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By Raymond Mancha

"Conventional" coal dryers really do not exist. What we really mean to say is that there are many and varied kinds of coal dryers -- and the "air handling problem" is really the only portion of it which has been approached for solution by conventional methods. It now appears that these conventional methods need supplementing by some new, relatively unconventional apparatus. In order to approach this matter with mutual understanding, here is a quick survey of the coal drying art. Figure #1 shows a McNally Pittsburgh Pulso Dryer, In the McNally Pulso Dryer, the coal is fed-onto the screen by a rotary feeder assuring even distribution of the coal. As the coal travels forward due to the action of the screen, it is subjected to a controlled pulsating flow of hot gases. T ese originate below the deck and are directed up through the moving bed of coal. Fines sifting through the deck are dried in the hopper below the screen as they fall through the hot gases to an evacuation screw. The coal remaining on the screen is dried to the desired degree when it reaches the discharge end. At this point, it is directed down into the evacuation screw to combine with the fines, or it may be discharged as a separate product. As the coal travel down the screen, it is subjected to intermittent upward currents of hot gases. These first distend the bed allowing the gases to come into intimate contact with the coal particles for rapid and efficient heat transfer. Then, as the flow of gas is cut off, the bed settles and the extreme fines sift through the screen preventing their being carried away into the exhaust system.

Jan 1, 1958

By J. A. Mejia

The combination of high-resolution X-ray microtomography (HRXMT) image analysis and Lattice-Boltzmann Method (LBM) simulations has demonstrated the ability to describe real multiphase flow problems in fine coal filtration. The single component multiphase flow He-Chen-Zhang LBM model was used to simulate filtration with actual HRXMT images of pore network structures produced in filtration experiments. The analysis performed on coal, silica, and glass bead filter cakes showed that particle shape and wettability are two of the most important factors in the retention of moisture during filtration.

Feb 23, 2014

By H. Huang, R. N. Gow

"In Part I, Gibbs’ phase rule was applied to mass-balanced EH-pH diagrams for the Cu-As-S-H2O system. The diagrams were generated using the stoichiometry of enargite as a basis. In this study, the calculations were expanded to cover the stoichiometries of three other Cu-As-S minerals – tennantite, sinnerite and lautite – and compared with enargite. Stability regions within the resulting EH-pH diagrams were found to change with stoichiometry such that a particular mineral would predominate if its stoichiometry was used in the calculation. Solution speciation was also found to vary, with thioarsenate being the best example. This stoichiometric effect helps to explain results reported in the literature and would be difficult to realize if it were not for mass-balanced calculations. IntroductionA comprehensive thermodynamic review has been conducted on the aqueous copper-arsenic-sulfur (Cu- As-S) system (Gow et al., 2014, 2015a, 2016b; Gow, Huang and Young, 2016c). Data on the free energies of more than 100 species were collected from various authors, and thermodynamic databases collated to produce mass-balanced EH-pH diagrams using the thermodynamic equilibrium calculation software STABCAL (Huang, 2014). The full database is listed and discussed in Gow et al. (2015a). Diagrams were generated for enargite and confirmed with Raman spectroscopy using bulk mineral electrodes in order to identify reactions spectroelectrochemically. Theoretical calculations agreed well with the experimental results under alkaline conditions (Gow et al., 2015a), acid conditions (Gow et al., 2014) and alkaline sulfide leaching conditions (Gow et al., 2015b).In the present study, additional mass-balanced EH-pH diagrams were generated by changing the Cu-As-S stoichiometry from enargite (Cu3AsS4) to tennantite (Cu12As4S13), sinnerite (Cu6As4S9) and lautite (CuAsS). Regions for the thermodynamically stable species were shown to change with the four different mineral compositions. Potential leach conditions, both for co-dissolution and selective dissolution techniques, were examined for differences in predominant species according to changing copper-to-arsenic ratios, sulfur compositions and sulfur oxidation states."

