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By George J. Simchuk

The selection of a stripping method and subsequently, the stripping equipment, are two of the most important decisions confronting a project engineering staff during the initial feasibility study of a new coal stripping operation. The selected stripping units average from 60 to 70 percent of the total capital outlay for mine equipment and their selection will affect the type, size, and quantity of the attendant equipment, such as loading shovels, drills, haulage trucks, and bulldozers. This paper is intended to report on an in depth study by Utah's Technical Services Staff regarding the selection of stripping equipment for the Goonyella Coal Mine in Queensland, Australia. We will touch briefly, on the objectives considered in this selection; the various alternatives which were explored; the general assumptions that were followed throughout the engineering and design of an appropriate stripping system; and computations necessary to determine the amount and size of stripping equipment. INITIAL EXPLORATION Utah Development Company (presently 90% owned by Utah Construction & Mining Co. and 10% by Australian investors) commenced systematic geological studies of the Bowen Basin coal fields of Central Queensland in 1961. The Blackwater Mine as shown in Figure 1 has since been established in this area and is now producing 3.0 million tons per annum of washed coking coal. Geological reconnaissance was then extended to the northern part of the Bowen Basin and in 1963 Utah's coal prospecting area covered 2444 square miles of Central Queensland. The authority to prospect north of Blackwater has since been trimmed to 810 square miles by relinquishments to the State.

Jan 1, 1971

By Alan M. Ritchie, Paul Miskelly

The 2-D code FIDHELM has been used to simulate conditions in piles of pyritic material with vertical dimensions of 20 to 70 m and a horizontal dimension of 500m. Those properties of the pile and its external environment (wind, temperature) important in determining the time and space dependence of sulfide oxidation, have been identified. A prescription to evaluate the overall sulfide oxidation rate in a pile of known volume but variable geometry has been developed.

Jan 1, 2000

By D. Armour, E. R. Bauer, D. R. Zuchelli, T. M. Durr, E. R. Reeves

A team of noise specialists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and Joy Manufacturing attempted to evaluate an engineering noise control on a Joy longwall stageloader. The team developed and executed a test plan to evaluate the noise attenuation of the engineering control in an underground coal-mining environment. An evaluation of the long-term noise effects and durability of the engineering control were also a focus of the research effort. Pre- and postcontrol measurements consisting of a combination of worker dosimetry and task observations, tape recordings, and sound level measurements were used to evaluate the engineering control. A description of the engineering noise control, pre- and post-control sound level measurements, and an evaluation of control success is presented. In the end, no evaluation was possible due to mining practices, miner task variations, and inconclusive data.

Jan 1, 2005

By S. K. Kawatra, C. A. Hardison, J. Gurtler, T. C. Eisele, K. Lewandowski

Acid soak tests were used to measure the effectiveness of binders in highly acidic conditions to determine their suitability for use in copper heap leaching. Soak tests involved placing the agglomerates on a screen, soaking them in a solution that replicates the pH of the raffinate used in a heap leach, and measuring the quantity of fine particles that passed through the screen. A wide range of binders were evaluated which had potential for functioning in acidic solution. Only a few binders were effective, with the best-performing binders being nonionic polymers designed for dust suppression applications. The most effective binder prevented all but 1.86% of the fines from being released and passing through the screen, while binderless agglomerates allowed as much as 29% of the fines to pass through the screen. The soak test developed for this study provides a useful method for rapidly identifying promising binders at a low cost, and for examining effects such as curing conditions on agglomerate quality.

