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By O. A. Bascur

It is difficult to analyse the economics without an integrated view of mine transactions, stockpile inventories, process flows and assays. The lack of integration of mining and metallurgical information with sufficient detail to analyse and act is a problem. However, to take action requires real time information from manufacturing assets, corrected for gross errors from trucks, shovels, conveyors, faulty sensors, bad instrument calibration. Validation methods use process models to identify inconsistent information in the case of corrupt actionable information. This paper presents new strategies that transform the data into business information for continuous improvement and optimization. This technical presentation will review recent implementations enabling large metallurgical complexes to improve their data quality for overall production and energy management. A competence center emerges as an enabler for implementing operational intelligence. The evolution of Web services to troubleshoot plant information and to collaborate at the enterprise level is presented.

Jan 1, 2014

By Alexandre Keunecke Hardt

A dinâmica competitiva do mercado globalizado demanda informações confiáveis no dia-a-dia das empresas. Essas informações são preciosas, pois estabelecem vantagens que permitem que as empresas mantenham suas lideranças no mercado. Enquanto sistemas de Business Intelligence (BI) normalmente pertencem ao mundo da gestão e da estratégia, os conceitos da Indústria 4.0 trazem um conjunto de novas oportunidades para obtenção e extração de dados direto do chão-de-fábrica, permitindo com isso que decisões operacionais e táticas suportadas por esses dados sejam tomadas quase em tempo real. Uma solução BI desenvolvida em tecnologia OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) possui na etapa de ETL (Extract Transform Load) um de seus maiores gargalos. Este trabalho propõe uma ferramenta de processamento desenvolvida em Spark, denominada neste trabalho como BI 4.0, que resolve esse problema ao realizar o ETL de forma escalável, distribuída e com alta performance, trazendo ganhos significativos para o negócio.

Aug 17, 2017

By M. Bunch

"THE SUPER CYCLE IS GONE The utopia of the rising sales volume, for mining companies from 2002-2011, was entirely due to rising production volume and prices. The Australian mining sector experienced an 18 percent annual growth rate in revenues, and 11 percent growth in prices. (1) However, EBIT remained flat during the same time period. In addition, Australian mines saw a 7 percent annual decline in both labor and capital productivity. (2) Mines in the U.S. and Canada produced similar results, whereas the world-wide mining industry has seen a productivity drop of 40% since 2001. (3) The decade “Bull Run” of rising prices was trashed by companies that chased low-quality assets while increasing debt on their balance sheet. It seemed everyone believed the “super cycle” would last forever, while completely ignoring the history of cycle downturns. Worldwide mining operations are as much as 28 percent less productive today than a decade ago, according to new McKinsey research. The results from McKinsey’s new MineLens Productivity Index (MPI), which adjusts for declining ore grades and mine cost inflation, show that the pronounced decline in productivity is evident across different commodities and is seen in most mining players and geographies. (4) McKinsey sees three important areas of focus to address the root causes of productivity decline. 1) Embed effective management operating systems at mines 2) Prioritized operational excellence and capabilities development 3) Focus on innovation Reality has now settled back in and companies are struggling to make ends meet. The basic management staple of controlling costs and improving the production/productivity that was lost in the excitement is now back in play. Traditional cost-cutting approaches, such as across-the-board spending cuts, layoffs, and hiring freezes are only short-term initiatives and will not permanently improve a company’s cost structure or improve long- term competitiveness. This can only be accomplished by engaging front-line employees and empowering them to make necessary improvements in their daily work. It is time for leaders to lead and develop cultures of continuous improvement within their organizations in order to sustain their mining project to the end of mine life. Successful operating managers require two different skill sets of Leadership and Management; knowing how to lead people in their organization and how to manage the work they do."

