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By M. S. Safarzadeh, V. Agarwal

"The solvent extraction of cerium(III) and samarium(III) from mixed solutions of all rare earth elements (REEs) except promethium using PC88A (2-ethyl hexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethyl hexyl ester), an acidic extractant, was investigated. The effects of aqueous equilibrium pH, various acids (sulfuric acid (H2 SO4 ), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO3 )), initial metal ion concentration and extractant concentration on the solvent extraction of Ce(III) and Sm(III) were systematically studied. From the experimental results, HNO3 and HCl were found to be the preferred aqueous media for the solvent extraction of both Sm(III) and Ce(III). The most promising experimental conditions of pH, PC88A concentration and metal ion concentration were identified for the extraction of Ce(III) and Sm(III). Separation results showed that H2 SO4 at pH 2 provided the best separation between Sm(III) and Ce(III). IntroductionIn recent years, demand for rare earth elements (REEs) has increased significantly because of their many commercial applications. REEs have especially important high-tech applications owing to their unique physical and chemical properties, and they are used in a wide range of areas such as catalysts, ceramics, magnets, lasers, glass, neutron absorption and alloys. As REEs have very similar physicochemical properties, their separation and purification from each other is challenging and gaining significant interest. Samarium (Sm) and cerium (Ce) are found in different REE minerals, including bastnäsite ((Ce,La,Nd(CO3)F), xenotime (YPO4) and monazite ((Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO4) at major production sites in the United States and China, as listed in Table 1 (Bleiwas and Gambogi, 2013). The most common acidic organophosphorous extractants used for REEs extraction and separation are DEHPA (di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid), PC88A (2-ethyl hexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethyl hexyl ester), Cyanex 272 (bis-2,4,4-trimethylpentyl phosphinic acid) and Cyanex 301 (bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)dithiophosphinic acid) (Sarangi, Reddy and Das, 1999; Surampally et al., 2012; Tian, Jia and Liao, 2013). Out of these extractants, PC88A is known for providing higher separation factors (Acharya, Mishra and Misra, 2015). El-Hefny et al. (2010) investigated the kinetics of the solvent extraction of Sm from chloride media using sodium salt of Cyanex 272 and reported the extracted species to be Sm(OH)A2•2HA. Lee et al. (2005) investigated the solvent extraction of Sm(III) with PC88A and saponified PC88A from chloride solutions and found the stoichiometry of the extraction reactions to be 1.5 with PC88A and 3 with saponified PC88A."

Jan 1, 2017

By A. J. Jeffery

Heat transfer to a fluid flowing through a rough duct has been shown by many researchers to be a function of surface roughness. The effect of roughness asperities on the duct surface is to turbulate the fluid as it flows through the duct, increasing frictional pressure losses and convective heat transfer rates, and also increasing the surface area per unit length available for heat transfer. These factors combine to increase the total costs to the mine in terms of refrigeration and fan power requirements. A measurement system designed to automate the collection of tunnel roughness information and based on an infra-red timed pulse laser has been developed at the Royal School of Mines in London. The system allows accurate, high resolution digital recordings of tunnel surfaces to be made in two or three dimensions. Software for analysing the data has been written, and the description of a complex surface via single numerical term has been explored. A relationship between the numerically measured surface roughness and the pressure loss of the ventilating air is being investigated with a view to establishing an alternative method of describing tunnel roughness. The paper describes the roughness measuring technique developed and the analytical techniques explored so far.

Jan 1, 1993

By Wilfred Walker

Much is known of the geography of the Alpine orogeny because it has now ended and all geosynclines are in their terminal, cordilleran form. The principle of sea floor spreading, continental drift, and mantle cells has gained general acceptance, but the number and position of the cells, even during the Alpine orogeny, is controversial. The oceanographers have demonstrated the uprises and in this paper it is suggested that downflows are marked by island arcs in the oceans and geosynclines (now cordillera) in the continents, for a total of about a dozen cells. Major mineral deposits associated-with the Alpine downflows are porphyry copper, molybdenum, nickel, chrome, lead-zinc-silver, gold, mercury, tungsten, and tin. Amore precise environment is known for some of these metals, for example, nickel, chrome, and mercury in flysch (which flanks mantle downturns), Ten major orogenies have taken place from 3500 m.y. to the present, Their re¬construction and metallogenesis is the subject of a continuing study.