Jan 1, 2005

By Duluth Engineers' Club, Engineers' Club of Northern Minnesota

"Iron ore in Minnesota probably carries a heavier tax burden than any mineral in any other place in the world. The State Tax Commission, created in 1907, originated the system, and with the assistance of the School of Mines is constantly making such adjustments, changes and increases as appear necessary, in order to place mineral reserves on the assessment rolls at their true and full present taxable value. The ore bodies on the Mesabi are so well defined by drilling and underground devel¬opment that it is possible to estimate very exactly the volume on every forty acres of land taken as a unit. This is done by the operating or holding company and reported annually to the Tax Commission, Who check the estimates, having all data, and- proceed to fix the valuation for taxation purposes.The first step is to ascertain a general average selling price in open market, over a period of years ; then the total cost per ton (exclusive of royalty) to produce and market the ore. The difference between the average selling price and producing cost per ton is taken as the future full value per ton. This is then discounted at a rate of interest that represents the present and possible future worth of money, over a period of years that will be required to exhaust the ore body, giving the present full value per ton., Iron ore is taxed at 50 per cent of its full value, while other property is taxed at 33 1/3 per cent and 25 per cent."

Jan 1, 1920

By Guy T. McBride

Mr. Chairman, Fellow Keynoters, Ladies, and Gentlemen: It is purposed to consider the theme of this meeting, "The 1970's - Pivotal Decade for the Mineral Industries," from the particular -- some would say peculiar -- point of view of one engaged in mineral engineering education, and this coign of vantage prompts the textbookish subtitle, "Problems and Solutions (?) in Undergraduate Mineral Engineering Education." Three interrelated problems, or problem areas, will be presented and discussed, and where solutions seem to be emerging or seem worthy to be suggested, they will be identified. The three problems are: 1. The goals, and therefore the course requirements, of the undergraduate curricula are in question, 2. The unit costs of undergraduate education appear excessive to those who bear the charges, and 3. The social ambience of the day affects for the worse the work attitudes and the career motivation of both prospective and in-course students. The Need. - Any discussion of these problems must bottom upon recognized national needs for minerals and a technologically sound minerals industry staffed by competent engineers, particularly at the exploration, development, and production levels, Fortunately, these needs have been recognized and to some extent quantified, and they are even now under further intensive study by some of the most competent members of our society and profession. The latter reference is, of course, to the current work of the National Commission on Materials Policy (U.S.A.) under the executive directorship of Dr. James Boyd. Predating this, and perhaps to some extent

Jan 1, 1972

By Marie-Josée Banwell, Cyriac Sebastian, Giacomo Falorni, Sara Del Conte

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a satellite-based monitoring technique that complements other in-situ methods for detecting and measuring surface displacement. Recent advances in data processing algorithms, coupled with the use of high-resolution satellite systems, make it possible to now provide high-frequency InSAR monitoring services, with updated results delivered every time a new satellite image is acquired. The advent of large, continuously updated data sets, however, brings new challenges, including the need to rapidly sift through the data to identify only those points showing relevant ground displacement information. This has been achieved by using trend variation analysis tools, that quickly isolate and highlight only areas of anomalous behavior. The paper focuses on project case studies where continuous InSAR monitoring has proven to be key in identifying displacement trend changes near tunnel alignments.

Jun 13, 2021

By Victor F. Hollister

This section includes examples of discoveries of Kuroko- and Anyoz-type massive sulfides, and shale-hosted, zinc-lead deposits, and describes exploration models for each group of case histories. Exploration or empirical models can differ from genetic models, because ore guides and controls are emphasized in exploration models. Genetic models may form the scientific basis for exploration or prospecting models, although factors that are important to the localization of ore are stressed in exploration models. The paper by Sato (abstracted herein) on Kuroko deposits can be used as a general exploration guide for that type of deposit. It is clear, however, that no unambiguous stratigraphic control for Kuroko-type ore is given in the Sato paper. The paper by MacIntyre (an excerpt herein) describing Gataga, Midway, and Windy Craggy includes most of the elements of the shale-hosted and Anyox models. Although more recent work by the Geological Survey of Canada has modified the Windy Craggy stratigraphy, the Anyox model as applied to Windy Craggy is well described in the MacIntyre (1983) paper. Discoveries of ophiolite-, Ducktown-, volcanic-associated Ni- Cu-, and Besshi-type deposits are not included in this section. Conformable massive sulfide deposits are generally assumed to be syngenetic. Sulfides in the crosscutting feeder zones, however, are classed as epigenetic. Therefore, volcanogenic massive sulfides can contain both a syngenetic and an epigenetic component. Vital to the development of the epigenetic component is a heat source that propels the convection cycle that forms both components. In all massive sulfide discoveries described in this section, it is assumed that a volcanic magma fueled the hydrothermal fluids.