Jan 1, 2016

By P. J. Petit

"The complex planning required to achieve any planned production yields multiple and dissociated responses over the life of project (LOP). The customary decision-making process negates the possibilities of developing optimized and integral solutions from operating levels up to business and strategic levels. This results in an inefficient project or overall underperformance of the operation.In the project setting, disconnected trade-offs and improved performance studies become inadequate, because they are site-specific and use only a few comparative parameters. They are often based on a small data-set.Decisions taken to achieve overall objectives require the correct determination and dissemination of key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPIs indicate efficiency in operation, whereby the marginal rate of technical substitution corresponds to the rate of production. It is the necessary condition for optimization. Performance realization for sustainability follows optimization modelling, the latter often being presented with financial results such as business net present value (NPV). It considers techno-financial constraints and provides a strategic and aligned outlook of KPI decisions for an enhanced and integrated outcome.This paper explains a mining case study that is rendered efficient, and through business optimization (BO) short-term and sustainable targets are reached. Business optimization increases the NPV by 14.7%. This is achieved by challenging conventional decision-making associated with maximizing business value by including environmental externalities within the LOP."

Jan 1, 2016

By Roger Davieds

FACT: a company?s profitability (or loss) is directly related to the efficiency and effectiveness of its maintenance operation. Fact: in order to contribute in a positive manner, maintenance must understand what its true purpose is in the organization. It is easy to say our main purpose is to increase: ?equipment uptime ?OEE ?asset life cycle We all understand this; so does management.

May 1, 2010

By Dick Ruby

Most miners know that Latin America's major mineral areas are in the mountains of Mexico and down the backbone of the Andes in South America. These areas comprise some of the more rugged and challenging parts of the world's geography, and the risks of doing business in these areas are just as difficult as the impressive task of extracting and processing ores. However, Latin America does contain mineral deposits, some untouched and many to be discovered, that convince venturesome people that the tremendous effort required to mine them will be worthwhile. The rewards have often been adequate in the past. Hopefully, they will be in the future. Background The safest statement that can be made about Latin America is that the "ballgame is constantly changing." Here are some examples: Chile. Under President Frei in the 1960s, Chile welcomed foreign mining interests, even though the government was acquiring significant ownership interests in the big copper properties. Then, under Allende in the 1970s, the big mines were taken over and compensation was denied on various grounds including the allegation that extraordinary profits had been made that should have been taxed. After Allende, an about-face was made in policy; former owners of the expropriated mines received some compensation and new foreign investment was seriously welcomed. Many major companies announced intentions to return to Chile. Some have. Peru. After a military takeover in 1968, Southern Peru Copper

Jan 7, 1983

By G Campbell-Cowan

Much has been written about the fact that most transformation efforts disappoint. This paper addresses factors that should be taken into consideration in planning and implementing transformation programs to ensure success.In 2009, St Barbara commenced a transformation program to address issues of chronic poor quarterly operational performance; financial pressure caused by the unreliable operational performance; and an inability to develop business plans with integrity and to reliably deliver on the plans. As a result of a number of years of disappointing operational performance, St BarbaraÆs culture was not conducive to business success.This paper uses lessons learnt during St BarbaraÆs transformation program to highlight key characteristics of change programs that can generate significant sustainable benefits. While there were many benefits from the transformation program, the most significant impacts of St BarbaraÆs program have been transformation of the companyÆs culture and capability of people as business leaders; the establishment of a business systems framework to guide the design and development of systems; and developing support functions, for example centralised procurement and supply chain, business improvement and technical services.CITATION:Campbell-Cowan, G, 2012. Business transformation - Lessons learnt for successful change, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 135-142 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

By G. Walsh, L. Wolkovitch, A. Savage, V. Romero, T. Zimmerly, G. Imahara, J. Hyneman, K. Byron, D Tapster, S. Belleci, J. Metzger, M. Stanley

Testing was conducted at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center for the MythBusters on three separate occasions. This testing included (1) an experiment designed to create diamond from graphite using the shock and pressure of a detonation, (2) the flattening of a car using a steel plate driven by a rocket sled, and (3) the bifurcation of a car also using a rocket sled. All tests were successful; diamond was produced following the detonation of ANFO, and extracted from a graphite / cobalt matrix. A plate was accelerated to 646 mph (1040 km/hr) using a two-stage sled system loaded with 5” (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets (HVAR) into a car, which was subsequently demolished. Finally, a steel wedge was pushed to 541 mph (871 km/hr) by a one stage sled using HVAR rockets, and was able to cleanly cut a target car in half.