Jan 1, 2016

By C. J. Pritchard

The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) investigated ways to increase mine airflow to underground metal/nonmetal (M/NM) mine working areas to improve miners? health and safety. One of those areas is controlled recirculation. Because the quantity of mine air often cannot be increased, reusing part of the ventilating air can be an effective alternative, if implemented properly, until the capacity of the present system is improved. The additional airflow can be used to provide effective dilution of contaminants and higher flow velocities in the underground mine environment. Most applications of controlled recirculation involve taking a portion of the return air and passing it back into the intake to increase the air volume delivered to the desired work areas. OMSHR investigated a Nevada gold mine where shaft rehabilitation was in progress and one of the two main fans was shut down to allow reduced air velocity for safe shaft work. Underground booster fan operating pressures were kept constant to maintain airflow to work areas, inducing controlled recirculation in one work zone. Investigation into system behavior and the effects of recirculation on the working area during times of reduced primary ventilation system airflow would provide additional information on implementation of controlled recirculation into the system and how these events affect M/NM ventilation systems. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health monitored the ventilation district when both main fans were operating and another scenario with one of the units turned off for maintenance. Airflow and contaminants were measured to determine the exposure effects of induced recirculation on miner health. Surveys showed that 19% controlled recirculation created no change in the overall district airflow distribution and a small reduction in district fresh air intake. Total dust levels increased only modestly and respirable dust levels were also low. Diesel particulate matter (DPM) levels showed a high increase in district intake mass flow, but minor increases in exposure levels related to the recirculation percentage. Utilization of DPM mass flow rates allows input into ventilation modeling programs to better understand and plan for ventilation changes and district recirculation effects on miners? health.

By E. L. Montgomery

Salar basins in the Andean Highlands of Northern Chile contain ground-water resources which could be used to satisfy requirements for the mineral industry in the region. Salars occur in arid zones; average precipitation is about 200 millimeters per year at altitudes of about 4,000 meters, and average annual evaporation is two meters or more. The salar basins are hydrogeologic sinks where water flows from recharge areas at the margins of the basins to discharge areas at the salt encrusted salar at the lowest point of the basin floor. Groundwater circulation occurs principally in the alluvial and fractured bedrock aquifers. Results of pumping tests for exploration and production water wells indicate a range in maximum sustained pumping yield of 62 to 126 liters per second, and where abundantly fractured, ignimbrite comprises the most prolific aquifer. Chemical quality of groundwater is good. Long-term pumping from properly located production wells in the salar basins would result in lowering of groundwater levels and salvage of water in areas where groundwater is lost via evaporation.

Jan 1, 1986

By M. Hepokoski, M. Klein

"Mine refuge shelters are designed to protect mine workers from hazardous environmental conditions after a mine disaster, but high temperature and humidity levels inside these shelters may pose a significant safety risk. Due to the safety risks associated with human testing, detailed thermal models of shelters and human occupants have been developed using TAITherm simulation software. These models are used to predict the temperature and humidity within the shelter resulting from metabolic heating, evaporation due to sweat and respiration, moisture and heat from the shelter’s carbon dioxide scrubbing system, and heat transfer within the shelter. A detailed human thermoregulation model simulates the sensible and latent heat generated by the shelter occupants, and predicts the occupant’s body core temperature and moisture lost due to sweating and respiration. This information is used to assess the safety of the shelter. In this paper we will review technical details of the human thermal model, validation comparing the human model to human subject test data, and results of a mine shelter analysis. INTRODUCTION Portable mine refuge chambers are used in US coal mines to provide protection to mine workers from hazardous conditions following a traumatic event. Although these shelters are designed to supply clean air and sustenance for up to 96 hours, prolonged exposure to the mine shelter environment itself can pose a substantial risk to human safety. Heat generated by the shelter occupants combined with heat from the carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbing system can raise the shelter interior temperatures and relative humidity to dangerous levels that can lead to heat stress in humans. Unfortunately, the thermal burden associated with mine shelter exposure is not well characterized due to potential hazards associated with underground human subject testing. In order to assess the thermal burden on people within a mine shelter environment, a detailed thermal model was created to accurately predict the temperatures and humidity within the shelter, as well as the impact of these environmental conditions on human occupants. The model consists of a mobile inflatable tent-type mine shelter, 23 humans, and also includes the surrounding mine environment. The thermal simulations were performed using ThermoAnalytics' validated commercial heat transfer prediction code, TAITherm (v12.0). Additionally, TAITherm's Human Thermal Module (HTM) provided the capability to simultaneously model the thermo-physiology of 23 unique humans contained within the mine shelter. The human thermal models accounted for the thermal interaction with the environment and also provided a core temperature response prediction, which can be used to evaluate survivability in heat stress situations [1]."

