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The object of this paper is to give an insight into various metallurgical operations involved in the making and shaping of steel for shipbuilding at the Newcastle plants of the Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd., Commonwealth Steel Co. Ltd. and the Port Kembla plant of Australian Iron and Steel Ltd. Whilst not steelmakers, inasmuch as their processes start with semi-finished. steel supplied by the Steelmaker, the plants of Stewarts and Lloyds (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. and their associate company, British Tube Mills, Rylands Bros. (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. and the Newcastle and Kembla plants of John Lysaghts (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. make substantial contributions to the Australian shipbuilding industry, principally by way of boiler tubing and wires for welding rods and sheet steel, including special silicon lamination sheet for electrical motors.THE MAKING OF STEELThe making of iron and steel began as an accident, slowly developed as an art and has not yet become an exact science. The iron age dawned on the day when, by chance, man's primitive ancestor built up the wall of his fire with ironstone. In the ashes of the fire he found pieces of sponge iron from which he hammered out the first sample' of wrought iron. For many centuries iron ·was manufactured in bloomeries and occasionally, when the temperature was excessive, the iron combined with some carbon and steel was produced. But it was not till '1740 that steel was manufactured under controlled conditions. In that year Huntsman invented the crucible process which held undisputed sway for over a 100 years until in 1856 the invention of the Bessemer process revolutionised the whole industry.From then on, rapid progress was made. The Siemens...

Jan 1, 1951

By Shillabeer J

Paste backfill has been adopted by many underground mines in North America and a growing number elsewhere. Paste offers a number of advantages. This paper suggests wider applications of paste technology to surface tailings disposal and water management. Advantages include improved overall stability, potentially easier permitting, smaller water inventory and earlier reclamation. It may be feasible to use the same plant to prepare backfill and to dispose of surplus tailings. Example cost models are given to illustrate potential applications.

Jan 1, 1998

By C Jones

When the Paulsens operation was poised to be placed on care and maintenance, Bill Beament and the rest of the Northern Star Resources (NSR) team capitalised on the opportunity to send the Ashburton region’s only operating gold mine into the record books.A three-stage strategy was devised by NSR to pay off the acquisition and maximise the return from the operation. The first stage was to mine the 55 000 oz mine plan and pay off the cost of the acquisition, then maintain profitable production beyond the seven months and re-establish a mine life. The second stage involved an early commitment to a 220 m long diamond drill drive being placed in the hanging wall of the orebody from which the extensions of the orebody could be further explored, allowing the second stage of the plan to come into effect and extend the mine life by converting Inferred Resources into the mine plan. The third stage of the initial plan was to utilise this drill drive and continue to drill deeper holes beyond the current limit of drilling in the ore zones to extend the orebody and increase the mine’s life.With an ever growing desire to further expand, the young company took on the bold move of establishing its own mining services division. A critical element to the success of this was ensuring that the right people were recruited with the appropriate specialised skill sets.Aligning common goals amongst all NSR team members, from the board and senior management to the work force on site, was critical to integrate the new and driven direction that Paulsens had adopted. It was essential to change the focus and a shift in all employees’ attitudes and values from a mine that was all but down and out, to a site that wanted to be kicking some serious goals.Teaming together a passionate and driven leader with a strong allied workforce was always going to put NSR in the best position possible to make Paulsens the success story that it now is. But without the calculated risks and enthusiastic attitude, the little known mine site in the Pilbara might have remained just that.CITATION:Jones, C, 2014. The Paulsens transformation – a shining light under a northern star, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 191–196 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Mar 24, 2014

The creation of an accurate and precise enough database requires the collection of many representative samples, subsampling and assaying them without destroying their integrity. The selection and implementation of sampling protocols often lead to severe difficulties, making the unaware practitioner vulnerable to massive exploration, feasibility and operating failures. Therefore, there is no substitute for a good understanding of the Theory of Sampling (TOS). Either because of ignorance, or because of short-term economic reasons, failure to comply with many stringent conditions can be devastating for the validity of a feasibility study, leading to false evaluations, to the abandonment of a viable property, or to the exploitation of one that is not profitable. All these failures have something in common: insufficient duplicate sampling, subsampling and assaying were performed; very important, preliminary heterogeneity tests were never performed; for short-term economic reasons, poor sampling and subsampling protocols were selected, second-class sampling systems and weightometers were installed and poor preventive maintenance and cleaning were implemented;and sampling experts were called only when the project was obviously in trouble. The conclusion is clear: in due time, iterative auditing of sampling practices is an insurance policy against massive financial losses for the company involved. A complete, comprehensive 100 point checklist of sampling Quality Assurance and Quality Control is provided, so critically important details to ensure success are not forgotten.

