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By Wayne D. Gould

The Cities Service Company's Pinto Valley mine and concentrator lie about 6 miles west of the town of Miami, Arizona at an elevation of approximately 4,000 feet above sea level. The concentrator started its first ballmill in July 74 and all six were available by November. Every effort was made to reduce capital costs, consequently, each unit process was studied critically to eliminate excess capital costs without loss of efficiency. Equipment selection was made on the basis of proven dependability and operating costs rather than on low bids. The result is a very workable plant with some important innovations. The concentrator is nominally 40,000 tons per day. The flowsheet is typical with 3 stage crushing, single stage closed circuit grinding, flotation, regrinding of rougher concentrate and cleaning of the rougher concentrate. The major equipment list is: 1 60 x 89 Traylor Primary Crusher 1 84" x 20' Stevens-Adamson Apron Feeder 3 7' x 16' Double Deck Tyler Screen 3 7' Nordberg Standard Crushers 6 8' x 20' Tyler Screens

Jan 1, 1975

By Huayang Luo, Hui Li, Wei Zhou, Gang Chen, Scott Huang

The beach and offshore gold resources demonstrated at Nome, Alaska are some of the richest found in Alaska. They contain potentially significant resources that may be exploited in the future. Several companies have contributed to the exploration and reserve estimation in Nome offshore gold deposits. More than 3,000 holes were drilled and over 10,000 offshore samples were analyzed in the Nome offshore areas of approximately 40 km2. Those 3,000 plus drill hole logs were converted into digital formats comparable with ArcGIS software. Considerable amounts of mineral resources data were processed and visualized using ArcGIS 8.3 and its geostatistic, 3D analysis, and spatial analysis components. In this study, based on the data processing and visualization results of ArcGIS, a user-friendly website for mineral resource management and utilization is developed using ArcIMS 4.0.1. ArcIMS is a GIS solution to build and deliver maps, data, and tools over the Internet. The Nome offshore mineral resources website presents the geostatistic and GIS analysis information. This site allows clients to access the information and perform ArcGIS analysis, such as interactive data query, and map layers display of the gold resource distribution, average grade, gold reserve, and relative mineral resource estimation via remote computers. With linkage to other related mining web sites, this web site allows users to search for related publications and more flexibly manage the information. A few other appropriate customized tools are also being developed to assist interactions between the server and clients for data analysis and management.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. A. Marts, R. C. Gilmore, Jr. Bogin, S. Saki, J. F. Brune, J. W. Grubb

"Researchers at the Colorado School of Mines have studied the influence of headgate side ventilation controls near the longwall start-up room on the formation of explosive gas zones (EGZs) in underground coal longwall bleeder ventilated gobs. In a project funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers developed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to study the formation of methane-air mixtures in the gob, start-up room, and bleeder entries. The relative change in size and location of EGZs are examined in response to ventilation controls in the headgate side bleeder entries near the start-up room. Modeling suggests that adjustments to the ventilation controls can be made to minimize the size of the EGZ. However the EGZ may form in or around active working areas regardless of the ventilation control settings. Research found regulators on the crosscuts into start-up room and first entry inby can force air into to crosscuts outby the start-up room causing more air to flow through the gob. INTRODUCTION Underground longwall mine ventilation systems may operate with either a bleeder ventilated gob or a progressively sealed gob. Bleeder ventilated gobs must meet the standards for safe operation of the bleeder system by examining bleeder system effectiveness. As defined in the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Program Policy Letter (PPL) No. P13-V-12 (MSHA 2013), the pillared area or gob is “any area where a reduction in pillar size has occurred during retreat mining” and includes the “caved and broken material, the interstices within the caved material, and the open spaces surrounding the caved material.” The PPL further states that the intended purpose of ventilating the gob is “to protect active workings from the hazards of methane accumulations …” The requirements for operating a bleeder system as stated in The United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 2013) Title 30 §75.334(b) is to pass ventilation air though the gob “and to continuously dilute and move methane-air mixtures [from the gob] away from active workings and into a return air course …” where the concentration cannot exceed 2 percent methane (CFR 30 § 75.323). Further clarification of the bleeder system as described in the PPL states the following: “A bleeder system includes the area from which pillars are wholly or partially recovered, bleeder entries, bleeder connectors, and all associated ventilation control devices that control the air movement through the area. Bleeder entries are air courses designed and maintained as part of the bleeder system.”"