Jan 1, 2010

"Butte originated as a placer mining camp. The first gold discovery was made in the year 1864, near what is now Main Street. Placer mining was vigorously prosecuted along Silver Bow Creek and in Missoula, Buffalo, Town and Parrot gulches for a period of five years, at the end of which time, in 1870, the camp was practically deserted. In the meantime, the quartz veins so prominently traceable over the hillsides were located, the first location being made by W. L. Farlin and called the Black Chief claim, and later restaked as the Travona. Reasoning from the presence of the gold placers, free-milling gold ores were eagerly looked for by the early prospectors. Claims covering the great Rainbow and other silver lodes were located in the sixties. The presence of valuable silver ores in these veins caused the staking out of many claims, believed to be valuable only for silver, but which later proved to be enormous copper producers.Treatment of these early discovered rich ores was first attempted in arrastres. Later, stamp mills were built. The Centennial dropping 10 stamps, was the first, and in 1875 Mr. Farlin built the Dexter 10-stamp mill, intro¬ducing chloridizing-roasting. More successful processes were soon introduced and several large mills built, among which were the Alice, Lexington, Silver Bow, Moulton and Bluebird, in all representing a total of 290 stamps. The silver mining industry reached its zenith in 1887 and declined rapidly in the early nineties, following the sudden drop in the price of silver in 1892.During this period of silver mining activity the business of copper mining was making rapid strides. Development of the veins, located as silver veins, had uncovered copper ore in many instances. There was great activity in ""claim staking'' in the years from 1871 to 1879, during which period most of the claims covering the present productive copper area were located."

Jan 1, 1913

"The zinc concentrator of the Butte & Superior Copper company, shown on the opposite page, represents an industry which is coming into importance in Butte. The existence of large bodies of zinc ore in some of the silver veins of Butte has been realized for years, but it is only recently that some of them have proved amenable to successful concentration. Most of the zinc ores thus far found in the camp are mixed with considerable pyrite, but those found in the Black Rock and Elm Orlu mines contain very little pyrite, so that a concentrate low in iron is possible.The Butte & Superior mill is rated at 1,200 tons daily capacity. The ore is sphalerite, most of which is finely disseminated through a hard quartz gangue, with small quantities of galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, rhodocrosite and rhodonite. In mining, the included granite and the low grade vein matter are sorted out and used for waste filling so that the ore as it goes to the concentrator will carry about 20 per cent of zinc, 1 per cent lead, .25 per cent copper, 8 to 10 ozs. silver and a little gold. The ore bodies ranging from 5 to 103 feet in width, are mined by the square set method and filling of stopes with waste rock.The ore is hard and tough requiring extensive crushing and grinding equipment, consisting of Blake and gyratory crushers, 54-inch and 42-inch high speed rolls, Chili mills, Tube, and Conical mills. All of the lead con¬centrate and part of the zinc concentrate are recovered in the upper part of the mill by jigs and tables. The classifier overflow and the re-ground jig and table tailings go to settling tanks and from there to the Hyde Flotation process, where the balance of the zinc concentrate is recovered, and the tailing go to waste."

Jan 1, 1913

By Leonard P. Colvin

Like all successful American enterprises, the mining industry is constantly trying to increase production, lower costs and improve working conditions. Companies are, of course, intensely interested in new equipment to help them gain these important ends, and one recent development-the mechanical raise climber--contributes to all three goals. Properly used, it increases production, cuts costs and has a number of important safety aspects all of which are the subject of this article.