Mar 1, 2010

By N Kojola, A Vickerfält, J Huss

The possibility of using an acidic autogenous hydrogen direct reduced iron (H-DRI) slag as a basis for vanadium extraction is investigated. For a raw material to be suitable for producing high-quality FeV, the vanadium oxide content should be sufficiently high and the phosphorus oxide content in a tolerable range. Therefore, the feasibility for vanadium extraction relies on fulfilling two demands: the predominate partitioning of phosphorus to the metal and vanadium to the slag. Correspondingly, the behaviours of phosphorus and vanadium in the Al2O3-SiO2-FeOx-VyOz-P2O5-Fe system were studied experimentally. Slag, 10 g, was put in contact with liquid iron, 30 g, for different durations (2–24 hrs) in closed alumina crucibles at 1873 K. The slag composition was varied between 33.1– 49.3 wt per cent Al2O3, 27.1–46.7 wt per cent SiO2, 16.6–30.1 wt per cent FeOx, and 2.5– 8.8 wt per cent V2O3. The equilibrium phosphorus distribution was 0.42, while the vanadium distribution ranged from 7.6 to 43.4, increasing with the Al2O3- and the FeOx-content.

Jun 19, 2024

By B Hou

The Eucla Basin in southern Australia is emerging as an important global source of zircon from heavy mineral sands. Understanding the geological evolution of the basin and movement of heavy minerals down peripheral paleovalleys and along paleocoastlines is essential to effectively refine exploration strategies for heavy minerals in the basin. Integration of geoscientific datasets in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment has proved to be effective in reconstructing depositional environments along the Cenozoic basin margin and in tracing the buried paleorivers that once drained broad areas of the Archean-Paleoproterozoic Yilgarn and Gawler cratons, the dominantly Mesoproterozoic Musgrave and Albany-Fraser Provinces, and the Neoproterozoic-Early Paleozoic Officer Basin. Sea level highstands during the late Middle Eocene (39 - 36 Ma) are associated with formation of the Ooldea coastal barrier complex and the zircon-rich heavy mineral deposits at Jacinth, Ambrosia and Tripitaka. More extensive transgression during the Late Eocene (36 - 34 Ma) built the complex Barton shorelines that host the Cyclone deposit and the extensive ilmenite-dominated occurrences of the Barton West prospect. Multi-generation reworking of the source sands is indicated by the high proportion of deposits that are zircon-rich relative to titanium minerals. The age distribution of zircon grains in heavy mineral concentrates from the Ooldea and Barton barrier systems points to the Musgrave Province as the predominant ultimate zircon source. Paleorivers discharging along the northern basin margin presumably carried a sediment load that was then redistributed by easterly longshore drift to build the extensive coastal sand deposits along the northern and eastern basin margin. The south-eastern extension of these deposits was reworked during Miocene-Pliocene (15 - 2 Ma) times into a series of regressive strandlines that show angular discordance with the Eocene coastlines. This discordance is consistent with evidence for long-wavelength tilting of the Australian continent from Middle Miocene times, as the continent drifted toward a dynamic topographic low induced by convective mantle processes associated with the South East Asia subduction systems. The Dromedary and Gulliver’s deposits probably formed at this time. Ongoing research is focused on the geological features of the basin that influence heavy mineral transport, concentration and preservation, and the processes leading to deposits with high zircon content.

Oct 5, 2011

By S Fityus, K Koosmen, J Simmons

The purpose of this paper is to therefore investigate the hydrogeological characteristics of tailings, coarse and mixed rejects from coal processing to enable better understanding of the potential for undrained behaviours in coal mine spoil piles. This is achieved by analysing the results from permeability and oedometer testing of tailings, coarse rejects and mixtures thereof. Focus is given to the effect that tailings content has on the behaviour of mixed rejects, the transition point between drained and undrained material behaviours, and the evolution of properties with increasing stress that would occur with increased depth of burial in a mine spoil pile. The implications of the findings are discussed with respect to spoil pile stability.

Jul 1, 2021

By C Fong

Compliance Planning is an active approach to ensure mining operations align more closely to their longer-term plans. Through Compliance Planning, operations can not only measure their performance on intervals as short as intra-shift, but they can then apply corrective measures to ensure they remain as close as possible to the plans. Compliance Planning targets short-term and execution level teams, as these are the shortest duration planning divisions commonly found in mining operations. Compliance Planning combines live information with intelligent planning capabilities to provide a framework that enables mining operations to realise a significant improvement in reconciliation of plan to actual movements.