Jan 1, 1991

By E. M. Frizzell

This paper addresses the use of the microcomputer programs BACKONE and BACKWEDG for an estimation of rock mass strength characteristics by back analysis of plane and wedge failures. The artificial support requirements are also determined by the programs PLANE2, BOLTPAT, and BOLTWEDG in terms of rock anchor installation angles, tensions, and installation patterns. These programs have been combined into a package called BACKPACK, which can be applied in open pit mines where some failures have already occurred.

Jan 1, 1988

By V. Gangrade, J. Addis, S. Vanderslice

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are conducting research to improve the ventilation of large-opening underground stone mines. The mine ventilation in these mines are characterized by: (1) challenges related to keeping airflow velocities high enough to effectively remove or dilute airborne contaminants, (2) low pressure losses needed to move large air volumes of air, and (3) costly stoppings needed to direct ventilation airflows. Each of two field studies was dedicated to specific focus areas. The first focus area was the characterization of underground mine ventilation airflow. The primary means of airflow control in stone mines is through the use of freestanding booster fans. The primary goal of this study was to identify the effectiveness of various fan types and optimize their placement. Both traverse and grid-based airflow readings were taken at various distances from the fans, ranging from 70 ft to 425 ft away from the fan. The air readings were taken using a vane-anemometer and a handheld hotwire anemometer. The data was used to develop precise computational fluid dynamics models. The second focus area was to determine diesel particulate matter (DPM) concentrations in the mine. For large-opening underground stone mines, controlling DPM exposures dictates the design of the ventilation system. Therefore, researchers carried out the DPM sampling campaign to identify potential areas of concern within the mine. The samples collected during the campaign were analyzed using NIOSH Method 5040. The sampling was done using the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) compliance sampling methodology.

Feb 1, 2023

By A. Bumanis, K. S. Bawa

INTRODUCTION A rail rapid transit system called the "Metro" system is presently under construction in the Nation's Capital area. The agency responsible for the design and construction of the Metro system is the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, an independent tristate organization set up under an Act of Congress and financed by federal, state, and local public funds supplemented by revenue bonds. When completed, the Metro system will comprise nearly 100 route miles. About fifteen percent of this mileage is now under construction, while designs for the-remainder are in progress. The system is scheduled for completion in about eight years at a cost of approximately 3 billion dollars. The Metro system will involve nearly all types of construction generally used for rapid rail transit projects. About half of the mileage will be underground, comprising approximately 16 miles of rock tunnels, 10 miles of earth tunnels, and nearly 21 miles of cut-and-cover construction in earth (see Figure 1.). The remaining 51 miles of the system is planned to be constructed on the surface as at-grade or elevated structures. The system includes 86 passenger stations, 53 of which will be underground structures. Twelve of the underground stations will be large size chambers in rock while other underground stations will be constructed in earth as cut-and-cover structures. Thus, about one-fifth of the system will be designed as underground structures, namely tunnels and stations, in rock. Such designs in rock resulted from the existence of bedrock (schistose gneiss) at reasonable depths generally in the north and northwest

