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By F. C. Miller

The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company has divided their coal mines into groups or divisions: Las Animas, Huerfano, Fremont and Gunnison counties. Each division is represented by a safety committee composed of three men appointed by the management and three men selected by the employes? representatives. The three men appointed by the management are usually from a group engaged in routine work that is primarily of a safety nature. Mr. Robert McAllister, chief mine inspector; Mr. George B. Parker, superintendent of first aid and mine rescue training; Mr. F. C. Miller, chief chemist, fuel department; and Mr. 0. C. Irwin, assistant chief electrician. The three men appointed by the management act in each of the four divisions. It is the duty of the safety commit- tee to visit each mine three times per year and make a thorough investigation of conditions underground and on top. Their report is in the form of recommendations to the management for their consideration. They are also called to investigate all fatal accidents and learn, if possible, the cause leading up to the accident and recommend precautionary measures that will prevent the recurrence. This committee inspects the haulage roads, air courses, manways, electrical equipment, ventilation, timbering, working places and humidity. In addition, each mine has a local safety committee with the superintendent acting as chairman. It is the duty of this committee to keep in daily touch with conditions underground and on top. They hold weekly meetings and discuss problems related to safety. These men work on local conditions that govern their affairs. As an example: One of the mines has a checking out board at the man-trip parting in addition to the regular checking in and out system as required by law, and this board is checked before the man-trip leaves for the outside, giving the officials a chance to take prompt action in looking up a man who may have become ill or injured. Should a man walk out and forget to check off, there is a penalty imposed. The ventilation of a coal mine is most important and the method of conducting the air to the working face is one of the greatest precautionary measures linked with safety. A quantity of air must be maintained at every working face to insure rapid diffusion of explosive or noxious gases and in a manner without interruption. With this intent in, view, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company is installing fan equipments with capacities of 200,000 cubic feet per minute with dual drives, twin fans in some instances, for insured circulation. Dual drives consist of a steam engine using exhaust

Jan 1, 1925

By F Ramos

Conventional techniques for resource estimation generally involve the laborious analysis of variograms and the specification of parameters for covariance functions. In large deposits, construction of resource models and their update require significant amount of manual work, expert knowledge and time. In this paper we take a machine learning view to the problem of resource estimation. This is a non-parametric Bayesian method, leading to automatic parameter estimation (learning). Through Bayesian learning, the parameters of the model can be obtained by optimising a quantity known as the marginal likelihood. The main advantage of this approach over conventional maximum likelihood estimators is that the objective function incorporates the OccamÆs razor principle. This allows the comparison of different statistical models û for example, models designed with different covariance functions û and naturally penalises complexity, thus avoiding overfitting. Our technique presents significant flexibility for the definition of mean and covariance functions and permits the usage of more sophisticated models.The second contribution of this work is the formulation of a data fusion mechanism that continuously updates the resource model. As mining progresses, more information becomes available. For example, the hardness of the rocks can be measured while drilling blast holes, grades of ore and contaminants are obtained from cone logging. This information is in general available at a finer spatial resolution but can be more uncertain. The data fusion mechanism can seamlessly estimate the uncertainties of the different types of information and fuse them as new measurements are acquired. This procedure can significantly improve the quality of the resource model, defining new grounds for stochastic mine planning. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in estimating iron ore deposits by integrating information about different grades.

Sep 26, 2011

By Zhuo Sheng

We have designed a high-temperature Raman micro-furnace and cell that is suited for the electrochemical process study of the NO3 − in molten NaNO3– KNO3 (fraction of NaNO3 50 wt%) salt. During the cycle voltammetry and constant potential electrolysis process, the Raman laser beam was focused near the electrode; subsequently, the Raman spectra are obtained and the reduction process of NO3 − is analyzed. In the CV cathodic scan process, the new peak attributed to the ν1 mode of NO2 − emerges, and the peaks assigned to superoxide ions (O2 −) and peroxide ions (O2 2−) are not found. In the constant electrolysis process, the peaks at 1130 and 800 cm−1 appear when the potentials are between −2.0 V and −3.2 V (vs. Pt). The results show that when the NO3 − is reduced in molten the NaNO3–KNO3 mixtures, the reduction product O2− cannot stably exist, and O2− will react with NO3 − to form of superoxide ions (O2 −) and peroxide ions (O2 2−).