Jun 22, 2022

Tunnels are being built around the world using TBMs and prefabricated segments or in situ concrete as linings. Clients demand high quality of these linings to guarantee a long-term stability and density of the tunnels. This paper describes the development and the use of segmental lining systems, including joints, important design criteria, installation procedures, possible mistakes and consequences, repair works and final results for different sites in Europe and around the world. The experience on these sites shows that damages may occur, if some essential aspects are not considered. These aspects include:parameters of the TBMs and back-up equipment such as fixation of jacking rams, movement of the back-up on the lining or ring reformer;parameters of the segments such as quality of moulds, quantity of reinforcement or structure of the joints; andparameters of the tunnel drive such as advance rate, ring-gap grouting or experience of the tunnel crew.All these aspects have to be considered very carefully in detail to get a good lining accepted in total.

Jan 1, 1999

By Kasai H, Hibi T, Matsuishi S

Coal oil mixture (COM), a liquid fuel pro- duced by mixing together coal and heavy oil on the 50-50 basis, has been brought to a level of practical use in Japan, being actually employed by a oil fired system at Yokosuka Thermal Power Station of The Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. A COM Production Plant, built in Onahama which is located about 160 miles from Yokosuka, required COM to be transported by sea. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. therefore performed a series of studies to develop a spe- cialized COM carrier, the world's first of its kind. Long lasting high stability is of pri- mary importance to successful use of COM. Much have been done in the way of research on stability of COM in the static storage, and the mechanism of COM static: stability is almost completety known. On the other hand, the knowledge about the COM dynamic stability, such as the stability while being transported aboard the COM carrier at sea, is still limited at the moment. The motion of COM aboard the COM carrier and how COM would settle were studied by tests. A visualization test on the COM behavior under dynamic motion was also performed and the mechanism of COM dynamic stability was analysed. The tests showed that the ship rolling motion had @n effect of promoting the settling of coal content of COM in the cargo hold. And studies were also made to device a method for esti- mating the settling quantity of coal during sea Transportation.

Jan 1, 1987

INDEX OF CONTENTSIntroduction.Systems of classification of coals.RankClassification of Australian coals.Defects of systems in use in other countries.Indexing by Fuel Ratio.Classification by Ultimate Carbon/Ultimate Hydrogen.Relationship between Fuel Ratio and ultimate composition.Suggested convention for classification.Origin and Evolution.Notes on directions of change of composition on Carbon Hydrogen chart.Summary and conclusion.Acknowledgments.Bibliography.Appendix.

Jan 1, 1948

By N Anderson

With traditional grade control processes, geological models are created by geologists at the completion of the data collection stage and wireframe construction is closed off at a set date to allow for time to complete the estimation process. Any issues identified at earlier stages or the addition of new data requires the estimation process to be started again. Alternative interpretations are explored only if time allows and often in a limited fashion. An alternative workflow has been developed at the Waihi Underground Gold Mine utilising Leapfrog Edge and Seequent Central. Geological and grade control models are created, dynamically linked, and saved as separate branches. A project geologist is able to work on the grade control model and a mine geologist on the geological model simultaneously. This allows for a non-linear modelling workflow with continual review and feedback. The introduction of new data can occur right up to the model due date, with data collection, validation, alternate interpretation, and review happening incrementally. Models are categorised and stored in Seequent Central according to project status. An approved version of the geological model and grade control estimate are uploaded at the time of release and transparently capture all data used at a point in time, as well as the review process. Dynamically updating models for grade control has reduced turnaround time while increasing accuracy and quality. Estimates of individual domains are vastly improved from being able to rapidly evaluate the effects of model parameter changes in real time and 3D. Development and stope design directly benefit from these streamlined processes, with higher quality, timely production occurring as a result.

