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By P. N. Lategan

Mining companies are challenged with increased difficulty in delivering capital projects on schedule and within budget. In 2005, PricewaterhouseCoopers global review of major capital projects in the mining industry only 2.5% of projects could be defined as successful when assessed across the four critical dimensions of scope, cost, schedule and business benefits. Thus 97.5% of major mining capital projects were not successful according to the criteria PricewaterhouseCoopers used. Normally if a project fails on all these criteria it indicates scope creep. Scope creep refers to the change in a project's scope after the project work has started. As a result, the projects drift away from their original design, timeline, and budget, and as a consequence destroy business benefits. The major reasons for scope creep are poor change control and the lack of proper front end loading. Change control and front end loading are based on project processes in the planning and monitoring & control process group of the Project Management Body of Knowledge1 (PMBOK). This paper will focus on key factors to consider during project scheduling/planning with special reference to cost and schedule (using Microsoft Project as a tool although the principal is universal)

Jan 1, 2009

By Joshua Hoffman, Braden Lusk, John Rathbun

A Flyrock Prevention Taskforce was established in Kentucky with the support of Kentucky's Department of Natural Resources, Kentucky's Explosives Industry, and the University of Kentucky. This paper presents the initial work of the Flyrock Prevention Taskforce towards its missions of identifying the root causes of flyrock incidents based on the analysis of previous events, and tracking the progress of flyrock elimination in the future. Work identifying root causes of flyrock events is presented through the development of a database which manages information about the blasts which caused flyrock. This data includes: blasting and seismograph records, drill logs, videos of the event when available, company notes/incident reports, and any additional information regarding probable cause. Work tracking the progression of flyrock elimination efforts is presented in this paper through the introduction of a flyrock index. Several metrics are proposed for this index, and are discussed for their appropriateness and shortcomings. In order for these indexes to be valid forms of tracking flyrock incident rates additional records must be kept and reported, such as the annual consumption of explosives by surface coal blasting. Suggestions for record keeping, flyrock investigation practices, and means of tracking flyrock incident rates are proposed in this paper.

Jan 1, 2013

By H. T. Kennedy, S. G. Dardaganian, J. L. Clanton

This paper presents equilibrium ratios measured on oil and gas samples taken from the Kelly-Snyder field at the reservoir temperature of 128°F. From these data smoothed curves were constructed for the reservoir fluid up to the bubble-point, 1,874 psia. A material balance calculation, based on the use of equilibrium ratios instead of the usual solubility and shrinkage meayr~rements is made on the field and compared to the con\.entional method. DETERMINATION OF EQUILIBRIUM RATIOS The equilibrium ratios, or K values were obtained by recombining separator samples of oil and gas taken when the reservoir was above its bubble point, and thus represented the reservoir fluid before any change had occurred due to the evolution of gas. The well sampled had a gas-oil ratio of 617 cu ft of high pressure sepalator gas per barrel of separator oil. and a bottom-hole temperature of 128°F. Samples were brought to equilibrium by agitating for 24 hours in a thermostat, maintained at the proper temperature within 0.2ºF, mercury being added when necessary to maintain the pressure constant. Samples of oil and gas were then taken by constant pressure displacement, and analyzed by low temperature frac-tionation. Equilibrium ratios were determined at 128°F and 500, 800, 1,000 and 1,400 psig. At the latter pressure, there were indications that the gas samples were contaminated with small quantities of oil, and only data taken at the first three pressures were included in Fig. I. This figure has been extended to higher and lower pressures by the use of the Fluor charts for 3,000 psi convergence pressure, on which the experimental points fit well. MATERIAL BALANCE EQUATIONS The possible errors involved in conventional material balance equations have been analyzed by Muskat1. Where the errors occur in field measurements, or in obtaining effective averages from variables such as gas-oil ratio and pressure, they will evidently be involved in any attempt to estimate the content of the reservoir. On the other hand, substantial errors may be introduced in conventional material balance calculations by: (1) the neglect of the amount of oil dissolved in gas at high pressures and temperatures in the reservoir, but which condenses under separator conditions; (2) the assumption that the separation of oil and gas in the reservoir may be duplicated by a differential liberation in the

By B. Das

he flotation studies on hematite were carried out using di (2-ethylhexyl) Phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as the collector. The possible mineral reagent interaction was studied through electrokinetic and dissolution studies. The shift in zeta potential (PZC) and decrease in dissolution of iron in the presence of D2EHPA indicated that D2EHPA was specifically adsorbed on hematite surface. The adsorption imparted necessary hydrophobicity for flotation of hematite. Hematite could be floated selectively from hematite and quartz synthetic mixture. Key words: Hematite, D2EHPA, flotation, electrokinetics, dissolution.

