Search Documents

By W. F. Scott, K. L. Somerville

"This paper outlines the development and inplementation of functional training at the Thompson Mine of Inco Metals Company, Manitoba Division. This training is an extension of similar methods implemented throughout the company to meet safety and health and productivity objectives. It consists of the orientation to the mine, induction in the basic mining skills, and specific training in drilling and other skills in the mine. Initial results indicated a positive effect on the safety performance and proficiency of the mine workforce.IntroductionThe primary mining method at the Thompson Mine is mechanized cut and fill, with secondary recovery of pillars by undercut and fill . These methods require a workforce of about 900 hourly operating employees to obtain capacity production of 6500 tons of ore per day.Historically, turnover of mine employees has been high and large numbers of new recruits are introduced to the mine every year. These men are recruited primarily in Manitoba, but also from distant areas of Canada; most of the se people have no previous mining experience.Training has always been an important component of mine operations. Mine supervisors and experienced miners have committed an appreciable amount of time and effort to training these new recruits. As well, training efforts have been directed toward upgrading the skills of experienced workers.Recently, a growing awareness of the significance of this training effort and its impact on accident frequency, productivity, turnover and other important parameters of the mine operation has led to a review of training methods. The training program described in this paper has resulted from this review."

Jan 1, 1981

By L. E. Djingheuzian

Introduction For many years the immense deposits of bituminous sands of northern Alberta have been attracting the attention of our governments, engineers and .scientists ( 6). Undoubtedly these bituminous sands represent one of the greatest potential resources of liquid fuels in the world. However, their commercial development has been retarded by the complexities of the technological problem and by the economic factors involved in the processing of the sands. The technological problem has been attacked from several angles ( 2, 3, 1, 11), and cold water separation of bitumen is one of them. To the ore dressing engineer, the cold water process is of utmost importance since, by the use of standard ore dressing machinery, it accomplishes most efficiently and economically the separation of bitumen from bituminous sands. The significance of using ore dressing equipment was especially enhanced by the fact that the scientific principles which underlie the design of standard machines were demonstrated in the cold water separation process with an extraordinary clarity. This greatly facilitated the analysing of limitations and advantages of different machines during-the pilot plant investigations and helped to complete the investigations practically in the allotted time.

Jan 1, 1952

By J E. Everett, K Jupp, T J. Howard

Precrusher stockpiles are designed principally as buffers to decouple the mining and processing operations. They are usually paddock dumped or dumped over a face to form fingers by dumping haul truckloads and reclaimed by front-end loader in an ad hoc manner. In addition, they are often not built and reclaimed to completion but continually added to and extracted from. While this design suits the mining process and is operationally simple, there can be little confidence in the grade of the ore that is fed to the crusher. This makes short-term grade control difficult and reconciliation back to the mine face imprecise. Well-designed and operated precrusher stockpiles can overcome these deficiencies.The different types of grade variability in mining are reviewed in this paper. The role of precrusher stockpiles in reducing short-term variability is discussed and their ineffectiveness in addressing long-term variability is highlighted. Their role in removing the serial correlation of the extracted ore is explained.Precrusher stockpiles carry out the four, at times competing, objectives of storing, buffering, blending and grade separation. Their actual design and operation result from a compromise between these four competing roles. These roles are explained in detail along with the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of precrusher stockpiles. The recommended blended-in blended-out stockpile (BIBO) design is discussed in detail. Matched pairs of BIBO stockpiles of limited tonnage built and reclaimed to completion retain the best knowledge of grade and facilitate the reconciliation process.Simulation studies have been carried out on BIBO stockpiles to understand the blending opportunities of the different options for building and reclaiming, and to identify the methods that achieve maximum blending. It was found that laying down rows in one direction and reclaiming across these rows gives the best blending. Matching the width of the reclaim face with the daily crushing requirements is also important. The length of the rows, and building in either one or two layers has little effect on the extent of blending.Appropriate design can provide a reasonable compromise between the four objectives.CITATION:Jupp, K, Howard, T J and Everett, J E, 2013. The role of precrusher stockpiling for grade control in mining, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013 , pp 203-214 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 12, 2013

By Farnham. G. S.