Jan 1, 1971

By Ronald W. Marrs

Kimberlite contains a unique assemblage of minerals and exhibits a characteristic pattern of spectral reflectance in the visible and near-infrared wavelength region. This spectral pattern is readily discerned in well-exposed kimberlite outcrops, but becomes increasingly difficult to identify when outcrops are partially covered by vegetation or soils derived from non-kiaberlitic materials. Detection of poorly exposed kimberlite diatremes is possible using multispectral imaging techniques in which spectral bands are chosen to optimize contrast between he kimberlitic soils, non-kimberlitic soils and vegetation. Careful processing of the multi-spectral data is also essential in order to separate the spectral signature of kimberlite from the signatures of other components of the scene.

Jan 1, 1984

By James E. Friant

The technology applied to shaft sinking has lagged far behind other construction activities. While surface oriented construction and mining have made great strides with new processes and equipment, the majority of shafts sunk currently still follow a drill, blast and muck-out cycle developed in the 16th century. Today, in 1979, the shaft sinking industry is in the midst of its own private industrial revolution. Millions of dollars are being spent annually by industry and government alike to spring the art of shaft sinking into the 20th century. The objective of this paper is to review a few of the newest mechanized schemes for shaft sinking. This is not a theoretical review, however, but a practical one, and deals only with hardware and projects which are currently on jobsites. Figure 1 shows the equipment. On the left is the 241SB 184, a 24 foot diameter blind shaft borer. This machine is currently at about 200 feet, constructing a coal mine shaft in Alabama. It is built and utilized in a manner similar to a tunnel borer. In the upper center is the 1211SR, a 12 foot diameter blind shaft reamer. This machine follows a 6 foot pre-drilled blind pilot hole, and is at work in Chicago. On the upper right is the 121BR, a powerful new blind drill. Just below it is the conical drill head for the 121BR which can utilize either carbide or standard disc cutters. At the center bottom is an expandable back reaming head which can be used to enlarge a drilled shaft up to a maximum of 16 feet diameter, or can be used to produce a shaft having several diameter changes. This equipment is also in use in Chicago.

Jan 1, 1979

By A. P. Gentsch

Commercially mined calcium carbonate is normally found near the surface in the United States. It is nun& either by open pit or underground methods, depending upon its geologic setting. Processing ranges from simple crushing to the more sophisticated ultrafine processes. Intermediate steps are pulverizing, screening, beneficiation, classification, fine and ultrafine grinding, and surface treating. These processes are performed both dry and/or wet resulting in powdered or slurry end products.

Jan 1, 1986

By J. S. Chen

DOE recently funded 21 projects under the solicitation by its Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Division. This project is combining the expertise of an interdisciplinary team of researchers with that of three manufacturers to isolate nuclear waste storage sites using remote longwall mining. The concept is being pursued in Germany, too. This paper will present the conceptual approach to the project and discuss the problems in transferring longwall mining technology to nuclear waste containment.

Jan 1, 1994

By K. Mohamed, G. Rashed

A conventional mechanical anchor bolt consists of a smooth bar threaded at the anchor end, with a conical wedge, and a mechanical shell anchor. When the smooth bar is torqued, the conical wedge pushes the shell anchor against the borehole wall. Coal mines use mechanical bolts in addition to other types of bolts to control the deformation and stabilize the yielded coal ribs. Limited research has been conducted to understand how a mechanical anchor performs in a coal rib. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted the study described in this paper to define the loading characteristics of mechanical bolts (stiffness and capacity) installed in coal ribs at five underground coal mines. Standard pull-out tests were performed in this study to define the loading characteristics of a mechanical rib bolt. Based on the strength of the coal seam and the conditions of the coal mines, the bolts were installed at different amounts of torque. A typical tri-linear load-deformation response was obtained from these tests. It was found that the anchorage capacity depends on the coal strength, and the anchorage stiffness depends on the installation torque. The outcome of this research provides essential data for rib support design. INTRODUCTION Rib falls are a serious hazard in underground coal mines. In the last 10 years, rib failures have resulted in 17 fatalities, representing 52% of the ground-fall fatalities in underground coal mines in the United States (MSHA, 2018). Although resin bolts has been used increasingly in the last few years to control coal ribs, mechanical bolting (mainly expansion-shell bolts) is still used in many underground coal mines. Recently, NIOSH researchers surveyed 90 sites in 14 underground coal mines in the Eastern United States and found that 79% of the mines determine their rib support requirement based on the depth, mining height, and the loading conditions, of which 35% use the conventional mechanical bolts. Conventional mechanical bolts are preferable for rib support because they do not require the miners to be too close to the rib during rib bolting. Hence, using the conventional mechanical rib bolts can reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities during the installation process. The mechanical bolt or the point-anchored bolt is the oldest type of rock bolt that is still in use today. The point-anchored bolt is a tensioned bolt anchored down the hole with a mechanical expansion shell or a grouted medium (Peng and Tang, 1984). Figure 1 shows the components of the mechanical anchor bolt. The mechanical anchor bolt consists of a plug, a shell anchor, a headed smooth bar with the top end threaded, a bearing plate, a hardened washer, and sometimes a friction-reducing washer. The shell anchor can be either standard or bail type. The shell of the standard type is held in place by a nut, while the bail anchor uses a strap to hold the shell in place (Peng, 2008). The diameter of the smooth bar is generally 5/8 in for the #5 bolt or 6/8 in for the #6 bolt. The diameter of the hole that the bolt is inserted into must be carefully controlled since an oversized hole can result in poor anchorage (Moss, 1971). The anchorage is obtained by applying torque to the bolt head, which in turn pulls the wedge down in the shell and expands the serrated leaves against the sides of the hole-wall. In the resin-grouted anchor, the resin replaces the mechanical expansion shell at the end of the hole. The anchorage is achieved by bonding between the resin, bolt, and the hole-wall.

