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This method determines tellurium at concentrations down to 0·01 p.p.m., with geochemical accuracy. Tellurium is volatilized from the rock at 800°C in the presence of sulphur from decomposing pyrite, condensed, dissolved, and finally determined by atomic absorption in a long tube burner. The distribution of Te is shown near some gold lodes at Kalgoorlie. Lastly, a method of synthesizing Te-free pyrite from sulphur and ferrous sulphate is described.

Jan 1, 1969

The following notes apply more especially to the purchase of silverlead ores produced in the neighbourhood of Zeehan and Dundas; for it is this class of ore that is principally mined in those parts, and which creates competition among the ore buyers.In the early days of this field, most of the ore passed through the hands of the first buyer who had sufficient enterprise to establish himself at Zeehan but in more recent times, competition has been so keen that there are generally three or four buyers tendering. lf the output was large this would not matter so much from the buyers' point of view but when we consider that the output of the field is only some 1,650 tons per month, and that of this 70 odd tons are produced by the Western and Montana mines, aud being sent home for realization, is withdrawn from local purchasers, there is really not enough for four buyers, especially at the present exorbitant prices they pay the miners.Some of the mines have a fixed sampling day, on which it is tacitly understood that the ore buyers will attend. Others, such as Grubb's Silver Mining Oompany, No-Liability, send round a printed reminder, stating the quantity of ore, and the date of sampling.

G. R. Compton (Gold Mines of Kalgoorlie (Australia) Ltd., Fimiston, W. A.) : In congratulating Mr. Hooker upon his resume of Mr Parry's paper I have in mind the fact that he carried out the research into pipe pressures. Hydraulic filling as practised in Kalgoorlie has created world wide interest, with these pressures and percolation being vital points.Early in the 1950s, representatives of the Kolar field were conduGted over the local mines where stopes at depths below 2,000 ft were being filled. The problems of pipe pressures were their main consideration since depths of up to 10,000 ft were envisaged.Mr Krishnaiah and Mr Murthy from the same field are with us today and perhaps we may hear of their experiences with depths of 6,000 ft and long lateral lines.J. Holly (Lake View and Star Ltd., Fimiston, W.A.): There is one phase, which I would like to mention myself, that has been very evident in Kalgoorlie operations. That is, we do not get the percolation properties that are obtained on many other fields in the world, and our tendency here has been to assess the quality of our fill more by its settling rate, i.e. the rate at which we can draw off clear water at the surface of the filling levels, rather than the rate that this water percolates down through the fill before it consolidates.We are tending now to measure the quality of our fill as a settling rate rather than as a percolation rate.Americans talk about percolation rates being the important property: If anyone has any experience on operating with fills with different percolation rates, I think their views would be very interesting to the meeting art this stage. Mr ...

Jan 1, 1965

Australia has a long history of underground mining. Even withadvances in open cut mining equipment, techniques andeconomics, many orebodies are still best mined by undergroundmeans. In addition, modern exploration tools are æuncoveringÆorebodies that are at increasing depths. South African mines arecurrently producing from below 3 km, and developing down to5 km depths û it is likely that Australian mines will also becomemuch deeper over the next 20 years. One of the most significanttechnical challenges in deep mines is the problem of heat.Community expectations and legislated standards continue todrive operations towards improving the working conditions inmines. The hazards and costs associated with chronic hotworking conditions (heat illness, poor safety, poor productivity,higher operating costs and poor morale) are also becomingincreasingly recognised (Brake, Donoghue and Bates, 1998). Theexposure of miners to many other occupational hazards has beenreduced over the past 50 years. However, despite air-conditionedcabins greatly reducing the heat stress on mobile plant operators,there are still many Australian mine workers subject to levels ofthermal stress that existed a century ago. There are severalreasons for this, including a frequently-poor understanding of thephysiology of working in heat by mine management, no agreedmining code of practice for working in heat, the lack of a robust,practical-sized instrument to measure heat stress, the costpressures on the industry and, to some extent, deep-seatedtraditional management and worker practices. Howeversignificant progress has been made in many of these areas (Brakeand Bates, in press), with the net result that there is likely to be a trend towards installation of refrigeration of some form in manyAustralian mines in the future. This will add directly to the costof operation, but will also have direct and indirect benefits,including cost benefits. It should also be noted that Australia isnot at the forefront of adopting practices to manage temperaturesin the workplace: South African metal mines usually haverefrigerated cooling, and Canadian mines spend large sums onheating, with heating costs (averaged over a full year) of up to$A1 per tonne mined (Bandopadhyay et al, 1997). The history of mine refrigeration dates back to 1919 when thefirst plant was installed at Morro Velho, Brazil. By 1965, the totalinstalled capacity (worldwide) reached about 100 MW(R)i. Since 1965 the growth in mine refrigeration capacity has beenexponential, with a doubling every six or seven years (Howes andNixon, 1997). South Africa is by far the largest user of minerefrigeration, with over 300 refrigeration machines installed. This paper discusses the key design issues associated with theapplication of refrigeration in underground metal or coal mines.Whilst the emphasis is on large, surface plants, small, surface orunderground refrigeration plants can also be very effective in thecorrect application and many of the principles of design andoperation are the same.