Jan 1, 2016

By V. Kecojevic

The objective of this research was to establish the relationship between production, consumption and energy cost in the surface mining of bituminous coal. Specific energy sources such as diesel, gasoline, electricity, explosives and bituminous coal were considered in this study. Gain in net energy, proportion of the cost of energy consumption and total energy cost relative to total revenue of extracted coal were determined, and a new energy efficiency index and a new energy-cost ratio were established. A case study on an operating surface coal mine was carried out to demonstrate the application of the newly developed method. The results of this study can be used by the mine operators in establishing strategies for the optimization of energy production and consumption, and for reducing the cost of bituminous coal extraction.

Jan 1, 2014

By T. M. Yegulalp

A new explanation of the scale dependency of the strength properties of rock is presented based on the theory of extremes. A review of past work on specimen size strength relationship is followed by an introduction to the fundamentals of the underlying theory of extremes and its relationship to the scale effect on the statistical properties of the strength distribution. It is shown that the weakest link theory is directly related to extremal statistics and properties of strength distributions of rock can be derived as a function of the specimen size. Three sets of Brazilian test data are used to demonstrate the use of this approach.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. Platt

Debate over acid rain legislation has presented a moving target for coal and utility company planners attempting to figure out how legislation will affect their business environment. In spite of disagreement among experts, the prospect for continued change, and persistent --perhaps even growing --uncertainty, a great deal has been learned about coal market dynamics. This paper reviews progress and describes some of the major problems and controversies.

Jan 1, 1990

By H. Sevim

Three transportation and handling alternatives for delivering dry coal combustion residues from power plants to underground coal mines were evaluated technically and economically. The objective was to transport, handle, and inject the residues into the old workings of the mine at a minimum cost. This objective was accomplished in two steps: I) Simulation models were developed and utilized in identifying technically feasible designs in each alternative, 2) Technically feasible designs were economically evaluated to obtain the cost-per-ton of material transported. The designs that provided the minimum cost-per-ton were declared optimal An analysis was conducted for varying distances and tonnages to reveal favorable operating ranges of each alternative.

Jan 1, 1996

By Igor Gonzales G.

Southern Peru Copper Corporation (SPCC) has recently completed the construction of copper leaching, solvent extraction, and electrowinning facilities at their Toquepala and Cuajone plants in Southern Peru. Much of the ore for these new operations is the result of the existing mining operations that have been in existence as early as 1959. At Toquepala, pre-conditioning and bacterial dump leaching of the sulfide ore that was too low in copper content to be processed through the copper concentrator began in 1987. The Cuajone heap leach operation is treating copper oxide ore that has been stockpiled since the Cuajone concentrator began operation in 1976. The pregnant leach solutions from the dump leaching at Toquepala and the permanent pad heap at Cuajone are combined into one plant feed solution. Adjacent to the large dumps at Toquepala, a solvent extraction and electrowinning facility has been constructed. The electrowinning facility has a planned annual production rate of35,000 metric tons per year Grade A cathode copper. Initial production of the cathode copper began in November 1995.

Jan 1, 1996

By W. E. Bardelmeier

The high speed conveyor type self unloading bulk carrier concept has been around for about 70 years. Although the design was developed, refined and steadily improved in the Great Lakes, to date limited numbers of such vessels have emerged in the bulk ocean trades, and these have tended to concentrate within specific mineral trades. For example, North American gypsum companies have embraced conveyor self unloaders to the point where such vessels almost exclusively carry the gypsum requirements of this part of the world. One major aluminum company has developed an impressive fleet capability in self unloaders. Application of other ships tends to be fragmented through several mineral trades. A few years ago a new phenomonen began to appear on the Great Lakes. Whereas it had historically been accepted in that region that self unloaders were effective vessels for the minor bulk trades including limestone, coal, salt, gravel and sand; they had seldom been employed heavily in the big volume iron ore trades. Suddenly, however, the new generation of 60,000 ton Lakers which emerged were all designed as high speed self unloaders. The new vessels intended to trade especially in ore, or alternatively especially in coal, have somewhat different internal features, but the important point is that all are self unloaders.

