantages which have led to a wide variety of applications in industrial processes. Among the diverse use for heating of temperature-sensitive, chemical and pharmaceutical products as well as foodstuffs the number of applications also in mineral and solid processing increases. At the Department for Mechanical Process Engineering and Solids Processing of the Technical University Berlin the use of microwave technology for the treatment of iron hydroxisulphates has been investigated systematically within the framework of a cooperative research project. The paper at hand shows results from material conversion tests subject to a variation of the relevant process parameters. The reaction products are characterized and the process is compared with the conventional heating in a rotary kiln.

Jan 1, 2014

O. S. GARRETSON, Buffalo, N. Y.: If I may judge from the half-tone illustration engraved from a photograph of this medal and accompanying Dr. Prazer's paper, I do not think the cast ing is exceptionally fine. I have often made castings of simi lar character which I think were equally good. For instance, I have taken a coin, moulded it directly in fine sand, and cast from it in Scotch (or the equally good, if not better, Ameri can Scotch ") foundry-iron a copy quite as sharp and smooth as the original. The secret is in using very fine sifted sand. In fact, I have used for this purpose the dust which had accumulated on the beams overhead in my foundry, riddling it with a very fine sieve before using it. ['NOTE BY THE SECRETARY.—After the session at which these remarks were made by him, Mr. Garretson cast at his Buffalo foundry, in the presence of a number of members of the Institute, copies of the bronze pin furnished to visiting members by the Local Committee of the Buffalo meeting. The accom panying illustration, Fig. I, has been reproduced from a photograph of such a casting, made in green sand, under the conditions of ordinary foundry-practice, and not subsequently polished in any .way. I can also certify that the photo graphic negative was not touched, to improve its clearness of definition, before the production of the " half-tone" plate from which Fig. 1 has been printed. As, in the case of the Kytchtym medal, it was the thin, ribbon-like sprue, rather than the low-relief features of the medal itself, which indicated the fluidity of the metal and the sharpness of the casting, so in this work of Mr. Garretson it is the long and slender pin which offers the strongest evidence of these qualities. It is scarcely neccssary to point out that the filling in the mould of a long and nar row opening, such as this pin presents, is the severest test that could be imposed upon the casting, and that the sharpness of the point of the pin in the casting is striking evidence of the success with which this test has been met. The Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory .has made for the American Manufacturer measurements of this casting and an analysis of the sprue. The thickness of the main casting is from 0.049 to 0.068 inch. That of the tag bearing the stamped number is 0.024 inch. The analysis, which represents the iron ordinarily employed by Mr. Garretson for thin castings, is as follows :

Jan 1, 1899

By Richard Peaker, Jens Lichter, Alexander V. Potapov

"The recent combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) can provide considerable insight into the performance of flotation cells. One area of interest from a fundamental equipment design perspective has been the influence of flotation cell size and the inflow rate on the metallurgical performance of the cell. One of the specific design objectives when increasing the size of flotation cells, or increasing the feed flow to the flotation cell, is to ensure that the feed stream flowing into the cell does not have an opportunity to bypass the mechanism.This paper describes the initial modeling efforts to quantify the inter-relationship of cell size, inflow rates, and feed and discharge box placement, on the retention time distribution of solids in the flotation cell, and the fraction of particles that bypass the mechanism on a size by size basis.INTRODUCTIONThe great majority of newly installed cells in mineral processing plants world-wide are of the cylindrical tank design and this tank shape offers a number of hydraulic advantages over the older style of square cells. Cylindrical cells give symmetrical flow patterns and by careful design of the mechanism and tank internals, the flow patterns generated can concentrate the more intense mixing in the lower portion of the cell to promote good solids suspension and particlebubble contact. Simultaneously, cylindrical tank design gives a more quiescent upper zone for particle-bubble transport into the froth zone. These symmetrical flow patterns are naturally disturbed in normal operation by the slurry inflow and outflow from the individual cells. The challenge for flotation cell designers is to determine the magnitude of these flow disturbances, and to assess whether or when the inflow and outflow rates have a sufficient impact on the hydraulic flow patterns so as to potentially affect the metallurgical performance of the flotation cell."

Jan 1, 2007