Jan 1, 2015

By Gerry Norton

The purpose of this paper is to make the most complete assessment of coal cleaning methods, both process and equipment related to modern-day production and environmental requirements. In order to achieve this primary objective, a number of interdependent aspects of coal cleaning technology require evaluation and analysis. 1.0 CLASSIFICATION OF SEPARATION PROCESSES Processes and cleaning equipment can be categorized according to the important parameters of 1) mechanics of separation, 2) size range application, 3) range or variance in accuracy of separation related to 2) above, and 4) feed-size ratio affecting 3) above.

Jan 1, 1977

By B. E. Davis

A technique was devised by the Bureau of Nines to recover coarse (plus 1.7 m) North Carolina phosphate now discarded as waste. Concentration utilizes the difference in particle sphericity between the relatively flat calcite and the rounded phosphate pebbles. Sizing, treatment in a continuous hydraulic classification system, and grinding upgraded a 17.0-pct-P205 reject to 24.5 pct P205 with a phosphate recovery of 63 pct.

Jan 1, 1985

By W. D. Macleod

This paper describes a mineral dressing process for the upgrading of tin ores. The process described is called 'agglomeration' and. is similar in many respects to flotation. Many variables have been examined experimentally both on batch and continuous operations and are reported upon herein... Using a Mt. Pleasant tin ore, assaying 0.5% Sn, an upgrading to 8% Sn, with a recovery of 95% could be obtained by this process.

Jan 1, 1966

By G. J. Gersbach

The Robe River Iron Ore Project began in 1962 when Cliffs International acquired mining leases in Western Australia's Pilbara Region. Initial reserves were proven and bulk ore samples sent to the U.S.A. for pilot plant testwork. Cliffs Western Australian Mining Company Pty. Limited (30%) manages the project in joint venture with Mitsui Iron Ore Development Pty. Limited (30%), Robe River Limited (35%) and Cape Lambert Iron Associates (5%).

Jan 1, 1983

By Michael Brittan

For every million ounces/year of gold produced by mining and process operations, each 1 % loss to tails represents 10,000 oz/year of production sacrifice. Recovering this lost gold would generate aditional revenue of $3 million/year at $300/oz. Similarly, if the average recovered grade is say 0.15 oz/st, every $0.45/st reduction in operating costs will result in equivalent annual savings of $3 million. This paper describes the application of a technique to realize such cash flow benefits for milling operations.

Jan 1, 1999

By Justin Jensen, Luis Moya, Jose Carlos Durazo, William Szolga, Tyler McCallum, Tim Doubleday

Sulfuric acid mist is an undesired by-product of the copper electrowinning process, caused by oxygen evolution at the anode which entrains droplets of the acidic copper electrolyte solution. As the oxygen moves to the surface of the cell, these droplets become aerosolized resulting in acid mist. The addition of chemical anti-misting agents to the copper electrolyte is a common mitigation technique. This paper details Syensqo’s laboratory development of a new environmentally friendly acid mist suppressant, ACORGA® EW98. The product exhibits excellent acid mist suppression and it is fully compatible with the adjacent solvent extraction process. Lab and pilot test results are reviewed ahead of future planned industrial trial testing.