By V. Baboudjian, R. J. Geren, J. Thiriar

"The electrolytic tankhouse at CCR was recognized by management as lagging behind modem refineries in terms of productivity, energy efficiency and controls. The operation was also burdened by high maintenance costs of cells, floors and electrolyte recirculation systems.A bench marking program was started in 1986 to evaluate processes and other technology by visiting major copper refineries in North America, Europe and Japan. The basic principles necessary to optimize the operation were defined, and a program calledCCR 2000 was prepared for approval of the necessary capital investments.This paper describes the results obtained to date and outlines the remaining work to complete the modernization program, in particular, the control of electrolytes, the elimination of the Baltimore groove and studies to modernize the stripping operation or adopt permanent cathode technology.IntroductionThe CCR Refinery of Noranda Copper Smelting and Refining (Noranda Minerals Inc.) , in Montreal East, is one of the world 's largest custom copper and precious metal refineries with a capacity to refine 350000 tonnes of copper per year. The silver refinery, which treats the copper tankhouse anode slime, foreign slime and precious metal ingots, produces 800 000 kg of silver, 26 000 kg of gold and 3800 kg of platinum-palladium concentrate annually. Copper anodes are received from the Horne Smelter at Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, and Mines Gaspe Division in Murdochville, Quebec. CCR also refines anodes from Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. in FIin Flon, Manitoba, and remelts anode scrap along with blister and purchased copper scrap ."

Jan 1, 1993

By E Mroczek, M Climo, B Carey, M P. Simpson

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. The composition and volume of geothermal fluids in New Zealand offers considerable potential for the extraction of various metals and minerals, as well as being a source of heat energy, steam and gases, and for use in generating electricity. While extracting products from geothermal fluids is technically feasible, positive economics is the key driver for commercial success; however, there is no assessment of this opportunity that identifies simple, cost-effective processing technologies and provides a greater understanding of the economic viability and barriers for implementing such technologies. The methodology that will be used to evaluate the commercial opportunities for New Zealand is discussed.CITATION:Mroczek, E, Simpson, M P, Climo, M and Carey, B, 2015. From waste to wealth – mineral extraction from geothermal brines, in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 133–138 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

A symposium on the health hazards of respirable dust in the mining and milling of talc was held on May 8, 1973, in Washington, D.C. The results of medical effects on both human and animal subjects were presented. Methods for identification and classification of talc minerals were also presented. Analytical techniques discussed included X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope observation, electron probe, and optical microscopy.

Jan 1, 1974

By Everett D. Jackson

The largest deposits of chromite in the United States occur in tabular layers in the lower part of the Stillwater Complex, Montana. Nearly 900,000 long tons of chromite concentrates have been produced from mines and mills in this area, and reserves equivalent to more than 2,500,000 long tons of Cr2O3 remain in the ground. Layered concentrations of chromite (known as chromitite zones) occur only within olivine-rich layers of the Peridotite member of the Ultramafic zone of the Stillwater. As many as thirteen chromitite zones, lying conformably one above another, have been found, but only five of them are thick enough to be of any conceivable economic interest, and only two of them have been mined to date. Individual chromitite zones can be recognized by their distinctive internal character and by their stratigraphic position in the Peridotite member. The chemical composition of chromite varies consistently between and within the different chromitite zones. The zones range in thickness from about an inch to more than 12 feet, and the Cr2O3, content of their chromite ranges from 36.6 to 49.2 weight per cent. In any given area, the G chromitite zone is the thickest, but the chromite of the H chromitite zone has the highest grade. Laterally, the thickness of the chromitite zones is related to the thickness of the Peridotite member; in general all are thicker in the eastern part of the Stillwater than in the western part.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. W. Watkins

This report describes in detail methods of making corrosion tests and chemical analyses that have been used extensively and satisfactorily in a study of plants in which various surface, waters and brines are conditioned and used for water flooding, brine disposal, and reservoir-pressure maintenance in Kansas, Oklahoma, and North Texas. The tests and analyses described were designed and adapted for use in the field in determining the relative corrosive and plugging tendencies of waters from various sources conditioned by different methods. Although the described methods were developed and used in testing oil-field waters in the Midcontinent oil-producing area of the United States, these same methods should be equally applicable to testing oil-field or highly mineralized waters throughout the world. Many of the methods used have been discussed by the writer (1)2/ previously, and some of them have been used for similar work in other laboratories. Early in the development of the practice of the subsurface injection of brines for disposal and increasing the recovery of oil, it became evident that different methods of chemical treatment and conditioning equipment would have to be devised to sustain desired injection rates into water-input wells. These changes became necessary because the highly mineralized waters produced with petroleum from deep formations became chemically unstable when pumped to the surface, owing to loss of dissolved gases as pressure and temperature dropped to atmospheric and to the contact with atmospheric oxygen at the surface.