Jan 1, 2003

By Kazem Oraee

Falls of ground have historically been the main cause for fatalities in underground mines. Although recent advances in technology have reduced the number of such accidents, when failures occur they usually result in severe consequences. Risks of rock falls, use of heavy machinery and electrical apparatus, entry to confined spaces, working in noisy and dusty environments, and working on unstable platforms are some of the hazards in ground control operations. Managing these risks requires a management regime involving strict adherence to operational codes of practice and an enshrined culture of safety. These should be subsequently reinforced through active participation of management, systematic training, and stringent internal and third party auditing. Accident reports show that the major contributing factor in most rock fall accidents is the failure to adequately manage known risks due to the lack of a systematic process. OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) is an international occupational health and safety management standard specification to develop occupational health and safety at the workplace. This standard is intended to help mine operators control occupational health and safety risks. Addressing the requirements of OHSAS 18001 can be a complex and demanding task. A comprehensive guide for efficient and accurate implementation of this standard is provided in this paper. The discipline can be used to establish an accountable management system foreground control activities in underground coal mines. The paper also provides guidelines for preparing necessary documents, devising safety policies, procedures, performing risk assessment, and handling instructions. Finally, the paper concludes by providing a sound analytical basis in terms of the creation of a robust safety management system foreground control operations in underground mines. Full benefits of implementing an effective and systematic operational health and safety management system are illustrated. The procedure adopted and prescribed in this paper can be used in all underground coal mines where lack of appropriate ground control practices can create deficiencies in both safety and productivity.

Jan 1, 2012

By Erwin Olivera

Este sistema integral de seguridad instalado en la pala eléctrica N°5 está conformado por un conjunto de cámaras, sensores de proximidad de objetos y de luces led rojas ubicadas en la parte lateral y posterior del equipo permitiendo al operador de la pala, tener una mayor visión y control de su área de trabajo y al operador del equipo auxiliar, le permite restringir la entrada del equipo al radio de giro de la pala. Por tal motivo la Gerencia Mina de Cuajone decidió instalar este sistema integral a todas las palas de la operación para el año 2017 lo que permitirá generar un ahorro a partir del año 2019 en pérdidas de la producción, gastos por parada del equipo auxiliar y gastos por reparación por un monto de US$ 40,619 anuales.

Sep 1, 2017

By George J. Conroy

To provide data as a basis for proposed acceptance standards and procedures covering permanent splices in trailing cables, the Bureau of Mines conducted testing programs on the flexure life in flat types W and G dc trailing cable splices and ground conductors. Primary reliance was placed on laboratory testing, although some cross comparisons were made at manufacturers' plants and mine operations Besides providing data for acceptance standards and procedures, results of the program should promote the general improvement of commercially available splice kits.

Jan 1, 1977

By Flavio Rojos-Tapia, Samuel Sánchez-Pino, Marcelo Fernández-García, Samuel Sánchez-Baquedano, Rainer M. Imhof