Mar 22, 2022

By N Pranoto, E Lawell, T Dean, M Grant

The Goonyella Riverside Mine is located 30 km north of Moranbah in Central Queensland, Australia. Recent mining activities have exposed the north–south striking Kenya and Zimbabwe thrust Faults. These faults vertically offset coal seams by up to 25 m and locally thicken coal packages through imbrication of coal seams. The presence of back-thrusts add to the geotechnical complexity of maintaining highwall stability. The Kenya and Zimbabwe Faults have provided multiple challenges to the mining operation, with an unplanned additional 240 kt of coal tonnes being mined from imbrication of coals seams or from the refinement to local scale geological models. These additional coal tonnes have been either identified during the mining of the coal seam or just prior to overburden removal above the coal seam. These faults can also negatively impacted highwall stability with highwall failures, lowering the overall slope angle for pit designs and increasing stand-off distances for hazardous highwall conditions. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are used to scan exposed highwalls and enable geological mapping via high-quality 3D images. Measure while drill data from drill and blast rigs can provide local-scale intersections of the faults and coal seams. Mine Geologists utilise these and other data sets to create localised geological models refined position of the fault planes and coal seams. These models are utilised by relevant mine site teams to ensure the safe and efficient mining of coal around these faults.

Mar 22, 2022

By X Hill

Throughout the 2016/2017 financial year, the NSW Resources Regulator conducted an assessment of each underground metalliferous operation across the state to assess how each operation managed the principal mining hazard of ground and strata control. The assessment considered all aspects of the mining process, including all aspects of managing geotechnical risk within drawpoints. This assessment is ongoing and, therefore, this paper is limited to the first six mines assessed in the program.In 2015 there were three fatalities in and around underground drawpoints in Australian metalliferous mines. Whilst many of the systems of work around underground development are consistent across the industry, there are large discrepancies around how each underground mining operation manage the risks associated with drawpoints.For drawpoints to be effectively managed, their management needs to be considered at the earliest stages of the mine planning process. By using downholes and adopting remote systems of work – systems that are continuing to improve with technology – the risks drawpoints posed can be greatly reduced.The assessment by the NSW Resources Regulator revealed a number of common failings across the state in the management of the risks that drawpoints pose. The assessment also observed a number of innovative practices that particular operations have adopted in the wake of serious incidents occurring within drawpoints at their operation; however, these practices have not been communicated to other operations.It is hoped the learnings from the assessment can be considered by industry and reduce the risks drawpoints pose in underground metalliferous mines.CITATION:Hill, X, 2017. Learnings from review of drawpoint management across New South Wales mines, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2017, pp 143–150 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 16, 2017

In a previous paper in these Proceedings(l) it was shown from a study of the bore'logs and analyses then available, that the brown coal seams of the Latrobe Valley areas show progressive changes in composition with increase of stratigraphic depth, equivalent to a rise in rank: These changes appear as:(i) An increase in ultimate carbon and hydrogen, calculated on a dry, ash-free basis, and(ii) An increase in calorific value, calculated on the, same basis, each of the order of 1% per 100 ft. of depth, and(iii) A decrease in moisture content of the order of 0.5% to 1.0% per 100 ft. of depth. The decrease in moisture content was found to be less regular than the other changes. In some bores the moisture content remained more or less constant throughout a single seam, or fluctuated slightly, decreasing stepwise on passage to the seam below.It was noted that individual analyses within a bore showed irregular fluctuations, tending to mask the general trend in composition change. This was particularly so for the moisture content, which had been determined for 10 ft. lengths of core, whereas the other components were determined for 50 ft. lengths of core. Averaging of the moisture contents over 50 ft. lengths reduced the masking effects of these irregularities. The suggestion was made that these irregularities arose from variations in the relative proportions of pollen, resin, wood (lignite) and woody attritus composing the core. Such variation in the coal seams has since been established in some detail for the...

Jan 1, 1948

In this paper a quantitative deterministic risk modelling approach (Quadrim) is introduced. The mathematical framework and equations for quantifying uncertainty within and aggregating across value chain nodes from error propagation techniques is proposed and discussed. A case study and worked examples, based on a hypothetical mine are then presented. This illustrates how uncertainty from the mining and economic value chains can be handled in a typical net cash flow calculation, and how this can be translated to a risk model. It is then illustrated that current valuation techniques do not just result in an information gap for decision makers. Traditional approaches such as discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis and truck and shovel productivity analysis, which do not take into account uncertainty in input values, can result in potential bias in estimates such as net present value (NPV) or equipment hours