Jan 1, 1979

By Mark A. Koestel

Cobalt-sulfide mineralization can he found in potentially economic quantities where permeable, basal Cambrian formations "pinchout" against Precambrian pal eotopographi c highs. These environments are common around the Saint Francois Mountains of southeastern Missouri and they share many similarities with the geologic environments of Zambia and Zaire in South Africa. Exploration for this type of deposit involves test drilling targets identified by trend analysis from past drilling, geophysics, geochemistry and a comprehensisve study of regional geology and isopach maps. Innovative ideas, new exploration concepts and insoluble residue geochemical methods may provide the necessary "edge" needed to complement basic geologic understanding leading to ore discovery.

Jan 1, 1987

By Judson G. Brown

In the May, 1969 issue of Mining Engineering the Editorial Director, John V. Beall, described the Japanese Onahama Copper Smelter and Refinery as follows: "On the shore of the Pacific, 120 miles north of Tokyo, is the world's most modern copper smelter and refinery.? One of the improvements that has been made at the Onahama Refinery is the quality of the electrolyte in the copper refinery electrolytic cells. This has been accomplished by reducing the concentration of slimes in the cells between the electrodes. In a December 19, 1966 review in Chemical Engineering magazine reference was made to some tests in Sweden as follows: ?However, at 1,000 amps/sq.M., satisfactory cathodes could be prepared, provided electrolyte flow past the anode and cathode was at least 3 to 4 meters per minute, and the slime content was not allowed to exceed 20 to 30 mg. per liter. By dropping the current to 500 amps with the same electrolyte velocity, the slime content could grow to 50 mg. per liter (50 ppm) without causing occlusion at the cathode." From this data it appears that the production capacity of copper refining electrolytic cells can be significantly increased. In order to do this the concentration of suspended contaminating slimes in the electrolyte solution is reduced by filtration. The electrolyte in-between the active electrodes must be purged with higher velocities to maintain a high concentration of the desirable copper ion in the liquid film adjacent to the cathode and the sulfate ion in the liquid film at the anode. This higher velocity also carries away from the cathode the undesirable impurities released from the anode as they are released into the electrolyte as filterable solids.

Jan 1, 1970

By Julian Glasser

Starting with rutile, containing more than 55% TiO2 and of the proper particle size, the commercial production of titanium tetrachloride via fluidized bed chlorination is relatively very simple and economical. As compared to shaft chlorination, it operates at a much higher capacity for given sizing of equipment, and appears more foolproof, requiring less attention. Operating data were obtained on a 53" diameter fluidized bed chlorinator using Australian rutile and petroleum coke of controlled particle size. Production rates varied from 20 to 50 tons of crude TIC14 per day for a campaign extending over one month. Close to theoretical yields and efficiencies were obtained from the viewpoint of chlorine and/or rutile consumption. Details of important equipment design, critical operating conditions and pertinent results are described.

