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By Mason P, Waller C

The Phase I electrowinning system at KCGM's Fimiston Operation utilised the well proven technology of electrowinning precious metal values onto steel wool followed by calcining and direct smelting to bullion. The above process, while reliable and successful, was to some extent labour intensive. The Williams Mine in Ontario, Canada had published conditions under which precious metal values are electrowon onto woven stainless steel and directly removed using high pressure sprays. The current paper describes the testwork which was carried out to check the applicability of the Williams criteria to KCGM eluates arising from the elution of highly loaded carbon from the calcine circuit and lowly loaded carbon from the float tails circuit. Information is also given on the commissioning and operational experience which occurred.

Jan 1, 1996

I have the pleasure to present 6 excellent papers in this section all of major relevance to the mining environment of today where competing social, legal and monetary interests and their often complex interaction require serious consideration. This is particularly true today where huge fluctuations in commodity prices makes mining a perilous undertaking while the world increasingly are becoming aware of the serious threat that mans activities has on his environment. The 6 papers deal with such complex issues as safety in an underground environment; How to protect sensitive wetlands well into the next century; The enormeous waterproblems in China and conflicting dewatering/water supply needs; Disposal of contaminated water in sensitive areas and the dynamic interaction between mining companies and legislation.

Jan 1, 1988

During mapping in the Bijerkerno area (Fig. 1), well-preserved sedimentary structures were found at three separate localities. The structures are of four varieties, which are 1. small-scale cross-bedding (Fig. 2),2. convolute bedding (Fig. 3),3. minor scour and fill (Fig. 4), and4. flame structures.Ripple-marking is also doubtfully present.These structures are best preserved in what was...

Jan 1, 1971

In the late-1990s, and into the 2000s, many industries, including the mining industry, have seen significant transaction activity by way of acquisitions, floats, joint ventures and major capital projects. The fundamental financial trends are two-fold. First and foremost, a high level of transaction activity within the industry and secondly, the recently introduced requirement for corporate governance standards, have placed increasing pressure on the directors of mining companies. This paper will deal with specifically corporate governance implications of any large capital investment transaction and the associated impact on the mining industry. To provide the framework for this paper, I have looked at a number of recent transactions as well as corporate governance recommendations from the ASX and the HIH Royal Commission.

Jan 1, 2003

It is well known that in most areas of Central Europe it is not difficult to find water - usually at shallow depths - and to recover and use this water. What is much more difficult, however, is to find water sources that offer both sufficient in quantity and qual- ity. Far too often, there are sources that offer abundant quantities but of poor quality or vice versa, i.e. high quality water but insufficient volumes. In the former case where water quality is not adequate - which is more often than not due to anthropogenic factors and only very rarely a result of geogenic effects - the application of treatment techniques can help to turn such water into potable water that is suitable for human con sumption.

Jan 1, 1988

The issues which are the subject of this paper cover an extremely broad field. In themselves the components of the topic could be the theme, in considerably greater detail, of a two day seminar. Indeed a full course in an academic year would probably not do justice to the topic. I have therefore experienced considerable difficulty in condensing such a broad subject range down to a 30 minutes address and in doing so have tried to, hopefully, provide a little bit of everything for the wide range of professional interests and different levels of commercial, professional and legal expertise represented at this conference. Perhaps my address could best be described as a "bird's eye" view rather than a "worm's eye" view of the subject.

