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By Robert E. Jones

The barite industry shares with its associates in the minerals industry the impediments of excessive federal and state regulations. We have learned to exist with the Organic Act of 1976, the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1966, and the Multiple Use Act of 1955. I do not mean to imply by the above that all aspects of mining legislation have been detrimental, however, each of you has been subjected to interpretative restrictions by federal or state bureaucrats. As frustrating and costly as this is to the barite industry, it is not the primary problem facing our segment of the industry at the present time. Our major difficulty today deals not with too much government regulation, but with the lack of a cohesive and consistent government energy program. This administration and those that have preceded it have dealt with intermittent energy crises on an emergency basis. If we remove the political rhetoric which has surrounded each of the more recent major crises, we can liken the action of our federal government to that of a rural volunteer fire department which devotes its entire efforts toward extinguishing existing fires rather than the developing of programs designed to prevent future fires. The lack of a comprehensive energy program has created an environment in which long range planning is extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Jan 1, 1983

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period July 10, 1919, to August 10, 1919. BALL, C. LEONARD.. Cons. Engr., Suffern Co., Inc., 135 Broadway, New York, N. Y. BARRY, CHARLES W Box 502, Idaho Springs, Colo. BATTLE, JOEL ALLAN, JR., Min. Engr., U.S. Bureau of Mines, Room 2114, Interior Bldg., Washington., D. C. BEER, GUIDO, Compagnia. Italian, Dir Bronzi Speciali, C. I., B. S. La Direzione, Italy. BITLER, WILLIAM F., Management of Coal Properties, The Provident Life & Trust Co. of Philadelphia, 409 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. BLOOM, SETH W., Chief Engr,, Northwestern Min. & Exchange Co., 130 E. Sribner Ave., Du Bois, Pa. BOYDELL, W. Guy B., Min. Engr., Tul Mi Chung Mine, Care Seoul Min. Co. Whang Hai Do, Chosen. Korea. BRYAN, RUSSELL R.., Met., Sunnyside Min. & Mill. Co., Eureka, San Juan Co., Colo. CHIAPELLA, STEPHEN EUGENE 323 W. 30th St., Los Angeles, Cal. CONWAY, EDMUND JOHN, Exploration Engr., Granhy Consolidated Min., Smelt & Power Co., Ltd., Anyox, B. C., Canada. DEMOREST, DANA J Prof. of Met., The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, Ohio. EIDEMILLER, H. N., Geol., Benjamin C. Neely, Min. Lands & Leases, Crystal Falls, Mich.

Jan 9, 1919

By Reynold Q. Shotts

Underground mines, penetrating well below the water table, quickly fill with water when abandoned. Ordinarily, these natural cisterns are not thought of as sources of industrial water. Under special circumstance, if chemically treatable, they might become valuable industrial water reservoirs. An example of a group of about 20 mines in a geological and structural setting insuring water entrapment, rapid recharge and a possible minimum of contamination, are the small, compact Belle Ellen and Piper basins in Alabama's small but second most productive coalfield, the Cahaba. The mines have been abandoned from more than 50 to less than three years. The county now produces about a million tons of coal annually, all from strip mining. Figure 1 shows an idealized cross section of the strata in the Belle Ellen syncline near West Blocton, Bibb County, Alabama. Figure 2, 3 and 4 are maps showing the location of the syncline, other structural features, the outcrop lines of the three principal coalbeds underlying the basin, and the mined-out areas on the three beds (1).