"Pneumatic flotation was introduced to the Chilean copper mining industry in 1993 by Ingeniería de Minerales S.A., being implementation in 1994/95. The technology is based on the designs and development of Dr. Rainer Imhof from Germany and from Chilean copper processing experience.Pneumatic flotation has been successfully used for sulphide and oxide copper minerals and copper slag, iron ores (reverse flotation), gold and promising results with molybdenum as product. Extremely hard conditions were applied in flotation process such as roughing, cleaning, scavenging. Pneumatic flotation can be applied for any type of mineral which has to be separated by flotation. Even very dense and heavy slurries can be processed, the range of the particle sizes to be collected is very wide, and the number of cleaning stages needed normally is one in our experience until now.The good performance of the technique can be explained by the high gas hold-up and the very effective micro-turbulences which boosts the attachment to the bubbles changing dramatically the flotation time concept. Some economic high lights are: less energy consumption, less maintenance costs, simple and reliable to operate and it is required a small area to install the circuits.As a result of the Chilean mining industry experience, it can be concluded that the pneumatic flotation can be regarded as an excellent alternative to the conventional way of Mineral Processing.INTRODUCTIONDerived from seventies, works in Germany about pneumatic flotation with Prof. Simonis (Technical University of Berlin) and Prof. Bahr (Technical University of Clausthal), it has been developed an interesting flotation technology in Mineral Processing, with the designs developed by Dr. Rainer Imhof, who has been known for more than ten years (Imhof, 1998) by his contribution at Ekof, KHD, Allmineral and the actual company Maelgwyn Mineral Services where he is a Technical Director. Ingeniería de Minerales S.A. has been working ten years deeply involved with the technology developed by Dr. Imhof and is more than ten years experienced with pneumatic flotation, from Wits University and Mintek in South Africa (Sánchez, 1990), (Sánchez, 1990)."

Jan 1, 2003

The paper reviews the results emanating from an experiment conducted in Bochum?Germany in which various international rope inspection authorities were requested to assess the conditions of a corroded rope sample as well as a rope sample containing internal fatigue breaks. Both samples were of the multi-layer low rotation construction.

Jan 1, 2000

By Tumilty JA, Schmidt CG

Sulphide ion is a powerful poison in gold cyanidation, however, the detrimental effect is less severe in plant practice. This is thought to be due to the presence of depassivating elements in the ore, mainly lead. Trace amounts of lead can counteract the poisonous effect of considerable amounts of sulphide. The reaction is instantaneous and is likely to be a direct involvement in the electrochemical surface reaction. Lead addition cannot be regarded as an all-round cure when experiencing poor leach efficiencies. A possible beneficial effect depends on the mineralogy of the ore and has to be determined individually for every material.

Jan 1, 1989

The Peelwood district of New South Wales is located some 65 miles south of Bathutst on the Tuena-Crookwell road. A number of occurrences of lead-zinc-copper ore are known from this district but only three mines, Peelwood, Cordillera and Mt. Costigan, have achieved any significant production. The purpose of the paper is to describe the mineral composition of sulphide ores from these three localities.HISTORYNo published information on the geology of the Peelwood area is available. Came (1899) reports that, at the time of cessation of mining operations in 1888, the Peelwood mine had produced some 600 tons of copper metal and regulus, the Cordillera mine had yielded 9000 tons of ore at the recoverable grade of 2·5 per cent Pb, 2·5 per cent Cu, 90z/ton Ag and 1 dwtjto:p. Au, but that no production figures were available from Mt. Costigan. No further work was carried out on these properties until 1951 when the Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia instigated a programme of geological mapping and exploratory diamond drilling (Whitten, unpublished data, 1953). The Peelwood district was recently mapped by Mutton (unpublished thesis, 1960) from whom the following geological summary account was taken.GENERAL GEOLOGYAll rocks in the Peelwood area belong to a series of interbedded fine grained sediments and volcanics that are thought...

Jan 1, 1961

By J. B. Cheatham, M. D. Biggs

This paper presents a systematic method for determining the forces on a simplified roller bit. The kinematics of an actual roller bit drilling in rock is complex; nevertheless, it is desirable to obtain an accurate analytical model.. As a preliminary study, the roller bit is represented here by a simple two-dimensional bit and the rock by a Coulomb plastic material. Results from previous work, plus additional assumptions, are incorporated into a computer program to determine the forces required to move the bit in a specified manner. Example problems are worked by use of this program. By studying similar drilling problems and by supporting laboratory work, one could eventually obtain an accurate analytical model for drilling by an actual roller bit. This could lead to the compilation of a catalog of results that, in turn, would allow selection of the optimum drill bit for any given situation. INTRODUCTION