Jan 1, 1990

By D McB Martin, A Piechocka, M Jessell, M Lindsay, E Ramanaidou

The Hamersley Basin of Western Australia, approximately 500 km long by 200 km wide, is recognised globally for its rich endowment of iron ore resources. Two types of bedded iron ore mineralisation are recognised: the Proterozoic hypogene martite-microplaty hematite ores; and the more recent Cenozoic supergene martite-goethite ores. Exploration strategies depend on the style of mineralisation being targeted; however, stratigraphy and structure are fundamental controls on both ore types. Therefore, the ability to visualise the 3D geology of the entire basin is critical for the understanding of iron ore occurrences and their relationship to ore genesis of bedded iron ore mineralisation. However, due to the large size of the basin, generating a 3D geological model of the regional stratigraphy and structure has not been possible, or prioritised, primarily due to software limitations. Recent advances in implicit automated geological modelling presents an ideal opportunity to develop a 3D model of the entire Hamersley Basin. The innovative Loop software was used to model open source geological data (ie geological mapping, outcrop orientation data, and fault data) sourced from the Geological Survey of Western Australia. In addition to generating a 3D geological model, information such as stratigraphic thickness and fault offset information was extracted using the map2loop module and demonstrated its application to exploration targeting. This study demonstrates how a basin-wide 3D geological model was used to conduct a regional structural analysis of the Hamersley Basin. The results of this study provide opportunities for other prospective regions to be rapidly modelled in order to enhance the understanding of the geology and improve exploration targeting.

Nov 8, 2021

By A Turns

In a survey conducted by symplexi with underground miners in Australia; 78 per cent of participants believed that ‘safety’ is all about people. If ‘safety’ is about people, then is the mining industry focusing on the wrong thing? It would be fair to say that the mining industry is heavily systems focused. Companies develop a safety management system and use this to show regulators that they comply with legislation – however, that is only half of the picture.

May 5, 2022

Thank you for the opportunity to speak at this important conference attended by aspiring mining professionals, some of whom will become the leaders of the mineral resources industry that forms the solid foundation of AustraliaÆs past and that will fuel the exciting growth of AustraliaÆs future.I want to briefly touch on the history of our business, then look at the opportunities that exist in the contract mining industry and finally comment on what the educators need to consider in their curriculum to meet the needs of our business. Byrnecut started out as an idea in early-1987 developed by a group of four mining people. At the time the industry was on the high end of a mining boom, the era of the Bonds, Connels, Skases and so on. Riding on this wave of euphoria we borrowed $600 000 from the National Australia Bank and, without having enough knowledge to lose sleep over the potential risks, started business in mid-1987. The euphoria quickly evaporated with the 1987 October stock market crash. The bank pulled our overdraft, equipment finance rates increased to over 20 per cent per annum and my house was mortgagedseveral times over. The business learning curve was extreme for a young mining engineer who had developed his trade in the relatively sheltered environment of a large public mining house, namely WMC. We were somewhat bitter that the banks had done a runner. We were a private company, backing the business with personal assets with our shoulders to the wheel, whilst the Bonds of the world had theirnoses in the trough ripping off mum and dad shareholders. All of this had a sobering effect, namely keep your feet on the ground, stick to the knitting, work hard and worship cash flow. Since that stressful but adrenaline pumping beginning the company now employs over 600 people and is now working for major mining houses at over a dozen locations in Australia, east Africa and WesternEurope and the National bank is again our banker. On this basis I consider myself qualified for the subject of this speech.

Jan 1, 2002

Most coal mines in Chongqing Area are highly gassy mines and liable to outburst of coal cnd methane. In order to harness mine environment and raise the Prodction capacity, methane predrainage is generally taken as a main preventive measure against outburst by all mines. In the recent ten years, the drainage volume per year has increased from 38.25 million m3 to mote than 100 million m3 with a volume over 12 m3 per tome of coal. In some mines, the draining rate is approaching to 50 percent, the rate in mining districts is up to 60 to 70 percent. The predrainage volume accounts for one fourth of total drainage volume. All these have effectively prevented the occurrence of coal and methane outbursts.This is the current situation of methane predrainage in coal mines in Chongqing area, the methods of predrainage to prevent outbursts and related parametres comprise:1. methods, technologies, supervision and effect of predrainage in different geological and mining conditions,2. the change of methane parametres pre-and post-drainage and the analysis of the effect of methane predrainage to prevent outbursts, and3. ways to improve the effect of methane predrainage.Thus the safety, reliability and production of Changqing Coal Mines will be enhanced.