Jan 1, 1973

By A. L. Blomfield, M. J. Trott

ThE Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Co. operates its custom mill at Colorado Springs on Cripple Creek ores exclusively. These ores are straight sulfo-tellurides, with practically no base metals such as Pb, CU, Zn, As, or Sb. Upon entering the mill, the ore all passes through the sampler to storage bins, where beds of 5000 tons each are made to insure uniformity in roasting. Classification of ORes For efficiency, it has been found advisable to separate the ores into two classes according to their lime content. Other constituents have their effect, such as alumina and magnesia, but, speaking generally, these are roughly proportional to the lime, which, as CaO, is used as the indicator. Class A contains not more than 2 per cent. CaO and comprises about 66 per cent. of the ore treated. Class B contains over 2 per cent. CaO, and comprises 34 per cent. of the ore treated. Typical analyses of both classes are as follows: Class A a B Insol.......................... 86.70 75.90 Al2O3........................:.. 2.30 3.40 Fe.............................. 3.26 3.48 CaO............................. 1.57 5.12 S............................... 1.79 1.80 MgO........................... 0.21 1.08 Ignition loss..................... 3.20 6.50 99.03 97.28 The beds of each class of ore are made as large as possible with the available ore as it comes in, to avoid changing from one bed to the other any oftener than necessary. Each roaster will handle 50 per cent. more of class A ore than of class B, with practically the same results. This necessitates changing the rate of feed for each new bed and tends toward a poor roast and loss of tonnage at each change.

Jan 1, 1919

By R. Katzenbach, M. Vogler, U. Adamietz

Abstract The design of deep excavation pits in rock mass is dependent as well on the mechanical properties of the rock mass as for example the orientation and the type of discontinuities like bedding planes, joints and fissures, the length of the discontinuities (persistence), the grade of weathering, the strength of rock mass, and the shear strength in the discontinuities, etc., and also on the respective boundary conditions specific for the project, and here especially the geometrical boundary conditions. The basic mutual influences and interactions between these boundary conditions are explained and exemplary presented at an excavation pit with a depth of 18,5 m, situated at a slope with a surface near groundwater table. Résumé La planification des excavations profondes dépend aussi bien de la qualité mécanique du roc, par exemple la location de la texture de la surface de moindre résistance, le degré de rupture, le degré de décomposition, la dureté du roc et la résistance limitée au cisaillement de la texture de la surface de moindre résistance que des conditions limitées spécifiques pour le projet, ici en particulier des conditions limitées géométriques. Les influences et interactions essentielles et mutuelles entre les conditions limitées isolées seront expliquées et présentées à l’aide d’une excavation 18,5 m de profondeur, située sur une pente où le niveau des eaux souterraines est près de la surface. Kurzfassung Die Planung tiefer Baugruben im Fels hängt sowohl von den mechanischen Eigenschaften des Fels wie z.B. der räumlichen Lage des Trennflächengefüges, dem Durchtrennungsgrad, dem Verwitterungsgrad, der Gesteinsfestigkeit sowie der Scherfestigkeit des Trennflächengefüges als auch von den projektspezifischen Randbedingungen hier insbesondere von den geometrischen Randbedingungen ab. Die wesentlichen gegenseitigen Einflüsse und Interaktionen zwischen den einzelnen Randbedingungen werden aufgezeigt und an einer 18,5 m tiefen Baugrube in Hanglage mit oberflächennahem Grundwasser vorgestellt.

Jan 1, 2003

By S Vearncombe

SpaDiSÖ is a revolutionary approach to the spatial analysis of point data using geometry to analyse geometry! SpaDiSÖ uses each and every spatial relationship and is not dependent on mathematical models. For n points there are n2 û n spatial relationships and, because of the square function, the method yields interpretable results for both small and large data sets. SpaDiSÖ is an alternative to variography for directional studies. At the regional scale, the analysis can assess distribution patterns of mineralisation and potential controlling structures. At the deposit scale, the characteristics of zones of mineralisation such as direction, spacing, high-grade ore direction and grade distribution can all be deduced.