Jan 1, 1954

By Manca PP, Lassandro R, Caranassios A, Massacci G, Ciccu R

The paper discusses the state of the progress reached in the development of the diamond wire tool for cutting hard rocks. To the advances of this relatively new technology a substantial contribution has been provided by the research being carried out at the University of Cagliari on samples of granite rocks from different Sardinian stone quarries. On the basis of field experiments and laboratory test data, the mechanism of diamond wire cutting has been assessed. In particular the influence of the rock features and operational variables on tool performance (cutting rate and bead wear) has been Elucidated.

Jan 1, 1992

By Caio Fernando Dias Guillen

Ao longo dos anos os aços para moldes plásticos tornam-se cada vez mais importantes no campo de aços ferramenta. A aplicação destes materiais estende-se pela indústria de processamento de diversos polímeros. Assim são esperadas propriedades específicas dos aços utilizados em cada condição: resistência mecânica, polibilidade, usinabilidade, resistência à corrosão e resposta à texturização são fatores determinantes na escolha do aço. O presente trabalho objetivou caracterizar, com relação às propriedades mais importantes para os moldes plásticos, uma gama selecionada de aços. Através de ensaios foi possível elaborar um quadro comparativo que define os aços que melhor respondem à determinada solicitação. A caracterização dos aços ocorreu através de ensaios de tenacidade, impacto, tração, dureza, características micorstruturais.

Jul 30, 2018

By John C. Loretto

"The paper identifies two of the main problems encountered in recent hydrometallurgical plants for the recovery of gold and silver: firstly, the plant recovery is lower than anticipated from the testwork; secondly, the metallurgical accounting figures cannot be reconciled.The principal reasons for the plant recovery being lower than the testwork are discussed, together with solutions that can minimize these problems both during the design stage and during the plant operation after the problems have manifest themselves.The reasons for the difficulties in metallurgical accounting are analyzed by reviewing the various components of the plant figures. Recommended solutions are given for minimizing this problem and the realities of obtaining accurate figures are discussed.IntroductionThe start-up over the last few years of new hydrometallurgical plants for the recovery of gold and silver has brought to the surface again a number of problems. Most of the problems have existed for some time and they manifest themselves mainly in two ways. Firstly, the plant results do not agree with the metallurgical testwork figures; secondly, the metallurgical accounting figures do not balance.Metallurgical TestworkThe plant results not agreeing with testwork figures are mainly due to:a) testwork samples not representative of the eventual plant feed;b) misinterpretation or misunderstanding of testwork ;c) plant losses;d) plant design not allowing testwork results to be achieved;e) operating deficiencies."

Jan 1, 1982

By John Guilbert

El presente texto describe la historia del descubrimiento y desarrollo del yacimiento de pórfido de cobre-oro Bajo de la Alumbrera. En ese sentido, dicha minera es menos geológica, teórica y está más orientada a más modelos geológicos, puesto que cuando K. Richard finalizaba la exploración y evaluación del yacimiento de Toquepala en la década del 60, Bajo de la Alumbrera estaba siendo descubierta. Asimismo, la minera se encuentra al noroeste de la República Argentina en una región donde ocurre una cadena de yacimientos de cobre, conocida como el "Cinturón Metalogénico de Pórfidos de Cobre". Allí también existe el complejo volcánico llamado "Farallón Negro" que en superficie contiene muchos sulfatos denominados "alumbres", de donde se originó el nombre de Bajo (depresión topográfica) de la Alumbrera.