Feb 1, 2025

By Fred N. Kissell

INTRODUCTION During the last few years, several new ventilation developments have attracted the interest of mining engi¬neers. Some of these developments are applicable pri¬marily to hard-rock mining, while others are more applicable to coal mining. STOPPINGS Parachute Stopping The parachute stopping is a new type of quick-erect stopping that is intended for temporary use in hard-rock mines (Kissell, Thimons, and Vinson, 1975). As shown in Fig. 1, the stopping is shaped very much like an ordinary parachute, with a canopy of impermeable fabric that is sewn to regularly spaced straps running to a common point. To erect the stopping, the straps are attached to a fixed anchor point such as a roof bolt, and the edge of the canopy is lifted into the moving air¬stream. The airstream pops the parachute canopy into place, and the differential air pressure across the stop¬ping holds it in place, forcing the fabric against the walls, roof, and floor of the mine opening. The principal advantage of the parachute stopping is that it requires only a few minutes to install, making it a great time-saver for emergency use or for day-to¬day changes in ventilation during the production cycle. However, the parachute stopping does require some minimum air velocity to lift it and some minimum differential pressure to hold it in place. For a fabric weighing 0.27 kg/ m2 (8.0 oz per sq yd), the minimum air velocity is about 0.5 m/s (100 fpm), and the mini¬mum differential pressure is about 0.05 kPa [0.2 in. water gage (WG) ]. There is always some air leakage around the stop¬ping, mainly depending upon the extent to which pipes or other obstructions encumber the airway and prevent good sealing. Leakage of a few cubic meters per second (a few thousand cubic feet per minute) can be expected, unless foam is used to improve the seal at the edges of the canopy. Quick-Fix Blowout Stopping The quick-fix blowout stopping is a variation of the parachute stopping (Thimons and Kissell, 1976), and it is used in the proximity of blasting operations. This type of stopping is designed to be blown out easily by the blast forces, and it may be reinstalled quickly and easily. The long high-strength straps of the parachute stopping are replaced by groups of short straps that tear easily. These straps are attached at six equally spaced locations around the perimeter of the canopy. To erect the stopping, one strap of each of the six groups is fastened to the mine wall, roof, and floor by using spads, by setting pins with a powder-actuated gun, or by tying the straps to some firm anchor point. Once the straps have been attached, the differential air pressure across the stopping, which must be at least 0.025 kPa (0.1 in. WG), forces the stopping perimeter against the mine walls, thus creating the air seal. It is the self-sealing feature of this stopping that makes it a significant time-saver. Only a few attachment points are needed; in many cases, four attachment points are sufficient, since the stopping naturally tends to form a seal with the airway surfaces. When nearby produc¬tion blasting exerts excessive forces on the stopping, one or more of the straps tears away from its attachment point, protecting the stronger canopy from damage. Damage-Resistant Brattice The damage-resistant brattice is a stopping that is designed for use in mines such as salt and limestone mines where the differential pressures are low and the roof is relatively flat. As shown in Fig. 2, the damage-resistant brattice consists of a series of brattice panels that are hung vertically and joined by Velcro® connections. When the brattice is subjected to strong blast forces, the Velcro® connection peels apart and allows the panels to open without incurring damage. The Velcro® connections can be resealed by hand within a matter of minutes. Such damage-resistant brattices have withstood the blast effects of 318 kg (700 lb) of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) explosive detonated as close as 91 m (300 ft) from the brattice. Ordinary brattice cloth is used for the panels, with a 51-mm (2-in.) wide strip of Velcro® hooks sewn along one edge of the length, and a 51-mm (2-in.) wide strip of Velcro® pile sewn along the other edge. Both the hooks and the pile are sewn onto the same side of the brattice cloth. The resulting Velcro® seal formed be¬tween adjacent panels is perpendicular to the brattice itself, and the leading edge of the seal can be directed either toward or away from the blast forces; the brattice works equally well in either case. To hang the brattice, panels of brattice cloth about 0.9 m (3 ft) longer than the height of the airway are cut from a 1.8-m (6-ft) wide roll. The additional 0.9 m (3 ft) of brattice cloth allows 0.3 m (1 ft) for attachment to the roof by means of a board, with 0.6 m (2 ft) for forming a good air seal at the floor. Each brattice panel is wrapped once or twice around a 51 X 102 mm (2 X 4 in.) or 25 X 76 mm (1 X 3 in.) mounting board that is 254 to 305 mm (10 to 12 in.) shorter than the width of the panel. For convenience in