Jan 1, 1962

Jan 1, 1914

By W. Spencer Hutchinson

It is the purpose of this paper to describe a method used to determine the corundum contents of samples of hard crystalline gneiss containing both corundum and red garnet. A chemical analysis of the rock for alumina would not fix the amount of corundum became at least three other constituent minerals of the rock, mica, feldspar, and garnet, contain alumina combined with silica. Following are the principal minerals found in the samples, together with their specific gravity and hardness as given by Dana: The corundum occurred in crystals of a gray or bluish gray color, in minute grains and coarser up to 0.5 in., and no massive or block corundum was observed. The larger crystals were commonly quite slender, well defined, and the normal hexagonal form clearly developed. They lay with the structural planes of the gneiss, and sometimes appeared prominently in relief on weathered surfaces. In some cases these crystals had suffered partial or total alteration to mica, margarite, or other soft minerals, a condition illustrated by sample D, which appeared to be studded abundantly with corundum on the flat faces. Garnet, a striking feature of nearly all the samples, was present in small rounded crystals of a pink to red color. The samples were first broken to pass a No. 4 mesh screen. This was done with a hammer on an iron plate, particular care being taken to avoid the breaking of the crystals finer than need be to pass the screen. A portion of the sample weighing 500 g. was then taken and, with a little water added, was scoured round and round in an iron bucket with a wooden block, until the coarse crystals of corundum were cleaned of adhering pieces of mica. The bucket was then re-

Jan 1, 1914

By Frank A. Linforth

The object of this paper is to present a brief outline of the methods of geologic mapping employed in the Geological Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., at Butte, and to show by means of a few typical examples the practical nature of the results obtained. The extremely complicated geological conditions early encountered in Butte mining led mine operators to realize the necessity of accurate detailed geologic mapping m an aid to successful development of the ore bodies. The organization of the Anaconda Geological Department was undertaken in 1900 by H. V. Winchell, who, in conjunction with D. W. Brunton, worked out the essential methods of procedure which are, in the main, followed at the present time. Since the year 1906 the geologic work has been under the direction of Reno H. Sales, and in some respects the scope of the work has been slightly enlarged. An excellent article describing the general equipment of the geological department was presented by D. W. Brunton at the British Columbia meeting of the Institute in 1905.' His idea, that data collected underground and recorded should be put to practical use and not remain a mere " inventory of the company's underground possessions," is the keynote to the success of applied geology in Butte. The geologic notes are taken as soon as possible after the ground is broken so that any mistake in the mining may be corrected at once, or any particularly advantageous procedure may be suggested before any useless work is done. Taking the notes underground is a comparatively simple matter, but a few necessary precautions may be pointed out. The essential to success is that the notes shall show exactly what geological facts are disclosed. The observer must discriminate carefully between important and unimportant exposures in making the record, especially as regards the relation between veins and stringers, between faults and minor slips, or between the characteristics of veins of different ages. A simple color scheme has been adopted for making this record. Red pencils are used to indicate

Jan 1, 1914

By C. W. Drury, E. J. Hall

The iron-nail method of assaying has been used for a number of years, but has not met with the approval of all assayers. The method possesses advantages which may be given as follows: (1) no preliminary treatment is required; (2) a lead button of proper size can be obtained; (3) it is economical. On the other hand, it has its disadvantages, which may be summed up as follows: (1) it is not applicable to ores containing large amounts of impurities other than sulphur, as practically all the base metals will contaminate the lead button ; (2) the slag is unsatisfactory in the larger number of fusions; (3) the method was known to give low silver results under certain conditions and the gold results were questionable. It was with the idea of determining the extent of this latter disadvantage that the following investigation was undertaken. It is well known that the fusion obtained in the lead assay is far more satisfactory than that in the " nails method" for gold and silver. The principal difference in the charges as a class is the presence of considerable reducing agent in the lead charge, and a limited oxidizing action in the nails charge, dud to PbO. The possibility of improving the nails fusion by simulating the lead charge was the reason for using argol in some tests, even though there were reasons for expecting this would have an objectionable effect on the results. Preparation of the Gold-Bearing Material. The materials containing gold and silver used in the following experiments were prepared rather than selected, in order to have a definite working product excluding undesirable elements. A high-