Jan 1, 2001

By Tyler R. J

Methylene blue dye adsorbs on chalcopyrite concentrates slurried in aqueous solution. Saturation adsorption can be achieved within about 24 hours for dye equilibrium concentrations greater than about 10-5 M. The dsorption coverage is obtained from a measurement of the' colour change of the solution. Comparison with BET measurement of the concentrate surface area shows that 2.4 ± 0.1 µmol of methylene blue are adsorbed per square metre of surface accessible to the dye cation. The procedure described can be used as a single-point measurement and values for the surface area can be otained to within about 10 per cent with inexpensive instrumentation.

Jan 1, 1979

By G S. Lane, G D. Richmond, J Dioses

This paper discusses the methods used in the design of flotation plants, including benchscale batch and locked cycle tests and pilot plant trials. Two case studies are presented, one for the Cadia Hill Gold Mine and the other for the Hellyer copper, zinc and lead plant. These case studies present different problems with widely different target grind sizes, liberation characteristics and HellyerÆs sequential flotation circuit versus CadiaÆs æsimpleÆ copper/gold flotation circuit. They have a common theme in that pyrite forms the principal floatable concentrate diluent. Hellyer ore contains finely disseminated chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, and tetrahedrite. The flotation plant design was based on extensive benchscale testwork (including locked cycle tests) on drill core and many months of operation of a 30 tonne per hour æpilot plantÆ, using the old Cleveland Tin Mine process plant suitably modified for the duty. The Cadia concentrator was designed on an extensive benchscale variability testwork program, approximately a dozen locked cycle tests conducted on drill core and two weeks of continuous pilot plant trials on three separate samples obtained from an adit into the orebody. The orebody is a monzonite porphyry with disseminated chalcopyrite/bornite/pyrite of very low grade (0.17 per cent Cu, 0.73 g/t Au). Methods used to establish the appropriate flotation circuits for the treatment of the Hellyer and Cadia ores, as well as the interpretation of the testwork data, are discussed in this paper. Plant performance is reviewed in the context of predicted versus operational performance.

Jan 1, 2002

By S F. Simmons

At Broadlands-Ohaaki geothermal system, TVZ, mineral distribution patterns in geothermal wells are analogous to those in epithermal veins. Fluid flow through geothermal wells is focused over vertical intervals >500 m with discharge at rates up to 90 l/s. Focused flow at similar rates also occurs in natural systems where hydrothermal eruption vents provide enhanced vertical permeability. These vents are commonly aligned with the tectonic fabric, indicating fault control at depth. We suggest that host rock strength and structural context exert significant control on the hydrological regime conducive to epithermal mineralisation.

