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By I Grant

On the 1 June 1978, the Town and Country Planning Act 1953 was replaced by the revised and more comprehensive Town and Country Planning Act 1977. The new act brings in some substantial changes to the law affecting regional and district planning, and for the first time makes provision for maritime planning. The importance of the Town and Country Planning Act 1977 to the Mineral industry is primarily in the relationship between Regional Planning Schemes and District Schemes as the needs and resources identified in a Regional Planning Scheme will override the underlying District Schemes. The mineral extraction industry must be recognised as a regional responsibility which draws on the resources of a region to satisfy the demand of the communities within that region rather than a purely local operation within one District.

Jan 1, 1978

By Gee C. E

Ore reserves at the Kambalda Nickel Operations of Western Mining Corporation are estimated using the polygonal method for calculating areas of influence of drillholes. All raw assay and survey data are stored on one disk pack on the Company's CYBER 73 computer located in Perth, about 600 km from Kambalda. The initial step involving the computer is to search all assay data and calculate all potential ore-grade intersections. As the orebodies are thin, structurally complex and many are in close stratigraphic proximity, the selection of intersections which have the best grade over at least a minimum mining width involves complex logic. The orientation of an ore surface at each drill intersection point and a zone code are added to each intersection by the geologist from geological plans prepared for each ore surface. The orientation data together with downhole surveys enables the calculation of inter- section true widths and the zone code links each recalculated intersection to the appropriate ore surface.

Jan 1, 1977

By Durao F

A multi-layer feed-forward neural network was trained (using the error back-propagation algorithm) to learn a subset of rules designed to stabilise the performances of the copper flotation section of a complex sulphide processing plant and then tested in order to evaluate its expert performances. Two types of neural networks were compared: the classical ones, fully connected between one layer and the adjacents (with different architectures), and entropy networks, partially connected and generated according to a methodology that simplifies its building up. The advantages and drawbacks of both were analysed and compared with classic (rule based) expert systems.

Jan 1, 1995

Although giant strides have been made in the Australian mineral industry over the past quarter of a century in terms of mineral discoveries, self-sufficiency of commodities, contributions to exports and other aspects, there are unhealthy signs emerging which require attention. For instance there are 20 out of 34 discoveries of base metals, uranium and nickel which for a number of reasons await development. Some of the reasons for the standstill in the mineral industry are partly economic, partly due to competing land use, uncertainty in applying or, recognising the principle of crown ownership of minerals, and to some extent lack of appreciation of two closely related exploration activities referred to as development exploration and assessment Exploration.

Jan 1, 1979

What is the best circuit to comminute primary crusher product to make beneficiation feed? Finding the best circuit to crush and grind minerals to beneficiation sizes is a complex problem that can lead to interminable discussion. Conclusions reached can be questioned. This will continue as long as the technology of comminution continues to expand, and is a mixture of many technical and economic factors in what is not a precise science. Laboratory and pilot plant procedures now exist that can help process engineers make sound decisions on which circuits are the best for crushing and grinding the specific ore being studied. It is the aim of this paper to discuss such procedures so a better under- standing of key decision parameters is avail- able, and to update comminution testing which has seen a. period of change in which new procedures have been introduced.

Jan 1, 1978

The introduction of legal certification of mine managers is a matter of history. It was introduced as part of legislation for mine safety. It has been said that such legislat- ion was written in blood. Like all legislation this legislation is divided into three sections; commands, obligations and sanctions. While legislation in all States on this subject is similar, the differences are great enough to have prompted the preparation of a Uniform Code by the Annual Conference of Chief Inspectors of Mines. This Uniform Code has not been adopted fully by any State to date. Legal certification of mine managers has made managers more aware of the requirements of the legislation covering their industry, legislation that reads as a summary on past accidents and methods of preventing them. While budding managers spend considerable' time in their early years in the preparation for certification, history has shown that the industry has benefited from their efforts. A better knowledge of the safety acts by the managers has produced safer operations, and a higher standard of management has raised the technical standards of mining operations to a stage where Australia can be proud.