Jan 1, 2019

By R. B. Krog

Airflow patterns in longwall bleeder systems are affected by gob permeability and porosity and the condition of the gateroad entries after mining. As longwall panels are mined, areas of the caved zone and portions of the remaining gateroad entries become inaccessible, making direct ventilation measurement impossible. Mine operators are left to estimate direction and amount of airflow in the gob and the surrounding gateroads. The most readily available locations are where air enters the worked-out area, approved measurement point locations (MPLs) and/or evaluation points such as bleeder evaluation points, intake evaluation points, and the outer bleeder entry. Ventilation models (network or Computational Fluid Dynamics, CFD) can model the gob and the surrounding bleeder system but calibrating these models is difficult without field data. NIOSH installed a tube sampling system ahead of a longwall face and, as the face retreated, released a slug of tracer gas (SF6) to determine transportation times and flow rates in the inaccessible gateroads. The data was used to calibrate both network and CFD ventilation models for a longwall panel. Both model types were used to predict the airflow patterns in the gob and to determine the airflow rate from the longwall tailgate corner back to the bleeders.

Jan 1, 2011

By F. J. Menzer, E. M. Schern

The Morenci/Metcalf porphyry copper mining operation, located in southeastern Arizona, currently processes approximately 91,000 tonnes of ore per day and has copper ore reserves estimated to be in excess of one billion tonnes. Functional groups within the Geology Department (currently staffed with six professional and two support personnel) include mine geology, project geology, and hydrogeology. The primary task of mine geologists is daily preblast bench face mapping with grade and mill amenability estimates. Auxiliary duties include detailed in-pit metal distribution evaluation, mineragraphic work and flux quarry geology. Project geologists conduct exploration and preliminary development projects both within and outside the Morenci district and provide support to ore reserve block modeling and geotechnical work performed by the Morenci mine engineering group. Hydrogeologists handle exploration for and development of groundwater resources and groundwater flow modeling, mine dump leach solution penetration and recovery evaluation, and tailing dam water reclamation.

Jan 1, 1992

By William Gleason

The evolution of technology has made the world a more connected place. It continues to change the way we power our homes and vehicles and is leading to a future that seems to be limitless. Limitless as long as we can continue to supply the minerals necessary for technology to produce better iPhones, more efficient electric cars, better wind turbines and sophisticated national defense systems. These minerals, dubbed critical minerals, have surged in importance in every corner of the world and, on Aug. 3-4, they were topic of conversation at the Critical Minerals 2014 conference in Denver, CO. The conference, hosted by SME and the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), looked at critical minerals from every angle, from where they are found to what the future might be. Among the minerals that have been called critical are rare earths, a collection of 17 minerals that have become increasingly important as technology continues to advance in everything from communications to energy to national defense. Leading off the conference, David Abraham, senior fellow at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security, explained that, like many people, he is relatively new to rare earths. Unlike most people, though, Abraham developed more than a passing interest in the minerals and has since travelled the world to understand the role of rare earths ? where they are found, how they are mined, how they get to market and, eventually, what applications they are used in. Following his travels, he said he returned concerned about the sector and how the industry will keep up with the demand that only seems to be growing in the modern world. And, Abraham noted, that it is not just the developed world that is driving demand. It stretches even to places like Indonesia, where the average annual income is about $3,000/year. Yet, the nation is one of the most active places in the world for social media with a population that is wired in with all kinds of electronics. The problem facing the sector is, and has been for a long time, and especially since 2010, supply of the minerals. At one time, China produced about 98 percent of the world?s supply and controlled the sector completely. In 2010, as the world began to demand more rare earths and develop other sources, China announced an export ban on rare earths. This changed the game completely, from the production lines all the way to the floor of the U.S. Congress.