Jan 1, 2005

This article focuses on TurkeyÆs gold potential with respect to exploration, development and operation after 1985. Apart from TurkeyÆs geology, which offers a substantial number of volcanic-associated gold (Ag) and gold-copper (Au-Cu) projects, there are numerous other factors which make the country a favourable place for mining. Turkey has a mining history which goes back to pre-Roman times and an excellent mining code which ensures security for long-term production. In the country, the Government and local villagers are very positive and the country works extremely well logistically with excellent road and telecommunication links. The opportunities for new discoveries in Turkey are very high. Moreover, Turkey has its eyes turned west as it moves towards joining the European Community and it is no surprise that international companies believe it has got its timing as well as its partner relationship right. Newmont, Teck Cominco, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Eldorado Gold, etc all have direct or indirect interests in Turkey, as do an increasing number of midtier and junior exploration companies. Turkish Koza Gold Mining is the first Au producing company of Turkey. The Eldorado Gold owned 245 t Kisladag Au deposit in Western Turkey is currently also producing Au. In the meantime Anatolia Minerals Development is advancing the 131 t resource at the C÷pler Au deposit in North Eastern Turkey. These are significant world-class deposits. Further encouragement for investment in the Au mining sector has been provided by the introduction of a new mining law in 1985. Foreign investments in the country were encouraged and have seen a rapid increase in the last two decades. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth is in excess of five per cent per annum, inflation is down from 70 per cent to single figures, the budget deficit has been cut by 40 per cent to 11 per cent and industrial output and productivity are increasing rapidly. Turkey is politically and economically stable, is a member of the European Customs Union, has a supportive mining legislation, is highly prospective and under-explored and hosts significant recent gold discoveries.

Jan 1, 2007

In this paper, the scientific bases of creation of simulation modelling systems of excavator-truck-conveyor complex work are represented. During the simulation modelling process of big mining and transport systems work the strict and full account of an order and sequence of all operations of simulated process is carried out. Step-by-step fixing of mining and transport system elements condition - excavators in loading and unloading points, trucks, road section, unloading points in storage bin, crushers and conveyors is conducted. Work and idle time of system elements are considered. During modelling process the information characterising system work as a whole is collected. It allows us to establish qualitative and quantitative influence of each system element on the final results of its functioning and provides to estimate rationality of a particular organisation variant of mining and transport equipment interaction from technological positions. Simulation results are: economic and technological indicators of mining and transport complex functioning of the period for each subsystem, as well as on the road, the points of loading, unloading and reloading.

Dec 6, 2010

This paper deals chiefly with the preliminary examination, when a decision has to be made as to whether a prospect has a chance of developing into a mine or not. At this stage it is important to have a fairly clear conception of what is expected of the prospect, andjust what type of mine is sought. Much money can be wasted testing a prospect suitable for a prospector or small syndicate, but which never looked like becoming a mine of sufficient size to interest a company. When undertaking an inspection, therefore, it is necessary to have a broad outline, at least, of the policy of the principals for whom the report is intended.At this early stage it is frequently necessary to form an opinion of the prospects of a property on very meagre data. When new to this type of work one's first reaction is often th~t it is impossible to pass an opinion on the data available. It. is absolutely necessary,however, that an opinion of the possibilities and chances of favourable development be given; The report should strive to convey this information, making quite ::lear the risk involved, how complete are the data on which this opinion is based, and the possible magnitude of the prize. A Preliminary report has to state whether a property has sufficient prospects to warrant testing.The following procedure is suggested in order to make best use of the data and minimise hasty conclusions influenced by preconceived ideas-an ever-present danger.Examination.The first stage is the examination. This should aim at collecting all available significant data, but avoid clouding the issue with detail which, at this stage, will not affect the decision. The following points are considered to be the main ones for which to look:-Geological Environment.As good a working knowledge as possible'of the geology of the area should be obtained. Government Geological Survey reports and maps, if available, will be a big help. A detailed knowledge of the regional geology is not necessary a,t this stage, but a broad outline of the geological setting of the prospect under review, and also of any other important mines in the district, is often helpful in the final decision.The Nature of the Ore-Body.Any facts concerning the nature or occurrence of the lode should be noted as, coupled with experience of similar bodies, they affect the ultimate decision.Structural Control.This is probably the most important factor, in the light of present geological knowledge. Its chief importance is due to two facts:-(a) Structure plays one of the prime parts in ore deposition.(b) Geological knowledge, of structure is somewhat in advance of knowledge of other factors influencing ore deposition.