Jan 1, 1980

The Lower Palaeozoic Woolomin Association is composed of chert and jasper (often radiolarian), siliceous argillite, the mafic volcanics with associated hyaloclastites, and occasional greywacke and limestone lenses. Several "Cyprus-type", conformable pyritic copper (+/- zinc and cobalt} sulphide lenses are spatially related to individual mafic volcanic units and manganiferous chert and/or jasper. The Association has been interpreted to represent an oceanic crustal remnant generated either in an island arc environment (Herbert, 1981) or at a divergent plate boundary (Scheibner and Glen, 1972; Leitch, 1974a, 1975) later to be obducted, or tectonically emplaced, into continental crust; the adjacent Peel Fault was considered to be the palaeo-obduction zone (Scheibner and Glen, 1972) and the associated alpine-type mafic/ultramafic complex, an ophiolite (Crook and Felton,1975).

Jan 1, 1990

The Australian mining industry is at an interesting stage in its development. Of the large number of mining companies in Australia, some are still solely domestic in their focus. others have made their first tentative forays offshore, and others are global players of significance in the world industry. It is not long ago that the entire industry was almost exclusively domestic in its focus. Very few companies before the early 1980s had ventured offshore, and those that did so were considered quite risque. The initial moves were made mainly by large companies who could afford to lose the funds expended in getting started in a range of offshore locations.

Jan 1, 1995

By Thuli AJ

Copper concentrate from Bougainville's copper mine located on the west slope of the Crown Prince Range on Bougainville island, is pumped 27 km to the filter and drying plant at Anewa Bay for preparation and storage prior to shipment to overseas customers. Prior to shipment the thickened concentrate slurry is passed through a test loop to check that its consistency and pH are acceptable for transportation through the main pipe line. The Bougainville pipe line is unique since it is the world's first copper concentrate system. where slurry is pumped an appreciable distance against a high head,

Jan 1, 1975

By Williams RJ

This paper presents an overview of the design and development , application to date and potential of a real-time return gas monitoring system.Initially developed as an ACARP/Industry funded project, whose prime aim was to create a `turn-key', prototype, stand alone, real-time, Return Gas Monitoring System (RGMS) capable of providing quantitative assessments of gassiness levels on a shift by shift basis, enabling unusual gas emission patterns to be readily flagged.

Jan 1, 1998

By Woodlands W. K

A 3D graphics modelling system has been applied to longhole stope ring design at Z.C. Mines, Broken Hill, NSW. This has been in operation for a four month period (January, 1988). The purpose of this application was to provide computer assistance to mine planning engineers and blasthole design draftsmen for the longhole design process, particularly by: 1. reducing the- volume of tracing, drafting and geometric manipulation which is a significant feature of the manual design process, 2. providing additional design drawings to enhance the conception and implementation of stoping design.

Jan 1, 1988

By Sheridan GD

Fifteen samples 'of clays and shales from the Adelaide area were selected from a total of 84 as representing material of possible value for the manufacture of light-weight aggregate. A detailed examination of the bloating. characteristics of these revealed four likely to be suitable. for expansion.' in a rotary kiln. One of these, a Tapley. Hill shale., was-fired in an 8 in. diameter rotary kiln, but con-tinuous bloating without ring formation in the kiln was not achieved. Steam,,-oxygen,, sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide have been, suggested. as the agents of bloating. An examina-tion of .. the evidence : `leads to the conclusion that carbon dioxide derived from. carbonate minerals is likely to be the principal bloating agent. Attempts to bloat clays by the addition of mica were.not successful.

Jan 1, 1963

In the last few years a number of mineral laboratories were established in Indonesia coinciding with the increase in gold exploration in the region. Prior to this, much of the analytical work was sent outside the country,however this is no longer neccessary.