Jan 1, 1982

By Philani Larrance Ngwenyama, Ronald CW Webber-Youngman

Through-the-Earth (TTE) communication systems were developed to provide post-accident communication in underground mines. Unlike primary tracking systems, they do not require any major infrastructure installations underground. Instead, they use the Earth’s overburden as the medium or channel for the transmission of electromagnetic waves between surface and underground. Under ideal conditions, TTE communication systems should be able to provide full-duplex, two-way voice, text and data communication. However, this will depend on the design and optimization of the different types of TTE communication systems (that is, antenna and electrodes), and understanding of the rock properties and their influence on the transmission of signals. This can help simulate and model the transmission efficiencies and predict the possible range and data rates. Being able to optimize the performances of these systems can enhance rescue missions, improving the chances of saving trapped miners, and ultimately reduce fatality rates across the mining industry.

Feb 1, 2025

By Anna Eleria, Joseph Welna, Jim Herber, Nathan Campeau

Constructed by stonemasons over 120 years ago, a portion of the Trout Brook Storm Sewer Interceptor (TBI) owned and operated by the Capitol Region Watershed District in Saint Paul, Minnesota, needed rehabilitation. A routine inspection of the 10-foot limestone block tunnel revealed degraded and missing mortar between the blocks, allowing significant infiltration and soil migration through the tunnel joints. Conditions, including damaged and missing blocks, were considerably worse in a 250-foot-long segment beneath a busy mainline railroad corridor. Barr’s solution included tuck-pointing to repair the mortar joints, shotcrete overlay, and construction of a hybrid cast-in-place/shotcrete “tunnel within a tunnel” to support the mainline railroad loads.

Jun 13, 2021

By J. M. Hans, M. F. O’Connell, G. E. Eadie

INTRODUCTION The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required, under Section 114(c) of Public Law 95-604, to provide a report to Congress identifying the location, and potential health, safety and environmental hazards of uranium mine wastes together with recommendations, if any, for a program to eliminate the hazards. The approach taken to prepare the report was to develop model active and inactive mines and locate them in a typical mining area to estimate their environmental impact. A list of uranium mines was acquired from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The inactive mines were separated from the list and sorted into surface and underground categories. A literature search was conducted to obtain and consolidate available information concerning the environmental aspects of uranium mining and shortterm field surveys and studies were conducted to augment this information base. Radioactivity emission rates were measured or estimated for each mining category and were entered into computor codes to assess population exposures and subsequent health risks. The general environmental condition of inactive uranium mines was determined by walk-through surveys in several mining areas. INACTIVE SURFACE MINES We assumed that a model inactive surface mine contains a single pit with the wastes (overburden and sub-ore) stacked into a pile adjacent to the pit area. No credit for reclamation is given to the model mine. In lieu of the availability of individual mine production statistics, the model surface mine size was established from the total ore and waste production statistics for all surface mines, divided by the number of inactive surface mines. The number of inactive mines, obtained from the DOE mine listing, are summarized by type and location (Table 1). For modeling, we assumed that there are 1,250 inactive surface mines. The total or cumulative waste and ore production for inactive surface mines from 1950 to 1978 is not fully documented. Uranium mine waste and ore production statistics, on an annual basis, were available for both surface and underground producers from 1959 to 1976 (D0159-76). Annual uranium ore production for each uranium mining type are available for 1948 to 1959 (DOE79) and for combined ore production TABLE 1. Consolidated list of inactive uranium producers by State and type of mining [State Surface Underground AL 0 9 AZ 135 189 CA 13 10 CO 263 902 ID 2 4 MT 9 9 NV 9 12 NJ 0 1 NM 34 142 ND 13 0 OK 3 0 OR 2 1 SD 111 30 TX 38 0 UT 378 698 WA 13 0 WY 223 32 Total 1246 201T] for underground and surface mining from 1932 to 1942 (DO132-42). In order to estimate waste accumulated prior to 1959, the waste-to-ore ratios from the 1959 to 1976 period were plotted vs. time and line-fitted by regression analysis (Figure 1). Unfortunately, the extrapolation of the line to years prior 1959 approached zero in 1954 although surface mining began in 1950. Therefore, a waste-to-ore ratio of 8:1 was used for the period of 1950 to 1959 based on ratios estimated by Clark (C174). The waste to-ore ratios for 1976 to 1978 were estimated using the line established in Figure 1. By using waste-to-ore ratios and ore production data, the cumulative waste and ore production for both surface and underground uranium mining is estimated to 1978 (Table 2). The estimated cumulative waste from uranium surface mining for 1950 to 1978 is 1.73 x 109 MT. A crude estimate of the waste accumulated at the model inactive surface mine can be made by dividing the total waste produced to 1978 by the number of inactive mines. This, however, overestimates the waste tonnage because some of the contemporary wastes are being produced by active mines, and the waste accumulated at newer mines has increased in recent years. To adjust for this overestimate, we assumed that all mines operating in 1970 will be inactive by 1978. This eight year period is approximately one-half the lifetime of a model