Jan 1, 1914

By Ralph Hayden

PAGE I. IntRoduction........239 II. Definition of Anaconda SLime....240 III. The Source of Slime......240 Remodeled Flow Sheet......240 Old Plow Sheet,.......242 IV. ConStitution of Slimes......243 Chemical........243 Physical.........243 V. The Slime Problem.......247 VI. THe Experimental Slime Plant....248 VII. Slime Thickeners. ETc .......249 Slime Ponds........249 Tanks.........249 Comparative Efficiency of Open and Baffle Tanks .260 Callow Tanks........252 Kuchs-Laist Centrifugal Separator....253 Garred Filter........256 Dorr Continuous Thickener.....256 VIII. Concentrators........257 Round Table........558 Peck Centrifugal Concentrator....259 Competitive Tests.......260 Twenty-Deck Round Table..... 260 Slime Feed Distributor......261 IX. ConcluSion.........262 I. Introduction. In the wet concentration of ores there is always a certain amount of very fine material with which to contend. and which invariably carries such quantities of value that the treatment of it is worth while. commercially. This fine material usually contains that portion of the ore which hinders the separation of the mineral values: namely. the colloidal material resulting from the decomposition of certain constituents of the ore. The object of this paper is to show what efforts have been made to solve the slime problem as it occurs in the concentrator of the Washoe

Jan 1, 1914

By Edgar M. Dunn

Part I. Determination oF Gases in Smelter Flues. General considerations. Regular methods for carbon monoxide, oxygen, nitrogen, moisture. Sulphur oxides-—Methods of Lunge and Hempel tried, and either modified or discarded, with reasons therefor. Gravimetric method developed at Anaconda. Description of apparatus used. Brief notes on Richter and Hawley methods for the direct cietermination of sulphur trioxide. Carbon dioxide, with complete notes on same. Arsenic trioxide. Table of percentages of flue gas constituents found at a Western smelter. Some final notations as to the value of flue gas analysis, in connection with an intelligent log of furnace operations. Part II. Notes on the Determination oF Dust Losses at the Washoe Reduction Works, Anaconda, Mont. Discussion of problem, with description of flue system. Various places and methods for determinations of velocity. Instruments used. Procedure in making determinations for velocity. Soundings of cross-section for depths of dust. Calculation of velocities and areas. Daily volume of gas, and plant operations during tests. Place for dust determinations. Apparatus and methods of 'sampling. Results obtained, with table of daily amount of dust losses. Analysis of dusts for values, from various sampling stations. Complete analysis of composite sample of stack emanation. Last analysis totaled to show form in which present. Discussion of recovery as a commercial proposition. References on Pitot tube and calculations.

Jan 1, 1914

By E. P. Mathewson

In a discussion of a paper on The Basic Process as Applied to Copper Smelting, by Percy C. Gilchrist, read before the Society of Chemical Industry, London, Jan. 5, 1891,' Prof. W. C. Roberts-Austen asked Mr. Gilchrist whether he thought that the substitution of a basic lining for acid lining in the Manhks process would afford anything like the service which it had been shown to render in the metallurgy of iron. Claude Vautin stated that he had experimented for over two years. with basic linings for Bessemer converters for copper mattes at Cobar, but had given up the attempt on the score of cost. Mr. Gilchrist in his reply stated that he did not believe in applying any system of Bessemerizing to copper. About the time of the presentation of the paper mentioned,Hermann Keller, Superintendent of the Parrot smelter, in Butte, was experimenting on a large scale with converters lined with magnesite brick. He gave up the idea on account of the cost of linings and because no particular advantage was observed. My belief is that his tuyeres and converters were too small. A short time afterward similar experiments were tried at the Great Falls plant of the Boston & Montana Co., and at the Old Works of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. in Anaconda. These were abandoned on the score of cost and the lack of advantages. The same cause of failure, in my opinion, holds here. The Anaconda Copper Mining Co., however, adopted the magnesite brick lining for its tilting casting machines. Fig. 1 is a view of the first tilting furnace casting copper. It was made from an old Brueckner roasting cylinder. Fig. 2 shows an elevation and vertical and horizontal longitudinal sections of the second tilting furnace, built in 1897.