Jan 1, 1991

By Foudoulis C, Smith CB, Drew RM, Sun S-S, Sheraton JW, Hall AE

Primay (syngenetic and protogenetic) inclusions - i.e. minerals formed during or before diamond growth and encapsulated in the diamond - provide important information on the origin of diamond. Recent Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd dating of such inclusions has yielded crystallization ages older than their volcanic host, implying that diamonds are mantle xenocrysts. In this paper we report results of studies on the nature of syngenetic inclusions and the carbon isotopic compositons of the host diamond from the West Australian diamond deposits at Argyle and Elllendale. The Argyle diamonds are dominantly, of eclogitic paragensis and are characterized by strongly C depleted compositions. We have recognized an association of stone morphology, inclusion type and carbon isotopic composition amongst the Argyle stones, and on the

Jan 1, 1989

By A Sinuhaji, H Kalangi, T B. Setyoko

Ore fragmentation at the DOZ block cave mine is highly variable, both as a function of rock type and column height of draw. Initially, the mine was constructed and equipped with limited capability to handle drawpoint oversize material. Significant issues with drawpoint availability and achieving overall mine production targets resulted. A suite of secondary sizing tools was added to the mine equipment fleet over a one-year time frame. Although significant oversize continues to be experienced, use of the correct secondary breakage tool for each particular oversize or hang-up occurrence has resulted in increased drawpoint availability, production rate, draw compliance, and operator safety. Currently, a range of secondary breakage techniques is being utilised to size material for delivery to the primary crusher. Run-of-mine material (3) is directly mucked to ore passes fitted with grizzlys that have one-metre square openings. Ore containing small boulders (>1 m3, 3) is loader-trammed to ore passes fitted with rockbreakers. Medium-sized boulders (>2 m3) accessible from the drawpoint are drilled with Sandvik Tamrock Commando drills. Boulders hung-up within the drawbell are drilled and charged with a Sandvik Tamrock Secondary Breakage Unit. Compacted, fine-grained muck is blasted utilising 55 mm cartridge powder concussion bombs.

Jan 1, 2005

Warrego copper ore characteristically contains 0.05-0.2% bismuth, which on upgrading produces a concentrate of approximately 1.3% bismuth. Early smelting of this concentrate (1973) was accomplished in a flash furnace (eliminating 92% of the bismuth in the con- centrate) and Top Blown Rotary Convertors (eliminating 85% of the bismuth in the matte). However 1.3% bismuth was considered the max- imLun bismuth level that could be treated. Geological evidence indicated that the bismuth level in~the copper ore would increase and that the bismuth level in the Warrego ore would be 0.3-0.7% bismuth. Treating these ores would produce a copper concentrate with bismuth levels far in excess of those accept- able to the smelter and still produce low bismuth content blister (limit 0.03% bismuth).

Jan 1, 1984

The Horn Island gold and mineral field produced 194 kilograms of gold in the 4 years subsequent to its discovery in 1894, from an area of shallow workings 1.5 kilometres x 0.5 kilometres. Gold deposits in the adjacent Prince of Wales, Hammond and Possession Islands also drew attention at that time.These islands form part of a Carboniferous sequence of ignimbrites (Torres Strait Volcanics) intruded by the Badu Granite and minor volcanics within the Cape York-Oriomo Ridge. Gold is associated with the epithermal stages of igneous activity. Recent exploration has defined sub-horizontal zones of disseminated gold mineralisation in the sub-surface, as well as reserves in the outcropping sub-vertical structures mined in the past. Released estimates of 170,00 tonnes proven ore and 550,000 probable ore at 4 grams per tonne gold, have been established.Gold is mostly contained in quartz vein stockworks and hydrothermal breccias within the intensely propylitised medium grained granites which form the local host rocks within the coarse grained Badu Granite. Associated vein minerals are sulphides (primarily of lead, zinc and iron) and calcite. Various intrusions of porphyry, aplite and granodiorite occur through the prospect area.

Jan 1, 1986

By Sano S, Ishikawa T, Nagaoka H, Hayashi Y, Hasegawa M

The stirred mill is regarded as one of the most efficient devices for micronising materials and has come to be actively used for preparation of fine particles. Recently, the demand for ultrafine particles was increased in many kinds of industries. In this paper, autogenous grinding to get submicron particles based on mutual friction feed material has been carried out using a stirred mill. The mill used was made of stainless steel and its volume was about 5.5 litres, and has 12 impeller blades. Sample used was limestone. In the present work, two operating parameters such as stirring speed and feed size of limestone were considered. The ground products were sieved in the size range from feed size to 325 mesh (45 lun), and from 45 to 0.17 pm the size distributions were measured by a laser diffraction and scattering method. The progress of grinding was evaluated by the increasing amount of submicron particles in products. As a result, the rotational speed of impeller with the minimum energy consumption to produce submicron particles was observed. It was found that the autogenous grinding with a stirred mill is an effective method for producing submicronized limestone.