By B. K. Mishra

The motion of the charge inside a grinding mill is of considerable practical importance. The dynamics of grinding mills have been the subject of study by a number of workers because it can accurately predict: i) the power drawn by the mill, ii) the distribution of forces inside the mill, and hence the wear rate of balls as well as the liners, and iii) mass transport of milled product through the porous ball charge. Some of the earlier analyses of the motion of a charge of particulate material in a tumbling mill were reported by White (1904), Davis (1919), and Dyer (1945) and have been reviewed by Rose and Sullivan (1958). In these works, frictional force at the wall of the mill and between the colliding balls, and the interaction of different ball trajectories, was not considered. Moreover, it was assumed that the profile of the tumbling charge is independent of the degree of filling, which is generally not true. However, all this work led to the identification of so-called "equilibrium surface" which is the plane that separates the rotating charge into two regions. The inner region is static; here there is no motion relative to the mill shell. The other region is a shear region where either the balls flow down the surface of the charge (cascading motion), or are projected out of the surface and follow approximately parabolic paths (cataracting motion).

Jan 1, 1990

By S. Pollak, J. Rickard

The Long Baseline Neutrino Facility Far Site in Lead, South Dakota is currently under construction and involves drill and blast excavation of the largest and deepest caverns in North America. This paper will review how the geotechnical risks are being managed through careful consideration of excavation sequence, completion of exploratory pilot tunnels, implementation of a robust instrumentation and monitoring program, and validation against the design. Aside from having a cross section of 5,900 square feet and being situated at a depth of one mile, the caverns also employ a unique permanent rock bolt solution which underwent a significant pre-production pull testing program involving varying installation methods and being subject to blast vibrations. The behavior of the schistose rock mass and performance of the ground support are being continually monitored throughout the construction phase.

Jun 13, 2023

By W. G. Fischer

Trona ore at the Westvaco mine of FMC Corporation has been obtained by room- and-pillar methods since the mine began operation. The flat-lying, 10-foot bed of trona, Na2CO3 NaHCO3 2H2O, is covered by 1500 feet of weak shale and sandstone. Extraction of pillars on the retreat quite often throws large amounts of weight onto development workings. Weak shales in the roof and floor fail rapidly and the mine ribs slough to such an extent that mining often becomes very difficult. When this occurs efficiency goes down, costs go up, and the risk to men and machinery increases greatly. Difficult mining conditions in the early 60's forced a re-evaluation of all presently known mining techniques in bedded deposits. Many room-and-pillar mining plans' were compared with the system in use at that time, but none of them offered a better solution to the roof control problem. Longwall techniques were seriously considered, but machinery was not available that would cut the hard trona seam and still maintain the productivity obtained from room-and-pillar sections. Roof cones troy in the longwall methods appeared to be more satisfactory than that found in room-and--pillar techniques. It was therefore felt that a new technique using the longwall principle and based on rock mechanics should be tried rather than previously known pillaring methods.

Jan 1, 1966

By P. L. Dunn, G. T. Adel, E. B. Cruz

Automatic control of fine-coal cleaning circuits has traditionally been limited by a lack of adequate sensors. Although several nuclear-based analyzers are available, none have seen widespread acceptance. In this investigation, image analysis is used for the on-line determination of ash contents in fine-coal slurries. The ash content of a flotation tailings stream is correlated to the mean gray level of the slurry. Based on a 90% prediction interval, an analysis of sensor performance indicates an accuracy of 73[±] 4% ash over a range of from 65% to 90% ash. While the results are comparable, the video-based system costs only a fraction of what a nuclear-based analyzer costs. The sensor is now installed at the Middle Fork preparation plant, which is owned by Pittston Coal Co.