Apr 26, 1999

By S. H. Lucas

"This paper describes the development and application of single-stage fluidized bed continuous ion exchange to the following processes: removal of base metals from mine water; cyanide removal from gold mill waste; uranium removal from sulphuric acid leach liquor; and uranium removal from mine water. IntroductionThe recovery of metals by fixed bed ion exchange has been practiced for many years. However, the operation has been semi-continuous and can only treat clarified liquors. Substantial savings could be made if the operation were continuous, thus reducing the resin inventory, and if the costly filtration and clarification steps could be eliminated. Work has been in progress over the past twenty-five years on the recovery of metals from unfiltered ore leach slurries, heap leach liquors and mine drainage waters containing a small amount of suspended solids. In the case of dilute waste solutions, with suspended matter and high flow rates, filtration is usually prohibitively expensive.Continuous ion exchange operation using fluidized beds has made it possible to reduce considerably the resin inventory and to allow the treatment of unclarified liquors and slurries. The subject has been reviewed on several occasions (1. 2. 3, 4). Although fluidized beds in multi-stage columns are an improvement over previous resin-in-pulp treatment, they have complicated internal structure and I or involved automatic control systems to move the resin stages.Slater and Prud'homme performed studies on multi-stage fluid beds, and concluded that the performance of single, deep fluidized beds of resin with continuous or semi-continuous flow of both phases would be worth investigating, particularly in the case of very dilute metal solutionsoi, A pilot plant was designed and built at CANMET in a cooperative project with Dr. Slateroi. The use of deep fluidized beds of resin (with a large height/diameter ratio) for treating dilute solutions has the attraction of engineering simplicity. Extreme simplicity of equipment design is considered of paramount importance when treating, for example, mine waters at high flow rates, possibly of the order of several million gallons per day. This paper describes the development of the concept of single-stage fluidized bed continuous ion exchange arid reviews the pilotplant development of processes for the treatment of base metal mine water, cyanide waste water, uranium leach liquor and uranium mine water."

Jan 1, 1980

By Mafalda Arias

Most mining and mineral exploration companies? operate in remote locations, in Canada or internationally. Not knowing the cultural imprint of your team and the places where your company is active, may lead to problems. To set the foundation for a better world, it?s important to built trust and relationships inside your global team, within communities and together with stakeholders. Building the ?invisible asset? and developing intercultural awareness is an important part of leadership programs for geologists and engineers on your team, and should be a key component of your Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Why is culture important for mining and mineral corporations in their CSR initiatives? Because culture is the foundation of your organizational identity. Understanding the impact of identity, for an organization and for each individual, will provide a description of the experiences and values that affect every work placed interaction, with your clients, with colleagues, with suppliers, with the community of the host country. Each one of us sees and evaluates the world through our perceptions. Through these perceptions we give meaning; how we view and understand our reality which sets the tone for how relationships are built. This is what I call building the ?invisible asset?. Identity, experiences, values and beliefs are invisible commodities, locating them can be as difficult as finding a mine. But if they are not located, the commodity does not have value. Just like in the work we do in our industry. For example when you are working in an underground gold mine and the vein is lost, you keep on working and trying to find the vein; time passes, money is being used and no results. You decide to bring an expert on this type of deposits who gave you directions that allowed you to find the vein. To be a responsible citizen of the world and to set the foundation for a better world, it is imperative to go deep, as deep as your next drilling program, because only there and then, can you develop the cultural sensitivity and the ability to become an agent of change for responsible, sustainable and profitable businesses.

Oct 1, 2010

By Ta M. Li, Russell A. Carter

The first century of mining in northern Idaho's Couer d'Alene District will soon he drawing to a close. Like so many other great raining districts, it has been a period accompanied by a rich and colorful history. From its early days as a gold rush camp, the district has evolved into the leading silver producer in the US, but the going has not been easy: early-day labor disputes, the challenge of mining for profit in some of the deepest mines in the Western hemisphere, and the constant search for new reserves at great depths have taken their toll of mines-and miners-along the way. To these traditional mining problems have of late been added the burden of inflationary cost increases, pollution control, and reclamation. A recent visit to the district by MINING ENGINEERING, how ever, revealed that the deep commitment of the operating companies and the quiet competence and vitality of their engineering personnel are key factors in the continued prosperity of the district.