It is difficult co know how to deal with this subject before a group having such mixed interests. The mining man is not coo concerned with the problems of alloy research. The engineer is more interested in properties of materials than how these properties can be achieved. The business man feels that scientific history and prognostication are not for him, predicting trends or possible developments in the economic field being a more than sufficient occupation. Yet the application of physical metallurgy research to industry is of importance to miner, engineer, and business man, for only through such application can the continuing existence of industries manufacturing or consuming metals be assured. History shows that hard work does not guarantee industrial survival. For instance, the Bessemer method of steel making superseded puddling operations; it, in its turn, has been largely displaced by open-hearth processing; later, steels made in electric-arc furnaces displaced open-hearth products in the quality field; and now, very specialized steels are being made in high-frequency rather than in arc furnaces. It is apparent then, if industry is co remain healthy, complacency must give way co imaginative planning, based on a thorough knowledge of production technique, a knowledge supplied by efficient research.

Jan 1, 1947

By Allan M. Hale

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

Jan 1, 1980

To gather additional field data from the western United States, researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) installed an array of field instrumentation at a longwall coal mine in Central Utah. The purpose of this field site was to monitor ground movement and changes in pressure during mining where conditions include massive, stiff overburden and relatively deep cover. To accomplish this, field instrumentation was installed in the two-entry gate road between the fifth and sixth longwall panel in the current mining district.

Jan 7, 2020

By H. J. McQueen

ORDER OF PRESENTATION ?INTRODUCTION TO THE VICTORIA BRIDGE ?REASONS FOR A BRIDGE AT MONTREAL ?RAILROAD BRIDGE REQUIREMENTS ?IRON PRODUCTION CANADA / WORLD AL ?METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY CANADA ?FAIRBAIRN, STEPHENSON SHIP PLATE-RIB BOX GIRDER ?VICTORIA BRIDGE (PREFABRICATED BRITAIN) ?IRON ORE SITUATION THE VICTORIA BRIDGE 1859, TUBULAR -WROUGHT IRON* 1898, TRUSS ?STEEL* (*HOT RIVETED) 1957, SPUR, LIFT SPANS ??DUCTILE WROUGHT IRON WITHSTANDS FATIGUE ?TO KEEP THE TRAINS ON TIME & ON TRACK? ??IMMOVABLE SHARP PIERS SPLIT ?THE IRRESISTIBLE ICE, STOPPED CITY FLOODS? ? ?********* ??111 YEARS-YOUNG STEEL TRUSS, (1898): ?STILL VITAL SEA-T0-SEA RAIL LINK? ? ?********* ??51 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE SEAWAY (1958) ?SWITCHED BRIDGE INTO DOUBLE LIFT SPANS?

May 1, 2011

There are presently in use many grinding mill control schemes and concepts. This paper presents one operating method of controlling the particle size of the cyclone overflows for proper metallurgical results and controlling the level of the cyclone feed sump and new feed rate to obtain lowest unit cost of finished (ground) material which is usually at the maximum grinding mill throughput. This system stresses simplicity of field instrumentation and control strategy. Both of these factors lead to better operator understanding and acceptance. The low capital investment of this system also makes it more attractive at the Buick Concentrator when compared to other more complicated systems utilizing mass flow measurement and a computer to calculate circulating load and infer particle size. Furthermore, it has the advantage of utilizing an actual measurement for control, rather than a difficult-to-maintain inferred value. There are several reasons for maximizing mill throughput at Buick. The milling rate before automatic control was too low when compared to mill throughput increases planned for the future. Through this new operating system, it appears Buick will not have to make major changes of mill motors and speeds to meet the increased? production rate. Also, since power costs continue to escalate, it is desirable to maximize the throughput to the grinding circuit and reduce overgrinding to achieve a reduction in power cost per ton of ore milled. Presently, 45% of the concentrators' total power is consumed in this grinding circuit.

Jan 1, 1977

By Walter G. Perkins

T SEEMS almost sheer presumption to attempt' to discuss Russia in its present chaotic political and economic condition, and were it not that at least two certain absolute factors are continuously at work, it would be impossible to' even approach the subject with any degree of intelligence. These are the inborn love of peace of the people and the national character of the cooperative movement. The love of peace inborn in the soul of every Russian, the desire to be left alone and to- live his life among his home village surroundings, is probably one of the two greatest factors that will make the continuance of the present conditions of civil war impossible. One army or the other may sweep up and down the country. but the Russian peasant will: remain in his own village if not literally darken out. This love of peace is evidenced by the fact that there is no country where personal safety is greater than in Russia in normal times. I have traveled in many isolated parts, carrying considerable sums of money and persolial equipment that; in itself, would be a fortune to any peasant, and have never even encountered a condition in which the most wildly imaginative person looking for adventure, 01: trouble, could muster up even a suspicion of fear. This statement applies also to Southern Siberia and Northern Turkestan, which are inhabitated by the nomadic tribes of Khirghese origin.