Jan 1, 1970

By H. J. Glass

Collection, preparation, and analysis of blasthole chippings is expensive. Frequently, interpolation of grades at unsampled locations is considered using techniques like kriging. A pre-requisite for kriging is that an experimental variogram is established. In order to assess the quality of the experimental variogram, a measure is developed in this paper. The measure is derived from analysis of the time-honoured expression relating the variance, semivariance, and covariance. It reflects the weighted average deviation of the summed semivariance and covariance from the biased variance. The proposed measure allows assessment of the influence of key variables on the quality of the variogram. Using simulated data, it follows that the quality improves with an increasing number of samples, increasing density of the sampled locations, increasing regularity of the sampling pattern, and increasing uniformity of grades in the absence of correlation. Application to real data shows that the minimum number of samples could coincide with a marked decrease in the value of the measure. Establishing a threshold value is subject to further research. Keywords: variogram, variance, covariance, semivariance, minimization, sampling.

Jan 1, 2003

By Fred N. Kissell

In This Chapter [The explosibility of methane gas mixtures Effect of pressure and temperature on explosibility Less common sources of methane ignitions The amount of methane stored in coal Forecasting the methane emission rate Layering of methane at the mine roof When the recirculation of mine air is hazardous The importance of higher air velocity in preventing methane explosions and Mine explosions, barometric pressure, and the seasonal trend in explosions] Dealing with methane in mines and tunnels requires knowledge of the circumstances under which dangerous accumulations of methane are likely to occur. This knowledge involves the properties of the gas itself, an awareness of where these accumulations are likely to occur, and facts on how methane mixes safely into the mine air. The other chapters in this handbook address the handling of methane under a variety of specific circumstances, such as at continuous miner faces or coal storage silos. This chapter addresses some broad concepts that serve as a foundation for the suggestions provided in other chapters. THE EXPLOSIBILITY OF METHANE GAS MIXTURES Methane entering a mine or tunnel often enters as a localized source at high concentration. Figure 1–1 depicts a cloud of methane being diluted into a moving air stream. In this illustration, methane enters the mine from a crack in the roof. As the methane emerges from the crack, it progressively mixes with the ventilation air and is diluted. In the event that this progressive dilution reduces the concentration from 100% to 1%,2 as shown in Figure 1–1, the methane passes through a concentration range of 15% to 5%, known as the explosive range. In the explosive range, the mixture may be ignited. Above 15%, called the upper explosive limit (UEL), methane-air mixtures are not explosive, but will become explosive when mixed with more air.

Jan 6, 2006

By Des Bolton

With the introduction of Cast Blasting techniques, field controls of Drilling & Blasting operations became more important. New drills were purchased which were equipped with sophisticated instrumentation and more accurate drilling plans were required. Concurrently a decision had to be made on the replacement of borehole logging equipment owned by the mine. The use of a contractor to log blast boreholes was eventually decided upon, the information gained from this operation is used in the short-term drill and blast planning and may also be used to assist in the coaling operation if density I quality correlations prove acceptable.

Jan 1, 1994

By M. Sanchez, C. Morales, J. Palacios

The slag produced in the Peirce Smith converters at the Ilo smelter of Southern Peru Copper Corporation has shown a wide range of magnetite content, which introduces an additional problem in the smelting units due to materials? recirculation. However, the operation data analysis and the application of thermodynamic concepts have made it possible to produce slag with magnetite content between 18 and 20%. The results have suggested that matte grade enhances magnetite formation while silica controls its precipitation, and they are also influenced by the increasing temperature of the slag. Thus, in order to obtain the required magnetite content in the slag, matte grade is gradually enriched in equilibrium with slag containing from 25 to 32% silica.

Jan 1, 2004

By P. R. Moyer

"INTRODUCTION The Federal Explosives Act (55 Stat., 863), as amended, was passed by Congress on December 26, 1941, and became effective immediately; it amended the Act of October 6, 1917 (4o Stat., 385). The purpose of the Act was to regulate the manufacture, storage, use, and possession of explosives in order to prevent sabotage and to assure that explosives and ingredients would not fall into unauthorized hands. Under the provisions of the Act, the Director of the Bureau of Mines was authorized to administer its provisions under the supervisions of the Secretary of the Interior.EXPLOSIVES-CONTROL DIVISIONTo administer the Act, necessary personnel were employed in accordance with the appropriation made from a special presidential fund and later by Congress, and the Explosives Control Division was organized as a part of the Health and Safety Branch of the Bureau of Mines constituting the fourth division of that branch. A central office was established in Washington, D. C., and field offices were designated largely at the offices of the Health and Safety Branch throughout the country, and 50 explosives investigators were employed and assigned to work from these offices under the direction of the district engineers of the eight districts into which the United States is divided by the Health and Safety Branch. The territory assigned to each investigator was based on the approximate amount of explosives stored in that area; however, smaller territories were assigned to investigators stationed near the Pacific coast, which was indicated as critical by the armed forces."