Jan 7, 1976

By Jacob Carr, Christopher C. Jobes, Chenming Zhou, LaTasha R. Swanson, Jennica Bellanca, Jingcheng Li

Magnetic proximity detection systems (PDSs) are used with continuous mining machines (CMMs) to protect miners from striking and pinning accidents. Generators are used in a PDS to create magnetic fields covering the space around a CMM. The PDS determines the proximity of a miner relative to the CMM based on the magnetic flux density detected by a miner-wearable component (MWC) and simultaneously alerts the miner and stops the motion of the CMM if the miner is within a proximity that creates a striking hazard. A stable magnetic field is essential to the accuracy of the proximity calculations performed by the PDS. This paper presents the results of a systematic study of the magnetic influence of two types of steel structures found near a CMM— the body of the CMM itself and the wire mesh used for roof and rib control. The results show that the steel of the CMM body can change the magnetic field distribution and also alter electrical parameters of a PDS by changing its generator current. The study also shows that, depending on the distance between the wire mesh and a generator, the magnetic field can also be altered.

By T. A. Rickard

Flaubert, as we know, laid stress on the selection of the right word, le mot juste, the precise epithet, the word that belongs to the thing. A sentence, or even a paragraph, may be spoiled by the use of a word that is not proper, that does not fit or is foreign to the meaning intended. An Australian mining expert is reported to have said: You have a property of considerable value, and what I saw warrants a good development of very rich cubicular galena, with gossan intermixed. 'Cubicular' means `belonging to a small bedroom', a `cubicle' being a sleeping compartment. He meant `cubic', of course. This is a malapropism, and reminds me of the lady from Chicago that, on her return from Europe, said how much she had enjoyed the rural parts of France, because, among other things, it was "so delightful to hear the French pheasants singing the mayonnaise to the tune of the Los Angelus". It is impossible to amalgamate coal-tar thoroughly with the pulp in the agitating-tank. In metallurgy, `amalgamate' refers to the combination of mercury with one or both of the precious metals, forming an amalgam, which is an alloy of mercury with another metal. It differs from other alloys, such as brass or bronze, in being made without the aid of heat, inasmuch as mercury is molten at the ordinary temperature. The word comes to us from the Greek. through Old French and means `something soft'. It is a mistake to use technical terms, having a specific meaning, for purposes that are foreign to that meaning. The writer of the quotation is not discussing any combination of metals; he is dealing with the physical process of mixing and is using 'amal-

Jan 1, 1931

By H. B. Miller

By its nature, underground metal mining is unlike any other business in the industrial sector. Operations are continuously exposed to economic risk as a normal consequence of mining due to uncertainties associated with the? deposit, excavation, and ever changing political, regulatory, and market conditions. Out pacing advances in productivity and technology, these conditions have contributed to the steady decline of underground hardrock mining in the United States. This paper investigates the trends and major factors believed to be responsible for this decline. Special consideration is given to changes in direct operating costs, labor productivity, and production capacity.

Jan 1, 1995

By W. W. Adams

"The present world-wide demand for increased production in all branches of essential industry involves a matter of vital concern t persons engaged in the mining industry, namely, the productive capacity of the individual mine employee. This applies particularly to coal-mining, upon which other industries so largely depend.The folded and faulted condition of the coal beds in some countries, as well as the thinness and depth of the seams, the adaptability to the beds of available mining machines and equipment are factors which cannot be overlooked in determining what increase in individual output may be looked for in any given country. This subject, while of fundamental importance, can only be referred to in a paper of this length, the primary object here being merely to present a comparative tatamant of individual output under prevailing conditions.The quantity of coal produced by a miner does not accurately indicate the miner's capacity as a workman, not only because of the natural conditions referred to above that limit his annual output, but also because of human factors which may possibly, however, be controlled, such as the demand for coal, the car supply, use of labor-saving machinery, number of days worked during the year, accidents in the mine, etc. It will, however, be an aid in answering the important question as to how and where the immediate need for coal throughout the world may best be surlier, if we examine the output of the miners in the important coal-producing countries over a period of years.Complete official information for recent years is, for several countries, jacking, particularly for France, Austria, and Prussia, but partial data from unofficial sources may be used to show the individual output of the miners in these countries."

Jul 1, 1920

By Zengwu Zhao, Peng Xu, Jieliang Wang, Qingwei Bai, Xinyang Liu, Xiao Lei

The paper investigates the capture and recovery of rare earth minerals from Bayan Obo ore using superconducting magnetic separation. A finite element model (FEM) was established to study the influence of various factors on the capture of rare earth minerals under a high-gradient superconducting magnetic field. The study aims to improve the efficiency of rare earth mineral separation and recovery.

Oct 1, 2023