Jan 1, 2000

By L Barro

There is currently a worldwide interest in coal-oil technology as the search continues for alternative energy sources to reduce the consumption of petroleum crude. An important aspect of this coal-oil technology study is to obtain information on the flow properties of coal-oil slurries. While some work has been reported on the flow behaviour of black coal-oil suspensions, very little work on brown coal-oil suspensions has been reported. In this paper flow characteristics of brown coal-oil suspensions for various coal concentration and temperatures have been presented. A capillary rheometer, designed to handle settling suspension, has been used for determining rheological properties. Brown coal of 0.0725 mm average particle diameter has been used in this work. The oil was a coal derived product having a boiling point range of 234¦C - 319¦C. Apparent viscosity of all suspensions was found to increase on storage due to ageing. Ageing might have occurred due to physicochemical interactions between coal and oil. Flow behaviour of some suspensions changed from Newtonian to non-Newtonian on storage. Apparent viscosity increased sharply with increase in solids concentration and suspensions at higher concentration behaved as non Newtonian liquids. Viscosity decreased with increase in temperature; rate of decrease slowed down with increase in temperature.

Jan 1, 1980

By Ralph H. Sweetser

When a furnace-manager is '(blowing in," he generally has no time to consider the composition of the waste gas, and does not bother with it, except to take care that he does not get " gassed." Moreover, the analysis of the gases while the wood is still burning has not much to do with the economy of the normal working of the furnace; yet, on account of the deadly effects of the " blowing-in " gas when inhaled, and of its high explosive qualities, it is interesting to know its composition. In the Transactions there is no record of the analysis of the gas during an up-to-date " blowing-in." Even in Mr. Whiting's admirable paper (Trans., xx., 280) the reported analyses did

Jan 1, 1899

By Albert G. Zima

ACCORDING to recently published statistics, it is predicted that as much oil must be produced during the next 16 years as has been produced during the past 75, in order to satisfy the high rate of consumption of petroleum products. During 1934, over 17,000 oil wells were completed in the United States, and it is expected that over 20,000 additional wells will be drilled during the current year. Were it not for the remarkable progress made during recent years in the improvement of drilling technique and in the development of equipment used in the production phase of the oil industry, it is doubtful whether sufficient oil could be produced to meet present requirements. A few years ago, wells seldom were deeper than 3500 to 4000 ft., owing to the limitations of the drilling methods and equipment employed.. Today, 'however, through the application of scientific drilling methods and the adaptation of modern equipment and improved materials, many wells range from 6000 to 8000 ft. in depth, and a few recent completions exceed 10,000 feet. DRILL TOOLS Modern rotary drilling tools are the product of ingenious design and careful selection and adaptation of materials used in their construction. They must withstand terrific abrasion and, because of their compactness, must be designed to resist exceedingly high unit stresses. In bits, core drills and reamers, the bodies are made of either forged or cast alloy steels, heat-treated to develop a combination of high strength and toughness. To provide sufficient strength to the threaded portions and to protect the threads from distortion or damage, the box or pin sections of the tools are hardened to approximately 310 to 330 Brinell hardness

Jan 1, 1935

By Henri Carrat

La prospección geofísica tiene por objeto la aplicación de leyes, teorías y técnicas de la Física para el descubrimiento de yacimientos minerales y petroleros, aguas subterráneas y el estudio del subsuelo, el cual es requisito indispensable para la construcción ciertas obras de ingeniería civil. En ese sentido, el presente texto describe el proceso de la prospección física y los métodos geofísicos utilizados en dicho proceso. Estos métodos geofísicos se clasifican de acuerdo a los parámetros físicos estudiados y son: los métodos gravimétricos, magnéticos, sísmicos, eléctricos, prospección radioactiva, magnético, polarización reducida y los métodos diversos.

Nov 1, 1962

By Charles H. Jacoby

A decision was made by the management of International Salt Co. in 1960 to eliminate all waste products which were entering the waters of Lake Seneca. This was to be accomplished by the injection of waste slurries into an abandoned brine cavity. The effluent from the cavity was to be treated and used for the manufacture of salt or disposed by deep well injection into the Cherry Valley limestone. After several years of research and design, a construction permit was granted by the state of New York; the injection, recovery, and disposal wells were constructed and after a public hearing an operational permit was issued. A summary of the operational results of the system is given.