Jan 1, 1981

"The 35th Annual American Mining Hall of Fame Awards Banquet and Fundraiser, sponsored by the Mining Foundation of the Southwest (MFSW), will be held at the JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017. This year, the Foundation will honor one living Hall of Fame inductee, two Medal of Merit recipients, four honorees from Mining’s Past and an Industry Partner for their respective contributions to the mining industry.Gary J. Goldberg will be the 2017 Hall of Fame Inductee and will serve as the keynote speaker at the awards banquet. Goldberg was appointed president and chief executive officer and joined the board of directors of Newmont Mining Corp. in March 2013. Prior to this appointment, he served numerous companies in key positions including Rio Tinto Minerals, US Borax and Coal & Allied Industries. At every appointment, he was able to improve safety concerns and reduce injury rates. While serving as chairman of the National Mining Association, Goldberg launched the CORESafety initiative and US Borax was the first mining company to receive the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Award.The Medal of Merit will be awarded to John C. Lacy, a shareholder of DeConcini McDonald Yetwin & Lacy, P.C. and a director of the Global Law Center at the University of Arizona’s Law School. Lacy’s law practice concentrates on mining and public land law and encompasses transactional and title consideration involving acquisition of mineral rights. He played a crucial role in the revisions to the mining law of the Republic of Bolivia and the English translation of the mining laws and regulations of Mexico. Lacy’s expertise in mining law impelled the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law to approach him to head the new Global Mining Law Center in 2015. The program now partners with the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources and offers cross-listing of courses"

Jan 10, 2017

By J. M. Elegante

A belt drive attendant was working underground during his shift at the junction of two belt drives. He worked alone, but communicated with others at the mine by underground phone. At noon his shift foreman stopped by his workstation. At 2:00 p.m. he was contacted by phone by a fellow belt drive attendant. At 5:00 p.m., he was found dead by the oncoming evening shifter.

Jan 1, 1989

By Cody Giroux, Homer Scurlock, Michel Wasag

Silica and Crystalline Quartz exposure continues to be a serious health threat to nearly 2 million workers in the United States, including more than 100,000 working in high risk jobs such as abrasive blasting, foundry work, stonecutting, rock drilling, quarry work, mining and tunneling. The primary focus of this study is to identify the best methodology to reduce particulate-laden air and limit/eliminate exposure to respirable dust with silica/crystalline quartz during tunneling operations. This study focuses on two de-dusting systems employed on similar tunnel construction projects. The first project is the Coxwell Bypass Tunnel located in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The second project is the Westerly Storage Tunnel located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Toronto project is utilizing a wet de-dusting system. The Cleveland project is using a dry de-dusting system. The objective is to determine which system provides the best protection and suitability to capture, remove and ultimately reduce respirable concentrations of silica/ crystalline quartz to safety and healthy levels in underground tunneling activities.