Jan 1, 1962

By Cleland N. Conwell

Intermittent coal mining has been conducted in Alaska for over a century. The first report of coal in Alaska was by the Veechy expedition of 1826 and 1827. Whaling ships used coal from Corwin Bluff near Cape Beaufort during the early and latter parts of the 19th century. The first coal mine in Alaska -- and probably the oldest in the Pacific coast of North America -- was opened by the Russians at Port Graham on the southwest tip of the Kenai Peninsula. The mine was operated from 1855 until 1867 when the United States took possession of Alaska. From 1880 to 1915 coal mining was carried on intermittently at several localities including Unga Island, Herendeen Bay, Chignik Bay, Kachemak Bay, and several points along the Yukon River. Small coal mines along the Yukon River provided fuel for the river steamers traveling from St. Michaels to Whitehorse. The area of sustained coal production began with the completion of the Alaskan Railroad from Anchorage to the Matanuska coal field in 1916 and to the Nenana field in 1918. Coal production continued to increase until 1953, at which time the oil and gas fields in Cook Inlet were developed. Oil and gas eventually replaced- the Matanuska coal as a means of providing heat and power. The military in the Anchorage area shifted from coal to oil in 1967 causing a decrease in production. The increased demand for electric power in the Fairbanks area offset the decline and coal production started to increase. In 1969-1970 the Golden Valley Electric Association constructed a mine-mouth power plant 70 miles southwest of Fairbanks near Healy and a power line to Fairbanks. LOCATION OF COALS IN ALASKA Coals are found in all geographical subdivisions of Alaska. Coal in Alaska ranges in age from Carboniferous to Tertiary, and grade from lignite through anthracite. Figure 1 shows the locations of Alaskan coal fields. The only fields that have been developed extensively are the Matanuska and Nenana. Figure 2

Jan 1, 1972

By Elisa Comis, Jeffrey Peterson, Yama Ebrahimi

Construction of the Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT), the last leg of the Anacostia River Tunnel System on DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project, started in September 2018 and was completed in April 2021. The 26-foot-bore earth pressure balance (EPB) tunnel boring machine (TBM) mined 26,737 feet at elevations between 80 to 160 feet belowground. Approximately 55% of the tunnel was cut through lower predominantly coarse-grained facies identified as the Cretaceous Patuxent Formation (undifferentiated) (PTX), and the remainder was cut through upper predominantly overconsolidated fine-grained plastic material facies identified as the Cretaceous Patapsco/Arundel Formation (P/A). Mixed face conditions were encountered in the transition from the P/A to the PTX and vice versa. This paper reviews the performance of the TBM that mined the NEBT through several unique challenges, including 8,000 feet of tunneling under the heavily developed Rhode Island Avenue corridor, major sensitive structures, cast iron water distribution mains, and other sensitive utilities.

Dec 1, 2022

By Verya Nasri, Jaeseoung Lee, Ashish Bhargava, Shashank Gupta

This paper presents the unique design and construction challenges for the Technoparc Station, located in downtown Montreal as a part of Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM), a light rail rapid transit system. The station is located 15 m below the street with rock-bearing secant pile wall as the primary structural system working as both the retaining and gravity structure. The paper highlights the challenges related to the support of excavation structure, invert slab resisting high hydrostatic forces, waterproofing tightness etc. It also focuses on the importance of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in underground tunneling projects for effective coordination, clash-free, optimized design and costs.

Jun 13, 2021

By Todd Kilduff, Paul Wilkinson

Microtunneling is rarely a straight forward “business as usual” endeavor. More often than not, these projects take twists and turns that require on the fly, out of the box solutions to get the project completed. This paper is a case history of a 63-inch diameter, Permalok, microtunneling project, extending nearly 700 linear feet under a hill forming the left-hand abutment to an earth embankment tailings dam. The job had three major and unexpected challenges that required unorthodox solutions. Challenge #1— Face Configuration: The Santiago Formation, a cemented sand formation with widely varying strengths, presented a challenge to configuring the face with regards to the number and length of pics and cutters. Subtle differences in type and size of the tooling had a big impact on the performance of the machine. Challenge #2—Eccentric Loading: Issues at the launch shaft with the Permalok pipe adaptors caused eccentric loading on the casing pipe. This issue resulted in overstressing and breaking of several pipe joints that ultimately led to seizure of the tunnel. Challenge #3—Back-tunnel Excavation and MTBM Recovery: There were many detailed considerations into excavating a recovery tunnel to retrieve the MTBM, especially being under a high hazard earth embankment dam.

Jun 13, 2021

By V. Svalbonas

When the Trelleborg Divisions of Boliden Allis and MPSI merged, a unique opportunity occurred for two independent mill fabricators to compare various design procedures and the research upon which they were based. This paper documents such a comparison in the structural design area. Several SAG mill analyses are compared using both Boliden Allis and MPSI methods. The differences and similarities are then utilized in a correlation of critical stress definitions and the acceptable design and inspection criteria.

Jan 1, 1992