Jan 1, 1990

Uranium minerals were found in Australia as early as 1869, but it was not until the 1940's that a search specifically for uranium was begun. Instrument types and techniques used in early exploration are still used today, but have been developed into more sophisticated and portable types. Recent improvements in exploration have been the introduction of the gamma ray spectrometer, radon sampling and geochemical surveys. The environments of presently defined uranium deposits are predominantly sedimentary. Known deposits in igneous environments are usually small. The size of targets which are likely to provide economic deposits is of the order of 10,000 tons U308, producible at a cost of less than $10 per pound. Such targets are most likely to be in Precambrian sediments or in granitic masses. Recent exploration in Australia has included investigation of Precambrian sediments, Precambrian and Palaeozoic granites, Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments, Precambrian volcanic rocks and brecciated masses of unknown age. The origin and method of emplacement of uranium in these environments is not well known but there are indications that syngenetic sedimentary processes are important, and volcanic rocks may make a major contribution to the supply of uranium.

Jan 1, 1970

The use of coal as a fuel for heat and power generation has a long history. During the nineteenth century most of the present combus- tion technologies were pioneered, as shown in Table 1, This period was associated with the "golden age" of coal and its contribution of almost 80% of the world's energy demands in the early,1900s . The decline in the use of coal has been due to the transfer of the heavy transportation area to diesel power, the elimination of coal as a household fuel and the substitution of oil for coal in power plants. Coal remains the major fuel for the electric utility industry and the present paper will be concerned primarily with that application. Table 1 outlines the development of coal tech- nology with the parallel understanding of coal as a material and its behaviour during combus- tion. Clearly many developments in combustion technology have occurred in this century, although most of the processes had been invented in the nineteenth century. Also, the great expanse in coal research of the past few decades has led to a greater understanding of the coal combustion process.

Jan 1, 1987

Maximising margins in highly competitive international markets demands superior productivity. A key to superior productivity is using a process approach to enable rapid, ongoing improvement of production, commercial, administrative, marketing

Jan 1, 1998

The Southern Mines Rescue Station (S.M.R.S.) has been established for 55 years and in the past 15 years has had only 4 major call-outs. Whilst the mines rescue training program has continued to expand, the Station has become involved in other work which includes mine worker training and limited research. Notwithstanding, the prime role of the Mines Rescue Station has not been overlooked and the Station has only advanced with the many changes that have occurred in the coal industry. The Rescue Station activities are financed by contributions from Colliery proprietors and the aim of the S.M.R.S. Committee is to provide a service in which colliery management and mine workers will have a high degree of confidence.

Jan 1, 1981

The on-going technical developments to enhance the productivity and cost effectiveness of large blasthole drills incorporate many of the blasthole drilling operating experiences garnered over the past half century.Those experiences have shown in part that on a drill unit with good quality structural elements the higher the percentage of the electrical and electronic components designed into the product, the higher its productivity and the lower its operating cost.

Jan 1, 1992

While South Africa is well endowed with mineral resources, it is generally accepted that its future will be determined more by the development of its human resources than its mineral wealth. The country has throughout its modern history suffered from an over-supply of unskilled labour and a shortage of skilled and professional manpower. There has furthermore always been an over-reliance on Whites as an internal source of professional manpower, supplemented by immigration wherever possible. Better utilisation of other population groups in professional positions has been hampered by the general lack of education and training among such groups. Although many problems still remain, there are emerging trends which are likely to positively affect the training of professional manpower in the future. The direct and indirect influences that are likely to affect professional training at the macro level include 1. government policy and objectives in respect of manpower education and training, 2. the emergence of technikons as fully- fledged tertiary education institutions, 3. demographic trends in South Africa as they pertain to education, 4. political and statutory developments in the country, 5. industry involvement in tertiary education, and 6. professional registration.

Jan 1, 1986

The mining industry views with the utmost concern, legislative or administrative action that inherently reduces the scope for exploration activity. Is there any basis for this concern in relation to Victoria? This paper will outline the role of the Department of Minerals and Energy and the main features of legislative provisions affecting exploration effort. The practical difficulties that confront the Department and explorers alike will be examined. The importance of industry representation to influence the direction that policy and legislative review might take, will be highlighted. Above all, the paper will establish that one essential duty of government is to ensure the provision of appropriate mining titles and security of tenure.

Jan 1, 1982