Jan 1, 1993

By Vanderberg B

A 3D, PC based computer program is currently under development by Blasting Analysis International, Inc., to analyze the kinetics of full scale blasts with two or more high-speed motion picture cameras. Todays common approach of utilizing only a single camera system can, in some cases, lead to great errors and erroneous conclusions when motion is assumed to be in a predefined plane of motion. CMe phrase, "What you see is what you get, it no longer true in 3D."). This is especially true in blasting environments which exhibit complex and/or predominant structural geology. The 3D system eliminates this problem, and includes automatic corrections for vertical and horizontal camera optic axis orientation, dimensional controls, lens distortion, field set-ups, projection imaging and digitized inputs. The only information required is the surveyed or known coordinates of at least six non coplanar points in the field of view. Motitn from each camera view is then digitized, transformed through a direct linear transformation, and processed with the 3D software, which also automatically time matches the data, even when the high-speed cameras are operated at different speeds. Eleven calibration constants are generated using an overdetermined system of linear equations to output the true 3D coordinates of motion in the time domain. Applications for this 3D approach are not restricted to just analyzing the kinetics of a blast. The system is sufficiently flexible to allow an accurate, quick and economical method of bench face profile analysis, generate muck pile profiles and estimate volumetric calculations. The recording systems for these applications can be common 35mm still photography and/or video equipment. It is envisioned that this system will soon replace expensive laser surveying systems at a fraction of the cost in the near future. It is also an excellent system to accurately quantify drill pattern layouts and the spatial locations of each blasthole. This information is required for generating single hole based synthetic seismograms to accurately predict the vibrational outputs of full scale blasts. In terms of litigation concerning claims resulting from blast induced ground vibrations to structures, the system is proving to be an excellent and economical method of performing pre-blast surveys where differential settlement is suspect.

Jan 1, 1990

This paper will address this question from the point of view of a drill and blast engineer or researcher working in open cut and underground mining operations. The paper will establish a common set of reference standards for high-speed imaging and data capture, which engineers and researchers can apply when deciding which type of imaging technology is appropriate. It will present an overview of current image analysis technologies and practices in use across a range of appropriate scientific fields and draw lines of commonality of approach between these fields and the field of mining and blasting applications analysis and research. In addition, the paper will examine the different technologies from an image quality and data stream reference point, ease of operation, cost, and reliability parameters. Finally, this paper will present an argument for the hybridisation of established and new technologies which could provide a more beneficial approach to the use of imaging as a tool of quality control, research and analysis in the mining based industries. This will include a novel approach to digital high-speed imaging and data analysis in the field, which should deliver high-quality images and data analysis in a time frame that is more appropriate to the need for immediate action, analysis and problem solving.