Jun 13, 2021

By K. F. Unrug

The research work reported in in this paper deals with the monitoring of roof behavior in a drift mine located in Eastern Kentucky operating in the Coalburg Seam. The thickness of the seam at the monitoring site ranges between 9 and 10 feet with the immediate roof changing from sandstone to shale then back to sandstone. Shale thickness varies between 0 and 2.5 feet. The characteristics of the immediate shaly roof were monitored with 38 dynamometers which were set up in three survey lines to cover the entire range of shale distribution. The dynamometers are capable of providing accurate load readings in the range of +/- 5 pounds. To closely observe the contribution of moisture toward roof deterioration the dynamometers were set up in intake and neutral airways. A television borescoping camera was used in conjunction with the dynamo- metric instrumentations at pre- determined observation holes to physically observe and record the separation process of the shale and sandstone stratum with respect to time. Monitoring took place between January 1985 through January 1986 in order to cover a full cycle of dry and wet mine conditions associated with the seasonal changes. Analysis of the data show a trend of roof deterioration induced by condensation and eventual penetration of moisture within the immediate roof bedding planes, leading to rapid disintegration of the mine roof.

Jan 1, 1986

By Daniel B. Brimhall

The research presented here was initiated to investigate the role of atmospheric oxygen in the leaching of copper waste dumps. The problem of increasing the recovery rate of copper from these dumps is or great importance considering there are by conservative estimate in excess of fifteen billion pounds of copper located in dumps in the western United States. At this time, there is an increased interest in recovering copper from these dumps on a large scale. Large tonnages of low-grade material are being placed on the waste dumps of most copper mining operations in the western United States each day. The size of these dumps ranges from 5.5 million tons at Mineral Park, Arizona, to 4 billion tons at Kennecott's Utah operation (1). Leach solutions are recycled and contain ferrous and ferric sulfates. Large quantities of dissolved aluminum, magnesium and calcium salts may also be present. To this solution make up water is added to maintain the solution inventory and sulfuric acid is added for pH adjustment. Iron is introduced into the leach solution by the dissolution of the iron-containing sulfide and oxidized minerals present in the ore deposit. In addition to the iron from dump leaching, iron is also introduced during the precipitation process when the pregnant solution is passed over metallic scrap iron if cementation is used to reduce the copper in solution.

Jan 1, 1972

By Paul K. Edwards

The forces of nature have concentrated sand at various geographical locations that are being mined and processed for a large variety of industrial uses. While most operations serve a number of industries, this paper deals only with the foundry requirements. The forces that have decomposed a source rock, transported this material and redeposited it, have created two general types of sand. These types are classified as the (1) Lake and Bank Sands and (2) Silica Sands. The Lake and Bank sands will contain 92 to 94% Sio2 while silica sands are in excess of 98.5% Si02 and most of the producers wash these sands to up grade their products to 99.5% or better. Included in the Lake and Bank sand would be the river sands that are used primarily for construction purposes. The Foundry Industry is broken down into three types of castings : 1. Grey Iron Foundries The grey iron castings largest market is the automotive industry in Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. These castings are poured at temperatures ranging from 2400° to 2700°F. The Silica Sands or the Lake and Bank Sands will satisfy the requirements of the grey iron castings. There are 2 ½ to three million tons per year shipped from the state of Michigan far grey iron castings by the Lake and Bank Sand Producers.

Jan 1, 1974

By I. R. Miller

The purpose of this discussion is to try to offer some suggestions as to how the zinc and lead markets will perform over the balance of the decade, review some of the factors influencing production and come to some conclusions regarding prices. The past 2 years have been simply awful in terms of consumption, prices and overall profitability for the industry. In looking ahead to the year 2,000, it is probably not a bad idea to look back about 20 years to see where we have been and how we got to where we are. Zinc consumption from 1950 to the early 1970's increased steadily and rather nicely at an annual average rate of close to 4.0%. It was starting in the early 1970's that things started to get volatile and at times, difficult for the industry. The general economic boom of the early 70's was marked by annual consumption rates close to 5.0 million tons, a level not seen again for over 10 years. The First Oil shock of 1973-74 was followed by the sharpest consumption drop in memory. In two years, Western World zinc consumption fell 27%. While our chart shows a rather dramatic recovery thereafter, the average annual growth rate since 1970 has only been a rather modest 1.5%.

Jan 1, 1992