Sep 26, 2011

By G Jones

The Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been procuring the expansion of their underground mass rapid transit rail network at a prodigious rate since the first line opened in 1987. Four lines (149 km) are currently operating and several more lines are at various stages of planning/construction; one of these is the Downtown line stage 2 (DTL 2).DTL 2 contract C917 was awarded in September 2009 for S$320 M. On 18 June 2013 the original contractor became insolvent, leaving the works incomplete. Following a fast-tracked tender process, McConnell Dowell was awarded the S$254 M contract on 29 August 2013 to complete the works. This contract includes two underground stations constructed by cut-and-cover methods and twin bored tunnels between the stations. Each tunnel is 1400 m long, excavated by earth pressure balanced (EPB) tunnel boring machines (TBM) at an average depth of 20 m and segment lined to 5.8 m inner diameter. The tunnel alignment is located under a busy five-lane road lined with prime residential real estate and congested with utilities.To compound the difficulty the tunnels are located within the notorious Bukit Timah Granite formation. This has a very wide range of strength, from below 1 MPa to over 300 MPa. This strength range is a consequence of six weathering grades, from soil to fresh rock, with the fresh granite causing severe abrasion problems. The various grades can occur within a very short distance of each other. Consequently, the problem of supporting a mixed face exists, particularly in the intermediate weathering grades where intact rock is encountered in the invert and corestones within a loose soil matrix in the crown, which can increase the instability by allowing the ground to flow into the TBM.The focus of this paper will be the excavation of the bored tunnels by EPB TBM used by McConnell Dowell to complete these challenging works.CITATION:Jones, G and Shepherd, J, 2014. Earth pressure balanced tunnelling in a dense urban environment, C917A, in Proceedings 15th Australasian Tunnelling Conference 2014 , pp 41–50 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 17, 2014

A forecast of energy demand in the non-commu- nist world to the year 1990 is presented with com- ments on the expected effectiveness of conservation efforts in achieving more efficient utilization of energy. A forecast of energy supply for the same period is presented showing the contribution of oil, gas, hydropower, coal, and nuclear fuels, with brief comments on the factors constraining the rate of growth of non-oil energy supplies. The role of `synthetic fuels', i.e. liquid or gaseous fuels produced from coal, oil shale, and tar sands, is reviewed with brief discussion of factors affecting the development of this industry. In somewhat greater details, the growth of demand for oil by geographic regions is analyzed. Particular attention is directed to the source of the oil supplies which will be required. The anticipated rate of discovery of new oil reserves is discussed with comments on lead times required in the development of new discoveries in hostile environments such as the Arctic and deep oceans. The continuing importance of oil supplied from countries which are members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is illustrated. Oil will continue to be the marginal ('balancing') source of world energy supply throughout the forecast period and although it now appears that oil supplies will be sufficient to balance the energy equation during the 1980s, little flexi- bility will exist to cope with unexpected growth in demand or slippage in supply. Prudent energy re- source management will require major efforts to stimulate conservation and also to stimulate the rapid development of conventional and new forms of energy supplies and changes in energy consump- tion patterns to utilize the new supplies. Because of the long lead times and the massive capital require- ments involved, governmental policies are needed soon which will stimulate conservation and which will encourage businesses to move rapidly to assure the energy supplies the world will require in the 1990s.

Jan 1, 1978

By A N. Danoucaras, S E. Goater, D Hearne, A M. Bansuan

It is globally recognised that existing and emerging mining activities should be conducted in a æsustainableÆ manner for the entire life of mine. Many companies annually publish corporate sustainability reports to demonstrate their actions in accordance with international expectations. This concept of sustainable mining practices also applies to mine water management, with influences often extending beyond site operations, affecting surrounding catchments and community users. This paper explores differences in conceptual and operational terms of æsustainableÆ mine water management within the Philippines. Outcomes of a review of corporate sustainability reports, governance documentation, research programs, and stakeholder knowledge acquired through action-research workshops are presented. The paper aims to inform and support future capacity building exercises delivered by the International Mining for Development Centre (IM4DC), with outcomes tailored to government officials and policy makers of developing countries. The project is funded by IM4DC, which is working with AusAID to identify needs and develop capacity with regard to mining for development; specifically, issues pertaining to governance and regulation, social and environmental sustainability, and operational effectiveness in developing countries.CITATION:Bansuan, A M, Goater, S E, Danoucaras, A N and Hearne, D, 2012. Integrated sustainable water management in mining for development in the Philippines, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 205-226 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

By J Shillabeer

Paste backfill has been adopted by many underground mines in North America and a growing number elsewhere. Paste offers a number of advantages. This paper suggests wider applications of paste technology to surface tailings disposal and water management. Advantages include improved overall stability, potentially easier permitting, smaller water inventory and earlier reclamation. It may be feasible to use the same plant to prepare backfill and to dispose of surplus tailings. Example cost models are given to illustrate potential applications.

Jan 1, 1998