Jan 1, 1914

By Archer E. Wheeler, Milo W. Krejci

The Boston & Montana Reduction Works at Great Falls, Mont., was formerly the reduction works of the Boston & Montana Consolidated Copper & Silver Mining Co., and continued as the reduction plant for the independent company until June 1, 1910, when the consolidation of a large number of the operating companies of Butte was effected. It then became merged in the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. as the Boston & Montana Reduction Department of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The history of copper converting at this plant, while not covering the entire period of the commercial use of the process in this country, does cover by far the larger part of it, and as the operation of and appliances for the process have undergone many changes during the time, it may, perhaps, be of some interest to put the record of these changes into permanent form. The plan followed in the preparation of this paper has been to give first a brief chronological record of the principal events and changes and then, even at the risk of some repetitions, to give more detaild accounts of some of these changes under separate headings. The headings for the complete paper are as follows: 1. General. Chronological Review. 10. Development of Different Classes 2. Mechanical Manipulation. of Converters After Class I. 3. Casting of Finished Copper. 11. Basic Lining. 4. Tamping of Linings. 12. Number and Size of Tuyeres. 5. Early Acid Linings. 13. Cast Copper Tuyeres. 6. Acid Linings With the Use of Ore. 14. Efficiency of Air. 7. Introduction of Flux Through the 15. Size of Converter Mouth. Tuyeres. 16. Height of Converter. 8. Bottom Blast. 17. Summary. 9. Disposal of Converter Slag, General Chronological Review. Ground was broken for the general concentrating and smelting plant in the spring of 1,891. The first departments to start operations were the concentrator in March, 1892, and the Brückner roasting and reverbera-tory smelting departments in April, 1892. The converter department

Jan 1, 1914

By Robert Franke

In view of the prominence which the conical mill has attained in the fine-crushing field within the few years since its introduction, the following comparison with its more mature forerunner, the Chilean mill, based on extensive tests, is submitted in the interest of the milling profession. Soon after designing the concentrating plant of the Miami Copper Co. in 1909, the Hardinge conical mill made its appearance in the milling forum. Its possibility as a suitable crushing device for the plant was well recognized, but in view of the lack of commercial demonstration, at the time, as to capacity, efficiency for desired product, and the still more uncertain factors of cost of maintenance and power consumption, it was deemed that the immediate adoption of this machine throughout the plant would be a hazardous undertaking. For these reasons it was decided to equip the majority of the immediately required units of the plant with Chilean mills, the fine-crushing proficiencies of which were better known, and one section with Hardinge mills, to serve as a test unit for the guidance of future installations and replacements. Thereby, after 1.5 years' operation with both types of mills, a thorough test as to metallurgical efficiency and cost economy has been obtained. The conical mill used in these tests is the 8-ft. Hardinge pebble mill, having a cylinder 22 in. in length. The cylindrical portion of this mill is lined with cast-iron liner plates, and the conical extensions with silex bricks bound together by cement. Each liner plate carries a projecting lifter, the function of which is to increase the height of drop of the lifted material. Danish No. 5 pebbles, obtained from the coast deposits of Denmark, are used for the grinding charge. The Chilean mill used is a fast-running, 3-roller, 6-ft. Saturn mill, with screens of 0.037-in. opening. The feed to these mills is the oversize of Callow screens having 0.029-in. openings, which follow rolls crushing to 0.5 in. For the ore of this mine, a moderately hard but very fissile schist,

Jan 1, 1914