Jan 1, 1997

By Yuting Xue, Xin Li, Ihsan Berk Tulu, Gaobo Zhao, Deniz Tuncay, Mindi Ruan

Most coal mine roofs in the Appalachian region consist of laminated shale, which is prone to brittle failure. Accurate modeling of shale roofs is vital for studying cutter failures of these shale roofs, and ordinary and formational bedding planes play a significant role in the response off the shale roof to mining-induced stresses. This paper presents a robust method for constructing three-dimensional shale roof models using limited borehole cores and leveraging image processing techniques. The approach begins with image extraction from shale cores. Then, we extract the portions that feature the core and employ image-stitching techniques to merge them seamlessly. Once the images are stitched, they are duplicated horizontally and merged to create a cross-sectional plane image representing a shale roof. This roof cross-sectional plane image serves as an input to our proprietary Digital Image Processing (DIP) algorithm, which is adept at extracting ordinary bedding planes (interfaces that represent color transitions between a single shale unit). The extraction process involves transforming discrete core points (ordinary bedding plane pixels) into continuous lines representing ordinary bedding planes. Finally, extending this method into the third dimension, the model is further extrapolated to form a comprehensive three-dimensional shale roof. Through this process, the geometry information of ordinary bedding planes can be extracted for each type of shale in cores, including sandy shale, gray shale, dark shale, etc. This work bridges the gap between limited core data and comprehensive 3D geological modeling, offering valuable insights into identifying and quantifying the variations in different shale roof geologies.

Jun 25, 2024

By Robert A. Haney

During the last ten years, longwall mining systems have undergone many changes. Panel widths and lengths have increased. Longwall faces have become more automated. Average production from individual longwall panels has increased from 1,000 to 3,600 tons per shift. To control the dust generation resulting from the higher production, longwall dust control systems have integrated various dust control techniques. Systems designed to control dust generated at the crusher/stageloader, shearer, and supports are common to most longwall faces. A survey was made of the dust controls that are currently in place on all the longwalls in the U.S. This survey addressed the types of controls used to reduce dust generated at the crusher/stageloader, shearer and roof support movement. Additionally, information on face ventilation rates, cutting cycle and level of automation was obtained. The purpose of this paper is to review the dust control practices that have been implemented throughout the United States and to identify those controls that are being used on high production longwall faces. Additionally, a model is used to demonstrate how ventilation and automation affect occupational exposure. Automation of roof support movement can offer some of the greatest reductions in occupational dust exposures. While technically feasible, its full benefit has not been fully realized by the industry. Until technology to fully automate longwall mining systems becomes more reliable, future dust control systems must rely on increased ventilation, application of headgate dust collectors, improved shearer dust controls and improved shield dust suppression systems.

Jan 1, 1995

By R. A. Wharton, Z. Yang, R. W. Smith

The electrokinetic and flotation behavior of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris was studied in the absence and presence of Pb(II), Al(III) and flotation collectors. It was found that the presence of Al(III) is necessary for good flotation of the organism, whether or not Pb(II) is present, when dodecylammonium chloride or sodium dodecylsulfate is used as collector. Best flotation using dodecylamine is at about pH 8, and best flotation when using sodium dodecylsulfate is at about pH 4. It appears because of the small size of the organisms that the Al(III) is necessary for flocculation to enhance bubble-cell contact and C. vulgaris removal from water. When N-dodecyl-2-aminopropionic acid is used as collector, good flotation occurs at about pH 4 without the addition of Al(III).

Jan 1, 1992

By R. M. Carland, F. F. Aplan

Six natural zeolites were evaluated for their ability to selectively remove heavy metal cations from solution. Ion selectivity was found to be Pb+2>Zn+2>Ni+2 and Cu+2>Co+2 from their respective solutions. The presence of K+, Ca+2 and Mg+2 in the actual waters to be used may seriously interfere with the ion exchange and elution of cations from zeolites. Zeolites were found not to be effective in removing precious metals from their cyanide solutions.

Jan 1, 1995

By Robert A. Haney, Richard T. Stoltz

In July, 1988, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Advisory Committee on Standards and Regulations for Diesel-Powered Equipment in Underground Coal Mines recommended that the Secretary of Labor set in motion a mechanism whereby a diesel particulate standard can be set. Prerequisite to establishing a standard would be the development and evaluation of instrumentation to measure diesel particulate. In response, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, Dust Division, has been evaluating instrumentation that can be used to determine diesel particulate levels in underground mines. This instrumentation employs the principle of impaction to separate particles by size, thereby, separating the diesel and nondiesel particulate. Separation of the particulate by size was chosen because diesel particulate is generally less than 1.0 micrometer in size. No other methods have been developed to successfully distinguish between the coal and diesel particulate. MSHA developed an impactor that is inexpensive and compatible with existing pumps and filter holders. The instrumentation evaluation has primarily focused on the repeatability and performance of several personal dust samplers. The samplers tested include the Sierra-Andersen Model 298 personal impactor and MSHA developed personal impactor. The MSHA impactor is inexpensive and compatible with the existing pumps and filter holders. In addition to evaluating the precision and performance of these instruments, tests have been conducted to determine background levels of submicron particulate in nondieselized coal mines and to measure the submicron particulate content in dieselized coal mines. Tests were conducted in coal mines where diesel equipment was used only in outby areas and also in coal mines where diesel equipment was used for face haulage. This paper describes the results of the tests and provides a description of the instrument at ion used to conduct the tests.