Jan 1, 1999

By Claude M. Moreland

It is common practice when thermally drying coal from wet coal preparation facilities that the coarse +0.5mm fractions and fine fractions (-0.5mm) are combined and fed to a thermal dryer. There are very good reasons for this concept. The coal feed is much easier to handle in this condition for it is not as likely to stick inside the dryer or hang up in the material handling equipment, and is easier to feed and discharge. However, it is generally only the -0.5mm fines that really need to be dried. The +9.5m fraction of the cleaned coal will leave the dewatering screens, or drain and rinse screens, at an acceptable surface moisture, probably 5 or 5 ½ percent. The 9.5m x 0.5mm mesh fraction can be centrifuged to about 8 percent. The -0.5m fines can range from 18 to 22 percent or more, depending upon the type of equipment employed to dewater, and upon the size distribution within this size range.

Jan 1, 1982

By Herschel H. Potter

Back injuries arising from such activities as lifting and handling objects have been and continue to be constant and undiminishing hazards of the occupational environment. Back pain in one form or another is experienced by almost a1 1 individuals. During the past 30 years, a great deal of accident prevention education has been directed toward the reduction of back injuries. However, it has not produced any great change in the incidence of the injury. The human spine remains the most vulnerable area of the muscul o-skeleta1 system. Back injuries account for about 400,000, or 18 percent, of all disabling work related injuries each year according to the National Safety Council estimates. These serious back injuries are estimated to have cost more than 1.9 billion dollars in 1976 in medical and lost time pay. 1

Jan 1, 1981

By M. K. Gangal, E. D. Dainty, G. Kunchur

This paper presents a validation of C02 as a single surrogate measurement for other diesel-emitted pollutants in multi-diesel-machine operations typical of small underground mines. This means that the simple measurement of C02 alone can be used to estimate the concentrations of other components of diesel exhaust in the mine environment. The linear relationship of C02 concentration with other diesel-emitted pollutants was indicated by the results of simultaneous real-time monitoring of C02 with CO, NO, NO2, SO2, Respirable Combustible Dust (RCD), and Air Quality Index (AQI) in several small underground mines. The SO2 was not directly measured but calculated from the measured C02 concentration and diesel fuel analysis for carbon, hydrogen and sulphur. The measurements were made in the return air drift under various mining conditions involving a number of diesel LHDs and haulage trucks. The statistical analysis and mathematical representation of the several components of diesel pollutants with C02 are presented. Regression analysis shows that at the 1 percent level of significance there is a strong linear relationship of these diesel pollutants with C02. This relationship is discussed in detail, concluding that C02 measurement alone is a good indicator of overall mine air quality and can be used as a control parameter.

Jan 1, 1991

By B. Pesic

Manganese is about twelfth in the list of the most abundant elements in the earth's crust (Reidies, 1981). More than 150 known minerals contain manganese as an essential constituent (Mellor, 1932). In general, ores containing at least 35%Mn are classified as manganese ores, ores with 10-35%Mn are called ferroginous manganese ores, and ores containing 5-10%Mn are known as manganiferrous ores. One very important class of manganiferrous ores are manganiferrous-silver ores. They occur in the oxidized portions of the silver deposits of the Western United States. Silver is very often associated with manganese oxides which in some ore deposits are dispersed through calcite, causing the black color of the host rock, which is known as black calcite. Black calcites can occur in carbonate rocks (10-1500oz Ag/ton) and in volcanic rocks (less than 1.0oz Ag/ton).

Jan 1, 1986

By Levent Ozdemir, Gerald Dollinger

An extensive series of linear and rotary cutting tests were run in soft and medium strength rocks at the Earth Mechanics Institute of the Colorado School of Mines to investigate the possibility of very high speed mechanical excavation for tunnel, raise, and shaft boring. The results of these tests demonstrate that cutter penetrations of 38.1 mm (1.5 inch) and cut spacings up to 228.6 mm (9 inch) are possible in such rock without exceeding the bearing capabilities of the cutters. It was also demonstrated in vertical boring tests that continuous excavation rates up to 38.1 m/hr (125 ft/hr) can be achieved with state-of-the-art technology provided sufficient thrust and torque is available. A predictor model for soft rocks was also developed using the test data. Analysis of this model shows that the errors between the predicted and observed cutter normal loads appear to be independent of cutter diameter, tip width, cut spacing, and depth of penetration. This suggests that the structure of the model is correct with respect to these variables. An analysis of the coefficients in the model was also made and a correlation found between the principal coefficient and Unconfined Compressive Strength. The second coefficient in the model was found to be similar in magnitude to rock properties such as Brazilian Tensile Strength, Shear Strength and Point Load Index.

Jan 1, 1989