Jan 1, 1920

By C. A. Geffen

This report, sponsored by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, presents the results of an examination of the safety of the impactor shaft sinking system in comparison to conventional shaft sinking technology. Detailed study of the impactor system was also performed to identify and recommend design changes for optimum safety conditions. A comparison of the impactor machine and its support systems with conventional shaft sinking was made on the basis of relative risk levels. Risk incorporates measures of both the frequency and the potential consequence of accidents. A safety evaluation of the com¬ponent operations of the impactor shaft sinking system was performed using a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) methodology. The results of this analysis show generally that the impactor shaft sinking system is safer than conventional shaft sinking. The potential risk of conventional shaft sinking operations could be reduced by an average of over 35 percent with use of the impactor shaft sinking system. Design change recommendations to further improve the safety of the impactor system include a revised fire suppression system, improved access to and from the operator cabs, reliable noise attenuation measures and improved communication systems. An operational safety manual was also developed for the impactor shaft sinking system.

Jan 1, 1982

By W Taylor, S Chen, R Haywood, M White, R West, J Ranasinghe

In March 2012 a combined BHP Billiton and Hatch team embarked on a program to improve the concentrate burner efficiency of BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam copper flash smelting furnace. A multi-faceted approach including an analysis of the furnace using operational knowledge and first principles engineering led to the design and supply of a new central-lance (disperser). A new, patented, swirl method of introducing the copper concentrate into the furnace was developed to integrate with the existing concentrate burner. Plant trials in 2014 demonstrated an increase of nearly 10 percent in the oxygen efficiency of the furnace. The improved efficiency is expected to provide savings in operating costs and asset life extension of downstream gas and dust handling equipment.CITATION:White, M, Haywood, R, Taylor, W, Chen, S, Ranasinghe, J and West, R, 2015. Improved copper flash smelting at Olympic Dam, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 382–395 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

By K. Turgeon, J. -F. Boulanger, L. Whitty-Léveille, C. Bazin

"Several companies targeting Rare Earth Elements (REE) around the world have completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment showing positive project financial results. Although REE ores may contain high REE value, financing these projects remains difficult in part due to the number of processes required to valorize the elements and the relatively low yield of these processes. Direct ore leaching without the production of a concentrate may reduce the capital and some operating expenditures through process simplification, and increase revenues because of REE recovery improvement.A silicate REE ore is used to test various hypotheses regarding whole ore processing and to develop a simplified flowsheet. An atmospheric leach (200 kg/t H2SO4) of crushed whole-ore containing 0,6% REE, followed by impurity removal and REE precipitation recovers 80% of the REEs in a solution containing REE and Th. The high value contained in most REE deposits makes whole-ore approaches worth considering for most projects, given the losses of valuable species typically associated with the production of a REE mineral concentrate from the ore. INTRODUCTIONRare Earth Elements (REE) find applications in modern and clean technologies, whether civil, industrial or military. With China producing more than 90% of the world’s REE, the embargo imposed by this country in early 2010 increased REE prices for a three year period. With prices having shrunk back many-fold from their peak value, projects put forward during the hike are struggling to secure financing. Owing in part to unconventional processes such as acid-baking and solvent extraction, REE plants are high capital cost and high operating-cost units, and present technological risks (Verbaan et al., 2014)."