Jan 1, 1974

By Oswald J. Heinrich

IN this paper I shall attempt a description of the successful extraction of coal from this property after it had been on fire for probably fifty years, or more, and after attempts, made at various times, which had still left considerable coal behind. The Richmond coal-field has a well-founded bad reputation, arising from the circumstance that many of its collieries have had to be abandoned, from time to time, if not entirely, on account of fires, caused by spontaneous combustion, to which the character of the coal in this field renders them peculiarly liable. While I fully assent to the opinion that this trouble lies in the nature of the coal, which is highly bituminous, and the seams of which are, moreover, divided by slaty bands, through which, as also in the coal, iron pyrites is more or less disseminated, often in microscopically small particles, I must, nevertheless, declare that many lamentable disasters, causing great loss of life and property, could have been avoided if a suitable system of mining had been pursued in all the collieries. If this could not have been done from the beginning of mining in this section of country (the history of which can be traced back to over one hundred years), at least experience enough existed upon this subject thirty and forty years ago to dictate the avoidance of the dangers to a considerable extent. It is therefore necessary here to refer first, in a few remarks, to the character of the coal deposits, particularly in this immediate neighborhood, the Midlothian being one of the oldest and most extensive mines, and some of its coal being much subjected to spontaneous combustion. I must also refer to the history of former managements to explain more clearly the results which were arrived at. The Midlothian coal-mine property, situated upon the eastern outcrop of the basin, about four miles south from James River, exhibits

Jan 1, 1873

By Allan M. Hale

Taconite tailings reclamation, especially the stabilization of tailings ponds, .dams, and slopes, can be effectively accomplished through the use of appropriate vegetation. Utilizing vegetation provides both aesthetic and ecological enhancement of a site while at the same time protecting tailings structures against wind and water erosion. Generally, the methods and techniques for establishing vegetation are well known; however, there are many site-specific factors that can alter a particular reclamation approach. Those factors include slope gradient, tailings material size, solar exposure, and physical and chemical properties of tailings. In addition to the site-specific factors, variations in climate, geography, and physiography of a region can have a pervasive influence on the success or failure of a revegetation program. Both the site-specific and regional factors control reclamation planning in such areas as plant variety selection, methods and times of plants establishment, maintenance techniques, and subsequent monitoring methods. As a result of this multifactor relationship, it is important to establish a data base that identifies both the site-specific and location conditions in order to tailor the reclamation plan to the specific area. When an appropriate data base has been collected, detailing the various site-specific and regional factors that will influence a revegetation program (in the absence of previous testing), it is very beneficial to apply experimental techniques to develop the reclamation plan for a specific site. The reclamation plan for a specific site may include several techniques adapted for the differences found within the specific site as the result of topographic or other influences. Considering this, the Reserve Mining Company and Dames & Moore undertook to develop a successful reclamation plan based on a detailed test plot program conducted at the Mile Post 7 location.

Jan 1, 1980

By Gemmell J. B

Zinc-bearing massive sulphide deposits have been mined in Tasmania since 1900. The current major producers are Hellyer and Rosebery, with total resource tonnages (mined plus reserves) of 16 Mt (million tonnes) and 24.8 Mt respectively. These deposits belong to the class of seafloor volcanic-hosted massive sulphides (VHMS) and are located within the Mt Read Volcanics, a narrow belt of continental margin calcalkaline volcanics of Cambrian age. Compared to other Australian VHMS deposits, and world-wide MVT and Sedex deposits, the Tasmanian examples clearly stand-out due to their high metal grades, averaging over 17 per cent Pb+Zn. The deposits vary in morphology from mound style (Hellyer) to sheet style (Rosebery) with other combinations including stacked lenses (Que River) and disrupted cross-cutting bodies (Hercules). All deposits show the classic VHMS zonation from an Fe-Cu-bearing base to a Zn-Pb-Ba-rich top. Zinc, gold and silver tenor commonly increases toward the stratigraphic top of the deposits. The ores have been deformed during regional metamorphism, resulting in folding, shearing and recrystallisation of sulphide lenses. In addition to the major deposits, a number of small massive sulphide prospects occur throughout the volcanic belt and the potential for the discovery of further large, deeply buried deposits remains high.