Mar 1, 1947

El presente trabajo describe el sistema y los métodos para la extracción del oro en la planta de beneficio de Andaray Gold Mines, alcanzando una productividad óptima en el campo metalúrgico. La mina está situada en San Juan de Chorunga, provincia de Condesuyos, departamento de Arequipa, donde sus yacimientos mineralizados son de dos tipos: los yacimientos descompuestos que contienen limonita y oro libre, perteneciente a la mina Mercedes , y los de mineral piritoso aurífero, que comprenden chalcopirita y ojos de galena, perteneciente a la mina San Juan. El proceso de explotación se inicia con el transporte del mineral hasta su descarga en la parrilla de apertura. E mineral que no pase por la parrilla, se deriva a la chancadora durante 10 horas. Posteriormente pasa por la molienda para luego ser clasificado. Allí se adicionan los reactivos para la flotación y su análisis de malla. Producto de la flotación se obtiene el concentrado. El filtrado de los concentrados conlleva su envío a la molienda secundaria durante un período de seis horas. En este estado, la partícula de oro se encuentra limpia y en óptimas condiciones para la amalgamación y cianuración, donde el mercurio y la amalgama son exprimidos en una lona, destilándose, y se procede a la solución del oro, respectivamente. El método seguido es la agitación neumática, que suelta aire comprimido para la elevación del concentrado por el tubo elevador. Prosiguen los efectos de decantación, operación, control del cianuro y del alcali libre, precipitación, clarificación, limpieza y función de los precipitados. En el laboratorio se realiza el control de muestras del circuito de flotación, cianuración y de las barras, utilizando los métodos de soluciones de cianuro, ensayo de concentrados, minerales de mina, cabeza y relaves y ensayos de los precipitados. Finalmente, los cuadros de consumo de reactivos, mostrarán la eficacia del sistema y los resultados económicos de la planta de beneficio, como los costos, eficiencia de plata y mano de obra.

Jul 20, 1957

By Wilton Johnson

The Bureau of Mines study indicates that land utilized by the mining industry for mineral extraction and processing from 1930 through 1980 amounted to 5.7 million acres, or 0.25 percent of the land mass in the United States. Land reclaimed by the industry during the same period was 2.7 million acres, or 47 percent of the land utilized. Land use by the mining industry includes surface land used for excavation or mining, for waste from underground mining, and for wastes from milling or processing operations. Data on land use for disposal of overburden waste from surface coal mines and on areas affected by subsidence associated with underground mining are included for the period 1930-71 only. The 10 leading States in total land used for mining over the 51-year period were, in decreasing order, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia, Florida, Indiana, California, Alabama, and Missouri. Seven mineral commodities accounting for 92 percent of land use are, in decreasing order, bituminous coal, sand and gravel, stone, phosphate rock, clay, copper, and iron ore, all predominately surface mined. Bituminous coal production was responsible for nearly half of the total area utilized. Reclamation of mined lands and waste disposal sites over the reporting period was largely on lands utilized in mining bituminous coal; 75 percent of the land used for bituminous coal production was reclaimed.

Jan 1, 1981

By Paul Hatmaker

Lime was a highly useful commodity thousands of years before the simple chemistry of its manufacturing process was known. The employment of lime for agriculture, building, and even certain essentially chemical purposes is so old that its origin is among the unrecorded details of man's first ventures into the manufacture and use of prepared substances. Lime is a most versatile material and consequently has come to be widely utilized in modern civilization. Immediately before the depression of the early 1930's the annual production of lime in the United States was more than 4 million tons, valued at 33 to 42 mil-million dollars. This output was sold to many industries, so many that mere enumeration becomes tedious.

Jan 1, 1934