Jan 1, 2016

[ ]

Jan 1, 1938

By I. Tinto

"IntroductionEnvironmental pollution problems, caused by gases or effluents, by high noise levels or from air borne dust, are placing increasing demands of the operators, from statutory authorities, and from the general public, to adopt more stringent dust control measures. This requires that a successful plant dust control program be an integral part of any plant operation. While a successful environmental program is a key factor in maintaining productivity and good labour relations, anticipation of future environmental regulations during the plant design phase can avoid the high cost of plant upgrading, or dealing with pulmonary conditions in the work force in subsequent years.Particulate removal, conventionally called dust collection, involves the removal of coarse- and fine-particulates from the airstream. Although generally limited to that required for contro!Hng plant generated air emissions, particulate control equipment also has a wide application for air cleaning and filtration inside the plant, as well as for recovery of usable products.In the late 1950s and early 1960s the public became more concerned with the problems of air pollution. This increasing concern was stirred by an awareness of the extremes to which water pollution had progressed in many of the rivers and lakes, by increasing perception of air pollution as detected by visible smog and harsh chemical odors, by the alarming rate of increase of smog plagued cities and communities, and by specific incidents where ill health could be traced to specific episodes of air pollution. Particle size is perhaps the most important single factor affecting particulate control. Large particles (over 5 microns) constitute the major mass fraction of most sources of emission and economical control equipment dqes exist for their efficient control. However, while these larger particles frequently represent the source of soiling and unsightly smoke plumes, they are not a major health problem as they tend to settle relatively quickly, are more easily scrubbed from the atmosphere by rain, and are not able to penetrate the respiratory system. By far the most important form of particulate air pollution is the fine particulate, (below 3 microns) which is harmful to the pulmonary system. The adverse effects caused by this particulate matter on human health are for the most part related to injury to the surfaces of the respiratory system. Particulate material in the respiratory tract may produce injury itself, or it may act in conjunction with gases, altering their sites or their modes of action. A combination of particulates and gases may produce an effect that is greater than the sum of the effects caused by either individually (i.e. synergistic effect)."

Jan 1, 1989

By Y. Lin

It is difficult to remove arsenic and bismuth from antimony in the process of crude electro refining. The electro refining of antimony has been studied using ammonium fluoride-antimony sulphate electrolyte system. The Influence of temperature, current density and additives on arsenic and bismuth removal from crude antimony has been investigated in this paper. Optimum process parameters, namely, temperature of 25?, current density of 400A/m2, distance between anode and cathode of 50mm, electrolytic period of 24 hours, oxalic acid dosage of 10g/L and complexon III dosage of 0.2 g/L have been ascertained.

Jan 1, 2014

This paper describes new research and development currently being undertaken by the CSIRO Mining Technology Group to advance the automation capability of continuous mining equipment in underground coal mining operations. The effort aims at increasing the overall rate of roadway development as well as providing a safer working environment for underground mine personnel. The activity is funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) and forms part of a larger underground development initiative, known as the CM2010 project. The CM2010 is managed via a consortium of leading mining industry representatives through the Roadway Development Task Group (RDTG). The Task Group has identified three research areas requiring new development in order to realise the CM2010 project objectives: self-guiding (autonomous) continuous miner capability, an enhanced drilling and bolting process and improved mesh deployment. CSIRO's primary role in the CM2010 project is in the development of the autonomous continuous miner guidance capability.This paper reports on outcomes achieved at the half-way mark of a three year research and development project. It details the technical developments undertaken towards demonstration of a 'self-steering' capability to enable a continuous miner to automatically maintain a given mining heading and mining horizon under production conditions. A primary technical requirement of this automated functionality is the means to accurately determine both the location and orientation of the continuous miner in real-time. Testing and validation of the guidance system solution has been implemented using a combination of an instrumentation-grade inertial navigation unit and radar technology. Comprehensive performance evaluations have been conducted using a scale skid-steer mobility platform known as the Phoenix. Results achieved to the present stage of the project are highly promising and suggest that an automated self-steering functionality is achievable under production conditions. This new outcome represents an important move towards implementing a step change improvement for future underground roadway development.

Dec 6, 2010

By W. Lee Daniels

Significant deposits (> 4,000 ha) of heavy mineral sands were discovered in the USA Coastal Plain of Virginia and North Carolina in 1989. The majority of these lands support highly productive row crop agriculture, and the development of restoration protocols that would return these lands to agricultural use was deemed to be critical to the long term sustainability of mining operations. Virginia Tech worked closely with all stakeholders to develop appropriate restoration protocols and to coordinate their implementation. Full-scale mining operations at the Old Hickory Project in Virginia were initiated in 1997 by Iluka Resources Inc., and restoration protocols have continued to evolve in response to a variety of economic, technical, and social issues. Approximately 750 ha of land are in various phases of backfilling and final reclamation. Return of these lands to agricultural row-crop production has been complicated by lateral variability in mine soil physical conditions, excessive compaction, and limited topsoil return. However, within the past two years, a series of tailings deposition and soil reconstruction practices have been developed and implemented that significantly improve post-mining soil productivity. Deep ripping and appropriate use of organic soil amendments have been particularly effective at restoring post-mining soil productivity.