Jan 1, 1993

By E. Eccleston

The ConRoast process for the production of platinum group metals involves the use of a fluidized bed reactor for the removal of sulphur from ore concentrates by roasting prior to smelting in a DC-arc furnace. Test work was carried out in 2007 at Hazen Research in Golden, Colorado to provide the data necessary for a commercial roaster to be designed by Technip. This paper discusses the rationale behind the test work, the goals for calcine composition to be used as smelting furnace feed, the results of various roaster operating parameters in terms of calcine composition (particularly residual sulphur and the fate of trace elements), and the impact of the results in terms of a commercial roaster design.

Jan 1, 2009

By J. W. Scott, G. G. R. Falkenberg

"The Syncrude project is an integrated complex designed to mine, extract and upgrade bitumen from the Athabasca tar sands to produce 129,000 barrels per day of synthetic crude oil. This paper provides a brief general description of the location, history and geology of the tar sands and the overall organization and structure of the project. The major emphasis and the bulk of the detail presented deals with the extraction plant; a material handling and mineral processing installation designed to treat 312,000 tons per day of tar sand feed.History of the Tar SandsThe Athabasca tar sand deposit was recorded in 1788 by Peter Pond, however the first serious geological mapping and exploration did not begin until 1915. Little interest was taken in the deposits until the Second World War, when the governments of Canada and Alberta conducted an extensive exploration program. In addition a number of pilot plants were sponsored during the 1940 -1950 decade. The hot water separation process was successfully demonstrated on the pilot plant scale during 1948 -49, and was established commercially in 1967 in the G.C.O.S. plant. The Syncrude plant, due to come on stream in April 1978, also employs the hot water separation process."

Jan 1, 1978

By James Douglas

An address before the Meeting of the New York Section, Nov. 4, 1914. As life advances one is inclined to look backward instead of forward, and the vista over which my memory carries me has been filled with such a shifting panorama of changes in metallurgy that the whole practice of the art seems to have been re-created. The first cupola furnace that I saw in operation was at one of the group of mines at Capelton, Quebec, from which the Nichols company still draws some of its sulphur supply. At that time it was operated by a Hartford, Conn., company, under a General Adams. When its small brick furnaces made a campaign of a week and smelted 10 tons a day, the feat redounded to the credit of the operator. The introduction of the water-jacketed cupola dates forward to the next decade. I was using one in Pennsylvania, making copper matte, to the horror of a noted metallurgist, who could not conceive it possible that you. could bring fused sulphides in contact with steel without rapid corrosion. In our ignorance we were doing what seemed to be an impossibility, and it is just that recklessness and disregard for precedent which has characterized so much of the work of American metallurgists, and carried us forward at such headlong speed. Once the water jacket was accepted as the type of the. copper cupola, its almost unlimited expansion in length, but not in width, was a matter of convenience rather than of skill. In Butte the cupolas have been enlarged by adding furnace to furnace. The first reverberatories which I saw in operation were those in Professor Hill's Black Hawk establishment, where the concentrates from the Gilpin County gold mills were run down into matte for separation in England. Sixty dollars per ton was the usual deduction in those days before gold and silver was paid for. Smelting was done with wood as fuel, and the capacity of the furnace was about 10 tons per diem. Shortly after this Professor Hill formed an alliance with Richard Pearce, who was running what, if I recollect aright, was called the Swansea Works, at the bend of the river approaching Georgetown.