Jan 1, 2007

By C Paoletti

About 15 years ago the debate on the reliability of sampling procedures for agricultural food and feed commodities was initiated by a few brave scientists who questioned the representativeness of what, at the time, were routine sampling procedures established exclusively on the basis of tradition and practical feasibility. Over time several national and international organisations contributed to the discussion, developing standards and publishing papers either to underline the fact that sampling is always a source of error, in itself, which cannot be overlooked, or to minimise the relevance of sampling on the basis of argumentations linked to time and money limitations. The latter dominated, but is nevertheless impossible to accept from both a scientific and a responsible management perspective. Here the author presents an historical overview of these past 15 years, illustrating the most controversial issues, reporting major achievements in food/feed sampling, highlighting milestones, as well as unresolved problems that still need the attention and contribution from the sampling community. The need to incorporate Theory of Sampling (TOS) into food/feed safety assessment (pre-market), as well as into food/feed safety monitoring (post-market) has recently been highlighted, and the practical applicability of TOS to base food/feed safety decisions on representative sampling, has been explored and documented via concrete examples of risk analysis in different areas of food/feed industrial production chains. Now it is time to move forward and ensure that TOS is fully integrated into the well-established Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) / World Health Organization (WHO) risk assessment approach, in order to guarantee a transparent and correct universal frame for risk assessment and the subsequent management decision-making process. WCSB8 offers the ideal platform to explore the best way to do so, switching from a theoretical discussion of correct sampling principles for food and feed agricultural commodities to practical recommendations in the interest of consumers, worldwide. These 15 years have also been a personal journey of interesting dimensions, indeed a veritable roller-coaster ride in-and-out of the scientific, technological, industrial and (last but not least) regulatory worlds. The start was WCSB2 in 2004, when I flew to Australia to discover if in other areas sampling had been identified as an unavoidable issue and, if so, what the solution was. There, I found a good travel companion who today is still on my side, to assemble the puzzle and explore how to shape the future, to concretely answer to the 15 years’ quest for proper sampling in the assessment and monitoring of food/feed safety.CITATION:Paoletti, C, 2017. Assessing and monitoring food and feed safety – a 15 year quest for proper sampling, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 39–44 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017

Employing gravity recovery for coarsely liberated gold and sulfide ores has potential to lead to a signifi cant reduction in the energy required for comminution and ultimately can have a significant impact on gold processing. Most of the recognised metallurgical tools at our disposal currently have been designed around recovery of relatively finely ground minerals. In order to change the paradigm of fine grind for liberation, a new set of tools need to be recognised that are capable of separations in the coarser size fractions. Some of these tools already exist and some need to be developed but the key is the way in which the fl ow sheets are arranged. A very strong understanding is required in the existing tools and their capabilities before these new flow sheets can be optimised. Only when we understand the existing gaps in technology can we start to fill these positions with new candidates. Many ores when crushed liberate their gold bearing minerals at coarser sizes than current practice would suggest (Figure 1). In order to characterise this response in ores it is necessary to utilise some new techniques in the lab such as gravity separation and ore sorting at the sizes greater than 15 mm followed by gravity recovery on fractions from 15 mm down to 150 ¦m. The most difficult range has been the mid-sized fraction from 4.0 mm down to around 150 ¦m. This is the size range in which many ores show economic liberation starting to occur and coincidentally this is the range in which many commonly used metallurgical processes reach their operational limits due to physical constraints. Examples of these processes are flotation, hydrocyclones and whole ore leach in agitated tanks which are currently the mainstays of the processing fraternity. This is an ABSTRACT ONLY. No paper was prepared for this presentation.

Aug 1, 2010

By R Burgess-Limerick, D Lynas

A number of standards and guidance materials currently exist to assist equipment designers. The ISO process, however, is a formal process and change often lags behind technology development. In some cases, this may result in weak or ineffective standards that need to be written in general terms to accommodate future technology developments, meaning some standards may only establish minimum requirements and not be overly helpful to equipment designers, in particular when designing for workforce diversity and inclusivity. By contrast, advisory information as issued by various mining regulatory bodies is able to respond more quickly to changes in technology. Standards do however have a safety and productivity focus providing design consistency between equipment manufacturers, a basis for auditing purposes, assistance in mining regulation and compliance, and in the development and application of safety management systems. As an example of challenges facing equipment designers, ISO3411 (2020) provides data approximating the 5th, 50th and 95th percentile of the ‘earth-moving machinery operator population’ for numerous static dimensions relevant to the design of earth-moving equipment. These data are then utilised in ISO6682 (2020) to provide recommendations regarding the location of controls. Attempting to utilise the data provided in ISO3411 (or other sources of static anthropometric data) creates further challenges for equipment designers, in that reference percentiles is problematic for design purposes. There is no ‘5th or 95th percentile operator’ as individuals vary along each dimension (Robinette and Hudson, 2006). Although dimensions have some degrees of correlation, when multiple dimensions are considered, the range of individuals which fall within a given range on all dimensions reduces substantially. For example, only about 82 per cent of individuals in a population will fall within the 5th to 95th percentile ranges for both height and weight. The more dimensions are considered, the smaller the range of people who actually ‘fit’ the description.

Apr 16, 2024