Jan 1, 2005

By Jorge A. S. Tenorio, Girley F. Rodrigues, Joner O. Alves, Denise C. R. Espinosa

"Rock wools are mineral fibers composed of amorphous silicates, due to their thermo-acoustic characteristics this material has a broad consumer market in the construction, automotive, and electric-electronics industries. This work studied the recovery of wastes from ornamental rocks (granite and marble) as partial raw materials in the production of rock wools. Residues from granite and marble cuttings are industrial wastes with considerable production and limited applications. These wastes should be appropriately managed because when discharged in rivers or lakes can cause siltation, and also they can cause serious human health problems, such as silicosis. Samples of produced materials with thickness smaller than 500µm were characterized by chemical analyses, XRD, and DTA. Results showed that the rock wools produced using granite or marble wastes have important properties, especially the melting point. This process decreases the extraction of mineral resources and provides a profitable destination for the ornamental rock wastes.IntroductionThe ornamental rocks industry is a sector with large production of wastes. During the granite and marble extraction processes and specifically during the rocks cutting (see Figure 1), approximately 35 tons of powdered rock per month can be produced. These residues should be appropriately managed, because when discharged in rivers, lakes or watersheds, they can cause siltation. Also, these wastes can cause serious human health problems, such as silicosis [1].Currently, the granite and marble wastes are mainly used in civil construction to produce materials in the form of mortar, bricks and tiles. However, due the current produced volumes and the average growth of world production estimated at 6% per year, new applications for these wastes are necessary [2]."

Jan 1, 2011

By Bell I. F

In 1985, ZC Mines (now Pasminco South) had been unprofitable for some years due to a combination of high operating costs, low metal prices, low head grade and an aging and inadequate mining infrastructure. However, the resource of metal in the ground was still of world class, even after some 80 years of mining. A major study, which was to be of two years duration, was therefore commenced to establish a practical and profitable long term mining strategy and to cost the infrastructure options needed for its support and thus form the justification for a capital expenditure program to take the mine profitably into the 21st century and its second century of operation. This paper discusses the rationale behind the methodology adopted and the nature of the results achieved in one aspect of the study - the determination of the mineable resource and the relationship between the head grade/quantity of the economically mineable resource and the variables of cut-off grade, cost structure, annual production rate and metal prices/exchange rates. The basis of the study was the designing of some 5000 scopes to mine out the entire resource for a range of cut- off grades and the assembly of the detailed physical data thus obtained in a stope-by-stope data base for financial and other analysis. Those scopes which were shown to be economically mineable were then scheduled for two optimum annual production/cut-off grade/metal price combinations to provide life-of-mine cost and value of production cash flows.

Jan 1, 1992

By A. L. W. Lips, B. P. J. Stevens, T. J. R. Barclay, E. Rothery, S. H. White

Discussion by B.P.J. Stevens of the paper, published in Trans. IMMA, vol.104, 1995, p.B1-B17, is presented together with the authors' response. Stevens questions the authors' radically different interpretation of the structural geology of the Broken Hill Block, considering that the descriptive part of the paper is a useful addition but that the conclusions are unwarranted on the basis of the data presented. A number of major points of disagreement are outlined and half a dozen additional minor points listed. In response, the authors admire Stevens's contribution to unravelling the geology of the area but defend their attempts to take the regional studies a step further, pointing out that he has misquoted what they wrote and arguing that because of the assumptions underpinning the derivation of the present stratigraphy it cannot be used to constrain structural models. With regard to shear zones, they cite the extensive earlier literature and refer to horizontal displacements shown on maps produced by Stevens et al. Detailed discussion follows of the stratigraphy and of the stratigraphic correlation problems resulting from failure to recognise the presence and significance of shears, particularly those parallel to stratigraphy. The remobilised position of the Pb mineralisation in the North Mine open cut is reiterated. It is concluded that there is an urgent need for systematic isotopic dating in the area to constrain the stratigraphy

Apr 1, 1996