Jan 1, 1950

By D Craw, P Whigham, C Rufaut

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are computerised management systems for spatial data, offering improved data management, extensive data manipulation techniques and greater understanding of data. At the Wangaloa Coal Mine, South-East Otago, ArcGIS is being used to manage, integrate, analyse and visualise the diverse range of datasets being generated from an interdisciplinary research team. GIS will assist with identifying spatial and temporal patterns associated with the current site rehabilitation strategy. This paper will present an overview of how GIS can be a useful tool for understanding ecological recovery during mine site rehabilitation.   The Wangaloa opencast coal mine, owned by Solid Energy NZ Ltd, was closed in 1989 after more than 40 years of operation. Rehabilitation efforts involving more than 60 000 native plants began in October 2001. At Wangaloa sample points were randomly selected at 100 m intervals and recorded using a differential GPS. Plant, soil and invertebrate data have been collected at each sample point. Plots of 8 - 9 plants have been established within approximately 5 m of each sample point. Since September 2003 seasonal monitoring of plant growth and survival has been carried out. Chemical and physical datasets have been generated from soil collected in June and December 2003 for each sample point. A more restricted dataset is being generated for soil collected on a seasonal basis from March 2004. Plant and soil characteristics from these datasets have been attached to each sample point and GIS layers have been created. Relationships between data layers can be explored based on their spatial patterns. Examples presented from Wangaloa include distribution of planting success and temporal variation; temporal change in pH; interpolated pH map; digital elevation model; relationships between planting success and growth with pH and organic matter. GIS is proving to be a valuable tool on the integrated project at Wangaloa.

Jan 1, 2004

Project developent proceeds by increasingly detailed studies addressing overall project returns through an analysis of the substance, risks and costs associated with the following elements: ò Reserves ò Mining ò Processing ò Infrastructure ò Environmental Impact ò Product Market Computer-based expertise has a potential to ò Capture perishable expertise, making this available for shared access and so reducing the cost of human experience ò Consolidate know-how for optimising process operations, bringing consistency of judgement and advice to decision- making by making the rules, facts and preferences explicit ò Allow assignment of the basis and authority of decisions, so experts can pass routine expertise down the line, freeing their time to generate more. ò Force a review of expertise when creating the knowledge base.

Jan 1, 1989

The Purification of Low-Grade Quartz Ore by Flotation and its Mechanism

Sep 13, 2010

In dealing with the pulverization and treatment of auriferous ores, it may be stated that there is not one system of treatment applicable to all classes. In the southern portion of New Zealand the ores generally contain free gold, with scarcely any impurity that is, it is found in an almost pure state, without any alloy, and its dissemination amongst the matrix is generally in tolerably coarse particles. The only difficulties the mill man has to contend with, are the economical concentration of pyrites, which in some of the lodes are rich in gold, and the extraction of the gold the pyrites contain. In some of the lodes there is what may be termed float gold, that is, the particles of the precious metal are so finely divided that it passes over the quicksilver tables, and, unless there are other appliances for saving it, this class of gold is entirely lost.Indeed it is only within the last five years that any attention has been given, in the southern portion of the colony, to saving the fine gold that has passed the amalgamating tables. In the North Island the ores are very complex there are scarcely two mines, although they may be adjoining each other, where the bullion is of the same character. On every field the gold is alloyed with silver', and in combination with other metals and mineral substances, such as copper, zinc, antimony, galenfl, iron, sulphur, arsenic, etc., and, in some instaaces, cinnabar, as in the case of the Champion lode at Tui Creek, Te Aroha. Ores of this class are extremly difficult to treat satisfactorily.

Jan 1, 1903

IN a mine with any considerable output the economical handling and transport of ore underground is a matter of prime importance, and in the design or lay-out of a trucking system the question of what form the points and crossings are to take should be one of the first considered. Trucks may be moved from one line of rails to another by the following means: by flat sheets, with which may be coupled turn-tables, or by points and crossings. The latter class may be further divided into fixed and movable points.Flat sheets and turn-tables, owing to the time and skill needed by the trucker in using them, are seldom of great value with large tonnages, unless for purely temporary work, and the choice narrows down to one between fixed and movable points andcrossings. Both systems have their disadvantages - movable points being liable to jamb with dirt and get out of order, whilst with fixed points trucks may sometimes run over the points and capsize, or go on to the wrong line, though this is not of frequent occurrence. On the other hand. the fixed points are simple, easily laid, and strong, and there is no necessity for the trucker to work any levers, the truck being guided on to its new direction by screwing.Cast-iron points and crossings were first introduced into the North mine during the opening-up of the 950-ft. level, and the first arrangement was designed for a double turn-out in the main crosscut. Since then both the points and crossings have beenmodified several times, and it may be interesting to briefly outline the various forms through which they have passed, showing the reasons for the retention of some features and the rejection of others.