Jan 1, 1989

By P. Arell, D. Folkes

This paper presents the basics of EPA’s Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which is used to evaluate sites for possible inclusion on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The paper describes the surface water, ground water, air, and soil exposure pathways and how they are applied to mining sites. Key factors contributing to the site score include the likelihood of a release, waste characteristics, and the targets for each pathway. Waste volumes, definitions of landfills versus surface impoundments, and background concentrations are of particular importance to mining and smelting sites. Because of the presence of metals, large waste volumes, and observable releases, mining and smelting sites often receive high enough scores to be proposed for the NPL based on a single path-way. Neverthess, owners and operators can take steps to reduce the risk of being scored, and to reduce the potential for high scores.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. Ragot, D. Maquin, N. Heraud

Acquisition of coherent and representative data about the state of processes remains a major problem of process control. This paper proposes an approach that ensures coherence in measurements on an operational industrial process. The basic technique employed relies on balance equilibration of resource mass flow. An interesting particularity of the set up is the ease with which it can be adapted to check productivity or detect sensor failures. In the case of sensor failure, it suffices to examine the evaluations before and after balance equilibration. The algorithm was tested by means of computer simulation using data from an industrial metallurgical flowsheet.

Jan 1, 1992

By M. Robson

Water & Earth Technologies, Inc. (WET), Habitat Management, Inc. (HMI) and Chevron Mining, Inc. (CMI) together developed a solution for reclaiming steep southwest facing slopes in mining Area 12C that have historically been prone to excessive erosion, low vegetation establishment and continuing maintenance. Area 12C is located in the east wing of the Chevron McKinley Coal Mine, 27 miles northwest of Gallup, New Mexico, on Navajo Nation land administered by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM). Mining in this area was completed in May of 2007. Challenges encountered for this reclamation project included the need to reclaim graded material on a slope of 18-35% with southwest facing aspect, the presence of undisturbed rock outcropping that needed to be avoided during reclamation, the operational need to limit bulldozer pushes and the inability to import or export additional materials for construction. Two different reclamation alternatives were considered for Area 12C. The first alternative would use a traditional reclamation approach including three levels of draining terraces designed to convey water on a 3% slope to a single riprapped down drain. Terracing and down drains have been used to reclaim areas with similar terrain conditions elsewhere at the McKinely Mine and have failed to adequately control erosion (Williamson 2006). Terrace overtopping and down drain blowouts have been issues in maintenance and functionality for the mine. Maintenance routines consist of cleaning out terraces where they have filled in with sediment and repairing damaged or blown out terraces and down drains.

Jan 1, 2010

By F. F. Aplan, C. E. Raleigh

Three run-of-mine bituminous coals, ranging in rank from low volatile to high volatile A, were floated at nominal -28 mesh (590 µm), -100 mesh (150 µm), and -400 mesh (37µm) feed particle sizes with selected pyrite depressants and a dispersant. For the three coals tested, pyrite and ash -forming minerals were usually rejected best at -100 mesh feed particle size. Depressant additions tended to improve flotation selectivity between pyrite and coal. When joint dispersant-depressant systems were used at -100 mesh (150 µm) feed particle sizes, the total sulfur content of the clean coal decreased further. For a comparable coal yield, less fuel oil collector was required for the flotation of -100 mesh coal than was required for the flotation of either -28 or -400 mesh feed.

Jan 1, 1992