Jan 4, 1915

By Paul M. Tyler

Graphite occurs in many places in the United States, but previous to 1914 the domestic production amounted to only 15 to 20 per cent of the natural graphite consumed in this country. Including artificial, graphite, the proportion was about 25 per cent. During the World War the production of both natural and artificial graphite increased until, in 1918 it, contributed more than one-half of the available supply, and since 1919 the proportion has not fallen below 40 per cent. Except during the war period, however, this apparently increasing independence has not been due to any large increase in production from domestic mines. It simply reflects a larger output of artificial graphite and reduced imports of Ceylon lung and chip, grades which have never been produced in substantial quantity in the United States. DOMESTIC DEPOSITS3 American graphite deposits, though numerous and often large, are characteristically low-grade. They constitute an abundant source of potential supply, but in normal times they have proved relatively costly to work, and even at the same price the various products have never been able wholly to displace certain imported qualities, notably crucible grades from Ceylon and pencil graphite from Mexico.

Jan 1, 1929

By H. M. Breza

Utilization of Bucket Wheel Excavators and Overland Conveyor Systems to remove overburden provides increased productivity and flexibility to a surface mining operation. The utilization of such a system at the Texasgulf Inc. Aurora, North Carolina Mine has significantly improved the overall productivity of the mining operation. System flexibility is evidenced by adaptation to operation requirements such as mining area moves, movement of excavated overburden to designated sites, selective handling of overburden, spoil placement contouring, and providing an environmentally sound and safe operation. System productivity is evidenced by actual case studies relating to overall production, excavation rates, and cost effectiveness.

Jan 1, 1993

By R. P. Bhagat

The paper reports results on sinterability of iron ores from the mines of Tata Steel Limited. The objective was to improve tumbler index (TI) of sinter and its reduction parameters, reduction degradation index (RDI) and reducibility (RI) while maintaining strand productivity same or to improve. Pot sintering experiments were carried out with Joda and Noamundi mines having LOI 3.8% and 2.9% respectively. Sinter basicity (CaO/SiO2) was varied in the 2.1 to 2.5 range and its MgO content was kept in the 1.4% to 1.8% range according to the blast furnace requirement. The ignition condition and vacuum was maintained according to the plant practice. The effect of variables namely, granulometric composition of ores vis-à-vis that of sinter mix, bed height, solid fuel, moisture content of green mix on the sintering indices was studied. The productivity with Noamundi ore (26 %+6.3 mm) was lower than that with Joda ore (45% +6.3 mm) at 4% coke in the mix and sinter basicity (CaO/SiO2) 2.1. However, with 4% coke (ash 22%) the RDI value was significantly high in case of Noamundi Ore, which decreased significantly to 29% with 5% coke. The size parameter of ore fines and its LOI content do influence the sintering speed and the sinter properties significantly. At 2.1 basicity ratio, the sinter with the Joda ore having coarsergranulometry had highest TI (=70.2%). The RDI (27%) in this case was inferior to that (23.2%) when Joda ores with finer size was sintered. Better RDI with finer sized ore could be attributed to better assimilation of CaO/ MgO with more balanced and uniformly distributed hematite minerals. The size parameter has been inter-influenced by the coke requirement. With the lower mean sized Joda ore the sinter RDI decreased significantly to 23% and the productivity improved to 42.9 T/(sq m*d) when the coke in the mix increased from 4% to 5%. An attempt to reduce the coke in the mix from 5% to 4% with respect to both the ores was not successful as it resulted higher RDI and lower strand productivity. The present study has revealed that sinter RDI improves (decreases) with decrease in the sintering time, while such correlation was absent between TI of sinter and speed of sintering. Corollary to this observation, one can take advantage of other stronger parameters to increase the sintering speed (and hence sinter productivity) without affecting the sinter strength. In the present study higher FeO sinters has displayed excellent RDI, however cold strength of sinter was not correlated with its FeO content. The TI and RI parameters of sinter improves marginally with increase in its MgO content while RDI got worsened. Keywords: LOI content, iron ore, reduction properties, sinter, noamundi, joda

Sep 1, 2012