Jan 1, 1915

Rare-earth permanent magnetic roll separators, pioneered by our group a few years ago, have distinctly different operation characteristics compared to prior art electromagnetic separators of various types. Many new applications for dry high-intensity (or better: high-force) magnetic separation have been developed in a short time period. It has also been found that the new generation of separators generally are more efficient with regards to removal of weakly magnetic contaminants in glass and ceramic raw materials with minimum loss of valuable product compared to induced magnetic roll (lMR) separators. The latest development is in the area of production of clean magnetic concentrates at high recoveries. It is likely that the PERMROLLR magnetic separator will replace cross-belt and lift-type magnetic separators as a result of this most recent advance.   The paper will review the features of the PERMROLLR magnetic separator in comparison with other types of magnetic separators on the market and give examples on applications.

Jan 1, 1990

By A Giblett, K Afewu

This paper uses a case study to demonstrate best practices techniques for predicting the contribution of gravity concentration in a gold recovery process flowsheet. The case study was selected as an example of an ore with a marginal gravity gold content, which makes the value of a gravity circuit difficult to quantify. In this instance the value of leveraging a significant knowledgebase of operating gravity circuit performance to support the decision making process was demonstrated. This case study analysis serves as a useful demonstration of best practice methodologies supporting decisions to include or exclude gravity recovery in a gold recovery process flowsheet.CITATION:Giblett, A and Afewu, K, 2015. Do we need a gravity circuit or not? A case study in applying best practice, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 288–295 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

The Ediacara mineral field is classified as a Mississippi Valley type deposit with stratiform mineralization near the base of the Cambrian beds. Mineral deposition was contemporaneous with sedmentation and reerystallization, and mobilization took place after lithification of the sediments. Several mechanisms of deposition were possible.INTRODUCTIONThe Ediacara mineral field is located in the Mt. James Range approximately 300 miles north of Adelaide, about 12 miles west of Beltana railway siding and 10 miles east of Lake Torrens. It is isolated geographically from similar deposits of equivalent age and environment in the Flinders Range Province (Fig. 1). The climate may be described as semi arid with high summer temperatures and frequent dust storms. Occasional thunder storms are the main source of rain in the summer months.The exact date of discovery is unknown, but is believed to be about middle of the last century. Ulrich (1872) was the first geologist to report on the field. At that time only the southern portion of the field had been prospected (and abandoned). Although the prospects did not appear encouraging Ulrich advised prospecting of the shales and testing beneath the limestone.In 1888, Rosewarne, an Inspector of Mines, visited the Southern Workings and queried whether they were connected with some lode at deeper level or were merely bedded deposits. The first geological map with sections was drawn by H.Y.L. Brown (Brown 1892).Brown recognized three principal rock formations as dolomitic sandstone, kaolinised shales and sandstone, and quartzites and sandstone in descending order. These three basic units are still recognized. He recognized also the stratiform nature of the mineralization in the shales as a...

Jan 1, 1963

Energy Dissipation in Long-Distance Slurry Pipelines

Sep 13, 2010

SOME notes on the works of the Electrolytic Refining and Smelting Company of Australia will no doubt be of interest to members of the Institute, more especially as much of the work is new to Australasia. As many of the members who may read this paper have not been in a position to visit works of this kind, and are consequently not thoroughly acquainted with all the operations carried on, the author has taken the liberty, in some cases, to enter into explanation which would otherwise be unnecessary. The works are situated at Port Kembla (New South Wales), about fifty miles south of Sydney, and are approachable both by rail and water. The Government has recently built a low-level jetty upwards of five hundred feet long, and intends installing at an early date an electrically operated portable crane to facilitate the handling of material to and from the boats. This will mean: a considerable reduction in the length of time that boats are laid up at the jetty. There are also under construction two breakwaters, which, when complete, will materially assist shipping operation...

Jan 1, 1910